Running Through Storms, Chasing the Lightning - Harringrove

6. falling with you

Billy stands off to the side and observes as they riffle through boxes, looking at the strange vials of green liquid in them.

He listens as they all speculate about what it could be.

He ignores how Steve seems to be trembling, despite the jacket still around his shoulders and the stifling heat in the metal elevator.

Steve looks at him and for some reason, Billy feels like he's begging for some kind of salvation. 

So, Billy swallows back his pride and walks up behind Steve, wrapping his arms around the other boy's waist and pulling him back, so he practically crashes into Billy's chest.

"You afraaaiid, Harrington?" He sing-songs, directly in Steve's ear.

Steve scoffs, but relaxes into Billy's embrace, and both of them resolutely ignore the strange looks from the others.

And then, taking the pit of Billy's stomach with it, the elevator drops.

"What the fuck did you do, Henderson?" He shouts, tightening his arms around Steve's waist, as if trying to ground them both, wheeling the pair of them around to face Dustin, incriminatingly caught with his fingers jammed against the buttons.

"At least I was looking for a solution instead of just cuddling up with Steve, Billy!" Dustin shouts back, snatching his hands away from the buttons as if burned.

Billy rolls his eyes.

"C-can you use the door-open button?" Robin asks, tentatively, pointing towards it.

Dustin shrugs but turns to the buttons and tries them.

"You have no idea what you're doing," Erica hisses, shoving him out of the way, trying her hand at it. When it doesn't work, she throws her hands up in the air. "Great! None of it's working and now I'm getting thirsty!" She turns her eyes towards the sickly green liquid and Billy knows exactly what she's thinking.

He tries for his best imitation of Susan, nitpicking any little thing Max does, (it usually works to get her to drop whatever she's trying to eat or do, and it pisses Billy off.), as he says "Erica Sinclair. Do not drink that."

Erica looks aggravated and opens her mouth to snap back at him, but stalls out when he raises an eyebrow at her.

"It can't be that dangerous!" She huffs, but removes her hand from the vial, crossing her arms.

"I cannot believe I'm agreeing with Billy Hargrove, but it's being transported by the Soviets, Erica!" Dustin exclaims, throwing his arms in the air in frustration. "Soviets do not do safe!"

Billy watches Steve's scrunch his face up and stare upwards, accidentally making eye contact. 

He looks like he's praying.

"Okay," Steve manages, disentangling himself from Billy and crossing his arms, taking a firm stance. "Let's just stay calm, okay? Dustin, we both have the most experience with these kinds of things, so… What's our play here?" 'Most experience' meaning 'any experience' Billy surmises.

Steve pokes at the green vial, as if waiting for Dustin's input.

"I may not be a genius or a Russian base… Escape artist or whatever you and Henderson get up to, but I consider myself scrappy in a pinch," Robin states, bravely, puffing her chest out, as if to drown out her own fear.

Billy would know.

He does that all the time.

He says nothing, instead watching as they all poke around the confined space, searching for an escape.

Robin pauses in a corner, staring up at the ceiling and cries out, "I found something!"

Everyone rushes to her, even Billy, to see what she's found.

"Can someone-?" 

She doesn't even finish her sentence, finger pointed at the grate for a vent, screwed into the ceiling, before Billy is pushing past her, tugging on the shelves to make sure they're bolted in, before going up.

+++

Up, as it turns out, is a bust.

It's the top of the elevator, sure, but also, they're so far down that getting up would be impossible, even for Billy and Steve, the most athletic of the group. 

Billy flops down on top of the roof, hanging his head forward with a sigh.

He ignores how Steve flops down next to him, their pinkies brushing together. 

"Hey, man, I just," Steve starts, then stops, pursing his lips, as if thinking. "I wanted to apologize for getting you in this shit."

Billy turns to look at him. "It's cool, Harrington," He licks his lips, turning away. "You know me, know I don't do things I don't wanna do."

Steve cracks a smile, rising to his feet. "Yeah, I know."

"Guys!" Dustin calls, from up the vent, with rushed urgency. "We think we hear people coming!"

Steve's head snaps up as he hurries over and immediately sticks his arm through, grabbing onto Dustin and helping pull him up.

Erica is next, with Robin close behind, as they all gather up on top of the elevator, peering down through the vent.

Steve places a finger against his lips, telling them all to keep quiet as the elevator doors open.

The Russians walk in, speaking with each other in low tones as they gather up the boxes and take them to be loaded onto a cart.

Once they leave, the door slowly begins to slide shut.

Billy takes the initiative, hopping down into the elevator, helping the others down, hands lingering on Steve just a little longer, before practically shoving people out the doors, even as it gets lower and lower.

Steve, staying behind with him like an idiot, props the door up with the green vial.

Billy can hear the glass cracking next to his ear as he and Steve crawl out from beneath it.

Then, there's a loud crunch in the oppressive silence of the base they've just crawled into.

They turn around, just in time to see the acidic liquid in the vial melt down through the floor.

"Still wanna drink that, Sinclair?" Billy snips, looking at the pit in the solid concrete they walked out on.

"No," Erica manages. "I'm good."

+++

Their footsteps echo along the wide, open hall, making Billy cringe with each step.

He's terrified that any wrong move will call a troop of guards to their location and get them all caught. He's fine, he could tough it out. But the thought of Robin or the kids getting caught up in that? Steve?

He wants to mentally scold himself for the irrational fondness he feels, but they've all already taken root in his heart, as people he cares about.

He rolls his shoulders out, shakes it off, and picks up speed to catch up with the rest of the group.

Billy slings his arms around Steve and Dustin's shoulders.

"Whatcha talkin' about nerds?" He says, with as much playful venom as he can muster, trying to hide how hard his hands are shaking.

This is probably going to be the worst night of his life.