𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻 // 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎

Chapter 8 | Will the Wise

Steve doesn't see Billy again until Tuesday.

Billy looks fine — great, even. He's shit-talking all  of the girls around him (they don't seem to care, apparently), and the guys Billy considers his friends are flirting with the ones that aren't hoarding on Billy. There's one girl standing next to Billy, her hand holding the blond's hand that's over her waist. Steve recognizes the girl that's latched onto Billy.

Fucking Lois.

Steve's eyes lock with Billy's, and the mood instantly sours.

Billy shoves Lois off of him, pushing pass the other girls in the way to trudge away in the opposite direction that Steve's in. Steve can hear indistinct shouting at Billy's sudden change in behavior, and he can't help but feel offended as well.

At times like these, he definitely wishes that Linda were here. Steve didn't know what he did to Billy for him to avoid him like he was the plague. If anything, Billy should feel thankful, shouldn't he? Steve saved his ass back there!

Or maybe Billy actually wanted Lois, and Steve ruined it.

Steve used to love Saturdays.

Those said days would usually be when Steve spends some time with the group of kids he calls his friends. It was pathetic to others, but to Steve, those kids were like family. He had been through the end of the world with them, and bled with them.

Steve couldn't ask for a better circle of friends. Even if they're a handful at times.

Among those bratty kids is a teenager; his name is Will Byers. Steve doesn't have favorites when it comes to his friends, but if he did he would choose—

Well, probably Dustin, but this isn't about him.

—Will. Steve genuinely feels bad for him when he thinks about what the kid has gone through. Will is — somehow — always at the top of the list of targets when it comes to demogorgons, or just anything that comes from the Upside Down. Hell, even Steve isn't that unlucky.

Despite Steve's internal pity for Will, he doesn't talk to him much. The only thing the two ever share is a passing conversation while they're waiting for the other kids to arrive, or maybe a quick comment about the other's day. The boring, typical small talk.

Today, however, Steve finds himself sitting in a diner with Will on the other side of the table. He's not exactly sure what went through his head when he suddenly knocked on the Byers' door and asked if "you want a hamburger, or something?", and honestly, Steve's more surprised that the kid agreed.

He's betting all his money that Will is regretting that decision. The kid looks like he's going to die from awkwardness, and this time Steve can't blame him.

"So." Steve starts, clearing his throat. Will instantly snaps his attention from the scenery outside and stares at Steve with curiosity. "Your day. Uh, how was it?" he practically chokes out. Holy shit, this was horrible.

Will blinks, visibly taken aback. "My day." he repeats. He's not mocking Steve (Will is too nice for that), but he sounds somewhat amused with the disastrous line of conversation.  "Uh... I guess it was good? Mike came by today to spend a bit of time with me and Lucas," he smiles, reminiscent — then that brief happiness drops. "but then he left because of El."

Steve frowns. "Oh shit. Sorry, man." he says. Will seems a bit surprised, so Steve explains his response a bit more clearly. "You want to spend more time with him, right? Sucks that he had to go."

Will startles. "Spend more time with Mike? No way!" he blurts, then his face reddens a bit. Steve furrows his eyebrows, and Will panics. "Well, yeah, he's my best friend. But I don't mean it like that! I m—mean, I guess? I wouldn't—" he clamps a hand over his mouth before he can fumble out more words. "Sorry." he adds after a few seconds.

Steve doesn't immediately reply, but once a few moments pass, he points out a certain part of Will's rant. "What do you mean by "like that"...?" he asks, not noticing the way Will pales at the question.

Will parts his lips, closes them, then opens them to speak once more. "You know, like the—" he gauges Steve's reaction, realizing that older doesn't seem angry, or bothered by what Will implied. "...you know what I'm talking about, don't you?" he guesses.

Steve glances around the diner, then once he makes sure no one else is there, he nods. "Yeah, I think I do." he says, honest. "I know a lot of people don't like that, but you can trust me." the look on Will's face changes from fear to pure happiness. Steve can't help but smile once he sees that genuine grin. "Your secret's safe with me, you little shit." he holds out his closed fist, and Will eagerly bumps it with his own hand.

"I don't think you know how... nice that feels." Will admits as he rubs his arm. "I—I haven't even told my mom yet, I know she loves me, but I just—" he clears his throat, and Steve can tell he's about to cry if he thinks of it too hard. "I'm scared she won't look at me the same way, even if she doesn't kick me out of the house, or—or worse."

Steve takes a minute to consider what Will is saying, then lets out a small laugh. "Don't sweat it, man. I don't know your mom that well, but I know she flipped the world upside down to get you back, literally." he emphasizes it with a roll of his eyes, and Will laughs. "She might be surprised, or she might not be, but she'll accept you in the end. I know she will."

Will nods, understanding completely. "Yeah..." he trails, deep in thought. "Yeah, I think so, too."

They give each other another fist bump.

"Oh, right." Will straightens up in his seat, back hitting the booth. "Why did you buy me a meal? Do you have something to ask...?" he inquires. He's not as dumb as everyone says he is—he's smart.

Steve gulps. Shit.

"Oh, right. Yeah, that..." Steve rubs the back of his neck, looking away. "Dustin told me he's going to camp soon, so he's probably packing. Mike and El are... well, dating. Lucas and Max are... I don't even know what their relationship is." he jokingly shudders, causing Will to laugh again. "So you're my only choice, because all my "friends" ditched me after I lost my popularity." he holds up air-quotes, rolling his eyes to show his disgust on the topic.

"What do you mean by choice?" Will asks, eating some of his fries.

Steve hesitates, folding his hands together under the table to fidget with them. "I need someone to talk to, I guess." he admits, a little embarrassed because he's asking for advice from someone younger than him. "I know you're still a kid and stuff, but how do I know if I got someone angry? I thought I knew, but now I'm kinda—" he makes a wavy hand motion. "—meh about it."

Will cocks his head to the side. "What's the situation?"

Begrudgingly, Steve mumbles a stern, "I saved this guy from being drugged, then he starts ignoring me like an asshole and going out with the girl who drugged him in the first place." he explains, then shoots up in his seat, suddenly eager to tell his story. "Like what did he want me to do, let him get drugged?!" he snaps, and Will seems to be lost in his mind, thinking of Steve's problem. "Just because we get into a lot of fights, doesn't mean I want something bad to happen to him, you know?" he huffs.

Will purses his lips, then takes one last bite of his burger as Steve watches him. He wipes his fingers on his napkin, as if Steve wasn't venting just a second ago, and faces the older teenager with an idea practically glowing in his eyes. He leans back a bit, then says something Steve didn't even think of.

"Maybe he's confused?"

Steve blinks, mind blank.

"You said you guys fight a lot, so maybe he wasn't expecting you to save him from something like that?" Will suspects. "Or maybe he might be going out with that girl because that's the last person he remembers? You said he was drugged so he might think you're the one who drugged him."

Steve gapes at him. "I—!" he tries to yell out a good retort; something that completely denies Will's assumption, but it fails. Horribly. Damn, this kid is smart. "...didn't think about that." he finishes, sounding stupid.

Will can't help but laugh again. "Then maybe now you can do something about it?"

Steve rakes a hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah. I'll talk to him next time I see him." he gives in, frowning a bit.

They do one last fist bump.