#sorry if this is absolutely incoherent | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

maybetorbie · 3 days ago

Text

one look at you and I can't disguise

6.9k words (yeah...) | warnings: Dark!Steve, implications of child abuse, implications of grooming, outdated language, yes there is also fluff! | nothing explicit, but I would suggest that you read with the precautions in mind. Set sometime in season 2.

Summary: Billy and Max moved into Hawkins that one summer, not realizing that Steve has made it his personal mission to make Billy his.

Or, 5 times Steve is a jealous, stalking, obsessive creep, and the 1 time Billy is somewhat endorsing it.

For @harringrovewinterbingo prompt fill, Jealous Steve

Billy Hargrove and his half-sister Max were the new kids in town three months ago. Hawkins embraced the "cool kids" persona they threw out as a facade into the world, accepting both of them into their ranks easily, without caring what that facade might be hiding.

Unfortunately for the unaware Billy, he attracted the covert attention of the currently-reigning king of high school Steve Harrington, which is good, right? staying on the popular kids' good side means he'll be left alone, just like he wanted, right?

It was a hot, sunny afternoon. Spring break is near, but the heat is suffocating. Billy is surveying the hardware store for a new lock, as his current one is busted down to shrapnels by his good-for-nothing, oftentimes abusive, pathetic excuse of a father, who didn't even need a reasonable excuse to use Billy as a punching bag. This time, he got lucky that it was only his lock that got torn to pieces and not his eye socket. He mindlessly looks through the options, not paying attention to his surroundings.

"A bit hot to be wearing leather, isn't it?" A voice calls out to Billy, surprising him. Luckily, Billy isn't the kind of guy that reacts like a pansy-ass little boy when taken for a surprise!

Instead, he turns around coolly, appraising the source of the voice. "Harrington. What's it to ya?"

Steve smiles at him easily, slowly leaning against the wall, barring Billy from walking past him in a practised, effortless manner that he's probably done thousands of times before. "Wouldn't want you to catch a fever in this weather, y'know? We need you for basketball practice after all,"

Billy raises an eyebrow at the sentiment. 'How fucking magnanimous of you, your majesty,' he thinks to himself.

This has been happening for some time, too, since he first arrived at this shithole of a town. Billy goes to the arcade to look for Max, and then he finds Steve, sitting on the steps outside the place, giving him a smile, greeting him like he was just passing by. Billy thought nothing of it then, really.

Billy went grocery shopping with his reluctant kid sister on the weekend... again he finds Steve, sitting on the bench at the cafeteria, waving at him with that obnoxious smile, trapping Billy for useless small talk. Okay, it's a small town. Maybe they just happened to be at the same place at the same time a couple times, no big deal.

But it happened again, and again, and again. Outside of school, Billy feels like he's always got that certain fucking guy somewhere, ready to trap him into meaningless conversation, always standing just a little too close for comfort in front of Billy, as if they're lovers having an intimate conversation.

But they're not.

They're guys. Billy isn't into guys. And neither is Steve. The king of Hawkins High is dating Nancy Wheeler, and they seem to be a cute pair.

So why is it, that outside of school, this fucking royalty is always gonna run into Billy?

"Nothing to do with you, Harrington. I'm just getting stuff here. What's your fucking deal, huh? You following me or something?" Billy manages to reply with some semblance of defiance and his signature Tough Guy Gruff Countenance, but he can't help it if slight trepidation is to be felt at the back end of his sentence.

Steve shakes his head with a small smile, one of the loose strand of his hair falling into the middle of his forehead. He immediately fixes it, running a hand through his hair upwards. He fixes Billy a look. "Why'd you think that? It's a small town, y'know." He glances at the sealed product Billy's holding in his hand, then back at the blond. "New lock? Moving out?"

Billy, at this point, isn't even sure what the point of their talk is anymore. And he doesn't really want to give out more than he needs to. "Just... looking at options."

Steve doesn't reply. He takes the same one Billy has and places it into the basket he's holding. "You're right. Crime rates increasing and shit? Better safe than sorry."

He gives Billy one last glance, walking away from their encounter.

Billy watches him leave, miffed.

Steve steps into the car, where Nancy is waiting shotgun.

