Work Text:
“So, this is where you’re staying?” Billy said amusedly as he looked around Gator’s place.
“Y-Yeah. It’s a small apartment, easier to move around,” Gator replied; he looked shy from where Billy was standing in the middle of the room.
“I like it.” Billy chuckled, trying to ease any tension that Gator seemed to be having.
They have been friends for a couple of months now. Billy, however, never went to Gator’s place, and Gator never went to Billy’s. Normally, they would meet at local coffee shops in Hawkins to chat, all due to when they had exchanged numbers, courtesy of Dorothy.
Things were rough for Gator, and Billy only knew a little about why. In Hawkins, Gator was the talk of the whole damn town. A lot of rumors circulated, but there was also a lot of shit that had happened to Gator, surrounding him like a fucking hurricane of regrets and agony, which Billy understood. After all, it was what drew Billy to Gator in the first place.
Gatro had been new to town and fucking blind too. Billy found Gator with some woman named Dot... Dorothy, and they’d been searching around Hawkins for some place to stay. Gator was staring at him, and Billy didn’t like that, so when he got up close to Gator to call him out on it, Dorothy had put her hand on Gator, who had flinched when she raised her voice to Billy. The thing was, Gator had had sunglasses on, and Billy didn’t know shit...
That’s how they sort of became friends. Billy had almost punched a blind man for staring at him. Billy actually found Dorothy a couple of days later, because Billy had wanted to apologize formally to Gator. That’s when he found out a little about them both, she was helping him find a place, and she only spoke ever fondly about Gator. She came by every other weekend to check up on Gator, and it used to be every weekend to keep helping him, until Dorothy couldn’t keep doing that.
Billy somehow volunteered himself up to check up on him. Now, Gator had a guide dog, and Dorothy happily told Billy that he could call her ‘Dot’. Although things got confusing at one point because Gator’s guide dog was also named Dot.
It was Billy’s and Gator’s last coffee shop interaction that had Gator asking if Billy wanted to come over to his place. Billy was tense about the idea, but, in the end, he agreed.
What Billy never told Gator was that he did search Gator up. It was a ‘curiosity killed the cat’ kind of thing. When Billy learned about Roy, it made Billy flinch, and he knew that Gator, in a way, understood what it was like to deal with men like Billy’s father. Billy was never going to openly talk to Neil, but seeing that Gator was happy in his apartment… it gave Billy all the fucking hope that he’d ever wanted that...
Billy too could be free, one day.
“Hello? Earth to Billy?” Gator snapped his fingers, a little worried.
“Fuck- Sorry, I was lost in thought,” Billy sighed as a bunch of emotions hit him all at once. “Want to show me around?”
“Yeah, I can start with my bedroom?” Gator offered.
Gator started to walk, and Billy noticed that his guide dog was laying down in bed.
“You don’t need help?” Billy almost went to wake up the dog, but Gator waved his hand in the air.
“She’s asleep. Besides, I think I’m okay for the short walk. Do you need to hold my hand?” Gator questioned with a chuckle, only to stutter when Billy actually came over to hold his hand.
“Fuck. Did you not mean it seriously?” Billy didn’t let go, in case it was.
“N-No but- I really appreciate it.” Gator squeezed Billy's hand back.
Billy gave a huge sigh of relief, then he allowed Gator to take the lead. They walked side by side, until they got to the bedroom, then Gator walked in first, with Billy trailing behind.
Gator was the one who decided to let Billy’s hand go before he did a grand gesture to showcase his bedroom. Billy took a moment to look around, and he felt he walked into his bedroom instead. Holy fuck. Were they that similar? Naked girls on the wall, similar choices in music…
“They are probably not put up straight or something. I decided to uh- put up some stuff last night, when I realized that I invited you over, and it sunk in that I hadn’t decorated yet,” Gator said, his voice waved nervously as he used his foot to find the frame of the bed and slowly sat down on the edge.
Gator did all of this for Billy? It took him a second to realize that Gator couldn’t see the posters anymore, and it made him sad.
“It’s my old stuff that I had in boxes. I don’t know why, but… I didn’t get rid of them. I remember what was on them, so…” Gator halfway pointed behind him. “Maybe it’s to bring me comfort? I guess.”
Billy chuckled, smiling brightly, and he could tell that Gator was desperately waiting to hear if that was a good sign or not. “I think we’re too similar.” Billy carefully walked to a spot near Gator on the bed. “Is it okay if I sit here?”
“Y-Yeah.” Gator nodded and patted the open spot near him.
Sitting down, Billy leaned into Gator to the point that he was touch his shoulder. “You wanted me to see the naked chicks on the wall?” He teased.
“Not fully naked- they have clothes on,” Gator mumbled with a blush. When he went to scratch his neck, out of a nervous habit, his hand swatted something on Billy that made him pause.
Billy searched Gator’s face, seeing that Gator was seemingly puzzled or was processing something. He didn’t know if he needed to speak up or not. Maybe Billy needed to tell Gator that he knew why Gator took the time to put things up in his room? Not just for comfort, but to show more of himself to Billy without having to talk more about himself openly.
“Is that an earring?” Gator's voice came out timid; almost sounding afraid to ask, in case he offended Billy.
Grinning, Billy reached out to Gator’s hand, but noticed a small flinch. “Oh, fuck- I’m sorry.”
Gator shook his head. “It’s okay, honest- I’m sorry, I thought I—”
Billy brought Gator’s hand to his pointy earring, letting Gator’s fingers rub over the sterling silver jewelry.
