Notes: I did not rewrite this chapter twice. I did not! It's not betaed, I will once I finish the stories.
Dewey and Kinkaid are waiting outside Hank Loomis's house. Dewey can tell that Kinkaid is excited to get this all figured out. He understands, it is a case of great importance and a lot of people's lives are at stake.
"I understand your enthusiasm," Dewey says "but we still need to proceed carefully. It's essential that we don't make any avoidable mistakes." He looks over to Kinkaid, his expression still looking as calm as ever but it is clear that Dewey is concerned. "That means we don't just jump to conclusions about anyone. We get the facts first and then we go from there."
"Deputy Riley, I'm not an amateur" Kinkaid smirks, and rings the bell. "I'm here to be objective... Can you do the same, though, knowing everyone in this little town?" He raises one eyebrow..
Dewey lets out a sigh. Kinkaid's comment is starting to get a bit on his nerves.
"I am being objective" he says "like I said, we get the facts first and then, based on that, we make decisions." He pauses for a second, clearly thinking about what Kinkaid just says about him being a small town cop. "Are you insinuating something?" he asks, his face starting to look a little stern
"Are you?" Kinkaid asks.
Dewey sighs. It bothers him how Kinkaid is making him out to be some kind of biased cop in the small town, so much so that he starts to wonder if it is really just Kinkaid's opinion about him.
"No," he responds "all I'm saying is that we do our job properly and that means getting the facts first instead of going in all guns blazing."He is annoyed but he does his best to remain calm and collected.
At that moment, the door opens and a blonde woman looks at them with a frown.
"Good night, Deputy Riley" she says, confused.
"Goodnight, ma'am," Dewey says, raising his eyebrow slightly.
"Is it about that reporter?" The blonde woman asks nervously.
Dewey raises an eyebrow.
"Which reporter are you referring to?" he asks. "There have been quite a few in town lately." Dewey pauses for a second thinking about what the woman had just said. "Hold on. Is it Gale Weathers?"
"Excuse me, Miss. Who are you?" Kinkaid asks, confused. "We're here to talk to Mr. Hank Loomis."
"I'm his wife..." The woman looks between the two of them and sighs. "Is this about Billy?"
Dewey feels a little guilty for causing the woman to worry.
"I'm sorry if we cause any confusion," he apologizes. "we just needed to ask a few questions to your husband" he states. He looks at Kinkaid. "Yes, Billy really is our primary focus right now." Dewey pauses for a moment, thinking about some of their options. "Is it alright if we come inside and ask him a few questions? Or do we need a warrant?"
"I'll call him," the woman says, opening the door for them to enter. "Just... Be aware this is a stressing issue for him," She says, her hands together in front of her chest. "Please, take a seat."
Dewey walks inside the house. He gives the woman a little smile of reassurance but he understands her concern. He's been in this position more times than he'd care to admit.
"Don't worry," he says, "we won't cause any trouble. We just need to ask your husband a couple of questions."
He takes off his hat and puts it on the coffee table. Kinkaid follows close behind but he doesn't appear to be quite as reassuring as Dewey.
"Thank you." Dewey says "we appreciate your hospitality."
When the woman leaves the room, Kinkaid looks at him.
"See? What if we have to arrest him? You can't make those kinds of compromises."
"Are you really gonna keep doing this?" Dewey says, giving Kinkaid a stern look "You really think he's gonna be a suspect? Come on! We don't even have any evidence." Dewey says "What can we even have on this guy?" he pauses for a second, trying to ignore Kinkaid. "I'm not doing anything but asking him a few questions. No one needs to be arrested today"
"But if he saw his son and didn't call the police, he is hindering the investigation." Kinkaid lowers his voice as Hank enters the room.
He looks tired, with his hair unkempt and bags under his eyes.
"The police are in my house again," Hank says in a bitter tone. "To what do I owe the honor?"
Dewey looks over to Hank and raises his eyebrows. He can tell there is an ounce of animosity coming from him already.
"I'm Deputy Riley," he says. "and this is Detective Kinkaid." He pauses for a second. "I'm sorry about our visit but we have a few questions to ask about your son Billy."
"He's not my son anymore," Hank says, gritting his teeth.
Dewey looks at Hank a little surprised.
"What do you mean?" he asks. "Has Billy been legally adopted or something? I'm not aware of anything like that." He pauses for a second, starting to realize what Hank is really getting at. "You mean that you don't associate yourself with him anymore?"
Kinkaid snorts, looking away.
"Sir, it doesn't matter how you feel about your son. We need some answers, I hope you're open to collaborate on good terms" he says, giving Dewey a side glance.
Dewey looks over to Kinkaid and sighs.
"We will make this as quick and as painless as possible but we need to know if you've seen Billy recently. Have you?" he asks, crossing his arms in front of him. "This is crucial information for the investigation, so I appreciate your support."
