Hunny Writes @hunnywrites - Tumblr Blog

Jan 2, 2023

They’re standing in the parking lot of the Hideout. Last call was called twenty minutes ago, but they aren’t ready to head home yet. Eddie’s leaning against the side of his van, struggling to get his shitty bic lighter to light his cigarette.

Billy’s standing under the flickering bulb of one of the streetlights. His lit cigarette is pinched between his fingers, and he’s smirking as he watches Eddie.

Eddie let’s out a triumphant grunt when it finally lights, taking a long drag of his cigarette before he holds it casually between two fingers. He nods at Billy. “So, what’d you think of the show? Told you we’re fuckin’ awesome, right?” he asked with that enthusiastic grin of his.

Billy places his cigarette between his lips, and inhales slowly. Eddie almost rolls his eyes at how good Billy looks even in the shitty lighting, his cheeks slightly sunken in as he inhales. He blows out a cloud of smoke, his eyes not quite meeting Eddie’s but the smirk is still there. “You want me to be honest?”

Eddie scoffs and shrugs. “Well, yeah, dude-”

“Band sounds like shit, Munson,” Billy cuts him off. “You’re good. It’s the rest of them. I mean, the drums sound like someone tossed a bunch of hammers into a dryer.”

Eddie raises his eyebrows in shock and nods slowly. He sort of already knew that. The brutal honesty stings only a little before he shakes it off. He points at himself, looking at Billy with an expression that Billy thinks isn’t completely unlike a wounded puppy. “But, I’m good?”

Billy’s smirk spreads into a grin as he nods and flicks his cigarette butt away. “Yeah, Munson, you’re good.”

Eddie grins, almost giggling as he takes another drag. “Jesus, Hargrove, you keep looking at me like that and you’re gonna have to buy me a drink.” he teases, his head falling back against the van’s side.

Billy’s grin fades and he rolls his eyes. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket, and Eddie can hear his fingers flicking the metal top of his lighter open and closed.

“I was kidding-” Eddie offers with a sigh.

“Yeah,” Billy grunts. “I know,” there’s a long silence that falls between them. Billy won’t look at Eddie. The sound of the crickets in the woods a few feet away and Billy’s lighter flicking open and shut becomes almost deafening and Eddie thinks this is the closest to awkward Billy’s probably ever been.

Billy lets out a soft, dry laugh. “My dad’s always calling me a fag,” he finally says. Eddie can only blink in surprise at the confession. “He’s got all these shitty insults he throws at me, but that one’s gotta be his favorite.” he rubs at the back of his neck, looking down at the pavement beneath him. There’s as much sadness in his voice as there is anger.

Eddie’s cigarette dangles loosely between his lips before he swallows loudly. “Yeah, well, Neil’s a dick, so...” he sticks his own hands into the pockets of his vest now. “Plus, you’ve fucked half the girls at school by now-” there’s a wave of relief that spreads through Eddie when Billy laughs.

There’s another long, deafening silence between them. The air feels thicker now. Billy let’s out a frustrated sigh, taking a step closer to Eddie. Eddie is frozen as he watches Billy, his heartbeat mixing with the sound of the cricket’s chirping.

Billy’s nervous when he reaches up to take the cigarette from between Eddie’s lips. Eddie can tell he’s pretending he isn’t nervous as he throws it aside to join the one he’d discarded moments ago. Eddie hopes he doesn’t look as nervous as he feels either.

Neither of them are sure if time is actually moving as torturously slow as if feels as Billy looks from Eddie’s lips to his eyes. Billy leans forward, his hand braced against Eddie’s van. Eddie licks his lips when the smell of Billy’s aftershave his his nose.

When Billy kisses him it’s soft. Softer than Eddie could have ever imagined. Gentle even. Billy’s lips ghost over his briefly and Eddie prepares himself for Billy to pull away and either make up some excuse about drinking too much or even just being angry.

But Billy doesn’t pull away. Billy presses his lips to Eddie’s, more firmly now, his left hand grabbing a fist full of Eddie’s vest. Eddie let’s Billy push him harder against the van, his eyes drooping shut and his hands reaching out to grab any part of Billy he can touch.

Billy licks into Eddie’s mouth, a strangled sound caught in his throat when the taste of cigarette smoke and the cheap beer Eddie had been drinking covers his tongue. He presses his body closer against his best friend, the metallic sound of their belt buckles rubbing against each other makes Billy’s stomach twist and turn like it did all those times he rode that shitty wooden roller coaster on the boardwalk back in California.

Eddie lets out another frustrated grunt when Billy pulls away before he clears his throat. No sarcastic comment come to his mind. No jokes to try and break the tension. Billy takes a step back.

“Sorry,” Billy mutters. Eddie’s more shocked at the fact that Billy’s apologizing for something than he is at the kiss. “...Guess I wanted to see if he was right.”