"You gotta stop scaring the guy," She mutters as he closes his side of the door without looking at him. "I get that he's your new obsession or whatever... just because you're into girls and guys, doesn't mean you should be falling for the first guy that walks into town,"

Steve chortles in amusement. "It's not that, Nance. I think he's cute. I think the whole tough guy act is bullshit, and I wanna know what he's hiding."

"We're hiding the Upside Down from the whole town," Nancy offers in confusion. "Isn't that a bigger secret than whatever the fuck Max's brother is hiding? Maybe he does drugs, I don't know?"

Steve shrugs. "I don't think it's that." He drives his beemer out of the store, merging into the easy traffic. "And that's what's driving me nuts."

Basketball practice was rough. Steve is having a particularly bad time. Everything was too much, going too fast, and he's just not having it. So naturally, he needs to cool off with a shower at the locker room, right?

Except for the fact that the asshole Tommy just walks in, lathering his own head with shampoo, and Steve can just tell from the unpleasant look on Tommy's face that he's about to say shit again.

"So, heard your girl's skipped town with that Byers guy, the weird one with the fag brother?"

and there it is. The opening line to Tommy's feature film Annoying Classmate #1.

Steve doesn't even bother giving him a look. He continues shampooing his head, trying to regulate his breathing. Tommy's not even right on the money. One, he and Nancy broke it off way before she even considered Jonathan cute. Two, he and Nancy, and Jonathan, are now on friendly terms, because of something of the supernatural kind terrorizing the town, which makes it kind of hard to be enemies with people you fought monsters with. Three, Tommy's an asshole, and there's a proper time and place to be one. Right now is not the time.

Steve is about to ignore him and move on with the day, but Billy Hargrove walks in to the communal shower, already in his birthday suit.

Billy walks in, positioning himself right next to Steve, who's only one Tommy Sentence away from pummeling the guy a la Lawrence of Arabia.

Billy thinks he's got it all figured out. He thinks to himself, that if he annoys Steve enough, the guy will stop giving him the creeps, because then he'll avoid Billy. So enter Billy into the conversation with the opener, "Hey, don't even worry about it, yeah?"

Steve gives him a look... while stealing a glance of what goes on down there. He doesn't say a word in reply, which encourages Billy to continue.

"Pretty boy like you got nothing to worry about, yeah?" Billy adds on to the sentiment, giving Steve's shoulder a squeeze, only now realizing that Steve is... pretty toned, with generous amount of freckles scattered across his torso... and beneath. Regardless of the observation he makes underneath the water stream, he continues, "Plenty of bitches in the sea,"

Steve fixes him a look. Something in his eyes shifts. "Yeah, I guess,"

Billy doesn't like what he's seeing. He's expecting annoyance. A hint of irritation. Being pummeled, even. But he doesn't understand what he's seeing, and he doesn't like it one bit. But what he doesn't like, isn't really the way to put it, as the blood from his brain is starting to rush down his body from the way Steve's staring at him, and he makes a point of leaving the shower, giving Steve one last aloof look before practically darting away from the scene.

Tommy watches the whole scene unfold, none the wiser.

Steve gazes at Billy leaving, his curiosity increasing tenfold, the awful time he's having slowly dissipating.

Late May.

Billy stuffs his shit into his locker, his face a gradient of the colors of the rainbow, with scattered blues along his jawline, some on the socket of his right eye. He makes no comment on it, people at school doesn't comment on it, though the general consensus says that he got into a fight last night, and he's now showing his battle scars. Such a badass.

He closes his locker door shut, and Steve is right behind it.

Billy is saved by the bruises on his face, making his facial expressions slower to show, giving him the grace to not look surprised at the way Steve just seem to appear out of thin air.

"What happened to you?" Steve asks in a slightly teasing way, but the hints of worry simmering underneath is audible, if only at the slightest decibel.

Billy thought that Steve would avoid him. It worked for the next few weeks after the shower talk, but then Steve wouldn't leave him alone, no matter how much Billy refuses to engage with him. He hates to admit it, but when they actually got into an actual conversation a couple times, he finds Steve extremely charming, pleasant, and he gets the idea of why Steve's the king of Hawkins High. But there's always that tug at the back of Billy's mind saying, 'this guy is bad news. Very bad news.'

"Got into a fight." Was the go-to that Billy chose. Everybody already thought it, might as well confirm it.

Steve looks skeptical. Not what Billy wanted to happen. "Yeah? Got you good, huh?"