Hank doesn't say anything at first. Then he sighs and takes a seat on one of the sofas, rubbing his hair.
"You already know I saw him," he says in a tired tone. "I'm pretty sure you're here because that reporter went running to tell you the news." he says resigned. His wife enters the room and stays behind him.
Dewey nods his head.
"We are aware that you saw him. It's really just the circumstances around you seeing him." he raises an eyebrow. "Why did you choose to keep that information from us?"
"Why?" Hank asks, a bit angry. "Because I didn't know how he would react at all. Isn't he a psychopath murder? I have a little daughter here." He explains a bit desperate.
Dewey nods his head a little before speaking.
"Fair point," he says, "you had your daughter to think about. I understand what you're saying."
he pauses for a moment, thinking. "Would it be alright if you tell us the story of how you encountered Billy?"
"Please, tell us every detail. We had enough omissions already, " says Kinkaid in a serious tone.
Dewey nods his head. He looks over to Hank and clears his throat.
"Go ahead, tell us what happened."
He listens closely to everything that Hank has to say.
"He just appeared here one afternoon..." Hank starts explaining, looking at the floor. "My wife attended him first. Then I talked to him. He wanted to know where his mother was, ok? He didn't seem to know about her trying to kill the Prescott girl or... dying" he says.
"He looked really sick," his wife added.
Dewey nods his head
"He was sick?" he asks, pretty interested in this detail. "Did he say anything else? Did he ask about anything related to the murders at all?"
"He looked terrible, but I suppose it's normal being on the run" Hank says, shrugging his shoulders. "He didn't ask anything about the murders, no." Hank thinks for a moment. "Is he a suspect in the recent murders too?"
"Even if he isn't, he already is responsible for five murders from five years ago," Kinkaid points out. "If you're hiding him or helping him in some way, you would be in trouble."
Dewey looks over to Kinkaid. It is a tough pill to swallow but he does see where Kinkaid is coming from.
"He is definitely a suspect," Dewey pauses for a second, getting his thoughts together. "Could you tell us what exactly happened when you met Billy? We need as much information as possible. I need you to describe that day as if your life depended on it."
"That's all, really," Hank insisted. "He only asked about his mother... We barely talked for a couple of minutes... Then I asked him to leave or I would call the police. And he left."
Dewey nods his head.
"And that is all?" he asks. "How did he look? Was he limping or did he have injuries in any way? What I'm trying to get at is did he look like he had any injuries or had been hurt in any way?"
"He looked dirty and starved ... But not hurt" Hank says, thinking. "He certainly had the strength to fight my way of speaking." He snorts.
"He wasn't limping" his wife says, "I think he was just tired..."
Dewey nods.
"So he didn't seem hurt but he was starving and a little dirty?" he looks over to Kinkaid in a confused way. "What do you think about all that?"
"It makes sense if he doesn't have resources or an accomplice at all," Kinkaid says.
Dewey looks back to Hank. "Do you know where Billy could've gone? Could he be hiding somewhere? Do you have some ideas for where we can look?"
"No, I don't really know where he could have gone," Hank says. "I haven't known anything about him since that day and it's better that way."
Dewey nods his head.
"So you don't think he could've gone to a friend or the home of a family member?" Dewey sighs. "You think he's a lone wolf?" Hank's response surprises him a little. "I don't know for sure but that sounds like something Billy would do. I wouldn't be surprised if he's hiding by himself with no help from anyone."
"He barely had friends..." Hank says. "And he attacked them..." he lets the incomplete sentence linger in the air.
Dewey pauses to let that sink in. It is an unsettling thought and he can tell Kinkaid is thinking the same thing.
"So you don't think he had any close friends?" he asks, looking over to Hank. "You're saying there's no one you think he can depend on if he really needed it?"
"If there is, I don't know... I never really knew him."
The conversation falls a little silent. Dewey takes out his notebook and starts writing something down. He clears his throat so to speak before looking up to Hank.
"Well if you find out anything at all, any information about Billy even if you may think it's insignificant, give us a call right away. This is really important stuff so, we're gonna need any info we can get." he slid a note with his number across the table. "Please, try to give us a call as soon as you hear anything."
"We're gonna need your help to do a recent portrait, you know" Kinkaid says, standing up. "If he's still in Woodsboro or nearby we need people to be able to recognize him."
Dewey nods his head.
"Good idea." He opens his notebook and jotted down a note. "How soon will you be able to get a sketch for us?" He looks up to Hank. "Do you think you can come to the police station to help with that?"
"Tomorrow I'll go after my job. But keep the press out of my sight," Hank says in warning. "I've had enough reporters coming out of nowhere."
Dewey understands Hank's concern but Kinkaid seems a little more resistant to it.
