Billy's doctors wouldn't let Steve see him at first. He wasn't family. Hopper put them in their place though, something about one of them being a drunk, and how easily they could loose their medical license. Steve didn't really care though as long as he got to see Billy.

His parents didn't understand why he went to the hospital so much. They also didn't understand why he would stay until visiting hours were over. Frankly, Steve didn't care about what they thought, not on that. He wanted to try to be there when Billy woke up. Of course he made sure to make it to school, Billy would be pissed if Steve skipped on his account.

It had been the same for the first two days. He sat next to Billy's bed and held his hand. He would talk to him and tell him how much he missed him. He was pretty sure he couldn't hear him but it felt better than sitting in silence.

Max was there the first day and the second day, but she wasn't allowed to stay as long Steve because of homework. Which didn't seem fair to her because Steve did his homework there. It's because of Neil, Max said one day her mom left them in the room together to talk to a doctor. Mr. Hargrove didn't want Max to have anything to do with Billy.

Susan tried to stay one day with Max and Steve, but he assumed she could feel the anger radiating off of him and decided to leave. Steve would rather be alone with him anyway. He couldn't hold his hand in front of Susan, though he should have figured she must have known by then.

His head had been wrapped in gauze because his surgery. His face was still bruised from where is father had hit him. He was still Steve's pretty guy, no matter what though.

On the third day, it almost felt like a routine. Steve was already preparing himself for doing this for awhile. The doctors didn't know exactly when or if he was gonna wake up, so Steve knew he'd be seeing him until they day he did.

What wasn't routine was Billy's heart stopping. Steve was holding his head and he said I love you, Billy. After that the machine next to him started to make this really loud noise that brought him into a panic. He yelled for help and a doctor rushed in and tried to force Steve to leave.

He didn't. He was in the corner with tears running down his face because there was no way Billy was dying. It wasn't fair. Billy was trying to be a better person. He barely got the chance to be that. He tugged at his hair as they shocked him two times and nothing happened.

The third time, however, his eyes shot open. Billy looked disoriented at first until his eyes laid on Steve. They locked eyes as the doctors removed all of the tubes from him seeing as he was awake. Steve was still in the corner, waiting for everyone to leave.

"There may be some neurological problems down the road. I want you to see your doctor every two weeks to see if anything changes." Billy just nodded his head at her and she left them be. Steve was still in pure shock. The blonde smiled and motioned for the brunette to come to him.

"Come kiss me, princess."

Steve didn't even care about the pet name at the time. The only thing he cared about was feeling his lips against Billy's, the rough and sweet feel of it. He knew to be gentle but the kiss was deep and rushed like he'd never be able to kiss him again. Billy chuckled softly as he ran his fingers through Steve's brown locks.

"Don't cry." Billy whispered as they pulled away. He wiped them away from Steve's cheeks and let his hand rest there. Steve wanted to feel stupid for crying. It was the unmanly thing to do. But in that moment all of that shit honestly felt like dumbest thing in the world so yeah, he let himself cry for his guy.

"I'm here. Not gonna go anywhere."

And that had been the truth. Billy stayed by his side no matter what, and same with Steve. Billy had been there when Steve came out to his parents a few weeks later, once the bandages were gone and the bruises had faded away. And in truth they both were scared out of their minds but Steve's parents didn't really mind it.

"Your mother and I have been all over and seen many different kinds of people. We know there are people who like the same sex and we even worked with a few of them. We just want you to be happy, son." His father had said and his mother agreed. She hugged them both and invited Billy to dinner.

That following weekend they finally went on that double date with Nancy and Jonathan. They went to the movies and it had been real sweet. They couldn't steal little kisses like Jonathan and Nancy but they still were able to let their arms touch and let their fingers overlap just a little over the arm rest. After that though they all went out to eat at a nearby diner and then Billy and Steve were finally able to hold hands under the table.

Jonathan let slip that his little brother Will thought Billy was real handsome and it had been too funny to them. It explained why Will had been blushing that day Billy met the kids. Steve figured Hargrove cared more about the fact that he walked in on a kid using their mind powers than he did about blushing Will Byers.

One Friday night Steve and Billy talked about the future, where'd they'd end up. And Steve had said he'd go anywhere Billy wanted. The blonde smiled and kissed his love's cheek.

"I wanna be where my mom is."