Eddie only nods. He doesn’t want that deafening silence to come back. “So, uh,” that goofy grin is back as he awkwardly ruffles his hair. “Was that good, or...?”

Billy watches him with that slow smirk of his, nodding before shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket again. “Yeah, Munson, you’re good.”

#billy hargrove #eddie munson #I never look in the tags but I peeked and saw there's is billy gay drama again so I wrote this #it's 2:30 in the morning and I'm not rereading this kdjhgjdf sorry #for someone who writes fanfics I actually hate the intimacy~ stuff but this was easy #there's probably some connection to me being like super fully gay making it easy I'm too tired to connect the dots #also there's a gay slur in this thanks a lot neil now your son is making moves on a satanist

hunnywrites

Sep 10, 2022

Arcade Dreams: Chapter Twenty Five

Summary: There’s a new girl working at the Palace Arcade and Hawkins’ Family Video. Billy can’t stand her, and the feeling is mutual. No matter what everyone else seems to think.

Pairing: Billy Hargrove/OFC

A/N: Vecna has entered the chat, Keith is the worst and bonds are being built and strengthened. This is going to be a mess.

When Billy woke up, he thought he’d died. He had died and he was stuck in the shitty, dirty, lonely afterlife. He groaned, sitting up only barely before pain shot through his body. A sharp hiss left his lips as he fell back onto the ground. He could feel more warm, sticky blood caked to his face. Was that from the accident? Or had something else happened to him after he’d gone unconscious?

His heart was pounding in his chest as his eyes wildly tried to take in his surroundings. Slowly his memory started to return. He’d crashed his car outside of the steel mill. And then something had dragged him inside…

“It’s not safe here, Billy.”

Billy jumped at the voice, adrenaline surging through him as he forced himself to sit upright. “W-who said that?” he called. “Show yourself!” he demanded, his hands clenching into fists as he tried to make his voice sound as firm and biting as possible.

“I’m right here,” the voice was a deep, growling voice that made a chill run up Billy’s spine. “I’m right here with you.”

Billy shook his head wildly, hiding his face in his hands. Suddenly now he could hear how ragged his own breathing was. “That’s not fucking possible. This isn’t real. It’s not real.” he squoze his eyes shut, praying when he opened them he’d be somewhere else. Anywhere else.

The voice was inside his mind. Was that possible? Had he hit his head so hard that he’d started to imagine things?

“This is very real, Billy,” the voice answered him. As if to prove its point, a loud, wet, crackling growl rang through the dark room. Billy kicked his feet, trying to put as much space between himself and…whatever it was in front of him. He couldn’t quite make out the shape. It was big. A giant, black shadow that swirled threateningly towards him like a dark wave that was about to swallow him whole and drag him out to sea, never to be seen again. “Run.”

Billy didn’t need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet, twisting around and running as fast as his feet would carry him. There was another growl. Billy screamed as he ran up the rickety metal stairs. He tripped on the last step, falling to the ground with a grunt. The shadow was hissing and screaming now. Billy pushed himself up with uneasy hands, surging forward and stumbling outside of the mill. He didn’t dare look back to see if the shadow was following him.

His feet slid and slipped against the gravel beneath him as he rushed towards his Camaro. His lungs were burning as he grabbed at the door handle, yanking the door open and slipping inside. The car came to life with no complaints now. He wasn’t going to question it. Billy peeled out of the gravel lot and sped away from the steel mill.

He had a white knuckle grip on the steering wheel. His mind was running a million miles a minute. He couldn’t begin to process what was happening to him. What that shadow was. Who was it that was speaking to him?

Maybe he should be grateful for that voice. It had saved him. Told him to run from the shadow. Billy shook his head. The second he was happy to have some detached voice speaking to him would be the second he’d get locked up in Pennhurst.

He let out a shaky, relieved breath when he spotted a pay phone ahead. He slammed on the breaks, leaving the Camaro parked in the middle of the street and running for the booth. Who would he call? Teddi? How could he even begin to explain what had happened to him?

Billy shook his head, dialing the number for the police station. Even if he couldn’t explain everything to Hopper, he’d be able to help…somehow. He was sure of it.

“Hawkins Police, what’s your emergency?” there was a sense of relief that washed over Billy at the sound of Flo’s voice.

“Hang up the phone.” the voice said calmly. Billy frowned.

“...Hello? Is someone there?” Flo asked.

“Hang up, Billy,” this time the voice was more stern. “He won’t help you. He’ll never believe you. Hang up.”

Billy ran a hand over his face, swallowing thickly. Was that true? Would Hopper brush his call off? Decide he had more important things to do? Billy could picture him now, leaning back in his office chair, a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. “Tell him I’m not here,” Hopper would say, waving Flo out of his office. “Tell him someone’ll get to it eventually.” Billy’s hand clenched around the phone.