"I understand but I hope you understand how important it is to get the word out" Kinkaid says.
Dewey sighs.
"You're right, Kinkaid". He looks back to Hank. "We can keep it discreet and make sure that no one that doesn't belong there is going to come in. I promise it will be as quick and as painless as it can be"
"Okay." Hank shrugs his shoulders.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
He nods at Kinkaid, indicating he'd like to step outside. Kinkaid nods as well. The two of them step out of the house and close the door behind them before speaking.
"What do you think? Do you really believe he is alone or will there be a partner helping him?"
"It doesn't seem believable that it's the job of an only person… an only person that seems to be starved and weak" Kinkaid says thoughtfully. "Yet we can't discard the possibility. It's a man that gutted three people five years ago, with barely eighteen years..."
Dewey rubs his hair.
"Exactly. I'm a little skeptical of him being alone but you're right. We can't rule it out." Dewey sighs and rubs his eyes a little. "I guess this makes the next step even more important than we thought it is."
"So, we're going to Stu Macher's house then?" Kinkaid asks, walking towards the car. "It's gonna be interesting."
"Oh, you can bet on that," Dewey says in a sarcastic tone.
Kinkaid seems amused, Dewey gets the feeling that Kinkaid just likes to watch him suffer from time to time. Dewey cleared his throat before speaking
"Yeah, I think the next step is to go see my old pal Stu."
"Then , who did the denunciation of Billy walking out of Stu's house? Was it a man or a woman?" Kinkaid asks, sitting in the passenger seat.
He catches Dewey off guard by this question. He was not expecting to be asked such a direct question after just getting all the info from Hank. Dewey sighs in response.
"I… don't know, I wasn't the one taking it." He pauses for a second before looking over to Kinkaid. "You think Stu is telling the truth?"
"I was just thinking if it was a woman... could it have been Hank's wife? Just to deflect the investigation and not have the police stressing her husband...?" He rubs his hair. "It sounds like a stretch but I don't know... This case is one of the weirdest cases I've known of."
Dewey pauses for a moment.
"Hmm… you bring up an interesting point. Maybe she wanted to take the heat off of Hank?" Dewey pauses again. "if that's true… that can be dangerous" his tone became a little more serious. "We're gonna have to really do some digging there."
"Did you believe him that he hates his son so much?" Kinkaid asks.
"I had my doubts about that for sure." Dewey is now really thinking. Was Hank lying to him? He can't tell. "You think there can be more to what Hank is telling us? Some hidden details he may be lying about? It's possible" Dewey sighs as he thinks about all the possibilities. "I guess that's something we're gonna have to find out."
"Let's focus on the denunciation. Even if you already interrogated Stu, I would like to know him." Kinkaid says.
Dewey just nods, yet he isn't sure they would get a different result. Stu has been just another victim of Billy's wrath five years ago, he almost was found an accomplice. He is sure Stu doesn't want to even hear Billy's name again.
"Okay. it's settled then."
Stu gets up to chase after Billy to ask him what's wrong but he stops himself when Billy enters the bathroom. He doesn't want to push, but at the same time, he would love to understand what's wrong
He sighs and he shakes his head. He feels like he did something wrong... but he's not sure what. He looks at the ground for a few seconds and he starts biting his lip. He feels confused by Billy's words. He can't understand why Billy got so offended so quickly,but there is something that he can't ignore. He saw the hurt look Billy tried so hard to hide. Stu knows that he touched a nerve and he doesn't like it.
"Jesus... I was just flirting with him... And I already screwed up." Stu rubs the back of his neck. "I should've known better... I'm so freaking dumb."
He tries to think of the most comforting words to say to Billy so he can make things right... but he is scared of saying the wrong thing. So he just stays quiet for a minute. He feels awkward and he doesn't know where the two are now. He's not sure whether he should apologize or not.
Stu's heart drops at the sound of the shower. He blinks a few times... and then he feels like he's being punched in the gut. He just stands there... silent and motionless, trying to wrap his head around the situation. He doesn't know what to do for the best, and he thinks that he should just wait and not do anything... for a while. But that's exactly what makes him feel so guilty. He looks at the bathroom door and then looks away as some tears run down his cheeks. He leans against the wall and waits as he tries to figure out what he can do to fix the situation.
Something is telling Stu that he's crossing a very important boundary and that it's best if he tries to respect the boundaries right now and maybe it's the best option if he leaves. Stu sighs, and then starts walking away slowly and goes out of the room. He goes out of the hotel to clear his mind and looks for a store to buy something to eat for dinner.
Stu feels like he did everything worse. He didn't want to intrude... but he feels like he did. He feels like he made a massive mistake and now he doesn't know how to solve it. He's afraid that he ruined their friendship. The last thing he wanted was to upset Billy. He decides that he'll let Billy calm down for a while... and he'll try to apologize when the moment feels more natural and more sincere. He hopes that whatever he said didn't cause any permanent damage.
