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He could feel a blanket draped on him, his head was fuzzy everything felt fuzzy. He blinked slowly, trying to figure out what the hell and where the hell is was. He could smell cooking, like bacon, and vomit. Had he thrown up? He looked to both sides, wasn’t him. Was he at a party? That makes no sense either. He can’t even remember having a drink. He felt sore he knew that. He heard retching suddenly.
“Ah gross, you gotta do that while you cook?” Was asked after the retching stopped.
“I’m sorry,” that was Steve Harrington’s voice dripping in sarcasm, “would you like to make breakfast so I can nurse my concussion?”
“Just, you’re puking close to the food.”
“At least he’s hitting the garbage can now.”
“Mike, I threw up once on the floor and I cleaned it up thank you very much.”
“Still gross. We were all asleep there.”
“Okay, if any of you nerds want to help me here and take over the job of breakfast chef, then you’re more than welcome too.”
“Hey don’t lump me in with them!” That was Max, her voice was more distant.
“Oh what was that Velma?”
“Shut up! You’d be Fred.”
“Oh my dignity is so hurt.” Sarcasm again. He looked down, the blanket was plush and a light blue. He had been dragged to the kitchen at one point? Memories flooded back to him. Neil was going to kill him. He could just pretend he died here. That would be a better option.
“Can mine have chocolate chips in them?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“If I give you chocolate chip, then I have to give everyone chocolate chip.”
“I’d be fine with that.”
“No. We aren’t doing chocolate chip pancakes.”
“Why?” Max never whined at home. It was long and drawn out, he could practically see her melting on the couch like she used too when she was smaller and she’d pretend she couldn’t move so Billy would have to move her himself.
“Because I said no.” He could see sock clad feet walking around him, the one by the stove, with a garbage can next to him looked really rough. Steve looked like he had been to hell and back, Billy caused that.
“Can we have them on top?”
“No.”
“Now you’re saying no just to say no.”
“No, I’m saying no because that’s more effort for me.”
“So if I do it we can.”
“If you want to play chef you can be my guest.”
“We aren’t playing pretend if we’re actually cooking.” Max huffed and he guessed the striped pajamas and yellow socks belonged to her. He watched her pause, he realized his eyes were open. They slowly met Max’s. A loud shriek came out of her mouth which also hurt Billy’s head and she took off.
“What the hell?”
“Shit shit shit shit shit he’s awake! He’s awake!” The kid with curly hair screamed causing mad panic to ensue in the kitchen.
“He’s gonna kill me!” The boy, Lucas, he knew his name now shrieked, clambering over to Steve across the kitchen table.
“He’s gonna kill us!” Black haired boy looked rather stressed getting behind Steve as well.
“He almost killed me last night why the fuck are you running to me?” Steve had Lucas in his arms some how as the kids realized that Billy almost killed Steve so hiding with Steve was useless.
“You have your bat!”
“Shit I do. I’m setting you down.”
“Don't put me down! He’s gonna kill me.” Lucas shrieked, gripping Harrington's neck tighter somehow.
“Okay I’m sitting you on the counter.” Steve chucked the kid at the counter top before grabbing the nail bat that was behind him.
“What’s going on here!” He looked up to see Jonathan Byers running into the kitchen, pajamas still on as well, holding a book. Not a novel even, it looked like a kids story book. Billy could almost laugh, what damage was that book going to do? Steve apparently also found this funny because he laughed some while staying in the position to swing the nail bat.
“Billy’s awake!” Lucas screeched from the counter top, bringing everyone back to reality over the storybook.
“Billy’s awake? Oh shit Billy’s awake! Mom! Mom! Mom!” Byers turned his tail rapidly, taking off down the hall.
“Okay, everyone to the living room! Go watch Scooby doo! I’ll deal with this!” Steve yelled.
“No, no way. No way. I’m not getting down.” Lucas was muttering loudly from the counter.
“Come here, come here let me grab you, okay never mind, Mike you’re first.” Steve didn't give the kid a second to protest before he grabbed him and hauled him around the table letting him scramble. “Lucas, let’s go!” He was grabbing the other kid in an instant and letting him scramble.
“What’s going on?” An adult yelled.
“Billy’s awake!” Lucas screeched again.
“Okay, it’ll be okay.” She reassured as Lucas made it to her.
“I’ll talk to him first! Everyone stop yelling!” Steve screamed, “my god damn head.” Steve then muttered.
“Are you sure?” The woman asked him.
“Yeah, yeah, I have my bat.” He said it calmly.
