#florist will byers

[howtobecomeadragon]

flower gardener Mike and florist Will

Mike brings Will regular flower deliveries and sometimes lingers a while at the flower shop. Will hands him a little yellow bouquet once. Mike tucks a flower behind Will's ear a while after that.

[edelweiss-coffee]

the valentines oneshot i’m working on takes place in this universe. this work is my baby, check it out :-)

[ollsonline]

might fuck around and combine every byler au ever into one fanfic and see what happens :)

[sadboyhrs]

tatted up florist mike wheeler x pastel tattoo artist will byers send tweet

[kocch]

it’s a wip reveal day

i have so many wipsss, the byler tattoo x florist au

the comic i wanted to do with will crushing over sebastian bach (skid row) 

this unfinished wip for the fic come back to me and forgive everything (playground scene)

my samfrodo byler one (this is months OLD) 

this ancient grunge byler wip (i dont remember what brush i used for linearts LMAO) and will was supposed to wear a skirt

this mess with the byers trio /jonathan best bro

and the bylerweek day 3 comic that is waiting for me for more than a month... haha 

[goodomensguy]

For the otp ask thing I’m having you do all of them for steddie cause I’m doing that for you for 5e gay ppl ship you gave me

1. Who most initiates PDA?

At first, I thought Eddie, but I'm leaning more towards Steve. Eddie, while a naturally touchy person, would definitely need to take some time to get used to the casual physical affection among the party, let alone the pda that comes with a relationship. Steve would take a bit as well, cause of the whole gay thing, and they wouldn't do pda TOO much, cause they're in Hawkins Indiana in the 80s, but Steve would definitely initiate more pda because of his dating history. When they can and when they're comfortable, they're both pretty touchy.

2. Any sleep habits either had to get used to?

Well for one, they both have nightmares out the wazoo. Eddie also just,,,doesn't have a sleep schedule. Sometimes he sleeps, sometimes he doesn't, sometimes he stays up and sleeps late, yadda yadda yadda. It kind of annoys Steve, but he gets used to it eventually.

3. Jealousy issues?

I'm not 100% sure, but I really don't think so. I think Eddie might be jealous of Steve's past flings, but it passes quickly.

4. What’s a Night Out for them?

Neither of them are huge night out fans, considering the fact that the town hates Eddie, but I think once they move out of Hawkins, Eddie manages to convince Steve to go out to gay bars/clubs every once in a while.

5. What’s an evening in for them?

Definitely forcing one another to watch movies that they like. I like to think that their date nights are made up of each of them picking a movie to rent and then watching it together.

6. Double Date? Thoughts? Who?

Nancy and Robin, probably. It turns to Robin and Steve doing their thing, and once they get to know each other, Nancy and Eddie hanging out. They get along better than you'd think.

7. Do they want (have) kids?

Steve does, obviously. It takes some healing and talking, but eventually, Eddie does too. They've got their hands full until the rest of the crew graduates though.

8. Have an AU thought?

Eddie as a tattoo artist and Steve as a florist because I'm a basic bitch.

9. If they got engaged… who proposed? 

They can't really get married because it's the 80's, and that really bums Steve out, so Eddie proposes and they have a little ceremony in the Byers' back yard or something.

10. How do they deal with the other’s family?

Eddie has murderous intent. Wayne and Steve watch basketball together. Wayne love Steve.

11. What is their love language?

Eddie's are gift giving and words of affirmation, Steve's are acts of service and physical touch.

12. How Are there communication skills?

In the beginning? BAD. Like, BAD. They hide their nightmares and trauma from one another, and it just builds up until it bursts like a dam. After that, they try their best to communicate better. It's a skill. They try.

13. A little personal… but… Hot and Steamy or Soft and Tender?

I'm not answering this one.

14. How did they first meet?

To me, they met in kindergarten and were friends, but went to different elementary schools and lost touch, forgetting they had met by the time canon happens. I like to think that they rediscover old yearbooks/pictures and see them both.

15. Why do they like each other?

Eddie likes Steve because he is capable of change. In his life, he's met a lot of people who dislike him just because of how he looks/sounds/acts, and Steve used to be one of them. But then he changed and grew and took in new information, which Eddie admires a lot. Steve likes Eddie because he is so steady(steddie ha) in his identity. Eddie knows who he is and is willing to defend it. He's spent so much of his time trying to fit in and be reasonable to others that he really admires Eddie, who can stand by who he is.