He knows his words triggered something in Billy's memories . Billy's kidnapping wasn't just that, there was obviously something sexual that Billy was ashamed to talk about, and Stu didn't know how to approach. Maybe Stu should prevent himself from flirting with Billy from now on, even if he's sure Billy was responding to it. It's like walking on eggshells, and he can't make things worse than they already are.
Stu sighs, still feeling very guilty right in his heart. He feels so bad for what he did to Billy. He has the very strong sensation that he screwed up completely, and he has really disappointed him. He keeps blaming himself for the mistake.
Stu just walks to the nearest store to buy food for the day. Around twenty minutes later, Stu goes back to the hotel room. He leaves the bag of groceries beside the door, noticing that Billy isn't in the room.
He tries not to panic, even if the whole situation feels like a deja vu. Stu was starting to become anxious. He hopes that Billy was just calming down for a moment to avoid saying anything bad to Stu. But he was still worried.
He feels a strong necessity to go into the bathroom and go check on Billy. So he quietly opens the bathroom door, and he hesitates about going in. He didn't want Billy to be mad at him, but he was also so worried. He doesn't know what to do at all. He just stands in the bathroom's doorway for another minute. Then, he goes on in.
What he sees is Billy standing by the sink, his head low, his wet hair falling on his eyes. He has his hands gripping the sink's border, his knuckles white. There's bloody bandages discarded in the sink.
Stu gasps when he sees the bandages. He gets a little bit nervous, and he feels like he should ask Billy about them right now, but his fear of making the situation even worse than it already is prevents him from doing that. He steps right in front of Billy and he looks him in the eyes. He starts talking in a soft and gentle tone.
"Billy?" He raises an eyebrow. "Is... is there anything I can do for you?" he pauses for a few seconds. "Do... Do you wanna talk?" He puts his hand on Billy's shoulder tentatively.
Stu notices Billy flinching as soon as he hears him speak, as if he hadn't noticed him before. Billy doesn't say anything for a while, but then he sighs.
"I messed up."
Stu frowns when he hears Billy talk. He notices how disappointed he sounds when he mentions he messed up. Stu is sure that Billy is blaming himself for his reaction. And that makes Stu feel even more guilty for what he did.
"How? Why?" Stu asks with a caring look on his face while he looks into Billy's eyes with a warm gaze. "Why do you think that? I mean... I don't see how you could have even messed up. I'm the one who screwed up." he shakes his head. "I should have been more delicate."
"Delicate?" Billy says with a snort, as he shakes Stu's hand from his shoulder. He looks away, focusing on taking all the bandages from the sink and throwing them into the bin. "I guess I made everything awkward between us..." he says in a low voice, sounding nervous and not making eye contact. "You must think I'm nuts..." he whispers.
Stu looks at Billy, a little bit confused when he sees Billy's reaction. He sighs, and then he speaks with a tender voice.
"Billy, you are not nuts. I promise you that I don't think that you're nuts." Stu pauses for a moment and then he chuckles. You're just so cute when you blush and I was just joking with you, you know?" he says with an apologetic smile. " I didn't mean to make you feel awkward. I was just kidding."
"You were just kidding..." Billy repeats, looking straight into his eyes, looking hurt for a moment. He studies Stu's face for a second in silence and then he shakes his head. "Yeah, of course you were..." he says, reassuring himself, and then he chuckles.
Stu raises his eyebrows.
" Of course I was. Why... What else did you think? You really think that I would want to talk about stuff like that?" he says with an amused tone. " I was just teasing you." he gives Billy a little poke on his cheek. He still has a teasing tone with him." And I can't resist teasing you." he smiles. " You know how cute you look the way you blush. I don't know why, I just love that."
Billy gulps back his disappointment, trying to not show it in his face. After a moment, however, his expression softens. He gives him a small shove in response, scowling with a little smirk.
"Then don't tease me. You're lucky I didn't punch you in the face just now."
Stu laughs. He thinks that what Billy said was funny. But he also realizes that Billy's still upset about something. Stu still feels bad about it and he really wants to make it right with him. He starts to think about what he could do to solve it. He looks up and he asks something that just came out of his thoughts.
" You wanna talk about it?" He has a concerned look on his face and he raises an eyebrow. "I don't know if I will be able to make you feel any better, but I definitely can try. Do you?"
Billy smirk falters for a moment.
"About what?" he asks, his scowling deepening. "I'm so lost," he scoffs. "When am I supposed to take you seriously?" he asks, sounding discouraged.
Stu frowns.
