#reader x billy

eddie.

eddie is a service top; he'll do anything to make his baby happy, and he won't skip a day just because you're on your period. catch him diving in to eat your messy pussy, blood dripping from his lips as he gives you one of his dopey, happy smiles.

steve.

right in the middle, steve doesn't care either way if you're on your period. he won't be eager to put his mouth down there during, but he has no problem making a mess and cleaning up after the two of you, ever a Mom™

hopper.

also basically in the middle on this, but leaning more toward ' why don't we wait until you're finished, ' just because he's experienced. he knows women on their periods are uncomfortable and irritable and he doesn't want sex to be that way for the two of you. but if you're down, he's down.

jonathan.

no nope and no way. he just has a thing about bodily fluids that aren't saliva or cum. blood is supposed to stay inside the body, in his opinion. do you want him fainting while you're trying to get it on? no, you don't. so best to wait until shark week is over.

Billy’s footsteps echoed in the vacant hallway, his brown boots squeaking on the polished floors as he cracked his knuckles mindlessly. Of course he had to move to this stupid fucking shit town, in the middle of fucking no where, with his stupid fucking parents and his stupid fucking stepsister. Billy’s only hope that had kept him from going insane was that the town of Hawkins, Indiana would be somewhat decent.

It wasn’t. It was a complete and total shit hole. For fucks sake he hadn’t even seen a single hot bird. Billy’s only consolation was that it was quite clear he had no male competition around. If he was going to be stuck here, he was at least going to be the King of Hawkins High School.

“This is your home class, Mister Hargrove, I’ll let your teacher take it from here.” The principal explained as he stopped outside a door.

Not saying a word, Billy simply shot him a glare before pushing the wooden door open loudly and stepping inside the classroom. The buzz and hum of teenagers talking ceased the second he entered the room. Billy couldn’t help the sense of satisfaction that ran through his veins when he noticed the way the guys stared at him in awe and the girls stared with total lust.

His eyes flitted over the class, pausing when he noticed there was only one pair of eyes in the room that weren’t focused on him. He couldn't clearly see her face because she was leant over her textbook and feverishly taking notes. Billy studied her intently for a few moments before he noticed out of the corner of his eye that her friend was elbowing her furiously.

Finally, she looked up from her notebook and her big doe-eyes, framed by thick lashes, locked with his. One look at those eyes, her plump lips and the long hair that framed her face, Billy decided that maybe there was actually one hot bird in Hawkins. A really hot one at that. 

He watched as her nose crinkled in what seemed to be disgust when he shot her a wink, before she returned her attention back to the school work in front of her. The girl’s reaction made a smirk appear on his face. If there was one thing Billy loved, it was a challenge. Yeah, she was the one. 

Ignoring the teacher that was currently introducing him to the class, Billy ran a hand through his hair as he sauntered over towards her. Finally coming to a stop at her desk, he leant back on the spare one beside her and studied her intently.

“Mind if I sit here, princess?” 

There was a few moments of silence as she blatantly ignored him, twiddling with her pen nonchalantly as she kept her eyes fixed on the paper in front of her. “Uh I-I’m sure *yn* wouldn’t mind if you sat here Billy-” Her friend began to gush, clearly panicking that her friend wasn't answering. *yn*, that was a name he could definitely get used to.

“Actually, I’m saving this seat for Steve, Suzie.” *yn* finally spoke up as she glanced at her friend, her soft voice taking Billy by surprise. Yeah, he wouldn’t mind that voice screaming his name all night long.

“Sorry, seat’s taken Bob.” She answered, finally turning her attention to Billy, her face void of all emotion.

Billy chuckled lightly, his tongue poking out of his mouth to glide across his bottom lip before he flashed her his signature smile. “It’s Billy, Billy Hargrove. A name I’m sure you’d like to get acquainted with.” He replied as he winked at her.

However, instead of swooning like he’d expected, she just raised a brow at him in pure confusion. “Right... seat’s still taken though.” 

Maybe this was going to be harder than Billy thought....

Tapping her pen against the hard wooden desk, *yn* chewed on her bottom lip and furrowed her brow as she read her biology textbook intently. There was a mid-term exam in two days and whilst it only counted for 15 percent of their final grade, *yn* needed to ace it. 

Luckily, she’d managed to avoid any more run ins with Billy Hargrove, but in the three weeks he had been here, he’d made quite a name for himself. However, his antics hadn’t seemed to dissuade from every single girl in the school, including all of her friends, from fawning over him like love-sick idiots.

All she could do was hope that the mass attention from those girls would distract him enough to not bother her again. But who was she kidding? He would have forgotten all about her anyway, she was just the first girl he had seen on his first day. Now, he had dozens of options. Yeah, Billy Hargrove was definitely not going to be a problem, she told herself as she bobbed her leg up and down anxiously. 

“Wow sweetheart, you look tense....you know, I can think of a few ways to help you...unwind,” Called out a voice she had heard far too many times in the hallways. 

So much for Billy Hargrove not being a problem....

Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she inhaled a sharp breath before flickering her gaze up. Sure enough, approaching her table was Billy and although she had a strong dislike for him, she couldn’t deny that he was annoyingly handsome. Today he was wearing his signature white tank top with his denim jacket and far too tight jeans that showed off his perfectly shaped a-

*yn* shook her head slightly and forced herself to remove thoughts of Billy Hargrove’s arse out of her mind. When she looked back up at Billy, he was wearing such a knowing smirk on his face for a split second she wondered if he was reading her mind.

