#future billy hargrove

[valtoon]

To paint the picture I made in my head at 3 am that inspired this: Billy manages to survive the mindflayer and everyone believes the upside down is done for (like always) BUT it obviously isn't. Vecna lays quiet for 18 years cooking up a new plan and comes back full force in 2003 in need of a vessel to finish what Billy couldn't, and what better host than Billy's own daughter, the flesh and blood of the original host.

[harringroveera]

Kindergarten teacher Steve (and his very concerned boyfriend) AU?

[shieldofiron]

Sometimes Billy wishes Steve would be a little possessive, a little jealous. Billy feels like it’s all one sided, the angry monster that burns under his skin when he sees Nancy Wheeler nudge Steve at a party meeting. He even tries to bait it a little, hanging out with Jonathan more, laughing a little louder at Heather’s jokes.

Until one day he’s smoking with Munson in the back lot behind the video store. And he’s not doing anything, it just feels nice when Munson cards his hands through Billy’s hair.

Steve says nothing, laughs it off. And then that night he fucks Billy like he’s possessed by a demon.

“Say you’re mine. Say you’re mine and I’m yours, I l-love you, Blue… say you’re mine.”

He pets Billy’s hair really soft after, scratching Billy’s scalp softly and cooing when Billy does the same.

[bigdumbbambieyes]

tw mentioned abuse

Billy always wakes up before his boyfriend and probably always will. But, he’s not complaining — he loves waking up in Steve’s bed, tangled up in the sheets as he blinks the sleep away from his eye. As always, he immediately turns his head and spots Steve there, his face pressed into his pillow as he sleeps soundly. The rising sun peeks through the curtains, spilling across his boyfriend, highlighting his dark hair a soft brown against the blue bedding.

Shuffling over, Billy presses a quiet kiss to Steve’s shoulder before untangling himself from the sheets and getting out of bed, pulling up the shorts he borrowed from the pretty boy as he heads to the bathroom—

And runs into Mrs. Harrington, who’s wrapped up in her house coat with rollers in her hair, cup of coffee in hand.

“Oh!” She gasps, jumping and spilling some of her coffee on the floor, grasping at the fabric of her housecoat over her chest as she stares at him. After the shock quickly wears off, she’s chuckling softly and sighs, “Jesus, you scared me.”

“Sorry,” he smiles softly, glancing down at the floor where the coffee spilled, “Was just gonna use the bathroom.”

“Yeah, of course,” she hums, but makes this soft tsk sound of disappointment as she reaches up to brush a blond curl back from his forehead, where he knows the bruise from his father is. With sadness laced in her voice, she whispers, “Again?”

“It’s fine, Mrs. H,” Billy mumbles as he looks at her again, gently pulling away from her touch.

“No, it’s not,” she huffs, anger replacing that sadness as their eyes meet. Steve has her eyes. Kind, but fierce. Caring. Worried. “Oh, if I ever run into your father again, I won’t be nice like I was last time.” Before she knew what he did to Billy.

But Billy smiles again, a little more amused, because she’s 5’4’’ and could be blown away by the wind if it were too strong of a gust, but she’s got a fighting spirit. He knows where Steve got that from, now.

“I believe it,” he hums, touched by the way that Steve’s family cares and how they care about him. They don’t have to, but they do, and Billy doesn’t take it lightly or for granted.

She gives him that sorry smile and places her manicured hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze, “You know you’re welcome here whenever you need it, Billy. Lord knows we have more than enough room for one more.”

“Yeah,” he chuckles softly with a nod, “And, thanks. Again.”

Another nod and she pulls her hand away, saying, “Coffee pot’s on downstairs,” before she heads down the hallway, back to her room to get ready for the day.

Looking down at the coffee spill, he lets out a soft sigh and frowns. If that had been his dad and Billy had made him spill his coffee, he’d be knocked upside the head. Or worse.

But, not here. In the Harrington house, he’s welcomed and wanted and the coffee pot is left on for him. He has a space here, whenever he wants it. And he always does.

As he’s wiping up the small spill, the door to Steve’s bedroom opens and his boyfriend looks sleepy as hell — eyes half shut, hair a mess, lines pressed into his skin from the bed. Billy stands and smiles at him, filled with warmth and affection as Steve waddles over to him and wraps his arms around him, pressing a kiss to Billy’s cheek as he mumbles, “Morn’.”

“Morning, peanut,” Billy whispers, wrapping his arm around Steve’s shoulders and pressing a kiss to his mouth, then another to his cheek.

“Coffee?” Steve whispers, pressing his nose to Billy’s cheek, his eyes shut again as he struggles to wake up. It’s annoyingly cute.

“Mhm,” Billy hums happily in agreement.

[ihni]

Billy Hargrove's 20th birthday

(Also on AO3)

Billy is having the worst day.

Actually, no. He’s had many days that were worse (most of them including his dad on a rampage), but he’s currently standing on the side of the road with his thumb out, trying to catch a ride back to Hawkins, in the end of March, in the rain, so excuse him for being a little dramatic.

Also it’s his birthday, so. Every inconvenience gets automatically amplified, for some reason.

But fine, it’s not the worst day he’s ever had, but it sure as hell isn’t good, either.

Billy’s turning twenty today, and he’s still stuck in Hawkins. Working two jobs to get by while trying to save up for the move back to California – because it will happen, it was just maybe a bit naïve of him to think that he’d be able to go right after graduation. But he’s out from under his dad’s roof, at least – moved out first thing after getting his diploma – and even if the small space he’s renting over Mrs. Richardson’s garage is seventy degrees of crappy, it’s his and his dad can’t touch him anymore, which makes it the best home Billy has ever had.

But best home or not, it gets terribly depressing to look at the same four walls all the time, at least when he’s not working or sleeping. (It’s not like he has much of a social life anymore, what with him working all the time and having been somewhat of an asshole back in school and also being entirely uninterested in maintaining his ladies’ man reputation now when he’s free of his dad’s fury.) So a couple of months ago, Billy decided that for his 20th birthday, he’d drive up to Indianapolis and have the best night of his life. He had done his research and found two venues that had bands playing that night that he wouldn’t mind listening to, so he would drive to the city, go to a concert, eat some good goddamn food and drink some good goddamn alcohol and maybe get goddamned laid, and he would treat himself to a night at a motel or cheap hotel and he’d have goddamn milkshake for breakfast because he was an adult and no one could stop him from doing that if he wanted to, and he would have the night of his goddamned life.

(It would also get him out of his tiny little apartment, because if he wasn’t home, then it wouldn’t be so noticeable that no one came to see him on his birthday. Perhaps no one would knock on his door to wish him a happy birthday, or perhaps someone would, but he wouldn’t know or care because he wouldn’t be home. Schrödinger’s birthday wishes.)

He’d been saving up for his little outing for almost four months, and looked forward to it for even longer.

He hadn’t even made it halfway. Thirty miles into his trip, the Camaro’s engine spluttered and started smoking, and that was that. After hitching a ride to the nearest house, a phone call to a nearby garage, and two hours of waiting by his broken-down Camaro for a tow, he finally got his baby to an open garage. There, a big guy with an even bigger belly rooted around in her engine for a while and declared her unfit for the road. Getting her working again would cost Billy everything he’d managed to save for this trip and more, and would take at least a week.

Hence why Billy was currently standing on the side of the road with his thumb out, trying to catch a ride back to Hawkins, in the end of March, in the rain.

On his goddamned birthday.

At this point, Billy has gone through the first four stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining (the mechanic just raised an unimpressed eyebrow when he tried to haggle) and depression – and had now landed in acceptance. The day was a bust. His plans had fell through. He’d wanted a good thing, and instead as usual, he’d ended up worse than when he started. With the rain beating down on him and the cars splashing him when they passed, he was soaked through. Soaked through and cold and hungry and poor and one hundred percent over this whole day. He just wanted to get home to his crappy four walls and crawl into his lumpy bed and forget this whole failure of a pipe dream, because God forbid Billy Hargrove gets to have a good day!

Yes, he might still be a little dramatic. Sue him. (Actually don’t, he doesn’t have any money left.)

But it’s been a long day. He started early to get a head start on what he was hoping would be a night to remember, but most of the day has passed and it’s getting dark. Soon, no one will be able to see him here at the side of the road, and with the rain the risk of being hit by a car is just too big. He briefly considers knocking on the door of the first house he sees and ask to stay the night, but immediately discards the idea. No one would open the door for him anyway, the way he looks.

