Chapter X:

Bawdy and Bruised

Billy

After getting Max home and obtaining a decent night's rest, Billy spent the day with Max. They drove around town and went to the arcade together. It was Billy's first time inside of one. He did not know what to expect exactly but it wasn't too beyond of what he had pictured. It seemed to be a haven for nerds. Most of the customers were younger, around the same age as Max. There were some high school kids, not all of them being total outcasts. That was something that had surprised Billy. Then again, there wasn't much else to do in Hawkins.

After a long day hanging out with Max, Billy decided to call it an early night. The next day, he had woken up before everyone else and so he made breakfast for the whole house. There were not too many ingredients to work with but he managed to make pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon. Lisa was the first to enter the kitchen. "Wow, that smells amazing." "Sorry, I hope you don't mind." She chuckled. "No, of course not. Especially, since I did not have to make it."

She made herself a plate and sat at the peninsula. Susan soon descended down the stairs and remarked, "Oh, how lovely! I'll go wake Maxine." She returned a few moments later, with a groggy Max in tow. "There had better be bacon," Max grumbled. "Bacon, along with pancakes and eggs," Billy informed her. She instantly seemed more awake and grabbed a plate. Susan followed right behind her before she and Max sat in the two remaining bar stools with their heaping plates of food. Billy finally helped himself to the meal that he had created and stood while he ate.

"This is really good, Billy," Susan complimented. "Thanks, but really it was nothing. I can do much better." Lisa smiled and said, "Well, I don't think I've had a better breakfast. I'd love to see what you could do for dinner." He smiled back. "I'll come up with something this week. I'm not sure if you all will like what I make though, most of the things I have made have only been tasted by me. I… used to cook for my mother and father, but my mom would tell my father she did all of the cooking."

Not intending to divulge that information, Billy was now nervous with all three sets of their eyes on him. "Why would she do that?" Lisa asked. He could feel his cheeks grow warm. "Once, because I was proud of the accomplishment, I presented my father with a meal I had made myself. He smashed the plate to the ground and then hit me. He said something along the lines of 'No son of mine will be doing household duties like some fairy' before he started beating my mother. She was unresponsive after he had finished and I had to call an ambulance."

Lisa put a hand to her mouth in shock and both Max and Susan gave him looks of knowing sympathy. Embarrassed and feeling as though he had revealed too much, he apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean –" Lisa put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him, "You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm terribly sorry that you had to experience such violence. Susan has told me about what Neil has done to all of you but I had no idea to the extent and the history of his abuse."

Billy took a shaky breath, anxious but relieved that he could finally discuss the torment his father had inflicted upon him. "I'm pretty sure that my first memory is of my father spanking me. I don't remember what the punishment was for but I remember the pain lasting for days afterwards. He has always been and will always be a violent man." Susan appeared to be affected by his words, pain and regret displayed on her face.

"I – I should have realized. He had seemed perfect before we married. I should have known better, that perfection doesn't exist and that he was just hiding who he really was. He had been so kind to Maxine and me before we left California and I thought that he was just hard on you because you were his son. My father had been hard on my brother, and at first I thought it was the same with you and Neil. When Max was missing and your father hit you, that's when I realized it wasn't the same."

"I should have left him right then and there but I was terrified. Terrified of not only your father but also of not knowing what to do. I don't have enough money for Max and I to return to California, at least not yet. So, I stayed. I could have handled him hitting me… but not Max. Seeing him hit my daughter made me throw all my fears aside and leave him. Thank goodness for Lisa here, or we would have not had anywhere to go." Billy smiled at Lisa. "Yeah, I really appreciate you letting me stay here too." "Honestly, I appreciate all of you being here. This big house can get really lonely sometimes."

Susan grasped her friend's hand. "Oh, sweetie. You mentioned your son was coming home soon, have you heard from him yet?" She nodded. "Yes, he said he should be back by next Friday." Billy was surprised at this new revelation. "Lisa, I didn't know you had a son. Does he go to the high school?" "Oh no, he graduated from Culver Military Academy and is headed to West Point in the fall." "I hope you don't mind me asking, but was your husband in the military?"

