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dragonflylady77 · 1 year ago

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Mr Steve and the Monster Hunter

Only a couple of chapters to go now... @bigbangharringrove

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Ao3

In which Billy has BIG feelings

Chapter 5 - He's awake

Billy hears footsteps outside his door but whoever it is doesn’t knock. The footsteps move away after a minute. He keeps his eyes closed and goes back to focus on his breathing, content in the knowledge that his staff respect the Do Not Disturb memo.

He knows he’s on borrowed time. He’s been hiding out for a week and Max will no doubt come bursting through the door soon, of that he is sure. Once she decides he’s spent enough time wallowing. God knows she’s pestered him enough through the years about having feelings and working through them that she should know to give him some time to process them.

He nearly lost Steve to a fucking demogorgon. Even if Steve isn’t his to have, and might never be, that near miss in the Upside Down shook Billy to his core. He knew it was a bad idea to let Steve come with them and he regrets letting the guy challenge his decision and make him change his mind. Too many years have passed since Steve was anywhere near danger like that and he lacks the training Billy, Lucas, and even Will, have.

Billy

Yeah

He’s awake

Thank fuck

Relief floods his system and Billy feels tears flow down his cheeks. He does nothing to stop them. Steve is awake. He must be okay or El would have said something. Billy knows that the doctor said Steve will be okay physically, once he’s recovered from the surgery, but there was no way of knowing how he would be affected mentally.

Billy remembers all too well Robin and Max mentioning Steve complaining of ringing in his ears and migraines following one too many bumps on the head when they grappled with the Upside Down and its monsters fifteen years ago. Robin also mentioned something about Russians under the mall but Billy never felt the need to ask about that. No point rehashing bad memories.

The footsteps are back and this time there is a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Billy says with a sigh, getting off the floor in the corner of the room where he’s been holed up for a few hours. He glances at the opening door and finds his sister. “Hey, shitbird.”

“He speaks,” Max counters, sarcasm heavy in her voice. She stops on the other side of the couch Billy drops his sore body on. Maybe sitting on the floor wasn’t the best idea. “Are you done with your pity party yet? Your man’s awake, you should go see him.”

“Max…” Billy is tired of having this conversation. She doesn’t listen, and neither do El and Robin. The second they found out he was still harboring a crush on Steve, they started referring to him as Billy’s, and refused to stop. Heather usually rolls her eyes and changes the subject. Billy sighs and runs a tired hand through his hair. “He nearly died on my watch. He had to have surgery and was in a coma for a week, for fuck’s sake.”

“He’s alive, and confined to a hospital bed. Best time to confess your undying love, really.”

“Oh my fucking god, Max. It’s not gonna happen.”

“Oh yes it is. And you know how I know?” She looks way too smug and Billy hates it.

“Enlighten me, oh wise one.” He wants to roll his eyes but Max is within kicking range and he’d like to keep his shins unbruised, thank you very much.

“He asked where you were.”

“Ooooh, yeah, wow.” Billy has to laugh or he’ll start crying again. “Jeez, Max, you better get the wedding invitations in the mail, I guess me and Harrington are getting hitched!”

“Jesus, you really are a butthead.” Max sits next to him on the couch and Billy only narrowly avoids the punch to his shoulder because he leans away from her.

“You’re the one who came in here all excited for something that exists only in your brain”—Billy sees the look Max gives him and amends—“fine, and mine.”

“Billy, he asked if you were okay, and sounded worried after Rob told him what had happened. And I told him to think about why you have been calling him by all those pet names you like so much.”

“You didn’t! Oh my fucking god. Why?”

“Because, brother dear, you deserve to be happy, and I have it on good authority—”

“You mean Robin.”

“Yes, of course, I mean Robin, the lesbian mother of your child and kinda best friend of your soon-to-be boyfriend. Based on a chat she had with him the night you dragged him into the Upside Down, he only needs a little push and he’ll open his eyes to what he really wants.”

“Oh, really? And what’s that?”

