Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You say I’m not alone , but I am petrified 

Max’s right leg bounced up and down, up and down, practically vibrating under the kitchen table. The tension could be felt in the air. Billy was two hours late. He was supposed to be home by five o’ clock. Five came and went, so did six. It had just reached seven and Max had a knot in the pit of her stomach. Dinner was postponed at the Hargrove-Mayfield house for promptly ten minutes, courtesy of Susan, but that was all Neil could wait before throwing some curse words at Billy’s name and demanding that they eat. He dug into his plate after that, as did Susan, but all Max could do was sit, bounce her knee, stare at her food, and pray to whatever was out there that Billy was okay. 

Her mind wandered from scenario to scenario. Somewhere in the front of her mind said he probably just ran out of gas and had to walk home; she knew she was not that lucky. The back of her mind was screaming at her that he dropped while he was driving, crashed, and laid dead in a ditch. She had to bite her tongue every time that thought circled to the front of her mind. She was not an idiot; she saw the way her brother looked all week. The confused look on his face, the way he had to really pause and focus before he was able to understand what was going on. He was holding on by the skin of his teeth. Any day now. 

Max crossed her arms over her chest. She hated Neil Hargrove. And she was so afraid of what he would do to Billy once he finally came home.

A loud engine sounded from outside and Max felt her heart drop to her stomach. The camaro. Neil sneered and shook his head at his plate. Susan’s lips formed a thin line the way they always did when she so desperately wanted to say something, but was so brainwashed by Neil’s beliefs that she felt it was not in her place to do so. 

Max was sure all of the color drained from her face when the front door finally opened. She bounced her leg harder. Billy stumbled in through the front door looking as confused as he always did before he forcefully dropped. Which was definitely nowhere near as often as it should have been. It took him a moment to settle his eyes on the makeshift family sitting at their dinner table. Neil placed his fork down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Max was frozen. 

Neil stood up, “You finally decided to grace us with your presence, did you?” 

Billy took one look at Neil’s angry face and shrunk in on himself ever so slightly.

“So you think you can just waltz in here whenever you damn well please. Is that it?” He took a few steps towards Billy, and Billy immediately stepped back. Max let out a relieved breath she did not know she was holding once she realized that even in his hazy state of mind, Billy was still able to comprehend the very real danger that was Neil Hargrove. 

Neil kept walking until he had Billy backed up against a wall. He leaned forward until he was completely in Billy’s face, “Where. Have. You. Been.” Billy looked over to the wall, anything to try and get away from Neil’s wrath. Neil forcefully grabbed Billy’s chin and yelled, “Look at me when I’m talking to you!” Billy’s chin quivered in Neil’s grasp and his whole body began to shake. 

Neil shook Billy’s face when he noticed how shiny his eyes suddenly were, “You pathetic- Men don’t cry! And Hargrove men sure as hell don’t!” Neil continued to yell profanities at his son, and with each passing second Billy looked more and more terrified. It was not until the first tear fell that Max suddenly felt her body unfreeze. She had only seen him cry a handful of times before, either while he was Little, or while he was absolutely undeniably completely one hundred percent terrified.

She jumped up from her seat, “Stop! You’re scaring him!” 

Neil’s head slowly turned toward her. His face was a combination of rage and disbelief; how dare she speak to him like that. She had seen that face directed at Billy so many times, but it had only been directed at her once before. The day Billy got his classification. 

. . .

Billy and Neil had left early in the morning to go to the appointment. Max saw them right before they left and Billy looked like he was going to throw up. She knew he was going to be a Little before he got tested, they all did. They just did not want to admit it. All of the signs were there. Max liked to use Billy’s window to sneak out at night since hers had a giant bush directly underneath it, and without fail he was sucking his thumb every night she snuck out. There were also a few nights when she walked into his room to find him a disheveled mess, while he attempted to strip his wet bedding off his bed. She made the mistake of trying to comfort him the first time she walked in on it, from that point forward they were in mutual agreement that she did not ask him what happened, and he did not ask her where she was going. However, unfortunately none of that helped soften the blow of when it was officially made official. 

BILLY HARGROVE 

CLASSIFICATION: LITTLE

Billy felt numb as he stared at the words in his hands. Neil immediately scuffed and crossed his arms dominantly. He did not listen to a single word the doctor told him about caring for a Little and a Littles needs because he had already decided that he would not allow it under his roof. Billy would care for himself like the man he was supposed to be and NO ONE would find out. He was just going to have to pretend that he was a neutral. Neil sure as hell was not going to coddle him just because some doctor claimed he was a Little. Neil started to run through the long list of everything he had to do to cover it up, because William Hargrove was a neutral. He wouldn’t allow him to tarnish his family's name like that. He’d make sure of it. He glared at Billy in disgust. 

The car ride home was tense to say the least. Neil did not say a single word the entirety of the ride and somehow that scared Billy more than any alternative. 

Once they finally got home and were inside the house Neil wasted no time in slapping Billy across the face. Hard. Billy was hardly able to get over the shock before he was assaulted again. He took the hits like he was trained to do until he felt completely numb. And they just kept coming. His mind no longer felt connected to his body and he reasoned that that was probably a good thing. Then the hits stopped. And there stood Max. Stupid, wonderful, couragous Max. She stood with a combination of fear and dominance as Neil slowly turned his head to look at her. He then slowly turned to pick up the picture frame she had thrown at his head. He looked at her again. Meanwhile, Billy laid on the floor beneath him, looking as if he was not there at all. “This doesn’t concern you, Maxine. Go to your room.” She did not move. Neil looked pissed. But before he could move, Susan appeared behind her, challenging him to take another step towards her daughter. Neil fully stood up and sneered as he walked out of the room, “Go to your room William. I don’t want to see you for the rest of the night!” 

. . .

“Stop! You’re scaring him!” 

They made eye contact as he glared at her, just as he had before. Without breaking the contact, he asked, “Am I scaring you, William?” 

Billy choked out a pathetic, “No, sir.” 

“Do you need your little sister to win your fights for you?” 

“No, sir.” 

Max did not blink as they stared at each other. Neil shoved Billy towards the floor and into the wall from the hold he had on his chin, then backed off. He walked directly up to Max and harshly grabbed her face, “Next time you stay out of it. Do you understand me?” She gave no response, so he shoved her too and walked out of the room. She lost her balance, but did not fall like Billy had.

