Work Text:
Moving Day
Billy is in his office trying to decide whether to let the man in front of him off easy or make an example out of him. He is leaning toward the former. He is in a good mood after all, always in a good mood on days he gets to see Steve, which is most days now. Steve is down to one job and volunteering, letting Billy take care of more of his needs. Which is great because Billy can never get enough time with Steve. It does not matter what they are doing, Billy enjoys taking Steve to a museum exhibit he wants to see just as much as he likes getting him between the sheets.
Tonight Billy is taking him to a carnival, Steve had seen a flyer last week and got excited when Billy offered to take him, admitting he had not been to once since Hawkins. Billy likes when Steve is excited about things, he flushes and his eyes go bright, talking faster, hands moving with each word. It is almost as good as when he gets worked up sexually, a close kind of look, only his tone drops and his eyes are hooded. Steve had gone from excited to turned on when Billy mentioned paying someone to stop them at the top of the ferris wheel. It had been a joke till he saw Steve’s reaction, Billy is definitely paying the guy to leave them at the top of the ferris wheel for a while tonight.
Billy is just about to let the guy go with a warning when his phone rings and it is Steve on the line. He never calls, not much for talking on the phone, prefers to talk in person, Billy can barely contain the excitement from his voice when he hears Steve over the line.
“Looking forward to tonight pretty boy?” Billy drops his tone going for sultry as he turns his back on the man tied in the middle of the room.
“I’m sorry but, I can’t make it tonight.” Billy’s heart drops as Steve lets out a weak wheezing sort of cough, voice rougher than Billy has ever heard it. “I’ve come down with something, been sick all morning can we, can we go another time?” Steve asks voice cracking.
“Yeah baby we can go a different day. What do you need? What can I bring you?” Billy is already making a mental list of what he thinks Steve needs.
“No, no don’t come here. I, I might be contagious. I don’t want you to catch it.” Steve says quickly, voice going high and breaking again. Billy does not like it, does not care if he gets sick.
“Look I’ll call you tomorrow okay, I just want to rest, I, I’m really tired.” Something about his voice sounds so weak and sad and Billy just wants to wrap him in a blanket.
“Let me-” Billy starts only for Steve to cut him off sounding like he is close to tears, practically begging.
“Please Billy, I just want to rest.” Billy has a tight grip on the phone nodding before he realizes Steve cannot see him.
“Yeah okay pretty boy you rest, call me if you need anything.” Billy gets out, his own voice tight and worried, people get sick it is normal, totally normal. Billy’s hands are a white knuckled grip as they say quick goodbyes and any chance Chad had of walking out of here of his own volition has gone out the window.
Steve is still sick two days later and adamant Billy stay away, Billy gives him his space but he misses Steve and he desperately wants to check on him which is why he shows up at Steve’s apartment with a container of soup on the third day. Billy feels a flash of panic curling up his throat as he sees the state Steve’s door is in, it is obvious that someone jimmied it open recently, haphazardly hanging together with what looks like the paste Billy has occasionally seen Steve using.
There are muffled voices coming from inside when Billy knocks on the door, cutting off immediately. “Who is it?” Someone shouts that is not Steve.
“Billy, where the hell is Steve!” Billy demands, ready to slam into the door and force it open, it will not give up much of a fight, would not have even before someone broke it the first time.
“Billy!” The panic trying to choke him losses a little at Steve’s squeaking surprised shout. “I told you not to come!”4
Billy feels anger well up in him. “Well I’m here, now let me in!”
“Billy I-” Billy knocks his hand hard against the door when Steve starts talking instead of opening the door knowing an excuse is trying to come out of his mouth.
“Let me in now.” Billy’s voice goes low, just loud enough to be heard through the door. There is shuffling, more hesitation before the door is being pulled open, and Billy recognizes that curly mop of hair from back in Hawkins. “The hell are you doing here Henderson?” Billy asks with narrowed eyes, pushing the door open further searching out Steve, who is looking away, shoulders hunches and worry churns in Billy’s gut.
“I came to check on Steve, what the hell are you doing here. Billy fucking Hargrove, Steven, really!” Dustin goes from a normal tone to yelling without taking a breath, and Billy wants to punch him when he sees Steve flinch.
