Take Me Back (Deja Vu) -- For @crawlingbackwards

[california_dreaming]

Hawkins, Indiana. Friday, June 30th, 1995.

Ten years ago to the day a young lifeguard was kidnapped by her coworker from the pool, an act that ultimately led to hear death. Ten years and one day ago, the life of a particular asshole from California had been changed forever. Later on he'd blown out of town, not looking back, unable to face the horrors that the now infamously cursed town had in store.

A bit under a year later he read newspapers about a state of emergency that almost made him get back in his beat Ford Escort and drive back. But no. Nothing could ever get him to go back to that hellhole. That's what he told himself.

Hilarious that ten years to the day that his life had been ruined he had done just that, holing up in a hotel for some sleep to recover before what would be yet another life changing weekend in the cursed town. His ten year high school reunion. Hell, Billy didn't even know for sure just how the invitation had gotten to him. Someone must have found his contact information, because it had come and for a laugh he'd agreed.

Mostly because it was long past due when he should check in on Max, and he'd heard she might be in town checking on Susan. The drive was nice too. Good for inspiration. He'd taken it slower than the trip back to California, stopping at points with great views, hauling out a sketchbook, and getting ideas down on paper when he needed it. Never knew when some small detail would create something beautiful. Or terrible. Worked either way. Still gets into town, crashes on the couch in Susan's place after a meal (she'd actually gotten a bit better at cocking, who could have expected it), and then prepares for what comes next.


Billy Hargrove knows how to make an entrance. Has already made one in this small town before, but he does it now for old time's sake. Waits until he'll be half an hour late, so he can ensure all eyes are on him. If he's going to be back in this place of nightmares and memories, he wanted to live out some of the good ones. Which means tearing into the school parking lot in his blue and white Chevy Chevelle, engine roaring, music blaring. Barely anyone is outside of the school building, already headed into the gym, but the few who are...

Oh the looks he gets. They know this entrance. They know what it means. And before he even gets out of the car he knows there are whispers. But he does get out, smooths his fitted and well worn jeans over his legs as he does so. Back then he'd be in some shirt he hadn't bothered to do up all the way. These days he's still too mindful of old scars, choosing instead to have one where he can have the sleeves up and the buttons all done, like self respect. After a moment to psych himself up he gets out and makes for the gym.

"Well damn, Carol, you sure aged like fine wine," he says as he comes to a stop at the check in desk, smiling down at her. She looks so shocked. Like she can't believe he's here. Neither can Billy. But he keeps smiling and she reaches for a badge that is really deep in the box, like no one expected it to be needed.

"You too," she says as she hands it up. "Like what you did with your hair."

Billy reaches up, considers the curls. They're bleached more blonde than ever from all the sun back home, just as changed by California as he had been. But when he touches it he almost laughs. Apparently he'd forgotten to pull his hair out of the sloppy bun he'd put it in earlier while helping tidy a bit around Susan's place. Even reaches for the tie when Carol shakes her head.

"Oh no. Leave it like that," she grins. "You look tasty."

And Billy laughs as he accepts the passed over name tag so he can affix it to his shirt.

"When have I not been a snack?" he asks before nodding to Carol. "See you inside later."

Then he heads past her into the gym and feels the eyes turning on him.

Billy Hargrove had come back to Hawkins High School. Now he just needed to make it through the night. Maybe it would be easier this time, because so much of the old arrogance and steel had been worked off of him, just leaving a softer, happier man in its place.

Comments

[crawlingbackwards]

"How many nights are you in town? I'll give you the money for the reservation and you can stay at my place. If it's the one I'm think of that place is terrible." He really hoped he wasn't coming off as desperate because honestly, he couldn't imagine having to make the long way around drive just to avoid possibly the worst place for Billy's mental health.

"Plus, I'm not that far from the trailer park. Getting to Susan and Max's place will be so much easier from my place. There's even a tv in the guest room."

[california_dreaming]

Geez, he's really suggesting that. Billy looks shocked. What the fuck?

"You'd really do that, Harrington?" he asks, because yes, he's utterly shocked. He doesn't care about the TV though. "You'd have to explain yourself to a kid and a friend, and you'd pay for the privilege of questions?"

[crawlingbackwards]

Taking in the shocked look, Steve just reached out and patted the blonde on the shoulder.

"Look, you may have taken off after everything but it's not like I'm bringing home a complete stranger. You're still kinda one of us, besides you're Max's brother."

[california_dreaming]

"Still a stranger to your kid," Billy counters. And, honest... "I've been gone for ten years, Steve. I knew you all for eight months. I've always been a stranger."

