How To Make Plans | Step 4: Close the Distance | Stranger Things 4.5

What begins as a tense confrontation about Eleven's safety slowly unravels into something far more personal, forcing Billy and Hopper to confront old wounds, buried regrets, and the fathers they wish they'd had — or been. A few honest words may change the way they see each other for the time to come, while others may refuse to let go of the mistakes of the past.

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WSQK "The Squawk"
Hawkins, Indiana
SUNDAY – May 4, 1986
~ 7:30 PM

Steve Harrington

[...]

When they stepped back into the living area, it took less than two seconds for Steve to notice that the usual chaos had long since returned. Hopper stood in front of El with his arms crossed, obviously lecturing her. You could barely make out a word, just scattered snippets, but the tone of his voice said it all.. that typical mix of concerned father and completely overwhelmed authority figure.

El, on the other hand, looked anything but thrilled. Will and Lucas were sitting a little further away on the floor, laughing at something completely ridiculous, while Robin was completely engrossed in flipping through some records. Steve paused briefly, because suddenly several heads looked up at once. And yup… apparently he looked exactly like someone who definitely hadn’t just been having a suspiciously intimate conversation outside; he cleared his throat immediately, way too loudly, everyone was looking at him now, even Hopper stopped mid-sentence. Steve then grinned so incredibly stupidly that it was almost painful.

“Sooo… no one dead?”

He just nodded way too quickly to himself, as if he’d just mastered some completely normal social interaction himself.

“Cool.... great.... uhhhh… nice.”

Then he flopped down on the couch in a hurry, rubbed his face once, and hoped fervently that no one noticed how red his cheeks still were, which, of course, absolutely no one noticed… definitely not.

Billy Hargrove

He chuckled at his own words — first because he knew it was a joke, and then because he was strangely okay with the sliver of truth hidden beneath it. When Billy kissed his cheek afterwards, he felt Steve's reaction immediately: the way he tensed and softened at the same time, and the flustered look on his face when Billy finally pulled away.

There was something thrilling about coaxing those reactions out of him. Billy had always loved provoking responses — laughter, arousal, surprise, even outrage — but Steve's were especially beautiful to witness. They warmed something in his chest so intensely it almost pissed him off all over again.

Back inside the station, he noticed Steve's sudden nervousness. Billy couldn't help grinning to himself, shaking his head faintly. Harrington was too damn cute when he tried to hide something. Or when he blushed like an absolute maiden.

When Robin looked up from her records, she noticed it too and immediately fought back a grin. She wondered what those two lovebirds had been up to outside... and made a mental note to interrogate Steve about it later.

"No one dead," she confirmed with a shit-eating smirk aimed at her best friend.

El acknowledged their return with a faint smile before turning her attention back to Hopper, arms crossed and annoyance written plainly across her face. He was giving her another one of his 'you do as I say because I need to keep you safe' lectures — the kind she was thoroughly tired of hearing. But her posture made one thing obvious: she had no intention of backing down or sitting idle just because Hopper preferred it.

"So." Billy straightened beside the table, raising his eyebrows expectantly as he looked around the room.

"Can we continue or what?"

The shift was almost jarring. Before the break, he'd been distant, guarded, deeply uncomfortable. Now Billy looked ready — eager, focused, confident. That conversation with Steve seemed to have worked wonders, though at this point, nobody could really pretend to be surprised anymore.

El shot Hopper one last stubborn look before uncrossing her arms and returning to the table. Will and Lucas followed suit, though one of them wore an unmistakably sour expression when his eyes landed on Billy.

"Don't worry, Sinclair. You'll get your chance later, alright?" Billy remarked.
Lucas scrunched his face at him. "No idea what you mean, but fine."
"You know exactly what I mean. But like I said — later. Now's not the time."
Lucas only scoffed and rolled his eyes. Billy shifted his attention back to the others.

"Steve and I have been talking," he began. "And I think... I think I can trick Kay one way or another. I might need to learn more about interrogation techniques, though. Think you could tell me about those, Hopper? Doesn't have to be now or even today, but..." He hesitated briefly. "Maybe knowing what I'm dealing with will make me less nervous. And Steve — if you want — you can help me prepare."

"Maybe you need a few lies ready too," Will added thoughtfully. "Not too many truths. Just enough that you don't show up with nothing."

Billy nodded.

"Once you've finished that tunnel map, maybe we can figure out a way in and out of the zone without getting caught... And next time I'm there, I'm gonna try to remember as much as possible. Maybe I can even ask her questions..." His mouth twisted faintly. "As long as she keeps underestimating me."

"I'll be with you," El said firmly. "The whole time. Watching everything. Making sure you're safe."
Will frowned. "But doesn't that take a ton of energy? For an entire day?"
El met his concern with pure defiance. "I can handle it."

Billy drew in a slow breath and glanced sideways at Hopper. The man wasn't going to like that — he was sure of it. And Billy couldn't help wondering if that had been the subject of Hopper's lecture while he and Steve had been outside.

Steve Harrington

Steve immediately noticed that something about Billy had changed… Billy was still Billy, but there was suddenly something else beneath it all… stability, perhaps. Or at least a desperate attempt at it. And that was exactly what made Steve both happy and completely nervous. He sat slumped halfway on the couch, still trying to look like he definitely hadn’t had an emotional breakdown outside over a single damn peck on the cheek, while Billy was now standing there again as if he owned the whole room, almost beaming compared to before.

Robin watched the whole thing with that absolutely unbearable look that only best friends could develop when they knew full well you’d screwed up. Steve immediately averted his gaze.. huge mistake… It only made her grin even wider. Hopper, on the other hand, looked anything but thrilled, even before Billy even mentioned El, Steve saw the Chief’s demeanor shift. His arms still crossed, that typical expression, he was already tearing down several walls inside. Especially when El immediately made it clear that she would be accompanying Billy... Hopper said nothing at first.

Steve knew that look well enough by now. This wasn’t ordinary adult annoyance.. it was fear, that aggressive kind of fear Hopper always got whenever it came to El, as if he were constantly waiting for her to be taken away from him the moment he looked away for a second.

And Billy… practically marched right in without noticing, or maybe he did notice and was deliberately ignoring it. Steve briefly rubbed his face and let his gaze wander between them. Lucas still looked skeptical, Will was already thinking ten steps ahead as usual, and El looked like she’d rather bring a building down than let Hopper lock her up somewhere again. Great… Absolutely fantastic group dynamics. At Billy’s suggestion regarding interrogations, Hopper finally visibly grimaced, disgusted that a young man like him even wanted to learn how to psychologically break people down. The Chief exhaled heavily through his nose before slowly leaning on the edge of the table with both hands. Steve could practically see three different disaster scenarios playing out in his head at the same time. Billy manipulated by Kay, El completely overwhelmed... someone dead... probably everyone dead. Hopper had, by now, developed a knack for always assuming the worst-case scenario right off the bat. Hawkins had thoroughly ruined him in that regard.

