Archive of Our Own ^beta

It hit her on the nose and she made a sound that was half a huff and half a scoff. 

"Nancy," Robin grabbed Nancy, who was making her way to the living room, and pushed a handful of Cheetos into her palm. "Your boyfriend needs to go down." 

Nancy's eyes widened but she smiled deviously at Steve. Steve immediately grabbed Jonathan and pushed him in front, ducking behind him. 

While Robin's aim is- and most likely always will be- terrible, Steve has seen his girlfriend with a gun and when she's trying to toss Cheese Puffs into her brother's mouth. 

Steve was in trouble. 

"Jon, I love you. You know this right?" 

Jonathan chuckled, and because Steve's hands were still on him, he could feel the rise and fall of his shoulders as he laughed. 

"Baby, you're going to have to fend them off by yourself." He turned his head to peek back at Steve. "You started this." 

Steve gawked as Jonathan pulled away. He pressed a kiss to Steve's nose, who was still half crouched in his own kitchen. 

"Betrayal!" He squawked. "Betrayal of the highest form!" 

Jonathan paused before leaving the kitchen. He smiled, grabbed the bowl of Doritos and left. "I love you too!" He called over his shoulder. 

So, because Jonathan took Steve's only ammunition and his only chance at coverage, Steve had to endure being pelted with Cheetos without a single way to defend himself. Luckily, he could grab the Cheetos that landed on the floor and throw them back and he got Nancy and Robin in the face a couple times, but it was nothing compared to the number of them that were now residing in Steve's hair.

"Ha ha." Robin laughed dramatically. "This is the last time you challenge me Cheeto head!" 

Nancy threw another two and Steve ducked before they could land. "What are you talking about? You threw the first Cheeto!" Nancy threw one that hit Steve right in the forehead and he screwed his face up. "Besides, Nance is doing all the work! If anything, she should be the one gloating and calling me Cheeto head." 

"Oh don't worry," Nancy smirked, cocking her arm back, "I will be, Cheeto head." 

Robin threw one and grinned triumphantly when it hit him in the chin. Her smile was so excited and proud that Steve decided not to tell her that he didn't move so she could hit him. 

The game probably would've gone on forever- or at least until Jonathan had finished setting up the movie- when the doorbell rang. 

Nancy and Robin immediately froze and Steve knew that, in the other room, Jonathan did too. Steve frowned. The only people who would ever come to his house at eight either had a key or were too young to drive so it was only a number of people it could've been. 

"I'll get it." Steve shrugged. If it was his parents- which it definitely wasn't because they had a key and he hadn't changed the locks ( yet, Nancy and Jonathan were still trying to convince him to be petty) - then he'd be murdered because there was half a bag of orange cheetos all over his mother's precious kitchen and his dad would do it simply for the fact that Steve was enjoying himself. 

"I'll start cleaning." Robin said, immediately moving to grab the broom and dustpan and Nancy paused for a beat, looking Steve over before hurrying after her. 

Steve appreciated their urgency because while he didn't go into much detail about his parents, they all knew they were strict as two fucking army generals. 

But at this point, if it was his parents then he'd not only be shocked but he'd also be worried because there were three people in this house who had a bone to pick with them and not a single one of them was him. 

Which is probably why Jonathan curled a hand around his elbow before he went to answer the door. 

A quick, "I'm here if you need me." Before he slipped back into the kitchen. 

You couldn't pay Steve to wipe the blinding smile off his face after that. It made him giddy in his chest whenever Jonathan or Nancy went all protective. While Steve would be the one who's most likely to step between danger and them with a nail bat, it was nice to know that the feeling was mutual. 

He was happy and way more steady than he'd been in a long ass time and it was mainly due to the people in his life. 

So Steve was perfectly fine with looking like an idiot as he  threw the door open dramatically, with cheetos in his hair, Jonathan's sweatpants on and a huge bright grin on his face. 

He paused when he saw who was there. 

"Tommy? Carol?" 

They looked terrible. Dark shadows under rimmed eyes, mussed hair, wrinkled clothes. They were holding each other's hand like they were a couple in a horror film about to be murdered. 

"Steve. Hey." Tommy started, his eyes widening like he didn't expect him to answer the door. Steve could feel his eyes raking over his appearance, a frown starting to curve on his lips. "You look-"

Steve's face hardened and he moved to slam the door in his face because he didn't have the time or space in his life for judgmental, rude, ex-friends. His time was money now and Steve was finally deciding to be stingy. 

But Tommy moved, stopping Steve before he could shut the door. Steve blinked and he heard shifting behind him, like Jonathan or Nancy or Robin were gearing up to charge in when Carol pushed in front of Tommy, who was watching Steve with a desperate and pleading expression. 

"Stevie! Please." Carol exclaimed, her voice wobbing. "We came to apologize!" 

"Good." Tommy stuttered. "I was going to say good. You look good." 

Steve reared back a little but didn't shut the door because Tommy only stuttered when something was really wrong. Carol must've taken Steve's stunned silence as a sign to keep talking because she kept talking. 

"Okay, okay hold on." She sniffled and scrubbed her eyes furiously and Steve had a weirdly strong urge to tell her not to do that. He remembered one time where she said- Steve, you really shouldn't rub your face, you'll get pimples and then you'll get wrinkles. He remembered feeling horrified and attempted not to touch his face for the next month. 

"I wanted to say sorry. I was a bitch and an asshole and a terrible, terrible friend. I shouldn't have said those things about Nancy-" There was more shifting behind Steve, "-and all those terrible things about Jonathan." 