Max immediately made a beeline for Billy and dropped to the floor where he sat. He was still quietly crying, the tears flowing faster than before. She reached for his face to brush them away, but he gently pushed away her hands. 

“Stop. Max, I’m fine.” She continued to fuss over him, then stood up and reached for his arms to help pull him to his feet. “Come on, let's go to your room.” Reluctantly, he let her pull him off the floor and lead him down the hallway to his room. The first thing she did once they made it to his room was close and lock the door. Billy wiped the tears off of his face that just would not stop coming. “Billy,” Max said sadly. 

He sucked in a sharp breath, obviously trying not to cry, “ ‘m not Little.” She raised an eyebrow and gave him a face that said ‘you’re kidding me right’. He may not have been completely Little, but he was Little enough that he did not jump up to fight Neil for grabbing her face. He would not have even hesitated to do so had he been completely big. 

She rubbed a hand over his arm, “Do you want to lie down?” 

He ever so slightly nodded his head then looked at his feet. She sighed and pulled him into a hug, knowing he needed it more than he was willing to admit. She felt his body shaking beneath her fingertips and it broke her heart. They had to have stood there for half a minute before he pulled away. Billy had fresh tears on his face and his eyes appeared further gone than they had a minute before. Max squeezed his shoulder, “I’m gonna get your pajamas ready so you can lie down, okay?” Billy nodded his head; he was hanging on just barely. 

Max walked over to his closet and pulled out the bag in the far left corner where she knew he kept his diapers. She went with him to the convenience store two towns over the last time he needed to buy more. It was not convenient, but he did not have a choice. He could not risk being seen by anyone who knew Neil, and Little or not, he wet the bed every night. 

She pulled one out of the bag, then pushed it back into its hiding place. Next, she walked over to his dresser and pulled out a soft t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. She stacked the items then placed them in Billy’s arms. “Can you get dressed by yourself?” 

He nodded his head, but given the fact that he was not at all embarrassed, told her that he had almost completely dropped. She guided him to the bathroom, first making sure Neil was not close by of course, then told him she was right outside if he needed any help. It took a concerning amount of time before he finally opened the bathroom door with his pajamas on, but by the somewhat carefree expression on his face, she knew he was fully regressed. And as inconvenient as the timing was, he needed it so badly. 

She smiled at him, “All done?” She walked into the bathroom and picked up all of his clothes left on the floor, then quickly brushed his teeth for him. She quietly snuck him back into his room and gently guided him into his bed. She had to shush him, when he made noises, afraid for both of their safeties. It was not until she had him tucked in and reached for the lightswitch could she finally breathe. 

“Goodnight, Billy.” 

She was not even able to take one step towards the door before,  

“No. . . I scared.”

She turned the light back on, “Why are you scared, Billy?” He shook his head and fresh tears welled up in his eyes. She was not a mind reader but she had a pretty good guess that it had something to do with his father. She was quick to reach for his face and gently ran a hand over his hair. 

“You stay? P’ease?” Max smiled sadly, but nodded her head. “Yeah, buddy. I’ll stay. Let me just turn off the light, okay?” 

She got up to turn off the light, then made her way over to Billy and climbed into his bed. She continued to comfortingly run her hand over his head while he attempted to relax.

“Max?”

“Yeah, bud?”

“Lu’you.” She pulled him closer to her and kissed his head. “I love you too, Billy.” 

It took close to twenty minutes before he was able to fall asleep, but by then the only sounds that filled the room was the quiet suckling noise of him sucking his thumb, and his steady breathing. Max carefully climbed out of his bed, kissed his forehead, and with one last glance left the room. 

She climbed into her own bed, not quite tired yet, but set her alarm for six thirty. She had to be awake to check on Billy before Neil was, and she hoped and prayed that he would not still be Little in the morning. She did not know what Neil would do to him if he was. 

Max hugged her pillow and tried to ignore the emotional pain she felt for Billy. The fact that his dad did not love him. The fact that he was beaten weekly. The fact that he was so Little and just had to suppress that side of himself. The fact that his life was so hard and there was absolutely nothing she could do to make it any easier other than hold him while he cried and kiss better all of the bruises left by Neil. The fact that it was her sole responsibility to care for her brother because Neil would never allow a caregiver. And the fact that Billy was just so miserable all the time and she did not know how to help him. 

Max cried into her pillow.

. . .

Six thirty came way too soon. Max groaned as she smacked her alarm clock to make it shut up. She rubbed a hand over her eyes, then quickly got up to check on billy. Neil left for work at 7:00am and if he just so happened to decide to start trouble, she needed to make sure Billy was in the right mindset to protect himself. 

She quietly opened her door, and stuck her head into the wallway to make sure no one was coming, then tiptoed to Billy’s room. She slowly opened the door, then stepped inside. Billy was asleep with his thumb in his mouth. But, that did not tell her anything because he always sucked his thumb while he slept. She was not even really sure if he was consciously aware that he did. Regardless, she would have to wake him up to determine whether or not he was still in his headspace. 

She gently shook his shoulders, and whispered, “Billy. You have to wake up.” He groaned and attempted to roll over. “Billy,” she said a little louder. He opened his eyes and stared at her. He was still confused having just woken up. “How do you feel?” He squinted towards the window, taking in the light, “What time is it?” His voice was gravely as he spoke. Max sighed in relief. 

“Six-thirty. I needed to make sure you were up before Neil, just in case.” Billy ran a hand over his face then turned to look at her. He sat up alarmed and pulled her towards him, “What happened?” He lifted his hand up to gently run his fingers over the bruises on her face. She winced. He did not know it yet, but they had a matching set; his were just less noticeable because of his facial hair. “Uhh, I uh yelled at Neil last night.” Billy saw red, “He hurt you.” It was not a question. “He was hurting you. I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing!” 

“That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do!” 

“You were so scared, Billy! I had to!” 

He sighed. He could not remember any of it. “Neil doesn’t get to hurt you.” 

“Well he doesn't get to hurt you either. I’m fine. You were dropping and you wouldn’t understand why he hit you.” 

Billy ran his hand over his face and took a deep breath, “If he touches you again, I’m gonna kill him.” 

“Billy-”

He shook his head, “He won’t hurt you again, I’ll make sure of it. I promise.” Max sighed, then leaned into his open arms, welcoming the hug. Embracing the silence. She whispered,

“. . .I’m not gonna let him hurt you either.” 

. . .

