#we hate neil hargrove in this household

[cavinginhisfvce]

This is what I wanted, right?

TW: Major character death.

Link to alt ending in comments.

If you asked anyone, they'd tell you just how much Max dislikes her asshole of a step brother, Billy. They'd tell you how she curses him to filth almost daily. 

Dislike was too weak a word, because she downright hated him, wished one day he would leave and never come back. 

God, she can't recall the number of times she laid in bed and prayed for him to just vanish. He was by far the worst person Max had ever met in her fourteen years of life. He made her life hell.

He blamed her for their move, he blamed her for the way Neil treated her. 

It wasn't like it was Max's fault that she was well behaved, and Billy was always getting into trouble. It wasn't her fault Neil was an asshole to Billy.

None of this was her fault, right?

Right?

The call came at almost four in the morning, Max remembers being annoyed with the shrill of the household phone as it pierced the silence that envelops the surrounding area. 

She could hear Neil's gruff voice as he spoke to whomever had interrupted their rest. 

He was about to lay into them, Max could tell, before he stopped short and the sound of the phone slapping against the wall echoed in the young girl's ears.

Her stomach began to twist itself into a knot as she slipped out of her bed and padded into the kitchen where she found both Neil and her mother with tears spilling from their eyes.

She didn't dare speak. She was too afraid to, because in the years she's known her step father, he's never been one to cry. Yet here he was, silently bawling his eyes out into her mother's nightgown while she visibly bit back sobs.

It was painfully obvious no one was going to speak, so Max softly cleared her throat and spoke, her fingers twisting into the loose fabric of her pajama shirt.

"What's going on…?"

Max was wholly unprepared for the way Neil's steel blue eyes fell on her, she could feel herself freeze up from the intensity, but even after looking directly at her, nobody spoke. 

The young girl wracked her mind for any inkling of what might've happened. It had to be serious for Neil to be freely crying. But, why wouldn't anyone just tell her? They both knew, but Max was in the dark. As always, she was on the outside of whatever everyone else knew. 

It was like the reason for leaving Cali all over again. No one had told her exactly why they had moved, all she got when she asked was a "ask your brother," when she questioned Neil about it.

With a frustrated huff, the red-haired girl crossed her arms over her chest, lips twisting into a frown. "What did Billy do this time?"

That question seemed to have done it, because a second later Neil was dropping to his knees and letting out an anguished cry. Her mom was by his side immediately, but her gaze found Max's and her eyes softened in a way Max had only seen when her mom was telling her one of her random pets had died.

But Max didn't have any pets...and why would a pet dying be connected to Billy—A gasp ripped through her as she furiously shook her head, the reality finally settling in as she connected the dots.

"M-Mom...is Billy okay?" There was no verbal response, only a tearful shake of her mom's head as she let out another round of tears.

Max could feel her heart plummet to her stomach as she yet again began to shake her head, this time in disbelief. 

It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. She was clearly misunderstanding. 

Billy was just hurt, right? Probably laid up in a hospital bed, giving the nurses a hard time while they fretted over him.

But one glance at the heap that was her mother and step father, she knew.

"Ma...Please, is Billy d—" she stopped herself from finishing, a startled sob sans any tears bubbling from her own lips. 

She felt so confused. Isn't this what she dreamed of? A world where Billy was gone. A world where he was no longer around to bother her and her friends?

She fucking prayed for someone, or something to take him away.

She had never shied away from telling her shithead of a step brother that she wished he would just die. He always cackled at that, and flipped her the bird like it was some kind of joke between them. It wasn't. She wanted Billy gone.

But, now he was. He was gone. She should be happy. She doesn't even know how he died. No one had said. Or maybe they didn't know just yet. 

There was no happiness, no relief. Just pure pain and guilt. 

She hadn't even cried over him dying, it felt unreal. Like at any moment he would come flying down the street in the Camaro as loud ass music blared from the tinny speakers. 

Neither thing happened. No tears and no Billy.

The days following Billy's death had gone by in a blur, Neil had jumped ship the morning after that God awful call, leaving her and her mother to grieve alone, to remain alone. He wasn't coming back, that much was obvious from the things he took with him, from the way he'd just seemed to vanish without even saying goodbye.

Billy left without saying goodbye too.

Max felt numb almost, like that night in the kitchen had drained her of any and all fight. When the news broke to The Party, they dragged her to Mrs. Byers house and ordered pizza. She wasn't hungry, but she picked at her two slices until just the crust remained.

She couldn't figure out why the pizza hadn't at least tasted good.

It tasted like ash on her tongue, and it wasn't until just the crust remained that it dawned on her.

It was a month after Neil and Susan's wedding when Neil had shoved some money into Billy's hand and demanded he take his sister out to get something to eat. 

Max hadn't seen the fear in her step brother's eyes because Billy had covered it with a scowl and dragged her to the nearby pizza shop. It was just off the beach, and they had the best garlic knots according to him.

Max was skeptical to try one, but once she did, she all but scarfed down almost half the order, Billy had simply laughed and dug into one of his slices of Pizza. 

(He made sure to order some more.)

However, instead of biting into it like everyone else would, the older boy simply ripped the crusts off and popped them into his mouth; leaving the slices otherwise untouched as he happily munched on them. Only now beginning to rip into a few garlic knots.

Max scrunched her nose up at that. She couldn't believe anyone actually liked the crust. It was the worst part of the pizza. She said as much and Billy had gasped in surprise at her.

"Maxine, are you telling me you actually enjoy the nasty ass tomato paste and gooey ass cheese?" It was Max's turn to gasp at the boy sitting across from her, "that's literally the point of the pizza, asshole!"

Billy for his part, just shook his head and snatched up her abandoned crusts before sliding his own plate in front of her. The girl just squinted at him, which prompted an eye roll from the elder, "If you're not gonna eat the crust and I'm not gonna eat the pizza, we can just trade off, Shitbird."

Max was satisfied by that and happily nodded her head as she tore into the now lukewarm slice.

From then on, Max and Billy shared pizza just that way. He ate the crust, she ate the slice. Even after moving to Hawkins, and the strain it'd put on their already weak relationship, they continued with the weird habit. Their parents didn't understand, but neither cared when the food was at least not getting wasted.

Max's stomach churned at the memory, she didn't have much of a chance to dwell on it before she was racing to the trash can, the barely settled contents of her stomach splattering the inside of it.

Her body was tense as she heaved, her grip on the bin was turning her knuckles white but she didn't right herself or let go until the last wave of nausea freed her entirely. 

When it had, she dropped her head between her legs and finally let out a loud cry.

It was as if once she started, she couldn't stop. The floodgates had finally opened and all Max could do now was cry. All she wanted to do was cry, cry, cry.

Mrs. Byers, at some point, emptied out the garbage can, but Max stayed perched beside it, her eyes unfocused and watery as her group of friends settled alongside her silently. 

 

It only startles everyone a little, when Max croaks out,

"he only liked the crusts, like a fuckin' w-weirdo…" No one had to question who she was talking about, it was rather obvious to all the teens; but still, they all seemed shocked at the confession. "Said the rest of the pizza was just a soggy triangle of bread."

She breathes out a humorless laugh, shaking her head at nothing in particular, "I think he just refused to admit he was lactose intolerant or something. He never ate cereal or used milk in his coffee. If mom made mac and cheese, he left it on his plate."

Neil would get upset with him, but there were only a few occasions Max could recall where he actually made Billy eat the pasta.

It was Steve who spoke up, his brows furrowed in confusion, his tone was hollow, but his face held a twinge of realization. "No fucking wonder he'd come into Scoops to just buy ice cream and throw it away..." 

Nancy turned to face her friend, her mouth opening and closing unsurely, but it was Will who beat her to speaking, shyly saying, "uh, Steve. I think he did that just to see you."

Max couldn't help but agree to that. She knew her brother was absolutely infatuated with Steve Harrington, though he would sooner die than admit that.

Which, bitterly Max notes, was exactly what happened.

Max tuned out the rest of the conversation, it wasn't intentional, she just couldn't keep up with the chatter. It felt pointless to pretend she was interested in anything at the moment.

Eventually, Jonathan offered to drive her home, even though nobody else was leaving, she agreed.

 Despite the dread that filled her stomach at the thought of returning to a Billy-less Cherry Lane, she let herself be guided outside. 

The feeling was persistent in a way it hasn't been since that night, but she let the eldest Byers boy take her anyway, she didn't really have a choice.

When she was getting out of the car, she noticed Neil's truck was missing, that wasn't surprising, but what did surprise her was that in its place was Billy's Camaro, but it wasn't there when she left earlier in the day.

Hopper must've brought it back for them. He was absent from the meet up today, which usually only happened because of work. El hadn't been there either, which was unusual, but Max hadn't dwelled on it.

He parked it as neatly as Billy always does...did.

[nebraska-is-a-myth]

Abuse in 'Runaway Max': A Stranger Things criticism

One thing I know to keep in mind is that the book is told from Max’s perspective, so it's her eyes we experience the world from, and her opinions that guide us through the story. For that we have to value her as a somewhat unreliable narrator, considering she is thirteen at the time and dosnt understand certain things.

A quick timeline to keep in mind because the book handles time very messily:

Billy has just turned 17 by the time Max and Billy first meet.

After Halloween in season 2, Max says she’s known Billy for 7 months, which takes us back to early May.

They move in together three weeks after the wedding in late June, meaning Max and Billy have lived together for a total of 5 months by the time they get to Hawkins.

Neil confiscates Billy's car keys for two months in June, so I’ve taken an educated guess that Max first witnesses Neil's abuse somewhere around august, then in September/October Billy breaks Max’s friends arm, leaving for Hawkins late October.

Now onto the deep dive:

In 'Runaway Max', we learn about the terrible Hargrove family dynamic, and how the Mayfield's learn to navigate that. Max gets a very graphic front row seat of Billy's abuse in chapter 10, and during that chapter Max responds to that situation as any 13 year old would, scared and confused. Despite this however, Billy's image doesn't change in Max’s mind. She has no visible compassion for Billy at any point of the book except from this chapter, and after that she states that she’s actively trying not to care about “his stupid life and his cruel dad”. 

From a writing standpoint, choosing this to be a part of Max’s character takes away from her complex experiences in an abusive household. Yes Max is a hardened character, but not exploring these difficult topics of disliking Billy while also feeling sorry for him makes her feel like just another pawn for the audience to make them dislike Billy. The writers could have made the step-siblings dynamic much more interesting to have them navigate this terrifying experience together. But I understand the duffers just wanted another one dimensional antagonist for season 2.

"I'd watched the Hargroves in action. Neil standing over billy with the belt - calling me a stupid little girl - making it clear that he thought I was weak and pointless. Knowing Neil believed that still wasnt as bad as the way Billy had hated me for trying to help him"

I have mixed feelings about this. I feel this description Max gives dutiful to anyone going through that situation, that they would feel disheartened by someone rejecting their help, and verbally berating them for it. However, it’s vitally important to understand the context of Why Billy reacts to Max this way.

During the assault on Billy that Max witnesses, Max calls out and interrupts Neil, trying to diffuse the situation. Neil responds not to Max, but to Billy “Is this the son I raised? A worthless loser who needs a little girl to fight his battles for him?” And then strikes billy again. 

Max assumes this to be an attack on her, however that's not what's happening at all. Neil is using Max against Billy. He takes Max’s intervention as a sign of Billy's own weakness, a softness. “Any hint of softness and he would never let me forget” In a way Billy had been trying to teach Max to harden herself so that Neil couldn't find anything to target her for, Billy had been making her more likeable for Neil. And now this softness that Max is showing for Billy, by standing up for him, is getting him punished. It’s been implied before that this was the case, but now we are seeing it explicitly that Billy is being punished for Max’s actions. This chain reaction forces Billy into a position where he cannot be on Maxes side, he cannot be friends with Max, because siding with anyone other than his father equals punishment.

After Neil leaves, we circle back round to the sentence “Sometimes Billy acted like we were in on some big, crucial secret together / like we were in some sort of secret club together - like we could be on the same team” Billy had been trying to tell her from the beginning, they were both members of a club trying to navigate life with Neil Hargrove, bonded by shared experience. They were supposed to be on the same team too, victims of Neil, but Neil has made that impossible by using Max against Billy. “I could see all the ways he hated me” Neil isolates one from the other, Billy resents Max for getting him hurt, and Max resents Billy for rejecting her.

During most of the sections of the book that happen in Hawkins, Max continues to call Billy a “Monster”. However, never Neil. It’s not untrue that Billy has a mean streak, he can be cruel and heartless, most notably when he breaks the arm of one of Max’s friends. The only time this level of violence is seen in Hawkins is during the fight with Steve.

Both of these big outbursts of rage are built up by attacks from Neil. Note: Billy is still an asshole, these are not excuses for his actions only explanations.

Yes, there are two occasions in which Billy grabs hold of Max’s arm, but there is an argument to be made that this is just normal sibling behaviour. Have you never pushed or shoved your sibling before, or been on the receiving end of that physicality. It’s not always pleasant, but it’s not uncommon for siblings to get physical during disagreements. Max is also only distressed by this on the first occasion, “He caught me by the arm, and it wasn't the first time he’s ever touched me, but other times had always been to push me out of the way in the kitchen or flick me on the end of my nose. This time, his fingers closed hard around my elbow” - however the second and last time goes like this “He reached out fast and caught me by the wrist”. Those are the only times Billy is ever physical with Max.

Despite this, Billy is still the monster. “Billy was the closest thing to one that I had ever known - this was what it meant to live with the monster.” Monster singular. Billy is the most terrible thing living in the Hargrove home, not the man who beats his son.

Personally I find something off putting with Max ranking Billy as a worse monster than Neil. During the night at the byers she says "I understood now that Neil was in his head, and that meant he was just as dangerous as his father. Worse because Neil was cruel and frightening but he cared how things looked on the outside. Billy was crazy" Max isn't stupid, she knows Neil is a bad person, and maybe from Maxes point of view Billy is worse than Neil because Neil hasn't ever physically hurt her. But from a writer's point of view, to say that the victim is worse than the abuser? That is both dangerous and honestly disgusting. To call Billy crazy, and insinuate that he’s acting like a ‘bad victim’ because he doesn't pretend that everything is normal is so hurtful to victims of abuse who see themselves in Billy. 