“Yeah, well…”

Steve finally cleared his throat and raised his hands slightly, cautiously, almost soothingly.

“Maybe let’s not turn Billy into some FBI torture expert overnight.”

A wry grin flashed briefly across his face, but didn’t last long. There was too much tension in the room for that. His gaze wandered briefly to Billy, and that’s exactly what made Steve feel slightly nervous again, because he was slowly realizing how far Billy would go now if it meant protecting the people here, and people like Billy had a knack for completely destroying themselves in the process.

“The lying part though… that’s probably smarter than telling Kay too much truth. People like her usually notice when somebody suddenly grows a conscience. I’ll still help you as best I can, Billy… prepare you and stuff… so… we can practice and stuff… I mean… role-playing, you know… I have psychology books from my dad… yeah… oh, you know what I mean…”

Hopper merely made an approving sound in response, but still didn’t seem convinced. Quite the opposite. His gaze now lingered on Billy for much longer and Steve suddenly felt uncomfortably clearly that Hopper had noticed exactly that as well., Billy’s change... his loyalty, this almost dangerous willingness to throw himself into the mud for everyone here. Steve leaned back slowly, crossed his arms loosely over his chest, and let his gaze wander briefly around the room. Outside, rain pelted against the windows, somewhere, the light crackled menacingly, and yet this room felt more charged with tension right now than any damn monster hunt they’d ever experienced.

And yet, so far, no one had seriously lost it… they were talking about heavy topics, indirectly about death and suffering… and they were talking about self-sacrifice. Hopper was the oldest of the group, he struggled deeply with the fact that the kids had to go through something like this, and he felt more helpless than ever that, as a grown man, he could do so little. He, too, would sacrifice himself for every single one of them… because these kids deserved a good life… they deserved to have a childhood, but none of them had been granted that. Jim banged his fist briefly on the table and stood up. Now it was he who needed a break, a moment to collect himself and somehow come to terms with the fact that he could no longer stop El or hide her. Much would change now, he knew that... and his little girl would grow up even faster... and have to go through even more brutal things... he could no longer offer her any security... he couldn’t offer anyone security. He left the room and treated himself to a cigarette outside, that old vice...

Steve looked at El and shook his head very slowly.

“Give him a few minutes... I think this whole thing is really getting to him... quite a bit. You have to remember that the Chief has lost a child before...”

Billy Hargrove

Billy made a face, blinking hard, lips pursing in confusion.

"What? No no, that's not what I..."

Only then did he notice the tension in the room again. He’d ignored it on purpose, shoved it somewhere out of sight so he could keep this discussion moving instead of choking on it. Maybe he’d overshot the mark a little bit.

Okay… More than a little.

Still, he snorted under his breath at the notion that he’d want to transform into some FBI torture expert. Billy was a menace, sure, but not like that.

"Okay, hold on...” He held up a hand. “It's not that I want to interrogate her. Or anyone, really. I just wanna know what kinda shit she might pull if she’s trying to get information outta me. If I know what I’m dealing with, I’ll react better. I won’t freak the hell out. That’s all.”

His voice lowered then, carried by the sigh that followed.

“Thing is… She reminds me a whole lot of my dad. Don’t know what Max told you about him, probably that he’s an apex asshole. He used to do this thing where he’d watch whatever behavior pissed him off for a while, y’know? Like he was collecting evidence. And then, he’d blow up over all of it at once.”

Billy swallowed.

“Kay is doing the same. I can see it in her eyes, this stupid look of disapproval when I don’t say what she wants me to say, or when I ask questions. If she tolerates my… I dunno, smartass attitude or subtle defiance or whatever for too long, maybe she’ll explode, too. I just wanna know what to do if that happens… before it happens.”

His eyes squeezed shut for a second when Steve brought up the roleplaying idea, and despite himself, a grin tugged at his mouth. He was too cute when he stumbled over his own words like that.

“Yeah, I… I know what you mean, don’t worry. I think that’d actually help…”

Steve was reliable, as always. Billy wished he could show him right then and there how much that actually meant to him, so he hoped the softer smile that followed was enough for that right now.

His gaze drifted toward Hopper then, his expression threaded with contemplation and… measurement, in a way. The man was staring back. And not casually, either. It was the kind of stare that made Billy want to squirm out of his own body, but he swallowed hard instead, staying put.

Rain started hammering against the station windows. Billy frowned. Where the hell had that come from? He could’ve sworn up and down that there were no dark clouds in sight while he and Steve had been outside. Then again, considering how distracted he’d been by his Bambi-eyed company, maybe he wasn’t a reliable source.

Perhaps the electricity of a rising thunderstorm was just… them.

It was darker now, too. The warm sun had disappeared behind the horizon at this point. And although there was still some light left, it felt closer to midnight than dusk.

Hopefully, Dustin was home now.

“Hey, can one of you radio Henderson, see if he’s okay?” Steve requested. Great minds think alike, right?

The rain was coming down fast and merciless now, tapping against the huge windows until it echoed through the entire station. Somehow, it made everything worse. Infected them with more tension rather than washing it away with white noise.

God, how Billy hated Indiana weather… His hair was going to frizz like crazy and he’d look like a god damn poodle for days—

Suddenly, the crack of Hopper’s fist slamming into the table split through the room. Billy flinched. So did Robin. Will, too.

Eleven, on the other hand, didn’t move at all. Not even a little. Like she had expected it and wasn’t scared of him. When Hop left, she pulled her legs up on the couch, hugging her knees and heaving a deep sigh at Steve’s words.

“I know…” she uttered, frowning. “But I’m not Sara.”

Meanwhile, Billy looked between them, eyebrows arched in surprise.
“Hold on, hold on… He had a kid?”
“Yeah,” Will answered tiredly. “Back in New York, I think.”
Billy promptly frowned. “What happened?”

“She was very sick,” El added.

Despite her earlier headstrong demeanor, her voice carried a deep well of compassion for her dad. Billy knew that look in her eyes. Sorrowful, but meaningful. Understanding. He’d seen it on her before — first when she had reached out to him with her powers, and second when she had somehow pulled him out of the Mind Flayer’s grasp. She was stubborn as hell, but not cold. And she was definitely no longer the scared little girl from last summer.

Billy let out a breath and looked toward the doorway Hopper had stormed through to get some air. And wet clothes too, probably. His foot started bouncing again before he noticed.

