Billy keeps silent the rest of the way. He knows Stu is lying. He looks, smells and surely, he even tastes disgusting. Not only that, but he thinks the infection in his neck is spreading everywhere, yet he can't see a doctor without risking being caught by the police.
His last chance would be to see if Stu had antibiotics in his bathroom and steal them.
"We're here." Stu pulls the van up into the gravel driveway and slowly parks the car before turning off the ignition. He looks over at Billy with a smile, but the way he speaks and the look on his face and in his eyes all show that he's concerned. He takes his key off the ignition and turns to face Billy as he speaks. "So… Are you all right, Billy? Is there anything I can get you? " Stu speaks in a very soft voice but despite being extremely gentle in his whole demeanor, he's clearly worried about Billy not taking good care of himself.
"Clean clothes, I suppose" he says, slowly putting his leg down, trying not to move his ankle in a bad direction. He opens the door and starts to go out, taking a look at his surroundings. He hopes Stu offers to help him walk and he doesn't have to ask, but who knows? Maybe Stu was still angry at him snapping.
"Ok… But do you feel up to that? " Stu seems unsure here. "I mean… How bad is your ankle? Don't you think you should rest? Perhaps elevate it until the swelling goes down?" Stu speaks softly, and he looks at Billy with an expression of pure concern. He then thinks for a moment. "Or I can get you some pain pills and an ice pack… What do you think? Do you think you can walk on that?" Stu speaks again with only a hint of a frown, clearly wanting to do whatever Billy needs him to do.
"Of course I can't walk," Billy snaps, suddenly. He immediately regrets it and looks down, sighing. "Sorry…"
Stu gets a little startled but he realizes that Billy didn't mean to snap. His face goes from a surprised look to a more relaxed one as he speaks in a softer voice once more.
"Don't even worry about it. You're not well, I see that, and your frustration is perfectly understandable." Stu speaks again in a calm and tender tone. "So what should we do then? What do you require? " Stu speaks with an encouraging tone as he looks at Billy. "Want me to get you the medical stuff, or is there some other way I can help?"
"Help me walk, that's it" Billy says, almost whispering. "I just want to take a shower."
Stu nods silently.
"Of course, of course… I'll help you. Ok? " He speaks with a tone that sounds genuine. He puts his arm on Billy's back to help support him when he stands up while speaking. "Alright? I'll help walk you inside and get you settled. But then if you need anything else, you just have to say the word, ok?"
Billy nods, tired. He just does as Stu says, silently. The sooner they're done, the sooner he can leave too.
Stu helps him walk towards the house, and he speaks with an encouraging tone.
"See, you're doing great. We'll have you bathed in just a bit." Stu smiles encouragingly and gives Billy a pat on the back again. "We'll have you feeling brand new in no time." He then leads Billy into the house towards the bathroom. "You go ahead and take your hot shower. Ok? Just let me know if you need anything." Stu gives Billy a wink once again as he speaks before leaving the room to give Billy some privacy.
"Fine," Billy murmurs. "Don't forget the clothes… If they're dark, better. And… left my backpack in the door. I think I forgot it in the van…"
Stu nods once more and he speaks with a little smile.
"Ok, I understand. I'll be here when you're done." Stu gives Billy another pat of appreciation on his arm before he starts to leave the room. "Just let me know if you need anything, Billy." Stu closes the door before walking to the other room, and he takes Billy's backpack from the van, bringing it inside. He leaves it by the door like Billy asked him to do and he starts taking some clothes out of their closets that might fit Billy.
Billy takes off his clothes and opens the shower as hot as it would go. He doesn't want to even look in a mirror until he's clean.
The cut in his neck is not the only cut he has. There's another one in his abdomen, although not as deep, and his ankle is blue and inflamed.
He bears the pain as he walks under the water, closing his eyes.
Stu takes his time and carefully picks out some nice dark clothes that he thinks might fit Billy. At least some sweatpants and a couple of dark hoodies. He also picks out a towel and two wash rags so that Billy can dry himself. He makes sure all of these things are all clean and then he puts them into a basket. With all these things prepared, Stu quietly waits outside the door, waiting for Billy to let him know when he's finished. And he's more than happy to give Billy his privacy.
After thirty minutes, Billy is done in the shower. He might have wasted all the hot water in the house, as far as he knows, and the whole soap bar.
He walks out of the shower, looking around for a towel but there isn't any. He sighs, irritated that he has to ask for help again.
"Stu?" He calls, reclined against the door, with his injured ankle in the air.
Stu hears Billy's calls and he quickly gets the towel and two wash rags ready. He takes the basket and walks towards the bathroom, opening the door and looking inside to see Billy reclined against it. He then walks inside and closes the door behind him before speaking.
