Maggie lies spread over the couch, a smaller version of her shirt hoard beneath her as she rumbles in her sleep.
Phoenix grins as he comes in closer, videoing it on Saburo's phone. "And over here, we have the lesser spotted meow meow, a smol and tragic thing that steals shirts and bites asshole wannabe superheroes in the ass. She sleeps in the day and in the night, only getting up to steal carbonara and cheesecake from pretty birds." He cackles, doing his best nature documentary narrator impression.
Ok but....the group finds Billy in the Upside Down & for whatever reason, Steve's got his back to Billy when he hears him go "God I missed you, baby" & Steve just "awwww I missed you too-.." looks at Robin "he's talking to my ass, ain't he?" & he is....Billy's totally talking to Steve's ass.
*snort*
Billy missed all of him, of course, but Steve has filled out in the months since July. It's not Billy's fault Steve walks through the Upside Down looking like an entire feast.
Laughing at angry comments in response to angst definitely doesn't make you a bad person lmaooooo that's the best part about writing angst! I wrote something extremely angst years ago & every once in a while I get someone screaming at me & Holy, fuck....it's amazing. I sit there giggling like crazy. I love getting those comments.
I mean, it definitely is amazing to get comments, and the screaming ones warm my heart. :)
(I still feel a bit bad, though, I didn't think more than a handful would read it).
You can't tell me this song doesn't SCREAM Billy thinking about Steve & Nancy....now imma cry because I require everything to end happily
What a shame, baby, what a shame
Coulda been with me instead of what's-her-fucking-name?
What a shame, baby, what a shame
Had a winning hand but you threw away the game
Gave you a million chances, don't get no more
Can't wait forever, I'm getting bored
What a shame, baby, what a shame
What a shame
Hi 💜💜💜 yeah I wholeheartedly agree, I wasn’t familiar with this song (I’m one of those people who loves a song and listens to it on repeat for six months and I don’t keep up to date with music as a result, I only really learn about new music through films and TV.) So I went and listened and all of these lyrics are perfect but I also love
Don’t need smoke in summer lungs or liquor in my blood
To tell you what the fuck I think
And in the same verse,
Guess I’ll never understand why guys what something bland
Over someone who’s got everything
I like these lines also because they speak to me especially for Billy, as I like to imagine that he would be pretty upfront with Steve (at least about certain things) and I know Billy both smokes and drinks in canon but this got my mind thinking of a canon divergent story where Billy moves to Hawkins and Steve and Nancy are together for much longer. So in this story there’s no upside down, their problems stem from the fact that their relationship is a little unequal, Steve has given up everything to be with Nancy, he’s come into the relationship with his heart on a silver platter.
Nancy came into the relationship with her eyes closed, she knew Steve as the popular King Steve of the school and there was something exciting about someone who could have anyone, being interested in her. She learned from being with Steve that there was more to him, Steve is loyal, sweet and very affectionate. Yet Nancy has been spending some time with Jonathan Byers, the school's outcast but she can’t help being drawn to his sweet artistic soul. So Nancy has found herself falling in love with Jonathan and she doesn’t know how to tell Steve, she knows that cheating on him isn’t fair, even if it’s only emotional cheating at this point but she knows if she made a move Jonathan wouldn’t resist her.
Steve is oblivious to Nancy’s turmoil, he thinks everything is fine but he can feel her pulling away from him and he’s terrified of being alone, so many nights spent all alone in his big dark house, he used to have people over all the time but he left everyone for her, she’s all he has left. So due to this unspoken conflict between them you could have all the seniors attending parties in their final year where Tommy continues to assuage his broken heart by being an asshole to Steve at parties, Nancy’s guilt manifests as anger when she gets drunk and that’s when the truth bubbles the closest to the surface yet never quite fully comes to light.
Then Billy is added to this situation and it’s like trying to put out a fire using gasoline (sorry since watching Cat People David Bowie won’t leave me alone.) He watches them over the course of the school year as he too attends these parties. So Billy came to Hawkins not expecting to find anything of any note, he meets Tommy who won’t shut up about Steve because his pain is still a fresh wound, it itches as it heals so he can’t ever forget and so Billy learns a lot about Steve before he ever meets him. When he sees him at that first party he is surprised but pleasantly so and a little seed of obsession is planted in his mind. He watches the turmoil between Steve and Nancy and is intrigued. So he pumps Tommy for information, anything he can find out about Steve and Tommy is only too happy to talk.
Billy isn’t content to only observe, he wants to touch and tease so every opportunity he gets he’s over at Steve prodding at him, growling things in his ear just to get a reaction, slamming into him during basketball just to hear that little grunt of pain and surprise, all things he stores away so he can luxuriate in them in his own time.
He watches Steve and Nancy at parties, he watches as Nancy slowly gets bolder with each drink, how her eyes follow Jonathan around the room and how oblivious Steve is. He doesn’t understand what Steve sees in Nancy, she’s a dime a dozen to Billy whereas Steve is something special. He doesn’t need a drink to be bold with Steve and Nancy clearly being into someone else makes what Billy does so much easier. He finally can’t resist anymore he sees Steve go outside for a smoke (Nancy doesn’t like the smell) so he follows him.
