Hey guys, author here lolz. Disclaimer: I'm very frustrated with how the plots going in this chapter. I might edit it later on, but I think I'm just going to keep going with the story for now as this is just very annoying for me atm
<3
Billy turns towards his next class, chemistry. He's required to take one science, and although he cannot stand science, chem is tolerable enough. Steve's his lab partner, so it's at least entertaining and fun.
He'd been walking with Tommy, the two of them discussing a freshman who'd slipped at lunch and sent the contents of their lunch tray flying. Billy found this rather funny for the sole reason that he thinks freshmen are highly annoying.
Billy hadn't seen Steve at lunch, he's a little relieved, but he also really misses that idiot. They hadn't been talking much... Billy doesn't really want to say it, but he'd been avoiding the brunette.
He gives Tommy a wave before turning his gaze down the hall. He catches a glimpse of Steve. Steve whose face is twisted between confusion, anger, and sadness. Steve stands still, his eyes meeting Billy's momentarily, making his expression go dark.
A few people are glancing at him and Steve looks around at them. He looks so distressed. Billy takes a step in his direction but stops when Steve walks the opposite way.
Billy doesn't see Steve in chem, nor does he see him at practice that afternoon.
He decides he might as well drive by his friend's house on his way home, feeling worried. Steve's car is in the driveway when Billy arrives, releasing some of the tension in his body. At least that fuck hadn't gone off somewhere.
The blonde walks up to the door and knocks once. No answer. He knocks again a little more forcefully, and still, Steve doesn't come to the door. He reaches for the knob. It's unlocked. Billy steps into the entryway. "Steve?" He calls.
Billy steps in and hears footsteps on the stairs. Steve's face comes into view and Billy begins to get the feeling something had gone terribly wrong. Steve stays a few steps up the staircase, intentionally creating distance between them. "What do you want?"
The Californian is taken aback by this. The fuck had he done to receive this reaction?
"I came to check on you... You left out of nowhere," Billy justifies.
Steve grimaces. "You came to... check on me?" He mutters, a bitter tone in his voice. Steve steps down and shoves Billy backward. "You asshole. I should've known we couldn't be friends. I must look like such a fool to you, huh? Was Tommy in on it, too?"
Billy gapes.The hell?
"Steve, what the fuck are you on about?" He says, maintaining some confidence in his tone.
"You think just because I was nice to you, just because I hung out with you and wanted you to stay over that I was in love with you or something? Well, I wasn't... I'm not! I trusted you... Fuck I was starting to really like you too," Steve's voice begins to break.
"And maybe... maybe I thought..." No, he can't give Billy such satisfaction. It would just be all the more torturous for himself later on if Billy knew he was right."I don't even know myself! I... I don't know anything... But, god, I don't even want to look at you!" He shouts, sitting on the stairs now and resting his chin on his knee.
Billy stands still. His eyes are wide, staring at Steve. Steve is... crying. What the fuck had happened?
"Steve... I don't know what you think I did... I don't even know what you're talking about... I just know I didn't do anything shitty enough to get this kind of reaction out of you," He says, extremely softly.
Billy steps over to Steve, sitting down on the step beside him. "I'm sorry," Steve whispers, choking on his words.
Billy puts an arm over Steve's shoulders. "It's okay, you're okay," he murmurs, pulling Steve closer.
They sit huddled together in silence until Steve calms down, his crying subsiding into small sniffles. Billy, still a bit shocked, rests his forehead against the back of Steve's head, taking a few moments to collect himself.
"So, do you want to tell me what happened?" Billy says, breaking the quiet.
Steve sighs. "Someonewroteonmylocker."
Billy smiles a little, enjoying Steve's personality despite the circumstances of the situation. "Steve, you need to speak a little more clearly..."
"Someone wrote... Fag... on my locker. There were so many people... staring at me. I just thought... you had done it..." Steve says, sitting up and looking at Billy now.
Billy's brows are scrunched into an expression of concern. "Why would I have written that on your locker?" Billy bites it out a bit harshly, feeling slightly defensive and upset that Steve would even think that. He wants to add more but doesn't want to push Steve too hard.
"I dunno, I just sort of assumed it was you because, uh, I thought you'd picked up on it," Steve says, his voice crumbling to a whisper at the end of his sentence.
"Picked up on it... Picked up on what?" Billy says before thinking. He pauses, looks at Steve, stays in their eye contact for a moment. "Oh."
