she should have left hours ago but knows she was glued to the same spot now and that his warmth had grown into something she needed. she didn’t want to go back to her cold and empty bed, her empty bedroom, her house that doesn’t feel like home. she misses california and her mom and her sister and she would give anything to go back. billy somehow reminds her of california with his curly hair and sun kissed skin, the blues of his eyes reminding her of the ocean and she doesn’t want to leave him just yet. something tells her that he doesn’t want her to go either.
cassie opens her eyes when she’s told to stay there and she looks up at him heading out and closing the door. the noise was loud and sounded bad, the more cassie listened the more of a clearer picture she was receiving into what it looked like at the hargrove residence.
when billy slips back into the room it’s clear to her that he doesn’t want to be noticed and cassie’s blue eyes are rather processing what just had happened. the red mark clear on his cheek and she feels her heart beat faster. out of anger? because that isn’t how you treat your child? or fear? knowing billy also came from a household of abuse.
cassie wasn’t a stranger to loud noises or things being thrown or parents yelling and fighting but it had never been directed at her physically.
cassie watches in the present as billy’s eyes close and tears start to leak from his eyes and she breathes in softly hoping he wouldn’t hear that, the last thing she wanted was thinking she pitted him. she didn’t but she is concerned, more so now more than ever and now it was crystal clear why he kicked her out that night.
it hurt him and it was written across his features and cassie stands up, billy’s long black shirt swims on her but she doesn’t say anything moves close and swiftly hopes he doesn’t mind, fearful he might lash out at her but she doesn’t care. her small arms wrap around his taller frame, head pressed slightly into his chest and holding him tighter. compassion apparent in her actions before she could stop them, cassie had always been kind and compassionate and she’s glad that hadn’t changed going to hawkins though life hadn’t always been kind to her.
“ you don’t have to talk… or anything, okay, just… “ cassie’s voice is tender not looking up at him scared what she’ll see, it’ll break her heart even more but she tries to stay calm, not freak out and make the situation worse on him. standing up on the tips of her toes she gently wraps her arms around his torso higher and closes her eyes listening to his breaths. the broken boy crumbles right in front of her arms and all she can do is hold on tight with mercy.
there’s a small voice in billy’s head screaming at him to tell cassie to leave but he just couldn’t he was stuck in that one spot pressed against the door and he couldn’t move. the thought of looking at her , acknowledging her after what she just witnessed was worse than what neil had done. no one besides his family knew this part of his life , no one had any thought that this happened in the hargrove household , no one suspected it. and billy wasn’t sure he liked someone now knowing what he went through at home. the thought only made more tears slip from his closed eyes , no matter how hard he tried to hold it in or suck it up he just couldn’t not this time.
the feeling of her hands on his body makes him jump some not expecting touch right now but he won’t push her away , not yet. he just needed this moment to pretend this wasn’t happening. deep breaths are taken trying to calm himself down now , trying to push down these emotions he hated. but feeling cassie resting her head back on his chest where it once was when everything was fine brings him back to this moment. part of him knows she’s just trying to be comforting but another part is yelling about how she must think he’s weak. the mark on his cheek stung , but not that bad so why was he crying ? he should be use to this.
feeling her stand higher and arms wrap tighter around his body another big breath is let out and her words only pull more tears from his eyes. he wished she wasn’t here he wished her hugging him didn’t feel so good , or so comforting. he just wants to SCREAM. after a moment that feels like forever , billy’s hand finally moves from his side , coming up to wipe his wet face and his eyes open. puffy red eyes look down to cassie for a second and before he can think to stop himself his hand is on her chin , forcing her to look up to him. to look at his weak and broken face before he’s suddenly leaning down to her and pressing his lips to hers. something they never did. billy wasn’t even sure why he did it.. maybe he just needed more comfort than he even knew.
lips deepen the kiss even more , just holding her there for as long as he needed before he’s pulling away and looking into those blue eyes. without a word billy will step away from the door , it creeking back without his weight on it and he makes his way to his bathroom out of sight of cassie before the shower is turned on.