She paused, her bottom lip quivering and when she tried to continue talking, her voice came out so quiet that Steve had to lean closer to hear. 

"My sister kept asking when you'd come back to watch her and I had to tell her that it was my fault-" 

"Our." Tommy cut in, eyes big and watery. He glanced at Steve quickly before turning his gaze back to the ground, his cheeks coloring. 

Carol sniffled and curled a hand around Tommy's wrist. "Yes. Our. She just- she misses you. I miss you." 

Steve inhaled because Carol's expression was deeper than the crocodile tears she'd cry whenever her father questioned about the missing Vodka they used to drink and it was more intense than the way she'd look whenever Carol and Tommy would 'take a break'. 

This was real. 

Tommy took an audible breath, set his eyes on his shoes and started talking. "Steve, I know you have no reason to forgive us. I know that I was stupid, I know I was a bully and I was just an all around ass to you. I'm as dumb as a bag of rocks Stevie, and once you began going off with Nancy and Jonathan, I thought you- well, I thought you didn't need me around anymore." 

Steve opened his mouth to interrupt, because no, that's not what Steve felt at all. But Tommy barreled on, his hands curling into fists. 

"So I made 'friends' with Billy because I figured that getting a rise out if you was a million times better than just letting my best friend walk away but that didn't fucking work either. I'm just- I'm sorry Stevie." And now Tommy looked up his eyes glossy with tears and Steve itched to pull both of them into a hug. 

If Steve was being honest with himself, he missed them. He missed Tommy's easy sarcasm, Carol's random dance parties. Their constant bickering used to be a song on the soundtrack of his life but demogorgons and missing kids scratched that CD and left him with nothing. 

It was better now. 

Now, Steve had people. He had Robin's screeching laughter, he had Nancy's gentle nudges forward, he had Jonathan's steadying hands. He had Dustin's stupid nicknames, Max's teasing jokes, El's poignant smiles. He had Will's gentle hugs, Mike's easy insults, Lucas' excited chattering. 

It was better now because Steve had people who had him and he had himself. 

And finally, finally, finally, himself was someone he liked. 

But sometimes, at random moments, he missed Tommy. 

Someone would walk into the Movie store and Steve'll want to turn to Tommy and ask isn't that the one girl who came to your party and broke your coffee table? Or he'd see a perfume while shopping for Nancy that he can remember Carol raving about- Oh stevie, it actually smells like moondust! And it has shimmer in it! Tommy'll love it so much! 

And Steve knew that he didn't have to accept their apologies because what proof did he have that they'd change? That they wouldn't go back to the way they were? That Steve wouldn't go back to the way he was? 

But Steve saw the way Carol's forehead creased and the way Tommy bit down harshly on his lip and he decided to believe in them. 

He opened his arms, a hesitant smile on his face. Right now he looked nothing like King Steve, there was no charming grin, no smug look, no carefully crafted masks. It was just him being himself and either they took that or they left with nothing. 

Tommy inhaled, a stuttery thing that sounded painful, before he practically fell into Steve's arms. Carol's eyes brightened, a beautiful smile stretching across her cheeks. She immediately folded into place under Steve's other arm and pressed into Tommy's side. 

"I missed you guys too." Steve sighed. There was a pause, more shifting from behind Steve and some hissed whispers. "You guys do know that I'm not the only person you're gonna have to apologize to right?" 

They both nodded simultaneously without pulling away from the hug and Steve smiled. 

Steve was really beginning to think his life was fucking insane. 

Not because of the random flesh eating demon monsters that sometimes roamed around, not because of the other poisonous dimension that sometimes opened or even because Steve was friends with a small girl who could throw him out the window with her mind. 

No, it was because he was actually friends with Billy fucking Hargrove. 

It was one in the morning when Billy came over, talking about how- Harrington, shut the fuck up, I need to get high right now- And- no you dumbass, I'm not hurt but I will hurt you in a second if you don't get me some weed right the fuck now. 

So, Steve scrounged up the last of Robin's pot brownies and, making a mental note to apologize to her later, took them and Billy up to his room. 

"My parents?" Billy repeated. "You wanna hear about my shitty life?" 

"Dude, you heard about mine." 

"Don't call me dude." 

"What the hell do you want me to call you? Bro?" 

"What the fuck Harrington?" 

"How about babe?" 

"That's gay." 

"You're gay." 

"What about it?" 

"Okay, so we've decided that I'm calling you babe?" 

"Whatever floats your boat princess." 

"What the fucking hell." 

"Princess Steve-" 

"Hargrove-"

"-It has a nice ring to it-" 

"Hargrove-" 

"Don't you think?" 

"William. Call me princess one more time, I will throw a basketball at your head." 

"Alright Steven." 

Steve sat up at that, suddenly tense all over. Billy followed him, also sitting up and turning to face him, his eyes serious. 

"Shit, you don't want me to call you that?" Billy asked. His voice was cautious, careful. 

By now, Billy had been over enough and had talked to Steve enough to know that he could go on and talk for hours and say nothing at all. So, for as much as Steve didn't know about Billy, Billy also didn't know about Steve, which served for some pretty unsavory accidental triggers. 

Like now. 

Steve shook his head, rendered slightly mute because his head was ringing with- Steven, why the hell are there still dishes in the sink and Get the hell out of the way Steven and God, Steven, how many times do I have to tell you to get off the furniture? 

Billy shifted closer, not touching, but close. "Hey, pretty boy, tell me what's going on in that big head of yours." 

Steve forced himself to inhale, then exhale, then look up at Billy. His eyes were intense, not worried but ready. The look was familiar. That look was- I am ready to move away if you need but I can also move closer but I can also get water but I can also slap you out of this. 

