Stranger Things Masterlist

Stranger Things Masterlist

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❤ my favs | 💋 SMUT (18+) | ☔ ANGST

Disclaimer: the smut is intended for readers of ages of 18 or older. I do not want to expose anyone to anything that they do not want to be exposed to. 

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>Stranger Things Taglist<

R Heaven And Hell (Eddie x Reader x Steve) 💋 summary: Steve is getting a bit jealous of how close you are with your best friend and the two only have one way of setting the record straight between you.

Painless Endeavour (Eddie x Reader) summary: an AU in which, after his first failed attempt to graduate, Eddie drops out of school to follow an apprenticeship at a tattoo parlour. 3 years go by and you stumble into that same studio, unlocking some lost memories.

The Greatest Avendure (Eddie x Reader) summary: Eddie is thinking of what to do after graduation

That's a Strong Word (Eddie x Reader) 💋 summary: dating the undateable could be quite the challenge... so you make it one for both of you.

Moments (Rockstar!Eddie x groupie!Reader) 💋 ❤ summary: Eddie has been taking advantage of the perks that come with having years of success in the business.

Following The Herd (dark!cult!Eddie x Reader) 💋(☔) summary: Eddie Munson has never been anything but sweet and caring to you. He had always made sure you were alright and safe and always helped you with anything you asked for. So now, that he needed you, how could you possibly refuse?

(Im)perfect Day (Eddie x Reader) summary: Eddie can get in his head sometimes, and when that happens... well... the point is, he really really tried.

Twitterpated (modern!Eddie Munson x reader) summary: You keep on encountering the same stranger while waiting in line for the Disneyland rides. It's almost too much of a coincidence, in fact. You find each other in the crowds time after time and eventually, as the day progresses, sneaky glances evolve into more.

Caught Me Slippin' (modern!escort!Eddie x reader) summary: feeling insecure about your skills in bed, you decide to find someone who could help you learn. Except, when the guy actually shows up, a mistake seems to have occurred. Fortunately, you're both quite adaptable (or, at least, you try to be), and the night quickly takes off into unexpected territories. [extra blurbs based on au, 1☔, 2, 3 ☔, 4, 5...]

Not Wholly Evil (dark!pirate!Eddie x reader) - 2 - summary: as the daughter of the Governor, there is quite a heavy prize set on your safe return home, and the captain will not let anything come between him and his bounty.

Headlights (Eddie)☔ summary: Hawkins has seen it all; communist conspiracies, government cover-ups, fires, pests... but can it deal with a slasher killer on the loose?

EDDIE ask requests

Blurbs

Sub!Eddie 💋

Making New Friends (incl. jealous!boyfriend!steve)

Eddie asks you out for a date

Star Gazing Date

Hell Diver - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6❤ (continued mini series)

Thigh Riding 💋

Post-Gig Sex 💋

Guitar Lessons

Late Night Talking

Shower Sex (goes wrong) 💋

Scars (☔)

Pool Party

Eddie Finds Out About Your Tattoo (Cheer Cap!reader)

Daddy Kink 💋

Not-so-innocent!reader Meets Hellfire

Concert

Eddie Gives You a Reality Check (☔)

Overcoming the Nerves 💋

Wearing His Shirt

Eddie Teaches You to Stand Up Against Bullies

Eddie Punches Your Asshole Boyfriend - 2

Devil!Rockstar!Eddie

Corroded Coffin Origin Stories (ft. the-haiku-bot)

Eddie is Lost for Words

Carrie Stunt

Headcanons

Eddie and Your Time of the Month

Crushing on Your Best friend Eddie

Eddie Trying to Make You Feel Better

Twilight AU + other asks: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Random Eddie Headcanons

Eddie's CV

Rockstar!Eddie and DnD

Trucker!Eddie

STEVE ask requests

Blurbs

First Time 💋

Spotify Playlists

The Un-Eddiest Eddie Songs (songs that give off Eddie vibes, despite beings ones he probably wouldn't listen to out of himself)

Tuesdays @ the Hideout (covers I think Corroded Coffin would play - mostly time accurate + some random ones for fun)

Caught Me Slippin' (Taylor's Version) - the fic as told through Taylor Swift songs

Spotify Wrapped Blurbs

2022

Grapejuice (Robin x reader)

Summer of '69 (Eddie x Reader (☔)

Footloose (Eddie x Reader)

Edge of Seventeen (Eddie x Reader) (☔)

random headcanons

Goonies

Random #1

#Stranger Things a Graphic Novel (fanart)

1 (s4e1 - ´86, Baby)

2 (s4e7 - For Your Modesty, Dude)

Phone Backgrounds

Eddie

Joseph Quinn

But They Know Nothing

pairing: Eddie Munson x popular!reader

Synopsis: you and Eddie have a secret relationship that gets harder and harder to keep a secret

this is for @sweetpeterparker

Masterlist

“Excuse me? Do you think you could help me get something out of the janitors closet? We need it for cheer.” You loudly chewed your gum and examined your nails as you spoke, never once looking up at who you were speaking to.

“Yeah. I guess I could help you out.” Eddie shrugged without looking at you either.

“Cool.” You blew a bubble with your gum and let it pop before walking towards the janitors closet with Eddie behind you. You went inside together and as soon as the door was closed, you were kissing. Eddie cupped your face and pressed you up against the door as you furiously made out in the dimly lit closet.

“It’s just on the top shelf.” You said between kisses as you tangled your hands in his messy hair.

“On the top shelf, yeah?” Eddie laughed against your lips before going to kiss down your neck.

“Uh huh. I really need it for cheer.” You panted as he nipped and kissed the skin on your neck.

“Do you guys always keep your cheer stuff in the dirty janitors closet?” Eddie teased before cupping your face to kiss you again.

“Ew. Why’d you have to mention how filthy it is in here?” You whined and rested your head against the door.

“I’m sorry. Did I kill the mood?” Eddie pouted as he titled your chin up to look at him.

“A little.” You nodded. You looked around at all the cleaning supplies and paint cans for a moment before shrugging.

“Eh. I’m over it.” You decided and pulled him back in for a kiss. You continued to make out in the closet until you heard a knock at the door. Eddie let out a frustrated sigh before opening the door. You took a step behind Eddie and looked out the door to see Dustin standing there. He looked between the two of you before cracking an amused smile.

“Oh. Sorry. I needed Eddie to come look at slug we caught. Am I interrupting something? Dustin asked as he pointed between you and Eddie.

“No. I was just getting….” Eddie trailed off as he looked back at you for help.

“The ladder. For cheer.” You said quickly and pointed to a ladder on the top shelf.

“Why do you need the ladder for cheer?” Dustin wondered.

“Why do you need Eddie to look at a slug?” You asked as you folded your arms.

“Touché.” Dustin said as he pointed at you. “Once you’re done helping out the cheer team, meet us outside. It’s really important.” Dustin said to Eddie. You gave Dustin a look for calling a slug “really important” and he shrugged.

“What? It’s a really cool slug.” He insisted before rolling his eyes and walking away. Eddie shut the door again and gave you a sheepish smile.

“I don’t understand why all your friends are 14.”

“It’s better then being friends with a bunch of airheaded cheerleaders who don’t know how to read.” Eddie smiled teasingly as he pulled you back towards him.

“Hey, some of them can read.” You played along. Eddie’s smile widened as he leaned in to kiss you again. This time, it was long and slow and sweet. He pressed you up against the door again as he kissed you passionately. He pulled away after a few minutes and looked into your eyes.

“Do you think you’ll ever tell them about us?” He asked in a soft voice.

“I don’t know.” You sighed. “All of the girls on the team are dating boys on the football team. They’re super protective and obsessed with our image in this school. If they knew we we’re together….”

“They’d throw a fit and try to tear us apart?” Eddie smiled sadly as he finished your sentence.

“Oh, I’d like to see them try.” You scoffed. “They’d never be able to pull me away from you. But they might just kick me off the squad.”

Eddie nodded his head and looked down, understanding where you were coming from but still being upset with the answer. You noticed his solum expression and cupped his face to make him look at you.

“I don’t like it either. I’d tell everyone in the world if I could. But I need this for college, baby. I need a cheerleading scholarship. It’s the only way I’ll ever make it out of this town.”

“This town isn’t all bad, is it?” He asked with a sad smile.

“It’s not when I’m with you.” You smiled softly before kissing him again. You went to pull away but Eddie pulled you right back to kiss you some more.

“Can I at least tell my friends?” He asked you.

“You mean the kids you babysit?” You teased. “You know how they are, baby. They’re sweet and all but they’ll tell the whole school.”

“I know.” He sighed. “I just wish we didn’t have to keep meeting like this. I wish we didn’t have to keep us a secret.”

“Me either.” You sighed and wrapped your arms around his neck.

“I want to hold your hand in the hallways like all the stupid football players get to do.” He continued.

“I want that too.” You nodded before kissing him once more.

“Soon. We’ll tell them soon.” You said once you pulled away. “Collage acceptance letters will be coming out soon. Once I’ve secured my spot at a college, we can tell the whole world if you want.”

“I want.” Eddie smiled. He went to kiss you again but another knock sounded at the door.

“Hello? The slug?” Dustin shouted impatiently from the other side of the door.

“I didn’t realize he was still out there.” You whispered through a laugh.

“Me either. I’ll see you later, baby doll.” Eddie kissed you one last time before leaving the closet. He caught up with Dustin, looked at the slug that was so very important, and then walked back to their lunch table together.

“What was that about?” Dustin asked once they were seated.

“Hm? What was what?” Eddie played dumb.

“You. In the closet. With the cheerleader.” Dustin said, catching the attention of the rest of the club.

“She just needed me to get her a ladder from the top shelf. No biggie.” Eddie shrugged while the other boys exchanged looks.

“It is a biggie.” Dustin insisted. “Why did she ask you?”

“I don’t know, Henderson.” Eddie sighed. “Why does anyone do anything?”

“I ask myself that everyday.” Dustin said, mostly to himself.

“Dude.” Mike snorted as he looked at Eddie’s face.

“What?” Eddie wondered.

“What’s all over your face?” Mike asked and pointed to his mouth. Eddie put his hand over his lips and immediately felt your lip gloss.

“Oh. I don’t know.” He lied as he quickly wiped it off.

“You don’t know?” Mike raised an eyebrow. “Because I’m pretty sure I know.”

“Oh yeah? And what exactly do you know, Wheeler?” Eddie asked as he stared Mike down.

“That you have Watermelon Lip Lickers smeared all over your lips. I can smell it from here.” Mike said, making the rest of the club chuckle. Eddie looked at him with wide eyes, shocked that Mike knew the truth.

“El wears the same kind. It’s sticky, isn’t it?”Mike asked as he scrunched his nose. You could see the wheels turning in Dustin’s brain as he slowly put two and two together. He turned to look at Eddie with a shit eating grin.

“Wait a minute.” Dustin said as he rubbed his hands together.

“Shut it, Henderson.” Eddie said sternly.

“You have Watermelon Lip Lickers on your lips.” Dustin began.

“Keep your voice down. I mean it.”

“Y/n wears watermelon Lip Lickers.” Dustin continued as he looked around at the club.

“How do you even know that?” Eddie wondered.

“He knows everything about every cheerleader.” Mike cut in.

“And you were just in a closet with her. Oh my God.” Dustin touched his temples as he figured it out. He stood up out of his chair and pointed at Eddie.

“Were you making out with-“

“Shhhh! Shh! Shhhh!” Eddie quickly and harshly cut him off. He put one hand over Dustin’s mouth and the other on Dustin’s shoulder and he pushed him back down into his seat.

“What part of keep your voice down did you not understand?” Eddie whispered as he looked around for who might’ve heard.

“Were you kissing a cheerleader?!” Dustin whispered back.

“No. I wasn’t.” Eddie lied. “So zip it.”

“So then you wear watermelon lip lickers?” Dustin raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. I do. I find it pleasantly moisturizing.” Eddie said as he eyes darted to the side. Dustin looked at him for a long time before shaking his head.

“I don’t believe you.” Dustin decided.

“What’s more believable, Henderson?”

Eddie began. “That I wear watermelon scented chapstick or that I was just making out with one of the most popular girl in school?”

“Fine. I believe you. For now.” Dustin said pointedly, making Eddie sigh in relief.

The following week, you woke up to the bright sun shining in your eyes. You slipped out from under Eddie’s arms and grabbed your watch off his night stand. When you saw what time it was, you shot up in bed.

“Shit! We overslept!” You gasped and put your watch down. You quickly rolled over in bed and started to shake Eddie.

“Eddie! Wake up! My alarm didn’t go off!” You said in a panic. Eddie’s eyes slowly opened up and he looked around.

“Where am I?” He asked in a groggy voice.

“Your own bedroom. Now come on. We gotta go to school.” You whined and climbed out of his bed. You threw on your pants from the day before and grabbed a random shirt off of Eddie’s floor. Eddie sat up in his bed and watched with a sleepy smile as you hastily got dressed.

“Hey.” He said and caught you by the wrist.

“What?” You asked wondered.

“You slept over. You’ve never done that before.” Eddie said as his smile grew. You stopped rushing around and took a second to realize he was right. You say cupped his face and bent down to kiss him for a long time.

“I had fun last night. We should do this again.” You said before kissing him again.

“You’re so obsessed with me.” Eddie smirked as he pulled you back down into his bed. He kissed you again as he rolled on top of you.

“I know.” You said against his lips. You made out for a minute in his bed until you remembered the time.

“Come on. We need to go now.” You whined and pulled him out of bed.

Eddie dropped you off a block away from school and drove the rest of the way by himself so that you wouldn’t been seen going in together. As soon as you set foot on campus, all eyes were on you. You noticed the stares of your fellow students and instantly felt insecure. You smoothed your hair down and checked your teeth in your compact mirror but found no obvious issue. You moved through the hallways slowly, uncomfortable with all the stares you were receiving. You looked around for help until you spotted one of the girls on your cheer team.

“Um, why is everyone staring at me?” You whispered to her.

