Chapter Text
Its two days after Christmas, they’d spent the majority of the last two days spending time with Slade around his work schedule. Steve liked him, really liked him. It was nice that the three of them were totally at ease with each other, and Steve felt like he’d known them his entire life.
They’re all sitting in the sand, on a blanket that Slade had brought since it was a bit chilly when Steve thinks he hears something over the wind. A few minutes later he hears it again. This time it’s a very clearly defined person shouting ‘HEY’ over the wind and the waves.
Steve and Billy turned, and hopped off the blanket at the same time. Max and Eddie both were running over to them from the parking lot. “Well, I did not expect this.” Steve says to Billy laughing.
“Me either.” Billy says when Max runs directly past him and Steve and immediately jumps into Slade’s arms.
Slade holds her up and spins her around in their hug before setting her down. “Look at you, mami. When did you get all grown up?”
Max shrugs, “I’m still not very tall.”
He laughs at her bad joke, and Steve doesn’t miss the way that Eddie’s mouth turns down at the corners and his brows pull together, clearly not loving the interaction that’s happening in front of him. Steve clears his throat and asks, “What exactly are you guys doing here?”
“We left almost right after you called Christmas morning.” Eddie says. “Drove for three days to make it out here.”
“Not that we’re not happy to see you, but why exactly did you drive three days across the country?” Billy asks.
“Well when your two best friends slash brothers flee the state in the middle of the night it tends to worry a person. Or people, in this case. We wanted to check up on you.” Eddie says.
“Susan wasn’t mad you left?” Billy asks.
She shakes her head, “No, she picked up another shift. Something about time and a half.” Max says.
“Is anyone going to introduce me to your very well dressed friend? Max? Boyfriend?” Slade asks.
At the same time Max says an overly forceful ‘no’ Eddie holds out his hand and says, “Eddie Munson. Resident chauffeur I guess.”
It makes Slade laugh, “Mad Max is quite the little slave driver. Glad to know that hasn’t changed.”
They spend the rest of the afternoon on the beach, watching the waves. Watching a family of tourists attempt to swim in the icy pacific. Steve knows how cold it is, as Slade goaded him and Eddie to at the very least get their feet in it. It felt like stepping into ice water.
Eddie, in fact, has been nudging his way closer and closer to Steve as the afternoon wears on. Catching Steve's attention to talk about Dustin and Erica and how he won’t be surprised if they end up together in a few years, or how Max was a hell beast the whole three day drive because he was driving too slow or she wanted this hotel and not this one. Steve thinks he's so chatty because it's difficult to talk to Slade, Billy, and Max while they are catching up. There are so many inside jokes and casual touches, and Steve doesn't miss when Slade puts his arm around Max and tucks her into his side, the way she smiles, and the way Eddie suddenly becomes real interested in the clouds.
And it's not like Eddie doesn't want to hear all of the details about the Christmas eve fallout. He does, pulls them out slowly and carefully over the afternoon. And it's one thing for Billy to be so incensed about it, but to see Eddie angry on Steve's behalf is...nice. Nice in a way he didn't expect.
They go to dinner after sunset. A fancy looking place that Billy has always wanted to eat at. It is still casual dining, but the host gives Slade and Eddie both looks that clearly state her disapproval in their attire. Steve's not sure why Billy doesn't garner the same look, but maybe it has to do with the lack of leather jacket and jeans that don't have holes in them.
They eat a feast of crab and lobster. Except for Eddie who orders the chicken tenders and French fries, grimacing at the cracking noises. Slade orders a dozen oysters on the half shell because Billy wants to watch Steve do the rich boy thing with them. Steve doesn't have the heart to tell him he's only eaten them once before.
Later, they head back to the hotel and Slade goes home because he has to get up early for his shift in the morning. Steve watches Eddie's relief at finally being with the people he knows dissolve over the course of twenty minutes as Billy and Max banter back and forth. Until he's silent and surly sitting on the bed. Steve is honestly kind of shocked that Max hasn't$ noticed, considering she's usually so in tune with his moods and needs.
