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@disabledbillyandsteveweek
Hello fandom friends!!
It’s the 24th, and you know that means? Disabled Billy and Steve Week has officially begun!! No matter the time zone, you can post your content as soon as the date arrives for you!!
The plan is to reblog everything here closer to the end of the day so folks have time to post in the tags!
Huge thanks to anyone who will be participating from now until the end of the week!!
yea i wrote this last week for @disabledbillyandsteveweek day 3 - special interest: sea turtles and @mungrovebingos square C1 - inflatable pool animals.
it's short and sweet
*
The day Eddie Munson fell in love with Billy Hargrove was the day he learnt his favourite animal.
*
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Disabled Billy and Steve Week
Day 7- Invisible Disability Awareness
My prompt: Steve on a low spoons day
-•-•-•-
Steve wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. Literally. He’s face down in his girlfriend's pillows, drooling on her favorite squishmallow.
It isn’t rare for Chrissy to get up in the middle of the night and move to sleeping on an air mattress in the living room. Her condition is more rare than Steve’s, a type of synesthesia that mimics touch. So if Steve had his face squished against a pillow and hair all over his eyes, Chrissy would feel the same sensation.
Sometimes it could get frustrating, especially if she was having a bad sensory day, so it wasn’t surprising or offensive that she would put a little distance between herself and Steve.
The part that makes him admittedly sad is that he’s having a bad day too. He hadn’t just woken up normally, it had been from a tic. It was a subtle one, but his sleep had been light enough that kicking his leg and knocking his blanket off had been enough.
That one annoying twitch of his leg has quickly turned into a full scale tic attack.
“Chrissy- Chrissy- Chrissy-“
That particular name tic was born from a time he’d called for her, and she couldn’t hear him because of her noise canceling headphones. So he’d yelled out a second time and suddenly his brain decided it needed to say her name as many times as possible.
These days it usually only pops up during tic attacks, but that only makes it more frustrating, since he’s probably trying to communicate something he needs when it takes root.
But that isn’t what gets Chrissy to actually come in. It’s probably the loud, somewhat squeaky shout that alerts her that Steve is both awake and probably not doing so well.
She’s there by his side within a few minutes, her hand on his chest and soothing him softly, “Steve, darling, deep breaths.”
His shoulders slam backwards into the mattress before he can answer, another tic cutting him off, because of course it would, “I’m sorry -Chrissy- Chrissy- Chrissy- Today’s not a good day..”
“We can rest, baby. There was nothing important to do today anyways.” Chrissy offers, getting settled back in next to him.
“Fudge!” Steve shouts unexpectedly, his arms flying up like he’s frustrated with something.
Chrissy looks hesitant now, taking that tic as maybe a reflection of how he feels, just in case, “Is that okay with you?”
But Steve assures her, “Sure. Napping sounds- fudge! Fuck! -fun.”
A long, frustrated hum trails off after his words, deepened when his closed hand pounds on his chest exactly three times.
He’s already so over this, “Nevermind.. I can’t sleep like this.”
“We don’t have to. Just get comfy, Stevie. It won’t fix it but, maybe it will help a little.” Chrissy keeps him from giving up.
They ran out of the medicine they could give him when his attacks got too severe, but Steve didn’t like to take it anyways. Not that he enjoys his tics so much, but they’re a part of him, and being without them after almost fourteen years of doing this makes him feel strange.
He bets Chrissy probably feels strange too, with all the physical sensations Steve is having that are undoubtedly mirroring in her body. If it weren’t for the amount of times they’d talked about it and Chrissy said she didn’t mind since it’s not Steve’s fault, he would’ve felt guilty.
Instead he lets her pull the weighted blanket up over him gently, and even hands him his chewy scarf, the red one that’s his instead of the pink one she wears, instead of the blanket when it’s clear he’s about to bite the hell out of it. He would’ve too, because his tics make him bite down on that chewy fabric until his jaw almost hurts.
When it releases, he makes sure to let Chrissy know he appreciates her gentle pampering, “Thanks.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Stevie.” Chrissy reminds him lovingly.
This time, not for tic reasons, he blurts out, “I love you.”
It makes his beautiful girlfriend smile, a sight that is instant comfort on its own, “I love you too, honey.”
All this repetition of words triggers some kind of tic response, “Lovey dovey, lovey dovey, all the tiiime.”
For some reason, Steve’s Tourette’s loves music. He isn’t really sure about any of the science behind it, but his mouth is always blurting out random song lyrics, no matter how situationally inappropriate. Like the time he shouted a few lines of Fat Bottomed Girls in a butterfly garden he and Chrissy were visiting.
This time though, a couple of lines of some 1950s love song is just cute enough to get a pass. Chrissy at least thinks so, since she giggles and says, “That’s very sweet.”
When Steve bonks himself on the nose, it’s not quite as nice. It actually really hurts.
Steve seeks comfort for the pain, “Can I cuddle you?”
Chrissy opens her arms up wide to make room for him, “Of course, snuggle bunny! Come here!”
That’s an invitation Steve wastes no time to accept, laying his head on Chrissy's chest and breathing deep to stay relaxed. It works a little, in that her cuddles at least eases the frustration and the exhaustion mixing together in his mind.
Maybe Steve can’t sleep, but he can relax, and this is the peak of his bliss. Just lazing about with his girlfriend Chrissy, a beautiful and positive force in his life he never expected to have when his diagnosis came at fourteen.
It was through his Tourette’s that they became close though, since they’d met in a neurologists office while Chrissy was still seeking a diagnosis. He’d rolled up a waiting room magazine and hit himself in the head with it. She’d been the only one to ask if he was okay instead of trying to hide a laugh like a few others, and the rest was history.
Chrissy always says someone should make a movie about them and their fantasy disabled romance. Steve doesn’t think any actress would be beautiful and charming enough to play her.
The romantic ideal can’t always be their reality though. As Steve learns when he makes a velociraptor-esque screech and his head slams back into the headboard.
Chrissy shifts a pillow there and kisses Steve’s forehead, wordlessly trying to make it better, since it’s clear that banging your skull against hardwood definitely hurts. She winces too, probably feeling the sensation herself. It makes her shake and wiggle her wrists to get the bad feelings out.
He appreciates that a lot. She’s always here for him, even when it’s hard for her, but never makes a big deal out of Steve’s tics in a way that would just make him more upset.
Steve wants to try something to make him feel even better though, using one tried and true trick, “Can we -fuck- no. Can we sing a song?”
For probably the same reason he has so many musical tics, music therapy and singing works really well for Steve. It soothes some part of his brain that is otherwise quite unpredictable. Not that it stops his tics, nothing but medications could, but it does make them a little easier to bear. Hell, maybe it’s just a coping mechanism and it’s got some placebo effect. Whatever the explanation, Steve wants to try it.
Chrissy of course agrees, though she asks first, “What do you wanna sing?”
“Magic.” Steve answers automatically.
He had first heard the song performed by a cheerleading animatronic mouse that looked suspiciously like his girlfriend, and it had rapidly become one of his all time favorites. Olivia Newton-John had held that position since Grease, and any love song of hers, even the ones he learned in an overcrowded, kid-infested pizza restaurant, was going to cement itself in his heart.
Though, and maybe it’s because he’s biased, Steve thinks Chrissy sings it much better than the mousey showbiz mascot.
She’s very gentle about starting, combing her fingers through Steve’s messy sleep hair, and humming a moment before she leads, “Come take my hand,
You should know me,
I've always been in your mind,
You know I will be kind,
I'll be guiding you.”
Steve’s verbal tics are calming down, no more shouts or squeaks interrupting the soft melody, but he does still have the motor ones. At one point, his hands try to go for Chrissy's mouth to stop her from singing, obviously not an intentional action, but one she intercepts softly, taking his hands and holding them loosely despite the way his body twitches and shakes her.
“Building your dream has to start now,
There's no other road to take,
You won't make a mistake,
I'll be guiding you,
You have to believe we are magic,
Nothin' can stand in our way,
You have to believe we are magic,
Don't let your aim ever stray,
And if all your hopes survive,
Destiny will arrive,
I'll bring all your dreams alive,
For you,
I'll bring all your dreams alive,
For you.”
Steve relaxes more and more, closing his eyes and just letting the words and the light harmony of their two voices take the tension out of his body.
“From where I stand, you are home free,
The planets align so rare,
There's promise in the air,
And I'm guiding you,
Through every turn I'll be near you,
I'll come anytime you call,
I'll catch you when you fall,
I'll be guiding you,”
In the midst, where the instrumental would be, Steve’s tics decide to make a couple of beeping sounds. These ones feel like normal tics though. Not the violent, never ending electricity that courses through his veins until it hurts during a tic attack.
“You have to believe we are magic,
Nothin' can stand in our way,
You have to believe we are magic,
Don't let your aim ever stray,
And if all your hopes survive,
Destiny will arrive,
I'll bring all your dreams alive,
For you,
I'll bring all your dreams alive,
For you.”
Chrissy kisses him again as they finish singing their song. Finally, Steve feels at peace.
He also feels exhausted, and with the intensity of his tic attack stamped out, he’s feeling beyond tired. Looking up at his girlfriend, he can tell Chrissy is too after a night of sleeping alone.
“Pretty.” Is the short phrase he mutters to describe their song and the way it connected them.
Chrissy doubles the sentiment, “Mhm! You sounded amazing, lovely!”
Steve cuddles impossible closer to her, which he knows Chrissy likes, because it’s a sensation she feels in her own body, not one through Steve’s or anyone else’s. Plus it works much better at decompression when Steve lays on her than if she was just using the weighted blanket.
He also lets her know, “Feels better.”
“I can tell, honey. Get some sleep now.” Chrissy supports him, rubbing his back soothingly.
