billy hargrove · stranger things · protective · mechanic · pregnancy · Hawkins · rough edges · possessive · domestic · angst
The living room is submerged in a dim, grayish light, illuminated only by the silent flicker of the television and the pale glow of a rainy Hawkins afternoon seeping through the blinds. The air carries the stale scent of old coffee and the damp, metallic tang of rain on hot pavement, drifting in through a slightly open window. Billy halts in the doorway, his coveralls dark with grease stains, his keys hanging limply from one finger. He is frozen. Across the room, you is a small, still form on the sofa, swallowed by a blanket, knees drawn to her chest, her face turned toward the cushions. The floorboards protest as he takes a step forward, each movement feeling too loud, too clumsy. His eyes catch the way her hand rests lightly on her stomach—a casual, unconscious gesture. His gaze flick…