#its not my fault simply everything is about the wheelers if you look hard enough (not even all that hard)

[wheelercore]

Henry's monologue about how people hide behind a "silly little play" ie conformity is actually a mirror to Jason's monologue about how Eddie hides behind DnD (a role-playing game) his true motivations of devil worship. Both are predators, with Henry self identifying as a "predator for good" and Jason being covered with the Hawkins Tigers (nocturnal predator) imagery. In fact, UD monsters are shown to mostly attack at night, making the comparison of Jason to Henry even more obvious. The mirroring here to make the point that while the satanic panic targeted those who were different and "broken" (people like Eddie and Henry), the same people who did that targeting, like Jason, take part in their own little roles that they hide behind. In fact, Jason's dialogue earlier in the season about how there are people who get so involved into DnD that it makes them do horrible things is just complete irony because Jason himself becomes so consumed with playing the role of the "hero", just as he was consumed by being the popular perfect jock, that by the end of the season Lucas declares him (and normalcy) a "psychopath". Anyways in this essay I will be making this about the wheelers-

[nobodys-hekatonchires]

A Snippet From My Jazz & Ironhide TFP Au

This is snippet from the first chapter, if anyone wants to have a read :)

Ironhide, as the war continued on, missed a lot of things. But at this current klick, he painfully missed the Ark and all its systems. That ship had been wonderful, armed to the teeth with so many weapons that left the Weapon’s specialist’s intake drooling. It even had its own energon bar! Filled with premium high-grade and everything. But that ship was long gone, along with it many mecha that Ironhide hadn’t seen in vorns, and a proper system that functioned. The current shuttle he was crammed into was nothing more than a glorified waste bin, hardly a spaceship, let alone a functional one!

“Jazz, you rusty bolt! Where in all the Pits did ya’ manage to find the most scrapped ship?!” Ironhide demanded, vocaliser growling over the cacophony of endless warning sirens and blaring emergency messages. Taking an astrosecond to let go of the steering console, Ironhide slammed a fist down on a bunch of buttons to hopefully shut something up. The system whined but spluttered out, although the shuttle was still a loud mess.

“This was all I could find!” Jazz yelled back, visor flashing with indignation at Ironhide’s accusatory tone. The shorter mech was doing his very best to stay upright, digits clinging to the command console in front of him as he looked for any button they might deploy missiles or even a space bridge to get them out of the trouble they were in. Unfortunately, they’d both found that most of the controls were useless, not even wired up to any function. A couple were simply just stickers or painted on to make the whole thing look more high-tech than it was. Ironhide was lucky he even had a steering column and a pilot’s seat to begin with. Jazz’ chair had long since ripped itself out of its struts, clattering somewhere behind them both in the tiny storage area onboard. Anything that wasn’t strapped down had joined the chair in the mess it was creating, thrown around as Ironhide flew like a two-wheeler on too much Vosnian high-grade.

“It ain’t ma’ fault ya’ twisted th’wires of just ‘bout everybot on that planet!”

Ironhide would give Jazz that, but nothing more. He had unfortunately angered a lot of mecha and organics by winning (fairly!) at astro-poker. It probably hadn’t helped that he’d also punched the first organic to try to demand their credits back. But what was a mech to do? Ironhide had won them fair and square, not his fault some mecha couldn’t keep their gears from exploding because they lost about a hundred thousand credits.

And Ironhide didn’t even get to keep the cursed things, losing them all when one very large mech had flipped the table…

Gritting his dentae so hard he thought the metal might bend, Ironhide steered the shuttle to the side sharply to avoid a cluster of asteroids ahead. The only good thing about their ship was it was small, easily manoeuvrable, even in an asteroid belt. He just wished all the engines actually worked and that the cannons hadn’t been dismantled for scrap pieces.

A dangerously close blast knocked their shuttle to the left, narrowly scraping a huge asteroid. Jazz cursed, and Ironhide almost smacked his own helm on the console. He didn’t need rear cameras to know that their pursuers were gaining on their tailpipe. Their ship was big enough to just shoulder the asteroids out of the way, and they had working guns!

“Primus, I wish I was back on th’Ark!” Ironhide lamented loudly, engines rumbling in agreement. At least on the Ark he wouldn’t be the one driving either. And that ship had had stasis pods!

“Hey! That ain’t ma’fault.” Jazz protested just before he lost his footing and crashed into a wall somewhere. Ironhide didn’t have the opportunity to go help him. Suddenly, another load of lights and sirens started up. It was like some weird disco, if you enjoyed deafening alarms and optic-piercing light shows. This was far worse than one of those clubs that Jazz had dragged the older mech too on Cybertron. He’d take that any cycle now.

“Yeah, an’ we both know whose fault it is!” Ironhide yelled back at his companion. There was a bunch of cursing and scraping of metal behind him, until Jazz appeared at Ironhide’s side again, a few more dents in his plating but luckily still alive.

“Prime’s!”

“He better be on this ‘Earth’. I’ve got some scrap to hammer inta that helm’a his.” He mumbled mostly to himself, ignoring the alert about another fire starting up on the shuttle. Jazz rushed off to go sort out the blaze, mostly tumbling through the ship as Ironhide took another sharp turn. He forced his vents to exhale and keep cooling his systems down while it mitigated battle protocols. Sooner or later they’d probably be engulfed in an explosion, especially if the other ship hit their energon lines…

[badchoicesposts]

Loyalty or Royalty

Chapter 16

Summary: Mia Bhatt spent years trying to escape her past, trying to escape the feeling of betrayal that was left in her heart after the fire, and she finally had. She was marrying the King of Cordonia and was finally going to get her happily ever after. But, after a momentary lapse in judgement caused her to send a wedding invitation to someone she was sure had forgotten about her, she realizes that sometimes the past has a way of crawling back to you.

Author’s Note: In this fic Anton and The Sons of Earth were caught before the wedding. Also this story will contain flashbacks that will be in italics.

Pairing: Liam x MC (Mia Bhatt), Platonic!Colt x MC, Past!Logan x MC

Word Count: 4,132

Taglist: @flowerpowell, @dcbbw , @texaskitten30, @kingliam2019 @hopefulmoonobject​ @lovehugsandcandy @los-cafeteros @desireepow-1986​ @lovemychoices​, @kimmiedoo5

Catch Up: Masterlist

Jason whipped his head around just in time to see Kaneko waltz out from behind the pile of metal. 

“Hello, Jason,” Kaneko said, marvelling at the shocked expression on The Brotherhood’s faces.

“What the hell is this?” Jason asked as the rest of the MPC walked out and surrounded them as well. 

“Payback,” Colt said with a smirk. 

Wallace was seething and he lunged in Mia’s direction. She froze for a split second, and before she could think, she ducked under his outstretched arms, throwing her leg out and kicking him in the shin. The man let out a loud groan, and Mia kicked him one more time in the crotch, smirking at the shocked expression on Colt’s face. However, her moment of victory was soon over because while everyone was distracted, they failed to notice the figure creeping up behind her. 

Mia let out a loud gasp as two strong arms wrapped around her waist. Her back collided with Jason’s hard chest as he held her tightly against him, giving her no room to move away. As if holding her so tight that she could barely breathe wasn’t enough, Mia felt the cold metal of a gun against her temple causing her blood to run cold.

“If you even think about trying anything, she’s dead,” he threatened, looking directly at Kaneko. 

Mia had been in dangerous situations before, but she had never expected to have a gun to her head. Sure, she had come face to face with the barrel of a gun during the assassination attempt, but that day Drake had managed to push her out of the way before anything had happened to her. But, if Jason decided to pull the trigger now, that would be it for her. She would be dead. 

She was faintly aware of the sound of police sirens filling the air and the FBI yelling for him to stand down and release her, but all she could focus on was Kaneko. 

“If you come any closer I’ll shoot!” Jason threatened, his voice dripping with malice.

Mia desperately tried to remember anything that Mara had taught her about self defense, but her mind seemed to be drawing a blank. The only thing she could seem to remember was that scene from Miss Congeniality where Sandra Bullock’s character said to remember to S.I.N.G.. But, surely that didn’t work in real life. Even if it did, it would be too dangerous to do it while he had a gun to her head. What if she elbowed him in the stomach, and he pulled the trigger accidentally? She needed to get him to lower the gun. 

“C’mon, Jason, you don’t want to kill me. That’ll just make things worse for you,” she said.

She could feel the gun shaking against her head as he hesitated momentarily at her words. However, after a second, his grip on her only tightened. 

“I told you I’d kill you if you tried anything. Besides, if I have to go to prison then my life’s already over, so I might as well go out with a bang,” he said, laughing at his own play on words.

Mia fought back a wince at his words, racking her brains for some other way to get him to stand down, or at least lower the gun to a place that a shot wouldn’t be lethal. 

“I’m a queen, Jason. Killing me won’t be like killing anyone else. My husband will make sure that you get the harshest punishment possible,” she said. 

She could feel Jason’s body tense up once again at her words, but he made no move to release her.

“You have a kid right? Was it a boy or a girl? Do you really want to risk the chance of never seeing them again? Because that’s what’ll happen if you kill me. You’ll be in jail for the rest of your life and that’s all they’ll remember you for. Killing someone. They’re bound to find out. My death would be all over the news. Do you think they would ever forgive you for that?”

Maybe she was pushing it, she wasn’t sure. She wasn’t trained in hostage negotiation, so for all she knew she was making things worse. But, she was trying. All the law enforcement agents continued to yell at him to back away, but she could tell that their words weren’t doing anything to dissuade him from shooting. 

Jason lowered the gun ever so slightly, and Mia saw her opportunity. She took a deep breath and before she could properly think over what she was doing, she brought her arm forward and swung it back hard, her elbow colliding with his stomach. She then immediately stomped on his foot before quickly ducking down as Jason let out a pained groan and the air filled with the loud bang of the gun going off. 

The FBI and L.A. cops closed in and handcuffed both Hester and Jason. Everything seemed to both freeze and happen too quickly in the next few moments as Mia looked up and noticed Detective Wheeler and another cop bent over the spot where Kaneko was just standing. She couldn’t even remember standing up and running over to them or having Colt join her. She could barely remember an ambulance arriving and paramedics loading Kaneko into the vehicle. She could barely remember Drake escorting her to the car and driving her to the hospital.

“Bhatt, are you okay?” Drake asked softly.

Kaneko had been rushed into emergency surgery and the crew had all gathered into the waiting room, desperate for an update on his condition.

“Apparently all I’m good for is getting the people I care about shot,” she said sarcastically, biting down on her bottom lip to keep from crying.

“It’s not your fault,” Drake tried to reassure, placing an arm comfortingly around her. “Shaw had a gun to your head. If he decided to shoot you would have been dead. You did what you had to do to survive.”

“Yeah and I got my dad shot in the process,” she shot back.

“This is going to sound extremely selfish of me, but better him than you,” Liam’s voice broke through their hushed conversation causing Mia’s head to shoot up. 

She immediately jumped out of her seat and launched herself into his outstretched arms.

“Are you alright, my love?” Liam asked, holding onto her for dear life.

“No. Liam, I swear if he dies because of me I’ll never forgive myself,” she said.

“Nothing’ll happen to him. It’s Pop. He survived his car exploding. He’ll survive this,” Colt said, a look of resolution on his face. “He’ll survive this and then we’ll all be free, and this’ll be over.”