He has just resigned himself to the thought of walking all the way back to Hawkins – it’ll take all night and he’ll probably die of pneumonia in the near future, but at least he’ll be able to crash into bed at the end of it – when a pair of approaching headlights flash at him and he hears a car switching gears to slow down. He also hears music – good music – that is abruptly shut off when the car rolls to a stop next to him.

Three things dawn on him, one after the other:

The car is a van.

The van is not just any van, but the one belonging to local drug dealer Eddie Munson.

Eddie Munson is indeed the driver, turning on the little overhead light and motioning at Billy to get in.

It’s not like Billy dislikes Munson. He never bullied him when they went to school together, unlike so many others, because Billy knows the value of good weed and when he first showed up in Hawkins he correctly deduced that Munson would not sell the good weed to his bullies. He knows that Munson at least has a good taste in music, if a flair for the dramatics.

That doesn’t mean that Billy likes Munson. The guy was at the bottom of the totem pole back in school, and hanging out with him then would have been social suicide. Because Billy cared about those things back then.

Now? Now he just wants to get home. Fuck today.

“Need a ride, handsome?”

And it’s a jab somehow, Billy knows it. And if he wasn’t soaked to the bone and shivering, he would have answered something like ‘fuck you’ or ‘didn’t know you swing that way’ or even a sarcastic ‘no, I’m standing out here in the rain because my shower is broken, what’s it to you?’. But he’s weary and doesn’t have the energy for whatever would follow, so he just gives a tired nod.

A wrinkle appears between Munson’s eyebrows, like maybe Billy’s lack of answer is the worrying part.

“Well get in. You look like a drenched rat.”

Another thing that Billy on any other given day would have snapped out a reply to. Today, he just takes it. It’s probably true, anyway.

Climbing into the passenger seat of the van, he waits for Munson to comment on his drenched and haggard appearance or warn him to not get the seat wet (an impossibility, at this point), but instead the worried wrinkle on Munson’s forehead deepens.

“You okay, Hargrove?”

And what does Billy say to that? It’s not so bad, in comparison. Hell, it’s not even the worst birthday he’s ever had (birthdays in the Hargrove household were never a hit when Neil was home). He’s not nursing a cracked rib or a split lip or two broken fingers, his face is not bruised or tear-stained, and he doesn’t have to go to bed without dinner (although, the leftover takeout in his fridge was bordering on inedibility yesterday, and the only other thing he’s got in there are eggs and barbeque sauce, so what that dinner will be is anyone’s guess. He’s got bread. He can make an egg and barbeque sandwich). So in that sense,

“Yeah,” he rasps. “Peachy.”

“Right,” Munson says doubtfully and doesn’t drive. Doesn’t drive for a long time, until Billy tips his head to the side to look at him. Then he blurts out, “You’re not gonna die in my passenger seat, right? Because half the town already thinks I’m, like, killing babies in my free time.”

There’s so many things Billy could say to that. What slips out is, “I’m no baby.”

Munson’s eyes flick down to his broad chest where Billy’s wet jean jacket – which is way too cold for the end of March, what was he thinking? – covers his tight light grey Henley, and clears his throat. “Um,” he says. “Clearly.” And then he seems to shake it off and looks back up at Billy’s face, eyes wide. “I mean, you really don’t look too good, man. You sick or something? Or drunk? Here, let me turn up the heat –“

“I’m fine,” Billy says, just a hint of an edge to his voice, but he doesn’t say anything when Munson’s hand reaches out to turn up the heat. Instead he sinks back in the seat and closes his eyes as he gives a full-body shiver.

“Shit,” Munson says and still doesn’t drive away. Billy hears him turn in his seat and rummage around somewhere behind them. A few seconds later, something soft is tossed in Billy’s face. He opens his eyes and sees that a ratty towel has fallen into his lap, and when he looks up he sees Munson next to him, holding a soft-looking blanket. What?

“What?” Billy says, confused.

“Off with those wet clothes,” Munson demands, “you’ll catch your death.”

“What are you, a grandma?” Billy mutters, slowly regaining his ability to snark as the warm air is being blasted in his face. He puts the towel over his face and wipes it off, and then starts drying his hair with it. It’s not like he’s gonna make it look worse. “Why do you even have this?”

“We use them to pack up our instruments when we go to gigs,” Munson explains, motioning to the back of the van. Billy doesn’t turn around, too busy drying off. “We were in Indy last night, for a gig. I have the instruments in the back. The others drove back this morning.” A pause, then, “Um, I’m in a band.”

Billy knows that. He’s even seen them play once or twice, although he didn’t make himself known. They’re not half bad, actually, not that Billy plans to say it out loud. Instead he makes a noncommittal hum and reaches out for the blanket, glaring when Munson pulls it out of his reach.

“Hey, no,” Munson says, “Off with those wet clothes first.”

“First you’re picking me up from the side of the road and now you want me to strip,” Billy murmurs, but does what he’s told. Even if he’s still sitting in his wet jeans – and soaked-through denim is not fun – it’s a relief to at last get out of his wet jacket and shirt. He discards them in the footwell and puts the blanket – that Munson wordlessly hands him – around his shoulders, pulling it closed in the front. It’s a bit itchy and smells like mold and it probably makes him look like a homeless person, but at least it’s warm. He shivers again and looks pointedly between Munson (who is busy staring) and the windshield and the road ahead.

“Oh, right!” Munson says, snapping to life again. He turns off the overhead light and finally pulls off the side of the road, back into traffic.

Billy has had his license since he was sixteen, and he’s been driving for even longer than that, and before that he simply walked or skated or caught a ride with friends when he wanted to go somewhere. But he has vague childhood memories of riding in the backseat, his parents in the front, at night, during the rain. Of leaning his forehead against the cold glass, feeling the car’s vibrations around him, and looking out in the dark – the only light coming from houses they passed and the other cars’ headlights and their reflections on the wet asphalt. It’s calming, and strangely familiar, and he can feel his eyes flutter shut.

Of course, it doesn’t last.

“So, um,” comes Munson’s voice from beside him, breaking the relative silence. “What were you doing out here anyway?”

“Car broke down,” Billy says, keeping it short. Not having the energy to go into his plans for the day and the way they fell through.

“Oh. That sucks.”

“Yeah.”

A beat, then, “Were you coming down from Indy too, or …?” Seems like Munson doesn’t like the silence. Billy doesn’t get why he doesn’t just put the music back on. Can’t he see that Billy isn’t exactly in a chatty mood?

“Nope. I was heading there but …”

“But your car broke down?”

“Yeah.”

“Hm.”

And Billy thinks that’s gonna be the end of it. He leans his head on the window and closes his eyes. Listens to the rattling rumble of the engine (Billy’s no mechanic, but he thinks that the van may be heading in the direction of the Camaro, too), and tries not to think.

It doesn’t work. Munson is quiet for maybe a minute before he starts, “So what were you gonna do in Ind–?”

And Billy snaps.

“Listen, man, I’ve had a really bad day. I get that you’re just trying to make conversation but I’m cold and wet and I’m not getting to Indianapolis tonight, so I’ll miss the concert and my car is broken down in a garage thirty miles from home and she’ll be there for a week, and I’m pretty sure they ripped me off when they said how much it’s gonna cost to fix her up.” He takes a breath, trying to keep calm. “I’m grateful to you for driving me back, but like, I’m not exactly the best of company right now.”

To his credit, Munson just nods, eyes wide and ringed fingers gripping the wheel harder. “Got it. Sorry.”

And that’s not … That’s not what Billy wanted. Munson has nothing to apologize for, Billy’s just in a shitty mood. But before he can figure out a way to voice this, Munson has reached out and turned the music back on, quickly turning the volume down to something more resembling background noise.

Billy relaxes back in the seat and pulls the blanket closer around him. Looks out through the windshield, watching the wipers push off the rain and more water cover the glass between every swipe, looking out at the road ahead and the red lights of the nearest car, still far in front of them.

Without really knowing why, he says,

“I’m turning twenty today.”

He doesn’t say it very loudly and he regrets it as soon as the words are out of his mouth. Half-hopes that Munson wouldn’t have heard him. But of course he did.