Max stood by the front door with her backpack on, waiting for Billy to come out of his room and unlock the car. He walked out of his room, fully dressed, hair done, and shoes in hand. He stopped in front of max and bent down to put them on. He pulled his left boot on, then his right. Max watched him fumble with the laces, having nothing else to do. After the third failed attempt to tie his left shoe, Max asked hesitantly, “Billy?” He glanced up, then immediately returned his focus to tying his shoelace. “What, shitbird?” 

Her eyebrows moved together in confusion as she watched him once again fail to properly tie his shoelace. “Are you-” She paused, contemplating how to word the question, “-Do you still feel Little?” 

“No,” he immediately responded. Although after struggling for a moment, he dropped his shoelace in defeat he sighed, “My head’s a little fuzzy but sometimes it just takes awhile to go away. I’ll be fine.” Max looked at him sadly, then bent down to tie his shoelaces for him. She knew that wasn’t normal. Littles weren’t supposed to need to regress immediately after regressing. She remembers talking about something like that in her health class and it being related to trauma while in headspace. She gave him a forced smile once she stood up. 

His smile was just as fake, “I’m fine. I promise. It’s already better than when I woke up.” He lied. 

Max offered to drive to school, and Billy of course said no, so it was a shaky drive all the way there. He dropped her off at the middle school, and tried to relax the short distance he had to drive to the high school.

Max spent her entire first period worrying about if Billy was going to drop in class. Her second period was really interesting so it took her mind off of it, but by lunch it was once again the only thing she could think about. Well, also the fact that if he did drop at school, Neil would not hesitate to literally kill him. He made it abundantly clear that nobody could find out. Max bounced her leg underneath her desk. Mike gave her weird looks, but she ignored him. He was easily her least favorite member of the party. She found him beyond irritating and very self centered. She only put up with him because of El. 

At the high school, Billy was also bouncing his leg underneath his desk. It was enough for him to focus on to keep his pencil and his hands out of his mouth, because as soon as he let his mind wander, something ended up in his mouth. He was not dropping perse, he just felt littler than he should have. He still had control, but he was not completely big. The entire last hour of the school day, he sat and watched the clock, literally counting down the minutes. 

When the bell finally rang he jumped up from his seat and practically ran outside. He squeezed his way through the mobs of people as he tried to move as fast as he could. When his car finally came into view he thought he was in the clear. Then he felt it. The warm wetness running down his leg. No no no no no no no no. He started sprinting then. He jumped into his car as fast as he could get the door open and tried to remember to breathe. He could clean the car; he couldn’t erase the memories of people if they saw. And if anyone saw, Neil would murder him and bury him in their backyard and then he wouldn’t even need the car. Billy smacked the steering wheel a few times, “FUCK! FUCK! SHIT! AH FUCK!” He ran a hand over his head as he attempted to calm down. He took a few deep breaths, then threw the camaro into fourth gear and practically flew out of the parking lot. He made it to the middle school in four minutes, then sat in the parking lot and bit his fingernails.

He slapped his hand down to his side when he realized his fingers were in his mouth. He tried to stay calm, but his head was growing more and more fuzzy as the minutes went by and it was getting harder for him to think. When he finally spotted Max walking out of the school, he stuck his head out the window and yelled, “Hey! Hurry up! Let’s go!” The party all gave him glares in disgust, but Max didn’t even give them a second glance before she quickly walked to the car, because she knew Billy was close to dropping all day. She got into the car and Billy was already pulling out of the parking lot before she even closed the door all the way. 

She turned to him with wide eyes ready to yell but the words died on her tongue when she noticed the smell, and the dark wet patch on the front of Billy’s jeans. She slumped back in her seat, and a look of pity covered her face, “Billy. . .” 

He stared straight ahead at the road and gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. 

“Did you, you know-” she paused and lowered her voice, knowing it was a tough subject; did you piss yourself in front of everyone, “-have an accident in class?” 

He let out a shaky breath, “I was outside. Nobody saw.” 

She nodded her head, then looked out the window. Their current situation seemed to catch up to her because she looked over at him in alarm, “You shouldn’t be driving, pull over!” 

He kept his eyes on the road, obviously trying to focus, “You think I don’t know that? Why do you think I’m driving so fast?” 

“Billy.” She said sternly. His head whipped to her direction, slightly shocked, “Talking to me like that definitely isn’t going to help.” 

Even though Max had two and a half years before her sixteenth birthday and official classification, they both knew she was a caregiver. Which meant, she had the caregiver tone. And it worked. 

Billy looked into the rearview mirror and Max completely turned around in her seat when they heard the police siren. “Oh shit. Fuck!” he smacked the steering wheel again as he slowed down to pull over. “Just calm down. It’s fine.” But it wasn’t fine. Billy wanted to cry. He was overwhelmed and obviously dropping, and now he had to talk to a police officer, pretend that everything was okay and that he was a neutral because that’s what it said right on his fake ID that he was forced to use and then to top it all off he had to go home and explain to Neil why he got a ticket. Billy needed to cry.

“Hey! It’s just Hopper. It’s gonna be fine, it’s just Hopper.” Max had a really good relationship with Hopper, with him being her best friend's newly adoptive father. 

She could obviously see his distress. They waited for Hopper to walk up to the side of the car. Billy rolled down his window, then Hopper leaned down and gave his signature bullshit smile. “You wanna tell me why you’re going sixty in a thirty five?” Hopper had pulled over Billy enough times to set a record, and up until that point had let him off with a warning, but now he was going almost double the speed limit and Jim couldn’t let that go. If someone happened to be walking across the street and he hit them, they would die instantly. 

Hopper raised his eyebrows, waiting for Billy to answer. 

“I’m ina hurry.” Max winced the way his words slurred together the way they always did when he was close to a drop. She knew he couldn’t help it, but it definitely wasn’t going to help their case of not getting a ticket. 

Hopper stood up straight, “have you been drinking, Hargrove?” 

“Nosir” 

Hopper clicked his tongue and took a step back, “Alright, I’m going to need you to step out of the car.” 

Billy clenched his jaw, but reluctantly opened the door and stepped out. 

“You sure you haven’t been drinking?” Hopper asked, not quite mocking, but not quite nice.

“Yes. Sir.” 

Hopper looked him up and down, “So you just piss your pants while you're sober? Is that it?”

Billy closed his eyes and sighed. 

“Alright, walk in a straight line for me.” Max watched hopefully as Billy pitifully walked like he was about to fall over. He was dropping for god's sake! Of course he would not have good balance!