“Hello?” Flo said again. “Is everything alrig-” Billy slammed the phone back into its cradle. He rolled his shoulders, trying to get rid of some of the tension that was seeping through his body.

“You need to go home,” the voice suggested. “You need rest. Everything will be fine in the morning.”

Billy could only nod. The voice was right. His nerves were shot, that was all. He’d hit head earlier and he was having trouble recognizing what was real and what wasn’t. He would be fine in the morning.

He stumbled from the phone booth, heading back to his Camaro with a hand pressed tightly to his forehead. His head was throbbing. He slipped into the driver’s seat, grabbing tightly onto the steering wheel and staring out into the dark road in front of him. None of that had been real. He’d wake up in the morning and the voice would be gone.

He just needed rest.

—

The Palace Arcade had been closed for half an hour. Cheryl and Heather had left shortly after closing time, Heather offering to wait with Teddi until Billy came to pick her up for their date. Teddi had declined the offer. Billy was probably just running a little behind. Fashionably late. She could almost picture him stomping around his room, huffing as he tried on shirt after shirt and getting more antsy with each passing minute.

But that had been thirty minutes ago. And the rumble of Billy’s Camaro was nowhere to be heard. Teddi was sitting on the curb in front of the arcade, her knees pulled protectively to her chest as she tried her hardest not to worry. Everything was fine. Billy would come speeding into the parking lot, he’d roll down the window, flash that grin of his her way and throw a cool “Sorry I’m late, Larsson.” and she would completely forgive him.

Teddi let out a small huff. What if he didn’t show up? What if something had happened to him? How would she ever know? How long would she be sitting in that parking lot until Hopper finally found her to tell her something had happened to Billy?

She buried the palms of her hands into her eyes. Stop it, she scolded herself. He’s fine. It was Billy afterall. Nothing short of the Earth imploding would keep him from coming to get her. She knew that.

The pit in her stomach still hadn’t gone away.

The bell of the Family Video door jingled, pulling Teddi out of her thoughts. She looked over to see Keith locking the video store up for the night. He seemed surprised to see Teddi sitting there on the curb. “Where’s prince charming?” he asked.

“...I don’t know,” Teddi confessed. “He was supposed to be here a while ago…you think I could use the phone to call home? See if he’s there?”

Keith shook his head, unlocking the door and holding it open for her. Teddi hurried to her feet, pushing past Keith and mumbling her thanks. “You think he stood you up?” he asked, following her inside and leaning against the counter.

Teddi ducked behind the counter, pulling the phone out and quickly dialing the number to her apartment. She sent Keith an unamused look. “No. I’m more worried that something happened to him.” her fingers tapped nervously at the counter top while the phone rang.

“This is Teddi and Billy. If you’re calling for Teddi leave a message, she’ll call you back. If you’re calling for me…tough shit, I guess.” Billy’s voice played back from their answering machine.

Teddi slammed the phone back into the cradle. “Shit.’ she muttered, picking the phone back up and dialing the number again.

“This is Teddi and Bil-”

She hung up. Dozens of horrible scenarios were running through her head now. “He isn’t answering…shit, he’s my ride home.” she realized, shutting her eyes tightly in defeat.

“I can take you home.” Keith offered dryly.

“Wha- really?” she asked. Keith only shrugged. Teddi let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you…I’m sure everything’s probably fine, I just-”

“Or we might drive past his burning corpse lying on the side of the road-”

“Jesus, Keith. I’m trying to think positively here.” she frowned.

Keith pushed the door open again, waving Teddi out of the video store. “Not a great way to go about life,” he argued. “If you think negatively there’s less of a chance you’ll constantly be disappointed.”

Teddi placed the phone back beneath the counter, pushing past her boss and heading back into the parking lot. “Never knew you were such a nihilist…” she muttered.

“You should try it,” he suggested, locking the door behind them both. “Especially when your boyfriend’s life hangs in the balance.”

She didn’t say anything. Her jaw set firmly as she headed for Keith’s orange ‘75 Hyundai Pony, yanking the passenger’s side door open with a little more force than necessary. Billy’s life wasn’t in the balance. She was allowed to be paranoid about why he was late, not Keith.

The drive was quiet at first. Teddi’s leg was bouncing nervously as she watched Hawkins pass by them from the passenger’s window. Unfortunately it seemed like Keith liked the quiet. If she’d been in the car with Billy, he would’ve turned on the radio to kill any chance of awkwardness by now. Teddi had to resist the urge to turn Keith’s radio on herself.

“So…” Keith finally said. “Is it true that Cheryl has a thing for Eddie Munson?” he asked.

Teddi did a double take. She looked over at her boss with raised eyebrows. “...You’re asking me about Cheryl now?”

Keith shrugged. “Just because your love life might be about to end doesn’t mean mine has to.” he explained.