16. Who cooks most?

They both cook a lot. Steve learned a lot from being left alone in his house to fend for himself, and Eddie has the skill of making delicious food out of basically nothing down to an art. I think Steve likes cooking more, though.

17. Morning rituals?

Steve almost always wakes up first, and he makes coffee for the both of them. He thinks Eddie uses an ungodly amount of sugar, but he adds it anyways.

18. Evening rituals?

Neither of them sleep much, so they tend to stay up together in bed, reading, drawing, listening to movies/music, etc.

19. How are they at parties or gatherings?

With the show gang, they tend to sit together with the other kids their age (Nancy, Robin, Jonathan, etc.). But at parties with people they meet after they move away, Eddie finds his stride. Steve still tends to sit in corners, nursing a drink and talking to people here and there, but Eddie loves parties, where his personality helps him entertain people like he loves.

20. Most cuddly? 

They're both touchy, but I think Eddie is touchy in a very clingy way. He's always hanging off of the people he loves, including Steve.

21. Movie Night?

It's a common date night that they show each other movies that they like. Steve has an incredibly varied movie taste from working at the video store, and Eddie has always been obsessed with sci-fi and fantasy.

22. Who is the photo bug?

I like to think that Steve takes up photography after the whole ordeal as a way of expression. He'll take pictures of anything, but Eddie is his favorite subject.

23. How well do they know each other’s favorite foods?

Steve had a physical list of everyone's favourite foods written down in a notebook with recipes attached. Eddie knows Steve's favourite food, and will make it randomly for no reason.

24. What do their texts look like?

In a modern au, I don't think that Steve would like texting a lot, but he'd be the one to make plans, so he'd have to. Eddie texts about anything and everything, just whatever he thinks of to ramble about.

25. Parenting style?

They both had shitty parents, so they have some bad habits to unlearn, but they're good parents. A bit overbearing, but good.

26. If they have kids, who named them? What would they name them?

They adopt a daughter and name her after Eddie's mom.

27. Who brings home an illegal pet?

Eddie. Do I even need to explain?

28. Who takes the longest getting ready to leave?

They're both chronically late to things that aren't super important, but Steve's hair takes a very long time.

29. Who said I Love You, first?

Steve did. He said it before he meant to while hanging up on a call. They avoided each other for almost a day before their respective best friends got them to talk to each other.

30. When did they realize they liked each other?

Eddie realizes that he maybe likes Steve more than is normal right before he makes his sacrifice (that he does NOT die during, thank you very much). Steve takes longer, realises when he thinks Eddie might be dead. He has a crisis about it.

[crush-like-that]

Imagine, Will Byers:

If blue could be happiness, then that's all I'd want

[thecreelcurse]

𝙰 𝙶𝙰𝚃𝙴 𝙷𝙰𝚂 𝙱𝙴𝙴𝙽 𝙾𝙿𝙴𝙽 𝚃𝙾 𝙷𝙰𝚆𝙺𝙸𝙽𝚂 𝟷𝟿𝟾𝟼 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺 ...

Welcome JOYCE BYERS (sammy) to THECREELCURSE. Please message the main within 24hrs for your Discord link to enter into the Upside Down. Don't be alarmed... this is only the beginning ...

WHOA!! look who made it to 2024. It’s JOYCE BYERS, who is known for being the THE BELIEVER. don’t they look like WINONA RYDER? maybe a little bit but they’re FORTY-FOUR now and are currently WORKING AS A FLORIST. you know, every time i hear the song WHAT ABOUT LOVE? by HEART, i think of JOY. word on the street is, they DON’T HAVE their memories of being from the 80’s. you’ll usually associate them with being KINDHEARTED but sometimes they can really be ANXIOUS. if you have trouble finding them, they’re usually at HER HOME OR HOPPER’S CABIN. let’s hope nothing strange happens now that vecna is defeated. ( sammy )

[ao3feed-byler2]

can you see me? (i’m waiting for the right time)

by chiep

back then, mike was just a stranger to will who he called “el’s boyfriend”

now, mike is still a stranger, except this time they’re strangers with hidden feelings burning for each other

Words: 1635, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Will Byers, Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson

Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - College/University, Mike Wheeler is Whipped, Mike Wheeler is a Mess, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Internalized Homophobia, Artist Will Byers, Gay Will Byers, florist will byers, barista mike wheeler, Mike Wheeler is Bad at Feelings, mike is bad at flirting, why is that not a tag, Aged-Up Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Will Byers

from AO3 works tagged 'Will Byers/Mike Wheeler' https://ift.tt/LIf0e3l

[luv-tiffanyblue]

My Pretty Boy| S. Harrington

Summary: Residential pretty boy, Steve Harrington, has always had an eye for pretty things ever since the Wheeler cousin moved to Hawkins. Pretty flower girl, (Y/n) (L/n), always sticks with who and what she knows, even with Harrington by her side. With these two, anything can happen even with King Steve on his mighty throne in high school and florist (Y/n) somehow always by his side. Expect, what happens when stranger things start to happen around boring old Hawkins, Indiana? What changes in the town? Or maybe between two certain friends?

