#Billy is gripping the car handle with all his energy

[dclovesdanny]

Accidental Kidnapping x Dying Sparks

Danny hadn’t been homeless very long, and it already sucked. He was on the run from the GIW, with his parents not far behind. He had already stolen a few cars, including a police car at one point. A police car that had a homeless kid in the back.

Billy has been arrested a fair few times, usually for things like loitering or stealing food, sometimes just for being homeless. This, however, was the first time someone stole a car with him still handcuffed in the back.

Now Danny had to be extra sure not to crash this one.

[venomous--fics]

Anon Requested: Omg wait can i request a fic where reader feels like they aren’t good enough for eddie and venom so reader breaks up with them and eddies sad and just a lot of angst (BUT happy ending) if not thats okay !

A/n: Day 5!! I'm think about just extending the weekathon to the entire month! Not too sure yet, but I should decide quickly huh!! I just think it'd be fun to do something like that. Maybe get more and more festive along the way. What do you think?

Song: Halley's Comet by Billie Eilish

"So, that's just it? You're just gonna up and leave and not tell us why?"

He wanted to sound mad, but his voice gave it all away. You couldn't stand the thought of what you were doing to them both. You couldn't even bring yourself to look at them as you left. You didn't even bother to grab your things. You just left emptyhanded.

Subconsciously, maybe you knew you'd find your way back eventually. But...Not now.

The weight of the world began to crush you with every step you took away from their place. You knew they were watching you from the window. If you had to leave, they'd at least make sure you'd stay safe.

It all felt like a cruel punchline to an unfunny joke. How could you be such a fool to think you'd be good for them? They....They were a protector. A lethal one, but still a protector. They helped people and saved the world from every threat imaginable. You sometimes couldn't even drag yourself out of bed.

It didn't seem fair to drag them down like that. They deserved better. They deserved the world, and you just couldn't give them that. Someday they'd find someone who would.

That night was spent alone on a friend's spare guest bed. The world was so quiet. There were no streetlights beaming into your room. There was no more sounds of late night traffic or the people talking and walking as they passed under your shared window.

There was no more fighting Venom for the comforter because he'd purposely hog it just to get your attention. It always worked. There wasn't the usually jokes about forgetting to set your alarms for the work morning ahead.

You simply set your alarm and laid down. The world seemed so much colder and emptier. It didn't seem fun and bright anymore. The bed felt much more spacious now.. The pillows felt too squishy and new. The sheets looked nothing like his.

Staring at the wall wasn't going to put you to sleep any faster, so you rolled over and clamped your eyes shut. You willed yourself to not cry.

The tv kept repeating the same old stuff. Robbery after robbery. Someone got shot. A car accident. Oh, it's going to rain tomorrow.

We should be fixing that..

"I don't feel like doing anything anymore."

"I don't feel like doing anything anymore either, V."

There was an uncomfortable silence. Normally there'd be some form of a pep talk from you, but now.. Your spot on the couch was empty. All that was there to suggest that you even existed was your favorite throw pillow.

With hesitation, Eddie grabbed the pillow and held it in his lap. It still looked brand new, and that's simply because you always knew how to take care of things. Nothing of yours ever really got broken or misplaced..And you always knew just how to handle things.

"I miss them."

A thought they shared in common. It's felt like months, but it's only been a couple of weeks. Your things were still occupying space here. It was almost torturous having to look at them each day and know that you weren't going to come home.

It was that thought that broke them both. They curled up on the couch, sad and defeated. The world was incomplete because you weren't here to make ti better. A rough day at work? You'd say, "Oh, don't worry." as you made some hot coco to relax with. Emotions getting out of control? You were always there with ways to fix them.

Did they take you for granted? Did they forget to cherish you? Did they do something wrong? Everyone always told them that they were just screwups who ruined everything, so maybe they just fucked it up again.

Maybe they'd learn to live with it. Just not today.

It's just not home anymore. Home is where you were.

The rain was awfully heavy today. But you were thankful. Today was hitting you harder than the last few. You were stumbling down the sidewalk, tears streaming down your face. Nothing seemed to hold any meaning anymore. You'd pass by Mrs. Chen's shop, and normally you'd stop by there to get Eddie and V a snack or two. But now, you simply keep walking.

Today you just let your body walk. To where? Wherever you felt like you needed to go. You were so tired, and so worn down. That only help cement in the fact that you just... You were an absolute nobody. Who could love a nobody?

If only you were born gifted with the brains, the talents or even the powers. Maybe you'd be worth something. Maybe you'd see yourself as more. Maybe if you felt like you held any importance to anyone, you'd find a reason to stick around anywhere, with anyone.

Despite wanted to be more to literally anyone, all you could think is being better for them. They meant so much, no, no, they mean so much to you. It felt so dumb and childish to be so hung up on two of the goofiest creatures on this planet. You couldn't lie to anyone. You were hopelessly in love with Eddie Brock, a man who truly was a breed of his own. And you were in love with Venom, an alien with a heart bigger than his stomach but he's too embarrassed to say it.

You don't want to love them anymore. Because you still believe it was better to not be with them.

You slumped against a light post and wiped your eyes. You tried everything to stop the tears from flowing, but that only made them multiply. You'd scold yourself if you had the energy.

The world really did begin to feel more and more empty. People seemed to walk pass and not even give you a second glance. None of them cared, and to be honest, neither did you. Normally you never noticed other people, because you'd be so wrapped up in whatever it was you and Eddie, and yes, Venom too, were doing.

But they aren't here anymore. You were back to where you started. Alone and afraid of what the world had in store. You used to wake up knowing what you'd be doing...But now you weren't sure.

You remained leaned against the streetlight for an eternity. The sun had set and the moon had risen, yet you remained put. Everything was cold now. The rain had subsided, but the light continued to drip down on you, but even then, you didn't have the willpower to move.

It's better to be cold than to have never been warm, right? That is how the saying goes...Right?

You sniffled, waiting for the next set of drops to hit your head, but they never did. You slowly looked up and saw someone's hands holding up a jacket. They looked like they were doing their best to hold it up like an umbrella, and without touching you. You recognized the jacket immediately, even just from seeing the inside of it. You'd worn it so many times.

You stood up straight and turned around, being greeted with the sight of Eddie. He looked just as tired as you, and just as lost. He looked like he had a million things to say, but it seems like the cat had his tongue.

The universe was giving you a chance. For some reason.

"I'm sorry." was the first thing to spill out of your mouth.

"We're sorry, too."

"You didn- It was me. I was.." You took a step back from under the jacket, but it seems like Venom wasn't having any of that. He moved Eddie's body for him, this time, draping the jacket on your shoulders.

You gently crossed your arms and held them close, appreciating the gesture now.

"You can leave now. If you want." Eddie moved back a little, "We just saw that you were cold.."

"I don't want to go." you gripped onto the jacket, trying to fight the new wave of tears threatening to come out, "I just.. I had to because I felt like I wasn't good enough."

You were about to ramble on when Eddie cut you off, "That's why you left?"

"I'm sorry." You felt like you could just curl up and die on the sidewalk.

You looked down, staring at the cracks that littered the walkway. You'd find someway to make this poetic.

Two hands, one human and the other very much not, wrapped themselves around you as they pulled you into a warm embrace.

"Did we make you feel that way?"

The way Eddie's voice cracked made your arms go limp at your sides.

"No. I made myself feel that way- But I can't help it. You guys do so much good and I-"

"We love you."

The hug got tighter, "We used to do what we did because it was the right thing to do. But then we met you and it all changed. It seems so cliche to say that, but...It's true."

"You're just saying that."

"We adore you. We promised to do everything we can to make sure we leave this world a better place for you."

Your hands shook as your fought with yourself. You wanted to hold them just as close as they were holding you, but you felt-

"I don't deserve this.."

Unworthy.

In typical Brock fashion, and never knowing how to truly deal with his emotions, Eddie clung to you, almost pleading, "Would you just listen to what we're saying."

"You can't love me."

"Why the hell not? Huh? Whose going to stop us?"

"Nobody's going to stop us."

"Why is it me. Out of all the worthy people, why me?"

"You're such a good person. I know you don't see that..But you're the kindest person I've ever met."

"Certainly the nicest I've met..."

Every last word you wanted to yell out into the night sky just vanished from your mind. You wrapped your arms around Eddie and squeezed as hard as you could.

"How many times do we have to say it to make you believe it?"

"I'll say it a billion times," Eddie said, "Most guys would quit at a million but me? I don't know when to quit."

"It's true. He doesn't. But if saying it a billion times gets you to come home, then I'd do it a million more than him."

"I," You started, taking in a deep shaky breath, "I wanna go home regardless."

"We can talk more there if you're comfortable."

"With coco."

"I would like that."

The walk home was a talkative one.

Eddie's hand held yours tightly, but not too tight. He was so afraid that if he didn't hold it firmly enough, you'd simply slip away again. He was sure as hell not letting that happen again.

The apartment looked the exact same as when you left. You were so surprised by that. Normally they'd be a mess if you were gone for too long, and the apartment would reflect that.

"It all looks the same."

"Oh. Yeah." Eddie busied himself with fetching the hot chocolate ingredients.

"We couldn't bring ourselves to ruin your hard work...Or move your things." For the first time, Venom seemed sad.

They both seemed tired. You wanted to feel bad, knowing that they felt that way because of you. But knowing that they loved you meant that they felt bad, not because of you, but because you were gone.

Without thinking, your hand reached out and grabbed Eddie's arm, startling him a little.

"Can we go lay down for a little bit.." you asked quietly, "I think we all need a little rest."

Relief washed over him as he set down the cups and lead the way to the bedroom. There was no more words as you three crashed onto the mattress. Venom used a small tendril to turn the lamp off and pull you closer to Eddie.

"Are you okay with loving a nobody like me?" you asked as you watched him shut his eyes.

"Are you okay with loving two nobodies?"

"We are all losers."

Venom pulled a blanket over you and Eddie, going so far as to fluff the pillows under your heads.

"And that's okay. I love us the way we all are."

You yawned for the first time in ages as your eyes closed, "I love us too."

There was that familiar light coming through the window. And there was the sounds of the cars and the people. The world felt just right and you were home. You moved closer to Eddie and placed a quick, soft kiss on his lips, and his arms were quick to wrap around you.

You felt a soft tendril wrap around your arm.

"I know what you're feeling and what you're thinking." His voice sounded surprisingly quiet, "But you are more than enough for us. We don't say it, but sometimes we feel the same way. You could certainly do better than us. But.."

The tendril tighten a little, but not enough to really do much.

"You left and we realized...We don't know what to do without you. We didn't feel like doing anything anymore. It felt pointless."

You turned your head to look at your arm, seeing two small white eyes staring at you with a mixture of sadness and adoration.

"I know I'm not good with these human emotions..I might never be good with them, but..I know that I love you. And Eddie loves you too. We always try our best to show you..But you are truly all we need to be happy in this life."

You were a bit shocked with how much Venom had to say. Most of the time, he tried to use the least amount of words possible to get his point across, so you knew that he meant it.

"You both complete me, and for once, I finally have the courage to say it, because I don't know when I'll get the chance to say it again."

You smiled softly at him, and moved your arm in a way where you could place a soft kiss onto the top of his tiny little worm head.

"I won't leave again. I promise we can talk about it first."

"Talking is good."

"I love you, V."

"I love you too." He seemed to pause as he shot a glance up to Eddie, just to make sure he was still asleep, "More than that guy."

"Not possible." Eddie groaned, adjusting a little.

You smiled a little as you curled up under the blanket and actually shut your eyes for good for the night. Finally, a good night's rest. You still had doubts, maybe not many and none as big and frightening as before, but that was normal.

Not everything in life is a given or a certainty. You're not promised to tomorrow and it's not a give that you'll be a millionaire. But where you are now is where you're supposed to be. Don't doubt it. The two halves of your heart will quite literally walk to the ends of the universe just to see you smile, and that's more than enough for you.

[missroserose]

the neon light's on me tonight

part 1 | part 2

or read on AO3

here I am, back on this bullshit again.  it's like y'all's enthusiasm is addictive, or something. <3

And yes, three chapters means it's playlist time.

(Thanks as always to @anarchist-billy for being the best beta. <3)

*

The January nighttime air is a shock, whiskey vapors and cigarette smoke and beer fumes cleared from Billy’s lungs in one bracing breath. Something about the cold is soothingly familiar—it mirrors the gnawing emptiness deep in his gut, soothes the constant itch beneath his skin. He takes another lungful, can practically feel the ice crystals forming inside his lungs.

Billy’s not drunk, not really—though not for lack of trying.  He shotgunned each beer and downed every shot somebody bought him, but the buzzing is still there, energy scrabbling in circles like the lyrics of that Ratt song playing on the bar’s jukebox. Between that and the icy fingers that creep under his collar and inside the corners of his leather jacket, what little comforting haze had dropped between him and the world is cleared away within moments.

Still.  It’ll be better soon enough.  He struts out the door, boots crunching on the gravel, gives an extra little swing to his hips for the sake of the man following him.  The weather is the perfect excuse for a quickie—it’s too goddamn cold even to stay out for a cigarette.  No names, no awkward small talk.  Just long enough to get off in the almost-dark beneath the bar’s window signs.  Long enough to feel gravel beneath his knees, to taste bitter salt at the back of his throat.  Long enough to quench the restlessness that vibrates through him, long enough to find his center, to keep up his front of self-preservation—

A pair of headlights clicks on, flooding the darkened space between the lot and the roadhouse where they’re standing.  Billy mutters a curse and throws up a hand to shield his eyes, wondering what kind of clueless asshole—and then something clicks in his mind as the door opens.  Even before the figure emerges, even before it stands silhouetted in its Members Only jacket (in this weather?) and that ridiculous hair and that fucking nailed baseball bat—well, Billy knows who it has to be.  Knows what he has to say.

“Am I dreaming or is that you, Harrington?”

But Steve doesn’t do the expected thing.  Doesn’t give the reply that by now might as well be their secret code for come kick my ass, or pound it, could go either way.  Instead, he walks towards Billy, knuckles tight around the grip of the bat.

“Who the hell is this?”  The question could’ve come from either of them—Steve, standing in front of him, or the nameless man behind him—a little taller, maybe, a little older, a little less hair product.  But the slightly-nasal tenor is the same, the fancy clothes, the flicker of assessing glance.  Like they only make one model of closeted queer in Indiana.  Or maybe it’s just the only one Billy likes.  

Fast cars.  Cigarettes.  Pretty rich boys.  Billy always seems to love the things that could destroy him.

“Aw, that’s sweet,” the man behind Billy says—Billy’s fairly sure it’s him this time, can practically feel the disdain emanating from behind him as the man looks over Steve.  “Your boyfriend drove all the way out here to defend your honor?”

“He ain’t my boyfriend.”  He isn’t, not even sort of—Harrington’s been avoiding him, after their last encounter, and for the sake of his own safety Billy had decided to take the hint. He takes a step forward, grabs Steve by the lapels, gives him a shove. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Steve returns the favor, shoves Billy back.  “I need your help, jackass,” he says.  He tilts his chin up and to the right, moving his gaze over to Billy’s companion. “You realize he isn’t even eighteen?”

Billy’s punch lands right on Steve’s jaw.  It’s a bolt from the blue—no windup, no warning, just a swing and a connection, hard enough that Steve stumbles back.  Billy turns, already pasting on his most charming smile, opens his mouth, ready to spin some shit to repair the damage—

It’s too late.  The guy has his hands up, is backing away.  “Thanks, but no thanks. This is way too much drama for me.”  And with that he’s turning, going back—hair metal guitar solo spilling out briefly as the door opens, then shuts, leaving them out in the cold.

Billy stands for a moment.  Savors the heat that fills him—something like anger, something like lust, something completely different from both—whatever, it’s enough to drown out the buzzing, to give the scrabbling energy a much-needed outlet.  He turns back, smile still in place, eyes bright with coiled menace.  

“God, Hargrove.  You’re such an asshole.”  Steve’s standing by the car, holding a hand to his jaw, split lip oozing blood; the nail bat leans against the bumper next to him.  

“Born and bred, baby.”  Billy watches Steve, waits to see which way this is gonna fall.  If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll get in his car and drive right the hell away.  If he cares what’s good for Billy, he’ll man up and throw a punch in return—but he doesn’t, of course he doesn’t, because when has Steve Harrington ever been smart?  He only straightens.  Sneers a little.

“Look, do you want to help the kids out or not?  We could use some backup on this.”

“Oh, is that what’s going on?”  Billy can’t keep the sarcasm out of his voice—of all the pathetic, weak-ass excuses for his erstwhile hookup to cockblock him at the one fucking homo bar in the county—he stalks towards Steve.  “You drop me like a hot potato, not so much as a Christmas card, then one day you just decide to ruin my night because something came along that your little midnight chess club couldn’t handle?” Billy waits for the sidewise slide of the eyes, the backing down, the slinking away—all the shit Steve’s been pulling on him since November, that leaves Billy fuming.  But something tonight is changed, charged; Steve’s eyes narrow, and something in his eyes looks—delighted, almost.  As if he’s missed this fire as much as Billy has, as if the pit yawns in his gut the same way it does in Billy’s.  

Billy feels his heartbeat kick up a notch, feels the buzzing under his skin tune itself, become a humming, harmonizing with whatever electricity always seems to fill the space between them.  A power chord, the fifth to Steve’s tonic.

Oh fuck yes.  The King is out to play tonight.  

“You wanted to know what’s going on in this town.”  Steve’s hands find Billy’s hips, fingers curling in his belt loops.  “Now’s your chance, Hargrove.  If you’re not too chicken.” He gives a sort of half-smile, pulls him forward, pulls their crotches flush against each other, and goddamn if Steve isn’t halfway hard and getting harder.  Goddamn if Billy isn’t right there with him.  “Or would you rather just go at each other right here in the parking lot?  Your call—”

 “ksssssh—eve, you there?  Code re—kssssh—can’t find—over—”

Steve doesn’t take his eyes from Billy, but something in his expression changes—goes from seductive to steely.  He reaches back, grabs something from a belt clip—it’s one of those fucking walkie-talkies the kids are always using.  He uses his teeth to raise the antenna, brings it to his mouth.  “This is Steve.  What’s your position?”

The static hisses, breaking up the words—they must be right at the edge of its range.  “kssssh—odog—got Max—chasing—towards you—”

Billy feels his heart give a jump, much less pleasantly this time.  “What’s going on with Max?”

Steve steps back, his face grim.  “I don’t know, but if Dustin didn’t get after me for not saying ‘over’, it’s bad.”  He hits the button on the walkie.  “Do not engage.  Repeat, do not engage.  I’m on my way.  Over and out.”  A pause as he clips the walkie back on his belt, looks up to Billy’s face.  “Look, I’ve got to go.  I could use your help.  But you should know.”  His expression changes again, steel giving way to a—hollowness, almost.  Hauntedness, at a depth Billy wouldn’t have credited him with even a few minutes ago.  “Once you’re in, there’s no going back.”

He should be worried about Max.  Billy can feel it, practically etched into his forebrain.  Out of sheer self-preservation alone—if something’s happened to her, Neil will have his hide regardless of whether or not he was supposed to be watching out for her.

He should laugh this off.  Billy can feel it, deep in his gut.  The idea that this boy from podunk nowhere has something life-changing to show him is patently absurd.  He should throw another punch, maybe two, rough Harrington up a little.  Teach him not to mess with his personal life. It’d let the energy out another way—less satisfying, maybe, but just as sure. Billy realizes he’s starting to shiver, deep against his bones—soon enough it’ll take over his whole body, leave him visibly trembling. Thinks, for a moment, about the heat that he and Steve always seem to bring out in each other.  Remembers the way it roars through his veins, his muscles, drowning out everything, until the world is pure and breathless and beautiful—

“Just tell me one thing, Harrington.” He steps back, squares his shoulders.  Squelches the shivers that’re threatening to work their way up his spine.  “Whatever it is that we’re chasing—can we burn it?”

A smile slowly grows over Steve’s face.  A kingly sort of smile.  And Billy has to fight the sudden urge to drop to his knees right the fuck there in the parking lot.

Luckily, Steve moves.  Grabs his bat, crosses to the trunk.  Pops it.  Reaches in, and pulls out something long—Billy only sees it in shadow until Steve tosses it to him, until he catches it by reflex, feels the uneven weight, sees the dinged red paint on the head.  An axe.

“Get in,” Steve says, opening the driver’s side door.  “We’re gonna start ourselves a fire.”

[sarcastically-defensive17]

Cold Shiver - B. Hargrove.

Part 3 of the “Changing Temperature” series.

Y/N has gone AWOL. Billy intends to find out why, and finds out that there is more to his favourite girl than he could ever imagine.

This is long awaited! I’m so sorry for the delay my loves! A part 4 is DEFINITELY coming. Sorry for the mini cliff hanger but I sincerely hope y’all enjoy !!

Original story by sarcastically-defensive17

TW: mentions of past abuse, past sexual assault, theft, death of loved one, abandonment of family, criminal records, abuse, abuse, abuse, sexual abuse, and reader being a bitch to billy. Please do not read if this can trigger you in any way as your own health is far too important. Thank you.

Trust was a dangerous thing. Putting your secrets, the deepest, most significant parts of oneself in the mind of another, allowing them the capability of using such secrets and characteristics to their advantage was the most dangerous thing one can do.

Y/N sat in a diner, at an hour that which she should have been sleeping, under the same roof as her mother and brother and cat, listening to Billy Hargrove pour his heart out. She hadn’t expected to feel so strongly about another person again. She had told herself she wouldn’t allow it.

Yet, the blue eyed man had worked his way into Y/N’s mind, and was slowly advancing into her heart.

Things were fine. For a month. A month of late night calls, comforting when Neil got too much, enjoying the presence of another. Two wayward teenagers indulging in the affection of another person. Y/N found herself enjoying Billy far more than she would like, and it scared her.

She had grown more distant. They hadn’t officially begun a relationship, yet Billy knew he could fall for her. She made him feel as if he were a new man. A man deserving of love and admiration. A man more than his flaws. Until she stopped.

She stopped answering his calls. She had missed many days of school. She didn’t take the kids to the arcade, or answer Max when she called for Y/N’s advice, or help, or whatever it was that the girls spoke about.

He had put aside the fact that he missed her - he went through every day accepting the fact that nobody is permanent - but when he saw how much Max missed her... He and the kid didn’t get along, but he knew how important it was to have an outlet from their family, and Y/N had become that for both of the step-siblings.

Even on the drive to school, the brat wouldn’t stop talking about her. Y/N this, Y/N that. Billy had enough of the games. He wanted to know what her problem was and why Max was suffering.

“I just don’t understand what happened. It’s like she has dropped off of the earth,” Max grumbled. Her fiery hair was everywhere, and even that reminded him of Y/N. Max joked, “Maybe she got sick of you, Billy.”

He turned to her, shooting her a look that expressed so much venom that he even surprised himself for a moment. Max flinched. Since Y/N showed up, Billy had been a lot calmer. She gave him an outlet other than violence and anger. She gave him more purpose than the ‘bad boy’ persona he had forged for himself. Max felt scared of her brother for the first time in a while.

“Watch your mouth, you little shitstain. If she’s sick of anybody, it would be you and your constant whining.” He growled at her. Growled like an animal. Y/N’s absence had made him more insecure than her presence did, and Max was toeing a line that he was afraid to slip over. He didn’t mean the outburst, but he couldn’t stop himself from letting the poison spill from his lips.

Max was never one to back down, especially not since Y/N had helped her become more self-assured.