“Stop being an asshole. You know I mean you. I am not at liberty to repeat what was told to me in confidence but if you do not go to him now and at least talk to him, I swear to God…”

She doesn’t finish the sentence and Billy does not need her to. He knows that she will follow through with whatever she threatens him with and it’s definitely in his best interest to not push her that far. She can be real scary when she wants to and he takes some pride in that.

***

Billy hears Livi’s babble before he gets to the room and it makes him smile as he walks up to the open door. He knocks and waits. Livi is sitting on the bed across from Steve and whatever story she is telling him stops when she hears knocking and notices Steve’s attention is no longer on her.

“Daddy!” Livi exclaims excitedly. “I bringed Mr Snorkles for Mr Steve to keep him safe.”

“That was really nice of you, princess,” Billy says as he walks into the room and stops by the foot of the bed. “Where did your mom go?”

Livi shrugs then turns on her knees and shuffles towards Billy until she’s close enough to wrap her little arms around him for a cuddle. “Me and Auntie Janie gotted a chocolate cupcake for Mr Steve and Mommy took me to give it to him cos Auntie Janie needed to get back to work.”

“I think she’s ringing Heather,” Steve adds, locking eyes with him.

Livy moves back to where she was before, and starts her story again. Billy feels the heat in his chest ramp up a notch. His fingers tingle as he notices Steve’s gaze move down then back up, stopping on his mouth before finding his eyes again.

“Okay. Thanks.”

He really needs to keep his power under control around Steve, especially after what happened in the Upside Down. He makes a mental note to talk to El about it. Hopefully she has some special trick to ensure he doesn’t raze an entire city block if he ever gets his mouth on the guy. Fuck. Thinking about it only makes the tingles worse. Ugh.

“Right, sweetie, are you ready to go?” Robin enters the room and stops when three pairs of eyes land on her. “Hey, B.” She smiles and approaches the bed, stopping by Billy for a quick hug.

“Heather okay?” Billy asks, watching as Robin gathers their daughter’s coloring book and felt pens and shoves them in her backpack, then adds Mr Snorkles before she zips it up.

“Yep. She had another nap. Olivia, say goodbye, sweetie.” Robin busies herself getting Livi’s shoes back on.

“Mommy, I didn’t finish telling Mr Steve my story about the seals at the beach.”

“It’s okay, Olivia. You can tell me next time I see you. Or you could draw a picture about it, so I have something nice to put on the wall,” Steve says with a grin and Billy can see how taken with the idea Livi is.

Once her shoes are on, and Robin has successfully wrestled the little girl into her green sweater, she gives Steve a wave. Billy picks her up before she can hop off the bed and wraps his arms around her as he walks them to the door, Robin following after she says her own goodbyes to Steve.

“I’ll see you soon, okay, princess?” Billy tells Livi, kissing her cheek. “You be good for Mommy and give Mama a hug when you get home.”

“Yes, Daddy.” Livi traces the scar on his left cheek with her finger in a move he knows well. Something is bothering her.

Billy stops in his tracks and feels Robin walk around them and into the hallway. “What’s wrong, baby girl?”

They had a big talk about the incident once she and her moms arrived in San Diego last week. El had rung Robin then opened a portal to pick them up, quicker and safer. Heather had stayed behind at Billy’s house while Robin sat with Steve, and El had brought Livi to Billy because she knew his daughter would be the person to snap him out of the spiral he was in.

She lets out a little sigh and glances up at him. “Is Mr Steve gonna be okay without Mr Snorkles?”

Robin chuckles next to him. “Aw, sweetie, don’t worry. He’s gonna be just fine now that your daddy is here.”

Billy sends Robin a sharp look but she raises one eyebrow at him. He wonders what she knows but won’t tell him. She’s like Max in that way, hinting but not sharing. It’s infuriating but there’s not much he can do about it.

“B. Give me this child.” she says, picking up Livi from him and putting her down on the ground, holding her hand. She pats his shoulder with her free hand in that slightly standoffish way of hers he’s grown fond of over the years and gives him a grin. “Go get your man, okay?”