"You should see the other guy," Billy quips with as much aloofness he can gather. It actually hurts like hell.

Steve gives him a placid grin. "Okay. You're a tough guy, you can handle yourself. So listen... your sister and a couple of her friends are gonna hang out at Hopper's place, the police chief; and they appoint me as their chaperone. You wanna come?"

Billy furrows his brows. "My sister seems to like hanging out with those fucking shitheads... and with you. What am I supposed to think about that, pretty boy?"

Steve is unfazed by the nickname. "That's why I'm asking you to come, Billy. See for yourself, and it'll all make sense."

"You know something, Harrington?" Billy steps closer into Steve's space, his nose barely an inch away from Steve's. "You give me the creeps. You and your baby friends."

Steve looks at him with the same aloofness Billy showed him earlier. "Then just come. We'll explain everything."

Billy backs off. "No. Fuck that. Whatever it is you fuckheads are doing, I don't wanna know. But if my sister got hurt because of you, I'll fucking gut you, okay?"

"Okay."

"You told him to come, right?" Nancy asks, handing out empty papers for the group of friends to write with, the sky darkening outside Hopper's place.

"I did." Steve nods, sitting at one of the dining table chairs strewn across the living room. "Guess he's a no-show."

Max sighs.

Steve uses this opportunity to ask, "So, Max... Billy told me he got a black eye from fighting a guy. But I don't think that was it,"

"No."

"It was your dad, wasn't it?"

Max's silence speaks volumes.

"Why?" Steve had to ask.

Max shrugs. "I don't know... that fucking guy loves using Billy as his punching bag. I know my brother's an asshole most of the time, but... I also know that he got the shit beaten out of him for me a lot of times, too, and... he just wouldn't admit it."

that was all Steve needed to hear.

A couple of days after that, Billy watches Neil come out of his car, slamming the door a little too rough, the familiar jolt in Billy's body telling him that tonight will be another night where he will need the bag of frozen peas.

Except that Neil didn't come into the house, instead he examines the rear end of his car while cursing up a storm.

Billy and Max watches from the window, glancing at each other uneasily.

"Someone rammed into his car or some shit?" Max asks a rhetorical question.

"Should've taken his life with it, too," Billy scoffs under his breath.

Max doesn't disagree with the sentiment.

Billy thinks nothing of it, going to bed. In fact, he's glad that something like this happened to Neil, as if it's proof that karmic retribution has a way of finding Billy's address and agreeing to be his avenger. He thanks the guy who totaled Neil's car in his head, something resembling prayer before bed.

The next morning, Billy parks his camaro at his usual spot, letting Max out first. They exchanged no words the entire ride, but there was an air of agreeability between the half siblings, perhaps something of shared joy.

Billy is left alone inside the car, where he takes the time to breathe. Compose himself. Put on the mask he's been parading around for the entirety of his existence ever since his mom left. He has a tough guy reputation to uphold, and shedding a tear isn't going to give him any credit. He takes a deep breath, looking at his own face in the visor, the blues and purples still stinging.

A car parks a few spots away from his, the front part of the car completely wrecked, the engine nearly taking a hit.

Billy watches dispassionately, until he realizes it's a fucking maroon beemer.

Nobody else in the entire fucking school drives a maroon BMW 733i except for Steve Harrington.

"No... that's just a coincidence..." Billy mutters under his breath, connecting the dots yet disbelieving what it proves.

He steps out of the car, approaching the crowd gathering around Steve and the scene of his wrecked car.

Steve easily sits on top of the trunk, giving the crowd an enchanting anecdote, which they eat up all too easily.

"The fuck happened here?" Billy asks, parting the sea of 8 or so people gathered around Steve for an explanation.

'Please be something else.'

Steve gives him a smile, and an easy, effortless shrug. "Got into a fight. You should see the other guy."

The crowd laughs. It's a crowd-pleaser sentence, of course. But those were the exact words Billy told him about the bruises on his face, and his words were all a lie.

Billy has a deep seated feeling that Steve's words are all a lie, too.

He can't prove Steve did it.

But for some inexplicable, baffling feeling, Billy wishes it was Steve.

To receive the attention of a king is nothing short of flattering, after all.