Hopper had had enough, and he shoved Billy up against the side of the car, “Alright Hargrove, it is one thing to drink and then drive yourself, but your little sister is in that car and right now her safety is your responsibility.” Billy shrunk in on himself and the back of his throat started burning. “Your behavior is reckless and completely irresponsible! What if you had crashed, huh? What if you had hit somebody?” Billy turned his head to the side when Hopper got in his face, “Hey! Look at me.” 

“Hopper, stop!” Hopper’s head turned towards the voice as Max got out of the car, “Max, get back in the car.” God, it was yesterday all over again. Billy’s throat burned and his eyes watered. He was still sandwiched between Hopper and the camaro. 

“You’re scaring him,” she said sternly.

“Yeah, well maybe somebody needs to.” 

Max pushed herself in between Hopper and Billy, “Can’t you see that he’s dropping!” 

And there it was. His big secret. All out in the open. Hopper took a step back and opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. Max turned around to face Billy. There was only one word to accurately describe him: Afraid. She brought her hands up to cup his cheeks and direct his focus to her face, “Hey, it’s okay.” 

He turned away from her hands, “ ‘m fine, Max.” 

Hopper was still behind them trying to process the bombshell of information he just received, “No, he can't be, he's not. I’ve seen his license, he’s-”  

Max turned around and marched back to the driver's side of the camaro. She opened the door and stuck her hand under the seat where she knew his real driver’s license was. She pulled it out, then threw it at Hopper and went back to tend to Billy. Thankfully he wasn’t crying, but he still looked scared. 

Hopper leant down and picked up the small card that was thrown at him. He flipped it over and sure as shit right under his name, in bold caps read: LITTLE

“How is that even possible?” Max threw a glare at him that screamed ‘not now’. 

Hopper composed himself a little, before he walked over to the pair of siblings, “Har- Billy. I’m sorry for yelling at you.” Billy gave a small nod of his head, “ ‘s okay.” 

Hopper nodded, then cleared his throat, “Well, I can’t legally let Billy drive you home, so let me just radio in someone at the station to call his dad to-”

“No!” They both cut him off at the same time. 

Hopper ran a hand down his face, “Why?” 

They were quiet until Max spoke, “Billy’s dad doesn’t exactly approve. . . of his classification.”

Hopper sighed loudly and once again ran a hand over his face. This was not something he wanted to deal with today. “Well, then I guess you’re coming to the station with me until we can figure something out, because I legally can’t leave him alone without a parent or Caregiver.” 

“ ‘m not Little.” 

“Sure you’re not. Lock the car, I’ll have someone on call swing by and drive it to your house. Get in the back.” 

Billy reluctantly got into the car and handed over his keys. Max climbed in after him, then grabbed his hand and pulled it into her lap. It provided enough of a distraction that the car ride to the police station did not seem long. 

Hopper parked his car, then they followed him inside. There were people everywhere, and Billy automatically gravitated closer to Max. Hopper pointed at his office, “I’ll be in there in a minute.” 

Hopper walked over to their secretary, Florence, “I’ve got a Little and his sister. He pissed his pants so find some clean clothes. Medium. And try to contact the mother, Susan Mayfield.” 

He walked off in the direction of Callahan’s desk and dropped the camaro keys onto the desk, “There’s a camaro down the road, I need you to drop it off at 4819 Cherry Lane.” He didn’t even wait for a reply before he walked away towards his office. 

He walked into the room and found Max and Billy sitting on the couch. “Jim?” He turned around to find Florence with a stack of clothes in her hands, “Great. Thanks. Billy, this is Florence, she got you some clothes to get cleaned up.” Billy looked to Max before he moved, and did not get up until he received a reassuring nod. He slowly walked towards them, then followed Florence out of the room. Hopper closed the door behind them, then turned to Max, “Okay, hit me.” 

She rolled her eyes, “His dad’s a piece of shit. I've been telling you this for months.” 

Hopper sat down across from her at his desk, “I don’t know what you expected me to do when I didn’t even know he was a Little!” 

“Well it’s not like I can go around broadcasting it, Neil would kill him.”

Hopper held his face in his hands, “What about your mom?” 

“She just listens to whatever Neil says.” 

“Is it safe to call her to pick you guys up, yes or no?” 

“Why the hell are you asking if it’s safe?! Why can’t you go arrest that bastard already?!”

“Because there isn’t any evidence! It’s your word against his-” 

“The fake ID, the bruises, how traumatized Billy is while in headspace, the unexplained injuries, all the school absences, oh I don’t know, the fact that not a single person on this planet knows he's a Little!” 

“Kid-” Hopper shook his head sadly. “I need concrete evidence. There’s nothing I can do right now without it. I’m sorry.” Max glared at him but she was more sad than angry. 

Billy followed Florence(?) he wasn’t sure if that was her name. He missed Max. “Billy, honey, I’ve got your clothes right here, here is the bathroom, okay? You just let me know if you need anything okay, I’ll be right here waiting for you.” She smiled at him so he nodded his head. His head was starting to feel really fuzzy. Florence handed him the clothes, then closed the bathroom door behind him. He set the clothes down on the sink, then picked up the shirt. It had ‘Hawkins Police Department’ spelled out across the front. Then he noticed that there was a diaper hiding underneath the t-shirt on top of the sweatpants. He was big enough to reason that it was probably a good idea, but Little enough to not even feel embarrassed about it. 

He slowly changed out of his clothes and into the clothes provided. It took awhile because his coordination was not at its peak performance. Once he was changed, he picked up all of his dirty clothes and opened the door. Florence was waiting outside of the bathroom door, as promised when Billy walked out. She held open a brown paper bag for him to throw his wet clothes in. She even folded the top of the bag for him and carried it as she led him to Hopper’s office. 

Max and Hopper were still talking inside. 

“Well what happens when he drops?” 

“I keep him out of sight and away from Neil.” 

“Every time.”

“Yeah. It’s not very often. Normally once every five or six months. He pushes it off until he physically can’t anymore. I know that’s not healthy; so does he. I’ve tried to convince him to drop once a month; I told him I’d take care of him, but he won’t do it.” 

“He’s regressing twice a year?!” 

Max sighed, “I’ve really tried to convince him, but it’s not safe. He can’t protect himself when he’s Little. Technically he dropped last night. He’s been in the in-between state all week. But then Neil beat him and he fully dropped. He’s beyond traumatized. And then he woke up again this morning stuck in between headspaces.”