↳Steve Harrington x Fem! Reader

Word count: n/a

Chapters: unknown

Status: currently writing

Taglist: Currently open; 5/20 positions

Will slowly expand taglist if people more are interested after the positions are filled out. To be added, please use asks, no messaging please, and make sure your username is able to be tagged! Just double check your setting to see if your able to be tagged!

🎞playlist🎞 q&a 🎞 extras

Older generation of Hawkins 🎞 Young generation of Hawkins pt. 1 🎞 Young Generation of Hawkins pt. 2 🎞 Youngest Generation of Hawkins pt. 1 🎞 Youngest Generation of Hawkins pt. 2

Film Pack 1📹 (chapters subjected to change as chapters are releasing)

Chapter 1: Newest Hawkins Member Addition 🎞 Chapter 2: Inheritance Claim #1 🎞 Chapter 3: Will Byers Disappearance 🎞 Chapter 4: Wrong Window, Pretty Boy 🎞 Chapter 5: A Mother’s Touch 🎞 Chapter 6: Party? 🎞 Chapter 7: Just One White Lie🎞 Chapter 8: Wine and Cigarettes 🎞 Chapter 9: Douchebag Move 🎞 Chapter 10: Paranormal Activity? 🎞 Chapter 11: Just Two Pretty People 🎞 Chapter 12: Her Wall 🎞 Chapter 13: Douchebag Move #2 🎞 Chapter 14: Yay! Police Station Adventures… 🎞Chapter 15: One Step Closer 🎞 Chapter 16: Bows Out, Guns Out 🎞 Chapter 17: Pretty Boy Turned Savior 🎞 Chapter 18: The Aftermath 🎞 Chapter 19: It’s Wreath Time🎞 Chapter 20: Car Rides & Slow Dances🎞

Changing film packs…

Film Pack 2🎥

Film Pack 3📷

Film Pack 4📸

Disclaimer: ©luv-tiffanyblue 2022 rights reserved-please do not repost/translate/modify/copy my work on other platforms unless changed in rules! Please look at my info about my other writing platforms!

🏷: @pearlstiare @fanficfanatic204 @toniisalone @ella-janehaven @uselessbutinteresting @royal-sunflower @absentfromlife @untitledarea

[bylertheoriesgate]

Dear bylers and ryers if you ever lose hope, here are a few Richie x Will (Ryers) fics I've compiled for you to get emotional.

COMPLETE WORKS

In Bloom (16k/4c) - Hanahaki Disease, Richie x Will, Onesided Mike x Will.

inked flowers (3k/oneshot) - Tattoo Artist! Richie, Florist! Will, Modern Day AU

rare and sweet as cherry wine (2k/oneshot) - basically 2k words of Richie being protective of Will. Fluff and Cuteness overload.

see what we can be if we press forward (1k/oneshot) - drunk confessions, get-together, fluff. Will thought Richie butt-dialed him (but he was wrong)

'Til My Balance Starts to Set In (4k/oneshot) - Post season 3. The Byers moved to Maine. Typical but not PREDICTABLE.

INCOMPLETE/WIP BUT WORTH A TRY

99 Red Balloons (37/?) - super HUGE AU! Dr. Sleep crossover. And horror? Really? Hold my beer.

broken glass balloon (2/?) - Our boys dealing with PTSD/Depression. Fluff and Angst. Hate to see Will Byers sad but we've got fluff along the way. Onesided Mike x Will

[familyvideostevie]

byers flowers 😍🥰🌸 im SO excited for this au!! how did you come up with florists for the byers family?

im so glad!! well, my thoughts were that joyce (who actually organizes the market these days) started the shop out of their house after will went missing (in this au he just got lost in the woods for a few days) and she wanted something that would keep them busy as a family, and jonathan was all about it and will really loves it. he actually designed their logo! :) so, it's a really calm place that isn't that busy (in my mind lonnie felt really bad so he gave them some money to help open a real storefront, even if it's small). so, they have a stall at the market, too! the party often helps out bc it's will's favorite place. jonathan goes to community college and helps out as well! nancy started working there in high school as a side gig and when she's home from school she pulls some shifts (and to hang out with her bf, our sweet jonathan) :)

[strawberrytoo]

alexei: happy smirnoff headcanons.

the softest, SOFTEST boy.

cuddles galore.

teaching him english (although it’s slightly broken still).