Summer break is officially here. Which means Billy will have to get a job. Luckily, he struck gold when he found out that the guy working at the pool could hook him up with a lifeguard gig, and all Billy had to do was give the guy his Love At First Sting album, which couldn't possibly be worth much in the future, he thought to himself.

It's all easy, really. All he had to do is sit on the high chair, blow the whistle once in a while, and act like he's watching people swimming at the pool. He doesn't even need to stand up most of the time unless someone is like, actually actively drowning.

But that's not the part he hates about the job.

It's the grandstanding he has to do in front of the middle-aged women.

They sit in groups in their brand new, spiffy swimsuits, lounging in one spot of the pool, begging for his attention. It's not like he's unaware that he's a decent looking guy. He just hates the attention he's getting, when all he's trying to do is get paid so he can save up and leave this shithole one day. But the guy working before him tipped him, that the middle-aged women loves the attention, and they're willing to pay him actual money for swimming lessons. He pretty much figured out that the swimming lessons were going to be the sexual kind.

But he needs the money.

A deep breath is pulled inside his lungs, and he makes his debut as the lifeguard of Hawkins community pool for the summer.

"Ladies," he gives them a charming smile, not forgetting to suck in his breath to show the women he's been lifting. "Looking good,"

"Oh, you flatterer." One of the women waves him off sheepishly.

One woman in a purple piece steals his attention. "Hello there."

Billy swallows and smiles. "Mrs. Wheeler. Looking gorgeous in purple."

Nancy's mom loves the attention.

That swimming lesson was pretty much a done deal.

The same night, a tired but money hungry Billy knocks at the Wheeler's door.

Mrs. Wheeler opens the door in her finest apparel, giving Billy a bashful smile at how she appreciates the attention.

"Mrs. Wheeler. I almost mistook you for Nancy's sister." He had to say. What else was he supposed to say?

She preens at the attention. "Ready to go?" she asks.

Billy had to play the part. "We can take my car,"

Before anything can happen, the telephone rings from inside the house.

Karen excuses herself to pick it up, as nobody else is home to answer it. "Hello? Yes? Is that so? Oh... Alright, then. I'll... wait for you at home,"

She hangs up, and returns to where Billy is standing, right at the threshold of the doorway. "Sorry, Billy... that was Nancy. She's not feeling too well, and I have to stay home for the night, just to give her a bit of company."

Billy sighs in relief inside. "Oh, that's too bad. Well, I suppose it can't be helped..."

he turns to go.

"Wait, maybe... you could... come in for a bit?"

Billy didn't stop walking back to his car. "Nah, I mean... Nancy's probably on her way back, y'know? I should get going, too. Good night,"

Billy drives away from the Wheeler's with relief, again thanking his invisible guardian angel for what happened.

It was late in the Wheeler's, everybody gone to bed, even the doting mother. Nancy takes the now-cold rag off her forehead, tossing it on the floor without much care for it.

She dials a number on the landline. It connects. "Hello?"

"How did it go?"

"He wasn't here when I got back. Nothing probably happened."

"...I see. Thanks, Nance."

"You owe me one, Steve."

"Hey, your mom was about to cheat on your dad. I think you owe ME one."

Nancy hangs up unceremoniously.

For the next couple weeks, the gig has been easy. The older women doesn't seem to fancy Billy as much anymore, and the kids are somehow running less vigorously than usual along the skidmarked tiles.

Tired after a long shift, Billy changes into his clothes in the pool's locker room, the evening sky darkening outside casting a rather eerie scene at the premises.

He pays no attention to the eeriness of everything, even if his own mind is running a mile a second. Thoughts about the obnoxious Steve Harrington keeps resurfacing, and how he finds the guy creepy, yet at the same time charming. He's pretty sure it was Steve who totaled Neil's car, which ended up costing the guy 5 grand in repairs. But the real question is, why would Steve do that for him? Did he even know Neil was the reason Billy's face was purple? Certainly not. But a part of Billy yearns for someone to understand the real him, but he would sooner die than to let anyone in. Especially Steve Harrington.

He suddenly remembers his sister, and what he was supposed to be doing today.

'Shit,' he thinks to himself. He was supposed to pick her up from the very same obnoxious guy's house, as they were playing DnD in the basement with those shithead kids. He curses as he locks up the place, driving his car onto the road, making the route to Harrington Residence as fast as he can.