Should he go after him? Or was that the single worst idea he’d had all day, apart from bitching at Robin for no good reason other than stupid, unfounded (and unreasonable) jealousy? Not that the thought thrilled him. He and Hopper weren’t exactly getting along too well… But it felt like there were things that needed saying before any of them started making any sophisticated plans.

Especially if Eleven’s safety was on the line because of him.

Another sigh. Billy got up from the couch, bracing himself.

“I’ll check on him.”
“Oh, uh, maybeeee… you really shouldn’t,” Robin advised.

Billy ignored her. Instead, he snatched the lighter and cigarettes out of Steve’s pocket and headed for the exit. Carefully. Slowly. So he wouldn’t startle the man.

He knew it wasn’t wise. He knew that just because he’d somehow managed to reach Henderson, didn’t mean he had a lucky streak or something, especially when it came to someone who could be his father. But it still carried him outside the station, where Hopper stood underneath the canopy to avoid most of the rain.

“… Hey,” he uttered. Quietly. Looking him up and down for a moment before coming a little closer. It reminded him of the time he had almost — almost — opened up to Neil about a broken heart, only to be shut down and insulted. Or of the time Neil had seemed particularly fond of the bottle some time after Billy’s mom had left, and a naive and much younger Billy wanted to see if he could do something… anything… to make it all better for him. For them.

It hadn’t ended well. This probably wouldn’t end much better, but…

He had to try. Billy was sick of just watching disaster happen, of being too afraid to do something about it.

And even more than that, he was sick of middle-aged men flipping the table because they were losing control over something. Particularly their children.

Still, Billy didn’t want to behave like a bull in a china shop like usual. He wasn't a complete knobhead.

“You okay…?”

A cigarette was pressed between Hopper’s lips, but he struggled with the lighter. Good thing Billy came prepared. He grabbed the one he had temporarily stolen (borrowed) from Steve to light it for him, cupping his free hand around it to shield it from the wind. 

He did not light one for himself. Instead, he took the deepest of breaths. Allowed silence to settle for a moment, and then, even if it was a terrible idea...

"… I'm sorry about your daughter, Jim."

Hop didn't need his condolences. He knew that. But Billy was hopeful that maybe... it had some kind of meaning, coming from him.

Steve Harrington

The approaching thunderclouds didn't really surprise anyone anymore. In the past, thunderstorms in Hawkins had smelled of rain, of summer nights, but ever since Vecna, it all felt wrong, as if something invisible were lurking in the air. Even the thunder sounded different now, muffled and uncomfortably alive. Steve noticed the windowpanes vibrating slightly beneath the pelting rain, and for a brief moment his gaze automatically drifted outside. Dark clouds had swallowed the last remnants of sunlight, bathing everything in that oppressive gray that now seemed almost to engulf Hawkins, and he even imagined seeing a reddish glow...

And yet… despite all the tension, despite Hopper, despite Kay, despite this shitty situation, his gaze kept wandering back to Billy. He looked at Hargrove and something inside him immediately softened, even now, in the midst of this chaos. The way Billy stood there, the way he spoke, the way he tried to stay rational, even though Steve had long since realized how tense he actually was. And every damn time Steve looked at him for too long, he eventually noticed it himself, then cleared his throat quickly or pretended to be suddenly interested in something completely neutral in the room.

When Billy finally explained that he wasn’t interested in interrogating people, but rather in understanding how Kay worked, something in Steve’s demeanor relaxed, to be honest, he actually understood that pretty well. The mention of his father, however, caused the mood to shift again. Steve saw Billy swallow briefly, his shoulders stiffen, and suddenly that feeling was back in his chest. That damn worry that would probably never go away. Billy seemed stronger now, but Steve knew what was going through the blond’s mind at that moment and how damn hard it must be for him to say all that. A soft exhalation escaped him.

“Hey… I didn’t mean that thing about the FBI agent as meanly as it came across.”

His gaze drifted to Billy.

“It just kind of reminded me of it. And yes, I get why you’d want to know how something like that works. When you’re constantly waiting for someone to explode at any moment if you say the wrong thing… then you want to be prepared.”

Lucas nodded slightly in the background, looking much more serious than before, even he seemed to be slowly realizing that Billy’s behavior had less to do with delusions of grandeur and more to do with fear. The boy finally reached for the radio on the table.

“I’ll try to reach Dustin.”

he muttered, already starting to fiddle with the frequencies.

“If that bum even responds…”

The usual irritation in his voice seemed weaker than usual. Steve, on the other hand, continued to watch as Billy finally went outside to chase after Hopper, and his stomach immediately clenched uncomfortably again, part of him wanted to go after him too.... but Hopper was… difficult. Especially when emotions were involved. Still, Steve trusted Billy enough by now to let him go, even if it made him nervous. When Eleven finally said she wasn’t Sara, Steve immediately saw something change in Will’s expression, sadness, perhaps, or simply that quiet understanding they’d all come to share with one another. Steve exhaled slowly and leaned forward slightly.

“You’re right, you’re not Sara. But I think… that’s not what Hopper is worried about at all. Everyone here is constantly worried about each other... we’re all afraid of losing someone. But losing your own child… that’s probably something else entirely. And once you’ve experienced something like that, that fear probably never goes away. Parents probably have it all the time anyway… but for Hopper, it’s just twice as bad right now.”

For a brief moment, silence reigned in the room, during which Lucas pressed the walkie-talkie again.

“Dustin? Can you hear me? Come on, man…”

A loud static noise answered him at first, Steve barely noticed that his gaze had already unconsciously wandered back to the door. But in the meantime, he tried to distract the others a little, sat down between Will and Eleven, motioned to Robin to join them, and then had the D&D game explained to him for what felt like the 20th time and asked Eleven if she could play along too and who she would play. He tried to be as laid-back as possible, even joking that he’d probably play some dumb gnome or dwarf who’d always step into every trap and constantly need to be rescued because he was too weak and couldn’t level up. And then he explained that he’d definitely try to flirt with all the elf ladies and get frustrated at constantly getting rejected. Harrington was creative when he slipped into babysitter mode, but that was exactly what was distracting him at that moment.

Hopper was standing outside under the awning, he didn’t care about the rain. He still didn’t look particularly good.. you could still see that horrible time in russia, he was slim, his hair had grown back, but he was still pale. Again and again he searched his jacket pocket for a lighter, until Billy suddenly handed him a light and he felt the soothing smoke fill his lungs. At first he hadn’t noticed the young man, and even tried to keep ignoring him. But when Billy mentioned his daughter, everything inside him tightened… how did he know that?

“Mind your own business…”

he growled softly.

“You’ve got enough on your plate.”