It’s not long before Steve is dozing off. Drifting deep into the rest hadn't gotten through his sleep last night. He’s probably drooling on Chrissy, and he’s definitely snoring, but they’re at a place where they can feel comfortable doing those kinds of things in front of each other. It’s a part of him just as much as his tics are, or Chrissy’s autism is part of herself.
Steve didn’t have any spoons to get out of bed this morning, but he didn’t need to. Chrissy would love him any way she had him.
@disabledbillyandsteveweek day 7- autistic for autistic Harringrove
Billy didn’t make sense. Or rather his interest in Steve was completely nonsensical.
Steve hadn’t been in the best shape when they first met. He’d had a nail mark wedged into his cheek, a darkly blooming bruise on his side and a head that rang with bullshit. Over and over again, the same word.
Let him have keg king. Steve didn’t give a shit. All he wanted to do was sleep.
He was persistent. Billy seemed to follow Steve in everything he did, across the basketball field and the classroom and all the way to special ed. They both stimmed in the same way. Butterfly hands. Hands that could fly away at any time.
Carol was sure that Billy liked him back, autistic spidey sense and all that. Steve wasn’t sure. He seemed to use flirting more as an unconscious defence mechanism than anything else. Besides, Steve was trans. A cis gay guy wouldn’t want him.
Hopper had gotten rid of Neil and Karen. Nothing as official as an arrest but they were pretty much universally known as a child abuser and child groomer respectively. So, Billy went to Joyce’s and little Holly came to his house, alongside Claudia and Dustin. She was such a sweet kid, Steve kind of wanted to keep her forever.
Billy Hargrove would regularly turn up outside the Henderson’s, following Neil being booted out of town. He loved Claudia and Holly, had a somewhat complicated relationship with Dustin, and Steve couldn’t figure out what Billy wanted from him. It was confusing.
He’d do these sweet romantic gestures like tucking Steve’s hair behind his ear and kissing his cheek but then all Steve would hear was Billy and Eddie or Billy and Patrick or Billy and Jonathan, swirling around the gossip mill like wildfire. Steve wouldn’t be made a fool of again.
He pulled away. Billy pulled him back. There was a desperation in his eyes when he told Steve he loved him. One Steve couldn’t understand. Loving Steve wasn’t something you did, unless you were really down on your luck. Still, he accepted Billy’s request of a date. Even Steve wasn’t that stupid.
They were a couple. Kind of. Steve still felt skittish about it. Billy didn’t actually seem to mind that much, even when he was cagey and constantly forgot date night and went non verbal for days on end.
It made him trustworthy, sweet in a way that other people who’d wanted Billy weren’t. Steve wasn’t used to being called sweet. He could tell that Billy meant it though.
They graduated hand in hand. Moved to California together as well. Just two autistic boys on the road.
Eventually Steve got used to Billy being in love with him. It still felt like a trick, but one that ended up dissipating everyday.
As they moved in together, got married, Steve ended up getting pregnant (which was very much not planned but Steve wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth) it all felt like everything was falling into place.
Billy was in love with Steve. And while he’d never understand it fully, that wasn’t a bad thing.
You never were meant to understand the life you always wanted.
Just to let it happen.
It’s the final day of the week! And it’s been so amazing to have so many people’s support for a first year fandom event with only two mods! We both hope to get more help next year and make the events to come even bigger!
So if you’ve enjoyed disabledbillyandsteveweek, we’re also making a Billy centric event for late November for mens mental health month, so if you’re interested please keep your eyes peeled over the next few months
I’d also like to thank @hargrove-mayfields (my lovely co-mod!) @jaylikesrainbowtigers @shieldofiron @thatgirlwithasquid and @stranger-rants for making amazing content for this week (and I guess I wrote some stuff as well lmao)
Also to everyone on our discord server (who hasn’t already been mentioned) @salthat @peachyaliien @foxyworldposts @carito-dorito @onefinem0rning @mrsblackruby and @kal-fr
To @ratbastardbilly and @adelacreations for letting me dedicate a fic in this event to them and @dragonflylady77 for putting up with my incessant @‘s
And finally to everyone who’s followed our page, reblogged or liked the works from this event and just showed internet and enthusiasm in this event. You’re the reason we were able to make this happen with very little planning and with only two mods.
We made this event because both of us were dealing with severe and persistent ableism and bullying from a small number (literally like 4) Billy/harringrove bloggers and we needed something to make this fandom feel safe for us again. Thank you for giving us back our safe space.
See you all for our next event in November!
@disabledbillyandsteveweek
Day 7 - Invisible Disability Awareness - Steve and a Low Spoons Day
Disabled Billy and Steve Week
Day 7- Invisible Disability Awareness
My prompt: Steve on a low spoons day
-•-•-•-
Steve wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. Literally. He’s face down in his girlfriend's pillows, drooling on her favorite squishmallow.
It isn’t rare for Chrissy to get up in the middle of the night and move to sleeping on an air mattress in the living room. Her condition is more rare than Steve’s, a type of synesthesia that mimics touch. So if Steve had his face squished against a pillow and hair all over his eyes, Chrissy would feel the same sensation.
Sometimes it could get frustrating, especially if she was having a bad sensory day, so it wasn’t surprising or offensive that she would put a little distance between herself and Steve.
The part that makes him admittedly sad is that he’s having a bad day too. He hadn’t just woken up normally, it had been from a tic. It was a subtle one, but his sleep had been light enough that kicking his leg and knocking his blanket off had been enough.
That one annoying twitch of his leg has quickly turned into a full scale tic attack.
“Chrissy- Chrissy- Chrissy-“
That particular name tic was born from a time he’d called for her, and she couldn’t hear him because of her noise canceling headphones. So he’d yelled out a second time and suddenly his brain decided it needed to say her name as many times as possible.
These days it usually only pops up during tic attacks, but that only makes it more frustrating, since he’s probably trying to communicate something he needs when it takes root.
But that isn’t what gets Chrissy to actually come in. It’s probably the loud, somewhat squeaky shout that alerts her that Steve is both awake and probably not doing so well.
She’s there by his side within a few minutes, her hand on his chest and soothing him softly, “Steve, darling, deep breaths.”
His shoulders slam backwards into the mattress before he can answer, another tic cutting him off, because of course it would, “I’m sorry -Chrissy- Chrissy- Chrissy- Today’s not a good day..”
“We can rest, baby. There was nothing important to do today anyways.” Chrissy offers, getting settled back in next to him.
“Fudge!” Steve shouts unexpectedly, his arms flying up like he’s frustrated with something.
Chrissy looks hesitant now, taking that tic as maybe a reflection of how he feels, just in case, “Is that okay with you?”
But Steve assures her, “Sure. Napping sounds- fudge! Fuck! -fun.”
A long, frustrated hum trails off after his words, deepened when his closed hand pounds on his chest exactly three times.
He’s already so over this, “Nevermind.. I can’t sleep like this.”
“We don’t have to. Just get comfy, Stevie. It won’t fix it but, maybe it will help a little.” Chrissy keeps him from giving up.
They ran out of the medicine they could give him when his attacks got too severe, but Steve didn’t like to take it anyways. Not that he enjoys his tics so much, but they’re a part of him, and being without them after almost fourteen years of doing this makes him feel strange.
He bets Chrissy probably feels strange too, with all the physical sensations Steve is having that are undoubtedly mirroring in her body. If it weren’t for the amount of times they’d talked about it and Chrissy said she didn’t mind since it’s not Steve’s fault, he would’ve felt guilty.
Instead he lets her pull the weighted blanket up over him gently, and even hands him his chewy scarf, the red one that’s his instead of the pink one she wears, instead of the blanket when it’s clear he’s about to bite the hell out of it. He would’ve too, because his tics make him bite down on that chewy fabric until his jaw almost hurts.
When it releases, he makes sure to let Chrissy know he appreciates her gentle pampering, “Thanks.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Stevie.” Chrissy reminds him lovingly.
This time, not for tic reasons, he blurts out, “I love you.”
It makes his beautiful girlfriend smile, a sight that is instant comfort on its own, “I love you too, honey.”
All this repetition of words triggers some kind of tic response, “Lovey dovey, lovey dovey, all the tiiime.”
For some reason, Steve’s Tourette’s loves music. He isn’t really sure about any of the science behind it, but his mouth is always blurting out random song lyrics, no matter how situationally inappropriate. Like the time he shouted a few lines of Fat Bottomed Girls in a butterfly garden he and Chrissy were visiting.
This time though, a couple of lines of some 1950s love song is just cute enough to get a pass. Chrissy at least thinks so, since she giggles and says, “That’s very sweet.”
When Steve bonks himself on the nose, it’s not quite as nice. It actually really hurts.
Steve seeks comfort for the pain, “Can I cuddle you?”
Chrissy opens her arms up wide to make room for him, “Of course, snuggle bunny! Come here!”
That’s an invitation Steve wastes no time to accept, laying his head on Chrissy's chest and breathing deep to stay relaxed. It works a little, in that her cuddles at least eases the frustration and the exhaustion mixing together in his mind.
Maybe Steve can’t sleep, but he can relax, and this is the peak of his bliss. Just lazing about with his girlfriend Chrissy, a beautiful and positive force in his life he never expected to have when his diagnosis came at fourteen.
It was through his Tourette’s that they became close though, since they’d met in a neurologists office while Chrissy was still seeking a diagnosis. He’d rolled up a waiting room magazine and hit himself in the head with it. She’d been the only one to ask if he was okay instead of trying to hide a laugh like a few others, and the rest was history.
Chrissy always says someone should make a movie about them and their fantasy disabled romance. Steve doesn’t think any actress would be beautiful and charming enough to play her.
The romantic ideal can’t always be their reality though. As Steve learns when he makes a velociraptor-esque screech and his head slams back into the headboard.
