Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They heard the telltale roars and screeches of young demodogs and had to run past Fred's portal.

"Don't worry, I got this." Billy said with a grin. He hefted the axe and threw it like it was a frisbee. Combined with the sheer force behind the swing, it took out three demodogs even with a dull blade.

Steve snatched up the knife Andy had given him and Billy grabbed the axe back and then Billy was pulling them both into Eddie's Upside Down Trailer.

On Steve's insistence, Billy lifted Robin out first, helping her reach higher on the rope since she wasn't very athletic. Billy went to pick Steve up too, and as much as Steve was a sucker for a little manhandling, he wanted Billy safe and sound in their world.

"Steve–" Billy tried to argue, but Steve cut him off.

"No! It's time to go home, Billy. You can help me out from up there." He told him, not budging on the matter. Billy could tell too, because he obediently moved until he was under the portal.

But it was a trick–Billy grabbed Steve with one arm and threw him over his shoulder. Steve squeaked in surprise, but he would deny he ever made that sound if anyone asked later.

"You ready, Munson?" Billy called up. Eddie nodded from below the portal in the Rightside Up.

Then Billy tossed Steve through the portal like he weighed nothing. Steve landed perfectly in Eddie's arms, but he was already reaching out towards the portal. He couldn't lose Billy, not again!

"Don't worry, Baby, I'll be right there, I promise!" He started climbing the sheet-rope. Eddie moved back, still holding Steve. Steve distractedly noted that Dustin was watching all of this play out with a baffled expression on his face as he stood beside the mattress still covered in his fake moss get up. Robin was next to the kid, watching with the biggest grin he'd ever seen on her face.

Billy Hargrove flipped back into the Rightside Up with a grunt, landing flat on his back on the stained mattress. A wide, incredulous smile made its way into his face and he laid there for a moment, taking it all in–he was back in his own dimension! 

Steve stared at him, blinking a few times, before opening his mouth and then closing it again.

"Stevie, you okay?" Eddie jostled him a bit to get his attention.

"Y-Yeah, just....just...." He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and promptly passed out, going limp in Eddie's arms.

The last thing Steve heard was Dustin screeching, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING BABY?!"

Chapter Text

Steve had no doubt that under any other circumstances, he would've stayed knocked out for a whole day after he passed out the first time.

Next, the pain slammed into him like a semi-truck and he groaned out loud. The talking stopped completely, before he felt gentle hands on his cheeks, cupping his face– warm hands.

"Steve? Hey Sweetheart, can you hear me?" Eddie's soft voice reached his ears.

It took more effort than Steve thought was needed just to open his eyes, but he managed to crack them open. It was blissfully dark wherever he was, so he figured he wasn't in the hospital, at least. Good. He hated hospitals.

He blinked a few times to get his vision to focus

"There he is!" A relieved grin made its way onto Eddie's face and Steve lifted a hand, with effort(he noted that his wrist was bandaged). His hand cupped the left side of Eddie's face, laying over a bandage on the man's cheek.

His throat was dry as hell when he tried to swallow so he could talk. Eddie handed him a glass of water with a straw and some painkillers. Jonathan and Argyle came up behind him to help him sit up enough to swallow it. Eddie moved another pillow behind him to prop him up.

He looked around–they were in his living room, with only two lamps on in opposite corners so it wasn't too bright, but they could still see decently.

Steve was laying on the couch, propped up by pillows and covered in a thin blanket from the waist down. He heard faint noises coming from the kitchen.

Eddie was on his knees on the floor next to Steve, but he was missing his shirt and bandages were wrapped around most of his torso. His hair was tied back, away from his bandaged shoulders and neck. Even with all the blood splotches on the bandages and tattoos covered up and the bags under his eyes, he still looked great. Totally unfair, Steve probably looked like a sewer rat.

Jonathan and Argyle were sitting on the sofa, Max and El were sharing one of the chairs, curled up and sleeping, Lucas and Dustin were sharing the other chair, also sleeping(Lucas was in Dustin's lap, which was just adorable), Erica was sleeping sitting up in the space between Dustin's legs, Nancy was sitting at the coffee table, laying her head on her arms, and he didn't see Robin, so he assumed she was the one in the kitchen.

Steve could have said anything once he came to, but instead, he simply pulled Eddie closer to kiss him. Eddie hummed into the kiss, sighing contentedly. He was smiling when they separated. It was such a dopey smile that Steve couldn't help but let out a hoarse laugh.

"What?" Eddie asked.

Steve brushed a thumb over his cheekbone with the hand still holding Eddie's cheek. "Nothing. You're cute."

"Ooh, watch out, Eddie, that's the line he uses to reel you in. He used that one on Nancy." Jonathan called teasingly.

"Not like it actually worked on her." Steve grumbled.

"Aw, don't worry Stevie, flattery works with me." Eddie told him, leaning in for another kiss. Steve could kiss Eddie forever and be perfectly satisfied. Eddie was a good kisser, and he kept curling his tongue with Steve's just to feel the stud he knew was there.

Eddie pulled away and laid his head on Steve's chest. Steve took out the claw clip holding Eddie's hair at the back in his head and ran his fingers through the curls, noting how soft Eddie's hair was–he must have already taken a shower then.

Eddie relaxed, shoulders slumping as he sighed softly, the puff of warm air brushing Steve's collarbone.

"Worked just fine on me–I think Wheeler's just defective." A familiar voice sounded. Steve whipped his head around to see Billy leaning over the back of the couch. Steve rushed to sit up more, much to the protest of Eddie, who was still laying on his chest.

"B-Billy!" Steve reached out for him and Billy caught one hand in his, holding it to his chest, right over his heart so Steve could feel it beat. Steve hooked the other arm around Billy's neck as Billy tilted his chin up to connect their lips in a slow, languid kiss.

Steve leaned into it, closing his eyes and letting Billy lead him through the familiar motions.

"Billy," He sighed when they separated.

"Right here, Princess." Billy bumped their foreheads together and Steve laughed incredulously.

"How?" He asked. "How did you even get into another dimension?"