“Really?” comes Munson’s voice, a hint of excitement. “Happy bir–“

“Don’t,” Billy says, and it comes too fast and sounds too hard. It’s not Munson’s fault. He drags a hand down his face and says, “Please” (to soften the blow), “don’t.” He swallows. Closes his eyes against the way they are burning, suddenly. “Just drive me home.”

No more words comes from Munson, and they drive on into the night.

~~~

Billy flinches awake a little while later, not even realizing that he’d fallen asleep. He rubs at his eyes and that’s when he realizes that he’s only wearing an itchy blanket on his upper body, which is when he remembers where he is and why.

He groans.

“We’re not back yet,” Munson says, voice subdued, and that’s when Billy realizes that they’ve stopped and that the music has been switched off. “I just gotta fill her up, and maybe get a few things. You can go back to sleep if you want.”

Billy’s face burns; that makes it sounds as if he’s a toddler who needs his sleep (never mind that his plans when he got home had been to just faceplant into his bed and preferably sleep for a week). To show that he will do no such thing, he sits up straighter and looks around.

They’ve stopped at a gas station. It’s brightly lit up in the dark of the night, artificial lights making Billy’s headache worsen when he squints out through the window. He knows he should go out there and offer to pay for at least some of the gas – that’s what a decent person would do – but Billy’s shirtless under the blanket. His jeans and shoes are damp and uncomfortable; he doesn’t really want to move right now. Besides, he’ll need every cent he has to pay the mechanic so he can get his baby back.

Still, he feels bad. And then he gets angry for feeling bad, because he has so much other shit to feel bad about right now and the last thing he needs is a guilt trip. Even if he’s guilt-tripping himself.

He groans again, leaning forward to rest his forehead on the dashboard to hide from the gas station lights and listening to Munson fiddling with the pump outside the car.

It’s a couple of minutes before the door to the driver’s side opens, and Munson climbs in. The door closes behind him, but Billy doesn’t look up, even as he hears Munson rip open something that crinkles. He waits for the sound of chewing, or for the car to start, but there’s nothing. Nothing for a long time.

Eventually, he turns his head to the side and opens his eyes. And there, right in front of his face is …

A muffin.

He sits up. Blinks.

In Munson’s lap is a four-pack of cheap chocolate chip muffins that he obviously just bought inside the gas station. The packaging has been torn open, and he’s holding one of them out to Billy.

“Happy birthday, man,” he says.

The muffin has a candle in it.

Or no, not a candle. It’s a blunt.

Billy barks out a laugh, and Eddie – whose face has been carefully open and neutral until now – visibly tries tampering down on a smile. He gives the muffin a little shake and raises his eyebrows until Billy’s hand sneaks out from under the blanket and takes it.

“Cute,” he says, voice low, as he gently picks out the blunt. He doesn’t have a pocket that isn’t wet, so he puts it down in his lap, on top of the blanket.

Munson starts the car without acknowledging the gift, but he grabs his own muffin as he starts the car and drives back out on the road, biting off the top of it while he drives one-handed.

The music turned back on when the car did, so they’re back to driving through the darkness to the sound of heavy metal. Billy picks at his muffin, and looks down to the little gift in his lap. The white of the rolled-up paper is visible against the dark brown of the blanket, even in the low light of the night. He thinks about the events of the day, and the plans that fell through, and about his car. He thinks about his place in Hawkins, and how no one has probably knocked on his door today even though they know where he lives. He thinks about his previous birthday, and how much they sucked.

Perhaps he should have known better than having such high expectations for today. Just because it’s his first birthday on his own doesn’t mean that everything will suddenly be perfect. It’s him, after all. He should have known to scale it down a bit.

A gas station cupcake, a blunt, and a friendly face. A warm car, a blanket and ‘happy birthday’.

A friend.

Billy’s eyes burn again, and he blinks and blinks and is grateful that the overhead lamp is off while they continue to drive without speaking. As they get back to Hawkins and Billy sees the hated ‘Welcome to Hawkins’s sign lit up by the van’s headlights, he clears his throat.

“Thank you.”

[intothedysphoria]

Eddie Munson was at least interesting.

Being dropped into a town at the peak of Bible Belt Satanic Panic wasn’t ideal, so after showing up at a party and demonstrating why nobody should fuck with him, Billy sought out the weirdos.

Byers seemed cool but spent too much time with preppy rich kids for Billy’s taste. Sure they were a laugh if Billy wanted a quick fuck but given Neil’s new “rules”, Billy was really trying to find people he could trust first.

The loud, awkward teenager with the kind of battle jacket Billy had lost at a gig looked like someone Billy could get along with. Even if he was a complete fucking nerd.

There were rumours. There always were. Eddie Munson was a satanist who spoke in tongues in the corridors and read books with illicit, confusing material hiding in their pages.

Eddie Munson was not in fact a satanist, Billy discovered after having literally one conversation with him.

Eddie Munson was fucking Welsh.

Billy, who was still improvising a rudimentary American accent, was just happy to meet someone a little closer to home. Not home exactly because Billy was from Derry, but they united under being fucked over by the English.

Welsh really was a beautiful language and Billy had always had a thing for boys from the valleys.

Starting a (sort of) relationship seemed like the best idea in the world.

Eddie agreed, as they walked, hands just brushing, down the bad side of town.

Wayne Munson was a coal miner and a trade unionist and still hung banners from the 1978 strikes on his walls. He spoke to Billy gently and Billy finally felt safe enough to drop the accent.

It was the first proper cup of tea he’d had in three years. Tea and sausages and beans and bara brith. Billy had never been to Wales before and had never actually had Welsh food. It was all delicious. Proper working class meals.

Him and Eddie shared a ridiculous crush on both Steve Harrington and Chrissy Cunningham. It was never going to happen, could never happen in a town like Hawkins but it was nice to imagine.

There were glances sent their way sometimes. False hope probably but it felt real.

Billy liked just sitting on the floor of Eddie’s bedroom, smoking while he studied. Eddie was usually tuning his guitar or painting figurines but sometimes he’d tackle Billy (in a clumsy way) and kiss him.

The Munson’s trailer was the first place Billy had felt safe in since 1982. Since he’d got dragged in for hospitalising a neo Nazi and they’d moved AGAIN, to a small town in California. Then Hawkins after six months.

Billy never wanted it to end. He knew it would but that didn’t contain the hope he felt.

[vampire-scones]

His perm is hanging on for dear life at this point. It's been about eight or nine months since his last appointment and the curls were really fighting for their lives. Billy sighed as he looked in the mirror and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't have that kind of money right now so he could do one of two things. He could start spending hours in the bathroom each morning curling his own hair, or he could just let his hair get in that weird in between of wavy and straight which he hated.

As he looked in the mirror the shine of one of his record sleeves caught his eye. It was Motley Crue's 'Shout at the Devil'. All the band members were on the front, done up in their stage make up and their hair teased to high heaven. His gaze immediately went to Vince Neil. Billy would be lying if he said he didn't think the lead singer was at least a little hot. But his hair...he'd never straightened his hair but he knew damn well he could pull off looking like Vince if he tired.

Billy found himself in the bathroom for the next hour and a bit, Susan's flat iron doing its work in taking the life out of the last of his curls. In one of his copies of Metal Edge he had been able to find a good photo of Vince Neil. His hair teased to hell but still framing that pretty boy face.

After Billy was finished with the flat iron he grabbed a comb, starting to tease and back brush his hair. It took a few tries before he had how he wanted it. All that was left was the hairspray. His new can was half empty by the time he was done with it. He looked in the mirror and couldn't help but grin. He looked fucking good. He looked like a rockstar. Sure this wasn't a style he was gonna be pulling off all the time, but as a little change before his next perm? Absolutely. Now the only thing left was to see how a certain someone would feel about it.

Billy cleaned up the bathroom, hid his magazine away again, and grabbed his keys. He put on a pair of boots and walked out to his Camaro. When he got in he cranked the volume of his 'Too Fast for Love' tap and drove off. With his sunglasses on and music blaring he drove way too fast down the back streets of Hawkins until he reached his destination. Harrington's house.

