Old friend

They are in the grocery store, Billy meant to go on his own but Steve had caught him on the way out and begged to go with. He tried to convince the kid to stay back with Dustin and the other kids, Jonathan sticking around for supervision but one wobbly lipped "Please" had Billy caving like a flimsy house of cards. 

He has Steve in the cart as he walks around picking up things from the list Mrs. Henderson had given him. She is technically taking care of Steve even if sometimes it feels more like he is with the way Steve is always latching onto him and her full work schedule. Billy is the only person who can babysit Steve without him erupting into tears at Mrs. Henderson leaving. 

Dustin tried once but Steve had been left confused by the science experiments the kid tried to show him and he does not know how to say no unless Steve tries to play with one of his collectibles. Which is how Steve ended up sunburnt with a belly ache. Dustin is not allowed to be supervision, too wrapped up in trying and usually failing to be an awesome big brother to Steve. Which really just translates to being a pushover and an over compensator. Billy is a pushover too but he will not actually let Steve do anything that will leave him in a bad way and he has learned to tell when Steve is just going along and when he actually is enjoying things, something Dustin still does not get. 

Billy is deliberately looking at the opposite side of the cereal aisle when they go down and Tommy happens to be perusing the other side. There is no escaping him when he lets out a high shout of surprise as Steve reaches for him and brushes a small hand over his elbow tickling and startling Tommy. He whirls around looking pissy when he takes in Billy a sneer curling his lips, their comradery had not ended on the best of terms. Billy is ready to throw hands as he turns that look on Steve. 

"Your freckles are pretty! My best friend Tommy has pretty freckles just like them!" Steve is looking up at Tommy with his big eyes and that big dopey smile he usually levels him with. Billy watches as the anger and annoyance drains right out of him, Billy cannot imagine anyone not being a puddle in his small hands but he and others have sussed out that the Harrington seniors are the exception to that.

"That’s me, I'm Tommy." He says weakly just staring at Steve, he like everyone else in town has heard about Steve and his condition by now. The government came up with some cockamamie excuse that honestly should not be believed but the people of Hawkins just went with it. They have not taken Steve out a lot yet, keeping him between the Harrington house and Claudia's for the most part so not many people have actually seen him. 

"But you're too big to be Tommy, he's my size." Steve insists frowning up at him, eyes squinting suspiciously. 

"I haven't been your size for a long time buddy." Tommy says with an awkward shrug and a bitten off laugh when Steve shakes his head in disbelief. Reading the glare Billy sends him before he can accidentally upset Steve by making him feel he is being laughed at.

"How come I didn't grow up any if you're Tommy?" Steve says little hand pointing at Tommy as he stands up in the cart making him eye level with his freckled former friend. Billy shifts to stand on the other side in easy range to grab him if he falls, just barely resisting telling him to sit his ass back down, swallowing the words down when he realizes they want to come out in a panicked yell. Steve does not do well with people yelling at him even when he is not in trouble, quick to tears as he rubs at his little forehead something Billy has seen him do plenty of times when he is older and the kids get too loud.

Tommy opens his mouth to answer like Steve is going to believe anything he might say. He snaps it shut when Steve swivels his whole body in Billy’s direction, trusting him to tell the truth and rocking the whole cart. Billy has that panic crawl up his throat and he clamps down on it enough to only mutter instead of the shout it wants to be. "Don't do that." Billy reaches his hands out and steadies Steve before Tommy can get the chance when he reaches out, still unsure about him around Steve, it is not as if they were friends recently. He will remind Steve later when it is just the two of them that he is not supposed to stand in the cart.

"An accident, remember we told you about it." Kind of, nothing in detail, just that he was older and then one day he was not. It is not as if they have more details to give.

"Will I get taller?" Steve's brow crinkles up, eyes big like he is worried he will not and Billy cannot help smiling at him.

"You'll be taller than both me and Hargrove." Tommy buts in hands clasped on the edge of the cart keeping it still when Steve swivels back in his direction, the only thing keeping the panic out of Billy’s throat is his hands still right there keeping him steady. 

"Really?" Billy feels something akin to jealousy creeping up again, this time it is not about Steve thinking Tommy’s freckles are pretty but about the big excited smile he shows him. He knows it is stupid but he really likes that he is Steve's favorite. Since he cannot have Steve’s affections when he is older he will have to settle for the childish adoration that he holds for him right now. He is not about to share that with Tommy so he drags Steve's attention back.

"Oh don't sound so excited, you'll only have me by an inch and I can still toss you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes when you're grown." That has Steve swiveling back toward him, hands going straight up in the air with begging eyes. Billy wastes no time, hauling him up over his shoulder, leaving Tommy behind without a word as Steve giggles and occasionally demands Billy go backwards so he can grab something off a shelf.

-End