It was a I-can-help-pick-up-these-peices Look. 

Weirdly enough, Nancy had this same look. 

Steve searched for the words to explain. Why that name- his name- made him both numb and alert at the same time, why hearing it made Steve flinch, why he'd rather be called the worst names than the name that was on his birth certificate. 

"Steve." 

And that got his attention. They didn't do first names. Those were saved for the important shit, flashback, nightmare, panic attack- shit was he having a panic attack?

"Y-yeah, yeah. I'm-" He swallowed. "I'm-"

"Harrington, if you say you're okay I'm gonna drop kick you out of your own house." 

Steve snorted and the tension was gone. He let himself fall back onto his bed, like he was a puppet who had all his strings cut. 

His breathing stuttered slightly and yeah, Steve guessed he was having a panic attack. Jesus. 

"Nah," Steve looked up at his ceiling. Billy was still sitting up, all alert. It was kind of annoying. Steve was sort of grateful. "I wasn't gonna say that. I was- I mean, I haven't seen my parents in eight months." 

Billy was quiet at that. And for a second, everything was still. It was sort of like Steve had hit pause on his remote. But then Billy leaned back, next to him, so they were laying shoulder to shoulder on his bed. 

"Where do you think they are?" 

Steve hummed. "I'd like to think they're in Greece. I think my mom loves Greek yogurt." 

"Harrington, that is the sadest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth." Billy said it in a way that wasn't pitying. Just matter of fact. Steve hummed again. 

"Yeah probably." Steve nudged Billy with his elbow and was not surprised when he got nudged back. "That's why I asked about your parents fucker." 

 "Don't call me that, I liked babe better." Billy scoffed but Steve nudged him insistently, unwilling to be distracted. "I'll tell- but only if I can call you princess."

Steve rolled his eyes. "You can call me whatever you want." 

Just don't call me Steven. 

Billy nodded and Steve wondered if Carol could put a French brain in his hair. She'd want to put flower pins in it too, the light blue ones that Carol can't wear because- red and blue don't look good together like that Stevie. 

Steve waited for Billy to start speaking and when he didn't he went back to nudging him. 

"Alright. Goddamn!" Billy exclaimed, sounding exasperated. 

He paused and then-

"My dad likes to get drunk and pretend to be a father." He started unceremoniously. "He talks about responsibility and accountability and obedience like they're interchangeable." 

"Aren't they?" 

Billy paused and Steve could hear his eyes rolling. "Nice one dipshit." 

"I thought I was princess?"

"Right now you're dipshit." 

Steve huffed but bit back a smile because some of that tension in Billy's shoulders relaxed and Billy nudged him. "He doesn't really do much damage when he's sober. Except yell. Cause you know, he's a dick." 

"Of course." Steve murmured. "The dickiest." 

"No, that's you." 

Steve half shrugged. "The biggest dick." 

"God, I though I was the gay one." 

"You are!" Steve nudged him again. "I'm only half and half. Like an ice tea and lemonade combo." 

"Shut the hell up." 

"Touchy." 

"My mom, Susan," Billy continued loudly. "-is tiny. And weak. She couldn't do anything anyway."

Steve doesn't know if he means couldn't do anything to stop Neil or help him and Steve doesn't want to know.

 "He doesn't seem to hurt her like he hurts us, so that's good." 

"Not really though." Steve said. Because he's seen Max with large bruises in the shape of a hand on her arms, he's cleaned up Billy's cuts from beer bottles and glasses, he's stayed up until well into the morning to talk Billy down from some bullshit like running away with Max. 

He's seen it all and there is nothing good about any parent that either turned a blind eye to this or helped it fester. 

Billy looked at him then looked up at the ceiling. His eyes were tired. "Not really though." He agreed softly. 

...

"Carol, I have to bring her back to the Chief in one piece alright?" 

Carol, already not listening, ushered El out of his car and up to her front door, chatting excitedly. Steve sighed, parked and got out slowly. 

"Hurry up Stevie!" Carol yelled. 

"Yeah," El's voice came right after. "Hurry up Stevie!" 

God, she was already influencing the kid. Steve hid his smile and jogged up and through the front door. The house was still the same as Steve remembered, normal sized, cozy, exactly like a home should be. 

Carol's mom was in the kitchen, but when she heard Steve's voice she immediately stepped out.

 "Steve!" She exclaimed happily. She pulled of her oven mitts and pulled Steve into a huge hug. 

Carol's mother looked exactly like Carol, a tiny woman with a round face that was full of unassuming strength. But while Carol covered her freckles with make up and tamed her red curls religiously, Carol's mom kept her face clear so you could see her various freckles and her wild auburn hair. 

"Hi, Mrs. Collins." 

She pulled away and hit Steve on the arm. "Don't you dare call me that Steve. Makes me feel old." 

Steve laughed. "Like that could ever happen, Mrs. Quinn." 

She smiled. "Cookies will be done in about fifteen and there's lemonade and ice tea in the fridge. You know the drill, help yourself." Then she nodded to the stairs. "Mabel is upstairs." 

Steve nodded and moved to go but- 

"You know, I'm glad to have you over Steve." She said softly. "We've been missing you around here." 

Steve's cheeks started burning and he nodded again, feeling like a bobble head. "I- I've missed being here." 

...

They were all in Carol's room when Steve went up. El was sitting down at her vanity with Carol and Mabel standing behind the chair. Carol was fluffing El's hair, the way she did with Mabel when she was thinking about what she was going to do and Mabel was digging through Carol's make up bag. 