“Rob…”

“No.” She shakes her head. “No more running. He’s here. He’s alive.” Her eyes narrow as she stares him down with that eyebrow raised. “More importantly, he finally knows you are alive.”

Billy takes the hit. Robin, Max and El have been on his case for a few years now, wanting to know why he wouldn’t let Steve know he was alive. It wasn’t like he swore them to secrecy or anything, he just… didn’t see the point. Heather agreed with him, more out of loyalty and trauma bonding than anything.

Steve is a fantasy, an unattainable dream that refuses to die. Billy sighs.

“Hey,” Robin pipes up again, squeezing his bicep. “You can have this, I promise you, if only you let yourself. I wouldn’t lie to you. You know that. Not about anything, but especially not about this. I know how long you’ve been wanting this. Wanting him. And I know you’re scared—”

“Daddy isn’t scared of anything, Mommy,” Livi interjects, making them laugh.

“Olivia, sweetie, I’ll tell you a little secret. Your daddy might not be scared of monsters, but he’s scared of being loved.”

Billy glares at Robin but says nothing because, well, she’s not wrong.

“I love you, Daddy,” Livi says, taking Billy’s hand in hers, as a show of proof. “And Mama and Mommy love you. And Auntie Max and Auntie Janie love you too.”

“Yes, thank you, princess. I love you too.” Billy smiles down at her and gives her little hand a squeeze.

She looks at him with her big blue eyes and he knows he’ll do anything she asks of him. “Daddy?”

“Yes?” As much as Billy thinks he braced himself for the inevitable follow-up question, when it leaves his daughter’s mouth, he finds that he wasn’t ready for it.

“Do you love Mr Steve?”

“Um…”

“Only I heard Mama and Mommy talk about it with Auntie Janie yesterday. The yelling waked me up.” She looks at Robin. “Sorry, Mommy, I know it’s rude to earsdrop.”

It never fucking ends… Now they have his daughter in on it. Billy takes a deep breath and decides he’s tired of fighting against the current. Maybe it’s time to listen to what the women in his life are telling him. He’ll shoot his shot and when nothing comes of it, at least, he’ll have closure and he’ll be able to move on.

“Okay. Fine. You win, Buckley. I’ll tell him. And when he kicks me out of his room, we can never mention it again.”

“Whatever, Hargrove. It’s gonna go so well I might hire a plane to write ‘I told you so’ in the sky at your wedding.” With another smirk, she picks Livi’s hand from his and nods towards the room. “Get your ass in there, B. We’ll see you later at home.”

“Good luck, Daddy!” Livi calls out as she follows her mother down the hallway.

Billy stands there watching them disappear towards the elevator, wondering when he became so easy to read.

“Billy? You still here?” Steve’s voice reaches him through the door.

The open door.

Fuck!

Kicking himself for letting Robin drag him into this conversation so close to the subject of it and wondering how much Steve actually heard, Billy heads back into the room, forcing himself to walk all the way to the bed. The instinct to run is clamoring in his head and he stamps down on it before El shows up in his mind again.

He sits on the side of the bed instead of the chair, one knee bent, and lets himself look at the man in the bed. Steve looks exhausted, his hair needs a good brushing, and Billy can see the edge of some of his bandages in the vee of the hospital gown. The nurses had to shave Steve’s chest hair before the surgery and Billy knows first hand how itchy and annoying it’s gonna get when it grows back.

The nurses have kept Steve clean shaven but there’s some stubble on his jaw now that Billy would give a lot of things to be able to touch. He blinks away but can feel Steve staring right at him.

“Hey,” Billy says, not sure about anything anymore. He watches, heart in his throat, as Steve’s long fingers tangle with his on the blue hospital blanket.

“Billy, look at me. Please?”

Billy does what he’s asked and there’s something in Steve’s brown eyes that makes the want inside him claw at his throat. His mouth is dry and his hands clammy, and he can’t remember how to make words.

