The Road Home

glancing at the phone in his hand as he puts the coffee pot back into the stand. snorting to himself at the words scrawled across the screen. amused by the blunt attempt for attention from the younger man. as if just saying 'good morning' wasn't something that would work to start a conversation. leaning against the counter, he ignores the mug of coffee for a moment.

Winchester PGY - 2 6:23am good morning to you too. is that why you were in such a hurry to leave? or are you just out to list my flaws this morning?

he was hardly worried about the observation. it was something that he already knew. having been told by others before. but what was he meant to do? sleep was a precious commodity and he wasn't about to sacrifice any of it with some gimmick that really didn't work long term. he could point out that Dean also snored but that just felt petty and like something the other was expecting.

let the other stew in potentially having offended him.

a deep yawn bellowed from dean as he leaned against the gas station counter, sipping his cheap coffee. he was annoyed, more at himself than anything, but robby probably didn't know that. he was exhausted, more so than usual, but it was his own fault. he knew he was in his head but admitting it was much harder than sending a mildly antagonistic text to his boss.

christ... his boss. what was he doing? that was the question he kept circling back to. robby was his attending. he was the guy who basically kept the pitt running. he looked up to him. he respected him. and he also wanted him to do unspeakable things to him under the guise of "stress relief."

dean stared at his phone and let out a sigh. "bad news," the cashier asked conversationally as he grabbed the cigarettes dean asked for. "somethin' like that," dean mumbled already ripping the pack open as he made his way outside.

pitt stop 6:33am in a hurry to leave? when do i ever stay? someone is touchy. i was just going to say you need a humidifier. your place is sierra dry.

[ 008 ] “Is that jealousy?”

it might be. but it was also annoyance at being called out now. he knew that Dean was just 'working' but that didn't mean that he didn't feel it with the intensity of a thousand suns. he'd tried to keep it under wraps, but clearly not enough to keep Dean from realizing it. arms are crossed tightly across his chest, half in an attempt to protect himself from whatever onslaught was coming and half to soothe himself. this was it. this was when Dean decided that he was too much work. to broken to deal with anymore.

"no, I'm fine." there was no point in being upset about it either way. it wasn't as though he could do anything about it. it wasn't his place to make such a fuss about things like this. he shouldn't have come in the first place. but he'd thought that he'd be able to handle it. clearly he couldn't. "I'm just... gonna go outside and get some air or something."

"you ain't goin' anywhere without me," dean murmured, his voice thick with a sudden, sharp intensity. he didn't give steve the chance to argue or to let those poisonous thoughts take root. "come on."

his fingers curled tightly around steve’s wrist, the contact firm and unyielding as he began to lead him through the crowded bar. dean didn't care about the curious glances or the unfinished drink he left behind. he all but dragged steve toward the exit, his strides long and purposeful. once they hit the cool air of the parking lot, he didn't let go. he pulled him toward the shadows of steve's beamer, needing to erase every doubt steve had with something far more visceral than words.

he shoved steve back against the passenger side door, the metal groaning slightly under the weight. before steve could even draw a breath to protest, dean was there, crowding into his space until there wasn't a single inch of air left between them. he crashed his mouth against steve’s with a raw desperation that spoke louder than any apology ever could. his hands weren't gentle, they were possessive. one hand tangled deep in the hair at the nape of steve's neck while the other fisted in the front of his jacket, pulling him flush against dean's chest.

he wanted steve to feel the way his heart was hammering, a frantic rhythm that only ever beat this hard for him. dean shifted his weight, pressing his thigh between steve's legs and pinning him there. he kissed him until they were both breathless, his lips moving down to the sensitive skin of steve's throat. he bit down just hard enough to leave a mark, a physical claim that would still be there long after the jealousy faded. every touch was an reminder, a heavy and undeniable proof that the person in the bar had been a shadow while this, the heat of steve under his hands, was the only thing that was real.

without thinking he tips into the touch that comes so freely, unable to stop himself despite knowing where it usually led them. though the moment is almost shattered when Dean calls him out for the burn. again. his eyes roll near out of their sockets, playfully annoyed with the whole thing. but also incredibly endeared to the other to the point it has his heart thundering in his chest. "well, it's probably not as good as you'd make. but I did my best."

of course they'd talked about taking off to a concert and just doing something that wasn't based around risking their lives for once. but that didn't mean that Steve thought it was a thing that was going to happen. he'd talked about a lot of things that he wanted to do with this life that he knew weren't going to ever happen. hell, he'd talked about a lot of things with Dean that he knew weren't going to ever happen. though a laugh leaves him when Dean starts to defend himself.