He pulled into the driveway and saw the door already starting to open. He guessed Steve knew it was him from the music. He leaned against the doorframe and raised an eyebrow as Billy shut off the music.

"Not even a call before you come over? You got something important to tell me?" He asked from his spot in the doorway.

Billy got out of his car and gave his hair a bit of a shake, making sure his hair caught Steve's attention. He took off his sunglasses and hung them on his shirt while he walked up to him.

"What? Can't I just pop by because I feel like it? Or do I have to have a formal invitation from the king?"

Steve stood there, just looking Billy over. His hair was so...different. Steve reached out to touch his hair. "Holy shit...you were busy in your bathroom today."

Billy let out a bark of a laugh and just grinned at Steve. "Like it, pretty boy?"

Steve couldn't help but nod. "Yeah...it looks good. Different. You look like a rockstar.."

"And I'm guessing your into rockstars?"

"I didn't say that! I just said you looked like one."

Billy smirked. He watched as Steve stayed mesmerized by his new look. He would take that as the approval from the masses he was looking for.

"Well you can't get your hands out of my hair, maybe we should go inside so you can pull it."

Steve didn't say anything to this and just grabbed Billy by his collar and pulled him inside, letting the door slam closed behind them.

(Inspired by some tags @flayedintheusa left on another one of my posts!)

[dragonflylady77]

twenty years and change

This is the fic I wrote for the Harringrove Corner Winter Event

🔥 Fire & Ice ❄️

Fire: campfire, lights, candles, matches

Ice: snow, blizzard, skating, ice cream

Rating: M | 3644 words | second chance, steve chest hair agenda, matchmaking max

This fic is a gift for @callieb, who is a sweetie and did sprints with me when I was on the last stretch and struggling, for @whenyouwishuponastar7 who created HGC and @shieldofiron who secretly loves fluff so I keep writing it for her.

Summary:

Billy loved his sister, so when Max had begged him to sort out Susan’s old house in Hawkins to get it ready to sell, he’d found it hard to refuse. Max was heavily pregnant with her third child and not allowed to fly, and Susan had finally made the move to California to be closer to her grandchildren. What he hadn’t anticipated was the announcement of a once-in-a-hundred-year blizzard making a direct beeline for their corner of the state, then bumping into his high school crush in the lobby of the hotel where he was staying.

Read on Ao3

The universe had to be taking the piss. There was no way around it. For some reason, the fates had decided that nothing good would ever happen to Billy in Indiana. 

The town of Hawkins had given him the heebie jeebies from the moment he’d been dragged here by his asshole of a father as a teenager. He’d put his head down and made it through high school, before working his ass off at the local pool the summer after graduation. He had escaped in a cloud of dust at the beginning of fall, a full ride scholarship at UC San Diego in his back pocket.

Now he was back, twenty years and change later, and the goosebumps weren’t only because of the sub-zero temperatures. There was something wrong with this town, Billy knew it in his gut, in no part because there was snow everywhere. Billy hated snow. He likes his water liquid, preferably salty and full of waves. 

However, Billy loved his sister, so when Max had begged him to sort out Susan’s old house in Hawkins to get it ready to sell, he’d found it hard to refuse. Max was heavily pregnant with her third child and not allowed to fly, and Susan had finally made the move to California to be closer to her grandchildren.

Billy’s classes had been moved online for the next three weeks, his assistant covering his office hours while his TA would handle the grading until he was back. He’d discussed the upcoming workload with Elaine and was satisfied she was more than capable to fill in for the duration.

What he hadn’t anticipated was the announcement of a once-in-a-hundred-year blizzard making a direct beeline for their corner of the state, then bumping into his high school crush in the lobby of the hotel where he was staying.

“Am I dreaming or is that you, Harrington?” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Billy felt his cheeks heat up and he was glad to still be wearing the massive scarf knitted by Max, as it hid most of his face. He dropped his bag at his feet and allowed himself one sweeping glance at the man who had visited his dreams more often than not when they were teenagers, while he pulled off his woolly hat to give his hands something to do.

Steve freaking Harrington, former King of Hawkins High. His brown hair had lost none of its volume, but gained some silver strands on the side, which suited him. The guy had no right looking this good this close to forty, especially wearing Hawkins Inn’s maroon blazer.

“Hargrove? Billy Hargrove? What…?” Harrington recovered quickly, his eyes going from Billy to his computer screen then back to Billy. “Do you, um, do you have a reservation? I can’t see your name on the list and we’re fully booked, what with that blizzard grounding all the planes up in Indy.”

“Oh, um, maybe look under Sinclair? Max made the booking,” Billy answered with a sigh as he shoved his hat into the pocket of his parka. 

“Right, okay, Sinclair. Yep. here you are.” Harrington put down the key card, smiling at Billy. “You’re in room 29, on the second floor. The lifts are over behind you. There’s a heated pool on the ground floor, next to the gym. They are open round the clock, should you need either at any point. Complimentary towels at reception. The restaurant is open for breakfast from seven in the morning until around ten thirty.”

“Thank you, Steve. Oh, what about dinner?”

“Di-dinner?”

Why did he have to make it sound like he was asking the guy out? Well done, Hargrove. Jesus.

“Yes, what time does the restaurant open? Or is there a bar I can get something to eat at? I’m famished.”

“Oh, right. Um, the main restaurant opens for dinner at five but the bar is open now. They will have a selection of snacks.”

“Okay, thanks, man. I’ll catch you later.”

Billy grabbed his bag and with one last glance at Harrington, he headed for the lift. He could have sworn that Harrington said ‘nice to see you’ but that had to be wishful thinking.

***

After a shower, a cold beer and decent meal at the quaint hotel restaurant, Billy was lounging on his bed when his phone pinged with a video call from Max.

“Hey.”

“Sooooo…”

“What?”

“You got anything to say for yourself?”

“About what?”

“Like that, is it? Okay. How’s Steve?”

“Fuck off.”

“Oh, come on. I wish I could have seen your face when you saw him.”

“You think you’re funny, Maxine, but you’re really not.”

“Don’t get stroppy with me, William. We stayed at the hotel with the kids when we were over last Christmas and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Steve at the desk.”

“Why? Cos you didn’t think he’d move on from working at that stupid ice cream shop or wherever he worked after the fire at the mall?”

“No, you big jerk, because last I’d heard, through Dustin—”

“Which one is that again? Curly hair, who works at NASA?”

“Yeah, him. Anyway, he said Steve had moved to Chicago with his best friend Robin.”

“Robin? Robin Buckley?”

“Um, yeah, I think so? Why? Do you know her?”

“Band geek. Told the sickest ghost story around the campfire when we went to the lake senior year. Had a massive crush on Hank that summer. Always wondered if anything happened between them.”

“Maybe that’s because you fucked off back to Cali without saying goodbye to anyone, not even your sister,” Max said, glaring at him. Her clipped tone made Billy groan.

“Oh my fucking God, shitbird, give it a rest. It was twenty years ago and I have apologized to you a million fucking times already.” 

They heard a door slam and footsteps coming closer quickly.

“Mama, we’re home! You’ll never guess what happened, oh hi Uncle Billy!” 

“Hey, Lennox.” Under Billy’s amused eye, Lennox snatched the phone from Max, who rolled her eyes. The nine year old then took Billy down the hallway to his room. Billy saw Max in the background, being handed her three-year-old daughter by her mother. He redirected his attention to Lennox. 

“What have you been up to? How’s my favorite nephew?”

Lennox cackled as he flopped on his bed. “Pfft, you’re silly, I’m your only nephew.” He peered into the screen, then his gaze found Billy again. “Where are you? This is not your house.”

“It isn’t?” Billy looked around, pretending to be surprised to see the bland walls and the non-descript painting in a gaudy frame.

“Extreme lack of books, my dear Watson.”

“You got me there, Mr. Holmes. I’m in Indiana. Your mom asked me to sort out your Gran’s house so she can sell it.”

“Oh, okay. Is it cold? It was freezing when we went last year.”

“Oh yeah. There’s snow everywhere, man. I hate it.”

“How long are you going to be there?”

“A couple of weeks.”

“Are you in a hotel? We stayed in a hotel. It had a pool.”

“You know, I am. Same one but I haven’t checked out the pool yet.”

Lennox grinned. “Oh, you have to go! There’s a water slide that’s a dragon and you come out of its mouth, and a pirate ship you can jump from, and Willa stayed in the baby pool but I went in the water slide.”

“Sounds fun.”

Max walked in the room and came to stand at the foot of the bed. Billy waved at her.

“Lennox, sweetie, I need my phone back and you need to go have your shower.”

“But, Mooooooom…”

