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Steve's made up his mind - he's going to do it. Rip off the bandaid. Dive in feet first.
He's going to let the world he's in love.
By the world, he means his family. And by his family, he means the people who are in the special club of surviving hell. The family that was build through blood, sweat, tears and trauma. By in love, he means telling them about his boyfriends, his partners, his special people - Eddie and Billy.
At first it was just Eddie, after bringing him back from death's doorstep, after the portals closed. They got close, closer than close. Then after things were stable with them, Billy got closer with them both until - well now they're an inseparable trio. He's pretty sure it will last forever in one form or another.
Steve does some last minute double checking about dinner plans for next week and hangs up the phone, going and finding his boys in a rare moment of quiet domesticality - Eddie sitting beside the coffee table, painting his tiny DnD people, and Billy is on the couch reading a magazine.
"I asked if I could bring a plus two next Friday to the party. And guess what? They said yes!" There's a pause after Steve finishes. Billy and Eddie looked at each other, then back up at Steve, blinking. "So we can go to Thanksgiving as a unit. Dudes Dating. A triad. It's the perfect time to do it too."
Steve's boyfriends look at each other again, like they are checking they both heard the statement correctly. Eddie puts his paintbrush down.
“Okay, what?” Steve's hands go to his hips, exasperated. What was so hard to understand about this?
“Just…this is a big deal, pretty boy.” Eddie says sheepishly, like he's being delicate. Like Steve doesn't realise what he's doing. “It's the OG's Thanksgiving dinner, we aren't even invited."
Steve rolls his eyes, swears one day they'll stay this way given how often his favorite people make him do it. “Yeah, no duh. Why do you think I asked for a plus two?”
Billy and Eddie look at each other a third time, now frowning at one another. Does Steve need to spell it out?? He thought that'd be happy to finally get this over with, they'd been the ones who hadn't cared if people knew!
“And you're ready." Eddie states, but it comes out like a question. "You're sure?"
“Oh my God, how am I the smart one in this relationship?!” Steve throws up his hands in defeat. So yes, he does have to spell it out. “Of course I'm ready to be out with you both, otherwise I wouldn't have asked to bring you! I'm telling you I'm ready! We were waiting for me to be ready, right? Well, I am.”
This time Steve actually groans and pinches his eyes as the two dumbasses he loves look at each other again. When he looks back up they both shrug.
“You two know I don't care.” Eddie smiles and turns back to painting his mini-figures. "If you're ready, we're ready."
Billy watches him for a minute, then nods. “Yeah. Fuck it. What's the worst that can happen?”
Steve could think about a lot of bad things that could happen, all the things that have held him back until now - the disapproval, the humiliation, violence... But none of that would happen with his family, surely. They aren't assholes - just everyone important in his life. Everyone who has been through the worst years of their lives since it all began.
No pressure.
Billy had asked to drive and either of the other two argued. It helped him relax and they all needed to be as relaxed as possible if they were going to officially come out as… whatever it was they were. What do you call three guys? A trio? A triangle? Whatever. It wasn't like he was the nervous one anyway. Steve's the one battling through it, which is crazy considering he's the one who wanted to do this. Maybe he changed his mind, maybe the thought of coming out to their friends as a threesome was fine in theory, but heading to the event was different. Billy could feel his own tension rolling in his gut, not exactly looking forward to what the next few hours would bring.
Eddie was right when he said he doesn't care, he never has. When they first discussed keeping their relationship “on the down low”, as Steve called it, Eddie had initially scoffed and given one of his infamous speeches about conformity, and their rights as adults, and yadda yadda. Billy stopped listening. (It's a fine tuned skill of his to tune Eddie out, retaining a couple of words to get the general gist of what he was on about. When you're around a guy who likes to prattle on as much as Eddie does, you either gotta learn to switch off or learn how to shut him up. Incidentally, Eddie doesn't like being shut up unless it's with a kiss or grope. He'll be too distracted to care that he wasn't being heard.)