“Okay, I’ll be in the bedroom. I’m taking the kids with me. I’ll wake up Hopper.”
“Hopper slept through this?” Lucas looked alarmed at her.
“He’s tired it’s been a long night.” The kids were all herded down the hallway and Steve looked at him.
“Need help up?” Steve looked tired, he looked awful in reality. He still held out his hand. Billy took it. Bringing the blanket with him, like it was a force field from the awful shit that was Hawkins Indiana.
“What time is it?” Billy rubbed his face some, it was sore.
“About ten.” Steve poked at the bacon some.
“You’re just making breakfast at ten?”
“That’s what your concern is?”
“That and you’re puking next to the food.”
“Well, the door is over there.”
“My dads going to kill me.”
“He isn’t.” Steve immediately said.
“You don’t fucking get it Harrington.”
“We called last night.”
“You called for me?”
“Yeah Max did.”
“Shitbird.” He shook his head. Steve finally realized the pancake he had been making was about to catch on fire.
“Shit!” He grabbed the pan, flung open the window, and threw the pancake out the window. “I didn’t burn down the house Mrs. Byers!” Steve then yelled down the hall at the woman.
“Not a chef?” Billy tried to joke.
“Only reason you aren’t in a jail cell right now is because of me, don’t mock my cooking.”
“Um, yeah. Thanks for that.” Billy was not going to apologize to god damn Steve Harrington. He watched as Steve poured more pancake batter, sighing, looking in the cupboard before dropping chocolate chips on the pancake.
“When we, when we uh called your dad, he seemed like mine. Grade A asshole.”
“I don’t think you get it.” Steve paused what he said…
“Really man?” He was shaking his head. He flipped the pancake.
“You wouldn’t.” They heard a door open and close, a brunette with short hair walking down the hall. Makeup smudged all over her face.
“Eggos.” is all she said, leaning her weight onto Steve.
“We’re out.” Steve smiled at her some.
“No.”
“Sorry, with what Dustin shoved in the freezer we’re out.”
“No.” The shirt she was wearing was massive and Billy had no idea who this kid was.
“I can make waffles too.”
“No.”
“Waffles with,” he was looking in the cupboard, “how about with chocolate chips.” She eyed him.
“Yes.”
“Yes? Great please for the love of God go back with Joyce and Jonathan.”
“Why?”
“All the kids are back there.”
“Why? The tv?” she pointed to the living room.
“We can watch tv while we eat, go back with them please.” Steve looked a little desperate, the girl listened though.
“So why do you put your hands on your hips?” Billy asked him, curious, he had seen it more than once.
“No idea. Now here’s what is gonna happen.” Steve moved the pancake to the plate before pouring a new one, more chocolate chips, he then sat across from Billy. “You’re going to go home before anyone else notices you were here and then you’re going to tell your parents Max is hanging out with Jane.”
“Who’s Jane?”
“The little girl who was just out here.” The words rang in Billy’s ears. The little girl, she looked to be the same age as Max. He didn’t get how Steve immediately viewed them as small children.
“She’s Max’s age.”
“And the kids are going to have their breakfast,” he stood up to flip the pancake, “and we never speak of this again.”
“I’m sorry you’re just going to forget what happened?”
“I didn’t say that.” Steve had a haunted look to him. “I said we would never speak of it. You can tell everyone you kicked my ass, I don’t care, but find another reason why you did.” He got up and flipped the pancake.
“Why?”
“Because… I can’t say. And you didn’t see Jane either.” He stayed standing by stove.
“Because you were messing with my sister.” Steve turned to look at him angrily before he paled, retching into the garbage can again. He saw the woman, Mrs Byers that’s what Steve called her came rushing out of the door.
“Steve.” She hummed looking at Billy as Steve finished puking. He looked on and the woman brushed his hair out of his face.
“I’m fine. Shit pancakes.” He took it off of the burner and at least this one wasn’t about to catch on fire. All Billy could do was looks at how the woman looked at Steve, she looked softly at him, almost like his mother used to look at him.
“When did you take pain killers last?” She asked him gently.
“Midnight maybe?”
“Steve, why haven’t you taken more.”
“I took some Tylenol.”
“Hon.” She shook her head and walked down the hall, eyeing Billy as she did.
“Back to what we were discussing.” Steve got another pancake ready. Billy studied his face, rainbow bandaids littered it, so did blotchy bruising.
