#billy gets the fuck outta hawkins literally as soon as he can and in like 10 yrs time if u told him their names he would be like

[biillys]

opened a hg fic for the first time in years cos i was like maybe its time maybe i could handle it but then i realised its literally just got 4 characters listed and its billy steve robin nancy and its like. i could push myself to suffer through steve i could honestly try so hard but the thought of having to push myself through steve AND nancy AND robin??? thats pretty much my entire blacklist okay the ocean isn't even strong enough for that. get real

[yikesharringrove]

Hey! So think you could do something along the line of Steve finding Billy breaking down (writers choice as to why) somewhere random Billy thought he'd be alone for awhile and Billy is all teeth towards him before Steve coaxes him enough to let him in on why he's so upset. Maybe first kiss? Or just some angst and comfort

Billy was crashing through the woods, didn’t know where he was, where he was going, barely even knew which way was up at this point.

He was driving, trying to find somewhere, anywhere, had gotten out of his car to stumble through the woods.

He heard a branch snap, went still.

“Hello?”

“Jesus Christ.” Steve Harrington, of all people, stepped out from behind a tree, a wooden baseball bat dropping from where he had it, up and ready. It was that fucking nailed bat Max had threatened his dick with.

“What’s with the weapon?” Billy flexed his hands. A fight wouldn’t be so bad right now. He knows he can take Harrington.

“You’re not the worst thing I’ve seen in these woods.” His eyes looked hollow, empty.

“The fuck you goin’ on about?” Billy could feel his skin itching, his arms shaking.

“Nothing that concerns you, Hargrove.” They stared each other down.

And then Steve stepped closer, holding out the bat.

“You’re giving that to me?” Steve nodded. Billy took it, checking the grip.

“Hit that tree.” Billy looked at him.

“What?”

“You obviously want to hit something, and I’d love to not get the shit beaten outta me again, so, tree.” Billy looked at the bat.

“You gonna be pissed if I break it?”

“Nah. I got like, three of ‘em.” Billy adjusted his stance, holding the bat just like Neil had taught him.

He swung, tree bark splitting and flying into the air when he wrenched the nails out.

He hit it again. And again. And again.

He only figured out he was crying when his vision started swimming, didn’t sop hitting the tree.

He didn’t stop as the bat splintered, as the nails bent and chunks of tree flew off.

And then the bat cracked, split entirely in half.

Billy felt the same.

He threw the piece he was still holding to the ground, burying his face in his hands.

And then there was a warm hand on his shoulder.

Billy whipped around, pushing Steve back from him.

His eyes were wide, and he nearly stumbled over a root.

“What the fuck?”

“Stay the fuck away from me, Harrington!” His blood was pounding in his ears.

“You got two options. Option one: you pound my face in like I can tell you want to. You end up feeling shitty about yourself and I move on. Or, option two: You come eat dinner with me.”

Billy deflated.

“Wh-why?”

“’Cause I’m lonely and got more chicken than I could possibly eat. Besides, you’re in my backyard.” He turned, stepping expertly over a few branches, turning to Billy. “Coming?”

Billy’s not entirely sure why he followed.

The woods opened up to the back of a huge house, a fucking in ground pool right there in front of it.

Because of course Harrington had a giant house with a heated pool.

He led Billy inside the sliding glass door, into the immaculate living room, through to the surgically clean kitchen.

“You live in a model home or some shit?” Steve gave him a tight smile.

“Pretty much.” there was a bucket of KFC on the counter. Steve got two plates from the cabinet, a couple forks, the bucket of chicken. He gestured for Billy to grab the back of sides and Billy stole a few cloth napkins from the neat pile.

Steve led him downstairs to a cozy looking rec room, plopping himself in front of the couch.

“Your parents home?” Billy didn’t want to think about crying in front of him earlier.

“What day is it?”

“Thursday.”

“Not for a week and six days then.” Steve was building himself a plate.

“Must be nice.”

“Used to be.” Billy didn’t know what that meant.

No parents was always a positive.

“What do you mean?” Steve gave him an odd look.

“If I tell you, will you tell me why you were being angry in the woods?”

“Probably not.” Steve shrugged, picking up the television remote.

He put on Indiana Jones.

“Oh, yes. I love this movie.” He scoot forward in his seat, taking way too big a bite of chicken.

It was cute.

Billy mentally kicked himself, tried to stop staring.

It was quiet as they watched the movie, eating the too much food.

“I didn’t know I was in your yard.” Steve looked up at him, a little dazed from pulling his attention away from Indiana.

“I mean, glad I found you. Before anything else did.”

“Anything?” Steve went pale.

“Bears. There’s bears. Here. I saw one. Once.” Billy nodded slowly, one eyebrow raised.

“Bears?”

“Bears.” He watched the movie for a little while longer.

“I just gotta get out sometimes. Be somewhere not in my house. Used to go to the beach, but, uh, no beaches here.” Steve sat up a little straighter.

“We’ve got beaches!” Billy gave him a look. “Well, obviously not ocean beaches, but we’ve got, just come with me.”

He left the t.v. on as he raced up the stairs, running up them on all fours like a little kid.

Billy very fastidiously did not melt at the sight.

Steve was tugging on a jacket, grabbing his keys, and was out the door as Billy rounded the corner.

He didn’t know where Steve was driving him to, but Steve had obviously been there a lot. All the turns were well practiced, and he slid right into a parking spot, the lines too faded to see in the dark.

Billy squinted when he got out of the car.

There were other cars lined up in the other spots, a few spaces left between each car.

Steve led him down a little hill.

“Absolutely pathetic.” Billy could see the water in the moonlight. “This is not a beach.”

“Closest you’re gonna get in Hawkins.” Steve was smiling, all proud of himself.

“Just another reason to fucking hate it here.” Billy flopped down on the shore.

It wasn’t even proper sand, more like, a bunch of pebbles. Steve sat next to him.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of those.”

“It’s worse when you’ve lived somewhere else.”

“Who says I haven’t?”

“No way. I’d bet my right nut you’ve never even left the state.”

“That’s unfortunate to your right nut then, because I went to Chicago once with my dad.” Billy tossed his head back, let his laugh ring out over the water.

“Real world traveler, over here.” Steve shushed his yells, laughing as he did.

“Billy, be quiet, there’s people fucking.”

“Yeah, I kinda put two and two together there, Steve-o.” Steve rolled his eyes. “So you brought me to make out point, then?”

“Lovers’ Lake.”

“Even worse.” Steve huffed a laugh at him. Billy looked out over the water, up at the stars.

There were a lot out here. He could even see the milky way.

“If my dad knew some boy took me out to a place called Lovers’ Lake,” he trailed off.

“Yeah, mine too.” He put on a deep voice, puffing out his chest. “Harringtons aren’t queers, Steven.” Billy looked at him.

“Are Harringtons queers?” His calf was twitching, needed to get his energy out somehow.

“One is.” Steve’s voice was quiet, Billy almost didn’t catch it over the lapping of the water at the shore. “What about the Hargroves?”

“One is.”

Steve smiled at him.

“Maybe they should get together sometime.”

“Yeah, they could go to Lovers’ Lake and make out like a couple a’ dumbasses begging to get caught.” Steve laughed.

“One of ‘em has a big empty house. Gets lonely a lot.”

“The other one doesn’t like bein’ home much.”

“Sounds like they’re a pretty good match.”

“They just might be.” They were leaning into one another, Billy could feel Steve’s breath against his face, could smell his rich boy cologne.

“One of them would really like to be kissed right now,” Steve breathed against his lips.

Billy took his face in both hands, planting a soft kiss to his lips.

It didn’t last long, just something sweet for them to treasure tonight.

“I should probably go home soon.”

“I can drive you to your car, if you want.” Steve stood up, dusting off his ass, holding out a hand for Billy.

They held hands back to Steve’s car. Billy felt like a lovesick idiot.

Maybe he was, just a little bit.

Steve idled next to Billy’s car.

“So, same time tomorrow?”

“Let’s skip the breakdown though, yeah? Don’t think I can do ‘em back to back like that.”

“Then let’s also skip the whole finding you in the scary woods behind my house, too. Just use the front door.”

“You gonna let me pick the movie.” Steve gave him a sharp look.

“You got a problem with Indiana Jones? ‘Cause I don’t think this thing between us can go any further if you do.” Billy laughed. He felt so much fucking lighter after this evening, felt like he could go back, face his dad with a smile.

“No problem, just wanted to watch somethin’ scary.” Steve made a face.

“Not really a scary movie person.” Billy rolled his eyes.

“Then crawl into my lap and be all cute and scared.” Steve’s went all big. “I literally just handed that one to you.”

“Well then you better bring somethin’ horrifying, if this is just a horny ploy.”

“You’ll be scared right outta your pants.” Steve laughed at him, pushing him towards the open door.

“Go away. I don’t like you anymore.”

“See you tomorrow, Stever.”

“Yeah, whatever. See you tomorrow.”

[carol-effing-danvers]

knock me the fuck out (i dare ya, babe), part one

TEACHER STEVE AND SOFT BILLY 

Ten years, eight months, three weeks, and nine days ago, Billy had escaped this Lovecraftian nightmare town and never looked back. He’d come into Hawkins believing that it was his own personal hell and left it certain that it was actual, literal Hell.

(this got long so i decided to divide it into three parts) If you prefer the Ao3 format, click here

Billy’s first thought as he rolls back into Hawkins for the first time in ten years is: I cannot believe Max stayed in this deathtrap. 

He didn’t. Ten years, eight months, three weeks, and nine days ago, Billy had escaped this Lovecraftian nightmare town and never looked back. As soon as he was well enough to leave the hospital, he spent most of his savings on a shitty Ford Bronco (he did NOT miss that car), packed up his records, and hit the fuckin’ road. He’d come into Hawkins believing that it was his own personal hell and left it certain that it was actual, literal Hell.

Billy wonders, a bit guiltily, if Max’s life woulda turned out like this if he hadn’t left her in this Midwestern madhouse all by herself. Only twenty-four and she was already getting a divorce. 

He’s never like Justin van Haut but at first, Billy attributed that to the fact that the dude was dating Max - he had a right to hate any dude trying to fuck his sister, he figured. Facts was just facts. But then they got married and it didn’t get better. If anything, Billy might’ve hated him more. 

Justin reminded Billy way too fucking much of himself, of the strutting arrogant little dirtbag that he used to be - only, van Haut had the money and the influence to get away with his bad deeds. He was the kind of guy who wanted something only until he got it, and then he didn’t want it anymore. 

Billy wasn’t that person anymore. He couldn’t be. It took too much energy that he didn’t have - like the Shadow Monster had sucked all the rage out of him. And without it, there was so little left of Billy Hargrove.