Max shoved billy away from her, matching his loon of ferocity with her own. Her eyes blazed as brightly as her hair, and Billy had to push down the sense of pride that was boiling at how his step-sister could take care of herself. It made him more confident of when he leaves for college at the end of the following year.

“Stick it up your ass, Billy. She actually cares about me, unlike everybody else in this stupid town. She would care about you more if you got your thumb out and stopped pretending to be all that.” They had pulled up to the middle school, Max pushing the door open and not bothering to thank him for the ride. The door slammed behind her, and only her head of fiery curls was visible through the window. “Try paying attention to somebody other than yourself, jackass.”

Billy didn’t have the energy to argue with her any longer. He had class in 15 minutes and he needed to see if Y/N’s Chevy was in her spot.

He had been struggling. He opened up to her, gave her everything that he had been scared to have people know. She knew of his horrible home life, how much he despised Max but how much he wanted to protect her and Susan from his father. How much he longed for love, but couldn’t find it - once a woman got to know him and where he came from, they’d turn tail and run. Y/N never did that... until now.

He took his usual route, his Camaro darting through the backstreets. He found the route with Y/N, the quiet streets almost singing to them, and being one of the best places to simply park and listen to music. Even the sight of the streets made his heart miss her. They had only been ‘together’ (in a way) for a few months, but he had grown so attached.

His eyes were shifting around the area, fingers thrumming to the music blasting through the radio. His foot slammed on the break when he caught the sight of the Canary Yellow Chevy parked in a far off parking lot. He didn’t know the shop she was behind, and he didn’t know who the guy was that she was standing with.

He definitely didn’t like the way the man was getting close to her, or grabbing at her wrist.

It was unmistakably her. Jeans clad on her legs. Tie dye shirt severed at the waist. Stilettos on her small feet, making her appear slightly taller.

His Y/N stood out among any other.

Y/N knew she shouldn’t have met him there. She vowed that if she saw him again, she would break his nose, or worse...

She had a long list of people in her bad books, but he was at the very top. The things he did... unforgivable.

She was waiting outside of her car for him. He had promised to give her back what he took from her. Well, what he could physically give back to her.

Derek was her first ‘love’. She met him at 15, loved him for a year and a half, gave him everything. He was heavy handed, he was light fingered, he was rude, charming, ruthless. He was a thief, and a predator. She despised him.

He had convinced her to leave everything she knew. She ran to New York with him, thinking everything was fine. A few months after her departure, he started taking what he wanted. He used her for when he wanted, struck her when she didn’t follow him.

She ran back to her mother, regretting every decision as she sported a swollen face and a loss of her dignity. He followed her. Got to her again. Took all of their savings, her mother’s jewelry. Her late fathers’ watch.

He called her two days ago with an offer. She gives up her grudge, he gives her back her parents stuff.

She knew it was wrong. She knew she should have told somebody, given Derek’s track record, but... she could handle herself. She had since she left him.

She was out of her car the minute she pulled up, her eyes fixated on shadow of a man waiting for her. Derek had upgraded his car since she last saw him, now driving a beat up truck instead of the crappy station wagon they had stolen together. Because of him, Y/N had to practically beg Sherif Hopper to not send her off to Juvenile Hall. The things she had done for him, it disgusted her. She acted like anything but the woman her mama raised. She would never go back. Never.

“Hey princess,” Derek drawled when she exited the car. He was puffing on a cigarette and the action simply reminded her of Billy. A pang of fear shot through her chest with the thought. “You look more gorgeous than ever.” His dark eyes looked her up and down and she resisted the shiver that trailed across her spinal cord.

“I don’t have time for the bullshit, Derek. Where’s my stuff?” Her snarl was evident, her weight leaning on one side while her arms crossed over her diaphragm.

There was a backpack sling over Derek’s shoulder. He wore a denim jacket, new looking. She imagined that he probably stole the item.

“Is that any way to talk to the man you owe?” He chided, smirking in a slimy way. “I’ve missed you baby.”

“And I missed my stuff. You said you would give me my things if I dropped my threat about going to the cops if I saw you again. Well I’m here, hand it over.” She was clenching her teeth. Every second spent around the malicious man made her blood almost curdle in her veins. The feel of his eyes on her had her near paralyzed with fear, but she refused to let the feeling of lead in her feet control her. Derek stopped controlling her long ago. She was a Henderson, and she could handle him.

Derek inched closer to her, wrapping his wiry fingers around her wrist. The touch burned her nerves, but she wouldn’t let it show. Instead, she fixed him with a gaze that burned as hot as his touch. “I was thinking, we could exchange something else as well.”

“Get your hands off of me,” she wrenched her arm back, jaw set, but his grip did not falter. Within seconds she was reduced from the Y/N Henderson that Hawkins knew and feared, to the Y/N Henderson that Derek broke many years ago. The fear crept up her spine and tears pricked at her eyes with his very touch.

It was a bad idea to come alone, but she had nobody she could comfortably bring with her.

Derek stepped closer again running his nose along Y/N’s cheek as his hand ran up her neck to grip her jaw. She had experienced that grip many times.

His laugh was sarcastic and full of anger. “You took so much from me, baby. We had a good life. We were free, and then you had to get a bee in your bonet and take all of my money. You know how many people we owed?” She shook her head as best she could in his grip. She had no idea. Derek kept his workings with others to himself, and she was confined to the tiny apartment that they were squatting in. “You got me into some real trouble, doll face.” He laughed once more. “Maybe I should show you how much trouble? Hm? Put you through what I went through? Maybe even worse-“

“Wow, and I thought I was an arrogant prick,” the minute that voice reached her ears, Y/N was flooded with emotion. While she was grateful that somebody interrupted the horrendous rambling, she was furious. Had Billy followed her? Did he not think she could handle the situation on her own? But most of all, she was furious that Billy had potentially heard the conversation. Heard about her past.

Billy was stood behind her Chevy, jeans tight on his legs, yellow shirt unbuttoned to show his chest, denim jacket in better condition than Dereks and far nicer, and cigarette hanging from his soft lips.

“Let her go, asshole,” Billy smiled at Derek. Y/N still hadn’t seen where he came from, but she most definitely wanted him to leave.

Derek simply laughed, “stay out of this, pretty boy. This is between me and my girl.”

Billy scoffed, “Your girl? Y/N, who is this guy.” He stepped closer, and only then did Y/N realise how much Billy towered over her ex. “He needs to learn some manners.”

Derek was well and truly distracted. His grip on her jaw and wrist had loosened very slightly, and she eyed the bag on his shoulder. She needed that stuff back. He had taken the only possession she retained of her father, and all of the savings her mother had put away. In that bag, was the items that, with their loss, solidified her existence as a horrible person. She had let him take from her family more than he took from her. She needed to do right by her family.

But more importantly, she needed Billy to get away. This was her business, and he needed to go far away. She couldn’t let him in. She wouldn’t.

She took the opportunity, both men squaring you to one another, a battle of vomit-inducing testosterone. Her window was open, and she readied her first before throwing a right hook into the side of Derek’s face. She had learnt so much in her time away from him. She knew how to protect herself now. She followed the blow up with a punch to the side of his throat, and the impact caused him to drop his grip from her face.

She had planned to simply strike and grab the bag to escape, but the feeling of her knuckles against his skin was intoxicating. She had pent up much anger and resentment. She had wanted nothing more than to make him feel the pain that he inflicted on her. Every time he lay a hand on her, every time he forced her into bed, every time he degraded her, blamed her, struck her, made her bleed or swell or bruise. Every time he broke her, damaged her, made her into the woman she is today. She needed to let it out. She felt the endorphins flood her system with every strike.

Her vision was white with rage, and she hadn’t realised that she had brought him to the ground until she was on top of him. His face was split in many spots. His mouth was filling with blood from the force of his own teeth biting the inside of his cheek. A tooth or two had come loose from his face and his nose was bent at an uncomfortable anger.

She was screaming. She was screaming in anger, rage, she was screaming for the young girl that died the night that she left with him. She was screaming for the broken heart of her mother when he robbed them. She was screaming for herself, who couldn’t even let Billy in, who had proven to care about her more than any guy had before.

Hands started to pull at her arms, yet she shoved them off.

“Y/N!” Billy called. She didn’t answer, instead she kept swinging, her elbow being sent back into his jaw at one point and splitting his lip. It was not a new wound, instead a reopening of one Neil had left a few days prior.

The impact didn’t bother him, instead he curled his arms around her waist and pulled her from the man. Derek was bleeding and sputtering. She had done a number on him. Billy had never seen her so angry, not even when Tommy H had thrown a beer bottle at her hood a few days after he started at Hawkins High. Tommy left school with a few broken and bruised ribs that day.

“Let me go!” She screamed as he pulled her back. She was throwing herself around. “Get your fucking hands off of me!”

“Y/N, you need to calm down.” He set her on the ground not far from Derek’s sputtering body. “Princess, look at me. You need to stop.” Y/N was still trying to swing, but he caught her wrists. His grip was nothing like that do Derek’s but the combination of his touch and the name that Derek would call her brought the tears flowing down her cheeks.

She was on her feet in seconds, pushing him away from her with all of the force that she could. He didn’t move very far.

“Get out of here, Billy!” All she could see was red. The way Billy was looking at her made her want to sink into his arms and cry, but she needed him to leave. He couldn’t see her like this. He couldn’t see her weak, and malicious and vulnerable. He couldn’t come to her rescue. “I don’t need you here.”

“Y/N I’m not here to do anything!” His tone matched hers. They both had fiery tempers. “I fucking saw that guy grabbing you and I wanted to know who the fuck he thought he was. Nobody grabs my girl-“

“Your girl?” She scoffed. “What am I - huh? I’m your ‘nothing’, Billy. I’m not your damsel to come and save and I am definitely not yours to protect.”

“That’s not what I meant, Y/N. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

She snarled, “I don’t need your help. I don’t need you to come and save me and I definitely don’t need you to get involved in my business, Billy.”

“I’m not trying to get involved-“

She stepped over to Derek, snatching the bag from his faltering grip before shoving past Billy.

“Can you just stop and fucking talk to me, please, Y/N!” His cigarette was discarded long ago. He put his hand against her car door as she went to open it, blocking her entrance. “What happened? You were fine two weeks ago, then you disappear on me and I find you being fucking manhandled by some asshole, and then you have a go at me when I try to talk to you? What is going on?”

“Nothing that concerns you, William. I don’t need you getting involved and I don’t need you trying to check up on me. I can handle myself, and I sure as hell don’t need you to stick your nose in my business.” She refused to meet his eyes. “I never asked for you to become so involved in my life. I was fine before you came along, and I will be more than fine when you go.”

She reefed the door open, pushing his arm back into his body and climbing in her canary yellow Chevy.

“Y/N, wait-“

“Stay away from me, Billy,” she growled, bro sparing him another look as she reversed out of the lot.

He watched her car retreat, her stiletto covered foot skillfully maneuvering the car away from him and down the back streets.

He spared another look at Derek on the ground before allowing his eyes to settle on the sunshine touched vehicle.

There was something wrong with Y/N. She wasn’t okay, and he needed to know what was going on. He couldn’t sit back and watch somebody that he cared about so intensely he so hurt.

He jogged over to his camaro and set off in the same direction that she did. If he knew correctly, she would be going to the same spot she always did when she was upset or needed a break.

The same place they spent the night over a month ago. Where Billy realised that he could fall for Y/N.

He knew the way to the diner like the back of his hand, and when he pulled up, there she was. Sitting in her same booth by the window, her Chevy parked in its usual spot.

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[flightlessangelwings]

Protect, Chapter 5

Billy Russo x Powered!Reader (fem, she/her pronouns)

Word count: 3.6k

Chapter warnings: violence, blood, injury, emotions (I am so sorry)

After that night in the hotel, you and Billy started to date, but decided to keep your personal lives a secret, and a few months went by like this. It came as a surprise to you how easily you fell into a routine with him, and both of you became quickly comfortable with each other. The longer you were together with him, the more nights you spent at his penthouse. It was mostly because you didn’t want to bring him to your tiny, crappy apartment, and partly because he wanted to spoil you whenever he could. 

Some nights were spent in his bed, exploring each other's bodies until the sun rose. Other nights were spent in deep conversation about things that neither of you had told anyone else before. True to his promise, Billy told you all about his past, and you held him as he broke down in your arms. It was that night that you both realized how lucky you were to find each other, and how alone you both had been before. Your heart skipped a beat as he lay asleep in your arms and you were suddenly overwhelmed by how much you cared about him. And he certainly felt the same about you. 

You and Billy were happy, perhaps happier than you both had ever been in your lives. But, the highs never last forever.

One day, you were called to Billy’s office and you were met by a man you had never seen before. He was an older man, and he definitely commanded the attention of the room. From over his shoulder, you could see Billy’s face was intense, and he was not happy about the presence of this man.

He smiled darkly at you and raised his hand as he said your name, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard the stories from Anvil’s rising star here. My name is William Rawlins.”

You gave him an insincere smile through gritted teeth, “Pleasure.”

“That was great work you did upstate,” he went on, but did not let go of your hand. You saw Billy tense behind him and you kept your guard up; you didn’t like this at all. “That was my witness you protected. And I heard that Russo would not be standing here if not for you.”

“That’s enough, Rawlins,” Billy hissed.

You tried to pull your hand back, but Rawlins only tightened his grip on you. In one swift movement, he yanked you in closer to him and pulled out a circular grey device and snapped it around your neck before you or Billy could react. Only once it was secure did he let you go.

“What the fuck?” you raised your voice as you tried to remove it, but it only gave you a shock when you tried.

“Rawlins, stop this,” Billy warned him as he stepped closer.

“It’s a power dampener collar. You can’t get it off yourself,” he explained before he turned to Billy, “You’ve been holding out on me, Russo. But I’m going to take her for myself now.”

“No…” he whispered before he turned to look at you.

You looked at Billy with big, sad eyes, “Billy… how could you?” The look of betrayal on your face nearly shattered him as he froze in his tracks.

Billy tried again with Rawlins, “You can’t just come in here and take her…”

“Oh but I can,” he cut him off, “Need I remind you that everything you have is because of me? And I can easily take it away from you. She’s coming to work for me, and she’ll be an invaluable asset as my personal guard. Good work on finding this one, Russo.”

You inhaled sharply, “I’m not going anywhere with you,” you tried to fight him off when Rawlins reached for you again. 

“I think you are,” Rawlins said as he pointed a gun right at Billy’s chest, which made him raise his arms but the fierce look never left his face, “Or I’ll shoot him.”

At that, you completely froze. You felt betrayed for sure, but the threat against Billy still made your blood run cold. You darted your eyes between the two men: Rawlins wore a sinister and bitter look while Billy looked both pissed and terrified. “Fine,” you spat the word.

Rawlins turned the gun to you and stepped in close, “Good move. Now we are going to walk out of here like nothing is wrong,” he urged you to move towards the door.

Your expression dropped, and you gave Billy one last glance before you let him lead you out. Billy watched you walk out of the door, and his anger surged as he pushed everything off of his desk in a fit of rage. In his head, he was already forming a plan to get you back. And it meant that he needed the help from someone who would want him dead if he ever found out the truth about his past actions. But Billy didn’t care as long as it meant you were safe.

“I can't lose her,” Billy whispered to himself as he pulled out a radio communicator. 

You didn’t speak a word as Rawlins dragged you into his secured mansion. When he pulled you out of the car, you tried to fight him off again, but he was able to overpower you. It must have been from your lack of powers, but you felt weaker and got dizzy when you tried to over exert yourself. He dragged you inside and threw you into a leather chair in his office. You huffed in annoyance before you tried again to unfasten the collar.

“You know I can’t do anything if I’ve got this on so your plan is completely fucked,” you spat as you tried to ignore the shock that emitted from the bind. 

He poured himself a drink, “I just need to make sure I can trust you before I take it off of you,” he replied calmly.

“We’re both gonna grow old before that happens,” you paused, “Well, older in your case.”

Rawlins ignored the insult as he tapped his fingers against his desk, “I can always hold Billy Russo’s life over you,” that made your face drop, “How cute, even though you think he betrayed you, you still are willing to protect him.”

You cocked an eyebrow, “What do you mean ‘I think he betrayed me?’”

He turned his laptop around the desk to face you and you let out a gasp when you saw yourself with your energy shield glow around you on the screen, “Took some time to go through the security footage from the warehouse, but I finally found what I needed. And I’ve got your buddy Maxwell to thank for that,” he added with a dark smile.

“What?” you breathed.

“Maxwell is on my payroll, and he’s been keeping an eye on you for some time now. We just needed actual proof before I made my move. Lucky for me, you seem to value Russo’s life and it made you careless.”

You glared at him as you tried to summon your powers. A wave of pain ripped through your body when you tried, and you collapsed back against the chair, “Fuck you,” you hissed.

Rawlins didn’t seem bothered by your outburst and he strode over confidently to hover over you, “You’ll find I am a patient man when I need to be. I’ll break you somehow,” he warned before he grabbed your arm and plunged a needle into your shoulder. You tried to fight him, but whatever was in the vial made your body feel heavy and you passed out.

The sound of an explosion startled you awake. Your body still felt heavy, but you tried to drag yourself up and focus your mind. You were in a different room than before; it looked like a guest room with bookshelves all around the walls and the couch that you were laid out on. Everything sounded muffled, but you could hear voices yelling followed by gunshots, and you tried your best to make your way towards the door.

With every step, you gained more strength and by the time your hand touched the door handle, you were able to hold yourself up on your own. You were ready to break the door down if it was locked, but thankfully it wasn’t and you stepped out into the hallway before you got dizzy again and had to lean against the wall. You appeared to be on the second floor of the house Rawlins brought you to, and all you could see was a long, empty hallway.

Another explosion rocked the house and you fought to keep yourself upright as you leaned yourself against the wall. You could hear the shouts again and you strained to listen. One voice was Rawlins, you were sure of that. There was another deep voice that you didn’t recognize too, and a third voice sounded like….

Your head shot up when you heard a familiar voice shout your name. Billy ran up the stairs and stopped when he saw you in the hallway. His hair was a mess and his face was completely bloody, and you guessed that was a result of the explosions you heard. Even from a distance, you could see the sadness in his eyes and he didn’t hesitate to rush over to you and wrap his arms around you.

“I’m so sorry,” Billy whispered in your ear.

You held onto him as if your life depended on it as you fought back a sob. You shifted your stance and turned him around so that your back was now to the staircase. Billy pulled away to check you over and you took the opportunity to examine his face while he did. It looked like he had glass stuck in his cheek and the other was bleeding from a deep cut. 

“Billy…” you whispered, “You’re hurt…” you caressed his face gently.

“I’m fine,” his voice was firm but you could feel the fear he tried to keep down.

A crash from downstairs distracted you from your thoughts, “Someone here with you?” you asked.

“My buddy Frank,” he responded, “I needed backup,” Billy gave you a sorrowful look that you were unsure of, “But right now, I’m going to get his off of you,” he clearly avoided the subject of his friend as he started to mess with the lock on the power dampener that was still secured around your neck.

You held on to Billy’s shoulders and watched his face as he concentrated on disarming the collar. He was too lost in thought to feel your gaze on him. Your thoughts raced, but they all revolved around Billy. You couldn’t believe he was actually here, that he actually risked so much just to come for you.

Just when Billy was about to finish unlocking the collar, a shout from downstairs caught both your attention, and you looked over your shoulder just in time to see Rawlins make it up the steps. His face was beaten and bloody, and he looked like he was shot a few times, but he still stood on his own. Through all the blood on his face, he snarled at you and Billy as he raised his gun and fired without a second thought.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Billy reacted fast and he grabbed you by your shoulders and turned you around so that his body was between yours and Rawlins. He moved just in time to shield you from the gunshot, and the bullet hit him right in the back. Billy fell to the floor, and you fell along with him since he still held onto you.

Tears filled your eyes and you let out a scream as you and Billy hit the floor. On your knees, you stared at him for a moment before you looked up to see Rawlins aim his gun again. But you weren’t going to let him take away the one person you cared about. With another scream, you reached up and yanked the now loose collar off, ignoring the pain. The second it was off, you immediately brought up your energy shields; your entire body glowed in your rage. You exerted more energy than you ever had before, and you easily deflected the shots that came from Rawlins’ gun.

Your eyes glowed a bright blue as you leaned over Billy’s limp body and raised your hands up. With another yell, you focused all your energy and pushed it forward in a strong blast. Your energy projected Rawlins all the way back down the hall, and in your rage your powers had never been stronger. You summoned another wave of every and sent the pulse down the hall again, and it was strong though to push Rawlins through the wall. His body flew back and out of sight, but you knew he would land on the ground floor outside.

When you were sure that Rawlins wasn’t a threat to you for Billy, you brought your powers down and turned to Billy as you cried his name, “Hey, stay with me ok?” you pleased as you positioned his head on your lap and examined his wound. Your vision blurred from the tears in your eyes, but you blinked them away so you could focus.  He laid on his side and barely clung to consciousness as blood poured from the gunshot in his back. His shirt was soaked with blood, and your hands were quickly stained red as soon as you touched him.

The sound of a shuffle from the stairs caused you to snap up as you raised your hand and summoned your energy shield, ready to attack if needed. The man stopped dead in his tracks when he saw you and Billy on the floor and he raised his hands in surrender. Through teary eyes, you could make out a white skull on his chest, and if you weren’t so worried about Billy, you would have been more stunned to see Frank Castle, the Punisher himself, in front of you.

“I’m a friend,” he said in a gruff voice, and he didn’t move until you lowered your hands, “What happened?” he asked as he stepped closer.

“Billy got shot,” you struggled to get the words out as you went back to tending his wound.

“Shit,” Frank scowled, “Where’s Rawlins?”

You motioned toward the gaping hole in the far wall without a word. He let out a sigh as his shoulders slumped, “I’m gonna make sure he’s dead. Stay with Bill,” not like he needed to say that, since you had no intention of leaving his side.

You nodded at Frank before you summoned a small amount of energy, “Billy…” you whispered, “I’m sorry, this is going to hurt,” you watched his chest rise and fall before you hovered your hand on top of his wound and let it glow. Before you could place your hand to his back, he stopped you.

Billy said your name though pained gasps, “Listen…”

“Shhh, don’t talk, Billy,” you sobbed, “I’m gonna try to stop the bleeding, just hang on.”

“I didn’t rat you out,” he choked on his words as he held onto your arm, “I’d… I wouldn’t do that to you.”

You froze and met his gaze as tears streamed down your cheeks, “I know, Billy,” you stroked his face once before you brought your hand onto his bleeding wound.

He shouted in pain as he tried to squirm, but you held him still. You couldn’t stop your tears, and as much as you wanted to pull your hand away, you knew you couldn’t. You had to do whatever you could to save him. You just couldn’t lose him.

Once you finished cauterizing his wound, you shifted yourself so you held Billy’s head on your arms. His breath was shallow, and he could barely keep his eyes open. He brought a bloody hand up to caress your face for a moment before he lost the strength.

“Billy?!” you cried, “No, no, no, no, stay with me. Please,” you pleaded as you held his face in your hands. With your emotions, you couldn’t keep your powers in control, and your hands glowed against the skin of his face. At the moment, you didn’t even register that you were only adding to the marks on his face, but you just needed to hold him close to you, “I can’t lose you, Billy. I love you.”

You weren’t sure how long you sat in the chair at the hospital. The entire time Billy was in surgery, you never left the waiting room, and you only moved when the doctors finally let you go into his room. The room was silent save for the constant beeps from the monitor, and it had been hours since you as much as shifted in your chair.

A knock at the door finally shook you out of your thoughts, and you were surprised to find Frank Castle in the doorway. You stood and greeted him with a faint smile that did not reach your eyes.