“Um, maybe because you’re wearing that.” She snorted and pointed to your shirt. You looked down in confusion and did a double take. Instead of the shirt you thought you had thrown on, you were wearing a ratty old band g shirt of Eddie’s. You gasped and quickly covered your body with your arms.

“Shit.” You whispered.

“Since when do you listen to Metaliqua?”

“It’s Metallica. And I don’t. This must be my brothers. I just grabbed a random shirt this morning.” You lied as you scanned the hallway for Eddie. You caught his eye and he immediately noticed your shirt. He let out a loud laugh and clapped his hands, only drawing more attention to you. You gave him an angry look before looking away.

“Oh God.” Your friend scoffed when she saw Eddie laughing.

“What?”

“That freak is totally staring at you.” She said and nodded over your shoulder.

“What freak?” You wondered as you turned around to see what she was looking at. You made eye contact with Eddie again and gulped.

“Oh. Him. I’ll be right back.” You quickly excused yourself before running over to Eddie. You grabbed his arm and pulled him into a supply closet.

“Nice shirt.” Eddie snorted once you were alone.

“Oh, you think this is funny?” You asked and folded your arms. Eddie could tell you were upset and quickly dropped his smile.

“Yes?” Eddie answered, sounding more like a question.

“This isn’t funny! This is obviously not my shirt! People are gonna get suspicious.” You whined and rested your head on his shoulder.

“Come on. You could totally pass as a metal head.” Eddie chuckled as he wrapped his arms around you to comfort you. You didn’t respond as you limply wrapped your arms around his torso, letting Eddie know you we’re genuinely upset. He took your face in his hands to make you look at him.

“Hey, it’s okay. I can run to your house and grab you a different shirt, okay? I’ll sneak in through the window and everything. And I’ll look super cool while doing it. Will that make you feel better?” He asked in a soft tone, making you smile. You went up on your tip toes to kiss him before shaking your head.

“It’s okay. We have that pep rally today anyway. I’ll just put my uniform on early.”

“Well you know how much I love to see you in your uniform.” Eddie smile and pulled you closer.

“So I’ve been told.” You returned the smile as you leaned in to kiss him again. You only kissed for a few seconds when you heard a pounding at the door.

“MUNSON? YOU IN THERE?” Dustin’s voice sounded from the other side of the door.

“If he says he found another slug I swear to God.” Eddie grumbled as he opened the door. He kept it shut enough so that Dustin couldn’t see into the closet, and more importantly couldn’t see you.

“What do you want?” Eddie whispered harshly.

“Woah. Attitude. Okay.” Dustin mumbled and rolled his eyes a little. “I just wanted to know if there will be a Hellfire club meeting after the pep rally. Jeez.”

“No. Not today. Tomorrow for sure though, okay?” Eddie said in a much softer tone.

“Okay.” Dustin smiled in satisfaction.

“All right. Good luck on your algebra test.” Eddie smiled warmly and patted Dustin’s head.

“Thanks. See you later, man.” Dustin waved before walking off. Eddie shut the door again and noticed you looking at him with a fond smile.

“What?” He wondered.

“You’re so good with kids.” You said with a happy sigh.

“Shut up.” Eddie blushed in embarrassment.

“You are. It’s really cute.” You insisted as you wrapped your arms around his neck.

“You’re really cute.” Eddie replied. “Especially in my shirt.”

“Yeah. I might have to hang on to-“ You started to reply when Eddie cut you off with a kiss. You didn’t mind the sweet interruption and kissed him back. You made out in the closet for a minute until you heard the school bell ring.

“Ugh. I have to go.” You whined as you pulled out of the kiss.

“I know. Good luck at the pep rally. You’re gonna crush it. You’re the best damn girl on that team.” Eddie said as he used his pinky to tilt your face up to look at him.

“And just the best damn girl in general.” He added before pecking your lips again.

“You’re so cute. I love you.” You chuckled before realized what you said.

“Oh God.” You gulped.

“What was that?” Eddie’s smile dropped when he realized what he just heard.

“Nothing. Gotta go. Bye!” You said and quickly ran out of the closet.

“Wait! Don’t-“ Eddie shouted as the door slammed in his face. He sighed in disappointment now that you were gone, but quickly smiled when he remembered that you had just told him you loved him. He decided that he needed to tell you he loved you back as soon as possible. That proved to be difficult since you didn’t have any classes together and needed to be at cheer practice during lunch. Eddie waited impatiently all day until the school was sent down to the gymnasium for the pep rally. He left his class and went to look for you, soon spotting you by the locker room. He was about to approach you when he noticed that you were talking to Jason, star of the basketball team.

“How do you get it so curly?” Jason asked as he touched your ponytail.

“I just curl it.” You laughed uncomfortably and took a step back. Eddie felt jealousy settle in and continued to watch the two of you interact.

“Yeah, but it’s perfectly curled. It always looks so nice and bouncy.” Jason said as he reached out to touch your hair again.

“Thanks.” You faked a smile as you gently pushed his hand away.

“You know, I have to admit something. Whenever the cheerleaders perform, you’re the only one I watch.” Jason said as he took a step closer to you.

“Oh, really?” You pretended to sound interested as you took a step back.

“Yeah. You’re just so mesmerizing.” Jason told you, making Eddie ball his hand into a fist.

“Oh. Thank you.”

“So do you have a boyfriend?” Jason asked.

“Um, no. I don’t.” You lied. Eddie’s fist relaxed when he heard this and his jealousy was replaced by sadness. Hearing you deny your relationship killed the high he was on ever since you told him you loved him.

“Cool. Maybe you and I could go out sometime.” Jason asked as he once again stepped closer to you.

“Oh, uh, maybe.” You smiled weakly and stepped back again. Eddie decided he had heard enough and went to leave, accidentally knocking into the water fountain as he went. You and Jason looked to see where the noise was coming from and you instantly felt bad.

“What are you looking at, freak?” Jason asked as he protectively took a step in front of you. You and Eddie made eye contact over Jason’s shoulder and Eddie gave you a disappointment look.

“I don’t know.” Eddie shrugged. “You tell me.”

“Eddie-“

“Just get out of here.” Jason cut you off. “We don’t want you here. Not in this school, and not in this town either, freak.”

“Sorry. I didn’t realize I was interrupting something.” Eddie said while looking you directly in the eyes. You opened your mouth to explain but Eddie was already walking away.

“He’s so weird. I wish he’d drop out already and leave us all alone.” Jason scoffed and turned back to you.

“I have to go.” You said and ran after Eddie. You went into the gym but couldn’t find him anywhere in the crowd. Before you could look anymore, one of the other cheerleaders pulled you towards the team. The principle announced you and before you knew it, you were robotically dancing along to the music. You kept searching the crowd for Eddie while you performed but never found him. You saw the rest of his class and spotted the other Hellfire club members, but Eddie was nowhere to be found. You had a frown on your face as you waved your pom poms in the air and never stopped looking for Eddie. It came time for the grand finale of your cheer routine and you had to be tossed in the air, hit a pose, then be caught. You continued to scan the crowd your team mates lifted you in the air and held you up. You threw a fake smile on as you hit your pose and the crowd went wild, but it meant nothing to you if Eddie wasn’t there to see it. You were so worried about him being upset with you that you jumped down to early, causing the girls to rush to catch you. They missed and you hit the ground with a hard thud, landing directly on your leg. Everyone rushed over to you as you struggled to sit up. The pain in your leg told you it was definitely broken. You winced and looked around you, hearing the terrified gasps from the crowd and the panics screams from your team. You put your head back down on the gym floor as your team mates called for help and tried to comfort you. The searing pain you were in was preventing you from hearing much of anything until a certain voice shouted above the rest.

“Everybody move!”

You tilted your head to the side and watched as Eddie parted the crowd around you. He immediately bent down by your side and lifted your head off the ground.

“Eddie? What are you doing?” You asked him, the pain in your leg momentarily disappearing at the sight of him.

“I’m taking care of you. Let me.” Eddie smiled warmly at you as he moved your hair away from your forehead.

“I thought you left.“ You smiled in relief as Eddie cupped your face.

“And miss seeing my girlfriend crush it at the pep rally? I don’t think so.” He scoffed playfully. You smiled happily and pulled him down into a kiss, not caring who saw. You heard shocked gasps from the crowd but didn’t care.

“I love you. I’m sorry about before.” You said once you pulled away.

“That wasn’t your fault. I was just being a jealous idiot. I’m not mad at you.” Eddie assured you as he picked you up off the floor.

“Come on. Let’s get you to the nurse.” He kissed the side of your head and started walking out of the gym. The crowd moved out of your way but stared at you in shock as Eddie carried you to the nurse.

“Um, what the hell is going on?” One of the girls on your team stepped in front of you to ask.

“What does it look like? I broke my leg and now my boyfriend is carrying me out.” You said, making Eddie smile proudly.

“I’m sorry, boyfriend?” She snorted.

“Yeah. Boyfriend.” Eddie stated. “Can you spell it?”

The girls jaw dropped and she folded her arms angrily as Eddie brushed past her and carried you to the nurse. Everyone was staring at you, but neither of you cared. Your secret was out and you couldn’t be happier.

The following week, you were sitting at Eddie’s lunch table with your leg propped up on a chair. Your leg was enveloped in a thick white cast all the way up to your knee and you were wearing Eddie’s Metallica T shirt. You looked over your shoulder to stare at your old lunch table where all the other cheerleaders were before looking back at Eddie.

“Do you miss sitting over there?” Eddie asked you with a sympathetic smile.

“No. I much prefer it over here.” You answered honestly and put your hand over his.

“So do I.” Eddie grinned and lifted your hand up to his lips to kiss it. You smiled at the gesture and leaned in to kiss him, not caring who saw. When you pulled away, Eddie looked past you and groaned.

“Oh no. Here’s comes Henderson.” He warned. Dustin marched up to the table and slammed a box of tissues down.

“I miss school for one day because of the sniffles and this is the shit I miss? Are you freaking kidding me?” Dustin shouted as he pointed to you and Eddie.

“Calm down, okay? We were going to tell you.” Eddie assured him.

“When? When were you going to tell me that you had taken a lover?” Dustin asked in exasperation and sat down at the table.

“When she got into college.” Eddie shrugged.

“Oh. Speaking of. This came today.” You said and pulled an envelope out of your backpack. Eddie’s eyes widened as he took it from you. He opened the letter and quickly scanned it to see what it said.

“No way. You got in?” He asked with an excited smile.

“Yep. Full ride. As long as they don’t find out my leg is broken, I am officially going to college.”

“You know what this means, don’t you?” Eddie asked and you looked at him in confusion. He leaned it to kiss you before getting up and standing on the table.

“EVERYBODY LISTEN UP. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT.” Eddie cupped his hands around his mouth as he shouted. Everyone, including you, looked up at him.

“Y/n and I are dating and in love and we don’t care who knows it!” Eddie threw his arms out as he looked around with a huge smile.

“We all know it, dumb ass.” Someone shouted back.

“Yeah, we were all at the pep rally yesterday. Everyone saw you guys.” Someone else shouted.

“Nobody cares.” Mike shouted then looked around and pretended he hadn’t been the one to shout that. Eddie frowned and sat back down in his seat.

“Hm. Well it appears that nobody cares.” He told you, making you laugh.

“It’s okay, baby. I care.” You smiled and patted his cheek.

“Can I sign your cast?” Eddie asked as he got an idea.

“Yeah. Go for it.” You shrugged. Eddie grinned and grabbed a marker from his bag before bending down next to your cast. He stuck his tongue between his teeth as he wrote something down. When he sat back in his seat, you took a look at what he said.

“I love you! -ur freaky boyfriend Eddie ” he had written along with some little hearts and stars.

“Do you like it?” He asked hopefully. You smiled at the cast before looking at him.

“Like it?” You asked. “I love it.”

Deadly Reunion|Chapter 9

Eddie Munson x female!reader // a stranger things apocalypse au

summary: You and Eddie have been best friends since childhood. But when the outbreak happened five years ago, you were torn from one another in the chaos. but now you’re left alone, after your group was killed by another radical crew, leaving you to seek out what was once home. // zombie apocalypse Hawkins set in 1993

warnings: angst + adult themes w/ descriptions of violence, blood, torture + other zombie apocalypse related issues

word count: 

⪻ previous chapter | next chapter ⪼ | stranger things masterlist

A week.

It had been a week since Eddie watched you walk away from him.

And you still weren’t talking to him.

Not like he hadn’t been trying. It seemed that any time he went looking for you, he’d just missed you.

The first couple of days the fear gripped Eddie’s heart like a vice and grew tighter when he couldn’t find you anywhere in the Camp. When he stopped by the room you shared with Robin, conveniently, you were gone. But the third day when he walked in with Gareth to the cafeteria for breakfast – he instantly found you.

You were sitting at a table with Robin but looked to be within your own mind as you pushed around the food on your tray. Your head was downcast as everyone else at the table around you talked lively. Eddie stood there frozen for a moment. But another part thought he was hallucinating since no one else seemed to interact with you.

Like his fear of losing you had manifested you in front of him.

Your head turned up slightly before your eyes stayed on him. They widened for a quick second before that deep seated rage returned to your eyes. The spark within them made him flinch back slightly. No matter how much Eddie wanted to go to you. He didn’t.

“Damn,” Gareth spoke from beside him, “She’s really fuckin’ pissed at you.”

Eddie sighed deeply at his friend's words, before turning and heading toward the queue to grab some breakfast. The line moved quickly and soon he was sitting at his usual table with Gareth and a few others.

But here is now, days after that, and still hating that you weren’t talking to him.

A part of him was pissed at Gareth for telling you the truth. For beating him in informing you about him and Sarah. It was a topic he wasn’t ready to talk about with you – yet. Her death was still too fresh in his mind. The guilt over it still gnawing away at his heart so much that he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He might not’ve be in love with Sarah, but he still cared deeply. She was also his friend. Someone he’d known nearly his entire life. And like everyone else in his life. She was taken away from him.

Just like you had been all those years ago. The only difference was that he was the one to push you out of his life.

But he got a second chance and it seemed that it was already ruined.

Eddie still thought of that night on your birthday. As you lay with your head in his lap mumbling sweet nothings of love. Finally saying the words, he ached to hear.