"No, well, he was briefly. Martin attended Culver as well and served during the Korean War. He was wounded during the war and received a purple heart. Afterwards, he went to college and received Ph. Ds in Chemistry and Biology before becoming a research scientist for the government. We actually met while he was working at Stanford University. We married in '65, Luke was born in '67, and we moved to Hawkins in '70. Martin passed nearly two years ago during an accident at the lab."

Billy nodded in sympathy, he wasn't sure what had happened two years ago but everyone knew about the lab getting shut down last fall. He noticed Max very briefly narrow her eyes as though she was trying to work something out. She suddenly asked, "What is your last name, again, Lisa?" She appeared taken slightly aback by the question. "Oh, actually it's interesting that you mentioned that. If I tell you all a secret, do you promise to keep it?"

Intrigued, Billy nodded his head along with Susan and Max. Lisa confessed, "Luke and I took my maiden name, Moore, instead of my husband's. Due to his high security position working for the CIA, Martin insisted that we would be safer if we did not take his last name." Max's eyes grew wide and she meekly inquired, "And what was your husband's last name?" "Brenner. Martin Brenner," Lisa responded with a smile. "He was a wonderful man. I wish that you all could have met him."

Max had just taken a sip of her orange juice and began sputtering, choking on the liquid. "Are you okay?" Susan asked with maternal concern. Max coughed a couple of times before nodding and croaked, "Wrong hole." Susan and Lisa left for work shortly after they had finished breakfast and as soon as they had walked out the door, Max ran to the phone. She called up all of her friends and asked them to meet at the Byers. "Billy, can you please take me to Will's?" she pleaded.

"What is this about? Why were you being so weird about Lisa's husband?" She sighed. "Didn't Steve tell you anything?" "About what?" "Those kids that had powers?" He shook his head. "No, we didn't really talk that much." She rolled her eyes before she looked at him with skepticism. "If you didn't talk that much, how do you know you are in love with him?" Billy lightly chuckled, realizing how absurd his affection for Steve and vice versa seemed from an outside perspective.

"I know it's hard to believe, hard to understand. I can't even really explain it because I'm not sure myself. I don't mean to gross you out but… our bodies do the talking. I feel what he feels wh – when we are together. At the same time though, maybe we are just stupid kids that don't know what love is. All I do know is that I would do anything for him and that I hate myself for pushing him away."

"I think I do understand. With Lucas – it's similar. We had talked but not very much, it was like we just knew that we liked each other. It did not take long after we were going together before I knew that I loved him. Anyway… can I explain the other stuff on the way?" "Sure." Luckily, Max was a fast talker. Billy had no idea to the extent of the knowledge that he had been left in the dark. She explained what had happened at the lab and in Hawkins before they had arrived. Max told him about Eleven/Jane and Will Byers. Demogorgons, demodogs, and the Mind Flayer. She was finally starting to explain the connection of Lisa's husband to everything when they pulled up to the Byers.

She wasn't finished, so they sat in the car as she described that all of the atrocities were a direct result of Dr. Brenner and his experiments. Billy had been so distracted while listening to Max, he did not notice Steve's BMW park beside them until they got out of the car. Steve was leaning against the trunk of his car, waiting for them. The sight of him made Billy's throat go dry. Max greeted Steve with a wave before looking back at Billy and raising her eyebrows. She quickly winked at him and turned towards Steve before telling them both, "I'll see you guys inside."

Before Billy could say anything, Max ran off in a hurry. He tried to swallow the uncomfortable lump in his throat to no avail. He slowly made his way towards Steve before finally looking up into his eyes. "Billy, can we talk?" Steve meekly asked, barely above a whisper. Billy took a sharp inhale of air. "Sure, but I need to say something first."

Steve

His heart fluttered in his chest. He was terrified and anxious. Steve had no idea what Billy wanted to say but he had hope. After a few moments of silence, an impatient Steve prodded him, "What?" Billy groaned. "Fuck, Steve. Give me a minute, okay? You have no idea how hard this is." Steve's jaw snapped shut and he waited. After what had seemed an eternity, Billy finally spoke, "I'm sorry." Steve could tell he wanted to say more but his breathing was shaky as his gaze fixed on the ground.

