Chapter Text
Cold. The first thing Eddie felt when he woke up was cold. He hadn't been expecting to wake up at all, he was pretty sure that whole death thing was permanent. His limbs were heavy, his mind a fog. Where was he?
The sky was still dark, shedding ash like snow - if snow choked your lungs and congealed in your throat. Eddie was pretty sure it didn’t. In constant motion beneath his feet grew tentacles of a beast Eddie knew by name but didn’t want to speak. Easier to call him Vecna. Easier not to think about him as having once been human.
Eddie stumbled a bit, getting to his feet. He couldn’t stay here, the very ground beneath him spoke of death. The shadows clung to him like spiderwebs, decaying trees whispered through their rotting leaves, telling him to stay, stay, stay.
“No,” Eddie tried to say, but the word came out as barely a whisper, his throat scraped raw. His lips felt puffy and bruised, and blood spilled from his mouth when he spoke. It tasted old, tasted dead. He was still breathing, but that was small comfort in the gloam.
Trudging through the swamp-like patches of ooze and grime, Eddie avoided the tendrils cursing the landscape as much as possible. Stepping on them brought forth a choking stench like nothing Eddie had ever had the misfortune to smell, and he wasn’t eager to repeat the experience.
If he could just find the trailer again, if the gate was still open, he had a chance.
“Well hey, I know you.” The voice emanated from everywhere at once. Eddie turned around and spied a figure at the edge of the tree line, still mostly in shadow.
“Who are you?” Eddie questioned warily as the figure stepped into what passed for light in this place. “Wait - Hargrove? Billy Hargrove?”
“That’s me,” Billy said, gesturing widely. He looked - different, and not the good sort of different. Definitely a make-under. Not that Eddie had really known him before - well, before he died. Died . By all accounts, Billy Hargrove had died in the Starcourt fire, but here he was, upright and walking in the Upside Down.
Maybe Starcourt hadn’t just been an unfortunate fire after all. He wished he’d had more time to talk with the party post-exile, post-fantastical revelations of the alternate universe connected to his home town, but hey. Shit happens, right?
Eddie bit down on his lip, a nervous habit, and cursed at the sudden pain. The taste of blood filled his mouth, old blood, stale, the taste of rust making him ill. Hargrove, the little bastard, started laughing. And not just a simple chuckle at his pain, no, this was a full on belly laugh. He bent over with it, clapping his hands.
“Welcome to your new life, freak,” Billy called out. “And get ready, cause it’s a fucking ride. ”
If his new life was a ride, it wasn’t an enjoyable one so far. Billy dogged Eddie’s steps, heckling all the while. His bid for attention eventually led to asking what terrible deal with the devil the "freak" had made to land himself in the Upside Down, to end up food for the bats. Eddie stopped. He had a remarkable tolerance for stupidity, but that was the last straw.
"Oh nothing much," he'd said with a shrug. "Just helped save the world." Even if it wasn't true, even if the party had inevitably failed in their quest to kill Vecna, because that bastard was certainly still present in every stinking part of this place - even so, he'd tried his best.
Billy had stopped walking, and Eddie, hating himself after the fact, had turned around. "Why did it need saving?" He'd asked, a funny look on his face, like he'd just received the worst news of his life but was determined not to crack.
"I'm guessing if you're here, you know all about the weird shit that goes on in Hawkins," Eddie started, and Billy gave a snort.
"You could say that," he said, stepping on something that gave with a sickening squish.
"Yeah, well - kids started dying. Real bad, too, like you wouldn't believe how -" He stopped as the look on Billy’s face changed again. He looked like he was going to be sick.
“Was it this - giant thing, that like, absorbed what it killed?”
“Jesus, no,” Eddie said, unable to keep the horror from his face. “Let me guess, that was what the kids called the Mind Flayer?”
“Fuck if I know, man,” Billy said. “I didn’t even know the little bastards were involved at first, not til I saw - nevermind.” Eddie knew he was looking at Billy a little bit funny. Couldn’t help it. It was jarring, the difference time and this place had made on the guy. He’d been hot stuff, once. Very, very hot stuff.
“We call him Vecna,” Eddie said slowly, wrenching his brain back on track. “We didn’t know who he really was at first, so we just picked another name from D&D. But he’s Henry Creel, he was in this fucked up government facility where they experimented on kids with like, psychic powers? I’m not -”
“Yeah,” Billy said shortly, and Eddie just nodded. Of course he knew about that. Sure. Why not.
“Well, he’s a psychopath, and was killing kids to open gates into our world from where they died.” Eddie carefully avoided mentioning Max, thinking it might be better to ease him into the truth. The gates were still open. The sky breathed fire. Max was almost certainly dead.
“That’s fucked up,” Billy said, crossing his arms.
“No shit,” Eddie answered. “I think that -” He pointed up at the gashes in the sky that had opened not long after he woke and sent him running for cover, screaming, terrified. “Means he won.”
“Damn,” Billy said, and that look was back on his face. “You didn’t, uh, see a little redhead, did you? With the rugrats?”
“Yeah,” Eddie answered, cagey. “You mean Max?”
“She ok?” Billy asked, jamming his hands in his pockets, glancing away.
“I hope so,” Eddie said. “I kinda died before the end, y’know?”
“Sucks, huh?” Billy said, now looking at him straight on.
“Yeah,” Eddie said with a short laugh. “Sure as hell does.”
Billy lifted up his shirt to show Eddie a massive scar on his chest. It was shaped vaguely like a starburst, and Eddie thought it would have made an excellent backstory point for someone’s character before blinking the thought away. This was real. Billy had actually died, and now - now he was here, talking to Eddie.
“Wicked,” Eddie said with a nod, throwing up the horns. “I’ve probably got -” he looked down at the shredded remains of his shirt in dismay. “I got eaten alive by those nasty little bat things, so - yep,” he said, observing his torso covered in a network of scars. It was an entire landscape, raised lines and deep purple valleys marring his skin. “God, this is so fucked up.”
Billy laughed, cold and dark. “You’re telling me.”
“So,” Eddie started, unsure of his footing. “Here’s the real question. If we both died, how are we standing here talking to each other? I mean, is this Hell?”
“You think you deserve to be in hell, Munson?”
“Frankly?” Eddie answered. “No. Do you?”
“Definitely,” Billy answered with a wide grin, and that’s when Eddie saw them. Billy caught the look and ran his tongue across the sharpened incisors. “It’s this place,” he said, gesturing around. “Everything here is some kind of vampire, more or less, even these fuckers.” He stepped hard on one of the obscenely pulsing vines and Eddie watched a sickly, pink fluid ooze out. “Now we’re just one of them.”
Eddie felt for the sharp points he knew were there, the ones he had been feeling scrape his lips and tongue since he woke up. He feared the hunger that had risen up in him almost immediately, and had been trying to ignore it, just in case he was right. Hearing Billy put it out there like that, vampires, only made it worse.
“Is that why you stayed here?” Eddie asked, wondering if dying had somehow turned the Billy Hargrove he knew, the jock who played mean, the bully, the tease - into someone selfless, someone not eager to inflict his pain on the world.
“Hell, no.” Billy flashed him a dangerous smile, his eyes dark. “I just couldn’t get out. But you said something about gates?”
