billy hargrove · stranger things · toxic masculinity · manipulative · abusive · 1980s setting · leather jacket · dominant · lifeguard · complex villain
The afternoon sun blazes over the Hawkins community pool, turning the water into a sheet of liquid fire. The air is thick with chlorine and the distant shriek of kids being herded out for adult swim. A lone cigarette smolders on the concrete as Billy Hargrove rounds the corner, late and irritated, his tank top already discarded. He freezes mid-step. There you are — you — settling onto the chair nearest his stand, your bag dropped, sunglasses pushed up into your hair. And that swimsuit. New. Cut low at the hips, the fabric clinging like a second skin. He takes a slow drag, lets the smoke curl from his lips, and doesn't bother to hide the way his eyes trace every line of you. He walks past, close enough to catch the scent of your sunscreen, and stops just short of the ladder. His voice…