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The thing about Hawkins is that as soon as it hit November, it got cold . Like, really fucking cold. And when it got that cold, sometimes cars that were made for warmer weather just would not run. Which meant that right now, Billy was shit outta luck, because no matter how many times he turned the key, the Camaro just wouldn’t start. And since he had just been kicked out of the house, and it was Christmas Eve, it meant that he had to have his car, because without the heater, he’d freeze to death since nowhere else was open. He couldn’t even go to the diner, since they’d closed early for Christmas Eve, and it was after their regular closing time anyway. So now, with nothing but his leather jacket for warmth, he had to set out and try to find somewhere to crash for the night that was preferably not outside.
He must’ve only walked a mile before the snow started to fall again. He was frozen stiff, and he wanted to run, but without snow boots, he knew he’d slip and probably break a bone before he got anywhere. He already felt like he’d been out there for hours, even though it was probably only twenty minutes, and he still didn’t see any viable options for lodging for the night. He’d passed Stacy’s house, but he never called her back last week, so she was out. Then he went by Brittany’s, but her dad threatened to kill him if he ever caught him in his house again, and he wasn’t exactly wanting to risk getting caught. He was getting closer to town when he passed Michelle’s, but he stood her up a month ago and hadn’t talked to her since, and he didn’t know if she’d gotten over it yet, so that was a no, too. At least he was just about in town now, so maybe he could break into somewhere or something. At least if he got arrested, he’d have a warm place to stay.
He was seriously considering finding a brick and breaking the window of the market when he heard voices through a small patch of trees. And where there were voices, there were people, and where there were people, there was a hope that someone would take pity on a freezing teenager. So he crept through the trees and followed the light that he saw, and when he came out of the trees, he almost turned around and walked the other way. It was a church, brightly lit up with a nativity scene out front and everything, and hordes of people walking in for the midnight service. They were a bit early, there was still a half hour before the service would start, but maybe they just wanted good seats.
Billy had never been a fan of church, even when his mother used to force him to go. It was always too long, too much sitting still, and he never liked all the kneeling and standing and sitting and all that. Besides, he grew up Catholic, and it used to scare him, all the ways he could be sent to Hell for just living his life. He never liked it, so as soon as his mother left, he never went back. But right now, it was looking like the church was his only option. Maybe, if he could sneak in amongst the rest of the people, he could just hide in a back room or something until everyone else left and then he could sleep on a bench or something. It’d be a hell of a way to get back into a church after nearly eight years, but supposedly, God accepted all sinners back, so it was worth a shot.
He had a hoodie on under his jacket, so he pulled the hood up as far as it would go and kept his face pointed towards the ground. He ran up to the church and hid around the corner, waiting for another wave of churchgoers to come along before slipping in with them. He kept looking down and just followed the crowd, and when they got to the sanctuary, he hid in the back, taking a seat in the darkest corner and trying to be unassuming. Luckily, nobody seemed to notice him, and he left his hood up to keep it that way, but he finally now lifted his head to scan the crowd.
He didn’t recognize most of the faces in the crowd, except the ones who were his age. The girls were all done up in fancy sparkly dresses and most of the guys had on sweaters with their jeans, but nobody really stood out. They were the same faces he passed in the halls every day, nobody really special. It was only just before the service got started that he saw someone who piqued his interest, because he was the absolute last person he ever expected to be stepping foot in a church.
Eddie Munson and the guy Billy assumed was his uncle walked in together, greeting people as if they were all old friends. And what was even more surprising was that everyone greeted them back the same way, like whoever they were outside of these doors didn’t matter at all. Billy found it a little hard to believe anybody could be that gracious towards someone just because they were in a church, especially someone with Eddie’s background. But it didn’t matter what he thought, because apparently, he was wrong. And to be honest, he didn’t care much, anyway.
The real surprise, though, was when Steve Harrington walked up to Eddie and his uncle and actually hugged the both of them before starting up a conversation. Billy hadn’t even seen Steve come in, but now he seemed to be trying to make nice with Eddie like they’d always been the best of friends. It was bizarre, seeing as how they were at two polar opposite ends of the social spectrum, and the fact that Billy had never even actually seen them interact until today. Maybe when he walked into the church, he’d entered an alternate dimension, too.
