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They've been together for a while when Billy starts to have some serious concerns about Steve.
Steve doesn't sleep most of the time. Or, he sleeps but on the couch or away from Billy and if he didn't know better he would say it's because there's something telling there.
Steve loves him. They've been doing this thing since graduation and he knows Steve loves him, he can feel it in his bones. Why would King of no bullshit would waste five years of his life on Billy Hargrove for a joke? So Billy knows. The way Steve's eyes follow him in the morning. Or his tiny smile when Billy says something funny but crass. Steve will reach for his hand to hold when he's cold. Things like that, that leaves Billy winded for days. So he knows it's not actually about anything like that. Romantically speaking things are 100% alright. More than that even. So he knows the couch thing is not about that.
So Billy instead of talking, goes and decides to go Paranormal activity on his boyfriend. He sets a voice recorder first. Something about videotaping Steve without telling him feels wrong.
And he's got some kind of evidence. Okay he does.
First Steve talks. So low that only when he's recording he manages to catch it. Steve talks about demon dogs and the underworld or something. He mumbles in his sleep and moans distraught, trying to move his arms. Billy's googled that shit and according to wikipedia a demogorgon is some king of demons or something. Dark stuff.
Second Steve wakes at night and stands in front of their dresser for hours.
Maybe not hours, hours but he stands there for 40 minutes looking at nothing. Just standing there. Billy knows this because he drank an approximate of two litters of water to wake up at night and catch him in the act.
Billy is a heavy sleeper so maybe that's why he started to notice this shit was happening at around six months of living with the guy. So Billy is out here trying to do something about it now. Better late than never.
Third Billy remembers clearly one dinner in particular where Steve's weirdo family came and all the drawers were open when he entered the kitchen. Billy swears, he swears he saw one of the kitchen cabinets open by itself. Steve and Jane were acting really weird. Like they knew about Steve's curse problem.
So Billy doesn't have any better conclusions okay. Steve Harrington is cursed.
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Billy comes to such theories and brings a priest to bless their house. He does that when Steve's at work and tells him jack about it.
He makes Steve drink holy water. Not like Steve realizes any of it. And starts to bring out his grandma's religious stuff out.
One day Steve stops, sudden on his way out the door. Lolling his head like a dog. "Nice portrait" and points to the painting of Jesus now hanging in the hallway. Tone intrigued. His shoulders relaxed and nothing malicious in his eyes. Billy looks for it.
"Yup, my grandma's"
Steve blinks slow "nice... " more silence "Well I'm off?"
Billy looks. Eyes squinted.
Steve leaves with a lingering look. Trying to make sense of Billy.
It goes like that for a month but Steve doesn't get better. He doesn't get worse either so it's like limbo.
"Okay. Something is clearly going on." Steve starts over pizza a wednesday night "I know I'm basically shit at reading social cues but that gigantic crucifix with bloody Jesus on it is like, a big tell here. Are you trying to tell me something? Because I don't have anything against religion my parents go to church'" Steve says leaving his crust on the paper plate. Billy glares at that.
Billy grabs the crust and starts to eat daring Steve to say anything "Hopper goes to church? Willingly???" he says, It escapes his mouth. Billy never pegged Hopper for a church going type.
Silence. Billy grabs another slice.
"Umm you know Hop is like. Not my real father right?"
Billy blinks at this, peeved "what?" he says mouth full of pizza.
Steve's quizzical look leaves Billy wrong-footed. He was about to confront Steve about the demon thing and then this thing comes to light. "Billy, Hopper is his last name and you've met my parents. We went to dinner when we got this house? Yo make my mom coffee every time she comes by."
"No..." Billy says stretching the word and drops the slice half on the plate half on the table. That couple sold them the house. "That's the couple that sold us the house. The real state couple or something"
Steve sits there gawking "are you telling me that you thought Hop was my dad? Jim Hopper. Hop? Wow" Steve laughs for a long moment "and my real parents are like what? What did you think they'd come visit so often? Like we have money to buy other houses? Oh my god!"
And okay maybe Billy pretends to listen to some conversations and turns his brain off around people. The curse thing it's a fact okay. At this point there's no denying it.
"Okay" he brings his hands towards himself and tilts his head owning his misconceptions "maybe I don't listen much" Steve looks at him "a lot. That's not the thing. The thing is you are possessed or cursed or something and you didn't tell me about it!" Steve frowns. Stays quiet for a moment waiting for the punchline that never comes.
"What are you talking about?"
And Billy brings out the proof. Explaining and counting one by one on his fingers. Trying to sound certain.
When Billy ends his explanation the last thing he was waiting for was Steve smiling at him. The left side of his mouth quirked. "You were worried about me huh?"
"Yes I was. You barely sleep."
Steve sighs.
"I'm not cursed or anything like that" then he stands and goes away. It sounds like he's moving stuff around, their dresser makes the noise when Steve opens it. That squeak sound irks Billy a lot but he always forgets to buy the oil for the rusty hinges. After a few minutes he comes back with a box and a grisly looking baseball bat full of nails.
So yeah. Billy came to some hasty conclusions but now he's questioning the universe. Give him a break.