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“Running short on tools of the trade, are we, chief? Couldn’t afford an extra pair of handcuffs?”
Hopper didn’t rise to Billy’s bait, instead just fixed the boy with a level stare. “You sure you wanna talk shit with me, kid? Cause from where I’m standing, you’re the one with two unpaid speeding fines and unanswered court summons.” The police chief smiled, though it was clearly condescending. “Understand, Hargrove?”
Billy’s eyes narrowed, easy expression changing into a glare, but he bit his tongue. “Yessir,” he muttered, tonelessly.
For a moment the office was quiet, only the ticking of the clock on the wall and muffled sound of other people moving around the other parts of the station breaking the silence.
“Aw, c’mon, Hop, don’t blame it all on him, I’m the one that put him up to it.” Hopper’s gaze shifted to the teenager on the right of Billy, who had given up trying to look tough and was leaning forward, mouth open as if about to continue.
Hopper groaned. “Alright, first of all, Mr. Harrington, seeing as you’re both sitting here for speeding down the highway at eighty miles an hour – I didn’t even know your car could go that fast – I am certainly not blaming it all on him. And enough with the ‘Hop’ shit, that’s Chief Hopper to you.”
Steve Harrington scoffed and sank lower in his seat. He tried to cross his arms, but as he lifted his right hand up to do so, Billy’s left arm came with it; they were handcuffed together.
“Hey, watch it pretty boy, you’re gonna rip my arm out!” Billy jerked his arm back down. He rested his hand on his thigh, and Hopper didn’t miss how Steve laced their fingers together. It would be cute if they weren’t in here for breaking the law.
Have a heart, something whispered inside him, It’s still pretty adorable. Hopper wasn’t sure what he’d done to make them feel comfortable enough to do that around him, but he was glad they were. Didn’t mean he wasn’t sick of them being little shits and acting like the rules didn’t apply to them.
“You’re one to talk,” Steve shot back at Billy, though there wasn’t really any venom in it, “Maybe if we’d just gone up to drive where I said this wouldn’t even be happening–”
“Oh yeah? Well maybe if you actually listened when I was mapping out our route–”
And so it went on, the two of them bickering like some old married couple, and Hopper fought between the urge to bang his head down on the desk and burst out laughing. When Billy Hargrove had first showed up to town and recieved three traffic violations within the week, never had he imagined that fast-talking Cali boy would end up hanging out with Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes himself Steve Harrington. Now, however, the two were going anywhere and everywhere together and causing him no end of trouble. After hearing the story of the fight at the Byers, he was wondering if the schoolyard sentiment of bullying the person you had a crush on actually held any weight. It definitely did with these two.
“Okay, OKAY, shut it, lovebirds!” He yelled over them. That did the trick: they immediately went quiet, faces flushed – from anger or embarrassment he couldn’t tell. Probably both. “So, anyone care to tell me what, exactly, you two were doing racing your cars up past Highway 77 like it’s damn Nascar?”
Instead of giving an answer, Billy sat up from his slouch enough to drawl, “Isn’t that highway outside of your jurisdiction, chief?”
He had a sense of humor, this one. “Ah, so would you rather me hand you off to a state trooper, instead? Because that can be arranged. And they won’t hesitate to call your parents and have something written on your permanent record, either.”
Though he was speaking to both of them, he looked very pointedly at Billy. He knew what kind of home the kid lived in, had heard snippets of it from when Max would come over to hang out with El, seen the bruises under Billy’s collar whenever he’d be dropping his sister off or cruising around town. He also knew that the kid didn’t want sympathy or someone interfering. But Hopper wasn’t just going to throw him back to the wolves.
Something changed in Billy’s face, almost imperceptibly, almost like he was seeing Hopper differently for the first time. He shook his head. “No sir, this is fine.”
Steve looked between them for a moment, then sighed. He opened his mouth again and everything came out in a rush. “We were going to hang out at the lake, but then on the way back we decided to drive around a bit, and I leaned out the window and said to Billy that maybe we should race each other back, and I wouldn’t take no for an answer, so it’s my fault really, and that’s why we–”
“I get it Harrington, you’re dumb teenagers.” He deadpanned. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you and your boyfriend are a menace and need to get your act together.”
Now they really were red. “No, we’re not– he’s not– I mean– but–!”
He ignored them, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth in spite of himself. “So, what to do with you two, hm? I can suspend your licenses if I really want to, y’know…”
The boys held their breath.
“…but nah. You’ve caught me in a good mood.” He leant back in his chair.
Steve beamed, and even Billy cracked a smile. “Really! Oh my god, thanks Hop you have no idea–”
“Calm down, Hotshot, I wasn’t finished. I’ll be hanging onto your keys. Only for a few days,” he raised his voice a bit as they began to protest. “I think it’s only fair.”
“But, but, I mean, I promised I’d drive the kids to that party tomorrow.” Steve looked absolutely devastated.
“God, you’re such a mom, Steve, y’know that?” Billy teased, then he tensed. “And what exactly should I tell my old man, aye Chief? He’s going to be asking where the Camero’s at and it’s my ass–” he caught himself. “He’ll want to know.”
“I’ll send it up to Jerry’s and he can keep it on the lot. You just say that it’s in for an oil change.”
“I just changed the oil two months ago,” Billy mutters, but he meets Hopper’s gaze and nods. It’s a silent thanks.
Hopper stands up and grabs his hat. “Well, I’m headed home early, and with that taken care of you two can go.” He turns to leave.
Steve clears his throat. “Er… can you take the handcuffs off?” He holds up his (and by proxy Billy’s) arm.
“You two are smart, you’ll figure out how to open it.”
Billy snorts. “Do I hear the police chief himself condoning breaking out of handcuffs?”
“I think it shouldn’t be much of a change.” He looks over his shoulder and rolls his eyes. “You two are basically attached at the hip as it is.”
He left the office and could hear their voices rising up behind him.
“Steve, baby, if I didn’t know better I’d think he’s making fun of us.”
“Of course he is, you’re so damn snarky you deserve it.”
“Nah, I think it’s because you’re so obviously in love with me. It’s sickening.”
“You’re sickening.”
Hopper laughs, really laughs, ignoring the strange looks from the other officers as he heads out of the building. Out of all the shit that’s happened in the past year, at least the comedy relief that is Steve Harrington and Billy Hargrove has come out of it.
He has to make a stop at the store on the way home – out of Eggos again, he swears they go through eight boxes a week – and drives past Billy and Steve walking up the side of the road, trying to to light two cigarettes, fumbling with the lighter between their handcuffed hands. Billy drops it and immediately goes to grab it, almost yanking Steve to the ground. They clamber upright, laughing. The last he sees of them in his rearview mirror is Steve leaning in to kiss Billy on the cheek.
Yeah, he thinks, the kids are alright.