“Dustin could you fucking not.” Steve hisses, he has on an over sized romper and sweats, his hair mused and Billy wants him to turn around. Billy blinks as he realizes the room is off, and it takes him a minute, he has to force his focus off of Steve to see that the room is not nearly as cluttered as normal. The shitty old appliances are missing, the fancy art supplies Billy bought him are not here, the coffee table is gone, and the couch has holes torn through the cushions.
“Pretty boy what the hell happened here?” Billy asks, shoving the soup into Dustin’s chest and striding the short distance to get to Steve, cold shooting through his belly when Steve pulls away before Billy can touch him.
Billy catches a glimpse of his neck with the movement, looking bruised and tender and a lot like hands had been on his throat. Hands that were not Billy’s, hands that were not gentle or trying to please, no these hands were trying to hurt him, had hurt him. Fear shoots up to choke Billy. He has a few enemies, most too afraid of him to do anything at all much less this, and most do not know about Steve but the fear is there, what if this is his fault.
“Baby?” Billy hates how his voice comes out broken open and cracking, hates that they have an audience and wants to lash out at Dustin when he hears him scoff behind him, but he does not dare. Billy keeps his attention on Steve, does not touch him this time, only moves his hand closer, past Steve’s shoulder, letting him decide. “I need you to tell me what happened.”
“I’m going to step outside.” Dustin says after a long assessing moment and Billy does not want to hit him anymore. Thankful that Dustin seems to have developed some decorum since his childhood, Billy had not seen much of him as a kid, but he is pretty sure he did not have tact back then.
Billy waits till Dustin has shuffled outside, pulling the door closed with some difficulty as the fame is warped, he tries slamming it three times before he finally gets it. “Pretty boy, talk to me, please.” Billy just needs to know what happened, needs to know who he needs to make pay, needs to know if it is his fault.
“Billy.” Steve reaches out and grasps his hand and Billy feels something loosen only for it to tighten right back up as his stomach rolls, Steve looks worse than that night back in high school when Billy took his shit out on him. “It looks worse than it is.” Steve tries teary eyed and trying to duck his head away from Billy’s assessing stare, Billy does not let him, gets a gentle hand on his face, avoiding the bruising and looks at everything he can, he is sure Steve is hiding more injuries under his clothes.
“Baby what the fuck happened?” Billy asks again, thumbing Steve’s bottom lip from between his teeth as he breaks the cut back open painting them in fresh red. “Tell me please.” Billy’s heart breaks as Steve crumples into him, arms going around his back and clutching as Steve cries against his shoulder, Billy’s hands flutter uselessly unsure where to touch before settling gently against Steve’s hips.
“I’m not sick.” Steve admits and Billy refrains from scoffing, because that much is obvious but he is too concerned to point that out to him right now. “I’m sorry I lied, I didn’t want you to see me.” Steve gets out between cries, words slurred together and muffled, it takes Billy a few minutes to process them.
“Why the fuck not?” Billy bites out harsher than he means to, his own eyes a little wet with all the worry and fear rampaging through him, he gentles a hand against Steve’s nape when he goes to pull away, dropping his hand lower when it drags a hiss of pain from Steve’s lips.
“I didn’t want you to know.” Steve’s voice is soft and weak and it does nothing to quell the anger inside of Billy, that anger rages higher at Steve’s next admittance. “I look awful and I, I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
Billy shuffles them over to Steve’s bed which thankfully looks fairly unscathed compared to the rest of Steve’s belongings, but that probably has more to do with the blankets piled high than there being nothing wrong with it. “This is fucking embarrassing.” Steve huffs out scrubbing at his face and wincing as he brushes to hard over tender spots when Billy gets him settled. Billy grabs his arms to stop him hurting himself, kneeling in front of him and looking up into Steve’s swollen bruised face.
“You have nothing to be embraced about. I wish you would have told me right away that you were hurt.” Billy would have been here immediately, would have dropped everything. “Tell me what happened.” Billy hates repeating himself, but he will do it for Steve, do it as many times as it takes to get to the bottom of this.
“Some kids broke into my place.” Steve hunches his shoulders trying to draw away, Billy just surges up and readjusts them so that both of them are on the bed, Steve’s head pillowed against his chest. Billy suspects when Steve says kids he means Dustin’s age, because those are not bruises left by actual children, at least none of Billy’s enemies are in that age range, not that he knows of at least. Well more accurately none of his enemies were because now they definitely are, whoever they are Billy is going to find them and make them pay.