“Lennox,” Billy said before Max could interrupt her son’s whining, “you be good for your Mom, and I’ll go see if that pool you were telling me about is really that awesome.”

Lennox let out the most put upon sigh. “Fine. Bye, Uncle Billy.”

“Bye, buddy. I’ll be home for Christmas, I promise.”

***

Billy stretched out in the water, staring at the foam sea creatures decorating the ceiling and absently noticing the lack of sharks. He needed to remember to text Max later, so she could tell Lennox he was right, and the pool really was that awesome.

Not that Billy had tried the waterslide or the pirate ship, instead, he’d made full use of the empty pool to swim lengths. He’d lost track of time, the familiar feeling of his body slicing the water as he went back and forth between the two ends of the pool helping him forget about the snow and the stress of being back in Indiana.

His arms and legs hurt in the good way that meant he’d pushed himself, more than he’d had the chance to recently. A noise by the pool chairs to his left caused him to straighten up. He put both feet on the bottom of the pool and turned to see who had interrupted his daydreaming.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize someone was still there this late… Billy?”

Steve’s surprise was evident in his tone and if Billy chose to take it in a positive way, that was between him and his dirty pornographic dreams featuring Steve Harrington that still plagued him to this day. More ‘the one you never had a chance with’ than ‘the one that got away’ but there wasn’t much Billy could do about the direction of his thoughts when he was asleep.

“Steve. Hi. Sorry, I’ll, um, I’ll get out of your way.” Billy didn’t let himself look for too long, didn’t want to be caught staring at how well Steve filled that white t-shirt or—nope, not looking at the swim shorts. 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to leave. I just finished my shift and it’s been a long day. I was gonna soak in the hot tub for a bit before I head home.” Steve pointed towards an area next to the pirate ship that clearly signposted, an innocuous door hiding behind the fake palm trees.

“Huh. Lennox didn’t say anything about a hot tub.”

Steve smiled. “Your nephew, right?”

Billy nodded. 

“He probably doesn’t know it’s there, to be fair. Access is forbidden to anyone under the age of eighteen,” Steve continued, walking slowly towards the greenery, and Billy automatically followed in the water. 

“Do you, um, do you wanna join me?” Steve asked, his cheeks turning pinker under the harsh neon lighting.

Billy wondered if he had stepped through some portal to another dimension. One where Steve Harrington was not entirely straight and kinda totally into him. He didn’t remember hitting his head though.

“Sure.” The word was out of his mouth before he even realized he’d said it. It was his turn to blush and, to hide that fact, he hoisted himself out of the pool. He threw his goggles on the nearby chair with his clothes and did a couple of shoulder stretches. He could feel Steve’s eyes on him the entire time, almost like a caress, and forced himself not to react. 

Once he was done, Billy picked up his towel and dried his face before smiling at Steve. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Old swimming injury. Need to stretch or I won’t be able to move tomorrow.”

“Oh, wow, um, yeah, no problem. Can’t have that.” Steve glanced down then back at Billy. “I can carry your stuff, if you want, since I’m dry. It’s late, and there’s not really anyone around, but I wouldn’t want another staff member taking your things to lost property, thinking they’ve been left behind.”

“Right. Yes, good point. Thank you.” Billy stood there, holding his towel in front of him while Steve gathered his shirt, goggles and room key. The evening had unexpectedly taken a turn for the better and he’d hate himself for not making the most of this opportunity.

“Do you swim?” he asked Steve when they started walking and a flash of something foul tasting appeared on Steve’s face, only for a second, before Steve gathered himself.

“No, not anymore.” Steve opened the door and Billy followed him inside, wondering what could possibly have made Steve stop swimming. 

After closing the door, Steve placed Billy’s belongings on a bench that ran along two of the walls. He turned towards Billy. “I used to, I mean, I was swim captain back in high school, and a lifeguard over summer too. But I haven’t in years… not since that girl died in my parents’ pool in senior year.”

“Jesus.” Billy fought with the urge to wrap Steve in his arms and kiss the sadness away by putting his towel on the hook on the wall. Steve’s towel joined Billy’s a second later then Steve took off his t-shirt and Billy blue-screened.

“Holy fuck…”

“What?” Steve looked behind him then around the room before his eyes landed on Billy again. 

“You might want to warn a guy next time, pretty boy, before you unleash… that.” Billy waved his hand in the general direction of Steve’s chest.

“Oh, that.” Steve blushed and Billy followed the pinkish hue on Steve's cheeks with his eyes, down Steve’s neck, until it got lost in the wiry dark hair covering Steve’s chest. “I, uh, I waxed my chest in high school because of the swimming. Didn’t see the point anymore after.”

“Thank fuck for that.” Billy cleared his throat, his face heating up from the embarrassment of having said something that should most definitely have remained unsaid. “Sorry, I should not have said that.” He winced and stepped to the side, facing away from Steve. “I’ll just…”

“If the end of that sentence is anything other than ‘lock the door and join you in the hot tub’, I’m afraid I don’t want to hear it.”

“What?” What the fuck was even happening right now? Billy didn’t have a clue.

“Billy, get the fuck in the water.”

Doing what Steve said—because who was he to question an order given to him in such a confident way by the prettiest boy he had ever seen in his life?—Billy stepped into the hot tub. He lowered himself on the lounge seat, leaned his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes. 

He heard the click of the lock on the door then the water hit his chest in little waves when Steve got in, but Steve didn’t sit on the other side of the tub like Billy had expected him to. Instead, Steve waded across until his knees bumped into Billy’s.

“Can you please open your eyes?” Steve whispered over the whirr of the water pump and Billy complied, taking a moment to really look at Steve. 

The thick head of hair he wanted to bury his hands in. The big brown eyes that seemed to see through him. The little moles on Steve’s cheek Billy wanted to trace with the tip of his finger. The plump lips Billy had dreamed about kissing so many times…

Billy’s visual exploration was cut short when Steve suddenly straddled him, one knee on either side of Billy’s thighs, arms wrapping around Billy’s neck. Billy’s hands found Steve’s hips on instinct, holding him in place before he got too close to Billy’s crotch.  

His dick, however, decided that it was on board with this most recent development, and Billy mentally thanked his lucky stars for the extra buoyancy the bubbly water afforded him. 

“Pretty boy…” He was dreaming. That had to be it. He was fast asleep in bed in his hotel room right now, imagining Steve Harrington was sitting on his lap.

“Stop overthinking and kiss me already,” Steve murmured, his mouth so close now that Billy felt Steve’s breath on his lips.

So Billy did. 

He pressed his lips against Steve’s, enjoying the way Steve leaned into it. Kissing Steve was quickly rising to the top of Billy’s favorite things to do, especially when Steve reduced the distance between them to nothing.

Feeling Steve’s coarse chest hair brush against his nipples made Billy groan. 

Steve licking into his mouth made Billy tighten his fingers on Steve’s waist. 

Steve’s hard cock brushing against his made Billy see stars.

***

Deciding they were too old and too tired to deal with the mess and ensuing clean up that would be necessary if they stayed in the hot tub any longer, they relocated to Billy’s room. They made out in the shower, while they exchanged lazy handjobs because floor tiles were definitely too uncomfortable on the knees.

They dried themselves quickly with fluffy towels they left in a pile on the bathroom floor and got into bed, where Billy took Steve apart with his fingers and his mouth. They fell asleep wrapped around each other in the middle of the king size mattress. 

Steve called in sick and Billy ordered them room service for breakfast. They spent the day in bed, talking and kissing and fucking. Billy told Steve about Neil and growing up feeling like he was made wrong, until he got back to Cali and found his people. Steve told Billy all about the Upside Down, and how keeping such things a secret meant he had closed himself off to everyone. Billy felt vindicated for thinking there was something wrong with Hawkins all along. 

As they lay in bed spooning, watching the shadows grow longer as the sun disappeared behind the trees, one arm around Steve while he dozed, Billy came to a decision. He had to act on it, before he talked himself out of it. This thing with Steve felt too good, too real, to let go of once he was done with Susan’s house.

“Stevie?”

“Hmm?” came the sleepy reply.

“Come with me.”

“Where?” Steve turned around in Billy’s arms, eyes closed, and pressed a kiss on the side of his neck. “If I have to get dressed, I don’t wanna go.”

Billy let out a chuckle. “I don’t think they’ll let you on the plane if you’re naked, baby.”