He didn’t have much time to mull it over, though, as the organ started playing and everyone started settling down into their seats and quieting down. Damn, Billy had meant to slip out into a side room by then, but if he got up now, it’d draw too much attention to him, so he stayed put. Somebody sat next to him that he didn’t know, anyway, so there was no way to make an escape now. He’d have to suffer through the service, but at least now he felt like he was starting to thaw out. By the time it ended he’d be warmed up again, and he could either hide and spend the night here, or at least be warm enough to keep trekking until he found a better place.
The service wasn’t as long as he remembered it being, and there was a lot less sitting and standing. Granted, this was a Presbyterian church, not a Catholic one, so that probably explained the difference. Billy didn’t actually mind this one, either. It was a little boring at times, but it was kind of pretty inside, and when they turned off the lights to sing Silent Night and everyone held a lit candle, it was strangely comforting. Still, all the flames made Billy start to feel like he needed a cigarette, so when the service was finally over, he did his best to slip outside unnoticed while the rest of the crowd milled about catching up with people. He probably had enough time to go out and get back before the majority of people left.
It was harder to get out than it had been to get in. People were standing in clusters in the aisles, by the doors and by the end of the pews, so Billy had to do his best to push through without actually pushing anybody, which was a challenge. He eventually made it out though and got his cigarettes out of his pocket, then started fishing around for his lighter. He leaned up against the side of the building as he checked each of his pockets, but he couldn’t find it anywhere. He finally gave up after a few minutes, and sighed with his head against the wall as he stood there, a shiver going through him yet again. He stayed like that for a few minutes, his eyes to the sky as his cigarette still dangled from his lips, not quite ready to put it away yet.
“Need a light?” Someone said, making Billy whip his head around to look at them. It was Eddie, Steve trailing close behind him, both of them with lit smokes of their own and holding out their lighters.
“Yeah,” Billy answered, taking one of them, “Thanks.”
“Happy Holidays,” Eddie responded, leaning against the wall next to him, Steve following suit.
“So, what brings you out here tonight?” Steve asked, flicking away some ash. “Didn’t figure you for the churchgoing type.”
“I could say the same about you,” Billy replied, taking a long drag and holding it. He let it out into the air, but the cloud wasn’t as impressive as usual, considering his breath was coming out the same way.
“Yeah, well, my parents are always making me volunteer here, so the Christmas service is pretty much a must for me every year. Plus they needed me to pick up my grandma,” Steve said, shrugging.
“And my uncle and I don’t come too often, but my Ma would kill the both of us if we didn’t go at least for the major holidays, so here we are,” Eddie said, kicking his foot in the snow. “So what about you, Hargrove?”
“I was just passin’ through, thought I’d pop in, no big deal,” he lied, glad he didn’t have to look at them in their current positions.
“I call bullshit,” Eddie said.
“Fuck you, what do you know?” Billy retorted, shooting daggers at him.
“Where’s your car, then?” Steve asked, nodding towards the parking lot. Billy couldn’t think of an answer quick enough, and he could feel the other two giving him a look without even looking at them.
“Okay, fine, I got kicked out and my car wouldn’t start, so I walked here since it’s the only place that’s open. Happy?” Billy grumbled, crossing his arms after another drag.
“Very,” Eddie smiled. “So, where are you gonna go after this?”
“Nowhere,” Billy said, “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“So what’s your plan, then? Just stay here in the church? You know they’ll kick you out if they find you, right?” Steve asked, and Billy rolled his eyes.
“Well, I wasn’t exactly planning on getting caught,” Billy rolled his eyes.
“Are you gonna be up by 4:30 in the morning? Because that’s when the pastor gets here to prepare for the 6 am service,” Steve said, leaning forward so he could look at Billy fully.
“Fuck me,” Billy mumbled, rubbing at his temples, “Then I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Besides, what preacher would throw a kid out in the freezing cold if they had nowhere else to go? I’ll be fine.”
“You won’t, but whatever,” Steve shrugged, leaning back again. It made Billy mad that he was being so casual about it, like he couldn’t care less, or like he wanted him to get caught just to prove a point.
“Well, what would you have me do, Harrington?!” He growled, starting to get chilly again, “I can’t go home, and I’ve got nowhere else to go, either! I either try my luck here, break in somewhere else and get arrested, or freeze to death, those are my options! Which would you have me do, huh?!”