"Yeah... I mean it's true. Whoever the fuck wrote it got it right. I'm a fucking fag," Steve grumbles, sounding a little congested from his snotty crying.
Billy desperately wants to tell Steve that he feels the same way, wants Steve to know that he's not the only one. Maybe even wants to tell him that he's fallen for Steve.
But it's just too terrifying. He's never felt so afraid to tell someone how he feels. He just can't handle a repeat of the past.
Steve nods a little. "Yeah. I wasn't going to... say anything. Fuck, I wasn't even sure. You don't... you don't have to keep being my friend. Can you just not say anything to anyone?"
Billy looks slightly appalled. "You think I'm going to stop being your friend over something like this?" Billy smiles a little, bumping Steve with his shoulder. "You fuckin' moron."
Steve smiles too.
Billy ends up staying for the evening and catching Steve up to speed on their chem classwork. As they finish the last page of the workbook that'd been handed out a few classes before the break and was due the following day, Steve groans. "How am I supposed to remember all this shit for the exam?"
Billy elbows him, "Oh fuck off, you understood this way better than I did. Besides, you've managed to remember all the terms." To this Steve smirks and agrees, gaining him another elbow in the ribs.
"Hey so I'm taking the kids to the arcade tomorrow if you want to tag along," Steve says while Billy scans the cupboards for a snack.
"Oh sure, should I crack out my piggy bank?" Billy teases, poking fun at the lengths Steve had gone to to get enough quarters for the all-day-arcade session the kids did over Christmas break. Steve chuckles.
"I'm sure you'll be fine," He says and sticks his tongue out. "Dickhead. You just don't understand the value of being the highest scorer on a game." He adds with a wide grin, talking about all the games he ruled over in his middle school days.
The two of them had migrated to Steve's room, Billy sprawled across Steve's bed and Steve sitting backward in his desk chair with his chin perched on the back. "Steve, I've been meaning to ask, why are your parents never around? 'Cause, there's no way in hell you can afford this house on your own."
Steve chuckles a little at that.
"They're in business... Just not much Hawkins business. So they're always away. Dad considered throwing me in boarding school when I was a freshman, but Mom said I was responsible enough. 14-year-old Steve, responsible enough to take care of himself?" Steve sighs, still smiling.
When his parents first started leaving for elongated periods of time, Steve had been in middle school. He had a few nannies, but once he was in high school his parents quit hiring them.
Since Steve lived farther out from town and couldn't drive, he ordered mass amounts of takeout till he turned 15 and got his license. From time to time he'd buy alcohol under his father's name, knowing his parents would see, but they never mentioned it. They probably hadn't even noticed.
Billy nods, a little baffled, and smiles with Steve. He'd rather treat it normally than make Steve uncomfortable. "That's wild. I'd come to stay here more if it weren't for Max. I don't like leaving her home alone for too long," he says sheepishly. "But if it's cool with you, I could spend the weekend here."
Steve nods, "Yeah, that's cool." On the thought of the weekend, Steve's mind drifts to school. "Schools going to be so ass tomorrow." He says and groans, pressing his forehead into his hands.
Billy frowns, "If it makes you feel any better, I hadn't heard anything about it."
"I'm not going anywhere near that locker. I'll carry everything in my bag if I have to."
"Just use my locker, Steve," Billy says with a grin. "It's close to the entrance, I'll show you at lunch." Steve nods eagerly at this, grateful to have such a good friend.
Steve stands to grab his water, which is sitting on his bedside table. However, Steve had failed to put all his clean laundry away before he'd gone to bed the night before and slips on a t-shirt he'd cast aside. Steve falls onto his bed and elbows Billy in the crotch as he topples.
Billy yelps and sits up straight. Steve scrambles to get off him, only to lightly kick his jaw, knocking Billy back onto the pillow. Steve sits in silence for a moment while Billy groans in pain, before bursting into laughter. "That was so," He pauses to stop laughing, "cartoonish that it almost felt planned," He finishes through giggles.
Billy doesn't respond as he's crumpled into a ball. Steve furrows his brow. "Billy?" He crawls over to investigate, rolling Billy over by his shoulder. Billy glares at him while clutching his stomach and abdomen.
"I'm gonna kill you."