Fuck, he really has. They've never known him, not even Max. So why should Steve trust him around his family? On the weight of one evening at that?

[crawlingbackwards]

"Alright you got me there, however, I still have my spiked bat so..." He shrugs, as if he doesn't think he's actually going to need it. "I helped take out a kid killing psycho with a god complex, I think I could take you if I needed to."

He isn't wrong, Billy is basically a stranger. Maybe even more so now than he was before. They guy had changed. Even still, Steve felt like he wasn't that bad of a judge of character.

[california_dreaming]

Shit, that was a point. But he rubs the back of his neck. Was he really going to do this?

"Alright," he says after a long moment. "If you're sure. But i have to deal with the hotel thing tonight."

Even though the drive will upset him.

"Geez, Harrington, if I'd known all it would take to get you paying this much attention to me would be to reveal how much of a mentally ravaged artist I was, I wouldn't have pulled your pigtails so much back in high school."

[crawlingbackwards]

At least the drive back would be with the promise of a warm house and a bed that hasn't had multiple people fucking in it or possibly had someone die in it.

"Yeah? Okay, I should give you the address...unless you want me to just follow you to the hotel and then you can follow me back?" Not an offer of support while having to deal with the Steel Works, he has no idea what you're talking about.

[california_dreaming]

Yeah, there is that for the bed.

Still, now Billy has a decision to make.

"Your place got enough space to park a second car?"

Because if not, he could drop the Camaro off at Susan's after the whole mess and have Steve pick him up.

[crawlingbackwards]

"Easily. Parents sold me their old place when they moved out to Chicago." Sold is a lose term, it was only for legal purposes but still. It was in his name now and he paid taxes on it with his job. Any money left over from his parents is in a savings account or in something for his daughters future.

[california_dreaming]

Oh, wow. Billy had heard about the place. Just didn't think Steve could afford it on a teacher's salary. But that was good to know. That he wasn't messing with Steve's rental or something.

"Alright, then I don't have to worry about middle steps. How about..."

God, he's not going to be a safe driver.

"My shit is at Susan's. I was going to stop in to get it. What if I go there, grab it, then park at your place. You can get me to the motel and back."

So nothing goes wrong. So he can keep his eyes closed as they go anywhere near the Steelworks if they have to.

[crawlingbackwards]

"Sounds like a plan to me." Steve nodded, taking the receipt from the waitress when she came back with a quiet 'thank you'. Taking his pen out again he turned the paper over and jot down some fast directions from Susan's place to his. He'd driven Lucas enough times in the past to know it by heart, even a small simple map with streets labeled.

"When you get there just pull into the empty spot and knock on the door."

[california_dreaming]

"You think I didn't pick up on where Castle Harrington was back in school?" Billy asks, rolling his eyes. Getting from A to B in that sense wouldn't be hard at all. But for now he does take the instructions.

"If I'm not at your place in an hour, call the cops. If I think I might be late, I'll call from Susan's."

[crawlingbackwards]

"Maybe. But you've never been there, unless Tommy drove you by like a creep, and it's been ten years." Steve shrugged. Listening to the rest of what Billy had to say he just nods.

"I've got Hop on speed dial and he always picks up." It wasn't a lie, ever since everything had happened the guy was even more paranoid than ever and always made sure they all could reach him. "I'll see you soon."

[california_dreaming]

Now there's a point. But Billy isn't going to address why he's so confident about being able to find Steve's house.

"Okay then. I've been threatened or what- wait."

Correct him on something here.

"Didn't he die in the Starcourt thing?"

YEah, he's that out of the loop.

[crawlingbackwards]

It's probably for the better that Steve didn't know.

"Ah...yeah...." Steve stops, scratching his neck. "That's something I can tell you about later. There's...a bit more than I could really tell you here?"

Better not to talk about the international crisis that they also averted in the middle of a diner. For all they probably shouldn't have been talking about what they were in the first place.

[california_dreaming]

Listen. If you're going to be the Juliet of town, you gotta not be shocked when Romeo maybe spends some time in a car in your neighborhood watching your house and wishing he had courage and strength.

"Alright then," Billy said before finally getting out of the booth himself and stretching a bit. "I'm going to get going."

[crawlingbackwards]

Old him would argue that he was totally the Romeo of the town thank you very much, but that version of him is long since gone.

But that isn't brought up so it's fine, instead he just gives Billy a wave when they both get to their cars and heads home. The house is mostly dark save for a few lights and the porch light. Good, he didn't have to turn that on. As soon as he got in he was greeted by his best friend and a barrage of questions. Questions he answered while picking up a few toys and making sure the guest room didn't have any wayward toys hiding out that Lizzie might want. Or that Billy might accidently trip over.