The tingles are back in his fingers, and they’re moving up his arms and centering in his chest. The cup of water on the side table in his peripheral vision starts to float slowly up, then it’s the magazine on the chair. When the call button for the nurse starts moving off Steve’s pillow, Billy closes his eyes tightly and forces himself to take deep breaths and visualize the objects back where they belong.

He feels a pull on his arm, then he’s lying across Steve’s body with his head on Steve’s chest and Steve’s arms around him. He hears a clatter when his power suddenly cuts off and the cup crashes on the floor.

“Sorry,” he whispers. His heart stops when Steve starts running his fingers in Billy’s hair, and Billy suddenly misses his longer hair in a way he hasn’t in years, not since the Incident, when he woke up alone in hospital with a shaved head and a hole in his chest.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Steve whispers, his fingers moving from Billy’s head to his nape, then his shoulders and his back, tracing patterns Billy doesn’t try to decipher.

Billy moves his arms closer to Steve, fingers almost touching his sides.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, from a few people today, Billy.” Steve continues to stroke Billy’s back as he speaks and Billy lets himself enjoy it.

The soft touches feel warm and good and he never wants them to stop. Steve keeps talking.

“I understand why you wouldn’t let me know you were alive. Heather was very clear about the fact that you and I were not friends and you don’t owe me anything. But I owe you. I owe you, Billy.”

“No, you don’t.” Billy’s words are muffled by Steve’s hospital gown but Billy doesn’t want to lift his head. He can hear Steve’s heart and it’s beating a little bit fast, but that means Steve is alive and it’s the most beautiful sound Billy has ever heard, besides his daughter.

“I owe you an apology for not giving you a chance back in high school. Especially after that stupid fight at the Byers’. We could have become friends after that mess was cleared. Then you wouldn’t have been…” Steve stops talking and his fingers dig into Billy’s back a little bit.

Billy gives himself a moment to imagine what that could have looked like, being friends with Steve that year, meeting at the quarry for a beer, hanging outside the arcade and having a smoke or two while the kids played their games, going to see Steve at the mall and make fun of that stupid sailor suit that looked so fucking good on him the few times Billy had seen him from a distance. Steve coming around to the pool while Billy worked and maybe, just maybe, stealing kisses in the showers once the pool was closed for the day…

Then Steve relaxes his hold and continues, “It took me a long time to put a name to how I felt and I did my best to avoid thinking about it, about you, but then you showed up at school to pick up Olivia and I knew.”

“You knew?” Billy whispers, wary of breaking the spell.

“Billy, I missed you.”

Chapter 6

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #billy x steve #harringrove big bang #harringrove bigbang #harringrovebigbang #dragonflylady77 #mr steve and the monster hunter #mr snorkles

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dragonflylady77 · 1 year ago

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Mr Steve and the Monster Hunter

Time for some Upside Down shenanigans... @bigbangharringrove

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

on Ao3

Steve follows Billy in the Upside Down and things don't go according to plan

Chapter 4 - Tears and monster drool

Steve follows Billy outside, his head full of questions that he can tell Billy has no time to answer right now. He’s now wearing a HellGrove t-shirt, one that Billy pulled out of his bag, his gray Members Only jacket, and Billy’s spare combat boots, unearthed under some blankets in the guest room’s wardrobe.

He still has no fucking clue what’s happening but he has learned to trust his gut and right now it’s telling him to not let Billy out of his sight. This whole ‘Billy has powers’ thing is something he can think about later.

They’re in the middle of Robin and Heather’s lawn and Billy puts one hand out, like Steve remembers El doing all those years ago and a black swirl takes shape in front of them, growing bigger and bigger. Red pulses in the middle then the layer seems to thin out and Steve can see two figures on the other side.

The portal flickers once, then Will Byers and Lucas Sinclair step out of it, wearing the same outfit Billy is, and carrying backpacks and an array of weapons. The portal closes behind the two men as they move closer to where Steve and Billy are standing.