Chrissy shifts a pillow there and kisses Steve’s forehead, wordlessly trying to make it better, since it’s clear that banging your skull against hardwood definitely hurts. She winces too, probably feeling the sensation herself. It makes her shake and wiggle her wrists to get the bad feelings out.
He appreciates that a lot. She’s always here for him, even when it’s hard for her, but never makes a big deal out of Steve’s tics in a way that would just make him more upset.
Steve wants to try something to make him feel even better though, using one tried and true trick, “Can we -fuck- no. Can we sing a song?”
For probably the same reason he has so many musical tics, music therapy and singing works really well for Steve. It soothes some part of his brain that is otherwise quite unpredictable. Not that it stops his tics, nothing but medications could, but it does make them a little easier to bear. Hell, maybe it’s just a coping mechanism and it’s got some placebo effect. Whatever the explanation, Steve wants to try it.
Chrissy of course agrees, though she asks first, “What do you wanna sing?”
“Magic.” Steve answers automatically.
He had first heard the song performed by a cheerleading animatronic mouse that looked suspiciously like his girlfriend, and it had rapidly become one of his all time favorites. Olivia Newton-John had held that position since Grease, and any love song of hers, even the ones he learned in an overcrowded, kid-infested pizza restaurant, was going to cement itself in his heart.
Though, and maybe it’s because he’s biased, Steve thinks Chrissy sings it much better than the mousey showbiz mascot.
She’s very gentle about starting, combing her fingers through Steve’s messy sleep hair, and humming a moment before she leads, “Come take my hand,
You should know me,
I've always been in your mind,
You know I will be kind,
I'll be guiding you.”
Steve’s verbal tics are calming down, no more shouts or squeaks interrupting the soft melody, but he does still have the motor ones. At one point, his hands try to go for Chrissy's mouth to stop her from singing, obviously not an intentional action, but one she intercepts softly, taking his hands and holding them loosely despite the way his body twitches and shakes her.
“Building your dream has to start now,
There's no other road to take,
You won't make a mistake,
I'll be guiding you,
You have to believe we are magic,
Nothin' can stand in our way,
You have to believe we are magic,
Don't let your aim ever stray,
And if all your hopes survive,
Destiny will arrive,
I'll bring all your dreams alive,
For you,
I'll bring all your dreams alive,
For you.”
Steve relaxes more and more, closing his eyes and just letting the words and the light harmony of their two voices take the tension out of his body.
“From where I stand, you are home free,
The planets align so rare,
There's promise in the air,
And I'm guiding you,
Through every turn I'll be near you,
I'll come anytime you call,
I'll catch you when you fall,
I'll be guiding you,”
In the midst, where the instrumental would be, Steve’s tics decide to make a couple of beeping sounds. These ones feel like normal tics though. Not the violent, never ending electricity that courses through his veins until it hurts during a tic attack.
“You have to believe we are magic,
Nothin' can stand in our way,
You have to believe we are magic,
Don't let your aim ever stray,
And if all your hopes survive,
Destiny will arrive,
I'll bring all your dreams alive,
For you,
I'll bring all your dreams alive,
For you.”
Chrissy kisses him again as they finish singing their song. Finally, Steve feels at peace.
He also feels exhausted, and with the intensity of his tic attack stamped out, he’s feeling beyond tired. Looking up at his girlfriend, he can tell Chrissy is too after a night of sleeping alone.
“Pretty.” Is the short phrase he mutters to describe their song and the way it connected them.
Chrissy doubles the sentiment, “Mhm! You sounded amazing, lovely!”
Steve cuddles impossible closer to her, which he knows Chrissy likes, because it’s a sensation she feels in her own body, not one through Steve’s or anyone else’s. Plus it works much better at decompression when Steve lays on her than if she was just using the weighted blanket.
He also lets her know, “Feels better.”
“I can tell, honey. Get some sleep now.” Chrissy supports him, rubbing his back soothingly.
It’s not long before Steve is dozing off. Drifting deep into the rest hadn't gotten through his sleep last night. He’s probably drooling on Chrissy, and he’s definitely snoring, but they’re at a place where they can feel comfortable doing those kinds of things in front of each other. It’s a part of him just as much as his tics are, or Chrissy’s autism is part of herself.
Steve didn’t have any spoons to get out of bed this morning, but he didn’t need to. Chrissy would love him any way she had him.
@disabledbillyandsteveweek day 7- autistic for autistic Harringrove
Billy didn’t make sense. Or rather his interest in Steve was completely nonsensical.
Steve hadn’t been in the best shape when they first met. He’d had a nail mark wedged into his cheek, a darkly blooming bruise on his side and a head that rang with bullshit. Over and over again, the same word.
Let him have keg king. Steve didn’t give a shit. All he wanted to do was sleep.
He was persistent. Billy seemed to follow Steve in everything he did, across the basketball field and the classroom and all the way to special ed. They both stimmed in the same way. Butterfly hands. Hands that could fly away at any time.
Carol was sure that Billy liked him back, autistic spidey sense and all that. Steve wasn’t sure. He seemed to use flirting more as an unconscious defence mechanism than anything else. Besides, Steve was trans. A cis gay guy wouldn’t want him.
Hopper had gotten rid of Neil and Karen. Nothing as official as an arrest but they were pretty much universally known as a child abuser and child groomer respectively. So, Billy went to Joyce’s and little Holly came to his house, alongside Claudia and Dustin. She was such a sweet kid, Steve kind of wanted to keep her forever.
Billy Hargrove would regularly turn up outside the Henderson’s, following Neil being booted out of town. He loved Claudia and Holly, had a somewhat complicated relationship with Dustin, and Steve couldn’t figure out what Billy wanted from him. It was confusing.
He’d do these sweet romantic gestures like tucking Steve’s hair behind his ear and kissing his cheek but then all Steve would hear was Billy and Eddie or Billy and Patrick or Billy and Jonathan, swirling around the gossip mill like wildfire. Steve wouldn’t be made a fool of again.
He pulled away. Billy pulled him back. There was a desperation in his eyes when he told Steve he loved him. One Steve couldn’t understand. Loving Steve wasn’t something you did, unless you were really down on your luck. Still, he accepted Billy’s request of a date. Even Steve wasn’t that stupid.
They were a couple. Kind of. Steve still felt skittish about it. Billy didn’t actually seem to mind that much, even when he was cagey and constantly forgot date night and went non verbal for days on end.
It made him trustworthy, sweet in a way that other people who’d wanted Billy weren’t. Steve wasn’t used to being called sweet. He could tell that Billy meant it though.
They graduated hand in hand. Moved to California together as well. Just two autistic boys on the road.
Eventually Steve got used to Billy being in love with him. It still felt like a trick, but one that ended up dissipating everyday.
As they moved in together, got married, Steve ended up getting pregnant (which was very much not planned but Steve wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth) it all felt like everything was falling into place.
Billy was in love with Steve. And while he’d never understand it fully, that wasn’t a bad thing.
You never were meant to understand the life you always wanted.
Just to let it happen.
It’s the final day of the week! And it’s been so amazing to have so many people’s support for a first year fandom event with only two mods! We both hope to get more help next year and make the events to come even bigger!
So if you’ve enjoyed disabledbillyandsteveweek, we’re also making a Billy centric event for late November for mens mental health month, so if you’re interested please keep your eyes peeled over the next few months
I’d also like to thank @hargrove-mayfields (my lovely co-mod!) @jaylikesrainbowtigers @shieldofiron @thatgirlwithasquid and @stranger-rants for making amazing content for this week (and I guess I wrote some stuff as well lmao)
Also to everyone on our discord server (who hasn’t already been mentioned) @salthat @peachyaliien @foxyworldposts @carito-dorito @onefinem0rning @mrsblackruby and @kal-fr
To @ratbastardbilly and @adelacreations for letting me dedicate a fic in this event to them and @dragonflylady77 for putting up with my incessant @‘s
And finally to everyone who’s followed our page, reblogged or liked the works from this event and just showed internet and enthusiasm in this event. You’re the reason we were able to make this happen with very little planning and with only two mods.
We made this event because both of us were dealing with severe and persistent ableism and bullying from a small number (literally like 4) Billy/harringrove bloggers and we needed something to make this fandom feel safe for us again. Thank you for giving us back our safe space.
See you all for our next event in November!
@disabledbillyandsteveweek
Day 7 - Invisible Disability Awareness - Steve and a Low Spoons Day
Bullshit
@disabledbillyandsteveweek Day 5 - Relationships
My whopper ficlet to celebrate my 18th birthday!
Trigger warning for Nancy
——————————————————————————————————
Nancy undoubtedly was Steve’s first love. He loved her laugh. Her smile. Her hair. Her brains. He just loved her. He loved when he cuddled her. He loved when he made her happy. He loved that he could give, give and give. He loved that Nancy loved him.
Bullshit.
Their entire relationship gone in one word.
Bullshit.
It broke Steve. Nancy had never loved him. Nancy cheated on him with Jonathan. Sure, it was at the very end of their relationship when they had fallen apart. But they were still together.
Bullshit.
Steve had given Nancy his everything. King Steve was gone. The act was all he had back then. His shield because he wasn’t quite like everyone else. But he had given it up. Because he had Nancy. But now he didn’t have Nancy.
No Nancy. No title. Nothing. What was he now?
Bullshit.
Steve had a broken crown and a broken heart. He had the fact that he had become a glorified babysitter. He had the kids. One of which was Nancy’s little brother. He couldn’t escape her. That used to be romantic.
Now she had Jonathan with her. Now Steve was broken and useless without her. He had nothing to fill that hole in his heart that longed to love and be loved. No fake popularity. No one who loved him. Just a bunch of kids he could drive around and the constant sight of his ex and the man she cheated on him with.
Bullshit.
——————————————————————————————————
Then he started at Scoops Ahoy and the summer from Hell began. But he met Robin.