"I take you seriously all the time." Stu shrugs his shoulders. "And what do you even mean when you say that?" he asks in a confused tone. He thinks that he should try to be more careful the next time he wants to tease Billy. For some reason, he gets the feeling that there was something more going on here. And that makes him even more curious. "I'm genuinely confused. What do you mean when you say that?" he asks in a calm and curious tone.
Billy stares at him in silence, a confused expression on his face. He shakes his head, with resignation.
"We're just... talking in circles." he chuckles a little.
Stu sighs.
"Look, I'm really sorry that I hurt you. I didn't mean to. I'm genuinely sorry if you felt hurt or offended. I would really like to make it right but I'm kinda lost here." he raises an eyebrow. "I guess you're not exactly giving me much information here to work with." Stu has a concerned look. " I still want you to be a little honest with me and tell me what's wrong. " he pauses for a moment. " Anything will do."
"Okay..." Billy says in a calm tone, his expression still looks troubled. "Of course. " He nods more to himself than to what Stu is saying. He's frowning deep on thought, his mind still working at high speed. "I'm...not mad" he says. "I mean, if you were just kidding... If you didn't mean anything you say... Then there's no problem at all."
Stu smiles. He thinks that what Billy said was comforting. Just the answer he needed. He was already preparing to apologize and to go into full damage control.
"Well, I'm glad you're not mad." he chuckles a little bit. "I was just kidding, believe me. But... Can I ask you something? Even if you said that there's no problem?"
"Hm?" Billy says, crossing his arms in front of him. "What?"
Stu hesitates for a moment and then he speaks in a concerned voice.
"I think that your reaction went a little deeper than just being embarrassed by a flirting joke. Or am I wrong?" he pauses, waiting for an answer. " I don't mean to assume anything, and I'm sorry if I'm doing that. But I got the feeling that there might be something different here." he pauses for a few seconds before he speaks again. "Do you know what I mean?"
Billy's whole body tenses for a second. He wasn't expecting that Stu would keep talking about it. He thought that with his reply, they would change subjects.
"I just think you shouldn't say things you don't mean," he says in a neutral tone, tilting his head to rest against the wall.
Stu looks down for a moment, still feeling very anxious. He feels guilty about the whole thing. He's also worried that his next words might make things worse but wants to solve the problem, so he raises his head and speaks in a calm voice.
"I think that you are not being completely honest right now. You can't keep pushing the problem away. I can see that there's something more here." He pauses for a moment, and he looks straight into Billy's eyes. "Am I just being paranoid? Am I going crazy here?"
Billy looks away, biting his lower lip. It's true that he can't keep pushing the problem away, but the whole conversation feels way too uncomfortable. He rubs his face, exasperated.
"Okay, okay. I was beating around the bush," he sighs. "I guess you're right."
Stu sighs, and he looks a little bit relieved when he hears Billy say that.
"Thank you. Thank you for being honest with me." He pauses for a moment before he smiles a bit and says, "I really appreciate it. So, do you mind telling me what you really think? I'd love to hear your perspective. How did my flirting offend you? " He asks in a caring and curious tone.
Billy's eyes focus on him again. He opens his mouth to say something but then closes it in a tight line and shakes his head, taking a step back.
"Why... Why were you even flirting with me?" He asks in a nervous tone. "You don't... You're not a..." he sighs, looking to the ground. "You're not like me," he whispers.
"I'm not like you." Stu raises an eyebrow. He's curious to hear what comes next. "What do you mean by that? Billy, I don't understand what you mean. Would you tell me?" he sighs. "I don't think I know what you want to say to me here." He pauses in silence for a few seconds, and then he asks a question a little bit out of the blue. "You are gay, right?" he asks this next part in a slightly embarrassed tone. "Is that what you meant?"
Billy doesn't say anything, he just looks to the ground, ashamed, biting his lip. Stu sighs, and he approaches him. He smiles at Billy, and he puts his hand on his shoulder.
"Look, don't be ashamed of that. I have no problem with that." He pauses for a few seconds, and he speaks with a warm, gentle tone again. "So, just be yourself." He pauses for a few seconds before he speaks in a slightly teasing way. "Unless you want me to be flirting even harder," he chuckles a little bit.
Billy looks up, scowling.
"Tch. Why is everything a joke to you?" He asks with a hint of anger in his voice.
Stu's smile immediately disappears. He sighs, a little annoyed about this attitude. His tone of voice is a little more serious, and he seems a little annoyed and a little bit angry too. He raises an eyebrow.
"What was that?" He looked at him with a serious expression. "I was just trying to tell you that I was ok with you being gay. I just thought that you might not know that. " He pauses for a few seconds, still annoyed. "I don't even know why you're reacting like this. It's not even a big deal."
"Because you're making this about me, but I asked you a question, and you didn't answer at all!" Billy says, more angry. "Then I have to listen to you say I'm not being completely honest and shit."