Old Billy would’ve gotten drunk and drove to South Bend. Old Billy would’ve beat the shit outta the bitch-ass pussy who’d spent six and half years cheating on his sister. Old Billy would’ve spent the night in the county lock-up. 

New Billy didn’t do that, because New Billy promised Max he’d be there by dinner time. New Billy knew that Max would just have to bail his sorry ass out of prison with money she didn’t really have. 

But either way, Billy knew even if he had the chance to, he’d never change the way it worked out, because in the end-

“UNCLE BILLY!”

-in the end, he got his girl.

As soon as he opens the door, she launches herself at him. “Who is this?” he demands seriously, stabilizing her on his lap, letting her grip the stirring wheel in two tiny hands. “Who are you? Where’s my Lulu?”

She giggles at his theatrics, tugging at his leather jacket, wisps of red hair escaping her little braid. “I’m Lulu, Uncle Billy!”

He gasps, feigning shock. “You can’t be my Lulu! You’re such a big girl!”

“I’m going to Kindie-gar-den now!” she says proudly, with a cocky little toss of her head that reminded Billy of her mother so much that he couldn’t hold in a grin.

“Yeah? Do you like school, Lulu?” They get out so that Billy can grab some of his things from the trunk.

“Uh-huh. My teacher is really nice!”

“Yeah? What’s your teacher’s name?” he asks absently, resting Lulu on his hip as he pulls his bag from the trunk.

“He’s Mister H!” she says, and his brows bounce up. Male kindergarten teacher? That was pretty unusual. Maybe Hawkins was finally getting outta the Stone Age. He doubts it, but hope springs eternal.

From inside the house, Max yells “Lauren!”

“Mommy, Uncle Billy is here!” she shouts, and squirms back down to the ground, running for the front porch. “Mommy says you can have my room!”

Billy thinks with no small horror of the pink room with Mickey and Minnie Mouse’s faces staring out from the wallpaper. Jesus Christ. Lulu beams at him, utterly delighted at the prospect of her uncle moving in, and he barely has to lie when he says “Fantastic, princess.”

Max gives him a wry smile as she appears in the doorway, practically reading his mind as she wipes her wet hands on a dishtowel. “Welcome home, big brother.”

Old Billy would’ve told her that this town might be home, but it wasn’t his. Home was a place he lost when his mother left him with Neil. New Billy knows Max isn’t talking about Hawkins. “You’re gonna get so sick of me,” he promises, dropping the paper bag he’d taken from the trunk. “Here.”

“What the hell is this?” she asks, laughing. “You better not’ve brought me a bag of p- oh my god, Billy.”

He chuckles at her open-mouth as Max stares down into the stacks of cash inside the crumbled paper bag. Rubbing the short hair at the back of his neck, he awkwardly answers, “Rent.”

“This is way too much!” she protests, trying to hand it back, like she didn’t miss a mortgage payment last month.

Billy dances out of the way, picking Lulu up and twirling her around. Grinning like a madman at her delighted shrieks, he throws her across one shoulder. “Wanna help me set up the stereo, Lulu?”

“Yeah!”

“Billy, get back here!”

“Can’t hear you, Max! All that loud metal music, y’know!”

---

“I’m home!” he calls, pushing the door shut with his hip. The apartment is completely silent and then Steve hears a familiar ‘thump’ and grins.

With her bushy tail held high, a black cat races down the hall, wailing “Waah!”

“Hello, Angie,” he coos, crouching to scratch her under the chin. “How are the birds today, huh?”

“Waah,” she repeats loudly, pleading at him with her huge yellow eyes.

“Missed me?” he asks, stroking the fluffy black fur along her back. “Let’s have some dinner.”

He must’ve told Dustin a thousand, maybe two thousand, times that he did not want a cat, but the very morning that Dustin left for MIT, he dropped the fluffy soot-black kitten on Steve’s doorstep and raced away anyway. “His name is ‘the Witch-King of Angmar’, good luck, Steve!”

Ha. The joke was on him, though. His ‘Witch-King’ was actually a queen and Steve called her Angie and she was a fucking delight – he suspected that Dustin was just overly dramatic. Steve supposed that the cat was a nice compromise, considering that Dustin had tried not to leave for college at all.

That had probably been the worst six months of Steve’s life.

He’d never fought with one of the kids before, let alone Dustin, but they spent nearly all of his senior year fighting – because Dustin managed to get a scholarship, a two-year free ride to Princeton, and he didn’t want to leave Hawkins. Or more specifically, he didn’t want to leave Steve.

Lucas was bound for Howard in DC, Will and Mike were reuniting at MIT, and Dustin got into fucking Princeton, but he didn’t want to go.

(“What the fuck are you talking about, you don’t wanna go? I don’t give two dicks what you want, shithead. I’m an adult, Dustin, and I can take care of myself! You’re not going to throw your whole life into the toilet because you think I’m LONELY!”)

So, yeah. Steve and Dustin spent Dustin’s senior year of high school fighting, and now Steve has a cat and Dustin is in graduate school, because college was where he fucking belonged, just like Steve had told him.

Filling Angie’s bowl, Steve idly dances around the kitchen to no music, pulling open the fridge and peering inside. “What should we have for dinner, Angie? What do ya think Aunt Robin wants to eat?”

Angie doesn’t bother turning her head away from her cat kibble, but her tail swishes at the sound of his voice. Humming ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’, Steve throws together a stir-fry.

Cooking has become one of those parts of being an adult that Steve finds unexpectedly pleasurable. Cutting up the ingredients, mixing spices and seasonings, tending to the food – Steve enjoys that.

He hears jingling in the hallway as Robin comes through the door, purse swinging from her arm. He can also hear her swearing under her breath and she kicks her shoes off onto the mat beside the door. “Angie, Angie baby,” she coos as the cat runs to greet her. “Please feed me, Steve-o. I’m gonna fucking kill Bobby Monroe.”

“Parent-teacher conference didn’t go well?” he asks lightly, fluffing the rice with a fork before he pulled his stir-fry off the fire.

“NO,” she says shortly, before calling “How was the dentist? Is this a bad time to say that I picked up a banana cream pie at Baker’s Square?”

In a rather bloodthirsty tone, Steve replies “Cavity or no cavity, we are eating dessert, Rob.”

“Okay, okay, you don’t have to get out a torch and a pitchfork.”

“What happened with Bobby Monroe?”

Oof, speaking of bloodthirsty. Robin’s teeth grind together and Steve pokes her pointedly in the side as he takes their plates down from the cabinet. “His kid is on the verge of going to juvie and this guy just…Does Not get it, Steve.”

Steve’s glasses were on the verge of slipping down the bridge of his nose as he cracked open the tops on two beers. “That’s ‘cause Monroe is golfing buddies with Mayor Walsh and my old pal Tommy Hall, Rob.”

Her nose wrinkles. “Ugh,” she mutters, then brightens a bit. “I got to read another one of Holly’s essays.”

Smiling at his plate, Steve says “Yeah?”

He was a little sad he got into teaching too late to have Holly or any of the other kids as a student, but Robin got the joy of having both Erica Sinclair and Holly Wheeler pass through her classroom. “Her analysis of the creation of the Constitution was…I wanna send it to Harvard, Steve. She’s only fifteen, but she can already understand how to translate nuance in the document. Half of my graduating class couldn’t write something that impressive on early US history.”

“That’s fantastic,” he says, grinning.

“How was Munchkin Land?” she asks, through a mouthful of vegetables and rice.

Laughing slightly, Steve says “The Lollipop Guild always keeps me on my toes. Thank god for naptime!”

They eat banana cream pie on the couch in front of ‘Frasier’, Robin’s toes shoved under his thigh as Steve tries not to fall asleep on the damn sofa. She laughs at him, throwing one of the cushions at his face.

“It’s seven-thirty, you old man,” she teases, coaxing Angie onto her lap.

“Leave me alone,” he whines, melting into his secondhand couch. “I’m an educator of young minds!”

Rob stuck her tongue out at time. “It’s called ‘narcolepsy’, Steven.”

“Please leave me to die in peace.”

She does leave, an hour later, and Steve locks the door behind her like a Responsible Adult.

He is surrounded by almost total silence again. He’s a helluva lot more comfortable with it here in his apartment than he was in his parent’s house. Maybe it was because there wasn’t quite so much space to echo the silence back to him. Maybe it was because there was no steaming blue pool waiting in the backyard. Maybe it was the lack of judgmental silence, which persisted whether his parents were home or away. 

He turns off the television and the lights in the living room, babbling baby-talk at Angie as he brushes his teeth and gets into bed, putting his glasses on the nightstand and sliding between the cool sheets.

Angie curls up behind his knees and Steve closes his eyes and listens to the empty space all around him.

Briefly, he spares a thought of apology for the Dustin of years past, because he’d been right. Steve was lonely. But at least now that he was a real grown-up, he was comfortable with it.

Mostly.

---

“You don’t have to do that,” Max mutters, head resting against the back of the sofa. Lauren was put to bed an hour ago and the only sound down in the house in the constant quiet tick of the grandfather clock in the hall.

“Hm?” Billy asks sleepily, sipping his beer. It was a thirty hour drive between San Diego and Hawkins and Billy had only slept once, and not recently. Honestly, that was probably the best state to experience the Horror of the Mouse that awaited him in Lulu’s old room.

Max gestures restlessly to the stacks of hundred dollar bills hastily stuffed into the paper bag. “Don’t pretend that isn’t your entire savings, Billy.”

“Don’t have to anything but die, Max,” he murmurs, his free hand subconsciously drifting to the tight silvery mass of scarring beneath his shirt, even as his eyes remain closed. With a damp shaky sigh, she leans against his side and Billy shifts that hand to drape around her shoulders. “Don’t fuckin’ argue with me, you know I ain’t gonna let you win.”

His t-shirt gets a little wet. “I’m really glad you’re here,” she admits, sniffling. “I missed you.”

His throat clicks as he swallows. “Missed you, Mad Max.”

Though Billy’s exhausted and goes to bed early, he spends an hour in Lulu’s full-sized bed, flat on his back and staring at the ceiling.

Despite his best-laid plans, here he is. Back in Hawkins, Indiana.

Funny that he still kinda feels like a mess, even though he’s a better mess than he used to be.

When his alarm goes off, Billy has the taste of antifreeze in his mouth and though it’s nearly March and Max keeps the heat low, he’s sweating.

Getting Lulu ready for school is a breeze. Firstly, because she’s smart and independent and she knows the routine she’s supposed to be following by now. Second, because once you fight an interdimensional alien monster and temporarily die, not much phases you anymore.

