the_freak | Dear Billy

If there's one thing he's glad for, is that Eddie doesn't...really question anything that Hargrove is saying. So maybe he does believe him, even if believing doesn't mean understanding. That would probably come later.

There is a small pat to Max's hand and he gets up. His clothes practically hang off of him and Hargrove tries his very best to not think too much about that. And that's easy, focusing instead how Neil really is gone.

Hargrove settles a cool gaze on Eddie, thinking about the offer. Obviously he could walk, he wasn't a cripple. Just half-starved and supposedly dead. That might make people nervous. "If you're offering, you should drive. Don't know how well people will take to a dead man walking the streets." Probably better than some things that roamed around in this shithole of a city.

Eddie doesn't think now's the best time to properly fill Hargrove in on the fact that he's not exactly a welcome sight in Hawkins himself. Everyone's to preoccupied with the 'earthquake' to notice him anyways. So he nods and flashes Max a smile and a small wave she can't see in farewell.

"Come on, man. This place is crawling with cops," he encourages, taking them out a backway he's learned relaxing a little once they've stepped back out into the air. He passes Hargive a crumple pack of cigarettes, pushing it into his chest and nodding vaguely towards the parking lot.

"I'll uh...I'll pull around," he offers, covering for the fact that he needs to go...borrow a car for them.

Cops. Hargrove wants nothing to do with them, not after the few military police down in the lab. There had been three at one point, but he had reduced that number by one before the scientists drugged him into cooperation. If one could really even call it that. Going in and out of consciousness wasn't what either side of Billy would call cooperation.

There's a soft noise at the crushed carton pressing to his chest, but he grabs them and follows Munson outside. He breathes in the air that lacks the sharp sterilization within. It’s fresh by comparison to their, and the must of the abandoned lab.

He nods, feeling on edge and lighting a cigarette. What kind of car did Munson even drive? "I'll wait over by the corner." Because Hargrove wasn't going to wait for cops to approach him. When the other heads off, the blond goes to where he's indicated he'd wait.

The van he used to drive probably wouldn't have done much to impress Billy, certainly hadn't left a lasting impression in school, but how could anything next to that masterpiece Hargrove rolled up in. Eddie thinks his collection of tapes at least might have earned his approval.

He scouts the lot for a suitable candidate and hates that this is becoming a regular part of his life. When Eddie pulls up, he's awkwardly tossing a beaded seat cover into the back seat of the station wagon, refusing to acknowledge how obviously out of place he is in this vehicle.

"Let's go, Sunshine," he beckons with a teasing grin, leaning over to push open the passenger door.

Hargrove would probably recognize the van, but not who owned it. It was just another flaw on the road to him, another vehicle holding him back that he had to get around. While he waits, a cigarette gets lit up and shoved between lips and teeth to work at while he waits. He hears people milling about off behind him. Talking about the earthquake, the strange shit that's opened.

No one knows that a dead man is back. Not yet at least.

Either way it keeps Hargrove on edge. Like he's waiting for Neil to suddenly spring into existence like a boogeyman or a cop to appear next to him.

So when Eddie shows up with a station wagon that's probably seen better days in its mileage, the blond gets in. Doesn't bother buckling up. He snaps the door shut and gets comfortable. Already he hates this. Hates not being in the driver's seat, but whatever. "The house... Cherry. If you see a Buick Regal, dark blue, you keep driving."

"Buick Regal," Eddie repeats, giving a nod and pulling away. He vaguely wonders when it was his life had gotten so strange that this hardly even registered for him anymore. Probably around the time Chrissy had wandered out to do business with him...

He steals the odd glance at Hargrove, fingers tapping on the steering wheel as he sits at a light. "So uh...is Billy gonna remember this, or if he pops back up is he going to think I kidnapped him?" he asks casually.

What could even be considered normal anymore? Driving with someone roughly Eddie's age in the passenger seat seemed pretty normal. The fact that said someone was now suffering from a split personality due to having a creature mind control him and a girl rip that control out....