Boy, if Steve thought that he loved making Nancy laugh, he was wrong. He really, really loved making Robin laugh. So much made Robin laugh. Not jokes like King Steve made. Not Nancy laughing at him being stupid. Robin and him laughed at everything. It was them.
Steve had finally found his soulmate. The one who could make him laugh alongside them. The one who would give as much as Steve would give. Someone who could match his energy and made him feel like he didn’t have to be someone else. Someone who got when everything became too much.
At first, it felt like a punch to the gut that Robin didn’t like him back but the second that Steve imagined him and Robin kissing, he shuddered. Robin and him were not romantic soulmates. Just platonic with a capital P.
They found similarities. Robin was autistic. And it turns out so was Steve. It was hard to stop after so many years of pretending that he was “normal” but he finally had somebody who wouldn’t judge him for it. Not like Nancy would have.
Robin and Steve. Steve and Robin.
They did everything together.
They talked about girls together. Vickie. Whatever girl Steve had a date with. The ultimate wingman or woman for one another. It felt like Steve could be happy without romance. Like he was worth more than just what he could give to people.
Really, Steve wouldn’t be surprised if they were twins separated at birth.
Twin souls.
——————————————————————————————————
Eddie Munson was a first for Steve. The first crush on a guy he registered. Looking back there were others. But Eddie?
No, that was so obvious to Steve.
He wanted to hold him close. Kiss him. Listen to him. To be part of Eddie’s life. He felt the urge to give as he often did in relationships. To give his all and his everything. Like he needed to unload all of his love.
Robin was ecstatic when he told her. She asked if he could be bisexual. Steve hadn’t known what that meant but after a quick talk, yeah. Steve was bisexual.
But he couldn’t have Eddie Munson. No, Eddie hated him. For what he did in school. For who he used to be. He didn’t fit with that image anymore but no one could forget King Steve.
Billy Hargrove died thinking that Steve was just King Steve. And when Steve thought about it, holy shit, he had definitely been attracted to Billy. Despite everything.
But this was about Eddie. Did Steve have a thing for bad boys? Unattainable bad boys.
Because he could never have Eddie Munson.
Because Eddie had a girlfriend.
——————————————————————————————————
Steve didn’t mean for it to happen. But him and Eddie practically had shared custody over the kids and were basically forced to become friends.
As such he became friends with Eddie’s girlfriend, Chrissy.
Shit, he could see why they loved each other. Whilst Eddie was all metal on the outside and dorky on the inside, Chrissy looked perfectly preppy but was a absolute badass on the inside. Chrissy was sweet but would definitely kill someone who dared to harm the ones she loved.
It wasn’t Steve’s fault that he fell for her too. That he wanted to be a part of Chrissy and Eddie’s relationship. He wanted them both in the most pure and the most dirty ways. Steve was convinced he was broken again. You couldn’t want more than one person.
Of course, Steve wasn’t the only one who fell. Chrissy was just so loveable. Robin had a big fat crush on her too. But it was okay because they knew that the other liked her. And Eddie in Steve’s case. But they would never get what they wanted.
Because it was impossible.
——————————————————————————————————
They all had wanted out. Out of Hawkins. They had defeated Vecna. It was over.
But still they couldn’t stay there.
So that was how Steve was sharing an apartment with his two crushes who were dating each other and his twin soul who were so alike they had a crush on the same person.
It was there that the doctor noticed something. Steve had his head bashed just one too many times. They found out that Steve had a traumatic brain injury. Not only that but Steve had lost part of his hearing. He had to get a hearing aid.
That was tough on Steve. He couldn’t get out of bed most days. But his roommates were the reason he was able to carry on.
Robin would treat him pretty much as normal. Like the entire world hadn’t shifted. But it was the little things for him. She encouraged him to learn sone sign language. She learnt with him. She encouraged him to take more breaks throughout the day.
Eddie was a bit more tough love style. When Steve needed to get up but didn’t want to, Eddie dragged him up. When Steve needed to sit down but was too dizzy to move, Eddie would pick him up and bring him to his bed or the couch. He would bring him food and water.
Chrissy checked on him emotionally more than anything. She sat and talked with him for hours. She listen to him about his day or his past or whatever he wanted to talk about. She shared her troubles with anorexia or her more recent issues with being mostly blind which showed him that he wasn’t alone in some weird way.
So a couple of months later, Steve was nervous when Eddie and Chrissy called a roommate meeting. Him and Robin had shared a glance to confirm that neither knew what this was about.
They never expected it.
Eddie and Chrissy came out. Eddie was omnisexual. Chrissy was pansexual. They were together but they were polyamorous. They wanted to date Steve and Robin. Well, Chrissy wanted to date Robin. Eddie didn’t want to date Robin. He knew Robin wasn’t into dudes.
And now?
Well, Steve and his twin soul had found romantic happiness. They shared a girlfriend. Then Steve and that girlfriend shared a boyfriend. They were actually able to have what seemed impossible.
——————————————————————————————————
It was a bit after that when Nancy came back into his life.
As Nancy always wanted, she went to a big university for journalism. She had the picture perfect life. Until she tore it all down.
Steve was the one who answered her call. Who sat talking to the first person to break his heart as she cried her eyes out. Jonathan and her had broke up. It was over tears that Nancy apologised, because she knew she had treated Steve badly and then she treated Jonathan in the same way.
But Nancy had figured out that puzzle now. She didn’t love Steve romantically. She didn’t even love Jonathan romantically. She apologised to Steve for not realising that she could never have loved him romantically, no matter how hard she had tried. Nancy didn’t like dudes.
Steve felt that old bitterness at Nancy, for she really had been awful. But he set it aside. He told her that it was okay that she liked women. Yes, her mum could kick her out. But Nancy would be okay. But she couldn’t lie to herself or others anymore. The only way she could find true happiness was being true to herself. She would be okay.
Steve fell asleep crying that night. In the arms of the three people who he loved most in this world. And Steve would be okay.
——————————————————————————————————
After Nancy’s call, it seemed that the past wouldn’t leave them alone.
They got a new set of neighbours. The kids from before had moved out. A new trio of young adults moved in.
The first one he met was a dark haired person called Eden. Eden seemed friendly enough and was also definitely queer. Robin thought to ask their pronouns. Eden was non-binary. They were dating one of their roommates. A queer solidarity formed between the two apartments.
It wasn’t until a week later that Steve met Eden’s roommates.
He hadn’t recognised Argyle. He had only met the man once. Jonathan, however, he registered immediately.
And it was awkward.
But they tried. And they tried.
One night, Jonathan asked to speak to Steve. Alone.
They talked about Nancy. Nancy who had broke both of their hearts but they were both glad she was happy now. According to Jonathan, Nancy moved to New York to further her journalism. She had also found a girlfriend who she was extremely happy with. Who she was in love with.
And Jonathan was in love too. With Argyle who was also dating Eden.
And Steve melted the fear off Jonathan’s face when he told him about his polycule. How in love Steve was.
They got along much better after that.
——————————————————————————————————
It was Chrissy who suggested it.
She had said it to Steve, Eddie and Robin first. She liked Jonathan. She wanted to date him. She wanted to ask him out. And she knew that Eddie and Steve felt the same way. Chrissy was always the most perceptive out of them despite her not being able to actually see anything.
It was Steve who made the second suggestion. Really, he enjoyed spending time with Argyle too so he might ask Argyle out as well.
Robin nodded and continued to slurp down spaghetti.
They asked Jonathan, Argyle and Eden the next morning. The date was due for that evening.
Steve and Jonathan found themselves alone together in the kitchen. They cooked popcorn together and made fun of each other. It was easy in a way that they hadn’t quite managed before.
Jonathan kissed Steve on his way out.
Argyle did too obviously.
——————————————————————————————————
If you had told King Steve what his life would look like now, he wouldn’t have believed you.
He would have said that he wanted to work for his dad, marry Nancy and carry on his family legacy.
But Steve was happier than ever.
He didn’t speak to his parents.
He didn’t speak to Nancy.
He lived with his best friend and twin soul, Robin Buckley, who made silly jokes with him and taught him to be loud and proud with his differences.
Eddie Munson was his boyfriend. They tumble around in play fights and Steve watches Eddie run the Hellfire club. He would sometimes even join in.
Chrissy Cunningham was his girlfriend who cuddled with him on the couch and was the person he confided all his secrets in.
Jonathan Byers was his boyfriend. He posed for Jonathan’s photos and they kissed over a pot of buttery popcorn.
Argyle was his boyfriend who also had a scary amount of weed. But he was soft and sweet. He calmed Steve down with his smooth tones and relaxed attitude. He grounded him.
Yeah, Steve was content with his life. Ready to take whatever comes next face on with his partners.
For once in his life everything was not…
Bullshit.
Disabled Billy and Steve Week
Day 6- Relationships
My prompt- Carol and Steve: Friends to the End
-•-•-•-
It’s a Wednesday, which means Steve and Carol are having one of their weekly get-togethers.
This time, they’ve decided not to go out or do anything fancy, opting to just lay in Carol's room in a fort they made of every pillow, blanket, and stuffie they could find. They’re both in fuzzy pajamas, wearing skin care masks and gossiping like they’re still fourteen.
Carol surprises Steve by talking about themselves instead of somebody else for once, “Do you remember being little, and promising to get married if we weren’t already with somebody by the time we were fifteen?”
As if that would ever happen. Carol Maryanne Perkins is his best friend for life. Sure, a platonic marriage was possible, but Steve didn’t think two disabled people getting married for friendship would result in the best outcome. Leave it up to the shitty money stealing government to ruin a perfectly good thing.
Steve scrunches his nose up, trying to show in his face how he feels about the old idea.
Carol gets it, even when Steve doesn’t feel ready to use words. She laughs and rolls her eyes, “I know, right? We thought fifteen was like, totally grown up.”