“This one, Uncle Billy!” Lulu says eagerly, pulling him along through the halls, towing her uncle with single-minded determination. "You can meet Sam and Freddy!"

Samantha Cross and Fred Ferris were Lulu's little friends. "Alright, slow down, you're gonna run someone over," he says, amused. She reminds him so much of Max, it's insane. "This one, Lulu?"

"Yeah!" A dark-haired man wearing a navy cardigan over a collared shirt is helping a pair of identical twins with their coats, crouching near a row of cubbies with sixteen name tags on them – from here, Billy can see Lulu’s near the end: Lauren V. "Hi, Mister H!"

Mister H-who-wears-the-dorky-cardigan turns his head and the bottom of Billy’s stomach drops out.

Steve Harrington gives Lulu a dorky little smile, all cute and happy, squinting from behind the lens of his big nerd glasses, and warmly says “Hello, Lauren.”

As a teenage boy, rolling fresh into Hawkins, Billy had fallen into a wild spiral of lust for Steve Harrington the moment he saw him standing next to Nancy Wheeler at a Halloween party. Closeted and angry and unable to escape his father’s rage and his father’s expectations, all Billy wanted was some of Steve’s attention – he hadn’t dared to let himself seriously consider getting more than that. Steve, being a straight teenage boy with a girlfriend, with popularity and money, had froze him out at every turn, and it drove Old Billy fucking crazy. No matter what he did, he never got a reaction more interested than bland annoyance. 

As hot as his passions for him burned, Billy couldn’t make the Hawkins ice princess melt even a little.

But at a certain point, when you grow up, you can look on certain things you got attached to or certain things you enjoyed as a teenager and find your attachment sort of silly, maybe even comical. New Billy had sort of looked forward to reaching that conclusion here.

This isn’t like that at all.

Actually, Billy thinks it might even be worse than before. Billy feels a dull flush beginning to form over his face and swallows the urge to say something stupid to get Steve’s attention – that was the ghost of Old Billy talking.

God, he looks so good.

All grown up, the knitwear clinging to the tantalizing hint of strong biceps, Steve’s eyes are huge and dark behind the lenses of the geek glasses, bangs hanging down into his eyes. Beneath the cardigan, his collared shirt shows an enticing view of his clavicles and the moles high on his neck. Billy used to jerk off to a fantasy of sucking on them and seeing what kind of noise he would get.

He looks soft and sleepy, like Billy could just curl himself around him and press his mouth to that bare skin and Steve would just-

“This is my Uncle Billy!”

Billy is abruptly pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Lulu’s voice and realizes that he’s well on his way to pitching a tent in his pants in front of Steve Harrington and his five year old niece. What the fuck is his life, seriously?

“Harrington.”

---

“Harrington,” the man next to Lauren drawls, and suddenly, Steve’s attention is focused and sharp.

This is my Uncle Billy.

He’s…wow, he’s really…grown up.

The sneering boy with a headful of dirty blond curls and a baby-fine mustache has aged into a grown man with a full beard – the old mullet has almost reversed, with the hair at the back and sides nearly shaved off and the hair at the top slicked back away from his face.

Oh my god.

So. So so so so so.

The thing about Billy- “Hargrove,” he greets, hoping that he sounds friendly and surprised and not breathless. “Max didn’t tell me you were coming back to town.”

Billy Hargrove was the very first boy Steve was ever attracted to, and after he left town, the realization that 1) he had a big gay crush on him and 2) he wasn’t ever going to see him again, were sorta the things that began his big bisexual breakdown – what Robin affectionately calls Steve’s ‘all dicks tour of ‘86’, even though she still doesn’t know what started it.

And now Billy’s standing here, in Steve’s classroom, the muscles he used to flash now hidden beneath leather and denim and flannel but possessing every inch of them as much as he had ten years ago. He looks like he could toss Steve over his shoulder and carry him off somewhere, like a caveman.

But hotter, Steve thinks, helplessly staring at the long sweep of his lashes. His lips, the same deep, full red of ripened berries. The dusting of freckles over Billy’s cheeks from hours standing in the sun.

For a moment, Steve feels a stab of uncertain fear – has Max ever told Billy anything about what happened in ’86?

No. His relationship with Max may have gotten slightly distant, especially after she officially married Justin, but he was pretty confident that she wouldn’t have told him such embarrassing and personal information about Steve, not when she that knew Billy had hated him.

At least she seems to be right, though – Billy had calmed down a lot.

Billy shrugs, in that effortless, careless way of his. Steve experiences a visceral urge to have that short beard rub his mouth raw and it makes his stomach twist with desire, uncomfortable in its intensity. “Got tired of San Diego – thought I’d see my best girl. Right, Lulu?”

Lulu. God, that’s cute.

Lauren grins up at Billy, proud as a peacock, and Billy smiles back at her for a moment, so nakedly adoring that Steve’s stomach gives another twist, his insides melting into goo. “Billy lives with me and Mommy now, ‘cause he missed me so much,” she declares, lifting her chin. “I’m his best girl.”

“That’s right,” he vows, cuffing her lightly over the head.

“That’s…really nice of you, Hargrove,” Steve says lightly. He knows that Max is getting a divorce – the entire town knows. Honestly if he didn’t think Max would kick him in the nuts, he’d have a nail bat with Justin’s name on it. 

Lucas, chewing on his jealousy like a wad of bubblegum, had told them that Justin had basically spent their entire relationship cheating on her. He’d gotten the most willful girl in school to be his girlfriend and got bored with her almost immediately afterward. 

He has a feeling that was the real reason for Billy’s sudden appearance in town after ten years of absence.

Billy shrugs again and peers at Steve through those long lashes. “Max didn’t tell me you were Lulu’s teacher.” He grins, tongue held between rows of sharp white teeth. Steve’s heart kicks up in his chest. “Kindergarteners, Harrington?”

He smiles awkwardly, dodging the question. “Lauren is one of my best readers,” he says instead. No matter which child it is, Steve can always find a reason to brag about one of his kids. “And her penmanship is terrific.”

Lauren gasps, bouncing with excitement, one of Billy’s rough hands clutched in both of hers. “I read a chapter book with Mommy and she only had to help me with two words, Mister H!”

“That’s awesome!” he says, unable to keep himself from beaming down at her. “Did Mrs. Diaz help you get a library card?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Maybe your uncle can help you, then,” he says brightly, neatly side-stepping anymore conversation with the boy – the man, god, Steve didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone more of a man – who can apparently still make his heart race, even ten years since he’d last saw him.

In the doorway, he spots Marcy Roberts holding her little brother’s hand. “Morning Marcy. And good morning, Martin.”

“Morning, Mr. Harrington!”

---

“Alright, Lulu, it’s almost time for your class to start,” Billy says, tucking her too-long bangs behind her ears. “Mom will be back to pick you up, okay?”

For the first time, some of Lulu’s uncertainty shows through. “You’re still gonna be here, right? You aren’t going home?”

Billy pauses. Fuck, this kid’s dad has done a number on her.

Justin was hardly ever around anyway, but he’d just packed up and left in the middle of the night – Billy doesn’t even know the last time he bothered to talk to her on the phone. Lulu’s gotten upset when she and Max had to say goodbye to Billy in the past, but she’s never acted this insecure with him. “I’m home now, Lulu,” he says, crouching down to press a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be there to say goodnight, okay?”

“Okay,” she agrees in a tiny voice that steals his whole fuckin’ heart away.

“Who’s my girl?” he asks in a whisper, tugging gently on the end of her ponytail.

Her face brightens. “I am.”

“The best, Lulu.” He winks and she giggles. “Be good, okay?”

“Kay!”

He stands to his full height and Harrington’s eyes accidentally meet his. There’s still a small smile lingering around the soft shape of his mouth and as soon as he looks into those big brown eyes, Steve looks away. Billy bites the inside of his cheek, resists his automatic urge to say something spiteful, something that will get those eyes back on him.

He would like to be able say that it’s because New Billy knows better. But it’s really because he already knows from experience that it won’t do anything but make Steve that much colder. He wants fire, and all that’s there for him is ice.

He leans against the wall right outside the classroom door and…just listens.

Listens to Steve speaking, his sweet patient drawl used for the children in his classroom. “Alright let’s take attendance and then I want to hear all about what you did this weekend, class. Evan Adams?” He stays there, listening with eyes closed, until he hears, “Lauren van Haut?”

“Here!”

Billy shakes himself, pushing away from the wall. No sense mooning over a straight boy who thinks he’s lower than dirt.

TBC

[pr3ttym3ssy]

Steve surprises Billy

Fuck work today sucks, so here is a little something I wrote cause I'm listening to Def Leppard and the plot bunnies wont seize. Here we go

It had been a long day at Scoops. The telltale announcement came on, that Starcourt would be closing and Steve sighed relived. Crazy kids, screaming mothers and cocky teens had kept him busy his whole shift. He was going to tear his hair out if he would have to stay any minute longer. At this point all he wanted to do was go down to the quarry or maybe lounge by his pool. Grab a six pack and some cigarettes, with Billy at his side.

They had been going steady, ever since the end of summer. After some chance encounters, awkward apologies and closure of the biblical kind. Billy was the first to apologize. He admitted that his anger towards him was based on his inability to have him. From the first moment he heard about the great King Steve, he had wanted him. He had built a façade of a macho character to keep his dad at bay. But even that didn’t seize the physical and emotional abuse that Neil Hargrove inflicted on him. He’d mentioned that he didn’t care what his dad thought of him, he had stopped caring a long time ago. He was just glad that Steve had given him a chance and that they were together now.

Just the thought of him being with Billy made his skin tingle, so deliciously. A good ol toss around the sack sounded peachy as well. It had been a couple days since he’d even seen Billy. This was Steve’s third closing shift in a row, and it was only Wednesday. He wouldn’t hear the end of it either if he saw him.

Billy had taken up a summer job at the public pool as a lifeguard. With his Californian experience and swimming skills, he was a no questions asked shoe in. So his work schedule consisted of early morning to mid afternoon when the pool would close. By that time around Steve was already at Scoops, so they rarely saw each other. That would change once the busy season stopped, and everyone was back in school.

“You ready to go space cadet”, Robin came around the counter that he had been so busy wiping down. He hadn’t realized how lost in thought he was when she smacked him in the face with her sailors’ hat.

“Fuck yeah! let’s go, I’m so completely done with today.” He grabbed his bomber jacket and made his way out of the glass entrance before Robin locked the place down. He unceremoniously took his own sailor’s hat off and stuffed it into his jacket pocket. They made their way together along with some other mall workers, out towards the parking lot. They talked about how insane the day was and how crazy busy it had been for a Wednesday night.