“Here honey.” Mrs Byers returned a few seconds later handing Steve a pill, “No driving on this.” She instructed him and she turned to Billy. “Are you hurt anywhere?” Billy could feel the bruises on his face, the one on his chest, and even some on his arms.
“I’m fine.”
“Your face looks sore, can I check?”
“I’m fine.” Mrs Byers wrung her hands together some.
“Do you want some pain killers?” She offered him. They sounded heavenly.
“I could use some, yes ma’am.” She eyes him and then Steve.
“He’s good. I’m talking with him.” Steve assures her.
“I’ll be right back with some. Any allergies?”
“None that I know of.”
“Okay.” She looks a bit stiff as Steve flips another pancake.
“What I was saying, you’re stuck here if you take those pills for four hours, Hopper’s rules. So you won’t be an asshole to anyone. Got that?” Steve held his hand on his hip.
“Max made that loud and clear last night.” Billy said to Steve.
“I was unconscious at that point. But I’ve kind of heard what happened.”
“Um, yeah. Why are you being nice to me?” Billy knew traps. This was a trap.
“As much as I can’t believe you did that to Lucas, we lied to you. I lied to you. You were angry, just at the wrong kid.”
“I almost killed you.”
“And so did Jonathan last year, but I’ll give him extra pancakes this morning even though Nancy left me for him.”
“Tommy said you and Nancy were together.”
“That changed.” Another pancake, more chocolate chips. Mrs Byers emerged with pills for Billy. He takes them with a glass of juice Steve has pushed towards him.
“The kids are only going to stay still for so long.” She informed Steve with a smile.
“I know, but we’re having a grown up discussion.”
“Can I throw my two cents in?” Steve prodded the bacon and nodded as Mrs Byers sat down and looked at him.
“I am sorry for the damage I caused to your home.”
“It’s okay honey Steve let the carpet on fire last year. I forgave him.”
“Why’d you set the carpet on fire?” Billy looked at the boy who was intent on cooking.
“Stress.” He answered, in a very plain voice. More pancake batter. More poking the bacon.
“I’ll replace your plate.” Billy says then.
“Don’t worry about it honey they’re ugly anyway.” Mrs Byers has a soft smile again, “I know bad things happened last night, but you’re alive. It’s okay. I’m sure Lucas will forgive you. I’m sure Steve will.” Steve looks back at her as if she has three heads. “Max will too.”
“No,” he has a bitter laugh, “No she won’t.”
“Eh, chocolate chip pancakes fix most things.” She says with a small smile.
“Don’t tell Dustin I made them because he asked. Also where is your waffle iron?”
“El?”
“Girl wants waffles, after last night, girl gets waffles.”
“Behind the cereal.” She’s laughing some as Steve nods, getting it out. She looks at Billy again, “Steve is right though honey. You can’t tell anyone you saw her. Or why you were here.”
“Why is there a secret?” Billy wants to accuse her, she’s fixing his blue blanket around him, she has the softest eyes he’s seen in a long time.
“There just has to be honey.” He trusts her words.
“Okay.” He agrees, watching Harrington again. He’s now manning multiple pans and the waffle iron.
“Okay, can I free the beasts?” She jokes.
“One second. Give me two minutes to talk to him again.” Steve says to her.
“Of course.” She nodes, leaving the two of them.
“What now Harrington?”
“She’s being serious.” He has a stern face.
“I know.”
“I don’t think you do.”
“It seems really important to everyone as long as you swear you weren’t fucking around with Max.”
“I wasn’t. Now here’s what is going to happen, those children,” he makes another pancake before pulling out some waffles from the iron, “are going to come rushing out here. There will be absolute chaos. The kids will fight over everything imaginable, hence I’m Fred from Scooby doo that was a discussion this morning they woke me up for. You will not mock them in anyway, anyway at all, got it? They’re kids. Two: don’t bother them at all. Let me them be children because last night was long. I’m hoping we all take a nap, but i doubt they will.” Billy laughs a bit at the statement.
“You expect them to nap?”
“No i pray to whatever God there is that they will.” Steve is moving the bacon to a serving plate.
“I think you’re losing your marbles Harrington.”
“No, I got them beat out of me.” Billy questions if it’s a bad joke or not, but true to his word seconds later the kids come running out of the bedroom. The smallest one runs full force to Steve.
“Steve!” Steve is swinging him around some.
“Oh thank god.” Steve is muttering, the kid is buried into Steve. Steve is holding on to him like a life line, his eyes are even closed in relief.
“I’m okay.” He says quietly smiling as Steve sets him down.