Mabel was a tiny little thing with sharp elbows, who hid a hot temper behind wide eyes and thick rimmed glasses. Steve used to babysit her back in freshman year because he wanted money that wasn't his dad's and he'd always had a soft spot for children. 

She was a little twerp and Steve missed her. 

"Hopper said no lipstick, other than that, go crazy." Steve said in lieu of a greeting and Mabel dropped the blush she was holding and immediately ran over to Steve, almost tackling him. 

"Steve!" 

She squeezed her arms around Steve as tight as a twelve year old girl could. The rims of her round glasses pressed into Steve's stomach painfully but Steve still bent down and curled his arms around her. 

"Hey, Mabel." He smiled into her curly hair. "I missed you." 

She pulled away and hit him in the arm, blue eyes narrowed in anger. "Where have you been? I know you were mad at Carol but you didn't have to be mad at me too!" 

Steve could see El and Carol watching them out of the corner of his eye; El, looking confused and worried and Carol, looking ashamed and sad and guilty. But Steve was done with that- she apologized and has been making up for her mistakes ever since and that was more than enough for him.

"Oh Mabel, I wasn't mad at you. Or Carol." Steve made eye contact with her before placing two comforting hands on Mabel's shoulders. "I had to take some time for myself- but I'm here now?" 

Mabel's face scrunched up more but she tackled him once more, burying her face into his chest, seemingly accepting his excuse. 

"I'm glad." She whispered. "You're a much better brother than Tommy." 

Steve stiffened in shock for a half a second before hugging her tighter. 

...

Steve would've been content to sit and watch as Mabel and Carol curled El's hair and bushed powders over her cheeks and place careful sparkles onto her eyes. Steve's always found the process of applying make up interesting. When he was a kid, he'd watch his mom put on dull lipsticks and curl her eyelashes and he'd watch Tina, Nicole and Carol exchange bright eyeshadow pallets. Even now he was mesmerised by the way that Robin painted her nails or the delicacy that Nancy used when she filled in her eyebrows. 

Not that he thought any of them needed all this, but the process of having it done always sparked an interest in Steve. 

Which is probably why he hardly protested when Mabel grabbed him, told him to sit on the floor and started placing butterfly clips and bows and barrettes in his hair. 

"Has Nancy tried putting pig tails in your hair yet?" She asked as she tied a bright red ribbon into a bow. 

"Nope. But Robin has." 

"Oh." Mabel tugged a little and put another clip on, a red one with a small plastic rose on it. "How old is she?" 

"Seventeen. She doesn't really do hair that much though." Steve thought about Robin's wild strands that she just barely combed. "She likes to paint nails."

"Oh. Maybe she can paint my nails one day?" 

Steve thought about Robin, who rolled her eyes at Dustin and Mike but played Pac Man with them, griped about the amount of children that followed Steve around but always gave Erica more hot fudge than she asked, who joked about Steve needing to buy a mini-van but let El sit in her lap on the way to the arcade. 

"I think she'd love that." 

"Alright!" Carol exclaimed, straightening up. "I'm finished!" 

She swiveled El's chair around to face them and Mabel gasped. And Steve had to agree.

Carol hadn't done much, because, like she said at Jonathan's house, El didn't need that much done. There was a pale pink shimmery gloss on her lips, a light, hardly visible dusting of pink blush on her cheeks and two identical swatches of sparkling blue going from dark to light around her eyes. Steve wished he knew more about makeup to appreciate it the way he should. 

"That's amazing Carol!" He said instead. She flapped her hand at him like it was nothing and El spun around to look at herself in the mirror. 

She was quiet for a moment before asking, softly. "Pretty?" 

Carol smiled at her in the mirror. "No, not pretty. Gorgeous." 

El's eyes widened and Steve wished he had Jonathan's camera to take a picture of the dazzling smile that followed. 

...

Steve doesn't think he'd ever get over seeing Nancy and Jonathan casually being in his house. There would never be a day where it would be old news. 

He's realized that he likes having them around. 

Or course, he loves them and he's never not wanted to be around him but this felt different somehow. 

Sure, he likes having Jonathan's hand in his or Nancy's lips on his cheeks. But he also likes seeing Nancy's sweaters in his room and Jonathan's toothbrush in his bathroom. He likes cooking pasta and steak and salmon for them and having them sit at his dinner table. He likes lounging in his living room with them, on the couch while watching whatever terrible Disney Channel original movies Nancy's collected. He likes pressing Jonathan up against his hallway, with Nancy biting marks into his side. 

He loves having them around but having them in his house is an amazing feeling that Steve can't describe. Robin would say- you're happy because it's healing some childhood trauma, Tommy would say- dude, you're just happy, and Carol would say- oh, you're in love Stevie, it's beautiful. 

Well, whatever it was, it made Steve scoot out of warm cuddles with them and head downstairs so make them breakfast. Jonathan and Nancy's shoes were by the front door and their jackets were in the closet and Steve's heart was full enough to flip pancakes at eight in the morning on a Saturday. 

That's what he was doing when strong arms snaked around his waist and a nose pressed into the side of Steve's neck. 

"Morning Jon." Steve laughed. 

"Mhm, you know I love it when my handsome boyfriend cooks breakfast in the morning." He mumbled. "But I love it even more when he stays in bed with us." 

Steve rolled his eyes, a fond smile making his cheeks hurt. "You know, you can't have it both ways. You're either going to eat these blueberry pancakes or you're gonna have me in bed." 

Jonathan pressed a kiss to Steve's neck, then another, then another.