" Are you all done there?" Stu sounds calm and friendly, although there's a slight hint of concern in his voice as he asks this. His facial expression is also filled with genuine concern and care. "Did you get washed up?"
Billy looks at him, startled. He quickly took a towel from Stu's hand to cover himself.
"The hell are you doing?" He asks, restraining his rage.
Stu goes wide-eyed, not at all expecting that reaction. He quickly recovers and he answers softly.
" Oh… Sorry… I…" Stu then thinks for a moment. "I just wanted to bring you a towel." He speaks nervously as an awkward smile forms on his lips as he tries to quickly figure out what to say in this unexpected situation so that he can calm Billy down. "I can wait outside if… If you'd like." He speaks with just a slight amount of embarrassment clearly in his voice.
"No, if I want you to stay here and see me naked while I'm dressing" Billy laughs sarcastically. "Why don't you ask before coming in, anyway?" He now looks more amused than angry.
"Yeah, you're right! I'll admit that was silly of me to just burst in like that without even noticing." Stu now sounds apologetic but he's still smiling with just a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "My bad. I'm sorry, Billy… I should have asked…" He takes a moment to think, and then he speaks in a soft voice. "Do you need me to leave? Or can I stay?" Stu speaks with a kind of hopefulness. "Can be just… start over?"
"Stay?" Billy asks, lifting an eyebrow. "Stay for what, exactly? I'll just dress myself"
He looks at Stu as confused as irritated. Maybe he was overreacting?
Stu's face goes a bit red as he speaks in a hushed tone
"Yeah, sorry… You're right again." Stu speaks with an awkward smile, it's clear that he's trying to find the right words to apologize. Then a look of sincerity crosses his face when he replies a moment later.
"What I meant was… Could we start over? Maybe get our friendship off to a new start… Maybe we can have a friendly chat, just the two of us?"
"Out friendship." Billy mutters, looking at Stu from head to toe intently. "A new start of our friendship while I'm naked and at a physical disadvantage…" He ponders, then he laughs bitterly. "Yeah, sure" he closes his eyes and looks away. "Do whatever you want."
Stu goes wide-eyed and immediately starts looking away from Billy as soon as Billy mentions starting over when Billy's naked. Stu's facial expression makes it obvious that he's genuinely horrified. He speaks in a quiet voice when he responds.
"! I... I didn't mean it like… That!" He doesn't even finish his sentence, but he does look at Billy with a little hint of fear and worry in his eyes when he responds. "I'm so sorry…"
"Just leave the clothes there and go" Billy says, trembling because he's not only freezing but unsure what Stu wants out of all this.
Stu nods. It's apparent that he's sincere, and he wants Billy to understand that he's genuinely not a threat to him. "Ok… And I'm really, truly sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable in any way or made you feel scared." He speaks nervously but kindly once more. Then he takes a moment as if he's just had an idea and he speaks again in a more gentle voice as if he's just had a realization. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
"Just leave me alone" Billy mutters, shutting his eyes with more strength. He's pretty sure that if he opens his eyes, they're going to start tearing, and that's the last thing he needs right now.
Stu immediately turns and walks away without another word, feeling utterly guilty and terrible. In the back of his mind it occurs to him that maybe he's made a huge mistake in coming here and trying to make amends with Billy. Then he wonders if maybe he even should have come. Maybe the damage is already done? Or maybe Billy is just not capable of trusting him. He doesn't truly know… Then, with a heavy and sad heart, Stu steps out of the bathroom and leaves as Billy asked, quietly closing the door. A single tear makes its way down Stu's cheek.
Billy sits down on the floor of the bathroom, breathing deeply, trying to calm his nerves before breaking down. He still needs to dress himself and, more importantly, think of a way of leaving this house alone. There was no way in hell he would ask Stu to drive him to the same spot he was early. He didn't even want to be around there at all…
He started to dress with difficulty, still thinking about his predicament.
Stu comes up with an idea, and he realizes he wants to give it a shot, even if the chances of it working are really low. But he thinks he'll hate himself even more if he doesn't even try to at least attempt to show he's truly sorry. So, he goes back inside the bathroom, opens the door and he speaks in a soft and calm voice.
"Billy…? Can I apologize one more time? Even though I know that can't just make it better like it never happened?"
Billy is almost done with dressing, he only has left a hoodie to put on, hiding his wound completely.
His hair is almost dry, looking brilliant and sleek, almost reaching his shoulders.
He looks up when Stu enters, a bit surprised. He supposes he should be angry again, the logical thing would be to shout at him, wouldn't it? But he starts laughing uncontrollably, not even registering what Stu says at all.