“I came back in the middle of it, and it’s not like there was much here.” Steve hiccups between words and Billy curls closer, tosses a leg gently over Steve’s boxing him in a little, trying to protect him from something that already happened. “I’ve only ever won one fight in my life and that was because I caught the guy by surprise.” Billy cannot say he is surprised, Steve had tried valiantly back in high school when Billy had let his anger rule out and gone after one of his kids but Max had had to save him from Billy’s wrath. Fighting is definitely not his strong suit.
“They were leaving, but one of them spotted the necklace you gave me last week. I, I handed it over, and the bracelet but he didn’t believe that there wasn’t more and he just kept hitting me and shouting, I don’t know how long it lasted before someone pulled him off of me.” Steve starts shuddering and hiccupping again as he cries and Billy shakes with anger but tempers it down making soothing shushing noises as Steve buries his face against his neck again.
Billy waits till Steve’s eyes have dried “Pack up your essentials, I’ll have Maxwell take care of everything else.” Billy stands looking around the room, at the few paintings left unscathed, Steve does not really have essentials, not anything that Billy cannot replace for him, but the quilt on his bed and the paintings he knows they are important to Steve.
“Billy” Steve tries voice weak and scratchy because someone had chocked him and Billy had not known about it till three days later that will not stand, he cannot protect Steve here all of the time. Steve is standing right in his space, looking small and vulnerable even though he is taller than Billy, and he hates that someone did this to him.
“NO!” Billy grits out tone harsh, angry. Steve flinches back and Billy gentles himself pulling Steve close. “Come stay with me, just test it out for a few days, if you don’t like it I’ll get you a new apartment. Somewhere this won’t happen. I just want you safe pretty boy.” Billy kisses the corner of Steve’s mouth careful of his bruised cheek, and avoiding kissing him full on the lips with the other side split and swollen.
“Yeah, okay.” Steve’s voice is shaky and wet, hands shaking where they are fisted in the back of Billy’s suit jacket again. He gives in so easy when normally there would be more of a discussion, more coxing required. It just makes Billy angrier. He should have tried harder to get him to move in sooner, this all could have been avoided.
“I’ll fuck kill them when I find them.” Billy vows ignoring the little wet huffing laugh Steve lets out against his shoulder. Steve still does not know what Billy does for a living, does not know that Billy is not just saying those words, he is going to find out who did this and have them killed, maybe he will even get his own hands dirty, it is personal after all.
“No, they were just dumb kids Billy.” Steve insists burrowing closer to Billy and making another pained noise as he presses his injuries against Billy’s shoulder, oh he is definitely killing someone, at the very least who ever put their hands on Steve.
“Are you guys done?” Dustin asks loudly as he cracks the door open, Billy is pretty sure the entire building can hear him. “Some ol’ lady is eyeing me like I’m going to steal her shitty doormat.”
“Dustin, get in here and stop riling up my neighbors.” Steve huffs out pulling his face away from Billy’s neck to send a glare at the kid who is definitely making rude hand gestures at someone down the hall. “Dustin!” Steve says more sharply and that gets the kid to turn sheepish as he shuts the door behind him, head hung as he mumbles out an apology.
“Pack a bag, I’ll get Maxwell to arrange everything else.” Billy says again gently “Yeah I guess he can come too.” Billy says it like it pains him when Steve gestures toward Dustin, who glares at Billy and blows a raspberry at him. Billy just rolls his eyes at Dustin’s antics, glad to see Steve at ease trying not to smile and encourage Dustin’s behavior. “I’m going to speak to Maxwell.” Billy gives Steve’s hips a squeeze and a gentle kiss against his temple, smiling when Steve leans in to plant a kiss on his cheek. The smile falls as soon as he pulls the door closed behind him, Maxwell has a busy night ahead of him.
-
“Is there traffic?” Steve asks, tucked in against Billy’s side Dustin sleeping next to them having driven straight to Steve’s after class, a four hour drive during the time he usually naps before parties or library study sessions.
“No, we aren’t going to my condo, we’re going home.” Billy says with a wide grin, he started working on this place as soon as he came across Steve at the restaurant.
“What are you talking about Billy?” Steve asks craning his head back and wincing at the pull as he looks up at Billy, Billy’s grin falters a little at the reminder of why he is finally taking Steve home.