Steve bites back a laugh but yelps when Billy grabs his collar and pulls him down to the other pillow, leaving the two boys properly face-to-face. "Before you choke me out, please understand it was a mistake," Steve says like a plea, glancing at Billy's grip on his shirt.
Billy covers Steve's eyes with his hand and remains quiet. "Billy. I'm sweating a little here," Steve says, partially teasing but slightly worried.
Steve opens his mouth to say something but finds that he can't speak. There are lips on his lips. Billy's lips are on his lips. Is Billy is kissing him?
Holy fuck. Billy is kissing him! It's amazing. It's the best kiss Steve's ever had, and they aren't even using tongue. Steve reaches out but pauses when the kiss is broken off, his eyes still covered.
"Steve," he hears Billy say incredibly close to his ear. Steve gets goosebumps.
"Remember when you said not to cream my pants after seeing you? I don't think I can uphold that promise," He says gruffly. There's a pause before Billy lets out a laugh he'd been holding back at his own terrible line.
Steve shoves Billy away, now laughing too. "That was so lame!" He exclaims, wheezing slightly. Billy nods, still laughing too hard to say anything. "I," uncontrollable laughter. "Couldn't waste the opportunity." They both finish their giggle fits and look at each other, both their faces going red at the realization.
"Billy..." Steve starts but doesn't finish. He feels shy, an emotion he hadn't felt after a kiss before.
Billy, who is quite a bit less shy, sits up to match Steve and grins. "I figured it'd be easier than telling you," he says. Billy leans back in, pressing his lips to Steve's. Both of them had lots of experience, but neither of them had ever felt like this before.
Billy guides Steve down so that he's lying on his back, continue kissing him for many minutes. The two of them break apart slowly, both out of breath. Billy lays his head on Steve, still mostly on top of the brunette.
"Heh," Steve grins a little, still rather baffled.
Steves a little disappointed when Billy leaves, but the giddy feeling doesn't go away. He gets a good night's sleep and even looks forward to school. He smiles his way through the morning, looking forward to seeing Billy at lunch.
By the time the two meet up, Steve is all geared-up to complain. "Billy... My back... Is killing me," He huffs, dropping his over-stuffed backpack to the floor with a clunk as Billy unlocks his locker.
"Oh shut up," Billy heaves the bag off the floor and holds it up for Steve to take out what he won't be needing for the afternoon. "The combination is 3-0-0-3," Billy says, a small smirk poking out.
Steve rolls his eyes with a grin, "Real mature."
Shockingly, nobody seems to know about his locker dilemma. The problem that had seemed so gigantic now seems insignificant. Not that Steve isn't worried or anxious, he's just enjoying this sense of relief.
His after-school practice goes well, the kids stay to watch so that Steve doesn't have to go out of his way to round them up for the arcade. He loves playing alongside Billy, he loved it before, but now...
God, he's so gone.
The two of them grin at each other while packing their stuff, and Steve feels so nervous that he waits for everybody to finish before sneaking into the back of the shower room. Billy and Steve walk out together, bumping shoulders and chatting quietly.
Steve had tossed his keys to Dustin earlier, so the car is already started and warm when he arrives. He and Billy split apart to their separate vehicles with great reluctance, knowing they'd be together again in 8 minutes. Despite this fact, both of them speed to the arcade.
"Alright, present your hauls," Steve says as the seven of them stand around a table in the arcade.
Mike slides a large pile of quarters, totaling 10$, across the table with a smug grin. Dustin's jaw drops momentarily before coughing up his 5$ in quarters. The order continues, resulting in Will having the largest sum behind Steve with 13$. Steve had slid him a few bucks on the way in.
Billy looks around, seeming somewhat confused from his lack of arcade experience. The kids have already torn off so Steve discretely steals his hand and leads him to Pac-Man because there's no way he can't know Pac-Man.
Steve laughs at Billy's extreme failure of a first attempt before providing a demonstration. "It's really not that hard at first... I've never seen anyone die on the first level."
"Shut up," Billy says through a grin. He takes the controls from Steve and begins to play. Steve perches his chin on Billy's shoulder, his favorite part about being taller than the blonde. "See, it's easy."
Billy playfully shoves Steve off his shoulder and the brunette grunts. He sticks his tongue out at Billy and wanders off. Lucas is gazing at Max's playing with admiration, Dustin is dead focused on some new game Steve doesn't recognize, and Mike and Will are taking turns on Galaga.