“Plane? What plane?” Steve lifted his head and stared at Billy, eyes wide.

Billy rolled onto his back, pulling Steve on top of him. He cupped Steve’s face with one hand, and wrapped his other arm around Steve’s waist. “Pretty boy, I’ve wanted you for so long…” Billy stopped, unsure how to continue.

Steve pressed a hand over Billy’s heart. “Tell me.”

“I know I was a shit show in high school. I was so angry all the time, and I didn’t know how to deal with how I felt about anything, but especially about you. Not that I thought I’d ever have a chance to have you.”

“Hoo boy, you sure got that one wrong.” Steve grinned, giving Billy a quick kiss on the lips.

“Shut up. If I had put the moves on you twenty years ago, you would have shot me down so fast, and probably told the whole school I was a queer. Then my dad would have either killed me or sent me to military school, and neither of us would be in this bed right now.”

“Fair point.”

“Anyway, what I was trying to say was, I’ve wanted you for so long, and now I’ve had you, I don't think I can give you up.”

“Billy…” Steve looked away, moving his face out of Billy’s hand.

Billy felt his heart squeeze at the sad expression on Steve’s face. His resolve to get Steve out of Hawkins hardened. “No. Don’t give me that bullshit about the gate and the monsters. You said it yourself, that girl, Jane, Eleven, whatever, she closed the gate. She moved to California with the Chief and Mrs. Byers. All your kids are gone. Not that they’re kids anymore, Stevie. My sister is pregnant with her third child, for fuck’s sake. What’s keeping you here, really? Don’t you want to get away from the memories? Finally break the hold this shit town has on you?”

“I tried. I moved to Chicago with Robin. It… it didn’t work.”

“What happened in Chicago?”

Steve sighed and rolled off Billy. “Robin got a girlfriend, moved in with her. I couldn’t afford the rent by myself so I came home. Got this job. Stayed on.”

“Baby…” Billy picked up Steve’s hand but otherwise he stayed where he was, facing Steve. He kissed Steve’s knuckles, one after the other. “Going by the last twenty-something hours, I think we could have something great. But it’s not gonna happen here because this town sucks the hope and happiness out of everyone. I won’t tell you I love you because I don’t wanna scare you off but—”

“You… you love me?”

Hearing Steve repeat the words back to him made Billy realize what he had let slip. Might as well go for broke at this point.

“Yeah. I do. I love you. So if you don’t want this, don’t want me , you need to tell me now, before I make an even bigger ass out of myself than I already have, and we can forget this conversation ever happened.”

“Okay.”

“Okay, what?” Had Billy really been reading the situation so completely wrong? Was Steve saying he wanted to forget the whole thing? Billy was so confused he didn’t react when Steve pulled him over so he was lying on top. Only when he felt Steve’s hands on his thighs did he shake off the daze. He looked down at Steve. “Pretty boy?”

“I love you. I’ve been dreaming about being with you for the past twenty years and I’m sick of dreaming. I want to live instead.”

Billy felt like his grin was going to split his face in two. Like he could explode from the pure joy coursing through his body.

“And Billy?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Get me the fuck out of Hawkins.”

[chrisbitchtree]

Happy New Year’s from Billy and Steve!

[unnokka]

A Shadow's Lament

Warnings: angst, death, trauma.

Steve's soul mark on his sternum colored when Billy Hargrove touched him for the first time. Unfortunately, that was the same day when Billy threw a plate at his head and beat him up. Steve always imagined that it would be the happiest moment of his life. No, not even close. But still, he kept hope alive, if they could fix the situation.

Then he saw Billy shirtless at the community pool on his first day of work and he learned that he wasn't Billy's soulmate. On Billy’s sternum rested a soul mark slightly larger than Steve’s and it was still colorless. It was like a hard slap to the face, so it was also his last day working at the pools, and a week later he started at Scoop Ahoy.

Nothing had hurt more in his life. Many asked what was wrong but he stubbornly remained silent, always making up excuses. Then Henderson came back from his camp, the Russian broadcast, a strange elevator, they got caught, interrogated and then the drugs.

Steve's condition was bad, really bad. And the drugs in his veins didn’t help the situation, so Steve broke down on the bathroom floor. Crying he told Robin about Billy. Lovely Robin listened and comforted him, promised that Billy was too much of an asshole for him and that he would find true love somewhere else. Steve wanted to believe her, but couldn't.

Later, he watched as the mind flayer impaled Billy. Max and Steve screamed at the same time. The pain in Steve's chest was indescribable, as if someone was squeezing his chest together while simultaneously setting it on fire. Then the mall collapsed.

Almost three weeks later, Steve woke up in the hospital. The pain in his chest was still absolutely terrible, but meds helped somewhat. The emotional pain didn’t go anywhere.

The doctors told him that building scrap had fallen on him, combining all the physical trauma, the drugs and the loss of a soulmate, Steve's heart had stopped. It had taken too long before CPR could be started so his heart had remained weak and the artery would likely become inflamed, which would lead to the heart stopping again. So the doctors made an emergency decision in the ER and ended up doing a transplant.

Billy's heart had survived without damage.

Now, Steve had a harsh red scar from the surgery. A scarred mark from a dead soulmate. In his chest was the promised lover's beating heart.

And a new soulmate mark.

[harringroveera]

Of course Steve is never gonna stop worrying about his husband

[kay-royal]

I love this idea

I have this au where billy, eddie and alexie come back, the upside down is defeated, lots of paper work is done for billy and alexie, eddies name is cleared, the party are heros. The party stay in touch as they leave Hawkins, new relationships happen, and they all get famous and rich.

Steves a pop singer, think Harry styles meets Avril

Eddie is a Rockstar, corroded coffin took off

Billy's a model, and doesn't hide his scars

Jonathan is a photographer

Nancy is a journalist

Robin is a director

Will is an artist

Mike is an author

El is a rock star, became close with eddie

Max(after getting surgery to replace her eyes) is a pro skater, x games level

Lucas is in the NBA, tells his fans to follow their dreams

Erica is a actress and mathmation

Dustin is a scientist, with his tech genius wife

And they all look cool and rarely vist Hawkins

[brightside-of-the-upsidedown]

-kicks in double swinging doors and almost gets hit in the face-

What if Steve starts sleep walking after season one, and Billy almost runs him over before Billy started school in Hawkins. Steve shocks awake when Billy gets out of his car, is confused and in nothing but his pajamas and socks at night in mid October, and Billy drives him home.

Billy starts feeling concerned when it keeps happening. (Some times Steve remembers it, some times he doesn't.) Billy reads up a bit on sleepwalkers at the library and he starts feeling a little protective over Steve. They start hanging out during the day too.

Steve some times sleep talks about what happened. Billy feels- kind of needed and starts cruising at night sometimes just in case Steve takes a stroll, sometimes just let's Steve sleep it off in his passenger seat. It's calming and good for his nerves.

Steve gradually becomes Billy’s passenger princess 👸 Billy’s moods are more stable with Steve’s influence, having a good excuse to be out of the house and away from Neil more. Max learns about their weird friendship and that Steve sleepwalks.

The Halloween party and school turn out different, though Steve lies to the others about how they know each other. Billy doesn't mind, kinda likes that they have a secret. They hang out even more outside of school. After Nancy dumps him at the party, Steve drives Billy and Max, drops Max at home, and Billy stays the night at his house because Steve really needs the company.

When Billy sees Steve at the Byers house, he almost wonders if Steve is sleeping walking again. Steve trusts Billy enough to just tell him the truth and show him the demodog.

Afterwards, Billy starts just showing up at Steve’s to drive him around on Hawkins backroads until he falls asleep.

Steve gradually sleepwalks less now he has someone to talk to more, has the kids to keep an eye on now, Dustin, and Billy.

Maybe instead of the pool, Billy gets a job at the gym at Starcourt mall so he can see Steve in his stupid cute uniform.

If Billy ends up in the hospital after the mindflayer or something (No date with Karen this time, was on his way to pick up Steve) and winds up in a coma, Steve starts sleepwalking again and Eddie finds Steve this time.

But that's another post. Should I do a part two?

[pastelbatfandoms]

Billy and I in my dr. Plus Steve and I. Yes Max and I look similar when she's older, I may or may not bleach my hair.

[starkstruck27]

Sixth fill for @mungrovebingos!! This one is a modern-ish AU, set sometime in, like, the early 2000s? I don't really specify a time period, just that everybody is older and it's not the 80s anymore. Anyway, it's super sweet and sappy, so I hope everyone enjoys, story is under the cut, and Ao3 link is here.