"I'd like to think that I'd have a better reaction to you popping the question, if I'm gonna be honest." and that was for sure one of those things that Steve knew was never going to happen. of course it was a little early to be thinking along those lines, but Steve had never been a half in kind of guy. he just really doubted that Dean would want to stay in some little nothing town where things never seemed to happen. well at least until a year ago when… well things started to happen. and then happened again. things that Steve was really hoping they were on the other side of now.

another soft laugh leaves him, sounding a little more like a snort this time. "you know we could have done that here. music and you having me all to yourself." but he understood the point that Dean was trying to make.

the hunter let out a low huff of a laugh, his fingers lingering at steve's jaw as he considered the comment. the idea of a better reaction to a proposal stuck in his head a second longer than it should have, sending a strange, not entirely unwelcome jolt through his chest. he knew it was way too soon to think of something like that but it was still nice to imagine. not that he expected steve to want something like that with him. but even if he did, dean knew good and well that hunters didn't get happy endings, and a happy ending was exactly what someone like steve harrington deserved.

"better reaction, huh? i'll be sure to take notes for the future then," he teased, though the playful glint in his eyes carried a trace of something much softer. he didn't know much about staying in one place, but looking at steve in the dim light of the kitchen made the idea of a quiet life in a nothing town feel a lot less like a cage and a lot more like a sanctuary. it was a beautiful fantasy.

at the mention of seduction, dean's grin sharpened into something a bit more wicked, his other hand sliding down to rest firmly on steve's hip. he pulled him in closer, closing the gap until he could feel the heat radiating between them. "maybe a little bit," he admitted, his voice dropping into that familiar, gravelly tone that usually meant trouble. "but let's be honest, princess. i didn't need the tickets for that. i just thought you deserved a night where the only thing you had to worry about was which song was coming up next."

and of course he wasn't going to bring it up, but he knew a night alone with steve here in hawkins always had the potential to end sooner than either of them wanted. it would be much harder for the kids to cut in if they were hours away.

he shifts his weight for a moment, nodding stiffly before trusting himself to speak. "yeah, uh… thought it might be nice." though he wasn't sure about it at all anymore. at least until Dean s invading his space and touching his face. unable to keep the colour from spreading across his cheeks and trailing down his neck. a part of him wants to pull his wrist out of the other's hold when he draws attention to the burn.

"it's fine, just wasn't paying attention." and it really was. it didn't hurt that much and it wasn't that big so it wasn't like it was going to disturb him too much in the coming days. he can't help but laugh when Dean mentions the pie. "I just wanted to make the crust not so… floppy. but i got distracted with everything else."

hands settle on Dean's waist, fingers twisting into his shirt as he leans into the kiss with a low hum. there really was something about kissing Dean that scrambled his brain so pleasantly that it was all he thought about sometimes. "happy valentine's day," he mumbles back before being dragged back to reality when Dean huffs. a part of him instantly jumping to thinking that he'd done something wrong before confusion seeps in.

he spends a long moment staring at the other before letting his eyes fall to the tickets held out to him. blinking slowly for what felt like an eternity, fingers taking them as if they were made of something fragile. "you… you got me concert tickets?"

everything that he'd done suddenly seem so wholly and entirely lame.

"it's very nice," he assured steve, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear. a single knuckle glided gently down one of those flushed cheeks as he took him in. despite having little in this world, there wasn't much dean ever wanted for. a good meal made by someone who truly cared about him touched his heart in a way few things could. he would've been happy with takeout, but the effort made it that much more special.