"It's okay. I'm sorry too." Billy's eyes snapped up and met Steve's. "What on earth do you have to be sorry for?" he asked with genuine curiosity. "I'm sorry for letting you go. I should have screamed, should have ran after you, should have done anything to keep you from leaving." Billy looked as though he had just been slapped. "What? You have nothing to be sorry for. Even if you had done any of those things, it may have not stopped me. I was the asshole that left."

"It might have not have stopped you but I should have tried. Showed you how much – how much I care for you. I –" Billy stopped him by putting a finger to his lips, "I wasn't finished with my apology. I'm sorry for leaving, I'm sorry for hurting you. I know that I hurt you because it killed me to do it. Here's the thing: I don't think I can live without you, Steve. I hope you can forgive me because I –" Steve impulsively grabbed Billy by the wrist and dragged him in between their cars, out of view.

"Go ahead, finish what you were saying." Billy smiled and a blush formed on his cheeks, a sight that Steve had never witnessed. He had been quite certain that Billy was incapable of getting flustered but was now glad that he had been wrong. He smiled back and bit his lip in anticipation. "Steve, I love you. I know it's crazy, but I fucking love you. Please, please forgive me for leaving you because I would die before I ever did it again." Steve could feel the joy bursting from his heart at Billy's words, a radiating warmth spreading and spilling over. He smiled from ear to ear and tears began to fall.

Billy cupped Steve's face in one hand and wiped the tears with the other. He frowned as his eyes began to water too. "Please don't cry, Steve. I can't handle it." Steve laughed, drunk on happiness. "Can't you see, Billy? I'm crying because I'm happy. So fucking happy I could explode." "So you forgive me?" Billy anxiously questioned him. Steve pulled him in and embraced him. "Yes, I forgave you the moment you left. I love you."

Billy slightly pulled away and looked at him while he grabbed Steve's face in both of his hands. He smiled, glowing, yet tears began cascading down his golden cheeks. He kissed Steve, desperately and passionately. They held on to each other as they lost themselves in the kiss. Steve wanted the kiss to never end. Billy had him pressed against the BMW. Eagerly, Steve grabbed Billy's ass and rolled his hips forward into Billy.

Billy, who had been kissing on Steve's neck, chuckled. His warm breath tickled the delicate skin just above the collarbone. "Easy, baby. We have to go in there and face everyone. That's going to be a lot more difficult if either one of us has a hard-on." Steve's face grew hot with embarrassment. "It's a little too late for that." At that, Billy laughed loudly and looked down at the predicament. "It doesn't look like you are fully hard, you can easily hide it."

Steve gently pushed Billy away so that their bodies were not in contact with each other. "Don't talk about my dick, it definitely won't help." Billy just smiled before he planted a little peck on Steve's cheek. "I'll go in first, see you inside." Steve nodded and tried to clear his mind. It was no use; his erection was not going anywhere. He let out a sigh before tucking his cock into the waistband of his underwear and hoping for the best.

When he walked into the house, Steve could feel every eye on him. He tried to ignore the self-consciousness that he was beginning to feel creep up. He quickly made his way over to the couch and sat in an empty spot between Lucas and Dustin. He hoped no one could tell that he was blushing. "Is everyone here?" Max asked the group. Joyce let her know, "No, we are still waiting for Jonathon and Nancy." "Oh, right."

Dustin impatiently asked, "Can't you give us anything? I've been here for an hour! Someone can catch Nance and Jonathon up on the info later." Max shook her head, determined. "No, it's better if everyone hears it at the same time." Dustin groaned in annoyance. Max shot him a pointed glare and snapped, "What? It's not like you have anything better to do!" He scoffed and rebuffed, "Actually, they put a new game in at the arcade today and I had planned on going ever since hearing about it two weeks ago." She just rolled her eyes in response.