And so they started applying for colleges, preferably near or in Los Angeles. Max had been real sad and Steve knew Billy didn't wanna leave her. Word got to Hopper that Billy planned on leaving and sat Susan down to have a serious talk. He said Neil Hargrove was a danger to her daughter's life, and if she chose to stay with him, he would have made sure she was taken from her custody.

It was not a threat, it had been a promise that Susan thankfully took seriously. A restraining order hadNeil move to a different county. Billy put his trust in Hopper to keep Max safe, and Steve also knew that Billy felt better knowing she had Eleven as a friend.

The second hardest part for Steve was applying for colleges. The first time he took the SAT his scores were not great and he knew his chances of getting into a good college were slim. Billy helped him study for the second time around every night for two weeks and the his scores were a lot better. Not as good as his boyfriend's though.

Steve didn't know exactly how he felt about Billy's scores being so high. He was proud of him but he knew there would be no way they'd get accepted to the same university. Billy told him that it would be okay if they didn't, because they would be good no matter what.

And he had been right. They both got accepted to different colleges, both in Los Angeles. The couple decided to rent an apartment to share, and things were more than great. Working and going to school had been draining, but it was all worth it when they came home to each other.

The day Billy introduced Steve to his mom the brunette had been really nervous. Not because of the fact they pulled into a parking lot of an asylum, but because he was scared Vivian Hargrove wouldn't like him. Steve could tell Billy was nervous too, and probably more than he was. He gave his hand a comforting squeeze before heading inside.

Vivian was beautiful. Her hair was long, blonde, and curly, all of which were pulled into a messy bun. When they walked into the activity room she was in the corner painting.

Billy had to call for her a few times before she finally turned around. Her blue eyes widened and she rushed over to him, "My boy, my baby boy, you came home." Vivian muttered as she hugged him tight. Steve watched as some tears spilled from Billy's eyes as he hugged back just as tight.

She was hesitant and looked a little scared when Billy introduced Steve as his boyfriend. She gave him a weak smile and turned back to her abstract work. Billy let Steve know that it would get better after awhile, and it did.

Four years later, at Billy's graduation, Steve proposed. It wasn't a big thing where he got down on one knee, he just said what came to his heart and mind.

"Billy Hargrove, you still piss me off so much, but I never want it to stop. I wanna spend the rest of my life with you." And then he gave Billy what he could afford at the time, a cheap silver band. Billy had laughed because he had bought him a ring too.

It was more of a promise than anything because at the time they couldn't legally get married. That moment came twenty years later, when same-sex marriage was finally legalized. They were in their forties but Steve thought they looked real good for their age. Billy would always agree.

Their wedding had been beautiful.

Steve's mom was there with her long term girlfriend, Lucinda. His dad passed away ten years before that and she came out five years after his passing. Though Steve missed his dad, he was glad his mom was finally at ease, even if it took her so long.

Max came with her fiancé Lucas Sinclair. They were sweet hearts through middle school and high school but went separate ways at graduation. After college though they found each other and fell in love all over again. They're happy as can be as they show off her round pregnant belly.

Mike and Jane Wheeler arrived with their toddler in tow. He was a cute little boy with a head full of curls. Mike held both Jane's and Will's hand, the three came out as poly years ago they couldn't be happier. And then there was Dustin and his scholar of a wife, Suzie.

Jonathan and Nancy Byers came as well. Jonathan being a renown photographer and Nancy a lawyer, they were both very successful individuals, and even more so as a couple. And still Steve's best friends.

And of course they couldn't forget about Hopper and Joyce, who had started dating once Will graduated from high school. That had been the extent of their family, and they all were the ones who cried for them as they officially became husbands.

Two years pass and they were at a point in their life where they were comfortable, but at the same time it felt as though something was missing. They both came to the realization that they wanted a child. Some told them that they were too old and some even said that they shouldn't because they were both males. They didn't care about what anyone thought anymore. And so they fought long and hard to be able to adopt their beautiful daughter, Nova.

As Steve sat in his living room with his husband, watching Billy tickle their five year old, listening to the sweet sound of her laugh; he found himself suddenly grateful for having gone to that party all those years ago. Falling in love with Billy Hargrove may have not been his plan, but he was damn sure glad that it happened.

The end

Author's Note: I wrote this story on a whim. It's rushed, and it wasn't great, but I did enjoy writing it. I'm sorry for any plot holes or typos. Thanks for reading.