“I’m busy.” She spoke, her voice cracking slightly due to the fact that she was caught so off guard.

“I can see that.” He mused, and before she could even open her mouth to protest, he had pulled out a chair and taken a seat beside her. 

“You know, I don’t see you around much. Don’t tell me you’re caged up in this shithole every lunch?”

Gritting her teeth, *yn* said nothing and instead continued to scan her book,  even though now she wasn’t even reading the words printed in front of her. She was just desperate to avoid Billy’s piercing gaze.

“Not much of a talker, huh?” He continued. After a few moments of more silence he let out a sigh and leant back in the chair and much to *yn*’s annoyance, he kicked his feet up on the desk. 

“That’s alright darlin’, I can just keep talkin’ to pass the time. Maybe I’ll start off with my daily workout routine, you know I can bench-”

“I said, I’m busy!” *yn* hissed loudly, snapping her neck to look at him and sending him a glare. 

“Shhh!” The librarian hushed from the corner of the room. 

Billy just smirked proudly, seemingly finding the fact that she was actually looking at him to be an achievement. “Well if you’re busy studying, I’ll just study with you, doll.” 

“You do biology?” She queried in disbelief as she eyed the jock. 

“Sweetheart, I’m in your class.” He answered, and for the first time *yn* detected a trace of annoyance and disbelief in his voice. But that was quick to vanish, as his eyes lit up with mischief and he slid his tongue over his bottom lip.

“You know if there’s a chance to study the human ‘anatomy’, I’ll take it.” He answered before sending her a wink. 

“You’re vile.” She snapped back, turning her attention desperately back to her textbook. 

“That’s not what your friend said last night... what’s her name...Sandy? No, no it’s Susan, isn’t it?” He spoke, grinning as he waited for his words to sink in and her to take the bite.

“Susan what!?” She exclaimed, turning her body to fully face Billy.

“Shhh, last warning!” The librarian disciplined. 

“You and Susan....together?” *yn* whispered, stealing a glance at the librarian before staring intently at Billy. “’course, you of all people know how hard she was diggin’ me-” He paused as he took a moment to enjoy their intense eye contact, biting his lip lightly before continuing. “-and what kind of a man would I be if I simply ignored her?” He grinned, chuckling lightly at her disgusted face.

“I can’t believe her...” He heard her mumble under her breath as she once again turned her attention from him. 

“I think you’d believe her if you heard her last night. God damn the way that bird was screaming-”

“Would you just-just shut up!” She snarled. “All I wanted was to study for this exam alone and in peace. I most certainly don’t want to hear about you...boning my best friend, or about your stupid workout routine, or how you’re top shit and rule the school and if I have to take one more look at that stupid earring I’m going to scream.” 

A silence engulfed the pair, as Billy watched her chest heave up and down in anger as she tried to calm herself. *yn* swallowed and inhaled a breath before looking back down at her book, now determined to completely ignore his presence. 

Billy stayed quiet for a few minutes, grabbing a tooth pick from his pocket and sucking on it as he watched her. Finally, *yn* was beginning to get back into her study and had almost forgotten that he was even there.

“You know, I meant it about the whole tense thing. I mean we could even get some practical learning about the human anatomy while where at it. I could even ask Susan if she wanted to-”

“I told you to shut your mouth!” She shouted at him, her eyes blazing with anger. And as if to goad her further, Billy simply starting chuckling.

“Alright that’s it, you two out! And I think an afternoon detention will teach you to keep your mouthes closed in the library!” The old librarian snapped crossly as she rose from her desk.

Billy watched as *yn*’s fists clenched before she slammed her book shut and grabbed her things, all the while attempting to keep herself from clawing his eyes out. 

“I hope your happy, Hargrove.” She hissed, sending him one more murderous glare before shoving past him and storming out of the library. 

He smirked as he continued to play with the toothpick in his mouth at the thought of spending a whole afternoon in detention with *yn* *yln*.

“Oh, you bet I am.” 

Silence filled the classroom apart from the deafening ticking of the clock on the wall above the supervising teacher. The mood in the room could only be described as totally and utterly miserable. There were only two other students in the detention, one was asleep and drooling onto the desk whilst the other was etching something into the wood with a knife.

The only positive for *yn* that Billy was yet to turn up, and maybe she’d be lucky enough that he would ditch the detention entirely. 

But when the door burst open, she knew she’d been kidding herself. 

“Mr Hargrove, you’re thirty minutes late... again.” The supervising teacher who also happened to be *yn*’s biology teacher, Mr Thomas, drawled. 

“Sorry sir, I was...preoccupied.” Billy smirked, flashing *yn* a shit-eating grin to which she simply rolled her eyes. 

“Just take a seat, Billy.” Mr Thomas sighed, clearly too drained to bother disciplining him. 

*yn* resisted the urge to gag, the smell of cigarettes infiltrating her nostrils as Billy slumped into the chair beside her. However, this time she was not going to give him the satisfaction of annoying her. Instead she kept her gaze totally fixed on the book in front of her. 

She somehow managed to last twenty minutes without snapping. But the feeling of his eyes burning into her skull was becoming too irritating and making her feel uneasy. “What?” She finally whispered to him, turning to meet his intense gaze.

“Nothing, I didn’t realise it was a crime to admire a work of art.” He answered, sending her yet another wink. 

“Go find another work of art to ‘admire’ then, you’re distracting me.” She hissed back before hurriedly glancing back down at her notebook when she noticed Mr Thomas eyeing the pair. Billy glanced over at Mr Thomas and once he’d turned his attention away from them, he moved off his chair to tower over her.

