To Heal All Wounds

Billy Runs Away

"Next time I'm expecting flowers, Munson," Billy drawled from the back seat, his smile all playful teeth. Eddie made a wounded sound somewhere between a moan and a wail, the noise muffled by a nest of his hands and knees. Billy thought that if he weren't bound by a safety belt, he might have curled his long legs to his chest and flopped over onto his side, he was so embarrassed. Might try to become some Oroboros of humiliation and just curl into non-existence. He'd almost made a break for it when he realized Billy had caught onto his game, dashing from his position between he and Steve to escape his shame.

He might have made it too, if he wasn't up against two basketball players who were very used to and adept at catching and blocking fleeing opponents. Billy caught Eddie around the waist with one arm a few steps into Eddie's flight and Steve got himself in front of him, bodying him back towards the car with teasing little jibes of, "where do you think you're going, Romeo?" which... Billy had to ignore the glib, nasty tone of Steve's voice so that he didn't pop another boner and dig it into Eddie's hip.

"Flowers," Steve scoffed, long hands wrapped attractively around the steering wheel. They flexed as he turned a corner and Billy watched little tendons and bones move with the motion. He kind of wanted to trace the lines of his skeleton while it worked. "You're letting him off easy. I want jewelry, Eddie." Steve jabbed his finger into Eddie's side, causing the suffering man to lurch sideways and curl around the area of attack protectively. "Something sparkly. Gold. I've got sensitive skin, anything cheaper turns it green."

"Princess," Billy had sneered with absolutely no venom, and Steve had only smiled into his mirror and answered, "slap a tiara on me, and call me Diana." And Billy... well he didn't really have a response to that. Because the image of Steve in a pretty little dress and a tiara, all decked out in gold and jewels like a prom queen was kind of unexpectedly doing it for Billy. Or maybe it was less about what Steve was wearing and more that it was Steve at all.

"And ask us properly next time," Steve added, slapping the curve of his still-hunched back with the flat of his palm, resulting in a rather painfully hollow sound. Eddie coughed and pushed his arm away, muttering something about them both being ungrateful, like he'd paid for anything or driven anywhere.

"You wanna be courted, Pretty Boy?" With still no venom in his voice and all play in his sneer.

"We deserve to be courted," Steve corrected, waving a finger in the air as he spoke, gesturing between the two of them. And wasn't that just something? The idea of Eddie courting the two of them? Presenting them with gifts and tokens like in those sappy old movies Susan liked so much? He could just see Munson in a suit with two bundles of flowers at Susan's door, stumbling over his words as he announced, "I'm here to pick up Steve and Billy?" Like it was a question. Like he was asking her permission. Which then led into a vision of Steve in his room with him, laughing as they waded through a pile of clothes, primping and preening for their date. Out lining each other's eyes in line and glossing each other's lips over and over again because they kept smudging it with kisses and holy shit that was a lot. Like... a lot a lot. So much that it made his heart ache and hammer in his chest so hard he could swear he saw it under his shirt.

"Have you seen us?" Steve demanded, breaking Billy's illusion much to his relief. "Have you seen my hair? Have you seen your body? This doesn't just happen, okay, we have to work. So someone else has to work for it too." Another sharp poke to Eddie's side which resulted in another lurch from the human pillbug.

"Hear that, Eddie. Courting? Heard of it? Gifts, compliments, dates, the whole nine yards." Steve punctuated each item on his list with another jab into Eddie's side. Eddie's only response was a low grumble and a tighter curl on himself.