"God!" Eddie finally huffs as Max talks about Slade's Mohawk for the sixth time that night. "Can we talk about something else? It's been Slade this and Slade that all fucking night and if you are so obsessed with him, why don't you just marry him."
Max just blinks at him for a second while Billy cocks his head at Eddie looking a bit like a confused puppy.
"I would be so lucky." Max snorts and laughs. "I mean out of all Billy's friends? Please."
"I need a smoke." Eddie announces and crosses the room. Opening the slider and stepping outside.
"What crawled up his ass?" Billy frowns.
"Seriously." Max rolls her eyes. "It's like he's on his man period."
"Neither of you guys noticed?" Steve says, looking at both of them. "He's felt like the odd man out all day. I think he was anticipating we would be talking about something else once we got here."
Billy and Max both look kind of sheepish at the notion, glancing at each other, to see if they both felt as bad. “I should go out and talk to him.” Max says, standing up from the bed.
“Maybe give him a minute to cool down, yeah?” Steve says. Looking outside Eddie hasn’t even lit a cigarette yet and maybe they should let him get in at least a puff before trying to reconcile the situation.
Max fidgets the whole time she’s waiting. “Has it been long enough yet?”
Steve says, “It hasn’t even been thirty seconds,” But Max is already pushing her way through the sliding door and closing it behind her.
He and Billy watch the two of them through the glass, Eddie looking up when Max comes out. Her, seating herself in his lap, him putting out the nearly full cigarette, her wrapping him in her arms and him settling his head onto her shoulder.
“You and Robin were like that?” Billy asks motioning to the two of them.
Steve nods, “Her parents thought we were dating for the longest time. Ever since that fourth of July it was really hard to be separated.”
“Were we overdoing it with the Slade talk?”
Steve thinks for a minute, “No, not really. I think he is just tired from the drive, overstimulated by the new place you know. Plus he usually has Max’s full attention. So I don’t think he was really prepared to share his friend as much as he did today.”
Billy doesn’t say anything, lost in thought.
“I think he’s a little jealous of your relationship with Slade, too. Not just Max’s.” Steve says.
Billy furrows his brows, “What? Why?”
Steve pinches the bridge of his nose, “You don’t see it?”
“If I did, would I be asking you to explain it to me?”
“You and Slade have easy chemistry, Billy. And history. Eddie’s been trying to be your best friend for months now, ergo, jealousy.”
Billy goes quiet again for a while, lays his head in Steve's lap and makes a contented noise when Steve starts carding his fingers through his curls.
"He's an idiot."
Steve's fingers still. "What?"
"Munson. He's a fucking idiot."
About that time Eddie opens up the slider for Max who makes a beeline for the bathroom. "Who's an idiot?" Eddie asks, only catching the last bit of what Billy had said.
Billy sits up, eyebrows drawing together. "You are."
All the mirth Max stoked back into being within Eddie dies. He shakes his head. "I'm too fucking tired for whatever this is supposed to be."
"It isn't supposed to be anything." Billy snaps. "If you think you aren't my best friend you are a fucking idiot."
"Slade is your best friend, you can't have two best friends. So how exactly am I the idiot, idiot?" Eddie crosses his arms and raises a brow.
"Oh shut up." Billy snaps, grabbing a pillow and throwing it, hitting Eddie directly in the face. "Slade is my best friend from California, and you are my best friend in Hawkins."
Eddie just blinks at him. "I'm your best friend." He points to his chest. "Me?"
"Fuckin' duh, man. Jesus." Billy throws his hands in the air. "You think I just talk about my relationship shit to just anyone? The Neil shit? The upside down shit? No. We're fucking family dumbass. You know things Slade doesn't even know. So quit moping and acting all pissy. I wanna take Steve to Disneyland tomorrow and if you're going to act like this, I'll leave your ass here at the hotel."
Eddie's eyebrows disappear under his bangs and he smiles that lovable goof smile. "We're going to Disney? I wanna go on the Haunted Mansion."