Billy came around and moved Steve's feet to sit down on the couch, then placed Steve's feet back in his lap. "Honestly, I don't know exactly how it happened because I'm not a genius on physics or any of that bullshit," Billy started. "But, the way I understand it, that thing caught me and spent weeks taking over my body during the summertime, not long after I got the Lifeguard job."

Being around Billy always made Steve feel hot, and now was no different. Especially with Eddie "Space Heater" Munson on his other side. Steve frowned and kicked the blanket off his legs. Billy huffed out a laugh and his hands fell to Steve's ankles, absently rubbing at the bone.

"I tried to fight it, and I think it got tired of my shit, because next thing I know, I'm in some decaying version of this shithole town and there are weird monsters lurking in the woods and flying around in the sky. That monster was made out of melted rats an' shit, so I guess it made a copy of me to do it's bidding the same way. Whatever was controlling that thing had to make a mental link between me and the double, but that connection was cut off when that one died." Billy explained.

"So then, how did you save us if it was Rat Billy in your place?" Steve asked.

"Oh my God, don't call him that." Billy groaned. Steve burst out into laughter.

"But it's so fitting!" Steve giggled.

Billy shook his head, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face if he tried. He kept going.

"Your friend there–Eleven. She pulled me into my double's mind to get me to take over. I don't think she knew what she actually did, but it worked and I used him to save you all."

"You used Rat Billy to kill your own double and sever the mental connection to Vecna." Steve was still giggling like a child.

"Alright, get over here–" Billy grabbed him by the ankles and pulled Steve to him until he could set Steve in his lap and attempt to smother him with one of the couch pillows from the floor. Steve couldn't stop himself from laughing, his stomach was actually starting to hurt, followed by a now-familiar ache in his bat bites.

"He was evil, but he was still me!" Billy reminded his boyfriend.

"And he was made of rats! He was Rat Billy!" Steve retorted, pulling the pillow out of Billy's grasp and tossing it across the room.

Billy sighed, shaking his head. He wrapped his arms around Steve's waist and planted a fond kiss on his cheek, hooking his chin on Steve's shoulder comfortably.

Could've been even better, though.

"Munson, get over here." Billy patted the spot next to him. Eddie only hesitated for a second before clambering to sit nervously next to Billy. Billy wrapped an arm around his waist too, pulling him closer so he was right up against him and Steve.

"Ugh, no, you guys are hot!" Steve complained, squirming in Billy's grip. The taller man held him tighter, trapping him between them.

"Aw, thanks, Honey." Eddie cooed.

Steve went to smack him, but Eddie caught his wrist with a grin. He was about to say something else, but then he noticed all the other young adults in the room watching them.

"Wow, you guys are gross when you're all together." Robin commented, having come into the room to hear Billy's explanation.

Billy shrugged, uncaring. Eddie didn't drop his grin, unapologetic. Steve, however, turned beet red.

"Oh yeah, you never heard Steve when we were dating. He's nasty, he just doesn't let any of you know because he likes things a certain way." Billy recalled. "If you heard some of the filth that's come out of his mouth, you'd think he should be washing it out with soap."

"Oh?" Argyle leaned forward in interest.

"Shut up!" Steve cried defensively, face still red.

"Nope, too late." Billy refused. "One time, Steve was talking about how messy the kids are, and he said he didn't like gross things." Billy started. Steve went to cover Billy's mouth with his free hand, but Billy caught it(gently, because his left hand was padded and wrapped up in bandages, for some reason), and he was held hostage by both of his boyfriends. Traitors.

"And then he followed up with 'Except for all the gross things I say–"

"It's fine if it comes from me." Steve finished. "Or in me." He would've covered his face in shame if he had control of his hands.

Nancy threw her head back and laughed so hard, Steve thought she was going to bust a blood vessel. He'd never heard her laugh that hard in his life. She was half-collapsed on the coffee table she'd been sitting at, writing on a piece of notepad paper.

Jonathan spluttered and choked on nothing, Argyle patting his back while snickering.

Robin just made a disgusted noise and sat down across from Nancy.

Steve's face burned. He'd only said it because he didn't want Billy to be the one to tell them! Steve Harrington was no coward and he would own every moment of his life, even the gross and/or shitty ones.

Surprisingly, none of the commotion or Nancy's loud and unexpected laughter woke the kids–they must have been really worn down. Steve couldn't really blame them–this was one hell of a Spring Break, and it had only been about four days in total counting this one–it was only Tuesday, and the kids, Robin, Eddie, Nancy, and Jonathan and probably Argyle all still had the rest of the week for Spring Break.

Wow, Steve felt old. He and Billy were the only ones in their group that had even Graduated highschool(besides Joyce, obviously). And Erica wants even in highschool yet!

"What's the matter, Bambi?" Billy asked, noticing Steve's change in mood.

"Nothing, I just...." He sighed. "I'm not even nineteen yet and all of them are younger than us and we've done this shit four times already. The kids have been in it since they were still small enough for me to throw them to the other side of my house."

Billy sighed. "I know. I was never really in it as much as you were, and then I got replaced and my double was viciously murdered in front of you and everyone else after he tried to kill everyone and you all thought it was me." Billy summarized. "I'm sorry I couldn't get back to you, Sweetheart."

Steve sniffled, and finally, the tears came, and Billy and Eddie let go of his wrists to simply wrap him up in their arms.

"I was too busy to notice anything was wrong with you, Billy." Steve whimpered. "I could have stayed, and I would have noticed, and I would have locked you in that sauna and kept you there until the Mind Flayer left you." His voice was strained as he forced himself to talk around the lump in his throat.