"What now?" He laughs.
Stu's face goes wide-eyed and he even blushes slightly when Billy starts laughing, clearly shocked by Billy's response. He had been expecting a much more furious and much less pleasant reaction, so he's caught off guard for a moment. Then, once Billy starts laughing even louder and louder, Stu starts laughing with him but with a much more subdued laughter. His face is filled with confusion and surprise but also relief, as well as a hint of uncertainty. Then, after he gains some composure over his laughing, he starts speaking. "Well… Um…"
"You're an idiot" Billy chuckles, and then puts on the hoodie, careful to not touch the wound in his neck.
Stu goes wide-eyed and he blushes a bit more when Billy calls him idiot, but he speaks calmly as he still tries to recover from his confusion and shock.
"I know… But I'm an idiot who's truly sorry." Stu sounds sincere and he's no longer laughing as he says this. "So sorry, in fact that I'm even willing to go the extra mile in an attempt to improve things between us."
Stu is still a bit embarrassed by what just happened but the kindness and sympathy are back in his voice. "So what do you say? Can I start making it up to you?"
Billy studies Stu for a moment, still thinking about his way out of the house. Last week it was easier to walk away, he still was able to walk normally. Now he didn't have the same luck.
"It's fine." He whispers. "I think I may have overreacted a little… I thought you would leave me alone. I don't like how I look right now, of course I don't want anyone else to see me." He speaks soft, sincere, yet his eyes are somber.
Stu goes wide eyed and his eyebrows go up in surprise. Now he understands. He's no longer embarrassed at all. He takes a step closer and then he speaks.
"I get it. You think you had the right to be outraged." He then smiles. "I probably would have too." He speaks with a bit of amusement. "But… That's also why I want to try to make it up to you."
"You don't have to," Billy says, trying to stand up. He still hasn't even eaten in a whole day, yet that shower made him have more confidence in his strength. "I… Already got what I wanted. I'm leaving now." He says, as a matter of fact, taking his backpack off the floor.
Stu goes wide eyed again when he hears this, a small tear comes out from one eye and he sounds hurt.
"You… You're leaving? Now?!" Stu is trying to hide the fact that he's hurt by this news, but he can't quite pull it off completely as a small tear starts coming down his face. He steps closer once more as the expression on his face becomes sadder and sadder until he goes from a kindhearted smile to a sad smile in just a matter of seconds. "Please… Please don't go… Not like this…"
"Why the fuck are you crying now, uh?" Billy asks in a whisper.
He supports his own weight on the wall, not leaning weight on his ankle at all yet.
The last thing he needs now is Stu breaking down in front of him, he said he had friends, didn't he? That gives him an idea.
"Look, you should call over some of your friends to hang out and clear your mind, you know? Don't stay alone in this house if you don't feel right at all." he's about to put a hand on Stu's shoulder and stops midway.
Stu looks at his feet, still not sure about leaving Billy to walk away with it in such condition.
"Yeah… Yeah, that sounds like some good advice." Stu forces a smile but it's pretty weak and doesn't really seem convincing at all. Then, just as it seems like he's about to start crying again, he pulls himself together and he speaks. .
"I'll… I'll take that advice. Why don't I give you a big hug before you go?" Stu makes a big smile which is very obviously fake but he holds his arms wide open. Then he sighs. "I think I could really use one too." He speaks in a friendly but sad voice.
"I thought so," Billy smirks. He would let Stu hug him all he wanted, as long as he can leave after that. He hasn't received a hug in years… He doesn't even remember the last one, he probably was drunk or high. It doesn't matter at this point. It appears that a hug would leave Stu satisfied, so he nods and stretches his arms, still smirking.
Stu smiles and he hugs Billy with a tight grip. He holds this tight hug for a while and then, without thinking at all, he speaks while still hugging him.
"Thank you… Billy!" One big tear finally makes its way out of his right eye and he speaks in a hushed voice. "It's been a while since I've gotten a hug. I forgot how nice it was…" He then tries to hide the fact that he's crying by leaning his head on Billy's shoulder.
"Careful with my neck" Billy chuckles softly, flinching when Stu's head makes contact with his wound. "Don't your parents even hug you… In Christmas or something?" He asks curious.
He wouldn't admit it, but maybe he needed a hug too, or he's too tired and Stu reminded him of a cushion. He laughs at his own thoughts.
Stu's face goes a bit red, and he speaks in a sheepish voice.
"No, they're… They're not big on hugging. Or… Even just showing any kind of affection, really." He laughs nervously and in a slightly embarrassed way. "But I guess you already know that." Stu tries to make light of the situation. Then he smiles a bit before putting into words his next thought. " I would've thought you would've been too 'hard' for hugs." Stu speaks with a hint of teasing, and he lets out a soft chuckle right before he says this.