Okay, maybe not so normal after all.

He settles into the seat, crossing his arms over his chest. The car makes its way down the road. His foot starts bouncing the closer they get to the house. Finally, Hargrove looks to Eddie. "No, he probably won't remember. I don't know how I ended up in a hospital with you." But he knows that Billy had something to do with it. But the problem was, was that Billy didn't know about Hargrove. Not yet. He thought he was just losing time between falling asleep - the times that Hargrove was the one in control.

"He'll be out again when it's safe." The trigger for the protective side's appearance apparently, back in the hospital room. Eddie had caused enough panic for a switch to happen.

"That'll be fun to explain," Eddie nods almost absently, but then turns his head in surprise after turning those words about in his head for a moment.

"Did I...make you feel not safe?" he realizes, replaying the earlier events over in his mind and looking a bit conflicted. He knows there's people who find him scary, it's not the first time he's heard that, but he never imagined scaring someone like Billy Hargrove, and especially not without meaning to.

"You scared him, not me," Hargrove clarifies, scowling at Eddie. "You did something that startled him enough that we switched."

The foot continues to bounce. "I could snap you over my leg with my bare hands if I wanted to," and he probably would, given enough motivation. "I'll do it to anyone that threatens us."

He points down the street to an unassuming house on the right. "It's that one." No car in front at least. Hargrove feels tense, even if his dad really is gone from town.

The scowl makes Eddie's guilt fall away, and he rolls his eyes defensively, huffing a laugh.

"Yeah, man, I've seen your handiwork," he quips easily. Again, not him exactly, but him before the split.

He follows Hargrove's gesture and nods, pulling over. "...It's nice," he offers, mostly to break the silence once he's cut the engine. Hell of a downgrade for Max.

The handiwork could be seen in scars and hushed conversations of crossing the blond when his personalities were still whole. When he was still influenced by the man that raised him in the abuse his mother escaped from.

Once the car stops, Hargrove exits and slams the door behind him. Yet, even with his apparent haste to get out of the vehicle, he stands at the steps. Worn and a bit broken from people and time. There's no furniture or lights to indicate someone's home. The lawn is overgrown, the foliage out of control. Hargrove knows that Susan would be sadden by that - the flower bush had been her favorite to care for.

Hargrove still can't get his feet to move, seemingly cemented to the concrete stairs as he looks at the house. Neil was gone, it was just a house. "It's not," he finally answers with and his baby blues Slide over to meet Eddie's dark ones. "A place I lived, nothing more, really." It had been missing a mother's touch.

His mother. Not Susan.

Unsure if he should follow, Eddie slides out of the car a bit belatedly, crossing round slowly and casually wandering after in a manner he can easily abort if that glare's turned on him again. He pats himself down to pull out a smoke before realizing Hargrove still has his pack, and by then he's caught up, toeing absently at the stairs. He seems to understand Hargrove's meaning, at least if his uncharacteristic silence is a clue, meeting his gaze and giving a slow nod.

Another beat and he takes a few steps, breaking the invisible barrier Hargrove can't seem to cross, rocking up on his toes to peer at the place before looking back.

"You wanna check inside still, or- ?"

It looks like a prison, with the white supports of the screen wrapping around the porch. Hargrove didn't realize how much of one it was until this instance, staring up at the house. He's vaguely aware of Eddie moving around outside of his like of sight. It's only when the metalhead moves past him towards the house does it shake Hargrove out of his thoughts.

"...Yeah. It's not too far in at least." He pulls a loose brick from the pillar on the porch to pull out the spare key they had left for Max. It slots into the keyhole with ease and the door creaks open.

Inside, the living room is pretty barren dust fluffs into the air as Hargrove heads in with slow steps. Last he had been here, his mind had been controlled by that thing from the Upside Down. The good thing though, was there really was no Neil. Furniture was gone, and almost all traces of a family living here.

Save one item.

