Harringrove Ao3 Favorites Part 2

A Day at the Fair

Triggers/Warnings: N/A

Author: LazyBaker

Author's Summary: It's pink. It's a flamingo.

Notes: Short and sweet

Everyone in Hawkins is at the fair, which means it's not weird for Billy and Steve to somehow end up at the same booth, playing the same game, even talk to each other while they shoot down little metal ducks.

It's a solid cover.

Except Steve's a better shot than Billy - a country hick, of course he can shoot a gun, Billy thinks - and then Steve's picking out and shoving a stubby, stuffed animal into Billy's hands.

It's pink. It's a flamingo.

It's the gayest thing Billy's ever seen in his life. He has porno mags in the back of his camaro that aren't as outright queer as this small button-eyed flamingo.

Billy stares at it. Wants to throw it away before someone sees him holding it. Clutches it to his chest instead and drags Steve to the back of the booth by the sleeve of his barely-a-shirt shirt.

"What the fuck is this?" Billy says and he shakes the flamingo in Steve's dumb, confused face.

"Pretty sure it's a flamingo."

Of course Steve isn't understanding. This is Steve Harrington. He doesn't understand how liking dick can be a bad thing in Indiana.

"Yeah, no shit. Thanks. I got that. Why the fuck are you giving it to me?" Billy side eyes a couple passing by them. Glares at them. Shows his teeth to them to get them to hurry the fuck along.

"Um, 'cause I won it?"

"You literally cannot be this dumb."

Steve rolls his eyes, throws his hands up in the air. "It's a flamingo, Billy. I didn't kiss you. I didn't try to hold your hand again - even though no one would've seen and everyone saw your bitch fit."

"Okay, fuck you." It hadn't been a bitch fit.

"Sure, bud."

"It's -" Billy looks at the flamingo again.

"What? You don't like it?" Steve says, unsure and Billy will die, will actually drop dead, if Steve is unsure about any of their relationship because that means Steve dumping him and Billy losing the one person he cares about and it's just a flamingo.

Steve sighs. Smooths his hair back. It's sticking up at every angle. It's cute as shit.

"I just. I don't know, I guess I was going on automatic? Like, you win a game and, like, you give the teddy bear to your girl - guy. You know? I wasn't really thinking."

Steve rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed, unsure of himself, and Billy -

Billy stares at the flamingo and under the summer heat feels his face burn, his ears catch on fire and ring with I'm Steve's guy.

He's always wanted to be someone's.

Steve mumbles, "I get that I can't take you out and shit, but I gotta show you how I feel somehow."

He sound miserable, like it hurts not being able to hold Billy's hand.

And Billy wants to kiss Steve. He wants so much for Steve to kiss him right now.

He gentles his hold on his flamingo. Thinks about where he'll put it. Thinks about what Steve feels. Thinks moving to Hawkins has been one wild ride.

Says, flushed and feeling, "it's - I do, I like it."

Steve brightens, starts to smile like when he'd won the game, cheering his own dorky ass off in public.

Billy, flamingo cradled a bit more carefully in one arm, reaches out just that little bit and touches the back of Steve's hand, curls his finger around one of Steve's and Steve, of course, gets it.