“How’s he doing?” Frank asked.

“He’s stable at least,” you sighed, “But he hasn’t woken up yet,” your gaze went back to Billy’s unconscious body on the bed and a fresh wave of sorrow hit you as your eyes wandered over his bandaged body.

Frank followed your gaze for a moment before he turned back to you, “And how are you doing?”

You spun around to face him, surprised at the question, “I…” you sighed deeply, “I’m fine. Just worried,” your voice was soft.

“Get some rest, and something to eat,” he said, “I’ll keep an eye on Bill.”

You shook your head, “I’m fine. I don’t want to leave him.”

Frank sighed before he walked out the door. You furrowed your brows in confusion, but you bruised it off. After another glance at Billy, you decided to step into the bathroom to wash up a bit, since you hadn’t even changed clothes since you and Frank brought Billy here the day before. When you came out, Frank had returned with two bags in his hands.

“I got you something to eat,” he set the first bag down on the chair, “And a change of clothes, since you refuse to leave,” Frank offered you a soft smile as he handed you the other bag.

You were taken aback by his kindness, but you were appreciative, “Thanks,” you took the bag and went back into the bathroom to change into the plain black shirt and jeans that Frank got you. When you came back out, he had pulled up a second chair and motioned for you to join him. 

Over the next few hours, you and Frank filled the time with small talk to distract from the situation. He was surprisingly open about his friendship with Billy, and he told you a lot of the same things Billy had. After some time, however, the conversation turned more serious, and Frank had told you about how Billy reached out to him after Rawlins took you. That was when Frank confessed something to you.

“I had every intention of killing him when I found out that he was involved with my family’s death,” Frankie said in a low voice.

You automatically moved to position yourself in front of Billy’s unconscious body, your face stern and your hands balled into fists at your side.

Frank raised his arms up, “I wouldn’t dream of going up against you, knowing what you can do,” he tried to put you at ease, but when you didn’t relax he added, “He told you what happened, didn’t he?”

You sighed, “He told me that it was his fault his best friend’s family was killed,” your voice was melancholy as you let your shoulders relax, “He didn’t give me specifics, but after all this, I figure he meant you.”

A tense silence fell over the room, and the only noise as the steady beep of the machines hooked up to Billy.

“Frank,” you spoke in a soft voice, “If you want revenge, take it out on me instead.”

He snapped up to look at you, his expression in completely shock, “What?”

Tears threatened to form in your eyes, “I can’t lose him. He’s all I have,” you took in a shaky breath, “And I don’t think this Billy is the same person from back then. I mean, look at him,” your voice got louder as your emotions poured out, “He’s in a coma with a bullet that he took for me. Billy almost died because of me. And I’m willing to bet that the guilt of what he did eats him alive every single day,” your hands started to glow at your outburst, but you fought to keep yourself in control.

Frank didn’t say anything for a long minute. The silence in the room was heavy before he finally broke it, “Alright,” he sighed, “I’ll leave him alone. But this doesn’t mean I forgive him. I’m doing this for you, not him.”

You let out a heavy breath, “I understand,” you paused before you added, “I can trust you to keep this secret too, right?” you gestured to your hands.

He nodded, “Yeah,” with that he turned to leave, “I’m getting out of the city, you won’t ever see me again.”

Frank almost made it to the door before you called out to him, “Frank,” he paused at the doorway, “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. And I truly wish you the best.”

He didn’t say anything, but you took the hesitation as an acknowledgement of your words before he went out the door and disappeared from yours and Billy’s lives.

~

Notes: So I was going to be mean and end the chapter when Billy passed out, but I wrote that conversation with Frank and I liked it so much that I kept it there.I may at some point write a little fluff one shot to expand on those first two paragraphs. And we’ve only got one more chapter left to this story, so thank you all so much for the love and support!!

Everything Taglist: @thirsty-flygirl​

Billy Russo taglist: @witchygagirl​​ @runawayolives​​ @morriganwarrior @fictionwillneverdie​​ @thanossexual​​ @enamouravecleslivresetlechocolat​ @fific7​

[stanbillyhargrove]

Demons - The Rewrite

Chapter 24: Beauty In Death

TW: SUICIDE

Billy’s POV

Cat woke up sick the next morning. Her body just couldn't handle being out in the cold for as long as she had been. Steve, Max and I spent our time nursing her back to health. Bringing her tea and medicine. Tried to get her to eat some soup but everytime she did, she'd end up in the bathroom puking.

She got a fever on the third day. Woke up soaked in sweat and shivering. I skipped school for the morning to stay with her while she drifted in and out of sleep. Switched with Steve at lunch so we didn't fall too far behind on our classes.

We had to call Julie that night. Steve was helping Cat stand up and she had passed out. Just crumpled like a rag doll. Luckily, Steve caught her before she hit the floor or the table.

Julie brought some antibiotics home on her break and thanked us for taking care of Cat before leaving again.

She lasted a few more weeks with Steve and I trying our hardest to never leave her alone. She tried as best as she could to put on a happy front and pretend everything was okay. Max hung around her a lot, keeping that little spark of hope alive. We tried splitting up the nights with her so only one of us would be with Cat every night in hope that the other would be able to relax but both Steve and I had been restless on nights we were alone so we both ended up spending every night at Cat’s. The three of us would pass out sprawled against one another on the couch or Steve would take the couch while Cat and I slept in her room. There were a few times where Steve would drift off behind Cat, holding her so gently, and I would have to leave. I’d go outside to smoke and push down the spark of jealousy in my chest that set me on edge.

But I found myself thinking of Steve almost like a brother and I knew he loved Cat too. And I had to let them have that, let her have all the good in her life that she could.

We drove her to and from school and spent every possible second with her. But it had been exhausting, draining and we were starting to feel run down. Steve had been having a hard time staying awake during class, during basketball practice he had no energy and had been benched the past few days. I knew I was hitting that point of exhaustion too, my brain felt foggy and I was having a hard time focusing on anything.

And now there was a big game this week against a rival team. Coach had pulled Steve and I aside. Told us to get our shit together for the game or don't bother coming back to the team. Told us not to embarrass him.

Then the day of the game came and we were ready. We'd spent the last few nights trying to get as much sleep as we could. Cat seemed to be doing a little better so it made it easier to sleep.

"You're coming to the game, right?" Steve asked Cat.

We were in the parking lot after school. The game didn't start for a couple hours.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," she smiled, "I just need to get this assignment done. Mom will drive me back later."

Steve pulled her in for a hug, "see you later."

Cat gave Steve a quick smile, “love you, Stevie,” and squeezed his shoulder before getting in the front seat of the Camaro.

I pulled up to her house and noticed the driveway was empty except for Cat's broken down car, “your mom isn't home. Should I stay?"

Cat smiled, squeezed my hand lightly, “she'll be here soon, go get ready for your game," she leaned over to press her lips against mine, "love you, B."

I got home and scarfed down a sandwich that Susan made me before getting ready for the game. I was almost ready when Max appeared in my door.

"Is Cat coming to watch the game too?"

"Yeah, her mom's bringing her. You gunna save her a seat?"

She nodded, "I gotta tell her we finally beat the high score on that game at the arcade."

"Wow, good job, Max. She'll be proud," I said, grabbing my bag from the floor, "you ready?"

Jump.

Score.

The whistle blew.

Half time.

Our team crowded together to cheer for our last second point. Hands clapped my back. People in the stands cheered.

But when Steve and I looked out to the stands, we didn't see her.

I caught Max's eye and mouthed, "Cat?"

She shrugged and shook her head and disappointment settled heavy in my gut.

Steve and I were pulled into the locker room with the rest of the team.

He leaned in to whisper, "where is she?"

I shrugged, "don't know," I whispered back as our coach came in.

My mind was racing while our coach spoke. Is she okay? Is her mom with her? Why isn't she here? She was supposed to be here.

The rest of the game went by in a blur. The final whistle blew and we were swept up in the cheering of our celebrating team.

"We should check on her," Steve said quietly when our team started to disperse into the locker room.

"She did say her mom would be home tonight, maybe they're spending time together."

Steve didn't look convinced.

"I'll drop Max off, you pick up something to eat and we'll meet there. She's okay."

She has to be.

When I pulled up to the house, Steve had just pulled up and was getting out of his car.

Julie's car still wasn't there.

We hurried up to the door and let ourselves in.

"Cat?" I called.

We waited a second, slipping off our shoes. Steve walked in and set a box of pizza down on the kitchen counter.

"Cat?" He yelled, worry growing.

There was a note taped to the fridge, "Be back in a couple weeks. Be good, mom."

It dawned on me, "she wasn't coming home today.."

Steve took off running, grabbing Cat's bedroom doorframe to stop himself before ducking in.

"Cat?"

My heart was threatening to pound out of my chest.

“Cat?” I called, my voice ringing through the house, "Hello?"

Steve was panicking, shaking like a fucking leaf and cursing under his breath. I swallowed past the lump in my throat and pushed forward to the bathroom. Wrapped my fingers around the doorknob and twisted.

Click.

Locked.

Steve came forward to knock on the door, "Cat?

Silence.

I rattled the handle, "Cat? Can you answer me?"

We waited a second, holding our breath.

Nothing.

Steve stepped back a bit, shaking his head.

His voice hitched, "Cat, please?"

I pounced my fist against the door, "Cat, open the door!"

"Cat!" Steve yelled, losing his composure as he slammed his hand against the wood.

I pounded on the door harder, rattled the door know again, "Cat! Come on!"

Steve slammed his shoulder against the door and choked on tears.

"Back up," I said as I stepped away from the door.

I threw myself into the door as hard as I could. Wood cracked loudly under my shoulder, but not enough.

Steve had his hands in his hair, fingers clenched tight in his locks. His whole body tense.

I ran across the hall and threw my weight into the door again.

Wood splintered and gave way. The door flung open, swinging into the wall behind it.

I felt my knees give out when I saw what waited inside.

Cause while Steve had dealt with this before, had lived through this before, I wasn’t prepared for this.

Suddenly I was thrown into a memory of the first time Neil gave me a bloody nose when I was young and I couldn’t stop staring at the blood running down my face.

While I sunk to the ground, Steve leaped over me, a string of curses spilling from his lips.

“Fuck, fucking call someone! Jesus,” Steve ordered, hands shaking as he whipped around to grab towels.

I didn’t hear him, couldn’t hear him past the sound of my own blood rushing in my ears. I felt like my lungs had filled with cement and I couldn’t gulp in enough air to fill them anymore.

Steve looked at me and scrambled over to grab at my arms, “jesus, Hargrove. Fucking, get over here,” he pulled me across the floor and wrapped my hands around Cat’s arms, “squeeze tight."

His hands left bloody prints up my arms. Her blood.

“But…you..last time..she's okay, right?"

“This is worse, we need help," he squeezed my hands around her arms, "tight. Don’t let go.”

My jaw worked with words that wouldn’t find their way past my tongue as Steve released me to run out of the room.

Worse? I couldn’t imagine how there could be a better or worse to this.

“Hello? I need an ambulance,” Steve’s watery voice echoed through the house, “my friend, she slit her wrists…”

I stopped listening, my only focus the metallic tang that hung thick in the air, coating the inside of my nose until I felt nauseous.

“Cat?” I croaked, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Baby. Please, please come back, just look at me, okay? Please? Just open your eyes, Baby,” I begged, trying to keep an iron grip on her arms but wanting so desperately to shake her until she woke up.

Steve came hurrying back into the bathroom, a red mark smeared across his cheek where he’d wiped at his face, “they’ll be here soon.”

He crowded beside me and grabbed at Cat’s face, leaving a matching smear, “hey, come on. Wake up, we’re here. We got you, okay? You gotta stay with us.”

She didn’t move when Steve shook her, and she was so pale. It crossed my mind that maybe we were too late.

My eyes burned as tears spilled down my cheeks, my arms shook and my knuckles were turning stark white against the red towels.

“Steve,” I choked, “I.. I don’t, what…why..?”

Steve chewed his lip, worried at it so much I thought he’d break skin, “fuck. I don’t know, I don’t know what to do. We just gotta try to keep her from bleeding out until the ambulance gets here,” he tried to shake her again and got no response, “mother fucker! Come on, asshole! Open your fucking eyes!”

My jaw ticked as anger spiked in my chest, “don’t swear at her!"

Steve whipped his head around to glare at me through dewy eyes, “really? You think me swearing is going to make this any worse?”

“I don’t know, Steve! Is it going to make it any fucking better?” I spat.

Steve opened his mouth to start yelling at me when he heard sirens coming closer and instead stood up with a huff, “stay here.”

“The fuck else do you think I’m gunna go?” I growled under my breath as he left.

“Please,” I pleaded, barely keeping myself from sobbing, “please, Cat. You can’t..you can’t fucking leave me like this. You just need to hold on, okay? Just stay with me, please. It'll be okay, everything will be okay. Just hold on."

I didn’t have to wait long before Steve hurried back with a couple paramedics holding a stretcher. They crowded into the bathroom, one man gently moving me out of the way to grab at Cat, fingers moving everywhere to test for a pulse and lift her eyelids.

Steve and I could only hear snippets of what they were saying to each other.

“Unconscious…non responsive….we’re gonna need an IV…I’ve got a heartbeat, barely."

They moved to lift her onto the stretcher and hurried back out to the ambulance with Steve and I following behind.

"Is she okay?" I asked, following behind.

They didn't answer, just hurried to load her into the ambulance. One of the men climbed into the back with her and went to close the door but was stopped by me grabbing the door.

"Sir, I need you to let go."

"I'm coming," I said, trying to climb into the ambulance.

He held up a hand, stopping me, “I’m sorry, immediate family only in the ambulance. You guys will have to follow us, call her parents.”

I looked at the man’s stupid freckled face, his stupid kind eyes and had to stop myself from tackling the man to the ground.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Do you see parents? We’re all she has! We have to go with her! I need to know she’s okay!” I shouted.

“Sir! You need to calm down,” the man replied sternly, “can’t let you in. Rules."

Steve grabbed my bicep and pulled gently, “Billy, let them go. They need to go,” he urged.

I tensed, my face going stony and backed away from the ambulance doors as Steve pulled at me with a shaking hand.

Steve was shaking violently as the ambulance drove away, sirens blaring. He never let go of my arm, he held tight like he thought I might bolt or he might collapse if he were to let go.

When the ambulance was out of sight, I turned and pulled my keys out of my pocket, “let’s go.”

Steve shook his head, “no, I need to, we gotta..we can’t leave that mess.”

I glared at him, I didn’t want to have to face that again, but followed Steve inside anyway. I followed Steve back to the bathroom where he dutifully handed me a couple towels and started filling the tub with hot water. We started wiping up the blood silently, neither of us ready to break the silence as we turned the bath water red from rinsing out the towels. It was eery, seeing the outline of where Cat had been slumped on the floor, clean and empty against the pool of dark red. I stuck my hand in the middle of the clean spot and felt my chin begin to waver. It was too much, seeing the blood pooled on the floor and sprayed up onto the cabinet, the smeared hand print on the edge of the tub next to shining metal.

“Steve,” I choked out.

He looked up at me with big, glassy eyes, there was a steady stream running down his cheeks that he hadn’t bothered to wipe away. With a huff I threw down the towel I had been cleaning with and stalked out of the house into the front yard. I fumbled to pull a cigarette out of my jacket and light it, my hands shaking and leaving red prints everywhere. Steve didn’t follow me, I was by myself with the weight of the world on my chest.

What am I gunna do if she…?

If she’s gone…forever?

I smoked through my last three cigarettes quickly, relishing in the acrid burn of my lungs until I went to grab another and found my pack empty. I screamed out a curse and threw the empty carton across the lawn and collapsed to the ground, holding my head in my hands and sobbing violently.

I should’ve fucking been here, she shouldn’t have been alone.

I knew, deep down, that she wasn't getting better. I had just been stupid enough to hope. To hope that she'd turn a corner, that her mom would be here to make sure she was okay.

But she wasn’t here, nobody was. And Cat was alone.

And that's my fault.

I sat there, wallowing in my anger and despair until my chest stopped heaving and my breath started to come normally again.

Briefly, I wondered if she left a note, something explaining why I wasn’t enough. Why we weren't enough to keep her alive.

I set my jaw, wiped at my cheeks and slowly got back to my feet to go back inside. I could hear Steve’s heart wrenching sobs as soon as I walked inside and followed them to find him curled up on the floor in Cat’s room, his head buried in his bloody knees. I gently knelt down next to him, twisting my fingers together in my lap.

“Don’t got any cigarettes to offer you,” I muttered, my voice scratchy and rough.

Steve sniffed and took a shuddering breath, “she didn’t call or anything...I tried s-so fucking hard.”

“I know,” I placed a hand on his back gently, “I know you did. We did all we could, Steve.”

“We should go..” he whispered.

“Yeah, okay,” I agreed, standing back up and extending a hand to him.

He puffed out another long breath before taking my hand to pull himself off the floor. Before I could think, Steve had collapsed into my shoulder, his arms gripping at my back in a crushing embrace as he choked out another sob.

“I should have been here, we shouldn’t have left her alone. This is my fucking fault,” he cried.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders firmly and grit my teeth before trying to talk past the knot in my throat, “Steve. Come on, it’s not your fault.”

@charmed-asylum​

[hartigays]

Could you also maybe do a sick fic where Steve gets sick? I love a good angsty sick fic but I feel like it's always Billy getting sick. Thank you so much! Love you and your superbly gorgeous writing!!! 💛💛💛

steve feels like shit.

it’s the first thing he recognizes upon waking up. his head feels like there’s a construction crew drilling away at it, and his throat is on fire. like it’s been rubbed raw with some steel wool. he can’t breathe through his nose, the pressure of his congestion making his face throb.

groaning, steve burrows deeper into his covers, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to ignore the persistent ringing in his ears.

his parents are out of the country for the next two weeks. in germany, maybe? steve can’t really remember what they told him. he can’t remember much of anything right now. other than that he’s basically on his fucking own with this shit.

except - oh, god. his history midterm. that’s fucking - fuck. that’s today. steve presses the heels of his palms into his eyes, hard enough that he sees stars. rolls out of bed, lands on the floor with a soft thump.

today is clearly just not going to be his day.

steve can’t muster the energy to get up. instead, he drags himself across the floor. little by little. reaches the bathroom, throws an assortment of bottles from under the cabinet at the light switch until the room floods with light.

it’s too bright. his head gives a hearty throb. steve grips the edge of the bathroom counter and heaves himself off the ground. or tries to, anyway. it takes him a few tries before he’s upright, both of his feet under him.

getting ready is hard. he can realistically only brush his teeth and scrub on some deodorant. his hair is just going to have to look like a rat’s nest today. he doesn’t even bother looking in the mirror before stumbling out of the house.

steve doesn’t remember getting to school. he knows he drove, given that he’s sitting in the parking lot. the beemer is practically diagonal in the parking space.

he’s still in his sweats and a t-shirt, the look complete with three layers of sweaters and the biggest coat he could find. somehow, steve is both boiling and freezing. he’s definitely running a fever.

mr. osborne doesn’t comment on steve’s appearance when he stumbles into the classroom. he does, however, set steve’s exam on the corner of his desk instead of handing it to him directly. steve clumsily grabs it off the desk, trudging slowly to his seat.

the font on the paper is too small. or maybe steve’s eyes are just super out of focus. either way, it makes his brain pulse. his head feels like it’s full of wet cement, and steve is pretty sure his skin is on fire.

the room feels like it’s spinning. maybe he’s dying? steve thinks he’d be okay with that. no, he’d definitely be okay with that. if it saves him from being conscious right now, he’ll take it.

it doesn’t take steve long to just start circling random answers. he’s finding it harder and harder to stay upright and he just needs to be done. no one says a word when he drops his exam on the teacher’s desk and practically flings himself out the door.

he’s cold now. too cold. steve is forgetting rather quickly what warmth feels like. he needs to get to his car but he’s starting to forget where that is, too. he just keeps walking. ends up in the boy’s locker room.

steve slumps against a row of lockers. slides down to the ground with a groan and puts his head between his knees. if he dies here, so be it. he only wishes he’d made it the few extra feet to the showers, so he could die happily under the warm spray of water.

he must fall asleep, or black out, or something. because the next thing steve knows, he’s coming to with the sound of his name ringing in his ears.

“harrington. harrington. jesus christ.”

steve makes a noise of protest at the feeling of someone’s hands on his face. it makes the pressure in his head double. there’s a warm hand covering his forehead, and another tucked under his chin, holding his head up.

“fuck off, dad.”

distantly, he hears someone snort.

“‘m not your fuckin’ dad, harrington,” the person says.

the voice is familiar? kind of. steve’s ears feel like they’re stuffed with cotton - everything sounds distorted and distant. steve finally blinks at the person hovering in his line of sight. and - jesus. of course. of course it had to be him.

“billy? what’re you doing in my bathroom?”

the look billy gives him is both amused and exasperated. it’s an unfamiliar look for him.

“i hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…” billy starts, then pauses, brushing the sweat-matted hair from steve’s forehead. “last time i checked, this wasn’t your bathroom.”

steve blinks, glancing around. they’re surrounded by lockers and the stench of dirty gym socks. right. he’s still at school, dying a slow death on the grimy locker room floors.

“leave me here to die,” steve whines, his head falling back against the cool metal behind him. “my time has come.”

an honest-to-god laugh escapes billy’s lips. steve has to be dead. because he’s pretty sure billy hargrove is physically incapable of laughter.

“c’mon, pretty boy. can’t stay here forever,” billy coaxes once he sobers. “up and at ‘em.”

steve doesn’t move. billy doesn’t seem to care. he wedges both hands under steve’s armpits before hauling him off the ground, almost effortlessly.

and okay, steve knows billy is strong. he’s seen billy without a shirt on more times than he’s seen him dressed - he knows the guy is built like a truck. but steve hadn’t been expecting billy to be able to scoop him up with ease, like he’s nothing more than a rag doll.

it makes steve feel warm in a way that has nothing to do with his fever. it’s good that he’s sick - he likes having something to blame that feeling on. something other than the truth.

billy has one arm wrapped around steve’s waist. he slings one of steve’s arms around his neck, grabbing his hand to keep it in place. billy guides them out of the locker room with more patience than steve would’ve ever thought possible.

“where’s your car?” billy asks once they hit the parking lot, still supporting the majority of steve’s weight.

steve doesn’t think before burying his face into billy’s shoulder, shielding his eyes from the offending sunlight.

“what’s a car?”

“mother of god, harrington. fuckin’ useless,” billy groans. his voice is almost inaudible when he says, “you’re lucky you’re pretty.”

steve still hears it.

the camaro smells like cigarettes and billy’s cologne. steve lets billy tuck him into the passenger’s seat. doesn’t protest when billy leans in close to buckle him in.

the drive is a black spot in steve’s memory once again. one minute, billy is backing out of his parking space, and the next, they’re sitting in steve’s driveway.

billy pulls his keys from the ignition, then disappears out into the sunlight. a moment later, he’s guiding steve out of the car and into the house. steve is covered in a layer of sweat, so he must’ve been hot on the drive over. but he’s back to freezing again, his teeth chattering.

“you need to knock that fever down,” billy orders, kicking the door shut with his heel. “think you can handle that? i gotta get back for practice.”

steve nods slowly. billy releases him from his grip, and steve immediately folds in on himself, collapsing on the ground with a disgruntled moan.

