#40k-45k

Evan & Billy are perfect together!

“It’s gonna be ok,” he heard Harrington saying at his side, but he had a big noise in his ears, and he couldn’t understand well.

He couldn’t focus, but he glimpsed people running and screaming around him; everything was confused and muffled.

He wanted to move his limbs, but he couldn’t. His head was heavy and uncomfortable against the floor, but he couldn't move it. He felt something sticky on his eyes, maybe it was the reason his sight was foggy . 

He felt blood in his mouth; he was used to tasting blood from the punches from Neil, but it was different, it was like the blood was flowing from inside. He felt his shirt soaked by a warm liquid, but he couldn’t move his head to look.

Suddenly, two hands lifted his face and in that moment, the pain hit him. He whined, and his voice was gravelly and gurgly like he had water in his throat. 

He didn’t remember why he was on the floor, incapable of moving and soaked with blood, while the others were screaming and crying and running around. Or why Steve Harrington was lifting his head to comfort him and why he looked so concerned.

“Billy!” Max was screaming, shocked, while Harrington stopped her to joggle him. She was crying, and the other girl - what’s her name?- was screaming too, and the buzz in his ears intensified.

Harrington rested his head on the floor again and pressed some clothes he collected from the others on his chest, but he could find nothing but pain there, and felt the liquid flowing. Harrington frantically covered the wound, while Billy was fighting to breath.

“Come on, Billy, it’s gonna be alright,” he kept whispering to him, sighing at the clothes already drenched for the blood that didn’t stop.

“…Hurt… a lot”, gurgled Billy, trying to close his eyes.

“No, no, Billy, stay with me, Billy, look at me,” and Billy turned his head to him, with difficulty. “Billy, look at me. It’s gonna be ok, I promise, stay with me.”

That sailor clothes were ridiculous, thought Billy, and why were his lips so pink? He started feeling dizzy and numb.

He closed his eyes again.

He parked his car behind the local dumpster, looking at the other side where the hobos gathered around their little fires and tried to get ready for the night. He didn’t want to bother them, he knew how territorial they were with strangers, and he didn’t want troubles. He could hear their voices when he sat against the fence, a joint in one hand and the sandwich in the other.

He kept his eyes low when the noise at his side became louder, but touched the knife he always carried in his jacket, just in case. His breath became faster, and he felt the fear and the danger he was used to feeling in those kinds of places; he threw the cig butt and swallowed. 

Then he heard a whine at his side, just when he was ready to jump on his feet and fend for himself. 

The puppy was a few meters from him and looked at him with round, shiny eyes under the street lights; the poor animal was shivering in fear, looking carefully at him, ready to run away but hungry enough to try its luck.

“Go away,” said Billy in a low voice, opening the paper of his meal. The dog whined again, making some steps to get nearer.

“I said go away!” repeated Billy louder. The dog stopped, inebriated by the smell of the meat in the sandwich, but didn’t go away. It waited a moment, and moved a little more to Billy.

“I said go away, go away!” yelled Billy, throwing a little pebble in the dog’s direction; the dog jumped back and returned to hide a little farther, desperate for starvation.

Billy bit the sandwich, but he didn’t taste it; he was bothered by the closeness of the dog and he standed to shoo it; but when he stepped to it, and the dog flinched a little, looking at him with those big, innocent eyes, Billy’s heart sank.

It was a rough collie, with furry, ginger ears and a collar of white hair, tangled and dirty; it was so skinny Billy could see its ribs on its back; it was evident that someone threw it away at the dumpster and the puppy tried to survive eating whatever he found; Billy was surprised that the dog wasn’t with the homeless at the other side of the dumpster, because there he could find more food than begging from a stranger, but probably, they didn’t want it either. Nobody wanted him. 

Nobody wanted them. 

Billy’s eyes filled up with tears while the dumpster puppy looked hopeful at him, too hungry to run away, too scared to get nearer; Billy felt so guilty for trying to kick the puppy out like everyone in his life kicked him out; he wasn’t different from them, he just didn’t want that burden to bother him… the puppy just wanted a little care, a piece of his sandwich. It wasn’t dangerous… he just wanted a little love.

Billy dried his eyes and squatted in front of the dog, stretched a hand to it, trying to talk with a soft voice. The dog whined again and moved a couple of steps, then a couple more, until Billy could gently pat it on the head.

The dog was still cautious and careful, but let Billy touch his head and scratch it between its ears. 

Billy tore the sandwich and gave a half to the dog, which scarfed it down in half a second. 

“You’re quite hungry,” Billy smiled and gave it the other half too. 

The dog sniffed him for a long minute after eating, begging for more, and Billy smiled again, trying to pet it while the dog was making a lot of fuss.

It was a girl, Billy saw, and he was wondering who could throw away a fleabag so sweet and pretty, when the dog stopped suddenly and puked all the food near his shoes.

“What the…” Billy made a brusque gesture, and the dog wailed, afraid and scared and probably expecting a beating.

“Ok, don’t worry, it is nothing,” Billy tried to calm her, but after a while he started to feel hungry again, and the dog too; he made a little space in the car and arranged cardboard on the backseat for her and took her in his arms; she was so skinny and light, but her eyes were happy and grateful.

Billy bought more sandwiches at a gas station and a can of dog food; the dog ate with pleasure, and that time she didn’t throw up. She was just so happy and full that she did a little dance and wagged her tail around Billy, then peed almost on him for the excitement.

“For Christ’s sake, you’re trying to get on my nerves, shitbird!” he exclaimed, and then stopped, listening to the word he just said lingering in the air.