Shit. Shit, shit shit. “I don’t know where they are, exactly,” Eddie lied. “You know this place, it’s not the same as up there.”
“But you know where they should be, don’t you?” Billy took a step forward, and Eddie took a step back. “C’mon, man,” Billy said, a hint of desperation in his tone. “You can’t just leave me here. You helped save the world, right? Doesn’t that make you one of the good guys?”
“Which is why I’m not so eager to let you out,” Eddie said, knowing it was a mistake, knowing some part of him did want to let Bily out. Vanity had always been Hargrove’s weak point; maybe if he just ran the guy off it would be two birds with one stone.
“Look at you, Billy,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “You’re practically a zombie or some shit. You’re gray, your hair is falling out. Your face is all -” he moved his hand in front of his own face, wondering if he looked just as bad. “You’d terrify people.”
“I’ve always terrified people,” Billy said with a confident grin, but he did run his hand through his hair, the grin fading a bit when it came back covered in blond strands.
“You didn’t seem so scary when you were buying weed from me,” Eddie continued, needling.
“That’s ‘cause you gave me a nice discount when I flirted with you,” Billy said, shutting his mouth so hard his teeth rattled. Eddie guessed he hadn’t meant to say that one out loud.
“Yeah,” Eddie said after a moment. “I did, didn’t I?” Billy looked away first. Eddie figured there was no reason to deny it, not here, not when they might as well both be in Hell. He’d always had an unfortunate thing for jocks, and Billy Hargrove had definitely checked that box, starring in some of Eddie’s more memorable fantasies. He didn’t play nice in them, either, always begging to be put in his place, and Eddie was very, very good at imagining that.
Billy, however, had seemed to have an unfortunate thing for Steve Harrington. Eddie didn’t think anyone else would have noticed. He expressed it roughly, shoulder checks in the hallway, hurled insults at parties. But on the court, they’d been seamless. Stuck at all the home games with the band, Eddie certainly had enough time to observe their symbiosis, the way Billy looked at Steve when he wasn’t looking back. The way Steve looked at him. He was pretty sure Billy had missed an opportunity there, but he wasn’t stupid enough to say that.
He was miserable enough, knowing he hadn’t even had that opportunity. Steve was still so hung up on Wheeler, Eddie figured he hadn’t noticed his flirtatious comments, his repeated occupation of Steve’s personal space. Robin had clocked it, he was sure of that. He’d had some time to dream, stuck in hiding, and it had crossed his mind that if he could hook her up with Wheeler, as she so clearly wanted, a space might open up for him. So much for that. So much for a lot of things.
A low rumbling moan echoed through the foliage, startling Eddie from his thoughts. “What the fuck was that?” He asked, looking to Billy.
“Trouble,” Billy answered, picking something up from the ground. It looked somewhere between a spear and a trident, three wickedly sharp points attached to a long, carved branch. The center point looked like stone, but the others…
“Are those teeth?” Eddie asked, motioning toward the weapon.
Billy grinned. “Hell yeah. Call ‘em souvenirs.”
Knowing that Billy had been here long enough to not only know how to kill the beasts that stalked these lands, but to make a weapon that impressive, fired up an ache in Eddie’s chest. It had been eight months in the world above - had it been that long here? Had it been longer?
Branches snapped to Eddie’s right and he backed away slowly, right into a pool of viscous red muck. The creature that emerged from the foliage was at once alien and familiar, spawning a dissonance in his mind that he couldn’t shake.
“Is that - a cow?” Eddie said, struggling to believe what was right in front of him.
“That’s a goddamn cow,” Billy confirmed. “And it will eat you,” he said, raising the spear above his shoulder. “Grab a rock or something, they charge.”
Eddie cast about for something, anything, and landed on a chunk of granite with a decently sharp edge. By the time he picked it up, the creature had started to shake, fierce spines springing up from its back. Its face split open, and row after row of tiny, vicious teeth unfurled.
“Oh, I do not like this,” Eddie said, raising the rock in front of him.
“Over here, you slimy motherfucker!” Billy called out, hurling the spear with deadly accuracy as soon as the beast turned its head. It struck home in the wide open mouth and the creature shrieked, a horrible, unearthly sound Eddie hoped he never heard again. “Break its face!” Billy yelled, motioning to the rock in Eddie’s hand.
Now or never , Eddie told himself, rushing forward and bashing the creature squarely on the head while it was still trying to shake out the spear. It flailed, catching him in the chest with one of its spines and he staggered away, bleeding. Billy was there in an instant, pulling the spear free, but not before a line of teeth sliced his arm.
“Fucking - bitch -” Billy gasped out, plunging the spear home deep. Bracing his foot on the creature’s side, he pulled it out and jammed it back in again, twisting the shaft. The creature staggered to its knees, sides heaving, before finally falling to the ground. Billy retrieved the spear and shook off long tendrils of gore.
“Well,” Eddie said, kicking the body. “That was fun.”
“I told you it was a ride,” Billy said, grinning. Blood dripped down his face, and he wiped it away with his uninjured arm.
“I will never complain about being bored again,” Eddie said, knowing he was lying. “Is this gonna heal?” He asked, motioning to the hole in his chest. It was excruciatingly painful, and he really hoped those spines hadn’t been poisoned.
“It should,” Billy said with a shrug. “Hell, I’m still alive, and I’ve been way more fucked up than this. Vamps, remember?” He grinned, showing his fangs.
“Yeah, believe me - I remember.” Eddie poked at the wound, sluggishly oozing black blood, and regretted it when the pain intensified.
Billy walked back over to where he had dropped a backpack, pulling out several strips of cloth. Eddie watched as he bandaged his arm one handed with remarkable efficiency, pulling the cloth tight with his teeth.
“I could have helped you with that,” Eddie said, watching him.
“It’s all good,” Billy replied. “Got a lot of practice.”
“That kinda sucks, to be honest,” Eddie said, looking him over, cataloging the many visible scars.
“It is what it is, Munson,” Billy answered. “You just kinda - get used to it.”
“All right man,” Eddie asked after a moment, when Billy had worked the spear through the straps of his backpack and hooked his arms through. “You good?”
“Good as it gets,” Billy answered, shit-eating grin back on his face. Even Eddie could see how hollow it was.
With a nod, Eddie turned in the direction he had been headed before Billy’s soul-selling comment, and started walking. When he didn’t hear footsteps behind him, he looked back over his shoulder. Billy stood in the same spot, hastily shifting the expression on his face to look hard, disaffected. For just an instant, he had looked lost.
“Well, Hargrove? Are you coming, or what?”
The wound in his chest did heal, after all. It was impossible to tell time in the Upside Down; Eddie’s watch had read 8:53 since he woke up, but it felt like it only took a few hours before the hole closed up entirely. Billy’s arm took slightly longer, but eventually he unwrapped the bandages and shoved them back in his bag.
They antagonized one another less and less, instead swapping stories from high school or places farther afield. Billy lectured Eddie on the finer points of surfing, Eddie talked through statting the two of them out in D&D and just how much they would suck. Honestly, Eddie didn’t mind having a traveling companion in such a dismal, deadly place. For every point on the landscape they recognized - the arcade, the town hall, the swimming pool - there were longer and longer stretches between with nothing but eerily shifting trees and unstable ground. It already looked different from the last time Eddie had been here, and he was pretty sure it was growing.