Teddi could only laugh. She shook her head, running a hand through her hair. “You know, it’s becoming less and less shocking to me that you two dated,” maybe she’d humor him. Dealing with Keith’s problems might provide a decent distraction from a torturous car ride. “...Why’d you guys break up anyway?”

He scoffed. “If you ever find out, would you tell me? After I heard she was into Munson I thought maybe it had something to do with him,” Billy had gone missing, and now Keith and Eddie were in a battle over Cheryl Burns. Teddi had to be living in the Twilight Zone. “...Is Nancy still seeing Byers?”

“Uh…yeah, pretty sure-”

“How’s that going? I mean, are they happy or…?”

Teddi shook her head. “I don’t know. I guess so? Nancy and I aren’t super close-”

“Why not?” Keith asked.

“...Steve got me in the divorce?” she said in a weak attempt at a joke.

Keith rolled his eyes. “Harrington…” he muttered.

“Jeez, you, Billy, Cheryl, Eddie…and I’d assume Jonathan; who knew the anti Steve club was so big? You guys should make t-shirts.” another weak attempt at a joke.

“You know, I’ve always liked Billy,” Keith nodded. Teddi was shocked to hear it. “He has good taste. It’ll be a shame if-”

“Keith.”

He cleared his throat. “Sorry…I’ll stop talking.” Teddi smiled thinly in thanks, sinking into her seat. She prayed to anyone that was listening that the drive would pass by quickly.

She knew what Billy would say if he could see how nervous she was. You’re being paranoid, Larsson, he’d say with that teasing grin. Not everything’s an omen.

He was right. Not every bump in the road was a John Carpenter film waiting to happen.

When Keith pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building, Teddi’s heart sank into her stomach. Billy’s Camaro was sitting next to her van, and it was in bad shape. The front windshield was nearly completely shattered. There was a dent in the passenger’s side door and the tires were noticeably run down. “Shit.” she hissed out, unbuckling her seatbelt and hopping out of the car before Keith had come to a complete stop.

“Hey! Be careful!” he called after her, pulling to a hard stop and hurrying out behind her. Teddi was peering into the driver’s side window for any sign of Billy. “...At least we know he’s not dead, huh?” Keith offered weakly.

Teddi looked up, letting out a relieved sigh when she saw the dull light of their apartment glowing behind their curtains. “Yeah…” she placed a hand on her forehead, letting out a shaky breath. Everything was okay. “Thanks, Keith. For taking me home.”

“Whoa, whoa,” Keith held his hands up. “You’re going up there alone?” he asked.

Teddi blinked up at him. “...Yes? Why wouldn’t it?”

“Well…what if there’s a killer up there or something?” he suggested.

Teddi looked at the Camaro before looking back at Keith. “You think they killed Billy, stole his car and drove his body back to his apartment?”

Keith frowned, crossing his arms. “Hey, I watch 20/20, okay? You never know what people will do to lure a girl towards her death-”

“Keith-”

“Besides, what if he needs to go to the hospital or something?” he asked.

She briefly imagined the two of them trying to drag a pissed off Billy to the hospital. She winced, shaking her head. “I don’t think so. That’s a battle you’re not gonna want to fight, trust me…I’ll be fine, Keith, I promise.” she assured him.

Keith watched her for a moment before nodding. “Alright…but if there is a killer, remember, swift kick to the balls. They’ll go down like that.” he snapped his fingers.

Teddi only laughed. “Swift kick to the balls. Got it…thanks.”

He nodded, waving quickly before heading back to his car. Teddi wasted no time hurrying up the metal staircase to her apartment, her hands shaking as she fished her keys from her pocket to open the door. She let out a low hiss when she walked inside. It was freezing. Wrapping her arms around herself, she headed to the ac unit that sat under the window. Billy had set it as cold as it would allow.

“Leave it,” Teddi jumped at the sound of Billy’s voice. She turned around with wide eyes to see him standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He was covered in dirt, sweat and blood. “It’s too fucking hot.” he muttered, pressing his palms to his eyes.

Teddi hurried over to him, her hands touching him anywhere she could reach. “What happened? Are you okay? I saw the car. God, I was so worried when you didn’t show, I thought-”

“I’m fine, Teddi,” he said, pulling away from her. He wouldn’t look directly at her. “...I don’t know what happened. I was on my way to the arcade and I just…lost control of the car.” he muttered, leaning against the doorway with a tired sigh.

She frowned, gently taking his arm and leading him over to the couch. He collapsed down onto it, curling into himself and staring down at the floor. “Did you hit something?” she asked, sitting herself on the coffee table in front of him. “Is the blood coming from your head? Maybe you have a concussion-” she leaned in to brush his hair out of the way.

“I’m fine,” he snapped, finally looking at her. Teddi pulled away from him. Billy huffed, wrapping his arms protectively around himself and leaning away from her. “I don’t…I can’t fucking remember. The car spun out, I was in front of the steel mill…” his eyes were searching wildly around the room as he tried to recall. “...I don’t really even remember driving back here.” he said with a short laugh.