"Instead, I infiltrated a Russian Base under the mall with my coworker and two small children, Robin and I got caught to make sure the kids didn't, and then I got drugged and tortured until I had a concussion so bad that I actually gave away information, and then Dustin and Erica came back to get us, freed us, and we went to find Dustin's radio for help, then shit started getting bad at the mall and the flesh spider broke into it, and I crashed a car into yours and it should have killed you because I was going over sixty, but you didn't die, and we all ended up inside the mall with the flesh spider, and then I had to watch my kids throw fucking fireworks at it, and then I watched you drag El right to the monster as a sacrifice, then she got through to you and I had to watch you get stabbed and crushed by that thing, and then I had to go home and be by myself because the Harringtons wouldn't pick up even if I did call and I was a legal adult by then, so no one made me see a paramedic and I was still drugged and concussed and absolutely destroyed emotionally, so I just didn't take care of myself for a while, and then I just couldn't understand things the way I used to and I went to the doctor and they did a scan, and I have permanent brain damage, and I've never told anyone because I don't even know how to breach that subject–"

Billy covered his mouth with his hand. "Breathe, Steve." He murmured. "You're gonna hurt yourself and you're already injured. Just breathe, okay?"

Steve closed his eyes to the suddenly silent room(all the other young adults had left at some point during his rant, which he was grateful for)and breathed deep through his nose.

Eddie watched them carefully, like he was studying them as a pair and not seperate people.

"I know it was really shitty to go through and I'm sorry you had to watch that. But, I'm here now and I've told you that whoever died in that mall wasn't me. I don't even have any scars from it." Billy continued talking in that gentle tone he'd only ever used when Steve started getting overwhelmed and couldn't keep himself together. When Steve got overwhelmed, he panicked over feeling that way for a reason he'd still never told Billy, but it had never stopped the Californian from helping him pull out of it anyway.

He took his hand away from Steve's mouth and Steve turned himself in Billy's lap so he was facing Eddie and able to lay on Billy's shoulder.

Eddie looked up at him with that soft look in his eyes–the look that said he wanted nothing more than to just hide Steve away from all of his problems if he could find a way to do it. Steve reached, and Eddie grasped his hand, just like they'd been doing since that first night in Nancy's basement.

Eddie was different from Billy. Billy had seen Steve take all kinds of shit from the people around him and spit it back in their faces. Billy had known all the different sides to Steve. But Eddie had mostly only gotten to know Steve at his most vulnerable, had watched him stumble his way through this whole ordeal against Vecna and somehow find the strength to take him down in the end, only to collapse once more into Eddie's arms afterwards.

Yet, Eddie still wanted to stick around for Steve, loved him, even. Steve didn't get it, but he was grateful nonetheless.

And that led to another thing that needed handling.

"What do we do?" Steve asked.

"About what, Honey?" Eddie asked.

"About us?" Steve gestured to all three of them with his good hand. "I love both of you, and I don't want to let either of you go." He said, as simply as he could. Sometimes, big speeches were too much and all someone needed was the heart of the matter, plain and simple.

"You don't have to, Babe." Billy told him. "I'm fine with it as long as he makes you happy."

Eddie looked at Billy in surprise. Billy smirked, reaching out to run his thumb over the metalhead's bitten lips. "You're not too bad on the eyes, Munson. And from what I can tell from Robin and the Shitheads, you're fun, which I don't mind too much either. Steve is fun to mess with because he gets all prissy and cute, but you're a wildcard." Billy licked his lips and watched Eddie's cheeks slowly turn red. "I like it."

Eddie didn't even respond. How had he managed to bag both Kings of Hawkins High?!

Steve, elated that his boyfriends were both getting along and not forcing him to choose between them, pulled Eddie in for a kiss. Eddie fell between Steve's open legs to get close enough and Billy watched as they made out, heat pricking at his skin when he heard a low moan come from Eddie. Ah, Steve was working his magic with that piercing. Honestly, that dare was the best idea Billy thought he'd ever had. He couldn't wait to watch Steve use it in other places on their new boyfriend later.

Billy spotted the purple mark on Steve's collarbone thanks to his open shirt and he knew that had to have been made the day before. Damn, Munson worked fast. 

Billy tilted Steve's head back just a little more so he could steal a kiss from him.

He pulled away. "You've got fangs." Billy noticed in surprise–he'd been so elated to see Steve in the Upside Down, he hadn't even noticed gene they'd kissed back then.

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, his eyes glow, too–like, full demon-style slit pupils and everything. It's super fucking pretty and I'm jealous as hell." He described excitedly. 

Steve would have been freaking out about his new features if it weren't for Eddie's comments and Billy's moan when he initiated another kiss with Steve just to drag his tongue over the fangs.

Apparently the demon aesthetic turned both of his boyfriends on–go figure. As long as they kept muttering to him how hot his new features were and showed him they weren't scared of him for it, Steve couldn't really find it in himself to freak out about it. Wherever happened, if he turned into a vampire or something like that, his boyfriends would probably still be into it and then the kids would jump right on board and give him one of their nerdy game monster names like they'd been doing since the Demogorgon first appeared.

Eventually, the three of them settled down into a pile of cuddly puddles and Steve fell asleep with Billy holding him from behind and Eddie laying on top of him. The pain meds kept the bites from hurting too bad, so he let him stay there as he drifted off to sleep. It was probably better that way anyway, because all three of them had totally forgotten the kids were also sleeping in the same room with them.

§~•~§~•~§

Steve woke up still between his boyfriends on the couch, but the other young adults had reclaimed their previous spots in the living room. Nancy had several polaroid pictures in front of her and was labeling them with a marker in her neat writing.

Nancy had noticed that he was awake, and turned to face them.

"Hey." She greeted softly.

"Hey." He said back.

"It's about dinner time. What do you want to do for food?" She asked.

"I really don't wanna make food." Steve groaned.

Billy shifted under him and then mumbled something about food too. Steve chuckled, reaching his right hand to tangle in the long curls and comb through them gently. Billy had definitely taken a shower, and he'd used Steve shampoo and conditioner too. He smelled like Steve.

"We could order takeout?" Robin put in.

"My first meal back in the world of the living, and you wanna feed me take out?" Billy grumbled.

"Oh." Steve blinked his eyes back open, more awake at the prospect of it being Billy's first day back. "Oh! You're right. Okay, I guess I'll go see what I have." Steve decided, stifling a yawn and reaching down to shake Eddie awake.

Eddie grunted but didn't wake, burrowing his face further against Steve's chest. Steve smiled and shook him again.

"Eddie." He called. "Come on, we have to make food."

"Food?"