“guess that answers that question,” billy mutters, squatting down next to steve. “you got anyone you can call, pretty boy? someone who can come stay with you?”

mentally thumbing through every person he knows, steve makes a face. shakes his head. because no, he doesn’t.

his parents probably wouldn’t fly home even if steve keeled over and died. his only friends at this point are middle schoolers. nancy is most certainly not an option. he could try jonathan, but he’s obviously still back at school and more than likely has work right after. god knows he can’t miss a fucking shift.

“‘m good. all good. super duper,” steve rambles, just on this side of delirious. “go to bed, jimmy.”

billy sighs, staring up at the ceiling with a look that screams this guy really is fucking hopeless.

“alright, alright. let’s get you in bed,” billy says, shaking his head in defeat.

he hauls steve up off the ground. somehow manages to drag steve’s nearly lifeless body up the stairs and into his room. billy tries to let steve down onto the bed gently, but steve slips from his grip and face-plants onto his mattress.

“mmm,” steve sighs appreciatively, swinging his legs onto the bed and curling up into a ball. “‘s like a cloud. soft cloud. fluffy…”

billy just gives him a look, one brow raised. “yeah? well, do me a favor and don’t leave the cloud, alright? i’ll be back soon.”

steve doesn’t remember where billy said he’s going. he doesn’t have the chance to ask, because billy disappears from his bedroom a moment later. he probably wouldn’t have had the strength to form a sentence anyway.

he lets his eyelids flutter shut. drifts for a while, in and out of consciousness. his body feels hot and cold all the while, and fever dreams do nothing to settle the tension building at the base of his neck.

the dreams are the same ones he always has, but also - not. they’re darker, more intense. more vivid. steve is pretty sure he can actually feel the bite of the demo-dog’s teeth shredding his calf. the impact of his nail bat colliding with the side of his head. the terrifying chill that settles in his bones when the mind flayer looms over him.

the life draining from the bodies of his friends.

steve comes to with a scream dying on his tongue. he sits up wildly, drenched in sweat. swings himself over the side of his bed and grabs his bat in one smooth motion. doesn’t think before swinging.

“jesus - fuck! the fuck, harrington? what the fuck - what are you doing? why do you even fuckin’ have that?”

the bat clatters to the floor, falling from steve’s hands. he looks at billy in horror, an apology stuck in his throat. “fuck, i’m - god, i’m so sorry. shit.”

“shit is right,” billy mutters. but he doesn’t leave.

he stays perched on the side of steve’s bed. leans in and rests his palm over steve’s forehead. swears under his breath when he does.

“if you’re done trying to kill me,” billy starts, still eyeing the discarded bat warily, “you need to take these. you gotta get that fever down.”

“sorry, i just. dreams. bad dreams,” steve says. a shudder runs through him, one that has nothing to do with his fever. his dreams still have his spine in their icy grip.

“that why you keep that under your bed? for some stupid fuckin’ dreams?”

steve makes a face, his cheeks burning. “they’re not - forget it. point is, i’m sorry.”

billy gives him a calculating look, his expression unreadable. then, he stretches out a hand. steve takes the concoction of pills gratefully, choking them down dry. billy rolls his eyes, grabbing the tea that steve had yet to spot from the side table and handing it to him.

“‘s good,” steve acknowledges, sipping the drink almost greedily. it warms his icicle fingers better than any blanket.

“mom’s recipe,” billy tells him, seemingly without thinking. he steels his expression immediately after, clearing his throat. “drink it all, it’ll help.”

“thanks.” steve continues to sip at his tea. “you don’t have to stay, you know. ‘m feeling better. i can take it from here.”

billy snorts. shakes his head. “yeah, good one. last thing i need is to see your dumbass on the news for trying to jump into the quarry after having one of your fuckin’ dreams again.”

that has nothing to do with steve being sick. he looks up sharply, giving billy a strange look. billy is staying with him because of his dreams now? if that’s the case, well. billy should be prepared for an extended fucking stay. steve says as much.

“beats going home,” is all billy says in response.

he gets up wordlessly, exiting steve’s room. steve hears his footsteps stomp down the stairs. continues to sip at his tea, rolling billy’s words around in his head.

it’s weird, knowing billy cares. it’s weird having billy be gentle with him, period. sick or not. but it seems like something practiced, something that billy has done a thousand times before.

he makes a mental note to ask him about that later.

for now, steve polishes off his tea. flops back onto his pillows, and falls into another restless slumber. this time, he dreams of blue eyes and heated, secret touches in dark corners.

he has to change his boxers when he wakes up.

his fever is down, though. at least a few degrees. steve gets changed, tossing his soiled boxers in his laundry basket, his cheeks flushed bright red. makes his way downstairs, noting that the sun has completely set.

steve hears the tv before he sees billy. pads into the living room, feeling his stomach flip flop at the sight of billy lounging on his couch. he just so happens to be in steve’s favorite spot, curled up under steve’s favorite throw blanket.

“fever’s down,” steve says, alerting billy of his presence. “not sure if that’s because of the meds, or the tea. either way, thanks for both.”

billy glances up at him, his brows coming together in mild concern. “you should be in bed.”

“and you should be home, not laying on my couch worrying about my sorry ass,” steve tells him with a shrug. moves to sit next to billy on the couch, eyes fixed on the tv without really taking in what’s playing.

“well. clearly, someone’s gotta.”

steve flinches, but doesn’t deny the truth to billy’s words. because honestly, he’s right. if billy doesn’t, no one will. and steve has clearly demonstrated that being on his own is not an option at the moment.

he’s about to speak, but billy beats him to it. “i, uh. made you some soup. chicken noodle, or what the fuck ever. ‘s in the fridge. just gotta warm it up.”

steve nods appreciatively. his stomach turns at the thought of food, but it also grumbles desperately. of all the things he has to eat in this house, soup seems to be his safest bet. he thanks billy before heading into the kitchen.

he’s just setting the time on the microwave when billy bursts in, waving steve away with an exaggerated sigh.

“who fuckin’ raised you, harrington? stovetop. always stovetop for soup,” billy lectures, shooing him away from the microwave.

steve watches him pull out a decent-sized pot, pouring the soup from his bowl into it before beginning to heat it on the stove.

“who raised you that made you so damn good at this shit?” steve asks incredulously, rolling his eyes.

billy clears his throat and turns fully towards the stove. doesn’t speak for a long moment, until, “mom did. ‘fore she died.”

steve swallows around the lump that has suddenly formed in his throat. “oh. i’m - shit. i’m sorry.”

all he gets in response is a half-hearted shrug, with billy’s back still to him. the silence stretches on, though it’s more melancholic than uncomfortable. soon, billy is dumping the soup back into the bowl, placing it and a spoon in front of steve.

“long time ago, harrington,” billy finally says. places the same mixture of meds on the counter beside him. “keep taking these. should knock that fever down completely by morning.”

“how’d she die?” steve blurts, then gives billy a horrified look. “jesus christ, i’m sorry. that wasn’t - i didn’t mean to pry. forget i asked.”

billy looks like he’s torn between wanting to turn and walk away, and wanting to genuinely answer the question.

steve is a little more than surprised when billy chooses the latter.

“brain cancer. she got sick a lot, during treatment. took care of her after her surgeries and shit, too. fuck knows dad never did.”

“do you miss her?” steve asks, quietly. doesn’t bother poking more at that bit of information about his father. knows that there’s a limit to this conversation.

“‘course,” billy says, his voice hot. irritated. then, that heat drains out of him, and he just looks tired. “wouldn’t you?”

steve looks down at his now half-empty bowl. feels that lonely echo bounce around in his chest. “uh, i don’t - i don’t really know. can’t say i know her very well.”

billy has this look of dawning realization on his face, before the shutters close over his expression once again. he gestures to the bowl in front of steve. says, “finish up. i’ll clean up when you’re done.”

steve does as he’s asked. if he’s good at one thing, it’s doing what’s expected of him. he’s got that going for him, at least.

true to his word, billy cleans up when steve is finished. then, heads back into the living room wordlessly. steve doesn’t ask if he’s allowed to follow - he just does it anyway. like, fuck it. it’s his house.

they take the same spots as before, but it feels different. it’s been like, twenty minutes max, but with the information that has just been shared between them, the silence between them is more amicable than anything.

“thanks,” steve says suddenly, peeling his eyes from the tv. “y’know, for helping me out today.”

billy shrugs. “‘s no big. you needed it.”

“yeah, well. you don’t see anyone else around offering a hand, do you?”

“point taken,” billy snorts. “you’ve got some shitty friends, you know that?”

“they have their reasons,” is all steve says. defensive.

because they do. steve knows that better than anyone. they all can hardly take care of themselves, much less each other. it comes with the monster-fighting territory. he’s long since gotten used to that - to them leaning on each other when the world is in danger of ending, and being lost in their own lives when things are calm.

what’s truly unfamiliar is having someone around that actually seems to want to take care of him. to offer help and support. steve knew people like that existed, objectively. he just never fucking expected billy hargrove to be one of them.

“sure they do,” billy tells him, his voice carefully neutral. “‘but ‘til they get their shit together, all you get is me.”

“‘s not so bad,” steve says, voice quiet.

steve doesn’t know if his subconscious intended it, but their knees knock together when steve says it. billy looks at him sharply, suddenly watching him like a hawk.

“yeah?”

“yeah.”

another long stretch of silence follows. it seems to be a common occurrence between them. steve doesn’t mind as much as he would’ve thought.

soon, though, that tension begins to build again at the base of his neck. it happens every time he gets a fever, feeling like someone poured a gallon of wet concrete right where his spine meets his neck. steve rubs at it with a grimace, and billy notices.

“you should go lay down, get some more rest,” billy advises, eyeing him warily.

“i don’t want to be - um,” steve starts, then breaks off in the middle of his sentence. flushes cherry red. “i mean - i want to see the end. of the movie.”

billy gives him a long look, his brows raised in disbelief. steve thinks he’s going to push that, ask more questions, but he doesn’t. he just sits up, starting to move out of his spot.

“then lay down here, if you’re gonna be such a baby about it.”

steve glares at him without any real heat. “‘m not taking your spot.”

billy huffs out a disbelieving sigh, his eyes cast up at the ceiling. “fuckin’ hell, harrington. you’ve got like, ten couches. i think i’ll be alright.”

“but you were comfortable.”

they stare at each other for what feels like an eternity, but in reality was probably only about fifteen seconds.

then, billy lays back down, slowly but surely. keeps his eyes on steve the entire time. gestures to steve, then his chest. “fuckin’ come on, then.”

steve’s mouth pops open in surprise. “wait, you want me to - you’re just gonna - me? on you?”

billy cracks a small half-smile, steve is sure of it. it’s fleeting, but it’s there. “would you quit being such a fuckin’ whiny baby about everything and lay the fuck down?”

steve moves quickly, before billy can change his mind. shifts to lay down on billy, squirming and adjusting until he gets comfortable. he’s laying pretty much face-down on billy, his face pressed into his chest. he turns his head so that his cheek is resting there instead, so he can breathe, and also so he can see the tv. billy slings an arm around him casually, eyes turned back to the movie.

seemingly completely relaxed and nonchalant.

steve, on the other hand, feels tense and stiff as a board. too scared to move, for fear that billy will shove him away and tell him to get lost.

that is, until billy’s hand comes to rest at the small of steve’s back, his thumb making these little soothing circles into one of the dimples at the base of his spine. it’s through the shirt, but steve goes pliant anyway, bonelessly relaxed. drifts off again, this time with the grounding weight of billy beneath him.

steve doesn’t dream this time. in fact, he thinks it’s the most restful sleep he’s gotten in a while. he pries his eyes open when his brain starts to come back online, an hour or so later, emitting a soft groan of appreciation at the feeling of billy’s fingers running through his hair, gently massaging his scalp.

“you okay? ‘m not hurting you, am i?” billy asks, looking down at him with mild concern.

“feels good,” steve sighs into billy’s chest, curling deeper into his warmth. “keep doin’ it.”

billy answers with a soft snort, his fingers continuing their journey through his hair.

“you’re pretty cute when you’re not tryna punch me in the face,” steve mumbles, without thinking. his eyes pop open in horror, and he sits up a little, about to begin his ten part apology.

billy beats him to the punch. “yeah, well. you’re pretty cute when you’re fuckin’ helpless as shit. and when you sleep. you snore like a puppy, you know that?”

steve is pretty sure his cheeks flush tomato red. billy thinks he’s cute. since when the fuck did that happen?

he’s about to ask, but the hand billy isn’t using to comb through his hair comes up, cupping steve’s jaw. his thumb catches on steve’s bottom lip, and he gives him a soft smile. and like, since when the fuck did that happen?

billy hargrove and soft are not two things that naturally coexist. and yet, here they are, billy holding him like he’s a porcelain doll and telling him he’s cute.

steve really fucking wants to kiss him. even shifts forward to do so, but billy stops him.

“nuh-uh. no sir. not kissin’ you while you’ve got a fever,” billy tells him, shaking his head.

steve pouts a little, but can’t help the goofy grin that spreads across his face. “but you do want to kiss me?”

“would i be touchin’ you like this if i didn’t?”

“i dunno, would you?” steve asks, voice quiet. it’s meant to come out as teasing, but he can’t help the insecurity that bleeds into it.

billy gives him a soft look. tugs steve up close, before pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. then, tucks steve into his neck, wrapping his arms around him and holding on tight. safe and sound.

“no, i wouldn’t.”

steve lets out an audible sigh of relief. it was obvious to begin with, sure. but he’s been burned before. just had to double check, for the sake of his own sanity.

“fine. but for the record, as soon as this fever breaks, you’re in for a hell of a makeout session,” steve vows, pressing a series of lingering kisses to billy’s neck.

billy just laughs, his arms winding around him just a bit tighter.

“yeah, yeah. i’m holding you to that, princess.”

and steve? well, he’s beyond okay with that. he’s never been one to break a promise, anyway.

[yesloverboy]

She’s Thunderstorms (Billy Hargrove x Reader) Part 2

Part 1

SUMMARY: Despite the fact that you continue to reject his advances, Billy refuses to let you get away that easy. Halloween is approaching and, after a month of chasing after you, Billy decides it’s finally time to take matters into his own hands. 

word count: 4,242

[Warnings: swearing, smoking, mild kidnapping, smut in the future but none for now.]

NOTE: Wowee zowee, we’re back at it for the month y’all. I really wanted to finish the entirety of this series before Halloween but alas, life gets in the way. This series is a favorite of mine and, as always, let me know what you think!

tags: colsonbakersnoseringmain, @lululovesgwtw, @kingbouji3, @speedmetalqueen​, @billysgodcomplex​, @all-time-otaku​

 You stare down at the blank composition book in front of you, feeling as though you don’t recognize yourself. English is your favorite class of the day, but nothing could will the words out of your mind and onto the pulpy, white pages. You don’t dare even hold your pen for fear of writing Billy, Billy, Billy until it runs out of ink. 

 The last class of the day goes by in the blink of an eye. After your run-in with Billy, and about a thousand confused looks from Jonathan, you’re unable to focus on anything but the memory of Billy’s lips grazing your skin. Initially, you were infuriated by the way he touched you, but now your anger had twisted itself into something that felt a lot more like anxiety. That level of closeness stirred something inside of you toxic and volatile to the tough outer shell you’d spent all of your time cultivating. The threat of vulnerability leaves your skin burning red hot with irritation as a bitter taste settles onto your tongue. 

 The final bell lets out one last screech, and you reluctantly pull yourself from the safety of your desk, lagging behind the rush of sneakers and brightly colored backpacks that flood the halls. Your stomach churns uneasily with the knowledge that you inevitably have to pass by Billy’s steel blue Camaro before facing the walk home. As you trudge across the tiles and past the rows of lockers, your boots kick up piles of Carol’s neon orange flyers like dead autumn leaves.

 As you step out into the crispness of the afternoon, you fantasize about being able to waltz past Hargrove and go home to your trusty record collection. All you want is to be alone and return to your regularly scheduled programming of getting lost in your thoughts– yearning to focus on anything but the events of the afternoon. Unfortunately for you, Billy seems to have other plans. You feel his eyes burn into you as you walk in his general direction, trying to look as if you didn’t know he parked next to the school’s only exit every single day.

 “There’s my favorite girl!” Billy booms, ensuring that the entire parking lot can hear him, “Did you miss me?”

 Reluctantly, you stop and turn to face him, not wanting to give your peers a reason to stay behind and ogle at the two of you. “Well, distance makes the heart grow fonder and I assure you, Hargrove– it has not been long enough.”

 “Now baby,” he says, stepping in front of you with a patronizing stare, “don’t be like that.”

 “Is there any particular reason why you feel entitled to my attention, or were you just dropped on your head so many times that you can’t remember how much I don’t like you?” you snap, allowing the exhaustion of a long day get the better of you.

 In all honesty, you aren’t sure why you’re being so defensive. Typically, Hargrove’s antics were annoying at best, but something about the way his touch made you feel has put your smart mouth into overdrive.

 Billy winces a little and places the cigarette that was resting behind his ear in between his teeth. “Goddamn you’re mean,” he hisses, the flame of his lighter catching the end of the cigarette with a soft crackle.

 “Oh I’m mean?” a bitter laugh escapes your lips at the sheer ridiculousness of the concept, “I’ve literally seen your kid sister and her friends tremble at the sight of you– unless, of course, you expect me to believe you’re blind and stupid.”

 “Ouch, princess,” he tuts, clutching onto his muscular chest as if his heart were spilling onto the gravel at your feet, “All I want to do is take you to a movie or somethin’ and you’re still insisting on being a cold-hearted bitch.”

 “We’re dishing out compliments now, too, Hargrove? Please, don’t quit while you’re ahead.”

 Billy lets out a hearty laugh, shamelessly enamoured by your unrelenting wit and stubbornness. His sapphire eyes glisten in the afternoon light as he studies you, cigarette still dangling between his lips. Once the two of you had started bantering, most of the students decided waiting around to watch wasn’t worth the effort anymore. Now the lot is nearly empty, leaving only you, Billy, and the occasional after school club member passing through. 

 “Look,” Billy starts again, taking a wide step towards you, “what would it take to make you go out with me? Hmm?” 

 Refusing to be intimidated by Billy’s blatant disregard for personal space, you keep your feet firmly grounded to the spot. “Listen, Hargrove, I wouldn’t go to a movie with you even if you picked me up and dragged me there yourself.”

 Billy’s eyes flutter from your face to the ground, his thick eyebrows furrowed together in concentration. As he plucks the cigarette from his lips and tosses it to the ground, you think for a moment that maybe your words finally penetrated that thick skull of his.

 “Alright, princess,” he huffs, pausing momentarily to crack his knuckles, “have it your way.”

 Billy is crouched beneath you before you even get the chance to process his words, thick arms wrapping around your legs and tossing you over his shoulder as if you weighed nothing at all. The bookbag on your shoulders slides downward at the sudden motion, jamming the corner of your algebra textbook directly into the back of your skull.

 Squealing in aggravation, you begin to pound your fists into Billy’s back and thrash harshly against his grip. “Put me down you fucking psycho!”

 “What’s with all the whining, princess?” Billy tuts as he carries your squirming form around to the passenger side of his car, “I’m just doing what you said.”

 Billy tosses you in the passenger’s seat, smirk never faltering as he secures the child lock on the door. You hit the leather with a growl, tossing your bookbag somewhere in the backseat while frantically clamoring against the jammed door handle. Just as you feel the lock begin to give, Billy is already seated comfortably in the driver’s seat with his finger firmly pressed against the lock button by his window.

 You turn to Billy, blood boiling from the pit of your stomach as your face goes flush with a mixture of anger and disbelief. “This is kidnapping, Billy! You do know that, right?”

 “It’s not kidnapping if you told me to do it,” he states matter-of-factly. Billy turns the key in the ignition, the Camaro roaring to life with such ferocity that the engine’s rumble vibrates directly through the leather soles of your boots. As utterly insane as Billy is acting, you can’t stop the thrill of the moment from strangling your heart and chasing your pulse down to the tips of your fingers.

 Running a hand through your hair, you watch through the window as the last few stragglers of the day gape at the sight of you driving off with Billy Hargrove. “Well, at least there’s more than one person who saw me while I’m still alive,” you grumble, not caring whether or not Billy actually hears you.

 “Do you actually think that’s what this is?” Billy laughs, “That I’m going to kill you?”

 “It’s hard to say, Billy, considering I have no fucking clue why you even bother at all.”

 As Billy pulls out of the school’s parking lot and onto the main road, you can hear the faint sound of him chuckling under his breath.

 “Something funny?” you ask, the question leaving your lips in the form of a demand. Billy flexes his hand atop the steering wheel, shaking his head with an amused smirk tugging at his lips.

 “I was just thinking–”

“You? Thinking? Somebody alert the press,” you interject, unable to resist the opportunity of hassling Billy just a little bit more.

 “I was thinking,” he reiterates, raising his voice for emphasis, “that if I wanted to kill you, I most likely wouldn’t have literally dragged you into my car at the very last place that the both of us were last seen. Don’t you agree, princess?”

 It would appear that you have something of a brain after all. Congratulations!” you reply, taming your nervous energy by rifling through the cassette collection in Billy’s glove box. Your fingertips settle on Mötley Crüe’s, Shout at the Devil, tape and you feel the warmth of familiarity settling in your chest. The feelings you have for the boy next to you may be confusing, but your love for music still remains the same as it ever was.

Billy takes his gaze off the road for just a moment and bats his eyelashes at you knowingly. “Oh, but that’s not all I was thinking about.”

 You feed the tape inside of the stereo, quite literally tuning Billy out by cranking up the volume and rolling down your window. The biting chill of October floods the Camaro, ruddying your cheeks and moving in chills down the neck of your sweater. Houses become more sparse as rows of corn invade your view and, before you can ask Billy where the hell you’re headed, he’s already switching off the stereo.

 “Seriously, Hargrove? That was the only part of being kidnapped that I was actually enjoying.”

 “But that’s just it, baby,” he slaps your denim clad thigh playfully, “you didn’t call me Hargrove last time– you called me Billy.” 

 Despite the cold stream of air seeping in from the outside, your face flushes red hot at Billy’s observation. Billy has never been just Billy to you– no, he’s always Hargrove. First names are for friends and last names are for demands; however, Billy seems to exist somewhere in between. Although, that space in between seemed to be closing more and more with each passing second you spent with him– making you wonder what would’ve happened between the two of you if you hadn’t always been the one to walk away.

 “That, uh, is your name– isn’t it?” you flounder, awkwardly shifting in the passenger’s seat to fish a flattened carton of cigarettes from your back pocket.

 Billy passes his shiny silver lighter to you, and you find your hand instinctively accepting it without so much as a second thought. “I always knew you were the smartest girl in Hawkins,” Billy teases, his foot weighing down the gas pedal just a little more as the two of you speed even further into the countryside.

 “Where are we going in such a hurry, anyhow?” you huff, refusing to meet his arrogant smile with your cheeks still ablaze.

 “We’re going to see a movie, but we have to get there before it’s too dark.”

 “Why? The Starcourt Mall is back that way, and I’m pretty sure their theater doesn’t give a shit if it’s dark or not, doofus,” you retort, punctuating your insult with a few heavy puffs of your cigarette. You think that, if you’re lucky, you might be able to smoke your lungs into submission before you and Billy ever reach your destination.

 “Yeah well everyone in this garbage town knows that the drive-in is still way better than that commercial theater, doofus. Besides, they’re showing a movie I think you’ll really dig.”

 “How would you know if I’m gonna dig it or not?” ask, brow furrowing in confusion. 

 “Let’s just say our little birdy from earlier has an even bigger mouth than you thought, sweetheart.”