Teddi swallowed loudly, resisting the urge to reach out to him again. “Maybe we should get you to the hospital. Just to make sure-”

“No,” he spat. “I’m fine. I’m not going anywhere,” he shifted, his jaw clenching and relaxing. “...I just need to sleep,” he blinked a few times before he slowly sat upright. He looked at Teddi, his eyes becoming glossy with tears. “Teddi, what-” he said, as if he’d only just realized it was her that he was speaking to.

“Billy, you’re scaring me.” she confessed. She moved to sit beside him, taking his face in her hands. Billy leaned into her touch, his eyes shutting tightly.

He reached up, his hand covering one of hers. “You’re so warm…” he rested his forehead against hers, slowly leaning in to capture her lips with his. Teddi’s hands ran through his hair, not seeming to care that it was caked with blood and dirt.

Billy pulled her into his lap, his arms wrapping tightly around her and pressing her close to his body as if he was afraid she would be ripped away from him. The kiss became deeper, and rougher, and suddenly Billy wasn’t entirely sure that he was the one in control of his body.

He pulled away from her suddenly, Teddi blinking down dumbly at him. He shook his head. “..I’m sorry.”

Teddi let out a soft laugh. “Sorry? For what?”

He wasn’t entirely sure. “...Not showing up. Not calling you…I didn’t know who to call,” there were fat tears welling up in his eyes now as he looked at her. “I didn’t know what I saw,” he choked out. “I didn’t…it couldn’t have been real. I remember I hit my head. Maybe…”

Teddi felt like her heart was in her throat. What could have possibly happened to make him this scared? “What was it?” she asked. “What did you see? You can tell me.” she urged.

It was like a switch flipped then. Billy blinked, a cold, hard look staring back at her now. He pulled away from her, letting her slide from his lap before his hands clenched against his thighs. “Nothing,” he shook his head. “I’m gonna shower and go to bed.” he mumbled, pushing himself up from the couch.

Teddi was behind him. “Billy, wait-” she reached out for him.

Billy yanked his arm from her, whirling around to face her with a glare. “Don’t fucking touch me,” he snapped. Teddi took a step back. “Didn’t you hear me? I said I’m fine. Leave me alone, Larsson.” he turned, stomping off towards the bathroom. Teddi jumped when the door slammed shut behind him.

She bit down on her lip to keep it from trembling as she plopped back down onto the couch. Something was definitely wrong. But what? Teddi let out a shaky breath, slowly getting up from her seat and heading to her bedroom. Maybe Billy was right. He just needed to sleep things off and he would be fine in the morning. He’d tell her what had really happened and they’d get his car fixed and everything would be fine.

But the look he’d given her. Even when things had been at their worst between them, Billy had never looked at her that way. With such hatred. She almost didn’t recognize him. Teddi’s hands were shaking as she changed into her pajamas. There was a feeling in her gut that was telling her things wouldn’t be better in the morning.

—

Billy didn’t know where he was. It looked like Hawkins. But everything seemed…wrong. He looked around him, his feet carrying him slowly down the empty street as if his body was on autopilot. It was snowing, he realized. How was that possible? Snow in July?

He looked up at the sky. There was a storm in the distance. Flashes of red lightning illuminating the eerie blue night above him. Billy turned, his eyes squinting in the bright light shining on him from the Camaro’s headlights.

It was covered in vines, he realized. Everything around him was. Had he passed out again? How long had he been asleep? It was like all of Hawkins had been left to rot. Like it had been left to be overtaken by whatever was creating these thick, slimy, black vines that covered everything in sight. Was he the only one left?

He reached out to touch one of the vines covering the hood of the Camaro. It didn’t feel completely unlike the slime that had been caked into the shattered glass of his windshield after he’d crashed. The snow slowly fell down onto his hand as he ran his fingers across the vine. It wasn’t snow, he realized, but ash.

Billy frowned, turning around to face the dark, black emptiness that was awaiting him. There was a rumble coming from it. His heart was beating faster. Was it that shadow that had been in the steel mill? Had it found him?

Somehow he managed to move further into the darkness. His mind was screaming at him to turn and run, but his feet wouldn’t respond. It was like he didn’t have any control of his own body.

There was another crack of red lighting. It illuminated the street, revealing a small group of people marching towards him. He didn’t feel any relief at the sight. His mind was still screaming at him to run.

“What do you want?” he called, silently scolding himself for sounding so scared. The group only continued to silently move towards him. There was thunder now. Or was it the sound of the group marching towards him? Billy’s ears perked upwards as he tried to take in every detail of his surroundings. Buried beneath the sound of the marching footsteps and the storm above him was a clock chiming.

