The second Steve's nose stops bleeding is the same second he's on his feet and heading to the porch to check on Billy. Jonathan follows.

He finds them sitting on the steps: Jim on one side of Billy, Max on the other.

Steve can't see Billy's face, but he's pretty sure he's crying. Max is rubbing her hand up and down his back. Jim has a hand on his knee.

"Hey," Steve says from the doorway, to alert them of their presence.

Max cranes her neck to look at him. "Hey," she whispers.

"Everything okay out here?" Steve asks carefully. "Billy?"

"We're just taking a minute to breathe," Jim answers for him, keeping his voice even and low. "Are you alright, Harrington?"

"Yeah, I'm all good," Steve says assuredly, lowering his voice to match Max's and Jim's. He hears Billy take in a shuddering breath and his heart drops. He glances at Jonathan nervously and bites down on his lip.

"Hear that, Billy? Steve's all good," Jim says, just as evenly and stands. He gives Billy's shoulder a gentle squeeze, then motions at Steve to trade places with him. "I'm gonna get you a glass of water, okay kid?" he says to Billy.

"Thanks, Chief," Max acknowledges quietly, as Jim disappears inside.

Steve takes a timid seat next to Billy and Jonathan sits on the other side of Steve.

Billy's face is wet, a steady stream of tears slipping down his cheeks. He staring off into the distance at nothing.

Steve doesn't know what to say. Or do. "Billy…?" he tries again, putting a gentle hand on Billy's good shoulder.

Billy flinches at his contact. "D-Don't."

Steve draws back immediately. "Sorry, man," he says quickly. Max shoots him a weary look. She looks close to crying, too. Steve bites down on his lip. "Look, I know being back at this house is hard. But everything that happened here? Between us? It's water under the bridge, man."

Billy squeezes his eyes shut. He shakes his head. "H-How can you say that? When you're still…" He breaks off and runs his good hand through his greasy hair.

"When I'm still what, Billy?"

Billy reopens his eyes and meets Steve's. "Your nose was bleeding," he says softly.

"Yeah, and it stopped," Steve tells him easily. He has a sinking feeling he knows where this is going.

"Why was your n-nose bleeding, Steve?" Billy asks shakily.

Steve deflates. "Billy…" he sighs.

"No. Say it." It's pleading. Desperate.

Steve lets out a deep breath. His chest feels tight. "My nose was bleeding because it's a residual effect from an injury I suffered three weeks ago."

Billy turns his palm up as if to say exactly. Jonathan puts a hand a Steve's knee, squeezes gently.

Billy stares straight ahead again, eyes eerily vacant. "I should just… disappear," he croaks. "Everyone would be b-better off that way."

Steve feels like he's been punched in the gut, and the three of them share a stricken look.

"Billy, don't talk like that," Max squeaks, nestling closer to her brother's side. "You're scaring me."

Billy huffs out a maniacal laugh. "That's because I'm a monster, Max. That's what monsters do."

"You're not a monster, Hargrove," Jonathan speaks up softly, which is good, because Steve is having a hard time finding his voice.

Billy scoffs. "What do you know about it, Byers? You barely even know me."

"True," Jonathan allows. "But I do know monsters. And the more I learn about you, Billy, the less you fit the profile."

Billy doesn't say anything to that. He just wipes his tears away with the sleeve of his good arm, then shivers harshly.

"Will you please come inside, man?" Jonathan tries.

Billy falters, glances at Steve.

"Please," Steve echoes, voice cracking all over the place, and he feels tears on his cheeks now, too. "I n-need you to come inside, Billy."

Steve hears how desperate and sad his voice sounds, and maybe that's what gets Billy to agree.

Billy swallows hard, frowning as if he doesn't understand why Steve is crying over him. Steve doesn't entirely understand it either. All he knows is he doesn't want Billy to disappear.

"Okay," Billy whispers. "Yeah, Steve. I'll come inside."

xxx

Jim was on his way back out to the porch with a glass of water while they're on their way back in. He frowns at the tear tracks on three out of four of their faces.

Jonathan, the soberest of them all, says, "It was gettin' a little cold out there…. Thought we'd come inside." He has a comforting hand on the small of Billy's back.

"I'm glad," Jim says softly. "Joyce just put the casserole in the oven to heat up. It'll be ready in about 45 minutes. Why don't you all go relax for a bit until it's time to eat?"

They all nod.

"Come with us, man," Jonathan says to Billy, a silent, unanimous decision made that he needs to stay in the bedroom with him and Steve, in order to keep him from attempting a disappearing act. Steve takes the glass from Jim and follows, leaving Jim to show Max to Will's bedroom.

xxx

Billy refuses to take the bed, no matter how hard Jonathan and Steve try to insist. He ends up taking the new mat, courtesy of Jim, on the floor. So now Jonathan and Steve are lying side-by-side on the bed, listening to Billy's soft snores from down below. He'd fallen asleep almost instantly.

Steve is still crying, too keyed up to relax. He feels like he's being crushed by the weight of everything that has happened the past month, Billy's words from earlier echoing in his skull, and there's no coming back from it. He's trying not to make any sound, not wanting to disturb the peace of the other two.

He's not successful.

He flinches when he feels Jonathan touch his hand. "Steve… hey… Billy's asleep. Let's just step out, yeah?"

"'Kay," he whispers back.

So they slip off the bed and quietly make their way into the hallway. Jonathan shuts the door behind them, then envelopes Steve in a hug.

"M'sorry," Steve mutters into Jonathan's collarbone, trying to suppress the sobs that are surfacing. He feels weak in the knees.

"Don't be, man," Jonathan tells him. "C'mere."

He pulls Steve into Joyce's bedroom.

"Sit down, Steve. I'll be right back."

Steve takes a seat on the foot of Joyce's made bed, and leans forward to cradle his head in his hands. He's weeping now, and he can't stop.

Jonathan returns with a glass of water and closes the door behind him. He sits down next to Steve and gets him to take the water.

"That was pretty heavy, huh?" Jonathan says softly. "With Hargrove out on the porch?"

Steve straightens up as best as he can and tries to take some deep breaths. "Y-Yeah," he croaks, swallowing down his anguish as best he can. He takes a gulp of water from the glass then sets it on the nightstand. He rubs his hands over his face and groans. "Ugh, Byers, I've tried so hard to k-keep from sh-shattering like this, but everything k-keeps piling up, and I think it m-might be Game Over, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Jonathan confirms softly. "But Steve, letting yourself feel the pain of what's going on right now doesn't mean you've lost. In fact, I'd argue it's the first step in being able to go on."

"Well, it s-sucks," Steve breathes.

Jonathan slides his arm around Steve's shoulder and pulls him closer.

"I know."