Continuing this thought, Max then goes on to compare Billy to a recently possessed Will. Which, first off, comparing abuse is never okay. But what Max says is almost worse, "Will had turned into something terrible and frightening, but even with the mind flayer working through him, he was trying not to let it. He'd almost gotten us killed, but you couldn't blame him because he didn't ask for this. He was trying so hard to stop it" Is the author trying to say that Billy should try harder to not let the abuse he has been experiencing at the hands of his father since before he was ten, affect him? Because if Brenna Yovanoff is using Will as a ‘good’ example of a victim of parental abuse, and using him to discount Billy's own experiences, then I’m sorry but who let this book go to print?

Obviously as a character Max choosing this comparison means very little to her because she doesn't know about Lonnie, but the writers do. Comparing Billy to will is a choice.

Billy and will have both experienced abuse from their fathers. Will is on one side of the spectrum of victims, quiet, timid and apologetic. Billy is on the opposite end of that spectrum, his experiences have hardened him, made him angry about what's happening to him. Billy isn't quiet, he’s an asshole and he has issues with authority, but the one thing that sets Billy and Will apart is the fact that Billy is still experiencing that abuse.

Will is a survivor, Billy isn't.

To imply that "you can't blame Will because he didn't ask for it", but it’s okay to blame Billy, does that mean we are supposed to think Billy is asking for it?

There are choices writers make in the information they reveal to their readers, the phrasing that is used and the comparisons they make. It speaks volumes that while Will is praised for his experiences and bravery with his dad, Billy is called a monster for acting out because of those same experiences.

I mean, tell me you're a writer who doesn't understand the complex reactions to abuse without telling me you only care about “good” reactions to abuse.

[thestobingirlie]

speaking of characters' wealth! i always see billy stans talk about his critics being classist, but i've never seen any canon evidence that billy wasn't middle class or wealthier. billy drove a camaro, which is typically more expensive than a bmw (but steve's car was newer, so it's debatable). if they're taking the hargrove-mayfield household as a whole, max has some Poor Kid Swag when she taped up her skateboard, but only has to bc billy broke it with his flashy car. in s4 she and her mom live in the trailer park, but again only because neil left. like, billy hated hawkins and thought it was shitty, which is part him being a city slicker but also sounds like someone used to a lot more casual luxury. maybe they really do just think billy is jonathan or smth

this fandom loves some good oppression olympics. if billy’s poor, how can people criticise him!

obviously the hargrove’s aren’t as well off as some of the families in the show, and we know very little about their economic status, but the duffers are really obvious when they’re trying to portray poverty (e.g. susan working multiple jobs, and the mayfield’s now living in the trailer park, and joyce consistently begging her employer for more money in s1, and jonathan having to work a job to help with rent), and we just don’t see that with the hargrove’s.

[more-than-stranger-things]

Please actually read this through before disliking it or something, and please do not dm me with rude messages if you do not like what I’m saying, because this is just my two cents on a thing that comes up countless times in the Stranger Things fandom and I want to mention something about it, because I don’t feel like a lot of people are understanding a key point in one character’s story. Again, We’re all entitled to our opinions, so please let me have mine.

First I do want to clarify that by what I am going to say, I’m not excusing anything Billy’s done or said, he’s wrong in ALL of it and this is not an excuse post for his actions, and in no way am I giving Billy an out for what he did, since most of it was reprehensible, I am only trying to help people understand the motives/background of certain abused/neglected characters/people. I’m trying to stop people from blaming someone who, while also being a wretched human being, is also a victim in his own story.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that many people I have talked to blame Billy solely for everything without taking into account that his personality traits were learned from his father, a person who should have had his son’s best interest at heart, but who was abusive and a asshole, who you can expect Billy got most of his personality from, since when a person is abused or neglected like that, they take on their abuser’s personality traits as a sort of protection, especially in cases of childhood abuse by a parent. You find yourself taking on character traits of the very person who abused/abuses you, because it’s a protection, a cover, maybe if the abuser sees themselves mirrored back at themselves, maybe the abuse will stop, maybe they won’t hurt you.

Being as young as Billy was when his mom left him with his abusive father, and feeling neglected, abandoned, and betrayed by that, the only place he had was an abusive household where he was beaten down by his father, in that place, he would have learned to be more like his father so that maybe his father would stop his abuse of the young, confused, and scared boy.

TO PROTECT HIMSELF, he turned into the very thing that had hurt him, and in turn, he hurt Max and Lucas and everyone else.

He probably grew up (after his mom abandoned him with his known to be abusive dad) to know he was unlovable or wrong, not worth the time of day, that he was only and ever what his father said he was. WORTHLESS.

Growing up in an Abusive household changes you for the worst, and for Billy he took on everything that his dad valued, every personality trait to make himself seem worthy in his father’s eyes. And everything Billy does/did is to shield himself from the years of abuse.

We can all assume that Neil Hargrove was not only a misogynistic and abusive person, but also a racist, and that Billy learned that from him. Again though, I am not saying that Billy is in the right in any of it. Just that he was a victim as well and took on his father’s personality to survive.

It’s confusing, hard to write about, and even harder to understand, and sometimes when you’re in a situation as Billy was in, many times you won’t understand it as abuse, many times the abuser will frame the abuse as helping the victim grow stronger, that they’re helping you, many times the victim caves to the abuse.

Abusers make the victim doubt themselves in everything, to the point you won’t trust yourself, you double guess yourself at every second, you start believing what your abuser says because they love you right? They’d never try and hurt you? That’s how an abuser can use your own feelings, thoughts, and emotions against the victim. There’s an old saying that makes sense in the context of this character and the means at which he became the shitty person he was. The saying goes ‘to protect oneself, we often become the very thing we hate, the very thing is mirrored in ourselves.’

The cycle of abuse kept going with Billy and it was easy for him to blame Max for it, because he couldn’t blame his father who had the power over him... he’d learned to be like the very thing he hated and maybe because of that, he even hated himself, but he’d lost who he was from the years of abuse and became like his dad as a shielding technique. His racism towards Lucas was part of that learned personality.

In closing, I would again like to reiterate that BY NO MEANS am I giving Billy an out on this, he made few decisions that were good for anyone, not even himself and he ended paying the ultimate price for that in the minute of clarity he got from El’s words, but that does nothing to excuse what he did in life. But I’d like to gently remind people that he was as much a victim as any of the other abused kids in Stranger Things.

I just want people to understand that.

[biillyhargroves]

idk there’s just something about the way that anyone who shows Billy Hargrove an ounce of compassion gets punished for it that makes feel Very Not Good.

Max expresses genuine fear and concern for him from the moment she realizes that something is genuinely wrong. she is the one lingering, watching him even after her friends have gone to set their plan in motion, praying for him to not be flayed. she’s the one at the window of the sauna room, the person that Billy cries to. he begs her for help, and she tries so hard to give it, to reassure him. she’s the one pleading with him, trying desperately to remind him of who he is, doing everything she can to break him free from the Mind Flayer and what does she get? he dies a horrible, gruesome death in front of her and she is plagued by survivor’s guilt, sinks into a depression, is uprooted from her second home as her mother crawls into the bottom of a bottle. she admits to being suicidal!!! and then she gets killed because her grief and pain marked her as a prime target for the same evil that took her brother away.

Heather is the only person at the pool to recognize that something is wrong with Billy. she sees that something isn’t right, she hears him in distress. she comes to his aid and she asks how to help him, and she, too, gets killed for her trouble. her only crime was having empathy for him.

Eleven isn’t an outlier here!! she reaches out to Billy repeatedly, gets hurt multiple times because of it, and after she is finally able to make a connection with him, when she finally finds the thread that pulls him free from the Mind Flayer’s control, she is forced to watch him sacrifice himself for her. that shit is traumatizing!! and after all of that she loses her dad, too!! sure, Hopper is alive, but Eleven doesn’t know that until months later, so she goes through this traumatic experience and immediately begins grieving her father. 

even Susan gets the short end of the stick. she was stuck in an abusive household, but in the one scene we see of her and Billy together, she tries to get Neil to back off of Billy. it’s a small act and it doesn’t work but it’s there and what does she get? her stepson dies. we don’t know what Max meant by the “bad fights” Susan and Neil had, but we can guess. she loses her stepson, and her marriage, and her home. and, after everything, she almost loses her daughter, too. 

and as much as I hate the Karen storyline, she almost gets the same treatment when she attempts to talk to him at the pool. in fact, it’s Billy himself who saves her from that fate, who protects her by telling her to leave him alone. if she hadn’t listened, the Mind Flayer would have made him attack her, too. you get the sense that if she cared more, that if this was really about Billy’s feelings, she would have been hurt or killed, just like the others.

every person to show Billy Hargrove the slightest semblance of care gets punished for it and I Do Not Like That One Bit.

[harringr0ve]

I need to rant about Billy Hargrove and the hatred he gets. I just feel like people are looking at these characters through a modern lens and comparing how they handled their situations to how Billy handled his own and that’s just impossible because everyone reacts differently to abuse and he didn’t have the same resources then that people have now. Not to mention, he 17 in s2 and was barely 18 when he died, how can y’all sit there and expect an abused kid to know better when he wasn’t ever able to leave the abusive environment he had been in his whole life? Max didn’t repeat Neil and Billy’s cycle of abuse because she was around them for maybe a year-ish, she was raised differently and even living within the same household as them she didn’t experience the same type or extreme abuse that Billy was subjected too. We all can obviously see and agree that the way Billy treated people wasn’t okay at all, but all I see is people who advocate for child abuse victims until they aren’t the perfect type of victim. When you can’t break the cycle of abuse, hurt people hurt people. Did they not learn from season 4 that 001 has chosen victims that are traumatized/have insecurities and feelings of guilt? Billy fit that criteria and spent the last week of his already shitty life being possessed by a monster and under the control of 001. Like aside from the psychological trauma that surely would cause, it was making him drink poisonous chemicals. There’s no way he didn’t spend the last part of his life confused, scared and in pain. And the fact that he was able to bravely stand his ground against the horrific creature that killed him to save El, Max and the rest of the town he hated, but couldn’t stand up to his abuser should speak volumes about the kind of psychological impact abuse has on children, especially long term abuse. He was psychologically, verbally and physically abused his whole life. It’s just so sick to me seeing people advocate for Max and the group against his abuse, but will viciously hate Billy because he isn’t the perfect caricature of a victim.

[disdaidal]

Random idea, Billy separates his laundry by color like most people. Steve shoves everything from his red sweatshirt to his white sheets in the washer and calls it good like the madman he is.

Ah, Steve and I, we're the same. We're madmen. We don't separate. 🥼🧥👕🧺 🤣🤣🤣 (my friend keeps making fun of me because of this lmao)

Billy having to use the town laundromat because the washing machine finally broke down in the Hargrove household. Neil and Susan can't afford to have it fixed yet.

It's a fine Saturday evening too, which means Billy's plans for the night are canceled because Neil's word is law. And since Billy knows better than to challenge his father in this case, he begrudgingly tosses the laundry basket into his Camaro. Cursing as he revs the engine and hopes to Lord Jesus Christ that none of his 'old friends' spot him and think he's become a bitch now.

As he makes his way there, he angrily slams the basket on the floor. Then realizes then he has an audience, and his blood almost goes cold when he sees who it is.

Steve Harrington. They stare at each other for a while, frowning. Billy's jaw quickly clenches, so does his right fist as he recalls the fight between them six months ago. They hadn't spoken to each other ever since, avoided each other like the plague.

Billy finally averts his eyes and begins sorting his laundry by color. Throwing them inside, closing the door, adding some detergent. As the machine begins running, he leans back and sits on the table behind him. Focuses on keeping keep himself entertained while staring at the spinning laundry in the machine, and trying not to think about who he's currently sharing the space with.

Steve sits down too, further away from Billy though. And Billy would rather keep it that way and not talk at all. Avoid any contact between them. But he's not so good at keeping his mouth shut. Not for a long time at least. He hates the silence more than anything. Especially the awkward kind of silence that lingers between two former rivals; it's almost palpable.

So Billy can't help himself and begins taunting Steve as usual, just a little bit. Asking if King Steve's royal maid had finally quit her job, whether he's finally fallen from grace and has begun to mingle with the commoners, doing his own laundry like he's supposed to. Steve rolls his eyes, snorts, and simply tells him that he's moved on his own - also wants to know why Billy cares so much. To which Billy replies that he doesn't. 'I'm just trying to have a conversation here, Harrington.'

Steve ignores him and they end up sitting in another silence that lasts maybe five minutes tops because Billy can't keep still for a long time. He starts fidgeting nervously, playing with his Zippo, swinging his legs from the table; keeps humming to some Metallica song.

When Steve's first round of laundry is finally finished, he hops down from the table and goes to collect what's his. Billy tries not to look horrified at the sight of Steve's laundry - all colors mixed in, whites too. Sheets mixed with clothes. Billy could swear at least one of Steve's white T-shirts is colored pink from his bright red sweater, but this dumbass doesn't seem to even notice it. Just happily unloading his clothes, without a care in the world, and stuffs them into another, empty basket.

Billy's itching to say something as he continues watching Steve drag another basket of laundry and about to mix them all together again. But since self-control has never been Billy's strongest suit, he finds himself quickly jumping off the table and almost yanking one of the white shirts from Steve's hands.

Steve exclaims, 'Hey what the hell man' and Billy quickly retorts back 'Did your mom not teach you how to do your own laundry? Jesus Christ, Harrington. You suck at this.'

Steve starts to argue how he's 'always done his laundry this way, nothing bad ever happened and Billy simply ignores him and tosses some of Steve's laundry aside as he begins to separate them. While furiously ranting on 'how one does simply not mix black and white and colors together'.

They keep arguing about it for a few good minutes, like the good 'ol times but without fists and blood, until Steve finally gives up. He stands back, pouts just a little bit, and sits back onto his previous spot, sneering, 'Didn't know you were such an expert, Hargrove' and Billy rolls his eyes, retorts back, 'Literally everybody knows how to do this; don't be such a dumbass, Harrington.'