Eddie smiles his wide face splitting grin and full on jumps into the bed next to Billy to give him a hug. Billy who rolls his eyes and mutters something under his breath that sounds like ‘oh for the love of god’ to Steve. But Billy still hugs him back anyways.
“All right! Get in your own bed. I want to go to sleep.” Billy says gruffly, pretending to be grumpy.
When they all settle they fall asleep quickly. All except for Billy, who’d been up for several more hours, trying to sleep but failing to be able to with so many extra people in the room. It felt like all he could hear was Eddie’s snores and Max’s shifting around. To be fair, that had quieted when Eddie had put his arm around her. And then there was the noises from the street outside that Billy wasn’t used to anymore.
He’s laying there on his back when he hears Eddie’s loud gasp. Billy turns his head and watches him sit upright in the bed and gasp for air. Billy watches him look down at Max, clearly panicked, and watches him wake her up.
“Max. Max? Max!” he’s hissing the words, trying to be quiet but loud enough to wake her up.
When Max’s eyes open, she reaches his hand out for his, places it to her heart, “I’m awake. It’s okay.”
Billy watches her pull Eddie down to lay his head over her heart, “Go back to sleep.”
Billy watches her stroke his hair until Eddie’s body relaxes and eventually slips back into sleep.
He’s horrified honestly, that he didn’t know how much he’d been affected by everything that had happened. Obviously, he knew to a point they were all affected, but to see this first hand was heartbreaking.
Eventually Billy slept too, but in the morning he was sure to pull Eddie into a hug, and making sure to note that he needed to ask Steve about that later.
—-----------------
New Year’s eve the five of them planned to spend the day together. Billy had gone to get Slade from work, while Steve, Max, and Eddie were getting massages at the spa in the hotel. Billy waited outside with the car idling. When Slade got in the SUV Billy looked over to him, “We need to go shopping before we go get everyone else.” Billy says.
“Shopping for what?” Slade asks, raising an eyebrow.
Billy looks at him and smiles before pulling away from the building.
-----------
"This is the most rich bitch shit I've ever seen you do, Steve." Eddie warns, settling into the leather pedicure seat.
"Glass houses." Max chuckles from her spot a few feet over. "How's your tummy?"
"It's fine." Eddie says, fluttering an embarrassed hand in a very much fuck off way. He was sure the disgusting amount of government blood money burning a hole in his bank account was going to make him nauseous every day for the rest of his life.
"Yeah, well, Billy has the car, so." Steve says as if that explains everything. "Besides. They asked if there was anything I needed and I do. Drink your champagne and do your best friend duty and help me pick one out."
After about five minutes, a man in a full three piece finely tailored suit and gloves enters the private spa room. He wheels in a cart that has thin velvet wrapped drawers and a marble countertop with a gold filigree frame.
"Hello, Mr. Harrington, the receptionist told me you were looking for something special for tonight?"
"Very special." Steve nods.
Over the next twenty minutes, the jeweler brings tray after tray over to Steve for inspection. Dialing in to Steve's desires. Any of the bands that Steve thinks might come close, he holds out to Eddie for his opinion.
"I like that one for me, but I think it's too...mmm, something, for Billy. Somehow it manages to be too flashy and not flashy enough." Eddie says about one that has rubies dotting it.
Max peers over, "What about the gold one?"
"You don't think it's too traditional?" Steve frowns picking it up.
"There's this one sir," the jeweler points out.
And Steve just knows, can picture it on Billy's thick finger, metal catching the light of the sun as he pops the hood of the camaro in the driveway. It's not a heavy weight of certainty, but instead as light and bubbly as the champagne in his glass.
"Oh yeah," Eddie says, nodding as he looks at it. "That's the one."
Steve smiles down at the metal band in the palm of his hand. "I think so too."
"Alright, sir. Just let me polish and package it up for you. Would you like a black or a blue box?"
"Blue. Definitely blue. Stevie wants a blue box for his romantic present." Eddie sing songs, chin in his hand as he leans over and grins. "Oh don't look at me like that, you know Billy prefers blue."
