Steve was not prepared for this. Hell, he wasn't prepared for Billy Hargrove when he was perfectly healthy earlier. But now, he was completely screwed. And that little tackle he'd just done in the field had done him no favors. Maybe if he passed out on top of Billy this time, it would give the kids a chance to get away.

"What do we do?" Dustin whispered, looking to Steve for direction. So now the kids wanted to listen to him, after his brains had been scrambled. How had he gone from barely any interaction with children to being responsible for keeping four safe? And instead of it just being from monsters, there had to be another threat added in. As if it wasn't hard enough. But even though he hadn't meant to sign up for this task, he was going to do whatever it took to make sure they stayed okay.

"You are all going to stay in the car with the doors locked," Steve commanded, keeping his eyes locked on Hargrove. If he made a move, Steve needed to be ready. "I'll go deal with him."

"Are you crazy? He almost killed you!" Mike hissed.

"If I was fine enough to go into the tunnels, I'm fine enough to do this," Steve argued. He wasn't really fine enough for either, but that didn't matter.

"For the record, I voted to leave you behind," Mike grumbled.

"So I would've possibly been here and unconscious when Billy woke up. And that's better?" Steve snorted. This little spat with Mike was somehow making him feel a little bit better. At least he wasn't looking at him like the others were, like he was about to stand in front of a firing squad with no chance of survival.

"We were never going to leave you behind," Dustin sighed, elbowing Mike in the ribs.

"Well, that might change," Steve mumbled, flicking his eyes toward Max. She was going back and forth between staring at him and her step brother, but when she noticed him looking at her, they locked eyes. "If I give you a signal, I want you to drive away."

"What?! I just said we weren't leaving you behind!" Dustin whisper-yelled. Max wasn't saying anything and Steve knew she wasn't happy with the plan either, but she knew her brother better than any of them. This might be their only option.

"Why can't you drive us out of here and leave Billy behind?" Lucas suggested.

"And then what? Max just never goes home or deals with it herself? I need to deal with this now," Steve insisted. All the adults were dealing with more important things right now, but Steve was here. What else did he have?

"Why do you care? You don't even know me," Max wondered quietly. That lonely voice ripped into his heart like a knife. He recognized it in himself. It might be too late for him to find happiness and his place in the world, but she still had a chance. These kids were too young to not have hope.

"Because you deserve to be cared about," Steve said firmly, before sliding out of the car and pushing the door shut behind him. He stood next to it until he heard the locks engage again. Steve made his way to the front of the car. He wasn't planning on getting too close to Billy, but he needed to be out of the way in case the kids needed to make a quick escape. This was going to suck. "Hargrove."

"Harrington," Billy replied, giving him a once over. "You're not looking so hot."

"Well, you're not my type either," Steve smirked, because antagonizing your future murderer was always the best decision. "What are we doing here?"

"Surprisingly enough, I don't want to fight. My knuckles are already a little bit sore," Billy snickered, flexing his hands. "How about you give me my sister and my car and we can go our separate ways. Forget this ever happened."

"No can do. I mean, you'll get your car back eventually, but I'm not letting you leave with Max," Steve shrugged.

"Excuse me?"

"Max stays here with me and the crew. You walk home. I'm not understanding the confusion."

"Well, part of my confusion stems from where you think you got any authority. What makes you think I would listen to you?" Billy huffed, tilting his head to the side.

"I gave it to myself. My final act as King Steve before I abdicate the throne." He really hoped he used that word right. Hargrove actually let out a quiet laugh. He was probably laughing at him instead of laughing with him, but it sounded a bit different than the cockiness Steve was used to hearing. Maybe there was something more to the guy than he thought?

"You're funny. Too bad I'm going to have to smash your face in." Or maybe there wasn't. Steve glanced back at the car, finding all the kids watching the scene with wide eyes. Even Mike looked worried, so that probably meant that Steve was extra screwed. He held up a hand behind his back, hoping the kids would understand that he wanted them to be ready to run. He didn't want them to watch what was about to happen.

"Do what you think you need to," Steve challenged, squaring his shoulders. "But you're gonna have to kill me before you can get to these kids." It felt ridiculous to be able to survive monsters, only to get struck down by some asshole. But his protection didn't only extend to a supernatural crisis. He'd go down swinging whenever, wherever.

"Why do you give a shit?" Billy asked, letting his fists go a little lax at his sides. It was the same question Max had asked, albeit a little rougher. And it made Steve frustrated.

"Because people are supposed to care!" Steve shouted, raking a hand through his hair. "People aren't supposed to be okay seeing other people hurt! And I don't know when that started being a thing, but I'm sick of it. Life is hard enough as it is."

Steve wasn't sure what he'd been expecting. Maybe Billy laughing at him about how pathetic he sounded. Or Billy charging forward and pummeling the crap out of him. Definitely not Billy sinking down onto the front step of the Byers house and putting his head in his hands. He looked around, not really knowing what to do. Was this a trick?

"Shit," Billy muttered, grabbing a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it up. He took a few puffs, staring at Steve the whole time. He didn't know what else to do besides stand there. "Life must be so easy for you."

"What?" Now Steve was really confused.

"I bet you go off and do whatever you want, then go home to mommy and daddy who just lap it all up. Gliding through life without a care in the world," Billy sneered. Where the hell did that come from? This had taken an unexpected turn. "Must be nice."

"I don't even know what state my parents are in right now. Haven't heard from them in weeks," Steve admitted softly. Billy gave him a sharp look, as if trying to sniff out a lie. Steve didn't really see a point in not being honest. This had grown into something a lot bigger than he expected. Billy wasn't just your stereotypical bully, was he? "You don't know me. And I'm beginning to think I don't really know you either. Do you want to talk?"