Prompt is "Last Day of Summer" and it's 3,293 words.

It was sweltering hot when Billy woke up early one August morning, curled up under the blankets in his trailer home with his husband clinging to him like a koala bear. He couldn’t help but smile as he kissed his sleeping form, the mess of curls he’d just started growing out again and his open, drooling mouth conspiring to make him look like some kind of fairy tale troll, but if he told him that, he’d probably just grin and say thanks for the compliment. He was so weird, but Billy only loved him all the more for it.

For a few minutes, he just watched Eddie sleep. He loved him more than anything and didn’t get to see him sitting still too often, so this was a rare treat. Unfortunately, the tranquil, quiet morning didn’t last too long, as Billy heard giggling from somewhere behind him, in the vicinity of the bedroom door.

“Shh! Miranda! You’ll wake them up!” One little voice hissed, and Billy quickly caught on to what was happening. He and Eddie had told Max and Lucas that their kids could sleep over the night before and that they’d take them out today as a last hurrah before school started up the day after. Damien, their son, was 8, and going into third grade already. Billy couldn’t believe how fast the time was flying, it seemed like just yesterday he was holding Damien for the first time as a little teeny baby. And his little sister, Miranda, was only 5, getting ready to start kindergarten. She had always been Billy’s little pal, stuck to him practically like glue all throughout her life, and to see her already starting school was making Billy feel an insane surge of pride and an intense pit of despair at the same time. He was gonna miss getting to take care of her every day while her parents were at work.

“Sorry!” Miranda whispered back to her brother, though she couldn’t quite stop the giggles. Still, Billy managed to contain his own and went back to pretending to be asleep as the two crept nearer, finally jumping up on their bed and screaming “Good morning!” at the top of their lungs.

“Hey! Good morning, you two little gremlins! What’s got you up so early?” Billy asked as he sat up, wrapping his arms around the two of them and squeezing as Eddie groaned beside him.

“We’re hungry! We want pancakes!” Miranda declared, her red hair coming out of its braided form as she rolled around and giggled.

“And we’re excited! You said you’d take us out to celebrate the last day of summer!” Damien added, his nose scrunching as he smiled. He and his sister both had fairly light skin, though it was obvious that Max and Lucas were both their parents. Damien’s hair was dark brown, nearly black, and his face was covered in freckles, just like his mother. Miranda had a few freckles, but not many, and her hair was bright red, just a bit darker than Max’s. They both had Lucas’s big brown eyes, though.

“Really? Was that today? Oh, gee, I must’ve forgotten, I can’t take you guys out today. I’ve got work and Uncle Eddie has band practice…” Billy trailed off, shaking his head as the kids lowered theirs in disappointment. Billy could only stand it for so long. “I’m just teasing! C’mon, Bring those smiles back! We’re gonna have the best day ever! Now, I’ll go start the pancakes and you two work on getting Uncle Eddie out of bed and into the shower.”

Miranda and Damien both cheered as they let Billy untangle himself from the sheets, bouncing around on the bed and shaking Eddie as they tried to wake him up. Eddie, for the most part, ignored them, but suddenly he was up like a shot, grabbing the two kids and pinning them to the mattress as he attacked them with tickles. They both shrieked and tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but Eddie held strong until they were both wheezing messes beneath him. Finally, he let them up, sending them to the living room to watch cartoons while he hopped in the shower.

When he emerged from their bedroom, showered, dressed and primped, Billy was just finishing breakfast, setting down a big plate of pancakes in the center of the table and getting out syrup, whipped cream, butter and powdered sugar. Max always said that he gave her kids too much sugar. Billy just claimed that that’s why he was the favorite uncle.

“So, what are we gonna do today?” Billy asked the kids as they dug in. 

“Can we go to the zoo?” Miranda asked, bouncing in her chair. She was the biggest animal lover Billy had ever known, clearly shown by the safari pajamas she was currently wearing.

“Or to that arcade with the mini golfing and go-karts?” Damien asked, and Billy and Eddie grinned at them.

“That sounds perfect!” Billy said, clapping his hands together and making the kids laugh as he nearly knocked over his orange juice. “Which are we going to do first?”

“Well, I feel like the zoo will close earlier than the arcade, so we should probably do that first. And we don’t want to get there when all the animals are getting ready for bed, do we?” Eddie asked, winking at Miranda as he ate more of his food. The kids both agreed and hurried to finish their breakfast, then ran off to their little guest room to get dressed. Eddie cleaned up after breakfast so that Billy could shower and get ready, and then the four of them piled into the car, clicking seatbelts and checking mirrors before they headed off towards the zoo.

“Uncle Billy?” Miranda piped up from the back seat.

“Hm?” Billy asked as he drove, a piece of candy in his mouth taking the place of a cigarette. He’d been trying to quit them, especially when he was driving, and especially when the kids were in the car.

“Will you play my song?” Miranda asked, her eyes lighting up as Damien groaned beside her. Billy chuckled as Eddie already handed him the CD, and he popped it in the player as he said, “Sure thing, Cherry Pie.”

A few seconds later and Warrant was blasting through the speakers, the same song that Miranda’s nickname was derived from. Ever since she was born she’d had that bright red hair, and since that song had been stuck in his head the day he’d gone to see Max at the hospital, he began to call Miranda Cherry Pie. He’d always sung the song to her (obviously not letting on what the lyrics really meant) and danced her around the room ever since she was little. Max used to tease him about corrupting her daughter’s music taste early on, but Billy just turned the music up louder and continued to dance around. Max rolled her eyes, but she had to admit, it was sweet.

Finally, they arrived at the zoo, paid to park, and hopped out of the car to go and buy tickets. Eddie had taken the kids to go toss some coins in the fountain while Billy was busy getting the tickets, and once they all met up again, they started to wander around the exhibits. Billy picked Damien up and put him on his shoulders so he could see better, and Eddie did the same with Miranda. Since they didn’t have to hold onto the kids’ hands, they held each other’s, the both of them smiling like teenagers on a first date and instead of a married, nearly-middle-aged couple out for the day with their niece and nephew. Still, it felt special, and the fact that when they actually were teenagers they were too scared to hold hands at all just made it feel like they were making up for lost time.

The kids were having the time of their lives walking around the zoo, seeing flamingos and crocodiles, bears and lions, seals and snakes. Eddie and Damien were both going nuts over the fruit bats, gushing over how cute they were and how much they wished they could have one as a pet. None of them were too excited for the tarantulas, so they walked past their tanks as quickly as possible before either Miranda or Billy had a meltdown. They continued on and saw the panda bears, the gorillas, the elephants and the giraffes, and finally, they were nearing the exit with only a few enclosures left to inspect.

“OH MY GOSH!” Miranda screamed as she almost jumped from Eddie’s shoulders, “LOOK OVER THERE! THERE’S HIPPOS!”

“Where at, Cherry Pie?” Billy asked, turning around as he tried to see what she saw. Miranda frantically pointed a little to the left of them and Eddie saw the enclosure, too, smiling as he gripped Billy with one hand and Miranda with the other, taking off in a full sprint over to the tank, much to the little girl’s delight.

“Jesus Christ!” Billy said as he caught his breath beside Eddie, checking to make sure Damien was still secure on his shoulders. “We didn’t have to run like that, you know.”

“I know, but Miranda and I were excited!” Eddie defended himself, grinning widely in that way that Billy couldn’t stay upset with. He sighed and shook his head, giving Eddie an amused, annoyed look, rolling his eyes as he leaned in for a kiss to make it go away. 

“Alright, alright, you sap,” Billy said as Eddie kissed him sweetly, shoving him away and wrinkling his nose as he laughed. Eddie stuck his tongue out at him, but then went back to watching the hippos, reaching for Billy’s hand again and intertwining their fingers as they watched the animals. Miranda was damn near hypnotized with them, the biggest smile on her face as she watched one of the handlers give one of the animals a whole watermelon and it crushed it like it was nothing. 

Finally, it was getting close to lunchtime, so they had to drag Miranda away from the hippos and over to the gift shop before they left, allowing her and Damien to each pick out a souvenir. Damien found a book about all the different kinds of bats, and Miranda picked out a stuffed hippo, which she promptly named Chubs. As they waited in line for the checkout, Eddie came up behind Billy, resting his head on his shoulder and wrapping his arms around him in a swaying embrace.