At that same moment, the door opened and Jonathon and Nancy walked in. Nancy saw Steve first and disgust crossed her features before she turned away and avoided him all together. She then spotted Billy. Gesturing to him and looking around, she questioned, "What is he doing here?" Max explained, "Well, I told Billy everything. I think he deserved to know, considering he ended up in the hospital and lost his spleen because of all of this."

Hopper looked slightly more pissed than usual. "Max, I understand why you would want to tell him but something like this can't happen again. From here on out, the decision to tell someone outside of this room is a group decision. We cannot afford to make any mistakes and have the wrong people finding out about any of this." Billy scoffed, instantly sensing that Hopper disliked him. "It sounds like you are saying that I am one of those 'wrong people'."

Hopper smirked and crossed his arms. "I'm not saying that, but I'm not not saying that. I just think that we have to be more careful and to be honest, no one here really knows you that well, kid. Also, what we do know about you is not exactly putting our minds at ease." Hopper had said enough. Steve was just about to defend Billy but Max beat him to it.

"He's my brother! I know him and I know that he doesn't deserve you talking to him like that! We were both dragged into this just like everyone else in this room. No one here has had a choice and we all need to support each other." An eerie silence filled the room once Max had finished her rant. Steve agreed, "She's right. We need to stick together. One person is an easy target, but all of us? We are basically an army. We need warriors and if the only thing you know about Billy is that he can throw a punch, wouldn't you want him on our side? He's an asset not a hindrance."

There were some mumbles and nodding in agreement. Nancy, still fueled by her anger from last night, attacked Steve. "Hindrance? That's a big word for you. Billy, an asset? No, he's just an asshole. So are you Steve." Billy chuckled. "Gee, princess, who pissed in your cheerios this morning?" She turned on her heel and promptly stomped out the door, with Jonathon following closely behind. Max groaned in irritation. "Well, I guess no one wants to hear what I found out about Dr. Brenner this morning."

Dustin, who was already impatient about discovering the information Max had learned, leapt to his feet and followed Nancy and Jonathon out the door. After a few minutes, all three of them returned. With everyone in the room and no further interruptions, Max took a deep breath before launching into the details she had gathered this morning. Joyce had to take a seat; she was absolutely floored to learn that one of her friends was the wife of Dr. Brenner.

"I just can't believe it. I used to babysit for Luke before Will was born. He and Jonathon used to play together. I did find it odd that I had never met her husband but she just said that he was always working. All this time I had no idea." Jonathon contemplated it as well. "I always thought there was something strange with Luke. He never seemed right. Do – do you think that he is like Jane? Would Dr. Brenner experiment on his own kid?"

Hopper shrugged before providing his input, "I wouldn't put it past him. That man – no – that monster is capable of evil beyond comprehensibility." Steve thought on it for a moment and then spoke, "Jane's mom was pregnant when she volunteered for the experiments, right? Even though Brenner is a monster, I don't know if he'd be sick enough to put his pregnant wife through dangerous experiments." To his surprise, Jane answered him, "I don't know if it is the same for each of us. I think some are just born with abilities without being part of an experiment."

Steve nodded. "Yeah I think that makes a lot of sense. Also I think that Brenner might have been so focused on Jane because she was the direct result of one of his experiments. Proof that it could be possible to create or give someone special powers." Nancy scoffed. "Don't think too hard, you might hurt yourself." Dustin jumped to his defense, "Nancy, what has gotten into you? Steve is actually coming up with some really good ideas."

"Why are you even sticking up for him? Don't you know what he did?" Dustin put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, of course I know. Steve explained everything and apologized." "So that just makes it all okay?" Joyce, who was just confused and wanted an explanation, interrupted, "Wait, hold on. What is this all about?" Steve's face turned red and his chest grew warm, he could feel Billy's eyes on him. Nancy stared him down with a smug look on her face.

"Steve kissed that Robin girl." Hopper's neck snapped towards him and he glared at Steve. "What? You are supposed to be protecting her, not making out with her." He couldn't bear to look at Billy and see his reaction, so he stammered out an explanation while he avoided making eye contact with anyone, "N – no, I didn't – she kissed me! She was home alone with her mom's weird boyfriend and so I said we should go do something. She kissed me out of nowhere, I swear! I spoke with her and explained why we couldn't, that I didn't think of her that way."

