A week after Billy woke up

"Billy... Why won't you just give it a try?"

"He doesn't want to upset you..."

"Why can't you just trust me?"

These were all things Billy was sick of hearing Max say. He didn't understand why she kept trying. He had thought his silence had made his irritation with the whole concept very clear. He was in hospital, and had been for what felt like a lifetime at this point, he didn't want to have to see anyone else. Much less him...

So, Billy did what anyone else would do in his situation, and he just kept his mouth shut. He had no energy left to fight Max, regardless of how much he was screaming at her in his head to just be quiet. He was so confused and conflicted, feeling things he had thought he had long since bottled up and destroyed. He couldn't understand everything, and he was fairly certain that the doctors that came to check on him weren't actual doctors. Of course, he had no proof of that, but there was something off about them.

He wanted to move. He wanted to get up, to walk right out of the doors. But he knew he couldn't. Everyone around him knew that he couldn't. He had only been awake for a week. He wasn't sure how he was going to cope when another week passed, and then another, then another...

His throat had been pretty sore the last few days, still healing from the entire ordeal and he was glad it was still sore. It meant he had an excuse to ignore people, only nodding and shaking his head whenever he couldn't be bothered with English.

Max had been the only person to come and see him regularly. In fact, he had only had a few other visitors this entire week. When Susan came to see him once, her eyes welling up with tears, he couldn't help the small smile that broke out on his face. He was sure everyone around him thought it was because she was back, but truthfully he found the whole thing funny. She had never cared about him before, so why should she start now?

The fact that she practically up and left after that, proved to him exactly what he had known all along. She wasn't cut out for it all, and she didn't care about him or Max. It wasn't a foreign concept for him, so he took it in his metaphorical stride, but he could tell it bothered Max.

Billy had never bothered to ask about his friends, or rather, his non friends that he fooled himself into thinking were his friends. He realised once he woke up that he hated everyone he used to hang around with. He hated Tommy, hated Carol, hell he even hated himself. He couldn't understand what he ever saw in those people, in the idea that being popular was all that mattered. He wanted to start over, and he was glad that Max never brought them up.

The people she did mention though? Well, they were exactly why Billy felt so irritated. He didn't want Max's friends hanging around him all day, and he certainly didn't want to see Steve Harrington or Jonathan Byers popping by anytime soon. He didn't even know if the two of them made it out of the mall, or if they were even involved with it at all. He truly didn't care, he didn't bother asking anything about them. Why would he? He may feel like a changed man, but some things never change.

She had brought it up yet again two days ago, and his silence sent her into a rage that forced her out of the room and away from the hospital. Billy fully expected her to arrive the next day without any fanfare, simply pretending that they hadn't had yet another argument. But when she didn't show up? He had to hand it to her, she was a lot more like him that anyone gave her credit for. He was stubborn, and she had clearly picked up some of his habits.

He would never tell anyone, but he had actually been quite disappointed when she hadn't shown up. For a moment, it had felt like they might be able to actually get along with one another and put their differences aside. He chalked that one up to his medication, and that it was making him delirious. He would rather think he was high, than to accept the fact that he actually wanted to spend time with Max!

He had let the nurses come and go as they pleased, doing whatever checks they needed to do in silence until night fell. He actually felt lonely, a feeling he felt all too familiar with. He may hate the people he hung around with at school, but at least they were company. And right now? Billy didn't have a lot of company. He would have taken anything, anyone, to break him out of his misery.

But that didn't extend to Steve Harrington. Max should have known that. She should have known better than to bring him to the hospital.

But that's exactly what she did.

He sat up a little straighter when Max walked in, closing the door behind her as she stepped into the room. Billy was pleased to see her again, watching her with careful eyes as she slung her bag onto the floor and plopped down into the chair by his bedside. He was studying her, trying to work out her mood and why she had abandoned him for the day.

Crossing her arms across her chest, she looked at him. He blinked, "What?" His voice was scratchy, making him cringe at how unwell he sounded.

"Do you trust me?" Was all she said, repeating the last thing she said before she went into a mini huff.

Billy rolled his eyes, "No."