"Yes, food. Let me up, Babe." Steve told him, smile growing bigger as Eddie rubbed the grit out of his eyes and blinked blearily up at Steve and Billy, both looking at him expectantly.

Eddie leaned up and kissed them in greeting both before finally heaving a sigh and moving from his comfortable position and standing. Steve and Billy stayed on the couch, frozen. Sure, they'd decided to just all date each other before they'd fallen asleep, but Eddie fell into it easier than they'd both expected.

"Come on, Stevie. Up and at 'em." Eddie grasped Steve's right hand and helped him stand, letting him lean on his shoulder. Billy stood up all on his own and started towards the kitchen. Steve followed and Eddie held the hem of Steve's shirt as he walked behind them both, like he might get lost on the way to the kitchen. It was honestly really adorable, and Steve definitely heard the click of a camera behind them.

Once they arrived, Steve started looking around, same as Billy.

Eddie leaned against the counter, watching them flit about the kitchen.

Steve and Billy finally decided on spaghetti with Texas toast and sliced french bread with butter(he'd gotten two loaves of French bread because he was a sucker for carbs and he'd been stressed out even before Vecna started murdering the youth of their town, sue him). It was simple enough that it wouldn't take too long.

"Hey, could you help me with this?" Steve turned to Eddie. The metalhead suddenly looked nervous, backing away some.

"Oh, I don't know if I'm any good at cooking, and isn't Billy already helping?" He protested.

"Nope! Billy likes to cling onto me like a toddler while I cook. This is a big meal, so I need more hands." Steve told him. "And it's okay if you're not very good, I can show you what I need you to do. It's not a complicated meal, I promise." He gestured to the several boxes of pasta, pots, jars of sauce, and two loaves of bread he'd taken out of the cabinets and set out on the counter.

Eddie still hesitated, but then gave in. He moved from where he was leaning on the counter to join Steve(and Billy) at the stove.

Before they got started, Steve retrieved the claw clip from the living room and set it on the counter for a moment while he combed through Eddie's long, curly hair with his fingers. It was so soft and silky, and Steve could smell his own shampoo and conditioner in Eddie's hair, too. Something in him was pleased about that, and he smiled.

"You ever gonna put my hair up, or are you just gonna play with it all night, Babe?" Eddie quipped, shooting a cheeky grin to Steve when he turned his head. Steve resisted the urge to pull on the pretty hair in his hands to get back at his boyfriend and instead gathered it, pulling it up and clipping it to the back of Eddie's head securely, making sure not to claw his scalp.

Eddie turned back around and placed a chaste kiss on his lips in thanks. Steve took a moment to take in how good Eddie looked with his hair pulled up before getting to work.

Steve filled the two biggest pots he owned with water, then salted the water and added just a little bit of oil to the first one before putting a lid over it, turning the stove up to high. Billy followed him around like a lost puppy and Eddie thought it was unfair that a guy that manly could still pull off looking that adorable.

"Spaghetti's really simple." Steve told Eddie. "You salt the water because it makes the water boil faster and you add the oil so the noodles don't all stick to each other and come out in chunks." He explained. Eddie nodded and salted the salt and oil to the other pot just like he had, then turned his burner up to high.

"Good. While we wait for that to boil, we're gonna cut this loaf up into thick slices and turn it into Texas Toast." Steve first turned the oven on to preheat it, then moved to the island where he placed a cutting board and took the bread knife from Billy, who grabbed it out of his knife drawer for him. Occasionally handing him things was all Billy would do when he was with Steve in the kitchen, unless they were baking together.

Eddie stared at the knife drawer. "You have a drawer with just knives in it?" He noticed.

"Yeah?" Steve answered slowly, confused. "Why?"

"You know that's not normal, right? Like, no one else just has a drawer filled with only knives." Eddie pointed out. Billy snickered, having already had this same conversation with Steve before.

"There are different knives for different things and I like to be prepared for everything." Steve shrugged, cutting the ends off the first loaf. "Robin, come eat these!" He called, setting the ends at the corner of the cutting board. Robin darted in, grabbed the bread heels, and darted back out like a desperate chipmunk preparing for winter. He chuckled.

"Okay, that makes sense with the apocalypse and monsters and shit, but a whole drawer for knives?? Do you even have a junk drawer in here?" Eddie started opening every drawer he could.

Billy snickered. "I've already tried explaining it to him. He just doesn't see the point." He told Eddie. "Steve has a place for everything and he likes it exactly that way or he loses stuff."

"Dude, your junk drawer is where you keep random shit in your kitchen that you want it there, but it doesn't actually belong in the kitchen, you know?" Eddie attempted to explain anyway.

Steve did not know, as Eddie could tell from his blank stare."Oh Jesus, we need to culture you." Eddie sighed. "There are so many things you don't know about common folk, Sweetheart."

"He didn't learn much when I tried teaching him." Billy said. "Maybe if we work together, it'll work."

Steve rolled his eyes, finishing cutting the bread.

"Billy, most of what you "taught" me was for sex. We spent the rest of our time playing games and going on dates that no one would suspect were actual dates." Steve corrected.

He went to get out the other ingredients for Texas toast–butter, garlic, and shredded cheese–but Eddie was standing in front of the fridge.

Steve grasped Eddie's shoulders and gently moved him to the side, then continued his task.

He then also had to move Eddie from in front of the microwave before he heated up the butter, then minced the garlic and crushed it until it had a paste-consistency, then added it to the butter. He began spreading it over the bread slices. Billy and Eddie watched as he brushed the mixture over the bread in a certain pattern. Eddie was quickly coming to see what everyone meant when they said Steve was very particular about the way he did things. It was kind of cute, honestly–he was forgetful, so he kept everything where he'd remember it, and he did things in certain ways so he'd remember to do them right.

Steve got about halfway through buttering the first pan of Texas toast when the pots of water started boiling and he turned back to the stove. "Eds, would you mind putting the garlic butter on the rest of those?" He requested.

Eddie stepped up to the island and did so with a happy little smile at the new nickname. Billy switched from Steve to Eddie, setting his chin on Eddie's shoulder because he was just tall enough to do so. He wrapped his arms around Eddie's waist carefully, avoiding the blood-splotched bandages. Eddie found he didn't mind being the little spoon in this scenario. 