“It’s a surprise, you’ll see.” Billy gently touches the curve of Steve’s cheek being careful of the swollen purple areas dipping lower for a soft brief kiss. “We’ll be there real soon, get you some ice when we get there.” Steve hums, and rests his head against Billy’s shoulder, tired and worn out still, his hand carding through Dustin’s curls.
Dustin had made Steve a schedule for icing his injuries and the car ride was cutting into the next schedule time. Billy is a little annoyed that Steve had called and told Dustin immediately but had tried to hide it from him. Billy soothes himself with the knowledge that someday he will be Steve’s first call, that Steve and Dustin have just been together through a lot.
“Wake your kid up, we’re here.” Billy says a few minutes later when they finally pull into the driveway through a passcoded gate, smaller than the one surrounding the neighborhood. The house is not the biggest house in the neighborhood but it is plenty large, Billy had picked this place with Steve and his gaggle of kids in mind.
“Oh, wow.” Steve says softly mouth left parted in an ‘o’ as he takes in the garden framing the driveway and walkway that lead up to the house. It had originally been all sand, cacti, and hideous statuary, Billy’s first order of business had been to hire a landscaper, his second a contractor to remodel the inside. Dustin lets out a loud whistle from the other side of the car once he has stumbled out.
Billy just grins leading Steve in and grabbing him some ice before giving him a tour, looks forward to seeing Steve painting of the flora he picked just for him. Billy gives Steve and Dustin a basic tour, Steve’s still sore and achy and Billy just wants to get him comfortable and resting again. Dustin immediately picks one of the guest rooms and claims it as his own, settling in as Billy pulls Steve to another room.
Billy is admittedly a little nervous about this room, has had it remodel three times now. One wall is all windows and glass doors leading onto a large veranda, the entire room full of different art supplies. He had it made just for Steve, plenty of natural light, and built in lighting for when he gets up to paint or draw in the middle of the night. Paints, pencils, clay and a whole array of art supplies that Billy cannot even begin to name line the shelves built into the walls.
“This is all for me?” Steve asks voice wet as his fingers ghost over a pristine untouched canvas washed yellow orange by the setting sun.
“Yeah this room is all for you pretty boy, the house is for us, wanted some place for the both of us. Got an office on the main floor for me, plenty of room for all your kids to come visit, I would like to see Max at some point if, if she wants to come visit.” Billy wraps his arms loosely around Steve’s shoulders, eyes on the horizon.
“Of course she wants to come visit, first thing she said after I mentioned I ran into you. You did too much, you always do so much.” Steve murmurs turning in Billy’s arms, tears in his eyes again as he presses a soft kiss at the corner of Billy’s lips.
Billy is glad to hear Max wants to visit, he has not seen her since he left Hawkins all of those years ago, it will be nice. “No such thing when it comes to you pretty boy, how about I show you our bedroom. We can get cleaned up while Dustin is distracted no doubt investigating the place.” Billy can already hear him with the door cracked open, banging around down stairs. He has no doubt that they will locate him in either the kitchen or the game room when they finally venture back down stairs.
Steve hums letting Billy lead him to their room, all hardwood and light green, Billy had the colors chosen to go with Steve’s old quilt, already laid out on the bed by Maxwell who brought Steve’s things in. The man had left immediately after to go pack up Steve’s apartment and start some of Billy’s people on the searching for the people responsible for hurting Steve. Steve’s fingers dance over the quilt with familiarity and Billy knows Steve wants to wrap himself up in it, the way he always does after a hard day but Billy pulls him away, pulls him into the bathroom instead and starts filling up the large tub.
Steve gives another hum of appreciation “Could use a soak.” Steve says offhandedly smelling the different products lines up on a little shelf nearby, Billy picks the one Steve goes back to twice and adds it to the tube before striping them both.
“Figured you’re sore.” Billy chokes out as he gets a look at the varying bruises marring the rest of Steve’s skin. His face is bad but the rest of him is no better, a shoe print bruised into the skin of his back. Steve hisses and pulls away when Billy’s skimming fingers get a little too close. “Sorry.” Billy steps into the tub, helping Steve get in and settling him between his legs, mouthing at Steve’s collarbone as he puddles back against him. They stay in the bath till both of them are well pruned.