But Eddie knew there was no one else to blame but himself for hurting you.

“Chief says we need to head out for another run,” Steve spoke, pulling Eddie out of his thoughts and back to the present.

Eddie sighed deeply and rubbed at the scuff along his jaw that had been growing over the last few days. “We just did a run, what do we need now?”

“Medical supplies,” Steve spoke, resting his hands on his hips. The black you’d given him was starting to fade, only soft yellows and greens around his eye and nose left behind. “Also, we gotta start prepping for the colder months when we’re not gonna go out as much.”

Eddie nodded his head, “Alright, I’ll meet you upfront. Let me grab my gear.”

Eddie’s body already felt tired at the thought of leaving the camp again. Hopper had them going out more and more for supplies that he could’ve sworn they had enough of. Trips were becoming longer, and they were venturing out farther. Hawkins was nearly tapped clean of any valuable supplies for them, so the surrounding towns were their only source. But that was depleting.

But how much longer do we have to keep living like this? Eddie asked himself.

Eddie didn’t take long to grab his pack and a few supplies. He wasn’t sure how long they would be gone, so he over-packed slightly. He grabbed his leather jacket knowing the nights would be cold, along with his bandana. The last thing he grabbed was a pack of cigarettes and a lighter that he slipped into his back pocket.

One of the things Eddie wasn’t expecting as he walked into the front lobby…was you.

You stood toward the outer side of the group when he walked through the doors. You were back in the clothes that he’d found you in. Your eyes met the moment he walked upon the group and that flare of anger was still there. But Eddie couldn’t stop the words that came out of his mouth.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Eddie spoke, his dark brows pulling tightly together as his eyes glared down toward you.

Your back straightened as you turned to him more, “Excuse me?”

Your tone was tight with a slight hiss to it. Eddie recognized that tone. But even knowing he was pushing himself down a deeper hole with you – he didn’t stop.

“What are you doing here?” He asked again, looking around to see everyone was looking toward the two of you in confusion. “You’re not coming with us.”

“I’m sorry, didn’t realize that I need your permission.”

“Hopper assigned her to her tasks, Munson,” Robin spoke, stepping up to stand beside you. Her arms crossed at her chest as she glared at him. "She's part of the supply run crew now."

It took three seconds and observing your body language with Robin to quickly see you two have become closer. It was really a shock since  Robin was your roommate. But that only pissed Eddie off more.

“I don’t fuckin’ care what Hopper assigned her, go, and tell him to change it.” Eddie stepped toward you, his frame looming over you. “You’re not coming with us.”

Eddie’s voice dropped as he spoke that last part, a slight pleading coming into his eyes. You had to remind yourself not to give in, that you were still mad at him. That those large, dark eyes weren’t going to crack the hardened shell you placed around yourself.

“I didn’t ask, nor want, your permission of what I can and can do, Eddie.” You stepped closer to him, looking directly into his eyes and speaking next so only he could hear. “You lose that when you decided to lie to me.”

A part of you could've sworn that a deep flash of pain moved through Eddie’s eyes. But you didn’t give yourself too much time to see, as you pushed around him and moved to stand on the other side. Eddie stood standing in his spot, unmoving, as tension moved through the lobby. It was Steve who cut the tension, clearing his throat to pull everyone back to him.

“We’re going on a supply run for the medical wing. We’re heading out farther towards Redding, a spot we have hit before, and didn’t clear. It’s gonna take a few days so we need to move quickly, we need to move fast.” Steve spoke with clear authority and leadership in his tone. “Now let’s head out, we don’t want to lose light before get to the first camp point.”

One by one the group started to file out of the building and toward the front gate. Steve walked to the front of the group leading the way with someone else close behind him. You learned his name was Mike and he was Nancy’s older brother. He was far from the little kid that you knew from running around the neighborhood. You walked more toward the middle with Robin, Nancy, and Nancy’s boyfriend Jonathan. Another person you met in the week you’d been at the camp.

But behind you, you felt him. His eyes are at the back of your head causing your spine to straighten. You fought with yourself to not look back toward him. To not acknowledge him any more than you already have.

Instead, you kept your eyes forward as you prepared yourself to head out into the world you just found safety from.

-x-x-x-x-

“So, what is going on with you and Munson?” Robin asked, the two of you walking side by side as the group moved through the overgrown woods surrounding Hawkins.

“We’re supposed to be sweeping the area,” You spoke, your gun raised slightly, ready if needed, as your eyes moved through the area looking for a sign of anything.

Have it be a Flayed.

Have it been human.

Either was dangerous.

“I can multitask,” Robin spoke with a soft laugh, “Come on…it’s like suffocatingly tense between you two,”

You sighed deeply, “I found out he lied...kept something from me, and that’s all I’m really going to say about it.”

“Does it have anything to do with your reaction to knowing you’re in Sarah’s old bed?”

You stopped for a moment and shot her a look, before shaking your head and moving further through the area Steve wanted you to sweep.

But Robin took your silence as a sign to continue.

“I know you said the two of you were friends and stuff, but your reaction to finding her stuff tells a little more. Which, ya know, I get if you don’t want to share. You barely know me, and we are only starting to become friends…but I am here…if you wanna talk.”

You stopped for a moment, lowering your gun slightly, “Thank you, I appreciate that, Robin.”

Robin smirked, “What are roomies for?”

There was no denying that over the last few days, Robin had greatly grown on you.

“I don’t see anything, do you?” a voice spoke as they walked upon the two of you, Nancy coming into view as she walked closer.

“Nothing.” You answered quickly, moving to holster your gun into the back of your jeans. “Anyone else?”

“No.” Nancy sighed sweeping her curls from her face, “The others found an abandoned home, thinking of camping out there? Catch some shelter since night is dropping.”

You nodded your head and quickly followed behind Nancy and Robin to head toward the shelter for the night. You couldn’t help but keep your eyes aware looking out for any danger. Your body didn’t relax till you came upon the small home that was tucked within the woods.

When you approached the small home, you quickly noticed how the forest around it was quickly reclaiming it. Moss grew along the sides giving the white siding more of a dirtied look. Mud caked along siding and windows. The front door was surprisingly still attacked but a few of the windows were blown out. It would do for the night. Steve and Eddie were securing the perimeter with Jonathan when you and the others approached.

You didn’t miss the quick glance Eddie sent your way as you walked past him. It was a mix of a few emotions, the one you caught quickly in the depth of his brown eyes was fear and sorrow. But with your emotionless mask still, in place, you walked by and said not a word.

“Night’s falling quickly, let’s get settled inside, get something to eat, and rest. Munson and Buckley, you have the first watch.” Steve spoke, strapping his rifle back across his back. “Not sigh of flayed, think we’re deep enough for cover.”

Eddie nodded his head slightly and moved his glace quickly back over to you. You were standing with Nancy and Robin right outside the home. Your face brightened slightly as you laughed at something Robin said. Again, that flare of anger and jealousy came back up, simply causing your attention as on someone else and not him. Steve caught the tension between the two of you, it was hard to miss especially with how you two were before the group left. And he couldn’t help but feel sorry for Eddie.

“She’ll come around, man,” Steve spoke, so that only Eddie would hear, digging through his bag in search of some jerky he’d packed earlier. “Whatever fight you’ve got going on will be resolved and you’ll be best friends again.”

“I don’t know. I…I fucked up, and…I don’t know how to make it better. It’s like I know her, but I don’t at the same time.” Eddie spoke, shaking his head slightly and rubbing his tired eyes.

“You’ll figure it out,” Steve spoke with more confidence than Eddie was feeling at the moment.

Everyone quickly began to fall into the roles and routine of a campout. You unrolled your sleeping bag and settled in the living room along with Nancy and the others. But even as you tried to lay down and catch some sleep, your mind wasn’t allowing you.

Instead, it was too focused on the fact Eddie was outside on the lookout with Robin at the moment. You stared up at the peeling paint on the ceiling hoping for sleep to take over. It wasn’t long till you cursed under your breath and stepped out into the front of the home again.

“Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?” Robin’s voice came from above. You turned quickly to see her on the roof, gun in hand.

“Why are you on the roof? And second, is that even safe?”

“Most likely not, but I get a better vantage point. Plus I’m lighter weight than Munson.” She spoke with a smirk, “Now why are you up?”

“Can’t sleep. Thought I could be useful.”

“Munson in circling the perimeter, sure he could use the company and a second eye.” Robin’s lips turned up slightly with a mischievous grin before turning and continuing her pace on the roof.

“Fuck,” You whispered, before grabbing your gun from your back, checking your ammo, and then sliding it into the back of your pants. Tucked between your back and the waist of your pants. You also made sure to check your cargo pockets for your knife, before moving to find Eddie.

Didn’t take long to find his tall, lean frame moving between the shadows of the trees. The moon bleeds through the tops of the trees and creating a silver glow. Your footsteps were light, Eddie not noticing you till you were nearly on top of him.

“Jesus…” He cursed the moment he turned to head back in the opposite direction, only to see you. “…what the fuck,”

“Isn’t the whole purpose of patrolling being, to be aware of your surroundings?” You spoke, deep sarcasm in your tone.

Eddie sighed deeply, “I didn’t hear you.”

Your brows shot up, “No shit. Good thing I wasn’t a bad guy.”

“My mind been a little all over the place, wasn’t…paying attention.”

You rolled your eyes and moved to head back in the other direction, grabbing your gun in case anything was to happen. In a few passing seconds, Eddie was soon in pace beside you. The silence was thick and uncomfortable as the two of you walked side by side.

Eddie was the first to talk.

“Can we talk about the other night, please?” He asked, his voice soft and timid. The complete opposite of earlier in the day.

“There is nothing to talk about.”

Eddie flinched slightly, internally, from the harsh finality of your tone.

“There is a lot to talk about, a lot that you don’t know.”

“I know enough.” You looked at him slightly, before turning quickly back to scan the forest. “You kept it from me, Eddie. Purposefully. And don’t lie to me and say you didn’t.”

“I wasn’t,” Eddie spoke quickly.

You stopped for a moment and looked at him. Even with just the moon for light, you could see his face. He was being sincere. That remorsefulness was back in his eyes and causing his brow to pinch together slightly.

“I really don’t want to talk about this. You and Sarah were allowed to do whatever you wanted,”  You spoke, unable to keep the bitterness from your tone. “It’s not like you were mine and you cheated on me. I just…just…”

Your mouth opened a few times but no words could form. Eddie moved toward you, till something behind you caught his attention. His back straightened as goosebumps rolled over his flesh. Eddie quickly recognized the staggered, gaunt walk as it moved through the trees severely feet from the two of you. You caught on quickly to the change in Eddie’s body language and knew something was wrong.

“Ed-.”

“Shh,” He interrupted you, keeping his eyes just over your shoulder. “When I tell you to, I want you to head back toward the house, as quietly as you can.” He whispered, his words barely heard.

Your words stopped and choked you as you looked up at him, your grip tightening around your gun. The deep, guttural groan of a flayed soon cut through the tension and instantly made bile rise in your throat. Eddie moved slowly to grab his rifle, cursing any time a noise was made.

It would only take one sound, and the Flayed would know of your location.

It was far away enough to where you had a small chance to get away.

“I’m not leaving you.” You whispered.

“I’m gonna be right behind you, sweetheart.” Eddie spoke, his eyes moving toward you, “Now run.”

You hesitated for only a moment before your instincts kicked in and you were off, running back in the direction of the home. It wasn’t till you were running that you noticed how far you and Eddie had walked from the shelter.

But it hadn’t even been five seconds before the scream erupted from the monster. It had heard you and it was now on the hunt. You couldn’t help the whimper that came from you as the echoing of more screams moved through the forest.

“Run! Fuckin’ run!” Eddie shouted from behind you, the house coming into view. Robin is still perched on the roof.

“It’s a pack! Fuckin’ Flayed” You screamed, pure terror in your tone.

It wasn’t long till gunshots joined in with the screams.

Sooo...that was chapter Nine. please leave a review on your thoughts, predictions of the next, and anything else! I love seeing everyone's comments about how the story is going. Thank you for all your support it means the world to me.

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Crossing Lines | S.H x fem!reader

part one | part two

series summary: Steve isn’t your biggest fan, so why does he ask you to be his date to a wedding? | enemies to lovers, fake dating

chapter summary: time to meet the family!

content: you and steve go shopping, meeting his family, mentions of drinking, food mention, swearing, she/her pronouns, use of y/n, a little surprise at the end ;)

word count: 4.7k

_

The piercing ring of the phone wakes Steve from his deep sleep and putting a pillow over his head doesn’t drown out the sound even a little bit. He begrudgingly throws his blanket and grumbles obscenities until he reaches the phone.

“Hello?” he answers with an abrasive tone. “Good morning to you too, sunshine” your voice sounds way too happy for someone who’s awake this early. “y/n? Why the hell are you calling me this early?”

“Do you always talk to your girlfriends like this? No wonder you’re still single.’’ you tease and he lets out an overdramatic, loud sigh. “Get to the point it’s too early for this”

“It’s almost ten in the morning that isn’t exactly the break of dawn, but anyways, I need to know if you work today”

“Yeah, I do” he lies. “Liar! I already asked Robin and she told me that you’re off today” he can practically hear your ‘know-it-all-’ smirk over the phone. “I’m five seconds away from hanging up”

“Okay, okay, don’t get your panties in a twist. We need to go shopping today” you tell him and he scoffs at your words “We? Why do I need to go?”

“You said all expenses paid and I need new clothes for our couples getaway, therefore, you’re going shopping with me”

“It’s not a couple’s gateway” is all he says. “That’s all semantics, Stevie”

“Do you even know what semantics means?” he asks “do you?” you reply, turning the tables. His lips purse while he tries to thinks of an answer. He’s got nothing. “Whatever. I’ll pick you up in an hour” he hands up before giving you a chance to gloat.

_

Steve shows up to your house an hour and a half later and he expects nothing less than you reprimanding him for it. You walk outside wearing a dress that might be a bad idea for a breezy day like today, but it’s still a pretty dress. He tells himself that only the dress looks pretty, not the person wearing it. Your sparkly lip gloss that anyone from a mile away can see, looks pretty too, but not because it’s on your lips. He can just appreciate a nice gloss, that’s it.

