Chapter Text
Fuck everyone involved in StarCourt. Fuck this town. And fuck Steve Harrington.
“I’m not staying with him.” Max looked ready to beat her head on the table as he said it.
“Until you’re healthy, you are.”
“No. You can’t make me.”
“Please just cooperate.” She nearly begs.
“When have I ever done that?”
“You have your own room! You have your own space! The guy lives alone.”
“I don’t need pity.”
“It’s not for you! It’s for me!”
“What?” Billy was genuinely confused now.
“I’m already staying there. Turns out seeing you fucking die killed me inside, so I’ve been staying there. I set up your room. I made sure your favorite food were bought. I made sure your stuff was moved. We just need your ass!”
“Does your mom know you’ve been staying at Harrington’s?”
“Yes. In case you forgot she isn’t a great mother!”
“What about Neil?”
“Listen you can go back to that hell hole when you’re a little better. You’re two weeks out from what happened, still on the heavy drug, anxiety meds, and god knows what else! Go somewhere to be taken care of.” Billy could laugh at the statement.
“It’s Harrington.”
“And he doesn’t hate you.” Billy rolled his eyes, “he doesn’t. He doesn’t like you a ton, but he saved your ass. So your ass is staying with us.”
“I don’t even want to go.”
“I’m going to smother you. I could do it.” Billy barked out at a laugh at her.
“Sure shitbird.”
“Please, Billy. For me? You don’t have to do anything else the rest of my life.” Billy hated her face, how she looked so longing.
“When does he get here?” He asked it quietly.
“He’s been in the hallway since I came two hours ago.”
“You left him in the hallway?”
“Yeah, Billy, if your memory serves you right he got beat to shit. We got here, he took a Percocet, and he’s just sitting outside.”
“Bring him in. It’s fine Max.” She looked a little unsure, but walked out anyway.
“Hey.” She rocks on her feet, Steve vaguely looking up to respond.
“Hey.” Steve looks a little dazed.
“You can come in. I finally talked to him.”
“Yeah heard that conversation.” Steve smiles sympathetically as he stands up to walk with her.
“See! Not hating you.” Max comments to Billy as they walk back in.
Everything remained uncomfortable until Max slid out of the room to go to the bathroom, ensuring the two wouldn’t kill one another.
“Listen, I get you hate me for whatever reason. Can we just do this for Max?” He shifted uncomfortably as Harrington did the same.
“Don’t get why.” Billy didn’t look up.
“Because as much as I don’t like you. The idea of you just dying makes it even worse?”
“Why do you care?”
“Why don’t I want to see you dead? I don’t want to see anybody dead, dude.” Steve scoffs almost.
“I’m fine.”
“Yeah, that’s what we call that huge hole in your body cavity.”
“You were the one that had to to save me.”
“Max didn’t need to see you dead.” Steve has a hardened look as Billy finally looks up. It makes Billy practically swim in an uncomfortable sea.
“What do you know all?”
“Everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yeah, man, everything.” Billy has a sinking suspicion he does not, in fact, know everything. He wouldn’t be so okay with Billy staying if he did.
“And you’re still willing to let me stay with you?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Like genuinely why?” Billy moves his line of sight, staring at the doorframe instead, he didn’t like where any of this could be going.
“I care about Max. I care about all the kids. I care about whether or not you’ll drive yourself into the quarry.”
“But why?” Steve sighs irritably as Billy asks it again.
“I’m a caregiver. Okay? I care.” Billy shifted even more uncomfortably now.
“So you’re just willing to deal with me?”
“You’re eighteen years old, just, let’s just wait for you to get better before you want to leave indefinitely.” Steve drops the conversation, walking towards the window. They sit in silence until Max comes back, she bounces on her toes some while wringing her hands in front of her.
“Steve can I ask something?” She’s rocking back and froth with a mischievous smile written across her face.
“Sure.” Steve would raise his eyebrow if he could.
“Can you please, please, please go to the cafeteria and get me some chocolate ice cream?”
“You like strawberry?” Steve looks confused, he knew her order, he had seen enough ice cream to last his entire life.
“No, they have chocolate cookie dough down stairs. The nurse told me.” She smiles, clearly happy to seem she’s getting her way.
“Yeah I can do that. Do you want any Billy?” Billy looks taken aback after he’s asked.
“No thank you.” Steve leaves a second later, not even responding to Billy.
“So? Did you guys talk?”
“I guess.” She slides in the chair next to the bed.
“Did you guys talk about, you know?” Billy could feel his face heat up.
“No!”
“He’s a caregiver!”
“I’m never bringing it up with anybody I don’t legally have too.” Max rolls her eyes, huffing as she sits back, arms crossed.
“I brought your things to the house.”
“Max, I’d rather die than talk about this with you.”
“So what happens when you piss the bed?” She asks, looking with a pinched face.
“Max!”
“You do all the time! That’s why you wear diapers to bed.”
“Shut your mouth.” Billy mutters, fingers on the bridge of his nose.
“Oh my god. He literally is caregiver. He’s literally classified to take care of you.”
“No, he’s classified to take care of people. He takes care of you and your friends.”
“You’re fucking ridiculous. Fucking ridiculous. This could be good for you.”
“Is that why you’re taking to Harrington’s? For my own good?”
“Yes! Your dad will kill you. I’m not stupid.” Billy would like to punch Max, but holds back. Taking a couple deep breaths instead.
“Does he know?” He asks after a couple beats of silence threatens him. Since the Mind Flayer silence had been worse than anything else, even this conversation.
“No.” She looks a little guilty.
“Are you lying?”
“No, but now you’re making me feel bad for saving your life.”
“Just drop it.”
“He’s going to know.”
“How would he know?”
“Billy, it’s like so obvious.”
“No it’s not. No one has ever really found out. Yeah the doctor and nurses found out, but I left that in California.”
“You don’t get to leave a piece that big of yourself somewhere.”
“It never gets brought up again. Do I make myself clear?”
“As crystal.” She huffs again, clearly annoyed by everything around her.