Memories of Sara flooded him, they grew all the stronger when the subject was brought up directly. He would never get over it.. that much was clear. His brave little girl… He heard the beeping of the machines that had kept her alive back then, yet couldn’t save her. He saw the pale, thin face, the tense features, the lifeless body that had once been so full of life, and as a loud clap of thunder rumbled, he felt individual raindrops mix with warm tears.

Damn it... Shit!

“Everyone has their own burdens to bear. I wasn’t a bad father... you know? I worked a lot… but I was there for her… hard to understand… I know… I know. I wanted to do things right with Eleven. Well… I guess I wanted so badly to be her father. And because of that, I turned into someone who locks her up… I’d love to protect her from this whole world, especially… even from boys, from Mike… I see how he looks at her and how she looks at him… Boys are stupid at that age. Even at my age, we men are mostly just… stupid.”

It just burst out of him, he couldn’t stop it. The cigarette burned down almost unsmoked, finally falling from his fingers straight into a small puddle.

Billy Hargrove

Robin, completely unable to focus at this point, kept sneaking glances at Steve with a grin threatening to split her face. Even here, he could barely pull himself together, looking at Billy like he had all the answers — or at the very least like he was the most beautiful person in the room. Robin made several desperate attempts to catch his attention, throwing the occasional exaggerated expression or teasing wink his way. Absolutely no chance. Steve only had eyes for Billy. And when he did manage to tear his gaze away, literally anything else seemed more interesting than whatever ridiculous face Robin was pulling.

Again, it was equal parts sweet and nauseating. Adorable. And yes, she was worried. What if he got too attached? Too dependent? What if they were both setting themselves up for a kind of heartbreak neither of them could survive? Especially in the middle of this mess... 

Steve was far softer than he ever let the others see, especially the kids. And Billy? Well... She barely knew anything about the guy. What she did know was that he got real bitchy real fast when he was jealous. Still, Hargrove reminded her a little of her dad. Rough around the edges, sure, but gentler underneath the surface... and much more sensitive than he wanted anyone to know.

But Robin told herself it would be okay. They were old enough to make their own decisions, right? The happiness she felt for her best friend drowned out everything else.

If the world was ending — and even if it wasn't — Steve deserved to be happy. After it had become painfully obvious that Steve trusted Billy with his life and not just his fries, Robin was pretty sure Billy deserved the same.

Taking a breath, Billy looked back at Steve. The moment their eyes met, the hardness that had settled over his features while talking about Kay and Neil softened immediately.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean it like that."

Then, he nodded at his following words. "Yeah... Exactly."

While Lucas tried to get an answer from Dustin, El turned her face away, keeping her arms tightly wrapped around her knees. Her silence said enough. She knew Steve was right. The problem was that she had no idea what to do with that realization. El only ever knew what felt right or wrong. The rest? Too confusing to grasp. Too blurry. Too exhausting to think about the live long day. 

It felt right to risk whatever it takes to protect her friends. But it felt wrong that doing so hurt her dad so much. Because the last thing El wanted was for Hopper to suffer because of her. In any way.

Thankfully, Steve came to the rescue. Somehow, he always seemed to know how to cut through an atmosphere before it became unbearable. Before long, Will and El were both visibly lighter. Steve's comments even managed to pull a laugh from them.

Over the years, Steve and El had spent most of their adventures apart. They rarely got a chance to simply exist in the same room together. But every time they did, she liked him more. He was funny. Kind. Caring. Protective. Brave. In fact, there were many things about Steve Harrington that Eleven wished she possessed herself.

She was glad he was here. Glad he was part of the team. That he'd fought alongside her friends when she couldn't. That he'd done everything in his power to protect Max, even when Vecna proved stronger. That he was helping Billy.

Lucas' calls for Dustin continued to disappear into static. Concerning, sure, but not exactly surprising,  considering the sudden shift from sunshine to thunderstorm in a matter of minutes. Eventually, he drifted back towards the others, letting the D&D discussion pull him in despite himself. He kept the radio nearly, though, the volume turned up. Just in case Dustin answered.

Outside, Billy immediately rolled his eyes when Hopper told him to mind his own business. Fine. I'll happily go mind my own damn business, old man. Just watch. Wouldn't wanna accidentally care or anything.

Then Hopper did something Billy hadn't expected.

He backtracked. Not entirely, but enough. Enough to acknowledge Billy's own problems instead. Frankly, it left him... dumbfounded. Unsure how to respond.

Whenever Neil told him to mind his own business, it was always meant to cut him down. Who the hell are you, thinking you can do anything for me? You can't even wash the damn dishes right. 

The point had always been the same: To make Billy feel small. Useless. But trying to spare him his own pain? Trying to tell him he already had enough to carry?

Never. The Upside Down would freeze over before that happened.

And before Billy could figure out how to respond, Hopper's emotions finally broke loose, and the words just poured out of him. Billy listened in silence, watching him, his stomach twisting when he heard that crack in the man's voice. It was almost breathtaking. Hopper was built like a mountain — tall like Neil, strong, stubborn, perpetually irritated. 

And yet... Here he was. Vulnerable. Hurting. Helpless. Overflowing with love for his daughter. Well... Daughters. What a rare thing to witness. Maybe even rarer for Billy to understand. 

Billy swallowed hard. That compassion creeping up to him was cold, slithering, along with a lesson he never wanted to learn. Or maybe a truth he'd always known but refused to accept.

Neil could have been a better man if he'd just chosen to be.

Not wanting Hopper to feel like some exhibit behind glass, Billy looked away, staring at the cigarette dissolving in the puddle between their feet. He took a breath. Then, he nodded.

"Yeah, well... Congratulations. You sound like every dad ever."

The words weren't cruel. More dry. Defensive humor buying him a second or two.

"But at least you give a shit," he uttered. For a moment, Billy's voice nearly failed him. So he swallowed once more, and kept going.

"Have you ever met my old man? I'll give you the short version. He didn't give a crap about me, except whether I was exactly who he wanted me to be. He didn't care what stupid shit I was getting myself into once I left the house... as long as I wasn't being taken home by police. He didn't put a padlock on my door because he was worried about my safety. He did it because he liked control."

He scoffed quietly. "Difference is... you actually stand here worrying whether you're screwing her up because you wanted to protect her too much. Guys like him? They don't even consider the possibility that they could be wrong. He never protected me. And if it ever looked like he did — which happened — he wasn't protecting his son."

Billy's gaze dropped.

"He was protecting his property."

Finally, he looked back up. If Hopper's eyes hadn't been red, Billy might not have believed that he was actually crying. The sight stopped him again. The weight of it settling somewhere deep inside his chest.