They had fallen into a nice friendship. They'd been attracted to each other, and Steve had even taken the chance of asking her out. Robin had admitted to having an attraction for him, but she was also very much into Jenny from her summer English class. A tall pretty girl with fiery curls. Steve definitely understood. He too was into a young Adonis who's blonde curls caught the sun's rays. His description of Billy when he had told Robin about his secret crush.

“Seriously I almost lost my collective shit when that lady called you an incompetent idiot.” she cackled.

“I literally only told her that sprinkles would be extra. It was a total waste too, since her idiot kid dropped the damn cone before he could finish it.” He sighed and rolled his eyes at Robin for effectively still laughing at his expense. As soon as they made it past the double doors to the parking lot, they were pulled out of their conversation by a low whistle to their left. Steve’s head turned like whiplash at the familiar sound. His eyes meeting ocean blue in an instant and being greeted by a 10-watt smile. He felt his knee’s go weak, and he could instantly hear his boyfriend say ‘plant your feet, babe’ in his head. What Billy didn’t know was that it was impossible, when Steve was so infatuated already.

To say that their relationship was going good was an understatement. Billy made Steve so incredibly happy. Sure, he could still be an asshole at times, but he was better now. They were far more similar than they let on. Billy had apologized to the kids and was practically part of the party, minus the obvious nerd knowledge he so severely lacked. Countless times now he would play chaperone to the nerds and he would just mention to Steve, ‘how do you keep up with them?’. Steve would just tilt his head back with a roll of his eyes and laugh. Truth was, he loved the kids and he would go back into certain death over and over for them if it meant that he could be around them and they'd be safe.

“Hey Bills!”, Robin was the first to break the silence. She half ran and skipped towards Billy and bumped fists. “Came to pick up your boyfriend?”, she waggled her eyebrows. Steve was now making his way over to them. He admired their quick friendship, after all Robin was the one to set them up. She was the one to tell Billy to cut the bullshit.

“As a matter of fact, yea I did.”

Billy was giving Steve a look, and oh he knew that look. Half lidded eyes and cocky smirk, almost hungry. He’d be damned if he didn’t say he felt a heat pool in his lower abdomen. Apparently, Steve wasn’t the only one who could tell. Robin made a coughing sound, “I get it you pervs, I’m outta here before you start ripping into each other. I’ll see you later Steve, Night Billy!”.

They waved her off and once the coast was clear, they closed the gap between them. Billy pulled Steve towards the wall next to the double doors, kissed him with a hunger that only comes with a three day absence. “Holy shit, someone missed me”, Steve chuckled between kisses only pulling up for necessary air.

“You bet your ass I did, sweetheart”, Billy kissed down Steve’s neck. Slowly running his tongue up again, just the way he knew drove him insane. All the stress of the day was left in the past, his thoughts were technicolor now. Non coherent, except for Billy’s face in the multicolored hue of his fantasy. He held his face tenderly in his hands, rubbing his thumbs on Billy’s cheekbone to try and have him relax a bit. If only to coax him from attacking him and being able to see his beautiful face.

“I missed you too, baby.” Billy loved it when Steve gave him pet names. He turned to total mush and relaxed into Steve’s embrace.

“Your closing shifts are killing me, the kids miss you like crazy. I will seriously slit my wrists if I have to listen to them bitch and moan at the pool. They have opted to following me around now. I'm still getting use to this.”

Steve's heart swelled. Billy wasn't one to receive a lot of affection. So for the kids to be doting on his every word pulled at his heartstrings. His Billy was finally receiving the affection he was deprived of so long. When Billy had made a mind of apologizing to the kids, it had taken them a while to warm up to him. Dustin was the first to accept that if he made Steve happy, then he was okay to have around. Dustin knew that Steve needed to hang out with people his own age and that Steve would be good for Billy. They were both broken people, they could mend each other. He was still far from being the designated favorite, but apparently not too far anymore.

“I'm sorry, I know that our hours have been nuts. You would think that with school approaching, things would slow down.”

Billy looked at him, those piercing blue eyes of his bore deep into Steve. It made him melt and his senses heighten. Touch, taste, anything that was with Billy felt far more profound. More genuine. He couldn't hide anything from him.

“I'll try to request some time off, how does that sound?”

“Can you afford too? I mean I know you don’t like mooching off your dad, but you're with me and I can provide for you", Billy smirked and waggled his eyebrow at him.

“I'm fine, and no I can live without my dad's help. However, I won't deny you treating me to a date night”, Steve smirked back with that last statement.

Billy took that smirk as an invite, specially with how Steve bit his bottom lip. He leaned in to kiss him again.

“Date night? Sounds like a plan. Got any place in mind?”, Billy asked.

It kind of caught Steve off by surprise. He wasn’t expecting to have to choose the location. He tried wracking his brain as to where they could go. He couldn’t think of a place where two young men in love could be see together and not be unfortunately judged. Hawkins was your total, ordinary hick town. They didn’t hear about two men being together without hearing the slightest slur. Steve knew what he wanted, he'd known for a while. He was proud of being with Billy, but he wasn’t stupid and he knew the risks that they're relationship faced.

“hmm-m let's rain check that, okay. I would need to think this one through. Cause I don’t want to be cooped up at home. I mean, movie nights are awesome but I'd like to go out.”

“Okay, well- think about it and let me know. I’ll walk you to your car, weirdly enough it’s kind of chilly out. Summer's here are so weird", he pecked his cheek and held out his hand for Steve to take and thread their fingers together. They walked back towards the front and Steve caught eye of an ad stuck to a store front window.

The sign was for a Def Leppard concert happening in Chicago. Apparently another date that had been added to their Pyromania tour cross the U.S, and it was the last night to catch them. Steve knew right then and there what he wanted to do. He knew very well that Def Leppard was one of Billy’s favorite bands. He couldn’t pass this up.

“Hey babe? Umm, you wanna go to Chicago?”

Billy turned his eyes towards Steve.

“Chicago huh? Any particular reason?”

Steve stayed quiet, just shrugged his shoulders. This was going to be a surprise and he had to think quick on his toes for cover.

“Just thought, we could get out of Hawkins for a weekend. Spend sometime alone, where no one knows us and we can go out in public. Where I can actually hold your hand and not be so heavily scrutinized for it.”

“Okay-okay sweetheart. Don’t loose your shit. I get it and you're right, I’m all for it. You're planning this out right, I’ve never been so I would be a lousy tour guide.”

Steve totally had this in control, he'd been to the city several times with his parents on business. So he knew his way around.

“Don’t worry baby, I got this. We leave this Friday”

Second part is coming

Excuse my story telling, I'm trying to not get caught lol

[crewhonk]

divebar (smut)

In which reader discovers maybe change isn’t necessary for good things to happen. 

AN: reader and billy were in an unofficial relationship which started the summer before he left.

Words: 3,810

Warnings: Smut, Swearing

It was just another Tuesday, in sunny California when you found yourself in some dingy bar with decor that showed the building's age. The wallpaper was old and dirty and you’re pretty sure it was peeling in one of the far corners but they made their drinks strong and cheap and that's all you were here for. It had been a disastrous day at the magazine office which you worked at, and if another one of your articles were rejected you were pretty sure you were actually going to lose your fucking mind. The bartender, who had become a familiar face in your life simply slid a large shot glass towards you and dropped his eye into a wink. You smiled politely back and raised your glass to him before drinking the entire thing without so much as a wince. You thought that once adult life would be exciting and full of sun and waves but you were sorely disappointed when you were only greeted with monotonous routine and grey pencil skirts that cost too much money. 

You didn’t even notice when the bell above the door rang— it couldn’t be anyone interesting because it was five on a Tuesday and you knew whoever had just walked in was probably in a rut similar to your own. You asked the bartender for some cheap beer and the cold glass found its place in your palm— the condensation making it wet and cold. You were staring at the many bottles on the shelf behind the bar when the bartender placed a shot of whiskey in front of you and you looked up at him with an eyebrow tiredly raised. 

“I didn’t ask for this.” You murmured. Your words were slightly muffled by the palm pressed against your cheek. He smiled warmly back at you and pointed a meaty thumb towards the end of the bar. 

“Didn’t need to, Darlin’.” You looked over at the person who had ordered this and you swore your eyebrows shot off your forehead. 

Jesus Christ, it was Billy Hargrove. 

“Billy Hargrove, holy shit!” You smiled and motioned for him to join you. Your feet were too sore and you had too many things to carry over, but he seemed more than happy to shuffle over to you. 

“You lost the mullet?!” You gasped, reaching your hand up to mess with the front of his hair. It was long at the top but shaved down on the sides. It was sharp, and the smile your touch brought from him made your heart stutter. Yeah, good to know you still felt the same way you did in high school, and by the way he was blushing, he did too. 

“Yeah, figured since I’m almost twenty it was about time.” He smiled down at you and you could have kicked your feet in girly giddiness. You tucked your hair behind your ear and leaned your hand against your fist. 

“What brings Billy Hargrove back to the land of the living, huh?” 

He scoffed and took the shot he had ordered for you, slamming it back down on the counter. You flinched at the hostility of his actions— this Billy was angrier than the one that left two years ago, and the way his tongue slid across his white teeth made a shiver roll up your spine. You were still trying to figure out if the shiver was welcomed or not when he started to speak. 

“Hawkins was a fuckin’ wasteland, Babe.” He seemed to snarl the words and the way he said ‘Hawkins’ made you believe it could have been a swear.

“Oh, come on. It couldn’t have been that bad?” You scooted closer to him so you could rest a hand on his knee. He intertwined your fingers together and his grip on your hand was almost suffocating. 

“It was full of monsters, Y/N. You don’t even know.” He mumbled and you had to lean closer to hear him. He wasn’t looking at you anymore, and you squeezed his hand once so he would look up at you. 

“Well, you’re back home now.” You smiled and he looked down at your lips quickly before looking up at you and giving you a small nod. 

“I guess I am, huh?”

You had spent the rest of the evening in that shitty dive-in bar, and Billy had told you so much about the past two years that made you want to cry and scream and kick Neil and this stupid Harrington kid to the curb. He felt the same way about your life situation— the stagnancy, the blandness of it all, and the more drinks you had, the louder you talked. 

“And he had this stupid fucking hair, Babe. Like I swear, it was taller than his dick was long. There is no way that he wasn’t compensating for somethin’.” He drank another shot and leaned into you. You had since moved from the bar stools to a booth in the far corner near the peeling wallpaper and were now curled into his side. “Like he musta’ spent an hour every day on it.” You howled with laughter and threw your head back onto his shoulder. God, you missed him. You missed the way he smiled down at you and you missed the way he smelled (cigarettes and bubblegum), and you missed the weight of his arm around your shoulders. 