Finally, they both shut up. For a while. It doesn't take Billy long to open his mouth again, only this time asking if Steve wants to play cards. To kill some time.

Steve's suspicious but he begrudgingly agrees after a minute, not having anything better to do. Even though he knows how competitive Hargrove is and is probably going to annoy the living shit out of him. They however end up having fun, surprisingly. After the initial awkwardness. Of course, none of them would admit it aloud to each other. Steve's not so good at blackjack but he ends up winning one round, in the end, and feels satisfied with himself. While Hargrove's one big, toothy smile - a smug bastard that he is - but Steve lets him have it. For now.

When their laundry's done, the silence between them goes back to awkward again. Steve doesn't really want to go back home just yet, feeling bored and lonely and having no one to go out with tonight (Robin's with Heather), and Billy doesn't really want to go home just yet either (though he knows he's pushing it with Neil).

So Steve decides to take the bull by the horns, takes a deep breath, and carefully asks if Billy wants to go out for a beer - maybe even two. Billy stares back at him for a moment, like Harrington's suddenly grown two heads. Steve proceeds with giving him a nervous smile and then shakes his head, muttering 'nevermind, forget i said it'.

And Billy's really confused. Even though he was supposed to hate Harrington (and he kind of still does), the time they just spent together playing cards wasn't so bad. And Billy also realizes that he hasn't gone out with anyone lately, not even his friends. With Neil's hawkeye constantly upon him, Billy often feels like a prisoner in his own home these days. So what's a couple of beers gonna do? If Harrington's buying, that is.

Steve's almost out of the door, a faint blush lingering his cheeks as he carries his own laundry outside, mentally cursing himself for even suggesting something like that aloud to Billy 'Keg King' Hargrove and repeatedly calling himself an idiot when Billy suddenly calls after him.

"Wait. I'll go out with you, Harrington." Steve turns around and Billy blushes in crimson red, coughs, and quickly corrects himself, "For a beer. Beer is good." Steve rewards him with a slight grin, which does nothing to curb Billy's blush, then beckons with his head, towards his BMW. "Hop in then. I know a place."

- And the beer was exceptionally good that night.

[sh1tbird-shantytown]

The courtroom was lousy, and even though the walls were bland and the judge was as old as corn, Billy’s shoulders twitched.

His lawyer, a man who was balding in the back and Billy had known an entire five days, leaned over and whispered. “Our best shot at this point is bringing him on, Billy.”

He didn’t take his eyes off of the manilla folders on their table, “And didn’t I say no when you asked the other fifty times?”

The man’s hazel eyes narrowed, “We need the sympathy points.”

Billy planted his palm on the table, “We do that and Neil’s defense gets to ask him certain other questions. Questions that could land me in the dump as well as…” Billy sat back silently. He shook his head one final time.

“He already agreed to do it,” Dawson urged. Billy only managed to open his mouth before the judge had her eyes on them and Dawson was standing. “Your Honor, I’d like to call Stephen David Harrington to the stand please.”

Billy felt Neil’s gaze, and it was dangerous.

—

If anything, Steve looked damn good in a suit.

Dawson stood in front of their table, diagonal to Harrington, “Is it true that you were aware of the physical and emotional abuse happening in the Hargrove household before this court date was set, Mr. Harrington?”

Billy winced, he knew Steve hated being called Mister just as much as Billy did. He saw Steve shiver, but nod.

“Yes, I was aware.”

Dawson stared at the papers in his folder, “Actually, let me back up a little.” He glanced at the jury meaningfully, “For context.” Billy continued to glare. “Is it true, Stephen, that Billy Hargrove would personally come to you for aid?”

Steve nodded faster than before, “Yes.”

“And what did you two do?”

“I would set him up in a guest room, bandage him up. Sometimes it was so bad I’d personally stay in the room.”

Steve unintentionally caught Billy watching, he tried to smile even though it fell short.

Steve knew exactly what he had to do. Billy stood up so fast his chair hit the railing from behind their station. The judge interrupted him with a squint and her stupid mallet.

The fucker he’s been stuck with, Dawson, opened his stupid mouth again. “And how often would Billy Hargrove visit you in similar conditions?” Steve stared at Neil Hargrove, mouth not quite in a frown and more so a scowl. His eyes however, ever so innocent in such a deceiving way. Billy knew that look wasn’t something to be reckoned with. Steve clenched his fists and his eyes filled with the same sadness he gave Billy all those nights.

“Sometimes two nights a week and other times four. I’d make him stay the night because I knew he’d be…hurt again.” The jury watched and nodded, all agreeing.

Dawson looked back at Billy and schooled his face neutrally, “That’s all, your Honor.”

The defense, a man that Billy never got the time to learn the name of, stood and faced Steve. Stepped slowly up and watched with knowledgeable eyes. Steve was smart, no matter how many people picked on him about being a little dumb. Billy knew Steve was smart when it came to these things.

“Steve Harrington,” he placed a hand on the bench, Steve glanced at it ruefully, “Do you know Mr. Hargrove?” Steve raised a brow. “Have you ever met him face to face?”

Steve smiled, faux innocence, “Yes.” The defense seemed genuinely surprised, Neil stood up as though he’d forgotten his keys just as he closed the door.

“And when was that exactly?”

“Two months ago,” Steve looked at Neil, sideways glanced at the jury. “When Neil Hargrove visited the hospital carrying Billy during his recovery after the fire.”

Neil’s lawyer turned back and seemed to ignore the man shaking his head frantically, “And what was your initial perspective?”

Steve sat up even straighter, “He’s a sniveling, lying, no good man, who is not worthy in the slightest to have Billy.”

The defense’s shoulders slumped, but he asked the question he knew everyone wanted to hear, “And what gave you these…observations?”

Steve frowned deeply, not in disappointment, and as he looked to the jury, it resembled perfectly with sorrow and rage. “He yelled at his son while he was barely alive. Told him that he wouldn’t be paying for the bill, and left. He never came back either. Does that sound like a good father to you?” The defense lawyer stared, wide eyed, and turned away after thinking a moment. Everyone knew that it was because he was holding himself back. They’d already won.

Steve picked up his jacket and stepped out of the bench. He smiled at Billy and mouthed.

“Love you.”

[allaboardtheussharringrove]

So @billy-baby mentioned That 70’s Show and Harringrove, and it reminded me of a *whole ass* set of hc’s about a 70’s/Stranger Things AU that has been sitting in my notes for literal years collecting dust, so here it is:

-Billy & Hyde would be besties, probably neighbours in the same shitty neighbourhood

-They headbang to hard rock and metal, jam to 60’s & 70’s rock while drinking TONS of beer and hotboxing the Camaro and El Camino, respectively

-Bands they’d have in common: AC/DC, Black Sabbath & Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, KISS, Judas Priest, Van Halen, and Led Zeppelin just to name a couple

-Hyde always gives Billy shit for like, never wearing a shirt, Billy gives Hyde shit for his ever-present sunglasses & sideburns

-They know each other’s parental problems, and take refuge in the Forman’s basement/the empty Harrington house (yes, we’re talkin’ a Hawkins, Indiana/Point Place, Wisconsin mashup here)

-Billy still has a major crush on Steve (Harrington that is, Steven Hyde will only be referred to as Hyde [and that possible name mix-up could cause some hilarity whenever anyone calls out “Steven”, and some embarrassing rumour drama for Billy, Steve, & Hyde (or omg a block party at the Formans where Kitty calls out “William! Steven! Michael!” And she turns around and has Billy, Will, Hyde, Steve, Mike, and Kelso starting at her expectantly)])

-Billy probably also thinks Eric and Kelso are kinda cute, but total dumbasses, they both definitely annoy him

-Fez would have a totally awkward and hilarious crush on Billy, and you just know Billy would flirt with him on purpose just to make him nervous (this might make Steve a lil jealous and annoy him to no end)

-Jackie would have the BIGGEST crush on Steve, after Kelso, and drag him around to go shopping and shit, he would tolerate it but Billy would absolutely hate her as a “bitchy rich entitled snot-nosed brat” cause she would be vocal about him being poor and he’d have to be calmed down by Hyde and Steve all the time

-Billy would give Hyde an unimaginable amount of shit for going out with Jackie, hooo boy!

-Steve would get a kick outta Kelso, but I think he and Eric would be pretty close friends, with Steve always pushing to hang around at the Forman’s cause Eric’s parents are always present, as opposed to his empty house (he adores Kitty Forman for SURE as the mother he never had)

-But the gang would surely hold parties at the Harrington’s....and only sometimes get away with it (both these groups are known for their KEGS! and the 70’s teens would lose their damn minds over Keg Kings Billy & Steve)

-Billy would put the charm on for Kitty sometimes just to see her blush, and Red would get annoyed and just a little threatening saying something like “Like to see how charming you are with my foot up your ass” and Billy being the abused kid that he is automatically takes it a little too seriously- probably flinches, goes a little pale, stutters out a “Yes sir, sorry sir”

-This would make Kitty and Red a bit concerned, pay a visit to the Hargrove household- I wouldn’t be surprised if they experience Neil putting Billy down or catch a glimpse of a smack or something and they would for sure take action with Red intimidating Neil cause you know he could

-Anyway! Girls. Robin and Donna would be THE BEST FRIENDS EVER, cause Donna had no other cool girl friend to hang out with and you just KNOW Robin might have an “itsy bitsy” (huge) crush on Donna, cause she’s Hot Donna, also they’re both super into female empowerment (and honestly, when Donna/Eric break up I could see her maybe falling for Robin too)

-Donna and Billy would be buds, she might like him for a hot minute but be cool with him being gay (Out of everyone in the 70’s gang, I think he’d most likely share this with her - cause she’d probably figure it out - even if it’s just to gush about their dumb, brave, pretty brunette boys to each other)

-Max would LOVE Donna, not just because of the hair (but also redhead solidarity is important), but because they’re both badasses and would totally vibe together- Max, Billy, and Donna would be an unexpectedly fun trio (and Billy would complain about having to drive the “GingeTwins” around all the time or something to that effect)

-And Jackie having to babysit Erica (because Donna does it sometimes, but she’s out for the night) would be the best thing ever good lord, Erica would put Jackie in her place, but they’d probably make up some schemes together too

-Also Erica would be absolutely appalled at having a similar name to Eric, she’d probably call him something along the lines of “Supreme Nerd” or “King of the Nerds” and have an endless supply of unimpressed looks for him during their debates of whose name is better

-Eric would totally join Mike, Will, Lucas & Dustin in their nerd exploits (STAR WARS!) And he and Dustin would get into loooong nerd debates

-I think Kelso would join Dustin & Lucas (and maybe the other boys too) in doing mischievous experiments including but not limited to: pyrotechnics, wrist rockets, radios and electronics... He’d begrudgingly listen to the scientific explanations of the boys (which would all fly right over his head) and they would have a moderate success rate, but also have to run away from the trouble they’d get in

-Lucas and Hyde would always be cool, but after finding out about Hyde’s biological dad they could become closer (Hyde’s dad and Lucas would have the best banter)

-Will and Eric would geek out over comics, and I think Eric would be super nice/supportive about seeing Will’s drawings

-Jonathan would be pretty quiet at first, but might talk to Fez since they’re both kinda the odd man out in each group (and he’d be genuinely NICE to Fez, *side eyes 70’s teens*)- then he’d be roped into doing random/stupid/mildly illegal stuff with the gang

-And despite Billy & Hyde being besties, I think Jonathan would bond with Hyde over shitty dads (plus I think Hyde would love Joyce, and she’d be another offer of refuge for him & Billy) and WEED WEED WEED

-Actually that might definitely be a sub-trio: Jonathan, Billy, & Hyde- they’d all have each other’s backs when it came to family drama (and later on when Hyde gets his record store, he’d offer them both jobs and Jonathan would be over the fuckin’ moon and work there)

-Billy would for sure work for Red in his muffler shop, and Red would take him under his wing, probably unwittingly become the father figure Billy never had.

-Nancy, hmmm, well she’s on the richer side of town so her and Jackie might be friends? but she’d for sure get annoyed with Jackie’s shallow bullshit

-OH and Robin would also hate Jackie I think, ‘cause of her entitlement and relentless obsession with boys (poor Jackie, I’m not setting her up for anything great here huh)

-So that’d be why Steve is friends with her, if only ‘cause he feels bad when she alienates herself from the rest of the teens, they (and I hate to say this) *could possibly* date for like 5 minutes, it’d be a REALLY hard time for Billy...and Kelso. And those two would probably come up with some hairbrained scheme to break them up (and succeed, but each get ripped a new one because of it)

-But at least the group of teen girls would be bigger if Donna, Robin, Jackie, and Nancy all hung out together sometimes (and if they tried to have a sleepover or something there would be toooo many idiot boys trying to creep on them, I think Billy would be the voice of reason and tell them they’re all being dickheads)

-And he’d give Fez a fuck ton of shit for being such a voyeuristic creep, probably make him stop hiding in people closets (wait what? Fez is like constantly coming out of closets in that show?! hello?? is that a thing??? Oh ho-ho they’d have a whole talk about that)

-Steve would get a kick outta Fez, probably think he was the funniest dude on the planet, as I’d say they’re the goofballs of the group (and yes, I am mostly excluding the King Steve narrative from this and using only cool mom Steve, cool? cool.)