Billy himself hadn't cared much either, so long as there was no drama about it. Tell, don't tell, as long as his boys were safe. But Steve was the cautious one, the one to pump the breaks, moderate their conversations. He had a damn game plan on the whole thing, about what lies to use and how to play it off. He kept tacking on to the end that this was all 'for now', like he was afraid they would break up with him for being so protective (such an idiot). Steve coming to them last week and stating he wanted to come out had been surprising. His confidence came out of nowhere, and it appears to have gone just as quickly. Now he's jittery, darty eyed and chewing his cuticles in the front seat.
It's not like nobody knows, they've been together for months. Robin knows, and that means Nancy knows, Max knows, Wayne knows. So it's only the adults and the rest of the shit-heads that don't know. Steve's nervous about them knowing, which is stupid because they all adore the guy. Seriously, it's concerning how beloved Steve is sometimes. Billy tells him as much.
“You're right, I know you're right.” Steve huffs, dropping his hand from his mouth to fiddle with the material of his shirt. It was way too fucking cold to be wearing a polo, but when Steve's nervous he defaults to outfits he knows look good on him. God forbid he wear a sweater and top off his already overwhelmed brain.
“It's just… they can be kind of rude.”
“You know what happens when the ducklings are rude.” Eddie sings from the backseat. “Dungeons and Dragons hell!”
Steve shakes his head. “It's not just that. What if -”
“What, they hate us? The fucks it got to do with them?” Billy glances at him. He knows why it matters if they aren't on board with it. Steve values their opinions way too much; one snotty remark from that skidmark Henderson and Steve's thrown out of sync for days. “Doesn't change who you are.”
Eddie sits forward, leaning between the front seats. “If anyone has a sudden, psychotic personality change, I promise you're still loved.”
Steve swallows audibly. “Yeah. You're right.”
They get to the Byers's house, where it seems a few people are already there. Billy parks out of the way of everyone else, just in case they need to leave early. It really isn't going to be so bad - Eddie's never been shy to be openly gay. No one had really battered an eye. And there's Will, and Robin, and that one party in high school where Jonathan and Steve handsy. It's not like being queer is new to these people.
“You know,” he says idly as he turns the car off. “There's a chance they figured it out already.”
"True." Eddie hums. “I mean, we are all together all the time. Practically live together.”
“Context.” Steve scoffs out, fumbling for the door handle. He's so sure people are going to hate him no matter what he does, it's sad.
Billy sighs, waiting for Steve to shut his door. “Think you can be distracting tonight so the limelight is off him?”
“Oh, baby boy, you should know me better than that.” Eddie grins with delight.
They exit the car, and Eddie feels butterflies bats descend into his stomach. He's excited. He wants to get to it, see everyone's faces when they say it, when they picture it. And if anyone has a problem, he needs to know. Now. Sooner than as soon as possible, so he can kick their butts. Eddie is so distracted by his thoughts, he doesn't notice he is only walking with Billy until the blonde stops and turns.
“Aw, sweetheart.” Billy doubles back, and Eddie follows him with his eyes. Steve's still by the Camero, stock still, shivering.
The man who can get nothing but net from the court wings, who's fought demons and monsters, survived the end of the world, carried Eddie out of literal hell, is standing there shivering. Not just from probably being cold, he looks terrified.
Billy shrugs off his jacket, and luckily the smartypants is wearing a sweater like he should so it means Eddie doesn't have to also chivalrously shed his jacket, and drapes it over Steve's shoulders. Not that Billy had to do it in the first place, they could just get inside. The Byers house is so small it's bound to be warm with everyone crammed in there.
"We don't have to do this." Billy says quietly, a rare soft look shared between him and Steve. It hangs for a moment, then Steve shakes his head.
"No, we're already here. Let's do it."
Joyce is not surprised to see them together, just welcoming them in like they were expected. And maybe they were, it's kind of obvious who Steve would invite given that everyone else he likes is already here. Maybe when they do this, everybody will laugh and say 'We know, it's so obvious. You're all basically married!'. It's a nice idea.
It's a bit of a whirlwind of greeting everyone, despite seeing them all recently. Everyone still lives in the same town, still hangs out together. The only person who actually needs to catch up with everybody is Jonathan and Hopper, given the former has been back in California and the older is retired and doesn't get out much. Billy situates himself in the hallway, out of the way but present, which leaves Eddie to graciously take up the living room so Steve's free to hide in the corner next to Robin, who he must have told about his plans given how she's got her arms around him comfortingly.
