#sorry if i'm not up to walking two miles! i have a sinus infection

[busy-with-little-things]

idk man i've just realized that i shouldn't be hard on myself when i'm... not my best self?

Like I've been sick on and off all summer, and sometimes i don't live up to my expectations or someone else's but there have been plenty of instances throughout my life where i have been productive, prayerful, intentional, kind, and patient- and majority of those are days where I have been physically and mentally healthy.

so.

I'm hoping that God in His mercy sees me for my best and helps me when I'm not.

[mediocre--writing]

sorry as someone with chronic migraines I really love this hc so I'm going to send one more then I promise I'll stop. steve getting a really sudden one while in gym, hes in a middle of a one-mile so hes already out of breath and a little dizzy, he stumbles for a moment before completely passing out, imagine when billy sees this from across the track and comes sprinting to his side.

oh i can see this happening multiple times.

maybe not in gym class specifically, but in hot weather or when he over exerts himself.

but the first time it happens in gym, spring has just rolled into hawkins, indiana and there is pollen everywhere.

like it’s on your car and your house and if you walk out to grab the mail, there is now pollen in your lungs.

and steve’s always had allergies. gotten headaches and sinus infections, he’s a delicate little flower. so he doesn’t think much of the beginning headaches that are starting to show up.

he assumes that it’s what happens every year because this is just what it feels like. the light pain behind his eyes and the ache in his ears. the bit of agitation in his throat and nose.

he’s taking medicine, the kind he takes every year for his allergies, but it just doesn’t feel right. it takes the edge off, sure, but he can’t tell much of a difference in when he takes it and when he doesn’t.

for gym, because it’s not too cold anymore (that’s a bold faced lie, mr. gym teacher, it is 45 degrees outside! this is not warm mr. 17 jackets!) they’re running laps around the track.

they all wear sweats and their gym-issued shirt because, even though it’s cold, it still feels hot when you’re working out so much.

but halfway through the second lap, steve’s lungs start burning. the cold air and quick breaths aren’t working in his favor.

his slower breaths in attempt to retain more heat lead to lack of oxygen in his head for how much energy he’s exerting.

his head starts pounding and he really feels like bambi walking on ice as his knees give out. curse billy for his spot on nicknames.

steve thinks he blacked out for a second because the second that he opens his eyes (and closes them a millisecond later because the sun is bright) he sees billy’s curls around his head, illuminated like a halo.

steve can feel the heartbeat behind his eyes and hear the echoing of blood pumping in his ears and knows that his migraine just hit.

he barely hears—what he assumes to be—billy worrying over him.

he feels himself get picked up partially, using billy’s strong build as more of a crutch as he bows his head in attempt to block the sun, and he’s groaning in pain.

“i know, i know, i’m just trying to get you inside,” billy says softly and steve hears the chatter of the teacher and remaining class fade off as they walk to the school.

they finally get through the doors and go through another door (that, just by the smell, steve can tell is the locker room).

billy places steve on one of the benches between the rows of lockers and then leaves his side, and the lights go out.

“thank you,”

billy can tell from just the thanks that it was difficult for steve to get out.

he was still panting a bit and his eyes still weren’t opened. he had moved himself off the bench to he floor where he went into the fetal position.

billy fumbled around a locker for a moment before coming back to steve.

billy sat on the bench behind him, thighs pressing against steve’s shoulders (to ground him and get him to feel safe) as he ran his fingers through steve’s hair.

after relaxing steve and getting him calmer, he gave him the water bottle and pills he’d gotten out of his locker and got steve to take them.

“did you...”

“i kept a few of them in my gym locker in case something happened. lucky i did, huh?”

steve squinted his eyes and a side of his lips lifted, but he didn’t have enough energy to really respond.

they sat in the dark locker room for 45 minutes, five minutes until the period ended, then billy got steve to put on a sweatshirt over his shirt and walked him out to his car to drive him home.

billy couldn’t explain how cute steve looked all sleepy-like, waddling on uneven feet in two jackets and a beanie, even if he wasn’t feeling the greatest.

billy was never happier to have to take care of someone, cause he’d take care of steve every day of his life.