“And your mom doesn’t do anything?”

“Neil has practically brainwashed her.” 

“So it’s just you?”

“It’s just me. Nobody else is going to take care of him, so I do it.” 

They both looked over when there was a knock on the door and then it opened. Florence walked in, followed by a very shy Billy, which Hopper immediately found an odd sight. Because if there was one thing Billy wasn't, it was shy. 

Florence set a brown paper bag on Hopper’s desk at the same time Billy spotted Max. 

“Max!” He clumsily ran to her and immediately burst into tears; so overwhelmed by finally seeing someone he knew and loved. She pulled her arms around him and rubbed his back, “Hey, buddy; it’s okay.” She continued to shush him and rub his back, “You’re okay, Bud.”

Now Hopper thought that shy Billy was strange; shy Billy wasn’t even in the same ballpark as crying Billy. If there was one thing Jim never thought he would see, it would be Billy Hargrove crying. 

Max guided Billy to take a seat next to her on the couch, and he pressed as close as he could up against her. She held his hand and rubbed her thumb back and forth. 

Jim sat there in disbelief as he watched a literal child take care of an obviously young Little like it was the most natural thing in the world because their piece of shit dad won’t do his job as a parent and their mother simply follows along. Max had essentially been Billy’s Caregiver for- Jim wasn’t exactly sure, but he didn’t think it would be too far off to say since the day he got classified. Which meant, Max had essentially been a parent since age twelve. The thought made Hopper sick to his stomach. 

Max was slowly rocking him where he laid his head on her shoulder, “Hey, Bud; Hopper called my Mom and she’s gonna come pick us up okay? And I’ll protect you at home, I promise.” And there Billy sat, listening to every word, believing everything that she said, putting all of his faith in a thirteen year old girl, trusting her to keep him safe, because she was all that he had. 

And for the first time in nearly ten years, Jim Hopper wanted to cry. 

Chapter Text

Susan walked through the front door of the Hargrove-Mayfield house at exactly 3:46pm. She managed to get off work a few minutes early, and was happy to finally be home. She barely had time to take her shoes off and set down her purse before the phone rang. Quickly, she walked over to the kitchen where it was mounted to the wall, and picked up the phone. 

“Hello?” 

“Hi there, is this Susan?”

“Yes. . . Who is this?” 

“Hi Susan, this is Flo, I’m here at Hawkins Police Department.”

Susan’s heart raced. What kind of trouble did Billy cause this time and how badly is Neil going to beat him?

“Oh?”

“ Yes, well we actually have your children here. Billy dropped not too long ago so we need a parent or caregiver to come pick both of them up.”

Out of everything Susan thought she was going to hear, that was not it. She knew that Billy dropped last night so he should have been fine today. Neil. Susan was afraid of what Neil would do to Billy for dropping again. She was afraid for her-

“Susan?”

“Yes, sorry. I can be there in half an hour.” 

“Okay. Thank you. Buh-bye.” 

Susan hung up the phone and swallowed hard then reached for her bag and shoes. She glanced up at the clock on the wall; the minute hand had just reached twelve. 4:00pm. She had exactly two hours to figure out what she was going to do before Neil came home. 

. . .

Hopper watched silently as Max repeatedly ran her hand over Billy’s hair. He laid with his head on her lap, asleep. His thumb was in his mouth and the quiet suckling was the only noise that filled the room. Hopper glanced up and caught Max’s eye. He gave her a sad smile. 

He cleared his throat, then spoke quietly, “I get that you feel like it’s your responsibility to look after him, I do, but it’s not.” Max glanced over at the wall. “This shouldn’t all fall on your shoulders. So, if you ever need anything, anything at all, you just give me a call.” Max gave a small smile and a nod. “Call the cabin, radio El; if nobody answers, call the station. Whatever you need, I’ll be there.” 

Max’s throat burned; nobody had ever offered to help before, “Thank you.” It was sincere. 

“I’m being serious, kid. Anything you need; call me, and I’ll be there.” 

Max was almost positive that Hopper's offer stemmed from the fact that they already had a good relationship. She was at the cabin every week to see El, and in turn also saw Hopper. He was her best friend's dad, of course they were going to know each other. However, it did not take away the feeling of relief. A weight was taken off of her shoulders knowing that she had someone to fall back on. She was very grateful. She smiled. 

“What about supplies? Does your mom at least buy those?” 

Max shook her head, “She wouldn’t risk Neil catching her. She’s such a coward. I go with Billy every month to a convenience store a few towns over to buy diapers. He goes in to grab what he needs, then gives me the money to take to the register and goes and waits in the car. He can’t risk being seen by anyone who knows Neil.” 

“Does he have anything else? Toys, blankets, pacifiers?”

Max shook her head, “I’ve tried to get him to buy a pacifier a few times since he sucks his thumb so much,” she gestured down to him on her lap, “but he wouldn’t buy any. He pretty much spends his entire paycheck on diapers since he doesn’t make much and they’re so expensive. I don’t think he’d even buy those if he didn’t absolutely need them. It is completely Neil’s fault; he made Billy believe that he shouldn’t have any Little stuff. He doesn’t even have any toys, but I saved a few small boxes that he likes to play with. And my mom bought me some stupid Barbie doll a few years ago that I was supposed to leave in the box. It’s a collectors edition or whatever. Billy likes to play with it though,” she suddenly got very serious, “but don’t tell him that! He’ll kill me.”

Hopper held his head in his hands. He suddenly felt very guilty about all the times he gave Billy a hard time after pulling him over. He didn’t know the half of it. 

Hopper glanced up when there was a knock at the door. It slowly opened and Flo stuck her head in, “Jim? The mother’s here.” He nodded and she closed the door. He turned his attention back to Max, “Kid, you sure you’re gonna be okay going home?” 

She did not look at all sure but she nodded her head anyway. Then, she gently shook Billy’s shoulders, “Hey, Bud. You have to wake up; we’re going home.” 

Hopper watched as Billy slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room. There was only one word to accurately describe him: lost. 

Max helped him sit up, and gently swiped the hair off of his face. She smiled at him, “Hey, buddy. Did you sleep well?” Billy continued to glance around the room and brought his hand up to his mouth. He started to suck on his fingers. Max gently guided his hand out of his mouth and brought his attention back to her, “My mom is here. She’s gonna drive us home.” That got the first reaction out of Billy. 