—--------------
“A jewelry store?” Slade asks.
“Yes.” Billy says, parking the car. “We have an appointment.”
“An appointment?” Slade asks again.
“Will you shut up and get out of the car?” Billy says, getting out himself and shutting the door in Slade's face.
He can hear the laugh inside of the car and doesn’t stop until Slade is standing next to him. “We’re here for a ring, aren’t we?”
“Yes.”
“After you.” Slade says, opening the door for him.
Billy walks in and is immediately overwhelmed with all of the glass cases in front of him.
“Hello, gentlemen, what may we assist you with today?” the woman behind the counter asks them.
“I’m looking for an engagement ring.”
The woman smiles, and says, “Yes right this way.” She ushers them over to a glass case with what looks like about a billion delicate looking feminine rings. “Do we have a price point in mind today gentlemen?”
Billy shakes his head. “No, no budget.” When he says it, Slade chokes. Billy ignores him. “But…”
“Yes?”
“I need something a bit more for a masculine hand.” Billy feels awkward saying it, even though he picked this store specifically because of the other types of businesses and population demographics that live in the area.
To his relief the woman only smiles and directs them to another case. In the end he picks a pretty ring. Silver with carved detail with tiny aquamarine and amethyst gems inset in it. Twenty minutes later after they’ve settled with the store and gotten the bag they get back in the car and Billy’s so nervous he wants to vomit.
“Wipe that look off your face idiot. He’s going to say yes.”
"How do you know that? What if he's one of those weirdos who doesn't want to be married and I get down on one knee and he just laughs at me?" Billy says, words coming out at a fast clip, and his skin feels tight and his stomach is in his throat and somehow plummet towards the ground all at the same time.
Slade laughs, a full on belly of a thing, slapping his knee for good measure and he doesn't have the decency to stop when Billy turns to glare at him either, because he is an asshole. And Billy loves the guy, he does, but right now he kind of wants to punch him.
"Whooo." Slade says, wiping a tear from his eye and ignores the way Billy growls. "First of all, you can't have it both ways. You can't be calling me crying when I'm six states fucking away from you, telling me that Pretty Boy is going to decide that the whole gay thing isn't his bag because he wants a family and a white picket fence to match. And then look like you're going to vomit on my boots and say he's a fucking weirdo who doesn't want to get married. Both things can't be true. You know that boy better than anyone. You know what he wants and that's you. So suck it up buttercup and kneel down all nice and sweet and tell him for fucks sake."
"But-"
"Zip it Billy." Slade says and claps him on the back. "I've only known him for a few days, but he's head over heels for you. The thing is, though, I didn't need this week to tell you that. Max told me about the hospital. You don't do that unless you love someone and I don't give a shit that he didn't know it at the time. That's soul mate shit right there."
And Billy knows Slade is right. He is. Still, the ring feels like it's burning a hole in his jacket pocket. The rounded corners of the box nudging at his ribs and calling to him. Part of him wants to yank it out and look at it again just to imagine it on Steve's slender fingers, and the other part of him wants to chuck it as hard as he can into the ocean.
"Are you going to fly in for the wedding?" Billy asks, quietly. Shoving his hands in his pockets so that he doesn't mess with the box.
"You know I hate flying. I'll drive though." Slade says. "You just give me a time and place to be."
"OK." Billy nods.
"And, hey, word to the wise, maybe lose that dead man walking look you got going on or they will all be up your ass trying to figure out what's wrong. You don't want your hand forced, do you?"
Billy shakes himself. "I just never thought..."
Slade chuckles. "You remember that psychic we went to see the week before you left?"
"Yeah." Billy says. Remembers the heavy scent of patchouli and the way the woman looked at him over her crystal ball. Remembers how he was a bit of a dick about the whole thing but it was Slade's idea. Remembers the tarot reading, that had the tower card, and death, and the lovers.
"Someone knew." He bumps into his shoulder. "I know you always thought it was bullshit but the cards don't lie, man."