“Oh doll, you have no idea how distracting I can be.” He murmured into her ear, his lips brushing over the shell of her ear as he spoke. 

“You wish, Hargrove.” She spat, shoving his ridiculously toned chest off her. As he moved away from her, his eyes darted down to her wrist and before she could pull away in time, he had gripped it tightly in his hand.

“Now, what do we have here?” He grinned as he studied her squirming wrist. *yn* felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment as his eyes fixated on the small tattoo that was usually hidden underneath her sweater.

“None of your god damn business.” *yn* answered as she finally freed her arm from his hold and pulled her sweater over her wrist to hide the ink permanently etched into her skin.

“I gotta say princess, I didn’t think you’d have it in you. I thought you were daddy’s little girl, I’m sure he wasn’t too pleased when he found out his angel like daughter got a-”

“You don’t know what the fuck your talking about Billy.” She growled, the mention of her father becoming her final breaking point. “So take my advice, shut up and leave me the hell alone!”

Silence rung out between the two teenagers as they eyeballed each other before a small cough made them jerk their eyes away. Mr Thomas had rose to his feet, his arms crossed as he glared at the pair. Out of the corner of her eye, *yn* could see that her outburst had caused the sleeping student to awaken and the other one to stop carving and stare at her dumbfounded.

“I think we’re done for the day.” Was all Mr Thomas said. The second the words left his lips, the two students scrambled to get their things and hurry out of the class room. One glare from Mr Thomas made Billy begrudgingly pick his things up and exit, not before glancing over his shoulder at *yn* one more time.

“Mr Thomas I’m sorry but Billy is just-”

“I know exactly what Billy Hargrove is like, Ms *yln*. But, I have to say I expected more from you. You are still planning to attend Harvard Law next year, yes?” 

“Yes I am Sir but-”

“Then you know the grades you have to achieve. I hope you understand that if you continue to associate with people like Mr Hargrove that the chances of getting those grades are quite slim.”

“Of course Mr Thomas, but Billy won’t-”

“That’s all Ms *yln*, I’ll let you off with a warning this time. But if it happens again I don’t know what I can do to protect you.”

*yn* resisted the urge to huff and simply shut her mouth, knowing that there was no point in trying to explain herself. Instead, she simply sent him a small nod, grabbed her things and hurried out of the door.

“Your house, this weekend?”

“I knew you’d give in eventually, *yln*.” Billy winked.

“For the project, dumbass.” She snapped back, making his brow furrow in annoyance. “Why can’t we go to your house?”

“Because my parents would have a meltdown if a boy came within the vicinity of my house, especially one that looks like... well, you.”

Billy let out a huff as he mulled over her words before begrudgingly nodding, “fine, my house this Saturday at 10.” He spoke to which she nodded in agreement. “I’ll see you then, sweetheart.” He winked before stalking off down the halls.

That conversation replayed in *yn*’s mind as she stepped out of her car and hesitantly made her way towards Billy’s house. Never in a million years did she expect that she’d ever be going to his house.

 But I guess, she also didn’t expect that just a week after their shared detention, that Mr Thomas would announce they would have a biology project to complete in pairs. She also didn’t expect that when Mr Thomas pulled names out of a hat, he would call her name and Billy’s, much to her horror and Billy’s delight.

Plus, despite her desperate pleading with Mr Thomas, he refused to budge - claiming that it wouldn’t be fair on other students and to quote “maybe it’ll give you two a chance to work out your...issues”. 

Sucking in a breath with the realisation that she couldn’t delay this any longer, she moved her arm up and knocked gently on the door. Taking a step back, she bit her lip as she fiddled with the books in her arms. 

Eventually, she heard footsteps approaching the door and sure enough it flung open, but instead of revealing Billy, a short girl with flaming red hair was standing there. 

“Oh...hi.” *yn* spoke, surprise evident in her voice. “You’re Max aren’t you? Billy’s sister?” She realised, suddenly remembering that she had seen her with Billy a few times in the car.

“He’s not my brother.” Max answered bluntly. “Right of course, sorry. Well...I’m *yn*.” She introduced herself, shooting her a friendly smile which was definitely not returned.

“*yn* *yln*?” Max asked curiously and when *yn* nodded she let out a scoff. “Yeah Billy’s only mentioned you like a thousand times.” Max grumbled which made *yn*’s cheeks flush.

“Actually, is your bro- Billy in?” *yn* asked politely. “Are you going on a date?” Max queried to which *yn* let out an involuntary snort.

“God no, I’m stuck with him on a biology project unfortunately.” *yn* sighed, rolling her eyes at the thought of it. To her surprise, Max let out a small giggle and flashed her a smile for the first time.

“That’s good. You seem nice, Billy doesn’t deserve someone nice.” 

Before she could answer, heavy footsteps could be heard approaching and Max’s smile instantly vanished. “Max I thought I told you not to answer that bloody door until-” Billy cut himself off when his eyes fell on *yn* standing expectantly at the door. She couldn’t help but notice that he’d taken his earring out.

“Beat it.” Billy demanded, sending Max a glare. “Bye Max.” *yn* spoke kindly, but Max didn’t even glance at her before she scurried off towards her room. 

“What did she say to you about me?” Billy asked as *yn* made her way into the small home. “Nothing, she was very nice.” She spoke, her forehead creasing at the way Billy talked about his sister. 