It wasn’t an easy walk, the ground just as likely to give way with each new step as to support the weight. They paused to rest when Billy started yawning, and Eddie wheedled him into revealing he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept. Eddie would have killed for a campfire, but the air held a perpetual damp chill, and not a single leaf or twig he picked up would catch.
Eddie woke up with Billy curled close into his side. He had never been good at keeping still, but in that moment, he tried as hard as he could. Billy wasn’t quite as monstrous as Eddie had said when trying to drive him away. His skin was sallow, sure, his hair lackluster, but the curve of his lips was the same as ever, the sparkle in his eyes every bit as sharp. A thin silver chain still wrapped around his neck, some sort of religious medallion kept safe after all this time in the wasteland. He was a mystery, and a tempting one at that.
“What am I going to do with you?” Eddie murmured, brushing a stray curl back from Billy’s forehead while he slept on, oblivious.
Later that day, or night, they found what was left of the trailer. The denizens of the Upside Down had really done a number on it, ripping down the fencing and tearing great chunks from the walls. The door hung from one hinge, and Eddie pushed it aside like a curtain. Vines choked the walls, some even extending down from the edges of the gate itself.
“What do you know,” Billy said, staring up at the hole in the ceiling. There was genuine wonder on his face, and when he turned to look at Eddie, it lingered, just for a moment, in his eyes. Eddie smiled, maybe a bit too long, before glancing away to start stacking up pieces of furniture.
“Your new - or should I say old - life awaits!” Eddie said dramatically, adding another table to the pile.
“What if I don’t want my old life?” Billy said, dragging over a chair.
“Then make a new one,” Eddie said with a shrug. Billy leaned against the chair, leveling him with a look.
“You really think it’s that easy?”
“It can be,” Eddie said, eyeing the distance from the top of the table to the gate. “If you’re willing to ask for a little help.”
Billy laughed, a dark sound lacking any humor.
“Let me test it out, and then I’ll give you a hand up, ok?” Eddie said, pushing on the stack from different angles. Billy nodded, moving to hold some pieces in place. It wasn’t as difficult as he thought it might be, no worse than dancing between lunch trays on the table in the cafeteria, and Eddie knew he had promised the lunch lady he would stop that, but -
So close, almost - Eddie grabbed one of the vines and hauled himself up, hoping he was imagining the muffled screaming as ichor poured out around his fingers. He could feel the gravity switch waiting to happen, and held out a hand to Billy, who took it, hauling himself up over the furniture.
“This is going to be really weird,” Eddie warned. “And probably painful.”
“Ok, but how -”
“You’ve just gotta let go,” Eddie said, pulling himself up through the ceiling and falling back down into the rightside up as the vine in his hand tore apart. He was pretty sure he’d had worse, but fuck , that hurt. “Hang on, I’m gonna see if I can make a rope out of anything.”
No sooner had Eddie left the living room than he heard a crash. Deciding not to wait, Billy had fallen straight through, hitting even harder than Eddie. The floorboards shook on impact. He rolled over onto his side, his face contorted in pain.
“That’s gonna leave a mark,” Eddie observed. “I told you I was going to -”
“I made it, didn’t I?”
“Yeah,” Eddie had to admit. “Yeah, you did.” He offered a hand up, and Billy at least took that, climbing to his feet.
The trailer was deserted, only a few taped up boxes remaining in the center of the main room. It made sense; he supposed Wayne couldn’t keep living there with a gate in his ceiling. Glancing out a window, Eddie saw what little was left of the park. A giant rift ran straight through it, glowing orange and spitting lightning.
“Well, that’s new,” Eddie said, pulling back the curtains. He could only assume that it lined up with one of the fiery slashes through the sky that had been hanging over their heads in the Upside Down, and wondered if rampaging flocks of demobats were harrowing Hawkins by night.
“Shit,” Billy said beside him. “You think we should go back?”
Eddie laughed and threw his arm around Billy, just for a moment. “Not a chance in hell.”
His bedroom hadn’t been touched in the packing up. Digging through his worldly possessions, Eddie grabbed a couple of bags, a few changes of clothes, a cassette or two he couldn’t live without, and some toiletries. The real version of his guitar was exactly where he’d left her, packed up nicely in a sturdy case, and he grabbed that, too.
Eddie promised himself he would tell Wayne eventually. It would just be easier when he was - used to this, whatever this turned out to be. Not the kids, though. Never the kids. He couldn’t risk being around them, or any of the others for that matter. What if he couldn’t control it, and - God, no. The thought was a sharp pain in his chest, but Eddie knew it was the truth.
At least he had Billy. Eddie knew he would be a pain in the ass as often as possible, but he would at least be company in this mad new world.
“You know, I’m tempted to go back for a few albums from my room over there,” Eddie said, coming back into the living room and gesturing up to the gate. “See what’s on ‘em.”
“Trust me, man,” Billy said, hands jammed in his back pockets. “You would not want to hear whatever’s on those.” He shuddered.
“Probably a good call,” Eddie admitted with a twinge of regret. “Hey, uh, I’ve got some spare clothes and stuff you can have,” he continued on, gesturing to one of his bags. “They…might be a little tight, but better than nothing?”
Billy shook his head. “I’m good, I’ll find something,” he said, staring at the knicknacks still left on the walls.
“You sure about that? Cause your duds are looking a little rough, there.” Eddie said, pointing to the numerous rips and tears decorating Billy’s ensemble.
“I hear it’s the new style,” Billy said with a wide smile, and Eddie stopped pushing.
“After you,” he said instead, motioning toward the door. Billy inclined his head and practically strolled out onto the gravel lot. Pulling his keyring out of a bag, Eddie locked the door behind them. “So,” he started, “Where do you want to -”
Billy grabbed him roughly by the front of his jacket and hauled him in for a kiss. It was brief, just a forceful press of lips, but it left Eddie feeling dizzy when Billy pulled away. He looked at Eddie for a moment, something strange, almost golden, lighting his eyes, before his face shut down.
“Don’t forget about me, now,” he said with a sly wink, grinning wide enough to show his fangs. With that, Billy turned and bolted off into the night, disappearing into the tree line. Eddie knew he could follow, could track him by scent if nothing else, but he stayed where he was, tracing his lips with his fingers.
"Oh, I won't," Eddie said to himself beneath the yellow glow of the porch light. He fumbled his lighter out of his pocket, needing a fucking cigarette to deal with this level of bullshit. He sure as hell hoped vampires could smoke. "I know exactly what you need, Billy Hargrove,” he said out loud, tapping out a fresh one from the pack in his bag. “And I plan on making you beg for it.”
Hungry . When Billy crawled his way out of the Upside Down and fell back into the real world, he was all skin and bones, just atrophied muscles held together by a maddening, all-consuming drive. He’d put on a good face for Munson, but he felt far less human than he’d pretended. The hunger fueled him, pushed him, but the bitch of it was that it also made him weak. He’d been living off of stray bats, foxes with four-quartered faces, and squirrels with too many teeth. Half dead things that left a sludge in his blood, but kept him moving, at least for a little longer.
