Prompts #22 and #29
Requested by @kindakayo
(Changed #22 just a smidgeon but it's fine.)

Idoot helped DJ_Tatortot

TRIGGER WARNING mentions of abuse

If I portray something inaccurately (in regards to the mentions of abuse), please tell me so I can fix it!

Summary: You're dating Billy Hargrove, which doesn't make sense to most people. In fact, it barely makes sense to you. But when his stepsister, Max, goes missing, you figure out the mystery of Billy Hargrove...

QOTP: Lucas and Max or Dustin and Max?

Word Count: 3155

You're not sure why you're dating Billy Hargrove, if you're completely honest with yourself.

He just moved in one day — completely out of the blue — and you saw him at school, your first thought being that he was cute. He thought you were cute, too, so he walked over and started talking to you.

He was charming, in his own way, and you knew practically nothing about him, save his name and the fact that he's your age. He asked you out on a date, right then and there, smoothly calling it a tour around the neighborhood, since he was so new to the area.

You don't know what possessed you to say yes, but you did.

You went on that date, and you actually had fun. He didn't even try to kiss you at the end of the night. So, you went on a second date. Then, a third (after which he kissed you). Then, a fourth. And a fifth. And a sixth. At some point, without discussion, it was just a given that you were dating. Mutually exclusively. Going steady. Boyfriend and girlfriend.

And yet, you still know almost nothing about him. Sure, you know what kind of music he likes to listen to, what foods he likes to eat, and basic stuff like that. But he never talks about anything deeper than that — he doesn't even talk about his family. You only found out he had a stepsister because you saw her getting into his car after school and asked him who she was. He told you, but he changed the subject quick, sounding angry when he answered.

So, even if he argues with you about everything, shows up at random times of the evening/night, asking you to come with him on a drive, and gets jealous so easily you can barely breathe in another guy's direction, you stay with him. He's not the way he is for no reason, and you intend to find out what the reason is.

He's a mystery waiting to be solved.

////

"Is she comin' or what?" Billy complains, leaning against the hood of his car as he waits for Max.

You're leaning next to him. "I'm sure she is, babe. Just wait a few more minutes."

"You said that five minutes ago."

"I know..."

You wait a couple moments in silence, then Billy angrily sighs. Apprehensively, you watch the school doors, waiting for Max to walk out. The longer she takes, the madder he gets.

"I'm leavin' her," he says abruptly, getting up and opening the driver's side door.

You instinctively lean over and touch his arm, causing him to pause. "Just hold on-"

"I told her I was gonna leave her here if she didn't-"

You hear the sound of skateboard wheels on pavement. "Relax. I'm right here."

"Took you long enough," Billy complains, getting in the car and slamming the door. You gingerly get in the passenger side, and Max gets in the back. Billy starts the car, music immediately blaring. "I told you I wasn't waiting on you," he says angrily.

You see Max roll her eyes in the rearview mirror. "And yet you did."

"I will end you, you understand me?!" Billy replies.

He goes to shout again, but you gently say, "Let's just forget about it now, okay? It's over, it already happened-"

"But she keeps doing it-!"

"I know, but it's alright, okay?" You turn to Max, continuing to speak in a gentle voice, your expression towards her sympathetic. "It won't happen again, right, Max?"

She reluctantly nods. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever."

Billy goes quiet after that, but he's still fuming.

Max admires your ability to calm him down like that. He listens to you somewhat, and neither of you are entirely sure why, but she's grateful for it. She just doesn't understand how someone like you could date a guy like him.

He drops Max off at their house, then leaves again, planning on taking you to eat on a date of sorts. He's still angry, but he's cooling down.

"So, how was basketball?" you ask, turning the music down a little. He doesn't mention it.

"Fine," he replies simply.

"That's good..."

"I guess."

You go quiet again, thinking of a question to ask him that won't make him angry. "Do you-"

"Will you just stop?!" he shouts, slamming on the brakes.

You're thrown forward, but you were wearing your seatbelt so the worst you suffer is shock. "Billy!"

"Why is it that you have to play referee all the time?! Huh?! You always have somethin' to say!"

"Billy-" you reply, trying to subdue the situation.

"There you go again! You always talk to me like a child! It's like you're afraid to talk to me like a normal person!"

You turn towards him fully, your own anger rising. "You want me to talk to you like a normal person?! Like an adult?!"

"Yeah, that's what I said!"

You hesitate for only a moment, and then it all comes pouring out. "I talk to you like a child because you are a child! And, honestly, I am afraid of talking to you like a 'normal person' because I know you won't be able to handle it-!"

His face is blood red. "Take that back!"

But it's too late. He asked for it. The flood gates are open.

"The tiniest things set you off, and you don't know when to stop! You want to punch a guy if he just glances at me! You treat Max like a disobedient dog and you treat me like a doormat — constantly!