“Thirty minutes late, mister. That isn’t very ‘boyfriend’ of you” you say as soon as you get into the car. “How about a ‘thank you’ for picking you up? That isn’t very ‘girlfriend’ of you” he rebuttals.

“Hush, I’m the perfect girlfriend. Can I play some music?” you ask and he turns the radio on. “Oh, I love this song!” you cheer when you change the station and ‘We Belong’ by Pat Benatar comes on. “Of course you do” he says and you roll your eyes at him while turning up the radio. In all honesty, he likes this song, but he’ll never admit that out loud.

You sing every word, not too loudly, but loud enough that Steve can hear. Your singing isn’t horrible, but he knows every time he hears this song he’s going to associate it with you. “Why are you always so grouchy? You constantly have a look on your face like someone put salt in your sugar shaker”

“Thanks for putting off your concert long enough to ask me that” he turns the radio down until there's almost no music and you turn it back up a smidge. “See! You’re a total butthead” you argue. “Butthead? Are we five?”

“That’s such a butthead response”

“Then how about we don’t talk for the rest of the car ride? Kay?” he impolitely suggests and you cross your arms. “Fine”

“Fine”

So you sit in silence for the rest of the time you’re in the car, aside from your soft singing. It drives Steve insane.

_

The mall was quite busy for a Tuesday and it takes Steve three loops around the parking lot to find a decent spot.

“I told you to just park in the back. We could’ve saved so much time”

“What did I say about not talking while we’re in the car?” he asks, rhetorically. You quickly step out of the car and repeat yourself “I told you to just park in the back. We could’ve saved so much time. I’m not in the car, so you can’t get mad at me! C’mon, let's go!”

Steve sighs before taking the keys out of the ignition and following behind you. Once you reach the entrance you hold your hand out to him. He looks down at your hand and back up at you “What’s that?”

“It’s a hand, Steve. Ya know, most people have one attached to the end of their arm and-”

“What do you want me to do with your hand, smartass’’ he cuts you off. “We’re supposed to be getting used to acting like a couple, so hold my hand” your hand is still held out and you shake it in front of him. “Nope. No way” he pushes your hand but you reach it out again. “Stop being a butthead, yes I said it again because you’re acting like a five year old”

He reluctantly takes your hand and your fingers lace together. “Wow, look at that. You didn’t even burst into flames” you taunt. He doesn’t hate it as much as he thought it would. Your hands are soft and he notices that your nails match the color of your dress. It’s kind of cute.

Steve tries to shield his face with his hand and you laugh at him. “That’s not gonna work. People come from all over to see that head of hair, so they’ll be able to tell that it’s you holding my hand. I hope you’ll be able to survive this tragic event”

He removes his hand from his face “People do not come from all over just to see my hair.” he grumbles. “It’s called a joke, Steve. Since I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile whenever I’m around then I shouldn’t be surprised you didn’t know that”

“Let’s just get this over with. Where are we going first?” you drag him to the first store and Steve is convinced everyone is staring at him while he holds your hand. (literally no one is giving either of you a second glance).

“Hold this for me, baby” you hand him a sundress and he grimaces at the nickname “Is holding hands not enough? You gotta call me ‘baby’ too?” he complains. “Get used to it, baby”

After only ten minutes in the store, Steve has a stack of clothes piled in his arms. “Are you really buying all of this?” he asks. “I’m not buying anything, you are, but I have to try it on first and you have to give me your opinion”

“My opinion is that you’re going to look horrible in all of it”

“You say that now, but you’ve never seen me in this shade of pink” you point to one of the dresses in his hand that isn’t holding yours. “I’ve seen you in every shade of every color. Your closet looks like a box of crayons exploded”

“You remember what colors I have in my wardrobe? Sounds like you’re a bit obsessed with me”

“In your dreams…babe? Ugh that sounded weird. Can you try this shit on now? My arm is about to fall off” He whines. “Yeah, I wouldn't want you to break a nail. Wait outside the dressing room so I can show you how it looks” you tell him. “Can’t wait” he replies, sarcasm dripping from his tongue.

Steve checks his watch every thirty seconds because how long does it take to try on one dress?

“Spend your whole life waitin’ on your woman, don’t ya?” an older gentleman asks him. “Uh, yeah. I guess so” chuckles. “My wife, Ethel, over there” he points in the direction of where his wife stands “always takes her sweet time. After forty years of marriage I’m still always waitin’ on her, but she still looks so damn beautiful that it’s worth it”

“Harold, leave the poor boy alone, honey” His wife says when she wanders over to her husband. “No, I don’t mind. I’m just waiting for my girl to show me her new dress” Steve says. He said ‘my girl’ so naturally he didn’t even realize it until he finished his sentence.

“Steve, what do you think- oh, hi!” you greet the couple and introduce yourself. “That’s a beautiful dress, don’t ya think Steve?” Harold asks him. “y-yeah. You look great, sweetheart” he smiles. You do look great. The color of the dress compliments your skin tone perfectly and makes your eyes pop.

“How long have you two been together?” Ethel asks. “Five months” you both say at the same time. “Oh, young love. It’s truly a wonderful thing. I feel like I’m looking in a mirror from forty years ago” She expresses and puts her hand over her heart. “We’ll let you kids get back to it. Enjoy the rest of your day” Harold says. “Thank you, you too!” you respond before they walk away.

“So, um, tell me what you really thing about this dress”

“I think it looks great” he replies. “Really? No snarky comment? Did that old couple make you go all soft on me, Harrington?”

“Not in a million years. Go try the other shit on I don’t wanna be here all day” he carps. “Okay, I’m going, but don’t fall in love with me after seeing how good I look in this next one!” yeah, right he thinks.

After a fashion show and a dent in his bank account, you finally leave the store. Most of your outfits were casual, but cute and preppy enough to impress his family. You even found a dress to wear to the wedding. “I have to get a new bathing suit. Or three new bathing suits” you announce as you walk past a store with all the summer essentials. “Three? For what reason?”

“You said your family members are all staying in lake houses and I need to be prepared. I’m also assuming this fancy hotel we’re staying in has a pool” you explain. “Oh, and how come we aren’t staying in a lake house?” you wonder. “My parents weren’t gonna rent a house for just me. I even told them I was bringing my “girlfriend”, but we’re still staying in a hotel twenty minutes away from everyone” he answers. “Oh no, we’re staying in an expensive hotel with all the amenities we could ever need. Should I bring a survival kit?” you gibe.

“Just go get your swimsuits and don’t make me watch you model them” he pleads. “Why? Scared you’ll like what you see?” Yes, he thinks to himself. “Nope. Just starving. I’m gonna go grab something from the food court” he says before scurrying off.

“Hey, can I get two soft pretzels and two lemonades, please?”

“Steve Harrington?” He hears a woman's voice and turns around. “It’s me! Beth!”

“Beth, hi!” He greets. Steve went on a date with Beth a few months ago and she never called him back. He actually really liked her, too. Until she ditched him for her new boyfriend.

“How are you? Hungry?” She asks when she she's the two pretzels and drinks in his hand. “Oh, um, ones for me and ones for my… girlfriend. She’s shopping right now- oh look, there she is! Baby, I’m over here!” he waves to get your attention.

“Aw, you got me something? You’re so sweet, Stevie” you kiss his cheek and it takes everything in him to not act weirded out. “Babe, this is Beth. Beth this is my girl, y/n”

“Nice to meet you, y/n. It was good to see you, Steve” she says and saunters off. “Did you really have to kiss my cheek?” he wipes your lipgloss off of his face. “Give me a soft pretzel and I’ll do just about anything”

“Gross” he mutters, “Are you done shopping yet?” he groans. “Yes, I’m done. Thanks again for the pretzel. That was actually really nice” you smile at him. “Don’t thank me yet. I poisoned it” he jokes and you chuckle. “Thank god. Then I wouldn’t have to spend three whole days with you”

“Well, actually, we have to go up thursday” he tells you and you stop in your tracks. “Thursday? That's in two days and I have so much to do!” you exclaim. “You’ll just have to get it done a day early. It’s the least you can do after I bought you this pretzel”

“You’re impossible”

“And you’re welcome for the delicious treat and all the clothes”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just take me home, please”

“Gladly”

_

By the time Thursday rolls around, you’re already exhausted from this weekend before it’s even started. You spent your entire day yesterday doing laundry, going to the store for travel things, packing, and mentally preparing yourself for being Steve’s “girlfriend”.

It wasn’t that pretending to be his significant other was going to be the worst thing in the world. He’s attractive and you’ve heard his personality is alright, you’ve just yet to meet that version of Steve, but you worried it would be awkward.

There’s no way you have any amount of chemistry with Steve that makes it convincing that you two are in love. He scowls at any pet name you give him, he practically freezes any time you touch him, and you’re pretty sure he’d slip into a coma if he was actually nice to you.

The sound of Steve honking his horn pulls you from your anxious thoughts. He can’t even come up and knock on your door. God forbid he helps you carry any of your luggage. He did pop the trunk for you, though, so that’s something at least.

“Is your arm broken?” you ask, sitting down in the passenger seat. “No?” he replies, confused. “I just figured since you didn’t help me carry a single thing that-”

“You’re bitching already? It hasn’t even been five minutes that must be a new record”

“your hair looks flat today” you insult and he glares at you “you do know i have traits other than my hair, right?”

“yeah, I know. just don’t care enough, is all” you state, looking at your manicure like his existence is irrelevant to you. “Right, okay. Let’s just not kill each other until we get there”

“Only if you promise to buy me snacks at the gas station” you bargain “Fine. Whatever you want”

_

You fell asleep halfway through the car ride and have woken up once. For some reason, Steve can’t stop himself from glancing over you. Your head is resting on the window, your lips are slightly parted, and if he didn’t already know you, he’d think you actually look kind of sweet.

“Hey” he whispers and gently shakes your shoulder to wake you up. You grunt in response and he shakes your shoulder a little more. “Wake up, we’re almost at my parents lake house” he says and you jolt awake. “We’re stopping there first? I’m not prepared for that!” you exclaim and flip down the visor mirror to make yourself look presentable.

“They said they have a surprise for us and they’re looking forward to meeting you. It’ll be fine” he puts his hand on your thigh for a split second then quickly pulls it back. “And here we are” he announces when he pulls into the driveway. It’s more of a lake mansion than a lake house, but you didn’t expect anything less. Steve opens the passenger side door for you just in case anyone is watching. He can tell you’re nervous about meeting his parents. You’ve been fiddling with the hem of your top and the look on your face isn’t exactly hiding any of your emotions.

Steve grabs your hand and you’re taken by surprise. He’s touching you without acting like there’s a gun to his head. “Ready to meet the parents?” he asks, giving your hand a squeeze “As ready as I’ll ever be”

He knocks on the door and your leg bounces, anxiously. “Hey, stop worrying. They’ll love you. Most people think you’re great. Apart from me, obviously” he jests and you snicker. You know it isn’t a big deal if his parents don’t like you. You two aren’t actually together and there's a high chance you’ll never see them again, but you have this irritating need for people’s approval. Which is a bit ironic considering your hand is currently being held by the one person who has a huge issue with you.

“Steve, honey! We’re so glad you’re here!” his mom exclaims before hugging him. “You must be y/n! It’s so nice to meet you!” she hugs you next. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Harrington”

“Oh, please, call me Joanne. Come in, I’ll get your father. George, Steve and his girlfriend are here!” she shouts when you all walk inside.

Steves’ father emerges from the back porch of the house and it’s like Steve twenty-five years from now walked in from the future. “Now, what’s someone as pretty as you doing with my son? Did you pay her Steve?” he jokes, but he has no idea how close he is to being correct. “Thanks, dad, good to see you too.” Steve grumbles. “Don’t get too upset, I know how sensitive you can be. I’m George, it’s a pleasure to meet you” he extends his hand and you shake it. “It’s great to meet you. I’m y/n”

“You’re much nicer than most girls my son dates. There was one girl-”

“Anyways, mom said you had a surprise for us” Steve interrupts his dad. “Yes, we do!” his mom says and hands Steve a key. “What’s this?” he asks as he holds the key. “Well, your father and I thought it might be romantic if you two had your own house and you’d be much closer to the family. It’s just right up the road and we cancelled your hotel reservation.”

“That’s so kind of you, Mrs. Harr- Joanne. You didn’t have to do that” you thank her and she beams at your appreciation. “Honey, we’re just so grateful that Steve has found someone that he clearly loves. You should’ve heard how he spoke about you on the phone” She tells you and Steve’s face turns beet red when you turn to look at him. “Uh, yeah, thank you. We should probably go check this out, yeah?’’ he asks and you nod.

“Once you freshen up, don’t forget we’re having dinner here tonight!” Joanne reminds the both of you before saying your goodbyes. Your nerves come back when you think about meeting the rest of his family.

“So… what did you say about me on the phone?” you ask once you both step outside. “I don’t even remember. I didn’t really say much” he lies, but he doesn’t want you to know just in case you get the wrong impression that he might not dislike you as much as you think he does. “Keep your secrets, then. Let's go check out our house!” you squeal and run to the car.

“Oh my gosh, it’s so cute!” you say as you pull into the driveway. The house is smaller than the others, but the ideal size for two people. There’s a porch that overlooks the lake with two rocking chairs and a coffee table. It’s perfect for watching the sun rise and set.

It does make you a little sad that if you weren’t here, Steve would be all alone in a hotel while the rest of his family was within walking distance. Why wouldn’t he stay with his parents? or another family member? “Did you hear me?” he asks, bringing you back from all the questioning going on in your mind.“No, sorry. What did ya say?”

“I asked if you’re ready to go inside. I’ll help you with your bags this time”

“Yeah, thanks.” you grin and get out of the car.

The inside of the house is as beautiful as the outside. It’s cozy and inviting. If Steve was your boyfriend, it would be very romantic. “So, only one bedroom I suppose,” Steve speaks up. “I’ll take the couch” he volunteers.