"got a little ahead of yourself?" he asked while bringing steve's hand up. he blew across the irritated skin gently, his eyes never leaving steve's face. the fact that steve went to all the trouble of making a pie for him meant more than the other man probably realized. "it still smells good," he insisted. and it did. dean wouldn't have cared if the thing was completely black on top, he'd eat it anyway.

the moment steve spent staring at him had dean second guessing his gift. he almost dropped his hand and started to explain that it was okay if he didn't like them, but then steve was pulling them from his fingers like they were something so precious they might break. "uh... yeah. yeah, i did." he was honestly a little surprised steve didn't see it coming. they'd talked about it before, and even though it wasn't for this occasion specifically, dean knew steve had never been to a show. it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

a snort leaves him when Dean is finished, flinching almost instantly. "I dunno," he mumbles cracking an eye open to look over at him. "just messy I guess. should have told you what was goin' on." and so he tells him now. to the best of his recollection anyway. Dustin asking for help with Dart. luring Dart down to the junkyard and fighting too many off. ending up at the lab with everyone else. Bob dying to the demodog, though for the moment he can only think to call them plant dogs. being at the Byers house trying to trick whatever was in Will to give them answers. splitting up and how he didn't know what was going on with anyone else.

"was just gonna keep the kids at the house," he breathes out. "Billy showed up lookin for Max. she was terrified, Dean. you shoulda seen her face when she realized it was him. couldn't let him get to her…" sure he didn't know Max all that well yet but the fear in her eyes was more than enough to tell him what he'd needed to do. pretty sure he cracked a rib to get in the house. when I could breathe again, he had Lucas pinned against the wall threatenin' to kill the kid. wanna say i had the upper hand but," he motions to his face. "clearly I didn't. dude smashed a plate over my head, who does that… s'kinda blurry after that. think Max stabbed him but I passed out. woke up in the back of that douche's car with Max driving which was not as fun as it sounds." as far as relaxing ways to wake up after having the shit kicked out of you, Max driving entirely too fast down a back road was not it.

by the time steve finished, dean was quiet for a long second.

“okay,” he said finally. low. steady. not angry at steve. never at steve. “first of all. you don’t get to should have me right now.” he glanced over at him, softening immediately when he saw the way steve was shutting his eyes, pain so obvious it was written everywhere on him. “you did exactly what you always do,” dean continued. “kids asked for help. you showed up. shit went sideways. you stayed anyway.”

his hand paused just long enough to brush lightly at the back of steve’s neck, switching it up just enough to keep him gently alert. “and yeah,” he added, quieter. “it was messy. it was bad. but that’s not on you.”

the part about max made something dark flicker across dean’s face. his grip tightened just a fraction on the wheel. “i believe you,” he said. immediate. no hesitation. “about her. about billy. about all of it.” his voice stayed calm but there was heat under it now, coiled and waiting. “no one gets to scare a kid like that. no one gets to threaten lucas. and no one gets to put their hands on you and walk away clean.”

he exhaled through his nose, forced himself back into gentler territory when steve shifted closer. “and for the record,” dean added, a faint huff of disbelief slipping in, “wakin’ up in the back of hargrove’s car with max drivin’ is officially the worst road trip story i’ve ever heard.”

then steve asked how he knew. dean smiled a little at that. tired. fond.

“eddie,” he explained with a soft snort. who else. “came back to town, couldn’t find you. found him instead. he started goin’ off about dustin. kid S.O.S.’d him but the reception was shit. still made sense of enough of what he heard.”

dean’s eyes stayed on the road, steady, but his thumb kept moving through steve’s hair like a metronome. “when we spotted hargrove’s wheels and figured that was either real bad luck or you bein’ exactly where you shouldn’t be.” a quiet huff left him. “turned out to be both.”