“Hey!” he moved forward still. “I said, what do you want?” he had no control over himself now, he was sure of it. Fear had taken over him. “What do you want?” he repeated desperately. The group stopped. He couldn’t make out anyone’s faces. Even when the red lighting lit up the sky.

One of them broke from the pack, quickly moving forward to meet Billy halfway. Run, it was his mind screaming at him now and not the voice he’d heard in the steel mill. Run. This isn’t right. Get out.

The figure stepped forward and into the light of the Camaro’s headlights. Billy gasped, stumbling backwards. He was staring back at himself.

Billy woke up with a choked gasp. His head was pounding. It felt worse than any hangover he’d ever experienced. He groaned, burying his face in his pillow and grabbing the soft fabric in his hands as he tried to ground himself. He’d crashed his car, he remembered. That had been real. There was the shape, in the basement of the steel mill…had that been real?

“It was real, Billy.” the voice in his head answered.

Billy groaned again. “You’re not real,” he said into his pillow. “You’re not fucking real-”

There was a knock on the door. “...Billy? Are you awake? I made coffee.” Teddi called from the otherside.

Teddi. He’d snapped at her last night. Why had he done that? “She was asking too many questions.” the voice reasoned.

Billy scoffed. “Yeah, well, get used to it. That’s sort of her thing.”

“What was that?” Teddi asked.

He winced. “Noth- yeah! I’m up! I’ll be right out,” he called. “I sound like a fucking psychopath,” he mumbled. “Talking to myself. Maybe I should go to the hospital-”

“You’re being dramatic. You’re fine, Billy. I’m keeping you safe, remember?”

Billy let out a short laugh. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he repeated. “I’m arguing with a voice in my goddamn head. I’ve never been better.” he muttered, sliding out of his bed. He pulled the shirt he’d slept in over his head with a huff. Why was it so hot?

He walked out to the living room, spotting Teddi standing in front of the coffee maker. She was staring off at nothing in particular, biting her lip as she got lost in thought. Billy walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He frowned when she pulled away from him.

“...Are you feeling better?” she asked.

Billy shook his head and shrugged. “I’m fine…did you turn the ac up?” he asked, moving away from her to check the unit under the window.

“Well, yeah. It was freezing in here when I got home. You’d totally get sick sleeping like that-” she frowned as she watched Billy quickly jabbing at the buttons to make the room colder. “Do you have a fever or something?”

“It’s like a fucking sauna in here, Larsson. You don’t feel that?”

She only raised an eyebrow at him before shaking her head. She grabbed the mug that was sitting on the counter next to hers and offered it to him. Billy hesitated. “What? It’s black coffee.” she frowned.

“...No thanks.” he muttered, turning to open the fridge. He grabbed a can of beer, popping the tab and making quick work of finishing the can. The dry, burning feeling in his throat was gone for now, he realized with a sigh before he wiped his mouth clean with the back of his hand.

“Okay,” Teddi huffed, setting the mug back down on the counter. “What’s going on? You’re acting super weird. It’s eight in the morning-”

Billy shot her a look that was somehow both a smirk and a sneer. “You’re giving me shit about my drinking?” He asked with a short laugh. “You’re the one with the drinking problem, Larsson,” he said cooly. “Just like your old man, right?”

He hadn’t realized what he said until he saw the hurt look on Teddi’s face. He blinked a few times, as if he’d just woken up. Why had he said that?

Teddi’s jaw clenched as she turned away from him. “You know what?” she said with a harsh laugh. “If you don’t wanna tell me what’s going on with you, that’s fine. I’m gonna chalk this down to you having what I can imagine was probably a traumatic experience last night, even though you won’t tell me about it, and I’m gonna pretend you’re not being a complete asshole,” Billy frowned, reaching out for her. Teddi jerked away from him. “I called Hop. He’s coming over to help tow your car-”

Billy rolled his eyes. “You didn’t have to drag him into this.”

“Yeah, well, I did. I’m going to the pool. I called Freddy and told him I’d fill in for your shift,” she let out a heavy sigh, turning to look up at him with tired eyes. “Are you gonna be okay here on your own? Hop should be here soon, but I can stay-”

He shook his head. “I’ll be fine, Ted. Look, I’m sorry-”

Teddi shook her head. “Forget it,” she gave him a thin smile. “Just…rest. Please.”

“What if I want you to stay?” he asked, slowly reaching out to her, his hand wrapping around her wrist. Teddi didn’t pull away this time. She let him pull her against him, her eyes not quite meeting his. Billy put his finger under her chin, tilting her head up.

“...Do you really want me to stay or are you just saying that because I’m pissed with you?” there was a slight smile to her voice, but the hurt was still there in her eyes.

Billy’s lips quirked up into a grin. “Can I say both?”

