request by Wills_little
warning! this is a follow up for the last chapter and contains mentions of bullying <3
Steve had been wrong.
Their classmates didn't forget about Billy's accident, in fact they reminded him daily.
The boy had gone from being the second king of Hawkins High to being picked on, even by the juniors.
They were pointing at him in the hallways, whispering as he walked past them.
The coach had benched Billy as a result of him missing multiple trainings, so he didn't have any opportunity to prove himself to the team either.
They laughed at him when he sat on the bench watching, or helped the coach to organise different areas of the gym where they kept the supplies.
The only one who didn't make fun of him was Steve, but Billy tried to ignore him as much as he could. The blond was too embarrassed to talk to him again, since he saw him regressed and weak like that.
The brunette had tried to reach out to him a few times when they were picking up the teens from various meet-ups or during breaks, but Billy always told him off.
And Steve had enough of it. Being embarrassed was one thing, he got that Billy was struggling, but being rude to the only one who was nice to you? The brunette wouldn't have that.
So when the day came that the kids were once again making them wait in Mikes basement as they finished playing their campaign, while Max sat aside and watched them, Steve pulled Billy out of hearing distance.
„What the fuck are you doing Harrington?!" Billy hissed, but the other just rolled his eyes.
„I'm sick of your attitude with me. I've helped you and you're being a total dickhead, I didn't tell anyone how you were acting like a fuckin baby and for that I want at least some sort of explanation."
Billy swallowed thickly, looking over at Max for help, but she was too busy mocking Lucas, so he stared to the ground to gather his words.
Steve sighed, deciding to take a different approach.
„Sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude to you. I don't care what you were doing but you know, I still kind of care about your well-being, I guess" he explained, and Billy nodded slowly.
„Yeah, I get that, Harrington, but it's complicated, okay?" Billy pressed out, looking extremely embarrassed.
The brunette didn't get what the fuzz was about, but he assumed Billy needed some time to make up his mind.
„Alright, I get that. But stop behaving like an ass, okay? You don't have to tell me, if it's that bad, but I am not putting up with your attitude" he stated, before making his way over to the children to ask how long they would take to finish, leaving Billy standing aside absolutely baffled, not knowing how to deal with the situation.
He rarely knew how to do that, but if it was concerning his small side, it was even harder.
It had taken him all his courage to not yell at Max when she found out, and now Steve had seen him being little as well. Billy shivered, shrieking as he felt a hand on his upper arm.
His eyes shot to the person in front of him, exhaling when he saw it was his sister.
„You okay? We're done here, let's go" she said, not waiting for Billy to reply before grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the house.
When the blond looked back at Steve who was about to get in his car, he sighed, realising the brunette was staring straight into his soul.
It took him over a week to find it in himself to approach Steve since they picked up the kids.
When most of the team was already out of the locker room, he sneaked over to the brunette and shyly tapped his shoulder.
Steve turned around with a confused look on his face, but his impression softened when he saw who it was.
„You alright?" he chuckled, and Billy nodded slowly.
„Max is going to Lucas later and I don't want to go home already...do you want to hang out or something?" he asked, keeping his voice down.
Steve nodded, a slight smile on his lips.
„Sure, I'd love to! Let's meet outside, yeah?" he asked, and Billy nodded, making his way back to his own locker.
With shaky hands, he changed out of the tricot, nervous about what was coming.
When he was done, Billy left the gym without checking if Steve was still inside.
The brunette came out a few minutes after him, and Billy chucked his halfway smoked cigarette to the ground, pushing his foot down to turn it off.
„Alright, where do you want to go Billy?" he smiled, and said blond furrowed his brows.
„Since when do you call me Billy?"
Steve looked at him, confusion clearly on his face.
„You...you asked me to, a few weeks ago when I helped you" he said, and Billy's eyes widened.
„O-oh, yeah sorry I don't always remember everything, when...yeah, sorry."
„When what?" Steve questioned, and Billy visibly shrunk into himself.
„Well...it's complicated" he said, and Steve couldn't help himself but laugh.
„You said that last time too, just tell me what's going on, geez" he said, and the blond nodded slowly.
„Can we walk for a bit..?" he suggested, and Steve started to walk away from the school without a word, Billy following close behind him.
„So..." the blond began, looking to the ground. He still felt Steve's eyes on him, but he couldn't bring himself to look up.
„Sometimes, when I'm stressed out or scared, or sometimes when I just need a break, I kind of...become younger? I don't know what it is, or why I'm doing it, but it started a bit after we moved in with Susan and Max, I guess..." he started, taking a shaky breath before he managed to continue.
„I found a stuffed animal from my mom in my closet while packing my stuff and just kind of broke down. That was the first time it ever happened, and after that I let myself be small while shopping, and I got a few toys and stuff to keep me busy" he admitted, a deep blush on his cheeks.
Steve smiled softly, grabbing Billy's wrist, careful not to startle the other.
„So that's what was going on then?" he asked, an understanding look on his face as the blond nodded, eyes glued to the ground.
He took a moment to process what Billy told him, before putting two fingers beneath his chin to make the blond boy look at him.