“No,” His eyes immediately filled with tears that threatened to fall down his cheeks. He shook his head adamantly, “No. I scared.” A few tears slipped off his eyelashes and ran down his face. Max wiped them away with her thumbs, “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry. You’re okay.” Billy shook his head and cried harder; he leaned his face into Max’s chest. “Billy, it's okay.” She rubbed his back. 

Hopper clenched his teeth. If the kid was that scared to go home, obviously he was not safe there. He took a deep breath before he gave the offer, “Hey Kid-Billy. Billy…How about I go home with you? Nobody’s gonna hurt you while I’m there.” Billy with his face still smashed up against Max’s chest hesitantly nodded his head, and his crying hiccuped. 

Max looked at Hopper concerned, “Neil isn’t gonna like that.” 

“I don’t really give a damn what Neil likes.” 

Max patted Billy’s back, “Can you sit up for me, bud?” He did not move an inch. She thought for a moment, then changed her tactics, and raised her voice in pitch, “Wheeeere’s Billy? I could have sworn he was just here. Hopper, have you seen Billy?” Hopper looked at her with an expression that read ‘are you serious?’ He wasn’t one for silly games. That was until Max glared at him with every fiber of her being. He plastered a tight smile on his face, then spoke very slowly, his irritation seeping into his voice “No. I haven’t seen Billy.” She rolled her eyes as if to say ‘really? That’s the best you could do?

“Billllyyyyy? Where are you? Are yooooou under the couch? Noooo.” He giggled against her chest and she smiled, “Are yooooou under the desk? Noooo. Are yooooou behind the curtains? Noooo.” 

He finally sat up with a big smile on his face, and tears, and snot. . . a lot of snot. “Oh there you are! I couldn’t find you.” Hopper grimaced and extended the tissues from his desk towards them. Max took a few of them and gently cleaned off Billy’s face. “Are you feeling better?” Billy nodded but even he looked unsure of himself. “Hopper’s gonna come with us okay? You’re safe.” She held out her hand for him to take, then stood up. 

Hopper still didn’t think it was fair to Max to be Billy’s primary Caregiver, but he had to admit: she did a damn good job with him. 

They all walked out together to find Susan. Hopper didn’t miss the subtle flinch she gave when she spotted Billy. Hopper walked up to her first and extended his hand for her to shake. He then turned around to Max and Billy, “Why don’t you two go wait in the car. I’m going to talk to Susan for a minute. We’ll be quick.” Susan looked nervous. 

Hopper lowered his voice, “I am aware of the neglect and abuse going on in your household, and frankly, I’m not too happy about it.” Susan looked alarmed. Hopper slowly and calmly said, “So here’s what’s going to happen. You are going to drive your kids home. I am going to go take care of a few things. Then I am going to come to your house and we are going to wait for your husband to get home. Then you are going to tell him about how I found your kids on the side of the road and brought them home. And you were so grateful you invited me to stay for dinner. And at no point is your husband going to lay a hand on either of your children. Is that clear ?” 

Susan’s face had gone white and she mutely nodded her head; she was in shock that he had so easily seen through all the ugly parts of their family. He gave her a tight nod, “Good talk.” 

. . .

Jim walked into Melvald’s and immediately grabbed a shopping cart. He walked straight towards the aisle labeled ‘Little care’. Max’s words from earlier echoed in his head as he threw item after item in the cart. He circled around to the next aisle to look at the toy selection. They unfortunately did not have much. Just as he was about to turn around something small and light brown caught his eye. He threw it in the cart. Hopper slowly walked up to the register. Joyce was working. 

“Hop! How are you doing?” He gave her a tight lipped smile. Yes, they were on better terms, no he did not think she was crazy anymore, but he was in a hurry. “I’m alright.”

She eyed his cart, but said nothing. 

“It’s for a case down at the station.” 

She nodded, “Uh-huh.” 

Hopper tapped his foot while she rang up each item. 

“Alright, that will be $82.74”

Jesus.

Hopper fished his wallet out of his pocket and handed her some twenties. He pulled out a cigarette and placed it between his lips. 

“Do you want the receipt?” she asked as she handed him his change.

“No, I got it.” it came out mumbled because of the cigarette. He grabbed all of his bags and made it almost to the door before Joyce spoke. 

“You’re doing the right thing.”

He turned around to look at her, “Huh?”

“Whoever all this stuff is for. You’re doing the right thing?”

He raised an eyebrow and she shook her head, “If this was really for a case you would have needed the receipt for the department account.”

Jim signed. He forgot Joyce was practically a damn detective. He offered her a smile, which she returned, then walked out of the store. 

Hopper pulled up to 4819 Cherry Lane just before 5:30pm. He grabbed all of the bags out of his backseat, then walked up to the front door. He knocked. After a few seconds Susan opened the door. Hopper spit out his cigarette and stomped on it, then walked inside. Before Susan could ask what was in the bags, he asked loudly, “Where’s Billy’s room?” Susan hesitantly pointed down a hallway and Hopper immediately headed in that direction. There were two doors. 

“Max?” he asked loudly.

He waited a moment and then the door opened. Max looked at him confused, but he was already walking past her into the room. He set all the bags down on the floor then turned and smiled at a shy Billy. 

“What is all this stuff,” she asked as she walked towards the bags.

“I just picked up some things for Billy.” 

She looked at him confused when she pulled pacifiers and diapers out of the first bag. Good diapers, not the cheap ones Billy could barely afford. 

“How much was all of this?”

“Don’t worry about it. It came out of the department funding.” It did not. 

“Thank you,” she turned to Billy, “Billy, tell Hopper 'thank you’ for all of this stuff.”

“ ‘fank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

Hopper took a moment to look around the room while Max unpacked all of the bags and hid their contents in the closet. It was exactly what he would expect Billy’s room to look like. Posters covered the walls and there were two massive speakers sitting on his desk. 

“Oh my gosh!” Hopper quickly turned around. “Billy, look what Hopper got you!” She was holding a small brown dog with shiny black eyes. She held it out to him but Billy was hesitant, almost as if he did not know what would happen if he accepted the stuffed animal. Max placed it in his hands and it did not take long for him to brush it against his cheek. 

“Do you want to give your doggy a name?” she asked him in a shiny tone of voice. 

“Dog.”

“Yeah, a dog. What is your dog’s name?”

Billy looked overwhelmed, so Max continued to encourage him. 

“You can pick anything you want.”

“Mo.” 