  Mia exchanged a nervous look with Logan and the rest of the crew. Even now Colt refused to believe that Kaneko wasn’t invincible. However, instead of trying to dispute Kaneko’s mortality with her brother, she simply nodded her head solemnly and snuggled closer into Liam’s side, trying to hide her tears in his chest.

“Do you guys remember that time Toby tried to throw Kaneko a surprise birthday party?” Logan asked, breaking through the tense silence with a soft laugh.

Mia pulled her face away from Liam’s chest and offered him a small smile, moving over to sit down in one of the waiting room chairs and pulling Liam along with her.

“Yeah, and he almost burned down the garage trying to bake him a birthday cake,” Mia concluded, causing everyone to chuckle quietly.

“Do you remember the phase Pop went through where he would only play 80s music in the garage?” Colt asked, the ghost of a smile making its way onto his face. 

Mia remembered that time vividly. 

~~~

Mia angrily wiped at her eyes as she walked out of the breakroom and into the shop. Even at only ten years old, she always pushed herself to do her best in school. She had been naturally good at school anyway, but she knew how her father would react to her not doing well, so she pushed herself even harder still. It wasn’t because she wanted good grades, although she did, she needed good grades. 

The past few weeks had been rough. She had gotten the flu from Colt who had gotten it at school, and her school work had managed to fall on the back burner. Her mother didn’t mind it. Of course, she didn’t. Her ten year old daughter was fighting a fever and a whole horde of flu symptoms. If one or two tests grades dropped down in that time, it wasn’t that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.

However, things were completely different with her father. He had just finished chewing her out for making a B on a quiz, and she had sat there while he threw criticisms and obscenities at her for the past hour. Kaneko looked up from where he was bent over looking under the hood of a car and let out a soft sigh. Mia missed the conflicted look on his face before he moved over to where she was standing. He crouched down to her level and gave her a soft smile, reaching out and brushing her tears away.

“What can I do to see that beautiful smile again?” he asked softly. 

Mia shrugged her shoulders and wrapped her arms protectively around herself. As Kaneko looked at her sadly the sounds of Everybody Wants To Rule The World began to play from the small radio in the corner of the garage. He walked over and turned the music up before making his way back to her. Teppei grabbed her hands and began spinning her around, leading her in a playful and energetic dance. He scooped her up in his arms and spun the both of them around in time with the music, causing Mia to laugh happily and wrap her own arms around his neck tightly. 

“I wish you were my dad instead,” she said softly, resting her head on his shoulder. 

Kaneko squeezed her tightly for a moment, resisting the urge to tell her that he actually was.

~~~

“No way!” Logan exclaimed. 

“Pop didn’t dance!” Colt said, looking at her like she was crazy. 

“He did with me. It was only once, but I held onto that ever since,” Mia said, resting her head against Liam’s shoulder. 

The next few hours passed by excruciatingly slow. After about three cups of coffee and the crew telling a million stories about Kaneko, the doctor finally came out to give them an update.

“Your Majesty,” she said, properly acknowledging Liam and Mia despite the circumstances. “The bullet missed your father’s heart by just a few inches. When he was brought in, he was in critical condition. But the paramedics managed to get him here just in time. He’s still unconscious right now, but given time, he should make a full recovery.”

“Oh, thank god,” Mia gasped out, finally letting out a relieved breath and decompressing.

“When can we see him?” Colt asked.

 “I can take the three of you to see him now,” she responded kindly.

Mia, Liam, and Colt followed the doctor down the hospital halls silently. They were both still buzzing with nervous energy, but it wasn’t nearly as overpowering as it was before they knew about Kaneko’s condition. Mia paused momentarily as they rounded the corner and they saw two burly police officers standing guard in front of a private hospital room. She and Colt exchanged nervous looks but proceeded to follow the doctor into the same room anyway. Once inside, they were met with the sight of an unconscious Kaneko. Their eyes immediately shot down to where he was handcuffed to the bed.

“What the hell is going on?” Colt asked.

 Mia looked over to where Liam was giving the both of them a nervous and guilty look.

“This was part of the deal he made,” Liam said. “He traded his freedom for the crew’s.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Mia asked. “He said that everyone would be free as long as we helped them catch The Brotherhood.”

“The FBI wasn’t okay with all of you just getting off without any punishment. So, he offered his freedom for everyone else’s.”

“Why didn’t he say anything?” Mia asked.

“Because he knew it would upset the two of you,” Liam answered. “He asked me not to tell you.”

“Why would he do that?” Colt asked incredulously.

“For the two of you. For The Crew,” Liam said, walking over to where Mia was visibly upset. “I’m so sorry, but this was his decision.”

Mia sunk into his arms as she looked over to the sleeping Kaneko. However, as much as she wanted to stay in Liam’s arms where things always managed to seem okay, she pulled herself away and walked over to where Colt was staring down at his father in disbelief. She pulled him into her arms, and he held onto her tightly.

The next twenty four hours passed by with all of them waiting for Kaneko to finally wake up. Mia was getting stir crazy, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave the hospital. Liam kept trying to tell her to go back to the hotel to get some sleep, but she refused to leave Teppei’s side. When he finally opened his eyes, it took everything in her to keep from bombarding him with questions. Instead, she calmly made her way over to his side and took a hold of his hand.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

Kaneko blinked at her repeatedly, taking a few slow, labored breaths.

“Tired,” he answered, his voice hoarse. 

Mia grabbed the pitcher of water that was left on his bedside table and poured some into a small cup for him and helped pour it into his mouth. 

“Pop, why? Why did you do it?” Colt asked, approaching the bed and looking down at Kaneko sadly. 

Kaneko let out a strained sigh, and Mia perched herself onto the edge of the bed next to him. 

“Because, I have a daughter who I’ve made far too many mistakes with and a son that I’ve pushed away for too long. This was my chance to make things right. I can make sure that you live your lives free of the consequences my mistakes have caused,” he said. 

Mia fought back another set of tears and rested her head against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her tears falling onto the thin fabric of his hospital gown. 

Kaneko tried to wrap his arm around her, but his arm was roughly stopped by the metal handcuffs. The best he could do was wrap his hand around her arm in a comforting manner.

“Don’t apologize. This is how things are meant to be,” Kaneko said.

There was a soft knock on the hospital room door and Bastien entered, causing Mia to sit up and wipe her eyes.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Your Majesties. But there’s something you have to see,” Bastien said, giving them a sympathetic smile.  

Mia got up from her spot on the hospital bed and walked over to where Bastien was standing next to Liam and tapping on his phone. He held the screen out for them to see and a Cordonian newscast started playing. 

“...Queen Amelia’s father, Teppei Kaneko, was the leader of the infamous Mercy Park Crew, a gang of car thieves that operated in Los Angeles, California where Her Majesty was born. Our sources have informed us that Kaneko was involved with Anton Severus and the extremist group The Sons of Earth and may have been involved in the fire that burnt down Applewood Orchard.”

[thephantomofthe-internet]

Homeward Bound: Chapter 9

Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader, Billy Hargrove x Henderson!Reader

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13

Chapter Summary: Home coming meant finding old friends and remembering old pain...

Word Count: 5,332

Warnings: Swear, Pregnancy mention

Author’s Note: Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Fuck Christopher Columbus! He didn’t discover Canada but, you know, fuck ‘em.

Series Tag: @moonstruckhargrove @kurt-nightcrawler @baebee35 @supernatural-pants @thoughstofaredhead @bby-becca @fear-the-reaper115

Permanent Tag: @hotstuffhargrove @denimjacketkisses @hargrovesgoldilocks@casaharrington @lilmissperfectlyimperfect @hipsmcgee

She was still in her pyjamas, hair wrapped tightly first in rollers and them in a red silk scarf, pink bunny slippers on her feet. She looked royally pissed, but not intimidating in the slightest.

“Morning, mom.” You said, slipping in the door before she could give the whole neighbourhood a show.

“Where the hell have you been?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest, tapping her foot to an angry rhythm.

“Jenny Stein’s. I slept over.” You replied shortly, pulling off your shoes and dropping your purse by the door.

“Why didn’t you call?” she asked, not really caring about the answer. You were in the wrong and she wanted you to admit to it.

“Because I lost track of time. It’s not a big deal, I’m obviously not dead or missing.” You replied, matching her tone.

“I almost called the police.” She said, as though that information was going to affect you.

“Wouldn’t do you much good, Steve knew where I was the whole time, he would’ve just told you again and hung up.” You chuckled, turning and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’m fine, you knew I was fine, and if you were worried, you could’ve driven over to Jenny’s or sent Richard.” You said, turning on your heel and up the stairs before the petty argument could continue. 

Your mother had, despite leaving a powerless marriage, entered into a relationship with a huge power imbalance. It was not Richard’s fault, per say; he was a lovely, you certainly liked him and was more than happy to see them get together. But he was an old fashioned man and your mother loved to please. So, they fell into an old, sort of patriarchal relationship-despite being his secretary when they met, your mother stopped working and returned once again to the isolation of the home, where, without young children to care for, she was at odds with herself. Meanwhile, Richard worked long hours and was often away. This was fine when they weren’t married, because he’d call every night or even bring her along, but now she seemed to always be at home. He wasn’t cheating on her, lord he’d never hear the end of it if he dared to look at another woman, your mother had simply worn out her welcome with his associates. This left your mother constantly at odds and bored. So, she over dramatized little things like her adult daughter coming home later than expected.

You made a bee line for the bathroom, shutting out her incessant yelling up the stairs by turning on the water and letting it run warm as you changed. The second the water hit your skin, you let out a sigh. This was the best feeling you’d had in the last twenty-four hours. You let the water soothe your muscles and dampen your hair, rinsing off the sweat off your skin.

You always knew that the best place to hide from your problems was underwater. It worked well in two fold; one, the senses were almost always overwhelmed under water, making it hard to think, and two, even stillest pool was loud enough under its surface to muffle out the world. And so, when the world got too heavy or life bogged you down, you jumping into whatever water you could find and blocked it out until your mind was at ease enough to tackle a problem head on. It wasn’t exactly the best way to handle your problems, and you knew that, but at the end of the day, when life got hard, you still found yourself drawn to pools or rivers or oceans or simply your shallow bathtub, submerging your head and letting the sounds of life become as waterlogged as you intended to be.

From beyond the rush of the shower and the door, you heard the phone ring. You hoped it wasn’t Billy, not only would he ruin your whole plan, but you really didn’t want to see him again. It was all just too weird-it was like you stepped into a parallel universe in which you were at the centre. Maybe you had, Hawkins was just weird enough for that to be true. Either way, you didn’t like it. You hoped that he’d take the hint and move on, but you knew he wasn’t very good at catching onto things like hints. What he was good at, you weren’t sure anymore.

You knew you couldn’t spend all day hiding, so when your hair was significantly soaked, you turned off the water and rung your hair out, grabbing a towel and rushing to your room.

“Y/N!” you mother called, thoroughly annoyed and bitter, “You have a visitor!”

Your blood ran cold. “Just a second!” you called.

You didn’t want to go down there. He hadn’t, he wouldn’t. He had too much pride to just show up after been shafted. He was still at home, being an absolute weirdo. He didn’t remember where you lived.