"okay, okay…" he mumbles out. "not gonna find any ice though." and that was the real tragedy at the moment. they'd probably used what little there had been earlier before he'd regained consciousness. and with there being a dead demodog in the fridge now Steve was pretty sure that there wouldn't be any left in there now.

as much as Steve doubts that the ER would do anything for him, he appreciates the sentiment nonetheless. leaning into Dean once more, he tries not to laugh at the 'dog' comment but the pressure alone of doing so has him cringing. dumping the bag full of stupid stuff into the backseat, he sinks into the passenger seat and lets himself relax for a moment. which really is a bad idea because it just highlights just how sore his entire body is at the moment. he was sure that it wasn't just his face that was utterly mangled.

by the time dean slid back into the driver’s seat and shut the door, the chevelle felt smaller. quieter. steve sat there, pain written all over him in ways he was trying not to show. “hey,” dean said gently, turning the key. the engine coughed and caught. familiar. grounding. “sorry for what?” he glanced over at him, brows knitting together for a second, genuinely confused. “no, seriously,” he added, softer. “you’re gonna have to spell that one out for me, sweetheart, ‘cause i’m not seein’ it.”

eddie pulled ahead and dean followed without thinking, keeping the distance close but careful. once they were moving, once the field was behind them, dean reached over and carded his fingers through steve’s hair, slow and gentle, avoiding the worst of the swelling. he did it like muscle memory. like this was something he’d done a hundred times before.

“you got nothin' to be sorry for,” dean said quietly. not sharp. not defensive. just sure. “i'm not mad at you or anything if that's what you think...” his thumb brushed lightly at steve’s temple, testing, careful. he didn’t like the way steve looked. didn’t like the way he found him puking his guts up. didn't like the way his face looked. even if the little bandaids decorating his cheeks were kind of endearing in a way.

“you got nothin’ to be sorry for,” dean reiterated. “not for needin’ help. not for lettin’ other people carry things for five damn minutes.” he eased his hand back to steve’s hair, steady again. “you can rest,” he said. “just don’t sleep. okay? eyes closed is fine. driftin’ is fine. but you stay with me.”

his jaw tightened just a little, eyes on the road ahead. “that’s why we’re hittin’ the ER,” dean added quietly. “not ‘cause i think you’re weak. ‘cause i think you’re hurt. big difference.” he gave steve’s hair one last gentle pass, then kept his hand there, solid and warm.

"more'n five minutes…" he mumbles into Dean's shoulder, exhaustion slamming into him like a freight train. "plant dogs," he adds as though it would clear everything up. though he was sure that Dean would put things together quickly enough on his own. he would probably ask questions later when Steve's brain wasn't throwing a rave in his skull.

he wants to nod when Dean tells him what they're going to do, but the idea alone makes him want to vomit all over again. wincing as the goggles are pulled from around his head, he makes a note to blame them on Dustin later. though the assurance that Eddie was going to take care of the kids has him shifting and pushing himself up. trying to shake the sluggishness off in the hopes of being able to help the situation instead of making things worse.

"no we have to get back to the Byers," he starts. it looses some of the urgency as he still clings to Dean's shirt to keep himself upright. "Billy is still there." which is likely more telling than he means it to be. but at least he wasn't the one sedated on the floor though he feels like maybe he would prefer that to what he was feeling right now.

he stayed right there while steve breathed against him, while fingers fisted in his shirt like dean was the only thing keeping him vertical. the low hum against his neck made something tight and aching settle in his chest. relief. fear. anger. all knotted together.

“okay fine. two weeks,” dean huffed softly, voice rough at the edges. “i’m gone two damn weeks, come back and everyone’s vanished except eddie. and i find you like this.”

when steve tried to lift his head, to pull himself together, dean felt it immediately. he shifted with him, rising just enough to keep steve balanced, one arm firm around his back, the other steady at his side. he didn’t rush it. didn’t let him tip or sway. just stayed close until steve was solid again.

then steve said it. billy is still there. it clicked fast and ugly. the shaking. the way steve kept talking about what still needed doing like he wasn’t barely holding himself together. the bruising. the mess of it all. dean’s jaw locked, heat flaring sharp behind his eyes.

steve shifted again, like he was already lining himself up to move, to help, to do what he always did. dean felt it and answered without tightening his grip, just settling his arm more securely around him. “no,” he said immediately, low and firm. not loud. not yet angry. just final. “you are not cleanin’ up anything.” he softened slightly, sure that steve was just running on autopilot at this point. he wans't used to having back up and dean knew it. “hey,” dean said, steady and close, just for him. “i know you want to help but it's time for you to tap out, pretty boy. me'n eddie got this, i promise.”

his hand slid up to the back of steve’s neck again, thumb pressing in slow and sure. he took a breath through his nose and let it out, dragging his free hand down his face like he was trying to scrub the anger back where it belonged.