"Ha ha. Real funny." She mocked. "Be serious."

"I am."

"Fine. I just want you to know that I did this for you."

"Did what?"

Max didn't get to respond before they were interrupted, the pair both looking over at the door as it opened.

"I didn't know what drink you wanted, so I just got you a bottle of water Max. I hope that's okay." Steve hadn't looked up as he stepped into the room, only looking up when a second had passed and Max hadn't said anything.

If it had of been any other time, Billy would have found the man's shock funny. It looked like he was a deer in headlights, his eyes wide as he took the entire scene in. Steve looked at Billy, before his stare turned hard as he shot daggers at Max. "You said he would be asleep."

"Hey, Don't speak to her like that." Billy rasped, trying and failing to appear intimidating.

"One, Don't try and defend me." Max snapped at Billy. "And two, I never said that."

"You did! You said he wouldn't even be awake so it wouldn't be weird!" Steve exclaimed, setting the bottled water down onto the counter.

"I said there's a chance he would be asleep." Max corrected with a shrug. "How was I supposed to know he would be awake now?"

"They make me stay awake during the day." Billy deadpanned, taking silent pride in the arrogant twinkle in Max's eye.

"Really?"

"I'm leaving." Steve said, turning his back on the siblings.

"Wait, Steve!" Max stood up, grabbing the fleeing man's arm. "Just stop, alright? Why can't you just talk to him."

Steve pointed a finger over at Billy, "When he wants to talk to me? Fine. But I'm not standing here and having him try and intimidate me. He's the problem here."

"I'm not the one who constantly has to kick around with my sister. Which, by the way, if you're trying to suggest that you don't isn't going to work given that you've turned up here with her." Billy sneered, voice wavering. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say to me. I hate you, Steve Harrington."

Steve blinked, "It wasn't like that, man." He seemed to deflate, not wanting to fight anymore.

"Oh yeah?" Billy shifted forward, coughing with the strain of the movement. His heart monitor began to soar as he continued to cough. No one dared to move, letting him cough freely until he made a grabbing gesture towards the water bottle. Max understood, unscrewing the lid and handing it to him. He took a big drink, finishing the entire bottle without a care. "Explain it."

"I was keeping your sister safe, Man. I had to stay with them. If it wasn't for me then who knows what would have happened."

"She knocked me out and stole my car." Billy pointed out. "Great job you did."

"Hey man listen-"

"No. I don't want you here. Leave." Billy's fisted balled up, anger clear. "And you can take my snotty little step sister with you."

"Look she's just trying to help-"

"By bringing you here? All that's achieved is raising my blood pressure. Great job Max."

Max shouted, sick of the arguing. "Enough!" She rolled her eyes, sitting back down beside Billy. "You two are so alike you don't even see it. You're both like children."

"I'm nothing like him." Steve remarked, seemingly appaled by the comparison.

Billy, on the other hand, seemed to find humour in it. "In your dreams, Harrington."

"Can you just stop? Both of you?" She sighed. "I'm sick of this. Why can't you both just see that you are literally the same person? You both used to be popular, you both fought monsters, you both play basketball and you both have stupid hair."

"My hair isn't stupid." Steve mumbled, fluffing his hair up with his hand.

"Really? That's all you got from that?" Max rolled her eyes, looking up at the ceiling. "I just want you both to get along. Or, at the very least, not kill eachother whenever you see eachother."

"Why?" Billy asked, voice tense.

"Because you both need someone who understands. You both need a friend. Despite everything that's happened between you both, I think that you could actually be quite good friends."

"I don't need friends, Max."

"You need someone." She looked him dead in the eyes, her face serious. "You can't pretend that you don't. You might have gotten off on the wrong foot, but why can't you start from scratch?"

Billy didn't respond, staring at Max as she glared back at him. After a moment, Steve coughed grabbing both of their attention once again. He had stuck his hand out towards, Billy, a reluctant smile on his face. Billy was surprised at the man's olive branch, at the fact that he was willing to overlook their entire history and start again with his simple sentence...

"Hi. I'm Steve Harrington. Nice to meet you."