“Jeez, calm down, dude, I was just trying to warn you,” Steve shrugged again. “Besides-”
“Whatever, Harrington, I don’t need your warnings, I can deal with my own shit, myself,” Billy interrupted him.
“Besides, if you’d let me finish, there’s another option,” Steve said, “My parents are already letting Eddie stay over tonight, since his uncle has to go to work after this, I’m sure they’d let you stay, too. They usually stay at a friend’s house on Christmas anyway, since they all help with the church and they’ll be helping with tomorrow morning’s services, too, so you don’t have to worry about them being around, either.”
Billy was kind of stunned at the offer, especially since he hadn’t been particularly nice to either of them, ever, and especially not Steve. But hey, if he was offering, Billy wasn’t really one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Still, he was a little skeptical, especially considering their history.
“What’s the catch?” He asked, turning to look at the two of them.
“No catch, man,” Steve said, tossing away his cigarette butt. “We saw you earlier and figured something was wrong, and we agreed that nobody should be cold and alone on Christmas, so we just want to help.
“Yeah, exactly. Call it Christmas spirit. And hey, it’s not like we have to be best friends now or anything, we’re just gonna go home, eat something, dick around for a bit, then go to bed. No big deal,” Eddie chimed in, waving around animatedly as he described the outlook of the night. And it might not have been perfect, but it was a hell of a lot better than the idea of sleeping in a church and getting kicked out again at 4 am.
“Okay then, I guess,” Billy said, then mumbled around the last drag of his smoke, “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it,” Steve said, “Just let me check and see if I have to take my grandma home first.”
He ran back inside then, leaving Eddie and Billy waiting in the snow. With his cigarette finished, he now had nothing to do with his hands, so Billy shoved them in his pockets, looking down at his feet as he kicked at the snow. He was still kind of confused as to why they’d been so nice to him so far, and was still a bit skeptical, but again, gift horse.
“You know, you’re reading way too much into this,” Eddie said from beside him, bringing Billy’s attention back to the current moment. “We’re not looking for some kind of revenge on you, or whatever you think is gonna happen. We genuinely just don’t want you to be homeless when it’s -12 degrees out. Not everybody is out to get you, you know.”
“I never said anyone was out to get me,” Billy scoffed.
“No, but you think it. You don’t trust anyone, because nobody’s been willing to give you the time of day in so long that you think you don’t deserve it anymore. You do, though, and you just need someone to show you that.”
“Guess you got me all figured out, huh?”
“I know that was sarcasm, but you’re right, I do. I used to be the same way, and so was Steve. For different reasons, obviously, but we’ve both been in the position you’re in now, the only difference is, we found our way out of it, with some help. For me, it was my uncle. For him, it was his ex and a kid he started babysitting. For you, who knows, but it could be anybody, so if someone is trying to throw you a bone, don’t turn around and bite ‘em.”
Billy didn’t have time to think of something to say after that, since Steve came bounding back outside, his keys jingling like sleigh bells in his hand.
“So are you playing chauffeur again or what?” Eddie asked as Steve approached.
“Nah, my parents said they had it covered, so we’re good to go. Are you guys ready?” Steve said, smiling as he motioned towards the parking lot.
Billy walked a little behind the other two as they headed for the car, huddling in on himself both for warmth and because he wanted to make himself smaller. He was shorter than the other two anyway, but after the initial reception he’d given them tonight, he didn’t want them to take back their offer, so he made himself seem as small and helpless as possible. It seemed to work, because the only time they looked back at him over their shoulders was to make sure he was still there, and they didn’t look nervous in the slightest. He hoped that was a good sign.
When they climbed into the car, Billy took the backseat. Eddie took shotgun, and of course Steve was driving. Billy was still trying to be as invisible as possible, not even offering an opinion on the music they were going to listen to. He didn’t scoff when Steve put in a Madonna tape, nor did he reinforce Eddie’s decision to veto that and stick in a Metallica tape. He just sat quietly and looked out the window as the car started to roll, watching the same lights he passed on the way here but didn’t notice until he was basking in the newfound warmth of the heater. He got so caught up in looking at it that he didn’t even realize they were at their destination until Steve was opening his car door for him.
“Oh, thanks,” he mumbled as he got out, immediately chilled to the bone yet again as a hard gust of wind blew.