Billy just scoffed and mumbled something under his breath as he lead her to his room and closed the door behind him. *yn* made it her mission to avoid his bed and instead took a seat on the floor. 

“Doll, why don’t you come up here-”

“This project is important to me, Hargrove. We’re here to study and that’s it. If you can’t manage that then I’ll go home and do it by myself, got it?” *yn* snapped firmly before he could even get his flirtatious comment out.

To her surprise, instead of answering with a snarky mark Billy just shut his mouth and moved to sit on the floor. “Fine.” 

“Thank you.” She sighed, already feeling drained from her interactions with him as she opened her book to begin working. 

About twenty minutes passed of the pair silently working before Billy finally spoke. “Why do you even care about school so much?”

There was a pause as *yn* glanced up from her book to see him staring at her intently. “Because my parents want me to get into Harvard Law.” She drawled sarcastically. 

“Is that why they don't let guys ‘round your house?” He asked to which she nodded. “My step dad reckons they’re too much of a distraction. Even guys that are friends because apparently ‘friends’ is just code for having loads of sex.” She answered, her mind immediately flashing back to the memory of her step dad screaming at her for being friends with Steve Harrington.

“You have a step-dad?” 

Before *yn* could even reply the sound of the front door bursting open made them turn their attention away from each other. “Who- Billy are you ok?” She asked when she turned to him to see that his face had visibly paled in fear. 

“Billy! Get your ass out here you faggot!” A deep voice bellowed before Billy could even answer.

It was like Billy was completely frozen as he sat there beside her. *yn* had no idea what to say or do, never in her life had she seen Billy Hargrove like this; scared.

She jumped slightly when the door to his room suddenly burst open revealing a tall man who *yn* could only assume was his father, with his fists balled at his sides. His gaze softened slightly when he realised that Billy had female company.

“Who’s this?” His father asked, turning to his son. 

“I’m *yn* *yln*, Mr Hargrove. I just came over because Billy and I are partners on a biology project. I can leave if-”

“No, no it’s fine. This idiot needs all the help he can get with school and you seem better than the whores he usually brings home.” 

*yn* glanced at Billy to see that the fear had now turned to anger, as he stared furiously back at his father. “Son, I’d like to have a word.” His father continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm and distain. 

The next few moments were some of the most tense that *yn* had ever experienced. She watched Billy and his father eyeball each other until finally Billy caved and rose to his feet. *yn* felt completely helpless as she watched him trudge out of the door, the last thing she saw was his father gripping him by the collar before the door slammed shut.

*yn* sat there, air caught in her throat as she held her breath. The seconds seemed to tick by at a excruciating pace as she waited for something, anything to happen.

Then the yelling started.

She couldn’t quite make out what his father was saying, but she managed to hear something about Billy not taking Max to the arcade and a mixture of insults, most derogatory. Her face screwed up and she involuntarily curled into a ball when she heard a very distinct thump and more shouting.

Maybe she should have done something, interrupt them or maybe even call Hopper, but she was completely frozen. As she sat there on the moth eaten floor, Billy Hargrove suddenly made a lot more sense. The temper, the overly confident attitude and the indulgence in girls. It was all to compensate for the dose of self-loathing that his father injected into him regularly. 

The sound of a door slamming shut made her jerk out of her thoughts and when she looked up a few moments later, Billy was there. The two teenagers stayed in complete silence as he took a seat beside her and opened a book. He was clearly trying to act like nothing had happened. But the way his knuckles were bone white from gripping it so hard, his chest was heaving up and down with sweat coating his tanned skin and the small abrasion now forming on his bottom lip suggested anything but.

“Billy...” She murmured quietly after a few moments.

He said nothing.

She swallowed and moved her hand and placed it gently on top of his, “are you ok?” It was like her words were a gun and had just shot him in the hand as he ripped his hand away from hers.

“Don’t.” He snapped.

“Don’t wha-”

“Don’t give me that fucking sympathy bullshit, *yln*.” He growled. 

“I’m not-”

“Everyone fucking does it, every time they find out they treat me differently. They act like I’m some poor victim, they don’t see me as the Billy Hargrove anymore they see me as some fucking pussy that-”

“I’m not giving you sympathy you dick. You think the way your dad treats you is an excuse for how much of an asshole you are to everyone?” She asked him imploringly. He opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off before he could even get a single syllable out.

“Of course it’s not. But you know what it does? It makes you more human, Billy.  No one can go through what you’re going through and not have scars and issues. Of course you’re going to be angry and of course you’re going to want to act like some big tough guy at school because you feel the exact opposite at home.”

“You don’t know me.” Billy answered, his voice wavering slightly as he stared at her intently. The way his eyes were growing more and more glossy made her gaze and voice soften.

 “I know I don’t.” She murmured gently. “But I do know what it’s like to deal with shitty parents, dads especially.” 

“Your dad hurts you?” He asked, a look of anger crossing his features as his fists once again clenched.

“No.” She shook her head as she leant over to place her hand over his balled fist, and this time he didn’t pull away as he felt himself relax under her touch. “Not physically anyway. But my stepdad controls me, he barely lets me out of the house except for school, keeps me locked away to study. And the way he controls my mum...” She trailed off at the thought of it.

“He doesn't let her parent me, I mean she might let me go out but then he’ll manipulate her to change her mind. You see, he’s good with his words, my stepdad. He knows exactly what to say to make you feel worthless, to feel guilty even though it’s not your fault...” She mumbled as she glanced back at Billy.