"Jonathan," Steve hissed, "I'm going to burn them if you-" 

"Come back to bed." Jonathan said softly. "Nancy's cold." 

"And so you left her up there-" 

Jonathan pressed another kiss to Steve's neck and tightened his arms around Steve's waist. "Steve." 

"Listen, I'm trying to-" 

"Uh huh." Steve could practically hear the smile tugging at his lips.

"You're not listening." 

Jonathan, seemingly dissatisfied with Steve's lack of movement towards the bedroom, nipped at his neck. Steve legs wobbled and he inhaled sharply. 

"Steve." Jonathan repeated urgently. 

Steve blinked down at the stupid pancake and thought- fuck it-before spinnning out of Jonathan's grasp and attaching his lips to his boyfriend's warm neck. He splayed his fingers out on Jonathan's chest and pressed close against him. 

"Does this mean you're coming back to bed?" Jonathan asked, his voice strained in the way that told Steve that he was doing a great job with the hickey he was intent on making. "Cause now-" His voice broke with a groan. "Now you have to." 

"Do I now?" Steve muttered against Jonathan's smooth skin. "I have to?" 

"Uh yeah. You do." 

Steve swiveled around to see Nancy standing there, with her hands on her hips and Steve's blanket round her shoulders. 

"Nance-" 

"Don't you dare Nance me!" She huffed. She reached over Steve's burning pancake and grabbed a blueberry. "You guys were gonna have kitchen sex without me!" 

Steve stepped away from Jonathan, as if to say- hey man, not me, and turned the burner off. "I was just trying to cook breakfast for us." 

"But you left us up there all cold!" She huffed and she looked so adorable when she was pretending to be mad that Steve had to press a kiss to her forehead. 

"M' sorry babe." Steve blinked round eyes at her. "But blueberries?" 

Jonathan again came in from behind and curled his arms around Steve's waist. "Blueberries later, bed now." 

Nancy nodded firmly, like this was the most important thing in the world and Steve felt himself caving. Between Jonathan, nuzzling into the back of Steve's neck and then Nancy twisting Steve's blanket tighter around her, Steve was putty in their hands. 

"Alright." He sighed, trying his hardest to sound exasperated. From the way Jonathan kissed at his neck, he probably didn't succeed. "I guess we'll have a late brunch then." 

...

Billy Hargrove didn't understand Steve's obsession with his sister and her friends. 

He saw them sometimes, after school. He'd wait for Max but his sister would beeline straight for Harrington's car with a bunch of the other kids following behind, chatting excitedly. They sounded annoying and overwhelming, tugging on Steve like he was their mother. 

He'd humor them, smiling at whatever the curly haired kid was trying to tell him, keeping a steady hand on the Byers kid's shoulder, bantering easily with the Wheeler kid. 

Before, Billy watched them with rage. Because his step-sister never looked at him like that and Billy, though he loathe to admit it, was jealous of the ease Harrington had with handling the kids. He also thought Harrington was fucking weird because his best friends were children and he hung around with his ex and her new boyfriend and he seemed to enjoy it. 

But now, after actually hanging out with Harrington and hearing- Those kids go through too much, they deserve a little happiness sometimes- and- My house is always empty Hargrove. The kids may be annoying but they're here for me just like I am for them. 

Billy thought it was tooth-rottingly sweet and fuck he was starting to actually enjoy seeing Harrington happy. A friendship with 'King Steve' was probably the last thing Billy would have guessed would happen when he had stumbled onto his door step but- 

Here we are. 

Billy didn't do shit halfway so he decided to go to Harrington's ex, Byers and the weird band nerd Harrington was always hanging around and tell them, straight up, that him and Harrington were cool now. 

Because he wasn't an idiot- not like Harrington was. 

He could see them when they came down the hallways; Steve would see him, grin and open his mouth like he was gonna say something that would make Billy roll his eyes, when Wheeler would catch his attention and Byers would subtly steer him away and because Harrington was so busy making moon eyes at them, he didn't even realize. 

And Billy wasn't jealous. He wasn't. 

But- he should be able to hang out with Harrington just like all his other weird ass friends. 

So Billy decided, as soon as school let out, he'd head straight for Harrington's car, which was bound to have the little nerds and Harrington and Wheeler and Byers. 

He'd tell Max and her posse to fuck off and then gruffly say sorry to Nancy and Jonathan for bashing Steve's face in and then he'd yank Harrington over to his car so they could go get high and make fun of a porno. 

The bell rang and Billy made his way- casually- towards the exit and out onto the parking lot. He scanned the grounds- there was Veronica Teller macking on her boyfriend,  Carol Collins talking loudly to Tommy and- 

No Harrington. 

But, there was a flash of familiar red and Billy turned to see Max, gripping tightly to Henderson and Sinclair's hands, sprinting across the parking lot. Tiny Byers was right behind them, with Wheeler falling behind. 

Billy frowned as they skidded to a stop in front of Steve's car, obviously looking as confused as Billy was that he wasn't here, but they preceded to huddle against the car anyway. 

The curly haired kid- Dustin, Billy's mind corrected- said something to Max,  and even Billy, who didn't know the kid at all, could see that he was frantic. 

Shit. 

Had something happened to Harrington?

Billy stiffened, trying to think. He didn't see Steve this morning and hadn't seen him all through the halls. Today at lunch, Wheeler and Byers were sitting with Carol and Tommy H of all people- and of course, that band nerd that Billy didn't know the name of. 

Maybe Steve's parents were back? 

Shit. 

Shit. Shit. Shit.

