Just imagine Steve rocking up to the Hawkins Community Pool on those first days of summer break, and he just so happens to see Billy looking like this, all bleary eyed and stumbly and squinting in the sunlight.
And- because he's neither blind nor an idiot- Steve notices that something is wrong with him. Very wrong. So he stands there, right by Billy's chair, with his hands on his hips and an incredulous look on his face and he tuts and shakes his head and he says, "Rough night, huh, Hargrove? Cause you look like shit. What's up, you hungover or something?"
And when Billy looks at him, eyes not even fully open, and lets out a confused, pained little mumble about how he doesn't know what's happening, Steve gets even more exasperated and snaps, "Jesus Christ, you're a mess. What the hell were you thinking, man? You can't do your fucking job like this. You're a lifeguard, there are kids here! Dumb little kids who need real, actual, proper supervision, not some guy who's gonna be falling asleep or running off to puke every five minutes."
And he's still mid-rant when Billy whimpers in pain, sounding so utterly pathetic that Steve can't help but feel a little sorry for him. And even though he's still pissed off, Steve softens his voice and says, "C'mon, dude, come on down and get Heather or Alex or whoever to cover you. I'll drive you home."
And Steve doesn't even give Billy time to protest- not that he's even trying to, which really should be red flag number one- before he's summoning up his full Country Club Brat attitude and snapping his fingers until another lifeguard does appear to take Billy's place, and then it's just a matter of bundling Billy into the passenger seat of the BMW, encouraging him to take small sips from a can of ice cold Coke and hoping he doesn't puke until Steve's managed to shove him out to sleep it off on the driveway of Cherry Lane.
Or at least, that's all it should be.
And Steve's dealt with enough hungover guys that he's not really surprised when Billy pitches forward, grabbing at his head with a sudden gasp of pain, twisting his hair between his hands like he's trying to tug it out. Hell, if anything, Steve's a lot less worried about Billy than he is about the upcoming fate of his freshly-valeted interior. So he glances over, about to ask if Billy wants him to pull over. And that's when he sees it.
The blackness crawling its way up Billy's arm. The veins, dark and pulsing, spreading across his skin. The way Billy's holding himself so tightly that he's vibrating with it, lips curling into a snarl and his nails drawing blood where his hands are clamped down on his thighs.
It's not good. Definitely not good.
And then Billy turns to look at him, the blue of his eyes almost lost to that same, spreading blackness. And his voice is just a whisper. Rasping. Choked and utterly, utterly desperate.
"Get out. Oh god, please, Harrington, run. Please. Just run."
And that's when Steve really starts to panic.
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