 You stare at Billy slack-jawed, unsure of what he’s talking about until your conversation with Carol suddenly comes into view. When she pulled you aside earlier that day you mentioned watching a bloody movie with Byers, but you have no idea how Billy could have possibly heard. As a matter of fact, when Carol pulled you aside, he hadn’t even stepped outside yet.  

 “But, Carol she didn’t–?” you utter, but are quickly stopped by the change in Billy’s demeanor.

 In an instant, the once confident Billy begins to squirm uncomfortably in the driver’s seat. His posture still radiates control, but the way that his eyes are suddenly trained on the road after fifteen minutes of glancing over at you tells a different story.

 Is Billy Hargrove embarrassed?

 “Wait,” you start, unable to contain the shit-eating grin that is now stretching across your face, “did you ask Carol about me?”

 “I, uh– may have run into her after free period, yeah,” Billy tugs at his golden curls, sharp jaw flexing in frustration as a touch of pink colors his cheeks.

 If there is one thing you know for sure about Billy Hargrove, it’s that he’s a smash and pass kind of guy. Every other girl he’d come into contact with since the dawn of puberty hadn’t meant a single, solitary thing to him. They were a notch on his bedpost– another babe for the body count.

 Billy didn’t ask about girl’s favorite movies or stalk them for weeks on end, but now he’s doing it for you. At first you thought he was bull-headed, blatantly refusing to be bested by the new girl on the block. But now– maybe, just maybe, Billy Hargrove is sweet on you after all.

 “So, you’re telling me that you, Billy Hargrove– the Billy Hargrove –asked Carol about what she thought would be a good date idea?” you giggle, the teasing tone in your voice almost sounding flattered.

 Billy grips the steering wheel with white knuckles, “Well who the fuck was I supposed to ask, princess? Byers? He isn’t exactly a talker.”

 “Oh sure, Hargrove, blame it on Jonathan,” you guffaw, unable to resist giving Billy’s free arm a gentle slap.

 With a cheshire grin, you move to prop your feet on the dashboard of the Camaro, eliciting a sharp swat on the ankles from Billy’s free hand. “You’re a handful, you know that?” he huffs, the butt of a burned out cigarette still trapped in his clenched teeth.

 “Don’t I know it,” you wink as you crank up this stereo once again, this time with no protest from your captor.

...

 During the remainder of your journey to the drive-in, you found out that you and Billy actually had far more in common than you were willing to give him credit for. A quick rifle through his tape collection showed that his taste in music was phenomenal. Mötley Crüe, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Slayer, Metallica, Venom– he had it all. Granted, you were quick to inform him that he was missing out on the likes of The Runaways and Siouxsie and the Banshees, but there was always time to fix that. Assuming, that is, you actually wanted to see him after this.

 Shockingly, even the one book Billy could remember reading was one of your favorites. He was swift to credit his love for The Man in the Iron Mask on account of his mother reading it to him as a kid, but you could tell he was holding back. At the mention of his mother, your eyes couldn’t help but fixate on the way he gripped the gold pendant of Mary around his neck with white knuckles. You understand it’s probably best not to ask why.

 There’s a pain in your chest, knowing that his bravado is just a red-hot, candy coating for whatever he was hiding beneath. Much like a jawbreaker, Billy is sugary sweet and difficult to digest– but even hard candy has to melt. To your dismay, you realize you aren’t sure how many layers the kid’s got left.

 After a few moments of surprisingly comfortable silence, Billy makes a gentle left turn off of the main road and onto a side street that flanks the forest’s edge.  “Are we there yet?” you grumble, mostly to yourself.

 Billy huffs and attempts to light another cigarette, one hand on the wheel and the other clutching his boxy, silver lighter. “You’re real impatient, you know that?”

 “Tell me about it, stud,” you sneer, doing your best to mock Sandy’s sultry voice. “Remember what I said about dishing out compliments so early in the game, Billy.”

 “Yeah, yeah, yeah…” he mumbles, unable to conceal the impish smile that dances on his face the minute you utter his first name. While Billy is usually cocky and arrogant, there’s something about that smile he shares with you that almost makes him seem boyish– maybe even happy.

 For a moment, you think it might even be cute. The thought alone is enough to make you wrinkle your nose.

 Just as you’re about to make another quip about Billy secretly driving out into the middle of nowhere to murder you, the road turns to gravel and fans out into a clearing in the woods. The flattened landscape looks like it may have been a cornfield once, but had now become bulldozed and scorched to nothing long ago. There’s just enough space for several rows of cars to pack in tightly, with a sunny yellow concession stand tucked away in the corner. Overhead is a large projector screen, its white surface colored with an animation of personified movie snacks marching in a merry line. You had to give it to him, Billy found a hidden gem.

 “How did you even find this place?” you wonder, awestruck eyes dancing from the scene before you to Billy’s suntanned face.

 “Well, you know what they say sweetheart,” Billy smirks as he pulls up to the center of the second row, “all the best things on this planet are just outside of Hawkins.”

 “Duh,” you chide, immediately digging around Billy’s car for yet another cigarette to burn through. Finding Billy’s carton of Pall Malls in the cupholder you look up at him with pleading eyes, “May I?”

 “Anything for you princess,” he grins, “Speaking of, what kinda snacks does a girl like you get at the movies?”

 Lighting up one of Billy’s cigarettes, you take a pensive drag and kick your feet up on the dashboard. Giggling you watch Billy fight off the inevitable cringe that twists his smile at the sight of your dirty boots on his prized car. Surprisingly, he saves you the grief of delivering yet another dismissive smack to your legs.

 “Promise not to poison me?”

 Billy just rolls his eyes, “Promise not to be such a bitch?”

 You mouth falls open in mock surprise as you pretend to be offended, but Billy can see the smile that threatens to pull your face wide open. He just gives you a pointed look and throws a hand on his hip, making it more than apparent that he’s not backing down on this one. In his defense, you could kind of be a bitch sometimes.

 “Fine,” you concede, “I’ll take popcorn–Oh! And Twizzlers, if you can find them.”

 “Back in a flash,” Billy pulls himself out of the Camaro and dusts the nonexistent dust off of his jeans. Just as you think he’s about to leave you for the concession stand, he leans back in and places a firm peck on your cheek. The kiss is quick, but the impression of his lips burns a hole through your skin.

 With a noise of disgust, you push Billy away hard enough to make him smack his head against the interior roof of the Camaro. Feeling a blush betraying your face, you immediately began to rub your hands against where Billy made contact with your cheekbone.

 “Do you wanna get yourself killed, Hargrove?”

 “Worth it!” Billy laughs, a ring-clad hand rubbing the back of his head as he struts off to the concession booth.

 You stare at your boots on the dashboard, watching idly as the sun begins to lose its golden glow to the silvery dip of the horizon line. All the while you wonder about Billy and why it is exactly that he rubs you the wrong way so fiercely. Here you are, in a position that most girls at Hawkins High would only dream of, and yet you feel hesitant. It is almost as if you still don’t trust the fact that the most popular boy in this podunk town could actually like a girl like you. Or maybe, just maybe, you were afraid to let him.

 Billy returns shortly with a striped carton of popcorn and a plastic package of Twizzlers crinkling beneath the crook of his arm. “Well then, pretty girl” he sighs, bending down slightly to dip his head into the open drivers side window, “Why don’t we take this party to the hood of the car? I think I’ve got a blanket in the back.”

 After assessing the confused furrow in your brow, Billy continues, “Just think of it as my way of keeping good on my promise of ‘no funny stuff’.”

 “Oh he has thoughts and he’s considerate?” you feign a romantic sigh as you step out of the Camaro, pausing only to shove the glowing cherry of your cigarette into the decaying earth. “Remind my dad to write up the dowry, would ya?”

 Billy, all too accustomed to your jests, simply sets the snacks down on the hood and fishes a southwestern style quilt out of his backseat. The bright orange and yellow tones are in stark contrast with the gloomy midwestern sky, and you can’t help but wonder if this is another fragment of Billy’s old life. A life where there may have been far more to look forward to than a drive-in date with the only girl in town that can hardly stand the sight of him.

 After the blanket is spread out to Billy’s liking, he sits on the hood of his car and reclines backward so that he can better reach the popcorn as it rests against the windshield.  

 “Come on, now,” Billy smiles, pearly white teeth sinking into a handful of of bright yellow popcorn, “I don’t bite unless you want me to.”

 “Jesus Christ, Hargrove, give it a rest already. You’ve already got me here, there’s no reason to keep up the act.”

 Billy’s perfect brows knit together in mild aggravation at your accusatory tone, “Act? What fucking act?”

 “Please,” you insist, propping yourself up high enough on the car’s hood for your feet to dangle carelessly above the ground, “You’re human, Billy. I know you can’t be Casanova all the time.”

 Taking another fistful of popcorn from its carton, Billy points the candy striped box in your direction. It’s obvious that he doesn’t care to entertain your theory, but also doesn’t want to fight about it right now. You decide it’s enough and gladly oblige, taking a small pile of the buttery snack for yourself.

 “So,” you take a piece of popcorn between your fingers contemplatively, “what’s the flick called anyway?”

 “Fright Night,” Billy answers cooly. When he watches your eyes light up in unbridled excitement, Billy’s chest swells with a wave of pride.

 “You picked this out all on your own?” you scoff, knowing full well that, while Carol may have tipped him off, his informant would never have been able to make such a good film recommendation.

 Billy shrugs, “What can I say? You’re not the only one in Hawkins that likes heavy metal and horror, even if you try to be.”

 You launch the piece of popcorn you had been holding at Billy, watching triumphantly as it sticks to one of his sandy curls. “I guess that makes two of us, then.”

 Billy swats blindly at his hair and, for the first time, a genuine laugh bubbles up from his chest and hangs warmly in the chilled autumn. The flush of his cheeks is hot like an indian summer, and for a moment you swear that you’d never felt so warm. Biting your lip, you see something soft in the way that Billy averts his eyes from yours, fixating instead on the snacks in his lap and the vibrant colors of the blanket beneath your jean-clad thighs. For all the harassment you had endured since you moved to Hawkins, it’s nice to know him like this– for bits and pieces of the boy he is, not the man he’s pretending to be.

 It isn’t long before Billy’s gruff voice shakes you from your thoughts and brings you back to earth. “See something you like, space cadet?”

 “Oh please, if I ever–” you start, but are quickly interrupted by the sound of the film’s opening credits flashing blood red across the projector screen. Try as you may to shoot Billy an icy glare he melts right through it with a satisfied smirk, cocking a brow knowingly as if to say, I won this round.

 With an irritated huff, you scoot back towards the windshield to see the screen better, inevitably rubbing shoulders with King Billy in the process. Despite the fact that Billy could probably spare you some room on the car’s hood, he doesn’t move a muscle. Instead, his sapphire eyes remain trained on the screen in front of him, the flashing bursts of color glistening in his irises like an independence day sky. Your heart strangles out a nervous thump in your chest as a lump rises painfully to the back of your throat.

 Oh fuck, you think as your hands knit nervous circles through the sleeves of your sweater. You had your suspicions about the feelings you’d been experiencing around Billy lately, and chasing the movement of the film through Billy’s eyes rather than on screen told you everything you were afraid to hear– you like him.  

Masterlist

Part 3 (coming soon)

[nightybreeze]

Sound of Fury

Original female character/Billy Hargrove

A/N - I've created it with a Lady Macbeth/Macbeth dynamic in mind. I'm gonna try incorporate that into this fic as we go along. This is gonna be a long series. You could call it a slow burn but in terms of the plot. But I promise I'm pouring my heart and soul into this thing.

Summary: Action takes place in the season 2 of stranger things.

Word count: about 2 200 words

Chapter 1

Smash of the door. The twist of the key. Loud roar of the engine. Sudden rush of adrenaline that made goosebumps rise up on her skin. And then quick and daring take off.

The feeling was nearly invincible each and every time, but in its steadfast nature it never failed to bring a little bit of joy to her heart. As the machine accelerated it felt like taking a shot directly to the veins. And then what came next was just a steady, subtle drift that set her off into the wide blue. Mika in those moments was finally able to relax. Could forget about the sombreness of the reality that sourrounded her. Even if it was just a second, she could finally get a glimpse of how it felt to be truly free. The wind grizzled into the girl's ear and winnowed wildly through her hair to the beats of hard rock music coming from the radio. As the next track blasted out from the speakers, Mika was quick to recognize the piece. The song began with a distinguishable, descending tetrachord in a form of slow tremolo. It repeated itself a couple of times before the second guitar and the drums joined in. Soon enough, the lead vocalist started singing. Mika tightened the grip on the steering wheel and clenched her jaw in response. On paper the song seemed her type: full of energy and spark, quick-paced, with off the chain solos. If it was not for the lyrics, it would surely land on one of her personal cassette tapes. The persona came across as someone with real naive worldview and it was enough to struck her nerve. It didn't take a minute before she was speeding up.

𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘣

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭

'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰

𝘛𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬 '𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭 

She pushed the gas pedal even harder placing her well beyond the speed limit. As the song was reaching an end, she pushed the brake and sharply turned the wheel. The car smoothly slid across the street, making a one-eighty, and with a screech of the tires came to a halt. Mika didn't bother to move it closer to the pavement, it was good enough. She turned off the radio, released the keys and heedlessly slammed the door after leaving the vehicle. The girl entered the liquor store. She didn't seem out of place. She's been here many times before and it was like she had had every right to it. She was confident that nothing would ever jeopardise the purpose of her being there. Mika grabbed a standard-sized bottle of cheap tequila and went over to the counter. She noticed that the man behind it wasn't someone she recognized. She quickly then grabbed the ID from her pocket and casually flashed it at the shopkeeper while handing him her drink. The salesman glanced at it.

𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯

𝘔𝘢𝘺 13𝘵𝘩 1962

Soon enough she was settling up the bill and on her way out of the store until suddenly a police officer entered the shop. He scanned the place with his eyes before giving Mika a suspecting glare. The girl tried to manoeuvre around him but the cop didn't let her.

- Woah, woah, woaaah there young lady. Not so quick - he said stopping her in her tracks - Is it your car outside the building?

It took her a second before collecting herself.

- Yes, sir, is there a problem? - she said calmly while fluttering her lashes and giving him the world's fakest smile.

The officer didn't seem to notice, she was a true pro.

- It's parked incorrectly. It's disturbing the traffic.

Mika looked above his shoulder. There was no traffic outside.

- I'm terribly sorry, I was just about to leave! It won't happen again, sir - she sighed dramatically.

She tried to take a step forward but the officer held her back.

- I'm afraid I'll be forced to check your ID

Mika's heart sped up a beat. She knew she could be busted. On the other hand her calm demeanour seemed unbothered. She glanced at him, smiled and quietly passed him the card. She took a peek at cop's badge and then noticed a couple of thick, white hair strands on his uniform. Just as the officer was about to get a closer look, Mika chimed in.

- Oh gosh, you've got a dog, Mr. Brown? - the girl asked cheerily, trying not to tip off her immense frustration.

- Am I that obvious? - the man chuckled while trying to examine the ID

- You struck me as the type - she said smiling innocently and after a short pause added - It's nice to meet a fellow dog person.

That was of course a plain, ugly lie -  the best card she could play at that very moment. She figured the best way to distract a man is to have him start talking about himself.

- So what's his name? - she asked but she couldn't care less

- Her - Officer Brown corrected - Becky. A pitbull. Loyal little beastie.

Of course, she thought, what else could have she expected than a national pride that is a fighting ring dog.

- I sure hope she is.

The cop seemed like he was about ask something, but he was then quickly interrupted by another male voice coming from behind the girl.

- Jerryyy!! What's good, is your wife alright?

Jerry Brown looked up and Micheala turned around to see another man who freshly left the back.

- Old Nick! Yeah the migraines finally stopped and she's better now.

- Say, what brings you here today? - Nick said while eyeing the girl up with concern

- Nothing much, just duty, sir.

- Duty, ey? - shopkeeper gave Mika a knowing look - Did the girl do something?

- I think she's too young to be buying stuff here. And besides, her car isn't nowhere near the sidewalk.

- Awh you know how women are, their parking is horrible, they shouldn't be driving in the first place

Mika furrowed her eyebrows at Nick but the man just gave her a sheepish grin in response.

- Tell that to Sarah! - Jerry laughed, clearly entertained - She's insisting on getting a driver's license. Can you imagine?!

The two men burst out laughing in unison. After a couple of seconds they stopped and then carried on with their conversation for another good minute or two. Mika stepped to the side, clearly bored. She was considering running off to her car and just driving away.However she didn't want to get in trouble with the police again and besides, Jerry still held her ID captive. Nick saw that and that was his cue to finally get to the point.

- So whatcha gonna do about... - he paused focusing his eyes at Mika

- The girl? I don't know man. What if she's underage? - the cop Jerry raised the card with his hand, recalling that he still hasn't properly inspected it yet.

- I assure ye, she's not. Mika's my loyal customer since she hit 21! She wasn't showin' her ass here before.

The police officer looked at the ground lost in thought. Then glanced to the side at Mika and back again at Nick and sighed.

- You'd vouch for her?

Nick hesitated for a second but after that a wide grin crept onto his face.

- Yeah, I would.

And that was enough for the officer Jerry to resign from his witch hunt. He moved aside to stand in front of the girl and finally handed the ID back to her.

- Here you go Miss, sorry for the inconvenience.

He left the store and called out from the outside.

- Practice your parking!!

Mika was so done with this whole situation but she managed to put on a one last smile.

- Sure thing, officer!

And with that it was over.

She wasn't this close from being caught by the police since her late evening trip to the pub near the centre - a foolish decision on her part. This wasn't New York. Not only was she the only woman at the bar, she was the only young woman at the bar. She managed to talk her way out of it of course, but the encounter still left a sour taste in her mouth. "Cops" she thought. "Always acting like they're noble and benevolent. Like they don't have anything better to do than meddle with somebody else's fucking business instead of doing something that is actually important".

Micheala stood there seconds longer, following Jerry with her eyes. After a while she grunted at Nick.

- You should've let us be.

She had it under control, she didn't need his help.

- You're welcome? - the man raised an eyebrow at her visibly amazed.

- I had it handled! - the girl scoffed.

- Like shit you had! I've saved your sorry ass, some words of appreciation would be nice.

Mika looked at him with hateful eyes, her pride hurt.

- Didn't ask for your help - she murmured quietly under her nose as she turned around and pushed the door open.

She walked outside but Old Nick quickly rushed after her.

- Hey, hey, Mika don't be like that - Nick closed off on her, undeliberately catching the girl's attention - I know you don't do well with that kind of talk, I'm sorry, okay? I just wanted you to be safe. Wasn't too keen on getting in trouble for selling booze to a minor either. You understand that, right? - he looked at her with pleading eyes.

She did, yes. It was his store after all. Mika was a little mad at herself for snapping like that. She just really hated being given favours though. She sighed.

- Yeah.

     Thanks Nick.

***

The girl arrived back home - a shithole that was looking same as always. Except at the house on the opposite side of the street were parked two cars. Which wouldn't be anything worth noting, but the 5280 Cherry Street stood empty since Mika came back from college a couple of months ago. At least it's what she recalled. So yeah. A bunch of new shitty neighbours. If her mother made her bring them a "welcome pie" she swore she was going to murder someone. Or she'll just end up throwing it in the dumpster as a big ol' "Fuck you". Or eating the thing herself. She's not decided which out of those three ideas appealed to her most.

Mika leaned against the trunk and lit up a cigarette. She spied some figures moving behind the window curtains.| "Please, don't borrow any fucking sugar". On a further inspection she noticed that one of the cars parked outside, the blue one, was a Camaro. "Right, another pathetic male playing macho" Suddenly a front door swung open. A boy came out of the house. He strot in a hurry. Mika took a nice, long drag of her cigarette. The boy was young, approximately her age. Pleasantly looking. She stared intently at him as he made his way to the blue Camaro. "Of course" - she thought as a slight grin crept onto her face. The boy wore the most generic bad boy hairstyle, a pair of tight, midwash jeans and a black crew neck. He seemed irritated, quite over the edge. But then again, maybe it was just his bad boy facade.

She let out a big puff of smoke.

Okay, yeah, he was handsome. He looked like taken out of a goddamn TV screen. The Boy was gorgeous. So gorgeous, Mika started wondering when was the last time she's seen a man so damn pretty? Ah, yes. 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬.

What was he doing in Hawkins? He really must have been new. Was he there unpacking when she went out to that store? Guess she couldn't care less to notice.

No no, she would've seen him.

Probably...

The unnamed Boy took a large box out of the back of his car. He held it with his one hand while he slammed the boot door shut with the other. And then, unexpectedly, as Mika was about to take another blow out of her cig, the Boy's and hers eyes met. They held each others gaze for a split second. She breathed in the smoke and he adjusted his seemingly heavy pack. And then Boy disappeared behind the same door he so quickly came from.

Mika stood there, finishing her smoke. She threw the burnt bud on the ground and crushed it with her shoe.

Alright so maybe she wouldn't be so mad if 𝙝𝙚 was the one to ask for that bag of sugar. The girl decided she must make herself acquainted with this handsome newcomer. Yes, she was planning to get to know him real 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺.

She grabbed the tequilla out of her car along with the cherry coke that was laying there on the floor. She wrapped the liquor in paper and wandered off into the nearby woods.

[kileyrose-2003]

Dan Torrance x Fem! Reader Pt. 4

A/N: Hello lovelies, this is Pt.4 of my Dan fic with it revolving around Rose. Bare with me while I write Pt.5. I have a couple of new request coming out through out the course of this week and the next week. Pt. 5 will be picking up with Rose’s perspective on things so be prepared for an emotional roller coaster. I sincerely hope you all are doing well and I love you all. Link to intro is here, Pt.1, Pt.2, and Pt.3

Enjoy!

You spent the rest of the night in yours and Danny's bedroom, never falling asleep and simply staring at the ceiling. "How could she?" Was a recurring question you found your asking over and over as images of the poor baseball boy entered your mind.

He had a family that was never going to see him again. That was always going to wonder where he was and if he was safe. There would never be any closure for them and you found your lip trembling and eyes watering at the very thought of it.

Danny didn't fall back asleep either. Constantly pacing back and forth from the guest bedroom to the kitchen in some sort of attempt to try and release some of his worry about you. He yearned to hold you in his arm and to just make all the pain go away even though he knew he couldn't do that for you. No one could.

He was scared too. Scared that one of the members of The True Knot was going to come after you and hurt you. Or worse, they'd take you from him and all he'd be left with for a clue would be a rummaged through purse and a shoe that had no matching pair. Though he tried his hardest not to think of that. He didn't want to lose you. He feared losing his control that you helped him craft to control his power to not hit the end of the bottle. Because he knew if he didn't have you, he would go back to the end of the bottle.

Around 9:30 you heard a knock on your bedroom and rolled over in bed although you were awake. "You can come in!" You called out. Danny peaked his head through and smiled. "Hey..I didn't know if you were hungry but I made coffee and breakfast. I don't know if it's as good as your cooking but I figured I try."

Despite how dead you felt inside you managed to smile. "Thanks honey...just give me a minute to wash my face and stuff, please?"

"Sure. I'll see you in the kitchen." He blew you a kiss. "I'll be there." You clambered out of bed once he walked away and walked into the bathroom connected to your bedroom and turned the light on.

You turned the water on and stared at your reflection in the mirror, taking note of how puffy your eyes looked and how tired you felt. You hadn't felt that way since you were working in that bar back when you met Danny. "God, I'm a fucking mess."