“Yeah, sure,” Steve replied. “You were just sitting there, so… Figured one of us would have to get you or you’d be in the car all night.”
“Sorry, I guess I’m just a little distracted.”
“I’ll say! Then again, if you get kicked out of your house on Christmas Eve, it’s kinda understandable. Anyway, no more of that! You can’t be a Debbie Downer for us all night, not when we have food, drinks, weed, and stupid Christmas movies to watch!” Eddie exclaimed as he ran into the house.
“He’s got too much pep, it’s making me tired,” Billy sighed as he followed Steve up the walk.
“Yeah, but it’s charming after a while,” Steve shrugged. “And he’s right, you need to lighten up. I hear my dad’s overpriced whiskey can help with that, if you’re interested.”
“I might be. Thanks,” Billy said.
“You don’t have to keep thanking me for everything all night,” Steve said as he shut the door behind them. “You’re hanging out with friends, not at a job interview.”
“Since when are we friends?” Billy asked.
“Since tonight, I guess, if you could just relax. C’mon, it’s not that serious. We were petty and stupid at first, beat each other up once or twice, and then we didn’t talk for months. This whole rivalry thing people want us to have is stupid. I’ve gotten over it, and I wanna move past it. How do you think Eddie and I started getting along? We grew up and realized that high school drama is beneath us, so why keep it going? Now he’s just a cool guy I hang out with sometimes and get high with. You could get in on that too if you wanted, you just gotta drop the I’m-too-cool-for-this act. There’s nobody else here but us, so there’s no one to put up a front for,” Steve said, taking Billy’s jacket and leading him a little further into the house. “C’mon, I think you can handle that. You can get used to it while I give you the grand tour.”
The ‘grand tour’ was really only three rooms, but it was still kinda interesting. And Steve was right, it gave him a chance as they walked through the house to wrap his head around the idea of being friends with them. Everything that Steve had said made sense, and really, once Billy got over his own ego, it didn’t take long until he was able to start feeling more comfortable. Right around that time, the ‘tour’ ended, and after being shown the basement where they would be crashing later on and the kitchen just up the stairs from it, they were going up another flight to end their route at Steve’s room.
It was kinda ugly, but it was a much bigger room than Billy had. There was a kind of hominess to it once the light was turned on and there were people in it. And it had personality, he had to give it that. Probably the most surprising bit about it, though, was the few little shelves hanging up above the desk with a couple stacks of books on them. Billy went over and looked at the outward facing spines, surprised at some of the titles. The Hobbit, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Time Machine, Jurassic Park. They were mostly science fiction, but one book stuck out to him, and he picked it up off the shelf.
“Didn’t take you for a reader,” he said as he thumbed through the book, curious if there were any pictures.
“I’m not, really, but a friend suggested The Hobbit, and Jurassic Park, and I liked them both, so I started getting into it more. I’m mostly into sci-fi, but that one’s probably one of my favorites,” Steve smiled, looking over his shoulder from where he was in his closet. He turned back around and kept digging for whatever he was looking for, and Billy went back to looking at the book. It did have pictures, crude illustrations apparently done by the author, and some of them seemed kind of interesting, including the one on the cover, right beneath the title, Breakfast of Champions.
“You can borrow it, if you like,” Steve said, coming back over to where Billy was. “It’s really good, the only school assigned book I ever liked. I’ve read it, like, five times already, so you can take it if you want.”
“Sure, I guess,” Billy replied, “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. Oh, also, I figured you might wanna get comfortable at some point tonight and that’s kinda hard to do in jeans and leather, so you can borrow these sweatpants. I’m bringing some down to Eddie, too, and a shirt if you want one of those.”
“I’m okay, I’ve got a shirt. I’ll take the pants, though.”
“Good. The bathroom’s right next door if you wanna change in private. I’m gonna change in here, so.”
“Cool. I’ll see you downstairs then, I guess.”
“Yeah, and we better hurry, before Eddie tears my house apart looking for the booze. He’s probably unpacked the whole kitchen already,” Steve chuckled, his smile brightening the room just a little more. Billy smiled back, but it was awkward, not quite as easy as the one Steve seemed to have so effortlessly.