“okay,” he said finally, decision settling in his chest. “we’re followin’ them back to the byers’.” he shifted to ensure steve was supported so they could move. he was sure he was getting more anxious the longer they were there and it was clearly the last thing he needed. “but you,” dean added, voice softening just a notch, “passenger princess. you’re stayin’ in the car.”

lips brushed lightly against steve’s temple. soft and familiar. “i’ll go in. help eddie. get you some ice. make sure things are actually taken care of. then i’m gettin’ you to the ER. no arguments.”

his eyes flicked past steve toward the dark stretch of field and the distant house lights beyond it, jaw tightening again. billy hargrove. loose cannon. too much muscle and not enough sense. “and if hargrove wants to start somethin’,” dean said quietly, calm threaded sharp, “he’s gonna find out tonight he ain't the only dog who bites.”

his head is throbbing. had been for what felt like ever now. since the first punch had landed it felt like his brain was attempting to escape. which was a real bird to those that insisted he didn't have one. which was a thought that would have made him laugh if he wasn't currently still holding Dustin up as they tried to rationalize what had just happened. unfortunately Steve knows that he needs to get them both out of this dank hole before adrenaline left him completely. thankfully with Mike and Lucas' help there's fresh air filling his lungs soon enough.

unfortunately for him, the moment of relief doesn't last too long. the dizziness hits him first, the world around him tilting dangerously and sending him stumbling slightly. though that's covered up by looking back slightly as though he'd just tripped. he needed to get the kids back to the Byer house before anyone realized that they were gone. he needed to clean up the aftermath of everything that happened with Billy and then... well deal with Billy. he's hoping that Hopper will have some idea of what to do there. but if he didn't, Steve guesses that its up to him to figure that out.

he wasn't going to have a chance to do any of that, however. fingers scramble to rip the bandana from his face before what little was in his stomach splattered across the grass before him. barely registering the 'oh gross' that leaves Max somewhere to his right. a light blinds him before he can think to react to a potential new threat, his guts rolling instantly and forcing him into dry heaving.

“hey. hey, c’mon.” dean crouched down immediately, one knee in the dirt, one hand bracing steve’s shoulder before the other came up to pull his hair back without asking. familiar. automatic. “easy, sweetheart. breathe.”

his thumb pressed in at the base of steve’s neck, right where dean knew it helped. he leaned in close, forehead nearly brushing steve’s temple. “i’ve got you,” he said quietly. just for him. “you’re okay. promise.” it wasn’t a promise he could actually make. but steve needed it anyway.

dean’s eyes flicked up just long enough to clock the scene. kids shaken but moving. eddie already in motion, herding them with sharp gestures and low words, stepping in front without hesitation like this wasn’t the first time he’d done it. good. dean filed it away and refocused.

“i leave town for five minutes...” he muttered, low and tight, “and i come back to you and the kids climbing out of a hole in the middle of nowhere. and you lookin’ like you went ten rounds with a meat grinder.”

his jaw clenched, he took a breath, and then forced it loose.

“okay. here’s what’s gonna happen.” dean pulled back just enough to look at him, eyes serious but soft. “you’re sittin’ pretty in the passenger seat. you ain't drivin'. you are going to the ER. you ain't gonna argue. and if you puke on my floorboards i will forgive you, but i’m gonna complain about it forever.”

he paused and pulled the goggles free from steve's head and slipped them around his own neck for the moment. “kids are gonna be fine. eddie’s got ‘em.” his focus never wavered from steve, thumb brushing once over his jaw, careful of the swelling.