-Steve might also have a lil crush on Donna, (‘cause a strong personality and blue eyes is like his kink, we all know this) but Eric would throw a fit about that and then they’d be all buddy-buddy discussing Donna & Billy (I think Eric being kind of a dumbass about his own gay kiss might put Steve off for a bit [and make Billy super hesitant and real pissed], but I also think Eric would be cool with hearing Steve out about his big bisexuality-discovery-adventure)

-Donna and Eric trying set Steve and Billy up by saying they’re all gonna hang out, and then like locking Billy/Steve in a room together or something and leaving😈

-When Billy/Steve’s relationship comes out, Hyde’s reaction is probably “That’s cool, man” Kelso would make some corny statement about how hot *he* is, Fez would probably fangirl over it with big ole heart eyes, Jackie would be like “weird, whatever”, Kitty would get flustered and then overly excited about it after a while, Red would be uncomfortable but okay with it saying something like “I better not catch you two dumbasses doing anything in my house”

-Ohmygod, Red as a father figure to Billy, Kitty as a mother figure to Steve, and they end up being so supportive of the boys ‘cause they have to put up with so much parental shit (say what you want, but the Formans have compassion) and they convert their house/backyard into a little private prom for the whole gang just so Billy/Steve can dance together and be themselves

-Billy, Steve, and Robin would die laughing every time they saw/talked to Leo. And I feel like Robin would talk her way into a job at the Photo Hut and then just end up being the manager and hires Jonathan herself to do the developments

-And you know how Hyde is always punching Kelso in the arm? Well he’d always get one, and Billy would punch the other arm as he’d classify Kelso a special kind of idiot, they’d always be teasing Kelso together, but Billy (and Steve I’m sure) would have some wicked BURNS that Kelso would love

-Steve and Kelso as friends? Sure, pretty boys gotta stick together~ especially when Steve gets called that by Billy, and then Kelso insists he’s a prettier boy, and Billy either rolls his eyes or flirts aggressively cause Kelso doesn’t understand WHY that’s Steve’s nickname, and it’s a whole can of worms you guys

-(And I didn’t forget about El, I’m just not quite sure where she fits in this AU... she probably doesn’t have powers and is the new kid who moves into town cause of a bad home life, she’d befriend Max in school and then I think Donna would take her under wing, then she’d be a hit with the teen gang cause she’d break her quietness with witty comments/one-liners, and since she’s very intuitive still, she gravitates towards Billy & Hyde and there would be some touching heart-to-hearts about shitty parental situations followed immediately after by inappropriate offers of beer to which she responds with a firm “gross”)

-And finally, *the Circle* would be so much bigger and funnier with the Stranger Teens in it

[kendallroydefender]

Late nights at Hawkins High Part 2 (Billy Hargrove x reader)

Part 1

You went to stand in the line to get your degree in the sun on the field where you and Billy shared your first kiss a few months ago. It felt like an eternity ago. You waited until they called your last name, walked onto the stage shaking hands with the headmaster and he handed you the piece of paper that meant you were free. After the ceremony you walked up to the mullet haired boy that was your boyfriend. You and Billy had been going strong for the last months. "Hey there.“ you smiled and wrapped your arms around his neck, his went around your waist as he gave you a sweet kiss "Hey princess. Congrats.“ he whispered against your lips as you parted slightly "Congrats to you too.“ you smiled at him. You took his hand into yours and walked to where your parents where standing. "Look at you two! Congratulations!“ your mother said and gave both of you a big hug, your father did the same afterwards. Your parents liked Billy alot even before you became a couple and they were even happier as you told them that you were in a relationship. You talked to them a bit until his father, his stepmom and Max came over to where you were standing. "Congratulations!“ Susan said as they approached you. "Who would’ve thought Billy was getting a degree!“ his father laughed, it seemed like he wanted it to sound like a joke but you knew his intentions behind it so you took your boyfriends hand again and gave it a squeeze. Your parents talked for a bit with his parents and Neil threw quite a view mean "jokes“ toward Billy.

After a few more minutes you excused yourself and walked a bit away from the group. "I fucking hate him.“ you muttered once you were sure they couldn’t hear you anymore. "Me too, but it’s only one more night.“ he said and you began to smile widely. Tomorrow you would leave Hawkins and you couldn’t be happier to start this new chapter of your life. "Y/n, Billy!“ Someone called and you saw your other best friend Robin come towards you. "Oh my god hey!“ you two hugged each other "Can you believe it? We actually did it!“ you said "I know right?!“ she went to give Billy a hug afterwards. When you and Billy had first got close she wasn’t a fan of him at all. She actually despised him but they eventually got on fine with each other and once she saw how happy he made you she didn’t hated him that much anymore. She was actually happy after you told her that you were together now since she knew how much you liked him and she just wanted her best friend to be happy. One particular Friday night when Robin was staying at your house Billy tapped on your window almost giving her a heart attack thinking the monster from the movie you had just watched was coming. That night he let Robin in on his secret after you swore to him that he could trust her that she wouldn’t tell anyone. After that she understood why he was acting the way he used to in school better.

You and your two friends talked a bit until someone screamed "HARGROVE!“ you saw Billy cringe slightly "Hey Tommy“ Billy said to the boy that approached you all now. "What’s up? You gonna come to my party tonight right?“ he asked and Billy shrugged looking at you gave a small nod. "Yeah guess so.“ He said and Tommy clapped his back "That’s my man!“. They continue talking and you turn towards Robin "You’re coming too right?“ she makes a disapproving sound "It’s my last night and I want to spend it with my best friend please!“ you whine and a smile breaks out on her face "Okay okay!“ you hug her thightly once more.

Afterwards you and Billy went to your parents house to have dinner with them. They originally wanted to invite the Hargrove/Mayfield household too but you asked them not to. Without much explaining you had told your family that Billy had a difficult relationship with his father and that Neil was not a nice person. Billy was happy when he sat down at your table now. He always felt welcomed in your parents home and he was so thankful that they’d accepted him into their lives. You all ate and talked freely. You were also extremely happy seeing your parents and your boyfriend get along so nicely. After the dinner your parents handed you both a envelope. "We have a little present for the two of you. Go on open it!“ your mother said and you opened it, in it were two checks with 500 dollars each. Your family was far from rich so thousand dollars was a lot of money for you. "I- I can’t take this.“ Billy said shaking his head. "Billy. We love you, you are a part of this family now and we thought you two would need a little something for California.“ you father said. Billy looked at it for another moment while he blinked, he looked at your father "Thank you! A lot. Thank you.“ your mother gave the blonde another hug and you thanked them after that. You were so happy to have a loving family and you were sad to leave them. But you would had left Hawkins even if you hadn’t met Billy. You wanted to leave this town since you were 12.

"I can’t believe you are leaving me here!“ Robin pouted but you knew there were no hard feelings. You two sat on a bench in the garden of Tommys House, everyone else was inside drinking and dancing. After a bit Billy came through the door "Here you are.“ you shuffled closer to Robin so he could sit next to you. "Oh I forgot to tell you! I went to get my work uniform today and guess who’s my co worker?“ she asked you pulled your eyebrows up "Who?“ she took a sip from the red cup before saying "Steve fucking Harrington!“ you chuckled "Don’t laugh! It’s a nightmare!“ now you actually let out a laugh "Geez Robin maybe he’s nice...“ she rolled her eyes at you "He’s a dingus!“ "I agree!“ Billy said and you shot him a glance "You shouldn’t be so quick to judge him. Remember I wasn’t so happy either when I was paired up with this one.“ you nodded your head towards Billy "Hey!“ he chuckled holding a hand over his heart. "You know i love you know. But you were mean back then.“ you explained yourself "Yeah I was a dick...“

"Look people can change maybe you and Steve will become friends.“ Robin made a disgusted face "Okay stop before im going to puke.“ you leaned your head onto Billy’s shoulder as the topic of the conversation changed.

As you were about to leave you remembered to ask something "Oh Robin you’re coming over tomorrow right?“

"Of course what time?“ you thought about it "Billy comes over at 12 so maybe 10?“ she nodded and you all got into your parents car wich you drove since you didn’t owned one yourself and neither did Robin and the camaro was already packed with your suitcases and stuff you wanted to take with you to your knew home. You drove Robin home and then made your way to Billy’s house. "You really don’t want to stay over at mine?“ you asked as you looked at the House in front of you. "Nah my dad would actually kill me if I would do that.“ he leaned over to give you a kiss "Also after tonight I can share a bed with you every night.“ you hummed as you leaned in again. The sweet little kiss turned into a small make out session. Kissing Billy still made you nervous but a good kind of nervous, the butterflies were still there everytime. "I love you Billy.“ you said and he gave you a peck again "I love you too.“ he opened the door "See you tomorrow.“ he said. Once he reached the door he winked at you and then he was gone.

The next morning you had breakfast with your parents and packed a few things you needed like your shampoo and toothpaste, everything else was already in the Camaro. You had been able to downgrade your need of rooms once you were actually a couple since you wouldn’t need two separate bedrooms anymore. The flat you had ended up renting wasn’t that big but you loved it when you visited it a few weeks ago also it wasn’t far from the beach. Billy had already found a job there, one of his old friends had known someone who looked for a lifeguard this summer and being a California native he easily got the job. You would look for one in the coming weeks even though Billy was always telling you to apply for college in California but you wanted to start college with him next year.

Robin came over to your house and you talked until Billy came over. You said your goodbyes to your parents first crying but they assured you that you did the right thing and that the two would be back to thanksgiving anyway. Robin hugged you tight and you had to swear to her to call every week at least once and meet up with her when you were in town. You also told her that she should come visit you at the end of summer. While you talked to her your parents hugged Billy goodbye and once you parted Robin looked at the mulled haired boy "Come here you Dingus!“ they hugged and you heard her say "Take good care of her!“ he chuckled "I will.“ she smiled too "Yeah I know.“ you got into the car’s passenger seat, still crying and you all waved as you left. "Are you sure you want to do this... with me?“ Billy asked almost whispering. "Of course I want to B!“ he didn’t looked at you "Billy I love you and I want to start this new part of my life with you! I’m sure in this decision! I want this.“ he smiled now "I want this too. Fuck You don’t know how happy I am that I’m able to leave and on top of that I have you.“ you intertwined your fingers with his and he gave your hand a kiss.

The drive was exhausting, you took turns driving so the other could sleep but finally you did it. The moment you stood in the living room of your new home you knew this long drive was worth it. You squealed as you hugged Billy close giving him a few fast kisses. You were able to get a small flat that was already furnished. Sure it wasn’t anything fancy but you wouldn’t want to have it any other way. This was perfect. After you brought your stuff inside you decided to take a walk on the beach and get some takeaway.

Billy watched the smile on your face wich made him smile as well. You walked hand in hand, the water beside you and you just looked stunning to him. He could actually cry because of how happy he was. "I can’t believe this.“ Billy said and you looked up at him "I know it’s perfect here.“ he stopped walking causing you to also halt. "I love you y/n. You don’t know how much and I’d never thought that would be possible but here I am.“ you smiled up at the boy with the blonde mullet and your heart hammered in your chest. "I love you too Billy Hargrove.“ he smiled a genuine smile, the one he gave only you before he slipped his hand in yours and kissed the back of it briefly as you started to walk along the shore again.

[paperbodiesamongthestars]

Day 30: Lily-of-the-valley

Hey! We made it to the end of the Harringrove April Challenge! Read this one on AO3, or read all of my entries for the challenge!

The sunny April day when Neil seized up and starting clutching at his chest at the breakfast table wasn’t the best day of Billy’s life—that had come two months earlier, in Steve Harrington’s stupid plaid bedroom—but it was definitely in the top three. Well, top five, anyway—he’d had a run of good days in the last couple of months. 

Susan, as expected, fluttered around uselessly while Neil toppled from his chair and Max, also as expected, calmly continued eating her breakfast. It took a lot to faze her, these days, and Neil had started grabbing her arm, hard, when she did something he didn’t like. Which, Max being who she was, was often. For his part, Billy stared at his father thrashing around on the floor and tried to look like he was frozen in shock, but no one was paying attention to him anyway. Susan was focused on Neil, and Max glanced over at them only once before she went back to eating her cereal. By the time anyone got around to calling 911, it was mostly a moot point. Neil died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital of an acute cardiac arrhythmia.

The months after Neil’s death were strange ones in the Mayfield-Hargrove household. It turned out that Neil had quite a sizable insurance policy, so his death hadn’t put Susan in a difficult position the way Billy had been worried it would. Outwardly, life carried on much the same as before—Billy drove Max to and from school, and both of them were expected to be home for dinner nearly every night. In many other ways, however, the difference was profound. Susan cooked whatever she wanted, for one thing, and it turned out she was a decent cook when she wasn’t trying to make Neil happy. She hummed to herself as she moved around the house, and redecorated the living room, and joined a book club.

Billy’s shoulders gradually came down from around his ears when Susan didn’t immediately kick him out, and when he broke a glass in the kitchen two months after Neil’s death, he only panicked for a moment. Susan came out at the sound of shattering glass, and once she had established that Billy was okay, she got down on the kitchen floor with him and helped him clean it up. 

Max gradually lost the brittle edge she had started to pick up after she had walked in on Neil shoving Billy into a wall in December, and she smiled and laughed more freely than she had in months. Part of that was probably because Lucas was welcome at their house anytime, but the other part of it was because there wasn’t anyone around to get mad when she wanted to cut her hair shorter, or leave her door open while she listened to music, or tease her dumb step-brother.   

It wasn’t always easy, but it gradually got easier. The first time Susan tried to tell Billy he couldn’t go somewhere, he screamed that she wasn’t his real mom, and then stormed out and drove to Steve’s house, where he sat outside for so long that Steve came out and climbed into the passenger seat to hold his hand until he stopped shaking. When he finally got up the courage to go back to the house, the door was unlocked and the porch light was on, and the lock was gone from the outside of his bedroom door. Susan was sitting in the kitchen, waiting up for him, and the look on her face when he came in the door wasn’t anger—it was relief. 

“I may not be your real mom,” she said firmly, “but I am going to parent you, so you’d better get used to it.” Billy had always assumed that Max had gotten her fire from her dad, but it turned out that maybe she had gotten a little bit of it from her mom. Susan made him cook dinner for a full month after that, but she didn’t take his keys, or kick him out, or tell him he was a worthless piece of shit who didn’t deserve any of the nice things he had.  

The next time she told him he couldn’t go somewhere, he snapped at her instead of yelling, and then he stormed into his room and slammed the door shut as hard as he could, but he didn’t leave. He got dinner duty again and he had to clean the bathroom for a full month, but he found that he wasn’t even really that mad about it. 

By the end of the summer he hardly even bothered to tell Susan that she wasn’t his real mom anymore, and he hadn’t slammed his door in ages. He just rolled his eyes and did what she told him to do because she continued to demonstrate that she gave a shit about him, for some reason, and Billy didn’t hate that nearly as much as he thought he would. 