Once you were dressed, wet hair pulled off your neck, you took a deep breath and opened the door. You peered over the railing, but no one was waiting downstairs by the door, whoever it was had gone into the sitting room with your mother. That was a good sign-Billy was not on good terms with your mother and she would never invite him into her sitting room, her own space not entered without care. Whoever it was had your mother’s approval. If it was just Steve, you’d probably scream before heading back upstairs to ignore your mother’s antics.

Your mother’s sitting room was different than the living room. The living room was a place of comfort, of relaxation and ease. The sitting room was a tense place where older family members met briefly, where family photos were taken, and the ‘nice’ things were kept. Normal, everyday living did not happen in that room. The furniture was expensive and floral patterned, the walls were lined in blush pink fleur de les wallpaper, the lamps were knockoff Tiffany and the glass panned cabinet was filled with wedding china, passed down from your great-grandmother. The whole place was a time capsule and you weren’t supposed to mess with the past. You walked in, already on eggshells.

Inside, your mother sat very carefully in the crocodile green armchair, passed down from your grandfather, worn and aged and musty-smelling. She was dressed now, purposely overdone, her lips painted hot pink. She looked stiff to you, which was worrisome.

You stepped deeper into the room, your eye catching the guest of the house. Your whole face broke into a smile.

“Nance!” you cried, drawing her attention and earning an equally big smile. She rose to her feet, a surprise second pregnancy already showing, her face glowing.

“Hey, Y/N.” she replied, opening her arms for a gentle hug, which you gladly accepted.

Nancy and you had not been fast friends when you returned to Hawkins back in high school. You two weren’t close in school before you left and then you returned, forced your way back into her circles and then did the unthinkable and shacked up with resident asshole Billy Hargrove, a criminal move in her eyes. She openly resented you, trying everything in her power to push you away. But once you were in, you refused to be pushed out and gotten rid of. You had to find out what was happening in Hawkins.

“How are you? Congratulations, by the way, I can’t believe you’re having another.” You said easily, releasing her.

“I’m alright, it’s still early so I’m still nauseous all the time, but I’m excited! I’m hoping for a boy this time.” She replied breezily, her hand coming instinctively to the bump.

“How is little Sybil?” you asked.

“She’s good! She’s with my mom right now. I swear my mother loves her more than I do sometimes.” She laughed. Karen Wheeler was a lot of things, but you rarely thought she was motherly. After three kids, she lost her identity completely and started chasing after her youth, leading to her affair with Billy Hargrove and, ultimately, her divorce. Both her and Ted still lived in Hawkins, a very awkward arrangement to say the least. Karen got the house and main custody of Mike and Holly and Ted got the car and a twenty-eight year old girlfriend, which boiled Karen’s blood more than anything else.

“Oh Karen must be loving that! Are you staying with her or Joyce? Or are you in the motel?” you asked giddily.

“With her, Joyce and Will aren’t coming in till next week; Will’s still got his graduation this week.” Nancy explained. You nodded, eyes slowly turning to your mother, who was watching you on baited breath for some sort of unexpected answer to be released.

“Nance, let’s go upstairs, alright, I wanna show you the book I’m editing for work.” You said. Nancy nodded, following you out of the room with a wave to your mother, already disappointed.

“She still trying to listen in on you?” Nancy whispered softly as you took the stairs. You nodded; rolling your eyes as you quickly looked behind to see if she was following you. She wasn’t, a surprise for her since she seemed to always butt in where she wasn’t wanted. She always took invitations one steps too far, often getting on the nerves of others. Now, she seemed to be giving you your space.

“So wait are you actually editing a novel up here? Is it yours?” Nancy asked, looking fondly around your old room.

You smiled “I am, but not mine. New mystery novel, it’s pretty okay.” You tried to keep the pride out of your voice. You weren’t really allowing yourself to talk about the book yet, especially with the people who inspired it. You wouldn’t want to hurt them or break ties over the stupid thing. Were you proud to have finished the thing? Of course, but hurting your friends and family wasn’t worth the eight thousand dollars you’d been promised in the deal.

“Oh cool! So the editing thing’s going well then?” Nancy asked, sitting down carefully on the edge of your bed.

“Yeah, they’ve still got me in the harlequin division, I most edit trashy romance novels and pulp mysteries. I also occasionally ghost write for some authors. They had me writing Sweet Valley High books for awhile.” You explained, subtly trying to adjust your papers to hide the loose novel on your desk and to keep them from catching her eye. Luckily for you, she wasn’t paying much attention to you.

“That’s fun, at least you’re writing. You do still want to write, right?” she asked.

You nodded “Yeah, I do I just…I don’t have the right story to tell right now.” You replied vaguely. “So, how’s the P.I. business? Any new bites?” you asked, changing the subject.

“We found that little girl Beverly in Pomona.” She said, frown lines creasing her forehead “But it didn’t do us much good. Turns out she’s eighteen and legally allowed to go wherever she wants, the aunt was just nuts.”

“Damn, did it hit the papers?” you asked worriedly.

Nancy nodded “Unfortunately, it did. And instead of asking for a statement, they just called us thieves and hacks, that didn’t help us much. We lost the Wanda Singh case because of it.” She explained, sighing softly.

“Is the ‘zine doing well at least, I got my copy last week it was pretty good.” You asked easily.

“Eh, I have no idea-Jonathan won’t let me read it. I’m surprised he’s got you on the mailing list. If you ask me, it’s all a bit pretentious.” She replied with a shallow shrug, shaking her head bitterly.

“Yeah, it’s more than a bit pretentious, but that’s Jonathan-he’s a music snob.” You replied, taking a seat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she chuckled softly.

 “Being an adult’s hard, isn’t it?” you asked glumly. Nancy nodded, resting her head on your shoulder.

“I don’t know…you’re doing okay…” she replied, trying to find a bright spot in all of it.

You chuckled, shaking your head “Oh yeah, it’s alright, as long as I’m not here…here I do stupid shit…” you replied.

Nancy sat up “What did you do?” she asked.

“I slept with Hargrove…” you admitted softly, looking away.

“You didn’t!” she cried. You simply nodded, not wanting to say it again. “Why? Why did you even see him? He’s an asshole!”

“I don’t know! I ran into him, I wanted an excuse to be out of the house for a couple hours and he offered and ugh I don’t know- I didn’t want to sleep with him! I just did!” you replied, stumbling through your answer, trying to find the logic in it all.

“Couldn’t you have just hung out with Dustin instead?” Nancy asked, bewildered.

“Hanging out with Dustin means hanging out with Steve, I can’t even escape him in my own home, mom’s had him over for dinner already and I’ve been home for forty-eight hours.” You replied bitter;y.

“Are you still mad at him?” Nancy asked,

“Yes and no…it depends on the time of day.” You said, rubbing your face.

“What does that mean?” Nancy replied, forcing you to look at her.

“It means that sometimes, when I see him, I hate him and want to disappear, and then other times it’s like I fall back into old behaviours and we talk and it’s not awful. And then I remember what he did and I hate him all over again.” You explained.

“Isn’t time to move on? I mean it’s been years!” Nancy replied rationally.

“Riddle me this, are you still mad that Ryan Carson dumped you at the spring fling ball in seventh grade?” you asked. Nancy blushed slightly as she looked away, nodding slightly. “Yeah, because he was your first real relationship. Well, Steve was my first love and he broke my heart. So I’m still a little mad.” You said easily.

“I mean; not to be that guy, but Steve’s better than Billy.” Nancy said with a laugh. You scoffed, making her laugh harder as she cried “He’s self aware!”

“Oh please, Steve’s ego is as big as his hair.” You replied with an eye roll.

“Yeah well, since you wanna talk like sitcom characters, Billy’s got a class ring but no class, at least Steve can be humbled. You can’t teach class.” Nancy replied.

“And for the record,” she added “Steve’s changed. I never thought I’d stay his friend after everything, but he has been the biggest help with my own journey to recovery, as lame as that sounds.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” You replied with a shrug. Nancy sighed, flopping down on the mattress. You followed suit, staring up at the ceiling with tired eyes.

“Is it weird for you? Being back?” you asked quietly, connecting dots on your popcorn ceiling.

Nancy sighed “Yeah…it gets easier though…this is your first time home…” she replied.

“I just…it hurts but it doesn’t…I wish it hurt more…” you said. Nancy nodded, unsure what to say. “I haven’t gone to see Mrs. Macpherson yet.” You admitted.

“Suzie’s graduating this year, right?” Nancy asked, turning to look at you.

“Yeah,” you chuckled “I tried to get Dustin to take her to prom. Didn’t want her to go alone. She didn’t , went with Tommy’s cousin.”

“Tommy H or Tommy R?” she asked.

“Tommy H.” you replied, earning a snort from Nancy. “Apparently he’s nicer than Tommy!” you reasoned with a laugh.

“Ugh, Carol invited me to their wedding…” Nancy groaned, rolling her eyes.

“Did you go?” you asked, wide eyed and hopeful; the story would be so good if she did.

“It hasn’t happened yet. I haven’t said yes or no, but Jonathan won’t go. Says it would be lying to pretend that we were all friends.” She replied.

“I’ll go with you! We’ll trash talk the whole thing.” You offered with a giddy smile. You would kill to see how everything turns out.

“I gotta consider how big I’m gonna be by the wedding dates. After four months I get less and less comfortable and I want to leave the house less and less.” She explained. You nodded, more than a little dejected. Nancy smirked “You know…Steve’s invited too…”

You scoffed “You’re worse than my mother…” you said, rolling your eyes.

Nancy tried her hardest to act innocent “I’m just saying!” she cried, raising her hands in defeat. You nodded, grimacing as you sucked your teeth. Nancy groaned, forcing herself off the mattress with great difficultly. You offered her a hand, lifted herself and you back into a seated upright position.

“Come on, crabby pants, let’s go egg the high school or something.” She said, pushing herself back onto her feet and out the door.

You and Nancy didn’t start out as friends. When your little clan moved to Hawkins, Nancy was already the queen bee of the year below you and you being a year older had no chance of ever befriending her; it would’ve been social suicide, especially if you failed to befriend her. So you found friendship in fellow weirdo Heather Macpherson and suffered at the bottom of the social pyramid, Carol and her cronies torturing you whenever possible. Then, you moved in with your dad in Chicago and while you kept up with Heather, Nancy wasn’t even a second thought.

And then, you returned to town in a cloud of smoke and cynicism and took over the only thing she had to prove herself beyond the pretty girl image.

Though she’d never admit it, Nancy needed this case. She needed it to feel better about herself. After Barb died, she needed to push herself away from the carefully crafted ‘fun’ girl image she’d created for herself. She needed to feel smart and powerful and important again. And she did-she spent two years being respected by small town law enforcement and seeking out government secrets and killing monsters with someone she believed was at her level. And then you came back and forced your way in.

When Heather died that summer, you jumped head first into the underworld of Hawkins, ignoring her every attempt to push you out, to ruin your chances of figuring it out before her. You were at the same level, but unlike her relationship with Jonathan, where she was the dominant mind and planner, you thought on your feet and, unlike her, you didn’t mind failing. So, you fought and fought and pushed away from each other.

You’d just returned from the labs, they’d believed your story; you were in line for the internship. This was how you were going to get the files on the other experiments. Screw Nancy’s plan, it would only get you arrested faster, or worse killed. This was the safer way-you’d have access to the files, you’d have direct access to the people who committed these crimes.