“Mo?”

Billy shyly nodded his head and Max smiled at him, “I think that’s a great name! What do you think, Hopper?” 

He looked at Billy, “Yeah, that’s a great name, kid.” It was easier to play along this time. 

Max pulled out a small baby blue blanket next, “Hopper got you a blanky, too.” 

Billy did not hesitate to accept the blanket and immediately rubbed the soft material against his face. He looked close to tears. He looked directly at Hopper and spoke with urgency, “ ‘Fank you.” 

Hopper looked at him slightly confused, “You’re welcome.” Max looked at him sadly. Hopper stored that bit of information in the back of his head for later. 

The sound of a car pulling up made Max whip her head around towards the window, then immediately take the dog and blanket from Billy and throw them under the bed, along with the rest of the bags. Billy looked at her sadly and his bottom lip wobbled. “You can have Mo and your blanky back later okay? I promise. But your dad just got here so we have to go eat dinner.” Billy looked scared upon hearing that. “But remember, Hopper’s here, so he can’t hurt you.” 

“That’s right, Billy. I’m right here.” 

They heard the front door open and then murmurs of Neil and Susan talking. And then-

“What do you mean he dropped! WILLIAM!” Heavy footsteps headed towards them. 

Hopper took a few steps forward to stand just inside the doorway. Neil almost ran into him as he barged into the room. He took a step back and paused, “What the hell are you doing in my house?!” Susan was chasing after him, “I was trying to tell you that I invited him to stay for dinner because he safely brought Maxine and Billy home.” Neil turned around to glare at her, then turned back around with a fake smile plastered on his face. “Of course! Stay for dinner.” Hopper returned the forced fake smile. Neil then turned towards the kids and with every ounce of self control in him, asked, “Maxine, Billy, are you both okay?” 

Max responded with a strong, “Yes. We are,” but Billy cowered behind her. 

Neil turned back to look at Hopper, “Why don’t you head into the kitchen with Susan, while I talk to Maxine and Billy.” 

Hopper could have rolled his eyes. He wanted to punch Neil right over his stupid mustache, “I’m good right where I am.” Neil gave another forced smile, then followed Susan into the kitchen. As soon as he left, Max let out a breath, “Shit he’s going to kill Billy.” 

“No, he’s not. I’ll have a word with him before I leave.”

Dinner was tense to say the least. Neil stared at Hopper while he ate to assert his dominance or whatever. Susan was a frazzled mess, obviously nervous for what Neil would do after he left. And Billy was afraid. So, so afraid. Max cut up his food for him since she knew Susan wouldn’t do it and Neil would rather die than do it. He was less than pleased when he looked over and saw the contents of Billy’s plate. Billy did not eat though. He was so visibly scared, Hopper wanted to beat Neil to a bloody pulp. He ate a few bites because of Max’s persistent encouragement, but that was it. Nobody talked while they ate and Hopper was almost worried that that was typical for their family dinners. 

When they were done eating, Susan immediately stood up to start cleaning up and Neil stood up so he was above Hopper while he spoke, “Well, dinner is over, so I assume you can show yourself out.” Max grabbed Billy’s hand and quickly pulled him out of the room. “Actually, I was hoping to have a word with you before I leave.” 

Neil once again gave his forced smile. 

Hopper stood up; he now had a good two inches on Neil, “Let’s get straight to it. I know you’re an abusive son of a bitch and I know you neglect your son because of his classification. I’m going to be here first thing tomorrow and if there’s so much as one bruise on either one of those kids I will not hesitate to arrest you on the spot. Do I make myself clear?” He gritted his teeth. 

And for the first time ever Neil Hargrove almost looked scared. Almost. They stared at each other for a moment, then Neil took a step towards Hopper and wet his lips, “Get out of my house.” 

. . .

Max and Billy were hiding in the corner of her room. She figured Neil would check Billy’s room first, so that would give them enough time to jump out the window and make a run for it if they needed to. Max listened closely when she heard Hopper start his car and pull away. They waited five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes, but Neil never came. After thirty minutes of hiding in her room, she told Billy not to move, then got up to investigate. 

As quietly as she could, she opened and closed her door, then tiptoed across the house. All the rooms were empty. Neil and Susan's bedroom door was closed. Max sighed a breath of relief. Whatever Hopper said to him must have worked. Somewhere in the back of her mind told her that all of Neil’s anger was being taken out on her mother, but after all the times she simply sat and watched her husband beat his helpless son, Max decided it was better Susan than Billy. 

Max stopped by Billy’s room before she went back to her own. She grabbed a set of clean pajamas, as well as one of the nice diapers Hopper brought. She figured Billy would probably need to change before laying down. She also grabbed the stuffed dog and blanket from under his bed. Finally she grabbed one of the pacifiers out of the three pack Hopper picked out. 

She walked back to her room with her arms full. When she walked inside Billy was still sitting in the exact same place as when she left. He tensed up when the door opened, but relaxed when he saw it was just her. She set all of the items on her bed. “Hey, buddy. Good job listening.” 

“Look, I got Mo!” She held up the small stuffed dog and Billy immediately reached for it. She handed it over to him, then reached for the pajamas. “Let’s go get changed and brush teeth, then you can play for a little bit, kay?” 

He nodded his head, then took her hand and followed her to the bathroom. She helped him get changed, and brushed his teeth for him, then did the same to her own. She tied off the garbage bag to take it out immediately after throwing away the wet diaper. Neil still did not know about that and she wanted to keep it that way. 

Once everything was out of sight and back the way it was originally, Max and Billy went back to her room. She immediately locked the door, then pulled over her desk chair and placed it underneath the doorknob. Billy sat himself down on her carpet after he grabbed the stuffed dog, while Max pulled the small boxes and Barbie doll out of her closet. She placed the makeshift toys next to him on the floor, then sat down. 

“Alright, what do you want to play?” 

Billy smiled widely at her. 

They played for close to an hour, until Billy’s eyelids started to droop. “You look pretty sleepy.” Billy had his pointer and middle finger in his mouth. “I think Mo looks tired too,” she said, referring to the stuffed dog. “Are you guys ready to lie down?” Billy nodded his head. 

“Okay, bud. You’re gonna sleep in here with me tonight.” 