“Steve, I can already tell you’re too tall for that couch. I’ll take it”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind”

“Or we could be adults and share the bed? It’s big enough that you won’t even come close to touching me” you assure him. “If you wanted to sleep next to me, all you had to do was ask” he smirks and your nose scrunches in disgust. “Shut up, I’m trying to be nice to you”

“Let’s unpack before we have to go to dinner. Are you nervous about meeting everyone else?” he asks as you throw your luggage on the bed so you can unpack your bags. “Yeah, I guess. Is there anything I should know?” you question. “Not really. My parents seemed to like you, so they’ve probably already put in a good word.”

The rest of the time you spend unpacking and getting ready is spent in silence. It isn’t either an awkward or comfortable silence. It’s like neither of you are there, not acknowledging each other unless absolutely necessary.

_

You and Steve decide to walk to his parents since it’s such a pleasant evening. The sound of the lake is peaceful and the moonlight illuminates your surroundings so perfectly that it makes the street lamps needless. “It really is lovely out here” you say and Steve hums in agreement. “Are you nervous, Steve? About seeing your family? You ask and he lets out a sigh that he’s been holding in for a while. “Kind of, but they’re probably gonna be more focused on you”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” you offer and he shakes his head. “Nah, that’s alright. We’re almost there anyway” When you walk through the door of the house, Steve places his hand on the small of your back. Only for appearances, clearly. “We’re here” he announces and his family comes over to greet you.

“You must be y/n! I’m Linda, Steve’s aunt. We’ve heard many great things about you!” You make your way through all introductions followed by a million it’s nice to meet you too’s. His family is bigger than you expected and you can definitely tell that they have money just by looking at them.

You’re finally offered a glass of wine and happily accept. “Here, Steve, it’s an old-fashioned. The real man's drink” His father hands him a glass and he has to stop himself from chugging it.

“We are all dying to know how you two met” Steve’s aunt says to you once you and Steve are in the kitchen. It seems like everyone is gathered in the kitchen to hear the story. Steve looks a little lost so you decide you’ll take the lead on this one.

“Well, we met through mutual friends and Steve was terrible at attempting to flirt with me. I thought he was just so cute and one night I got stood up on a blind date and Steve came to my rescue and the rest is history” you wrap your arm around his back and his arm wraps around your shoulder. He can’t believe how quickly you came up with that. Your story is met with many ‘aws’ and Steve mouths a ‘thank you’ when no one is looking.

“I like your dress’’ you hear a small voice come from behind you and you turn around to see the most adorable toddler with pigtails. “Thank you, sweetie. I like your hair” you bend down to eye level with her. “I’m y/n. What’s your name?”. “Penelope. I’m this many” She holds up three fingers and you smile. “Do y’wanna color with me?” she asks and you follow her to the table she was coloring at.

“Are you married to Steve?”

“Nope, not married, but I am his girlfriend” it still feels weird to say that. “Okay. You can use my crayons”

Steve watched this interaction from the kitchen. He thinks the drink is already starting to go to his head because he thinks it's absolutely adorable. You’re a natural with kids and with his family. He can’t tell if it’s all part of the act or if you are actually this amazing.

Dinner goes smoothly with the help of several alcoholic beverages. Steve’s hand has been on your thigh throughout the entire meal and he didn’t act bothered by it at all. Maybe his acting skills aren’t so abysmal after all.

“Can I help you wash up?” you ask his mom as she cleans up the kitchen. “That would be wonderful, dear.”

“Penelope adores you, by the way. She’s always been a little shy and she warmed up to you just like that.” She tells you. “She’s a sweet kid. I was like that when I was younger. Shy, I mean. Guess I still am” a small chuckle escapes your throat. “Well, no worries about that. The family loves you” She assures you and you give her a kind smile.

“Ready to go, babe?” Steve asks you. “Go on, I’ll make George help with cleanup” His mom hugs you both and his hand holds yours as you say your goodbyes to everyone.

“That wine got to me, I think. I feel all warm and fuzzy” you say with a giggle. Steve still hasn’t let go of your hand even though you're halfway back to the house by now. “I know what you mean. You were great, by the way. Pretty sure they’re convinced we’re in love.”

“Wow, you’re complimenting me? You must definitely be tipsy” you laugh. “And you’re still holding my hand so you’re absolutely toasted” he quips. “m’not. I just might fall over if you let go” so he doesn’t let go, not until you’re both inside the bedroom.

Once you both climb into bed, there’s more than a respectable distance between you and Steve. For some reason, a strange thought crosses your mind and you have the biggest urge to bring it up. “Hey, Steve?”

“Hm?”

“I thought of something we haven’t practiced yet and it’s kinda weird, but hear me out”

“Okay…I’m listening” he says, sounding a little suspicious. “Do you think it’ll be weird if we don’t kiss? Nothing crazy just a couple pecks here and there” he sits up and turns on the bedside table lamp. “You wanna makeout in front of my family?”

“No! Of course not. I said peck” he doesn’t respond and you’ve never felt more embarrassed in your life.

“Okay. Yeah, we probably should practice it. Ya know, just to be convincing” he finally speaks up. “Yeah. Just to be convincing.” you both sit up and scoot closer to each other. “Wait! Can you turn off the light?” you request and he quickly turns off the light.

You feel Steve’s hand resting on your cheek and your heart thumps in your chest out of nerves, not anything else, that’s for sure. “Ready?” he asks “Ready”

His lips brush yours and linger for a few seconds before he places his lips on yours in a proper kiss. It’s a simple kiss. There’s no tongue, obviously, and it feels like it’s over before it's even started.

“Wait, sorry. Let me try again” he says. He kisses you again and it’s still simple, but this time your lips move together in a harmonious agreement. His body moves closer to yours and you feel yourself slipping away, like you’ve forgotten that you’re kissing Steve Harrington. Someone that you aren’t supposed to be kissing.

He pulls back as he feels that the kiss might grow more intense. You’re left breathless and stunned, but Steve doesn’t seem to be as affected as you are, but he is. His palms are sweaty and his heart feels like it might jump out of his throat. He nonchalantly rolls over back to his side while you stay in the same position, staring at his silhouette.

“Goodnight, y/n”

“y-yeah, goodnight”

_

a/n: IT’LL GET JUCIER SOON I PROMISE

_

taglist: @freezaz123 @lovelyimpossibleobservation @johnricharddeacy @mjtalksaboutanything @nix-rose-q @eternallyvenus (i hope i didn't miss anyone!)

😍😍😍

BASIC BIOLOGY - BILLY HARGROVE X READER (PART THREE | FINAL PART) | PART ONE | PART TWO

word count: 9492 // masterlist | inbox (please request) | WIP list

Summary: you're paired with billy for a biology project. you only visit his house once, but it's enough for you to understand why he doesn't want you to come over again. when he starts showing up more and more in your life, you realize that it's basic biology: you were made for him, and he was made for you.

Contents: mentions of injuries (healed/healing), trauma, discussions of billy's past, angst with a fluffy ending, cows !

A/N: oh my gosh ! the end ! it feels like i've been working on this forever and thinking about it even longer, and as a new-ish writer on the billy scene, i just want to thank you all for how sweet you've been, in response to this fic and many others. your support is so important to me, and i'm so glad that many of you enjoyed this fic. i hope that you like the ending, too, please tell me what you think!

reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated! your feedback motivates me to write more, so thank you for your support :-)

You wake up beside Billy Hargrove differently than you’d fallen asleep beside him. Where his face had been previously tucked snug to your neck, his breath fanning out over your collarbones, his cheek is smushed to your chest now. His arm is slung over your stomach, one of his legs thrown over your own as his torso lays slumped up against yours. His cheek chubs up where it’s resting on your breast, and- god, his eyelashes are beautiful. The eyes behind them are just as gorgeous, but for now you’re glad they’re shut. He looks so relaxed, so peaceful, and you’d stay still for an eternity beneath him if it meant he’d be able to stay in that drowsy state of serenity. 

His curls are mussed with sleep, bent out of shape and frizzy where they’d typically be slicked. There’s still bruises littered over his face but they’ve already begun healing, shifting in color to be lighter and less jarring. 

Your fingers come up without you noticing to brush over one of his curls. It’s soft to the touch, and you give it an experimental squeeze, watching as it bounces back. You notice that it’s tangled slightly with another strand, and brush your pinky between them to separate the tangle.

It must tug lightly on Billy’s scalp, because he heaves an unconscious sigh. You wait for him to frown, to wake and snap at you for touching his precious hair, but he never does. Instead he settles again, eyes still firmly shut.

You can’t help it; you reach for his scalp. Your nails scrape gently, ever-so-slightly over his skin, brushing over hundreds of individual strands of hair rooted there and curled together. 

Your breath catches in your throat as he moves. He hums, deep, soft, and low in his throat, the sound vibrating in his chest that’s pressed to your side. It sends a shiver up your spine, but it’s quickly quelled with the warmth that comes from his face as he presses it even further into your chest. Now his cheek is practically invisible, buried in your breast and angling his nose to one side. He tightens his arm around your waist, hoisting himself up and over you even further than he’d been before. He reminds you of a cat, purring and leaning into soft touches.

He seems to like it, so you don’t stop. You rove your fingers through every inch of his scalp, scratching and stroking and smoothing through his curls until they’re a mass of individual strands instead of grouped twists. It’s ridiculously soft, and you wonder how you’ve been able to refrain from touching his hair before now.

There’s nothing you’d rather do than stay here for eternity. Holding him, brushing through his hair, loving him. But your bladder has other wishes. 

Wrestling yourself out from under him is difficult, but he accepts a pillow in exchange for your torso. He burrows his face into it just the same, and you can’t help but brush over his curls one last time as you stand over him, tucking the blankets up and around his shoulders.

When he’s securely tucked into your covers and snoozing away, you pad out of your bedroom, thankful that your parents work early shifts.

You seem to have woken up at a perfect time to make a breakfast larger than you normally do. It takes double the time to prepare a meal for the two of you, and you’re thankful that you think to group the eggs together in a pan to cut that extra time down. You’re setting plates at the table, stuffed with eggs, toast, and fresh fruit when Billy emerges from the hallway, staring cautiously at you where he stands.

His hair is haphazardly smoothed, but there’s no fixing the frizz that your fingers had worked out of it. Your clothes look good on him, even if the sweatpants are stretched over his upper calves instead of at his ankles from how he’d shifted in his sleep. Your shirt is riding up at his stomach and you politely avoid looking at his toned torso, even if you really want to.

“Breakfast,” You hum, pointing your spatula at the table, “Orange juice or milk?”

“Uh-” He flounders, blinking rapidly, “Water, please. Or- I can get it.”

He makes to step towards the kitchen but you whirl your spatula around to face him, intent on pampering the boy, “No, just go sit down. I can do it.”

He looks properly chided, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips as he ducks to hide it from you.

You set an ice cold glass of water at his place and notice that he’s waited to begin eating until you sat down. You give him the go-ahead, digging into a chunk of egg with your fork.

“Sleep good?” You glance up at him, a questioning glance shot through your lashes. He nods, silent and careful, and you realize that he seems to have closed himself off since last night, and you think that maybe leaving the bed before he woke wasn’t the best idea, even if it was just to make breakfast. You try remedying it by knocking your foot against his under the table, and he nearly chokes on his water. You leave your foot pressed flush to his own, a constant reminder of your touch on his skin.

“Does your stomach still hurt?” You try again, gulping down OJ. 

“A bit,” His morning voice is raspy and you know you’re going to fawn over it later, even if you’re trying hard not to take advantage of his vulnerability.

“It’s mostly a cut up here,” He reaches a hand under his (your) shirt, rubbing at a patch below his left pec. You can see his fingers move under the shirt, and you remember the wound that’s there from last night.

“That probably means your ribs aren’t broken,” You conclude, relief washing over you at the fact that his bruises are just that.

“Nah, not broken,” He shakes his head, stuffing fruit into his mouth and ignoring the way juice drips down his chin, “I know what a broken rib feels like.”

You still, looking up suspiciously at him with your head ducked to your plate. His shoulders slump, “Just some kid from school. He had rings on, and he hit hard.”

“Oh,” You supply lamely, “I’m glad they healed.”

You eat in silence for a few bites, but he doesn’t shy away from your touch beneath the table, and you’re thankful for that. He even shifts his foot to press more against yours, his sock slightly itchy against your skin. Right after he leans into your touch, he speaks.

“My dad doesn’t usually… do this. This was bad, he tries not to leave marks. I think-” He hesitates, and you nudge his foot with your own again, encouraging him, “I think he’d be even more angry if I missed school than whatever he was mad about in the first place. So he has to keep things inconspicuous. And if anyone sees anything I just have to make excuses.”

“I’m sorry,” You say, not out of pity, but sympathy, “I… I really don’t know how you do it. You’re strong, Billy, y’know that?”

He scoffs into his honeydew.

“I mean it,” You press on, “You just… take it. You let him do that to you because if you fight back other people might get hurt, and that takes strength. Even if it feels weak to get beat on, just know you’re saving your stepsister and her mom, and… I’m proud of you.”

He stills for a moment, jaw stiffening in the middle of a chewing motion. He swallows dry, but whatever it is goes down fine, and he clears his throat without meeting your eye.

“He used to hit my mom,” Billy admits, voice now hoarse from emotion rather than sleep. He scrunches his eyes shut momentarily, “I.. I couldn’t stop him. I was too young. And she left. So I guess I just… got bigger. Just in case.”

You recall seeing a set of weights in his living room. You had presumed they were his, but hadn’t bothered to ask among discussions of mitosis. Now, though, you realize he’s bulked himself up to combat his dad’s abuse, even if he uses it to protect others rather than himself.

It spreads a thin layer of mist over your eyes, the thought of preteen Billy experimenting with handheld five-pounders in hopes of blocking a punch. What hits you even harder is his current image, a toned teen who still doesn’t have the heart to hit back.

You can’t figure out how to respond. If you say you’re proud of him again, he might shut down. If you sound like you’re pitying him, he’ll be angry. So instead you reach over the table, your fork clattering to the wood as you take his free hand.

