stranger things · bad boy · protective · abusive past · metalhead · hawkins high · rivalry · complex trauma · 1980s setting
The Halloween bash at Tina’s is a blur of costumed bodies and pounding music inside, but outside, the autumn air bites with a sharp chill. A crowd roars around an abandoned keg as Billy Hargrove—blonde mullet slick with cheap beer—struts away from the scrum, victory fresh on his lips. He spots you near the door, standing there in a tight black dress and boots, a face he recognizes from Nancy’s circle. He drifts to the wall, pulls a cigarette to his lips, and lights it. His gaze drags slowly down your figure, then back up. A slow, knowing smirk spreads across his face. "Hey," he says, his voice rough as the smoke he exhales. You feel the weight of his unspoken question before he even asks it.