Look. I don't have context. Who is at war? Is there a Helen and Menalaus equivalent? Who dragged Opeli off and where? But in my head, Soren is sulking and refusing to send Katolan soldiers back to war until Corvus is begging him to do something because the soldiers of the Five Kingdoms are dying and someone needs to help. And Soren gets that, really he does, but what kind of message does it send? Will the Agamemnon equivalent think he can just keep taking what he wants? But Corvus says he'll do it, he'll wear Soren's armour and lead their troops so they can help without breaking Soren's oath and it works! Morale is great!
Based on the prompt: Hawkins Community Pool Shuts Down for the Day
Slight warning for mild homophobic language.
“How do you deal with this shit every day?” Billy groans, slumping against the counter at Scoops Ahoy. It’s a Monday and absolutely nobody comes into scoops on a Monday before five. Billy feels safe bothering Steve at work for the next hour and a half, and righteous too, given that the current circumstances that brought Billy to the mall on his day off are entirely Steve’s fault.
Apparently, there was a downpour on its way, and instead of hitting in the middle of the week like it was supposed to, the skies opened up early and it’s been raining for the past twenty four hours. Also, the pools don’t open on rainy days, because people are supposedly too afraid of getting wet near the water. Billy doesn’t get the way small town people think.
But the reality is that he’s off work, and that he would have spent his entire day right here at Steve’s side, if not for the fact that when he showed up here the first time, there was a gaggle of brats already bothering Steve, and they were passed off into his care, since apparently annoying your boyfriend doesn’t count as something better to do.
Steve leans across from him on the other side of the counter, resting his chin on his hand and smiling a knowing smile, “You’re doing fine.”
“Of course I am, I don’t do anything half-assed.” Billy brags, his accomplishment including complaining, because he continues, “Not the point though, this was supposed to be my day off ‘til those damned brats ruined it.”
Steve’s been dealing with them a lot longer than Billy has though, at least in terms of how long he’s known the brats in general, so he’s unswayed by his grievances, “Consider yourself lucky that they only approach you when you have nothing else to do.”
“Hey, the most you have to do for them is open a door or scoop some ice cream. That’s nothing compared to driving them around all goddamn day.”
“You’re not even actually watching them right now. Are you going to spend the whole time complaining, or are you going to make the best of the break you have?“
Billy leans more forward, raising an eyebrow, interested, “That some sort of an invitation?”
“Unfortunately, no. I only get a ten minute today because of the last time you visited. Robin still hasn’t forgiven me for flaking.“ Oops. That’s admittedly Billy’s fault, but usually he’s got work all day, and the only time he has with Steve is between the end of his shift and the start of his abusive-dad-imposed curfew, so sometimes they have to hook up in the middle of Steve working. Not the end of the world. And Billy doesn’t regret it.
So he implies, doing his damndest to be convincing, “Come on, Stevie. I’m dying here. Need something to work out the tension, you know?”
Buckley interrupts from the back before Steve can answer, always annoyed by Billy’s mere presence, but especially when he’s trying to be a bad influence on Steve, “Go away, Hargrove! He’s working!”
“Can’t catch a break.” Billy mutters, glaring at the back window, hoping Buckley can feel his angry gaze.
Steve only smiles at him, unfazed by this tough act anymore, “Just be glad that that storm came a few days early and you didn’t have to go in to work today.”
“I happen to love my job, Steven.”
“Guess it’s just me that doesn’t.”
That changes things. Billy knows what this is about, so he reassures him, making light of it at the same time, “Hey. I’ve told you a thousand times, Stevie. I couldn’t be more uninterested in those chicks. Did you forget I’m a no-good, cock-smoking, faggot?”
“Stop that.” Steve swats at him, wearing a cute attempt at a disappointed expression, “I’m not jealous, I just don’t like how hard you have to pretend. Flirting with those women.. all the time... that’s got to be more exhausting than giving up a few hours of your day to some kids who can mostly watch themselves.”
“I don’t do it because I want to. I figure, Neil knows I’m always gonna be what I am, it’s a matter of whether or not he’s beaten the will to do anything about it outta me. I might always be a queer, but at least I’ll be a queer who’s so afraid of getting with a man I’ll decide to have a go with the first woman who’s even more feminine and worthless than me and makes me feel like a real man. Even if that’s some old broad from work.” Billy explains bitterly, feeling the need to clarify, as everything he just said is the exact opposite of how he believes, “His words. Not mine.”
“I don’t see why it matters then for you to do all that pointless flirting then. If he knows you’re not going to change, why not pick one and settle?”
“‘Cause I don’t want that. I want you. And I want that smug bastard to be wrong- But it’s mostly the being infatuated with you thing.” Billy promises, feeling the need to make another joke, not wanting to get so heavy in the middle of the mall, “It doesn’t help that the only chick at the pool who’s even remotely close to not repulsive happens to be a flaming lesbian, so..”
“Wait, who?” Steve cocks his head, and Billy has to laugh at his cluelessness, “C’mon, Stevie. It’s not that hard.”
“If it wasn’t that hard, people would’ve found out about us by now, right?”
“I meant it’s not that hard for somebody on the inside. Not only are you one of like, five queers in all of Hawkins, but you’re already friends with her.”
He scrunches up his face, thinking hard. Billy wants so badly to kiss the stupid look off of Steve’s face as he works it out, “Robin came out to both of us, that’s not new. And what’s she got to do with the pool?”
“Not Robin. Think.. broader.” Billy lists slowly, ticking off the things he names on his fingers, honestly thinking Steve should know this by now, “Who’s close to Robin and works at the pool? Neither of them drive, so she’s always showing up here on time with the late bus schedules? A girl who’d be bold enough to walk up to big bad Billy Hargrove and point out that he’s a walking rainbow flag and start bitching about her girl problems without taking a breath?”