Steve took the spaghetti out of the boxes. "Make sure the water gets back to boiling again after you put the pasta in." He said as he put said noddles in the pot. 

Eddie nodded, glancing behind him, over Billy's shoulder, to watch what his boyfriend was doing. He'd just finished spreading garlic butter over the last piece of bread. He just barely caught Billy dipping his finger in the garlic butter sauce and tasting it, tapping the blonde's knuckles with the butterknife he was using. Billy grumbled, but kept his hands to himself. Eddie smiled–yeah, he could get used to this. 

Steve sprinkled shredded cheese over each slice of buttered bread, then put both pans into the oven. He didn't need a timer, he was pretty good at timing things right when he was cooking.

"You don't need a timer?" Eddie noticed. His mom used to put a timer on everything. Even toast(their toaster had been permanently stuck at the highest temperature on the dial no matter which way they turned it, so they just had to pop it whenever and hope whatever they were toasting wasn't burnt).

"Not for cooking, no." Steve answered as he checked in the spaghetti before putting a lid on the container with the garlic butter–he could probably reuse that for something.

"Steve has, like, superhuman timing or something." Billy chimed in. "It's wild."

Eddie shook his head in wonder. If he, Billy, and Steve stayed together(and God, he hoped they did) he'd be spoiled with Steve's cooking.

He looked at Billy. "Can you cook?" He asked.

Billy made a noncommittal noise. "I can, but I'm better at baking." He admitted. Eddie made an interested noise.

"Wow. All I can make is microwave foods because I'm scared of the stove." He said truthfully. Billy chuckled.

"That's okay, Steve likes taking care of people anyways." Billy said. "But me and you have to pay attention to his cravings or he'll get really bitchy."

"Hey!"

"It's true, Princess."

"You fight a guy over the last cookie one time–" Steve muttered under his breath as he grabbed the jars of tomato sauce next. He took out another pot and emptied the jars into it, making sure to not let the sauce splatter everywhere. He already knew he'd have to clean wherever Dustin sat to eat–the kid was messier than Mike's little sister, but it was kind of endearing, so Steve never complained about it too much.

He set the sauce on another burner and then went to open one of the top cabinets. For the third time, Eddie was in the way, with Billy right beside him and holding his hand. And for the third time, Steve simply moved Eddie(and Billy with him)and got what he needed. He pulled out Onion Powder, Garlic Salt, and some Parsley in a little container. He added seemingly random amounts of each to the sauce and stirred it with a wooden spoon.

He went to taste it, but then stopped, frowning. "Normally I'd try this to make sure I got that right, but I haven't brushed my teeth in like, two days and that's gross." He grabbed Eddie's arm and pulled him over to the stove.

"Okay, taste that and if you need to, add more of whatever you think it needs." Steve ordered. "Don't be afraid of the Garlic Salt, but do be careful with it, because once you put too much, there's no going back. When you're done with that, put a lid over it and turn the dial down to two. I'm gonna go brush my teeth."

With that, Steve left Eddie and Billy alone in the kitchen before they could point out that they were about to eat, so there was no point in brushing his teeth now.

Eddie stared down at the sauce for a moment in trepidation. 

"It's probably not that hot yet, just taste it, dude." Robin encouraged, walking into the kitchen to refill her glass of water. Billy nodded in agreement.

Eddie shrugged and tried the sauce. He had no idea why Steve would think he'd gotten the measurements wrong, because it was delicious. He was used to eating plain foods, but that was mainly because he was afraid of playing with different flavors and using the stovetop always scared him.

Just because he felt like it, Eddie added a singular piece of parsley to the sauce and then placed the lid on the pot, turning it down. "There. Now it's perfect."

Robin laughed. "Don't worry, I won't tell him." She promised conspiratorially, mining zipping her lips shut and throwing away the key.

"So," She looked up at Eddie and Billy with an impish smile. "Steve, huh?"

Eddie's cheeks burned. "Yeah. It's a....very new thing." He admitted awkwardly, tugging at a loose curl as he leaned against the island again, keeping an eye on the water for the pasta.  

"Not for me!" Billy gloated, smirking. "But personally, I think he's actually in love with you, so.... nice going." The delivery was only slightly awkward and really cute.

"He's cooler than I thought he was." Robin said. "When he started working at Scoops? I thought he would be insufferable. But he was kind of lost, and lonely too." Robin looked at them.

"That was kind of my fault." Billy admitted. "I knew something was wrong with me, but I didn't know how to explain it, and I didn't wanna break up with him, so I kinda just....pushed him away."

Robin nodded along. "I used to mess with him when we first met, and we had fun and got to know each other that way, but I was too mean once." She tapped her fingernails on the counter. "He didn't leave Scoops like I thought he would though–he just spent his breaks giving the cold shoulder. I thought it was petty at the time, but we worked it out. He was....surprisingly bad at socializing for a guy who spent half of highschool popular."

"That's because all the popular kids are fake as shit. Steve was the only one I bothered getting to know, but he wasn't popular by then." Billy recalled, smiling at the memories of all the drives they'd gone on together in his Camaro, just to get away from the rest of the town and their own lives. Thinking of times like those had kept him sane in the other dimension. 

Robin shook her head. "I don't know what you did to make up for smashing a plate over his head to get him to date you, man." She marveled. "But seriously, if either of you ever hurt him on purpose, they will never find your bodies. And Nancy seconds that." Robin threatened.

Both men nodded and she left just as Steve came back and checked on the toast, none the wiser of his best friend's attempt at a Shovel Talk.

Steve moved to get out potholders and oven mitts, but Eddie was in front of the drawer he kept them in. Once again, Steve grasped Eddie's shoulders and gently moved him to get to what he needed, then carried on with his task.

Eddie was surprised Steve hadn't snapped at him to just get out of the kitchen yet, since he seemed to keep getting in the way.

Billy leaned over to speak quietly in Eddie's ear. "He won't tell you you're in the way because you're not, to him anyway."