“Boss,” Lucas says, earning himself a nod from Billy. Lucas hands Billy a machete that he clips onto his belt, then a battered looking ax.

“He’s coming with us?” Lucas asks Billy, after glancing sideways at Steve. “Did you clear it with—”

“Let me worry about that,” Billy replies before turning to Will. “What are we up against?” he asks, his tone all business.

Steve watches Will pull his phone out of his pocket to show something to Billy that Steve can’t see from where he is.

“Hey there, Steve.”

Steve realizes Lucas is now standing in front of him.

“Lucas.” Steve can’t remember the last time he saw him or Will, trying to adjust to the fact they’re not teenagers but grown-men who apparently deal with the Upside Down on a near daily basis.

He’s not sure what he’s supposed to say or do. Doubt creeps in—maybe following Billy is a mistake. He glances again over to where Billy and Will are busy discussing details of the mission but no, his gut is still telling him to stick with Billy.

He brings his attention back on Lucas who’s holding out a familiar weapon.

“Nail bat okay?”

Steve nods, getting the bat from Lucas, and twirling it around a few times. He’s happy to feel the muscle memory kicking in, even though it’s been a few years since he wielded any kind of weapon.

“Ready to go, princess?” Billy asks, suddenly closer than Steve realized. “You sure you wanna do this?”

Steve tightens his grip on the bat and nods.

“Oh yeah.” Steve turns to Billy. “Wait. What are we up against exactly? What’s a code red?”

***

Fuck the Upside Down and fuck demogorgons, Steve thinks as his bat connects again with a squelch and the creature he hit squawks.

He pulls the bat out and staggers for a second from the effort, as he watches the demogorgon stumble then fall on all fours. He rears back and smashes the bat into the creature's creepy flower head, pinning it to the tree behind it.

“Gnarly, dude!” Lucas says as he runs past holding a katana, chasing a demogorgon of his own.

They found the nest quickly after they got in at the location Will had calculated and Steve watched in awe as Billy and Lucas worked in tandem to clear a path to the three terrified teenagers hiding in a car wreck.

Steve is tasked with guarding the portal and getting rid of any demogorgons that make it past them while Will awaits on the other side.

It is clear Billy and Lucas are communicating the entire time, without uttering any words out loud. Steve finds it fascinating and he wonders if El has anything to do with that. Sadly, now is not the time to ask.

Steve gets his bat out of the tree trunk it's embedded in and casts a look around. Billy is getting the terrified teens to follow Lucas towards Steve and the portal behind him. Steve lets Will know they're on their way and he stands at the ready.

There's a screech and before Steve can react, he's flat on his back, demogorgon drool dripping onto his face. He brings the bat up to stop his head getting chewed but he knows the way he's lying has him at a disadvantage and things are gonna get very dicey very quick.

“Fuck!” he mutters under his breath, arms straining under the weight of the beast pressing on his chest as he attempts to push the nail bat upwards to get some breathing space.

He distantly hears his name being called, and hears footsteps rush past. Lucas and the teens they were tasked to bring back, he wagers, but he's too busy fighting for his life to check that he's right.

The sharp claws dig into his pectorals and he groans in pain. Using the last of his strength, he tries to roll away but the demogorgon is stronger.

Steve's vision starts to go dark from the lack of oxygen and he can feel his blood rushing in his ears. He's terrified and his cheeks are wet with tears and monster drool.

This is how I die… munched to death by a monster. Fuck!

He hears his name and feels the pressure on his chest finally lessen before he blacks out.

***

Steve comes to with a great big breath that makes his chest hurt. He blinks a few times before his eyes are willing to stay open. He’s in some kind of hospital room but the window is open and he can hear… the ocean?

“Welcome back, Steve.”

He turns his head to face the person who addressed him and it takes him a moment to recognise Eleven. It’s been years since he saw her and his brain needs a minute to reconcile the memory of the teenage girl he vaguely knew with the image of the woman sitting beside his bed.