It is actually kind of funny, that they’ve known each other for that long, since they were in diapers really, and have so many silly bets like that running. Steve smiles and holds her hand, now that her purple nail polish is dry and the action won’t make them both sticky and miserable.
Carol isn’t usually the type to dwell in the past, but she lingers on the subject of their childish view of love, “And now I’d be the bride, and you’d be the groom.”
It’s true, and Steve finds it somewhat amusing as well. Nobody expected there to be two trans kids in the middle of Hawkins fucking Indiana, and especially not for them to be popular best friends. Mixing up the narrative is what they do.
But Steve doesn’t get what Carol needs. He’s not the greatest at social cues and things, but he can tell there’s a reason Carol is being so reflective. He furrows his eyebrows and tips his head to one side, signaling his growing confusion.
Out of nowhere, Carol rips off the bandaid, and Steve’s heart with it, “I know you like Tommy, Stevie. I see it when you’re around him.”
Instant panic. Being in love with your best friend's fiancé is a big no. Ever since this dumb crush started, Steve has been terrified of Carol finding out and breaking off their years of friendship. All for one really funny, super sweet, freckle faced cutie.
Thankfully, Carol doesn’t react in the millions of horrible ways that Steve has imagined. She actually seems happy, “Hey, before you freak out, I’m open to sharing. I just want you to know right away I don’t feel that way about you. You’re my best friend, and that’s all.”
Steve nods happily. There’s no way he’d ever feel anything romantic for Carol. Their bond just isn’t like that. This friendship was written in the stars, as exactly that, just a friendship.
He makes a little scratching out motion with his hand, to show Carol he is not interested in that.
“Oh, right! You only like guys! Duh, why was I even nervous?” Carol laughs nervously, and Steve can detect the hint of annoyed sarcasm.
It’s not at him, it’s at herself; Carol thought Steve might still see her as a boy.
Steve feels sad for her, and opens his arms up for a hug. Touch isn’t his thing, it makes him uncomfortable usually, but he understands that kind of pain and wants to soothe it in his best friend.
Carol smiles softly, and clarifies before jumping into anything, “Are you sure, sweetie?”
Steve just nods and makes a grabby hand motion, inviting her into his arms.
“Alright, here goes nothing.” Carol declares, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around Steve, giggling when he taps and pats her shoulders, happy stimming all over the place.
Not that Steve really knows an appropriate amount of time to hug for, but he knows this one lasts a long time, and that fills his heart up with happiness.
He feels ready to speak to tell her, “I love you, CeCe.”
“And I love you Stevie.” Carol replies back, automatic but genuine.
“Let’s never ever stop being friends. Ever.” Steve hums, fiddling with his soft sleeves, an anxious stim.
He knows Carol will be by his side, but sometimes he needs to hear it repeated, when his rsd flares up and he gets bad thoughts in his head.
Carol gets rsd too, and paranoia, which used to lead to some explosive arguments when they were younger kids without control of their big big feelings. Nowadays, they feel safe asking for assurance, and giving hugs, or making promises. Whatever it takes to show their best friend love is true without causing a fight first.
“I wasn’t planning on it, babe. I’m gonna be here forever. Even when you steal my boyfriend.” Carol laughs softly, making sure to tack on the end, just in case, “That was a joke.”
Steve could tell, but he appreciates it anyways. Better safe than heartbroken.
Speaking of, he wants to tell some of what he’s been thinking about when it comes to this whole confession, “Tommy has a big heart. He’ll be able to share.”
“You do too, honey. That heart in your little chest is bigger than your hair, and that’s saying something.” Carol teases him.
Steve throws his hands up defensively, “You told me big hair was cool!”
Carol pokes his tummy, a playful action Steve gave her permission to do whenever the impulse strikes, “Well, it seemed like you thought as much when Billy Hargrove got a perm!”
“I’m allowed to have a crush on three guys at once!” Steve rolls his eyes, before realizing what he said, and cupping a hand over his mouth.
Too late. Carol is beyond interested. Eyebrow raised, and a smirk on her lips, she asks him, “Three? Who’s the other one?”
“Nope. That secret is guarded with my life.” Steve turns up his nose to act guarded, but it’s useless.
Carol pouts and makes puppy eyes like nobody’s ever seen, “Oh come on, bubba. I won’t tell anyone.”
Steve hesitantly starts to think about it, “You gotta promise.”
“Cross my heart, pumpkin.” Carol makes the action, totally sincere.
Steve breaks, “It’s Jonathan Byers.”
And Carol actually squeals, “Awwww! Stevie, that’s adorable!”
“He’s dating Chrissy now, so don’t bring it up ever again.” Steve warns, half stern and half fond.
“I said I wouldn’t and I meant it.” Carol twists her hair around her finger, acting innocent, though she of course advises, “Buuut I also know for a fact that Chrissy Cunningham hasn’t been in a strictly monogamous relationship since highschool, so don’t talk yourself out of anything yet.”
They both laugh about it. Steve will ask Tommy out, and then he’ll settle down for a little while. Sure, this relationship business is serious, but this is a journey that’s going to take a long time, and Steve is just starting it out. Having all those partners isn’t something he has to worry about yet.
Though, thinking about it in reflection, he does start to get a little worried.
“Carol?”
“Yes, baby?” She asks right away.
Steve rubs the fabric of his sweatshirt in between his fingers, “How many boyfriends is too many?”
“That’s not up to me, sugar plum. I only got one.” Carol shrugs.
“Fiancé.” Steve corrects because he has to, additionally feeling the need to point out, “And two girlfriends.”
“Duh. My heart has all the room for them, so I might as well. But I’m done. I feel complete now, and three people is good enough for me.”
Her explanation makes enough sense, but Steve just doesn’t know what to do with it.
He has way too much love in his heart to understand it really, and trying to add limits just makes him feel weird. Maybe it’s the autism. Maybe he’s truly as freaky as everyone says.
“Wrong answer Carol. Didn’t you know I’m a sexless, unfeeling being?”
Carol doesn’t humor that kind of thinking for a second. She holds his hands, and looks him dead in the face, “Sweetie, your feelings are real, even if they show themselves a little differently. Loud hands and humming are your butterflies in the tummy.”
“Wait, you mean you can tell when I have a crush?” Steve realizes with a strange feeling.
“Sort of. But I’m a people reader, I notice everything.” Carol exaggerated.
A smile spreads on Steve’s face with a joke, “I get what people mean when they say neurodivergence is a super power.”
Carol fake gags at his joke, “Ugh, gross.”
Yeah, it is. Steve giggles, “I know!”
Maybe, Steve realizes from all of this, the best answer is that nobody needs to define him. He can do things his own way, be that friendship or falling in love, and he’ll be just fine, as long as he has his CeCe and his Tommy.
@disabledbillyandsteveweek day 6- how friends and family perceive harringroves relationship
To say Steve and Billy had mixed reactions from their friends and family when they first started dating would be an understatement. For a month, they were the most controversial couple in their social circle.
Robin cackled for a good ten minutes before starting a betting book for “couple milestones”, which Carol gleefully added to. No amount of yelling would stop them, so Steve just let out an exhausted exhale and surrendered himself to his fate. It went on for a month.
Heather was close to strapping Steve to a chair and interrogating him before Billy intervened, which Steve was extremely grateful for. Heather didn’t pull her punches and Steve liked not having a panic attack in a darkened room with Heather glaring at him.
Tommy just asked for a threesome, which made Billy drop his cane in surprise. Truthfully, Steve didn’t really know how to answer that, because he was non verbal at the time, and didn’t really fancy spelling out fuck on his tablet. That was definitely the most unexpected response.
Joyce was cautious. She’d very recently taken Billy in, Billy barely being able to walk or sit up and her impression of Steve was definitely coloured in a negative light, following Steve’s disaster of a relationship with Jonathan when they were fifteen and before Steve had started masking. It took her a while to warm back up to him.
Max stared at both of them, before loudly fake gagging and leaving the room. She liked them though. Said they suited each other. Her and Lucas were easily the most supportive of their relationship out of the party and Steve appreciated that.
Argyle just said they made a good couple then offered them weed. He was easily the least intimidating person to tell, probably because he was also autistic. He actually defended Steve and Billy’s relationship to quite a few people as well.
Dustin was highly suspicious of Billy. No matter how much Steve insisted Billy was an amazing sweet person who treated Steve right, he couldn’t shake off that initial first impression. It took watching a speech that Billy had wrote at their disability support group about accessibility for Dustin to change his mind.
Out of everyone, Eddie and Chrissy’s reaction were by far the most encouraging. They’d been hanging around outside, Billy showing Patrick all the dumb stunts he could do on his wheelchair, when Chrissy came and sat next to him. He’d had a crush on them prior to King Steve, Eddie and Chrissy. They’d always just been so sweet.
Chrissy had thanked him. Seeing Steve and Billy be together so openly and happily, had given them the courage to be open too. Steve had never really thought he’d make a difference to someone’s life, let alone to give them confidence to be themselves. Maybe him and Billy being together were changing things for the better after all.
Everyone came round to them eventually. It just took a while. But once their friends got used to the combination of Steve and Billy, they were easily the most popular couple in Hawkins. Steve and Billy were the glue which kept them all together.
@shieldofiron @dragonflylady77
Disabled Billy and Steve Week
Day 6- Relationships
My prompt- Carol and Steve: Friends to the End
-•-•-•-
It’s a Wednesday, which means Steve and Carol are having one of their weekly get-togethers.
This time, they’ve decided not to go out or do anything fancy, opting to just lay in Carol's room in a fort they made of every pillow, blanket, and stuffie they could find. They’re both in fuzzy pajamas, wearing skin care masks and gossiping like they’re still fourteen.