“God, this kid sounds like a fuckin’ hazard, Bill.” You laughed and turned the large pitcher of beer in front of you so it was easier to pick up and pour. 

“You shoulda seen the kid he was babysitting though. Beautiful thick curls and one of the goofiest little smiles you could imagine. Corrupted the shit outta him. There was a stupid dance they had just after Max joined their Party and he showed up with this hair that looked like it was done the night before. Poor kid. He was my favorite outta all of ‘em.”

“Him and that Jane kid are my favorites I think.” He snorted at your comment. 

“Yeah, she seemed to really like to stick it to me and her dad.”

“Her dad was the sheriff, right?” You asked, letting your hand drift up to his chest to play with his Virgin Mary pendant his mother had given him in the fifth grade. You were the only person who he allowed to touch it and you hoped it had stayed that way while he lived in Hawkins and got frisky with other girls (“cows, all of em.” “hey, that’s not nice.” “its true though”). He sighed pleasantly at your touch and pulled you closer to him to plant a kiss tot he top of your head. 

“I missed you, my love.” He mumbled into your scalp and you simply hummed in response. Your glazed eyes drifted over the bar (it looked far less dingier with Billy surrounding you and a few good drinks in your system), and you smiled when it settled on the old pool table just off the side of the dance floor. It was empty— it rarely was— so without announcing what you were doing, you pulled Billy out of your quiet corner towards the table. 

“What d’you think you’re doing, Princess?” He laughed when he saw the direction you were pulling him in. You didn’t respond but instead pulled him hard enough to where he was pressing you against the pool table. His hands came to rest on your hips, and you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him just close enough to where your lips almost brushed his. 

“I seem to have forgotten how to play. Can you teach me?” You tilted your head when you said this and looked at him through your lashes. You knew he truly hadn’t changed all that much when you heard him growl lowly under his breath at your actions and when you felt him press his hips harder into your own. 

“I’ll teach you.” He mumbled, his eyes now a few shades darker. There was a rougher side to him now, though. It was a darker side that he had brought home with him, and a thrill breath filled your body when he turned away to get the cue sticks. You watched him form the balls into the mold, and after everything was set up the way he liked, he walked over to you. He handed you the stick and you waited for him to walk around you. 

He pushed your lower back, making you bend over. “You gotta get the right angle when you’re playing.” He said, and you could literally hear his smirk in his voice. He pushed you further and positioned himself so he could position your hands properly on the stick. You made sure to move your hands slowly though, and the way you wrapped your hand around the thicker end of the cue got the message across. You knew this because he pressed his hips harder into your bottom and you gasped at the pressure you felt. God, he was bigger than you remembered. You pressed yourself into him, and he simply let out a shuddering breath against the back of your neck in response. 

Knowing exactly what you were doing (not just with but also with the game), you hit the balls almost perfectly, only three or four balls not finding their homes in the pockets littered around the edges of the table. You straightened up against him and turned around, smiling when you saw his lust blown pupils and almost frazzled blonde hair. 

“I still got it, I guess.” You swayed in your spot with your hands behind your back. His eyes flickered quickly from your breasts (which were now on display— you had unbuttoned the top three over the duration of the night) to your lips to your eyes and back down to your lips. His hesitation in him deciding whether or not to kiss you was starting to get on your nerves and you rolled your eyes. 

“Jesus, Billy. Just kiss me already, yeah?” You frowned. After your request (demand) he shot forward and held your cheeks in his hands before slamming his lips onto your own. He was just as warm as you remembered, but he now tasted more like cigarettes than he did candy and that thought troubled you only slightly. You gripped the collar of his denim jacket and pulled him closer to you, gasping when you felt the cold of his necklace brush against you flushed skin. His tongue darted out quickly, taking quick tastes of your lips before you taught it between your teeth and making him gasp in response. The quick pain from your teeth was soothed by the softness of your tongue soon after and he moaned at the warmth of your taste. 

You pulled away from him breathlessly and looked up at him. You laughed out loud when you saw your lipstick smudged around his mouth and you fisted the pink sleeve of your shirt in your hand to try to wipe some of it off. 

“You’re covered.” You snorted and you only seemed to smear the lipstick further. “Oh shit.” You laughed. The smile he gave you would have to take your breath away if it wasn’t for your intoxication. You tucked your head into his denim collar and took a deep breath of cigarettes and cheap cologne. 

“Take me home, Billy.” You mumbled into his neck and there was a low purr in response to your words. He wasted no time in grabbing your hand and running the best he could down the street. You threw your head back and laughed, your feet scuffing and the chill of the summer night making goosebumps appear over your arms. Billy had turned a corner, and only stopped when you squeezed his hand enough for him to feel. He turned back to you and grunted in surprise when you threw your arms around his neck, kissing him hard on the mouth. He wasted no time in shoving his tongue into your mouth and battling your own in some slippery and beautiful dance. Your hands moved to cup the sides of his neck and you could feel his own pulse hammering under your touch. 

“Princess, I thought you wanted to go home?” He mumbled against your lips and you moaned quietly when you felt him smirk against your mouth. His grip was tight on your waist and his pelvis was pushed against yours, giving you a taste of the friction he was capable of. He pushed himself off the wall and turned you so your own back was pressed against it. He grabbed your wrists and lifted them above your head, effectively pinning you in one position. He pulled away and clicked his tongue when your lips chased his own. 

“You want me to fuck you right here, huh?” He mumbled low and pressed himself against you once more. You moaned softly as to not gather any unwanted attention, but hitched your leg around his own. “You’d like that wouldn’t you.” You only moaned in response. 

He pulled away from you once more and it was only a few more blocks until he pulled you into some ratty apartment building and up two flights of stairs. You snorted when he turned back and told you to be quiet after he had tripped over one of the musty rugs lining the hallway. It hadn’t been soon enough when he found his door and patted his jacket in an attempt to find his keys. Fueling his desire and pushing him closer to the edge, your hand drifted over the front of his torso and into the front pocket of his tight jeans where you found them. He gasped at the feeling of you so close to him and he seemed frozen when you dangled them in front of his face. You kissed his denim-clad shoulder and hummed smugly against it. 

“Not the only thing I felt down there, though.” With that, he grabbed the keys from your grasp and shoved them into the doorknob. You both fell into the foyer and he slammed you hard against the inside of the door, shucking both of your jackets roughly and nipping his way from your lips, over your cheek, and down your neck. 

“Billy, please.” You breathed, and he kissed your pulse lightly. You barely had time to think about looking around his living space before he led you down one of the hallways and pressed you tenderly against the walls, kissing and nipping his way across your skin and making your breath hitch in your throat. 

Eventually, you had made it to his room, and it was only a matter of time before your fingers found the buttons on his shirt and began revealing more skin for your lips to trace. You kissed his collar bones and his throat softly and smiled against his tan skin when you heard him whimper quietly. His hands came up to intertwine themselves in your hair and you were surprised that his roughness from the street and from the hallway didn’t find a place here. Instead, he simply held you by your hair as you kissed your way down his torso, making his skin blush prettily under your touch. You found your place at your knees, and let your nose brush softly against the line of his low riding jeans, kissing his navel before undoing his belt and pulling all of his clothes off in one motion. 

You kissed the tip of him and were encouraged in your motions by the tightening grip of your hair. You kissed him again before taking the tip in your mouth and swirling your tongue gently around it, tasting him in your mouth, the weight of him making you hum. Your pleasant hum traveled up from Billy’s cock to his navel and settled in his stomach where it continued to flutter and fill him with warmth. You licked the bottom of his dick, tracing the lines and ridges and veins a few times before taking all you could in your mouth and pumping what you couldn’t. You felt the soft skin of his balls and rolled them expertly in your hand, making him keen with pleasure, and making him thrust into your face unintentionally. 

“Fuck, sorry Princess.” He grunted and brushed your hair from your face. You ushered a quick ‘it’s okay’ before taking him in your mouth once again and looking at him through your lashes. The view of him disappearing into your perfect lips had a coil tightening in his belly, and before he could cum he pulled you up to kiss you hard. The taste of him in your mouth made him moan, and the rumble of it make your squeak happily. 

He shucked your shirt over your head soon enough and with it your skirt, leaving you standing in front of him in your mismatched bra and panties. You tried to cover yourself with his burning gaze, but before you could, he grabbed your hands and kissed your wrists. 

“Don’t,” he whispered. His voice, though quiet seemed to echo around the room. “You’re gorgeous, Princess.” He reaffirmed his point by pushing you back onto his unmade bed and kissing your belly and ribs. Your hands mimicked his own a mere minute ago and tangled themselves in his hair, pulling him up to kiss you. Your lips touched briefly before he found himself unhooking your bra straps and pushing the garment around your waist. He sucked a nipple into his mouth and the warmth of him made you sigh. He nipped you a few times, making you jump before his fingers found your core and began rubbing you over your cotton underwear. 

“Oh, Bill.” You moaned and felt your hips begin to rock against his hand. Taking the hint and not wanting to deny either of you the pleasure you wanted he shoved your panties to the side and plunge two fingers into you while stimulating your clit with the rough palm of his hand. 

“Who made you so fuckin’ wet, huh?” He growled against your lips, and when you only responded with a quiet moan, he pulled his fingers out and spanked your pussy roughly, making your jolt and groan with pleasure. 

“Answer me, Princess.” He said, looking down at you. You were pressed into his thin pillows and your hair was spread out prettily across them, and the blissed-out expression on your face had him on the edge once more. He hit you again and your eyes flashed open to meet his burning ones. The blue that you had found so gorgeous was nearly swallowed completely by black and you pulled him down to smash your lips to his own. 

“You made me so fuckin’ wet, Billy. You didn’t even need to get me naked to do it either. I wanted to ride you so hard on top of that damn pool table where everyone could see.” You rutted yourself onto his fingers, and you swallowed his moan of surprise with satisfaction. His fingers were thick inside of you, and the cold metal of his many rings provided feelings of stimulation on stimulation— you thought you were going to explode at this point. 

“Please, Billy.” You moaned as his fingers curled in you, hitting the spot that made you see stars. Needing no more invitation, he tore a hole down the center of your panties and lined himself up at your entrance after rolling a condom quickly onto his cock. 

“You sure you want this, Y/N?” His voice sounded almost choked and you thrust your hips up to his, feeling the tip of his dick enter you, but he pulled back before you could do anything more. 

“I need words, Angel.” He whispered against the crook of your neck. 

“Please, I want you.” You tugged at his hair, and you gasped when your affirmation made him hook both of your legs around his shoulders. 