He needed to- no- he had to- Steve was- 

Steve was his best friend. Well, his only real friend that didn't fawn over him and try to get with him or try to glean popularity from him, but still. Billy was sure that meant something. He had to do something. 

And Billy would. He'd storm right up to those kids and shake the truth out of them then he'd speed his Camaro right over to Harrington's palace and grab him out of there because Henry Harrington fucks his kid up way more than Billy ever could and if there would ever be an abusive father that Billy was revved up to fight it would be Steve's. 

Billy began gearing up to punch whoever would get in his way when another kid-one that Billy didn't recognize- walked across the parking lot towards Steve's car. He moved with a bop, something that screamed I'm a douchebag and will peak in middle school. 

Max, immediately noticing the kid, pushed herself to the front of their group, keeping Will and Mike behind her. Her hair glinted in the sun, her eyes were ablaze with anger and her fists clenched like she was going to war. 

She said something, and from the way her mouth moved, Billy could tell it was sharp and harsh. The boy didn't seem phased, leaning forward with a curl to his lips that made Max shift back and Sinclair and Henderson step forward menacingly. 

Sinclair hardly opened his mouth before the kid threw his arms out and shoved him. 

Billy was moving before he even realized what was happening. 

"Hey kid!" Billy snapped. Out of the corner of Billy's eye he could see Wheeler move to step in front of Byers and Max grab Sinclair's arm, but he payed it no mind. "What the hell are you doing fucking with my sister's friends?" 

The kid's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open slightly but Billy figured he didn't look as scared as he should've been. 

"We're just messing around." The kid, who Billy decided was stupid as fuck, looked over at Lucas. "Aren't we just messing around Lucas?" 

Lucas shifted, eyes flickering from Billy to the kid like he was trying to decide which one posed the lesser threat. 

Which, valid. But Billy needed to deal with this so he could find out about Harrington so he could deal with that. 

"Well Sinclair?" Billy asked.

Lucas grimaced but shook his head. "This guy's a dick." 

The kid paled and that was all the confirmation that Billy needed. He reached forward and curled a hand into the collar of the kid's shirt. 

"If I ever see you fucking around with these kids again, I'll make sure to it that you'll be regretting it all the way to your senior year of highschool. Got it?" The kid nodded jerkily and Billy let go of his shirt, making him stumble slightly. Then, because Harrington would do this type of shit, he added. "Apologize." 

The kid stuttered out a wack apology and then scuttled off and Billy rolled his eyes. He turned to Max, questions about Steve poised on his tongue because he was fucking ready but-

Wheeler, Byers and Henderson had wide eyes, like they'd just been electrocuted, Max was smiling smugly, like a point she had was proven and Sinclair, while still looking shocked, still had the narrowed eyes of suspicion that Billy was used to. 

"What." Billy snapped. 

"You didn't have to do that." Max said immediately. She tilted her head, that stupid smile still locked in place. "That was cool." 

"Very cool." Henderson chimed in enthusiastically. 

"Super very cool." Byers said quietly, something like wonder in his voice. And that made Billy feel squeamish. This was how they looked at Steve. With something akin to adoration as he put up with their antics and annoyances. 

Billy inhaled, about to say I'm not Harrington, go home but Sinclair frowned. "It wasn't that cool." 

Wheeler was quick to agree, nodding so that his black hair flopped all over the place. "Pretty tame. I've seen better." 

Billy balked, but Max rolled her eyes, shooting Billy a grin and-

Oh. 

They were making fun of him. 

Well shit. 

"You've seen better?" Billy asked, raising an eyebrow the way he's seen Steve do a million times. Somehow it was always simultaneously smug and soft and Steve did that; he just displayed every emotion in one facial tick. "Who's better than me?" 

"Steve." They all said immediately. And their tone left room for zero argument. Then, in unison, they smiled. At each other and then at Billy and there was that squirmy stomach feeling again. 

"Yeah, whatever, King Steve, blah blah blah." Billy scoffed, his eyes cutting over to the doors of the school where he could see Tommy, Carol, Jonathan and Nancy all standing. And if Harrington was hurt, wouldn't they be hurrying to him? What the fuck? "Where the hell is he anyway?" 

From Max's look, it was clear Billy wasn't able to sound as nonchalant as he'd intended but Henderson seemed excited to share now that he found a new savior, so he pushed forward. 

"Well, Steve's in track right now and we're waiting for him to get out." And, because Henderson was a never ended faucet of information, he added- "And Robin has band so we're all waited for them cause it's Friday and that's their night." 

Internally, Billy let out such a big sigh of relief that his bones felt like jello. Thank fucking God. He was gonna kick Harrington's ass next time Billy saw him. There was no fucking reason why he couldn't have known that so he didn't lose his shit. 

"You wanna wait with us?" Will asked softly and from the way his eyes flickered back to the middleschool, Billy was sure it was because he was afraid of that dumbass kid coming back. But Billy could also see the way Wheeler stiffened and Sinclair's frown intensified. 

"Naw kid." Billy said, backing up casually. "I don't hang with nerds. Your brother's over there if you wanted to not look like you're breaking into Harrington's car." 

The kids paused for a moment before they all dashed off as one, leaving Max behind to look at him. She looked nervous now that her friends weren't there; her cheeks red but her gaze resolute. 

"Thank you." She said stiffly. "For that." 

Billy blinked. "No problem." He said gruffly. 

She squinted down at her shoes. Chewed at her bottom lip. Fidgeted a little and Billy was about to tell her to go on, go with her friends when she shot forward and squeezed her arms around him. 

"You're really not so bad." She said quietly. And before Billy could even process any of that, she was sprinting away towards her friends, her red hair flying behind her. 