Partway through September, Billy was reluctantly dragging himself out of Steve’s bed, and Steve was, as usual, not helping. 

“I have to go home, baby,” Billy said, leaning back in for yet another kiss. Steve pulled back and smiled at him, bright and happy. 

“You’ve never called it that before,” he said, and Billy frowned at him. 

“What?” he asked, confused.  

“You always say that you have to go back to the house,” Steve said. “You’ve never called it home before.” 

“Oh,” was all Billy could manage to say. He flushed and looked away. Steve sat up and pulled him close, pressing a kiss to his temple. 

“I think it’s really nice,” he said. “It makes me happy that it feels like a home to you now.” Billy didn’t say it out loud, but it made him happy too. 

Steve was in the kitchen at Billy’s house on a cool October Saturday, using a serrated knife to slice around the top of a pumpkin. He was telling Dustin and Will a story, as animatedly as ever, and it took a moment for Billy, absorbed in scooping the seeds out of his own pumpkin, to register Steve muttering a quiet “Shit.” By the time Billy looked up, hands covered in pumpkin guts, Steve’s wrist and forearm were covered in blood. Billy scrambled to his feet, but before he could do anything Susan was there, wrapping Steve’s hand in a clean dishtowel. She had him raise the arm above his head to slow the bleeding, and held the towel firmly to the deepest part of the cut. 

Once the bleeding had slowed, she had the cut cleaned, disinfected, and bandaged in no time. She caught Billy watching her as she walked Steve efficiently through the process, and she flushed a little when she met his gaze. 

They didn’t talk about it until later that night, when the jack-o-lanterns were set up on the front porch and Max was off at a sleepover. Steve was asleep on the couch, bandaged hand tucked carefully above his head. He still looked pale, and Billy gently smoothed the hair back from his forehead. He didn’t realize Susan was there until she cleared her throat behind him. Billy stopped himself from snatching his hand back, and reached out to gently run his thumb over Steve’s cheekbone before he turned to her. She gestured toward the kitchen with her head, and he followed her. 

Billy sat quietly at the kitchen table while Susan made two mugs of tea. She slid one across to him and then sat down, eyes on her mug. There was a long silence. 

“You reacted quickly today,” Billy said quietly, and then he cleared his throat. “Thank you.” He hoped it conveyed what he wanted it to. She glanced up, her gaze drifting to where the top of Steve’s head was just visible over the arm of the couch, and she smiled a little. Then she looked back down. 

“I used to volunteer with kids a lot when Max was little. I guess the first-aid training never really leaves you,” she said. 

“So…” Billy said, and then trailed off. He wasn’t sure he could say it out loud. She saved him from having to. 

“So yes, I have always known that time is of the essence when dealing with a potential heart problem,” Susan said with a sigh. “I have also always been pretty decent in a crisis.” Billy just stared at her, remembering her wringing her hands while she stood over a twitching Neil, making no move toward the phone. 

“But…” Billy said helplessly. She shrugged. 

“Neil never did think I was particularly capable. It’s possible that seeing any competence at all on my part would have killed him right then and there,” she said drily, with a twist of her mouth that might have been a smile, and Billy almost choked on his tea. She looked up and calmly met his gaze. “I guess we’ll never know,” she said slowly. “Just like we’ll never know why Neil’s salad that night contained some finely chopped greens that no one else’s salad had.” Billy paled, but Susan reached across the table and placed a hand over his. “Things have been good, these past several months,” she said firmly. There was a very long silence. 

“Steve’s mom has a really beautiful garden,” Billy said, in what must have seemed like a complete non sequitur. Susan looked at him, a question in her eyes. “She grows all kinds of flowers,” Billy said, “including a large patch of lily-of-the-valley. She’s been warning Steve to stay away from it since he was just a kid.” He watched understanding dawn in her eyes. 

“I wondered why the dishwasher was running when I got back from the hospital,” she murmured. 

“I didn’t let Max touch anything,” Billy said. It was important to him that she know that. Susan nodded. 

“Well,” Susan said, finishing the last sip of her tea and standing up, “if you think it would be alright with Steve’s mom, maybe you could cut some from her garden sometime. They’re lovely flowers, and it might be nice to display them in the house.” Billy caught the little gleam in her eye and wondered, not for the first time, what it must have been like, being married to his dad. “Oh, and Billy?” she said as he carried his mug to the sink to wash it. He turned to look at her. 

“Yeah?” 

“I’m going to bed. If you don’t want to wake Steve up to move him to your room after you think I’m asleep, you’re welcome to just sleep out here with him. It certainly doesn’t bother me.” Billy just stared at her. He could feel the blush spreading over his face and down his neck. The smile she shot him was almost, but not quite, a smirk. “Good night,” she said. 

“Good night,” he replied faintly as she turned and walked down the hall. He shook his head as he returned to the living room and his sleeping boyfriend. Who could have guessed that Susan was so full of surprises? Billy stretched out on the couch, and Steve snuggled closer to him with a soft, contented little sound, burying his face in Billy’s neck. Billy smiled to himself. The sunny April day when Neil died had been a good day, but it wasn’t in the top five anymore. It wasn’t even going to stay in the top ten for long, and not just because he had a perfect boyfriend. He also had a family, and a place that felt like a home. 

He’d bring Susan all the lily-of-the-valley she wanted. It didn’t bloom year round, but maybe she’d like a nice perfume. Or a throw pillow with the pattern on it. Steve would have some good ideas; Billy could ask him tomorrow, when they woke up together on the couch in Billy’s home. Maybe he and Steve could even get matching tattoos. After all, Steve and his patch of lily-of-the-valley had brought a lot of good into Billy’s life, by taking just one bad thing out of it. 

[cavinginhisfvce]

Something, something...Steve comforting Billy after a run in with Neil. (Ft Short King!Billy and 🌬🍃)

I HATE this drawing bc Billy came out BAD, but it took me almost 4hrs so im fucking posting it. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO STAY A SKETCH.

This is my first Harringrove drawing be gentle w me

[inthelonelycoolbeforedawn]

Harringrove April Days 3, 7, & 22: Spring Break, Daisychain, & Yellow

Spring break was Billy's favorite school holiday.

He didn't like winter vacation because that meant Christmas, and Christmas meant mean Grandma Hargrove, and pretending not to be bored listening to all the old people talk, and lots of yelling and his mom crying afterwards.

Summer was okay, because as long as his chores were done he got to play with his friends and spend more time at the beach.

But spring break was the best, because he got to spend time alone with his mom while his dad was at work.

Sometimes they'd stay home. They'd go to the park a few blocks away, then she'd read him his favorite stories and play toy cars and teach him how to make cookies.

Sometimes they'd go to the beach to swim and walk along the sand, looking for shells or rocks or sea creatures. When he started learning to surf, she'd watch, cheering him on. They'd usually stop for ice cream on the way home.

Sometimes they'd go for walks. She would point out the plants and flowers they passed in neighbors' gardens or along the hiking trails. Once they found a meadow full of wildflowers and she taught Billy how to make daisy chains. She smiled when he proudly set the lopsided daisy crown he'd made all by himself on her head, and she wore it the whole time they sat there watching clouds drift lazily across the sky.

No matter what they did it was nice, and every year Billy looked forward to spring break.

Until the day Neil came home early and found them in the yard, laughing as they blew on dandelion puffballs and making wishes on the tiny, feathery seeds.

"Scattering goddamn weeds everywhere," he shouted. "Do you know how hard I work to keep this lawn looking nice?"

Billy snuck off to his room but he could still hear his dad yelling about goddamn weeds and turning the boy into a pussy with that goddamn hippie shit.

His mom stopped wishing on dandelions after that.

And Billy stopped looking forward to spring break.

*

They moved when Neil married Susan. This house was bigger but had no yard, just a cracked concrete driveway with an old basketball hoop at the end.

Billy spent hours out there, practicing. Neil didn't mind, because real men were supposed to be interested in sports and cars and girls. And he was good at basketball. Liked it even. It was better than baseball at least.

He hated the dandelions that sprang up in the cracks though.

Max ran over them with her skateboard, not even noticing. But Billy noticed every time another little yellow flower popped up, and made sure to stomp on them when he ran and jumped for the net.

Part of him ached every time he squished one. He wondered if they felt pain, if they knew what it was like to be crushed and smothered, yanked up and thrown away.

But a bigger, louder part of his brain sneered that those kinds of thoughts were for faggots and pussies, and he wasn't a faggot or a pussy.

So he smothered those thoughts, crushing them down like his feet crushed the dandelions.

*

They had a bigger yard in Hawkins, and Neil made it clear that Billy was old enough now to take responsibility for keeping the yard maintained. He discovered he hated shovelling snow, longing for sunny skies and ocean waves as he cleared the walkways and the driveway. But slowly the snow melted, and his next task was raking up all the dead grass and leaves, tidying up last fall's debris to make sure the lawn looked good for summer.

When the first dandelions poked up through the grass, little bits of sunshine dotting the lawn to announce the coming of spring, Billy went out with the weedkiller.

He sprayed the poison over the plants, soaking them in it, making sure not a single one survived.

At the dinner table that night, he blamed his red-rimmed eyes and hoarse voice on the chemical fumes. Luckily Neil believed him.

*

Spring turned to summer, and suddenly everything he ever knew was uprooted.

It was October when they finally released him from the hospital. By then the world was gray again, the plants and trees and flowers dying off for the long Indiana winter.

There were a few bright spots though.

He was staying at Joyce Byers' house. It was crowded, since Hopper and El had moved in too. But he shared a room with Jonathan, who was a surprisingly understanding roommate and didn't even expect him to talk if he didn't want to.

He passed the days doing his exercises and whatever household chores he could manage. He spent time with El and Will, and with Max, who visited as often as she could.

And sometimes Steve came over.

The entire group had formed deep, lasting friendships as they all healed together, and Billy still couldn't quite believe he was part of that group now. But he'd apologized, and meant it, and they were willing to give him a chance.

At first he'd just join in when Steve and Robin brought the rest of the kids for movie nights. Then they'd started hanging out without the kids, occasionally going to Steve's house, or to a movie, or the diner. Jonathan and Nancy had even come along a few times.

But, as winter turned to spring, there'd been a few times when it ended up being just Steve and Billy. And the more time Billy spent with Steve, the more he realized he couldn't deny his feelings anymore.

He was in love with Steve. And he had to tell him. It might cost him everything - Steve himself, all the people who'd taken him in and given him a home, who he'd begun to trust and care about - but he couldn't keep lying to himself or anyone else.

He got his chance when Steve came over on an unseasonably warm April day. Hopper and Joyce were at work and the kids were at school, so they had the house to themselves.

"Hi," Steve said when Billy answered the door. "I'm off today so I thought we could, um. Hang out. If you want. It's such a nice day, it'd be a shame to waste it, right?"

"Yeah," Billy said. "You want to sit outside for a bit?"

"Yeah, okay," Steve said.

With his sunny smile and a yellow T-shirt Billy had never seen him in, he looked like a personification of spring. He was beautiful.

Billy pulled the door closed and they settled onto the old porch swing that creaked when it rocked. Steve's arm bumped Billy's, and their thighs were almost touching.

They rocked on the swing slowly, not talking.

And then Steve spoke.

"They're kind of pretty," he said.

Startled, Billy turned to him. "What?"

"The dandelions." Steve gestured towards the Byers' front lawn, dotted with the little yellow flowers, some already gone to seed. He chuckled. "I know most people think they're weeds - my parents hate them - but I don't know. I kind of like them."

"Me too," Billy blurted, before he could stop himself. He looked down. "My mom - she always said if you blew on the seeds and made a wish it would come true."

"Yeah?"

Steve's voice was soft. Billy was too scared to look at him.

"Yeah."

"Well, my grandma said if you blow on a dandelion and all the seeds come off, the person you love loves you back."

Billy tried to laugh. It came out as more of a wheeze.

"Maybe they're both right," Steve said. "Your mom and my grandma."

"Maybe," Billy said quietly.

"Do you want to, uh - ?" Steve took a deep breath, lacing his fingers together, then untwining them and laying his hands flat on his thighs. "Find out?"

"Okay," Billy whispered.

They stood up in unison and walked down to the grass. They both plucked a dandelion and faced the road.

Billy closed his eyes and blew as hard as he could. He hesitated before opening his eyes, almost afraid of what he'd see.

He was holding an empty dandelion stalk that matched Steve's, the little white seeds mingling, dancing away on the breeze.

"Did your wish come true?" Steve asked softly.

Billy kissed him in response, just a brief, tentative touch of his lips to Steve's. He drew back immediately, expecting Steve to scrunch his face up in disgust, shove him away, and run.

Instead Steve took his hand and drew him in for another, longer kiss.

Billy didn't even realize he was crying until they parted and Steve's thumb was on his cheek, gently wiping away his tears.

He put his arms around Steve, hesitantly at first, tightening his hold when Steve hugged him back.

"I guess your mom was right," Steve said.

"I think your grandma was right too," Billy said, when he could speak again.

"Yeah," Steve said, eyes soft and smile warmer than the sun. "Totally."

[superw3nch]

weak and weary | Billy Hargrove

The one where Billy realizes these cold nights in Hawkins aren’t so bad now that he isn’t alone. 

Billy’s been going over to Sinclair's house every Sunday for the past month now and for the first time in a long time, Billy has been happy. Like really fucking happy.

He didn’t prance in a prairie happy but he was playing his music a little louder on the way to school happy. Not complain as much when Max asked for a ride somewhere happy, but still, complain a bit because that’s just what he does. He did not give Harrington so much shit at basketball practice happy.

Because for the past month he had something to look forward to every day. And that was Sundays at the Sinclair’s in Charles’ garage fixing up that piece of shit car, even though it was getting better now.

It also meant Charlie.

Seeing her more dinners have become less awkward now and she wasn’t glaring at him the entire time, so he thinks things are going good. Erica was still Erica and gave him shit every time she saw him come through the door. He didn’t really mind, she was a good kid. When she felt like being one.

Lucas was almost as hard to crack as Charlie. He wouldn’t really speak to him at first and Billy was too scared to initiate a conversation, yes scared. He, Billy Hargrove, was scared of the scrawny little 12-year-old boy. Per se.