“Good girl.” He grunted and pushed himself into you slowly until he bottomed out inside of you, making your both coil around each other and moan at how simply full you both felt. The ridges pressed against him in the best way, and you fluttered around him, making him moan against you as he began thrusting. It was slow at first, but when he re-adjusted you so you had a pillow under your bum and were nearly folded in half, he quickened his pace until it was almost brutal in nature. The sound of his thick thighs slapping against yours, and the crude sounds of his sliding in and out of you added to the feeling of him hitting your g-spot almost perfectly every thrust. 

“Fuck, Billy. ‘M not gonna last long.” You were surprised at the rushing feeling of your orgasm fast approaching, but the stimulation you received before this and the pent-up tension from your work day and the bar explained so much. He began to fuck into you then, rutting so hard against you that the sounds you were making didn’t sound like a noise you would make. Your entire body jolted when he began to rub your clit relentlessly and within thirty seconds, your toes were in the hair curling, and your back was arched into him. Once he had fucked you through your high, and once he was sure you were fully satiated, he pulled out of you and ripped off the condom and crawled up so he was straddling your waist. 

He pulled at himself, and you scraped your nails over his thighs in pure anticipation of him marking you. His heavy breaths soon became moans which turned to grunts when thick ropes of cum found its place on your chest and neck. He pumped himself only a few times more to really milk himself, and when he looked down at you, you smiled and giggled softly at the mess he had made. Without even thinking, he crawled off of you and began walking out into the hall towards what you assumed would be the bathroom. You propped yourself on your elbows and looked around the room trying to find your clothes and purse so you could get out from the warm bed and make your great escape. 

You were broken from your surveying when Billy’s head popped back into the room. He had a genuine grin on his face that sent shivers down your spine in the best way, and his voice was raspy when he spoke. 

“You gonna join me or what, Sugar?”

[rowdywarrior85]

STRANGER THINGS PRESENTS: WHEELERS VS HARGROVES (PART 1)

STRANGER THINGS PRESENTS: WHEELERS VS HARGROVES

[DISCLAIMER: This story in purely fan-fiction, meaning I own no rights to the show STRANGER THINGS, its episodes or characters. Basically, this story is my interpretation of the show, its episodes or characters. Forewarning, there will be descriptions of violence (sometimes graphic), adult content and language; if you have kids under 17 reading this story, VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Either way, hope you enjoy it. This story takes place between Season 3-Episode 4: THE SAUNA TEST.]

(We open to a fogged-up mirror, a washcloth is wiped across to clear a reflection, and the man in the mirror is none other than Hawkins’ residential bad boy, Billy Hargrove, who just came out of the shower. NO ONE LIKE YOU by Scorpions drops in the background and it drops hard. Billy spends the intro guitar solo in the bathroom; blowing his nose, blow-drying his hair, cleaning out his ears, brushing his teeth and takes a quick shave. Then, he wraps a towel around his waist and strolls in his room. As he lights up a cigarette, the first verse starts up. He slips on a pair of boxers under his towel, drops a pair of denim jeans on his bed, followed by a navy short-sleeved dress-shirt. Satisfied with his choice of wardrobe, the towel flies off, then by the second verse, he slips on a pair of socks and a white tank top, which is odd since Billy doesn’t wear anything under his dress-shirts. Billy proceeds to don his jeans and dress-shirt, followed by his boots. As the chorus kicks in, he sprays his hair for a little extra volume. Then slaps cologne on his wrists, along his neckline and of course, below the belt. He grabs a black leather jacket, slips it on and takes one last look in the mirror, giving himself a confident look.)

BILLY: (whispers) Look out, Karen. Here comes trouble.

(As he tosses a smooch and a wink at himself, he opens the door to make his “date” with Karen Wheeler, Mike and Nancy’s mom. But, he’s met by his stepmother, Susan Mayfield-Hargrove, about to knock on his door. Third verse kick in.)

BILLY: (sigh) Susan.

SUSAN: I was gonna ask you what you wanted for dinner, but it looks like you got plans. Big date tonight?

BILLY: (clicks tongue with a wink) Bingo.

SUSAN: Um, is that a tank top under your shirt? This is a first.

(Billy passes by Susan as he makes for the front, hoping to God he isn’t stopped by his asshole father, Neil Hargrove.)

BILLY: Yeah, well, this one is special.

NEIL: Gee, I wonder how special.

(Billy is stopped by Neil’s stern voice. Billy’s smile slowly drops to a tense, tight lip as he looks to his left to see his father leaning on the frame that leads to the kitchen, drinking a can of beer with an equally stern look on his face.)

BILLY: More than you can ever understand, Dad.

NEIL: Oh, really? What’s this “special” date’s name?

(Neil asked that question to Billy with the intention that he knows exactly who the “lucky lady” is. Billy inhales deep, exhales as he looks to a concerned Susan, who’s afraid of another spat between Father and son. Billy turns back to his father.)

BILLY: Don’t wait up for me.

(Neil’s eyebrow starts to rise in agitation as Billy continues for the door.)

NEIL: HEY!

(Billy stops at the door.)

SUSAN: Neil, don’t.

NEIL: No, I wanna know the name of his “special” date, or else he can just forget about going altogether. WELL, WHO THE FUCK IS SHE, BILLY?!

(Billy turns to his dad with a hint of anger.)

BILLY: Why the fuck do you care, huh?

(Both Neil’s eyebrows are raised high at Billy’s snap by the second chorus.)

She’s just another whore in Hawkins to you, anyway.

(Billy opens door.)

RIGHT, NEIL!?!

(Billy slams the door shut, which by now infuriates Neil.)

NEIL: Son of a BITCH!!!

(Neil storms out after his “ungrateful” son. Susan tries to stop him, but to no avail.

SUSAN: Neil, just let it go. NEIL!!

(Billy storms into his blue Camaro, with Neil in hot pursuit.)

NEIL: BILLY! YOU GET THE FUCK OUT OF THAT CAR!!

(Billy starts the engine, but Neil jumps in front of the car.)

YOU SHUT THAT OFF AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW, BILLY HARGROVE, OR YOU’RE FUCKING GROUNDED! DO YOU FUCKING HEAR ME!?!

(As the first half of the main guitar solo starts, Billy stares at his dad, then turns to a scared Susan, then turns right back to Neil.)

BILLY, I’D THINK THIS THROUGH, IF I WERE YOU!

(Billy went to a timid look to a stern, angry look as he revs the engine hard on the second half of the guitar solo.)

Oh, don’t you even think about it, you little shit.

SUSAN: Neil, please get out of the road!

(Neil keeps his eyes fixed on Billy, while he points a finger at Susan.)

NEIL: Relax, Susan, he’s bluffing. He’s not gonna do shit. Are ya, you son of a…

(Neil leans forward.)

…whore.

(By the end of the solo, Billy flares his nostrils in a rage, drops into DRIVE, and peels out, spooking Neil out of the way.)

JESUS!!!

(Billy’s Camaro zooms out of Cherry Road, with Neil throwing his beer down the street at Billy’s direction, screaming with rage.)

THAT’S IT!!!! YOU’RE GROUNDED!!! DO YOU HEAR ME, YOU FUCK!!!! YOU’RE GROUNDED FOR THE REST OF YOUR NATURAL FUCKING LIFE!!!!

(Susan runs after him, trying to quiet him down.)

SUSAN: Jesus, Neil. You’ll wake up the whole damn neighborhood. What if they call the police?

NEIL: The police, Susan, Jesus. Who in this neighborhood, let alone this whole fucking town has the balls to call the police on me? Huh?

(Neil storms back into the house, pissed to infinity. All the while, Susan becomes more frightened what’s about to come.)

Pick up my fucking beer off the street while you’re out there.

(PRESENT DAY. Mike, Lucas, Will, El and Max stroll up in their bikes to the Hawkins Community Pool staking out for Billy. All of them, especially Max fear that he may be chosen by the reawakened Mind Flayer.)

MIKE: OK, so where is he?

MAX: He’s usually in by noon.

LUCAS: Well, it’s 5 minutes to noon. He should be up and running for work soon.

MAX: Oh, shit.

WILL: What, do you see him?

MAX: No, somebody much worse than Billy.

(They see a tan Ford pickup truck roaring into the pool parking lot. Max is horrified, for she knows exactly who it is.)

It’s my fucking step-dad, Neil.

LUCAS: Oh, that’s just perfect.

EL: Is it… bad?

(Max looks to El with concern.)

LUCAS: Let’s put it to you this way, El. You know what a mouth-breather is, right?

(El nods in affirmation.)

Well, from what Max told us, he’s a Class A mouth-breather. Believe me, I know, I’ve seen it first hand. Not to mention, he’s also a racist and a homophobe straight outta Vietnam.

MIKE: Long story, El, he’s a sadistic piece of shit.

EL: Piece of shit?

WILL: He makes MY dad look like a cream puff. I mean, coming from a divorced background myself, don’t get me wrong, I can’t help but feel sorry for him.

(The Party look awkwardly at Will.)

Billy, I mean. I’ve literally been where he is, if the Mind Flayer’s turned him, I mean.

(The Party look back to the pickup.)

MAX: (heavy sigh) I’m more concerned what Neil’s gonna do.

(Max looks through the binoculars, and she sees that he’s drinking from a flask, which does not bode well for Max.)

And worse, looks like he’s drinking. Guess it’s bad between him and Billy.

(We switch to inside the pickup, where Neil is formulating his plan, while downing Bourbon from his flask. Susan looks on to Neil, scared out of her mind.)

SUSAN: Neil, what exactly are we doing at the pool? I didn’t even bring my swimsuit.

NEIL: Isn’t it obvious, Susan? Billy’s behavior of late is fucking disturbing, more than most. His car isn’t in front of the house, where it’s supposed to be.

SUSAN: He’s stayed out late before.

NEIL: (takes a swig) Not like this.

(Susan looks at Neil with fear and concern.)

SUSAN: Hitting that kinda hard lately, have you?

NEIL: Don’t you worry about me, alright? It’s Billy that should be worried right now. Have you also noticed that Wheeler bitch isn’t with the rest of the Mom Squad?

SUSAN: So?

(Neil takes another swig, then gives an obvious look to Susan.)

(Scoffs) Oh my God. You’re not suggesting that Billy and Mrs. Wheeler were… are…

NEIL: It can’t be anymore obvious than that.

SUSAN: Neil, that’s ridiculous. There’s no proof of that.

NEIL: Please, I’ve been by the pool from time to time. The way he looks at her, the way SHE looks at him. They even talk to each other.

SUSAN: So they talk…

NEIL: FOR NEARLY 5 MINUTES, maybe more. Well this is gone far enough, I’m ending this right now.

(Neil prepares to exit the truck.)

SUSAN: Let’s go.

NEIL: No, you stay in the truck until I get back.

(Neil opens his truck door.)