Hopper crossed his arms. "Good. You better have. Now is everyone satisfied? Nancy?" She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's fine." "Okay, then. So we probably need to come up with a plan." A thought must have popped into Mike's head because he suddenly started shouting, "Wait! Wait! What if one of those kids with the powers was Luke? Joyce, Jonathon what did he look like the last time you seen him?" They looked at each other before Joyce started to describe him, "He's tall, has light brown hair, and I think he has blue eyes."

Lucas asked her to clarify, "Is he just tall or like freakishly tall?" Jonathon spoke instead, "Freakishly tall, definitely. Also with all of the military training or whatever, he is really muscular." Steve had only momentarily seen the kids right before he was made unconscious. He could not remember what any of them looked like but he could tell by the reactions around the room that Luke had been there. Mike looked at Jane. "El, do you think he has abilities even though he didn't use any that day?"

She grimly nodded. "He seemed to know what I was going to do before I did it. He jumped out of the way each time I threw something at him. The only thing that worked was if I threw him. And I could feel it. That he was the same." A hushed silence fell over the room as everyone absorbed the information. Jane then continued, her voice shaky and quiet, "There was something else too." She shuddered, a tremor of something traveled through her. Steve thought that maybe it was fear. "I think Luke is… my brother," Jane declared.

Billy

The conversation continued for a while after the revelation from Jane that one of those kids with the powers might be her blood relation. There was some intense speculation about how that would make Dr. Brenner her biological father and not just some sick fuck that made her call him Papa. After a while, Billy started to become bored with the discussion. He felt out of place with everyone talking about things that he hadn't experienced.

Wanting to talk about what had happened with that Robin girl, to let Steve know that he wasn't mad, Billy approached him. "I need to use the bathroom, could you show me where it is?" he asked Steve quietly. He nodded and led the way. He stood aside but Billy quickly pulled him into the bathroom with him. "I just wanted to say that I'm cool with Robin kissing you. It sounds like she initiated it and that you set her straight."

"I have something of my own to confess, though. I went to the Sweet Shack last night and that asshole Tommy was there. He pretty much knows about me and was saying things that everyone there heard. I had to appear, well... not like Tommy had said. So I ended up making out with some random girl in my car. I'm sorry." "Shit, Tommy knows? And it's okay about the girl, I get it." "Tommy knows and he also knows that we've been hanging out."

Steve lost the color in his face. "Do you think he knows about me?" Billy put his arms around Steve, seeing the fear in his eyes. "No, no. He didn't say anything about you besides questioning the company you keep. He mentioned that it was odd you were friends with Jonathon and Nancy, Samantha, and me. Tommy said nothing about you having the same – inclination – as me." Steve let out a huge sigh of relief but looked at Billy with sympathy. "But what are you going to do?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I tried punching him and I even slept with Carol, before. I don't think he will be satisfied until everyone knows and believes him." Steve chuckled. "Well, he will have a hard time convincing people, believe me. All of the girls are in love with you, even the ones that have already slept with you. And all of the guys want to be you due to your luck with the ladies." "I hope you are right." He slowly wet his lips as Steve watched him.

Billy began to lean towards him, but Steve stopped him. "Don't. Not here okay? We've been in this bathroom together for far too long as it is." Billy groaned in frustration but nodded in agreement. They planned to exit the bathroom at different times with Steve leaving first. After a minute or so, Billy then felt it was safe for him to leave. In the hallway, he found Joyce chatting up Steve. Seeing Billy, she gave him a sly smile, and beckoned him towards her.

"Billy, we haven't officially met. I'm Joyce Byers. I don't know if you remember – " He interrupted her, "Oh don't worry, I remember you." She smiled despite the awkwardness of the situation. "Well, I'm glad you are out of the hospital and doing so well. I know Steve here was terribly worried about you." Billy grinned but Steve blushed, a devastatingly pretty sight. Joyce brought her hand up to her mouth after she realized she had called him out. "Oh, I'm sorry." She rapidly changed the subject. "Billy, I was just letting Steve know that there are sandwiches in the kitchen if you are hungry."

