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“Mamaaaa… ohhhh” Billy hummed under his breath, it was around six o’ clock and he was preparing dinner.
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen was Steve’s favorite song, the brunette never shut up about it. He was always singing it, with or without music. So much that Billy had developed a habit of absentmindedly singing it when he was focusing.
It comforted him.
”I don’ wanna die, I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all..” The blond took out the lasagna from the oven, another of Steve’s favorite. He bragged about it, especially with his Italian ancestry.
He put the hot pan down on the table, it had been set earlier by Billy. The candles were lit, even though they didn’t light anything, with the lights being on and everything. There were sun flowers in the middle of the four people table, Steve’s favorites again.
Billy smiled softly at them, as he went up the stairs to get Steve, to show him what he had done for them in their anniversary.
Billy always thought his life was like a movie.
A really interesting one at least. He thought that once they had gotten to Hawkins that would’ve changed, that it would become a boring one. The one nobody came to see, that everyone dreaded when the trailer came on.
But,
he was wrong.
He knew he was wrong the moment his eyes met with brown doe ones.
When he first had heard about this supposed King Steve, he was imagining someone like him.
Someone who was aggressive, quick to anger. Someone who would beat him up the moment he breathed. Someone horrible. But, when he saw the actual Steve Harrington, he couldn’t help but think, God he’s so pretty.
He was more like a princess than a king.
Billy had heard about Steve’s relationship with Nancy Wheeler, so he pushed down his feelings. He convinced himself that he was just jealous of Steve. That he was jealous that he got the house, he got the girl, he got the friends. He got it all and Billy didn’t have anything.
The Californian boy isn’t sure when he started taking all those things from Steve, his friends, his spot in the basketball team… Hell, he even tried taking Nancy Wheeler, but Jonathan Byers had beat him to it.
Steve went from being the king of Hawkins to being a bitch.
Now Billy had it all, but he never actually felt satisfied.
Of course, he didn’t actually have it all. Hard to when your dad beats you up. But other than that? He got everything he supposedly wanted.
So, why the fuck did his eyes search for Harrington in every class, every party, every room he walked into. Even when he was sure Steve wouldn’t be there, he still looked for him.
It got worse, he started thinking of Steve when he was fucking random girls, drunk and high. It got to the point where he looked for girls that looked like Steve. And fucked them from behind, imagining that the one he was fucking was actually the formed king of Hawkins.
He still remembers beating Steve up. He remembers when he slammed a plate to his head. He remembers when Steve stopped moving under his hands, he remembers it all. And he never forgave himself from that. Thing is, when Steve put the hand against his chest and muttered a ‘go, get outta here’ all he thought about was how his dad would tell him what to do.
He saw red, he felt like his heart might pop out of his rib cage, he felt like dying, all whilst he lived out his fantasy of killing his dad with his bare hands.
He’s grateful that Max had done what she did. She probably saved Steve’s life, he was glad she did.
Afterwards, he and Max grew somewhat closer. It was weird.
He didn’t see her as a spoiled brat anymore, even if he did call her that all the time. She was his little sister and he respected her. Billy didn’t dread driving her to and from places. Especially when he coincidentally saw Steve.
But Billy saw how Steve jumped and flinched every time Billy was near. And that broke Billy’s heart.
He had been meaning to apologize to Steve, but never really got around to it.
Billy convinced himself everything would be better if he just forgot about the brunette. And he did. He flirted with middle aged women and got dates with them.
But then- that thing posessed him.
Billy did remember everything he did, everything he said. It haunted him. Like how those glassy brown eyes did.
But it felt like he was always on autopilot. Sure he heard what he said and felt what he did, but it wasn’t really him.
He really thought he would’ve died at Starcourt. He hoped he did. But Harrington got to him on time. He saved his life.
Billy remembers when the Mind Flayer, that’s how the little twerps called it, when it sorta killed Billy. He wanted to protect Eleven, even though he didn’t really know her.
Laying there, in the thin line between life or death, he thought of California. Of the beaches there, the waves the sand. And a certain brunette made his way into his thoughts.
“‘m sorry pretty boy” Billy slurred as Steve assessed him. Checking his pulse, yelling at people to help him drag Billy away. “Sorry for beatin’ you up.”
Billy closed his eyes and thought that was it. He thought he’d finally died. And for a second, he was glad. Glad Max didn’t have to deal with his bullshit, glad Neil wasn’t gonna get to lay his hands on him again. Glad Steve wasn’t gonna flinch around him again.
But, he opened his eyes in a hospital bed.
His monitor beeped rhythmically as he saw Steve sleeping with Max propped beside him, a blanket over her.
After that, he made amends.
He apologized to Sinclair, to Max, to Mike and Will, to El, to Dustin. And finally to Steve.
That apology was special, ‘cuz it ended in a kiss.
Billy remembers his first kiss with Steve, soft delicate.
It was the first of many.
But the funny thing about that first kiss, is that it got photographed.
It was an accident really, Max and the Party wanted to take a picture with Billy, to celebrate him finally ‘joining’ the party.
Johnathan had lent his camera to Will, and Max was trying to figure it out, and took a picture of the pair as she walked into the hospital room.
The rest was really history.
Him and Steve started to secretly date, only Max, Eleven and Robin knew. Once Billy got better they started saving up, and finally moved together to California.
Before they did, both of them came clean to the kids. All of them supported both of them, some needed to come to terms a little bit later than others.
Max had wanted to come with them, but things got complicated with the Party and she had to stay to help them fix it. But Steve insisted that their house was always open for her.
”Hey pretty boy, let me show you what I got for you.” Billy spoke in a soft tone as he walked into their bedroom, small smile placed on his face.
He grabbed a frame, a picture frame. The picture in it being the blurred hospital picture of their first kiss.
His eyes welled with tears as a calloused thumb stroked over their faces, stupid smiles and love struck eyes. Billy took a sharp breath and walked down the stairs, frame still in hand.
This was the second year he celebrated that kiss without Steve.
Steve had died almost three years ago, he got gunned down for his money. That’s what the police report said, an armed robbery. But Billy knew it had been a hate crime.
Why? Because Steve’s wallet had been returned intact once he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
”Surprise- It’s your favorite dish and flowers-“ His voice cracked as he bit his lip, trying his best not to start sobbing. Steve wouldn’t have wanted him to cry, he would’ve wanted him to smile and be happy and move on.
But Billy couldn’t.
He swore that Steve had to have been his soulmate or something. Even when he was alive, he used to tease Steve about it.
Billy remembers how Steve’s ears got red when he blushed. How his doe eyes looked surprise for a second and softened the moment he processed what Billy had said. He remembers it.
And he misses it.
He put the frame down, in front of a plate served with Lasagna, facing his chair as he served himself some.
He ate slowly, as tears silently slipped down his cheeks. He missed how Steve used to laugh so hard he snorted whatever he was drinking.
He missed Steve’s nagging, how when they woke up he’d turn and snuggle close to Billy.
He missed how his hand used to fit in his. How he always made sure to take Billy to the beach almost every day.
How he stayed up late with Billy when he got concussions from fights or how he always sung Bohemian Rhapsody annoyingly loud.
He misses Steve so much.