SUSAN: Neil, I’m not letting you go out there alone, so you can make a scene.

NEIL: STAY IN THE TRUCK, SUSAN. I shouldn’t take long.

(Neil slams his truck door hard, takes another swig then make his way into the pool, while Susan looks on in fear. As he makes his way pass the entrance, the receptionist spots him sporting his flask in his back pocket and tries to take action.)

RECEPTIONIST: Excuse me, sir. You need to sign in if you want to enter the pool.

(Receptionist goes after him, then proceeds to put his right hand on Neil’s left shoulder.)

And another thing, there are no alcoholic containers of any kind allowed in the…

(Neil turns to the receptionist, swats his hand off his shoulder with the left hand, then lands a right cross decking him, knocking him to the ground with a bloody nose. Susan looks on with timidity.)

SUSAN: Ah, shit.

(Even the Mom Squad see this atrocity and fear the worst. While Susan gets out of the truck to tend to the busted-up receptionist, Neil spots the Mom Squad and saunders over with the intent of getting some answers.)

LIZ (BRUNETTE): Oh shit, Hargrove Rex is headin’ right for us.

MOM #2(BLONDIE): That’s never good. You don’t think he’s here about Billy, is he?

JILL(HEAVY): What are we gonna do?

LIZ: (picks up a COSMOPOLITAN magazine) Just act natural, ladies. It’s probably nothing.

JILL: Seriously?

LIZ: (through her teeth) Just… act… natural.

(Neil then approaches the Mom Squad.)

NEIL: Ladies.

BLONDIE: If you’re looking for your son, sir, he’s still in the bathroom, prepping for work.

NEIL: Billy’s the least of my worries right now. I couldn’t help but noticed one of your “crew” is MIA. Wheeler, is it? So, um, any of you… ladies… know where she is?

LIZ: Spa.

BLONDIE: Shopping.

JILL: Movie.

(Neil leans in between Blondie and Liz.)

NEIL: Well, which… one… is it?

(Jill starts hyperventilating, Neil turns to Jill, Liz prompting Jill not to say shit. Neil raises an eyebrow.)

JILL: (rapidly) LOOK, KAREN’S NOT HERE, OK! SHE CALLED US, SAYING SHE WASN’T FEELING LIKE A POOL DAY TODAY. SO SHE DECIDED TO SAY HOME!! (deep inhale and exhale)

NEIL: (Eyes on Jill) Thank you, ladies. Enjoy your day.

(Neil makes for the men’s room.)

LIZ: You just can’t keep your mouth shut for 5 minutes, you weak-ass fuck.

JILL: I’m sorry, girls. But that guy just scares the shit out of me.

BLONDIE: Honey, that man scares the shit out of pretty much the whole town.

LIZ: God save that boy.

(In the men’s room, a bench has a beach towel, a white long-sleeved shirt, and a ball cap with aviator sunglasses and a Zippo lighter. Billy is finishing applying SPF 50 on his body on account of the Mind Flayer inhabiting him. He then wraps a beach towel, and puts on a white long-sleeved shirt, then puts on his flip-flops. He grabs the bottle of SPF 50, and puts it in his locker. Suddenly, Neil slams the locker door shut, Billy doesn’t even flinch.)

NEIL: We need to talk.

(Billy doesn’t even acknowledge him, he makes his way to the sinks to wash his hands.)

Hey! Don’t you fuckin’ walk away from me, son.

(Billy looks to the mirror whilst washing his hands, he sees his father glaring at him, continuing to berate his son.)

Your behavior of late has been unacceptable. First, you try to run me down, which is surprising coming from you, and your car isn’t in front of the house. You either abandoned it or fucked it up. And another thing, this “special date” of yours couple nights ago, I think I know she is. Do you think for one second, that I’m stupid. I’ve been by the pool a couple times, I see the way you look at that Wheeler whore, and the way she looks at you. So what, all the teenage pussy is not enough for you, so you graduate to mommy pussy, is that it?

(Neil closes in to Billy’s right ear. Neil’s voice starts to distort.)

Or maybe, just maybe, you like her simply because she reminds of a certain somebody you lost as a child. Somebody that was TOO CHICKENSHIT TO COME AND RESCUE YOUR FAGGOT ASS…

(Neil lays his left hand on his right shoulder. Billy’s eyes widen, then grabs his hand, torques his arm, grabs his head and slams his head on the edge of the sink, breaking the sink in the process. Billy looks solemnly down to Neil on the floor, disoriented, head bleeding. Neil tries to crawl away, not believing what’s happening. Billy then grabs Neil’s left arm and steps on his head, preparing to kill him.)

(groaning) Billy, don’t do this. I’m your father, for fuck’s sakes!

(Billy looks at his busted up father with this blank, emotionless face.)

BILLY!!!!

(Billy viciously pulls on the arm while his foot is on the head, breaking Neil’s neck. Snap to black.)

(Echoing) Billy?

(Snap back to reality. Billy continues to stare at the mirror, while Neil tries to speak to him.)

Billy, you gonna fuckin’ answer me or not?

(Billy turns away from his father to grab his cap with his frames and lighter, then proceeds to make for the exit to get to work AKA keep up appearances. But Neil isn’t having it, he follows him with haste.)

Son of a bitch. Billy Hargrove, you fuckin’ answer me RIGHT NOW, OR…

(Billy suddenly turns toward him.)

BILLY: (roars) OR WHAT!?!

(Neil stops in surprise. Billy walks towards him with wide, crazy eyes.)

(low voice) What are gonna do, Neil?

(Billy and Neil are now face to face, toe to toe.)

What… are you going…. to do? What?

HEATHER: Is there a problem, gentlemen?

(Neil looks around Billy, and sees Heather in the same get-up with two large cherry Slurpees. Billy’s eyes go normal but still on Neil.)

BILLY: Cool as ice, Heather. My dad here was just leaving. Right, Neil?

NEIL: (quiet scoff) You’re wasting my time, anyway.

(Neil shoulder checks Billy before leaving, letting him know that it’s not over, like Billy cares at this point. Neil gives a slight glare at Heather as he walks out the door. Heather walks up to Billy, handing him his Slurpee.)

HEATHER: Shall we add him to the collective?

BILLY: No, we have enough. The end will come for him.

(Billy takes a sip from his Slurpee. We get a closeup on his “flayed” eyes.)

The end will come for them all.

(Neil storms out of the bathroom, and makes his way to the pool’s exit. At the receptionists’ office, Susan is tending to the receptionists’ broken nose.)

NEIL: Susan, let’s go. NOW!!!

RECEPTIONIST: (groaning) For the record, your husband’s a dick.

SUSAN: I know, I’m so sorry.

(Neil and Susan get into the truck, then proceed to exit the parking lot aggressively.)

LIZ: They’re leaving.

JILL: Not what?

BLONDIE: We need to warn Karen about what’s about to go down, all because you couldn’t shut up.

JILL: I said I was sorry. Jesus.

LIZ: There’s a phone in the office. Everybody follow me, and walk fast.

(Outside the pool, the Party observe on what’s going on.)

LUCAS: What the hell’s the Mom Squad doin’?

MIKE: I don’t know. When it comes to Moms, you never know.

MAX: Guys, shut up. Target in sight.

(The Party see Billy exiting the bathroom and mounting his post. Meanwhile, Neil driving like a bat out of Hell for the Wheeler residence.)

SUSAN: So, what happened?

NEIL: You mean, “what didn’t happened”? Time to do what I should’ve done at the beginning. End the problem at the source.

SUSAN: You’re not thinking of heading to the Wheelers?

NEIL: Goddamn right.

(Susan is now way frightened on what’s going to happen.)

SUSAN: Look, Neil. I know you’re going to object to this, but… maybe I should “take point” this time.

NEIL: (takes another swig out of his flask) Out of the question.

SUSAN: Look, Neil. You have enough booze in your system, just let me handle this. Cuz if you go in there, you’ll go tearing the place apart just to get your answers, causing a massive commotion, at that point somebody’s gonna call the cops. 10 minutes, that’s all I need, 10 minutes.

NEIL: 5. 5 minutes. After that…

(turns to Susan)

I do it my way.

(Meanwhile at the Wheeler residence on Maple Street, Nancy Wheeler and her mom, Karen just finished their heart-to-heart, wiping away their tears. But somehow, Nancy wasn’t quite finished.)

NANCY: Mom, if I ask you something, would you tell me the truth?

KAREN: (walks to the sink) Of course, honey.

NANCY: I came home from the first day of work a few nights ago, and I found your ring in the bathroom.

(Karen becomes alert.)

Something you want to talk to me about? Just us girls.

KAREN: Well, maybe I took it off to wash my hands, and probably forgot to put it back on.

NANCY: Mom, for as long as I can remember, you NEVER took your ring off.

KAREN: (turns to Nancy) Nancy, I don’t know your implying here…

NANCY: Mom, you gave me that talk for a reason, even put in an “I” in there like your just been through something. Plus, you wear makeup to the pool, which is odd, unless you…

(Just then, it dawned on Nancy, and turned to her mom.)

Oh, Mom. Don’t tell me you’ve been hitting on that California douchebag, Billy.

KAREN: Of course not.

(Nancy leers at her mom like she isn’t being honest.)

It’s been actually both ways, if I’m being honest.

NANCY: Oh, my God.

KAREN: What can I say, Nancy? He’s beautiful.

NANCY: OH, MY GOD.

KAREN: Look, Nancy, try to understand. Ever since he walked to my door looking for his step-sister last year…

(deep sigh)

…he looked like, something out of a dream, or right out of a romance novel. I thought to myself, “THANK GOD”.

NANCY: Yeah. Mike once told me he damn near beat Steve half to death because of Max “last year”.

KAREN: Oh, boys will be boys. You should know that by now.

(Nancy scoffs)

Did you know that he asked me out on a date a couple days ago.

NANCY: SHUT… UP!

KAREN: I know, right? Just caught me by surprise, and to be honest, I actually wanted him to.

NANCY: Well, you didn’t agree to it, did you?

(Before Karen could answer, the patriarch of the Wheeler family, Ted, strolls on in with younger daughter, Holly.)

TED: Hi, honey. Holly and I had an interesting time at the mall, the food court has this…

(Ted notices Nancy is home early.)

Oh, Nancy. You’re home early. Did I miss anything?

KAREN: Girl talk.

NANCY: I just got fired.

TED: Oh… well, just got to live and learn, I suppose.

(Both ladies give Ted a livid look.)

Come on, Holly. Let’s see what’s on TV.

(Karen and Nancy turn their attention back to each other.)

KAREN: Now do you see what I have to put up with, every single day?