“The tattoo? Is that-”

“Cause of my step dad? Yeah.” She nodded as she glanced down at the small dove. “It’s to remind me that one day I’ll be free, be able to go wherever I want whenever I want-”

“Like a bird can.” Billy murmured in realisation. 

“I know it’s not as bad as what you’re going through but-”

“Don’t say that.” He said adamantly. “Our problems may be different, but they still effect you just as much as they effect me.” 

*yn*’s lips parted in surprise at his oddly kind words and she suddenly found herself unable to think of anything to say to him. It was then that her eyes fell on the clock on the wall and she felt her stomach drop.

“Fuck!” She cursed, leaping from her spot to hastily collect her belongings into her arms. “I’m so sorry Billy but I was supposed to be home ten minutes ago and my step dad is gonna kill me and- shit!” She cut herself off to devote all of her attention to grabbing her books. Finally she looked over at Billy as she hastily brushed her hair behind her ear. 

“Again I’m sorry but- just uh- just call me if you need anything ok?” And with that, *yn* was out of the door.

Billy grinned to himself as he lightly rubbed his bruising lip, *yn*’s lingering touch on his hand still filling his body with an unfamiliar buzz. Suddenly his asshole dad didn’t seem so bad.

Would Billy Hargrove still be as big of an asshole if his dad didn’t hurt him? Surely not. Surely his dad has shaped what kind of a person he was...but was he a good person under all those scars? Or was he still an asshole deep down? And more importantly, why did she even care?

These were the questions and thoughts that had been filling *yn*’s brain ever since she’d gotten home from the Hargrove’s. No matter how hard she tried to read her books, or stare up at her fan, she couldn’t get the image of Billy’s pained face out of her head. Or the way his skin felt against hers.....

No! She shook her head and rubbed her eyes as if to scrub the memories out of her mind. What was wrong with her?! She hated Billy Hargrove, he was a totally arrogant and smarmy douchebag. But he was also broken, hurt and always nice to her, plus one of the most attractive humans she had ever laid eyes on....

Letting out a dramatic groan she rolled onto her stomach and buried her head into her pillow. Just as she felt herself nodding off, a tap on the glass window pane made her jerk her head up.

11:53 pm. The digits glared back at her as another tap sounded on her window. She was just about to dismiss it as a bird when yet another noise echoed in the silence. 

Swallowing, she rose from her bed and edged over to the window. 

“You have got to be kidding me.” She mumbled to herself when her eyes fell on none other than Billy Hargrove standing on the grass below her window, a bundle of rocks in his hand.

“Are you out of your mind, Hargrove?” She hissed as she opened the window and poked her head out into the cool night air. “What are you doing here?”

“You said call if I needed anything!” He answered back and she winced slightly at how loud he was talking. 

“Yeah, call. Not show up at my window at 12 in the morning dumbass!” She whispered back.

“You didn't give me your number.” He shrugged before shooting you an innocent smile that a few weeks ago would have made her roll her eyes, but now it made her cheeks flush.

“What do you want? If my stepdad wakes up and sees you-”

“Relax, sweetheart. I’ll be quick. I just wanted to ask you something.”

*yn* sighed as she stared down at him, why couldn’t he just wait till school? Glancing over her shoulder to make sure no footsteps were approaching, she turned back to Billy defeatedly. “Fine, what is it?” Her answer made his grin widen even further before he swallowed and he suddenly went serious, which made her even more nervous.

“I’m just going to ask you this once, if you say no I’ll leave right now and leave you alone forever, I promise.”

“Ok...” *yn* trailed off breathlessly, suddenly finding herself a little short on air.

“Will you go out with me? On a date?” He asked her, a rare look of vulnerability making itself present on his features.

Her lips parted in surprise as she stared down at him. She was completely speechless. All of those questions she asked herself now come flooding back and she realised that she’d have to decide what those answers would be if she was going to give him one.

Her first instinct was to say no.... but did she really want him to leave her alone forever? The thought of him never giving her cheeky remarks that she could roll her eyes at didn’t sit well with her, or never seeing the way he smiled at her when she snapped back....

“Yes.” The word slipped out before she had even realised she’d made her mind up. “Yes, I’ll go out with you. This weekend, because my parents are away. But I swear to god Hargrove, you better not make me regret this.”

Glancing at the clock, *yn* couldn’t help but feel slightly giddy. Thirty minutes. Thirty minutes until that all too familiar blue camaro was going to pull up and Billy Hargrove was going to take her on a date.

Shaking her head, she chuckled to herself at the fact that a month ago she would have laughed at this concept. She had just begun to apply her lipgloss when the phone rung loudly, causing her to smear the pink liquid across her cheek.

Cursing under her breath she rose from the chair and hurried downstairs as the ringing continued. “Hello, *yln* residence.” She spoke politely into the phone as she tried to wipe the lipgloss from her skin.

“Cute greeting, princess. I could totally picture you as a sexy receptionist.” The sound of Billy’s voice made her cheeks flush in embarrassment and she was caught so off guard, she didn’t notice the waver in his tone.

“Billy sorry I-I wasn’t expecting you.” She stuttered ,internally face palming as she did so, oh god pull yourself together *yn*!

“What’s up?” She asked, this time making sure her voice was calm.

There was a pause on the other line and he heard him inhale a breath before speaking. “Listen princess, I’m sorry but I can’t take you out tonight.” 

His words were like a weight, causing her stomach to drop so violently she thought she might be sick. “Oh.” Was all she could think to say as she felt tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. 