He got there in under 20 minutes. It was nearly eight. Billy sighs in consternation to himself. Neil is usually more lenient when Billy's running late because of a job, but he still expects a pummel or two when he gets back.

He composes his face. He knocks at the door.

Steve opens the door, all smiles as usual. "Billy."

Billy doesn't address the charm of the smile. "Here to get Max home,"

Steve shakes his head. "You're way too late for that. The shitheads all got themselves home. I think she was on Dustin's bike,"

Billy sighs in somewhat of a relief. "Great. I came here for nothing."

"Not nothing," Steve steps aside to let Billy in. "You can come in... it's late, grab a drink or two, maybe?"

Billy's face is well-learned in facade. But he still feels the heat rising to his cheeks at the invite. "Nah, I..."

"What's the rush? It's summer break, you don't even have a shift tomorrow," Steve beckons him in.

Billy relents and walks in... also taking note of why the hell Steve would know about his shifts. He stuffs his hands into his pockets, looking around the interior of the home. "You're a rich fucking prick,"

Steve shrugs. "Folks are. I just live here,"

"They here?" Billy asks. 'Please say yes.'

Steve shrugs yet again, all too effortless yet practised. "They're out of town. They usually are."

'great.'

"Can I get you anything? Water? Soda?" Steve makes a beeline for the kitchen, a generous and spacious one at that.

Billy follows him, not too keen on drinking. "Uh... I think, I'd like to ask you a couple questions,"

"Shoot."

"...How did you total your car back then?"

"Got into a fight," Steve answers the same thing.

"Which guy?" Billy presses.

"One of those guys,"

"Right," Billy purses his lips, his back leaning against the unlit fireplace's brick structure, keeping an eye on the guy all the while. "And... how did you know what days I work?"

"From Max," Steve answers. Too easy.

"Uh huh," Billy nods uneasily. Steve hands him the glass of water, which he takes. Steve walks closer, stopping just a few inches from where Billy's standing.

Steve doesn't seem scared of what sort of accusation Billy might throw his way. Billy had to get it out of the way.

"Harrington, you--"

"Steve."

"Steve, you... you give me the heebie jeebies, you know?" Billy doesn't drink the water. He sets it on the mantle, fixing the guy a look. "You're... always following me around, you seem to know where I would be, and you always give me these looks, and I..."

Before he even knows it, Steve is now an inch away from touching him. Their shoulders nearly brush, and Steve's face is so close to his. Steve's warmth is radiating off his body, making Billy flustered in its wake. "and you what, Billy?"

Their noses nearly touch. The dimly lit house isn't helping the situation, as it only quickens the beating of Billy's heart, threatening to jump out of his chest. The strands of Steve's hair glisten under the light, stopping Billy in his tracks from moving. "I..."

"Yeah?"

"Are you... Coming on to me?"

"What do you think?"

Billy is at a loss for words. He scoots to the side, managing to get himself free from the grasp. He slowly backs away, the whole situation unfurling like the start of a horror movie. And yet... He can't help but blush at the attention. "Ya know something, Steve? I... I just gotta go. I gotta sleep early, wake up early and all that, yeah? So I'll just be taking my leave,"

Billy steps out of the Harrington residence in a flush, leaving Steve at the living room, watching Billy leave with an amused sip of his drink.

It's a science project, because of course it's a fucking science project. The exact one that pairs up Billy with none other than the Hair Harrington. 'Great. Just my luck.'

Because why wouldn't the teachers give their kids a big science project just before winter break? It's not like the kids have their own thing going on after school.

Steve insists on doing the project over at Billy's house, to which the blond doesn't even know what to say.

'If I come over to his place, then he'll corner me again. But if I let him come to my place, then at least I have the home turf advantage... for when he... god, what the fuck am I even saying? Get it together, dickhead! He's not into you! Get that out of your big head! We'll just do the project, nice and easy. Nothing will happen.'

As expected, Steve knocks at the Hargrove resident front door, right on time, 5 o' clock sharp. Billy opens the door, immediately irked by how charming Steve's smile is.

Steve wordlessly slinks in to the house, Billy closing the door behind him with a sigh.

"Let's do it in your room," Steve requests, sounding almost sinister in a way; except he accompanies that with a smile, and an easy skip to the blond's bedroom... which he seems to know where it's located.