—-------------------
Slade had been begging them to go to a club every night that they’d been there. New Year's eve was the first night they had agreed. And only after Slade had promised them the bouncer, his friend, would look the other way when they went in so Max could tag along. As long as they promised she wouldn’t cause trouble or have any alcohol. So at ten p.m. they all left the hotel planning to meet Slade there.
They’d gotten in without a hitch. The dance floor was hot and sweaty and like nothing Steve had experienced before. Kimberly had come along with them and their group of six had carved their own spot out on the dancefloor to pass the time until the midnight countdown. True to what he’d told them before, it did appear that Kimberly was a tiger, if the way she was dancing was any indication of her prowess in bed. Or rather the walk in cooler.
When the countdown started at thirty seconds, Billy couldn't take his eyes off Steve. When Steve noticed he was looking and flushed, from chagrin or the heat of the room he wasn’t sure. What he did know was how intense Billy’s gaze was.
“What?” Steve asked.
Billy shook his head, pulled him close, “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
When the countdown hit zero they kissed. Steve felt it was a nearly indecent kiss for being in public. Wished they were going back to their own hotel room, and not sharing one with his younger sister and Eddie.
When they finally broke apart, over Steve’s shoulder, Billy see’s Max and Eddie heading back their way from the bathroom area, “Happy new year.”
Eddie nods and raises his beer and says, “Here’s to a year free of the typical hawkins nonsense.”
“Hear hear!” Steve said.
They spend another few hours dancing all together before Max is yawning more than she’s dancing. When they get back to the Hotel she slides immediately into bed, which she is promptly dragged out of by Eddie, “No you don’t. You smell like stale beer and cigarettes. Go put your jammies on before getting into that bed, Cherry.”
When Eddie is standing at the door urging Max to also brush her teeth, Steve leans over and whispers to Billy, “Want to go down to the beach and watch the sunrise?”
Billy looks at him with a heated expression, “Wouldn’t want to spend the night any other way, Bambi.”
Billy borrows Eddie's keys, tells him not to wait up, that they are probably going to be out till morning. He wants to take Steve to his favorite beach. The place where he would come when Neil got to be too much, or he was missing his mom, or he just wanted to be alone and think for a while. It's secluded on a Saturday afternoon, so Billy's pretty sure it would be secluded now. Plus there's a spot where he can just drive up onto the beach itself, park in the sand and watch the tide come in.
So that's what they do. And they back into the spot too, so that later, they can open the vans back doors and watch the waves. The moonlight spills into the van from the windshield, lighting a path along the mattress in the back. And Billy doesn't know or care what Munson has done back there previously as he pulls Steve back with him. All he cares about is getting Steve stripped of his clothing.
Because all night at the club Steve had been teasing him, pressing against him but never enough, kissing but pulling back, licking up the sweat on his neck. And Billy gave as good as he got but they were in public. Now though? Now he can sink his teeth into the juncture of Steve's neck and listen to those breathy sounds Steve makes. He can kiss him hard, fucking into his mouth with his tongue and biting his lip as he pulls away. He can have Steve rutting himself against his hip like he's just that hard up for it. And maybe he is. It's not like they've been able to do much aside from quick touches in the shower since Max and Eddie showed up.
Steve throws a leg over him, whines in his ear, and Billy grits his teeth. Slicks up his fingers with a travel sized bottle of lube in his Jean pocket and circles Steve's rim, pressing in as he bites down on his shoulder. Steve jerks, hisses like a pissed off cat, rutting up against Billy's stomach and then back down onto his hand to take him deeper.
And Billy knows he should take his time, go slow enough that Steve is nothing but a mess of begging babble, but the thing is, he wants to be buried to the hilt inside of him to. He is that desperate for it, especially in the humid air of Eddie's van on a beach when in a few short hours he knows what he's going to be doing. He wants to lose himself in Steve's body so the nerves melt away.
Steve presses, and pushes, forces Billy onto his back as he slides up and over him.