Here, though. Here in Hawkins, the real Hawkins, Billy knew his situation would improve. It was a place full of soft things, innocent things, ignorant to the realities around them. It was a place without teeth.
Billy had teeth enough to go around.
He started with small things, easy things. They were quick, but Billy was quicker, even half-dead. He could feel his blood beginning to pump faster, his heart finding a livelier rhythm. Colors looked brighter, the world came into sharper focus. Slightly larger things were next, a few unlucky racoons and possums, leaving the dumpsters of Hawkins missing a few regulars.
It was one thing knowing he was working his way up to a human, but another thing entirely to actually carry that plan out. He’d scavenged clothes from houses in the Upside Down, but everything there carried an unmistakable layer of decay. The bomber jacket he’d stolen from Harrington’s shadow house was falling apart, the leather cracking, the stitching of the soft lining coming undone.
For a fleeting moment, Billy saw himself waltzing into Harrington’s house on this side of things, handing him the worn out jacket, and taking a new one, helping himself to a little snack along the way. He could imagine it, Steve’s face when he opened the door to find Billy standing on the steps, the way it would change when Billy gave him a little shove backward and walked inside. The way Steve would smell when Billy got close, the salt on his skin if Billy gave it just a little lick first, before the bite.
He could hear the sound that Steve would make, and it nearly did Billy in.
He ended up in the men’s room at the Hideaway instead, getting blown by a pretty stranger in a black leather jacket who licked his lips when he was done, standing up with a self-satisfied smile. Billy hadn’t really planned on that part, but who was he to turn it down when Tony here got on his knees? Turning him around with an easy hand, Billy put the guy’s back to the filthy tiled wall before leaning in and mouthing at his neck. Tony, or Terry, or whoever actually giggled , and Billy rolled his eyes. Covering his mouth with a firm hand, Billy kept him quiet while he bit down, nice and easy, and drank just enough to last.
“You can tell anyone you want about this,” Billy said, mirroring the guy’s own smile from before when he lifted his hand away from his mouth, leaving just a finger across his lips. “But they’re not going to believe you.” He looked at Billy with wide, terrified eyes, feeling the twin holes in his neck with a wince. At least they weren’t still bleeding.
Billy helped him out of his jacket when he slid to the floor, shaking, and covered him with the bomber in exchange. “Don’t be so dramatic,” he told him, eyeing his steadily-improving reflection in the mirror. “You’ll live. Get some juice or something.”
“Thanks,” Billy tossed over his shoulder as he turned to leave, shrugging into the jacket.
In some ways, Billy Hargrove had been hungry his entire life.
First it was waves, then it was boys, then it was an indefinable something he still hadn’t found. He’d known he was close, though, the first time he met Steve Harrington at that lame ass Halloween party. He was the only thing worth seeing that night, the only person worth pushing, and Billy had always known how to push the right buttons.
Watching Harrington from across the street shouldn’t have given him a thrill, but it kind of did. He wasn’t doing anything in particular, just shelving movies at his stupid job that Billy hadn’t even known he had. He was just walking, looking for a safe place to crash, when a BMW out of place at the arcade caught his eye. Lo and behold, there was King Steve, on his knees in front of a stack of VHS tapes.
He’d never seen Steve on his knees, and damn if it wasn’t a beautiful sight. If he wasn’t mistaken, the same girl from the ice cream shop was with him, in the same idiotic green vest, which was a shameful downgrade from the sailor suits. He’d teased Steve mercilessly about the outfit the few times he’d managed to catch him there while dropping Max off at the mall, but secretly? All embarrassment aside, he liked it.
Billy wondered just how late the video shop was open. Wondered if he might catch Steve leaving, pull him into the alley and - what? Get in a little nibble? Steve Harrington knew how to throw a punch, Billy knew that from experience. He stroked his jaw at the memory, wondered if he could get Steve riled up enough to fight him again.
Billy was stronger now, and there was no one around to cheat by sticking a fucking syringe in his neck. He would win, no question. Some part of him wasn’t sure he wanted to, though, and wasn’t that just fucked?
The lights went out in the video store, and Billy realized he was leaning forward eagerly. Steve ushered the girl out, then locked the doors, testing them to make sure they shut. As if anyone would bother knocking over a video store. He just had to wait until the blonde was out of the way, then -
Steve turned toward his car and looked up as if on instinct, his gaze traveling across the street to where Billy stood on the sidewalk. His eyes widened. Billy winked.
“What the fuck -” Steve breathed out, the girl turning her head to follow, and as a bus cruised through the intersection, something grabbed Billy by the back of his neck.
He spun, adrenaline cranking through his system, his already sharpened vision honing in on the attacker behind him - only to see Eddie Munson, intent on dragging him down the side street. He fought, but Eddie was still somehow stronger, and a rage built up in Billy’s blood.
“What the fuck, Munson?” He growled, finally managing to struggle free.
“I know exactly what you were about to do,” Eddie said, far too calmly, only infuriating Billy further.
“Oh yeah?” Billy threw back with a predatory grin. “And what’s that?”
“You’re looking much better than the last time I saw you,” Eddie said, the subject change throwing Billy off. “What have you been eating?”
“It was only a little bite, daddy,” Billy said, looking up through his eyelashes. “I’ve been a good boy.”
Eddie responded by shoving him against the brick wall. “And just what does ‘a little bite’ mean in this case?”
“I left him alive in the men’s room, that’s what it means,” Billy snapped. “When bodies start piling up in Hawkins, people tend to start getting nosy.”
“Tell me about it,” Eddie said, backing off. “No one in this town knows I died except the End of the World Squad, but I can’t show my face because they all think I’m some kind of satanic serial killer.”
Billy stared. They’d walked through a wasteland, shooting the shit for hours, but somehow that tiny little detail hadn’t come up. “Jeezus, Munson, the fuck did you do?”
“Wrong place, wrong time when a pretty cheerleader died,” Eddie said, looking down at his hands.
Billy let out a breath with a low-pitched whistle. “I’m guessing you didn’t sacrifice her at some big black altar with like, pentagrams and shit?”
“No!” Eddie shouted, clearly taking the whole thing a little personally. “I told you about the club, and yeah, I probably could have chosen a better name, but it was just a joke, nobody here studies history, apparently.” He gestured animatedly as he talked, nearly smacking Billy in the face. “And the whole town thinks we worship the devil because of what they read in the magazines.” He raised his fist, looking like he might punch the bricks. “No one here can think for themselves, it makes me crazy!”
“Clearly,” Billy said, catching his fist mid-swing. “Don’t break the wall, jackass.”
“Aw, Hargrove,” Eddie said, his face breaking into a smile. “I didn’t know you cared.” His smile turned dark as he flexed his fingers, twining them with Billy’s.
“Believe me, I don’t,” Billy said, freeing his hand and making a show of shaking it off. “Stop touching me.”
“Ooh, don’t want to get nerd cooties?” Eddie said, leaning in too close. “A little late for that.” Something about him smelled good, really fucking good, and Billy wanted nothing to do with it. Wanted everything to do with it. When he’d kissed Eddie at the trailer, he almost hadn’t pulled away.