(“I kiss you?”) (“Is good?”)

him teaching you some russian, spreading that bilingual love.

ur also p shit to start off with but both of you don’t give up bc you literally love each other sm??

watching old movies together a lot. the oldies are his favourite but he loves going to the movies with you.

date nights a lot after things cool down and you move out of hawkins.

alexei likes to go to the VHS store with you to pick out ones he thinks look cool, not if they are actually good. doesn’t even mind it they are shit.

“this one they shoot lasers? with glowing swords?” he asked, holding up the cover of the film.

“that? yeah, it’s called star wars. it’s one of my favourites actually.” you beamed, leaning your chin on alexei’s shoulder as you looked down at it.

“your favourite? then we must watch. quick, quick.” he grinned, grabbing your hand and pulling you to the counter.

he absolutely fell in love with star wars just like you.

“you are leia and i am han.”

cutest comparison ever.

when the empire strikes back comes out in theatre normal i love yous are out the window: “i love you, alex.”, “i know.”.

your nicknames for him: honey, sweetheart, darling.

smirnoff when you’re feeling sentimental.

his nicknames for you: lyubov moya (my love), zvezda moya (my stars), malysh (baby), sweetness, angel.

carnivals are still his favourite thing.

wins A LOT.

gives you all his teddies.

strongly believe your house will have a spare room FULL of them.

pure glee; “it’s not rigged, see?”

sharing cotton candy and corn dogs.

kissing on the ferris wheel.

loves the fast rides because “they are very american. big, loud, fast.”

as much as he loves the carnival i feel like he has some mild ptsd from when he was shot. like sometimes he’ll just start to panic in the middle of the carnival and you’d have to calm him down; gently holding his face, telling him to breathe.

he’d calm down, thank you, hold your hand and you’d both move on because that’s all you can do. he knows how lucky he is to be alive but it still scares him.

“they can’t hurt you anymore, sweetheart.” you would whisper to him at night, holding him close to your chest as you ran your fingers through his soft curly hair. “you’re safe now.”

this is why he loves cuddles. he just feels so safe in your arms.

leading to my next point; he is the little spoon almost always.

sometimes will hold you but like, he likes being held. secure, safe, warm.

he’d love feeling your arms around him, one leg draped in between his, pressing kisses to his head and back of his neck.

you know what else he loves? showering together.

soft boy isn’t pervy he just loves being in your presence and getting to wash you and getting to be washed by you.

both of you, smitten.

sweet whispers at night.

he’d enjoying laying his head on your lap or chest when he felt sad or cuddly so you could run your fingers through his hair.

slow dancing to gentle vinyl records you pick up when shopping.

he’s a very good dancer.

almost daily trips to 7/11

can’t stress enough how much he’d love a dog.

calling it jimbo after a very angry but missed (i know hopper ain’t dead but let’s pretend) cop who you both once knew.

chowing down on the couch and watching cartoons together, snuggling up is one of your favourite pastimes.

domestic! bliss!

cooking meals together.

alexei loves baking cookies with you.

usually ends in a mess but-

because alexei was an immigrant he had to stay at home for a while whilst you were the breadwinner until you both decided to move out to the country and to another small town.

alexei taught science at a high school.

you worked in a florists.

you’d bring a flower to him everyday on your lunch break.

cute blushing alexei.

strongly believe you’d both stay in contact with murray.

him and alexei are best buds and murray would, after being forced to by the actions of a certain copper, be forced to relocate.

he chose the same town as the both of you.

alexei would propose quite soon after the events, like a year?? purely because you both know you want to spend the rest of your lives together.

“i love you with all my heart, myshka. will you marry me?”

“of course i’ll marry you, you big russian goofball.”

small wedding service; murray is the best man. joyce and the byers gang are invited.

let’s face it; 3 kids minimum.

great dad. like,,, GREAT dad.

watching cartoons w/ your kids all day on a sunday.

telling your kids the story of how you two met when they are old enough. the whole hawkins’ mess a distant memory now.

