wild one - steve harrington

haywire

'This is where the chief dug his hole.' He said excitedly, pointing at a part of the diagram that was made up of many, many sheets of paper. 'This is our way into the tunnel. So... Here, right here, this is like a hub.' He explained, walking through the house as everyone followed, Steve perplexed and Roxy ready to have fun. 'So you've got all the tunnels feeding in here. Maybe, if we set this on fire-'

'Oh, yeah, that's a no.' Steve interrupted, standing a few metres away. 

'The mind flayer would call away his army.' Dustin said, ignoring Steve. 

'They'd all come to stop us.' Lucas explained as Roxy slowly walked around the group toward Steve, looking at the drawings on the floor. 

'Hey.' Steve tried to get everyone's attention, but he wasn't heard.

'We circle back to the exit.' Mike continued to run everyone through the plan.

'Guys.' Steve said, again, drowned out by the kids talking.

'By the time they realise we're gone-'

'El would be at the gate.' Max said, agreeing. 

'Hey. Hey, hey, hey! This is not happening.' Steve yelled clapping his hands, finally getting everyone's attention. Roxy arrived next to him waiting for him to try and stop the plan from going through. 'No buts. I promised I'd keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan on doing. We're staying here. On the bench.' He stated firmly, looking around the group.

'This isn't a stupid sports game!' Mike shouted.

'I said does everybody understand th-' Steve started but was cut short as Roxy interrupted him with a kiss. She quickly pulled away, looking at him and not removing her hands from his face. 

'It'll be fun. Better than waiting around, right? I'll make sure we all don't get killed.' She said, confidently and sweetly to him. 

'Sure, but no. Not happening.' He said, looking away from her. Everybody knew that she'd be able to convince him but he was determined to put up a strong front. 

'Come on, baby...' Roxy said, softly and in a more seductive tone, moving his head back to facing her. Her right hand on his cheek and her left snaking around his waist underneath his jacket, he would have done anything she told him to. But the rumble of a familiar engine caused Roxy to spin around in surprise, everyone else hearing it and wonder what was going on. Roxy and Max ran toward the windows, recognising it. Roxy stood and opened the door walking a few steps onto the patio. 

'It's my brother. He can't know I'm here. He'll kill me. He'll kill us.' Max said, quietly panicking. Roxy stood outside waiting to see Billy. Steve stood inside with a grave and heavy expression. He forced himself to walk toward the door to stand behind Roxy. As Billy turned off the lights and got out of the car, Roxy walked forward.

'Where have you been?' Billy asked, clearly mad, taking a drag from his cigarette. 

'What, you worried?' Roxy asked with a smile. She was happy to see him, but she didn't know how happy he would be to see her here, with Steve. She avoided telling him that she'd been with him for a few days. He raised an eyebrow at her, shutting his car door, still waiting for an answer. Relieved to see Billy, she hugged him and he put his arms around her back for a quick moment before looking up to see who was standing at the door. 

'Am I dreaming or is that you, Harrington?' He asked, walking past Roxy who rolled her eyes.

'Billy...' She said in a warning tone. walking to stand between them. 

'Yeah, it's me, don't cream your pants.' Steve replied, willing Billy to leave. 

'What are you doing here, amigo?' Billy asked Steve tauntingly, walking closer to him. Roxy put a hand on Billy's chest to hold him away. She recognised the look in his eyes - it was the same look she got whenever she was about to win. 

'I could ask you the same thing, amigo.' Steve said. She saw Steve walking forward again, and she placed a hand on his chest too as a way to try keep them a safe distance apart. 

'Looking for Roxy and my step-sister. A little birdie told me Max was here.' Billy said, in a dark tone. 

'Huh, that's weird, I don't know her.' Steve said. Roxy looked at him, a deadpan expression on her face as she knew from here on out it wasn't going to end well. 

'Small? Redhead? Bit of a bitch?' Billy explained, all clearly defining features. 

'Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry, buddy.' Steve stuck to his story, and Roxy dropped her arms in resignation. 

'She's fine. Probably with her friends or something.' Roxy said, trying to diffuse the situation and get Billy safe and back home without having to explain any worldly occurrences that he would believe as much as she did when Steve first told her. 

'I don't know. This... This whole situation, Harrington, I don't know. It's giving me the heebie-jeebies.' Billy walked further toward Steve so he was standing right in front of him. Roxy, not knowing what to do, put her hands on her hips and thought about ways to mediate the situation. 

'Oh, yeah? Why's that?' Steve asked, playing dumb. Roxy shook her head knowing that it could possibly be all downhill from here. 

'Haven't seen my sister since Friday, turns out she was with you, after I asked you nicely to keep your hands off her. My 13 year-old step-sister goes missing all day, and then I find her, also with you, in a strangers house. And you lie to me about it.' Billy explained. Roxy's heart began to beat faster. Billy had been alone with their father and god knows what he was about to do to blow off steam.

'Man, were you dropped too much as a child or what?' Steve asked sarcastically, earning a light slap on the arm from Roxy as Billy watched and laughed. 'I don't know what you don't understand about what I just said. She's not here.' 

'Then who is that?' Billy asked, his voice dark. He pointed to the window with his cigarette, and Steve and Roxy whipped their heads around to see all the kids looking through the window, ducking away. 

'She's fine, with her friends, I was right.' Roxy said, extremely annoyed but trying to mitigate the conversation. 'I'll handle it.' She said to Billy, snatching his cigarette and taking a puff as she walked inside ready to go off at the kids. 

'The hell are you doing! You want to get beat up?' Roxy shouted, slamming the door behind her, stepping toward the hall and standing over the kids who she'd never seen more frightened. 'Couldn't stay out of it for ONE SECOND?' 

***************

'Oh, shit. Listen-' Steve tries to reason with Billy before being pushed down. 

'I told you to plant your feet.' Billy said, looming over Steve, listening to Roxy scream at the kids. 'And to stay the hell away from Roxy.' He finished, walking inside after kicking Steve in the stomach. 

Billy threw the door open with a bang, fire in his eyes. Roxy turned to face him, but not before giving the kids a look that read your fault. 'Well, well, well.' Billy said before slamming the door. 

'What did you do?' Roxy asked angrily when she noticed Steve wasn't there.