You lowered your head and threw some water on your face. The coolness alleviating some of the pain from your puffy eyes. You reached out for your face wash to wash some of the smudged makeup from the previous day but something didn't feel right. You were cold and you felt your heart racing. Almost like you were anxious. You set your hands down on the counter and gripped the sink. Trying to get rid of some of the anxiety. You noticed your ring was glimmering from the light shining down on it from your vanity and you found your lips twitching to form a smile.

(That's a nice ring you got there, Y/n. Danny spend his entire paycheck on that or did he inherit it?)

You felt the hairs on your arms standing straight up and you moved your hands away from the sink to see a set of glowing blue eyes staring back at you in the mirror. 'Rose.'

(Well, hi there darlin.)

"Shit!" You tripped over the mat in your bathroom and fell back into the wall, squeezing your eyes shut. "You're not real, you're not real. You can't hurt me here or anymore. Go away!"

(Oh sweetie, I'm very much real.)

"Stop!"

(We've always been connected, you and I. Even all that time we didn't see or speak, I always knew where you were. I just never bothered to reach out. Until now. Now that I know what special people you have in your life now that you hold so dear to you, I feel obliged too.)

"Don't you even think about getting near them or I'll-"

(You'll what? Kill me? Please, you and I both know you don't have guts to come back home and look me in the eye and admit you were wrong. Let alone kill me. You've always been the baby in the group.)

"I'm a lot stronger now, than you think I am."

(We'll see about that when the time come for it. There's no escaping me, Y/n. Or your fate. You were always meant to be with us. One of us. The sooner you accept that, the easier that process will be for you.)

Despite Rose's still face you could see the psychoticness glinting in her eyes. "I could never be like you! I'm nothing like you! Especially after what you did to that little boy."

(Oh yes you are. You're my spitting image. In more ways than one, honeybunch.)

You could feel Rose inside your head, peaking at all your thoughts and memories and you gripped at your hair.

"Stop it! Stop it!"

(My! Aren't you a busy girl?)

"Get out! Get out of my head!" The mirror began to shake and you let out a scream. "GET OUT!"

"Y/n?! Y/n! What's happening?" You could practically feel Rose laughing with malicious glee at the panic she was causing. "Stay away from me, Danny! Stay away!"

(No, come closer Danny Boy. I still haven't gotten the pleasure of seeing your face.)

"Stop! Stop! This has nothing to do with him." As much as you swore to yourself you wouldn't cave in to give her any satisfaction, you couldn't do it anymore and tears started flowing down your cheeks.

"But it does." Her voice. It shouldn't be that close to you. You felt soft hair brush up against your shoulder and the smell of strong musky incenses and flowers enter your nostrils. Her breath was so close to your ear, you could practically feel the moisture from it sitting on your skin. "I'd imagine even after all those years in AA, he still would taste like whiskey."

You started swinging your arms and kicking your legs. "DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HIM! GET AWAY! GET AWAY!"

"Y/n!" Dan went running down the hallway. "What's wrong?!" You could see his feet from the crack of the door. "Don't come in! I-i can handle it."

"Bullshit, you can." You could hear him grabbing the skeleton key and you freaked out. "No! No! No!" You didn't Rose in the mirror or standing next to you anymore but if she was right on you being connected, you didn't know if she could hear or see what you were either.

The knob on the bathroom door began to jiggle and Dan opened the door. "Y/n." You shook your head. "Stay back."

"Y/n-" You pointed a finger up at the bathroom mirror. "She-she was looking at me!

"Who?" He shut the water off and helped you off the ground and held your hands in his to try and stop you from trembling. "Rose, that woman who killed that little boy!" You started sobbing.

"Okay..okay." He pulled you into hug and ran a hand through your hair, looking at the bathroom mirror with contempt. "It's alright, honey. She's gone."

"She knows your name, Danny. I don't like it." He kissed your hair. "If that's all she knows, that's the least of our worries." You tried to interrupt him but he shushed you. "It's all going to be alright, I promise." He wiped a tear from your cheek and held your face in his hands. "Okay?"

"Okay." He let go of you and held your hand. "Come on, let's get out of here." You nodded and flicked the switch in the bathroom, following Danny out to the kitchen.

You sat down at the island and he set your coffee and breakfast of you. "Thank you." He gave a slight nod and you looked him up and down. "Why are you jeans so early?"

"I'm covering Teenytown for Billy this morning, helping out with the train." You giggled and shook your head, taking a sip of your coffee. "You're such a man child."

"True, but I'm your man child." You smiled briefly and Dan's face changed as he watched you for a moment. "Look, about last night...we're good, right?" You were quick to nod. "Yeah..what made you think we weren't?" You asked. "I don't know.. it just made me a little nervous that you wanted to sleep alone last night." You let out a sigh and Dan held your face. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable or upset you last night because I was acting like an asshole but look..I love you, okay? I just worry about you."

"I know, but I'm okay. I promise." Your eyes interlocked and Dan's lip hinted at a smile. "Alright." You stood up and he kissed you gently on the lips. "I love you."

"Love you too. You'll be home for dinner?" He shook his head. "AA meet tonight then work. I stop vacation today, remember?"

"Damn it. I totally forgot. It's okay though. No big deal." You smiled. "So I'll probably be home around eight tomorrow morning. I can stop at that cafe you like on the way back. Get some coffee and bagels. How's that sound?" You looped your arms around his neck. "Sounds great. You spoil me. You know that? More than I deserve."

"With all you've done for me over the years, I wouldn't call it spoiling. It's my showing of appreciation." He booped your nose and you giggled. You released him from your hold and leaned your body against the fridge as you watched Dan slip his shoes on. "See you later, sweetheart."

"See ya." You looked out the window to watch him leave. "Promise me you'll be alright?" Dan yelled from outside and you let out a sigh. "I'll be fine. Love you!"

"Love you more!" Dan got in his car, giving you a slight wave before pulling out the driveway. You breathed inwardly and turned away from the window, looking at the huge REDRUM on the wall and felt chills run up your spine. "You'll be okay, Y/n..you'll be fine."

"You're not really okay though, are you?" You were thrown off guard and looked behind you. There was a man standing in the corner wearing a navy blue suit. "You must be Dick."

"Indeed I am. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Y/n." His energy felt warm and it brought a smile to your face. "It's nice to meet you too."

"When Danny was a boy he'd talk to me a lot about you. It feels like a second ago but I imagine it's not. This world is a dream of a dream to me now." You nodded. "He's doing okay now? Last time I seen Dan, he was down the gutter bad."

"Yeah, he's okay now. He's been sober 8 years," You hummed. "Good." You stood away from the fridge. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here because it all comes run. Ka is a wheel, Miss Y/n. Though something tells me you know that already." You didn't respond for a moment and Dick sighed.

"He doesn't want to help her. He says it's too dangerous for me." Dick chuckled heartily. "Yeah well, he doesn't have much of a choice in the matter. Does he? He owes a debt. Now he needs to pay it."

"Is it going to hurt him though? To repay it?" You rubbed your face. "Either way, it's out of our control. Over 30 years later I'm still on the hook. Same thing with your mother too. Your debt is partially paid though."

"Partially?" Dick smiled. "I know where you come from, Miss Y/n. I knew since the moment Danny first talked to me about you and I knew you were two of a kind. While the two hollow souls that raised you keep at hurting children while their shine dies and their addiction grows, yours shines bright and you ended the cycle for someone else. Fighting for the separation of identity from that upbringing. I can say only that much."

He turned away. "It seems to me despite all odds, you grew up mighty fine Miss Y/n. You keep at whatever you're doing with Dan because it's working. I'll see him later on but after that, neither of you will see me anymore. You still owe a small sum of debt though: pay it."

Before you could say anymore, Dick was gone and you started crying. "Fuck! I-i can't face them. I'm not strong enough to face them." You sunk down to the floor and started rocking yourself back and forth, glancing up at the REDRUM occasionally. "I should of never of dragged him into this. I'm going to get him killed!"

You desperately wanted Danny to come home. To have him hold you in his arms and tell you it all was a bad dream. The worst nightmare you ever had but you knew that wasn't true.

You looked at your reflection on the metallic surface of the fridge and hated what you seen. You didn't see yourself. You seen that girl. That girl who was so scared of the world because no matter how she got told she was loved and safe, she never felt. Because even when she was in a better place, the pains she buried deep inside would open themselves. Bleeding into her happiness and when people would ask her if she was okay she would smile, giving them a show they always believed because even though she could see the truth she never wanted to face it. You weren't that girl anymore. You were strong and you were true. So why did you see that girl now?

"Because I'm afraid," You answered aloud. You didn't want to go back to Colorado and see Crow and Rose but you knew you had to and you could do it. You weren't a child anymore and they had no control over you. You were in charge of your life now and you were free to make your own decisions. For the time in a while, you felt like you were loved. You loved Danny and he loved you and you weren't about to let go of that so easily. "I won't let them hurt him. Him or that little girl." There was a soft knock at the door and wiped your face. "Just a second, please!"

"Okay!" You knew that voice. Just where from, you didn't know. You looker out the peep hole before unlocking the door. "Hi, Aunt Y/n!"

The nickname sunk deep in your mind and everything clicked together like a puzzle and you stared at child in front you before speaking. "A-abra?!" A pair of small arms wrapped themselves around your waist and hugged you tight. "Yeah. It's nice to finally meet you." You returned the hug back confusedly and eventually let go. "H-honey what are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy not to see you but it's 12. Shouldn't you be at school?" You knew the kid standing in front of you couldn't of been over 13.

"I went for my first three classes but then I skipped because I wanted to see you after everything last night." She noticed your puffy eyes. "You okay?"

"Yeah..I'm fine. I'm just glad you're okay." Abra smiled. "Can I come in?" She gestured to the inside of your house. "Yeah. Did you have lunch yet?"

The young girl stepped inside and shook her head. "I'll make you lunch then. You cool with grilled cheese?"

"Yeah, I'm cool with it."

...

Being a pediatric nurse meant you had met many different children, all of them with their own unique personalities and traits but by far Abra Stone had to be the most fascinating you knew now. Not only was she steamy but she was highly intelligent for her age. Comprehending things on a level you couldn't even picture yourself doing at her age.

The two of you sat next to each other at the island in your kitchen as the two of you talked. You had her go over the weird radios thing on how she found this boy in the first. "..You have it too, you know. Yours is a little different there because yours is more like a tracker thing. Almost like a GPS." You thought about for a moment. "Yeah..I guess you're right." Abra giggled and took a moment to regain her composure. "So..what exactly is what do called? Magic?"

"Dan always called it the Shining, so now that's what I call it." You shrugged and took a sip of water. "We shine..I like that." You nodded. "Me too. It's better than being called special. That's what my mother used to call me. Though I don't think she meant it in a good way." You rolled your eyes and forced a smile.

"There's not a lot of people like us out there?" You nodded. "And many of the people that are out there and like us, are dangerous."

"Like those people?" You breathed in sharply. "Yes." You paused for a moment. "How are you feeling after everything last night?" Abra sighed. "Okay, I guess. Still a little spooked though. Those people..who are they?"

"Empty devils of a sort. Who I don't want you interacting with. At all." Abra raised a brow. "You've seen them before?" You gave a slight cynical smile. "I guess you can say that." You could tell Abra was trying to dissect the meaning of the sentence but let it go. "What does Uncle Dan think about all this?"

"He won't say it to me but it scares him. He's afraid, for me and you. The hat woman, Rose is her name, she's always known who I am. She doesn't who you are though and I want to keep it that way."

"I hate her..I hate her for what she did to that little boy." You frowned. "I know..me too. When she comes back though, because knowing her the way I do, I know she will; I'm going to help you. Because it won't be a few days from now it will be weeks or months later at a time you least expect it."

"What about Uncle Dan?" You made a face. "He doesn't want to help. Yet. He's married to me though so when the time comes, he's going to help. Whether he likes it or not because I already made it clear to him he has no choice in this." Abra chuckled.

"Anyways, back on topic. With that being said, do not chase after these people. Understand? Or even think about them. Because like how we have weird radios that can find people like us, they have it too. A few of them might have it even stronger than we do and the last thing we need is one of them finding who you are."

"Do they know who Uncle Dan is?" You rubbed your face. "They know his name but not who he is and I'm trying to keep that the same too for as long as I can."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't of dragged you both into this. I just panicked and-" You interrupted her. "You don't need to apologize for something you have no control over. I was your age once. I know how it feels to be scared."

"What happens when they find out who we are?" You sighed. "That a mountain we'll conquer when the times but either way, I'm not going to let them hurt you. Got it?"

"Got it." Abra slid off the chairs and gave you a hug. "Thank you for being there for me and believing me." You hugged her back. "Of course."

"I got to go. The bus ride back to my house is about an hour and neither of my parents know I skipped." You nodded and Abra grabbed her bookbag. "Take care of yourself, kiddo. And stay safe please?"

"I will. Bye, Aunt Y/n!" You smiled and waved to her. "Bye honey." As Abra left, you looked at the REDRUM and your posture stiffened. Thinking about how Rose made you seen that girl after you swore to never see her again. You gave her the satisfaction of getting to you but getting Abra, you refused to let that happen. Even if it cost your life.

"I think the fuck not, Rose. I think the fuck not..."

[lou-is-creative]

Unpredictable (pt 9)

ꜰᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ: 6 Underground

ᴍᴀɪɴ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ: Four/Billy // Eight/???

ꜱʜɪᴘᴘɪɴɢ: Four/Billy x male!Oc

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 8: Guilt

ꜱᴏɴɢ: Weightless - All time low

𝔹𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤, 𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕠𝕦𝕤 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤. 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕠𝕟 𝕞𝕪 𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥!

AN: Pic isn’t mine, sorry this took so long (again), have fun!! 

The atmosphere was tensed. Everyone was holding their breath. Whoever would walk through the door was either going to be Eights death or dead.

Sadly, they all knew her name.

"Dad?"

It was Amanda, the beautiful young girl Eight called his girlfriend.

"Are you sleeping?"

She took a few steps forward, away from the door, but she hesitated. It was the moment where Eight didn't really know what he was supposed to do.

"You kill her and get out of there. It's either your life or hers."

He heard One speak and even for him this decision didn't come easy. She was still a child...

Eight quietly closed the door after he got out his knife, but Amanda heard him anyways. She didn't seem to understand, which was good for the boy as he could come closer without alarming her.

"Jacob? Did you talk? Why is he sleeping?"

So many questions, none of them answered. He stopped in front of her and turned her around before grabbing her tightly. She was just about to make a noise and fight his grip, but it was already too late. The ceramic blade ended her life abruptly. She would have fallen on the ground but Eight carefully laid her down so it wouldn't spark any noise.

"I'm sorry."

He whispered and turned around to leave the room, being as quiet as possible.

Eight knew that him walking the floor alone would look more than suspicious. He had to get to his car without meeting any security guards.

Maybe he already knew that this was not quite possible.

"Hey you, boy!"

Eight froze and turned around then.

"The kitchen is downstairs, what are you even doing up here?"

The boy didn't need long to process.

"Oh, well, yes, I'm sorry, I'm new here, could you uhm bring me downstairs? I really don't know where I came from."

"What the fuck are you doing there, Eight??"

Five asked and Two shook her head.

"He's clever."

She said and One turned to her, a big question mark on his face.

"Think. If he has a security man following him, or guiding him, no other guard will get involved."

The huge guy sighed a little and shook his head slightly.

"I can't leave this position."

"Oh... So I guess I can't convince you, even with all the nice food we have down there? Come on, it just takes a second and I am already late again. I can't afford being late... "

"Okay fine, but I want one of those small cakes with the little cherry on top."

Eight nodded and the security man walked him downstairs. Following the man, he passed at least three other guards. As soon as they had reached a corner where there was no one else to see, Eight took his one and probably only chance. He lifted his blade and with a very skilled throw, pierced it through the guards neck.

The man stopped and gasped heavily as he touched his throat, the blade going right through it. He wanted to turn around but before he could, Eight pressed the handle of the knife downwards, forcing the mans head to jolt up. The sharp blade had cut open his entire throat.

The boy pulled the knife out and carefully sat his victim down before he did something that would save his life later.

He undressed the mans black jacket and took his cap and his gun.

It was a critical situation. Every second that passed sparked a chance of being caught. And undressing a dead man wasn't something Eight could just talk himself out of.

Just as he fixed the jacket and adjusted the cap, someone walked passed.

Eight, who was internally ready to run, froze for a second.

"Hey you, small guy, what are you standing there for, huh? Get back to your post. Or do I need to- what the urgh-"

The moment, the other guy saw the corpse was the moment he faced death himself. Shooting would have been way too loud so Eight, again, relied on his blade to do the work.

This time he didn't try to hide his victim. He had to get the hell out of there. Which wasn't easy at all since the house was full of security guards. Quietly, he walked the floors, trying his best not to alarm anyone. Tension and fear rested within him.

His hectic breathing was quietly, but constantly echoing through the room. The other ghosts were equally tensed. Although one of them seemed to be even more strained.

Four had turned pale. His heart was beating the same pace as Eights breath. He didn't want to lose the friend he basically just made. He didn't want to watch Eight die. He didn't want to get a nine.

He was scared.

So scared, a single tear ran down his face. Unseen from anyone else, but noticed by the boy himself, who quickly wiped it away.

Fortunately, Eight could pass the other security guards without making much of an impression. But the real problem just emerged. How was he supposed to get his car out of there without being noticed?

Eight froze a while as he stood outside, analysing the scene.

And there it was. His opportunity. The guy whom he had talked to before.

The security clothes were no longer needed so Eight undressed them and threw them behind a giant pot of flowers. Along with the gun. Just in time.

"Oh hey, Jacob!"

Eight turned, acting surprised before smiling.

"Oh hey, nice to see you again."

The young guard walked towards him and Eight quickly grabbed the key from inside his pocket.

"Are you leaving already?"

"Yeah, well, as I said, it could be that I have to hurry home."

"And Amanda does not want to say good-bye to her boyfriend?"

He grew slightly suspicious of Eight, but the ghost stayed calm.

"She did, but she's talking to her father. Probably the... 'is he accepted or not' talk. Wish me luck. I really want to see her again."

"I get that. She's stunning."

Eight nodded and looked around before raising a brow.

"Why are you here? I mean, weren't you at the other end of the bridge?"

"Oh, uhm.."

The guard scratched his neck embarrassed.

"The others sent me to get food. I already have it, but I have to walk back and deliver it."

Bingo.

"May I offer you a ride?"

Eight unlocked his car and grinned a little. That's what you get for being nice. A free pass.

"That would be great! I will just get the foo-"

"Wait I'll help you with it."

Eight, who really didn't want to be seen alone, followed his new friend to get the food said person was talking of.

"So this bag it is?"

Eight pointed at the bag and the other nodded. Both of them grabbed a handle and they carried it to his car , placing it in the trunk.

"Well then, get in, make yourself comfortable. I'll get you there."

With a huge grin plastered on his face, the guard opened the door and got inside the car, settling his seatbelt.

Eight did the same before he started the engine and slowly made his way to the gateway. The security guards were suspicious but as their newbie gave them a sign with his hand, they opened the gate and let them pass.

"It looks even better from the inside."

"I know, right?"

Eight looked highly satisfied as he kept driving. But he always kept an eye on the side mirrors to check whether the guards already noticed that two of them were dead or not.

Whether it was luck or fate that Eight made it till the end of the bridge was arguable.

"Thanks for the ride!"

"No problem. Now I gotta hurry. Get your food."

Eight grinned and let the guard get out of the car. He heard One telling him to get out but Eight kept calm.

The second the trunk lid was closed again, he kick-started his car and drove as fast as possible. Again, right in time.

Cheers filled the room and Eight took a deep breath before laughing a little.

"I swear to god, the second you get home, I'll kill you."

One cursed but his grin was bigger than that.

"Go for it, I'll catch up with you later."

Eight laughed and turned off camera and microphone.

Relief. The room was filled with relief. Everyone that had been holding their breath for about an hour was now able to catch it again. Four grinned, shaking his head a little before he emptied his beer and stood up.

"Where are you going, Four? We aren't done yet."

Seven said but Four just shook his head, watching Five stand up.

"Go on without me, I promised someone something."

Five smiled a little as Four walked over to her.

"So, a movie and some snacks?"

The blonde pushed his hands in his pockets and smirked slightly.

"Sounds good. I'll get the snacks and meet you in your room?"

Five asked and a nod was the answer to her question before Four left to check if his room was cleaned.

He threw some clothes in his wardrobe and fixed the bed before turning on the TV and waiting for the woman to come in.

Fortunately, after much protest of Seven and Four, One had allowed a DVD player and a couple of movies. Although they had to go through the whole 'millennials-talk' again.

Five brought chips, chocolate and two beer. She really had some skills to carry all of that at the same time.

"So what do you want to watch?"

Four asked as he helped her lay down all the stuff she was holding.

"As long as it's not that beaver show, I am fine with anything"

Both of them laughed a little and Four shook his head.

"No I don't like that show either. So, no need to worry I guess."

They made themselves comfortable after choosing a movie that both of them liked and Four opened his beer.

"Would you?"

Five asked as she pointed at her bottle, smiling softly. It was a smile that subconsciously reminded Four of a certain feeling he had before. It reminded him of Amandas joyful expression, her energy and the feelings she delivered. Four couldn't make out where the sudden joy and energy came from, which is why he assumed Five to be the source of it. And looking back, it made sense. She had always been good with him, from the day they met. He liked her strong mind and her little attitude. But one thing he always admired was the deep care she had within her. Probably more than anyone else on the team, she cared for people. For the innocent civilians, the children and the hurt. Not to forget her fellow ghosts.

A thousand thoughts rushed through Fours mind but the only sentence he could make himself say was;

"Your smile looks good."

Yes, he said good. Not beautiful, not stunning, not adorable, not bright, no. Out of all the words available he chose good. Which probably spoke for him as the non-verbally-flirting-type of guy, who would just stare and drink until he was able to say something.

Although he had quite a way with words normally. Normally, he would have chosen a line that was stronger than that, but the boy couldn't help but be nervous.

It was his luck that Five really liked him.

It was getting darker and darker and Eight had not reached his new home yet. He was tired and the enthusiasm he had felt earlier had vanished. Thoughts of doubt kept creeping in.

If he would have stuck to the plan, Amanda, a girl who had nothing to do with the whole situation, would have been able to proceed living her life. Who knows, maybe she would have been someone who would fight the evil just like they did? Maybe she would have fought against cruelty herself? And now he had taken that opportunity away from her. The opportunity to choose a side.

Eight normally wasn't the person to admit that he felt a spark of guilt or remorse, but in this particular night he couldn't help but wanting someone to talk to. Which he would, probably, once he returned. He would walk up to Four and Four would be awaiting him with his dark green eyes and a cheeky comment. They would go into his room and chill on the bed before Eight would eventually consult Four about his feelings to check whether his decision was right or wrong.

At least that was how the young ghost imagined his return. But he wasn't greeted by Four. Instead, he found One whom he had to talk to.

"You are aware, that what you did was not only dangerous but incredibly stupid?"

Eight remained silent.

"Good."

One finally said, before he grinned a little.

"But, to be fair, through your work we were able to cut things short. So I'll let this one slip."

Eight took a deep breath before he made his way to the bedrooms, too exhausted to comment on One and too caught up with the feeling of guilt. He really needed to get this off his chest and therefore, he needed the only person he trusted around here.

The boy stopped at Fours door and was about to knock as he heard something. Something he wish he hadn't heard. It was Fives voice, but it sounded higher than usual. She seemed to be unable to form words, only noises echoed through the silence.

And Eight stood there, processing for a second before he finally backed away from the room to return to his, where he carefully pushed the not-yet-fixed door aside to get in.

He dumped his belongings on the floor and starred into the dark.

Standing there, utterly alone in the dark, triggered a wave of feelings inside him.