You parked in your mother’s driveway, popping open the door and sliding out. You felt incredibly fake-you had chosen to dress the way your mother insisted made you look mature and serious, aka like Nancy Wheeler, save for the silver Virgin Mary necklace around your neck. That was borrowed from Billy, a way to anchor yourself as you lied through your teeth to people you knew had killed innocents for being in the way. Quickly, you tucked the chain into your shirt, rushing up the stairs and unlocking the door. Your mother was on the phone with someone, talking too loudly and sitting on the counter like a teenager. You took this unforeseen opportunity to rush upstairs, excited for the chance to change out of the clothes that felt unfamiliar on your skin.

You opened the door to your room, finding Billy collapsed on your bed, tapping his foot to the music playing out of your headphones. You smiled at the sight; it was so rare to see him at peace in his environment, relaxed and calm and not thinking of his next three moves. You walked up to the bed, pressing a kiss to his forehead, smiling as his eyes fluttered open and he matched your grin.

“Hey baby…” you muttered, reaching around the back of your neck and unclasping the silver clasp, releasing the necklace from its secure place around your throat. “You look a little naked, and not in the fun way.” You said, handing him the chain, which he quickly put around his own neck, clasping it before you could even offer your help.

“Thanks…” he said, sitting up to smile at you and give you a proper kiss.

“How was your day? You find ways to hide out from your dad?” you asked, sitting next to him on the bed. For some unknown reason, Billy was very worried that if his father noticed him without the pendant, he’d get in trouble. You knew what trouble meant for him, so you were naturally apprehensive to the idea of asking, but Billy was more than eager to comply if he was rewarded thusly.

“Hid out up here all day. Got out before he left too. I would’ve gone to the library like you suggested, but it’s not my scene.” He replied with a shrug.

“So you just used up the battery in my walkman instead?” you asked cheekily, not really scolding him.

“Consider it half your payment.” He replied with a smirk. You chuckled, shaking your head. He always managed to bring things back around to him.

“So…what’re you doing tonight?” he asked, leaning into you.

“Why? Looking to cash in?” you replied with a smirk.

“Maybe…” he said, fluttering his dark lashes.

You chuckled “Well in that case I’m busy.” You said “But I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Kicking me out already? He asked with a pout. You nodded, pushing him towards the open window.

“Yep, I gotta make some calls. Gloat to Wheeler that I beat her ass, again.” You said. While he didn’t know about the mystery, Billy was more than excited to hear you’d beat someone, even in the lame smart way you had. He leaned down, swinging one leg over the sill and then another, landing easily on the roof.

“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were into her.” He said with a smirk, fantasies already running through his dirty mind.

“Yeah? I could say the same thing about you and Harrington.” The smirk dropped off his face as you slammed the window shut, waving your fingers at him before shutting the blinds. You had too much to do to worry at him and his stupid fantasy.

You listened for your mother’s shrill goodbye on the phone downstairs before picking up your landline and dialling the Wheeler’s number. Nancy picked up on the first ring.

“Wheeler house.” She said, with a bored tone.

“I’ve pretty much got the internship. They’re just doing a background check and with Hopper on my side, Amelia Kingsley will be interning at the remaining Chicago labs by next week.” You announced, a proud smile brightening your face.

“And how do you intend on explaining to your mother that you have an internship in another girl’s name in Chicago?” Nancy asked forcefully.

“I won’t have to-the Chicago Labs, as they’re calling them, are just a new group a little outside Hawkins. I won’t even have to commute.” You grinned.

Nancy groaned, shaking her head “This is a bigger risk than just breaking in. If they catch you stealing they’ll kill you before they call the police.” She warned.

“They won’t catch me. I’ve already got bugs inside, Heather’s taking the reins on that one.” You replied.

“Fine.” Nancy huffed “I’ll call Steve and tell him the break in’s off. You call Joyce and tell her to get El to give us any other numbers she can remember.”

You felt a small smirk pull at your lips “No, it’s fine, I’ll tell Steve, I was heading to the mall anyway, I need a few more smart cardigans for the office.” You said.

“Y/N, that’s not a good idea.” Nancy said quickly.

“And calling him at work is?” you replied, matching her speed.

Nancy sighed “Steve and Robin are so close to getting together, don’t ruin it by distracting him.” She said, practically begging.

“I’m not trying to distract him.” You replied innocently, already imagining your outfit options, trying to find the most flattering and revealing pairing.

“Yes you are. You have Billy; you’ve made it abundantly clear that you like him. So stay in your lane.” She said.

“I’m gonna tell Steve.” You replied and before she could reply, you dropped the receiver, pulling off your ugly peach pink cardigan and plain white shirt in favour of something made of mesh.

It wasn’t until the trial that you two became friends, mainly out of desperation. You two were alone in this trial-Robin hadn’t wanted to testify and with you and Nancy being the only girls over fourteen around to talk to, you had to talk to one another. Jonathan was an emotional wreck, full of obvious anxiety and shaky nausea that made him impossible to deal with, Billy and you weren’t on good terms, and while you loved Steve, you needed someone else. So you had to rely on Nancy, something you’d never done before, and while it was shaky at first, you grew to understand each other. You sat together, usually in silence, trying to understand how your lives had gotten to this point. Then, you found your common ground: mutual hatred, the thing that bonds us all.

Suddenly, and without warning, you were friends and united in the struggle of dealing with the opposing team whom you loathed so much. You even got her to admit that certain people on your own team were annoying and tiresome. You nearly died when she, after three tiny bottles of rum, admitted that she found Jonathan just as pretentious as everyone else did. Likewise, you dished on Billy with as much fervour as Nancy could handle. And she admitted that she didn’t hate Billy nearly as much as she pretended you, stating that Steve needed to be taken down a peg or so to let him grow up. You agreed, much to her surprise. Suddenly, you weren’t so much an enemy but an ally in the cause of repairing your lives.

You stayed allies long after the trial, much to your surprise. You never assumed people would stick around; time had proven that to not be true to your life. But Nancy stayed, in her own way. You each moved to different parts of the country; her to Denver, you to San Diego, but you wrote back and forth whenever you could. It was a nice relationship-it didn’t depend on equal attention, you wrote when you had time and so did she. Sometimes, you’d write more than her and other times the roles reversed. Either way, not entirely by your choice, you stayed thick as thieves, hell you’d even met her baby and were a part of the madcap Vegas wedding ceremony.

And now, you were lingering outside Hawkins High School, contemplating going inside, an idea that was beyond you.

 “I just wanna see if they put up anything about us.” Nancy reasoned, pulling you towards the door.

“And I just really don’t wanna go in there.” You replied, yanking your arm out of her grip “So you can go in there and I’ll wait out here, tell me if my message is still up on the bulletin board.”

You hadn’t paid much attention to the sound of cars on the street behind you, nor the sound of the horn blaring behind you. But you turned when someone yelled out behind you.

“Hey Henderson!” the voice cried out, setting your nerves on end and turning your sweat cold.

Billy.

He was sitting in the front seat of a beat up tow truck, emblazoned with the logo for Sherman’s shop. He looked…well he looked like a small town hick, everything he didn’t want to be back in the day.

You slowly turned, taking a deep breath and finding a tight smile. “Hey Billy…” you replied, waving awkwardly.

“What the hell are you doing here? Come on I’ll give you a ride!” he called, motioning you over. Nancy grabbed your arm, squeezing your skin tightly, save for one fingering tapping out Morse code; Don’t. Do. It.

“I can’t! I gotta handle a couple clerical things for Dustin! Maybe another time!” you called back, confidence beginning to fill your blood.

“What about tonight then?” he asked eagerly, eyes training over your frame like a tongue. You tried not to shiver with disgust.

“I’ve got plans!” you replied easily, not trying to resist Nancy’s pull towards the front door “See ya around, Hargrove!” you called, waving politely as he groaned and drove off.

The inside of the school was almost as warm as the outside; the school still hadn’t invested in central cooling and instead let their students swelter inside and out. It also hadn’t been updated since long before you started there. The paint was peeling, the locker doors dented and nearly falling off their hinges. The note you’d left on the large bulletin board when you graduated was still there, much to your excitement.

Don’t let them make you forget things for their benefit. Remember pain. Remember embarrassment. Remember Heather Macpherson.

You were so mad when you wrote that, filled with white hot sadness and burning, misplaced anger and passion. The clean cursive on thin white card paper was marked with pain and marked with heavy lines dug into the card, your hand to hard and shaky on the paper.

You smiled at the note, planning to steal it on your way out, collecting one of the missing pieces of your old life and taking it away from the crummy world you’d left it in. Before you’d take it, however, you’d show Dustin, out of pride.

Nancy returned with visitor passes on cheap lanyards, hers already strung around her neck. “Rhonda says hi.” She said, handing you the plastic pass, which you shoved into your back pocket.

“Rhonda’s still here?” you asked, giggling more than you should’ve.

Rhonda White had been assistant head secretary when you were in high school, a marriage obsessed woman with long, sharp red nails that often mimicked talons and brown lipstick that was permanently on her teeth. She was always smoking, always reading magazines instead of working, always cracking bubblegum, and always in a bad mood.

“Apparently, still as annoyed as ever.” Nancy chuckled, shaking her head.

“You see a ring?” you asked, craning to look into the big, supported glass window to catch a peak of her.

“Why? You wanna pop the question?” Nancy giggled, beginning down the hallway. You rolled your eyes, trailing behind her. “Since you’re curious, no I didn’t, at least not a wedding ring.”

You clicked your tongue, shaking your head “Poor thing, she just wanted it too much.” You said, a smirk pulling at your lips.

“You wanna get married?” Nancy asked, pausing to let you catch up with her intense strides.

You gasped, a hand coming your chest as you tried to hold back a smile “Nancy! But what would Jonathan say?” you replied, feigning astonishment.

Nancy rolled her eyes “I meant in general and you know it.” She replied.

“I-I don’t know,” you said, trying to regain your composure, stomach clenching it fits of giggles “I mean…if I found the right guy and blah blah blah.” You said.

“I mean, I get it and I don’t wanna sound like your mom, but it’s nice.” Nancy replied.

“I’m sure it is but I’m not even thirty, so like I’m not worried about it. You know, not everyone meets their soul mate at seventeen.” You said, rolling your eyes.

A heavy arm came around your shoulders, making you jump out of your skin. “I mean I don’t know, I think we could’ve been soul mates.”

[theneckmoleofwillbyers]

Control-Billy Hargrove

Summary: An imagine in which the reader is sulking after being dragged to yet another party by her best friend Nancy Wheeler. After hours of lounging on Tina’s couch, she is joined by the last person she’d expect to be sitting out of a party... One thing leads to another and he and the reader end up closer than they’d ever imagine they’d be. But can Billy allow himself to enjoy the reader’s company before he begins making excuses on why they shouldn’t be together?

Disclaimer: I DO NOT condone any of Billy’s behavior!! This imagine, like ALL imagines, is simply a work of fiction and is me thirsting after the GORGEOUS Dacre Montgomery!!

Warning(s): Soft! Billy, underage drinking, light smut (kissing and hand roaming), mentions of abuse and probably some cursing here and there.