Stu looks at him in surprise. He didn't expect a reaction like this, so he stays silent for a moment. And then he speaks again when he composes himself a little bit.
"Billy. Relax," he says gently as he pulls Billy's hand tight. "There's no need to yell. I thought you were going to... you know?" He takes a deep breath, and he speaks in an annoyed tone again. "You were the person who kept pushing things, and now you're having a bad time because of this? You make no sense. What question are you even talking about?"
"I kept pushing things." Billy asks, surprised. "You walked into here and started your interrogation!"
Stu raises one eyebrow. He's getting really tired of Billy's constant attitude.
"Look, don't even start it, ok?" He speaks with a little bit more of an annoyed tone. "I'm sorry if I sounded rude or anything. I really am. That was never my intention. So let's just stop this argument. Ok? " He lets go of Billy's hands. "Because this is all just a misunderstanding... that somehow got too big. If it makes you feel better, then I apologize. Again, he pauses for a moment. "Can we just forget about this whole thing?"
"You don't even know what you're apologizing for!" Billy snaps. "I already told you that you shouldn't say things you don't mean, and now you are apologizing without meaning it." He breathes for a moment. "You can't just forget and start over when things don't go your way, Stu," he says, looking straight into Stu's eyes.
Stu raises his eyebrows.
"You really wanna keep this going?" He looks back at Billy with the same stern look. "Fine." He sighs and shakes his head. "What do you want me to apologize for, then? I'll apologize for anything if it means that we can move things past this." Stu looks back at him. "Can you just give me a list of all the things you want me to apologize for?" He crosses his arms and looks at Billy. "Is that how you'll feel better?
"Nothing!" Billy says, raising his voice. "I just want you to stop treating me like I'm a fragile vessel and answer my fucking question."
Stu's face becomes even more stern than before. He looks at Billy with wide eyes, and he speaks with a louder voice.
" Stop yelling at me! "He pauses for a moment, feeling annoyed, and speaks more calmly. "Listen." He leans closer to Billy, and he speaks in a much quieter tone. "Are you trying to be a jerk on purpose, or are you just really good at it?
Billy flinches when Stu almost shouts. He closes his eyes for a second and then looks away, without answering.
Stu looks at him, bothered. He sighs, and he rolls his eyes as he speaks.
"Are you even gonna apologize?" There's a hint of a sarcastic tone in his voice. He also makes that face where his eyebrows are raised, he's squinting with his eyes. " Billy! How about you apologize to me?" He waits for an answer. "That seems pretty fair to me."
Billy glares at him.
"I don't say things I don't mean." he says in a stern voice.
Stu doesn't change his stern look, and he raises an eyebrow, still waiting for Billy to apologize.
"Did you even listen to anything I just said, or are you just trying real hard to be an as... "Stu pauses, and he sighs, " ...jerk here?" He takes a deep breath before he speaks in a harsher tone. He leans closer to Billy's face. "You are the one who should apologize, not me!"
"I'm not apologizing for speaking my mind, Stu." Billy says, closing his eyes to ignore how close Stu is. He feels his body start shaking, and it makes him sick. "And you don't tell me what I should or shouldn't do."
Stu is starting to get tired and frustrated with this conversation. He sighs, and he speaks in a slightly annoyed and angry tone.
"Then how about I speak my mind?" He pauses for a moment. "You are being pretty childish, and, really, you should really know how to take a joke." He pauses for a moment. "I said I was sorry. What else can I do? What other way can I make this up to you?" Stu raises his eyebrows. "You are so ...ungrateful." He rolls his eyes.
"I can't take a joke perfectly fine." Billy says, opening his eyes and looking into Stu's blue eyes. "What I can't take is you hiding behind your jokes all the time, Stu. I'm not a jerk for asking for a bit of honesty from your side when you always do the same. You keep pushing me around for answers without giving me a break."
Stu raises his eyebrows. He sighs, and he stays silent for a few seconds. Then he speaks with an angry tone.
" Really? You know what?" His lip twitches a little bit as his anger starts to slowly show. "This is all my fault, right? I'm the one hurting your feelings," he says, crossing his arms. "I guess you're all perfect, and there's no way you can ever do anything wrong. Does that make you feel better? Is that what you wanted to hear?"
"What I wanted to hear, Stu, is why you were flirting with me!" Billy snaps. "You treat me like I am a piece of shit just for wanting an honest answer."
Stu frowns so hard as his anger increases. He feels like his patience has reached its limits. He leans so close to Billy's face that he could kiss him. He stares at him with wide eyes as he speaks in a very angry and stern tone.
" If I'm being such a jerk to you, then it probably means I don't like you." He takes a deep breath, and he says this in a louder, angrier tone. "Do you want me to repeat it?" He pauses for a few seconds, and then he leans even closer. "I DON'T LIKE YOU!"