He heads to the mantle, hand going to a dusty vase that had been left behind. Within, it was filled halfway with shells that weren't found anywhere near Hawkins. Hargrove traces lines through the dust that had settled on the sea-green glass.

A viable shudder runs through him and he sits, quickly. In time, too, as he goes lax for a long moment or two. Eyes have fluttered shut before they snap open and he ducks in a breath like a man waking with a start.

"...Where m'I?" Came the sleepy and soft voice of Billy as he looks around.

Following after, Eddie's feet wander a bit absently while Hargrove moves to the mantle, taking in the space and imagining what it might have looked like before.

"Hargrove??" His head turns when Hargrove drops, half afraid to approach, and once he's gathered the courage he's delivered the jump scare of Billy starting awake. "Jesus Christ man," he mutters, shaking off the fright before his brow creases. Shit they really are like two different people...

"...Billy?" He feels suddenly very unqualified for this shit. Is he supposed to keep Billy from knowing, like...how you don't wake up someone who's sleep walking? "You're um...we're in your old place, man. Just pickin' up a few things."

It's strange, waking up somewhere else than where you went to sleep. He had been in the hospital when he fell asleep, with Eddie...dragging him? Dragging him somewhere. Then it had been sleep until now. His house? No, it was empty.

Billy sits up, looking around. First at the emptiness of the room around him, then at Eddie when he hears his last name, then first. He blinks, still a bit confused but he didn't seem to be in any danger. That had to be good at least. Boots scuff against the floor as he gets up, shaking some of the dust out of his hair.

Picking up some things? Weird. Why would he bring Eddie? "Yeah, it's me. What're you doing in here?" He spies the glass vase of shells again and goes over to take it down quick. Like it'll disappear if he doesn't. He holds it, protectively, and then looks around. "...If my weight set isn't here," which it clearly wasn't, "then this is all I need." All he wanted.

What is he doing here? Hell if Eddie can answer that one. He toes at the ground and shrugs. Something about Hargrove's words earlier makes him feel he shouldn't reveal too much, but it's hard to explain away how exactly the pair of them wound up here. "M'just...I've got the car," he gestured lamely out towards the front like that explained it, watching Billy cradle that vase curiously.

"Yeah? We should probably get out of here then." Before the cops spot that stolen car out front and the wanted man inside. Not that Eddie really know where exactly he's planning on dropping Billy, assuming he even wants to come with him.

He's got the car. Billy scowls, but it doesn't have the meanness of it like it used to in school. "Better not be my car you've got." Though going over to the window and peeking out, no it's not his. And not Neil's. That's a relief. The vase is held tight against his chest. Even as Eddie speaks, he's moving again, going through the hallway into his room.

Cleared out. Remnants of... something on the floor. Like burnt marks in the shape of something... he couldn't quite put his finger on. He gets close to the thought, or that's what it feels like, when there's a sharp tug. The vase is almost dropped and one hand goes to his forehead. What the hell?

Once he calms, it passes, and Billy makes haste back to the door. "Then lets go," especially before anyone comes back - if there's anyone to come back here.

"I wish." Hell, even if Billy/Hargrove/Whoever kicked the shit out out of him, it might have been worth it to get his hands on that thing for a bit.

Eddie lingers where he is, unsure if he's been unceremoniously dismissed by Billy walking out, or if he's just checking out more of the place.

"'Cause I'm the one holding us up, jeez," he mutters playfully when Billy emerges again, hurrying to catch up.

It's only once the car's started that he bothers to note- "...not really sure where we're headed," as he pulls away from the curb. There's Harringston's, but he's not sure Steve OR Billy would be all right with that without a good deal of convincing first.

Edited 2023-03-09 02:52 (UTC)

He doesn't even know where his car is at. The junkyard? With Max and Susan, wherever they went? Eddie said they went to the trailer park, didn't they? That was safer at least. Especially with Neil gone. No more broken dreams, no more broken plates.