A/N: This is a little something I wrote to break some writer’s block I’ve been having while writing part two of my previous imagine, History. Also, Steve and Nancy are still together and a few other details of the show have been tweaked to fit my imagine. Enjoy and don’t be afraid to leave any comments, complaints or feedback in general!! :-)

Word Count:  4.9k+

(Y/N)’s P.O.V.

Control… It was more than a feeling of power--it was something you needed to have in order to be okay with your surroundings--and right now, you didn’t have the slightest bit of it. You had always hated parties. Drunken fights, spilled drinks and the possibility of the police showing up to bust you were just a few things about them that you couldn’t stand.

Your best friend Nancy, however, was drawn to them like a moth to a flame. Unlike you, she was naturally popular and people seemed to gravitate toward her. She had perfect grades, a perfect figure and a perfectly innocent smile that made her irresistible to the rest of the population of Hawkins High School.

Secretly, you envied her in a way. Things came to her so easily and at times you felt as if you were on two completely different wavelengths. You wished you could go back to the early days, when the two of you were perfectly content spending your Friday nights sprawled out on the couch talking about boys and stuffing yourselves with various flavors of ice cream.

But you were juniors now, and Nancy’s infatuation with Steve Harrington didn’t just tear the two of you apart...It also tore you from your comfort zone, Nancy dragging you to any and all events that Steve and his pack of goons would be attending. Nancy and Steve stood with the rest of the popular group by the keg as you watched them from your spot on Tina’s couch. They really did make the perfect pair.

“Is this seat taken?” a gruff voice asked, pulling you from your thoughts and forcing you to meet its source. To your surprise, your eyes were met with no other than those of the infamous Billy Hargrove. “No go ahead.” you offered, scooting over just enough to allow for him to squeeze in between you and some passed out senior who’d made a bed for himself on the other end of the couch.

You didn’t know him well, all the information you’d gathered about him was either second hand or little things you’d picked up on: The girls he’d slept with, told to you by Carol on the days you had English together and she thought you were listening, the way he always slipped out of school around lunchtime, something you’d noticed on the days you did the same, and last but not least, the bruises on his upper back you’d seen when he stripped down for a fight at the last party you’d been to.

“Thanks.” The corners of his mouth turned up to allow for a small smile which you quickly returned. A few minutes passed between the two of you before you decided to break the silence. “So what is Billy Hargrove doing sitting down at a party?” you asked. “Don’t tell me, the title of ‘Keg King’ boring you already?” you added playfully, earning another smile from Billy along with a roll of his eyes. “No, just don’t really feel like getting trashed tonight.” he said honestly.

“Me neither.” you agreed, flashing him a glance at the water that filled the plastic walls of the red solo cup in your hands. “I don’t even like coming to these things.” you admitted, surprising yourself at how easy it was to open up to him. Here, of all places and with Billy Hargrove, of all people. “Don’t tell me, you’re a third wheel to the Harrington power couple?” He asked as he pointed a finger in the direction of Nancy and Steve.

“Is it that obvious?” You were a bit taken back at how he could so easily read you. Did everyone at school think of you this way? Some uncool third wheel to your popular best friend? “Maybe not to everyone, but I’ve seen you around.” he said cooly, adjusting himself in the space you shared. “Seen me around? Really?” you questioned. You had a hard time believing that you’d caught the eye of anyone, let alone the biggest partier in school.

“Of course. You’re not like everyone else here. Neither am I, that’s why I took notice.”  he explained. Another moment of silence went by and Billy passed the time by taking slow sips of whatever liquid he’d filled his own cup with. You couldn’t help but watch him as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes to finish his drink. You imagined what his lips would feel like if they just so happened to collide with yours and you wondered if his slight stubble would bother you in the process.

“Do you want to get out of here?” He tightened his grip around the plastic cup until it was completely compressed under the weight of his fist upon finishing his drink. “Haven’t you been drinking?” you asked. You wanted to leave the party, sure, but there was no way you were getting behind the wheel with someone you’d just watched bleed their cup dry. “Yeah actually. There’s this new drink called water.” Billy chuckled, tipping what was left of his cup to reveal a few clear drops of what was in it.

“Right.” You couldn’t help but blush at his comment but honestly, how could you have known that Billy hadn’t been drinking? Everything you’d seen of him tonight was completely out of character...He was talkative and sober and...nice. “Just let me find Nancy to tell her I’m leaving and then we can go.” you said, quickly throwing on your jean jacket over your the nice shirt Nancy had convinced you to wear.

“Right, wouldn’t want to leave without your parent’s permission.” Billy teased, his eyes raking you up and down as he took in your outfit. “Shut up.” you defended. Billy didn’t know you well enough to make comments like this, whether he thought he did or not. “No, no. If you need to check in then please, be my guest.” he added, pushing your buttons even more. “Actually,” you began, “Let’s just go before I change my mind.” You hurriedly made your way to the door, pushing past your drunk classmates as politely as possible to make room for both you and Billy.

“You can come in if you want,” you told him as he steered the Camaro into your driveway. The drive was awkward to say the least but even though Billy wasn’t the best of company, you still weren’t ready for tonight to end. It was odd, how comfortable you felt around someone who was practically a complete stranger. “Yeah, okay.” he mumbled, shoving his keys into his front pocket before following you to the door.

You were both speaking so casually but you could tell that Billy was just as nervous as you were. He watched you as you kicked off your shoes in the entryway and copied your actions. “Your parents aren’t home?” he asked curiously, stripping off his jean jacket just as you had done with yours. “No. They’re usually gone on the weekends for business.”

“What about yours?” Billy flashed you a look of confusion. “Your parents. Are they going to be worried if you’re not home soon?” you asked, clarifying what you meant while also trying to learn more about him. You hadn’t heard much about Billy’s family and other than a young redhead, you hadn’t seem much of them either. “No. They’re not the type to worry about me.” he said flatly.

“I’m sorry.” you offered, sitting down on the couch to face him. You knew exactly how he felt. “Business” was a word you told people to excuse the absence of your parents...The truth was that your parents would just randomly take off for weeks at a time, going on trips and mini vacations without you. It wasn’t like you had it bad though. What teenager could complain about having a huge house to themselves with a brand new car out front?

“I get it.” you said when he didn’t answer. “My parents have been gone for a week now and they won’t be home until Friday.” “I thought you said they were on a business trip?” Billy asked. How did he manage to be so concerned but yet so casual at the same time? “If business is code for going to Chicago to escape Hawkins and their only daughter, then yeah. Business.”

It was his turn to apologize for things that weren’t in any way his fault. “Right. Sorry.” Billy added this new information to an imaginary file in his head with your name on it. Like you, he was observant and also like you, he kept notes of things he had picked up on when watching others. He didn’t have much on you yet…

The way you rolled your eyes after a conversation with Carol in English class, how you and Nancy Wheeler were always attached at the hip and how every once in a while he would find himself following you out of the school parking lot when you ditched during lunch… These were the few details that made up your “file��. He had a feeling that after tonight, though,  he’d know a lot more about you. And so far, he was right.

“You wanna know what I think?” Billy’s tone switched from apologetic to flirty and you were sure you knew where he was going with this. “I think I do.” Slowly you began to scoot closer to him, filling the space between you until the only thing that stood in the way of him was the arm of the couch. Billy reached down and rested his hand on your jaw, his thumb tracing your bottom lip lightly.

“I think that you and I have a lot in common.” he stated, his eyes never leaving yours. “You wanna know what I think?” It was your turn to confess. “What’s that?” he asked, his thumb continuing its soothing rhythm. “You’re not as bad as people say you are.” you hummed. By now you were closer to him than you’d ever been and you could feel his warm breath on your face.

Without thinking, you sat up and pressed your lips to his. At first there was hesitation, but once Billy settled into the kiss there was nothing but passion. Your lips began to move in perfect sync and your hands reached up to tangle themselves in his curls as his worked their way from your jaw to your chest to your hips.

“(Y/N).” Billy moaned, breaking the kiss to give you both a chance to catch your breath. Kissing him was nothing like you’d imagined. It was much, much better. He licked his lips before colliding them with yours once more and his scent filled your lungs. Billy was like a mix of mint, cheap cologne and cigarette smoke, a combination that was so intoxicating you couldn’t bring yourself to pull away from him.

But it didn’t stop him from pulling away from you. “What’s wrong?” Your voice was nothing more than a whispered pant and Billy’s sounded similar. “As much as I’d love to do...this right here, I just-” His staggered breaths made it easy for you to interrupt him. “Bed.” you suggested, pushing Billy by his chest to allow you to lead him upstairs. “Come on!” you exclaimed, Billy hot on your heels.

Billy’s P.O.V.

He’d eyed her for weeks now. (Y/N) (Y/L/N). He said her name so often that it rolled off his tongue easier than his own. It would slip through the space between his lips and a lit cigarette in his mouth and it would come out as less than a whisper while he was sleeping. He did everything in his power to be around her--to observe her--but it still wasn’t enough. Tommy ran out of information on her quickly but Billy had found a new source, (Y/N)’s best friend, Nancy Wheeler.

He knew it was wrong of him to take advantage of Nancy but he couldn’t help it. Every party that she and (Y/N) went to, Billy was just around the corner, handing Nancy enough drinks to get her giggling and gossiping. He had a specific routine: He would get into a fight or start a drinking contest, any distraction big enough to get Steve off of her back, and then he would swoop in and begin his interrogation. Tonight was no different…

“So where’s (Y/N) tonight?” Billy asked, hot on Nancy’s heels. Nancy returned his question with a small smirk before covering her mouth with the red solo cup in her hands. “Why are you always asking me about (Y/N)?” she whined before taking a few more swigs of her drink. “(Y/N) this, (Y/N) that.” She continued.

His eyes met hers and he racked his brain for some kind of story to spin her. “Well, I uh...We’re working on a project together in English. It’s not a big deal but it’s due on Monday so I just wanted to talk to her, that’s all.” he lied, his gaze circling the room for a moment before he faced her again. “Mhmm. English project. Every single weekend...How strange.” Nancy hummed, her voice just barely being caught by him above the loud music. “Look if you’re not going to tell me where she is then I-” Billy’s speech was cut short by Nancy pointing a finger in (Y/N)’s direction. With a huff and a quick thank you, he was off.

(Y/N) was awkwardly sandwiched between a passed out guy Billy couldn’t remember the name of and the arm of the couch but she stood out in the top she was wearing. If his thoughts were correct, Nancy forced her to wear it tonight. He made his way over to her slowly but confidently. “Is this seat taken?” he asked in the most nonchalant voice he could muster.

Shock was illuminating from her features as she answered him with a small smile. “No go ahead.” It was a tight squeeze but Billy allowed himself to soak up her scent and it seemed to ease his nerves a bit, a smile forming on his face as he thanked her. “So what is Billy Hargrove doing sitting down at a party?” she asked jokingly but before he could answer, she was busting his chops again. “Don’t tell me, the title of ‘Keg King’ boring you already?”

He thought of different ways he could answer her. He could have said something cheesy like “I just wanted to see you.” He could have went with a more subtle approach and said something like “Just waiting to see what happens.” He could have said something he thought would piss her off, something to hint his intentions, or something to get her home with him quicker. Instead, he just told the truth.

“No, just don’t really feel like getting trashed tonight.” he said. She let out a sigh and he assumed that she too was going with the truthful approach. “Me neither.” (Y/N) agreed. “I don’t even like coming to these things.” she added. But Billy already knew that. He already knew lots of things about her. But he wanted to know more...