Steve buys a large coke and continues his loop, returning to Billy, who is... Is he still playing Pac-Man? Steve grins and walks up beside him. "I bet you're still..." Steve pauses and looks at the screen. No way. "Billy... is this still the same game?" Steve asks incredulously. Billy's Pac-Man score had become immense in the time Steve had been gone.
"Yeah. I think I'm really getting the hang of it."
"You ass! There's no way you've never played before," Steve sputters.
The kids find their way over and share Steve's disbelief. Over the course of the following hour, they make Billy try all their favorite games only to find he has a knack for arcade games and beating their cherished high scores.
"How can someone be pre-disposed to talent at an arcade?" Make says. He's incredibly frustrated over the fact that Billy found little challenge in the setting Mike and his friends had played at for years to become skilled at.
Steve laughs a little, receiving a glare from the lanky Wheeler. "I'm sensing a little jealousy from you, Mike."
Mike snorts. "Maybe that's why Max is so good... maybe all of their family members are secretly masters of the arcade!" Mike exclaims.
If Max had been in the car, there would've been a rather aggressive eye-roll following Mike's statement.
"I think you're just a little bit crazy, Wheeler."
He completes the driving loop and finally heads home, excited to get in bed and do nothing. He had been cursed by a week with assignments all due on the same day, but now experiences the blessing of having no work to do.
Steve showers upon his arrival at home, feeling refreshed and happy. He secures his towel around his waist and walks out of the bathroom. As he digs through his drawer, he hears the sound of movement outside the door.
The brunette reaches for the bat, his heart rate spiking. The door creaks open, he raises the bat...
"Jesus! What the fuck Steve?" Billy gasps.
Steve stands still for a moment, slowly lowering the bat. "I could say the same to you! What the fuck?"
The both of them laugh a little, their mutual common response following frightening, awkward, or important moments. Steve returns to digging out his pajamas.
Billy sneaks up behind him, snaking his arms around Steve's torso. "Ah damn, you're still damp," Billy grumbles through a short giggle. He runs his thumb along the edge of the towel, brushing against Steve's skin.
"Billy..." Steve starts, blush creeping up his neck.
"I know," he says, stepping back and choosing to lean on the wall behind him. Steve looks over his shoulder and smiles a little. Clothes in hand, he steps to Billy. They hold eye contact before Steve leans in, kissing Billy gently.
In silence, Billy snags the clothes from Steve's hands. He bunches the shirt up so that it's easier to put on, mumbling, "Arms up," to Steve and putting it on for him. He pauses momentarily, "You're thinner, Steve," He sighs.
He does the same with Steve's shorts, making the brunette's pale skin go pink with shyness when Billy snaps the elastic waistband with a giggle. Billy lightly kisses Steve's belly before standing up again.
Steve, who covered his face with his hands, peeks through his fingers. "This is so surreal..." He mumbles, not accustomed to having Billy this way.
Billy grins, "You're such a virgin."
Steve gapes, his hands lowering immediately. "I am not a virgin!"
"Then why are you acting like one?" Billy teases.
Steve frowns, choosing to give Billy the silent treatment. After minutes of Steve getting ready for bed in silence, shooting multiple glares at the blonde, Billy sits. "You little prick," he says with a light chuckle.
Steve sits on his bed staring at the sheets, the back of his neck still warm with shyness. Billy scooches a little closer. Steve side-eyes him, his blush increasing. "Oh come on, I've never seen you so shy before. Am I moving too fast for you?"Billy half-teases, receiving an elbow to his side.
"That's not it... I've just never received treatment like this before. I've never..." Steve pauses, cringing slightly. "Been the... bottom... before," Steve manages to choke out, the volume of his voice dimming out on the dreaded b-word. "Dear, God."
Billy bursts into laughter. "Even if you weren't, I think a good partner should still perform gestures for you. Guess Nancy wasn't so great after all," Billy adds the last sentence quickly with only a hint of malice.
Billy grins, wrapping a hand around Steve's waist, his cool fingers brushing against Steve's skin. Steve muffles his face into Billy's shoulder, weakly punching his arm and smiling. Billy smiles as well, hiding the fact that he's just as scared as Steve.
They spend the next few hours quietly chatting, smiles stuck on their giddy faces. Both of them knowing this isn't going to be easy, but they'll cross that bridge when they come to it.