More like he was scared of the fact that if he did say something and it’ll be the wrong thing then Charlie and her parents would hate him all over again. He couldn’t do that, couldn’t go back to that. Not to Neil and his closed fists, that cold home where his only company was his record player and sometimes Max.

He needed those Sunday nights in that garage to make him feel sane. So one day after school he caught Charlie just as she was about to make her way to Steve’s car. Because she was always with Steve now since Jonathon was always with Nancy. She briefly mentioned that at dinner once and it’s the only reason he even knows it.

“Hey, Charlie.”

She turned towards him and for a second Billy forgot how to breathe. Because now Charlie doesn’t look at him like he’s the devil, but she looks at him like he’s Billy. And sometimes.

“Hey California,” She smiled and Billy really thought he was going to die. Like how does she just do that? How does she just smile at him like that and look at him with those eyes and just give him nicknames like they’ve known each other forever? “Wassup.”

Billy blinked. “I actually need your help with something.” His hands went into the pockets of his pants. “Or like advice really.”

She raised a brow but didn’t say anything which kind of made him nervous, but Charlie always makes him nervous, so. “It’s about Lucas as you know I’m not really the best at talking things out.” She laughed and normally Billy would've been irritated, annoyed even but it’s Charlie. “I just-- how do I get Lucas to not hate me?”

Charlie stared at him for a moment, and he got scared because shit did he say the wrong thing? Did a month's worth or work just go down the drain in a fucking second because he didn’t know how to talk to a goddamn girl?

“I don’t think he hates you,” She finally answered, adjusting the backpack on her shoulders and Billy sent her a spectacle look, she caught it. “Honestly I don't. I just think it’s more of a grudge at this point.”

“A grudge?”

“Yeah you know like when someone beats your score on your favorite game.”

“I have no idea what that means.”

She sighed deeply through her nose. “Walk with me, California.” and he did walk with her from the school to the parking lot. Walked so close their arms brushed and he couldn’t concentrate on anything but that.

“Lucas is a lot like me.” She Continued some of her hair catching in the wind exposing more of her face. “He may forgive but he doesn’t forget and honestly I never thought you would make it this far so that’s saying a lot.” She turned to him and smiled at the last part and he tried not to stare. “Just keep doing what you’re doing I’m sure he’ll come around.”

“It worked on me though,” Charlie pointed out just a hint of a smile playing on her lips as she looked over at him. “That’s gotta count for something.”

“Counts for a lot, Sinclair.”

Charlie smiled like he said the right thing, and he pauses for just a second. Cause no one ever looks at Billy that way. No one ever has a smile, a genuine fucking smile, just for him. It’s always those looks, or sneers, and even snickers. But no one ever fucking smiles at him. But Charlie. And it’s a lot.

They were at his car now and it made Billy frown because that meant Charlie would be leaving. This conversation would be over and he wouldn’t have an excuse to talk to her again until Sunday dinners. And he didn’t know if he could make it all the way till Sunday dinner.

Because those small smiles in the hall weren’t enough anymore. Holding her stupid hand during that prayer wasn’t enough anymore. He needed more. More of her smiles. More of her looks. Just more of her. So.

“Hey what are you doing right now?”

“I-I was going to hang out with Steve,” At the mention of Harrington he had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Because yes of course she would be with fucking Steve. “But I don’t have any plans Friday. If you’re free.”

He was supposed to hang out with Tiffany or Tina, he honestly couldn’t tell them apart. But. “Yeah no, I’m free.” And Billy had to take a chance to process that information, cause really this was a lot. Charlie Sinclair, who rightfully hated him a month ago, had just agreed to hang out with him.

And he wanted to play it off and be the cool guy, like always. But. Billy thinks maybe she would’ve never agreed but for some reason she did. And it meant a lot. A smile was beginning to grow on his face as he looked at the brown girl.

But as quickly as it came it was gone because one loud, alarming honking horn echoed across the parking lot. And Charlie jumped surprised, they both turned to find the source and. Yeah of course it was King Steve sitting in the driver's seat of his car.

“Let’s go, Charlie!” He hollered from his car. “The kids are waiting!”

And Charlie she, gave him this annoyed look. But like the thing is Billy he’s seen that look before. At least he thinks he has maybe once or twice directed at him. Which it shouldn’t even bother him really, but it does. A lot.

“I have to go before he blows a fuse,” Steve honked again, this time longer. Which now was beginning to annoy Billy. For more than one reason. “But can we discuss the finer details later?”

Billy sent a glare at Steve, which he gladly returned. Cause yeah even though Charlie was kinda nice to him now the same feelings didn’t resonate between the boys. Which makes sense cause it’s not like Billy didn’t break a plate over his head.

“Yeah but I don’t have your--”

“I know your number,” Billy gave her a look. “My brother is literally dating your sister.”

And what ?

Yeah, Billy knew that Max was close with that little ragtag team of prepubescent dorks, but dating one of them? It had never come up at any dinners, or maybe it has and he’s just been that checked out at the dinner table. But he feels like that is something he should be at least vaguely aware of.

“Oh god, you didn’t know?” Charlie was laughing now and Billy could not find out what was funny. And Steve wouldn’t stop honking that fucking horn so he couldn’t even think. “Look I will call you tonight, California.”

And that wasn’t fair. She had called him that stupid nickname that makes it hard to breathe and was walking away before he could even get anything out. But Steve was still giving him this smug look. And he was still pissed off about the honking and the look . So.

“I’ll be waiting on your call, Sinclair.” He shouted across the parking lot making sure everyone, mostly Steve, could hear it. And based on the look King Steve was giving him he heard him loud and clear.

Billy smiled. Steve glared. Charlie rolled her eyes.

Billy realizes now that Charlie never told him when she would call him. Just that she would. So because of that Billy has been sitting next to the phone for the past 2 hours waiting on a call from the Sinclair household.

And it's just. How did he fucking get here? How did he turn into the guy who waits by the phone? He was never that guy. But now he’s waiting by the stupid fucking phone, for the stupid girl to call him. To call him. Which is so fucking stupid now that he thinks about it.

And he would’ve just gone into his room and blasted his music like always. But it’s Charlie. So he sat in the living room watching, but not really, tv until he heard the stupid thing ring. And since he's been home it’s only rung twice.

Once for had been a telemarketer which he told to fuck off. And the other had been a friend of Susan’s who had called for the recipe of her broccoli casserole. Which he doesn’t know fucking why compared to anything Mrs. Sincalir cooked she didn’t hold a candle. But Whatever.

Billy sat on the end of the couch, the one closest to the phone, almost asleep really. This was one of the rare few days where Neil wouldn’t be home till around dinner time so the house didn’t feel as oppressive as normal. Meaning Billy didn’t actually have to hide in his room till dinner. He could roam the house without being terrified he’d upset him.

It was nice and Susan wasn’t the worst company. Coming in every once in a while asking him if he wanted any snacks. He’d say no of course but it was a nice gesture he could acknowledge that.

Just then Max came through the front door kicking off her shoes and greeting her mother. The red-haired girl stopped as she saw the sight of Billy on the couch, probably surprised. And Normally Billy wouldn’t even say anything to her, but then he remembered what Charlie had said to him in the parking lot. So when the girl had sat on the other end of the couch. He kinda just blurted it out.

“So you're dating Lucas Sinclair?”

And Billy had to stop himself from laughing, cause Max looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel from how red she was turning. “Who told you?” She hissed sending a look at her Mom who was preparing dinner.

Billy shouldn’t be enjoying this, but he can’t remember that last time he’s seen Max so worked up. “So it’s true then?” He laughed resulting in her throwing a seat cushion at him, he caught it with ease.

“I can’t believe you,” She huffed, arms crossed tight. “How did you even find out?”

Billy shrugged, not really seeing a point in lying. “Charlie told me.”

Max blinked, confused. “Why the hell would Charlie tell you anything?” There was no real malice in her voice, just genuine confusion. He wasn’t offended.

“Don’t worry about it,” Billy Chided. “So you and Lucas. How long have you two been, uh, a thing?”

Now Max was looking at him like he had grown a second head, and Billy couldn’t blame her. He was never the best brother, honestly, he was probably the worst. But he felt like he didn't know, they didn’t have to be total strangers while he was here. He wasn’t expecting Max to answer him; she had no reason to really, but she did.

“Since the Snow Ball,” The small girl confesses never turning to meet Billy’s eyes. “We’ve been dating since then.”

That’s been what a month, little less than that maybe. Billy doesn’t really know. He can’t even remember the last time him and Max had even sat down and talked. It probably was way before that night. Long before they even moved to Hawkins. Billy has never been an active factor in Max’s life, just her chauffeur and not by choice.

They didn’t act the way the Sinclair kids did with one another. They probably never would if he was being honest, but he didn’t like it. He didn’t like feeling like a stranger in his own home.

“Lucas, told me you’ve been coming over for Sunday dinners,” Max spoke after a beat of silence. “He said his Dad really likes you too.”

Billy couldn’t help but smile at that because it was nice to know that everyone could see it too. See how well he and Charles got along and thankfully it all just wasn’t in his head.

“I’m helping him fix up this old car,” Billy shrugged. “Nothing really.”

“Yeah, but why did you go?” Billy turns to look at the girl to find her staring right back at him. And he forgot just how intense this kid could be sometimes. “I mean after what happened with Steve.”

And that was the million-dollar question wasn’t it? Why had Billy Hargrove done the right thing for once in his life? He doesn’t regret it not at all because he loves working on that piece of shit car in the garage. Love those Sunday dinners. Loves not being treated like a burden.

But why?

He could argue that it was the drugs they gave him. Messed him up so bad it made him right. Or he could argue it was being hit in the head with a shotgun so maybe it knocked something back into place because Neil knocked it out of. But the truth. The truth was it was Charlie Sinclair.

The girl had managed to crawl under his skin and press every button he had, and ones he didn’t even know about. In the following weeks of that night, she would look at him. That old look that he has almost forgotten about, but it broke something in him. He doesn’t know what couldn’t even put it into words. But it drove him to her porch that night.

It made him apologize. It made him work.

Now he couldn’t tell Max that because they weren’t there. He wasn’t the best with his words and opening up to his 12-year-old step sister? No, not today. So.

“I was a piece of shit,” Billy explained. “So I apologized.”

That wasn’t enough for the redhead though. But Billy really didn’t feel like having a heart to heart right now so when that phone finally did ring he jumped from the couch. Managing to beat Susan there which she sent him a look cause like, why would he run to the phone? And he didn’t need to look behind him to know what Max was thinking. But the phone was ringing.

Billy ran a hand through his hair and picked it up on the third ring.

“Hargrove residence.”

“Hi I’m calling looking for Billy,” Charlie chorused and Billy could almost picture her smile. “He’s about yeah high. Mullet. Rarely ever in a shirt unless it's about freezing.”

“Very funny, asshole.” She was laughing now and he had to stop himself from smiling cause Max was now openly staring at him from the couch now.

“I know you laughed.” He didn’t but he wanted to. “Also did Max make it home ok?”

Billy turned to look at the said red-headed child, who turned a second too late back to the tv. “Yeah, Max is ok.” He smiled at the back of her head before turning his back. “Why?”

“Nothing just checking,” She hummed. “So Friday what were you thinking?”

And yeah Billy had been thinking but it was nothing he wished to divulge over this phone call. Truthfully he had no idea what to do with a girl like Charlie. He knew what to do with Tina's and Carol’s because everyone just wanted the same thing. He had no idea how to be alone with a girl and just be alone with her.

“Why don’t you pick.”

“And they say chivalry is dead.” She mused and something in her tone made him worry. “How do you feel about the outside?”

“It’s cold and I hate it.” He answered honestly cause yeah not only did the people in Hawkins suck but so did the fucking weather. Yes, he is aware that it’s January, almost February, but did it really have to be so fucking cold?

“Sounds perfect.” She chorused. “Bring a jacket, a heavy one and you’ll be fine.”

“I didn’t say yes.”

“Well, you’re not saying no either.”

And yeah he was definitely worried now.

“I’ll take your silence as a yes then,” She continued. “Come pick me up at 6 from work ok?”

“I don’t even know where you work.” Billy started and he could feel a headache coming. “And do I get to know where we are going since I’m driving?”

“No,” She sang and if it was anybody else he would’ve been annoyed. “It’s a surprise, California. And I work at the arcade. You know the one you constantly take your sister to?”

“I’ve never seen you there before.”

“That’s because the second Max closes the door you speed off like a bat out of hell, Hargrove.”

Which yeah ok that was true.

“Yeah ok I can do that then.”

“Great,”

And Billy knew the conversation would be coming to an end soon. But he just wasn’t quite ready for that yet. He just wanted to stay on the phone with her for a little bit longer. So.

“Uh, how was your evening?”

What was he fucking Dracula all of the sudden? How’s your evening come the fuck on really. He wanted to punch himself in his stupid face.

“Uh, fine it was fine. Just watched a movie with Steve and the kids.”

He didn’t like the way she said that. Steve and the kids. Like they were an old married couple. He didn’t like it and he was mad at himself because he shouldn’t care.

“What movie?” Why can’t he just hang up the damn phone?

“Night of the living dead.” She answered. “So if Max has a nightmare feel free to yell at me.”

Billy doubted that would ever happen. He probably gets them more than her. He’s never even seen her cry let alone be scared of anything.

“Will do.” And he needed to hang up this phone before he said something stupid. But he really just couldn’t. But then.

“Lucas, what are you--”

“You’ve been on the phone for 30 minutes!” There was a struggle and had it been that long already? “Tell Steve you will call him back later!”

“This isn’t Steve you little asswhipe.”

“Who cares I need to call Max!”

“You literally just saw her for fucks sake!”

“Steve, Charlie will call you back later ok?” It was Lucas yelling into the phone now and Billy wanted to laugh cause yeah this was funny. “I just really need to talk to my girlfriend before she breaks up with me again ok?”

“This isn’t Steve,” Billy finally spoke turning over his shoulder to sneak a glance at Max. “It’s Billy.”

“Billy?”

“Yeah.”

“You were on the phone with Charlie?”

