Roomies {Harringrove}

Day Two

"Hey, roomie!"

"No."

"Come, I made you some breakfast-" Billy shot up suddenly. And Steve grinned, wondering if he was happy to have something to eat. With all those sedatives, he'd been knocked out a while and didn't really get to have any food. But the truth was, Billy saw something he really didn't want to see and needed his answers.

"What the hell did you just call me, Harrington...?"

"Oh. You're umm... Talking about... Oh. Well, I'll tell ya, I've got nothing to hide-"

"Can you stop the awkward fumbling you fucking weirdo and tell me why the actual fuck a second mattress is in my room?!"

"Uh... Awkward fumbling is kind of part of my charm, Billy." He cracked a smile, seeing not even the slightest hint of one in Billy's face. He could only wonder what he looked like when he smiled. He'd seen the man scared, scary (always), sad and sleeping but never smiling. He wondered how often, really, did he allow himself to be happy. Then he switched off his mind because it was none of his business and he was getting distracted-

Billy gripped his arm and dragged him closer, just barely apart enough that their noses didn't touch. He looked him right in the eyes with a charming smile and, with a Venom-laced voice, whispered, "the only reason you aren't dead right now is because I don't want those two sedating me again. Got it?"

"Yeah. I... I got it, captain. Got it. Clear as a crystal. Clear as water. Clear as Nancy's skin. It's all... Very... Clear..." He trailed off, gulping as he waited to be released. Eventually, Billy did let go of his shoulder and Steve gave it a little comforting rub as he could feel pain now shooting through it. His hurting was probably nothing compared to how Billy had felt the night before, covered in blood and still trying to look tough. They'd pushed Steve out of the room and almost instantly, he'd heard the sounds of muffled screaming once the door closed. He realised he was getting distracted again, clicking back into reality and away from his always thinking brain to meet Billy's scowl.

"Umm... Sorry. I do that, sometimes."

"I don't give a shit, Harrington. Why is that here?"

"I need to keep you safe." After a beat had passed, Billy reacted in a way Steve hadn't expected. He laughed. Like genuinely laughed at the thought of Steve protecting him. Steve let out a light huff, although he was a bit happy his weirdness had brought some amusement for the guy. He stopped abruptly and Steve hid away his slight fond smile.

"What?"

"Yesterday... If I hadn't come down... They were still setting up the cameras and microphones and stuff. But even then, they can't be there all the time and you could still die. So I'll stick right here with you. Make sure you don't get hurt or hurt yourself."

"Oh? And if the Mind Flayer is in here?" Billy drawled out sarcastically in return. He hadn't expected Steve to smile but soon realised why, covering his face with his hands as he attempted to hold in how pissed this guy made him.

"You actually called it the- oh my gosh you did I'm telling everyone!" The brightness in his eyes grew all the more, if that's even possible. Billy tore his eyes away when Steve furrowed his brows at him, shaking his head. It was stupid to be jealous of someone for having happy eyes. Yet, he was. He wondered the kind of childhood Steve had had. Nice parents, maybe a couple of siblings. He'd been popular once so there was that, too. And of course, the fact that he'd dated the bombshell that was Nancy Wheeler. Steve was a lucky one, alright. He wondered how God picked and chose the lucky ones because he'd never felt lucky a day in his life, not even after being the only person to survive the Mind Flayer- that creature's attack.