“uncle murray? is it true your code name was bald eagle?”

pure tender rage directed at you and alexei who just howl with laughter.

murray softens up. ADORES your kids.

also think you’d meet with joyce for old times sake.

alexei living the american dream like he deserves and dying of old age. not being shot by arnold schwarzenegger lookin dick head.

[wormwoodandhoney]

i LOVE that nicole byer is being inducted into the mike schurniverse with brooklyn nine nine and the good place, but i wish that parks and rec was still on to have her. here are my ideas for nicole byer in parks and rec:

nicole byer is a florist who is depressed in february because of her recent break-up. leslie decides to cheer her up by inviting her to galentine’s day. it works, but things take a turn when nicole decides to trademark galentine’s day and use it to make money through mass-produced cheap products. leslie is outraged.

nicole byer is jean-ralphio’s girlfriend. she is a foot psychic. tom hates to admit it, but her toe crystals are dope.

nicole byer is the cheerful children’s librarian at the public library. she wants to use ramsett park as a children’s book festival, but the parks department is naturally suspicious of a librarian trying to peddle books to children.

nicole byer is dennis feinstein’s wife. she inspired the romantic fragrance “bone zone”. 

nicole byer is the owner of the most beloved pawnee pizza shop, and she begins a pizza war with the owner of the eagleton equivalent, owned by christin milioti. it turns out the women have a crush on each other, and leslie attempts to play matchmaker.

please add your own

[storywool]

hii! Can I have a stranger things ship? I’m a bisexual girl. I’m 5’4 with curly brown hair and brown eyes. I love reading and I play viola and cello. I take my academics seriously, but I wanna be a florist (or an interior designer) when I grow up. I can be shy when you get to know me. But I love making friends, and I usually make the sarcastic jokes. I can be pretty hyper at times, and I’m very affectionate. I love hugs, and cheek kisses, and yeah. (If it helps: im a hufflepuff).. Thanks love!!

You sound like Joyce Byers so I ship you with: 

Jim Hopper! 

[kingkeerys]

the art of chasing ♔ billy hargrove [three]

concept: steve has a female best friend and billy has taken it upon himself to flirt with her just to piss steve off. that’s it. that’s the plot. [vol. 3]

a/n: still blown away by the response on this! i’m glad you all liked the last part and i hope you like this one just as much! early happy thanksgiving to those who celebrate it xoxo

[part two]

they say you’re basic,

they say you’re easy

you’re always ridin’ in the backseat

#4

“You think I should apologize to her?”

Annie paused, loosening her grip on the pencil in her hand.

She glanced over at Steve who was sprawled out over her bed, pulling at the loose threads in one of her old knitted sweaters with an absent look on his face. She sighed and put her pencil down, pushing her homework to the side before turning fully in her chair to face him.

“Do you have anything to be sorry for?”

He continued pulling at the sweater’s sleeve for a few seconds.

“Yes,” he paused. “No,” another pause. “Maybe.”

Annie rested her hands on the back of her chair. “Which is it?”

Steve dropped the sweater and tossed his head back, watching the ceiling.

“I’m not sorry for what I said,” he told her with finality. “But maybe I went about it the wrong way. Maybe I rushed into it, got ahead of myself. She’s been so wrapped up in this thing with Barbara and I tried telling her to forget about it. That’s not right… is it?”

“You didn’t tell her to forget about it,” Annie assured him. “You were just trying to help her live her life. There’s nothing that can be done for Barbara now and if she keeps dwelling on it, it’s going to eat her up inside and that’s not healthy. You were just trying to help.”

“Yeah but she didn’t see it that way,” Steve denied.

Annie breathed out slowly.

It’d been a couple days since he’d last spoken to Nancy – some heated confrontation in an alleyway between the school about that night at the party. At first Steve was obviously upset at Nancy for it and decided to give her the cold shoulder, but now that he’d let it simmer for a few days he was starting to feel guilty. Annie hated that he blamed himself for a situation that wasn’t his fault. Maybe it wasn’t Nancy’s fault either, she didn’t know. Maybe it was just the way things needed to be. Maybe he and Nancy weren’t meant to live happily ever after. But she couldn’t tell him that.

“So a truce then,” Steve suggested, pulling Annie out of her trance. She blinked and looked over at her best friend again, who was now fiddling with the corner of her bedspread. “We just need to compromise. I’ll stop butting in, let her work through her issues with Barb because she deserves that, and I’ll just give her some space. And eventually – maybe – it’ll all work out.”