Billy clearly picked up on how upset she was and cursed under his breath. “Babe, trust me cancelling was the last thing I wanted to do.” He reassured her, and this time it was *yn* who sensed that he too was on the verge of tears.

“Is everything ok?” She asked quietly.

“Yeah it’s just my-”

“Billy! Get off the phone to that whore and go find your sister!” She heard the familiar voice of his father shouting in the background. 

There was a pause before - “Yes, Sir.” 

“Did you hear that?” Billy questioned softly. Another pause. “Yeah.” *yn* admitted tentatively. “But it’s ok-”

“No, no it’s not *yn*.” Billy cut her off, this time anger evident in his voice. “Listen, I gotta go and find Max. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“Do you want me to help look for-”

“No, I need to do this on my own.” 

Before she could even open her mouth to tell him to be careful, a loud beep rang in her ear.

 The line had gone dead. 

Six days. It had been six days since Billy Hargrove had cancelled on their date. Six days since the pair had even spoken. She wasn’t mad at him, she truly wasn’t. She knew that his dad was a monster and he couldn’t help it if his sister had run away. What she was upset about was that he hadn’t even tried to speak to her since. 

I mean, she hadn’t seen him around school which had her worried too, but wouldn’t a normal person ring their date up and assure them they were ok? Had he changed his mind? Did he even want to go out with her in the first place? Had he found someone else better?

All of these ridiculous questions niggled in the back of *yn*’s mind constantly and now she was getting frustrated at herself for caring so damn much about Billy bloody Hargrove.

These thoughts plagued her as she trudged home from school on Friday afternoon. She’d ended up staying late to talk to her english teacher about their approaching assignment and as a result she’d missed her ride from Steve home. 

The screeching of tires and a rumbling engine made her jump from the side of the road and clutch onto her bag tightly. Her body relaxed slightly when she saw the blue camaro. Heavy rock pumped from the speakers as the car came to a stop in front of her.

“Hey princess, long time no see.” Billy grinned as he rested an arm on the window frame. 

“That’s putting it one way.” She answered, raising a brow as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. 

“C’mon, get in.” He motioned to her. “Where are we going?” She spoke warily.

“You’ll find out, now c’mon move that cute butt of yours.” He insisted.

“But my step dad is expecting me home and-”

“Just tell him you were at the library, we won’t be long. I promise.” He persisted, shooting her a puppy dog look so perfected that she found herself nodding before she could think about it anymore.

“Fine, just as long as we won’t be long.” She agreed as she opened the door and slid onto the leather seat. “There’s the spirit, *yln*.” He grinned, waiting for her to buckle her seatbelt before pressing his foot on the accelerator. 

Thankfully, Billy decided to drive at a relatively normal pace today and soon the pair were making their way out of the town centre. As they drove, *yn* finally had a chance to study Billy’s face properly.

A part of her wish she hadn’t.

An involuntary gasp slipped through her lips as her eyes soaked up the cuts in his eyebrow and lip as well as the yellow and greenish bruising all over his face. “Jesus fucking Christ Billy what the hell happened to-”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” He answered softly. 

A moment of silence passed before *yn* nodded quietly, “ok”. Because really, *yn* already knew what had happened. Neil Hargrove had happened. 

Leaning back in her chair, she glanced out the window before turning back to Billy and smiling. “So now you’ve successfully kidnapped me, where are we going?” She asked him in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Billy chuckled at her response as he took a left turn before glancing at her. “That’s for me to know, and you to find out.” He answered, sending her a wink before leaning down under his chair to grab something.

“Here.” He spoke as he pulled out a blue bandana. “Put this over your eyes.” He instructed as he handed it to her. “Why?”

“Do you trust me?” He asked her, flickering his eyes to her briefly as he extended his arm towards her. 

“Yeah.” She nodded, not missing the happiness that lit up Billy’s features at her answer. “So trust me and put this on!” 

“Fine.” She huffed and tied the bandana around her head so she could no longer see. 

With that, the pair sat in silence and listened to the music playing through Billy’s speakers. *yn* wasn’t sure how long the pair drove, she guessed about 15 minutes before she heard the car roll to a stop. 

“Are we here?” She asked excitedly as Billy’s door opened.

She could hear him laughing as he moved around to her side and opened the door for her. “Yeah, we’re here princess.”

She jumped slightly when she felt his skin against hers, one hand guiding hers and the other settled on her waist to ensure she didn’t fall as he helped her out of the car. She felt her feet hit dirt and wind brushing against her exposed skin, but she still had no clue where they were. 

“So you know how I said I’d make it up to you for bailing on our date?” Billy murmured and she felt her heart hammering when his lips brushed against his left ear as they walked.

“I think I vaguely recall it.”

“Well, I wanted to show you something. I found it on the first weekend I arrived here and ever since then it’s been my place just to relax and escape from all the shit going on around me. So, I wanted you to see it too...” And with that Billy removed the blindfold.

A small gasp escaped *yn*’s lips at the view before her. The two were on a small cliff, overlooking the Hawkins dam. The sun setting caused a beautiful pink tinge to reflect on the rippling water below them, and the sound of a small waterfall could be heard in the distance. 

“Billy... it’s beautiful.” She whispered in disbelief. And she meant it. *yn* had lived her whole life in Hawkins and yet, she had never seen this. 

“I’ve never showed this to anyone before, you know.” He admitted which caused her to turn around to look at him. Once again, there was a look of vulnerability on his features, one that she’d only seen the night he had asked her out. 

