More Than a One Time Thing (Harringrove)

Anger

Everything was too bright, too much light, he couldn't see. His head hurt. Too many voices. He couldn't make out who was who. He wanted his mom.

"We have to get him to surgery right now."

Billy didn't know who needed surgery and he didn't really care, all he really knew was that it was too loud. He wanted to tell everyone to shut the fuck up, but he couldn't talk. Something happened though a few moments after the thought and he didn't really hurt anymore. The lights were dimmed and the voices were softer.

He didn't know what exactly was happening but he felt like he was gonna die. He didn't want that to happen, not when everything was getting so good. He wanted to die before; first when his dad dropped his mom off at the asylum, and then when they first moved to Hawkins. But in that moment, all he wanted was to live.

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An epidural hematoma occurs when blood accumulates between the hard covering of the brain and the skull, rapidly putting pressure on the brain.

Untreated concussions can cause severe brain damage.

According to Billy's doctors, he had both. The hematoma came from the beating, but the several untreated concussions did not help the matter.

Several untreated concussions, Steve repeated in his mind. He wondered how many times Billy just powered through it all in fear of anyone finding out the abusive side of his dad. It saddened Steve to no end and he hoped Billy wouldn't die because of his father's ignorance.

"What about Neil Hargrove? How is he doing?" Susan, Billy's step mom, asked. It took everything for Steve not to go off, but he didn't really have to. Max did that for him.

"He is in ICU as well. At worst he may end up blind in his left eye, but other than that he should meet a full recovery." The doctor said through Max's ranting. It wasn't fair to Steve. How dare he meet a full recovery when Billy only had uncertainty.

They were supposed to go on a date. A double fucking date like a normal couple. So stupid and unfair, Steve sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. It wasn't really about that though, he knew that.

He wanted Billy. There with him, alive, holding his hand. Safe.

He wanted to throw up. In fact, he almost did, but he held it back when he felt a soft hand against his back.

"How are you doing, hun? Here," Joyce Byers asked as she handed him a cup of water. He gave a weak smile as he took it from her. Joyce Byers had always been a second mom to him growing up. His parents were always away so he spent a lot of time in the Byers house, usually hanging out with Jonathan.

"Sick." Steve replied, and he honestly did. "I had some suspicions. Maybe if I, just.. maybe if I talked to him about it, I could have helped him?" His stomach lurched at the thought of Billy's broken, beaten face, his curls gone. In that very moment it looked like he'd given up. Maybe if Steve had said something-

"This is not your fault. Don't ever think that. I'm sure he wouldn't want you to think that either." Joyce rubbed her hand up and down his back as she spoke soothing words, he tried to take it all in to calm his rapid heart beat. Nancy and Jonathan came running into the the waiting area and rushed over to Steve. Joyce patted his back as she got up, giving Steve room to talk to his best friends.

"Are you okay?" Nancy fussed over him as Jonathan sat down beside him. Steve brushed her hands away and she sighed in defeat and sat next to Jonathan.

"I'm fine. He.. he isn't." Steve sighed as he took a long gulp of his water. "He isn't fine but his fucking dad is, and his wife is over there all worried about her husband like Billy isn't-" Steve didn't feel like talking anymore. Billy is fine, he's gonna be okay.

He has to be okay.

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"Pretty."

Billy recognized the voice as Eleven. The room he was in was black, an empty void of nothing. He couldn't remember where he was before, but it certainly wasn't there.

"Am I dead?" Billy asked, his voice strained. Eleven materialized in front of him. She was wearing a striped shirt underneath some overalls. She was pretty adorable, Billy admitted, but it didn't help with his confusion.

"No." You're alone. I felt that. Wanted to help, Eleven added in her thoughts. Billy could hear her thoughts. He blinked down at her and a dry laugh escaped his throat.

"That's too sweet, kid." Billy sighed as he sat down, legs crossed.

"You're sleeping." Eleven said as got on the ground in front of him. Well, at least he wasn't dead, Billy thought gratefully.

"So I'm dreaming?" Billy asked as he tried to run his fingers through his hair, only to find it gone. A shudder of a breath left his lips as he remembered in detail what got him to that point.

"No." You're asleep, but awake. She watched as he ran his hair over his scalp. Billy tried to keep his cool since he was apparently talking to a kid in asleep/not asleep state, but it was hard.

"How long have I been like this?" Billy breathed, hot tears in his eyes that he was never gonna let fall, not in front of her.

"Three days." Steve has visited every day after school. Billy couldn't hold the tears anymore. He felt like such an asshole for letting Steve see him like that. Broken and beaten. Yeah he'd seen his bruises but he wasn't supposed to see him broken.

"You're angry." It's okay to be angry. Eleven stood up and made Billy do so as well.My papa was a bad man, too. He took mama away from me, made her sick. I was angry.

"How do I make it stop?" Billy asked through a ragged sob. Let it out. Don't stop until it's gone. Billy thought it was silly at first when she started yelling, but soon enough he played along, and screamed with her.

He remembered when his dad first hit him, he had been only five. He thought about when he was a kid and he had to be the one to take care of his mom because his dad stopped caring. When his dad cut all of his hair in attempt to shame him, and even remembered how it felt when he saw his dad lay his hands on Steve.

His yell got louder as he let himself feel everything all over again. It was hard and it was painful, but it felt so good all at once. Electricity flowed through his body with each piercing scream and his blue eyes shot open, a bright white room replacing the dark world around him.

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