Running Through Storms, Chasing the Lightning - Harringrove

5. ventilation

They don't talk about it.
About how Steve's BMW stays tucked neatly away in the pool parking lot that very same morning.
He's picking up an afternoon shift, with Robin, so he just spends the morning at the pool, thoroughly distracting Billy, with stolen sunglasses perched atop his head, a soft sunburn starting to form across the tops of his cheeks.
Billy swallows hard and tries to pretend that Steve Harrington doesn't exist, for the rest of his shift, even though he makes it impossibly hard.

Billy manages for the entire first hour, but then, Steve is leaning up, arms folded across the edge of the lifeguard chair, big brown eyes hidden behind Billy's sunglasses, having been knocked down from the top of his head as the sun rose in the sky.

"So is that what you do all day? Sit here," Steve bites his lip, and Billy can't see it but he's pretty sure Steve glances down at his chest. "Shirtless, and yell at kids?"

Billy smiles, all teeth and sharp edges, leaning down, so that his breath washes across Steve's face, as he says, in a low tone, "Pretty much. Why?"

Steve just shrugs, leaning back, instead reaching out and pressing his fingertips against the edge of the lifeguard chair. "No reason. Warmer than my job, that's for sure." He shudders for a moment. "They keep it so cold in there, but I never remember a jacket because it's so hot out."

Billy nods in agreement.
It had been cold when he was in there yesterday.
Then, Billy's boss came out, arching a brow.

"Still here, Hargrove?"

Steve frowns, checking his watch.

"Shit," He hisses, leaping back. "We gotta go, I'll wait at the car,"

Like it's a given that Billy's just going to drive him to the mall that day, spend the whole day with him.
Billy hops down and follows him out, making a mental note to get his leather jacket out of the trunk, just in case.

+++

Billy sits absently in the corner, doesn't even notice Robin rushing around and out into the mall, until Steve is walking over to him, twisting his fingers in Billy's shirtsleeve to get his attention, tilting his head towards the back.
Billy complies easily, noticing the goosebumps rising on Steve's arms, so he scoops up his jacket off the back of the chair, draping it over Steve's shoulders as they walk.

Steve sticks his arms through the sleeves, and Billy holds back a smile as the sleeves fall over his hands a little.

"Robin found something," Steve explains, ignoring the looks that Robin and Dustin give him, in favor of snuggling back into Billy's jacket and gesturing towards a map on the table.

Robin blinks, before turning her attention back to the matter at hand, saying, "Right, well. I think I know where the Russians are keeping their… Whatever it is they're transporting through the mall."

Dustin continues her thought, "But, we don't have a direct line to it, straight through the back halls. We did, however, find a path straight through to the vents," He points at a stark red line on the map. "We need someone to get through there and open the door to… Whatever this room is."

"Don't look at me," Billy snaps, before anybody else even gets a chance to speak. "No way am I fittin' in that tiny ass vent. What about you, Henderson? Maxine says you got some fucked up bone deformity."

Steve shoots him a look that has Billy withering beneath his gaze, wishing he had held his tongue.

"She prefers Max, and Dustin is perfectly fine as is." He pauses, redirecting his attention to Dustin. "Having said that, get your ass over here and let's see about you getting in the vent."

"Yep, getting in the vent," Dustin replies, quickly, scurrying towards Steve, as Steve crouches down, lacing his fingers together to make a step up for Dustin.

They struggle with it for all of fifteen minutes before Steve finally gives up, pulling Dustin down and rubbing at the spots on his shoulders that are definitely going to bruise.

"Not that flexible, huh?" Steve teases.

Dustin's only response is to stick his tongue out at him.

"Well, if Henderson can't fit, then the rest of us definitely can't." Robin murmurs, wiping a hand down her face in exasperation.

Billy furrows his brow, thinking hard, dutifully ignoring Steve fiddling with the ends of the sleeves of his borrowed jacket.
Then, a thought occurs to him.

"Sinclair's in on it, right?" He asks, a general address to the room.

Dustin nods and says, "Yeah, but if I can't fit, Lucas absolutely won't."

Billy reaches over and smacks the back of his head, something he always does with Max, a sibling gesture, then tries to act normal about this whole thing. "Not Sinclair, dumbass. Mini, girl Sinclair. Doesn't he have that bratty little sister who's always coming up here getting free samples instead of actually buying?"

Billy knows this because had complained about her, once. Said it was nigh-on impossible to get anything done in a timely manner when she was at Scoops.

(Nigh-on. Timely manner. Where do kids these days learn this shit? And don't say school, because when Billy was in middle school if you said flowery shit like that, you got your ass beat in the locker room for being gay.)

"I mean, sure, but she's not in on it," Steve shrugs, causing the leather to bunch a little at his shoulders.

"Okay? Who said she had to be?" Billy huffs, crossing his arms. "We just tell the little brat we're going to magical rainbow kitty sparkle land or some shit and leave it at that. I doubt anything bad's gonna happen anyways,"

Just then, the bell rang.

"Excuse me? Hello?" Erica Sinclair calls, hands on her hips in a very unimpressed fashion.

Billy fixes Steve with a look, before he says, "Speak of the devil and so he shall appear, Harrington,"

+++

After Erica had spent hours trying to bargain with Robin and Steve, they eventually reached an agreement.
But the little punk keeps trying to get more.

So, Billy steps over, slamming a hand down on the table.

"How about this, brat," He snarls, using every ounce of intimidation he knows that he has, thanks to the way kids run screaming from him in hallways. "You take the deal they have so graciously offered you," The kid was already getting too much for Billy's liking, but whatever. "And your head gets to stay attached to your neck. Sound good?"

Erica gulps, and he can tell it physically pains her to not be the biggest fish in the pond anymore, but no big fish stands a chance against a shark, so she nods.

"Great!" Billy says, with false cheer. "Now let's get this shit, over with."

+++

Billy lays on his back on the roof across from whatever warehouse they're trying to break into, yawning.
He absolutely did not think, when he woke up this morning, that he would breaking into a Russian base with Steve Harrington, but he also didn't think that he'd ever be in a situation where Steve Harrington was up before him, making coffee and putting waffles in the toaster, so he could eat before work.
Sucks when the guy you tried to kill cares more about your well being than your own family does, but whatever.

"Billy, Billy!" Steve hisses, tugging on Billy's shirt and he tries not to think about how much Harrington likes doing that. "The guards are leaving it's go-time,"

Billy nods, reaching above his head and stretching his shoulders out, while Dustin and Steve put everything away and Robin uses the walkie-talkie to tell Erica it's time to open the door.

From this distance, Billy can see a thoroughly unimpressed expression on her face.
He rises to his feet and holds a hand out for Steve, to help him to his feet.
He ignores how Steve keeps clinging to his hand, even when they're already standing, and preparing to walk into what could be their doom.