"More, Billy, please?" He whines, rocking down on Billy's hand and Billy adds another finger and curls them, feeling the way Steve tenses up before he let's out a sharp keen. Billy, thumbs over the pearls of precum that dribble, uses a dry hand to roughly jack Steve off a bit until he is babbling, hips hitching like he doesn't know which direction to go.
"Ready?" Billy asks, because it feels like he is. Feels like if Billy takes it any further Steve's going to come without sinking down on his cock, and while that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, he knows that's not what Steve wants.
Steve's beautiful in the moonlight, all long limbs and pale skin. Without answering Billy, Steve hikes up on his knees, situates himself and waits for Billy to slick up his cock. And then he's lowering himself, making this punched out fucked out groaning gasp of a noise as he's sliding down, down, down and bottoming out. His head is tipped back, and Billy reaches up, gets his hand around that temptation, squeezes feeling Steve's gasp in the palm of his hand, watching his cock twitch and bob.
And then he's letting go and petting down the pale skin of his chest and stomach, hands soothing over his thighs as Steve starts to move. As Steve rocks and leans back and cries out.
He's never going to get used to this, Billy thinks. The way Steve moves or the way he looks down at him, the way Steve fucks him and the way he sounds when he does it. Billy is just helpless as the pleasure crashes over him in waves, like the ocean crashing into a rock on the shore.
He loves him.
He loves him.
He loves him.
And Billy is so lost in it, he doesn't realize his abdomen is winding tight, barely acknowledges the way it builds and builds and builds. Until Steve's hips are knocked off of their steady rhythm and warmth paints Billy's chest and Steve is tight around him like a vice and they are keening together in the dark.
Billy thinks he might die though when Steve comes off of him and cleans up the mess he made on Billy's chest and stomach with his tongue. Leans over him and lets it drip off his tongue and into Billy's mouth.
-------
Later the sky lightens just slightly. Bands of red and green and orange hit the horizon and they are sitting with their legs kicking out of the back of the van just watching it happen.
He knows this is the moment. He knows it's now or never. And his heart thunders in his ears, drowning out the sound of the waves. His stomach somersaults. He can feel the press of the ring box against his ribs like a branding iron.
Billy slides out of the van and into the sand. Sinks down to his knees.
"Billy what are you doing?" Steve asks, looking down at him.
Billy sucks in a breath. "I know it's not legal. And I know that's bullshit. And I know that you are the best thing that's ever happened to me, Steve Harrington. Would you..." There's a lump in his throat and his eyes sting. So he clears his throat and yanks out the box, "Marry me?"
Steve blinks at him, eyebrows climbing high and mouth turned into a shocked little O. And then he's laughing. And Billy...Billy expected to be told yes, a thousand times yes, or no what the fuck. What he didn't expect is to be laughed at. All he can do is gape as Steve giggles. And then he's scrambling away.
"Are you seriously laughing right now?" Billy says and he can hear the gravely tone of it in his own ears. He sounds incensed and he IS.
"Wait! It's not bad, Billy, I promise. Ah, there it is!" And then Steve is shuffling back to the edge of the van holding something behind his back. He pulls it around and holds the box out to Billy.
"You beat me to the punch asshole. I was waiting for the sun to actually come up."
And Billy looks at the braided band of silver and gold. There is a double infinity knot looped in it. He grazes it with his finger as if trying to make sure it's real. That this is really happening.
"So, that's a yes, right?" Billy says chuckling.
Steve rolls his eyes, all fond. "Yes, asshole."
Steve leans up to kiss him. It's slow and languid and perfect. When he pulls back his lips curve into a soft smile. “Do you want to put on your ring?”
“Yes.”
Billy shifts off of Steve and they both sit up. Steve pulls the ring out of the box and takes Billy’s outstretched left hand, and gently slides the ring on. Billy in turn takes Steve’s left hand, kisses every finger tip, ending with his ring finger, and slides his ring on. Billy cradles his face for another kiss. This time is soft, and over too quickly.
But Billy looks him in the eyes while cradling his face, “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
THE END