A long pause, Billy thinks Steve might be working it out and- “I.. seriously got nothing.”
He hangs his head and sighs amusedly, “Well, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that since the pool’s closed, and there’s nothing better to do on a shitty, rainy day like today in this town, your curiosity is soon to be answered.”
It only takes another twenty minutes for the store's jingle to start, a sign that someone has walked in, and, like always, Billy was absolutely right. “Heather! What a surprise!”
Billy elbows Steve over the counter, making sure he gets it now, and judging from the way he’s looking between the two lifeguards with a bewildered expression, he does, “Ohhhh.”
“What is he doing?” Heather asks him, coming to stand by his side, obviously amused and not at all worried by Billy’s super obvious behavior. He gets the best friend slash coworker privilege of the benefit of the doubt, her questioning falling on Steve, who they’re probably all in agreement should know better by now.
Robin answers for them though, making her grand appearance from the back for the first time since Billy’s been here today, “Being a dingus. Just ignore him.”
She slings her arm around Heather’s shoulders in a side embrace and maneuvers her away from Billy, “Come on. I’m clocking out early as payback for Steve ditching an entire shift last week, and he’s not going to complain about it even a little bit while we go out and have a nice time.”
Her fury spoken directly at Steve, through gritted teeth for emphasis, has enough finality to it that nobody speaks up to argue.
So without any further input, unless the enthusiastic wave goodbye from Heather counts, they’re gone. Left the place with a respectable and kind of awkward distance between them that looks suspiciously similar to how Billy and Steve looked the last time they ditched in the middle of a shift. Not that anybody else would pick up on that.
Steve must realize then that watching Robin stroll off into the sunset means he’s here for the rest of the day working on his own, because he tries, “Think you could stay and help a guy out?”
As much as Billy would like to oblige, the rush is about to start, and the movie showing he’d dumped the kids at is about to end, according to the time on his watch, “Actually, it's damn near time for the brats to be done with their little movie. Then it’s driving Henderson and Maxine home, and getting a well deserved fucking break.”
“Aw, but-“ Steve tries to argue, so Billy pulls out the stops, “No complaining. You roped me into this, and need I remind you that you were the one who said you’d cancel our date if I decided to skip out on the brats?”
“Fine, fine. Go on and leave me here all by my lonesome.” The melodrama is unbearable. It’s cute too. Billy turns it back around on him by pretending to turn to leave, “M‘Kay. See ya, H.”
He gets a betrayed sounding, “Hey!-“ in response.
“Just jokin’ ya, jeez.” Billy looks both ways at the nearly empty mall behind them and presses a short kiss to Steve’s lips, a sort of parting gesture that spikes his heart rate and makes him want to get out of here faster, “I seriously do gotta go though. Don’t think I’ll be able to refrain from breaking something if I have to listen to those snarky little assholes tell me I’m late a thousand times.”
“So I’ll see you soon?”
“Tomorrow morning, first thing before my shift. When babysitting duties are passed back onto you, fucking finally, and I get to sit in the sunshine with no obligations to actually help any of the shitheads that bother me there.”
“Wait, isn’t your job literally to make sure people don’t drown?” He should know, being a four-year lifeguard himself, that the majority of the job isn’t actually work.
Billy brings that up backhandedly, “As if. I’m just there to look pretty and draw bigger crowds. It’s the manager's job to save people.”
“That’s comforting.” Steve sort of grimaces, so Billy reassures him, “Aw, Stevie, don’t worry. I’d save you in a heartbeat.”
“Gee, thanks. That’s only the bare minimum.”
“Never appreciative.” Billy clicks his tongue, a falsely condescending sound to make sure Steve’s attention is on him as he drops his voice a little quieter, “You know I’m expecting a little something in return for this.”
Steve rolls his eyes hard. It must be a requirement to work here to be a total bitch, which is conveniently exactly the kind of person Billy likes to surround himself with, “Yeah, I know. You always are.”
“What can I say? Can’t help myself around you.” To accentuate his point, Billy invades Steve’s personal space. Not touching, that’s too much out here in public, but he gets real close, looking down his nose at Steve even though he’s slightly taller.
That look and the inherent implication are enough to get Steve flustered.
“Weren’t you supposed to go get the kids?” Flushed red down to the low-cut collar of his uniform, Steve huffs.
“It's more fun teasing you like this.” Billy remarks, unphased, then again dropping his voice even lower to fluster Steve more, “Am I embarrassing you, babe?”
He won’t look at him now, being just as stubborn, “Obviously. I’m in the middle of work.”
“Hey, I offered to take you home. Wouldn’t be in the middle of working then.” Billy hums matter-of-factly, pleased with himself and this little game.
Steve happens to be unimpressed though, “Quit stalling. I don’t want to stand here and listen to some stupid jingle all day any more than you want to babysit, but that’s what we agreed on. So go.”
“Fine, fine. I’m going. Almost like you don’t even want me around.” Billy grumbles stubbornly, not actually making any move to leave yet.
Steve points out something that not even Billy, in all his argumentative and hostile nature, can dispute, “I’m not changing my mind. You seem to forget that I’m the one who has to deal with the brats every day, not just on the random days I get off work. That means I’ll be the one who has to hear them complain about today for the rest of my life if you don’t show.”
Billy barely listens, he pouts, “I love you.”
One last ditch effort in the face of being out of cards.
Steve smiles wide at him, the proclamation enough to take the edge out of his demeanor, even if it was only ever forced. Still, it doesn’t change the limitations on them. He physically shoos him away, waving him off in a playful sort of way that makes that smile infectious, “Likewise. Now get out of my store, Hargrove.”