As they exchanged more and more small talk, his eyes began to fall back onto her lips and his mind began to wonder. Billy paid special attention to the way (Y/N)’s mouth adjusted to each word she spoke and how she used her hands while she talked. He thought of kissing her and how her lips would feel on his. He thought of how her hands would feel on his body and how his nails would feel if they were raking down his back.

He thought until he wasn’t quite thinking at all, causing him to ask something he never thought he’d have the courage to ask. “Do you want to get out of here?” The second the words left his mouth he was wishing he had more to take them back...until (Y/N) agreed.

“And turn left here.” (Y/N) instructed softly. The radio was low and moonlight was dancing on her perfect skin. Billy couldn’t help but to glance over at her every once in a while. “What?” she asked when she caught him for the third time. “Nothing I was just...Nothing.” “Whatever you say Keg King.” she giggled, bringing a peach flush to his cheeks. Damn was she good at that.

The rest of the car ride went by quickly and as he pulled into her driveway, Billy silently scolded himself for not making more conversation. He was finally alone with her and here he was wasting time. He was about to muster up a goodbye before she surprised him again. “You can come in if you want.”

With a small smile, he followed her inside, watching her carefully as she stripped herself of her shoes and her jacket. Billy copied her actions and made himself comfortable on the couch. They exchanged small talk and he added a few more things about her to his collection. One thing led to another and soon she was draped around him, her hands going crazy in his curls.

Kissing her was just like he’d dreamed. Better even. (Y/N)’s lips started a rhythm that his soon followed and he followed instinct, adjusting himself so that he was on top of her. So that he was in control. He set a new pace and she followed his lead, drawing her name from his lips over and over again until he needed a moment to catch his breath.

“What’s wrong?” she asked after he’d broken the kiss again. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her. Hell, she was all he ever wanted...but it was happening too fast even for him. He didn’t just want her like this, he wanted all of her and one late night wasn’t good enough of a guarantee. Stalling, Billy easily made up an excuse. “As much as I’d love to do...this right here, I just-” “Bed.” (Y/N) interjected, pushing him from her chest and leading him upstairs.

As (Y/N) led him through the hallway, Billy was hit with a realization...He could never have her in the way that he wanted. They were just so different, he and (Y/N). His house didn’t have a restaurant sized kitchen, the hallways weren’t patterned with family portraits, and he didn’t have a brand new car parked out in the garage. 

He was just Billy Hargrove. Someone who would never be anything or anyone and someone with enough baggage for a crowd of people. So he was going to do the only thing he knew how to do...The only thing he was good at...He was going to ruin this.

(Y/N)’s P.O.V.

“This is your room?” Billy’s voice was laced with awe as he paced around, his hands wandering to various knick knacks of yours as he took everything in. “What’s wrong with it?” you giggled in response to his tone, peeling your shirt from your torso as you moved closer to his spot by your dresser. “Nothing’s wrong except for the fact that mine could fit in here like three times.” he muttered.

“Okay and? I thought you knew everything about me Hargrove.” you challenged before attacking the nape of his neck with sloppy kisses. “I guess I thought I did.” Billy surprised you with his words and your focus switched from his neck to his face, your eyes meeting his disappointed gaze. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” you asked sharply. By now you were starting to get annoyed with his words.

The night had been going so smoothly and just as quickly as things had gotten heated between the two of you, they were cooling down. Seconds ago Billy had you half naked and in his arms wanting more of him and now you were staring up at him in disbelief, your arms crossed over your chest tightly in an effort to cover your exposed bra.

“It means that you’re the last person who should be moping around at a party.” he said plainly. “And why’s that exactly? Living in a big house makes you exempt from having problems?” you fired back at him. “Problems? Your life seems pretty perfect to me. No parents around to give you shit, no siblings to share everything with, no--” “Feelings?” you asked, cutting him off and shutting him up with one little word.

“I knew this was a bad idea.” he huffed, leaning himself against the wall, trying not to look at you. “So what was the plan then? You were going to take me home and then push me away?” you asked. You weren’t sure why Billy had taken an interest in you to begin with but now his motives seemed to be clear and only left you with a couple more questions. Was he going to take you home to see how far he’d get with you? What was making it so impossible to follow through?

“I thought we were the same but I was wrong. We’re from two completely different worlds.” He admitted and something clicked. “You know what Billy? If you hate me and my house so much why don’t you just leave?” you asked. You had no more fight in you and nothing more to say so you gave him a choice. “What if I don’t want to leave?” His eyes were pleading for a second chance but you were already replacing the shirt on your back. “Then the couch is yours I guess.” you said at barely a whisper.

He wanted to speak in this moment. To apologize and confess to you that he’d been analyzing every move of yours since the first time he saw you. He wanted to tell you that he noticed the way you rolled your eyes at Carol, that he noticed when you were absent from school and that he had done his best to “accidentally” run into you during your skipped lunches.

He wanted to tell you that he already knew about your parents...It was just a fraction of the information he’d  gotten out of your drunk best friend Nancy at various parties. Most importantly, however, he wanted to tell you that he purposely sat next to you on the couch tonight and how he didn’t drink because he knew you’d never get in the car with him if he did.

But instead, he just nodded and headed downstairs, leaving you to your own devices and thoughts. If Billy thought you were nothing more than a spoiled little brat why did he put himself through the trouble of taking you home tonight? Why did he follow you in and kiss you like no one ever had before? And why did he think he knew you better than you knew yourself?

“What an asshole.” you whispered to yourself, throwing yourself face first on your bed. You’d seen Billy act this way before but it was never directed at you. Billy was so sweet tonight. He said all the right things, did all the right things. How could he change so suddenly? And why did he change so suddenly? You were about to head to the kitchen before you remembered you’d let him take the couch.

You wanted to act like he wasn’t downstairs. You wanted to force yourself to sleep and hope that he would be gone by morning...but as you stared at the extra blankets folded at the foot of your bed, you knew what you had to do. “You’ve got this.” you whispered to your reflection in the mirror before heading downstairs, a pillow in one hand and a blanket in the other.

Billy’s P.O.V.

“What if I don’t want to leave?” This was his final plea to (Y/N). His eyes were tired and his voice was low. He didn’t have anymore fight in him and fighting was the last thing he wished they were doing right now. 

He knew what he was doing when he started it, though, and it was too late now to take back anything that he’d said. “Then the couch is yours I guess.” she whispered in reply.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Billy groaned as he descended the stairs from her room and entered the living room. Why was he so bad with feelings? He wanted to march back up there and tell her how he really felt but instead, he obeyed her wishes and made himself comfortable. Or tried to, at least. The humming of the heater mixed with the voice of his conscious was making it impossible to fall asleep.

Standing up, he slipped his shirt over his head. “Much better.” he thought. But there was still something missing...he couldn’t let (Y/N) go to sleep angry with him. He had to apologize but he just didn’t know how. What was he going to say? 

“I’m sorry for picking a fight with you. It’s just, I had this whole idea of how things were going to go down between us but I let myself get in the way?” Not happening. Billy Hargrove was many things but he wasn’t a sap.

Sighing, he began to pace back and forth in front of the couch, muttering half-assed but honest apologies. He figured he looked like a lovesick moron but he also figured that trying was better than not. 

“I like you, (Y/N). I really, really like you okay?” he said aloud. “And I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” He was about to give up and throw himself back on the couch when a voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

“I forgive you.”

(Y/N)’s P.O.V.

Silently but quickly, you made your way down the stairs to the living room. The last thing you wanted was for Billy to catch you off guard with nothing to offer except incoherent babbling. You still didn’t know what you were going to say to him but you were thinking and that’s all that mattered.

You were just about to turn the corner when you heard his voice. “I like you, (Y/N). I really, really like you okay?” he said and you could tell from his voice that he was moving around, pacing probably. You’d seen him do this in the school hallway when he was being interrogated by the principal and at parties when he was trying to egg someone into a fight.

Adjusting yourself so that you were facing in his direction, you stayed quiet as you watched him continue. “And I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” His hands moved to his forehead and he sighed. Billy, in his shirtless and distressed state, was thinking of a way to make it up to you. Little did he know, he already had.

“I forgive you.” you said just loud enough for your voice to reach him. He was only about twenty feet away from you but he still felt miles away. Billy whipped his head around to face you, shock practically engraved into his features.

“(Y/N)!” he jumped. You could tell he was embarrassed but you were too shy to say anything in return. “I, uh, I was just…How long were you standing there?” he asked, his right hand moving to rub the back of his neck. You recognized this action as well.

“I just came down to bring you these.” you said nervously as you held up the pillow and blanket out to him, forcing the corners of your mouth to turn up into a small smile.

“I didn’t mean to sneak up on you or anything.” you half-apologized. You did feel bad for walking in on him but it was nice to finally know what he was feeling. And it was nice to know that he felt the same way that you did.

Billy made his way over to you slowly. He was eager to find out what you knew but he also longed to be closer to you. He mumbled a quick “Thanks.” before taking the items from your hands and laying them down on the couch. Running a hand through his hair, he chuckled nervously before turning back to you.

He didn’t say anything else. He didn’t have to. Instead, he just wrapped his arms around you, holding you tightly for a moment before pressing his lips to yours. Your hands moved from their spot around his neck to his chest and then back to his hair.

After a few more minutes of making out, you broke the kiss along with the silence. “I like you too.” you told him softly, not looking away from him for a second. 

“And you’re not sleeping on the couch tonight.” you said, earning a laugh from Billy before he followed you up to your bedroom for the second time in one night. You couldn’t help but think that even though this should have happened the first time, everything was perfect.

“Can I have a do-over?” he smiled, kissing you once more before laying you on the bed. “Of course you can.” Billy gazed around the room and looked at you with the biggest smile you’d ever seen on his perfect face. “This is your room?” he scoffed in a jokingly manner.

“What’s wrong with it?” you asked in the same tone as before, playing along with whatever game Billy had conjured up. “Nothing.” he smiled, laying you down on his back on the bed and motioning for you to come join him. “It’s perfect.” he added as you nuzzled into his chest.

Control… It was something both you and Billy had lost hold of tonight. It was also the first time neither of you worried about having it.

[corroded-cofffin]

Don’t Go, I Can’t Do This On My Own || Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Warnings: None, maybe angst?

I’m a messss anyway this is from a prompt from this list. It’s “Please, come with me.” I’ve been slowly working my way down this list. Most of them have been Steve so far lmao

You were dying to leave Hawkins as soon as possible. You hated your family and you hardly had any friends. It didn't bother you because you knew as soon as you could you'd leave the damn place.

Steve Harrington was the one person who made this hell hole tolerable and even now he was in a sad jerk mood because Nancy broke his heart or some shit. He wouldn’t talk much about it.

You hated that you were gonna add on to that hurt. So you shoved your acceptance letter to NYU in your binder and ignored it for the rest of the day.

“Let's go to Benny’s after school. I'll pay and you can vent or mope. Whatever.” It had been two weeks since whatever the hell he had been doing at the Byers and he still wouldn't tell you what happened.

It had been a week since Nancy and Jonathan started holding hands in the halls and kissing when they thought no one was noticing. (Its high school someone is bound to see and spread that gossip like wildfire.) Billy had kept on teasing Steve relentlessly, though this was the least of Steve's worries, and you had to tell him you were leaving soon.