Carol surprises Steve by talking about themselves instead of somebody else for once, “Do you remember being little, and promising to get married if we weren’t already with somebody by the time we were fifteen?”
As if that would ever happen. Carol Maryanne Perkins is his best friend for life. Sure, a platonic marriage was possible, but Steve didn’t think two disabled people getting married for friendship would result in the best outcome. Leave it up to the shitty money stealing government to ruin a perfectly good thing.
Steve scrunches his nose up, trying to show in his face how he feels about the old idea.
Carol gets it, even when Steve doesn’t feel ready to use words. She laughs and rolls her eyes, “I know, right? We thought fifteen was like, totally grown up.”
It is actually kind of funny, that they’ve known each other for that long, since they were in diapers really, and have so many silly bets like that running. Steve smiles and holds her hand, now that her purple nail polish is dry and the action won’t make them both sticky and miserable.
Carol isn’t usually the type to dwell in the past, but she lingers on the subject of their childish view of love, “And now I’d be the bride, and you’d be the groom.”
It’s true, and Steve finds it somewhat amusing as well. Nobody expected there to be two trans kids in the middle of Hawkins fucking Indiana, and especially not for them to be popular best friends. Mixing up the narrative is what they do.
But Steve doesn’t get what Carol needs. He’s not the greatest at social cues and things, but he can tell there’s a reason Carol is being so reflective. He furrows his eyebrows and tips his head to one side, signaling his growing confusion.
Out of nowhere, Carol rips off the bandaid, and Steve’s heart with it, “I know you like Tommy, Stevie. I see it when you’re around him.”
Instant panic. Being in love with your best friend's fiancé is a big no. Ever since this dumb crush started, Steve has been terrified of Carol finding out and breaking off their years of friendship. All for one really funny, super sweet, freckle faced cutie.
Thankfully, Carol doesn’t react in the millions of horrible ways that Steve has imagined. She actually seems happy, “Hey, before you freak out, I’m open to sharing. I just want you to know right away I don’t feel that way about you. You’re my best friend, and that’s all.”
Steve nods happily. There’s no way he’d ever feel anything romantic for Carol. Their bond just isn’t like that. This friendship was written in the stars, as exactly that, just a friendship.
He makes a little scratching out motion with his hand, to show Carol he is not interested in that.
“Oh, right! You only like guys! Duh, why was I even nervous?” Carol laughs nervously, and Steve can detect the hint of annoyed sarcasm.
It’s not at him, it’s at herself; Carol thought Steve might still see her as a boy.
Steve feels sad for her, and opens his arms up for a hug. Touch isn’t his thing, it makes him uncomfortable usually, but he understands that kind of pain and wants to soothe it in his best friend.
Carol smiles softly, and clarifies before jumping into anything, “Are you sure, sweetie?”
Steve just nods and makes a grabby hand motion, inviting her into his arms.
“Alright, here goes nothing.” Carol declares, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around Steve, giggling when he taps and pats her shoulders, happy stimming all over the place.
Not that Steve really knows an appropriate amount of time to hug for, but he knows this one lasts a long time, and that fills his heart up with happiness.
He feels ready to speak to tell her, “I love you, CeCe.”
“And I love you Stevie.” Carol replies back, automatic but genuine.
“Let’s never ever stop being friends. Ever.” Steve hums, fiddling with his soft sleeves, an anxious stim.
He knows Carol will be by his side, but sometimes he needs to hear it repeated, when his rsd flares up and he gets bad thoughts in his head.
Carol gets rsd too, and paranoia, which used to lead to some explosive arguments when they were younger kids without control of their big big feelings. Nowadays, they feel safe asking for assurance, and giving hugs, or making promises. Whatever it takes to show their best friend love is true without causing a fight first.
“I wasn’t planning on it, babe. I’m gonna be here forever. Even when you steal my boyfriend.” Carol laughs softly, making sure to tack on the end, just in case, “That was a joke.”
Steve could tell, but he appreciates it anyways. Better safe than heartbroken.
Speaking of, he wants to tell some of what he’s been thinking about when it comes to this whole confession, “Tommy has a big heart. He’ll be able to share.”
“You do too, honey. That heart in your little chest is bigger than your hair, and that’s saying something.” Carol teases him.
Steve throws his hands up defensively, “You told me big hair was cool!”
Carol pokes his tummy, a playful action Steve gave her permission to do whenever the impulse strikes, “Well, it seemed like you thought as much when Billy Hargrove got a perm!”
“I’m allowed to have a crush on three guys at once!” Steve rolls his eyes, before realizing what he said, and cupping a hand over his mouth.
Too late. Carol is beyond interested. Eyebrow raised, and a smirk on her lips, she asks him, “Three? Who’s the other one?”
“Nope. That secret is guarded with my life.” Steve turns up his nose to act guarded, but it’s useless.
Carol pouts and makes puppy eyes like nobody’s ever seen, “Oh come on, bubba. I won’t tell anyone.”
Steve hesitantly starts to think about it, “You gotta promise.”
“Cross my heart, pumpkin.” Carol makes the action, totally sincere.
Steve breaks, “It’s Jonathan Byers.”
And Carol actually squeals, “Awwww! Stevie, that’s adorable!”
“He’s dating Chrissy now, so don’t bring it up ever again.” Steve warns, half stern and half fond.
“I said I wouldn’t and I meant it.” Carol twists her hair around her finger, acting innocent, though she of course advises, “Buuut I also know for a fact that Chrissy Cunningham hasn’t been in a strictly monogamous relationship since highschool, so don’t talk yourself out of anything yet.”
They both laugh about it. Steve will ask Tommy out, and then he’ll settle down for a little while. Sure, this relationship business is serious, but this is a journey that’s going to take a long time, and Steve is just starting it out. Having all those partners isn’t something he has to worry about yet.
Though, thinking about it in reflection, he does start to get a little worried.
“Carol?”
“Yes, baby?” She asks right away.
Steve rubs the fabric of his sweatshirt in between his fingers, “How many boyfriends is too many?”
“That’s not up to me, sugar plum. I only got one.” Carol shrugs.
“Fiancé.” Steve corrects because he has to, additionally feeling the need to point out, “And two girlfriends.”
“Duh. My heart has all the room for them, so I might as well. But I’m done. I feel complete now, and three people is good enough for me.”
Her explanation makes enough sense, but Steve just doesn’t know what to do with it.
He has way too much love in his heart to understand it really, and trying to add limits just makes him feel weird. Maybe it’s the autism. Maybe he’s truly as freaky as everyone says.
“Wrong answer Carol. Didn’t you know I’m a sexless, unfeeling being?”
Carol doesn’t humor that kind of thinking for a second. She holds his hands, and looks him dead in the face, “Sweetie, your feelings are real, even if they show themselves a little differently. Loud hands and humming are your butterflies in the tummy.”
“Wait, you mean you can tell when I have a crush?” Steve realizes with a strange feeling.
“Sort of. But I’m a people reader, I notice everything.” Carol exaggerated.
A smile spreads on Steve’s face with a joke, “I get what people mean when they say neurodivergence is a super power.”
Carol fake gags at his joke, “Ugh, gross.”
Yeah, it is. Steve giggles, “I know!”
Maybe, Steve realizes from all of this, the best answer is that nobody needs to define him. He can do things his own way, be that friendship or falling in love, and he’ll be just fine, as long as he has his CeCe and his Tommy.
@disabledbillyandsteveweek day 6- how friends and family perceive harringroves relationship
To say Steve and Billy had mixed reactions from their friends and family when they first started dating would be an understatement. For a month, they were the most controversial couple in their social circle.
Robin cackled for a good ten minutes before starting a betting book for “couple milestones”, which Carol gleefully added to. No amount of yelling would stop them, so Steve just let out an exhausted exhale and surrendered himself to his fate. It went on for a month.
Heather was close to strapping Steve to a chair and interrogating him before Billy intervened, which Steve was extremely grateful for. Heather didn’t pull her punches and Steve liked not having a panic attack in a darkened room with Heather glaring at him.
Tommy just asked for a threesome, which made Billy drop his cane in surprise. Truthfully, Steve didn’t really know how to answer that, because he was non verbal at the time, and didn’t really fancy spelling out fuck on his tablet. That was definitely the most unexpected response.
Joyce was cautious. She’d very recently taken Billy in, Billy barely being able to walk or sit up and her impression of Steve was definitely coloured in a negative light, following Steve’s disaster of a relationship with Jonathan when they were fifteen and before Steve had started masking. It took her a while to warm back up to him.
Max stared at both of them, before loudly fake gagging and leaving the room. She liked them though. Said they suited each other. Her and Lucas were easily the most supportive of their relationship out of the party and Steve appreciated that.
Argyle just said they made a good couple then offered them weed. He was easily the least intimidating person to tell, probably because he was also autistic. He actually defended Steve and Billy’s relationship to quite a few people as well.
Dustin was highly suspicious of Billy. No matter how much Steve insisted Billy was an amazing sweet person who treated Steve right, he couldn’t shake off that initial first impression. It took watching a speech that Billy had wrote at their disability support group about accessibility for Dustin to change his mind.
Out of everyone, Eddie and Chrissy’s reaction were by far the most encouraging. They’d been hanging around outside, Billy showing Patrick all the dumb stunts he could do on his wheelchair, when Chrissy came and sat next to him. He’d had a crush on them prior to King Steve, Eddie and Chrissy. They’d always just been so sweet.
Chrissy had thanked him. Seeing Steve and Billy be together so openly and happily, had given them the courage to be open too. Steve had never really thought he’d make a difference to someone’s life, let alone to give them confidence to be themselves. Maybe him and Billy being together were changing things for the better after all.
Everyone came round to them eventually. It just took a while. But once their friends got used to the combination of Steve and Billy, they were easily the most popular couple in Hawkins. Steve and Billy were the glue which kept them all together.