Eddie tilted his head in question, watching as Steve took the pans out of the oven, setting them on the counter next to the fridge so they'd be out of the way.

"He likes having us around even though we're in his way. So, he'll never tell us to leave as long as he doesn't catch us eating the food." Billy explained. "Eat a snack while he's making a meal and you won't be getting any of that sweet ass for a week, though."

Eddie laughed quietly. "You know that from experience?"

Billy's lips quirked up in a smirk. "Of course. It'd be too easy for him if I didn't push every boundary until he set down his rules." He shrugged. "He's not easy and neither am I, so you'd better be able to keep up, Munson."

"Oh I can." Eddie returned the smirk. "Just you wait, Hargrove."

While they were flirting, Steve took out a collinder and set it in one of the three sinks. Eddie and Billy moved away from the sink as Steve strained both pots, put a copious amount of butter in both, stirred the noodles around some, then turned all burners off.

"Wanna help me cut the other loaf of bread?" Steve looked to them with a smile. Eddie wanted to, but he looked to Billy first. Billy gave him a grateful grin and leaned over to peck him on the lips before shoving him towards Steve. God, that guy didn't do anything halfway, did he? 

Eddie picked up the bread knife and Steve came up behind him. He placed his hand over his boyfriend's and showed him how to cut the bread to make sure the least amount of crumbs fell onto the cutting board.

Eddie couldn't keep the smile off his face as Steve helped him cut through the bread. It was such a peaceful moment, so domestic, and so different from all the other moments they'd had together so far.

Eddie had never thought he'd want a domestic kind of life with anyone, thought he'd always want to be on the move and keep seeing new places and discovering new things. But this–Eddie could die at this very moment and he'd die happy.

God, he'd fallen for the former Kings of Hawkins High so easily. Eddie was such a sucker for both the Bad Boy and the Pretty Pep that it wasn't even funny at this point. Like, it was almost a little embarrassing how easy it was. 

Eddie had never appreciated softer colors styles on anyone before Steve. Steve made it work for him, because he was beautiful. Eddie personally thought Steve would look even better with some darker colors and nail polish in his wardrobe. Maybe some of Eddie's band t-shirts. Definitely a few of his cropped shirts too. And eyeliner, definitely eyeliner.

Eddie loved the contrast of Steve's perfect, soft aesthetic combined with his rough-around-the-edges heavy metal. It was a perfect combination.

And with Billy, he had better taste in music than Steve, and he knew how to rock out. He knew he was hot and he also knew he was mean, and he owned it. Billy was aggressive and intense and emotional. And most of all, Billy was sweet. He was sweet to the people he liked, which he could count on one hand, and he hated everybody else.

It felt good to be liked by someone who hated everybody. Eddie was beginning to see why Steve had fallen for Billy in the first place–he had a rough kind of charm to him. And Eddie never minded a little aggression in his partners. But something Eddie appreciated overall was how Billy was around Steve–it was almost like seeing a different person, watching the way Billy watched Steve with soft eyes and a fond smile. Billy settled into the domestic bliss the same way Eddie had when he'd walked into that kitchen. It was a beautiful moment and Eddie would remember it fondly forever.

Steve was apparently in agreement with that, because he turned Eddie's jaw with his free hand and connected their lips in a slow kiss. Eddie tilted his head for a better angle, slotting their mouths together.

They were so occupied by each other that they almost missed the click of a camera. His head whipped to the side to see Nancy and Robin. Nancy was holding the camera Max had taken from the RV. She pulled the picture out and shook it, smiling when it showed up.

Eddie went over to see it too, curiosity getting the best of him. Nancy gladly showed it to him.

It was the perfect view–Steve and Eddie kissing at the island, a loaf of bread sliced halfway in front of them with Steve's hand over Eddie's on the knife handle. Billy watching them with the softest smile Eddie had ever seen on the guy. Steve's kitchen still looked clean and organized even with all the food on the stovetop and counters, and it provided the perfect background for the photo. It was domiciliary and it was perfect.

Nancy and Robin left the kitchen without even doing anything but taking that picture. Eddie assumed they'd been coming in to check on the three guys, and probably when the food would be ready too. Saving the world made people hungry.

Robin told everyone their part, regaling everyone on Steve's showdown with Vecna, then his they chopped him up to bits and burned him. She held up a jar full of Vecna's remains as proof. Everyone cringed away as she cackled like a maniac before putting it back down. Then she told them in great detail(probably too much detail, if Steve was honest)how Steve took on one of the Demogorgons on their way out with his axe and Andy's knife.

"Dude." Dustin breathed. "You piggybacked Vecna, holy shit, that'ssocool!!!" 

"How is that even possible?!" Mike cried in disbelief. "He was like, twelve feet tall!"

"I did used to play basketball. And volleyball, but that was at the Recreation center, so it wasn't actually, like, real volleyball games or anything." Steve stopped his rambling when he noticed they were all staring at him. "Uh....I just jumped." He said simply, sliding down in his seat like he used to in school.

Eddie used the arm across the top of the couch to wrap around Steve and pull him closer. "That's not why they were starin, Honey." Eddie murmured into his ear.

Steve looked at him questioningly.

"Fangs, sweetheart." Eddie specified.

"Oh."

Nancy slapped Mike and Dustin upside the head. "It's rude to stare." She said plainly before going back to eating her food in peace.

Both boys muttered apologies and kept eating.

"And what was the reunion like?" Max asked, grinning knowingly.

Steve mock-glared at her as Robin gasped dramatically.

"It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! Like, Billy took out the second Demogorgon like a badass, and then Steve was all like "Billy!" And then he ran towards him–"

Steve and Billy endured the fairytale-esque retelling of their reunion, along with the coos and 'awws' from, Max, El, Will, Nancy, and sometimes Argyle.

At least Steve wasn't suffering alone–Billy's face was just as red as his, and he looked two seconds from chucking his bread slice at Robin's face to shut her up.

She finished her story by the time everyone was done eating and they all started settling in to go to sleep.

"Well, I'm taking a shower, because I feel and probably smell like shit." Steve announced, heading upstairs. "Boys!" He called when he was halfway up.