"But you... You want to protect your kid because she actually fucking matters to you. El's never gonna hate you for that. Okay, maybe for a while, since she doesn't get to do what she wants. Teenagers hate that shit. But she's not gonna spend the rest of her life remembering you as some controlling, angry, narcissistic asshole. Honestly, up until now — especially after last night — I thought you were just like my dad. And now here you are... crying. I never saw my dad cry. Not once. I saw him pissed off. Irritated. Hateful. You're irritated, too. Sure. Fair. Kids are annoying as hell sometimes. A dad like you, though... Man..."

Billy scoffed, eyes dropped to the cigarette floating in the puddle. He bit the inside of his cheek.

"The things I would've done for something like that..."

The confession lingered for barely a second before Billy shoved past it, kept talking. Old habits. Too much vulnerability felt dangerous. But the fact that he allowed it in front of a man like Hopper... Maybe it meant something.

"I don't really know Mike. But here's the thing... If a girl wants to fall for an idiot, there's not a damn thing you can do about it," he said, a brief smile curling his lips. He may or may not have been speaking from experience. How many girls had had a crush on him and deeply regretted it after Billy had broken their hearts?

"He's probably an idiot. Most teenage boys are. But he's the kinda idiot who'd walk through hell for that girl. I've seen it with my own eyes. Damn, I felt it, too Last year, when..."

The memory hit before he could stop it. A flash of terror, pain, loss of control... For a moment, the air vanished from his lungs. Billy drew a slow breath and forced himself onward, staring somewhere past Hopper.

"... When Henry used me as his puppet and went after El through me, you know what Wheeler did? He cracked a fuckin' pipe over my head so hard, I let her go and fell over. And later, he stood in my way to shield her off from me. I could've... Henry could've made me kill him, and the kid knew that. He still did it."

Another faint smile. This time, it felt more genuine. 

"And I think... there are worse things. Worse boys she could fall for. There always are. One of them is standing before you."

Steve Harrington

Up in the radio room, things had quieted down since Lucas had given up trying to reach Dustin over the radio. That didn’t mean he’d stopped trying, though. The radio was still within reach beside him, and every time a suspicious crackle emerged from the static, his gaze immediately returned to it. Steve noticed that, of course, just as he now noticed almost everything when it came to the people he considered his responsibility.

“If Henderson is alive, he’ll explain to us later that we all panicked and he had everything under control the whole time.”

Lucas snorted.

“He’ll do that anyway.”

“True.”

“Even if he’s sitting in a burning building right now.”

“Especially then.”

That actually drew a brief grin from Steve, it didn’t really ease the tension, but it at least made it more bearable. His gaze drifted to the window for a moment. Billy and Hopper were now far enough away that they could barely be heard. He didn’t know what the two of them were talking about, and to be honest, he didn’t want to know. If Hopper yelled at Billy, Billy would yell back, if Billy yelled at Hopper, Hopper would yell back.. that was probably just their natural way of communicating.

“You know…”

Lucas finally began, leaning back slightly.

“A year ago, I really wouldn’t have thought that Hopper and Billy, of all people, would ever voluntarily talk to each other.”

“A year ago, I wouldn’t have thought Billy would talk to anyone voluntarily either.”

Steve replied dryly.

“Except maybe himself.”

Lucas laughed softly.

“True.”

For a few seconds, they both listened again to the steady static of the radio. Steve sank back against the table and crossed his arms.

“Hopper’ll be fine....Billy too.”

This time it wasn’t a guess. Steve had seen how Billy had changed over the last few months. Sometimes barely noticeable, often accompanied by setbacks and bad timing... but he had seen it.

“He cares more about other people than he’d ever admit,”

he muttered.

Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“You sound biased.”

Steve grinned immediately.

“I probably am.”

“Yeah.... Probably.”

Still, Lucas didn’t disagree, because even he knew by now that Billy was far more complicated than the guy all of Hawkins used to know. And because Steve was looking at him as if that were the most obvious insight in the world.

Hopper sighed softly, the words had hit him harder than they should have. Maybe because Billy had voiced something that no one else saw. Most people assumed that parents automatically knew what they were doing. That one day you’d wake up in the morning and suddenly understand how to raise a child. Hopper knew by now that that was complete nonsense. The truth was that most of the time you were improvising and hoping you didn’t ruin everything in the process. A rough croak escaped him as he ran a hand over his face.

“God, boy…”

he muttered.

“You’ve got some really shitty habits, you know that? You go out to clear your head, and suddenly you’re standing there having some damn therapy session.”

That was about as close to embarrassment as Hopper usually got. At the mention of Neil, however, the hint of humor vanished again.

“I knew his name even before I knew who you were. Neighbors kept calling... they heard screaming, doors slamming, things flying around… the usual crap. I went over there once. Max’s mom opened the door. Told me everything was fine, that it had just been an argument. Nothing special. And that was that.. no report… no statement... no visible injuries, nothing I could work with.”

It had frustrated him back then; today it frustrated him even more.

“The truth is, I knew far too little back then. About you, about Max… about what was actually happening at your house. And then I was gone. For too long… by the time I came back, everything in this town had long since spiraled out of control anyway.”

For the first time, he looked Billy straight in the eye.

“Maybe I should have seen some things sooner, and maybe I do actually owe you an apology for that.”

That was clearly harder for him than any confession before.

“You were still a real pain in the neck.... but I formed an opinion of you without knowing half the story. I was unfair about that… And about earlier, too. You tried to help, and I lashed out at you as if you were the problem. You know what’s crazy? She likes you… Eleven. I mean, really… she likes you. And now I understand why, too. You remind her of something. People can be broken and still try to do the right thing. And now listen to me carefully. You’re nothing like your father. A few bad habits, maybe. Everyone has those, you learn things from the people you grow up with, even if you hate them. Ted Wheeler spends his life sleeping in an armchair, and Jonathan and Will’s father has always been a damn coward. If you ask me, boredom isn’t much of an achievement, but it’s still better than cruelty. That doesn’t make Ted any more interesting, though.”

Then he grew serious again.

“Neil treated people like possessions. You don’t .. you’re stubborn, angry... sometimes an arrogant idiot. And believe me, I mean that with the greatest affection. But you care about what happens to other people. You’re standing here in the rain trying to explain to me why my daughter won’t give up on her friend. You’re worried about Max, about Steve, about people you could, in theory, not care about at all.”

He shook his head slowly.

“That doesn’t sound like Neil Hargrove to me.”

