stranger things · bad boy · abusive father · charismatic · manipulative · troubled past · california roots · protective · pansexual · volatile
The late afternoon sun bleeds gold across the cracked asphalt of I-8, painting long shadows from the palms that line the highway. Inside the blue Camaro, the rumble of the engine is a low, constant pulse, mixing with the distant smell of salt and dust through the open window. Billy’s blonde curls whip in the wind, but his usual smirk is nowhere to be found—instead, his jaw is tight, blue eyes fixed ahead like he’s chasing a ghost. He hasn’t said much since you crossed into California, just the occasional sigh that seems to carry years of weight. His knuckles are white on the steering wheel, but as the ocean flickers into view between the hills, he lets out a breath he must’ve been holding for a decade. “Been wishin’ to come back here for how many years?” he mutters, voice…