"Thank you, I'm famished actually," he said before leaving Steve to deal with Joyce on his own. Joyce had made a slew of bologna and PB&J sandwiches during the time Billy had spent in the bathroom with Steve. He anxiously hoped that no one had taken notice that the two of them had been missing together. "Where were you?" Max startled him by appearing behind him and asking the question. He grabbed a glass of lemonade and simply told her, "Bathroom," before taking a calculated sip.

"And where was Steve?" she whispered. Billy nearly spat out his drink. If Max had been mindful of their disappearance together, surely someone else had noticed. "Max!" he hissed. She laughed before playing innocent. "What? I thought you may have seen him when you came back from the bathroom." He shook his head and glanced around to make sure no one heard the exchange. Satisfied, he grabbed a PB&J and quickly consumed it before grabbing another sandwich.

Everyone was engaged in conversation, except for Nancy, who to Billy's surprise was standing alone. He walked over to her and asked, "Where's your boyfriend?" "Getting something out of his room. Why do you care?" "Well, I have a theory that I wanted to share with you." That caught her attention so he continued, "I think the reason why you were so pissed at Steve was because you are still secretly in love with him." Her mouth stood agape for a moment. "What?"

"Oh, I think you heard me quite well, princess. Besides, what other reason would you have? Who he kisses is none of your business anymore, you are the one who let him go." Nancy narrowed her eyes and he could see the anger boiling within her. She balled her fists and let him have it, "First off, do not call me that. Secondly, I don't think I ever loved Steve so it's not possible for me to still be in love with him. And finally, absolutely none of this is any of your business!"

In her rage, Nancy had spoken loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, including Steve. Billy saw the look of disappointment and hurt on his face as Nancy denied ever loving him. A deafening silence filled the room before Steve rushed out of the house. Before going after him, Billy told Nancy in a harsh whisper, "Wow, did I say princess? I meant bitch." He followed Steve out the front door but didn't see him anywhere. Billy checked the BMW with no luck. He eventually walked around the house as he called out Steve's name.

There was no answer and no sight of him. Out of instinct, Billy decided to check the shed. Steve sat on the floor, with his head in his hands. "Baby, why didn't you answer? You had me worried." He ran a hand through Steve's tousled hair but Steve hit it away. "What did you say to her?" "The truth. I said that the only reason that made sense as to why she was so mad about you kissing Robin was that she was still in love with you. I also said she had no right to worry about who you kiss." Steve groaned. "Why would you even say anything to her?

Billy sat down across from Steve, even though the amount of dirt on the floor was practically unbearable. "She is never held accountable and I was sick and tired of it. I guess I wanted to knock her down a peg or two." He placed his hand on one of Steve's. "I couldn't let her get away with talking to you like that. I'm sorry, I didn't –" Suddenly, the shed door swung open and Billy quickly pulled his hand back. Jonathon waltzed into the shed and yanked Billy to his feet. "What the –" Jonathon had him backed against one of the shelves and grabbed him by the throat. "Did you fucking call my girlfriend a bitch?"

Billy laughed, out of habit. Jonathon smacked his head hard against the shelf. "Don't you dare laugh. Answer my question." The grip had tightened on his throat and Billy could barely breathe let alone speak. He began clawing at Jonathon's hands but they didn't ease up. "Answer me!" Jonathon screamed at him. With the hit to his head and Jonathon's shockingly strong grip, Billy was already starting to lose consciousness. Steve tried to pull him off of Billy. "Stop! He can't breathe, he's going to pass out!"

"Good, maybe it will teach him to show some respect." "Seriously, you are hurting him! Please," Steve begged as he attempted to pry Jonathon off. Billy's vision went dark but then he heard the thwack! of Steve's fist making contact with Jonathon's face. Jonathon's hands had finally left his neck and Billy gulped greedily for air. "I'm sorry, but you were going to kill him!" Steve bargained with him as Jonathon approached with his fists ready. After gasping for the breaths that he had been deprived of, Billy's head had stopped spinning.