The knot seemed to break, Hopper seemed to understand… to calm down, even though everything that was happening continued to eat away at him inside. But Billy wasn’t the problem anymore… he was a victim too, but one who wanted to fight… who wanted to be part of this crew. It was now easier for the Chief to let Eleven go.. at least a little bit… because he saw that it was for a good cause and that Billy now belonged to the brave kids who constantly had to fear for their lives and were being hunted and abused by adult, militant assholes, alongside a crazy superbeing.

 In a conciliatory gesture, he patted the young man on the shoulder.

“If I were your father, my few remaining hairs would probably already be completely gray and my eyelids would be twitching nervously all the time… my patience would be at an end and I’d be on the verge of despair… but I’d be proud of you, even if I might not be able to show it.”

He gestured toward the radio station.

“What do you think, Dr. Hargrove… should we let the kids be kids again… or are you up for a third round of dramatic planning?”

Billy Hargrove

TW: Mention of parental abuse & suicidal ideation.

“That's Dustin to you,” Will said, both him and El chuckling at the comments about Billy and Hopper.

“I can try to reach Dustin, see if he’s okay,” El offered, though the sluggishness of her voice and the way she stretched her words made her exhaustion impossible to miss.

“We can do that if we still haven't heard from him after the storm, El. You need rest,” Will said gently. El responded with nothing more than a weary sigh and a small nod before resting her head against his shoulder. Instantly, Will slipped an arm around her, pulling her a little closer.

She smiled when Steve spoke about Billy, and that smile only grew when Lucas pointed out just how biased he sounded.

“You'll see, Lucas,” she said quietly. “He hurt people, yes. But I’ve hurt people, too, because I was scared. Billy was also scared.”

For a moment, her gaze dropped to the floor.

“He... We... had no one.”

She looked back up at them, a faint warmth returning to her expression. “Now, we have everyone.”

Robin smiled at that. “You can count on that.”

……KKKRRRSSSHHHHHK—

The radio’s crackle echoed loudly through the area.

“Guys! CRRRRKKK— GUYS! Ca— ear me? —one? O—er!”

“That’s Dustin!” Will cheered.

Billy wasn’t sure how to respond at first. Hopper’s words sure sounded like something he was allowed to laugh about without causing a misunderstanding, but he didn’t trust that feeling just yet.

It wasn’t really a loss, because frankly… It was not like he knew what to say after what Hopper told him afterwards, anyway. Billy’s throat tightened. His breathing elevated. And a bunch of different feelings beat their way through him at once, fighting for dominance.

At first, Billy looked like he was going to laugh at him.

Then, like he was going to argue.

Or say something sarcastic.

Nothing came out. Instead, he just looked… fundamentally and utterly confused.

No adult had ever — ever — acknowledged that something had been wrong underneath Neil’s roof.

Not the teachers who’d clocked his behavioral problems from day one. Not the coaches who’d seen bruises peeking out from beneath his short gym clothes. Not the principals who’d visited their house and ignored Neil’s threats about 'teaching his boy a lesson', knowing full well what that meant. Not the cops who’d taken Billy home after one screw-up or another. Not the neighbors who figured it wasn’t their place to tell a grown man how to raise his own son.

Not even Susan.

Never Susan, who had either fled the room or stood frozen in it, horror written all over her face while Billy took the hits.

Not one of them.

Sometimes, Billy had even provoked Neil on purpose when other people were around. Made a scene. Pushed buttons. Anything to make somebody notice. Anything to make somebody step in and stop it.

Nobody ever did.

And after a while — after weeks, months, and years — there comes a point where you stop waiting for help. Where you start wondering if maybe everyone else sees something you don’t. Maybe, you’re the problem. Maybe, you deserve it… 

Maybe your father is right.

Not one adult who could’ve done something had ever apologized to Billy.

Not. One.

Until now.

Billy wasn’t sure he was hearing right. The urge to laugh at Hopper was still there, but a tight knot coiling up deep inside his heart stopped him. A part of him even looked horrified. But the majority of him was just… sad.

Because Neil could’ve been better. Billy could’ve hated himself less. He could’ve had a father who was proud of him. And that thought… Jesus fucking Christ… That hurt.

A sob broke free before he could stop it and he dropped his head. Billy pinched at his wet eyes, desperate to get himself under control.

It didn’t work.

“Hop…” he whispered, afraid his voice might crack if he used it, but nothing else came out of him.

He wiped at his face and planted his hands on his hips, as if sheer stubbornness could force the tears back where they'd come from. It couldn't. They kept falling while Hopper talked. About how sorry he was. About how El actually liked Billy. About how Billy wasn't like his father.

And about how proud Hop would’ve been of Billy as a son, despite the fact that he was — undeniably — a god damn piece of work.

He barely registered the pressure of the man’s hand on his shoulder, but when he did, he found himself leaning into it in the smallest way.

God… What wouldn't he have given to feel his own father's hand on his shoulder like that, just once? 

Not grabbing him. Not shoving him. Not raising a fist. Just… that. Simple. Steady. Proud.

The feeling settled somewhere deep in his chest. It felt like acceptance. Like safety. Like coming home to a place he'd never actually lived. But a part of his heart was still utterly broken, because it came so easily to Hopper. A man he hardly knew, someone he had even resented before. Meanwhile, Neil had spent years choosing his own anger, pride, and bitterness over his own flesh and blood.

There was anger in that realization. Grief, too. Confusion. Bitter resentment. And yet beneath it all was something else.

Trust. Comfort. The strange sense that Hopper’s hand was lending him strength he didn’t have on his own right now.

Billy swallowed hard and just stared at Jim for a while. He opened his mouth, closed it again, and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt while he tried to get himself together.

Finally, he managed a shaky smile.

“… If you were my father, yeah…” He let out a chuckle. “I’d probably still be a god damn pain in the ass. Still get into fights, still make stupid decisions… You’d spend every other day threatening to dump me in the woods just so you could have some peace and quiet…”

Billy’s smile widened slightly.

“And I’d probably pretend I didn’t give a shit.”

The humor faded, leaving something softer behind.

“But I think… I wouldn’t be that much of a fuck-up. I’d sleep a lot easier at night.”

Another smile crossed his lips again. He shifted a little, rubbed at his nose, and shook his head.

“I don’t really know what to do with all that, Hop. The stuff you just said- Nobody’s ever… said anything like that to me before.”

He took a deep breath, trying to focus on the cool air steadying his body. Then Hopper called him ‘Doctor’, and Billy immediately cringed.

“Oh, fuck off.”

The reaction was automatic enough to pull a laugh from him.

“I think you’re right, though. Let the kids be kids now. Maybe there’s just not much else we can do yet…”

Hop was already gripping the door handle when Billy stopped him.

“Wait… Hold on. There’s one more thing.”