He’s startled by the sudden movement paired with the noise, but he makes up for his momentary flinch by ghosting his thumb softly over the back of your hand. His fingers don’t curl against yours, so it’s not a mutual gesture, you’re just holding his hand. Slowly, surely, his fingers move inch by inch, slipping between your own and settling against your skin.

You wonder if it’s the first time anyone’s ever held his hand.

“Thanks,” He breathes, his breath a huff of cantaloupe scent. He sniffles, hard, aggressively, and you know he doesn’t want you to acknowledge the tear that streaks fast down his cheek. 

You let him wipe it away without saying anything, even though you want to tell him it’s okay. You hope that the way you squeeze his hand tells him that, though, because it’s true. It’s okay for him to cry, and you’re glad that, even if he tries hiding it around you, he feels safe enough to let the tears fall in the first place.

The rest of your breakfast is filled with mindless chatter, a few gossip strands weaving their way through an otherwise pleasant conversation. He learns that Amanda Weaver has been telling everyone he gave her a promise ring, but you’d seen her fish the plain silver band off of her keychain. 

“I don’t even know her,” He snorts, “And promise rings are dumb.”

Your nose wrinkles, “I don’t think so. They’re cute.”

“They’re pointless,” He insists, shoveling egg into his mouth, “Having a ring to chuck in the garbage is gonna hurt a whole lot more when they leave.”

“If.” You murmur.

“Hm?” He glances up at you, mouth full.

“If they leave.” You correct him quietly, “Some people stay.”

He’s frozen. Baby blues unblinking, he stares at you like a deer in headlights. You hold his gaze with your own steady one, waiting until his brain wraps around what you’re really trying to tell him: I’ll stay.

He’s quiet, for a long time. He keeps his eyes on his eggs, roving over every crease and hill in their structure. Then he mumbles so soft you can barely hear it, “Right.”

There’s a thousand things you want to say. A thousand promises you want to make, a thousand reassuring words you want to mumble against his skin so that they’re absorbed. But the not-so-nice blare of your kitchen timer kindly reminds you it’s time to get to school, and you settle for none at all.

“Shit,” You mumble, shoveling your last bite of melon into your mouth and standing, “I’ll get my-!” 

You glance back at him when you feel a tug, and he’s sitting in place, hand still entwined with yours. He’s cautious, frozen, and you melt into a smile, squeezing his hand.

“My bag.” You clarify, “Are we taking the bus, or walking to your place?”

“Let’s walk,” He decides, his hand never letting up in its grip on yours. It’s bold, it’s forward, it’s healing.

“Okay,” You grin, keeping your fingers tightly curled around Billy’s and tugging him up through the shared embrace, “Let’s go! I’ve gotta be on time today, we’re taking a quiz in first period.”

“We don’t have to go in, we can just get my car.” He lets you drag him to the living room, “The only thing I keep in my bag are cigarettes, anyways. I can bum a few.”

“Billy,” You scold, “Where do your papers go?”

“In the trash.”

“Nice,” You scoff, wincing as you step outside and the harsh sunlight hits your eyes. You fumble with your house keys, slipping them into the lock to close up the house, “I’m gonna buy you a binder. And you’re gonna put your school stuff in it, nice and neat, and you’re gonna carry a pencil, and you’re gonna bring water, and you’re gonna-”

“And you’re gonna fall,” He yanks on your hand, pulling you tight to his side as he points at a rock you’d been headed for, “Pay attention, clumsy.”

“Oh.” You flounder, his toned arm against your cheek as you struggle to right yourself, “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” He flashes you a grin you’ve seen before, primarily aimed at his basketball teammates or a girl he’s chatting up. It’s confident, shit-eating, and it sends a wave of butterflies through your stomach.

The walk to his house isn’t terribly long. It’s a trek, for sure, but you’re there in under a half-hour, laughing all the while. Billy’s hand is still firmly gripping yours, and he’s funny, you remember, when he’s not crying.

“Dad’s not home,” He clocks the car missing from the driveway, “I can get mine and go.”

“Get your bag,” You order, face stern and brows scrunched, “And don’t throw away any of your school papers today!”

“No promises, babe,” He teases, his own key in his pocket as he jams it into the door. You’re thankful that he turns away to step inside so that he doesn’t see your eyes widen at the nickname, but you hope your hand doesn’t begin to sweat, or he’ll notice.

“Maxine?” He calls, shouting through the house. There’s no reply, and her sneakers aren’t by the front door, so you presume she’s not home.

“Probably skated,” Billy shrugs, “My bag’s in my room.”

He doesn’t have to drag you there, you know the way. You send a withering glare towards the room at the end of the hall, where you know Billy’s dad sleeps, as if it’ll cast a curse over the doorway and land him seven years of bad luck. You see the fireplace poker on your way, set neatly back in its place. There’s blood on it.

He changes quick, and you occupy yourself with the collection of tapes by his closet. He’d yanked your shirt right off of his head like you weren’t standing there, but when you’d turned with burning cheeks to give him some privacy, he hadn’t said anything.

Billy’s persistence on holding your hand is sweet, but surprising. The last thing you’d have expected from him was a clingy puppy-boy, but his head turns to track you whenever your hand nearly slips out of his own, and he wrestles with his bag one-handed instead of dropping the embrace. You’re just glad he’s finally holding onto something good in his life instead of pushing it away.

You think it’s a massive inconvenience that he can’t drive while holding your hand. He tries, at first, resting them on the center console, but when he changes lanes and almost overshoots it, you pry your hand out of his own.

“Two hands,” You laugh bashfully, “It’s okay, we- uh, later… later we can…”

“Later,” He turns his head to grin at you, a brilliant display as he slaps his now-free hand onto the wheel,  “Later’s good.”

Unfortunately, later gets pushed back a lot. When Billy pulls into the parking lot, the bell rings. He knows you’re going to be late for your quiz, so he doesn’t try to keep you, smiling softly, “Just go. See you in bio.”

Then between classes, you catch a glimpse of him in the hall. Your stomach starts acting up again, butterflies coming in droves, mind reeling with the thought of him grabbing your hand in public. He almost does, eyes widening as he catches sight of you, broad shoulders muscling everyone out of the way. But before he can reach you, a similarly-toned man steps up beside him, a basketball jersey slung over his frame.

He talks, and talks, and talks and talks and talks, all waving arms and loud jeering. Billy tries holding your gaze over his shoulder, nodding mindlessly along to whatever the boy is saying, but the warning bell rings and you send him a soft, defeated smile.

‘Later,’ You mouth, and his eyes dim when he nods.

Your efforts are futile at lunch, too. He has the class period before with a few of his friends, loud and brash, not your style. It means that you occupy your normal seat, a corner of a bench that the group to your left isn’t using, and tug out a book to entertain yourself. You feel his gaze burning against the side of your head, but if you get caught staring at him, his friends will turn it into some wild story about how you’re infatuated with him, and you’re not the type of person that makes that observation a compliment, at least, not to Billy’s friends. You almost hope he stops looking at you, too, because if they catch him staring, you don’t know how they’ll torment you.

It almost kills him to wait until you’re seated together in biology to reach for your hand. You’d never seen him arrive to class earlier than today, he’s even there before you are. He doesn’t bother to hide his staring, icy eyes tracking you from the second you walk through the door to the second you sit beside him.

You’re thankful that you’re officially seated together now, and you’re thinking that maybe you don’t hate group projects as much as you thought you did.

“Hey,” He murmurs, sliding his hand across the back of yours under the desk.

“Hey,” You hum, flipping your hand over to meet his palm-to-palm.

Everything seems right with the world again.

There’s a certain security you get from Billy’s touch, even if he probably gets more from yours. Having someone to hold grounds you, and you hope it does the same for him. It’s strange, feeling such a strong connection to someone you’d only started talking to days before, but you suppose that’s what happens when you remove all of the formalities of friendship. Your first sleepover just happened to be in an effort to keep him alive, not to eat junk food and watch movies.

You try to pay attention to the teacher, you really do. But she’s nowhere near as interesting as the soft scratching of Billy’s pencil on your paper, and you can’t help but watch as he writes.

You need a ride home?

You reach for your own pencil, scrawling your answer and sliding the paper to him in response

I can take the bus. You should take Max, she skated this morning.

He nearly breaks his pencil writing: She’s got tutoring after school today, she skates home anyways.

Okay, You decide, and you see him smile out of the corner of his eye as you write the word, Thanks, Billy.

He squeezes your hand, and he doesn’t need to write ‘You’re welcome’ for you to know it’s what he’s saying.

Biology typically drones on. You try to stay on top of your schoolwork, of course, but that doesn’t mean you enjoy it. The class is suddenly a lot less dreary with Billy beside you, and it becomes a game of stifling giggles. He steps on the toe of your shoe beneath the table, you tug at one of his curls. He crowds your space with his shoulder and nudges you to the edge of your seat, you let go of his hand to pinch at his thigh. He has to stifle a groan at that one, and to do so he thumps his head forwards on his desk, using the cool plastic against his forehead to quell his rugged laughter.

The thunk of his head against the desk alerts your teacher, and you sit up straight, eyes on your paper that’s covered in doodles as you try not to laugh. She scoffs, seeing Billy slumped over the desk, and probably assumes he’s fallen asleep. When she turns away, you elbow him, dipping your head down to where his rests on the desk to whisper in his ear.

“Cut it out,” You hiss, kicking his foot beneath the desk, “She almost saw!”

“Oh no,” He gushes, turning his head so that a sliver of his face shows, glinting with a shit-eating grin, “Do you think we’ll get in trouble?”

“It’s not funny!” You insist, keeping your voice as hushed as possible, “I’ve never been in trouble before, and if I get sent to the principal’s office, I’ll-”

“Y/L/N! Hargrove!” You stiffen at the voice of your teacher, your eyes widening where Billy’s only sparkle with excitement, “You two seem distracted. Anything on your minds?”

“Not mitosis.” Billy quips, straightening up from the desk and leaning back in his chair. He earns a few laughs from his scattered friends, and the teacher’s face hardens. Your stomach drops.

“You think you’re funny? You’re one missed homework assignment from failing this class. And now you’re dragging Y/N into this, too? Both of you, head to the front office. This ends here.”

There are tears burning at your eyes. You’re not the best student in the world. Hell, you’re not even in the top ten. But you’re not a bad one either, at best you slip through the cracks. You’ve never had disciplinary action taken against you, and gathering your things amongst the tense silence of your peers feels like a death sentence. 

Billy barely remembers to get his own bag, and he pointedly leaves his papers scattered over his desk. You scoop them up in your own handful, and he waits diligently by your side as you pick up your things. When you’re finally packed up he snatches your hand from where it’s hanging at your side, marching the both of you to the door.

He offers the teacher a very quaint, very polite middle finger as he drags you out of the door, and that’s what does it. The second the door shuts behind you, you burst into tears.

He looks up, alarmed at the sob you let out. The classroom you’d just exited has a row of windows that your back is facing, and he’s worried that if you turn slightly, your classmates will see you cry. As much as you’d told him it was okay to cry this morning, he’s sure you wouldn’t want your peers witnessing the meltdown you’re having. He acts fast, using your intertwined hands and yanking you into the nearest bathroom.

Your sobs echo off of the tile, and he pulls you haphazardly into his chest. Your head rests there pitifully, shoulders slumped as you cry.

“Jesus, okay,” He pants, peering under the few stalls in the back to make sure you’re alone, “What’s wrong?”

“I- I don’t know!” You do know, but it feels embarrassing to say it out loud, “I just- I’ve never been in trouble before, and it’s going on my-” You break to quell another sob, tamping it down in your chest, “Permanent record, and-!”

“Okay, calm down.” Billy scoffs, and you’re surprised to find that it’s not a derogatory one, but a fond one, “It’s fine. All we were doing was talking, it’s not like we were smoking weed in the bathroom.”

Your head shoots up and you recognize your surroundings. You glare at him suspiciously, “You don’t have any weed on you, right?”

“No!” He laughs incredulously, “I do not have any weed on me. Now,” He takes your shoulders in his broad hands, and your fingers go cold now that his aren’t intertwined with them anymore.

“You and I are gonna calm down,” He tells you, voice slow and steady. You’re the only one that needs to calm down, but you appreciate his cooperation.

“Then we’re gonna leave this bathroom, and do you know where we’re gonna go?”

“The front office,” You recite, but he breaks into a grin, shaking his head so that his curls fly.

“But that’s where she told us-”

“She can suck my dick.” Billy scoffs, “She made you cry. Forget her.”

“Billy, I can’t just forget her,” You insist, eyes wide and teary, “She’s our teacher!”

“Today’s Friday,” He reminds you, “She’s not our teacher again until Monday.”

“Fine. Where are we really going?” You look at him skeptically, raising your hand to wipe your nose against its back.

“Okay, first, ew.” Billy wrinkles his nose, yanking your hand away from your face and wiping it with a paper towel that he jerks out of the machine. He wipes your nose next, but he does it aggressively, smearing the paper towel against your face and pushing your head back until you’re laughing, trying to swat him away. The sound makes him smile, and it doesn’t fade as he continues talking.

“We’re gonna go see a movie,” He decides, hiking the strap of his bag higher up on his shoulder. Your face darkens slightly, goofy grin dimming.

“We can’t.” You protest softly, “She told us to go to the front office. You said it yourself, Billy, we were just talking. But if we ditch, we’ll be in more trouble, real trouble.”

“I’m always in trouble,” He huffs, “And you’re never in trouble. You really think this’ll be a breaking point for either of us?”

“What’s gonna happen when we don’t show up to the office?”

“They’ll give us detention.”

“We have to go, then!” Your eyes go wide, and you start for the door. He lunges for your hand, grabbing it just before you can push your way out, and this time he doesn’t drop it when he pulls you back inside.

“Detention means we’ll get to sit together for two hours and mess around.”

“No we can’t,” You scoff, “They monitor you. So we can’t just mess around.”

“Hey.” He snaps, begging your attention with those icy blue eyes of his, “Have you ever been in detention before?”

“No.” You admit quietly.

“Right. I have. They don’t care. They don’t want to be there, and they know we don’t either. They’re not gonna punish us any further, ‘cause then they’d just have to sit there with us for longer. Trust me, this will be fun.”

