Maybe she doesn't want him nice just because she's armed, though. In the end, that's not real progress. This, though, this raw conversation they're finally having? That could be. To Max, the point of this is getting to know Billy, not only seeing the asshole she used to know.
Max rolls her eyes up high and grunts out her frustration.
"Punching people because they think you're stupid, or hiding things from you? Isn't being better. You get that right? You want to be better? You have to handle that differently." For a start. "For someone who hates lying and people hiding things from you so much, you're not being entirely honest, are you?" Why bother tip-toeing around that one? She's going to call it as she sees it. There's something he's avoiding saying, and she has no idea what, but he is. She practically feels it in the conversation, the avoidance.
"And even if people here don't seem to care, there's this thing called habit. People might still feel they need to keep it quiet. Still feel uncomfortable about it."
Then Billy turns it all around and Max loses her tone. Her eyes go wide, much like a deer caught in headlights. Max starts to shake again, but this time it's not the cold. Her leg fidgets as she tries not to mentally flee. This is where she would typically shut down or deflect, but that didn't help back home and she doesn't think it's going to help now. Maybe it would give her longer to think things through, but would it help forming some sort of sibling bond with Billy? Doubtful.
Ultimately, she would agree, he deserves to know and be armed. She's already considered it - if gates opened up and creatures from the Upside-Down showed up there, there's nothing that says Vecna can't find her here. If he did? Billy is exactly the kind of victim Vecna looks for. Already did, in fact. Already used Billy once with the Mindflayer as proxy. He would be vulnerable without knowledge. She grips her walkman through her jacket.
That means telling him about her, though. And the fact she would be vulnerable like a beacon if that happened, too. She opens her mouth and can't form words for a bit longer.
"You mean," her voice breaks, "when I was crying over your dead body," there's hardness there, daring him to judge her for this as tears fill her eyes, "or when the paramedics had to drag me and El away from you to check on us and you? Or," she stops as all of it tumbles in her mind, her breathing shows, chest visibly expanding as she tries to stay in control - the empty months, his father losing his temper, the fights, the numbness, the guilt, the anger, pushing everyone away, running for her life, setting herself up as bait, VECNA - and all she can say as she looks back up is, "what do you mean?"
Sure, put that on Billy to define. That's totally fair.
cw: traumatic response, still being vague about Neil but yeah
Max rolls her eyes up high and grunts out her frustration.
"Punching people because they think you're stupid, or hiding things from you? Isn't being better. You get that right? You want to be better? You have to handle that differently." For a start. "For someone who hates lying and people hiding things from you so much, you're not being entirely honest, are you?" Why bother tip-toeing around that one? She's going to call it as she sees it. There's something he's avoiding saying, and she has no idea what, but he is. She practically feels it in the conversation, the avoidance.
"And even if people here don't seem to care, there's this thing called habit. People might still feel they need to keep it quiet. Still feel uncomfortable about it."
Then Billy turns it all around and Max loses her tone. Her eyes go wide, much like a deer caught in headlights. Max starts to shake again, but this time it's not the cold. Her leg fidgets as she tries not to mentally flee. This is where she would typically shut down or deflect, but that didn't help back home and she doesn't think it's going to help now. Maybe it would give her longer to think things through, but would it help forming some sort of sibling bond with Billy? Doubtful.
Ultimately, she would agree, he deserves to know and be armed. She's already considered it - if gates opened up and creatures from the Upside-Down showed up there, there's nothing that says Vecna can't find her here. If he did? Billy is exactly the kind of victim Vecna looks for. Already did, in fact. Already used Billy once with the Mindflayer as proxy. He would be vulnerable without knowledge. She grips her walkman through her jacket.
That means telling him about her, though. And the fact she would be vulnerable like a beacon if that happened, too. She opens her mouth and can't form words for a bit longer.
"You mean," her voice breaks, "when I was crying over your dead body," there's hardness there, daring him to judge her for this as tears fill her eyes, "or when the paramedics had to drag me and El away from you to check on us and you? Or," she stops as all of it tumbles in her mind, her breathing shows, chest visibly expanding as she tries to stay in control - the empty months, his father losing his temper, the fights, the numbness, the guilt, the anger, pushing everyone away, running for her life, setting herself up as bait, VECNA - and all she can say as she looks back up is, "what do you mean?"
Sure, put that on Billy to define. That's totally fair.