“You want a souvenir?” He asked as Billy turned to kiss his head. 

“Nah, I’m good. All I want is a picture of all of us before we leave. But if you want something, get it,” he replied, bringing a hand up to tangle his fingers in Eddie’s unruly curls.

“Okay. Are you sure?” Eddie asked, poking Billy in the stomach as he laughed.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Spending the day with you guys is enough of a treat. I don’t need anything else,” Billy said, and this time, Eddie turned around so that he could kiss him properly. They could see the looks they were getting from the blonde soccer moms with their leashed kids over in the corner of the gift shop, but they didn’t care. Maybe they would’ve way back when, but not anymore. It was none of their business.

After they paid for the souvenirs in the gift shop and had a nice woman take their picture by the sign at the zoo’s front entrance, they all piled in the car again, all smiles as they headed towards their next destination.

“Alright, it’s lunchtime. Who’s hungry?” Billy asked as they pulled out of the parking lot, waiting at a stoplight as the two kids and Eddie all yelled, “Me!”

“Okay, good. Where are we gonna go?” Billy asked as he kept driving, looking for any road signs or billboards advertising restaurants. 

“McDonald’s! McDonald’s! McDonald’s!” The other three chanted, and Billy had to smile as he gave in and Eddie hyped the other two up. Still, he drove to the nearest McDonald’s and parked, climbing out with the other three and following them as they all ran inside. They got their food and ate it quickly, all of them anxious to get on with their day once their bellies were full. 

They got on the road again and drove to the new and improved Palace arcade, which had been remodeled since the 80s and now included a go-kart track and a mini golf course, as well as games that you could play to win tickets and exchange for prizes. They still had the classics, Pac Man, Dig Dug, Centipede, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Donkey Kong, Frogger and all the rest, but they didn’t get as much attention from the young kids nowadays as they did from their parents. Still, Max held the record on Dig Dug, and Billy’s name was permanently stuck at the top of the Pac Man machine with the high score, whoever was underneath him short of beating him by nearly 10,000 points. But Billy was humble about it.

“Can we do go-karts first?” Damien asked, bouncing like a rabbit as they walked inside the place.

“Sure,” Billy shrugged, pulling out his wallet and paying for them to be able to ride the go-karts, Eddie taking the kids outside to pick out which ones they wanted to go in. Damien was tall enough to ride by himself, so he did, choosing a green car and taking off as soon as he was buckled in. Eddie got in a yellow one and caught up to Damien easily, the two of them racing around the track like it was the Indy 500. Miranda wasn’t tall enough to be able to drive, so Billy rode with her, letting her pick a pink car and racing with her around the track, too. 

When they finished with the go-karts, they decided to do mini-golfing, wanting to get it in before it got dark and they’d have to take the kids home. Billy was actually pretty good at mini-golf, but he pretended to suck so that one of the kids could win. Eddie actually did suck, so Miranda actually ended up winning, beating her brother by six points. Damien was a good sport about it, though, and Billy was glad about that. He and Max had always been entirely too competitive with each other. He was happy that her kids hadn’t taken after either of them in that regard.

Finally, they went inside and started playing arcade games. Billy was practically glued to the basketball game, using his share of the tokens they’d purchased to score basket after basket and earn them as many tickets as possible. Miranda was wandering around doing a little bit of everything, but she liked skee-ball the best, playing it over and over and not earning many tickets, but she was having fun, so it didn’t bother her. Eddie wasn’t much of a gamer, though he did enjoy playing the Ghostbusters first-person shooter game with Damien and he was able to get a few things out of the various crane games scattered around. Damien stuck mostly to the classic machines, moving on to do a few shooting games or the occasional racing game, but he mostly preferred the old school stuff. 

Soon enough, though, the sun was starting to set outside, and they had used the last of their tokens. Billy gathered up and counted all the tickets they’d collected and divided it among the kids, both of them able to choose prizes from the higher shelves due to Billy being amazing at basketball. In fact, they’d gotten so many tickets that Miranda was able to choose an Easy-Bake Oven for her prize and Damien got a giant stuffed Charmander doll, which Billy wasn’t even sure would fit in the car. Still, the kids were happy, so he and Eddie would make it work. They’d do anything for those two knuckleheads.

When they finally managed to shove the Charmander plush in the trunk, find a place for the Easy-Bake Oven, and got the kids all strapped in and ready to go, it was pitch black outside. The moon was hanging high over the town as they drove back to the trailer park, and when Billy glanced in the rearview mirror halfway home, he saw that both of the kids were out cold.

“They must’ve had a good day,” Eddie said quietly as he rolled down his window and smiled over at his husband.

“I hope so,” Billy replied, smiling back as he stopped at a sign.

“Oh, quit that. You know damn well they just had the best day of their lives, all thanks to you,” Eddie said, nudging Billy’s arm.

“Thanks to us. Wouldn’t have been as much fun as it was without you. You don’t give yourself enough credit. Those kids adore you, you know,” Billy nudged back, turning onto their street.

“They adore you even more. And so do I,” Eddie said, waiting until Billy parked in front of their trailer to lean over and draw him in for a kiss. Billy went willingly, and smiled into it as Eddie cradled the back of his head. He could’ve stayed just like that forever and ever, but of course, all good things must come to an end.

“Hey dipshits, quit making out like teenagers and give me my children!” Max said from outside the open window, startling both of them and laughing as they jumped. 

“Christ, why’d you have to sneak up on us like that?” Billy said as he rubbed his head where it hit the back of the seat.

“I didn’t, but it was more fun that way. Anyway, did they behave themselves?” Max asked as she stepped back so that they could open the car doors. They climbed out and Eddie went inside to get their bags, bringing them out to Max’s car and then going to open Billy’s trunk.

“Oh yeah, they were perfect little angels,” Billy said, smiling as he looked at the two sleeping kids on his backseat.

“That’s because you enable them and they get to do whatever they want,” Max teased, hugging her brother.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re just jealous because I’m their favorite adult!” He said back, punching her lightly on the arm as he went to help Eddie get the giant stuffed Pokemon from his trunk.

“What in the hell is that?” Max asked when she saw it, and the way they were trying to shove it into the trunk of her own car.

“It’s Damien’s. We took them to the arcade,” Billy said, finally shoving the thing in and closing the trunk.

“And Miranda got this!” Eddie said, moving the Easy-Bake Oven into Max’s passenger seat. “Plus a few other things that I won out of claw machines.”

“You two are going to cause these two to be the death of me,” she said, shaking her head as she tried to hide a smile. She didn’t do it very well, though, and Billy and Eddie could only laugh. They helped her move the sleeping kids from one car to the other and each gave them a kiss on their heads to say goodbye, before standing on their tiny porch to wave them off as Max took them home.

“I hate that summer is over,” Billy said as he watched them go, putting his arm around Eddie and resting his head on his shoulder.

“Me, too. But hey, look on the bright side,” Eddie said, hugging Billy close, “At least now we get to look forward to spoiling them on their Christmas vacation!”

[unabashed-lover-of-fictional-men]

I had the what could be best/weirdest idea for a story ever... So lately my TikTok has been Billy Hargrove related, and I had a wild idea of Billy and Eddie somehow liking the same woman.

Like the three of them all went to school together and even though the three were pretty different they were good friends, granted they never all hung out together for obvious reasons but were friends.

You hung out at Eddie's trailer smoking weed, and then would drive around with Billy while he blasted the coolest new hair metal track, until one day they both realized they liked you more than a friend. Both wanting to tell you, needing to tell you. They look for you only to find out through Steve, Robin and Nancy that you had gone home for the summer.

Confused they find out that you are Hoppers niece that had been staying with him due to issues at home, and one of your parents (or both) were in a car accident and you had to deal with the aftermath. Cue ahead a year and you come back to Hawkins with a U-Haul, making long pushed aside feelings to resurface.