#also thank you to the people who made maiden name suggestions for Billy’s mom ages ago

[hargrove-mayfields]

okay so I know it’s been ages (I totally lost this in my drafts. oops!), but a while back I wrote this drabble and @trans-siberian-marching-band left a comment that inspired this follow up!

“When you were growing up, did you ever want siblings?”

They’re out in their backyard, something that still makes the both of them emotional, the fact that they have a space together that they can call theirs, sitting on the porch swing under the stars, just talking.

It’s funny, there was a time when they couldn’t ever do this kind of thing without something to smoke, only ever having these deep conversations because of the Chocolate Thai that Steve used to like so much, but they can’t really do that sort of thing anymore for the sake of Billy’s lungs.

Which, Billy knew well things weren’t going to be the same once he got out of the hospital, and he was okay with that even, after so long a recovery, it just worried him a little, to think he wouldn’t be the same person. But Steve, he had a way of proving him wrong, always showing him that even if things changed, they still had eachother, and that was what was most important to the both of them.

It wasn’t just the photo album thing either, it was keeping up all of their little traditions and habits, different as they may be now, and making dozens of new ones, building a life together and showing him that this was okay.

“More than anything.” Billy responds to Steve’s question, a little wistful. Being a big brother used to be what he would wish for on every birthday candle or shooting star that went past his window.

Steve hums and sits back a little further on the swing, looking up at the sky, “I bet you liked it a lot when Max came along then.”

And he doesn’t mean to, but Billy scoffs, says a bit harshly, “No way, I hated her guts.”

“Oh.” Steve looks over at Billy, a little put off by his answer if the slight frown on his face is any indication, but he shares his own thoughts all the same, “Well I always wanted a little sister.”

“I did too.” Billy admits, making Steve look even more confused as he asks him, a sort of confrontational edge to his voice, “Then what was wrong with Max?”

Billy sighs. The reason is something he’s never shared with a single soul, never scribbled in the pages of his diary, or even mentioned in a prayer. He looks up at the sky with Steve, and tells him, his voice so quiet the emptiness almost swallows his words, “Momma was five months pregnant when she left. I couldn’t stand Max because she wasn’t my real sister. Wasn’t my Raini.”

Billy was eight years old when his momma had told him that she was pregnant, explaining all about what that meant as she was tucking him into his bed each night, when Neil would stay late at work, even later at the bar.

She would take extra care to always tell him how he was going to be such a good role model for his baby sister when she came, and even taught him about all the things you had to do for a baby. He couldn’t have been more excited.

But instead of his family getting bigger, four months before he’s supposed to be able to meet the baby, it gets smaller. His momma, trying to make sure that her husband wouldn’t be able to control her pregnancy or hurt her baby, takes off with most of Billy’s things packed in her car and nothing more than a promise to be back before the end of the month.

Except, that doesn’t ever happen. His dad moves them all the way to the other side of the state before it can.

Little Billy hadn’t known what to do with himself. He was beyond devastated, even more so when he found out over the phone his momma wouldn’t be able to make the trip to come get him like she had initially promised, and that he’d have to live with just his father from then on.

It’s a horrible thing, for a child so young to realize he’ll never see his mother again, never have the things she took with her to cherish, never meet the little girl he was so excited to be a big brother to. Billy honestly doesn’t think Neil ever even found out that his mom was pregnant.

With time Billy would forget a lot of things, trauma blocks and so many months in a coma a major hindrance on his memory, but he could never forget his baby sister.

Steve brings him back out of his head with a simple question, so much concern written on his face it makes Billy’s stomach turn, “You never even met her?”

“Nope. Lost contact with momma before she was even born, so.” Billy says, scrunching up his nose when it burns with tears, the one sure fire giveaway that he’s upset that Steve never ever misses.

“Well you should find her now.” Steve says, but despite the heartfelt nature of his words, the suggestion is immediately turned down with a, “It’s not that easy.”

“Well know her name, don’t you? Raini?”

“Yeah, Raini Mae, but I have no idea what her surname is. She never met Neil so she’s probably not a Hargrove, momma’s maiden name was Ellison, but maybe she got married again after Neil.” Billy explains, frustrated that Steve’s telling him all the same things he’d been thinking about for the last twenty some odd years, “Hell, it’s been so long, maybe Raini’s even married by now.”

“Please, Billy. You have to at the very least try.” Steve says, taking up Billy’s hand in his.

“Why? So I can find one more person who was supposed to care about me and never did?” Billy asks, and they both know that’s unfair, but he’s stubborn, hurt by what happened and terrified of finding out something he doesn’t want to know, “I love you, but I’m not doing this for you.”

But Steve, he isn’t letting this go so quickly. This is the only thing that Billy still kept a secret from him after all these years, this has to be important. He thinks hard about it, and offers hopefully, “Would you let me though? Would you talk to her, even just one time, if I found her for you?”

Billy looks at him, his eyes shining with tears that had been waiting to fall since he was just a kid, and he nods, “Of course I would.”

“Then I’ll do it.” Steve’s says determinedly, his mind made up. He was going to find Billy’s sister, no matter what.

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #billy x steve #this is just part one btw! #this’ll be a whole series tracked by this tag —> #billy has a sister! #also like I’m well aware that with how ultrasound technology was back in the day it’s unlikely that they’d know the baby was a girl #but like y’know I don’t really care #also thank you to the people who made maiden name suggestions for Billy’s mom ages ago #I picked my favorite but I tested literally all of them and it was a tough choice