Will stands by the door. "Shouldn't we be out there with him?" he asks hopelessly, gut twisting with empathy for Steve.

Billy Hargrove - Will has only heard horror stories about him - is sitting on the fourth stair up, brow furrowed and wringing his hands. "No," he answers firmly. "Right now he just needs some space."

Will bites down on his lip. "How do you know?" he asks timidly.

"I just do, okay? Just… just trust me on this."

That's rich, coming from the least trustworthy guy on the planet. Will doesn't really know what to make of him.

"You should have seen him, Will. I've never seen anyone that mad."

"He beat Steve up real good. Scared the hell out of Lucas."

"He is ACTUALLY a reincarnation of the devil."

Those were just a select few of the many quips Will's friends had spouted off about Billy. But the thing is… what Will's seen so far today… it doesn't add up.

"How do I know that I can?" Will challenges. "Trust you, I mean."

Billy drops his hands, looking bored at the question. "Fuck, kid, how do you know that you can trust anybody?"

"I don't know…" Will answers slowly. He's sure Billy meant it as a hypothetical, but it was a good question. He'd never thought about it before. "If they don't ever let you down, I guess."

Billy snorts softly. "Everyone in this damn world'll let you down."

That's a pretty bitter worldview in Will's opinion, but he can tell from Billy's tone of voice that he believes it to his very core. He wonders vaguely what could've happened in Hargrove's life to make him think that.

Will trusts plenty of people. Jonathan, his mom, Hopper, Mike, Dustin, Lucas…

He dares to take a seat beside Billy on the stairs, and follows his gaze to the potted plants in the right corner of the foyer by the door. They were the ones from the stoop.

"You bring those in?" Billy asks.

Will nods. He figured Steve wouldn't want to deal with them.

"I will never understand why people bring you plants and flowers when you're grieving," Jonathan said after one of their mom's coworkers brought an orchid over to them after she'd heard of Bob's passing. "Like, someone dies, and all of a sudden you're supposed to have a green thumb? It's just extra work. Mom doesn't need that right now."

The pair sits in silence for a little while longer, until Will speaks what has been on his mind since the second they got into Hargrove's Camaro.

"Are you really as bad as everyone says?"

Billy raises his eyebrows. "You saw me beat Harrington's head in, didn't you?" he says, like that suffices for an answer.

"No I… I wasn't there," Will admits softly.

"You weren't?" Billy asks, now curious. "Where were you? And why was your house so fucked up? All those creepy drawings on the walls?"

Will feels his hands go clammy and wipes them on his jeans. He should've known this is where the conversation would go. "I can't tell you that."

"Why the hell not?" Billy presses. "I want to know why Maxine is scared of her own shadow everywhere she goes and why she screams her fucking head off at night."

"Max has nightmares?"

"Every. Damn. Night."

Will does too, but they don't bother him so much anymore. He knows they're dreams. It was before - when he didn't know what was real - that bothered him.

"Don't try to change the subject," Billy adds.

"I can't tell you," Will says again, as confidently as he can. "It's for your own protection, okay? Now it's your turn to trust me. You don't… you don't want to know."

Billy scoffs. "That's fuckin' bullshit, kid," he mutters. "You don't want to tell me? Fine. You freakin' weirdos can keep your big secret."

He stands suddenly - with a huff - and trudges up the stairs to get Steve's bag that was left at the top.

"Incoming."

He boots it down the stairs and Will catches it easily. Will sees him tuck a picture frame under his arm before coming back down the stairs.

"Alright, let's go," Billy says, when he gets to the bottom. "And put this in there while I lock up." He shoves the picture frame against Will's chest and swings open the door.

Will takes it from him, but hesitates because he's pretty sure that picture is what caused Steve to turn white as a sheet just moments before.

"Do it," Billy hisses at him. "He's gonna want it."

He leaves the trust me unsaid this time, but it's still there.

And for whatever reason, Will does.

He slips the frame in the bag.

xxx

Steve is still sitting on the stoop when Billy and Will turn to face him after locking the front door. He's resting his elbows on his knees with his head hanging limply between his hands.

Will watches as Billy drops down on the stoop next to him.

Timidly, Will does the same on the other side.

Hargrove doesn't say anything, but he does reach into his jacket pocket to pull out his pack of cigarettes. He opens the pack to reveal that there is only one left; he offers it to Steve.

Steve breathes out deeply and wipes his remaining tears on his sleeve before accepting. He lets Billy give him a light.

He doesn't smoke the whole cigarette, but he smokes it down enough to get the shake out of his hands. When he's through, he puts it out with the toe of his shoe.

Will rests a hand on his knee, asks the question he knows Billy wants to ask, but won't. "You okay?"

Steve runs his hands through his hair and nods. "Yeah," he answers with a croak. "Moment of weakness." He swallows audibly. "Sorry," he adds. "I'm good."

"Well then get up, princess," Billy says, like he's annoyed. "I don't want to hang around here all day." He stands up and then helps pul Steve up as well.

"You didn't have to hang around at all," Steve reminds him bitterly once he's upright. "But… thanks."

Billy rolls his eyes. "Shut up, Harrington," he growls. "Here." He tosses the house key at Steve and then starts to head for his Camaro; he's clearly not bothered by goodbyes.

Steve bites down on his lip as he watches Billy unlock his car door. Just as he's about to settle inside, Steve says, "Hargrove. Wait."

There's a beat of silence as Billy stops expectantly.

Will sees Steve shift his weight nervously. He lifts a hand to scratch that back of his head. "How did… How did your mom die?"

Now it's Billy's turn for the color to drain from his face. "…I never said that she did."

"But the pendant…" Steve takes a step closer; he knows. "Hargrove."

"Don't," Billy says, almost panicked, stopping Steve in his tracks. His voice is tight with emotion - but threatening still - when he says again, "Don't, Steve."

Will sees Steve take pause at not only Billy's plea, but at the fact that he called him Steve.

"Okay," Steve placates, raising both of his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry - I'll drop it. You can… you can go."

Billy looks away, nods once, and then ducks inside his car.

He speeds away without looking back.