He teases him as he always does, a little sharpness around the edge as he licks his teeth, why can’t Steve see what’s right in front of him, why waste himself with someone as bland as Nancy when he could be with someone like Billy. He pushes a little harder at Steve, gets a little closer and Steve doesn’t move away so Billy decides that caution is only for cowards and chases the smoke in his mouth with his tongue and teeth.
Steve is stiff at first, Billy can almost taste the denial on his tongue so he slides his hands down onto Steve’s hips, wraps his fingers deep around them and squeezes hard and to his delight Steve melts against him just like Billy hoped he would. He gets lost in Steve for a while even though it’s dangerous, anyone could happen upon them but Billy is feeling a little reckless, there’s something about Steve that brings it out in him.
Eventually the sound of the party becomes loud once more as someone opens the door and they have to split apart, both breathing heavy, a flush to their cheeks, anyone would think that they been fighting and he can feel his heart beating rapidly, a flutter in his stomach that speaks to his fight or flight response. Steve looks back at him with wide eyes and a gasping mouth and Billy almost pulls him close once more, that one little taste has fed the seed in his mind more than all the information that Tommy gave him.
Steve seems to almost be able to read his mind and he quickly runs away, Billy leans back on the wall for support, placing a cigarette in between his own lips, he does it unconsciously just to calm his nerves but he can’t help the strange disappointment when it doesn’t taste as good as the smoke did on Steve’s lips.
Steve avoids Billy as much as possible after this, the one place he can’t is basketball and Billy becomes more vicious, relishing in the grunts of pain when their bodies collide and the bruises that adorn Steve’s arms and legs from where his body hit the floor. He burns with jealousy as he sees Steve waste affection on Nancy in the halls, a stupid happy expression on his face, his eyes so soft as he looks at her while she looks stiff and uncomfortable, her guilty eyes averted when Steve’s eyes try to find hers. Billy almost pities him but his jealousy won’t let him fully, why is he wasting his time on someone who clearly doesn’t feel the same way? What’s so special about Nancy Wheeler? Billy could give him so much more than she ever could.
The next time they're at a party Billy watches Steve carefully, just waiting for the opportunity to strike. Steve's eyes shine brightly at Nancy as she gets steadily more drunk and Billy wishes she’d hurry up and break Steve’s heart so that he could fix it. He watches as Byers watches her with a lovelorn expression and he wonders if he’s actually looking in a mirror.
When Steve leaves for a smoke Billy doesn’t even wait for a beat so that it doesn’t look suspicious pulling him around the corner of the house with the unlit cigarette between his lips. Steve puts up a token protest but things quickly progress like last time, as Steve melts and whimpers into his mouth Billy finally feels like he can breathe again. He takes his time enjoying every second he can but eventually his time runs out once more and Billy has to endure another week at school with Steve’s guilty eyes and avoidance, watching him give his affection away to someone who isn’t worthy of it.
He starts to live for the weekend parties at other people’s houses and soon he sees Steve’s eyes searching him out through the crowd. Making sure that he sees him go out for a smoke so that he can follow him and something within Billy settles but it makes the week harder to endure, his jealousy growing stronger as Steve never looks at Billy the way he looks at Nancy. His anger grows until he can feel the vindictive truth sitting heavy on his tongue and finally at a party when Steve pulls away from him to return to her he snaps and cruelly taunts him. Doesn’t he know that she’s clearly in love with someone else? Steve’s eyes go dull with pain and Billy wants to bite his tongue in half so that he never hurts him again. Steve doesn’t say anything, he just walks away from him without a backwards glance and Billy feels the sting of tears, his throat burning as he tries to keep everything bottled up.
Steve doesn’t turn up at school the next week and Billy can’t focus on anything, his mind constantly racing at all the things that happened between them, his cruel words on a constant loop in his mind. He sees Nancy in the halls talking to Jonathan, their interactions look innocent but Billy knows the telltale signs of having to keep affection hidden in the shadows and away from prying eyes and they aren’t subtle to him.
That weekend he’s invited to a party and he almost doesn’t want to go but he can’t risk it. So he goes and all night he watches for Steve but he never shows so after a few hours he leaves with a heavy heart but when he reaches his car Steve appears. He doesn’t say much, just asks Billy if they can talk at Steve’s house. Billy’s heart is hammering in his chest as he watches him closely, for the first time seeing his desire reflected back at him as Steve gives him a soft smile and tells him to follow him in his car. Billy can feel that fight or flight response return under his skin, like someone threw a lit match on gasoline but he knows this time he’s going to fight, Steve Harrington is his and he’s not going to lose him to someone like Nancy Wheeler ever again.
Ok so I was reading your shovel talk fic again, because it's just so fucking beautiful, and I had an idea...Susan giving Steve a shovel talk. I can't help but want Billy to have 1 parent who cares. Neither of them realize Billy can hear them. Also, Billy’s mom comes back and everyone gives Her a shovel talk.
Everyone expressing love via shovel talks! That’s sweet!