@shieldofiron @dragonflylady77
Bullshit
@disabledbillyandsteveweek Day 5 - Relationships
My whopper ficlet to celebrate my 18th birthday!
Trigger warning for Nancy
——————————————————————————————————
Nancy undoubtedly was Steve’s first love. He loved her laugh. Her smile. Her hair. Her brains. He just loved her. He loved when he cuddled her. He loved when he made her happy. He loved that he could give, give and give. He loved that Nancy loved him.
Bullshit.
Their entire relationship gone in one word.
Bullshit.
It broke Steve. Nancy had never loved him. Nancy cheated on him with Jonathan. Sure, it was at the very end of their relationship when they had fallen apart. But they were still together.
Bullshit.
Steve had given Nancy his everything. King Steve was gone. The act was all he had back then. His shield because he wasn’t quite like everyone else. But he had given it up. Because he had Nancy. But now he didn’t have Nancy.
No Nancy. No title. Nothing. What was he now?
Bullshit.
Steve had a broken crown and a broken heart. He had the fact that he had become a glorified babysitter. He had the kids. One of which was Nancy’s little brother. He couldn’t escape her. That used to be romantic.
Now she had Jonathan with her. Now Steve was broken and useless without her. He had nothing to fill that hole in his heart that longed to love and be loved. No fake popularity. No one who loved him. Just a bunch of kids he could drive around and the constant sight of his ex and the man she cheated on him with.
Bullshit.
——————————————————————————————————
Then he started at Scoops Ahoy and the summer from Hell began. But he met Robin.
Boy, if Steve thought that he loved making Nancy laugh, he was wrong. He really, really loved making Robin laugh. So much made Robin laugh. Not jokes like King Steve made. Not Nancy laughing at him being stupid. Robin and him laughed at everything. It was them.
Steve had finally found his soulmate. The one who could make him laugh alongside them. The one who would give as much as Steve would give. Someone who could match his energy and made him feel like he didn’t have to be someone else. Someone who got when everything became too much.
At first, it felt like a punch to the gut that Robin didn’t like him back but the second that Steve imagined him and Robin kissing, he shuddered. Robin and him were not romantic soulmates. Just platonic with a capital P.
They found similarities. Robin was autistic. And it turns out so was Steve. It was hard to stop after so many years of pretending that he was “normal” but he finally had somebody who wouldn’t judge him for it. Not like Nancy would have.
Robin and Steve. Steve and Robin.
They did everything together.
They talked about girls together. Vickie. Whatever girl Steve had a date with. The ultimate wingman or woman for one another. It felt like Steve could be happy without romance. Like he was worth more than just what he could give to people.
Really, Steve wouldn’t be surprised if they were twins separated at birth.
Twin souls.
——————————————————————————————————
Eddie Munson was a first for Steve. The first crush on a guy he registered. Looking back there were others. But Eddie?
No, that was so obvious to Steve.
He wanted to hold him close. Kiss him. Listen to him. To be part of Eddie’s life. He felt the urge to give as he often did in relationships. To give his all and his everything. Like he needed to unload all of his love.
Robin was ecstatic when he told her. She asked if he could be bisexual. Steve hadn’t known what that meant but after a quick talk, yeah. Steve was bisexual.
But he couldn’t have Eddie Munson. No, Eddie hated him. For what he did in school. For who he used to be. He didn’t fit with that image anymore but no one could forget King Steve.
Billy Hargrove died thinking that Steve was just King Steve. And when Steve thought about it, holy shit, he had definitely been attracted to Billy. Despite everything.
But this was about Eddie. Did Steve have a thing for bad boys? Unattainable bad boys.
Because he could never have Eddie Munson.
Because Eddie had a girlfriend.
——————————————————————————————————
Steve didn’t mean for it to happen. But him and Eddie practically had shared custody over the kids and were basically forced to become friends.
As such he became friends with Eddie’s girlfriend, Chrissy.
Shit, he could see why they loved each other. Whilst Eddie was all metal on the outside and dorky on the inside, Chrissy looked perfectly preppy but was a absolute badass on the inside. Chrissy was sweet but would definitely kill someone who dared to harm the ones she loved.
It wasn’t Steve’s fault that he fell for her too. That he wanted to be a part of Chrissy and Eddie’s relationship. He wanted them both in the most pure and the most dirty ways. Steve was convinced he was broken again. You couldn’t want more than one person.
Of course, Steve wasn’t the only one who fell. Chrissy was just so loveable. Robin had a big fat crush on her too. But it was okay because they knew that the other liked her. And Eddie in Steve’s case. But they would never get what they wanted.
Because it was impossible.
——————————————————————————————————
They all had wanted out. Out of Hawkins. They had defeated Vecna. It was over.
But still they couldn’t stay there.
So that was how Steve was sharing an apartment with his two crushes who were dating each other and his twin soul who were so alike they had a crush on the same person.
It was there that the doctor noticed something. Steve had his head bashed just one too many times. They found out that Steve had a traumatic brain injury. Not only that but Steve had lost part of his hearing. He had to get a hearing aid.
That was tough on Steve. He couldn’t get out of bed most days. But his roommates were the reason he was able to carry on.
Robin would treat him pretty much as normal. Like the entire world hadn’t shifted. But it was the little things for him. She encouraged him to learn sone sign language. She learnt with him. She encouraged him to take more breaks throughout the day.
Eddie was a bit more tough love style. When Steve needed to get up but didn’t want to, Eddie dragged him up. When Steve needed to sit down but was too dizzy to move, Eddie would pick him up and bring him to his bed or the couch. He would bring him food and water.
Chrissy checked on him emotionally more than anything. She sat and talked with him for hours. She listen to him about his day or his past or whatever he wanted to talk about. She shared her troubles with anorexia or her more recent issues with being mostly blind which showed him that he wasn’t alone in some weird way.
So a couple of months later, Steve was nervous when Eddie and Chrissy called a roommate meeting. Him and Robin had shared a glance to confirm that neither knew what this was about.
They never expected it.
Eddie and Chrissy came out. Eddie was omnisexual. Chrissy was pansexual. They were together but they were polyamorous. They wanted to date Steve and Robin. Well, Chrissy wanted to date Robin. Eddie didn’t want to date Robin. He knew Robin wasn’t into dudes.
And now?
Well, Steve and his twin soul had found romantic happiness. They shared a girlfriend. Then Steve and that girlfriend shared a boyfriend. They were actually able to have what seemed impossible.
——————————————————————————————————
It was a bit after that when Nancy came back into his life.
As Nancy always wanted, she went to a big university for journalism. She had the picture perfect life. Until she tore it all down.
Steve was the one who answered her call. Who sat talking to the first person to break his heart as she cried her eyes out. Jonathan and her had broke up. It was over tears that Nancy apologised, because she knew she had treated Steve badly and then she treated Jonathan in the same way.
But Nancy had figured out that puzzle now. She didn’t love Steve romantically. She didn’t even love Jonathan romantically. She apologised to Steve for not realising that she could never have loved him romantically, no matter how hard she had tried. Nancy didn’t like dudes.
Steve felt that old bitterness at Nancy, for she really had been awful. But he set it aside. He told her that it was okay that she liked women. Yes, her mum could kick her out. But Nancy would be okay. But she couldn’t lie to herself or others anymore. The only way she could find true happiness was being true to herself. She would be okay.
Steve fell asleep crying that night. In the arms of the three people who he loved most in this world. And Steve would be okay.
——————————————————————————————————
After Nancy’s call, it seemed that the past wouldn’t leave them alone.
They got a new set of neighbours. The kids from before had moved out. A new trio of young adults moved in.
The first one he met was a dark haired person called Eden. Eden seemed friendly enough and was also definitely queer. Robin thought to ask their pronouns. Eden was non-binary. They were dating one of their roommates. A queer solidarity formed between the two apartments.
It wasn’t until a week later that Steve met Eden’s roommates.
He hadn’t recognised Argyle. He had only met the man once. Jonathan, however, he registered immediately.
And it was awkward.
But they tried. And they tried.
One night, Jonathan asked to speak to Steve. Alone.
They talked about Nancy. Nancy who had broke both of their hearts but they were both glad she was happy now. According to Jonathan, Nancy moved to New York to further her journalism. She had also found a girlfriend who she was extremely happy with. Who she was in love with.
And Jonathan was in love too. With Argyle who was also dating Eden.
And Steve melted the fear off Jonathan’s face when he told him about his polycule. How in love Steve was.
They got along much better after that.
——————————————————————————————————
It was Chrissy who suggested it.
She had said it to Steve, Eddie and Robin first. She liked Jonathan. She wanted to date him. She wanted to ask him out. And she knew that Eddie and Steve felt the same way. Chrissy was always the most perceptive out of them despite her not being able to actually see anything.
It was Steve who made the second suggestion. Really, he enjoyed spending time with Argyle too so he might ask Argyle out as well.
Robin nodded and continued to slurp down spaghetti.
They asked Jonathan, Argyle and Eden the next morning. The date was due for that evening.
Steve and Jonathan found themselves alone together in the kitchen. They cooked popcorn together and made fun of each other. It was easy in a way that they hadn’t quite managed before.
Jonathan kissed Steve on his way out.
Argyle did too obviously.
——————————————————————————————————
If you had told King Steve what his life would look like now, he wouldn’t have believed you.
He would have said that he wanted to work for his dad, marry Nancy and carry on his family legacy.
But Steve was happier than ever.
He didn’t speak to his parents.
He didn’t speak to Nancy.
He lived with his best friend and twin soul, Robin Buckley, who made silly jokes with him and taught him to be loud and proud with his differences.
Eddie Munson was his boyfriend. They tumble around in play fights and Steve watches Eddie run the Hellfire club. He would sometimes even join in.