Huh. Well, fuck. 

...

"You know what, I just remembered why I keep you two around." 

Carol and Robin looked over at Steve who was leaning against his kitchen doorway with a soft smile on his face. Carol knew what that smile meant: he'd been thinking recently. Thinking good thoughts, thinking about good things. 

"And why is that?" Robin asked, her voice sliding easily into that tone she took up when she and Steve would go back and forth, all fond and teasing. 

"It smells like a bakery in here." His smile stayed soft and huh, Steve must really be in a good mood. "It's nice." 

"What's going on?" Carol asked, an unconscious smile tugging at her lips. She couldn't help it. Seeing Steve happy was contagious; she wished it happened more often. 

Steve shrugged, one shoulder after the other, his smile growing slightly. "Nothin', just happy." 

Robin smiled too and Carol's smile widened. And damn, they looked like a bunch of smiling fools. But Carol figured it was justified because Robin's smile was beautiful and Steve's smile was precious and they were all friends and the kitchen smelled like cookies and Carol was so happy. 

"That's good." Robin nodded. Then her smile grew, her eyes twinkling in the way that said I have something to tell you and you're gonna flip. It made Carol's heart do a two step in her chest but she didn't have enough time to analyze that fully because Robin was still talking. 

"Katie Moon asked me to the movies on Sunday." 

And Carol felt like she was missing something. Something important. Something very very importing, judging by the way Steve's eyes widened into saucers. 

"Get the fuck out Rob. Oh. My. God!" He squealed. And wow, Steve squealed. That's a first for Carol; she's never heard that sound come from him before. "You're kidding, you're kidding-" 

"Nope." She giggled, shaking her head so her hair swung back and forth. "Nope. Nope. I'm not, I swear-" 

"Oh my God." Steve also giggled and his hands fluttered like he had no idea what to do with them. "Oh my God. Rob, what are you gonna see?" 

"I don't know!" Robin exclaimed, bouncing on her toes. The sight was so fucking adorable that Carol had to stifle a giggle. "I don't know Steve, she wanted it to be a surprise!" 

Steve's jaw dropped. "Oh my God Rob. That's-" He made a face, sort of like- you know what that means- and Robin, apparently knowing what that means, smiled even wider. 

"I know!" She screeched, doing another adorable hop. "I know, I know." 

"And Katie Moon-" Steve wooshed out a breath. "W-ow."

Robin's shoulders bunched up to her ears and she did a little shimmy. "I know." 

"She's-"

"Absolutely positively beautiful!" Robin crowed, turning and hopping in a circle like all her excitement wouldn't let her stand still. 

And then, several things clicked for Carol in that moment. It was sort of an Aha moment. But, at the exact same time, it wasn't really. Because she sort of knew and kind of guessed and maybe hoped but know she knew and it was just- 

Aha. 

"Wow." Steve marveled, watching Robin do her little half-hop half-twirl happy dance with such a proud look on his face that it could've made Carol cry. "That's crazy."

"Good crazy." Robin sighed. 

"The best crazy." Steve confirmed. 

Carol didn't really know how to add to this, because Steve and Robin both seemed to forget she was there in all their excitement, plus, she's never been good at this. 

For fuck's sake, she came out to her mother by accidentally buying a shirt that said Move I like girls with her credit card. 

But Katie Moon was really really pretty. She had choppy, sunlight blonde hair that was always ruffled just enough so that you knew she didn't care. She almost always had paint on her hands or her clothes or her shoes and she was bold. She put tiny star stickers on her notebooks and wore homemade ripped jeans and skateboarded everywhere and wore stylish snap backs that made Carol jealous. 

She was bright and loud and brave and perfect for Robin. 

So, because Carol was so terrible at this, she just decided to go for it. Full send, the little Tommy in her head said. 

"Oh my God, Katie Moon is so gorgeous." 

Robin paused, eyes widening. Steve inhaled, then exhaled. He shifted- first towards Carol, then towards Robin- like he couldn't decided whether he wanted to support Carol or watch whatever was about to happen with wonder. 

"Isn't she?" Robin asked, leaning forward a little. There was a hint of a waver in her voice, a sort of I'm not so sure about this, that steeled Carol's resolve. 

"Are you kidding?" She scoffed. "God, if I wasn't taken, then-" And then Carol tried to copy Steve's earlier look- You know what that means- hoping, above all hope that Robin knew what she meant. 

Robin blinked and there was a small pause before a hesitant smile spread over her face. Carol's heart did a little hop. "Yeah. Yeah!" 

Then they all burst into giggles. Loud, relieved, shoulder shaking giggles. And maybe it shouldn't have been so unclear: Carol did buy Robin a rainbow sweater a couple weeks ago. But it was great. 

It was amazing and it was safe.

"No offense," Max sighed, sounding just a tiny bit bored, "but when do I get to kill something?" 

"If you could even kill the something that's coming." Dustin pointed out, tilting his head sideways at Max. 

"Are you saying that I couldn't kill the something?" She asked. "I'd be amazing at killing the something." 

El smiled brightly, nodding. "She'd be great at killing the something." Then she made a face, all scrunched up like she was thinking hard. "She'd be- prodigious." 

Lucas blinked. "Why is her vocabulary better than mine?" 

"Because you suck." Mike said, waving him off. "Anyway-" His voice went quieter, adopting that hushed quality that he used he was immersing the party. "You're walking deeper and deeper into the cave. It's quiet, it's really quiet. Your own heartbeat and breathing are the only sounds you can hear- it's unnerving. You turn a corner, expecting to see more cave but instead there's a door." 