“Besides,” Eddie continued. “You’re coming home with me. You, my friend, have a curfew.”
“Excuse me?” Billy said in disbelief. “And just how d’you think you’re going to enforce that?” He cocked his hip, crossing his arms over his chest.
Eddie took a step closer, and despite Eddie being slightly shorter, Billy felt like he was looking down on him. “Hmm,” he said, quirking the corner of his mouth up in a funny half-smile. “I wonder?”
Something in Billy knew he was in danger but couldn’t find a single thing to fight.
“You’ve probably figured out that light won’t kill you,” Eddie said. “Buuut - I’m gonna take a wild guess here and say that you don’t have a coffin to call your own.”
Billy glanced away. He’d already been to his old house, but strangers lived there. He’d been to the school, but it was filled past capacity with people on cots, and the classrooms didn’t have window shades. He didn’t have money for a hotel, and he wouldn’t have gone back to the old factory on the outskirts of town for all the money in the world. Billy hated that Eddie was right, but there it was.
“A coffin?” Billy scoffed, as if hadn’t just sifted through his available options, totaling zero. “What are you, Dracula?”
Eddie grinned, showing his fangs. “Just need a cape and some pancake makeup,” he said. “I’m kidding, I found a house that looks abandoned. For Sale sign in the yard, but I took it down.”
Billy had to laugh. There were worse options; he’d spent the brightest part of that day under a refrigerator box near a dumpster. “Yeah,” he said finally. “Yeah, ok, Count. Show me your fancy coffin.”
It was half-falling down, the power was off, but the water still ran and the roof was (mostly) solid. A few enterprising plants grew out of the gutters, and the yard looked more like an empty lot. What windows Billy could see looked whole, the rest of them mostly covered by large hedges left to grow. In short, it was perfect.
“After you,” Eddie said, ushering him in. Billy gave him the finger as he crossed the threshold. “It’s not exactly a castle,” Eddie continued. “But it’ll do. I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to sleep and harder to wake up, so I figure with two of us, we’ll be a little safer.”
“Safer?” Billy said with a laugh. “We’re fucking vampires, Eddie, who’s going to try?”
“This is Hawkins, dipshit,” Eddie replied. “You know who might try.”
Billy fell silent at that, giving himself a quick tour of the house instead. Eddie had clearly put in some effort; the house wasn’t filthy, the furniture was surprisingly intact, and one bedroom was even made up. A large, overstuffed couch that probably wasn’t original to the space took up half of the living room. Billy sank down into it with a soft groan at the comfort, propping his feet up on a well-used coffee-table. There was an ashtray to the left of his boots, and the entire place reeked of weed.
“I think you’ve found the neighborhood kids’ smoke house,” Billy said.
Eddie nodded. “Yeah, but I’m pretty sure we won’t have much trouble scaring them off.”
Billy threw back his head and laughed. “I wouldn’t have before, but now? It’s fucking Monstervision in here.”
Eddie smiled, crouching down. “That it is, my friend,” he agreed. “Which brings us to our next topic of conversation: food.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to tell me what to do?”
“Because I am,” Eddie said with a cheeky grin. “I’m brokenhearted to report that eating a slice of deep dish from Romano’s, the most perfect food in all the world, gave me the worst, and I mean worst stomach ache I’ve ever had, like a goddamn alien was trying to burst out of there. So I think solid food is out.”
“Sounds about right,” Billy said. He hadn’t even tried.
“So, I figured we should establish some rules,” Eddie began, and Billy scoffed, crossing one boot over the other. “One: No pets. Seriously, go catch a racoon, not little Susan’s poodle, ok?”
“Whatever,” Billy replied, and Eddie swatted at his feet.
“Two, no killing humans,” Eddie continued, raising two fingers. “It’s not right, and like you said, we’ll end up caught and burned at the stake or something.”
Billy just rolled his eyes. “You know, I haven’t agreed to live in your little vampire commune yet, so -”
“Addendum to rule number two,” Eddie said, interrupting him. “You were looking at Steve Harrington like he was a goddamn feast and while I might agree with you on that, you will not - I repeat, not - bite him. Ok?”
“Ok, Dad,” Billy replied with all the sarcasm he could muster, his brain spinning out a little on the middle of Eddie’s declaration. Might agree with you on that -
“I won’t eat your little boyfriend Steve,” Billy finished, pulling out the pack of cigarettes he’d been pleasantly surprised to find in the jacket pocket, half-empty and a little crushed. “Got a light?”
Eddie rolled his eyes and stood up, digging around in his pockets for his Zippo. He leaned over Billy, pulling his hair out of his face, and there was that smell again, intoxicating. Billy blinked as Eddie struck the flint, giving his head a tiny shake to clear it. Putting the cigarette to his lips, he lit it from Eddie’s flame.
“So,” Billy said slowly, drawing out the vowel. “You Stevie’s protector now? You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“What makes you think that?” Eddie said evenly, walking around the coffee table.
“You were a band geek, I saw the way you used to look at him after the games,” Billy said. “Like you were just dying to suck his dick.”
“Was I?” Eddie questioned. “And yet, you were looking at me, apparently.” He flashed Billy a smile, and Billy scoffed.
“I was looking at everybody,” Billy said, building up to a cocky tone. “Because everybody was looking at me .”
“But not Steve,” Eddie said, and damn if that wasn’t a tiny knife between his ribs. Eddie knew it, too, the bastard. “No, I think maybe you’re projecting just a teensy bit, there.”
“What are you saying,” Billy asked, taking a long drag. “That I wanted to suck Harrington’s cock? I mean, you probably know a lot about that, huh?” He leveled his gaze on Eddie. Push. Push.
“As a matter of fact,” Eddie said, getting in Billy’s face. “I do.”
Billy’s mind ground to a halt. “What did you say?”
“I said you weren’t this much of a bitch when we were in the Upside Down,” Eddie sidelined.
“Kinda starved for company,” Billy said. “I would have talked to that fucked up cow, if it had listened.”
“Wow, way to make a guy feel appreciated,” Eddie said, clutching his chest.
“I try,” Billy said, trademark grin back in place.
“Did you ever see him working at that ice cream shop in the mall?” Eddie asked, throwing another curveball in the conversation.
Billy couldn’t stop himself from wetting his lips at the mention, just a touch. “Maybe,” he said, knowing it was unconvincing. “The hell are we talking about Steve Harrington?”
“The outfit, am I right? That stupid fucking sailor suit, man.” Eddie shook his head, barely taking his eyes off Billy as he paced the floor. “Of all the things in the world that should not be hot, and yet -” He paused, as if waiting for a response. “C’mon. You know his ass looked amazing in those shorts. He could have been a fucking pin-up.”
“Whatever, man,” Billy said, stabbing out his cigarette hard enough to break the ashtray into three pieces. “ Fuck .”
“Ooh, did I strike a nerve?” Eddie pressed, leaning in. “No one else allowed to look at Stevie but you?”
“Shut the fuck up, Munson,” Billy said, tamping down on a rising anger. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Actually, Billy,” Eddie teased, tilting his head. “I do. Y’know he got a little handsy while we were saving the world. You think he misses me?”