All in all things weren't great for Steve, he agreed to go to Benny’s with you though.

After school he drove you over there listening to a sad mixtape you assumed he made himself.

He put on a front for the kids and Nancy. Said it didn't bother him.

When you got to Benny’s you began talking to him like normal.

“So I saw Mike Wheeler with some new girl? She have anything to do with your adventure you refuse to tell me about?” you still tried to pry info out of him.

“You know I don't want to talk about that. I will eventually just not now. It's like everything is happening so fast I haven't had time to wrap my head around anything.” that was the most he spoke on the situation and you understood to an extent.

“I can't believe Nancy and Jonathan like...it hasn't been long enough and I feel like Nancy was with you long enough to tell when you're lying about your emotions. What is even up with her?” You just wanted him to let some of it out, he was going to explode if he kept it in, and the only way to get him to talk is to put some pressure on him.

“Leave Nancy alone it isn't her fault.” You ignored him.

“Isn't it though? She strung you along. All that time. For what? Nancy was my friend too. I'm allowed to be appalled at her actions, which were wrong, even if you aren't.”

He sort of nodded in agreement. He started patting his pockets. “Forgot my wallet.”

“I said it was on me.” You answered and he smiled.

“I'm not gonna make you pay for me. I know you're trying to save up.” He knew you hated Hawkins, but you always talked about maybe doing some community college classes before moving on.

He didn't know your home life got worse. He didn't know that you couldn't wait to leave.

He excused himself and went to his car. You were mindlessly playing with the sleeve of your jacket when he came back looking pissed.

Your brows furrowed together, “What's wrong?” he silently slammed your letter on the table.

Your face felt hot as you noticed other customers looking towards you guys. He was making a scene.

“What the hell?” he said simply, but loudly.

Your voice was low, “Steve, please, can we talk about this...somewhere else?”

“Why?! You don't care about these people! Or this town! Or…” he took a deep breath as if he didn't want to say what he was going to say next, you were standing at this point, eyes searching his face, your hands twitching and aching to reach out to him. He finally finished his statement before walking out, “Or me.”

You were in shock. He really said that to you. You couldn't move even as you felt all eyes on you. Tears were forming. You swallowed harshly and willed them away.

Finally someone spoke, “Um, don't worry about the bill it's okay.” It was Benny and suddenly your embarrassment came back full force.

“I-I am so sorry.” You stammered out. You snatched the letter off the table before storming out of the diner.

Surprisingly Steve was still there. In his car, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white.

You walked over and peered into the window. “Steve...I have so much to say and yet I can think of anything.”

“I was gonna leave but then I thought how will she get home. Who is gonna take care of her?” he looked like he was about to cry and it broke your heart. “who's gonna take care of her in New York?” He swallowed and you felt tears threatening to form in your eyes as well. “Who's gonna take care of me?” he finished and finally looked at you.

“Steve…” you exhaled and steadied your breathing. “I-I don't want to leave you. You're the best part about this garbage town. You're the best part of my life.” You wished you were in the car speaking to him. You wanted this to go so differently.

“Then why?”

“You always knew I was going to leave.” You responded simply.

“I know-” he slammed his hand on the steering wheel. “Fuck.” he said he was crying now and it fucking tore your heart up. He cleared his throat. “I just thought I had more time. I thought I'd have time to convince you to stay.”

You were sad, mad, and a mixture of confused. Steve had been hiding things from you and had been pretty tore up over Nancy lately. He had been distant, you never thought Steve felt this strongly towards you.

“I'm getting in the car.” You said and quickly got in. You guys didn't look at each other and sat in silence for a while, both of you regaining your composure. “I hate it here. I hate the kids at school. I hate my aunt and uncle. They hate me. I hate the weird shit that no one will explain. Like the stuff with the Byers kid or why Barb went missing and suddenly her death is discovered. Things seem off here and I don't like it. I want to be happy and I know I won't be here.”

“Even if it was with me?” he asked finally looking over at you. He looked hopeful.

“I'm usually always happy with you, but I can't stay here. Steve, you were just moping over Nancy.”

“You… you're misunderstanding. Yeah, it was a little upsetting when her Jonathon decided to be more...public with their relationship, but I've had time to get over that stuff with her. It's all the other stuff I'm having trouble with.”

“Which you don't want to talk about.” You sighed. “I'm not saying you have to.”

“So, do you want to hear something embarrassing?” he suddenly changed his tone. You looked at him skeptically but nodded. He let out a large breath. ��“I'm sure you remember the Halloween party and what I told you about the bullshit speech?” you nodded again. “I ran into Nancy while...things were crazy and I told her to go with him, Jonathan, and she told me that I deserved to be happy too and I needed to talk to you.” You lifted an eyebrow. “I didn't ask her what it meant for a while. I asked her about a week ago and she laughed and called me an idiot, which was….hard for me, but she told me she had never felt like she could commit to me because I always loved you.”

Your heart stopped. Just from the story you knew he had feelings for Nancy, it was obvious, but maybe you could believe he had feelings for you. At least at one point.

“You still care about her.” You said and he nodded.

“But if she left I would get over it. It would be fine. If you leave I'll be devastated.” So maybe he did have stronger feelings than you thought.

“There's a solution to this.” You said and you saw hope in his eyes.

You sighed because you know he would never agree. “What is it?”

“Come with me.” his face fell and you began crying you couldn't hold your tears back anymore, “

.” You were almost begging but you couldn't help yourself.

“I...you know I can't do that to the kids.” You wanted to be selfish. You wanted to remind them they had parents and each other and Nancy and Jonathan and Hopper, but you didn't.

You just nodded and tried to stop crying but you couldn't. “I want to.” he said sounding helpless.

“I can't stay here, Steve.” You said with finality.

You both faced forward. He started the car and began driving.

“I know you can't stay here and as much as I want you to I guess I won't ask again. I won't have you resenting me over something as dumb as Hawkins. I'm sorry I can't go with you.”

But you can, you wanted to say. “I am too.” You said instead.

“Stay with me? Until you leave?” he said quietly.

“Like...at your parents house?”

“They're never home and when they are I can say you're just staying the night or whatever.”

You were shocked and your first instinct was to decline, but you thought about staying with him or with your aunt and uncle. He was definitely better company and it was only a month.

It also could make things more difficult for you two.

“Okay. Yeah.” Your mouth said before your brain could talk you out of it.

“Really?” he said excitedly.

“Yeah. Fuck it.” You said with a smile.

So you stayed with Steve Harrington for a month. His parents came home twice and didn't even mention you.

But you and Steve were getting closer and closer all the time, which you had thought impossible considering how close you two were before all this.

One night, a week until you were scheduled to leave, you guys were eating dinner and watching a movie.

“I'm going to miss this.” he said it absentmindedly.

You smiled at him, “me too.”

When you were done eating you guys snuggled on the couch, a thing that had been happening a lot, a thing you immensely enjoyed.

“Can I tell you something?” he said into your hair.

“Of course.” You responded instantly.

“I...want to tell you about what happened with everything.”

You almost gasped, but stopped yourself. “Okay, tell me whatever you're comfortable with.” You replied.

He told you everything. What happened with Will and Barb and what happened recently.

You immediately thought he was lying, but he was serious, and emotional. Your gut told you he wasn't. You sat up and looked at him.

“You've been keeping this to yourself all this time? No wonder you were such a mess. That's a large load for one person.” You responded.

“But it was all of us. We all dealt with it.”

“But they all have each other and the kids rely on you. There was no one to take care of you.” You frowned and wished he would have told you sooner. Your hands ran through his hair, an attempt to soothe him.

He smiled a little smile. “I survived just fine.”

But he was still sad. You could tell.

“You're incredible.” You replied simply unable to word what you wanted to say.

But that made him smile wider and he wrapped his arms around you.

“You're the incredible one.” he whispered and kissed your cheek.

You guys spent the rest of the night cuddling and fell asleep watching a movie.

The night before you were scheduled to leave you began freaking out a little. It was exciting and scary. When you noticed Steve leaning in the door jam watching you pack you felt sad.

“Fuck, I don't know what to say as usual.” You said throwing some clothes into a suitcase.

He laughed at you. “No goodbyes right now. I'm just trying to memorize every detail about you.” You rolled your eyes and ignored the blush you knew you were getting.

“I'll visit. As much as I hate this town I love you.” You said and your eyes grew wide as you realized what you said.

There goes your mouth again, not letting your brain catch up.

“You...love me?” you scoffed and rolled your eyes.

“We always say that to each other Steve.”

“But this was…” you finally glanced away and continued packing. “was it different?” he asked and you sighed.

“I guess, yeah.” You said not wanting to have this conversation.

“I love you, you know it took me quite some time to get used to the idea of falling in love again, especially with someone who won't be in the same state as me.”

And there it was, the whole reason you didn’t want to do this.

“I don't think we should go down this road.” You said still packing.

He grabbed your hands and you reluctantly looked at him. “We aren't. You're going to be too far away. I'm not suggesting we try to make this work.”

“Then why do this?”

“I need this last night with you. I needed to know.”

“But this is going to hurt you.”

“I'll survive.” He smiled at you and finally kissed you.

Your world seemed to fade away. You completely melted into the kiss, it was slow and tender, full of love you didn't even know was there. Your hands wrapped in his hair and his held your face. You felt the kiss lasted a lifetime.

He pulled away and you kept your eyes shut and attempted to steady your breathing. Your eyes finally fluttered open and Steve was just staring at you like you were the greatest thing in the world.

His thumb was stroking your cheek. You suddenly wanted to stay. Knew that you wouldn't.

“This is a mistake, Steve.”

“I need this night with you.” he responded and that was enough for you.

You guys kissed and cuddled all night, talking through the night. You were going to be exhausted tomorrow but it was worth it.

When it was getting into the early hours of the morning he got a little more serious.

“I think if you stayed, and this is just a scenario, we'd have a little two bedroom house, and we'd do game nights or movie nights with the kids and Nancy and Jonathan. You'd become a novelist, and I'm going to school to become a nurse-” You shot him a look he hadn't told you he wanted to do that. He looked slightly embarrassed, “Yeah, it's something I've been thinking about for a while. I want to help people and not like Hopper does or anything I've done enough of that.”

You smiled at him, “Okay finish your story.” You desperately wanted to hear the end of his fairy tale.

He chuckled. “After we got steady on our feet with jobs and had a nice amount of savings we'd plan our wedding. It would be a small thing but I think you'd want something elegant, just seems so you.” You rolled your eyes. “Maybe we'd have kids but who knows.” he stopped there.

When he started you loved hearing it and towards the end...your heart sank. He had put a lot of thought into this. Into a life you could have had together.

“Do you want to hear the scenario if you come with me?” You asked and he nodded. “at first we get a small studio while I finish school. Unfortunately we're both going to be working shitty jobs to pay our bills, but after I graduate I'll get a better steadier job with pretty good pay. You could also go to school to be a nurse and start that. When we saved enough we find a nicer apartment or maybe a small house. I kind of want a house so we can have a small garden. We'd get married in spring. Maybe have a kid, not several. We'd come and visit everyone here and if we had enough money fly them out to visit us. I'd be happy.” You finished finally.