Billy flinches at Stu's tone. He was going to step back, but there's no more room to go. He hides the hurt in his eyes with a blank expression.
"Fine," Billy says in a cold voice.
Stu raises his eyebrows as he realizes what he just did. He lets a little bit of time go by before he speaks with a softer and more gentle voice.
"Look. Billy. I didn't mean it," he sighs. "We probably should calm down right now," he pauses for a moment. "And you're right. I shouldn't always hide behind my jokes. I'm sorry." He scratches the back of his head, and he chuckles a little bit. "I really am."
"Fine," Billy says in a neutral tone. "I'm calm now."
Stu still looks at him, feeling a little bit guilty. Then he speaks with more kindness in his tone.
"Look, you have every right to be upset about this. And I'm sorry, again, for the way I treated you." he sighs, and then he looks down. He starts frowning a bit. " I just…" There's a long pause as Stu tries to find the right words: "Sometimes I don't really think before I do or say something." He's trying to explain the way he acted.
"I already know you don't think before you do or say anything," Billy says, still not showing emotion in his voice, nodding. "Or after." He crosses his arms.
Stu stays quiet for a moment. He seems a little hurt, but what Billy says is actually true. He sighs and he speaks in a slightly more gentle tone.
" You really know how to make me feel horrible, you know that?" He pauses for a bit, and then he continues in a more guilty tone. "But maybe I deserve it because of how I treated you. " He stays silent for a moment.
"I make you feel horrible?" Billy asks, raising his eyebrow. "Look, I might be a jerk, childish, ungrateful, and all the other terms you want to use to insult me, but if there´s something that I am not, that's stupid. I might have made stupid decisions, but I'm not stupid, Stu," he says, taking a step closer. "I'm not gonna let this conversation go because you feel safer making jokes or starting over!" he says, irritated.
Stu raises his eyebrows in surprise as well. His cheeks seem a little bit pink, but then he stays silent as he thinks about how to respond to that.
"I''m sorry."He stays silent for a moment, thinking about what to say next. "I think... "he pauses for another moment. "We should just... " he pauses again, struggling with what to say next "... never speak to each other again."
That was not what he wanted to say. He meant to say, 'Let's make up," but no! He had to say that.
Billy stares for a moment.
"You want me to leave?" he asks, disappointed.
Stu stays silent for a moment. He seems to realize that was a really horrible thing to say to Billy. He feels really guilty, and he speaks in a more caring tone.
"No, Billy," he sighs, and he speaks with a more soft and sweet tone. "I don't want you to go," he says, smiling at Billy. "Just tell me what you really want to hear, and..." he thinks for a second, "aand I'll say it. Ok?"
"I want to hear the truth, Stu, not your condescending answers." He shakes his head, frustrated, and thinks for a moment. "Okay, I'm sorry." He looks up into Stu's eyes. "I'm sorry, I might be asking the wrong question. Let's try another thing; I want you to see my point," he says, nervous.
Stu nods slowly in understanding. He also speaks with a slightly calmer tone.
"Ok," he smiles. His shoulders relaxed a little bit. "I'm going to do my best to understand you. And I'm going to be honest," he says, chuckling a little bit. "I also want your honesty as well. Ok? Let's both be honest. I'm ready." He smiles at Billy before he speaks again. " So what do you want to say?"
Billy sighs.
"When we were flirting, what do you think would have happened if I hadn't walked away?"
Stu stays silent for a moment to think about what he's going to say. He tries to put his mind this situation, this hypothetical scenario, he tries to put himself in Billy's shoes, for a few seconds.
" Billy... "he pauses for a moment, his face becoming serious. "If you hadn't walked away... I probably would have kissed you," he sighs.
Billy holds back his smile.
"Then why have you been insisting you were just joking?" he asks in a more relieved tone. "You made me feel like I was... making things up." Billy stays silent for a moment, thinking about what else to say. Then he smiles. "My head is a mess lately, and you… this just... made me feel worse. I'm sorry I snapped at you. I was really frustrated," he says in a nervous tone, putting his hair behind his ears.
Stu looks at Billy for a minute. He stays silent for a moment, and he doesn't know what to say. Then he speaks very softly and sweetly.
"The way you just spoke to me right now, Billy... " he pauses for a moment, "it was so honest and it was so sweet." He leans closer, and he looks at him with a big smile. He speaks in a sweet and friendly tone. " I really like hearing you speak like that, Billy. It makes you feel... real," "he says, crossing his arms. "It makes you feel human."
Billy snorts.
"So do you really think I'm childish, uh?" He asks, frowning, in a teasing tone. "All this time, you thought I couldn't have an adult conversation?" He raises his eyebrow and punches Stu's arm.