“Give her space but still be together?” Annie asked, resting her chin on her hands. Steve’s eyes flicked over to hers.

“Well, yeah,” he nodded like it should’ve been clear. “I think she just feels smothered. I don’t think I’ve just let her be since everything happened, you know?”

“Or maybe she’s just distracted by something else,” Annie hinted, hoping he would catch on.

She knew Nancy had been spending time with Jonathan Byers. Steve knew she’d been spending time with Jonathan Byers. Everyone knew Nancy Wheeler was sneaking around with Jonathan Byers. Apparently they’d skipped fourth period together once and didn’t come back to school at all. God knows what they had gotten up to but Annie wasn’t buying the innocent sob story. She knew Nancy was hurting, she could understand that, but Nancy also wasn’t telling Steve the whole truth. And that wasn’t okay in Annie’s book.

Steve’s brows furrowed. “What?”

Annie pursed her lips. She didn’t want to have to say it out loud and after Steve’s eyes skimmed her face it seemed to click. His face slackened and he rolled his eyes, leaning back against her pillows again.

“I’m not an idiot, okay? I know she’s been hanging around Jonathan a lot lately. But they’re friends aren’t they? Friends hang out. You and I are hanging out.”

“Yeah…” –but we don’t make gross eyes at each other the way they do, she wanted to say.

“So it’s okay. I was a dick to him before, so this is me making up for that. They’re friends,” Steve nodded, seemingly to himself. “They’re friends.”

She couldn’t tell who he was trying to reassure, her or himself. She sighed again and pushed out of the chair to sit on the foot of the bed near his feet.

“They’re friends,” she said, if only for his benefit. It wasn’t worth an argument. “So what do you want to do?”

“I wanna talk,” he bit his lip before nodding and sitting up. “I wanna talk to her. In person. It’s early, right?” he glanced at the clock on her bedside table. “Yeah, she should be home.”

“Wait, right now?” Annie’s forehead wrinkled. “I thought we were going to go see a movie?”

“We can,” Steve said, jumping off the bed. “Later tonight, alright? After I’m done at Nancy’s. I figure if it goes well we can see an action-adventure,” he inclined his head before lifting one of his hands, “or if it goes bad then we can see a romantic comedy. Those are therapeutic in times of relationship crisis, right?”

“Yeah,” Annie snorted. “For girls with half a brain maybe and no realistic sense of how the world actually works. Those movies are never accurate.”

“Remind me not to go to you whenever I suffer my next heartbreak.”

“Noted,” she grinned.

Steve made to leave her room but stopped himself short in the doorway.

“Wait. Should I go empty-handed?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, flowers. Girls like flowers, right?”

“Most girls do,” Annie nodded slowly, dread seeping into her gut.

“Maybe I should get her some. You know, as a gesture,” he said. He seemed indecisive and after a moment’s pause he gave her a helpless look. “You’re a girl. What would she like? What would you like?”

Annie’s shoulders slumped. “Flowers would be good I guess.”

“Great,” Steve nodded enthusiastically. “Come with me to the shop?”

That was how Annie found herself sitting in the passenger seat of Steve’s BMW as he pulled into the parking lot of the nearest strip mall. There was a convenience store, a video shop, and a florist all side by side across from a rundown gas station. Steve killed the engine and pushed the driver door open and Annie slowly stepped out the other side, squinting up at the glowing sign. It was still fairly early, only just past noon, and the sky was overcast. She tugged her jacket closer before meeting him at the front of the car.

“You know what,” Annie said as he was about to make a beeline for the front door. “Why don’t I just wait out here? It’s nice outside,” she tried to smile through her chattering teeth. “Fresh air’s good. I like air that’s fresh.”

“Um, alright,” he almost looked concerned at her weird behavior before all thoughts of Nancy clouded his judgement again and he was all business. “What flowers should I go for? Pink ones? Yellow ones? Daisies are a thing, right?”

“Something casual maybe,” Annie suggested. Steve snapped his fingers and pointed at her.

“Roses,” he announced with gusto.

“That’s not what I—“

“You’re the best, Ann. I’ll be right back!” he jogged inside and Annie huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back against the hood of the car.

He was making a mistake going back to Nancy. She had a bad feeling that he wasn’t going to like what he found, whether it be her with Jonathan at her house or her telling him that she’s not interested anymore, or anything else just as bad. But again, she couldn’t tell him that. Once Steve had his heart set on something there was no changing his mind unless she wanted to start a fight.