Her hair is longer, plaited in some intricate style around her head and down her back, and she’s wearing a black blouse with what he can tell is the HellGrove logo on the chest pocket.

“Hey, El,” he croaks before a coughing fit makes him groan in pain. He vaguely notices her pressing the call button, then a nurse walks in and injects his IV line with something that takes the pain away and makes his brain float a little.

Wherever he is clearly has the good drugs and he really hopes someone else gets stuck with the bill. The nurse mentions a doctor before she leaves the room.

“What, um, what happened? Those kids…”

Eleven smiles and pats his hand and, hoo boy, Steve’s never felt so patronized by someone younger than him. “They’re safe. Lucas got them out of there in one piece, Billy made sure of it.”

“Good. That’s good.” Steve is glad the kids are alright, but he really wonders what happened to him specifically. He thought for sure he was a goner, and here he is, still in the land of the living.

“You scared us, Steve,” El starts and Steve looks at her, confused.

“That demogorgon took me by surprise, is all. I’ll admit I am a bit rusty but—”

“Steve, you were unconscious for over a week.”

“What?”

Before he can get Eleven to explain what she means, he hears a squeal and rushing footsteps. The door to his room bursts open and he is surprised to see Olivia run into the room, followed by Robin.

“Mr Steve!” Olivia stops at his bedside, her arms filled with a massive shark plushie. “You’re awake!”

“Hey dingus,” Robin says with a grin as she reaches the foot of the bed. “The nurse told us you were finally awake and someone couldn’t wait to see you.”

“Hi. What-what are you guys doing here?” Steve glances at the window then at Robin. “Where is here?”

“You’re at HellGrove HQ, Stevie.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Janie, you wanna…” Robin nods towards Olivia who’s still standing next to his bed holding her shark.

Eleven nods before standing up. “Yep. Come on, Livi, I’m pretty sure they’ve got chocolate cupcakes at the cafeteria today.”

“But…”

“Sweetie, Mommy needs to have a chat with Mr Steve and it’s gonna be really boring for you. So I need you to go with Auntie Janie. Maybe bring something back for Mr Steve? I’m sure he’ll love that after that giant nap he just had, okay?”

“Okay, Mommy. Can I leave Mr Snorkles here?”

“Of course.” Robin nods and Olivia approaches the bed, settling the plushie on the cover next to Steve.

“This is Mr Snorkles. Daddy got him for me. He’s a blacktip reef shark and he’ll keep you safe.”

“Thank you, Olivia.” Steve picks up the plushie bestowed upon him, and smiles at his favorite student. He waves at her when she turns around at the door, and she waves back before she leaves with Auntie Janie, Eleven, whatever the name she goes by these days, and Steve turns to Robin.

“What the everloving fuck is going on, Rob?” he whisper-shouts, not wanting Olivia to hear him curse.

Robin sits on the chair next to him and puts a hand on top of his, squeezing his fingers gently. “Lucas said he and Billy got those kids out of the car and Lucas got them out of the Upside Down while you—” She squeezes his hand harder. “I don’t know how much you remember, but you got jumped by a demogorgon. You, um, you were losing the fight and Billy…” She stops and takes a deep breath. “Billy kinda went nuclear.”

“What does that mean?” Steve has no fucking clue what’s going on, or where he is, and Robin is being weird as fuck and he’s starting to get worried about Billy. None of this makes sense. “Is Billy okay?”

“Fuck, I really wish Billy had had more time to tell you about this before you guys went portal hopping. Ugh.” Robin runs a hand through her hair, takes another deep breath then looks up at Steve. “Right. So, you’re currently in the hospital wing of HellGrove HQ in San Diego. That demogorgon got its claws in you and you had to have some kind of surgery. They said you were gonna be fine, apart from, you know, the part where you were in a coma for a week.”

“Again, what the fuck? A week?” Steve is too tired for this bullshit. He misses his apartment and his quiet uncomplicated life. But at the same time… “You said Billy went nuclear. What did you mean?”