He waited until the door clicked shut again. For a final time, Billy scrubbed a hand across his eyes and let out a rough breath, bracing himself.

“… I don’t know what they told you about the whole thing. About last year. And I… I don’t remember all of it. Not clearly. But I remember her… El.”

His gaze dropped.

“I remember her reaching into my head. Seeing everything. All the shit there was to see. Things I never wanted anybody to know. Then I remember her lying there in that mall, scared out of her god damn mind, hurt because of me…”

Billy clenched his jaw, shutting his eyes for a moment.

“I was on top of her. Holding her down. And then… I remember her saying one thing to me. Just one thing… Something buried so deep in my head, I’d forgotten about it. She must have heard it in my memories somewhere… After every reason she had to hate me, she still tried to make the pain hurt a little less.”

He swallowed hard and bit his lip.

“And I don’t know how that worked, but it dragged me out of that hell. Out of the possession. Suddenly I could think again. Feel again. My bones were shattered and maybe they still hurt like shit, but I didn’t care anymore, ‘cause…”

He shook his head faintly.

“I felt like me again. Not a puppet. Not a monster. Not a murderer… Just… me.”

The silence lingered for a bit.

“That fucked up meat monster thing…” A humorless huff escaped him. “I remember it wanting her. And I remember deciding it wasn’t getting her. Not while I was in control.”

Billy’s voice grew quieter.

“Didn’t matter what happened to me. I was done, y’know? After all that nightmare bullshit, I just wanted it to be over. I knew I was dead anyway. Henry would’ve tossed me aside the second he was finished with me, same as everybody else. But if I was gonna go out, I wanted it to mean something. Because…”

Billy chewed his lip. Then, he locked eyes with Hopper, really making sure their gazes were connected.

“Your daughter… was the first person who really saw me when she didn’t have to. Who… saved me when she had absolutely no good reason to.”

His voice steadied.

“I owe her my life. So if anything or anyone ever comes after her again… whether it’s that psycho bitch Kay, or Henry, another monster, another lab, another government suit, another piece of shit who thinks they can put their hands on her…”

He shook his head once, voice hardening.

“They’re getting through me first. And that is a promise. I’m not playing hero or whatever, I just… wanted you to know that.”

Steve Harrington

Upstairs at the radio station, the tension didn’t dissipate all at once, but it finally began to ease a little. Ever since Hopper and Billy had gone outside, Steve had found himself glancing toward the window again and again, as if he expected one of them to burst through the door at any moment and bring the next problem with them. The fact that this hadn’t happened yet reassured him more than he’d care to admit. When Dustin’s voice finally boomed from the radio, several heads turned at once. Steve immediately felt something ease in his chest. Not because everything was suddenly fine.. it wasn’t… well, why shouldn’t he be alive? But unfortunately, his thoughts often drifted to the worst-case scenarios when he couldn’t reach someone. He was out there… he sounded like Dustin. And that alone was worth more right now than any theory or plan.

A small grin flitted across Steve’s face.

“There he is.”

he muttered, shaking his head slightly.

“I swear, if we bring him back here alive, he’ll spend three hours explaining how everything was completely under control.”

Lucas was already reaching for the radio.

“I’m still going to beat him up.”

“Yeah.”

Steve nodded.

“You’ll have to get in line for that.”

The brief sigh of relief changed the atmosphere in the room. Not completely, too much had happened for that, and too much still lay ahead of them. Still, for a moment, everything seemed less overwhelming. Steve stepped a little closer to the window and looked out into the rain. Hopper and Billy were now just indistinct figures between the shadows and the strands of water falling from the sky. He couldn’t hear their words, but above all, there was one thing he didn’t hear. No shouting, no threats, and no exploding tempers.

“They’re actually talking to each other.”

He finally noted.

Lucas followed his gaze and grimaced.

“That’s honestly kind of scary.”

“A little.”

Steve admitted.

“But if Hopper were shouting, we’d hear him. And if Billy were shouting back, we’d definitely hear him.”

That actually made Lucas smile, though it seemed strange… somehow unimpressed and a bit… distant. Steve crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe in five minutes they’d have to clean up some drama again. But for the first time in hours, he had the feeling that something was happening out there that none of them had to fix.

“You know…”

Lucas began after a while.

“A year ago, I could have bet that Hopper and Billy couldn’t spend ten minutes alone together without someone ending up in handcuffs.”

A soft laugh escaped Steve.

“A year ago, I would have agreed with you.”

His gaze remained fixed outside, however.

“People change.”

The reply had grown quiet, almost pensive, and perhaps he was thinking of Billy, and perhaps of himself as well. Lucas wondered whether he should share that view or say something about it. He looked at the faces of the others, who were apparently thinking the same thing, and therefore decided to just go along with it. If he was the only one who still distrusted Hargrove, for good reason, as he saw it, then he tried not to show it anymore; he knew how something like that would end. He knew he’d come up short until he had enough evidence to prove he was right.

Outside, Hopper paused for a moment after Billy had finished. The rain ran down his face and pooled in his beard, but he barely noticed. His attention was entirely on the young man in front of him. Hopper had seen many people cry in his life, but with Billy, something else struck him. Maybe because he suddenly realized how damn long this boy had been waiting for some adult to finally say the obvious. Not that Neil had been a jerk… Billy knew that himself, but that Billy hadn’t deserved it, that someone should have intervened, that someone should have seen him. This realization left an uncomfortable weight in his chest.

“Duh, kid… you know what’s really been pissing me off lately?”

He asked after a while.

“A few years ago, Eleven wouldn’t have even argued with me. Hell, most days she barely said a word. Then she met the others, and suddenly she started forming her own opinions. Now she sneaks out, breaks rules, has secrets, ignores direct orders, and somehow manages to convince herself she’s right every damn time.”

Despite it all, a small smile flitted across his face.

“And as much as I hate to admit it… I think that’s part of growing up. Kids aren’t supposed to stay where you put them. They’re supposed to fight back. They’re supposed to get stubborn and difficult and make you question every decision you’ve ever made. I still think the system is terrible.”

But when Billy spoke of Eleven again, the smile slowly faded. Hopper listened intently, didn’t interrupt him, let him finish. The longer Billy spoke, the more he understood why Eleven behaved the way she did. Why she kept trying to save people others had long since given up on. Why, even in the darkest moments, she still tried to find something good in others. It was the same trait that regularly drove him crazy, and at the same time, the trait he loved most about her.

“Yeah... that sounds just like her.”

That was all it took for now. The rain continued to patter on the asphalt. Somewhere, a loose sign creaked in the wind. For a moment, the whole world seemed astonishingly quiet.