She helped Billy climb into her bed, close to the wall of course. She didn’t want him to roll off while he was asleep. Then, she tucked him in. He had Mo in one arm and his blanky in the other. “I’ve got a special surprise for you!” Max said before she pulled the light blue pacifier out from behind her back, “Ta da!” She handed it to him, and it was almost as if he did not know what he was supposed to do with it at first. She gently guided it towards his mouth and after a few hesitant sucks, she could tell by the look on his face that he basically thought it was the greatest thing ever. 

Max turned her bedroom light off, her small tableside lamp being the only source of light in the room. Then, she climbed into her bed next to Billy. He turned to look at her, happy that she was close. She smiled at him as she noticed the small curls lying on his forehead, and the way his pacifier matched his big blue eyes, and most importantly the relaxed expression on his face. She noticed that he was happy. 

Max smiled and turned off her lamp.

“Goodnight, Billy.”

. . .

Billy woke up around 8:00am because his back was sore. It felt like he slept on a bed that was too soft. Amongst opening his eyes, he was greeted with a pale yellow wall. Definitely not his room. He turned his head and found a mop of red hair on the pillow next to him and- hang on- he reached his hand up to touch the foreign object in his mouth. His fingers were greeted with smooth plastic. A pacifier, he realized. He did not know what was worse, the fact that he had a pacifier in his mouth all night, or the fact that he did not immediately take it out. Between the weight on his tongue and the soothing motion, it was way too relaxing to stop sucking the damn thing. He reasoned with himself that the only other person in the room was Max and she obviously gave it to him so what did it matter if he wanted to keep using it after he woke up. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the feeling. Yep. I get it now. All those pamphlets and books that said pacifiers are a necessity for Littles. I love this so much. And that was when he truly realized how good he felt. He did not feel Little at all, for the first time in, shit- maybe forever? The nagging feeling in the back of his brain, begging him to drop, that never truly went away was gone. What in the absolute fuck happened yesterday to make me feel this good? 

Then he noticed the small stuffed dog and soft blue blanket. Is this real life? He had to double check that he was in fact still at his fathers house. He glanced over at Max again utterly confused. He sat up and took note of the chair leaned underneath the doorknob. That was about the only thing in that moment that actually made sense. 

And for the third time that morning, Billy sat in utter shock. He could feel that he was wearing a diaper, that much he was sure of, but it was not cold against his skin, almost as if the padding had soaked everything up and kept his skin dry like it was supposed to. What the hell is going on? 

He carefully laid back down. He rubbed the small blue blanket against his cheek. It was so soft. It immediately made him emotional as the memories of his original blanket, that Neil made him throw in their fireplace, filled his head. He was not careful enough and he got caught. He couldn’t sleep for weeks after that night. 

He closed his eyes again. Between the soothing motion of the pacifier and the soft blanket against his face, Billy finally understood what it meant to feel at peace. He was so calm and comfortable he almost did not believe it. He felt the bed move and turned his head to look at Max. He found her staring back at him. 

“Good morning.” 

He immediately ripped the pacifier out of his mouth, all of his previous reasoning gone. Max sat up confused. “Billy?” 

“Yeah, what, good morning.” 

She stared at him for a moment, then rolled her eyes, “I don’t care if you want to use a pacifier while you’re big. You deserve it, and biologically you’re supposed to like it.” 

Billy’s face was bright red. She laid back down next to him, then gently spoke, “Hey, you don’t have to pretend with me. You’re allowed to be Little.” 

“Here,” she guided the pacifier in his hand back towards his mouth. 

“Max. . .”

They made eye contact and she gave him a soft smile that said more than any words ever could. All of this is okay. 

She let go of his hand once it was in front of his mouth, giving him control. 

With one last reassuring smile, he put it in his mouth. He didn’t start to suck until he looked away from Max and at the wall. 

“There. Feel better?” 

And as much as he wanted to say no, he could not deny the wave of calmness that washed over his body and his mind. Max smiled gently at him. 

“Hopper brought all this stuff over yesterday. There’s more in your room. He stayed for dinner to make sure Neil didn’t hurt you. I don’t know what he said to Neil before he left, but he didn’t even yell at us after dinner.” Ah, so that’s why I feel so good. “So I played with you for a little bit last night; you were really excited about your new dog by the way. You named him Mo. You seemed really happy yesterday.” 

Billy nodded. He could feel in his bones that yesterday was a good day. And now after learning that he was not beaten by his father, or even yelled at, it all made sense. 

“Do you feel good today?” Billy quickly nodded his head, that would be the understatement of the year. “You got to actually be Little yesterday, so I was really hoping that you’d feel better today.” 

He momentarily took the pacifier out of his mouth, “I can’t remember the last time I felt this good.” He put it back in his mouth and did not miss the small smile Max gave when he didn’t hesitate. 

Both their heads quickly turned towards the window when they heard a car pull up. Max climbed out of her bed and walked over to the window. “It’s Hopper. . .”

She turned around to face Billy, “I guess he came to check on us? I don’t know.” 

There was loud knocking on the front door then they heard a muffled conversation. A few seconds later they heard loud footsteps heading towards them. “Billy!” Hopper must have panicked when he walked into Billy’s room to find it empty. “Max!” Her doorknob started to move. “Hang on, I’m coming!” Billy closed the pacifier in his fist. It was one thing in front of Max, she was essentially his Caregiver, but in front of Hopper? Absolutely not. 

Max moved the chair and unlocked the door. Hopper immediately stepped inside. “Are you guys okay?” he asked urgently. Max nodded, “Yeah we’re okay.” 

“Billy?” Billy nodded, “I’m okay.”

“He didn’t touch us last night. We’re okay.”

Hopper let out a relieved sign. Shly Billy said, “Max told me you bought me some stuff yesterday. Thank you.” 

Hopper shook his head, “It came from the department, don’t think of me too highly now.” Lies. Hopper bought everything out of his own pocket; he just didn’t want them to know that. He had a reputation to maintain. 

“Thank you.” 

“Alright well now that I know you two are okay I’m gonna head out. But don’t hesitate to call if you need anything!” He pointed to both of them, then walked out of the room. Right into Neil. He pushed Neil into the wall, “You got off easy this time, but if I see any new bruises on either of those kids I will arrest you. Do you understand?” Neil shoved Hopper off of him, “Get out.” 

“Do you understand?!”

“I said get out!” 

Hopper pointed a finger at him, “You’re messing with the wrong guy.” 

. . .

Max and Billy watched Hopper leave from behind a locked door. “I think it’s gonna be different now.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. I do. We’ve got Hopper on our side now. Everything’s going to change.”