“Yeah,” Billy chided. “Can you give the phone back for a quick sec then I’ll put Max on?”

“Uh, yeah sure.” Lucas stuttered.

“Hello?” Charlie’s voice came through.

“I think we better get off the phone,” Billy mused. “Seems like we’re getting in between something.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. See you at school tomorrow.”

“Bye, Charlie.”

“Bye, Billy.”

He pulled the phone away from his ear motioning it to Max. And again she gave him a confused look, “It's for you, Maxine.” And begrudgingly she got up to get the phone but Billy was already retreating back into his room to hide for the rest of the night.

Neil had gotten to him that Thursday night.

It had been a stupid fight really and at this point, Billy doesn’t even know why he tried to fight back. Neil always wins.

He’s lucky now he supposes because Hawkins is such a small town and people talk Neils learned not to go for the face. But now his body was a map of black and blue. And like it shouldn’t bother him anymore he should be used to this. Friday was around the corner and so was Sunday he had something to look forward to.

But that night.

That Thursday night before he would see Charlie he couldn’t sleep. He stayed up all night crying in his rooms wishing he was dead.

He didn’t say anything in the car on the way to school with Max. He never did after nights like this. She knew why no doubt she heard why.

And Max would send him these looks from the passenger seat, that he pretended not to notice. She looked like she wanted to say something, anything but maybe she was too scared to. Maybe she was like Billy where he always thought he would say the wrong thing.

But when they got to the school parking lot she gave him a soft ‘ Thank you ’ but her eyes said ‘ I’m sorry .’ ‘ I hate him too .’ and ‘ not even you deserve this. ’

And yeah at that point Billy could barely keep it together. He couldn’t go into the school and pretend for 8 hours that everything was ok. He didn’t want Charlie to see him like this. Even though it’s Friday and he should be happy.

So after he watched Max go into the front doors of school he left.

It was hard to find something to do all day in Hawkins because this town really didn’t have shit.

Small corner stores, even smaller, shops, a shitty diner that could at least make a good burger. But he wasn’t particularly hungry today, honestly, the thought of eating was too much. So he went to the only spot he knew in this fucking town that made him somewhat happy.

He went to the border.

Stared at the sign that said ‘ Now Leaving Hawkins ' for hours. Cause yeah maybe hopefully one day he would be gone. Back home in California where it was never cold. Where the sun was always out and beaches were always open. Where there was no Neil.

And yeah it sucked cause he was stuck here till graduation. So Billy sat in his car. Staring at the sign. And he cried.

He did go back to pick up Max from school.

He didn’t want Neil on his case again about her finding her own way home and like Max shouldn’t have to find her own way home if he was there anyway. And he felt better now, maybe. He got as much of it out as he could and he felt fine. Ok. Normal. His normal.

So as he sat out there in the parking lot waiting for Max to come through the school doors he wasn’t really paying attention to anything else. His music was blasting and he was smoking those cigarettes he liked so much.

So when someone knocked on his window, he almost jumped. It pissed him off and he was just on edge enough as is so he turned to tell whoever this was to fuck off. But when he turned he saw those stupid brown eyes he's been thinking about all day.

“Hey, Hargrove.”

And Billy he wanted to pretend that seeing Charlie wasn’t a breath of fresh fucking air. But Charlie was everything he needed right now and more. Just what the doctor ordered.

So he turned his music off his music and rolled his window down, cause he wanted to hear everything she had to say. “Missed ya at school today,” She quipped brown eyes scanning over him trying to see what was wrong, but she wouldn’t be able to. “Everything ok?”

No. It was not fucking ok. But.

“Yeah just had to deal with some shit,” He shrugged. Some shit he’s been dealing with his whole life but like, that’s not important.

Charlie leaned forward forearms pressed against the side of his car. Invading his space and it just wasn’t fucking fair. “We don’t have to hang out tonight,” She offered. “If you're not feeling ok.”

And Billy he just kind of froze. Cause she was so close. He could smell whatever perfume she had on and it was making his head swim. “No, I’m fine.” He reassured her, but the look on her face told him Charlie wasn’t buying it. “I’m better. Looking forward to tonight even if you're dragging my ass out in the cold.”

Charlie smiled then so bright like the California sun and Billy had to remember how to breathe.

“Ok then. I’ll see you after work.”

“You will.”

“6 Oclock sharp.”

“Not a minute late.”

Billy had shown up early.

15 minutes early to be exact. He had run Max around in between, got some spare parts that he and Charles might use to stretch out the time. Picked up another pack of cigarettes cause he blew through half of them today. Got a few beers and he kinda wished he knew what was Charlie’s favorite brand. But whatever.

So now he’s sitting outside this stupid arcade, in the parking lot going on his second cigarette because yes he was nervous. He doesn’t know why. He just is and it pisses him off. And like he’s sitting out here waiting for her to come out counting in this head the 1,001 ways he could fuck this up.

He’s made it this far albeit not entirely unscathed. But he’s fucking made it.

Charlie wouldn’t have even agreed to hang out with him unless she wanted to. She doesn’t do anything unless she wants to, he remembers. And she’s willing to spend her Friday night with him. Billy Hargrove. Not King Steve, or weird little Byers, not even that Priss Nancy. But him. So yeah. That has to mean something.

He let his cigarette dangle between his lips as he looked in his side mirror yet again, brushing back curls that he felt were too unruly. Making sure he didn’t look as bad as he felt. And even though it is barely 6 o'clock it's already dark out.

Charlie came out at exactly 6:02.

He managed to give himself one last look in his rearview mirror, ‘ Don’t fuck this up ’ before she got into the car. Charlie turned to him, brown eyes twinkling and a smile still just as bright.

“Are you ready for the best night of your life?”

Billy took one last huff of his cigarette before flicking it out the window. “Lead the way, Sinclair.”

Somehow her smile grew and his stomach churned. He started the engine and peeled out the parking lot like hell on wheels.

“When you said the best night of my life I imagined something completely different.”

“Oh come on this isn’t that bad,” Charlie hummed from the hood of his car beer in hand. “This is literally one of the best spots in Hawkins.”

Billy stared out ahead of him looking at the murky depth of the quarry, unphased. He took a swig of his beer.

“Then how come I never heard of it?” He quipped digging his free hand deeper in his pocket because the cold was nipping at his skin now. And yes he did wear a thick jacket as requested.

Charlie laughed and it sounded like bells. “Cause you hang out with uneducated trolls like Tommy.”

She wasn’t wrong about that. The only thing they did together was drink till they couldn’t remember the night and make stupid decisions. And that was just a Tuesday for them. Fridays were even worse because usually, Billy was conscious of the stupid decision he was making.

“What, is this your spot?” He remarked, tone light. “Is this where you bring all the guys or am I just that special?”

Charlie smiled, taking another sip of her beer. “I don’t think I ever brought anyone here besides, Jonathan.” She admitted honestly followed by a light shrug.

“Wait, you and Byers?” Billy wasn’t prying honestly; he was just genuinely curious about her. Because outside of family dinners they don’t speak. He doesn’t know much about her besides the fact that Tommy and Coral can’t stand her.

She raised an eyebrow. “ What ?”

“You and Byers,” He reiterated. “Were you two--”

“Oh my god , no.”

“Never?”

“Never,” She repeated sternly, hands going to her face. “We are quite literally Best Friends.”

Billy made a face. “But you two were always together,” He added, and literally everyone just assumed they were something cause he followed her around like a lost puppy. Never could find one without the other. Attached like glue.

“Yes, because we are best friends,” She continued. “And Jonathon was never good with talking with people. And I never liked talking to people so. We just clicked.”

He mulled over what she said, looking forward. Took another sip of beer before he spoke again. “Did you ever think about it?”

Charlie turned to look at him. Hand rubbing the back of her neck and the other swirling her beer.

“Once. I thought about it once.” She answered honestly, taking him by surprise. “Think he did too at one point, but we never did anything about it.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know, scared?” She offered. “Afraid it’ll go wrong probably. We’ve known each other since grade school so if we did it and it went wrong,” She exhaled deeply, her breath becoming a cloud in the cold. “It could ruin everything.”

Billy concluded that Jonathon Byers was a fucking moron and took a large gulp of his beer.

“It worked out for the best anyway,” She said. “He’s happy. I’m happy. What more could I ask for?”

He didn’t say anything after that looking at the quarry waters that were just as black as night. Seems to reflect the stars in the sky like a mirror. It was nice he’d give her that.

“My turn, California.”

Billy’s stomach churned but he put on a brave face. “I’m an open book, Sinclair.”

“You’re many things, Billy, but open is not one of them.” He laughed at that, something small but it was enough to draw her attention. “So what’s California like?”

“Fucking warm for starters,” He sniffed trying his best to hide from the cold in his jacket. Charlie smiled at him. “The sun seems like it’s always out. You can smell the salt from the sea in the air. I don’t know, it just seems like anything is possible there.”

“You miss it.”

It wasn’t a question. Billy finished off the last of his beer before grabbing another one from where the case sat in between them.

“Yeah, more than I care to admit.” He divulged opening a new can. “I miss the ocean. Could stay on the beach for hours just looking at it.”

“What’s it like?”

“Uh, ya know it’s a shit ton of water.” He wished he was better with words. “It can be scary. Currents could take you under if you’re not careful. But it's beautiful.”

He remembers the days his mom used to take him out surfing. He'd always convince her to let him stay out there a few extra minutes. He rolled his eyes at the memory taking a sip of his can.

“Why do Tommy and Coral hate to see you coming?” He asks, suddenly catching her off guard he didn’t mean to. Just didn’t want to think about her.

“I’m not surprised he didn’t tell you,” She laughed. “It’s because I used to kick his ass every day when we were kids.”

And Billy blinked. Cause there’s just no way. Charlie caught his look and laughed even harder. “No seriously when we were younger he loved picking on Jonathon, so I--” She snorted. “I would beat his ass.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No, no ask anyone.” She takes the last sip of her beer. Not going for a new one quite yet. “I remember distinctly putting his little ass in a headlock on the playground cause he fucked up Jonathon’s art project and tried to pretend it was an accident.” She was laughing again, this time hard. “The teacher had to pry me off him.”

Billy was joining her in laughing too now. Cause just the image of a small Charlie giving Tommy absolute hell was enough for him. But Charlie had this type of laugh that made you want to join in too.

“Ah, fuck,” He chuckled as Charlie wiped the corner of her eyes. “Ok, so Carol what’s the story there?”

“Do not judge me,” She reached in between them for another beer. They were down to three now. “Coral hates me because Tommy was my first kiss.”

Billy choked mid-sip at that. “No fucking way.”

“It was a moment of weakness.”

“You just said you used to beat the shit out of him,” Billy chuckled, wiping droplets of beer off his chin. “How did it even happen?”

“Uh, 7th-grade spring dance,” She offered brown eyes shining even in this dark night. “It was behind the bleachers. Carol, of course, had a crush on him so she was livid.” Charlie shrugged. “Hated me ever since.”

“She makes it seem like you tried to kill her puppy.”

“Yeah, well that's cause she’s a bitch.”

Billy laughed, taking another sip of his beer.

“Who was your first kiss?”

Billy raised his eyebrows. “If you repeat a word of this to anyone I’ll kill you,” She crossed an X over her chest and Billy’s eyes lingered at the action. “Stacy Holloway. I was 12, dumb, and in love.”

“ The Billy Hargrove was smitten?” She teased and he couldn’t help but chuckle before murmuring a shut up, continuing with his story.

“This is so stupid but I asked her to  go for a walk with me on the pier one day, for whatever reason she agreed.” Billy fiddled with the ring on his finger. “I held her hand on the walk there and,” He sighed harshly through his nose. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this, fuck it. I timed it so we would get to the end of the pier at sunset and that’s when I kissed her.”

“That is the cutest shit I ever heard.”

“Charlie, I swear to--”

“No, honestly!” She laughed. “Who knew you could be such a sweetheart?”

Billy scratched at his temple. Stomach churning but he ignored it and took a long swing of his beer, knowing it was half gone at this point.

“You’re next.”

“How do you expect me to follow that?”

“Charlie.”

“You just gave romance authors a run for their money,” She insisted between sips. “I got nothing to beat that. The closest thing you get to romance in Hawkins is guys trying to put their hands down your pants at the movies.”

“Ok fine,” Billy laughed. “No romance. What’s your favorite band?”

“Blondie.” She admitted without missing a beat. “Jonathon is actually the one that introduced me to them. May his taste in music never waver.”

Charlie took a large gulp of her beer at that. Billy smiled as he watched her do it.

“So I’m gonna say something while I have the liquor running through me as an excuse,” She admitted turning to him. He could only make out half her face, it was so dark out. “I don’t know what made you apologize that night but I’m glad you did.”

Billy’s stomach churned again but this time he couldn’t ignore it.

“I can admit in the beginning I gave you a hard time but you kept coming back.” Those stupid brown eyes were holding him in place and he couldn’t turn away if he wanted to. “My parents love you, Erica tolerates you,” Billy had laughed at that. “And Lucas I think is finally warming up to you.”

“What qualifies as warming up?” He asked with a raised brow because the kid still won’t say a word to him.

“When you’re brought up in conversations he actually engages now instead of pretending you don’t exist.” She admitted smiling like this was a grand improvement.

“You bring me up in conversations?”

“That’s not the point I was trying to make, California.” Turning her face away so he can’t see it. He won’t push it but he’ll be saving that one for later. Hopefully another time.

He took a small sip. “So what is the point then?”

She stared out into the quarry this time.

“I like having you around.” She admitted so quietly he almost didn’t catch it.

It was a small admission. But it was enough to make his world stop spinning. Charlie Sinclair liked having him around. Liked having him around as much as he liked being around. It made the bruises on his body not ache so much. Made his ears ring. Because maybe, just maybe. It could be more.

Suddenly it wasn’t so cold in Hawkins anymore.

He cleared his throat and his mouth was dry. “I like uh, coming around.” He grimaced at the sound of his voice and decided to just finish his beer cause maybe that’ll help.

“Good, hoping you’ll stick around for a while.” She tucking a strand of hair behind her ear now. “My Dad would be really sad if you didn’t.”

