Chapter Text
Billy
The short drive to the Byers’ was spent in companionable silence. Billy had heard that Joyce Byers was crazy, but as far as he could tell, she was saner than anyone else in Fuckville, Indiana. Soon, Ms. Byers was parking the car behind a modest house and waving Billy out.
“Okay, honey,” she said cheerfully, “We’re going to go inside, and I’m going to hunt down my first aid kit and fix you up, then we’re going to have some dinner. Pasta ok?”
“Yes ma’am,” Billy answered. She nodded and led him to the front door.
“One of my kids, Johnathan, is out, so only Will is at home,” she explained, digging through her purse. She pulled out her keys victoriously, unlocked the door, and ushered Billy in. He stepped inside the house and scanned his surroundings. The back door opened up into a living room, in which a boy with a neat bowl cut and nervous eyes sat on a sofa, reading a book, which, Billy realized as he surreptitiously took a closer look, was titled The Color of Magic, and one of Billy’s personal favorite books.
“Aha!” Ms. Byers cried from another room. “I found it!” She came bustling into the room, brandishing a giant white box in one hand and a roll of gauze in the other. “Now, I’m certified to perform first aid, so you just sit tight there, Billy-boy, and I’ll get you all patched up!” Next to Billy, the boy snorted.
“Billy-boy? Really, Ma?”
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Billy groused good-naturedly.
“You know,” Ms. Byers said to the boy as she deftly wrapped Billy’s hand in gauze, “I was just going to call you William, no nickname, but Jon couldn’t pronounce it, so he called you Will, and it just stuck.” The kid smiled to himself, then caught sight of Billy again and curled up towards the arm of the couch a bit.
“You know, it’s nice to meet a fellow William.” Billy told the boy, who he realized must be Will.
“H-Huh?”
“I’m Billy, short for William.”
“I know,” the boy said anxiously, eyes darting around wildly. Something about the boy made Billy want to put him at ease.
“You have good taste,” he said to Will gently.
“Huh?”
“In books. I love The Color of Magic. Terry Pratchett is rad.” Almost instantaneously, Will’s entire countenance changed. His eyes lit up and he set his book down carefully, turning to face Billy.
“Totally! Who’s your favorite character? Mine is Twoflower.”
“Definitely Rincewind, but Twoflower is pretty awesome.” Will grinned and bounced a bit on the couch.
“Did you hear the next book is coming out soon?”
“Really?” Billy asked, plopping onto the couch.
“Yeah!”
“Awesome. The one thing I don’t like about the book is that it leaves you on a cliffhanger.”
“Yeah, its pretty annoying, but we’ll know what happened next soon! I’m so excited!” They continued to discuss the book until they heard Joyce call out from the kitchen.
“Boys, dinner is ready! Come and get it while its hot!” They hustled into the kitchen and sat at the table. Joyce scooped pasta into three bowls and put them down onto the table. She sat down and the three of them began to dig in.
“How was your day, Will?” asked Joyce.
“It was good!” Will said excitedly, “I got a B+ on my Algebra test!”
“That’s great, honey!” Joyce exclaimed, “I’m so proud of you! I know how hard you worked for that awesome grade!” Will’s eyes sparkled. Billy watched the exchange with wide eyes. If he’d brought home a B, his father would have beaten the shit out of him. Joyce’s smile hadn’t so much as flickered when Will announced his grade. In fact, her grin had widened and her eyes glowed with pride. Maybe there was a decent person in this shitty town.
Dinner passed quickly, Billy sitting quietly, observing how Joyce listened patiently to Will as he chattered on about school and something called ‘d and d’. Occasionally, Joyce would scoop more pasta on his plate, ignoring his protests. He gobbled down the pasta. Who knew when he’d get to eat his fill again?
All too soon, Joyce declared that it was time for bed and sent Will off to get ready. Billy turned to the door, reluctant to leave but grateful beyond measure for Joyce’s hospitality.
“Where do you think you’re going, young man?” Joyce said indignantly.
“Uh…” Joyce grabbed his arm.
“I have some old pajamas that should fit you fine. You’ll sleep in the guest bed tonight.”
“Oh, I couldn’t impose-” Joyce completely ignored him.
“Guest room is down the hall. Hustle up, it’s a school night.” Billy shrugged his shoulders. Anything was better than sleeping in the cold.