Max, who had been looking more and more excited, blew out a harsh breath and leaned back. "Boring." 

"A door?" Will asked, still just as excited as before. 

Mike smiled briefly before leaning forward even more. "The door is wedged between the rock- up at the part of the path where it starts to get narrow. You have to crawl because the cave top is swooping low." 

Steve stifles a smile as they all lean in close. Even Max, who was trying to seemed disinterested, couldn't help but crane her head closer. 

"And just as you reach the door- just as you reach out and brush your fingers over the knob- someone on the other side knocks." 

Just then: there was a series of pounding bangs at Steve's door. The kids all jumped about a half foot into the air and, not ashamed to admit it, so did Steve. 

"What the hell- who the hell is that?" Mike snapped as Steve practically vaulted over the couch to get to the door. He could hear the waver in Mike's voice and see the way that Will instantly folded into Lucas' side but Steve was too busy stressing out to comfort them- 

He knew that knock.

That was Billy. And he didn't knock like that when he wanted to fuck around and smoke weed. 

He knocked like that when he was in trouble. 

So Steve, with tense shoulders and hands that were ready- to either catch or fight, he didn't know, he didn't know-  opened the door. As expected, Billy stood on the other side. Well, not standing, more so leaning against his doorway. 

His eye was black and his shoulders were hunched and he bared his teeth and it felt like Steve was zapped with a thousand volts because he could see blood in Billy's mouth. 

It shouldn't have been so earth shaking- Steve's seen the bruises, he's wrapped the sprains, he's ignored the way Billy wears his leather jacket when it's ninety degrees. 

This shouldn't have been any different. 

"Hey, Harrington," And he said it like they were discussing the weather, like it was a normal fucking day. "Can I come in?" 

"Y-yeah." Steve stuttered, blinking away the sight of red against white. "Of course. Holy shit dude." 

Billy kinda pushes pass him before jerking to a stop and shit Steve forgot the kids were even there. How did he- 

"What the fuck?" Mike exclaimed.

Max scrambled to her feet, her eyes wide as bowling balls. "Billy-" 

"Hey nerds." Billy cut her off, trying for what Steve would assume was a light tone. The insult- which was said like a term of endearment- sounded awkward in his mouth, like he didn't know if he could say it or not, like he didn't know whether he was saying it right. 

The kids' eyes all widened, obviously having caught sight of the red staining Billy's teeth. 

"Billy." Max repeated, her eyes wider- scared. She taking a hesitant step forward on shaky legs and Steve decided he didn't like that look on her. 

Max wasn't hesitant, she was fiery, she was fierce, she said what she meant and she meant what she said. Steve hated to think about her stepping on eggshells and creeping around nervously. He hated to think about her living in that house with that man. 

"Hey twerp." Billy nodded.

 Steve shifted anxiously because they didn't have time for this. He knew from experience that the taste of blood in your mouth wasn't pleasant and if there was even the ghost of a drop of blood on his mom's white carpet- 

"What the hell happened to your face?" Dustin asked Steve finally snapped into action. 

He knew that they couldn't know.  If there was one promise that Steve made to himself when all this started- when he found himself with a group of kids hanging out in his home, eating snacks in his kitchen, asking him to take them to arcades- and it was that he would never involve the kids in this.

The way he flinched when he heard the lock to the front door turn or the way he frantically 

They would never know. They didn't deserve that. He wouldn't let it touch them.  It was too much, too terrible, too horrifying. 

Max was enough. Max was too much. 

There couldn't be anyone else. 

He didn't have time to think or ask about the kids' hesitant familiarity with Billy, just the same as Max and Mike and Dustin didn't have time to ask about Steve's easy familiarity with Billy. 

"Shit, come on Hargrove." Steve said, shutting the front door and maneuvering around Billy without touching. No touching, not yet- he knew. "Come on, the first aid kit- let's go." 

Billy blinked, his weight shifting slightly and nope, Steve wasn't doing this now. He wasn't going to deal with a hesitant Max and a hesitant Billy. 

"Let's go Hargrove." Steve repeated, his voice turning stern. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Lucas stand and Max take another step forward. He could see El's eyes narrow and Will grip the coffee table, his eyes wide. But Steve only had eyes for Billy. 

And the blood that was slowly dripping down from his nose. 

"Yeah." Billy nodded, a little absently. A little nervously. "First aid kit. Right." 

A couple of nerve-wracking seconds went by where, as Steve led him down the hall, he was sure that Billy would be skittish the whole time he was here and that Steve would have to actually check him for a concussion. 

But when they made their way into the bedroom and Steve grabbed the first aid kit, Billy sighed. 

He shoved at Steve's shoulder, pushing him back out to the living room. "Go on Harrington, I don't need to be coddled." 

Steve paused, eying him skeptically. Billy shoved at him again. "Your children are waiting." 

Steve hummed, nodding once. Finally. They were back on track. Still, Steve didn't go. "You sure? Your ugly mug says otherwise." 

Are you sure you're good? 

Billy rolled his eyes- well, eye- and pushed at Steve's shoulder again. There was no real effort behind it; it was more like a nudge than a push. "I'm hotter than you and you know it princess. Go on, the nerds are probably losing their fucking minds." 

I'm good. This is nothing. 

Steve huffed. "Keep telling yourself that Hargrove. There's a blanket in my closet. Two."

Alright. I trust you. Stay here tonight. Max too.

Billy nodded. "Yeah, I know." He paused again and his eyes focused on the carpet. "Thanks." 

We will. 

Steve shrugged like it was no big deal. And maybe it wasn't. And maybe it should've been.

...