“What I think,” Billy growled. “Is that you need to shut your fucking trap and get me another ashtray.”
“You know, since you never went for it, maybe I’ll go pay him a little visit tonight. Sneak in through his window, reminisce about old times in the boathouse -”
Billy rose to his feet and threw the first punch. Eddie took it square in the face and staggered back a step, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
“There you are,” Eddie said, eyes gleaming golden in the low light. “That’s the Billy Hargrove I’ve heard so much about.” He shoved Billy in return, hard enough to knock him off his feet and he crashed into the coffee table with a shouted curse. “I was pretty sure he was dead.”
Glancing around for something, anything to use as a weapon, Billy’s eyes landed on one of the broken table legs. He came up swinging, hitting Eddie hard enough on the arm to break the wood. “Damn,” Billy said, looking at the splintered end in his hand.
Eddie just smirked, throwing his arms out to his sides. “Well? That all you got?”
Billy’s second next punch never landed. Eddie caught it in the air, twisting his arm around and behind him as if it was nothing, spinning Billy around and holding him there while he struggled. Lashing out with his left hand, he struggled to turn, to throw another punch, anything to find purchase. Eddie proved immovable, holding him in place, leaning in obscenely close to whisper against Billy’s ear.
“Still think you’re hot shit, Hargrove?”
Absolutely. Billy squirmed, kicking his foot back to snare Eddie’s leg with his ankle and pulled. Eddie stumbled forward, bringing their bodies in full contact for just a moment before he marched Billy the few steps to the wall, shoving him roughly against it. Twisting Billy’s right arm farther up toward his shoulder, he pressed his head against the side of Billy’s face.
“Think you’re top of the food chain?” Eddie murmured, lips whispering across his skin. Something was rising in Billy, the desire to show Eddie exactly what those words meant. To bite, to claim, to destroy -
”I have news for you,” Eddie continued, flicking his tongue out against Billy's ear. “You’re not,” he finished, sliding a sharp tooth across his earlobe. Billy shivered at the sensation, immediately hating himself for the physical response. He jabbed his elbow back into Eddie’s stomach, but the only reaction was a small grunt. Eddie didn’t move an inch.
“You really want to play this game with me?” Eddie said, his voice so low it was nearly a whisper. “You won’t win.”
“Sure about that?” Billy managed, anger fading into a paper-thin bravado. He was rock hard in his jeans, another response he wasn’t expecting, but probably should have. Being manhandled by someone used to being in control had always been an unfortunate turn on.
Eddie didn’t reply, not with words anyway. His right hand smacked the wall next to Billy’s head, making it rattle. Pressing in close, shoulders to hips, he slid his thigh between Billy’s legs. Billy couldn’t help a sharp intake of breath, and clenched his teeth around it.
“Pretty sure,” Eddie said, whispering the words against Billy’s neck, following them with the slightest hint of his teeth. Please , Billy thought, then wondered what the hell he was begging for. Eddie’s teeth in his neck? Not a chance.
“You know, you could probably make some money with this kind of shit,” Billy said, trying to sound disaffected, trying not to sound breathless.
“I do,” Eddie said, the words a surprise tickling Billy’s ear. “Or at least, I did.”
“I’m not paying you one cent,” Billy said, faking a laugh to cover his crumbling resolve.
“You say that now,” Eddie hummed into his skin, moving his hand from the wall to slide down the front of his pants, just to the side of where Billy wanted it to be. He squirmed, trying to get the angle right, but Eddie moved with him, and then he laughed.
Laughed. Nobody laughed at Billy Hargrove and got away with it. Stomping down on Eddie’s foot and drawing a fierce curse, Billy twisted the arm held to his back and managed to get halfway out of Eddie’s grip before Eddie used the momentum against him. Before he knew it, Billy was back to square one, his left arm now caught and held in the same position.
“I told you,” Eddie growled, dragging his fangs along Billy’s painfully exposed neck. “You weren’t going to win this.”
A spike of something like fear pulsed through Billy, laced with anticipation. He was nobody’s bitch, and if Eddie fucking Munson thought otherwise -
“You want to know how I know? It’s not because you’ve been haunting the Upside Down for months, eating sick, half-dead things, it’s not because you looked like a fucking ghost when I found you, no - it’s because you want this. You might even need it.”
Eddie moved his hand just far enough to make the connection Billy was mad for wanting, but then used his thumb and forefinger to pinch the base of his dick through his pants. Billy let out a sound that would have been embarrassing under normal circumstances, though he was hard pressed to decide what normal even was anymore.
Eddie held the pressure there for several seconds before running his fingers straight up Billy’s cock, pressing his fangs just that much harder against his skin, and god help him, Billy cracked.
“What do you want, you asshole?” Billy groaned, letting his head fall back against Eddie’s shoulder for a second. His free arm was useless, feeling gradually starting to return in tingling, white-hot flashes.
“What do I want?” Eddie asked. “I want you to let go, man.”
“Newsflash, shithead,” Billy gasped out, Eddie’s thumb sitting just below the head of his cock, a miserable layer of denim between them. “You’re the one pinning my arm.”
“You know exactly what I mean, Hargrove,” Eddie chided. “Let. Go.”
Billy didn’t speak for a moment, struggling to breathe in the heavy silence. “What if I can’t?”
“Then I’ll help you,” Eddie said, sliding his hand up to pop the button on Billy’s jeans. He paused, stroking the skin above Billy’s waistband softly before slowly working the zipper down. “Good?” he murmured against the shell of Billy’s ear.
Billy gave a quick nod. “Good,” he managed, confused as to why Eddie was bothering. They were monsters - Eddie might not have been before, but Billy always had been. You could ask anyone. Eddie’s fangs were literally at Billy’s throat, and he was asking if Billy was good?
Eddie’s hand slipped beneath the waistband of his briefs. Wrapping his fingers around Billy’s cock, Eddie gave it a few quick strokes and Billy rocketed way past good. “Your heart’s beating so fast,” Eddie whispered.
“You might have something to do with that,” Billy answered, feeling the beat like a jackrabbit in his chest. Eddie’s by comparison, was practically sedate.
Eddie made a contented hum against Billy’s temple. “Aw, little old me?” he said, abandoning Billy’s cock to slide his hand up, and up, under Billy’s shirt to pinch his nipple.
“Unbelievable,” Billy grumbled, pressing back against Eddie’s hips. His left arm ached, still held fast in Eddie’s iron grip. His right snaked around Eddie’s waist, splaying out against the small of his back. “C’mon, “
“This isn’t about me,” Eddie responded, twisting the nipple between his thumb and forefinger until Billy groaned.
“Yeah? Maybe it should be.”
Eddie rested his head on Billy’s shoulder for a brief moment. “Not yet,” he said before loosening his grip on Billy’s arm.
Billy turned like a spring, suddenly released. Tugging at Eddie’s shirt, his left arm refused to obey his commands and he snarled, spitting out a curse. “Get this off,” he snapped, and Eddie obeyed, taking a step back. He pulled off his shirt like the show-off he was, arms crossed at the waist, tugging it up and over by the hem.
“Anything else?” he asked, a smug look crossing his face. Metal gleamed at his nipples, short barbells piercing each one, and Billy couldn’t even be surprised at this point.
