Trauma Bond

Black Eyed Secrets

   Steve chuckles and shakes his head. "Not this time around. Henderson is camp and the rest of the little shits are God knows where." He runs his hand through his hair again. He glances over at Billy and slyly as possible runs his gaze up and down Billy's form.

   Billy glances back at Steve. He noticed his eyes raking over his body. Billy smirks. "Why are you looking at me like that, Harrington? Do that too much and you might cream yourself."

   Steve looks straight ahead again. A soft pink hue crosses his cheeks as Billy catches him. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Steve tries to play it cool that he isn't checking Billy out. He clears his throat. Steve decides to steer the conversation in another direction. "So, are you going to tell me what brought you here?"

   Billy chuckles and shakes his head. "You know, Steve, you are one terrible liar that's for sure. I'm just here to steer clear of being at home."

   Steve looks at him in sympathy. He knew what it was like to get away from home. "Okay, I will admit, I can be a terrible liar but I have kept things secret for a very long time." Steve sighed and closed his good eye. "Why are you trying to steer clear of home?"

   Billy turns his face away not wanting to tell Steve. "It's complicated to explain and you wouldn't understand."

   Steve fully turns to look at Billy. His black eye is in full view. He leans against the rock on his side. "You never know unless you talk about it."

   Billy looks at Steve in shock as he sees his black eye. He closes his good eyes for a second. "Steve...I swear if I tell you, you best not see me as weak."

   "Why would I see you as weak, Billy? You literally beat the shit out of me several months back." Steve crosses his arms over his chest as he looks at Billy.

   Billy groans and turns to Steve fully, his black eye visible. "This is why."

   Steve looks at Billy in shock. "What the hell happened?" He slowly reaches up to touch his face but quickly pulls back. He didn't want to get hit again.

   "I could ask you the same thing. What do you think happened to me?" Billy asked Steve.

   Steve sighs and drops his hands to his sides. "My dad happened to me which is why I'm here. I'm going to guess yours is for the same reason."

   Billy sighs. "Neil is a bastard that likes to beat on me okay? I'm here because I didn't fancy being wailed on again."

   "That is something I can understand. It was the first thing my dad did when he walked through the front door." Steve leans back against the rock.

   "Neil has been doing this for years to me, even in California. Fuck knows why but shit I don't ask for it. Neither of us asks to be beaten." Billy says as he looks at Steve.

   "Is that why you have always been an ass since you came to Hawkins? Because of your dad?" Steve looks at Billy and he starts to get butterflies in his stomach. "No one deserves to be treated like that. Not even you."

   "He fucking beats it into me. It's not like any of you have seen the real Billy Hargrove." Billy snaps slightly. Steve flinches as Billy snaps at him.

   "It's not right." Steve shakes his and looks at the ground. "I want to get to know the real Billy. Maybe we could actually be friends but no one needs to know about it. If you don't want them to anyway."

   "I'd rather them not know, Steve. I'm known for being an ass and I want it to stay that way." Billy looks at Steve. "The real Billy is far more sensitive, he's...different."

   "I want to get to know that Billy. And no one will know about us being friends." Steve smiles softly at Billy. "You know how everyone was calling me King Steve before?"

   Billy looks at Steve and gives him a slight smile back. "Yeah?"

   Steve takes a deep breath. "It was all an act. That's not really who I am. It was all a show for my dad. I used to act like a dick and bully others but that's not me."

   "Well, if you want to be friends with the real Billy and not the ass, I want to be friends with the real Steve." Billy said with a soft genuine smile.

   "You will get to know the real Steve." Steve smiles softly back at Billy. He wanted to reach out and touch his face but he held back. "We can meet up here to hang out or when my parents are gone we can hang out at my house."

   Billy smiles more at Steve. "I'd like that. I mean we are known to be at each other's throats. But this could be something for just us, y'know?"

   "This will be just for us. No one needs to know about us being friends." Steve responds with a bigger smile.