"Why are you here? You're not OG." Dustin blurts as they sit down on the couch. "Like, don't get me wrong I'm glad you're here, but -"
"Steve-o invited me and Billiam. I mean, Robin's here too. She's not an OG. And Erica."
"Robin and Erica are Scoops Troops."
"Yeah. Still not OG, ignoramus." Eddie ruffles Dustin's head and turns to Will, striking up a conversation that quickly gets the other boys involved.
It's really nice, them all being together. Jonathan is helping Joyce in the kitchen chatting about his college plans, Hopper is listening to their conversation from his spot against the wall. Max and El have gotten into some debate with Billy, bickering softly. Nancy and Robin are whispering with Steve, and Eddie keeps glancing over at them, waiting for some kind of signal, some kind of 'let's announce this now' starting pistol, and although Steve keeps glancing at him, he gives Eddie nothing.
Time passes, the foods nearly ready, people have swapped talking partners. Eddie is about to get up and ask Steve of he wants to wait until after dinner when Dustin finally has enough of the little conspiring group in the corner of the room.
"Good lord, what are you guys whispering about?!" Dustin asks, and three sets of wide eyes snap to him.
Eddie bites his lips, raising his brows, waiting for a sign. Steve glances at him, looking like he's in physical pain, before he sighs and waves his hand. Which Eddie took as the sign for him to do the grand reveal, only for Nancy beats him to it, stepping forward.
"Everyone! Steve has something he'd like to say."
"The fuck he does." Eddie hears Billy muttering. And yeah, that's not cool. Nancy can't just -
"We're dating!" Steve blurts, red in the face.
There's a pause, silence settling over the house. Thank God no one is stupid enough to ask if Steve is dating Nancy or Robin and just waits for once. Eddie nearly continues for Steve, to explain, but he finds he doesn't have to.
"Uh... we," Steve points both hands at Eddie and Billy simultaneously. "We are."
There. He did it. He said it. He's shivering again. It feels like he's bordering on pathetic - Steve doesn't hesitate facing danger. It's been said he's 'eager to put himself in harms way', but this is different. This isn't some demo-dog he can beat the shit out of, this isn't defending anyone, this isn't jumping into fists or teeth or certain death. This is... vulnerable.
What if they aren't okay with it?
They're okay with Will, and Eddie, and Robin, and - and - that doesn't mean they'd be okay with him. And Billy. And them together. The family doesn't know about Robin and Nancy, or the fact Jonathan and Argyle are like that too (he thinks; he's actually not sure what they are).
What if it's too much? If they aren't okay with it, that being queer is fine but being greedy or whatever is too much? What Steve looses the only true family he's ever had. Loses the people who really matter to him again, then -
"Okay, thanks for letting us know." Joyce is the first to speak, of course. Steve looks at her, and she smiles pityingly. She gives him a little shrug, smile growing genuine. It's okay with her.
"Wait, you can't date more than one person?" Dustin asks, taken aback by that element of the reveal more than anything else.
"Yeap." The way Eddie eyes Dustin gives away his hesitation too.
Another beat of quiet, then slowly people seem to slide out of the shocked and silent phase, now looking at each other. Will gives Steve a nod; it's okay with him too.
"Does that mean I can get two girlfriends?" Dustin's looking at Steve now, earnest, which elicits some nervous chuckling.
"If Susie was okay with it, yeah."
Dustin grins.
"Like you could even get two." Mike rolls his eyes.
"I could!"
Things then... go back to what they were. Discussions picking back up again. It's fine. It's not earth shattering. No one's kicking and screaming and -
"Told you so." Robin slaps his bicep gently. "No one is a bigot here."
"Y-yeah. Feel like a jerk now." Steve admits sheepishly. Of course no one was going to react badly, no one was going to hate him for finding love.
He stops shivering.
As they eat the topic picks back up, but with questions rather than any debate or accusations. Mainly the kids want to know how it works, which Joyce seems curious about too. Lucas definitely questions why Billy, Hopper's only contribution is Steve can do better, which starts Eddie into a dramatic declaration of his offense, easing everyone further.
Steve relaxes, now feeling more love for the people in this room than he thinks he's ever felt.