Billy and Eddie scrambled to follow him, followed by Nancy, Max, and Robin's laughter.

Chapter Text

Steve left his clothes in a trail across his bedroom leading to his en suite bathroom.

Billy did the same with the clothes he'd borrowed from Steve without an ounce of shame or self-conciousnesses.

And what reason would he have to be, with a body like that? Billy's body was burly, corded with solid muscle. He was a little paler than he used to be, but nothing could get rid of that golden tan, or the perfect blonde mullet that had grown long, past Billy's shoulders. True to form, he didn't have any scars he should have if he'd died the way Rat Billy had.

Eddie followed in his boyfriends' footsteps and shed his clothing in the same pattern, just to see his dark clothes mingling with Steve's light ones.

Steve had taken his bandages off himself, and seemingly just didn't give a fuck about the makeshift cast around his left hand that was getting soaked at the moment. Eddie agreed with the sentiment, and removed his own bandages, disregarding the shallow bat bites littering his body. Thanks to Billy, none of said bites even required stitches.

Billy had come out of the woodwork and fought back the demobats when they'd swarmed Eddie and Dustin–their knight in shining armor.

They'd decided to take him with them back into the Rightside Up, but Billy had heard Steve and Robin stumble across the field of dead bats outside the trailer (they aren't been very stealthy)and ran to see who it was since Eddie had already told him they were in the middle of carrying out a plan that involved everyone else too.

Eddie looked over the bites in the mirror before deciding they'd probably be fine when faced with a little water and suds.

Billy had already slipped into the shower with Steve(which was huge and too big for just one person). Eddie slipped inside with them and was treated to the sight of Billy and Steve grinding their dicks together while Billy plundered the shorter man's mouth as he pressed Steve against the wall. Eddie could tell just from the slight movements of Billy's jaw that he was curling his tongue with Steve's to feel the stud in his tongue. He was practically tongue-fucking Steve's mouth and it was one of the hottest things Eddie had ever seen.

God damn that piercing.

Eddie, ever the forward man, stepped up beside them to wrap a hand around both of their dicks. He was rewarded with a deep moan from both of them,  breaking the kiss so Steve could drop his head back against the tile wall and Billy could drop his head forward onto Steve's shoulder.

Eddie stroked them together, watching them tense up and listening to the sweet music they made together echoing around the walls of the shower, steam filling the room and fogging up the glass wall and door to the shower.

Billy let out a growl and grabbed Eddie by the hair, pulling him closer for a rough kiss. Billy's hips pumped into the metalhead's strokes while Steve melted against the wall.

"Aw, look at him." Billy crooned. "How long's it been, Sweetheart?"

"Since before you died, you asshole, now quit teasing me!" The shorter man bit out. Then, "I missed you." He said, softer.

Billy nuzzled at Steve's neck, finding the mark Eddie had left earlier and kissing over it, biting down on the bruised skin to get those pretty sounds out of his boyfriend. Music to his ears after spending almost a year in that cold, rotting hellhole.

Eddie moved to stand behind Billy, still stroking him and Steve together with one hand. With the other, he grabbed a handful of blonde curls and pulled Billy's head to the side so he could bite down hard on his shoulder.

Billy gave a groan and bucked his hips sharply, cumming over Eddie's hand and Steve's dick.

Eddie chuckled into the wet skin of Billy's shoulder, licking over the bite mark soothingly. "Knew that'd get you." He murmured, pleased.

Billy moaned. "Fuck me." Eddie smirked as he kept stroking the blonde and Steve together, oversensitive from cumming already. 

"Trying to." The metalhead snickered, kissing over his bite mark. 

Steve slid down the wall until he was on his knees and face-to-dick. Without hesitation, he licked a long stripe along the side of Billy's dick before taking the head into his mouth. He hummed at the taste as he cleaned Billy's dick and blew him back into full hardness.

Eddie cursed quietly  in amazement as he watched Steve down Billy's cock like a pro. He didn't even see him gag as the tip reached the back of his throat. The brunette pulled back and started a bobbing his head, licking along the underside and flicking his tongue piercing against it to get his boyfriend to buck his hips again. Sneaky fucker. 

Billy Did exactly what Steve wanted and bucked his hips into the hot mouth, feeling the drag of the tongue piercing on his cock. It sent electricity up his spine. God, he'd never get sick of that piercing. Best Goddamned idea he'd ever had. He tangled his fingers in his boyfriend's wet, wavy hair, pulling on it just the way he knew Steve liked it.

Steve whined at the slight sting in his scalp, and gripped Billy's thighs, going still. Billy understood what he wanted and thrust his dick in and out of his boyfriend's mouth.

Sex with Steve had always been amazing even when he'd still been learning how to give a good blowjob and how to take it up the ass, but having Eddie at his back, growling low in his ear and gnawing on Billy's neck and shoulders and jaw like he was a goddamned chew toy made it even hotter and he couldn't resist pumping his hips faster.

One hand was still buried in Steve's hair, the other reached back and grasped Eddie's hip. Eddie's dick was sliding against his ass and though Billy had never bottomed before, he wouldn't be opposed to letting Eddie fuck him if he was gonna keep behaving like a predator in rut. Billy usually liked it rough and loved manhandling Steve's pretty, lean body around however he wanted. But if Eddie was strong enough to manhandle him and didn't get all sappy on him, Billy would totally let the older man fuck him. 

Eddie reached around to pinch and twist one of Billy's nipples, while his other hand skated down to Billy's hip, squeezing and helping him along with his thrusting into Steve's perfect mouth and tight throat. Billy couldn't keep it together much longer–Eddie apparently knew just what to do to push him towards that edge.

Steve was jerking himself off under them as he took Billy apart from below and Eddie took him apart from above, as easy as he tuned his guitar when he played. Steve could not describe how glad he was that both men had decided to try dating each other as well, because this–this was a masterpiece of Steve's own design and he'd never ever regret it if Billy and Eddie went at it the way they were doing right now every time.

Billy moaned as Eddie squeezed his hip in a bruising grip and brought his free hand up to squeeze the blonde's throat, just slightly.