The remorse for Amanda, the fear he had went through while he was on the mission, the anger that Five sparked in him, it all came together. And yet there was something he was unable to determine. A weird feeling of disappointment that came out of nowhere and washed away everything he had felt before. Eight couldn't find a reason for this particularly annoying emotion although he'd later tie it to what he had witnessed while standing in front of Fours room.

"Pull yourself together.”

He angrily whispered to himself before undressing until he only had his boxers covering his body. While he did, he kept thinking about the way Five had angered him without any logical reason. And no, the jealousy she showed as they talked alone didn't count as logical. So far Eight had done nothing to establish any kind of romantic relationship between him and Four. He didn't even have the want to do so.

Whatever. She had what she wanted.

Eight finally let himself sink on the mattress. He quietly glanced at the door, starring at it for a while before turning away and closing his eyes.

Hours passed. Hours, in which the young ghost was turning and twisting in his bed, fighting the thoughts and images he had in his head. Without any success.

[okaybutlikeimagine]

Reckless Billy melts me am just sayin

Okay SAME Reckless Billy wrecks helpless me.

Alright so i’ve talked about reckless Billy before WAY back and i feel like i sprinkle him in here and there but when i’m talking reckless i’m talking RECKLESS. And i dunno if this is also what you meant but i just… can’t help but think about it.

Like, i love soft Billy. I love sweet Billy w/ his new sister and his 2 new brothers. I love bratty billy w/ Hop and Max. I love emotional Billy w/ Joyce and Steve. I just love BILLY and all of the different sides that inevitably come w/ him bc, contrary to the Duffers belief i GUESS, people are COMPLEX and i love thinking about all of the little things Billy would have that just make him so human.

And one of those things is that he still gets reckless. Still thinks about his past and all of the torture he faced and all of the things he did to others and all of the regret and fear and stress he feels in his chest and just… doesn’t know how to handle it. It boils up inside of him bc he’s scared and nervous and afraid and he gets reckless bc why fucking care that much???

He’s so sure it’s all going to fade away some day, he’s so sure it’s all going to come to an end, he’s so damn sure that this little family of his now is going to wake up and realize that he’s not worth it. He was never worth it and all of this time has been wasted and they’re going to leave him out on the curb where he belongs. To be picked up by the next sap who thinks he has a soul or better yet, to be picked up by no one because that’s how it should go.

Hop is going to get fed up, Joyce is going to get worn down, El and Will and Jonathan and Max are going to get too hurt, Steve is going to get too tired and they’re going to turn their backs on him and never turn back around again.

They’ll forget Billy and it’ll be better for them and Billy is just so sure of it that he feels like he needs to speed up the process. He has too many good things all at once. Before they can leave of their own volition, Billy is going to push them bc then he can blame himself.

He wants to be able to fully blame himself. He doesn’t want to shed a bad light on any single person in his life right now. They’re the only good things he’s ever had…

So he gets reckless and he picks fights with older men who lurk around the local liquor store. and he does stupid shit like play chicken in the road w/ other, unsuspecting cars. And one day him and Steve get in a fight about how Billy can’t keep being a dumbass and Billy is like: “Oh, I’m a dumbass, huh? I’ll show you how much of a dumbass I can be! I’m gonna go see how high the quarry is. It’s always looked like a pretty refreshing swim!”

And so Billy storms out but Steve catches up to him like: “are you fucking insane? Billy cut it out!”

And Billy doesn’t even really understand that the fall is that steep. doesn’t understand what he’s just sort of implied. Doesn’t really understand still the whole thing that happened with Will, or rather Will’s fake body. It’s a sensitive subject for the family. He knows the bare minimum. Steve looks at Billy with all of the fear in the world in his eyes and just asks:

“Billy, are you okay?”

And Billy is struggling, fighting, trying to break away. Trying to get anywhere other than this coddling affection but then he realizes he’s pushing his fucking boyfriend away. He sees himself doing it. He feels Steve’s grip loosen and he realizes he’s really doing it and he doesn’t want to and-

And Steve grips harder and pulls Billy in and just whispers: “Breathe, alright? Please just breathe.”

And Billy breathes. Breathes in Steve’s lingering scent of warm clothes and spearmint and that weird, expensive cologne that he always seems to have on him somewhere and that Billy will never be able to name.

And he relaxes.

And when he gets reckless at home, yelling and screaming and throwing things bc he can bc “fuck this, i know i’m just another fucking pet to you!” Hop has to watch and approach Billy slowly and envelop him in a hug and let him cry. Let him fall apart where he’s safe and comfortable and let them sit in the silence of some soft record playing in the background that has become their kind of silence.

Or Joyce will see Billy getting frustrated as he chops something up for dinner and he’s gripping the knife too tight and getting too close to his knuckles bc he’s not paying attention and he’s about to fucking throw it at the wall until Joyce places a calming hand on his back and Billy immediately feels the energy and the presence shift and he relaxes enough to drop the knife gently to the counter and breathe out a sigh because that’s right sweetie, remember to breathe.

Just??? Billy fighting through still being reckless and his family helping him through it ♥ and me crying over it.

[delos-mio]

Death of a Bachelor - Part 10

A/N: highs! lows! jim vs logan! logan vs billy! you vs the world! as always, feedback loved and appreciated- it’s what keeps this ol girl going :)

The Delos compound was set deep into the hills of Bel Air. You’d been out this way only once since you lived in LA and that was for a client’s launch party. It had been a night of excess and luxury that made you discover you didn’t really have a taste for that lifestyle. You wanted your comfortable life, not to need to worry about money, and nothing more. This time, you were seated next to Logan in his pristine Range Rover on your way to see his father, Jim. After months of both working for his company and sleeping with his son, you were finally about to be face to face with the patriarch of the Delos family. This idea scared the shit out of you, frankly.

You hated him. You didn’t even know the man and you hated him with every ounce of your being. From the minute he stopped at Logan’s house unannounced to harass him over something so trivial, there had been a bad taste in your mouth. Logan had told you plenty of other stories about growing up with him as a father that just broke your heart. And now all this bullshit with William. You knew normally you should be worried about making a good first impression, but the way you saw it? It was Jim who had all the making up to do.

As the road wound higher and deeper into the gated hills, Logan’s grip on your hand involuntarily tightened. All during the ride over, he hadn’t let go of your hand once. You were starting to get a little clammy, linked with him for so long, but there was no way you’d release him first. His eyes were covered by the same dark sunglasses he’d worn on your first date and the day you skipped out on work to go to the beach with him. Even though you couldn’t see his complete expression, he radiated nervous energy from every pore of his body.

“If you squeeze any harder, you’re going to pull my hand clean off,” you teased, giving him a light pulse of your fingers.

“Sorry,” he muttered, shaking his head to himself and relaxing his grip a bit. “Guess I’m a little more nervous than I thought.”

“I figured you’d live closer to each other, you know, keep all the family and business together,” you smiled, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“Why do you think I moved all the way out to Malibu?” he smirked back, unable to resist the joke even though he was still sweating bullets.

“You know, you don’t have to do this today. We can turn around, take a few days to process and revisit.” You wanted to be supportive, but you were also worried he was pushing himself too much too soon.

“No, I have to do this now. If I wait, I lose whatever sliver of footing I have left. I’m already playing from behind since that son of a bitch left me in the fucking desert and ran straight to my stupid dad,” he grumbled. Clearly, Logan was dead set on this idea, not willing to look at the alternatives. All you could do was encourage him and be there for him when shit inevitably hit the fan. You drove in silence for another moment before idling at an expansive gate. Logan rolled down the window and quickly keyed in a security code, causing the doors to swing open slowly.

Behind the gate sat a sprawling mansion unlike any you’d seen before. Even your high profile client’s homes looked like townhouses compared to the behemoth before you. The driveway ended in a multi-stalled car garage or alternatively, there was a path off to the left that circled around a fountain that one could use to park or drop off. It felt like it should have its own valet, ready at your beck and call. Logan pulled in front of a closed garage stall and shut off the quiet engine. For another moment, you sat in silence. You didn’t want to be the first one to speak, so you just waited patiently for Logan to gather whatever thoughts were running though his head.

“Could you um,” he started before shifting in his seat you face you. “Could you tell me, you know, it’s going to be ok or something?” He started looking down at his lap, his free hand rubbing at the back of his neck. You had never heard him stammer like that before, so embarrassed to ask for the one thing he always swore he never needed.

“Logan?” you said with a smile, pulling his attention back to you. “It’s going to be ok.” It was all he needed. He let out a soft sigh and you knew if you could see his eyes, he’d be looking at you with that fond look that made your stomach clench. You were thankful you couldn’t drown in his deep, brown eyes at this moment or you may not have let him out of the car. Logan leaned across the center console and placed a firm kiss on your lips, his hand moving to cup your cheek and hold you close to him.

When he finally broke away, he took another deep breath before letting himself out and walking over to your door, grabbing your hand again as he let you out. The walk to the front door seemed like it lasted forever, though it was likely just due to the sheer size of the place. Logan let himself in and listened closely after shutting the heavy front door shut behind you. There didn’t seem to be a sound in the place, which was a little eerie to you. The foyer where you stood was easily bigger than any single room in your apartment. Covered in marble and granite, every surface gleamed under the California run that poured in from the floor to ceiling windows in the opposite room.

“Hello? Dad? Anyone home?” Logan called out, his footsteps falling loudly in the stillness of the house. He turned back to you then and let his shoulders loosen a bit. “Thank god, I was hoping he wouldn’t be here right off the bat.”

“This place is really something,” you said, distracted, as you wandered down the wide hallway that ended in an expansive living room. The windows stretched from floor to the crown molding with a breathtaking view of the LA skyline. The lawn was perfectly manicured and a gigantic pool sat in the middle of the almost artificial looking green grass. You walked over to the windows and really studied the grounds you were on. They were impressive by every definition of the word, but it didn’t feel like a home. It was no wonder Logan made the decision to move as far away as he could and still be reasonably close to the city. As you looked out the window in contemplation, long arms snaked around your waist, pulling you flush against Logan’s toned chest.

“Quite the view, huh?” he asked before planting a wet kiss on the top of your shoulder.

“Yeah,” you agreed noncommittally. “I think I like the view of the ocean better.” You spun to face him while staying in his grasp, letting your hands move up and down his chest. He shot you a proud smile before kissing you properly this time. His soft lips moved on yours as his hand wandered down the small of your back until he had a handful of your ass in his grip. You pulled back from his kiss slightly, causing him to pout dramatically. “What are you trying here, huh? I thought we were here on a mission.”

“We are,” he agreed, “But does that mean we can’t have any fun before my dad makes me want to blow my brains out?” His large hand gently kneaded, asking you to bend to his will. “It’d be a pretty big ‘fuck you’ if he were to walk in and catch me fucking you over the arm of that couch,” he said with a nod of his head back toward the large leather sectional that sat in front of the fireplace.

“I’m not wild about your dad seeing me naked the first time we meet,” you laughed. “Sorry, babe. You’re gonna have to wait.”

You had no sooner turned Logan down, much to his dismay, that you heard the unmistakable sound of engines and cars rolling up the driveway. There was suddenly a pit deep in your stomach and your throat felt like it was closing up. While you were nervous to meet the man who abandoned his own son, you were more anxious for Logan. He wasn’t good at expressing himself or having those tough conversations. There was a very real possibility that one or both of them could completely fly off the handle and you’d be caught in the middle. You took a seat on the arm of the couch and Logan pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes once again and walked to the center of the room where it’d be impossible to miss him. When the front door opened, there was laughing. Jim wasn’t alone.

“So I said to him, if you’re going to fuck me like a whore, the least you could do is pay me like one!” More laughter at the conclusion of what you assumed was an equally as repulsive story. Jim stopped short of the living room, looking his son over. William, his new lap dog, was only a few steps behind with a smug expression painted on his face. It was enough to make to charge him right then and there.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Jim asked unceremoniously. He had yet to look in your direction—maybe he didn’t even notice you were there.

“We have some unfinished business. And I think the real question is what the fuck is he doing here?” he asked, pointedly gesturing at William.

“Take those stupid things off, you look ridiculous.” Jim took a few more steps into the living room and Logan obeyed, pushing his sunglasses back onto his head. William followed him in as well and immediately took notice of your presence.

“Hello. Nice to see you again,” he said to you specifically. You crossed your arms tights over your chest and looked away from him, focusing instead on Logan. He was out of his mind if he thought you had anything to say to him. This small interaction caught Jim’s attention, his beady eyes looking you over from head to toe, disinterest on his face.

“I thought I told you this wasn’t your own personal brothel, Logan,” he sighed before walking over to the bar and pouring himself three fingers of a dark whiskey.

“Oh, no. This is Logan’s girlfriend. The one I was telling you about the other day,” William interjected. The fucker! You had suspected he used Logan’s fondness of you to help edge him out, but the confirmation made your blood boil uncontrollably. You opened your mouth to cuss out Billy, but Logan beat you to the punch.

“Don’t fucking talk about her.” Logan’s switch was flipped and he began taking long strides toward William, his eyes wild. You stood then and caught his hand, hoping to keep him from making a mistake he couldn’t take back. He turned to look at you over his shoulder and you silently asked him to please take a deep breath and think before he acted. When he turned back to the other two men, his dad was laughing to himself.

“So you lose a bunch of money in Westworld, you hire the first marketing director in a skirt you find, you fuck her, and now what? You expect me to let you keep your seat?” Jim’s laugh grew darker. “You’re more delusional than I thought, boy.”

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t talk about me like I’m not sitting right here,” you interjected. Sure, this was Logan’s battle to fight, but you sure as shit weren’t going to just sit there and be disrespected. As soon as you spoke, Jim and William looked at you. William looked amused while Jim looked like he was 2 seconds from throwing you out of his house. Instead, he turned back to his son.

“She speaks out of turn and you put up with that? I knew you were into some weird shit, but I didn’t think you’d let a woman walk all over you. You’ve gone softer than I thought.” He stepped closer to Logan, who was covered in a thin layer of sweat, trying with all his might not to lay his hands on either of the men in front of him.

“You will not disrespect her. Not while I’m here and not after we leave.” Logan took a steadying breath before continuing. “I didn’t come here to ask for my job back. I didn’t even come here to ask you to forgive me.” This surprised you. This entire time, you thought the whole point of coming was to unseat William, to get his spot in Delos back.

“Then why the fuck are you here bothering me, boy?” Jim and Logan ended their staring match when Logan shot daggers directly at William.

“You. You’re not marrying my sister and you won’t have my company either,” he spat, jabbing his finger emphatically at William. “I will die before you ruin her life the way you’ve ruined mine.”

“Logan, you have no one to blame but yourself for your failure. If you weren’t so impulsive and unstable, you may have been able to hold onto your job.” William was really gaslighting Logan right in front of you. While you knew you’d ‘spoken out of turn’ more times than you were allowed, you couldn’t stand the thought of William playing tricks on his mind, not while Logan was in such a fragile state.

“How dare you!” you interrupted coolly, your face twisted in disgust. “This is all your fault! Don’t you dare stand here and twist all of this around on Logan. Did you even bother telling him that you fell in love with a host and turned into a sadistic fuck once you got drunk on the power you had for once in your pathetic life?” You were huffing by the end of your tirade. You really didn’t mean to go off like that. Hell, you were trying to avoid talking all together. In your frenzy, you didn’t even notice Logan rubbing the small of your back reassuringly.

“You’re a fool if you think my son loves you,” Jim noted cruelly. “And you’re a fool for sticking your pecker in every person you see. Now, get out of my house.”

“Gladly.” Logan grabbed your hand and charged purposefully toward the front door. Before letting himself out, he turned around one more time and looked William square in the eye. “You’re not marrying Jules.” With that, he escorted you out and slammed the door shut behind him.

Once you were outside, Logan dropped your hand and stomped over to his SUV, letting himself in and shutting himself inside. You hung back for a moment, giving him space he was not so subtly asking for. As you watched, you heard him yell a drawn out profanity accompanied by him slamming his fist into the steering wheel just above the horn. You were worried he’d hurt his hand, but he slumped back into his seat just before you decided you’d check on him. Cautiously, you approached and softly rapped one knuckle on his window. When he looked up at you, his eyes were already swollen and defeated. You recognized the look and flung the door open, but it was Logan who reached out first to pull you into him. He let his face slam into your chest and you cradled his head there, slowly running your fingers through his cropped hair.

“Shh, it’s ok. It’s ok, baby,” you whispered calmly, rubbing his shoulders as he continued to cry into your chest. You tilted your head down just a bit to place a kiss to the crown of his head and rest your cheek there after you pulled back. Seeing him so torn up was killing you. There wasn’t much in your power you could do to make anything better, easier, but goddamn you wish there was. Logan, for all his arrogance and vibrato, didn’t deserve even half of what he was currently going through. You felt his breathing steady and the distinct sound of sniffling accompanying it before Logan finally lifted his head to look you in the eyes. He just watched you for a moment, one of his hands unwrapping from around you to run along your jawline.

“I’m sorry,” he croaked finally.

“You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. It’s not your fault they’re soulless sacks of shit. It’s tragic, but there’s unfortunately no cure for being a cunt,” you shrugged, trying anything to see him smile again. It worked, if even for a moment.

“You’re so amazing,” he mused mostly to himself. He let out a groan and quickly wiped away the lingering wetness on his face with the back of his hand.

“What do you say we go get some food and then we can do whatever you want?” you suggested with a small smile.

“That sounds really fucking good,” he nodded. “You might have to drive though. My head feels like I’m underwater.”

“You’re going to let me, lil ol me, drive the Rover?” you asked incredulously, gesturing toward yourself.

“Just adjust the seat back when you’re done.” He tossed you the keys and gave you a wink before getting out of the driver’s seat, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead before watching you climb in and shutting the door behind you. You brought the engine to life and looked over at Logan once before pulling setting off; he had again retreated behind his sunglasses. “So, what sounds good, princess?”

“Oh, we’re getting In-N-Out. The only food acceptable when you’re down in the dumps.” No sooner had to said you were getting fast food that Logan groaned, long and dramatic. “Oh, shut up, Mr. Kale Salad or whatever the fuck you thought we were going to get.”

“Do you know how long it’s been since I had fast food?” he asked with a laugh.

“If you don’t know, then it’s been too long.” You flashed him another smile as you wound down the hillside into the busy Hollywood traffic.

You had picked up food and drove out to the beach outlook close to Logan’s house. He had finally caved and ordered a burger and fries to share with you. Now, the two of you were sat in the open trunk of his SUV, eating and looking out over the ebbing ocean. Logan had calmed down considerably. If he was being honest with himself, it was all because of you. You had stuck up for him even when his father attempted to demean you. You held him as he cried. Shit, you talked him into getting In-N-Out for the first time in easily a decade. He had watched you sing along to the radio on the way out to the coast and his heart ached even now reminiscing on how adorable you looked. Now, Logan was watching you laugh in the golden hour of the California sun. Completely carefree and absolutely radiant as you licked a rogue drop of ketchup from your thumb. Looking at you now, Logan thought there was no way there was a more beautiful creature on earth. More importantly, there was no way anyone could care about him the way you did.

“…Don’t you think?” you asked. But when you turned to look at Logan, he was just staring at you, clearly not listening. “Have you even heard a single word I just said?”

“I love you.” It hit him like a ton of bricks and just slipped out. It was the first time he’d ever told someone who wasn’t his mother or Juliet that he loved them. But goddamn it, if this wasn’t love, he didn’t know what was. It felt so natural; he felt free. He had to share it with you- you’d given so much of yourself to him that he needed to give this back to you. You looked at him, stunned. Most days, you figured it was something he’d never say to you, even if he really felt that way.

“You don’t have to say that, Lo,” you said sweetly, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. But Logan was tossing the paper sack full of wrappers into the back seat before grabbing your hips and pulling you towards him. You happily took the hint and climbed over to him, positioning yourself on his lap with your thighs straddling his. Your arms instinctively draped over his shoulders, allowing you to gently rake your nails over his back.

“What if I told you I wanted to? Because I just…” he paused to tuck your hair behind your ear, “Am so stupid, head over heels in love with you.” Your heart felt like it could burst. Logan, your Lo, was opening his heart to you.

“Then I guess I’d tell you that I love you too,” you grinned. He let out a fond sigh, relieved that you hadn’t changed your mind in the few days since you announced your feelings for him. His hands roamed over your thighs as you ran your fingers through his hair like he liked. “I love you so goddamn much.”

Logan couldn’t stand it anymore and tilted his jaw up to capture your lips with his. He was languid, savoring the feeling of how soft your lips were, how they moved so perfectly on his. You tasted like nothing he’d ever known before. You smiled into his kiss, elated and completely overwhelmed by him saying those three little words to you. As you pulled apart, you kept your forehead against his, the stupid grin never leaving either of your faces.

“Can I take you home and fuck you senseless? Show you how much I love you?” he asked, feigning coyness.

“Why go home when there’s a perfectly good backseat right here?” You raised an eyebrow and rutted your hips gently against him, his hardness already evident at your suggestion. Logan let out a low groan, an amused chuckle following.

“Princess, you’re such a bad girl,” he jokingly admonished. “And I love you for it.”

[strangerstuffandthingsimagines]

Chlorine (Billy Hargrove x Reader)

Warnings: Romantic themes

Request: Ice cream and skinny dipping for Billy x reader, with some romance in there? This is Emma over at @hairringtonsteve by the way, and let me just say - I AM SO PROUD OF YOU FOR HITTING 1K THAT IS INCREDIBLE AND WONDERFUL AND YOU DESERVE THEM ALL AND SO MUCH MORE

Omg thank you Emma!!! That means so much to me! I hope you like this and thank you for supporting me 💕

    You had been in Hawkins for all of two weeks, visiting your grandmother for the summer and had already found yourself infatuated with Billy Hargrove.

It started on the night he had climbed onto his roof, taking drags of a cigarette whilst you sat in your bedroom window, writing away in your journal. Slowly you had pulled yourself from your thoughts to glance up, feeling his brooding eyes watching you, and there you had sat, watching him too.

It was an unspoken desire that either of you had yet to act on.

    The sun settled over Hawkins like a suffocating grip to the throat, letting little to no salvation from the sweltering heat. With the murmur of the cicadas buzzing song, you slowly rocked yourself in the hammock, your toes entangling with the lush grass at your feet.

Your eyes remained fixed on Billy, the neighbour from across the road, as he sprayed his beloved car with the garden hose. The two of you had been sharing glances now and then between one another, his eyes remained on you as you pressed the cool glass of orange juice to your cheek.

The sweet flavour lingered on your tongue as you finished your drink, letting out a satisfied sigh your eyes fluttered shut, basking in the cool breeze that blew through the trees.

When the heat became too much to handle, you made your way back into the somewhat cooler confines of the small, quaint house.

    Flipping through one of your grandmother's magazines, you sat at the kitchen table whilst stirring around a slice of carrot in ranch dressing before taking a bite. You had become quite engrossed by an article on the art of cake decorating.

The creak of the screen door drew your attention away from the purple and blue icing covered cakes, only to be taken aback by the tall figure lingering behind your small grandmother.

“Hello lovely, look who offered to carry my groceries for me.” she smiled, glancing over her shoulder at Billy, whose arms were filled with brown paper bags. “He met me all the way at the end of the road and carried them all the way back here.”

You felt the tips of your ears become hot as you could feel Billy’s gaze on you. Swallowing roughly, you closed the magazine and offered him a small smile. “That’s so sweet of you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just the right thing to do,” he explained almost shyly, though his thick lashes curtained over his eyes in a way that exuded a lecherous energy.