“Fun,” You groan, slumping forwards into his chest rather than covering your face with your hands. It’s a bold move, but a well-received one, and you feel his firm chest shake as he chuckles.

“Yes, fun.” He promises, “But if you really wanna walk up to that office and get lectured…”

“Billy,” You bite the inside of your cheek, lifting your head up so that your chin rests against his chest, “I.. I do. I’m sorry, I know you want to have fun, and- and you can go to the movies if you want! But I don’t want detention on my record. Even if it won’t do anything, I just- it sounds bad.”

“Okay.” He says, after a moment of tense silence. His grin fades, but he doesn’t scoff or push you away. He sighs dramatically, “You’re changing me, y’know. Normally I’d be halfway home by now, but you’ve got me hauling myself in to see the principal, this is bullshit.”

“I told you you could go to the movies!” You gush, laughing weakly at his dramatic display. He brings one of his large hands up to your face, smearing his rough thumb beneath your eyes and wiping away the sticky tear tracks there.

“No,” He sighs again, huffing and puffing, “I’m the one that got you in trouble, I’m not gonna ditch you. We’ll just suffer together.”

His words strike something in you. He’s chosen to change himself, to face consequences for his actions when he’d normally flee. You’re proud of him, so insanely proud that you decide to change yourself as well, and when he leads you towards the office by your intertwined hands, you turn sharply and drag him the other way.

“Wha- Woah.” His eyes widen as you yank him down the hallway, your feet slapping against the shitty linoleum flooring. You beeline for the door, bursting into the daylight with your adrenaline-pumped chest heaving. You come to a stop just outside the building, looking back at him with a thrill glowing in your eyes.

“What movie are we seeing?” You pant, and his grin reappears.

“You’re trouble.” He declares in a laugh, “Let’s go.”

Billy drives fast. This time it doesn’t seem like recklessness, though, but fun. The windows are rolled down, and wind whips through the car and ruffles your hair. His own blonde curls are flying, in his face and over his shoulders against the seat.

“Slow down!” You shriek, laughing through your words, “We’re gonna crash!”

“What are we gonna crash into,” He gestures to the empty road in front of you, all farmland and dust as the same laughter bleeds into his own voice, “A haybale? You want me to slow down so you can admire the scenery?”

There is no scenery. There’s fields, half-dead grass rolling on for miles and miles and passing by so fast that it looks like the sand on a beach. The sky is your ocean, blue and foamy white where clouds streak across it. You pass isolated barns, groves of trees, and-

“Cows!”

“What?”

“Cows! There’s cows up there,” You gush, pointing aggressively at the pasture, “Stop!”

“I can’t-! Uh, okay,” Billy rushes to step on the brakes, wheels screeching against the poorly-paved asphalt as he skids to a stop.

You’re surprised he doesn’t burn through his tires with how fast he stops. You’re out of the car before he can even turn to look at you, seatbelt long unbuckled in favor of dashing for the cows. They’re grazing aimlessly in their pasture, only a weak white fence standing between you and them.

“Hey- Hey!” Billy shouts, rushing to get himself out of the car. He’s panting slightly when he finally stands beside you, regarding you with an indignant look, “What the fuck was that about?”

“Cows,” You croon, sticking your hands over the fence and reaching for the animals, “Come pet the cows with me, Billy!”

One of them seems very interested in any potential snacks your hand might be hiding. Its large, wet nose bumps against your skin and you laugh, long and loud and free, letting the animal explore your scent and petting along its face when it finally realizes you have nothing yummy to offer it.

There’s damp bits of grass stuck to your arm from where its mouth nuzzles against you,, and its tongue is purple when it comes out to swipe along your skin. You shriek, the sound morphing into an elated giggle.

“Oh,” Billy’s nose wrinkles and he takes a step back, “Gross.”

“It’s not gross!” You insist, pulling your arm away to wipe the grass on your jeans, “That’s just what cows do. You’ve never pulled over to pet some?”

“No,” He scoffs, “That’s the most ‘country’ shit I’ve ever heard.”

“Yeah,” You nod gleefully, and he thinks maybe you’ve misinterpreted the scathing tone of his voice, “Come on, Billy, come pet the cows!”

“No thanks,” He shakes his head, “I’m gonna go smoke in the car. Jus’ come back when you’re done.”

You let him head back to the car only for long enough to get a few more scratches in under the chin of a cow to your right. Then you beeline for the passenger’s side, and Billy looks surprised at your arrival.

“Done?”

“No,” You shake your head, reaching for your backpack, “I’m just getting my strawberries.”

“Uh,” Billy watches, apprehensive as you pull a plastic bag of the fruit from your backpack, “You’re not gonna feed those to the cows, are you?”

“Duh,” You nod, pulling the bag open and nearly ripping the seam, “Cows love strawberries, I feed ‘em all the time.”

“You what?” Billy looks at you like you’ve told him you’re made of the red fruit you’re holding, “You’re gonna stick your fingers next to those animal’s faces with food in your hands and you don’t think they’re gonna bite you?”

“No, Billy, cows don’t bite! Not like that,” You insist, hair flying as you shake your head. “I’m not gonna put my fingers in their faces, I’m gonna hold the strawberries on my palm. Then they can’t bite me. Come on, I’ll show you!”

“I’m not feeding cows,” Billy insists, but he moves to get out of the car anyway. When he’s standing at full height he rips the cigarette out from between his lips, blowing smoke into the road, “But I’m not gonna let you run off on your own and get mauled by some hunk of beef.”

“You’re totally gonna feed the cows,” You grin, eyes narrowed at him as you turn on your heel and head back to the fence, “You’ll see!”

You’re already jamming your hand under a cow’s mouth, a strawberry staining your palm red and sticky, when Billy saunters up to the fence. He watches warily as you let the cow nose at your fingers, then it sticks its tongue out to sweep the fruit off of your skin.

You giggle at the ticklish feeling, but Billy’s mouth falls open in horror.

“Oh,” He groans, nose scrunched and grimace strong, “That’s so fucking gross. Its tongue is purple.”

“It’s cool!” You insist, offering the cow a hearty rub between the ears as it munches on your strawberry, hand slimy with spit, “Is there much farmland in California?”

“A bit,” Billy shrugs, blissfully unaware of the curious cow sneaking up behind him as he’s turned towards you, leaning sideways on the fence. “It’s kind of a mix. We didn’t live anywhere near farmland, but sometimes we went to visit Susan’s-!”

Before he can tell you what random relative lived far out in the California farmlands, there’s a cow tongue in his ear.

He jolts away from the fence with a squawk, nearly toppling over as one hand comes up to cover his ear. You’re roaring with laughter even as you help steady him, one hand on his shoulder and the other on his waist while he stumbles to a stop a few feet away from the fence.

“He was looking for strawberries,” You giggle, pulling your sleeve over your hand to wipe cow spit off of his cheek, “I think that was your official welcome to Indiana, Billy.”

“Laugh all you want,” He groans, smearing his own hand over his face to rid his skin of any residual slime you’d missed, “But if we ever make it to an ocean and you wipe out, I’m laughing at you.”

“Deal,” You grin sideways at him, another strawberry in hand.

Of course, Billy does end up feeding the cows. It takes another round of hand-holding, though, where you place the strawberry in his palm and flatten yours beneath it. 

“Just be patient,” You murmur, feeling Billy’s hand tense as the cow noses at his fingers, “He just wants to say hi.”

“We’ve been acquainted,” Billy drawls, grimacing once more as the cow licks the strawberry off of his palm, “He tried eating the thoughts out of my head.”

“What thoughts?” You tease, but before you can gauge the situation and figure out whether you need to start running or not, Billy flips his hand over his shoulder to where you’re standing pressed to his back, and smears his sticky palm across your face.

“Oh,” You gasp, eyes squeezed shut and nose scrunched. You stagger backwards, nearly colliding with his car,  “Gross!”

“Oh, really?” Billy roars with laughter, grabbing you around the waist and leaning his chin over your shoulder as he presses your back to his chest, “I thought it was an Indiana welcome! I thought it was cool!”

“Not when you do it!” You can’t help but laugh, trying desperately to hold the cracked pieces of your disgusted facade together, “You’re not as cute as a cow!”

You’re lying, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“And to think,” He scoffs, loosening his hold on you but not letting go completely, “I was gonna buy your movie ticket for you.”

You’d almost forgotten your movie adventure. You’d been so wrapped up in having fun with Billy, soaring down the streets with music blaring from the speakers that you’d completely ignored the way he’d driven miles away from any nearby movie theater.

“Hey, yeah,” You stiffen in his grip, turning your head to knock your forehead with his. You try not to pay attention to how close you two are, keeping your focus on his stunning blue eyes, “Why are we out here? The theater’s back that way.” You jerk your thumb behind you in the direction you’d came, and his face settles into a smirk once more.

“We’re not going to that shitty theater,” He boasts, “We’re going to a drive-in. It’s a few miles into the next town over.”

It makes sense, you suppose. He has a cool car, and what better place to show it off?

“I’ve never been to a drive-in,” You gush, excitement brewing in your belly, “What are the showtimes?”

“Dunno.” He shrugs, finally letting you go to saunter back to his car and lower himself into the driver’s seat. You follow to the passenger’s side, tucking the empty plastic bag back in your backpack.

“We’ll catch something.” He reasons, hands finally back on the wheel as you shut your door and buckle your seatbelt, “People around here have nothing better to do, I bet there’s movies playing every hour.”

He gets started on the road once more, and you decide to let him drive uninterrupted. Although it hurts you to watch unpet cows whizz by the windows, you know you’ll be back too late if you keep stopping. When his tires crunch against gravel, then smooth over dirt, the unlit neon sign of the drive-in looms overhead. He leans out of the window at the counter, ordering a large popcorn and two sodas along with your tickets in that rough drawl of his.

He’s a bit rough when he stops on the asphalt, but that’s just how he drives. He’s used to driving recklessly, it’s not a habit easily broken. You hope you can help him live better, sending him a soft, sweet smile as he passes you your soda.

“This view good?” He glances over at you, hand already buried in the popcorn.

You nod emphatically, “Mhm! What movie?”

“No clue,” He lets out a huff of a laugh, “Does it really matter?”

“No,” You shrug, “‘Guess not.”

“It’s almost five,” Billy glances at his watch, “Are your parents gonna freak if you’re not home by dark?”

“They’re having dinner with friends tonight,” You recall relievedly, “They’ll probably be out way later than us. And they’ll just leave dinner in the fridge, they won’t know I’m gone.”

“Nice,” Billy nods, absentmindedly gnawing on a solid popcorn kernel, “My dad never goes out with friends. He doesn’t really have any, I don’t think. Susan does, work friends, but she’s probably not eager to show off her husband.”

He speaks about his dad with a bitter tone in his voice, words coming out brittle like they’ll snap if he tries putting any feeling into them. You hum in understanding; if your husband was like Neil Hargrove, you wouldn’t bring him around your friends either.

“You have friends,” You hum, “Don’t you ever eat out with them?”

“Uh,” He turns his head to stare expectantly at you, “Hello? Remember how I drove you a town over to see a movie, and I let you stop us halfway to stage a petting zoo?”

“I don’t mean me,” You gush, “Like, your other friends! The guys on the basketball team, or whoever you usually hang out with. That little crowd. You don’t go out with them?”

“Not really,” Billy shrugs, “They’re not my friends. Not like- um,” He drops his gaze to his lap, picking at the bucket of popcorn, “Not like you are.”

“Oh.” Is all you can manage, then you wet your throat to speak again, “They seem… no offense, shallow. Like- like they only talk about superficial stuff together. I’ve heard some of your conversations, I think.”

“Oh, so you’re updated on the riveting world of Hawkins High’s popularity pageant?” He scoffs, reaching for a cigarette, “Shit’s so stupid.”

“You say that from the top of the food chain,” You point out tentatively, “You don’t like it there?”

“It’s better than nothing.” He slows his attempts to self-medicate, hand frozen where he’s striking his lighter, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I’m not getting pushed into lockers. But, it’s like-” His fingers tighten slightly around the cig, jaw tight, “I got there because of what I have, not who I am. And not even that, I got there because of what it looks like I have. They think I’m some kind of rich kid ‘cause I have a nice car, but we’re lucky we don’t live in the trailer park. They think I’m mowing my way through the cheerleading team because they’ve seen us talking before. Sure, maybe I’ve flirted with a few, but-” His face darkens in frustration, nose scrunching slightly, “On the weekends, my dad makes me do shit around the house. And on the weekdays, I’m looking after my sister.” 

You don’t point out his slip-up, how in a fit of passion he’s dropped the ‘step-’. It’s nice to hear.

“I have no time to sleep around,” He chuckles darkly, disdainfully, “Not often. But because people like me, or- or like what they think of me, they just assume I’m selling myself out for it.”

“It’s bullshit,” He concludes, huffily so, “It’s all bullshit. And it’s not gonna last past high school.”

A tense silence falls over the car after he’s finished speaking. You suppose you shouldn’t be surprised anymore, not after two days of emotional curveballs from the man, but you think it might be the most you’ve ever heard him speak.

He looks nervous, fiddling with the keys in his ignition. Before he can regret opening up, you reach out to take his hand, pulling it away from the keys and linking yours into it on his thigh.

“I’m glad I’m your friend, Billy.” You confess, equal parts honest and tender. You want the words to soak into his veins, flow through his bloodstream and bloom sweet blossoms inside that light up his dark world.

“Me too,” He breathes, eyes glued to your intertwined hands as he tightens his fingers into the grip. As if on cue, the movie screen lights up, and it’s just barely dark enough outside to see the film.

“Here we go,” You settle in your seat, keeping your hand securely in his own, “Popcorn?”

Billy uses his free hand to pass the bucket over, and you can feel the heat concealed by the thick paper bucket hovering just above your hands. You munch on the buttery snack, a kernel already lodged in your teeth.

To Billy’s slight disinterest, it’s an old romance movie. He should have known, all that ever plays at these movie marathon nights are romances and beach flicks. He has a fleeting thought that he’d rather be watching women in bikinis, but it seems like something he shouldn’t think while holding your hand, so he pushes it away and tries to focus on the grainy, black-and-white footage. 