Stu chuckles. He smiles so big, and he speaks in a very friendly and sweet tone.
"You can try and put it that way, but... " he grins, and he looks right into Billy's eyes. "You're a very mature and smart boy. When you speak like that, Billy, it shows exactly how wise you can be. " He puts his hand on Billy's shoulder. " You seem so much different than before." He pauses for a second and speaks with more kindness. " I really like this side of you."
Billy rolls his eyes.
"I'm not a boy, Stu," he chuckles. "We are not boys."
Stu chuckles.
"Ok. You win, Billy. You're right. We're not boys. We are both men. " he looks back at Billy with a smile. He leans a little bit closer and speaks in a slightly whispering tone. "I hope you remember that I really did want to kiss you."
"Don't start flirting with me if you're not going to take responsibility, Stu." Billy says, narrowing his eyes and shoving his shoulder in a playful mode. He walks away to the sink to wash his bloody hands with a little smirk on his face.
Stu stares at Billy for a few seconds, his face going red in embarrassment. Then he clears his throat, and he speaks in a more firm and angry tone but still in a playful mode.
" Oh really?! Well, what about you?" He points towards Billy. "You're the one who's always playing this hot and cold game with me!" He rolls his eyes, and he chuckles a little bit."I'm just the boy who wants to kiss you!"
Billy snorts, and once he's done washing his hands, he walks out of the bathroom, without looking in Stu's direction. Billy sees out of the corner of his eye that Stu is following him. He saves the tape roll in the backpack and then turns around.
"What are you going to do? Are you going back to Woodsboro?"
Stu is taken aback by the question. His body tenses, and it seems like a muscle could burst out of his head at any moment.
"I don't know, Billy... But why are you asking me that? "He crosses his arms. " Is something bothering you?" His eyebrows are raised as he awaits an answer.
"Well, because..." Billy says, looking outside the window for a moment. "I was wondering if the police may revisit the past murders, and that would make them suspicious of you, even if you were cleared back then. That's all." He looks straight into Stu's eyes. "I take it you never think of this."
Stu's eyes widen as he hears that. He pauses for a moment, and he seems to realize that this is not something that he has ever worried about before. The recent murder of Neil Prescott might put the focus again on the events of five years ago. A long pause fills the room as he seems to come to a realization. He seems shocked for a few moments, and then he speaks in a nervous and concerned tone.
"I... I didn't think of that. "he says, raising his eyebrows. " But I guess these new murders do bring everything back... "he sighs. "Well, this is... "he pauses for another moment. "... certainly some new food for thought."
Billy doesn't say anything else; he just keeps looking at him intently.
"You said they already looked into your house for me, and you disappeared the same night Neil Prescott was killed… "And two of your friends saw you talking to me, even if they didn't see me."
Stu stays silent for a long period of time. Then he speaks in an even more worried tone.
"You're right. That's true, Billy. He pauses for a moment and tilts his head to the side. "I... I guess," he sighs. " You don't think that the police could... " he pauses for a moment" ... you don't think that the police could think that I'm a suspect again, do you?"
"That's what I'm asking you." Billy chuckles, scratching his head. "What do you think?" His voice starts to waver. "I don't trust my own thoughts at this point. I don't know if I'm overanalyzing, being paranoid, or being ridiculous anymore, and...you... I told you my head is a mess." Billy susurrates.
Stu listens to Billy speak, and he notices that Billy's voice is wavering. It is surprising how honest Billy is being. It does make him realize that Billy is being really open to him, and it makes his heart feel warm. He also feels a little bit bad that he didn't give Billy this kind of honesty earlier.
He takes a deep breath. He pauses for a moment before he speaks in a very calm tone.
"Billy, listen to me." He leans a little bit closer to Billy. "Let's both just... Let's just take a second here and stop to think, ok?"
Stu stays silent for a moment before he speaks again. He rubs his chin, and he seems to try and think about this as he is trying to reply to Billy.
"You're not being ridiculous. I don't think you're being paranoid either, Billy. I think you're just being thoughtful. And there's nothing wrong with being thoughtful. You are being totally rational, and I'm thinking the exact same thing." He sighs gently. "It would only make sense for us to be suspects in this case. I don't know what the police think. But I already talked to them when they searched my house, and I think they trust me. It's going to be alright." he says in a more reassuring tone. "Don't worry. We'll... " he pauses again, and he starts thinking for a moment. "We'll figure things out together. Ok," he says, looking at Billy straight in the eyes. "And by 'together', I mean as a team."
Notes: I have a Tumblr now, you can find me as iwritesomeshit . I haven't posted anything yet, but there's gonna be some discarded scenes that I don't add to the main stories and drafts. I hope to have more Scream moots. I have a Twitter account too. It's Stuillyficker96 . I wanted to use Iwritesomeshit but it was taken :(