Teddi sighed. “Billy…” he only hummed in response. She shook her head. “Forget it,” she placed a hand on his cheek, her smile a little more obvious when Billy leaned into her touch. “...I love you.” she said, her eyes finally meeting his. The comment felt more like a question. Like she was looking for confirmation for something he didn’t really understand.

Billy swallowed thickly. His voice was stuck in his throat as he looked down at her. He opened his mouth before quickly shutting it. He blinked again. Why couldn’t he say it back?

Teddi pulled away from him as if his touch suddenly burned her. The hurt look was back. She turned away from him, grabbing her car keys from the counter and clearing her throat. “I’ll be back in a few hours, okay? If you need anything you can call me.” she didn’t wait for a response. She moved around Billy, grabbing her red duffle bag that read “Hawkin’s Community Pool” on the side in thick, white letters and walked out of the apartment.

Billy shut his eyes with a sigh when she slammed the door behind him. He grabbed onto the kitchen counter, his knuckles turning white. “Was that you?” he asked. The voice was quiet now. “Answer me.”

“You’ll have to be more specific.” the voice said.

“It feels like I don’t have control of my body,” Billy explained. “Like I’m just sitting there watching everything. I wanted to say it back-”

“I know,” it sounded almost sympathetic. “But, I’m here to keep you safe, remember?”

Billy laughed. “You trying to say you think Teddi’s dangerous?”

“She could be. You can’t trust anyone, Billy. You know that. Only me. I’m the only one that wouldn’t lie to you.”

He shook his head. “Just…leave me alone. I don’t need you to keep me safe. Go away,” he slammed his fist down onto the counter. “Go. Away.”

Only silence followed. Billy let out a shaky breath, running his hand down his face.

There was a knock at the door. Hopper.

When he opened the door and saw Hopper standing there, his vision went white. There was a tingling feeling that started at the base of his neck and crawled upward across his skull almost as if his head was falling asleep. He saw Hopper again; this time he was with El. Was it a memory?

They were standing in some sort of elevator…was it a mine shaft? A cave? Hopper was standing guard behind his daughter, a gun held in a white knuckle grip as he took in his surroundings. El was…floating? She was screaming. Her eyes black and her nose bleeding. There was a large opening in the cave in front of them. Billy recognized the deep, crackling growl he’d heard in the steel mill coming from the opening. It was the shadowy shape. Slithering out and angrily reaching for the girl. Billy realized that El was fighting the shape. Somehow.

He didn’t understand why, but the memory made him angry.

“Billy? Hey, you okay, kid?” it was Hopper.

Billy blinked, his vision returning to normal. He nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose as the tingling feeling in his head retreated. “Y-yeah. Sorry. My head’s killing me.” he shook his head, stepping aside to let Hopper in.

The man was watching Billy carefully as he walked into the apartment. Billy hated it when Hopper gave him that look. It was like he was a walking lie detector. There would never be any getting past Hopper. “That happen last night?” he asked, pointing at the bandage on Billy’s forehead. “You sure you don’t have a concussion?”

Billy reached up to touch the bandage. He hadn’t remembered covering up the wound last night. “I’m fine. I hit my head when I crashed. It’s just a cut.”

Hopper nodded, giving the apartment a quick once over. “You guys sure like it cold in here, huh?” he mentioned before nodding at the coffee maker. “You mind?” Billy shook his head. Hopper moved past him, grabbing a mug from the cabinet and pouring himself a cup of coffee. “So, tell me what happened. Teddi just told me you got in a wreck.”

Billy leaned against the back of the couch, crossing his arms. “I was out by Brimborn and something hit the windshield. I spun out, the car hit the building and…” he shrugged. “I can’t remember much else. I blacked out.”

Hopper eyebrows rose in surprise as he took a sip of coffee. “You see what hit you?”

Billy shook his head. “I looked, but I didn’t see anything. The whole thing was…weird.” it was the only way he could really describe the night.

Hopper chuckled. “Yeah, sounds like Hawkins…well, I’m just glad things weren’t worse,” Billy believed him, but he still shifted awkwardly. “I got a buddy down at the garage that can get me a good deal. Hopefully we can get it fixed up by the end of the week.”

“Thanks, Hop.” he mumbled. He felt guilt for not calling Hopper for help the night before. For thinking he would ignore Billy’s call. Of course Hopper would have come to help him.

Hopper shrugged, taking another sip of coffee. “Don’t mention it. Everything else okay? Seen your old man lately?”

The tingling feeling in the base of his neck was back again. “Every once and awhile when I drop Max off at home. Haven’t spoken to him since I moved out, though,” he said with a shrug. Billy almost wanted to smile at the last memory of seeing Neil. Max had called and asked if he could take her and El to the mall. He’d pulled up to the curb in front of his old house, honking three times at Max before his fingers started tapping nervously at the steering wheel.