"Fucking... Yeah, sure, let's just do that..." Billy follows along slowly, leaving the bedroom door open.

Steve plops himself easily on Billy's unkempt bed, leaning his body weight on an elbow.

Billy looks uneasily. He fiddles with his hair, watching his reflection in the mirror as his back is turned against Steve. He sighs, and turns around to face the brunette.

"You know I don't like guys, right?"

Steve almost scoffs. "Yeah, you do."

"As you can see around you, pretty boy, I like chicks!" Billy exclaims, pointing at the numerous posters of scantily clad women plastered all over his bedroom wall as proof.

Steve isn't moved. "We both know that's not true, Billy."

"And how the fuck would you know that?" Billy looks at him, befuddled.

"I've been in your room before," Steve shrugs easily. "Seen your stash."

"Yeah, all playboys--wait, what? Shithead Max let you in, huh?"

"No," Steve denies Max's participation.

"So when--"

Billy stops short as Steve dusts himself off Billy's bed, heading towards one of the drawers like he knows what he's looking for.

And he does.

Steve fishes out a handmade book, a shitty notebook plastered with magazine cutouts of women-adjacent breasts on the cover. Steve waves it in front of a gobsmacked Billy, and he turns over the pages. "All dudes, Billy. This is gay porn."

"You..." Billy's face grows red, he lunges for the brunette to get his book back, but Steve dodges the advances, stepping to the side. This throws Billy off his momentum, and he staggers, a hard landing on the carpeted floor is expected.

Steve pulls him before he can kiss the floor, his one hand grabbing Billy by the waist, the titty-covered book in his other grip.

Billy doesn't understand why this is all happening. He's pressed chest to chest with Steve, and the warmth is enough to drive him insane. But he needs the book back, his hands wildly reaching for it, as Steve hoists it up high in the air. They continue this uncoordinated dance number around Billy's bedroom floor for a while, until Steve's leg stumbles on the frayed end of the blanket hanging on the edge of the bed, and they both fall backwards on the bed with a hard thud.

Steve softens the landing for Billy, his grip on Billy's waist nowhere near slack.

Billy is on top of him, their noses touching, their lips already grazing each other's. It's kind of pointless to try and punch the guy now.

"Why are you so obsessed with me?" Billy asks in a hushed voice.

"I think you're cute."

"Bullshit. You... you want blackmail material, right? Following me around town, learning about my work hours... you just... you just wanna know I like guys so you can..."

"So I can what?" Steve asks quietly. Softly, almost.

"I... I don't know, Harrington--"

"Steve."

"It was you, wasn't it? That wrecked Neil's car?" Billy asks at the cost of sounding like a lunatic.

"I had nothing to do with that," Steve mutters adamantly, though the small upward twitch at the corner of his lips betray his defense.

Billy's face distorts into slow anger. "Why would you fucking do that? Because you figured out he beat me up?"

"Dads shouldn't do that to their kids, don't you think?" Steve basically admits it in so many words.

Billy frowns in confusion. "Why would you do that? You care about me or something?"

"When was the last time anyone was nice to you?" Steve asks instead of answering, the entire time their lips grazing each other's as they converse. "Do you know what that's like? Someone being nice to you?"

Billy wants to get off. But Steve isn't letting go, and he's not actively making an effort to break free, either. His discomfort at the truth of Steve's words contracts with the comfort of Steve's embrace. "Nice? Nice is when someone makes you... I don't know, fucking coffee, or say you look nice, not... totaling someone's car just because he beat his son up!"

"You give me too little credit, Billy. I know you like guys, and I know those moms at the pool were also salivating over you."

It all clicks for Billy. "You..." He momentarily rises his head away from their embrace, his face all sorts of red. "You asked Nancy to call in sick so her mom canceled with me? That was fucking you?"

Steve shrugs, pulling Billy back into the grip. "I didn't say that."

Too much. Their lips are grazing, Steve not making any effort to close the distance. Billy feels as if a magnet is drawing him to closer. He's overwhelmed by the idea, really. Someone so polished, effortlessly casual and hip like fucking Harrington? What does he get out of this?

Billy lowers himself, slowly pressing his lips against Steve's, which the brunette welcomes all too eagerly. Billy hates this. Steve Harrington turns out to be a creep. A jealous stalker. But at the same time, he feels safe in Steve's embrace, the tender way Steve holding him right now a polar opposite of how much of a creep he is, it's as if Steve cares about his well-being.