“It is an earring,” Gator muttered to himself, rubbing his thumb over the earring as his fingers neatly tucked under Billy’s ear.
“Yeah. I just have one, though,” Billy said.
He couldn’t help but smile big, seeing that Gator really just seemed so fascinated by it.
“You don’t judge me for it?” There was a hint of worry buried deep in Billy’s voice.
“Man, I can’t judge you with this on my arm.”
Gator let go of the earring and rolled up his own sleeve. It seemed that Gator didn’t know what to do with his hands, now that the sleeve was up, as they awkwardly picked at the bottom hem of his shirt.
“Holy shit, that’s one shitty tattoo,” Billy laughed loudly.
“Shut up,” Gator groaned.
“We’re too alike. It’s creepy,” Billy joked, then saw Gator’s face become a little concerned.
“I have a shitty tattoo also. Well, to me, it was the coolest thing I ever did. An act of rebellion.” Billy chuckled, and his hands went to Gator’s own to stop him from fidgeting with his shirt. “It’s a crappy skull smoking.”
“Could be worse.”
Billy raised a brow. “How so?”
“Could be a crappy skull vaping,” Gator smirked.
Billy grabbed Gator’s hand, while the other hand lightly shoved at Gator’s shoulder. “I will never get a vape tattoo on me. You’re right, that’s the shittiest thing ever.”
Gator laughed, squeezing Billy’s hand. Their laughter echoed out into the hallway, where the acoustics were loud enough that, when silence befell them, it made Billy have goosebumps.
He leaned closer to Gator, and not a word was spoken between them. His eyes flicked to Gator’s lips, and Billy wanted a taste, but he didn’t want to ruin a friendship if Gator didn’t swing that way.
“Want to touch my hair?“ Billy offered right as Gator asked, “Can I kiss you?”
“What?” Billy blinked, as if he wasn’t sure what Gator had asked; as if it was a cruel joke, or something that wasn’t real, like his mind was playing tricks on him.
“Is that… Did I misread this?” Gator panicked, trying to remove his hand, but Billy pulled him close.
“No.”
Billy held tightly to Gator’s hand as he kissed him. The kiss was slow enough that they could both cherish it. Billy could taste Gator’s vape flavor on his tongue that he must have taken before they had kissed, or before Billy even arrived. Peck after peck, they kept kissing each other breathless, as if they were both hungry for this... As if they’d wanted to kiss each other from their first coffee date together.
Gator broke the kiss, and his lips barely touched Billy’s as he spoke. “Fuck, I was so nervous.”
“Kissing with tongue is nothing to be nervous about.” Billy was being a little bit of a dick now, but he knew what Gator meant…he just couldn’t help it.
Gator took that as a challenge. Before Billy knew it, he suddenly had Gator crawling onto his lap with Gator’s legs wrapped around his waist. For support, Billy planted his feet to the ground, and his hands went to Gator’s back to keep him steady.
Gator scoffed and a smug smile decorated his face as he leaned forward and demanded entrance to Billy’s mouth. Plunging his tongue past Billy’s lips, Billy moaned at the commanding way that Gator just fucking went for it when Billy been hesitating.
He wanted to fight for dominance, so his tongue wrangled with Gator’s until they were both left a panting fucking mess.
Gator’s hands trailed up Billy’s neck and to his face, as if he was remembering what Billy looked like. Except, Gator soon stopped moving to Billy’s hair with a twist of his face.
“You have a mullet?” Gator sounded disappointed.
Billy scoffed, and his hands dropped down to Gator’s ass to palm him through his jeans. “That’s your takeaway from this?”
“Yep. I made out with a guy who has a mullet,” Gator laughed, ruffling up Billy’s hair.
Billy wasn’t amused about his hair getting fucked up, but he let it slide… for now. It was the first time that he really saw Gator enjoying himself, and, in a way, touching Billy and exploring what he looked like for the first time. To Billy, it was a magical moment that he wasn’t going to ruin.
“It’s really soft,” Gator hummed before finally just resting his hands in Billy’s hair.
“I take care of it. This isn’t easy to keep up with. You just, uh…” Billy didn’t even dare to touch Gator’s hair, but he could see how slick it was from here. “ Really like gel.”
Gator scoffed, and self consciously blew upwards. “Loose strand?”
Billy gave Gator a look, then he laughed. “Pretty boy, I promise that your hair is glued to your fucking scalp.”
“I’ll kill you, if you’re lying to me.”
Gator kissed Billy’s cheek.
“Uh huh. So, are you showing me the rest of the house before or after we have sex?” Billy smirked; his voice was sultry.
Gator became flustered. “I- uh. I want to, but I never…”
Billy pursed his lips, kissing Gators jaw. “Another time, then.”
“Promise?” Gator seemed scared that Billy was now backing out and not interested in the moment.
“Tomorrow,” Billy said. “I’ll bring stuff for us to enjoy.” His voice was soothing as he squeezed Gator’s ass. “You are not getting rid of me now, Gator.”
Gator gasped at the squeeze, mumbling and groaning as he pretended he hated it, but, all the while, he kissed Billy again.
“Want me to order pizza?” Gator hummed into the kiss.
“Fuck, yeah. We can kiss in every room as we wait for the pizza.”
Gator laughed, breaking the kiss. “Yeah, because you need to see each room now .”
“Need to fuck you in each room too.” Billy grinned.
Gator groaned, pushing himself off of Billy, but still making sure to hold his hand out for him to take. “You’re going to love my other decorations.”