Billy snapped his hips forward until his dick reached Steve's throat and groaned, holding Steve there by his hair as he came down the younger man's throat. Steve swallowed all of it, stroking his own dick faster as he moaned at the taste of Billy in the back of his throat and against his tongue.

Billy pulled out and leaned back against Eddie, panting. Eddie lowered both of them to the floor and moved Billy to lean against the wall. Then he switched his attention to Steve and stopped the hand that was stroking himself, intertwining their fingers instead and pressing their hands to the wall in an impromptu pin.

The cast on Steve's left hand wouldn't be of any use to him and it was soaked anyways. Eddie had a feeling, though. He pulled the makeshift cast apart and let it fall to the shower floor, shoving it into the corner to be cleaned up later as he watched Steve flex his hand, wiggling his fingers with a pleased smile.

Accelerated Healing was a fucking blessing.

Before Steve could get any idea of what to do with his now-healed and free left hand, Eddie did the same thing he'd done with Steve's right and pinned their hands to the wall.

"Hey!" Steve complained. "Eddie–"

Eddie quieted him with a kiss, licking into his mouth to feel the stud and get a taste of Billy. It was filthy and it had drool dripping down Steve's chin. By the sound of it, Billy was enjoying the show.

Eddie crowded Steve against the wall, the shorter man slumped against it while Eddie attacked from above. Steve writhed under him, unable to use his hands to do anything he wanted.

Finally, he shifted his hips so his legs moved out from under him to wrap around Eddie's waist and he pulled their lower bodies together. Eddie let it happen, feeling Steve slide into his lap and pressing him further against the wall. He groaned as soon as Steve started rolling his hips, grinding their dicks together.

The flexibility he displayed to do that was something else, that was for sure. No wonder it took supernatural vines just to hold Steve down–nothing else could stop him from twisting and turning until he was already where he wanted to be. He knew exactly what he wanted and he used his own means to get it.

Fuck, Eddie was so close. Steve whined and whimpered and moaned as he rolled their hips together, still making out and barely stopping to breathe between kisses and nips.

Steve's fangs were sharp against Eddie's tongue, but Christ, he wanted them to dig into his skin so bad, it was almost worrying.

He could tell when Steve was close to cumming too, because he twisted his hips to make their dicks slide and catch on each other a certain way and it had Eddie gasping into his mouth. What the fuck had Billy taught him, Jesus H Christ....

Steve pulled back from Eddie's lips, still breathing hard. He clamped his jaws down over Eddie's shoulder, fangs easily piercing his skin and maybe the muscle underneath too. Eddie gave a broken cry, eyes rolling back into his head as he came harder than he'd ever cum in his life. Steve came at the same time, growling a surprising but no unwelcome animalistic sound into Eddie's shoulder as he ground then together until overstimulation made itself known. They shuddered against each other,  breathing shaky. 

When they came down from their high and Eddie's brain came back online, Steve was panting, forehead against Eddie's sluggishly bleeding shoulder. Eddie hadn't even felt him release the deadlock his jaws had on his shoulder, too blissed out to notice.

Steve was slumped against Eddie, away from the wall. He tilted his head up to lick at the blood dripping from the bite mark and Eddie's breath hitched. It stung a tiny bit, but mostly just felt pleasant as Steve soothed it with his tongue–though he did close his lips over the wound and suck the rest of the blood at the surface out for it, making Eddie sway in place for a moment before steadying himself again. His dick gave a valiant twitch, but Eddie knew he wouldn't be getting it up again tonight after cumming that hard while still being exhausted from the last few days of crazy supernatural bullshit.

"Fuck." Billy croaked into the steamy air, voice cracking halfway through the swear. Eddie couldn't agree more.

They sat there for another moment under the spray of still-warm water before any of them even thought of moving.

Then Billy, instead of standing up to actually wash himself, crawled over to drape himself over Steve's back. He was so big compared to Steve's leaner frame that he covered him like a blanket. Steve let out a tired sound.

It finally clicked in Eddie's brain and he realized that Steve didn't have the energy to actually shower anymore, so he was just staying where he was. And Billy wanted to stay as close to Steve as possible(and he'd cum twice within a span of fifteen minutes), so he didn't get up either.

Eddie hoped that one day, he could read his boyfriends and they could read him as easily as Steve and Billy could read each other, when neither one could express verbally how they were feeling and instead relied on touch.

Eddie figured it was up to him to get them all clean and in bed, so he grabbed the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash bottles, along with the washcloth Steve had brought in when he'd first gotten in the shower, and sat back down in front of his lovers.

Billy grumbled and complained about it through gravelly, displeased noises when Eddie tried to wash Steve's back–it made Eddie chuckle, he sounded like a displeased bear. He'd decided to do body wash first, just so Steve and Billy would stay relaxed from the hair washing and then they could go to bed easily after.

Billy took the washcloth from Edie's hand and washed Steve's back himself, washed his own front, then reattached himself to Steve and let Eddie wash his back. He nuzzled at the nape of Steve's neck and left small, gentle kisses along his neck and shoulders, drawing soft noises out of Steve as he melted into Billy even further. Steve was all but asleep at this point.

Eddie washed the shorter man's hair as best he could, massaging the scalp and making sure all the grime and dirt was washed away before finally washing himself. He kept an eye on the two still on the floor, but they stayed right where they were–tired and sleepy. Eddie was pretty sure Steve was dozing off in Billy's arms and it was the most peaceful scene his cynical eyes had ever witnessed–both from Steve Harrington and Billy Hargrove and also just from anyone ever.

That's love. There isn't anything else it could be.

Eddie smiled at them and crouched to help Billy lift Steve so they could dry him.

Eddie got himself, Steve, and Billy into boxers, bothering to make an attempt getting any other clothes on, and then guided them over to Steve's large bed that would hopefully fit all three of them. He paced Steve in the middle and he and Billy framed Steve on the outside. Their hands met under the covers and they intertwined their fingers over Steve's hip.

Eddie kissed them both goodnight with a peck on the lips and settled back down.

It was the best sleep any of them had ever gotten, even before all the crazy Upside Down shit happened.