The transatlantic accents and over-dressed main characters only hold his attention for a few minutes. But he’s family to Neil Hargrove, and he knows how to tune out a boring speech. He focuses more on the warmth that your hand pushes against his, sweet and soft and soothing like the blanket he used to get tucked in under at his grandma’s house. His grandma who knitted that blanket herself, just for him, and who slipped him strawberry sweets anytime his dad got too drunk to notice. And the way you hold his hand feels just like his mother used to, with her thumb stacked on his so that she could stroke it like you’re doing now. He’s only held his dad’s hand a few times, and he’s not able to remember much. He just remembers his mom had always dropped Neil’s hand in a big dramatic fashion, claiming that it was like holding a dead fish.

There’s nothing morbid about holding your hand, though. You’re not stiff and cold like his father, your fingers curve around his and mold to his skin. You not only reciprocate, you initiate, squeezing at a funny line or brushing over the back of his hand.

You’re all the best parts of the people he’s loved, and none of the bad parts of the ones he couldn’t. If he was any sleazier, he’d ask if it hurt when you fell from heaven.

You let out a particularly sweet laugh at a scene and the sound takes him back to only a few nights ago, sitting on his bed and feeling safe. He’d actually forgotten about his father until the man had stormed his bedroom, and he marvels at how you’d managed to suck the terrible thoughts from his head. 

Your study session puts mitosis in his mind. Then biology, and he wonders if there’s ever been two organisms more compatible with each other. Personally, he thinks your biology is pretty basic: you were made for him, and he was made for you. 

He’s broken out of his scientific reverie when your head falls to his shoulder. You throw a quick glance up at him through your lashes, silently begging for permission for something you’ve already done. His heart thuds in his chest as he watches you with curious eyes, and a slow nod of his head is all you need to settle against his side. You’re at an awkward angle, side arched over the center console to get your head to his shoulder. That makes it better, Billy thinks, that you had to work for it. It means you really mean it, that you’re not just doing it because it’s convenient. You’re loving him because you want to.

“Shitty movie,” Billy grumbles, his voice hoarse from its prolonged silence.

“Good popcorn,” You hum, reaching for another piece. Billy leans down to snatch it out of your hand with his teeth, and chews it with a growing grin as you chuckle. 

“You’re a monster,” You tease, and a word that his brain usually whispers at him past midnight, loathing in his thoughts and venom in his veins, becomes nothing more than a nickname.

He thinks he wants to be your monster if it makes you laugh like that, all teasing teeth and careful manhandling.

You’re almost afraid you’ve insulted him with the title until he leans his head against yours, neck bent at an angle. His ear is pressed to the crown of your head, and just in case he can hear your thoughts, you think extra hard: I love you.

You last longer than Billy had, but you lose interest in the film, too. It’s not that it’s boring, it’s just not particularly interesting, and your brain is moving too slow for you to concentrate on careful dialogue. Apparently, the excitement of the day has caught up with you. Your eyes are starting to droop, and you think Billy might be able to feel your lashes flutter against his bicep. If he can, he doesn’t say anything, he just stays curled around you in his seat.

Slowly, second by second, minute by minute, you fall asleep. You drift away from the world and all that remains is Billy’s arm against your cheek, his hand holding yours. You don’t know if you’re fully sleeping or not, all you know is that Billy is the one constant between your life and your dreams.

Billy feels your breathing even out, the soft puffs of air that hit his arm soft and consistent. It’s the last thing he wants to do, but he lifts his head to peer at your face, seeing that you are, in fact, asleep.

He has the strongest urge in the world to kiss your forehead. He doesn’t, half because he’s scared you’ll wake up and think he’s a creep, and half because he’s not sure he’s capable of loving back. He’s taking it slow, and he’ll stick with leaning his head on you. 

He does that until the movie’s almost over, and the romantic climax is shining on the screen.

The woman has fallen asleep on the man’s shoulder. They’re not in a car, they’re on a park bench, but her nose is nudged up against his bicep, too, and their hands are intertwined.

The man reaches up to her cheek, and so does Billy.

His hand is warm and slightly rough against the soft skin of your cheek, but it’s his warm breath against your face that wakes you. Your lashes flutter open, and the only thing you can see are Billy’s pretty blue eyes. You’re almost startled, almost caught off-guard, and then you notice the dark flecks of insecurity in them, ridged between peaks of blue like ocean waves. 

He can’t speak. He’s paralyzed, eyes unblinking against your own, unable to ask, to tell, to beg. All he can do is stare, and hope that his hand isn’t shaking against your cheek.

He licks his lips, and you know what he’s trying to muster up the courage to do.

“Billy,” You breathe, soft and careful, “Are you sure?”

He manages to hum questioningly, but it’s a choked sound from somewhere deep in his throat.

“You’re speeding again,” You let out a breathy chuckle, but you raise your hand to hold his to your face, “Is this because you want me or because you think you’ll never get the chance to have me again?”

“I want you,” Billy murmurs, and the man on screen echoes his sentiments.

The woman on screen leans in, and so do you.

The kiss you share is unlike anything Billy’s ever felt. What he’s used to is prodding tongues, nipping teeth, below-the-belt grabbing, but this is new. This is the soft, dewy sweetness of lips barely touching, and the watermelon balm spread over your mouth. It’s tender in the way that you hold his hand to your cheek, and only made more so by the fact that you’re still holding hands between the seats. It’s less of an active kiss and more of an embrace, lips holding each other in place and noses bumping.

Billy’s never felt safer letting his eyes drift shut. At night there’s always the possibility that his dad will unlock the door in the middle of the night and take out insomnia-fueled rage on him. In his car he’ll get arrested for loitering. Now there’s nothing but you, and that’s all he ever wants there to be.

There’s muted claps from the other cars around you as the movie ends, and you choose to attribute the closing scene of fireworks to your kiss and not the leads’. When you draw away it’s with soft, content sighs, awestruck and breathless.

“I want you too, Billy.” You vow, more than happy to let him know he’s loved, “I’m glad we didn’t go to the front office.”

“Me too,” Billy breathes, leaning in to brush his lips against yours one last time, just holding them there as his fluttering eyes stare into yours.

The sound of revving engines breaks you out of your trance, and Billy pulls away from your face to look over your head. He’s still got his hand on your cheek, and you’re cradled to his chest as he watches everyone around you disperse.

“Let’s head home,” You murmur into his collarbones, kissing the skin there chastely, “You can stay the night at my house again, if you want.”

“I should get home,” He admits reluctantly, “My dad is probably still freaked about last night.”

“I wish you didn’t have to go back,” You hum, tracing the outline of a bandage through his shirt against his stomach.

“Me too,” He sighs, and finally lets your face go when the overhead lights to the lot flick on, “But we’ll get out soon.”

“Oh? Where are we going?” You settle back in your seat, turning to face him with curious eyes.

“California,” He smiles, and his genuine one is a breathtaking sight, “And anywhere you want to stop along the way.”

“That sounds perfect,” You sigh happily, head leaning comfortably back against the headrest. A yawn breaks through your lips and scrunches up your face, and Billy has to fight himself so that he doesn’t pull over and kiss the lines near your mouth.

The silence in his car is peaceful now, serene. There’s nothing left unsaid anymore, nothing hidden in your eyes and nothing withheld in your touches. You drift off to sleep wishing you were still holding Billy’s hand, and when you wake up, you are.

“Hey,” He whispers, squeezing your hand where his is interlocked with it, “Hey, wake up. You’re home now, we’ve gotta get you inside.”

“Hm? Oh,” You hum, bleary eyes taking in the outline of your house against the harsh beams of Billy’s headlights. “Thanks, Billy.”

“Uh-huh,” He nods, offering you a hand after you undo your seatbelt, “C’mon, if you can stand, I’ll carry you up to bed.”

You;re more than happy to let him sweep you off of your feet. He can feel your smile as you bury it in his neck, and he doesn’t even worry about shutting his car off and locking it before he pushes open your front door. Sure enough there’s tinfoil covered dinner on the counter alongside a note from your parents, and Billy marvels at how well they take care of you even when they’re not home. 

“To the right,” You instruct him, realizing he’s only ever gotten into your room from the window outside, “And it’s the second door down.”

“Got it,” He murmurs, chin bumping your cheek.

Your bed is still unmade from that morning, and he yearns to slip beneath the covers again. He’s jealous when he tucks you in, and you’re glad you wore comfy clothing to school so that you can burrow under your blankets and not worry about changing.

“Goodnight,” Billy leans down, an inch away from your face, “Can I…?”

You lean up to do it for him, pushing your lips against his once more.

He melts into it, and the way that your nails scratch the hair at the base of his scalp only makes it worse.

“Goodnight,” You mumble, words wonky and misspoken against his lips, “I had fun today, Billy. I’m glad we’re friends, and I’m glad we’re more.”

“Me too,” He agrees, and the sentiments he’s agreeing to feel foreign to him. Five days ago he’d have been the least likely person on earth to have a friend, and now he’s got a partner to boot. In every sense of the word, he loves you, even if he won’t say those three words yet.

“Please be safe,” You cup his cheek, stroking over his slightly bruised cheekbone with tenderness he doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to, “And if he hurts you again, stay with me instead.”

“I will,” Billy promises, dotting a dewy kiss to the side of your mouth as you settle into sleep, content with his safety.

He tells himself he’s just puttering around, throwing a stray sock into the laundry hamper and straightening a book he’d nearly knocked off of your nightstand on the way in. But really he’s waiting to make sure you’re really asleep, ring already slipped off of his finger and growing sweaty in his palm.

Once he’s sure you won’t wake, he peels back the covers on your bed, taking your hand in his. It’s got a familiar weight to it, a fact that he mentally celebrates, and his fingers shake as he slides the metal band onto your finger.

Having a ring to chuck in the garbage is gonna hurt a whole lot more when they leave, he reminds himself. Then, ‘If’.

“If they leave.” Your soft voice rings in his ears, and as he treks back to his car, revving the engine in the silvery light of the moon, there’s a feeling he’s never felt before rising in his chest. Hope: “Some people stay.”

reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated! your feedback motivates me to write more, so thank you for your support :-)

okay, since some of you asked for it:

unpopular opinion but i don’t actually think eddie was a nice soft boy at all. dustin and mike are literally afraid to ask him to move hellfire. ‘he’s always revved up,’ implying that he’s always like this, always a little close to snapping. he’s not nice to them when he asks them to find a replacement. he also guilt trips them about 'taking them in like lost sheep' and shoves them off to find a replacement instead of keeping lucas included. which is why i don't understand the 'fierce protector of his friends' take because he's so quick to drop lucas just because he's 'moved to the dark side.' aka, throwing balls into laundry baskets.

which leads me to when he gets up on the table, people are not trying to fuck around with him. this is a common occurance, people are not surprised to see him up there and yelling. they aren't surprised that he's making a spectacle of himself. if eddie was soft and sweet, he would’ve gotten beat up. if eddie was soft and gentle, he'd probably be scared of jason. guys like jason in the 80s loved being macho and punching out losers — eddie just gave him the devil horns and called it a day. eddie’s absolutely gotten in fist fights before and won (his dad is a literal criminal!) otherwise someone would've thrown something or told him to shut the fuck up. people are scared of him, even his own friends! there’s more reasons than just playing DND and metal that make town certain that he’s a cult leader. you don't just assume someone is a murderer if they haven't shown any interest in violence before, especially considering his dad was likely a shitty dude. he even bullies erica when she first shows up to hellfire and only respects her when she bullies him back and bests him. he is someone you have to EARN respect from. he will never respect anyone outright or be understanding outright. he doesn't fully respect dustin or mike to start either, he views them as underlings.

even chrissy assumes he's going to be mean and scary, there's gotta be reason behind that. he's not nice or kind in school, which is likely a defense mechanism. he’s sweet with chrissy because he likes her, he has a crush on her. it’s very clear that he has since he was a kid, otherwise why would he bring up them hanging out in middle school? why would he even remember that if he hasn’t been pining for her this whole time? he admits too, albiet flirtily, that he thought SHE'D be mean and scary too, because he doesn't like people 'like that', people he assumes are 'on the dark side'. i’m sure he hoped they’d kiss a little when she went to his trailer. he's even a little sarcastic when she's there, again, defensive. 'the maid took the week off'. but ultimately, he's nice to her because he wants to kiss her and has a crush on her. i don't think it's because he's fully 'showing her who he really is'.

also he's a literal drug dealer????? like?????

he only becomes more gentle and open with dustin and co. when he gets pulled into the upside down/vecna stuff because he needs support. they grow a bond over shared trauma. and i do believe eddie had a big brother type relationship with dustin, but just like steve he loves him begrudgingly 'i love you, you little shit bag' kind of shit. i do believe he liked and cared for his friends but i also think he always had a big layer of mean kid armor on because he had a hard life growing up. how i percieved the character is 'mean bully whose secretly nice but is mean and boisterous and loud as a cover' trope. when he explains that his father taught him to hotwire, he seems bitter about it. of course he is, all the other kids were learning to play ball. but he obviously still retains this information and a whole bunch of other crime tricks from his dad. he's BEEN partaking in this shit. he KNOWS he's a shitty guy. you don't just get taught how to hotwire once and then suddenly know how to do it years later. he's done it before! multiple times! he has practice! he likely knows about warzone cause his daddy absoLUTELY had a gun or two. his dad probably took him there once. he was pulled left and right into bad shit growing up and that will HARDEN YOU. wayne says that murder 'ain't in his nature' and i'm sure it's not. i'm sure he's different with wayne, but idk, to me, it doesn't erase the fact that outwardly, i don't think eddie was nearly as sweet and gentle as people think he is canonically. i think he's a very hardened and tortured person and that even becomes clear with his reaction to chrissy's death and how he goes about things going forward. he was a weird kid with weird interests in a cookie cutter conservative town, had a criminal father, and an unconventional family situation in the 70s and 80s, that shit'll fuck you up and over -- look at boomers y'all! they are emotionally stunted! but, i could go on forever with this character analysis. so i'll stop here. but -- in the words of the real housewives reunion meme: that's MY OPINION!