“You’re okay. You’re so okay.” Steve runs his hand in the kids hair.
“Thank you, for keeping them safe.”
“Always Will. Same to you. Always will keep you guys safe.”
“Can you pick me up like that?” The curly hair kid asks.
“I could.”
“Yes!” He’s bolting at Steve and Steve has to catch him.
“I didn’t say I wanted too.”
“You feel safe.” Steve sets him down and Billy continues to watch, “you should try it.” He tells the others.
“We did earlier.” Lucas says, hiding behind Steve again, Billy watches how his hand holds Steve’s pajama top.
“I did not.” The girl with smudged makeup walks up to him and smiles.
“Would you like to be picked up?”
“Can you swing me like you did Will?” She smiles hopefully.
“I mean, you saved the world come here.” Steve is complying, swinging her more and spinning. Billy almost smiles at the girls laughter and Lucas and the others are laughing with her. He sets her back down.
“Fun.” She decides, “Max?” Max is looking at Billy in fear when the girl says her name.
“No thank you.”
“It’s fun.” The girl tries again. Billy knows the only reason she won't is because he's sitting at the table.
“It’s not my thing.” Max says to her, deciding to hide behind Steve as well.
“Okay, food is up! We got waffles. We got you’re pancakes. We got bacon. We got orange juice, apple juice, and cranberry juice. Just like a diner.” Steve has a fake accent and the kids all erupt into laughter. Jonathan and Nancy make their way down the hall.
“Tell us coffee too?” Jonathan smiles at Steve.
“Of course.” Steve has mugs out of the cupboard and the kids all begin eating.
“You put chocolate chips in some!” A toothy grin is shown on the kids face and Billy can’t believe he’s witnessing it. As Steve pours drinks, he sits somewhat close to Billy as to block him from the other kids. The girl with short hair deposits herself on Steve.
“Thank you.” Her tone is serious.
“Of course.” Steve says. He can feel the pills working for him so they must be for Steve. The girl stays on his lap, she’s swinging her legs some.
“Hopper is still asleep.” She tells him.
“He must be tired. Are you tired yet?”
“Yes.” She decides.
“What are we doing today?” Curly kid asks.
“Nothing.” Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve all answer at once.
“Ah, come on.” The black haired boy says, looking at Steve with a glare.
“Nope, no amount of glaring will get you what you want today Micheal. We’re taking it easy. I’m thinking movies.” Steve says calmly, he looks at Nancy, Billy swears he can hear his heart shattering.
“I agree.”
“Ugh, grown ups.” The kid, Mike apparently, says in response.
“I like Jaws.”
“I do as well! You have a picture of it!” The girl exclaims.
“Will has seen it like a hundred times. I guess we can watch it again.” Mike says.
“We make the coolest forts Max, it’s amazing.” Lucas informs her, yeah they definitely didn’t have sex last night. The kid was excited to build a fort.
“Eat, eat first.” Steve seemed more calm, the girl was leaned against him.
“Tired.” She informed him, pulling more of the waffle apart and stuffing it in her mouth. Billy ate some pancake without chocolate chips. The kids fell into relative silence as the room had a tired aura to them. Billy has no idea what happened last night. He isn’t about to ask.
“Okay, movies.” Max says as soon as she’s done eating the kids all kind of move to the living room.
“We’ll clean up.” Nancy offers Steve.
“Are you sure?”
“Man you constantly are puking, take the garbage and go watch Jaws with the kids.” Jonathan smiled too.
“Okay…” Steve walks to the living room and Billy follows silently. The rule was four hours no driving. The curly hair kid finds his seat on Steve, whispering into his ear as Billy sits at watch in the armchair. Max and Lucas are at Steve’s feet, pulling a blanket to the two of them. As the movie starts, he’s watching Jonathan pull his brother (he’s guessing but they’re so similar) on his lap and coddles him close. Nancy sits at their feet as she wraps a blanket around Mike and the girl. Jonathan has one yanked from the back of the couch enveloping him and his brother.
“Blanket.” The curly hair kid says to Billy.
“What?”
“Blanket, you have a blanket behind you.” Billy feels behind him and sure enough he does. He throws it at Steve and the kid. Steve nods lazily as a thanks and Billy can’t believe the jock thanked him. He can’t believe how soft Steve is with the kids. How he lazily is rubbing the curly kids back, both of them nodding off.
They’re filled with secrets, billy isn’t sure he wants to know them, but he sure as hell is more curious about Steve Harrington than he was yesterday afternoon.