Since fights with Steve were one of her least favorite things, she cleverly kept her mouth shut.

She tapped her shoe against the pavement as she waited, occasionally people-watching or finding things to stare at before she heard the roar of a car engine. She jumped at the sudden noise and glanced over her shoulder to find the culprit, hearing the squeal of tires before a painfully familiar blue Camaro pulled crookedly into one of the open spaces a few paces down from where she stood.

“Oh great,” she muttered as she watched Billy Hargrove step out, tossing a cigarette butt onto the ground and crushing it beneath the toe of his shoe. The passenger door then opened and a head of wild strawberry blonde hair appeared over the hood of the car. “Oh great,” Annie repeated once she realized who it was.

Vicki was a curvy redhead with sharp features and a pretty face who ran with Carol’s crowd, a girl Annie really wished she didn’t know. Ever since Steve royally fell out with Carol and her boyfriend Tommy, there was nothing but bad blood between them and, of course, since Annie sided with Steve she basically had a neon target painted on her back. It was nothing she couldn’t handle (and by handle she meant avoid) but she always dreaded being near Carol or anyone related to her, knowing that she was sure to get a mouthful of snide remarks and a headache from whoever it was. Because leaving her alone just made too much sense.

Of course, once the two reached the front of the shiny Camaro, Billy tossed his arm around Vicki’s neck and steered them right in the direction of where Annie was standing. She thought about just getting into Steve’s car to avoid confrontation but that would’ve drawn too much attention to herself, so instead she just looked the other way and prayed neither of them spotted her.

No dice.

“Well, well,” a low voice drawled. “Look who it is.”

Annie bit the inside of her cheek before turning to look at the two who paused a few feet away from her on the sidewalk. Their expressions weren’t exactly the same – Billy looked mischievous whereas Vicki just looked hostile – but they each had a level of ridicule on their faces that made Annie’s stomach feel heavy. She was definitely going to get a headache.

“Annie Lane,” Vicki sneered. Her eyes took notice of the car Annie was leaning against. “Loverboy got you chained on a leash outside? Makes sense I guess,” she chuckled. “Dogs aren’t allowed inside.”

Annie stiffened, her cheeks feeling hot.

Billy wetted his lips, his tongue poking against his cheek as he watched her. He then nudged Vicki.

“Go on,” he nodded towards the convenience store. “Get your shit. I’ll wait here.”

He pulled his arm from around her neck, tucking his hand inside his jean pocket. Annie swallowed and narrowed her eyes at Vicki who looked like her chew toy had just been taken away. She cut her eyes at Annie and gave a cold smirk.

“Hands off the merchandise.”

“Go,” Billy said, raising his voice a little. Vicki pursed her lips before pushing one of the glass doors open, leaving the two of them alone.

Annie adamantly looked the other way.

“So,” Billy stepped down from the sidewalk, knocking his knuckles on the car’s hood. “This Harrington’s car? Guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” he laughed derisively. “He looks like the Beamer type.”

“What do you want?” Annie asked stiffly.

“Just to chat,” he shrugged innocently. “King Steve said to do it somewhere else,” he gestured around them. “Looks like somewhere else to me. You grounded out here or something?”

“Just didn’t want to go in,” Annie crossed her arms tighter over her chest, avoiding eye contact with him. His white shirt was buttoned low, revealing more of his chest than was necessary especially for the weather. She asked before she could stop herself, “What are you doing with Vicki?”

“Can’t really keep that answer PG,” he grinned, licking his teeth. “Why, you don’t approve?”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t care what you do.”

“Or who I do?”

She curled her lip at him in disgust. He laughed, tossing his head back and causing his curly hair to bounce against his neck.

“I forgot. Can’t talk dirty around the proper Annie Lane.”

“I’d rather you not talk to me at all.”

“Feisty,” Billy took a step towards her. Annie straightened defensively and Billy lifted his palms to pacify her. “Chill out. Jesus. No animosity here,” the tension in her shoulders ebbed away a bit and he rolled his eyes in one of those annoying ways that reminded her of a pre-teen who was being snide to his parents. He leaned against the car next to her and pulled a cigarette from behind his ear, flicking a lighter open and cupping it until the end lit. He exhaled a puff of smoke and Annie’s nose wrinkled at the scent.

“Those are bad for you, you know.”

“That’s the idea,” he replied. Annie was the one to roll her eyes this time.

“Right, how practical.”

She ignored Billy’s stare for as long as she could before slowly turning to meet it. He blew a generous amount of smoke in her face and she coughed, fanning the air. He smirked again.