Chrissy Cunningham was his girlfriend who cuddled with him on the couch and was the person he confided all his secrets in.
Jonathan Byers was his boyfriend. He posed for Jonathan’s photos and they kissed over a pot of buttery popcorn.
Argyle was his boyfriend who also had a scary amount of weed. But he was soft and sweet. He calmed Steve down with his smooth tones and relaxed attitude. He grounded him.
Yeah, Steve was content with his life. Ready to take whatever comes next face on with his partners.
For once in his life everything was not…
Bullshit.
Disabled Billy & Steve Week Day 5 featuring Billy's OCD & Body Focused Repetitive Behavior
TW - discussions of self harm, intrusive thoughts, nausea & purging (non graphic)
Billy snapped the rubber band against his wrist for the hundredth time while in the waiting room of the doctor's office. His knee bounced up and down and he counted each second of every minute, glancing up at the clock every five minutes that ticked by.
It was all he could do to distract himself from the overwhelming desire he had to drag his fingernails down his arms, picking away at the thin lines of red scabs running down the inside. The thin lines he put there that week.
Something he tries to hide in public until the urge becomes too strong and he can't help himself but scratch and pick. He knows what people must think. He's not hurting himself, or rather he's not trying to. He's stopping it. Yes, that's it. Stopping it.
Disabled Billy and Steve Week
Day 5- New Diagnosis
My prompt: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Billy
-•-•-•-
For what must be the tenth time in the last month, Heather is parked outside of the hospital, her baby girl in the backseat, but the passenger side empty, waiting for Billy to get back.
The doctors have been running tests and screenings at appointment after appointment. He’s been… struggling. Ever since Isabella was born, his mental health had plummeted. It was never perfect, but for the first time, Heather was genuinely afraid.
Watching her husband pick his scalp until it bled and turned his golden hair red, or wash his face until he got a rash because his freckles started bothering him, was terrifying.
The fear isn’t eased when Billy walks out with a prescription bag, and red eyes that make it clear he’s been crying.
“What did they say?” Heather asks, as soon as he opens the car door.
Billy takes his time answering. He seems like he’s in shock.
Heather would hold his hand, but he has to sanitize, take off his mask, then sanitize again. An obsession.
Somehow, Heather isn’t shocked when Billy finally mumbles, “It’s ocd.”
Honestly, she doesn’t know what to feel. She’s been researching, scrolling on a tablet for hours after Billy is asleep to see what professionals all around the world would diagnose her husband with. But none of that preparation had told her how to feel.
Some part of it is relief, to finally have answers and be able to help Billy manage his symptoms. Another little piece of her heart is scared for how Billy will be feeling through all of this.
She decides to let him tell her, “Is that a good thing? A bad thing? Talk to me, sugar cube.”
“I just need a minute Hetty. That’s all.” Billy tries to smile, but it’s more like a grimace. It hurts to see him like that, but Heather will give him his space.
Instead of bothering him more, she just checks on him every now and again, seeing him glance back at the baby using the mirror that points down at her rear-facing car seat literally every few seconds.
When they get back home, which isn’t far since they knew their array of medical issues would require them being close to a hospital, Billy takes the baby straight inside and lays on the couch with her, just closing her eyes and cuddling her as tight as he feels safe to cuddle her little body.
Heather gives him a kiss on the cheek, and goes to take her own meds, calling from the kitchen, “What are you feeling for dinner tonight, baby?”
Silence. She comes back in, and Billy is in tears. Their little girl is biting his shirt and dozing off, and Billy is trying not to shake too hard with each sob.
His red eyes lock onto her, his lower lip wobbling, “Am I a bad dad?”
“Biscuits for dinner it is.” Heather declares softly, deciding he needs one of his comfort foods at the moment. Additionally, she takes the baby in her arms and comforts Billy with her words, “And no. Sweetie, you’re the best dad in the world.”
It barely helps anything. Billy is spiraling, “But I’m the reason the baby room is so plain. It takes me three times as long as you to change a diaper and I can’t cook for my wife and my kid because I have panic attacks if the oven timer is the wrong number. I can’t clip my baby’s nails cause I might go too short, I can’t hold her when she’s hyper and moving too much- I can’t even fucking be trusted with myself, let alone her little life!”
After all that, Billy takes a shaky, tear-filled breath in, “This OCD shit sucks.”
“None of that means you’re bad though. Your way of doing things is particular, but baby, you’re still here, and you’re doing your best for our girl.” Heather soothes gently.
He scoffs at himself, wiping his eyes more aggressively than necessary, “That’s the bare minimum.”
“Some parents can’t do that. Your mother didn’t.” It probably stings, but it’s reality. One of Billy’s biggest fears when they got pregnant with Isabella was becoming like his parents, or worse. Heather needs him to know that’s not the case.
“Hetty-“ Billy’s face pinches up, like he doesn’t know whether to be hurt or not.
So Heather decides to offer a little bit more insight, and maybe lessen the blow of the brutal reality, “My mom didn’t either. She drugged herself out of her mind and missed my whole childhood. I don’t have any memories from before I was ten. But Bella’s gonna have so so many with you.”
It seems to work, with Billy even smiling as he looks at their little girl and takes it all in, “Do you think she’ll think I’m weird?”
“Honey bun, every kid thinks their parents are weird at some point. But I do know she’s going to think you’re the most loving father a little one could ask for.” Heather chuckles softly.
Now it’s her turn to feel a little bit of panic.
See, Heather has a secret, and seeing as Billy could use a little cheering up, she decides to let him in on it. She takes his hand in hers, and places it on her stomach, right above her scar, “Two little ones, actually.”
Instantly she sees the difference in Billy, and the way his eyes light up. He sits bolt upright and hugs her tight, crying now but for a much better reason.
“Holy shit, baby! How long have you known?”
“Four days. But I’m six weeks along.” Heather enthuses, combing her fingers lovingly through his long curls.
Billy looks like he’s calculating, then he gasps, “Six weeks- Hetty, that’s almost a quarter of the way!”
“I know! Hopefully it’ll fly by like the last one.” Heather laughs softly in pure joy.
Her pregnancy with Isabella was relatively easy, and the number of seizures she had even stayed consistent since her epilepsy medications were safe for her and baby. The worst thing was the morning sickness, but it passed early on enough that she’d somehow enjoyed pregnancy.
Billy had been a wreck, between his emotions and his fears. It took days of promising that she’d be okay when she was nine months in and he’d been scheduled for a work trip before he felt safe to leave her by herself.
At the moment, he doesn’t seem as panicked as he’d been before, but he does fret- “No, no, no, no- I need time. I need to work on stuff.”
Heather cups his face sympathetically, “Bubs, I already told you-“
But Billy interrupts to tell her she’d misinterpreted, “Not personal stuff, lover. I mean I literally need to work on fixing this shitty house up if we’re gonna have two littles running around.”
“First, we need dinner.” Heather happily changes subjects then, but sternly puts her hands on her hips when Billy gets up to help, “Don’t even think about it. This baby bun is literally the size of a grain of rice, I don’t need you butlering yet.”
“Please let me. I feel like I’m buzzing inside.” Billy begs, pouting his bottom lip out in that way that’s always made Heather feel soft.
She rolls her eyes playfully, and hands him a snoozy Bella back, the little one year old reaching for her daddy too, “Put baby girl in her high chair. I could use your help washing fruit.”
“Fruit and.. biscuits?” Billy looks absolutely perplexed by her dinner choices.
Oh how Heather loves this boy.
“No, silly. I’m making you biscuits. Bella can’t eat stuff like that yet though.”
A flush strikes Billy’s cheeks a deep red color- Heather's favorite since she met her soulmate in a pair of swim trunks the same shade- “How the hell do you remember all that stuff?”
Heather just shrugs, though her point is that it’s not as easy as it seems, “Because I don’t have two hundred other things to remember in a day. That and I read a lot of books when I was bedridden. C-sections give lots of time for learning.”
She also goes out into the kitchen, fishing ingredients out of the pantry and measuring utensils out of the cabinets. Billy steps behind her, his hand on the small of her back so she doesn’t bump into him, to reach into the fridge for some strawberries, blueberries, and grapes.
“I’d probably lose my marbles trying to keep track of what’s real and what’s pseudoscience garbage.“ Billy huffs, while portioning out fruit to clean.
It makes Heather recall a time when they were about to be parents and she couldn’t, “Right? Remember when I thought it was bad to sleep on my side when I was pregnant?”
“Changed your tune real quick when the back pain hit.” Billy laughs lightheartedly.
Heather takes the opportunity to reiterate what she’d promised Billy before, “Exactly. Nobody gets everything perfect on the first try.”
She looks over, and Billy is just staring at her lovingly. That was exactly what he needed to hear. Heather smiles back, and blows a kiss, a little puff of dough flour coming from her hands.
Billy acts like he catches the kiss, and puts it to his heart. Nothing beats flirting like dumb, lovestruck teenagers.
Until a piercing wail cuts it off.
Bella over in her high chair starts crying her little head off, Heather guesses because she missed a nap earlier while they were waiting for Billy to finish his appointment.
That sound to them as new parents is instant panic, all the time, and Heather isn’t sure when that feeling will end. Until it does, she knows it’s been hitting Billy harder, and decides to let him take care of it, in the form of an offer, “You wanna get her, bubs?”
Just like she predicted, he’s already drying his hands on the apron not around his own waist, but on Heathers, and running to grab the baby, “Already on it.”
Heather just smiles after him, proud and fond all at the same time. Throw any new diagnosis their way, and they can handle it. Just Billy, her and Isabella, and their little bean on the way. An unbreakable family.
Of course he does.
A special meme for @disabledbillyandsteveweek because I have OCD and it’s no fun and disrupts much of my life and TBH hearing Dacre talk about his OCD has meant so much to me.