“She saw something in you because that’s just what she does. Most people see someone who’s broken and decide it’s not their problem. El never learned that. No matter how hard I try to teach her self-preservation. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

His gaze rested on Billy.

“But that’s just who she is. She sees people. She really sees them. Sometimes better than they see themselves.”

When Billy finally promised to stand up for Eleven if anyone ever came after her again, something changed in Hopper’s expression.

“I know... I know you mean it.”

That was probably the greatest compliment a man like Hopper could pay. For a moment, he just stood there and looked at him.

“Whatever it’s worth… I’m glad she has you.”

The words came out quietly, almost reluctantly, which is precisely why they seemed sincere. Then he cleared his throat, as if he’d just said something far too sentimental.

“Now come on.”

He grumbled.

“Before Harrington launches another rescue mission because we’ve been gone longer than fifteen minutes. And don’t let this go to your head, Hargrove. An emotional conversation doesn’t mean I’ve suddenly gone soft.”

He opened the door to the radio station, but paused briefly and glanced back over his shoulder once more.

“It just means it’s a hell of a lot harder not to like you than it was before.”

[...]

Billy Hargrove

The radio continued to crackle, reducing Henderson's transmissions to scattered fragments of words. Even those were barely understandable through the storm of static.

"You won't—ieve what—ed!"
"Dustin! Are you okay?" Lucas called through. "Over."
"I'm okay, I'm fine! The rain is— kkrrsshhhh—"
"Dude, I can barely hear you!"
"The rain—back!"
"We know the rain is back, what are you talking about?"
"What? No— kkrrsshh— Why do you only—ver hear the —east —portant part?! Fzzzsshhh—"
"Dustin? Dustin!"

Only static answered him. Lucas let out a long sigh and tried again, but it was pointless. No voice came back. No garbled message. Nothing.

"It's okay, at least we know he is fine," Robin said, pressing her hands to her ears. "Can you— Can you turn it off, please? My head is starting to hurt... And El's too. You guys will get your chance to beat him up, I'm sure."

Will immediately tightened his arm around Eleven's shoulders and gently rubbed her arm. Lucas nodded and switched the radio off.

"Sorry, El."
"It's okay, Lucas," she assured him, a tired but strained smile on her lips as she leaned into Will. "At least he is okay."
"Sounds like he's got news, though. I can't wait to hear what it is." Will added.

As the conversation faded, their attention drifted toward Steve at the window. Outside, Billy and Hopper were still standing in the rain. A soft smile touched Will's face at the sight. Eleven smiled, too.

Robin, meanwhile, found herself watching Steve. There was something strangely endearing about the way he stood there, completely absorbed by the scene outside. A grin tugged at her lips. Then her gaze shifted to Lucas. The relief she'd seen in him earlier was still there, but something else lingered underneath it. Something harder. More complicated.

She didn't know much of what had happened between Lucas and Billy, but she had seen enough of Lucas' hostility earlier to know that peace and forgiveness weren't necessarily the same thing. Relief could be temporary, and old wounds had a habit of reopening when people least expected it.

Her eyes moved again, settling on Will. And the moment they met his gaze, she knew he was thinking the same.

"Steve is right. People change," Robin agreed quietly. "Sometimes overnight. Sometimes never. And sometimes..."

A humorless smile crossed her face.

"... sometimes a maniac hijacks your mind and a giant flesh monster tears you apart, and you come out of it as a completely different person."

"Billy is not completely different," El disagreed. "He is still the same, he just... sees everything differently now. And he has new friends around him."

Robin couldn't see it as Steve's back was turned towards her, but she was pretty sure that her best friend was smiling when El said that. 

She, too, was surprised that Billy and Hop weren't at each other's throats. They all knew how stubborn the former Chief could be. The man treated personal boundaries like state secrets and usually hated people poking around in his business.

Yet Billy seemed to be doing something right. Because right then, Robin was almost certain she saw Hopper reach out and rest a hand on Billy's shoulder.

Her jaw dropped slightly. Eleven's smile widened. Not by much; Not enough for anyone else to notice. But unlike the others, she didn't look surprised.

After all, aside from Joyce, Eleven probably knew Hopper better than anyone.

For a while, Billy could do little but stand there, listen, and try to process everything Hopper had said. His chest rose and fell, proving just how much he was trying to pull himself together. 

The tears had become impossible to predict. One moment he thought he had them under control. The next, Hopper would hit him with another sentence and everything would crack open again.

Kids aren’t supposed to stay where you put them. They’re supposed to fight back.
She sees people. She really sees them. Sometimes better than they see themselves.
Whatever it's worth… I'm glad she has you.

Especially those last words... Damn. It was ridiculous, but it pulled another sob out of him. Quiet, barely more than a broken breath, but there nonetheless. A part of him hated this — being vulnerable in front of someone else. But at least, Hop wasn't exactly holding himself together either. Even through the rain, Billy could see how deeply the conversation had gotten to him.

"Jesus Christ," he cursed again, softer this time. "You really do fight dirty, y'know that? Spend ten minutes telling a guy he isn't a complete waste of oxygen, then act like you're the tough one."

A shaky laugh slipped out and Billy sniffed.

"That's fair. But if you're gonna keep giving me accidental fatherly advice, I'm legally obligated to become a pain in your ass. I don't make the rules."

This time, the laugh came much easier. The tears finally stopped pouring. His nerves were still rattled, emotions raw, but the storm inside him had lost some of its violence. And if he could stand here, fight through it, and keep breathing despite it all...

Then things could be worse. Billy knew better than most. He'd lived through worse.

Before they went inside, he stopped Hopper once more. The breath he took wasn't as deep as last time he had to say something.

"Hey, um..."

But the words still didn't come as easy as riding a bike. Billy looked up at him for a moment, letting the nervousness shift into a stable gaze instead. Hopper's eyes were pretty blue, just like Neil's. They were hardened and rough and exhausted, just like Neil's. Yet at the same time, they were so much softer. Kinder. Billy had never known that a pair of blue eyes could be so gentle.

His own eyes had the same color. Billy had thought they were destined to become as angry and impatient as his father's.

But other men had blue eyes, too.

Men like Jim Hopper.

Men who loved roughly, but honestly.

The kind of man Billy not only wanted to be, but the kind he had always sensed somewhere deep within himself.

"Thank you," he said, swallowing, but standing strong.

Next Chapter:
» How To Make Plans: Step 5 - Quit the Chit-Chat! «

They're tired, overwhelmed, and closer to giving up for tonight than they want to admit. But when an unexpected memory resurfaces, Dustin Henderson's notes offer the first real glimpse into what the military has been hiding. Finally, the Party have a lead they can grasp... Even if the newfound piece to the puzzle is more than a little worrying.

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