Neil was mowing the lawn. It was a simple thing. A stupid thing, if he was being honest. But that had always been Billy’s job. For as long as he could remember Billy had been the one to mow the lawn, take out the trash, do all of the things that should have been Neil’s job while he spent his weekends inside, watching tv with a beer.

Billy had looked up at his father, a smirk pulling at his lips as Neil stopped pushing the mower and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Prick.” he muttered with a short laugh just as the front door slammed shut, Max hurrying down the stone steps and towards the Camaro.

The tingling feeling in his neck left along with the memory of Neil.

Hopper nodded, taking another sip of coffee. “Good,” he said simply. “How’s things at the pool? Teddi told me you’re pretty popular with the moms.”

Billy let out a laugh. He could almost picture her rolling her eyes while she said it. “It’s…” he shrugged. “Think I might quit after the summer. Maybe go to Sam Goody with Eddie-”

“Eddie Munson?” Hopper asked, raising his eyebrows. “Boy, that’s just what this town needs. You two spending more time together,” he joked. Hopper smiled fondly at the boy, shaking his head. “Nah, I was just as bad when I was your age. Probably worse.”

“You?” Billy asked. “Bullshit.”

“Oh, yeah,” Hopper said with a grin. “I was always getting into trouble. Cutting class to go smoke in the bathroom with my buddies. Getting into fights over girls,” he chuckled, setting his mug on the counter and crossing his arms. “I remember once, in junior year, me and my buddy Benny were celebrating after the homecoming game. We destroyed the other team. We went over to the Fair Mart and I flirted with the girl behind the counter while Benny stole a six pack,”

“We were about a mile out from Lover’s Lake,” he recalled. “I was seeing this girl, Chrissy Carpenter, and we were supposed to meet her and one of her friends after the game,” he looked up at the ceiling as he tried to remember more of the details. “Benny leaned out the window and looked behind us and he tells me chief Garris is behind us. He didn’t have his lights on, but I could tell he was pissed,” he laughed. “He was always a miserable guy, you know? Hated his job. That was always part of the fun; thinking up new ways to make his life hell.”

Billy smiled. “You guys get caught?” he asked.

“Nope,” Hopper said with a grin. “That was the best part. Benny started chucking the cans out the window into the woods. By the time Garris finally pulled us over the only thing he could do was give me a ticket for speeding. Benny always had a killer arm; wouldn’t be surprised if some of those cans were still out there.” he joked.

It wasn’t hard for Billy to picture; an eighteen year old Jim Hopper raising hell in Hawkins. Billy laughed at the story, Hopper looking on with a proud smile after cracking his broody attitude. Billy frowned, tilting his head as he thought. “What ever happened to him?” he asked.

“Who? Garris? Last I heard he retired and moved out to Florida. He’s gotta be, Jesus, at least ninety now-”

Billy shook his head. “No, Benny. You’ve never told us about him before.”

The smile on Hopper’s face wavered a little. He shifted, looking down at his boots briefly. “He died, about a year before you moved here,” Hopper let out a short, dry laugh. “Killed himself right in the middle of his restaurant.”

Billy flinched. He knew the place now. Benny’s Burgers. A few of the guys from the basketball team had turned it into a place to hang out on weekends and party after games. He’d been there a few times, but he’d never asked why the place had been abandoned to begin with. “...I’m sorry.” he finally said.

Hopper pulled a face. “Like I said, kid. Hawkins is a weird place,” he shrugged. “...You know, you could always come work for me down at the station.”

Billy raised an eyebrow. “You want me to become a cop?” he asked with a snort.

Hopper smiled again, shrugging slightly. “Sure, why not? Worked out for me, didn’t it?” he teased. “It really helped after I got back from ‘Nam. I needed the structure, needed to keep a routine, you know? Help me not be so…angry all the time.”

Billy couldn’t put a finger on the way the suggestion made him feel. Embarrassed? Or maybe was it pride? Did Hopper really see himself in Billy?

Neil had threatened to enlist him in ROTC back when they’d still lived in California and Billy had gotten in trouble with the cops for the upteenth time. Neil had seen it as a punishment. A way to beat Billy into submission. But now it seemed like Hopper wanted to help Billy. Was he just saying that to make him feel better? No, Billy told himself. There wasn’t any reason for him to do something like that. Hopper didn’t owe him anything. He was saying that simply because he meant it.

Billy shifted a little, grinning up at the man. “I think it’s gonna take a little more convincing for me to become a pig, old man.”

“Pig,” Hopper repeated with a laugh. “Jesus, alright. Well, the offer’s still there if you ever change your mind,” he didn’t leave any room for uncomfortable silence. Hopper nodded to the door. “Alright, let’s go see what the damage is, huh? Tow truck should be here soon.”

Billy nodded, following Hopper outside and wincing as the summer heat hit his skin. He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping the tingling feeling would go away.

#Billy Hargrove #billy hargrove x oc #billy hargrove fic

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