"Yeah" Billy whispers… "Well, you were crying. I was afraid that if I said 'no' you would break down or something" he chuckles, half joking. He lets his front head rest on Stu's shoulder for a moment.
Stu smiles and he speaks while still holding this long and tight hug
" No… If anything, that might've made me cry even worse…" Stu chuckles a little, almost as if he's thinking about something… Then, in an extremely soft and quiet voice that is barely audible, he says. "Thank you… So, what is your plan now? Are you just going to walk home?" Stu speaks in a worried tone and with genuine concern in his voice when he says this.
Billy stays quiet for a moment, still enjoying the hug until he can. He's pretty sure Stu knows perfectly well that he doesn't have a home, but he refrains from correcting him.
Stu lets go of the hug and then he looks at Billy with a small, sincere smile before he goes back to his previous topic.
"Ok, what's your next move? Do you need a place to stay for the night" Stu speaks with an almost comforting tone and he seems almost apologetic when he says this. He also leans in a bit and with an extremely soft and quiet voice, barely above a whisper, he adds one small extra detail. " You're welcome at my place if you need it."
Billy nods once, a barely perceptible nod, as he looks down at his ankle.
"Yeah, I think I should let my ankle rest a bit." He mumbles, his tiredness winning over his wish to leave. "Can I stay?" He doesn't look at Stu's eyes at all.
Stu nods with a smile when he hears this, and then his face lights up a little.
" You can stay for as long as you want." Stu sounds genuinely kind and sincere. "We can just spend the night watching movies and eating junk food or something." He chuckles. "We can do whatever you feel comfortable with… But if you want to just rest after what you just went through, then that works for me too."
"Watch movies, uh?" Billy laughs. "Like old times."
Stu nods and he chuckles. Then he speaks in a nostalgic and fondly manner, as he remembers their good old days together. And, without even realizing it, his face lights up even more and a faint smile spreads through his lips.
"Yeah, just like old times." He smiles once more before becoming more serious again. "How about an old school slasher?" He speaks with a hint of amusement and excitement. "Or maybe even an old Friday the 13th or Nightmare of Elm Street movie?" He speaks with an even bigger feeling of excitement in his voice as he says this.
"Well, whatever movie you want is okay. I'm pretty sure I'll be already sleeping five minutes in, anyway" he smiles sheepishly. "I'm tired" he lets out, looking at the ceiling.
Stu chuckles at this and he speaks in a comforting and reassuring tone.
"That 's fine. Just take your time resting." Stu smiles. "I'll go to the kitchen and grab a drink. I have some Mountain Dew if you like that." He makes an "Oooh" sound, and he smiles again." Or I might even have some cold pizza in the fridge. I'll bring it in while you get comfortable." Stu speaks in a gentle manner and then he pats Billy on the back. "I'm glad you're here."
"Wait …" Billy takes his arm before Stu leaves the bathroom. "Help me walk to the couch, okay."
Stu nods and he speaks softly as he says this.
"Of course. Just lean on me and I'll help you." Stu holds his arms out and he looks up at Billy with a reassuring and caring look as he says this." Just relax, Billy. We're here and you're safe."
They walk to the living room and Billy sits down, stretching his injured leg on the sofa.
Stu goes to the kitchen for the pizza and drinks he had mentioned.
After five minutes, when he comes back, he founds Billy already sleeping, his head reclined on the sofa's arm.
Stu sets down the pizza, and he places the drinks on the coffee table before looking at Billy for a moment. Then, smiling, he speaks.
" You're already asleep? Guess you were more tired out than you let off." He speaks with a kindly and understanding tone while picking up one slice of a pizza, and he sits down next to Billy on the couch. He then sighs and, with a little sadness in his voice as he speaks, he adds. "I guess I'll just let you sleep and get some rest while I eat and watch something…" he speaks quietly and in an almost apologetic tone.
Stu puts a movie in a low volume, thinking about the whole day he and Billy had. He still doesn't know how Billy had gotten those injuries, he clearly didn't have them last week. He doesn't know how to approach the subject the next day either if he does. Not only that, but he barely got Billy to agree to stay after many back and forth.
Stu watches over Billy for a while as he watches the movie. He sighs and when he sees that Billy hasn't moved an inch or made even a little noise since he stopped speaking, he covers him with a blanket, and he puts the remote in a place that is easily reachable by Billy in case he wakes up during the night. Then he sits back down on the couch, and he continues to eat his pizza.
"Oh well… I'll just leave you to rest. You've been through a lot."