He went to the bathroom and undressed, taking off everything but his boxers and undershirt before pulling on the loaned sweatpants. He tried to avoid looking at himself in the mirror, he knew he probably looked like shit after tonight, but he caught a glimpse of himself on the way out as he gathered his clothes, and he cringed. There was a bruise peeking out from the neckline of his shirt, on his collarbone, and it was really obviously not from a fall or anything. It was a fist print, four fingers clearly defined with a ring on the middle finger, the emblem of it a little muddled but clearly marking his skin. If either of them knew anything about military paraphernalia and looked at it close enough, they might be able to recognize it as an eagle. Billy could see it clear as day, though, and he did his best to hide the bruise, adjusting his shirt until only the tip of the first finger was visible. He just hoped it would be enough to keep them from asking too many questions.
By the time he’d gotten himself sorted out and gotten down the stairs, Steve and Eddie were in the kitchen waiting for him. There was a whole spread put out, with cookies and chips and enough candy for an army all laid across the counter. There were sodas, too, and a six pack of beer, and Steve had just returned with a few bottles of the harder stuff. Billy wasn’t really interested in drinking much tonight, but he supposed a few nips couldn’t hurt, especially not if he was eating. And he didn’t want to make them think he was being a downer again.
“So, what do we do now?” Billy asked as he sat down with the other two at the kitchen counter.
“Honestly, that’s up to you, Billy-Boy. See, Stevie here works at the video store and he got us arguably the two worst christmas movies ever, they were the only ones left on the shelf after a big rush earlier today, but we can’t agree on which is a bigger waste of time, so you get to be the tiebreaker,” Eddie said, placing two VHS tapes on the counter. “So, which will it be? Santa Claus Conquers the Martians or Ernest Saves Christmas?”
“Good God, these were the only two you could get?” Billy couldn’t help but laugh a little as he looked them both over, “I mean, at least this one looks like a comedy, let’s go with Ernest Saves Christmas .”
“Thank you! See, I told you he’d be on my side! Comedy is always better!” Eddie laughed triumphantly as he handed Steve the VHS to take to the basement. He and Billy started gathering up the snacks and drinks to follow after him, taking two trips to get everything, but it was okay. Eddie plopped down in the middle of the couch, and Steve and Billy took the other two sides, the three of them getting comfortable and turning on the TV.
They pressed play on the movie and let it roll, paying just enough attention to it to curb their boredom. The movie actually wasn’t even that bad, it was really silly and very campy, but it was still kinda fun. Especially once Eddie got out the leaf and started blazing up. Soon enough the jokes seemed funnier, the gags seemed sillier, and the night itself seemed happier. It wasn’t so hard, after that, for Billy to smile, and it was a real, genuine smile like the one Steve had earlier. And the one Eddie had been wearing all night. It made it so much easier to be here with the two of them when they were just themselves, and there were no pretenses to hide behind or tiptoe around.
As the movie began to wind down and the snacks were mostly gone, the smell of smoke was finally starting to lift and they had turned all the lights off. There were two couches and a loveseat in the basement that they all laid out on, each taking a blanket from the basket by the TV stand and settling down, but despite it being almost three in the morning, they weren’t quite sleepy yet. They just sat up and talked, got to know each other better, laughed like old friends over nothing. And when they eventually did tire themselves out, it was just calm. They said goodnight and as they fell asleep, they felt content.
For the first time in a long time, Billy didn’t feel afraid to fall asleep. He didn’t feel angry, or sad, or even uneasy. It was the best night he’d spent with anybody since before the move, maybe even longer, and he wished it could’ve lasted longer. Tomorrow, technically today, they’d wake up, maybe hang out for a little bit longer, possibly eat breakfast, and then? Then he’d have to leave. He’d have to go home and watch Max enjoying all the presents she got while he got nothing, and still get shit for not being there when she opened them, because his dad was just cruel like that. He’d have to deal with tiptoeing around the rest of his family so that they could have a nice Christmas but still be present enough that nobody accused him of avoiding them. And then he’d have to go to bed and hopefully do nothing wrong to earn him more bruises to patch up beforehand. But even though he knew that was what he would have to do, thinking about it tonight just didn’t sting as badly as it usually did. Maybe it was because he was still a little high and that often made him more foolishly hopeful. Or maybe it was because he knew now that if worse came to worst, he at least had two new friends that just might be willing to help him out if he needed it. It was the best Christmas gift he’d get this year, and he was going to hold onto it for as long as he could.