“Well, thank you for showing it to me-” *yn* cut herself with a small yelp as her foot slipped on a loose rock and she fell back. Billy reacted quickly, gripping her hips tightly and uprighting her before she could fall flat on her butt. 

“Jesus, always keeping me on my toes aren’t you *yln*?” He chuckled as she laughed breathlessly. “Someone’s gotta, Hargrove.” She smirked back and she couldn’t help the way her heart hammered in her chest when she noticed he was yet to remove his hands from her hips. 

“You’re really beautiful, you know that?” He spoke breathlessly as he studied her face intently, causing her cheeks to turn a deep crimson red. 

“You’re not too bad yourself, but I’m sure you didn’t need me to tell you that.” She replied which made him laugh softly. Their laughter faded as Billy brought a hand up to brush a strand of hair out of her ear.

“I really am sorry for bailing *yn*. I don’t think you understand how excited I was to finally take you out.”

“Billy, you don’t need to apologise, it’s not your fault that-”

Neither *yn* nor Billy ever found out what wasn’t Billy’s fault. Billy’s lips pressed against hers so tenderly it was like he thought she was going to shatter in his arms. Her eyes fluttered closed as she sunk into his hold, her arms wrapping around his neck to pull their bodies closer. 

“Does that help make up for it?” He asked breathlessly against her lips once the two had pulled away. 

“Mmhmm.” She nodded as she smiled at him.

“But I think you’re gonna have to make it up to me just a bit more.”

You leaned forward, bringing your face level with the open passenger door window. Billy rolled his eyes, the smirk never leaving his lips as he brought his eyes to meet yours.

“And how are you getting to school, then? Your car won’t be getting you there any time soon.”

“Steve-” you began, but Billy broke in.

“Harrington’s driving Max’s weird friends to school today.”

You shot the boy a glare, unamused with the interruption. “Then I’ll ride the bus.” Without giving him a chance to respond, you straightened and began walking away, a small grin curving your lips.

“Come on, (L/N), just get in the car. I promise not to touch you!”

A short bark of laughter escaped your lips. “That’s not what I’m worried about, Hargrove!” you called back, still walking. You heard a curse escape his lips, and then the Camaro was moving, drawing up alongside you, keeping pace with your steps.

“Then what is it? Jesus, (L/N), I’m trying to be nice, just get in the damn car.”

That had you laughing even harder. “Well, that’s a shock,” you teased, getting a growl from Billy in response. “Billy Hargrove, trying to be nice! I never thought I’d see the day.”

“(L/N),” he said, and you ceased laughing, though a smile still curved your lips.

“Yes, Billy?”

“Why won’t you get in the car?”

“Because I know how you drive, Hargrove, and I don’t have a death wish. Besides, I might just walk to school today. I love snow!” Arms out, you spun around, face towards the sky. Billy rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as well. You came to a stop facing Billy’s car, the ends of your scarf now untucked from your coat.

“You’ll be late if you walk, (L/N). And you don’t want to ride the bus.”

He had a point.

Sighing, you placed your hand on the door handle. “Fine, Billy, you win. I’ll let you give me a ride to school.” As you opened the passenger door, the cocky smirk came back to Billy’s lips. “Just don’t get me killed, okay? I want to arrive at school in one piece, not even a single scratch,” you warned, sliding into the seat and closing the door.

Billy laughed. “Don’t worry - what’s that?” The laughter stopped, and a strange look crossed his face.

Frowning, you looked around. “What?”

“Your neck.”

Oh. You glanced down. Sure enough, your scarf had slipped, and the edge of a bruise peeked out from under it. “It’s nothing,” you muttered, moving to wrap the scarf more securely around your neck.

“Stop.” He reached over, tugging the scarf aside. Only the slightest bit of the bruising was visible over the collars of both your coat and your sweater, and you silently hoped he would be content with that. He wasn’t, unsurprisingly, and hooked his fingers under the collar of the sweater to move it aside, revealing the finger-shaped bruising across your collarbone and shoulder.

He was silent for a moment, just staring at the marks on your skin, expression unreadable. His hand retracted, falling to his lap; you quickly wrapped the scarf snuggly around your neck, hiding the marks from view.

“Where did you get those?”

His voice sounded strained, and you watched him with concern in your eyes. There was a tightness in his jaw and a darkness in his eyes. Absently, he reached up and rubbed his own shoulder, right where the bruises were on yours.

You could have lied, but what was the point? “They show up sometimes. Nobody hit me or grabbed me, if that’s what you’re thinking,” you added, seeing him tense even more. “I just get random bruises sometimes, you know?”

He knew. Everyone knew - marks on one soulmate’s skin appeared on the other’s as well. Drawings, scars, bruises. Bruises sucked in that both soulmates got to feel the pain from them, which is why many were so careful to avoid them.

The hand on his shoulder clenched slightly, and you watched him wince lightly in pain. Brow furrowed, you reached over and pulled the collar of his shirt to the side just a smidge. The breath rushed from your lungs at the sight of the bruises marring his fair skin. The bruises that were identical to the ones that you carried.

“Oh,” you whispered, mind whirling.

This was a twist.

This was unexpected.

This - well, this explained some things. And raised more than a few questions; but judging by the look on Billy’s face as you slowly drew your hand back to yourself, none of those questions would be answered any time soon. He turned his eyes to the road and started driving, his grip on the steering wheel so tight you were almost afraid it would break. Silence hung heavily over the both of you for the entirety of the drive. You found yourself staring down at your hands, folded in your lap, thoughts flying around in your head like the snow starting to fall again.