Billy struggled to get his shirt off, willing the strength back into his arm with little success. “Here,” Eddie said, his tone too kind, too gentle as he approached and lifted the shirt over Billy’s shoulders. Billy fought it, stumbling back and casting the shirt aside the minute it was over his head.
“Yeah, I got something else,” Billy said. “This.” He shoved Eddie hard with every ounce of strength he could muster, sending him crashing into the wall. The paneling gave out and Eddie fell halfway through, splinters tearing blood from his skin. He was back up in an instant, too soon for Billy to properly react.
“It’s like that, huh?” Eddie questioned. “Fine. Let’s play.” Grabbing Billy by the hair, Eddie pulled hard, exposing his neck. “Pants. Off.”
Billy couldn’t obey fast enough, the pain shutting something down in his brain, leaving only a calm haze. He fumbled his way out of his jeans, wishing for the first time in his life that they weren’t so tight. He didn’t have any briefs to worry about, leaving him naked and exposed before Eddie, who looked him up and down appraisingly.
With one hand on Billy’s shoulder, the other still gripping his curls, Eddie pushed him down roughly onto his knees. The sound rattled around in his mind, and Billy knew he’d have bruises to show for it. Images of sucking Eddie off filled his mind, and he leaned in, hands going to Eddie’s belt, but he smacked them away.
“No,” he said firmly, and Billy obeyed, promising himself later, later.
Stroking his hand up from Billy’s shoulder to caress his cheek, Eddie brushed his lower lip with his thumb. Billy tried to bite down, but Eddie pulled his hand away. “Uh-uh,” he said, waggling a finger. “Hands on the floor,” he commanded, and Billy looked up, sass on his tongue that died at Eddie’s expression.
“You gonna spank me?” He said instead, hating the eagerness behind the words.
“You think you deserve it?” Eddie asked, and god , Billy actually wondered if he did.
Eddie put his foot between Billy’s shoulder blades and pushed, forcing him down on all fours. Reaching down, Eddie must have decided he was deserving enough, because he gave Billy’s ass cheek a harsh smack. Billy grunted at the sensation and hoped it left a mark.
“Now. You’re going to stay right there,” Eddie pointed to the floor. “While I go get something. Clear?”
Billy nodded, hair hanging over his face like a curtain, his necklace dangling down to brush the floor. Trying to respond verbally, he found his mouth just - didn’t want to work. Eddie smacked his ass again for good measure, harder this time, and it felt like approval. Some part of Billy’s brain wanted to rebel, tried, but was rebuffed by the raw physical need driving him to stay.
He heard a rummaging sound from the bedroom, and after a moment saw bare feet cross the floor back to where he remained in position. Heard Eddie’s knee crack as he knelt down, felt his hand slide down his back, warm and firm, a grounding point at the base of his spine. A click, then the squelching sound of something wet. Eddie’s finger, cold and slick, circled his hole. Now they were getting somewhere.
“Good?” Eddie asked softly, and Billy nodded, his hair brushing the floorboards. Eddie’s finger teased, pressing just hard enough to almost slip in before backing off, rubbing and stroking, driving Billy insane. After what felt like an hour, Eddie finally pressed a finger inside and Billy tried not to gasp, tried not to clench down, but didn’t manage either. Eddie made a soothing sound, running his free hand up and down Billy’s spine, and he didn’t want soothing, he didn’t want to be calmed down, so he pushed back hard against the intrusion.
“Greedy,” Eddie admonished, his hand leaving Billy’s back to swat at his ass. Billy made an approving noise and managed to loosen up enough for Eddie to keep going. He pressed in deep, pulling out to add more lube before pushing back in, a little harder each time. He gave Billy’s prostate one good swipe, drawing a sound from Billy that he would never admit to making, before pulling his fingers out entirely. Billy heard the unmistakable crinkle of a condom being opened and wanted to say are you kidding me, Munson and we are monsters and you’re worried about -
Eddie pushed his head inside Billy without warning, and all he could do was grunt. Pulling back, he thrust in again, grabbing Billy’s hips hard enough to bruise. The words in Billy’s mind dissolved into colors and static, seeing spots when Eddie hit just the right spot again and again. Billy thrust back against him, and Eddie, the bastard, stopped moving.
“Did I say you could move?” he asked, grabbing Billy by the hair and pulling . Billy’s head snapped back and his eyes slid shut. He felt like he was sinking. When Eddie started moving again, Billy’s cock jumped and he made a low sound, a mumble, a groan. It was nowhere near stop.
His arms shook, holding himself steady as he took thrust after thrust, Eddie’s fingers pressing down harder every second. Billy’s eyes watered and his breaths came in gasps, his cock dripping where it swung heavily above the floor. Eddie leaned forward, his chest pressing heavily against Billy’s back, and flicked one of his nipples. Billy bared his teeth, turning his head with an honest to god growl and Eddie pinched down hard. Yanking Billy’s head to the side, Eddie licked a stripe up his exposed throat and Billy shivered, his nerve endings overwhelmed.
Then Eddie’s teeth were in his neck and Billy’s entire world exploded into white hot pain. His orgasm hit like a freight train, shooting out across the floor in long stripes as he collapsed down onto his elbows. His cock jumped as Eddie continued to thrust, his lips locked onto Billy’s neck, making deliciously filthy sounds. When he finally pulled back with a moan, Billy could hear him wiping his mouth.
“Jesus, you taste sweet,” Eddie said, snapping his hips one more time before pulling out. Billy heard the snap of the condom, saw Eddie’s shadow as he tossed it across the room. His neck ached, a twin throbbing pain matching his heartbeat where Eddie’s teeth had been. Eddie was breathing hard. Crawling around to kneel in front of Billy, Eddie buried one hand in his curls. The other gently tilted his face up from the floor.
“You with me?” He asked, and Billy couldn’t make a sound. Eddie’s erection still hung heavy between his legs, glistening, and Billy couldn’t concentrate. He nodded, or at least tried, not sure if he managed it or not. Eddie’s thumb swiped gently at his eyes, and Billy realized they were spilling over with hot, fierce tears.
Billy pushed up to a sitting position, still kneeling, and let his head fall back. “Beautiful,” Eddie whispered, stroking his fingers down Billy’s flushed cheek. “Has anyone ever told you how perfect you are?”
Billy laughed, staring up at the ceiling. “You got the wrong guy,” he said, his words wavering. “I’m about as far from perfect as I can get.”
“Not to me,” Eddie said, running his fingers through Billy’s hair. His other hand stroked down Billy’s chest, splaying his fingers out over the scar at the center. Billy’s breath caught in his throat. Eddie hadn’t known then, hadn’t been there, hadn’t seen -
He let his head fall back to center, licked his lips. “You’ve still got my blood on your mouth,” he said, changing the subject. Eddie swiped a thumb across his lips and sucked on it, his eyes never leaving Billy’s face.
“Better?” He asked, his eyes dark.
“Much,” Billy said. “You gonna help me up, or what?” he said, making doe eyes, all but batting his eyelashes, and Eddie pushed himself to his feet, extending both his hands. Billy ignored them, leaning forward to wrap his fingers around Eddie’s cock. Licking a stripe up the underside, he took it in as deep as he could manage. Eddie wasn’t small, but Billy had told his gag reflex to go to hell a long time ago.