“Haven’t you ever wanted to do anything bad?”

“No,” she strained through the smoke. “Hence the reason they’re ‘bad’. We as a society are taught not to do those things.”

“Bad can be fun,” he pointed out, wrapping his lips around the cigarette. She watched without meaning to and of course he noticed. He pulled away and lifted the cigarette. “Wanna try?”

“No thanks,” her lips twisted. Billy licked his lips again.

“Why not?”

“I’m trying not to get lung cancer, if it hadn’t crossed your mind.”

He rolled his eyes again. “One hit won’t kill you.”

Annie chuckled without emotion. “So this is what all those peer pressure classes were preparing me for. ‘Just try it,’ they say. ‘I’m a bad boy in a leather jacket, ooh.’”

“Actually it’s denim,” he corrected offhandedly. Annie gave him a bemused look. He flashed his pearly white teeth at her and though it was decidedly mocking, it was still sort of pleasant to see.

“You know you have a nice smile,” she commented, throwing him slightly off guard. “It’s a shame it’s attached to the rest of your face.”

Billy’s eyebrows rose. For a second she was afraid she’d crossed a line but his expression didn’t really convey anger or annoyance, just vacant surprise.

“So was that an insult or just a backhanded compliment?”

Annie considered the question. “Bit of both.”

Billy hummed and took another drag of his cigarette. Annie felt less tense than she had when he’d first arrived with Vicki but she still wasn’t exactly comfortable. She frowned at the flower store. What was taking Steve so long? Was it really that difficult to pick out a handful of roses?

“There’s a party tomorrow,” Billy announced suddenly. Annie frowned over at him, wondering why he was telling her this. “You know, no parents. Kegs. Naughty dancing. General inappropriateness. A lot more where this came from,” he lifted the cigarette between two fingers, smirking out of the corner his mouth. Clearly he was making fun of her again. “Might be too much for Miss Prim-and-Proper to handle but if you ever wanna see what bad feels like,” he gave her a half-lidded look, lips delicately pouting. “I can show you.”

It’d been a long time since Annie had been invited to an actual party. She never went to the one where all the drama with Steve and Nancy started, and since then she’s had no real desire to participate in any future parties. And here was Billy Hargrove – Hawkins High bad boy, asshole extraordinaire, inviting her to one.

She was pretty sure this was all part of his master plan to get to Steve, because for whatever reason he’d made it his mission to get as far under her best friend’s skin as possible. Even still, she didn’t know what to say. She knew she absolutely did not want to go to a party filled with people she hated, doing things she hated, while pretending like she didn’t hate it.

But she also didn’t know how to tell him that, and part of her wanted to ask why he invited her just to see what he’d say.

But she could see Steve walking through the store, a bouquet of red roses in his hand, and she did not want him to catch her and Billy making small talk again. Especially not while leaning against his car.

She quickly pushed herself off the car and cleared her throat, putting a good three feet of space between them. Billy arched an eyebrow, that sultry ‘I’ve been working on this smolder since I was thirteen’ look on his face still present until he realized why she backed away. An almost amused grin pulled at his lips and he took another drag from his cigarette, kicking away from the car just as Steve stepped out of the store.

Annie smiled an overly-cheery smile at Steve, watching out of the corner of her eye as Billy slinked around the back of the car next to her, slipping unnoticed out of Steve’s eye line.

“Hey,” Steve said breathlessly. “Sorry I took so long, the guy at the counter knew my dad and he wouldn’t stop asking about how he was. I tried making an escape but he was clever. He blocked my path.”

Annie laughed forcefully despite the fact that Steve had genuinely been trying to make a joke.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it! Hey, the flowers look nice,” she nodded at the bouquet, her attitude pulling a complete 180 from before. If Steve noticed, he didn’t comment on it. “She’s going to love them.”

Steve gave her a half-grin. “Yeah, well, we’ll see. C’mon, I’ll take you back home.”

Annie nodded and stepped around the car, grabbing the door handle. Without meaning to she looked up in the direction of where Billy was leaning against his own car, back facing their way. And as if he could sense her stare, he turned his head and met her eyes.

He winked, blowing smoke into the air. There were so many promises in that look, promises and possibilities that Annie didn’t even want to think about.

She quickly looked away and got in the car, breathing out the second she sat down and closed the door behind her.

Just forget it, she thought. He’s just trying to mess with your head. Just pretend like it never happened.

But that was much easier said than done.