"And it's one thing to treat me badly because I could leave you whenever I want! But Max can't! She's your sister, Billy — whether you like it or not — and you make her life more difficult than it already is! And you know what the saddest part is?! She told me that!"

"You wanna leave, huh?!" he shouts back, ignoring everything you said about Max and pushing down any emotion other than anger. "Why don't you just leave, then?! If I'm such a child!"

"I never said I wanted to-!"

"Yes, you did!"

"I said I could leave if I wanted to, and I don't! You know why?!" You wait for him to say something, but he doesn't, so you continue, tears already falling down your cheeks. "Because you couldn't live without me!"

"I couldn't live without you?!" he screams. "I couldn't live without you?! Watch me!" He leans over and pushes your door open. "Get out!"

You look at him in indignation for a few moments, then unbuckle your seatbelt and get out of the car, slamming the door behind you. He drives off immediately, going well over the speed limit and leaving you to walk home.

////

You've thought about Billy a lot since you broke up — how could you not?

At first, you were just angry. You told him exactly what he asked you to say, and he couldn't handle it, just like you thought. Then, he made you walk all the way home. Why wouldn't you be ticked off?

Then, after a while, you calm down enough to really think about the argument. Everything you told him was true, and he did ask you to talk to him like 'a normal person'. But that makes your mind go to back to the mystery you were trying to solve — why he is the way that he is.

He has anger issues, obviously, and — at least from what you've learned so far in your Psych class — that has to stem from somewhere, right? Especially his anger towards Max.

And you previously thought that his tendency to get jealous easily is apart of his anger issues, but now you think that maybe it stems from him being insecure — about what or why you don't know, but it still makes sense. Something is going on with him, and whatever it is, it's not good.

This all brings you to why you stayed with him in the first place. You told him it was because he couldn't live without you — a heat of the moment answer that, while it was probably true, wasn't actually the reason. But you really stayed so you could figure him out and actually get to know him. Now, you realize that was only one part of it.

Surprisingly, he could be sweet sometimes. It was usually just little things, but looking back they really stand out. How he'd open your door for you a lot — stuff like that — or how he'd look at you when he thought you couldn't see him or you caught him staring at you. He'd compliment you, too, but you wrote it off as simple flirting, something he said with an ulterior motive. You never could figure out what that motive was, though, because he never actually expressed it.

Long story short, you really, genuinely liked Billy, and it's almost sad how shocking that revelation is to you. And now it's too late.

Or so you think.

You're sitting in your room, trying desperately to focus on your Psych book when you hear a car — a specific car — pull up outside. It's a familiar noise you thought you'd never hear again.

You look out the window at the driveway, and sure enough, there sits Billy in his car, looking up at your window. You make brief eye contact, then you step away.

Anger begins to rise in you again as you make your way downstairs.

He can't just show back up — especially after ignoring you for weeks — and pretend like nothing happened. He broke up with you. What does he hope to accomplish by coming here?

You make it downstairs, ignore the questions your parents are asking you, and go out the front door, stopping at the driver's side window of his car. He rolls the window down, and then you see that he's about to cry.

"Look, I know you don't wanna see me right now, and I know you'll never take me back, but I'm not here for that. Max is missing-"

"She's what?" you ask, your anger replaced by panic.

"I brought her home and went to lift weights, then I was gonna come over here and apologize, but D-Dad came home and I realized she wasn't there and... and I don't know where she is, and now I have to find her," he replies. He almost looks desperate.

It goes without being said that he wants you to come with him, so of course you do. You love Max, and you want to help find her.

"Let's think rationally about this," you say, for his benefit and yours. "She's probably at a friend's house."

"I don't know where her friends live-"

"I do," you reply quickly. You've lived in Hawkins your entire life, and just about everyone knows where everyone else lives.

You've seen the kids Max has been hanging around with, and they're good kids. One of them got lost in the woods for, like, months last year, but that's about it.

"Let's try the Sinclairs," you say, giving Billy the address. It's not far from your house, so you get there quickly, but find out that neither Max nor her friend Lucas are there.

So, you try another one. "The Wheelers."

Mike's mom, Karen, tells you that Max isn't there, and Mike's not home either, but they're probably at the Byers. So, you thank her and head there.

Maybe — just maybe — you shouldn't have.

////

When you get out of the car, Steve Harrington is standing outside. He looks genuinely surprised to see you, but stays focused on Billy, who throws any amount of vulnerability he was previously showing completely out the window. "Am I dreaming or is that Steve Harrington?"

Steve has his hands on his hips, and, much like Billy, looks like he's ready to fight at any moment. "Yeah, it's me. Don't-"

You roll your eyes and interrupt them. "Can you both be civilized towards each other for just this once?"

"We were bein' civilized," Billy argues.