When they leave the house, the blond lingers on that same step to look at it once more. Maybe he'd come back. Maybe he wouldn't. Those would be thoughts for another day.

He climbs into the stolen car and puts the vase between his legs to hold. Still no seatbelt, but shifts down into the seat. "...I don't know where to go." Especially since Eddie said he was dead. Dead men only had one place, and it was in the ground. But he wasn't dead. Not yet. "Neil's gone, Susan doesn't have any custody. Just a step-mom." Fingers move against the side of the vase.

Eddie drives without any real destination for the moment, but he nods easily, like it's not daunting at all to have no where to go. At least he feels a little less alone in that now. Henderson, Harrington, all of them have their people and their places, as much as they try and help, they don't really know what it's like. It's a shitty thing to find an upside in that bit of forced common ground, but Eddie can only feel marginally guilty in the moment.

"...If you want her I'm sure we can look into where she's at," Eddie offers. She's been in the hospital with Max, not that Eddie's been able to approach her. Hell she's probably convinced he did this to her. He's not sure where she's staying since the 'earthquake' though. Being so close to one of the gates he doubts their place is still standing. "But uh...I might know a place we can crash for now? If you want?" He drop the offer to bail casually, like he doesn't care one way or the other.

Edited 2023-03-09 03:19 (UTC)

"No." A simple answer, though coming out quick and in a hard tone. "Susan is wrong and I don't want her." Fingers clench against the glass, but he's not being aggressive. If anything, this side seems calmer than Hargrove. Eyes watch the road as Eddie drives. "As long as there's no government, no scientists, no cops, let go."

Those people were too dangerous. He wasn't strong enough to deal with them anymore. He pulls up one leg so it bends and he holds it to his chest. His stomach growls and he scowls slightly. "...I guess I'm hungry. Where you're taking us, does it have food?"

"Those are all harder to avoid lately," he warns, case as point- the pass a military vehicle on the side of the road and Eddie pointedly turns his head to hide his face as they pass, "But um...yeah, this place should be pretty safe." It had been before.

He pauses then and frowns faintly. Right...food. That could be a problem. He can ask one of the group to do a food run for him, but that risks them seeing Billy, and they'll want to know why he's out at Rick's again... Fuck. "Not really," he admits with a frustrated sigh, but better they think of this now then once they get there. "...I'll think of something."

Edited 2023-03-09 17:30 (UTC)

A lot of shit was hard to avoid these days. Billy could only hope that after almost a year in the darkness, no one would remember him here. Or maybe he should be thankful that someone does because who the fuck knows where he'd be if he hadn't found Eddie. Probably incarcerated or some shit.

The sight of the cops gets a similar reaction: Billy turns his head and slinks further down in the seat he's occupying. The other's answer to him draws him out of hiding his face and there's a nod. "Okay." Soft, again, which is the opposite of how Hargrove acted for certain.

"Do you know long I was gone? I was... I was down someplace and whoever put me there left me." He shifts in his seat, uncomfortable for a moment. "I remember driving to the steel mill in town at night and then everything went black until it wasn't. Fireworks and a girl. Then there was pain and darkness again. I think it might've been Fourth of July?"

Eddie looks...uncomfortable, hesitating as he works out how to explain (again), and he wets his lips anxiously.

"It's uh...It's the end of March now," he explains, giving a nod to confirm Billy's rough memory of the date. "...'86," he adds, in case that wasn't obvious. He glances over at Billy to gage his reaction. "It's a lot dude, I know. I'm sorry."

Why did Eddie look uncomfortable? Billy wonders if he said something wrong, or if it was something else. He sits there, fingers still on the vase like it was his most prized possession, and just... watches teh other.

"And I'm dead." Not physically at least. Only by government standards which was so ironic. Weren't those scientists working with the government? Maybe that was their game-play all along. But the end of March. Almost a year. It's when Billy thinks about it does he finally sit up.

"Wait... end of March?" He frowns and thinks. Then looks to Eddie. "What day is it?" Apparently this was very important.

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