You guys basically just made yourselves sad. It felt good to say though.

“I'll visit you as much as I can.” You said quietly.

“It's alright worry about your future. I'll be here.” You didn't know how to respond to that you just cuddled closer to him.

You fell asleep, got a couple hours then you were up and he was driving you to the airport. Your heart was pounding. You wanted to cry. You also wanted to clap with joy.

It was a conflicting time.

He got out and walked with you a bit.

“So here we are.” You nodded, unsure of what to say. He sighed. “Don't worry about me. I'll call you and you can visit. If I ever get steady income I can visit. I will visit.”

“But...are we together? What's going on?” you didn't want to ask but you did.

“I...don't think we should do that. I think we should just wait until we figure things out a bit more.” You nodded.

“I think so too, but I need you to know I love you.”

He smiled at you. “of course I know that. I love you too.” You guys shared a small kiss before you left to get on the plane.

You wanted to go back and beg him to come with you. He'd miss everyone but you guys would be happy.

You glanced back at him and he smiled and waved.

You returned it.

You couldn't be that selfish. You couldn't ask him to change his whole life because you couldn't deal with a shitty family in a shitty town.

So you turned around and left.

[iridelikeastarblog-blog]

What To Expect With An Exotic Car Rental

The growth of unique automotive leases within the United States is one of those curious artifacts of the recession. As soon as a very small niche market, exotic automobile rentals are now accessible from some of the larger rental firms, at the least in larger cities. Americans are discovering what the Europeans have known for a very long time: you do not have to spend a fortune on fine cars to drive one when it matters most.

The explanations for the growth in exotic automotive rentals are also rooted in the reality there are so many exotic automobile models from which to decide on. Earlier than Henry Ford's growth of the meeting line, that made it potential to assemble simple designs effectively and rapidly, all automobiles were hand-inbuilt small outlets, and solely the wealthy may afford them. As robotics, laptop-aided design, and just-in-time manufacturing methods now make it attainable to construct customized fashions and even distinctive vehicles on an assembly line, exotic cars will be constructed competitively, with excessive-quality components and skilled labor devoted to hand finishing.

Aside from the standard facet, a automotive is unique as a result of it's, like a race automotive or military car, designed for a slender range of particular functions. Whereas many exotics are now inside the worth vary of the middle class, it will possibly't be your only car, and presumably relegated to third or fourth automobile, or pushed off the finances totally. However, you still wish to drive one. Enter exotic car leases.

American tradition is so much a automobile culture that unique rentals make sense as simply another vacation indulgence, like going to a high quality restaurant or five-star resort or resort. What higher approach to tour the coast highway or the neighborhoods of the wealthy and well-known than in a sports automotive with the top down? Unique rentals can flip your vacation right into a fantasy journey. Even with out leaving residence, exotic automobile leases can add spice to a special day-anniversary, birthday, reunion, or just a weekend getaway to nowhere.

Unique automotive rentals are a substitute for the standard boxy fleet automobile when touring, however there are some important variations to consider. First, the rental agency won't just check your driving license-they will also examine your driving document. Many exotic automobile leases, besides being more expensive than the typical automotive, are additionally high-efficiency vehicles, with as much horsepower as an eighteen-wheeler. Not solely do they accelerate like a jet fighter catapulted from an plane carrier, they will shortly attain more than twice the posted freeway speed. Responsible drivers solely, please.

Sticker shock awaits the unprepared, as nicely. Unique automobile leases sometimes run at one p.c of the purchase value of the vehicle, per day. Since most sports activities vehicles and extremely-luxury sedans price more than $one hundred,000, the rental charges may be in extra of $1000 per day. However, if getting there's every little thing, the associated fee is comparable with other luxurious adventures, and offers an experience it's possible you'll cherish longer than reminiscences of different, more passive journeys. And, you're in the driver's seat.

I've been to Las Vegas several instances and I've by no means been disillusioned. It appears to get higher every time however this goes back to trying new things. One yr I had a convention and requested my greatest pal from highschool to affix me after the convention ended. We planned to hang out and talk concerning the "good ole days" however the one catch was that we might get an exotic car rental in Las Vegas.

I was type of excited however actually had no thought what to anticipate. I searched online, found an organization, called and asked a few questions and earlier than I knew it, I acquired a name that the automobile was waiting for me downstairs. It was a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder in beautiful Ithica Inexperienced (Neon for the color challenged) convertible. This was the very best time I've had in Vegas thus far and I'd extremely recommend it. So if you are available in the market for an exotic automotive rental in Las Vegas then consider the next:

Take a look at the competition

Several cities have unique rental car firms however Las Vegas is probably dwelling to more than any other since it's the "Grownup Disney World" the place hundreds of thrill seekers come to dwell it up and spend all of it. Well they may not intend to spend it all but how do you think they built the Bellagio? With stiff competition on your hard-earned dollars usually comes a greater deal for the exotic automobile fanatic. With a number of phone calls and net browsing you'll discover that some offer a deal on a select few cars whereas others provide a discount if rented throughout sure hours.

Others will pull you in by providing an hourly rate as a substitute of a day by day fee. When a automotive can lease for $one thousand to $2800 for 24 hours then maybe simply 5 hours will do! You may additionally be surprised to find that you may save a number of hundred dollars on some automobiles just by choosing a distinct firm. Similar car, similar horsepower, cheaper price...go determine. I love competition!

Read the fine print

For any exotic car rental in Las Vegas there's a mileage cap. That is meant to keep the miles low and therefore the maintenance price low...or lower since they are never "low". The mileage cap ranges from 50 miles a day to Ferrari Limo a hundred and fifty miles per day. Every mile driven above the restrict will value you from $1 to $three.50 for EVERY MILE! So do not assume you will drive to Los Angeles and again without laying down some serious cash!

You will also run into a cancellation policy. Some are more lenient that others so for those who suppose you might need to cancel, find out their coverage. Some will charge you the whole rental charge while others will stick to $500. Big distinction so check it out. Since the coverage will reference 48 hours or 72 hours previous to the rental time, it's best to know what time is considered your rental time so that there isn't a argument over the timing.

Insurance coverage, wrecks and different fun details...

Sure it's best to call and tell your insurance coverage company that you are planning on finding an exotic automobile rental in Las Vegas and taking an off-the-cuff spin. The entire Exotic Leases require that you just carry auto insurance coverage and can verify it. However they will not verify that your insurance coverage is enough. I referred to as mine and I have a comprehensive protection. If I wreck a $450,000 Lamborghini Murcielago and it prices $300,000 to repair, they will restore it after I pay my deductible.

If I run into another Murcielago (what are the chances.oh, I forgot, in Las Vegas, it is truly a pretty good chance!) and it is my fault, they will solely pay up to $one hundred,000 and the remainder is on me. Not more likely to occur but verify your own risk-meter and ask the rental about supplemental insurance if they offer it.

Also, the rental company may come after you for "incidental claims" similar to misplaced earnings. If you repair their automotive and it takes 2 weeks then they've misplaced out on 2 weeks of earnings from that automotive. That value will not be coated by your coverage almost certainly. If you're in any respect concerned about a few of these issues, ask if they've a supplemental policy or ask your provider if they are going to present a short lived addition to your coverage. It doesn't harm to ask.

Have you ever looked longingly at a Ferrari or Maserati sitting beside you at a stop mild? Did you watch with envy because it nimbly disappeared into the gap as you coaxed your sensible family transport to blend in with the rest of the "practical" cars in the traffic? Maybe it's time to experience life on the other aspect of the tail lights with an unique car rental.

Maybe you're out of city on enterprise and just don't feel yourself behind the wheel of a Grand Cherokee. You're already lacking your Hummer, again home at the airport parking zone. It is advisable find an exotic car rental company.

For that big day, the proposal, the big grand opening, opening night at the theater-when solely arriving in a Porche will make the proper statement, you want an exotic automobile rental. After all, you've got bought the ring, you've got rented the tux, why not hire your journey to match?

For those who've ever taken a cruise or spent a weekend at an costly golf resort and thought you'd somewhat be doing something else, like winding alongside coast or mountain highways with the throbbing sensation of power and very good handling that only a effective sports automobile can deliver, you need an unique car rental. And it will not price any greater than that trip you did not enjoy nearly as a lot.

Most main cities have unique car rental businesses with a variety of makes and fashions, however dealers in smaller cities may have demonstrators for hire. The each day rental charges average about one percent of the sticker value on the car, per day, about what you'll pay for a luxury hotel room or a stateroom on a cruise. Of course, the provision of an exotic automobile rental depends upon your age and driving document, to a good better extent than with a typical automobile rental, and the insurance coverages will be much increased.

The distinction between a luxurious automotive and an unique automobile is considerably a matter of style: luxurious vehicles are made for comfort and dependability in addition to power. Exotic cars are constructed for performance-velocity and handling, or, just like the Hummer, the flexibility to go virtually anywhere on or off street, in model. Your exotic car rental is not going to only outperform everything under its class on the road, but the identical consideration to element in the engineering and development extends to the equipment and appointments. If you happen to drive one at dwelling, why accept much less if you end up touring?

In case you are inquisitive about an unique automobile rental to satisfy a dream or simply to experience how the "other aspect" lives, be prepared for a surprise, or a steep learning curve. These vehicles are characterised by two issues: power and responsiveness. Most have in extra of 400 horsepower, for fast acceleration and excessive prime velocity, and the steering and suspension to keep controllable at high velocity. For an fulfilling experience, be sure your driving expertise are as much as the challenge, and drive responsibly.

Exotic automotive leases could be within the form of driving particular vehicles like sports automotive or restricted version cars. You would possibly marvel why individuals go for this selection when considering of a car to rent for a trip. If you're planning to hire a automotive for vacation or for a leisure trip then getting exotic car leases generally is a very good possibility. Here are a few of the prime the reason why it is best to take into account renting an unique car in your subsequent journey.

You just wish to have the texture of an exotic automotive in your control.

You might have by no means driven an unique or particular automotive earlier than. You might have all the time been on the safe and practical facet of issues so driving one is extremely special for you. Not only will you have got the prospect of using an exotic automobile but additionally, you will have the chance to drive it. You will have the full management even with unique automobile rentals.

You wish to have the perfect vacation and a special car suits in the picture.

You will have deliberate for this trip a very long time. You will have even saved a superb sum of money just to make it the right once in a lifetime trip. Now, you wish to complete the picture of perfection by driving the automobile of your dreams. You may easily realize that with exotic car rentals offered by the bigger vehicle hire agencies.

You wish to impress somebody with an exotic automobile rent.

You are going somewhere with someone particular and also you want to give her the perfect. You're going on a honeymoon journey or you are out to have fun an anniversary the terrific method. You possibly can easily impress your accomplice for those who purchase an unique or particular automobile in your trip. Not solely will this show you as a gallant man however it will possibly also make your romantic journey higher as you get type, consolation and class rolled into one.

You need to strive driving an elegant car one that's far from your normal automotive.

You may have at all times pushed a sedan. You have got at all times found it fairly practical as you only use it to go about your day by day tasks. You use it to get to and from work; you drive it to take the family around the metropolis; and also you drive a really practical automobile for the most mundane causes. Now, you wish to experience driving a particular automobile, be it a sports activities or an unique one. With exotic automotive leases, you may understand that dream by simply paying a very cheap rental fee.