"No, you weren't." You look at Steve and cut to the chase. "We're looking for Billy's sister, Max. Is she here? Mrs. Wheeler said she might be."

Steve walks closer to the car, which you can tell Billy takes as a challenge. Steve shakes his head a little. "Huh, that's weird. I don't know her."

"Small, redhead, really annoying," Billy replies, causing you to roll your eyes again.

Steve shrugs. "Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry."

Billy sighs, and when he speaks you recognize his tone — his body language — to mean that's about to hit someone. "You know, Harrington, this... this whole situation... it's giving me the heebie jeebies."

Steve quirks a brow as you prepare to step in at any given moment. "And why's that?"

Billy steps closer. "My thirteen-year-old sister goes missing all day, and then I find her in a stranger's house with you — and you lie to me about it."

Steve chuckles, shaking his head again. "Man, were you dropped too much as a child, or what? I don't know what you don't understand about what I just said: She's not here."

Even after that, Billy still shows no signs of leaving. Before he can reply, you step toward him and put a hand on his arm. "Come on, she's not here. Let's go look somewhere else."

He looks over Steve's shoulder, shrugging off your hand. You follow his gaze and look in the window, where Max and her friends are all clearly visible. Your heart drops into your stomach. Billy points to them and looks back at Steve. "Then who is that?"

Steve turns to look, knowing he's screwed, then turns back around. "Listen-"

Before he can get another word out, Billy shoves him to the ground. You hurriedly get in front of him as best as you can, what with Steve on the ground at his feet. "Billy-"

"What did I say about playing referee?!" he shouts at you.

You look him in the eye and shout right back. "And what did I say an about being a child?!"

He has no reply; he simply goes around you, shoulder-checking you as he does to try to stop you from getting a hold on him. He kicks Steve on his way, aiming to keep him on the ground.

As he walks towards the front door, you help up Steve, knowing you can't stop Billy on your own.

By the time you and Steve make it inside, Billy's already there, and he's headed for Lucas Sinclair, but he's shouting at Max. "I told you to stay away from him!"

Steve runs up and restrains him from behind, resulting in a fight to start between them when Billy manages to turn around.

"Billy, stop!" you and Max shout. He ignores you both, so you decide to go with what will probably work best and get between them.

Billy's holding Steve by his shirtfront, about to punch him, but you run in and grab his wrist, throwing your other arm up in an attempt to block his punch. It connects with your arm as he was already swinging, but he's able to hold back enough once he realizes you're there that the worst it will do is bruise a little.

He lets go of Steve, who backs up but stays close enough to interfere in between you and Billy.

"Get out of my way!" Billy shouts, trying to push you away but also restraining himself as he doesn't want to hurt you (which honestly would surprise some people).

"No! You're acting like a child, just like I said! Max is here, we know where she is, so just-"

"But he lied about it!"

"Of course he did!" you exclaim. "He was protecting Max from you!" He just looks at you, unable to respond. After a moment, you say, "Let's go. We're leaving. And I'm driving because you are way too angry right now."

You start to leave, still holding his wrist, but he pulls back. "Dad will kill me if I don't come back with her!"

You start to reply, but you can see by his expression that he really means what he said. You look at Max, and her expression says it all. "Billy, let's go to the car."

"But-"

"We're not leaving, we're just going to the car."

He doesn't protest — mostly due to confusion — lets you take him to the car, and doesn't say a word when you get in the driver's seat.

"When you said your dad would kill you, did you mean that literally?" you ask.

"I-I mean, I-I don't-"

"It's a yes or no question, Billy."

You're being particularly stern, and that coupled with the range of emotions he's feeling right now prevent him from even thinking about arguing with you. "... Yes."

You're pretty sure his dad wouldn't actually kill him, but if Billy genuinely thinks he would, that doesn't matter. "Why?"

He completely dodges the question. "Y/N, can we just-"

"Why, Billy?" you repeat. "What's going on?"

This time, he doesn't say anything. He simply pulls down his shirt, revealing a large, purple bruise on his chest near his shoulder. You look back at his face and see that he's crying.

This is it.

This is the mystery. This is what you wanted to find out.

"Billy..."

He fixes his shirt. "Let's just forget about it, okay-?"

"No," you reply. "No, we can't forget about it. I'm not gonna let this go on any longer. It's killing you, Billy. It should've been obvious to me before."

"Y/N-"

But you're already putting the car in reverse. "We're going over there right now, and your father is going to get a piece of my mind-"

"You'll just make it worse."

"Not if I call the cops on him. Because I will." You put the car into drive and start pulling out on the road, then another thought occurs to you. "Does he... hurt Max, too?"

"No," Billy says. "He loves her."

It's silent for the rest of the drive, you speeding down the road toward his house, thinking about exactly what you're going to shout at his sorry excuse for a dad.

Billy, meanwhile, is slowly filling with hope every second he looks at your determined face.