"Stop!" he croaked as he stood to his feet. "I'm the one you have a problem with, St – Harrington was just trying to help me out. I did call her that and I'm sorry. I'll go apologize to her, just leave him out of it." Jonathon had turned to face him and dropped his fists to his side. "You had better. And if I ever hear you say anything else about Nancy, ever, I will fucking kill you." "Understood," he said as he stepped between Jonathon and Steve. Jonathon's nose was bleeding and Billy pointed it out.

Sighing, he wiped his nose with his arm and left Billy and Steve in the shed by themselves. After Billy knew he was out of earshot, he told Steve, "Man, that guy has some anger issues." Steve was rubbing his knuckles and he glowered at Steve, his irritation palpable. "Yeah, well maybe you shouldn't have called Nance a bitch." "But –" "But I don't want to hear it, okay?" He was going to respond but suddenly Billy felt dizzy and had to sit down. Steve ran to his side. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, just a little light headed. That's all."

He put a hand to the back of his head where it had collided with the metal shelf. When he pulled it away there was blood. "Well, shit." Steve got up and looked around for something to stop the bleeding. Not finding anything, he demanded, "Take off your shirt." Billy teased, "I don't think this is the place or the time." "Shut up, we need to stop the bleeding." "Why can't we use your shirt?" Steve groaned. "My shirt is light blue and yours is black, it won't stain. Just take it off."

"So authoritative. I love it," Billy said as he flashed a wicked smile. Steve could not help but smile back. Billy lifted his arms and asked with mock shyness, "Could you help me?" Laughing, Steve assisted him in pulling the t-shirt off. "You are ridiculous, you know that?" He wadded up the shirt and held it to Billy's head. "Thanks." Steve sat on the floor next to Billy and sighed. "Though you were a huge dick and could have went about it differently, thank you for defending me."

"You are welcome and if I ever catch any other person talking shit about you, I will kick their ass. No questions asked." Steve rested his head on Billy's shoulder. "Promise?" "Promise," Billy purred as he tilted Steve's chin towards him. The kiss was a little awkward with Steve still holding the shirt to Billy's injured head. After a while, the makeshift compression was forgotten completely as Steve straddled Billy. He unfastened the button of Billy's jeans and proceeded to unzip them. Steve's touch was electric and Billy's cock twitched in response. "Commando? That's so fucking hot." His lips brushed softly against Billy's neck as he slid his hand over Billy's exposed and hard cock.

Goosebumps prickled his flesh as Steve closed his hand around Billy. "Feeling better?" "Much better," Billy grunted. "Yeah, baby, just like that." Steve put his lips against Billy's as his hand increased its pace. A low moan escaped from Billy's throat. Steve began trailing kisses down Billy's body. His mouth found its way around Billy's cock. Billy grabbed a fistful of Steve's hair and pulled hard. Steve whined with Billy's dick down his throat, the vibrations making the experience all the more pleasurable.

Even with Billy tugging at his hair, Steve continued. Billy's heart was pounding and with each breath he became closer and closer to coming. "Fuck, baby. You are so good at that." "Fuck," he moaned as he came in Steve's mouth. Steve swallowed Billy's load and wiped his mouth. Billy reached for the button of Steve's jeans. "Steve?" a female voice called faintly. "Steve? Billy? Are you still out here?" It was Nancy and she was getting closer.

"Shit! Quick, put your dick away!" Steve whispered. Billy chuckled but hastily zipped his pants up. Steve scooted back and crossed his legs, resting his hands in his lap to hide his boner. He called out, "Yeah, Nance. We're in the shed." Billy casually leaned back against the shelves. Nancy opened the door and looked around. She scrunched her brows upon laying eyes on Billy. "Why are you shirtless?" Steve ran a hand through his hair and laughed nervously. "He – uh – hit his head and he was using his shirt to stop the bleeding."