"You're a fucking creep," Billy whispers inbetween kissing, his breathing growing ragged.

Steve makes no reply.

The sound of a car pulling up into the driveway startles both, Billy immediately jumping out of the bed, his curls all messed up from their dance-fight, his clothes all wrinkled from the friction against Steve's cashmere sweater.

He doesn't look at Steve, his eyes peeled at the window, confirming it was indeed Neil that came home. "Let's, uh... move to the living room,"

Neil walks in to the living room, seeing Steve and Billy, with scattered, important-looking papers on the coffee table, seemingly the object of the two's attention. Neil clears his throat.

"Who's this?" he asks, addressing Steve.

Steve stands up, with an all-too-charismatic of a smile. He offers a hand, which Neil reluctantly shakes. "Steve Harrington, sir. We got a science project together, and we've been busy at it,"

Neil seems agreeable to Steve's straight man behavior. "Hm. Harrington? Your folks seem alright. You don't happen to drive a BMW, do you?"

Steve shakes his head with a laugh. "No, sir. We're a Ford-only family,"

Neil nods, satisfied, leaving the two to go back to their project.

Steve sits back down near Billy, greeted by the blond's miffed expression.

"What the fuck was that?" Billy quietly asks.

"I should've fucking killed him when I hit him with my beemer, too," Steve whispers nonchalantly to an alarmed Billy.

"Shut up!" Billy hysterically whispers, the flush on his cheeks betraying the butterflies fluttering inside his stomach in fear of not knowing what Steve is capable of.

As winter break finally comes, things have quieted down over the town, or maybe the snow muffles the hubbub of small town life to a whisper. Billy and Max had nothing to do, so they opted to sit on the living room couch while saying nothing to each other as the TV plays the news on mute.

"Shithead," Billy slowly turns to her.

"What," she replies in an equally disinterested tone.

"You know Harrington, right? From your..."

"If you wanna know, I really don't mind telling you,"

"For fuck's sake... Look, I don't care about your DnD shit, okay? Just... I don't wanna know about it. That's not what I wanted to ask,"

"Then what?"

"That Harrington guy, is he... ya know, a creep? a weirdo?"

Max looks baffled. "Creep? No... he's more like... I don't know, goofy?"

"Goofy?" Billy looks at her wildly.

"Yeah, like, a weirdo but in a goofy way or something. Nice guy, really, and Nancy said he's fine,"

Billy leans back on the couch with a disbelieving sigh. "I don't believe it,"

"The guys and I spent a fair amount of time with him, and he's... well, that. Goofy. Why do you ask?"

Billy shakes his head. "Nothing, really... and uh, did you also tell him what days I worked at the pool?"

Max scoffs. "I don't even care, why should I know?"

"...fair enough," was all that Billy could muster.

They continue watching TV in silence, the companionable aspect of it somewhat resembling comfort.

"Steve, you really should stop playing with the guy," Nancy sighs, sitting on the bean bag chair in the Wheeler's basement (Which the kids have turned into a demogorgon-defeating tactical base).

"I'm not playing with him! He's playing with me! Being all hot and cold!" Steve argues, pacing around the room while gesturing wildly.

Nancy rolls her eyes. "You're wasting your time with him, Steve. Guys like that are probably just gonna use you for sex and move on to drugs or something,"

Steve shakes his head. "Not if I make him mine first. Then he won't resort to shit like that,"

"I swear, where is all this coming from? You weren't even this crazy back then,"

"Well, that's because you had nothing crazy about you," Steve offers, to which he got smacked with a pillow on the face for.

The kids soon file into the basement, marking an end to their conversation.

It's been almost one year since the Hargrove-Mayfield siblings moved into Hawkins, their lives turned upside down in more ways than one. Max continues seeing her circle of friends, even after the enemy is defeated (...for now).

Billy avoids Steve like the plague while they're at school, as they really have no reason to hang out, being from different circles and all. Steve has no reason to want to change that. They graduate in less than six months, after all!

The Harrington residence is once again empty, like it's always been most of the time. Steve sees his parents off again after a new year's eve party together, the sizes of their luggage a tell-tale sign telling Steve that they'll be gone for another year.

Not like it bothers him.

