He's in his room, and he's just wiggling around to “Hungry Like the Wolf”, his shades falling halfway down the bridge of his nose, his curls bouncing. And he looks happy.
He looks beautiful.
Steve swears he falls a little (a lot) in love right at that moment. He's got to see that smile on Billy's again. He wants to be the one who puts it there. As far as he’s concerned, Billy should always have that silly, peaceful look on his face.
AU where Steve somehow ends up in Billy's room and stays with him until he falls asleep.
Billy's bed doesn't have much room for two bodies, but Steve solves that by clinging to Billy like a koala, careful to make sure he doesn't press on any of his bruises.
"Why?" Billy hiccups, trying to hold in his tears for a little longer. He doesn’t want Steve to see him like this. Pathetic. Weak. In other words, the real Billy Hargrove. Now King Steve’s going to tell the whole school what he saw, and everyone will know that he’s a crybaby.
“Why am I here? Or why am I in your bed hugging you?”
“Both.”
“Something told me you shouldn’t be alone tonight.”
Fine. If he won't mention It, that's just fine by me.
“I’m always alone.” He’s not exactly fit to lie at the moment. Besides, it was a mutual understanding when they started seeing each other that they'd try being honest. Plus, Steve could see through even his best lies anyway.
His impromptu guest inhales sharply before gently kissing the spot where he’d collided with the shelf. The dam holding back his river of tears breaks, and he tries to hide his face from Steve to try and preserve some dignity. Neil’s already called him a pussy for crying like a little bitch.
Steve wasn’t heartless, but he was about as emotionally available as a tree stump, or so Billy had heard through the grapevine. According to Tommy, Steve hadn’t cried since he was eleven when his grandmother died, and he “dismissed the feelings of those closest to him until they couldn’t take it anymore”.
For all of Tommy’s literal shortcomings, he’s known Steve a lot longer than Billy has.
“I don’t like this.”
Billy shoves down the temptation to shove Steve out of his bed. You won’t. You couldn’t even push your old man.
“I mean... I hate when you’re hurting. When you’re sad. I don’t know what to say to make this better. I open my mouth and I... I hurt people.”
Against his better judgment, Billy turns over to stare at Steve, who may look increasingly uncomfortable at all the emotion on display but hasn’t shown any signs of pulling away yet.
On nights like these, Billy usually holds his own hand for comfort. As he’s about to complete his sad little ritual, Steve taps Billy’s palm twice, and then with unexpected tenderness, holds his hand, conveying more than words ever could.
In the morning, the only proof that last night really happened is Billy's hand molded to fit the shape of a bigger one.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Stranger Things - Fandom
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Platonic Nancy Wheeler & Billy Hargrove
Characters: Nancy Wheeler, Billy Hargrove, Ted Wheeler (mentioned), Mike Wheeler (Mentioned)
Additional Tags: billy hargrove deserves a friend, Billy Hargrove Has a Crush on Steve Harrington, wingwoman nancy wheeler, Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, I swear, Mentions of Karen Wheeler, Billy Hargrove & Nancy Wheeler Friendship, Nancy Wheeler Is a Good Friend, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, billy hargrove - Freeform, Nancy Wheeler Deserves a Friend, whos alive, Bookworm Nancy Wheeler, Bookworm Billy Hargrove, honestly one of my favorite hcs, Nancy is harringrove's number 1 shipper actually, no one knows what teds job is
Summary:
Nancy doesn't talk much to Billy, but she soon learns they've got a few things in common.