"Look, Billy's gonna be over for the weekend. He's in town and he originally had a hotel out by the steel factory-"

"Seriously?"

"Right? So I invited him over to stay in the guest room." Taking one last glance around and figuring it was good enough, ie infinitely better than some shitty hotel, and heading to put the toys he had found in a tub in the living room.

The house was warmer than it had been in his younger years. Robin being there so often she might as well live there, not to mention everyone else who would use his large space as something of a hub or place to hang out. Papers and folders strewn on the dining room table to be graded, the den converted into a place where the Party could play D&D from time to time. It was more a home than it had ever felt to Steve before.

"It's fine, it's just like...a couple nights? He probably won't even be here much. He's here to visit Max and Susan."

[california_dreaming]

Robin rolls her eyes at 'just a couple nights' and 'won't be here much'. She stands there with her arms crossed over her chest in that way that says 'I've already figured out something you haven't.'

It wasn't a new pose.

"So you find the missing Billy Hargrove, at your ten year reunion no less. You walk out of said reunion early so you can go grab coffee with him. And now he's staying here. By all means, him not staying in a shitty motel is a win, Max will worry once she realizes what is going on. But here?"

It wasn't even a 'he beat you up once' thing. It was an 'after all you learned about yourself are you really going to put the forbidden fruit in arm's reach'?

[crawlingbackwards]

"Where else?" Steve says, finishing straightening the papers on the table...absently frowning at one test that he could tell was completely wrong. "It's not like Hawkins has fantastic hotels or something. And Susan hardly has room for herself and Max let alone Billy too. Meanwhile I have more than enough space."

Don't give him that look, Robin, he knows it's a problem. He's not even going to mention the fact that he was already thinking about planning a vacation to California, or that a big portion of that was because he wanted to see what had changed Billy for the better. What had helped him heal.

"It's fine, and if it isn't you can say 'I told you so' after he leaves."

[california_dreaming]

She's so going to say 'I told you so'.

"I'm going to be over a lot then. Because someone has to call the police if he decides he want to go off and beat you up again."

Why would Robin ever trust a clearly racist and probably homophobic guy in the home of her bisexual best friend and his kid.

[crawlingbackwards]

"First off," Steve finally turns to face her, hands on his hips. "That is very sweet of you but I don't need you to protect me. I can protect Lizzie and myself, fine. Not that I don't appreciate the help. Secondly..."

He sort of trails off and his face takes on a small grin.

"He's...different. I mean, seriously Robin. He's happy and...I don't know. I'd never use 'soft' as a way to describe Billy Hargrove but...kinda?" He couldn't out Billy to her, just like he couldn't out her to other people. It was why he had been vague when mentioning Eddie's 'preferences' for all the guy was probably more open even being out on the road. It helped add to his image or something. "Besides, it's not like we're hooking up. He's just staying a couple nights here. He hates Hawkins."

[california_dreaming]

"Of course you're not hooking up. This is Billy Hargrove the biggest womanizer this town ever saw," Robin points out. "And if he hates Hawkins, then he's really going to be in a bad mood. Which will make this whole thing worse, won't it?"

Because she doesn't think that's okay. It being worse. Because it will be worse on Steve.

[crawlingbackwards]

"Robin, just...please? Trust me?" Steve sighed, walking up to Robin and taking her hands. "He really is different from before, ten years changes people. Look at me."

Still, he knew she'd worry. She always did when it came to Steve, hell she came back here after all.

"Look, you can stay and keep an eye on him if you really want. The guest room is called but know you basically have pick of the house. Hell you can take my bed. Just, keep an open mind? He's supposed to be here in like...an hour. And then I'm driving him to take care of canceling his hotel."

[california_dreaming]

She's going to trust Steve the best she can. That doesn't mean she can trust Billy Hargrove.

"I'll call my roommate and tell her I'm not coming back tonight. And you get to explain to Lizzie why there's a stranger at breakfast."

Which of course he was going to have to do that. Who else would? What a silly thing to say.

[crawlingbackwards]

"I was already working on what to say." He reassures her, squeezing her hands before letting them go. "Go call her, I'm gonna peak in on Lizzie."

Patting Robin's shoulder Steve went up stairs towards his old room. Peaking in to see the pail walls lit by a small night light. The room had been painted and new curtains put up. No more matching wallpaper and curtains for Robin to tease him over. Instead it's light and very much a child's room again.

Making sure she was snug in bed, Steve tiptoed back down the hall and back down stairs to wait for Billy.