When blue eyes met Steve's, the guy cooed in sympathy as he noticed the small tears shimmering in Billy's eyes.
„It's okay buddy, I'm not judging you. Thank you a lot for trusting me, I appreciate it. If you ever feel like that in school, you can come to me as well, yeah?" he smiled, and Billy nodded.
„Thank you, I guess" he replied, breaking their eye contact and picking up the walk again, this time in front of Steve. Realising he was shaking, the brunette grabbed his wrist again to turn him around, grabbing the box of cigarettes in Billy's hand and pulled two out, giving one to the blond.
„Here, calm down, okay? I'm being serious, I don't think less of you now that you told me, and I didn't before either" he assured the other as he lit his cigarette and taking a long drag from it, watching Billy do the same.
They didn't speak about it again, but Billy opened up to Steve a little more, making conversation with him when no one besides the brunette sat with him during lunch or group projects.
He got more comfortable being around the other guy, so when he was having a bad day after all the mocking from his team- and classmates, and Billy felt himself slipping during second period, he grabbed a sticky note and a pen, taking a deep breath and considering what he was about to do before writing.
I'm feeling small again, Im sorry
Billy folded the note two times before sliding it over to Steve, who sat next to him during their chemistry class.
The brunette looked at him confused before looking at the paper and back up, a warm smile on his lips.
„It's okay Billy, I'm here" he whispered, and the blond nodded, allowing himself to slip a little deeper into the headspace.
He grabbed his notebook and scribbled two stick figures on it, one with brown hair and one with yellow locks, the second one a lot smaller and a big smile on it's face while holding hands with the other.
After that, he drew some clouds and a sun, writing „Stevie an Billy" at the top.
Billy showed it to Steve, a big toothy smile on his face and the brunette cooed at him.
„Good job buddy, it's great" he praised in a lowered voice, and the little kicked his legs a little in excitement.
The rest of the class went by quickly, or at least that's what it felt like for Billy, and he bounced in his seat slightly as he waited for Steve to pack up his things.
The brunette chuckled when he looked over at him.
„Ready for breakfast, buddy?" he asked, because even though Billy never ate in school, maybe when he was small he would.
„Bu' I have nothin' with me" the boy said, looking confused and a bit sad as he said it.
„That's no problem, we can share my breakfast" Steve said, knowing he had packed way too much for himself anyways, but he usually ate the rest as a dinner when his parents were out so he wouldn't need to cook.
„But dats yours..?" the blond said, still confused, and Steve pulled him out of his seat now that they were the only one left in the room.
„It's no big deal kiddo, I don't mind sharing with you. Let's get going now, okay? Breakfast is the most important meal during the day."
They sat down at the end of a nearly free table, and Steve pulled his lunchbox out of his bag.
He was just about to open it when a group of guys approached them and sat at their table, ignoring them at first, but then someone spoke up.
„If that's not Steve the hair Harrington and Billy fucking Hargrove" Eddie Munson sneered, and Steve sighed.
„Is it okay if we sit here..?" he asked, looking at the older male.
„Yeah, sure. We don't really care" he shrugged, even though he looked like he actually cared a lot.
Steve decided to just let it go and handed Billy a PB&J he had prepared in the morning. The boy squealed, quickly starting to eat while Steve went for an apple, as he wasn't really hungry.
„So, did your teammates ditch you because Hargrove pissed himself in class?" a senior at the table next to them mocked, and Billy whined, scared of the guy he never even talked to.
„Oh shut up" Steve groaned, just wanting to eat in peace, but the other wouldn't let him.
„Can't even talk for yourself anymore, Hargrove? I wouldn't either, you're pathetic" he laughed, and Steve was about to get up and start a fight when he saw Eddie get up before he could.
„Why does it matter to you, Baker? Are you jealous because Hargrove gets to sit next to your crush?" he sneered, and the other guy turned back to his table with a growl.
The metalhead let himself fall into his chair again, and Steve shot him a thankful look.
„T'ank you" Billy said, not looking up from the sandwich he was still holding, and Steve turned his head in surprise.
Eddie just shot the blond a quick smile, before getting back to talk about D&D with his friends.
When the bell for the third period rang, Steve helped Billy wipe his hands down and get to their next class, stopping before going inside.
„Do you need to go to the bathroom before class?" he asked, not wanting to mention Billy's accident a few weeks before, but the little understood, nodding.
Steve waited for the boy to come back before they entered the room, and the brunette helped Billy get his stuff out, though he knew the little probably wouldn't pay attention to anything, so he decided to let him copy his notes later when he was big again.
After about an hour into the lesson, Steve noticed Billy writing along with what the teacher was saying, and he quickly scribbled a note on a piece off paper he ripped from his notebook.
How old are you right now?
When Billy read the note, he chuckled slightly, writing 18 under Steve's question before raising his hand to answer a question their teacher had asked.
The brunette watched him, baffled with how easy it was for Billy to just go on with being big, but since he didn't really know how any of this kid stuff worked, he decided to ask the boy about it later.
For now, he would just go with it, helping Billy as much as he could when Max wasn't there to watch over him.
a lot of time skips in this one, im sorry. also i'm not too happy with it but it's all i came up with, im sorry <3