Maybe it was the cheap beer that was making him a little braver than usual. It made him not second guess himself so much. So he kinda just.

“Just your Dad?”

She paused for a beat. Looking up at him through her lashes. Billy wasn’t even aware he was leaning forward slightly, maybe to get a better look. Maybe to inch his hand closer to hers on the hood of his car. Maybe.

Her lips parted to answer him and he couldn’t pry his eyes away from them.

But then there was a flash of blue and red. A Police siren and they jumped away from one another.

“Shit,” He cursed, quickly throwing his beer can into the woods. He grabbed Charlie’s and the girl let him take it. For a brief moment their hands touched but Billy didn't even have a chance to process it because a cop was making his way towards them.

“Wait, Billy, I think--”

The sheriff got out of his car shining that obnoxious flashlight in hand and Billy had to cover his eyes. “What are you kids-- Charlie?”

Charlie grimaced. “H-hey, Hopper. How’s your night going?”

Hopper looked between Billy and Charlie then to the beers scattered on the ground before he answered. “You know, same ol same old. And you?”

“Ah, you know.” She laughed. “Just catching up with my buddy, Billy.” She clapped a hand on his back and Billy stumbled forward at the action. He sent her a look and she just nodded her head towards Hopper.

“Hello, Sir.”

“Hargrove,” He regarded him with an overall unimpressed look.

He turned back to the smaller girl and Billy was relieved. “Charlie, are your parents aware that you are here. Alone. With a boy. Drinking, what I’m hoping is canned sodas.”

Charlie rocked back on her feet. “Yeah, they know all about, Billy.” She elbowed him in the side. “Don’t they, Billy?”

He knew when to take a hint.

“Yeah, The Sinclairs know,” He offered his best smile to the gruff-looking cop. “They know we are here.”

“Right so here’s what we are going to do,” Hopper mumbled clicking off his flashlight. “I am going to get in my car and drive away. Then you, Hargrove, are going to take Charlie straight home. Do I make myself clear?”

“Cyrstal sir.”

“And drive the speed limit with her in the car.”

“Yessir.”

“Thank you, Hopper!” Charlie called from next to him and the old man just waved a hand over his shoulder in acknowledgment before getting in his car and leaving the clearing.

Billy turned to Charlie. “What the fuck was that?”

“What was what?”

“The sheriff,” He clarified. “He just let us go.”

Charlie shrugged, grabbing the leftover beers off the hood of his car. “Well me and Hopper are pretty cool so yeah.”

“You’re cool with the cops?”

“Cop, singular.” She corrected him as if that made a difference. “Honestly we got lucky it was him and not dumb and dumber. Those two would’ve definitely given us tickets.”

Billy patted his jacket down for his keys but did not find them. He heard a jingle and looked up just in time to catch them as Charlie tossed them his way.

“Now come on, California.” She ushered already making her way to the passenger seat. “We got about 15 minutes before Hopper is driving down my street making sure I actually made it home.”

Billy made it back to her house in 10.

Could’ve been five but he regarded Hopper’s warning about going the speed limit. He only had 3 beers and was only the slightest bit buzzed but he rather not risk it. It was about 9:40 when they pulled up to the Sinclair household didn’t even seem like they were out there that long.

But Charlie wasn’t rushing to get out of the car and he wasn’t forcing her to go.

So.

“This was fun,” She admitted with a laugh. “Before Hopper showed up I mean.”

“Yeah, it was,” Billy’s finger drummed along his steering wheel. Nervous. “We should do this again.”

Her eyes were on him again. “I’d like that.”

“Cool,” He bit the inside of his cheek. “But next time I pick the place if that’s okay.”

“I’m sure I’ll live, California.” She reached for her backpack. “Well see you Sunday?”

“Yeah, Sunday.” He hoped it didn’t sound as awkward as he felt. “Goodnight, Charlie.”

“Night, Billy,”

And she turned to leave one foot on the sidewalk but she turned back towards him at the last second. “Right ok I forgot to tell you this,” She stammered. “But I’ll be sad too.”

Billy blinked so very confused.

“Ok wow really have to spell it out for you.” Charlie bit her lip and normally he would’ve felt insulted. “When you asked if just my Dad would be sad.” She clarified. “I wanted to tell you if you ever stopped coming around I’d be sad too.”

Oh.

Fuck. His stomach was churning again cause now he didn’t have the beer to calm him down. He was just his stupid self in front of her and he’d never thought, never dreamed of what to do in a situation like this.

And Charlie was looking at him with those stupid brown eyes waiting for him to say something, anything. But he couldn’t for the life of him get his mouth to form words in this singular moment. It was like he was physically glitching.

Billy tried his best to smile and hoping this awkward pause wasn’t as long as he actually thought it was. “Thank you, Charlie.”

That must’ve been the right thing to say because now she’s smiling at him and he can’t breathe.

“Ok I’m gonna head inside then,” And just like that she was gone, making her way across the dimly lit yard to her front door. Turning around to send him one last wave before heading inside and like the dumbass, he is he waved back.

When she went inside Billy sped off.

His chest felt light, he couldn’t stop smiling, he was just so fucking happy. He had this Friday and hopefully the next. He had those Sunday’s in the garage with Charles.

Now he had Charlie.

[daddystevee]

Crashing down

(steve harrington x hopper!reader / billy hargrove x hopper!reader)

Welcome back ladies and gents. I hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am. But buckle up and get ready for this chapter because it is rough. Anyways, feedback is welcome! Enjoy my lovebugs :)

Catch up here

Warnings: angst and mild language (mention of sex?? I dunno)

Part 2/?

Word count: 1399 and then some I added a few words oops

Summery: Sometimes things just don’t go as planned and your world just come crashing down, but it’s a good thing that you have people in your life to be there to catch you when you fall.

><

You woke up the next morning with swollen eyelids and a massive headache from crying the night prior. Looking at the clock you saw that it was 11:50am and that you were supposed to be to work in 10 minutes!

Frantically jumping out of bed you put on your work uniform, not bothering to shower. You ran to your bathroom and attempted to make yourself look decent by brushing your hair and applying a little bit of mascara. Rushing to the kitchen you grabbed a frozen waffle and a plate, grabbed your keys and ran out the door.

Once you got in your car you threw the waffle on the plate and stuck it in the dashboard, in hopes that it would thaw out on the way to work. You cranked up your truck and almost instantly drove away from your house.

You grabbed the waffle off the plate as soon as you put your truck into park. Shoving the still half frozen waffle into your mouth, you ran through the entrance to the Starcourt mall. Weaving in between people as Scoops Ahoy finally came into your eyesight.

You slowed your pace to a walk as you finally made it to work, being 30 minutes late.

“Look who finally decided to show up” Robin yelled from behind the counter.

Steve came trotting out of the door that lead to the back room with a giant smile plastered on his face. His face fell once he saw how exhausted and distraught you looked. You looked like you had gotten little to no sleep and your eyes were still swollen from crying all night.

He brought you into a hug in hopes to make whatever was causing you to feel this way go away. The hug helped a little but it was then that you let all of your remaining tears fall from your eyes.

Steve looked to Robin who was staring at the pair with a confused look on her face.

“It was Billy” you managed to squeak out.

“Billy? What happened? What did he do” Steve asked calmly trying to control the anger building up inside of him.

You let out a few more sniffles before continuing,

“We got into a fight, OVER NOTHING” you said louder than Steve expected, earning a few glares from the customers who were trying to enjoy their ice cream.

He pulled you into the back room to see if he could get you to tell him more about what happened. Once you two were in the back room, you told him every detail of what happened and how you thought that he didn’t care anymore and didn’t want you anymore.

“Maybe you should just go talk to him after you get off work?” Steve said not really sure what to say to you at that point. He stood up and left you to think about it.

He hated that you had to go through this, Steve would never put you through this, he knows how much the kids mean to you. For God's sake, sometimes you put the kids before yours and Steve’s friendship, that’s how much they mean to you.

The thing he hated most about Billy was the fact that you were his. You loved Billy, while Billy had fallen out of love with you. You were too blind to see it, so wrapped up in Billy to notice. You looked at Billy the way Steve wanted you to look at him and Billy looked at you the way Nancy looked at him the night she told him that everything is bullshit.

It broke Steve’s heart to see this go down but there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t confess his feelings for you because that would mess everything up between you two. Years of friendship down the drain all because Steve wanted you to himself.

Since your boss was never around, and you didn’t want anyone to see how awful you thought you looked, you stayed in the back room after Steve had gone back to the front to work. You spent this time restocking the back shelves and receiving all of the deliveries for the day all while thinking about what you were going to say to Billy when you saw him.

What were you going to say to him? You thought to yourself. You couldn’t just forgive him, he yelled at you for nothing. And you couldn’t just act like none of this ever happened, because what if it happens again. And you couldn’t dare apologize, you weren’t even in the wrong here.

You went over different scenarios in your head of how things would play out when you would say different things and you had decided to just see what he has to say. Then if he decided to apologize you would forgive him.

After a long day of contemplation and work your shift has officially ended and it was time to put your words to action. Steve have you a super tight hug,

“My door is always open if you needed it.” he mumbled into your hair as he pulled away from the hug

“I know Harrington.” you said back quietly with a small smile on your face before you two parted ways for the night.

As you walked to your car, you couldn’t help but wonder how billy was holding up on his end, how his day had gone. You could say you were almost excited to see him after a long day full of emotion.

What felt like forever went by before you pulled up to the Hargrove/Mayfield household. You noticed that Neil’s car wasn’t in the driveway, meaning that it would just be Billy and Max in the house.

You knocked on the door three times and waited a few short seconds before a very annoyed Max answered the door. Her facial expression changed at the sight of you and brought you into a nice tight hug. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding and hugged her back.

“He’s in his room” she said as she let go of you.

You nodded your head and followed the sound of loud music that was coming from none other than Billy’s room.

You knocked on the door once and let yourself in. You saw him standing in front of his mirror basically checking himself out with a smirk on his face. The smirk on his face fell slightly when he noticed you in his mirror.

He turned to face you,

“What the hell are you doing here?” He asked abruptly

You opened your mouth to begin talking but quickly noticed how he was dressed. Leather jacket, nice jeans, nice shoes, he was going somewhere.

“Well I was gonna come talk to you about what happened last night, but it looks like you have other plans.” You said slightly annoyed.

“Yeah, I do” he said bluntly as he pushed past you.

When he walked by you, you got a whiff of his cologne. But it wasn’t just any cologne, that was his ‘I’m gonna get laid’ cologne.

“Oh you do? Where you goin’, to get off with Mrs. Wheeler?” you asked in a half-joking, half-serious manner. But when you looked at his face you could see his cheeks turn a deep shade of red and he had nothing to say.

“Oh my god! You’re actually going to fuck Mrs.Wheeler!” you scoffed in disgust.

“Yeah? Well, what’s it to ya?” He asked

Those 6 words would be the words to set you off.

“What's it to ya?” You chuckled, “WHAT'S IT TO YA? BILLY, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!” You screamed.

Billy didn’t know what to say to you so he turned around and walked out of his room, so you followed him. Once you two had made it out of the house he headed straight for his car.

“Billy please don’t go” you begged. “I love you.”

He looked you in the eyes one last time before climbing into the car and driving away, leaving you heartbroken and confused. He loves me, you thought to yourself. He loves me, he loves me, he loves me.

You get in your car, ready to drive home and remember what Steve said to you at work earlier today,

“My door is always open if you needed it."

[biillyhargroves]

How do you think Neil reacted to Billy's death? Like I know he's a pos father but I imagine his relationship with Billy had more to it than just hating his son for no reason. Usually those kind of abusive relationship in family are complex on both sides

I honestly think about this a lot, and I’ll be pissed if they don’t at least touch on Neil’s reaction and/or the inevitable shift in Max’s home life following Billy’s death in season four. I mean, what’s the point of introducing the abuse storyline in season two if all we get out of it in season three is some flashbacks and zero actual resolution? 

The biggest thing I want to know is what Neil is told about Billy’s death. We know from the final episode that news coverage labeled the Battle of Starcourt as a fire. So, is Neil told his son died in the blaze? Did he have to identify Billy’s body? Was there a body left to identify? 

Obviously, Billy’s body was intact immediately following the battle, but the government swooped in to start damage control. Billy’s injuries are nowhere near contingent with death by fire, which would happen most commonly via smoke inhalation or- less likely -being burned (or complications from burns getting infected if we really want to get into it). If Neil was asked to identify his body, I don’t doubt that he’d notice that Billy’s injuries don’t match what the medical examiners and cops and whatever the hell other officials delivered the news are telling him. He’d ask questions. He’d get pushy. He’d want to know the truth. He’d dig for it if he had to; he’d hire Murray Baumen, he’d do his own research, he’d raise hell until he got answers, and in the meantime- and as he gains information -he’d file for wrongful death and any other infraction his lawyers think they could argue. He’d be pissed, because his son is gone. He has to call the mother of his child and tell her that their child is never coming home. He has to pay for a funeral that will cost more than he has to spend, and on top of it all he’s being lied so. So he’d play the grieving father card and demand answers. He’d want to get to the bottom of things. He’d want to know the truth about his son. What happened to him? How did he really die? This isn’t the kind of shit you lie to a parent about it, and Neil won’t take being lied to. 

Even if there wasn’t a body, I imagine Neil would start to uncover some shady shit about Starcourt that would make him suspect foul play. Without a body to bury, he’d probably dive right into legal action, which would require research, which would uncover some unsavory truths that would lead Neil to suspect that Billy’s death isn’t what it appears to be. 

Billy’s loss would leave a hole in the Hargrove household and Neil would certainly be feeling that. But ultimately I think that he’s a selfish person at his core and that instead of letting himself feel grief over his son’s loss (I mean, honestly, you’re not supposed to bury your child) he’d busy himself with tasks that would ultimately benefit him in the wake of Billy’s death. He’d be looking for compensation. He’d be looking for some kind of payment for his grief. 

(This would probably work in Max and Susan’s favor, though, because he’d be too busy trying to make Billy’s death worth something to bother with either of them, and that means that he wouldn’t be hurting anyone in the wake of his loss - at least not right away.)