Steve's in his bed, comfy and cozy. Billy is in his hold, accepting his kisses while acting like he had no choice but to be kissed. Billy returns the kisses, sloppily letting their tongues enter each other's mouths with no sense of decorum.

Steve suddenly parts from the kiss, getting up from bed. "I gotta piss. Don't go anywhere,"

"Shut up," Billy utters disinterestedly, still maintaining whatever shred of aloof tough guy persona he has left.

Life's been a roller coaster for Billy. It's really true what they say, to be loved is to be changed. He went into town not hoping for much, he didn't even think he'd make it past 20 with the way his life was going. But then, this guy walks (well, creeps) into his life and turned it upside down. Steve offered him kindness, patience, persistence (that sometimes gets on his nerves), and all Billy had to do was let him. He didn't have to beg for Steve to stay, Steve is everything he thought he couldn't have.

Billy is... happy, kind of. In a way. He won't let his guard down, though. Shit can still happen, and Steve can still walk away. He's just a dirtbag, after all.

Billy walks around the bedroom, which is more spacious than his. He whistles at the collection of expensive watches. 'pretty boy won't mind if I wear one or two, right?'

Something pokes out of one of the boxes in Steve's drawers. Billy thinks nothing of it, but the way the slits of sunlight peeking through the blinds making the thing glisten, well... it makes it hard for Billy to ignore. He pulls the box out of the drawer...

And, well, is he even surprised?

Steve gets back into the bedroom, only to see Billy sitting on the floor, poring over the content of the box.

Steve sits down next to him, pursing his lips. "For what it's worth... those are old,"

Billy turns to look at him with a hapless, unimpressed smile. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, well, I have my own guy developing these," Steve defends himself half-heartedly, taking the printed photographs out of Billy's hand, putting them back into the box. "He's a no-questions-asked kind of guy, okay?"

Billy rolls his eyes. "You don't even have a camera,"

"I got a bunch of disposables,"

"And you wasted them being a creep, taking pictures of me!" Billy starts to argue, waving the photos around. Some of them are blurry, some aren't even close enough to depict anyone, but Billy knows they're all pictures of him throughout last year, how Steve took these he can't even tell. There must be at least ten film rolls' worth of photos here.

Steve shrugs. "What can I say... you really caught my eye,"

"You're a creep, and a stalker, Harrington."

"Steve." he insists on the name. "I keep telling you to call me Steve."

"I'll call you Steve when I actually like you," Billy challenges, absentmindedly tossing the photos into the wicker box.

"What do I do to get you to like me, then? Do I kill your dad?"

Billy looks at him, wide-eyed, but the smile forming on his lips betray his seriousness. "No, you... you wouldn't,"

Steve looks at him. Billy looks back at him.

'Yeah, no. He definitely would.'

"Okay... fine, I like you, Steve," Billy relents.

"Well now I don't want you to like me, if you feel like you have to say it," Steve sighs.

Billy quirks up an eyebrow, looking at the brunette in disbelieving haplessness. "You little..."

He lunges at Steve, tackling him as they're both still seated. He pins Steve underneath him, Steve's hair a mess on the carpeted floor, looking up at Billy with all the affection somebody could offer another person, and then some.

"You're gorgeous, Billy Hargrove."

"I'm about to sock you in the jaw and that's what you have to say?" Billy asks, his curls spilling from the top of his head, barely brushing against Steve's cheeks.

"We both know you won't," Steve smiles, easily. One of the many things Billy's learned to hate (love) about the fucking guy.

"You're lucky I don't feel like fighting right now," Billy mumbles under his breath, forgoing the punching, instead planting a kiss on Steve's lips, which he welcomes impatiently, feverishly.

Billy wants this to be his forever. He knows it's not, but he's starting to question what he actually knows to be the truth, or whether it's all just the voices in his head telling him he's no good.

He chooses to know now, for a fact, that somebody loves him to the point of no return, and if he were to complain about any of it, it would only to lament about past pains, while he patches up the present, and hey, while he's at it, why not the future?

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve x billy #stuff #hwb2025 #and sorry i know the timeline deviates from canon but when has that ever stopped us from writing incoherent things #pls forgive the errors you may find in there. im an absolute noob drunk with words #it's a bit different from what i usually do but i like to branch out every once in a while...#dddne

22 notes · View notes