House, Not home | Harringrove

Weedheads

"It's..." He begins, searching for the right words.

"You hate it."

"No. No, I don't hate it. I uh... It just needs a few minor fixes, that's all."

The brunette groans, burying his head in his arms on the table. Although, when a noise from outside passes, Steve's head shoots up and his eyes look straight at the large kitchen windows. He's unbelievably tense and Billy swears he sees him twitch.

"Steve...?"

"Shhh... Just don't move." Harrington mumbles as he slides his chair out from the table, creeping over to the windows. He smacks a switch on the wall, turning on the lights in the backyard. Billy watches as everything becomes visible. Pool, trees, grass. Nothing abnormal.

"Steve, what the fuck are you doing?" Billy says with a grin, but it fades as Steve continues to peer at the treeline.

The brunette shuts off the lights and returns to the table different than before. He's quieter, keeps looking around at the slightest sound.

Billy, who is now very confused, tries to think of the right words. Instead, he shrugs it off, ignoring the strange actions of Harrington.

"You're weird, Steve." He chuckles then slides the essay to Steve, pointing out the issues, helping him stick to his thesis.

----

The first snowfall, Steve never liked winter. His eyes follow the snowflakes as they drift to the ground like feathers, swaying back and forth until contributing to the coverage of his lawn. Now that school's out for the break, Steve stays in a lot, rarely leaving his house. He writes essays for college applications but procrastinates most of the time, and doesn't get much progress on them.

The essay Billy helped him write got an A, which is a big deal for Steve. Maybe Billy could help him with other essays.

He's meant to see Jonathan and Nancy today for lunch. It'll be a real blast.

After days of lazing around, Steve rolls out of bed at a decent time and drags his feet to the bathroom. He notices he's skinnier as he looks in the mirror, and he bites his lip. His fingers skim the hem of his sweater and he lifts it slowly. His muscle tone has decreased slightly and his ribs are just barely visible.

He pulls his sweater off over his head and studies himself in the mirror, looking from all the angles he can muster. The brunette hates what he sees.

Not wanting to look any longer for fear of obsessing, Steve finishes undressing and gets in the shower.

While he enjoys the hot water and the steam, he hears the doorbell.

Choosing to ignore it, Steve hops out of the shower and towels his hair. The doorbell rings again.

"Oh, fuck me."

The brunette wraps a towel around his waist and heads down the stairs.

"This better be good." He mumbles as he pulls the door open. His eyes widen as the gang stares at him.

"Hey, Steve. Why are you fucking naked?" Mike says, giving Steve a judgy looked and being his annoying self.

"Shut the hell up, I was taking a shower. What are you all doing here?"

Mike's mouth starts moving but Steve can't hear a word he's saying as Billy walks Max and El up to the door. The blonde's eyes scan Steve, and his brows furrow, making Steve feel self-conscious.

Lucas waves a hand in Steve's face. "So... are you gonna let us in?"

Harrington blushes ruby and pulls the door open all the way, staring at the floor as the kids shuffle in. Billy leans in the doorway and Steve awkwardly fiddles with his hands, never having felt like this around someone. This is no different than the locker room.