He had made the first move; infiltrating the boundary in which neither of you had established, yet both hadn’t dared to cross until now.

    Tossing and turning, you struggled to fall asleep as the sheets of your bed clung to your body. The humidity had become unbearable, prompting you to kick off the constricting sheet and pull on a pair of jean shorts.

With five dollars you had fished out from your pocket, you wandered aimlessly down the empty streets of the town. Your eyes landed on the fluorescent “open” sign of the 24-hour gas station, that lit up like a mirage in the summer heat.

The refreshing blast from the AC washed over you, as you entered the gas station. The attendant gave a subtle nod which you returned kindly.

Searching the isles, you were pleased to find the deep freezer that stored all of the frozen treats. You pretended to take your time looking for the perfect ice cream sandwich when in reality you were savouring every second of the cold air.

“Did you lose something?” Billy mused as he watched you limply hang over the freezer.

Slowly rising up, you gave him a goofy looking grin as you hadn’t noticed he was also at the gas station. 

“Can a girl not leach off some cool air in peace?” You asked, waving the ice cream sandwich in front of him. “My grandma refuses to turn on the AC, this is as close as I’m going to get to it.”

His eyes explored your body, the movements were small and subtle, but it had happened. There was no denying the tension that had bound up like a tight knot between the two of you, both quietly longing for one another but neither doing a thing about it.

“I think I know where we can go to cool off,” he said as he scraped his teeth along his bottom lip.

    Never in a million years would you have agreed to trespass on private property, strip down to your undergarments and get in a pool with someone you barely knew, but the summer heat had clouded your senses.

“I’m surprised you agreed to do this,” Billy admitted, sinking below the water for a moment before bobbing up again, slightly closer to you than he had been before.

“So am I.” You admitted, resting your elbows on the ledge as you peered over at him with a sheepish smile. “But I couldn’t say no to someone who paid for my ice cream, could I?”

Pushing off the wall with your feet, you floated backwards, only to have Billy playfully pull you beneath the surface. Letting out a shrill squeal as you resurfaced, you found yourself chest to chest with him, his fingers still gripping the soft skin of your hips. Slowly guiding you to the shallower part of the pool, allowing for rest from treading water.

The blue of the pool only made his eyes look more alluring than they already had. With half-lidded eyes fixed on your plush lips, he could hardly take the tautness in his chest when he was near you.

You felt it too; the tension pulling on your ribs as you coveted the taste of his skin. Hooking your leg around his, you pressed yourself into him, feeling as though your chest would burst if you didn’t touch him that very second.

“We shouldn’t.” you breathed, the smell of ice cream still lingering on your breath. “I’m only here for the summer and I don’t want to leave behind something I’m going to miss.”

The muscles in his back tightened beneath your fingertips as if your words we the only thing holding him back. The thought of being worth aching over, even in these brief moments senseless ardour, was unfathomable to him. Yet he felt it too, the fear of missing someone, to crave something he couldn’t have.

He fought with himself, truly battled with the consequences that would come from this.

“It’ll hurt too much,” you confessed, knowing too well you couldn’t be with him and not become attached.

With a soft touch, he took your cheek in his palm, giving into the secret desire to be gentle and loving with someone opposed to the casual hookups and conquests of his past.

“Kiss me.” he nearly begged. “Please, just kiss me.”

You imagined, rather fantasized, your first encounter with Billy to be feverish and frantic, a mess of teeth and tongue; but it wasn't.

It was slow and quiet and tasted of chlorine and nicotine.

[lumifuer]

Seek And Reform

Pairings: Billy Hargrove x Reader Words: 1514 Warnings: Mention of abuse, sexual content (teasing), angst A/N: Part three is here! Thank you for your support and nice comments! The two remaining parts should be up in the following days! Enjoy! 

Series Summary: Billy shows up in your bedroom in the middle of the night in a desperate attempt to forget about his demons.

Chapter Summary: You try to keep it together after the fight following Billy’s confession while he’s ready to push his boundaries just to win you back.

PART ONE // PART TWO //  PART THREE // PART FOUR // PART FIVE 

The bell rang and broke your reverie. Startled, you looked down at the blank pages of your notebook and frowned in annoyance. Your thoughts were fixated on something else completely and you spent the entire class on worrying instead of taking notes. You got up and shoved your things into the bag, mad at this asshole for having such a strong impact on your behaviour and emotional state. You rushed to your locker, hurriedly grabbing the things you would need at home and closed it a little bit too loud for your liking. You left the building in hopes of getting away before anyone else would have a chance to join you.

It was drizzling as if the weather decided to play a joke on you, knowing that you were already on verge of tears. You were cursing under your breath, wishing you'd brought a warmer jacket or an umbrella but some many things had been occupying your mind before leaving the home. You pressed the notebooks against your chest, securing your grip on them and desperately trying to hide the shakiness of your hands, a harsh aftermath of morning's fight.

As soon as you left the school area, the sound of a familiar car engine reached your ears. Taking a deep breath, you tried to calm your heart rate and made sure your voice was firm.

The car caught up with you and slowed down, matching your pace. Billy rolled down the window and motioned at you to get in.

"It's freezing, I'll take you home," he shouted over the sound of rain. The concern was thick in his voice and you couldn't help but feel bad again, knowing that a lot of things could have been handled better.

You stopped and so did his car. You were imagining all the different scenarios and things you would like to say to him during the classes but it quickly went to hell as you were confronted with him physically. You resisted the urge to look at his face, fearing that seeing his wounds would melt your heart too soon and you wouldn't accomplish anything productive.

"I'd rather walk, thank you," you replied, happy that your voice didn't break. You focused on the road ahead, the cold waterdrops sending shivers down your spine but you couldn't agree just yet. The silence was lingering and you were ready to continue walking when he spoke again.

"Can we talk?"

Despite the warning signs in your mind, you turned your head to look at him. He decided to hide the damage behind a pair of sunglasses but they didn't really work all too well when it came to covering the bruise. Its outlines were still if not more visible.

"Will it change anything?" you asked. You expected him to stand his ground but instead of lashing out at you he remained quiet for a few seconds, looking for right expressions.

"I hope so," he replied.

The words sounded sincere and you decided there was nothing to lose anymore. With a tired sigh, you opened the door on the passenger's side and jumped in. Billy started the engine and drove off with less energy than usual.

For the first minute or two, the silence in the car was overwhelming. He didn't even put on any music and that alone made you feel sick to your stomach. Neither of you wanted to speak first, the tension was tangible and you couldn't think of a proper way to start the topic. Looking for clues on his face, you took a glimpse at his profile and almost didn't recognize the man sitting beside you. His whole confidence was gone, he was jumpy and nervous and the cuts enhanced by the dark material of his glasses were only multiplying this impression.

"How long--"

"A while," he answered before you had a chance to finish your question. You made a mental note to avoid calling this situation for what it really was since he seemed reluctant to admit he'd fallen a victim to domestic violence.

"You really didn't try to tell anyone? Or seek help?" you continued the theme, carefully studying his face in search of distress. You were tracing on some thin ice and one wrong move could've ruined everything.

"Susan stays out of it," he shrugged it off. "And Max hates my guts, so."

You fought off the urge to remind him that his step-sister had every right to not be very fond of him. The fact that his father was an abusive asshole shined some light on a few things and allowed you to partially understand the reasoning behind his aggressive exterior and his general hesitation to change but you wouldn't accept this as an excuse and would still hold him accountable for the bullshit he pulled off. But maybe not while you were trying to get him to open up.

"And anyone besides them?" you asked.

He shook his head in response.

"Why?"

"Serving as a punching bag for my father isn't something I'd like to share with anyone, you know."

You looked down at your hands, trying to imagine yourself in this situation. It was easy to assume that you would've run to the Hopper's office and ask him for help but you didn't have nearly enough information to truthfully declare it. Last night made you aware of the emotions that Billy had buried deep inside to hide them from unwanted gaze. But what he had just admitted hinted at the worst and most powerful of them all: shame.

He must have felt so weak and disposable in his father's presence that he'd created another personality to show off at school. Putting on a mask and using it to intimidate everyone around him was making him less vulnerable. All the pain that he wanted to inflict on others originated in his own house, caused by the man that should have been his guardian.

But discovering the motive behind his violent ways didn't bring you peace, in reality, it made all the problems harder to resolve because you weren't simply changing his behaviour and inspiring him to do better. You were stripping him of his only coping mechanism and without replacing it with something healthy you could have done more harm than good.

Billy cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry for this morning. And for getting pretty rough at night."

Your eyes winded and you couldn't hold back a coy smile.

"Are you really apologizing to me?"

He chuckled and the sound of his laugh cleared out the tension, "Don't get used to it, princess."

He noticed your grin and took it as a sign of improvement. Without asking, he finally put on some music and you were beyond thankful for that. His hands were banging on the wheel, matching the rhythm of Ratt's "You're In Love". He couldn't have picked a better song and in moments like this, you were reminded of the reason why had you fallen in love with him in the first place.

"Where to, princess?" he asked, looking at you with an entirely different expression.

"Home," you replied. You didn't want to go back just yet especially when you had just made up with this idiot. "I have a test tomorrow."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't utter a single word. He didn't need to, you knew that he really wanted to make fun of you.

"I have a much better idea. Stay at my place tonight."

"Billy--"

"Say that you're staying at Stacey's. Susan and my father are out of town until tomorrow. And surprisingly Max actually likes you more than she likes me."

You laughed, amused by his poor choice of words.

"Oh, that's not surprising at all."

He scoffed and looked at you, locking his eyes with yours. Even the sunglasses weren't able to tone down the blue of his iris and you quickly found yourself drowning in them. You barely even noticed his warm touch on the inner side of your tight. His hand was rubbing your skin, moving in small circles, slowly making its way up under your skirt. You were about to give in and let him reach the fabric of your underwear but ultimately decided against it. You didn't want to spoil the fun with the thoughts that were still hiding in the corner of your head.

"Eyes on the road, Hargrove," you teasingly turned his face straight forward, earning a smile from him. "And hands on the wheel."

"As you wish," he said, taking his hand off your leg but the feeling of his familiar touch lingered for a while.

"Okay, I will stay with you," you agreed, blaming it on his games. "But no distractions."

"No distractions," he repeated with little certainty and smiled, tilting his head.

You had no idea why you even bothered.

Thank you for reading! Comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated! 

If you want me to tag you in this series, please let me know. 

Tagging: @the-high-functioning-fangirl

[acidwaste]

hey so it seems i’ve forgot to do a l o t of tag memes, and i’m lucky i drafted a big bunch of them! lots of questions overlapped so i did my best to answer in different ways, sorry for the lateness! also @ the people that tagged me here, i wouldn't hesitate to kill for you

@natcaptor / @gayspaced

name: leon or lionel!

nicknames: literally the only nickname I’ve been referred to is “big gay” and like. word!

gender: im pretty sure im a guy, i have been kinda 🤔🤔🤔 abt my gender identity since around november-ish though

star sign: sagittarius!

height: 6’1! i’m told that I’m tall but my uncle is 6’7 so...

time: 3:36pm rn! ive been watching video essays and binging music all afternoon

birthday: december 9th!

favourite bands: animal collective, beach house, camp cope, car seat headrest, death grips, fleet foxes, florence + the machine, gang of youths, glass animals, gorillaz, hop along, iceage, idles, kero kero bonito, mgmt, miike snow, modest mouse, run the jewels, superorganism, the avalanches, the cat empire, the go! team, the mountain goats, the wombats, xiu xiu

favourite solo artists: alex lahey, anderson .paak, ariana grande, billie eilish, bjork, cashmere cat, charli xcx, courtney barnett, cupcakke, d.r.a.m, eric taxxon, frank ocean, gfoty, hatchie, janelle monae, jeff rosenstock, joanna newsom, jorja smith, jpegmafia, kacey musgraves, kali uchis, kendrick lamar, khalid, kimbra, lorde, mac demarco, madeon, mick jenkins, mitski, oneohtrix point never, perfume genius, ravyn lenae, rina sawayama, serpentwithfeet, sophie, st. vincent, sza, vince staples

song stuck in my head: caramelo duro | miguel // kali uchis! its a bop, miguel is one of the few singers that can convincingly make sex jams

last movie i watched: deadpool 2! it was even better than the first, which is a feat in itself ngl

when did i create my blog: december 2016??? i only started using it properly in february last year tho

last thing i googled: “im in my mums car broom broom.” dont @ me

do i have any other blogs: yeah, plenty actually!! i have blogs for aesthetic (@moltenstar), general inspo (@wverns), flight rising (@szarising, kinda inactive?), and overwatch (@blackhardts) tbh the vast majority of my ‘sideblogs’ are just saved urls H

do i get asks: when i say stupid shit like “rung has the ass of a dilf but the dick of a cockroach”

why i chose my url: that one panel where kobd have a vacation at the acid wastes because fuck its finally canon babey!

following: 1,767, which is kinda horrifying!!

followers: 890?? somehow??? thats almost One Whole Thousand and i don't even make content

average hours of sleep: around 6 or 7!! n e v e r more though

lucky number: 43 and 64!!

instruments: i'm too poor to afford music lessons or instruments jsbddsjknfs

what am i wearing: a grey shirt and nothing on my bottom half so my [redacted] is hanging tf out, i should put on some damn clothes

dream job:  oooo uhhh, i’m studying to get an education degree rn because i’d love to teach children (around grade 3-4s preferably because i'm too jittery to handle anyone younger and older kids probs won't listen to me as much as i lack plenty of assertiveness), but!! i’d honestly love to be a musician, one of those underground ones that get lots of critical acclaim

dream trip: one day i wanna gather up some friends and just go on a road trip! idm where we go to, as long as we just have fun and just! adventure!

favourite foods: rare steak, mashed potatoes, eggs, and energy shakes made with like. fruit / cheese / yoghurt / oats / chia seeds ! protein is a large part of my diet

nationality: new zealand, but living in australia

favourite song right now: best part | daniel caesar // h.e.r - gosh i need to re-listen to daniel’s album again, i don’t remember this beautiful song being there and that’s a crime

@damndesi / @novarebel / @luciform-philogynist

APPEARANCE - I am 5'7 or taller - I wear glasses - I have at least one tattoo (but I am getting a tā moko in December, I believe) - I have at least one piercing (planning to get a nose ring, like a bull!) - I have blonde hair - I have brown eyes - I have short hair - My abs are at least somewhat defined (b a r e l y) - I have or had braces

PERSONALITY - I love meeting new people - People tell me I am funny - Helping others with their problems is a big priority of mine - I enjoy physical challenges - I enjoy mental challenges - I am playfully rude to people I know - I started saying something ironically and now I can’t stop saying it - There is something I would change about my personality

ABILITY - I can sing well - I can play an instrument - I can do over 30 pushups without stopping (barely) - I am a fast runner - I can draw well - I have a good memory - I am good at doing math in my head - I can hold my breath underwater for over a minute - I have beaten at least 2 people arm wrestling - I can make at least 3 recipes from scratch - I know how to throw a proper punch

HOBBIES - I enjoy sports - I’m on a sports team at my school or somewhere else - I’m in an orchestra or choir at my school or somewhere else - I have learned a new song in the past week - I exercise at least once a week - I have gone for runs at least once a week in warmer months - I have drawn something in the past month - I enjoy writing - Fandoms are my #1 priority - I do some form of Martial arts

EXPERIENCES - I have had my first kiss - I have had alcohol (tastes like shit) - I have scored a winning point in a sport - I have watched an entire TV series in one sitting - I have been at an overnight event - I have been in a taxi - I have been in the hospital or ER in the past year - I have beaten a video game in one day - I have visited another country - I have been to one of my favorite bands concerts

MY LIFE - I have one person that I consider to be my Best Friend - I live relatively close to my school/work - My parents are still together - I have at least one sibling - I live in the United States - There is snow where I live right now - I have hung out with a friend in the past month - I have a smart phone - I own at least 15 CDs - I share my room with someone

RELATIONSHIPS - I am in a Relationship - I have a crush on a celebrity - I have a crush on someone I know - I’ve been in at least 3 relationships - I have never been in a Relationship - I have admitted my feelings to a crush - I get crushes easily - I have had a crush for over a year - I have been in a relationship for over a year - I have had feelings for a friend

RANDOM - I have break-danced - I know a person named Jamie - I have had a teacher that has a name that is hard to pronounce - I have dyed my hair - I’m listening to a song on repeat right now - I have punched someone in the past week - I know someone who has gone to jail - I have broken a bone (do fractures count?) - I have eaten a waffle today - I know what I want to do in life - I speak at least two languages (not fluently) - I have made a new friend in the past year

@smstransformers

age: 16

birthplace: auckland, nz

current time: 4:19 pm rn!!!

drink you last had: i just skulled half a liter of water whoops

favourite song: jesus etc. | wilco if we're talking abt an all-time favourite

grossest memory: accidentally swallowing a bee when i was seven years old (somehow nothing bad happened?)

horror, yes or no: not unless it’s an incredibly tame horror t b h, my threshold for scariness is very low

in love: i believe so!

jealous of people: lots of times, over really dumb things

love by first sight or should I walk by again: i believe that infatuation can exist at first sight but true love not so much. wish that could happen tho :C

middle name: shane!

siblings: my sister is eight years old, and my brother is seven!

one wish: EZ, make my anxiety disappear, i’d have a much more productive life

song i last sang: jupiter | haiku hands

time i woke up: 7:13, woke up immediately because i usually like to wake at 6:30

underwear colour: blue + purble

vacation destination: auckland / kingston / sydney!

worst habit: not remembering to make my goddamn bed, it looks like garbage

favourite food: mashed potatoes….

zodiac sign: sagittarius !!!

@alyonian

relationship status:

at the moment i’m single! and while being in a relationship sounds brilliant, the last two relationships i was involved in? didn’t work out to say the least, lucky i’m still young

favourite colour:

it’s been emerald green for the longest time but orange seems to be dethroning it at a steady pace

lipstick or chapstick:

i haven’t used chapstick since i was six but i probably should use it again, water is my substitute rn fdghdgh - and i haven’t ever used lipstick in any capacity? so i’d have to go with the former

last song i listened to:

the space traveller’s lullaby | kamasi washington - i’m trying to get through his second album rn (i left off on the second disk yesterday) and while everything he makes is undeniably amazing, it’s? a three hour album? i don’t have the attention span for his spiritual jazz, as great as it is

last movie:

monsters inc is playing on the television right now, i’ll go with that! the animation aged kinda badly but it’s still such a fun movie! sidenote: james p. sullivan? a childhood crush, so this gives me memories

top 3 tv shows/podcasts/comics:

i rarely, if ever, venture into these forms of media but! if i had to answer, i’d say;

unbreakable kimmy schmidt / parks & recreation / luke cage

taz / mbmbam (i havent like. watched a full episode of either but they seem cool,)

tf idw / …………. yeah that’s it, i’ve never read anything else. probably should!

additional favs:

my friends, writing (in theory), listening to video essays, learning music theory + instruments and understanding audio production software

top 3 bands / artists:

HHH okay if i had to limit my choices to just three artists, uh. lorde, the mountain goats, and sophie. i couldnt even fit janelle in i hate th is

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@alyonian

color(s): light colors are always nice and pleasant, though anything peachy and sandy are the best! orange (specially pastel orange) is like. the best thing

last band t-shirt i bought: usually merchandising is very expensive and i dont have the money to accommodate that, but like. i do recall having a wiggles shirt when i was five. i wore it all the time, shjdjgsksd im sure that counts

last band i saw live: i almost went to splendor in the grass last year with family, which wasn't only cool since i’ve never been out of the state since i immigrated - the festival was in queensland, which is around a two hour flight from victoria - but the lineup was pretty fuckin lit too! the xx, haim, peking duk, tash sultana, future islands, vallis alps, a.b original,, i was p excited! unfortunately my uncle fell ill and so they had to give the tickets to extended family :( otherwise, i haven't been to a single concert in my life

last song i listened to: street fighter mas | kamasi washington - up to this song on the album and i really fuckin dig this! also the video is hypnotizing

last movie i watched: monsters inc is about to finish and up next is monsters university! which like…. honestly, this is an extremely unpopular opinion but, i like it just as much as the original? my opinion might be skewed because i’m a monster [hugger], but i like everything abt the movie! except for the finale of the scare games and the last five minutes of the movie, both were just. dreadful.

last three tv shows i watched: if aggretsuko counts that’s the last series i watched of my own volition, which is a miracle in itself considering that’s legit only the second anime i’ve watched to completion (the first being shirokuma cafe, which i probably need to re-watch). otherwise, the last two shows i had beared witness to were thirteen reasons why and queer eye bc my cousin put them on! that first show i could completely do without but queer eye is iconique

last 3 characters i identified with: grimlock (legit. all of them), urdnot grunt (mass effect) and vector the crocodile (sth), i’m not sure what this says about me other than Big

book(s) i’m currently reading: i’m reading ‘maus’ by art spiegelman at the moment, for the third time i believe? i believe my classmates are supposed to be writing an essay on this next term and shit, this novel is heartbreaking, i haven't been this emotional when reading a book than… ever, really. it’s a recommendation of the highest caliber

@victorion

name: leon / lionel, i picked up the second name because i was in a server with an admin that was also a Leon™

nickname: besides ‘Big Gay’ i also have the nickname ‘lemon lion’ which is! nice!!

zodiac sign: archer man

height: Tall™

language(s) spoken: english / some maori + italian

fav fruit: watermelons (only when in season)

fav scent: the smell of a freezer tbh? it just smells Nice i don’t know how to properly explain it

fav season: spring! the breezes are welcoming without being overbearingly freezing

fav color: ornge,,,,

fav animal: SHARKS + CROCS + FERRETS

coffee, tea or hot chocolate: tea! with some milk tho

average hrs of sleep: too little

fav fictional character: One character?????? uhhhhhhh……. like. biggest cc right now is either idw skids or oz from monster prom

no. of blankets you sleep with: depending on my mood but i’d say the average is like, 3??

fav songs: i quickly whipped up some songs i listen to

fav artists: i came to the realization that i like acts that are considered ‘bad’ like maroon 5/drake/lil yachty etc in specific doses… i wouldn't call them good yet, but! i have no beef and thats good

fav books: remember ‘where the wild things are’??? that shit was like. literal childhood, man.. :happytears: i really need to look for a copy again

@thonany-klieme

name: leon / lionel, interchangeable really

gender: male, im probs an nb guy

star sign: sagittarius!

height: 6’1

sexuality: gay??? im not sure, im mostly attracted to other guys but i have had very brief crushes on girls + nb people? sexuality’s confusing so im gonna just latch to the gaybel (gay label) for now

lock screen image: its the album cover of 1992 deluxe by princess nokia, tho it was “T Hanos” a few days ago since i change it often - my home screen is venom but his torso says ‘fuck machine’

ever had a crush on a teacher: no??

where do you see yourself in ten years: ideally i’m teaching kids math n english, realistically i’m probably going down with the political climate

if you could go anywhere, where would you go: new zealand!! or the netherlands

what was your favorite halloween costume: halloween is not big at all where i live, the only time i tried trick or treating was when i was like 7?? i threw a bedsheet on myself and pretended to be a ghost, though since there were no eyeholes + the sheet was blue, it looked more like i was just a moving lump

last kiss: never had one

have you ever been to las vegas: nah and i dont plan to?? how do you handle regular days of 40C wtf

favorite pair of shoes: i have this pair of jandals that ive worn for a fair bit longer than my other pair of shoes, tho i only wear them in summer + very warm nights

favorite book: ngl its. ‘the very hungry caterpillar’ by eric carle. i just, love it alot and i cant explain w h y