She nodded, content with the answer. "It's weird being in here with everything back in place." "Yeah, I guess it is," Steve agreed. Nancy then blurted, "Jonathon said you wanted to tell me something? We waited for you two to come back inside but I got impatient." Billy cleared his throat. "Umm yeah, I wanted to say that I was sorry for calling you names." "Oh, thanks –" "But," Billy started, "I think you owe an apology too." She blinked at him several times before sighing and then speaking, "Steve, I'm sorry for overreacting and saying some hurtful things."

Her response was far from sincere but Billy kept his mouth shut. Steve shrugged and told her, "It's okay." "Is that all you wanted to say?" Both Billy and Steve looked at each other before nodding. Nancy turned and exited the shed. Thinking they were safe again, Steve started to scoot towards Billy. Suddenly, the door swung open again. It made Billy nearly jump out of his skin. "I figured I would tell you two that everyone is starting to leave," Nancy said in matter-of-fact way before exiting for good.

Steve jumped up first and then helped Billy to his feet. "We should continue this back at my place." "Oh, I agree. I'll drop Max off and then head over. Let's get going." "Wait, aren't you going to put your shirt back on?" Billy looked over at the shirt on the ground and noticed it was covered in filth. "Nah, it's bloody and dirty." He picked it up and bundled it in his hands. Steve adjusted himself before the two of them both left the shed.

When they got back into the Byers' house, everyone except for Will, Jane, Joyce, and Max had left. Steve said his goodbyes before taking off. "Max, let's go," Billy rushed her. She was in a conversation with Will and Jane and ignored him. "Max, now. Come on!" She looked at him, clearly irritated and a little embarrassed. "Take a chill pill, Billy. What's your sudden hurry anyway? Do you know how long I've been sitting here waiting?" He sighed. "I'm sorry, can we just go now? I have some stuff to do." "Okay, okay. Give me a second to get up. Bye guys, bye Mrs. Byers."

She gave a wave goodbye, as did Billy. Once they were in the car, he explained. "I'm sorry, it's just that Steve wanted to hang out and I'm a little excited about it." He could not stop smiling. "So I take it you two are back together?" He nodded and elaborated, "Yeah, he said he wanted to talk but before he said anything I apologized, told him that I loved him, and asked if he could forgive me. He forgave me and said that he loved me too. Max, I don't think I've ever been this happy. At least not for a long, long time."

She smiled and congratulated him, "That's great Billy, I'm really happy for you." "Thanks. All I want to do is tell the world and I wished I could, that's the only thing that is disappointing. But that doesn't really matter as long as I have Steve." Max cleared her throat and shyly asked, "So, what were you two doing out in the shed all that time?" Caught off guard, Billy was silent. "Billy?" "Umm... we just mostly talked." "What were you doing when you weren't talking?" "Damn Max, you are nosy. We made out, obviously."

She stared at him for a while before suddenly gasping. Billy jumped and asked, "What? Don't do that! You could make me wreck. What is it?" "Your neck! What the hell happened? Is that what hickies look like?" He laughed at her absurdity before telling her, "No, they are not hickies." Billy looked in the mirror and saw that there were finger-shaped bruises around his throat. He scoffed. "No, that's from Jonathon trying to choke me to death." "What? Jonathon did that?" she said as her eyes grew wide with shock.

He shook his head up and down, "Yeah, all because I called Nancy a bitch. She was being a bitch to Steve and I just called her out on her bullshit. Beforehand, I had thought Jonathon wasn't even capable of killing a fly, let alone attempting murder. He always seemed so cool and calm, but I found out the hard way that he has quite the temper. I have to be careful not to get on his bad side again. He almost reminded me of Neil and for a second there I was actually scared that I was going to die."

"That's terrible. It is really hard to picture him being violent but Dustin told me about how Jonathon had beaten up Steve once." "Wait, what? When did this happen?" "I guess when Steve and Nancy were still going out. I don't know the whole story." "Hmm, I'll have to ask Steve about it sometime." They pulled up to Lisa's place and Billy asked Max, "Do you think you could tell your mom that I'm sorry but I will miss dinner and then I will be staying with a friend?" She shrugged. "Sure, no problem. How long should I say you would be gone?" "Indefinitely."