(Unbeknownst to the ladies, Ted is quietly eavesdropping, while Holly is mesmerized by MY LITTLE PONY on the TV.)

You have no idea what it’s like, being married to same, boring person for the past 20 years. To not feel appreciated, to be stuck in a continuous rut.

(As Karen continued her lament, Nancy was reminded of the event of her life that occurred 2 years ago when she lost her best friend, Barbara Holland, all because she wanted to prove that she could make it with Steve Harrington.)

When Billy asked me out, I thought to myself that this is my chance. This one chance to be the woman I wanted to be, if only for one night. I wanted to scream “Yes, Billy. Take me, I’m yours”. But, just when I was about to walk out my door that night, I noticed Ted asleep on the recliner with Holly. And it just hits me,…

(voice breaking) I just couldn’t do it. Not without breaking your father’s heart, or Holly’s, or Mike’s, or yours.

(Just then, the doorbell rings.)

TED: I’ll get it.

KAREN: (clears throat) Thanks.

NANCY: Mom, I get it. You’re unhappy with your marriage, but still it’s no excuse to throw it all away for Billy, of all people.

KAREN: You’re telling me you wouldn’t do the same thing?

NANCY: I already did. Once. Back when I was with Steve.

(Karen instantly knew what Nancy meant.)

KAREN: Barb?

(Nancy nods, trying to hold back the tears of that fateful night.)

NANCY: (sniffs, voice breaking) To this day, I keep thinking to myself. If I wasn’t trying to be something I’m knew I wasn’t, if I had just left that party with her, she’d still be here, you know. I miss her so much, even now.

KAREN: Still, would you ever get with Billy if you had the chance?

NANCY: If I didn’t have my morals and/or Jonathan…

(Karen is waiting in anticipation.)

…probably, yeah. If you had, Dad would be blown away from his recliner, not to mention Mike would have a cow. But, I’m glad you didn’t go through with that date. Besides, I hear his dad’s a complete and utter psychopath.

SUSAN: You’re not wrong there.

(Karen and Nancy turn to the hallway to find Ted along with Susan.)

[biillys]

Don't think about Billy shaking Max awake when the house is filled with snores not muffled whines. Bruises hidden in the dark but wincing as he lifts his arm, Max rolling away until she stills in realization. They leave together, breath held as the window frame in a bedroom slides up. The Camaro starts - if Billy has the key. maybe they walk the few miles to the pool, Hawkins is small and it's dark and the demodogs aren't coming back. They're making themselves safe, just by leaving for the night.

The pool beckons, familiar shadows in the poolhouse and stacked chairs higher than Max is tall. Billy pulls one down for her, a screech of metal legs over poured concrete. He doesn't wince at the sound as Max raids the lost & found for towels. Or maybe they just keep a stash of towels, a spare set of clothes in Billy's lifeguard locker. No blankets or pillows, nothing that can't be explained away even if they're always gone with the dim rays of dawn peeking through the forest. The pool glitters in those brief moments, almost peaceful even if it's not the sea that Billy misses so badly it aches.

It's not meant to be more than an occasional thing, but Billy can't bear leaving her alone in the house on Cherry Lane. It won't be permanent, he just needs a little more in his rainy day fund. A bank account that Neil can't touch, one that has his name and maybe Susan's on it.

He thinks he'll have enough money for an apartment, maybe a trailer on the other side of town with scraggly weeds and his dealer, by the end of July.

losing my mind losing my mind losing my mind please this is exactly what i wanted to hear about after writing those tags on that post i love you 🥺

[yikesharringrove]

sorry for potential angst, but maybe steve being reluctant to tell his birthday to others because he Hates celebrating it (to be fair, his family probably isn’t around to celebrate it) because his parents, surprisingly frugal, always gave him shit about Wanting things and probably think he grew out of needing presents a few years back, steve for once being told he’s mature bc he doesn’t mention his wishes. billy probably thinks it’s idk. “weird”? and learns soon practically nobody knows

modern solely for the opening part lmao

-

“Bill, what’s your password.”

Steve had Billy’s phone, was playing this stupid chicken game Billy had downloaded explicitly with Steve in mind.

“It’s my birthday.” Steve tapped it in quickly, kept playing the chicken name.

Billy furrowed his brow. He could not remember Steve’s birthday. Felt like such a shit for forgetting.

“Stevie, when’s your birthday?” Steve just shrugged noncommittally. “Steve.”

“You know. It’s in the year.” Billy rolled his eyes.

“Are you mad because I forgot?”

“You didn’t forget. I never told you.”

“But, like, why?”

“I just don’t really get the whole birthday thing. I don’t really tell people when mine is.”

“Can I know?” Billy put on his best puppy dog eyes.

“It’s in the winter. That’s all I’m giving you.” Billy tossed his head back, roaring to the ceiling, Steve raised an eyebrow at him.

“Not even a month?”

“Absolutely not.”

-

Steve always took about a thousand years in the shower, lived in a place where the hot water didn’t run out in twenty minutes.

The moment he heard the water turn on, Billy raced downstairs.

He had only ever been in this room once, had fucked Steve on the big oak desk.

He pushed open the door to Steve’s dad’s office, heading for the file cabinet in the corner.

He rifled through all the drawers, passing folders marked with work related things.

In the very bottom drawer, there was a file towards the back. Simply marked Steven Alexander.

Billy went through it. He found Steve’s school records, paid no attention to the grades that were always getting him yelled at.

He pushed past doctor’s records, laughed briefly at the discharge paperwork from Hawkins General when Steve had apparently run into a tree on his bike.

He rifled all the way to the back, and grabbed at the document.

He scanned over Steve’s birth certificate.

December 2, 2001.

He put it away, rushing back up the stairs, chanting twelve two oh one, twelve two oh one.

-

“Hey! Shitheads!”Billy jogged over to the little gaggle of kids, standing in the parking lot of the arcade. “Listen, I got an idea for Steve’s birthday.”

The kids just stared at him.

“Is it, coming up?” Mike asked slowly.

“Yeah, it’s next weekend.” Dustin furrowed his brows.

“How come I didn’t know that?”

“You, you didn’t?”

“No! Steve’s never said anything!” Dustin was getting all worked up. “I’ve known him for two of his birthdays! And he’s never said anything!”

“Okay, calm down, Little Buddy. We’re doin’ something for him now.”

It didn’t sit right in his gut that even the kids, even Dustin didn’t know Steve’s birthday.

-

“Is there anything special you want for your birthday?”

Steve was curled on his chest, playing with his necklace.

He stiffened when Billy spoke.

“My birthday isn’t for a while.”

“I know it’s this weekend.”

Steve sat up so quickly it gave Billy whiplash.

“Leave it alone, Billy. I don’t want anything.” His voice was cold, harsh.

“Baby, it’s your birthday. Of course you want something.”

“No. I don’t fucking want anything. It’s not allowed.”

And Billy could always tell when it wasn’t Steve talkin’ anymore. When it was his dad’s words tumbling out of his mouth.

“Why isn’t it allowed?” Billy kept his voice even.

“Because, because, money is earned, and when you earn money, you can spend it how you choose. I’m too old for gifts, anyway.” He was all over the place, no doubt years of his father berating him swirling around in his brain.

“It’s okay to want things. Especially on your birthday.” Steve was quiet. “When was the last time someone wished you a happy birthday?”

“When I was thirteen.” Steve was picking at the duvet.

“So, six years. Six years of nothing.”

“Look, I just grew out of it. My dad said I was mature for not being so needy.”

“One ‘a these days, your dad’s gonna get punched in the fucking face.”

“Don’t punch my dad.”

“I never said I was gonna do it.” Steve huffed a laugh, leaning back onto Billy, still a little tense. “It’s okay to ask for things. I want your birthday to be really special.”

“Then I just want a nice day with you. Nothing wild, you don’t even have to tell me happy birthday. I just want to spend the day with you.”

“Well, I can definitely make that happen for you.”

-

Billy woke Steve up on his birthday with a blow job.

Let Steve cum down his throat, and grinned at him when he came off.

“What was that for?”

“What, I need a reason to go down on you now?” Steve looked at him suspiciously.

“I said I didn’t want anything crazy for my birthday.”

“I literally blow you all the time. There was nothing special about it.” Steve just glared at him. “Whatever. Get your ass up. Make me breakfast.”

Billy flopped back down onto the bed, stretching like a lazy cat. Steve leaned over to kiss his forehead.

“That’s more like it.”

-

Steve had made them bacon and eggs while Billy brewed the coffee.

Steve glared at him as the doorbell rang.

“If that is people, coming over for a party-”

“Just open the goddamn door.” Billy gave him a light shove towards the entry hall as he finished his plate.

Steve rolled his eyes, sighing when he was all the kids clumped on his doorstep.

“Hello, Steve. What a perfectly ordinary day.” Steve stared blankly at Dustin. “We have come over, unannounced, on this purely mundane Saturday because we were racking our brains for something to do, and we figured you had no other plans on this boring day.”

“Layin’ it on a little thick, aren’t you?” But Steve ushered them all inside.

“Because it is so cold today, we wanted to have a movie day. With you.” Dustin was still speaking all stiff and practiced.

“Yeah? Just ‘cause?”

“Precisely.”

“Them I get to pick all the movies.”

He was delighted when the ids exchanged looks. None of them shared his movie taste, not even Billy liked his picks. But hey, if they were gonna make a big deal outta the birthday he had asked them to ignore, he was gonna make them sit through every spaghetti western he owns.

“Of course. As it is your home.” Dustin was speaking through gritted teeth.

“Great! Then we’ll start with A Fistful of Dollars.”

He heard them muttering to one another as he traipsed to the tv room, getting out blankets from the ottoman doubling as storage.

He was joined by all the kids later, settling into their usual places, Steve on Billy’s lap.

Everyone was quiet as they waited for whatever movie Steve had chosen, expecting something they would all quietly suffer through.

Steve laughed as they all breathed a collective sigh of relief watching Harrison Ford stroll on screen.

“Look, I appreciate you all not making a big deal. Wasn’t actually gonna torture you.” Billy kissed his cheek.

“We watchin’ all four?”

“There are only three Indiana Jones movies. I refuse to acknowledge the last one. It was so bad.”

“Fair enough, Pretty Boy.”

They settled back into the couch, Max slumped over the other end. El and Mike were sharing an armchair, which Steve kept averting his eyes from, and Dustin, Lucas, and Will had made a home for themselves on the floor.

It was a nice day, just the people he loved being rowdy and loud while watching movies all day, ordering pizza and making a mess.

It was the best birthday he thinks he’s ever had.

“Thank you, Bill. I know I said I didn’t want anything, but this was really nice.”

Billy kissed the top of his head.

“Anything for you, Sweet Thing.”