-
Billy leaves Steve sleeping in their big bed wrapped up tight in silky sheets and his worn yellow quilt. Pleased at the sight of Steve sleeping soundly, where he will continue to sleep if Billy has his way. Billy wanders down to the kitchen as his stomach rumbles, and finds Dustin rummaging through the barren pantry.
“You don’t have anything to eat!” Dustin complains, turning to glare at Billy, who rolls his eyes and digs through a drawer near the fridge, tossing a pile of takeout menus at Dustin. The pantry has not been stocked yet because he did not know when they would be moving in, Billy did not want perishables hanging around. Maxwell will no doubt return with the essentials when he brings Gulliver and Steve’s things by.
“So you and Steve?” Dustin broaches, tone trying for casual as he goes through the menus tossing the ones he has no interest in to the side, one sliding down the marble counter top and hitting the floor with a soft whoosh.
“What about me and Steve?” Billy snaps up the menu Dustin has spent the most time looking at, sliding a note pad and a pen over to him as he looks through the menu figuring out food for both Steve and himself.
“You really care about him, right?” Dustin slides the pen and paper over once he has scribbled down his own order, staring at Billy with hard eyes.
“Yes.” Billy says curtly.
“Cool, if you hurt him I’ll let El know.” Dustin is still watching him, tone light despite the threat.
“Not going to do it yourself?” Billy asks going for the phone against the wall, but waiting to dial, he wants to hear what Dustin has to say, no distractions.
“Nope, El won’t leave evidence behind, can make it look like an accident real easy like and she loves Steve so it’s not like it would be a hard ask.” Dustin is grinning wide and Billy believes him, he remembers things from his time being possessed by the mind flyer, remembers the little girl who flung him across the room with her mind.
“I’m not going to hurt Steve, I just want him to be happy and safe.” Billy will not hurt him, hates that someone else had hurt him, would rather die than hurt Steve ever again.
“Cool, that’s all I wanted to hear.” Dustin says all easy, still smiling but softly, less danger lurking as he slides a folded up pamphlet across the counter. Billy grabs the thing, the creases folded into it speaking of age, the picture faded, it is a collage pamphlet.
“What’s this for?” Billy asks as he looks at it, it is not for Dustin’s collage, but for a local one.
“Steve had plans that didn’t involve three jobs before his dad disowned him and he was going to try even after but he couldn’t afford it, just something to think about.” Dustin offers with a shrug. The pamphlet is specifically for a teaching course, and Billy can see it, can see Steve working with kids, teaching them all about art. That way is full of thoughts Billy could get lost in, as Steve teaching kids turns into Steve with a kid on his hip bouncing around his studio, greeting Billy when he gets home.
“I’ll keep this in mind.” Billy shakes off his thoughts, folds up the pamphlet and tucks it into the pocket of his sweats, if Steve wants to go to college and work with kids Billy is going to make that happen. They can have some kids of their own after that, if Steve wants to adopt with him, Billy really likes the idea of them adopting together.
Billy waves distractedly as he catches sight of Maxwell coming in, toting bags and Gulliver in his travel cage upstairs as he orders their dinner, orders for the man as well now that he is back. “By the way why exactly do you have a room full of tunnels and cages?” Dustin’s face clearly indicates he thinks it is for something nefarious as Billy hangs up.
“That’s Gulliver’s room, if you look around the ceilings you’ll see the tunnels go through most of the house.” Billy rolls his eyes as Dustin looks up, there is one loop of tunnel near the entrance of the kitchen, leading back out to toward the living room.
“Who the hell is Gulliver?”
“This is Gulliver.” Steve announces through a cracking yawn with a wince, as he comes in with the rat cradled against his chest, laying boneless over his forearm as Steve strokes his back.
“God you would have a pet rat.” Dustin says all snide like and Billy has to resist the urge to lash out at the kid who moves closer to Steve with interest despite his tone.
“Well he is the rat king, it’s totally fitting.” Steve says grinning fondly at Billy as he lets Dustin take Gulliver from him, it last about two minutes before Steve gives into the unhappy squeaks and takes him back. “Dustin won’t hurt you, he’s nice.” Steve tells the rat, giving him his full attention ignoring Dustin’s annoyed face.
“He’s got good taste just like me.” Billy says grinning as he slides an arm around Steve pulling him close, grinning wider at Dustin’s offended grumbles.
End