Eddie made a surprised and helpless sound as Billy swallowed around it, letting the head brush the back of his throat. He bobbed his head, letting it slide nearly all the way out, wrapping his lips tight around the shaft as he worked his way up and down. “Billy,” Eddie moaned around his name, and fuck if that wasn’t the most gratifying sound he’d heard in years. It wasn’t long before Eddie grabbed him by the shoulders, squeezing hard.
“I’m gonna - Billy, I’m -” Billy worked that much harder, pumping his shaft at the base and Eddie spilled, hot and salty into his mouth. Billy hummed around his cock, swallowing it down. As soon as he pulled off, Eddie sank to his knees, taking Billy’s face in his hands and kissing him fast and rough. Billy’s mouth opened to it, and Eddie licked his way in, tasting himself on Billy’s tongue.
“You,” he said, pulling back for air. “Are a menace.”
Billy clicked his tongue. “And here I thought I was perfect?”
“You’re both,” Eddie said with a loose grin, trying to catch his breath. “A perfect menace.”
Billy laughed, full and deep, feeling something indefinable loosen in his chest. It felt like a spreading crack, and before he could catch it, before he could even grasp the shift, he felt like he was falling. Eddie wrapped his arms around him, whispering in his ear.
“Hey, it’s ok. It’s all right, baby, I’ve got you.” Lifting him bodily from the floor, Eddie maneuvered them both over to the couch and sank down, letting Billy slip down against the overstuffed armrest. Lying down behind him, Eddie wrapped his arms around Billy’s middle and held him close. “I’ve got you. You’re safe with me.”
Billy wasn’t in the habit of believing anything anyone told him, but in this one thing, in this moment, he believed.
It was still dark when he woke, pressed against Eddie on the couch. His arms were around Eddie’s neck, and Eddie’s face was buried in his shoulder. It should have been suffocating, should have been intolerable. It wasn’t.
Trying not to move inevitably led to squirming, and Eddie raised his head. “Hey you,” he murmured, nuzzling at Billy’s neck. Billy carded his fingers through Eddie’s hair in response, earning himself a soft, pleased sound.
Soft.
When was the last time anything was soft? “Hey,” Billy answered, wondering what the hell else he was going to say. Thanks for fucking me into a coma last night? He never really stayed long enough to say thank you, if it ever occurred to him at all. He never, ever, stayed the night.
Because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut, he voiced the first thought that finally came to him. “Do you just - carry lube around with you?”
Eddie barked a laugh against his skin. “It was in one of the bags I grabbed from my place. Too expensive to leave behind.” He murmured his words into Billy’s neck, and Billy almost - almost - sighed. “Plenty of fun stuff still inside that one, if you’re interested.”
Billy definitely was.
Eddie’s murmurs turned into kisses, just brief brushes of lips across skin, and Billy realized his hand was wandering. He couldn’t reach much farther than Eddie’s midback with the way they were piled on the couch, but Eddie seemed to appreciate it all the same. Billy’s other hand was still in his hair, still winding it around his fingers, still rubbing Eddie’s scalp in slow, easy circles.
He was cuddling with Eddie Munson, and he didn’t exactly want it to stop. Eddie seemed inclined to agree, as his kisses became a bit sloppier, flicking his tongue out lazily along Billy’s neck. It wasn’t the side where Eddie had bitten him, but it was still ridiculously sensitive. Billy couldn’t help it, he turned his head to give Eddie more room.
Eddie took complete advantage, sucking and nibbling as he slid down, then worked his way back up Billy’s jawline. He shifted on the couch, his hip brushing Billy’s half-hard cock. The noise he made sounded like a mewl, and would have been embarrassing if Eddie’s own arousal wasn’t a red hot brand against his skin. Billy cupped the back of Eddie’s head with both hands and guided his mouth up until their lips met.
It was easy, unhurried, but hot in a way Billy couldn’t quite define. He wasn’t really thinking much anyway, nor did it seem important to figure out just now. Eddie rocked his hips against him slowly, licking his way into Billy’s mouth with a smile. Billy’s hands slid down his sides, gripping his hips before squeezing Eddie’s ass and pulling him in closer.
Eddie let out a low groan as Billy rolled his hips up against him. He gasped out Billy’s name against his lips, breathing hard as he pressed his forehead to Billy’s. Billy stroked back up his side, finding his nipple and giving the barbell a slight twist.
“Do that again,” Eddie commanded, though honestly, he could have been begging for all Billy could tell the difference right now. He did as he was told, flicking it first, twisting the metal around the other way and then rubbing his nipple up from beneath. Eddie grunted, his mouth hanging open, and Billy just kept doing it, teasing, circling, swiping his thumb across each one before thrusting up against him. “Please -” Eddie gasped out, his hips stuttering, and Billy surged up to kiss him as Eddie came in hot bursts between them.
That didn’t take long, Billy thought but absolutely did not say, especially when Eddie’s mouth left his lips and glided down his neck, his chest, landing at the trail of hair leading to his cock. It was achingly hard, and Eddie licked at the tip before taking it into his mouth, teasing the sensitive skin beneath the head before circling it with his tongue. Billy leaned his head back against the armrest, his back arching off the couch. Eddie eased him down with one hand, wrapping the other around the base of Billy’s cock and establishing a rhythm.
Teasing at the scars on his chest without looking, Eddie traced their patterns with calloused fingers. Billy would have smacked his hand away, but fuck, it felt good. Ducking his head, Eddie took Billy’s cock into his mouth and stroked the bottom with his tongue, humming around it. Billy licked his lips, seeing stars.
“C’mon, baby,” Eddie murmured, pulling off long enough to breathe before diving back down, stroking the shaft hard while sucking at the head. “Just let go.”
Billy did. He meant to warn Eddie, really, but the orgasm hit him like a punch and took him by surprise. Eddie, thankfully, rolled with it just fine, swallowing every drop like a champ. He stroked Billy through it, giving the head another lick like it was a damn popsicle. Billy curled up from the cushions long enough to grip Eddie’s shoulders and guide him back up when he was done.
This is where you say thank you, Billy thought. His mouth had other ideas. “You’re one horny motherfucker, you know that?”
“Didn’t hear you complaining,” Eddie said with a satisfied grin. “In fact, I’d say you were downright easy. ”
“I’d say ‘bite me,’ but you already did,” Billy answered back, unable to keep the smile from his lips.
“Yeah, and you loved it,” Eddie contended, and Billy really couldn’t deny it. Raising his hand to the bite marks, he discovered they were gone. Eddie must have seen the confusion on his face, because he pulled Billy’s hand away to see. “Nice!” he declared, then - “I’ll have to do that more often.”
Something in Billy’s chest caught at that, and knew his short intake of breath had been noticed. Eddie cupped his face in his hand, stroking his cheek with his thumb. “You know you’re staying, right?”
“Is that an order?” Billy asked with a sly tilt of his head, leaning against Eddie’s palm.
“Absolutely.” Eddie answered, sliding the other hand up into Billy’s hair and giving it a sharp tug.