“Since Billy recovered from being… possessed by that gross thing at Starcourt, he realized he has some powers. A bit like Janie—Eleven. I don’t really know how it works, it’s like they share a brain or something. He can move things with his mind like she does, and he can open portals.” She let out a short laugh. “Saves on airfares, that’s for sure.”

“Not funny.”

“It’s a little bit funny. You and Billy really need to have a chat, Stevie… but in the interest of keeping you informed... Billy saw that monster on top of you and he freaked out and let out his power. In a major way. Like, we’re talking ‘decimated a few dozen democreatures and obliterated half a forest in the Upside Down in one fell swoop’ kinda way. You were out of it when he got back on this side. I think the facility ran out of hot water when he tried to wash off all the blood and goo.”

“Where, um, where is Billy now?

“In his office, wallowing like the big baby he is.” The voice comes from the doorway and Steve looks up to see Max leaning against the doorframe.

Her hair is a lot shorter than it used to be, barely brushing her shoulders, but that only makes the blue of her eyes sharper. Apart from that, she looks pretty much the same, despite the ten or so years since Steve last saw her. He must really get better at keeping in touch with those kids that are not kids anymore.

Steve watches her and Robin have a quick catch up before Robin announces she’s going to go find Olivia and Janie, leaving Mr Snorkles to look after him. With a smile and wave, she’s off and Max sits down on the edge of Steve’s bed.

When she doesn’t immediately start talking, instead staring across at the open window, Steve uses that time to take a good look at her. There’s tension in her shoulders and she keeps fidgeting with a ring on her finger. She is blinking fast and Steve wonders if she’s trying to avoid crying for some reason.

“Max? Are you okay?”

Max lets out a big breath then turns to face Steve. Her eyes are all watery and Steve doesn’t even think about it before he reaches out to take her hand in his.

“I know you only just found out my brother didn’t actually die at Starcourt and I understand you might need some time to get your head around that. I also know that the two of you weren’t exactly friends back then, but I like to believe you don’t think as… badly of him as you once did.”

“I don’t. High school and its particular brand of bullshit was a lifetime ago, and even if it wasn’t, he saved all of us that night,” Steve replies truthfully, and well, Max doesn’t need to know the other stuff Steve was feeling—or dreaming—about Billy…

“He did.” Max wipes her eyes with her free hand and her expression turns hard. “He shouldn’t have let you go with them last week. You don’t have the proper training, or clearance, Steve, and you nearly fucking died. I would not have allowed it if Billy had taken the time to tell me about it.”

Her assessment pisses Steve off. “Allowed it? Jesus, Max, I was holding my own until I got jumped, thank you very much.”

“Yes, allowed. I’m the head of legal here, Steve. I make sure all staff have signed NDAs and we have contingencies in place for when something happens. And we don’t take civilians on rescue missions.”

“Yeah, well, you tell your brother that.” Steve knows he’s supposed to be a mature thirty-something but arguing with Max makes him sound like a teenage boy.

“Oh I will, once he’s done freaking out and guilt-tripping about getting you hurt.”

“It’s not his f—” Steve stops himself because that will get them nowhere. “El told me I was out of it for a week. Why haven’t you talked to him yet?” Steve is getting more confused by the minute and he wants it to stop. Too many things don’t make sense and his head is starting to hurt.

“He, um…” Max glances at the window then back at Steve. “He almost lost you in there, and that spooked him.” The laugh that passes her lips holds no humor. “Understatement of the century...” She stands as a man enters, followed by the nurse from earlier. “Tell me, Steve, did you ever wonder about all the pet names Billy has for you? What it might mean?”

Steve stares at her, confused.

“Think about that, will you?” Max pats his hand then makes her way to the door. “I’ll catch you later.”

Steve lets his mind drift over what Max said as he is checked and prodded, wondering why she said ‘pet names’ instead of ‘nicknames’.

Chapter 5

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #billy x steve #harringrove big bang #harringrove bigbang #harringrovebigbang #dragonflylady77 #mr steve and the monster hunter #mr snorkles

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