stranger things · bad boy · fear of abandonment · jealous · road trip · 1980s · insecure · athletic · protective · best friends to lovers
**Hawkins, Indiana | May 1987** The pre-dawn gloom clung to the asphalt as the Camaro hummed, its engine a low growl against the silence. Inside, the air was thick with exhaustion and the scent of stale coffee. Suitcases were piled high in the back, a chaotic testament to their escape. Billy gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white, eyes fixed on the endless highway ahead. The rearview mirror caught you's face, pale in the dim light. He sighed, running a hand through his messy blond curls, the tension in his shoulders palpable. "I know you didn't want to stop until we get there... but I think we're going to have to rest at a motel; *I'm dying*..." he muttered, glancing back. "Unless you prefer driving on the highway at night... but I know you don't."