The silence was oppressive, stifling; but what could you say? ‘Hey, look, we’re soulmates and I know about every bruise you’ve ever gotten and am super curious about how you got them? Because some of them are pretty concerning and I’m now more than a little worried about what happens with you when you aren’t in school’ was not going to get you anywhere.

But you couldn’t just ignore this, either.

Still, you could find no words. It wasn’t until the Camaro had pulled into the parking lot and was parked that you found your voice. You opened the door and put one foot onto the ground, before pausing and looking back at Billy. He wasn’t looking at you, just staring with great intensity at the steering wheel.

“Billy, I-” you began, voice soft. He shook his head once, grip tightening on the steering wheel. You took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Thanks for the ride, Billy.” With a weak smile, you exited the car and closed the door, gently.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, slowly trudging your way towards the school, fighting the urge to look back. As you reached the doors to the school, you gave in, and allowed yourself to look back at the Camaro. Billy was still sitting inside, and you could have sworn you saw him wiping furiously at his eyes.

It felt intrusive, watching him in such a vulnerable state.

‘How long?’ You asked Seven, he looked confused. ‘A decent -.’ Billy started as you whipped around to him. ‘I don’t need to know the size of your dick.’ You retorted back before Billy could even say it, he smiled cheekily before you turned back to Seven. ‘How far.’ You worded it differently. ‘Averaging nine hundred metres.’ He said, you nodded before lifted up your gun. The others took a step back. ‘Would you be able to hit an apple of my head if I were standing down there?’ You asked him, pointing to the other end of the runway. He looked at it before shaking his head. ‘Too many risks.’ He said, you held up a finger. ‘Not about risks.’ You told him. ‘Three.’ You said, he nodded and took off in the car without you telling him what to do, as you set up your gun. Crouching down you rested the gun on the container, inserting a single bullet you moved your hair to one side removing it from your face as you watched Three get into position, sitting the apple on top of his black hair. ‘When you’re in this job it’s different.’ You started. ‘We don’t think about reacting, we don’t think of the casualties, we are doing this for the greater good.’ You explained, moving as you lined up the sight. ‘But the wind.’ He pointed out, your eyes flickered up to him. ‘The wind is your friend.’ You said, letting out a breath you held it, before pulling the trigger and the loud pop echoed before the apple exploded into pieces above Three’s head. ‘When they go into the buildings.’ You motioned to the team, ‘We are the back up, we protect them from whatever is coming.’ ‘If you have to shot a person to get to the bad guy, do it.’ You told him, handing the gun back over to him. ‘Now shot the apple off my head.’ You said, taking off in a run down the landing strip.

‘Seven, you and Y/N/N go up high, get an advantage and watch us.’ One said, you saluted him before climbing out the car, Seven following you as you quickly jogged to the darkened side of the building and started climbing up the fire escape, your guns hitting you backs as you climbed them before reaching the top. ‘You know, if I wasn’t here on a mission, I’d watch the sunset.’ You told him, he hummed before you both dropped your weapons and brung out the small bag that had the yoga mats you used to lies on. ‘Did anyone attend your funeral?’ Seven asked you, you looked at him before shaking your head. ‘Nope.’ You said, setting the your gun up. ‘Don’t be, I didn’t have much family anyway and that I did have didn’t talk to me.’ You said, getting into a plank position before lowering yourself onto your stomach, resting the gun against your shoulder. ‘Can I ask how you died?’ He asked you, you shrugged your shoulder. ‘You can, doesn’t mean I’ll answer you.’ You replied, sending him a smile that he saw around the scope of the rifle. ‘I died by being blown up.’ You said, he looked shocked. ‘How did One pull that off?’ ‘See I was the hero in my past life, running into the buildings to save others before thinking about myself.’ You said, ‘Two men on the left stairs.’ Side tracking from the current conversation. ‘Three on the right.’ Seven told them. ‘I ran into a building that smelt like gas because I heard an elderly man crying out, then boom.’ You said, pulling the trigger as the bullet cut through the glass and took out one of the men as the others appeared at the stairs. Seven took one out himself, the others moved through them quickly. ‘I died a hero.’ You told him scoffing. ‘And the elderly man?’ He asked you, you pulled the trigger again, successfully killing a woman as she tried to sneak up on four. ‘A voice recording.’ You informed him.

‘You coming?’ You asked, you had successfully completed the mission and now you were going out to have a couple of drinks, and some food whilst spending time with your friends. ‘Is Blaine going to be there?’ He asked you, you turned and looked at him your head tilted to the side. ‘I don’t know, probably why?’ You asked him, he huffed and shrugged his shoulders as he played with his phone, probably looking through Spotify. ‘Are you jealous?’ You asked him, he had only acted like this once when you were undercover for a mission, but it hadn’t crossed your mind until now. ‘No.’ He mumbled, you smiled but bite your lip stopping it spreading any further. ‘Oh god you are.’ You said, laughing slightly as you took a seat across from him. You took his hand in yours as his brows were drawn together, almost touching in the middle. ‘You know you can tell me, I won’t make fun of you.’ You told him, placing a hand on his thigh giving it a tight squeeze. ‘You’re making fun of me just now.’ He said, looking at you, you shook your head. ‘Okay, I’ll make fun of you for a little bit.’ You said, holding your fingers close together, he smirked and shook his head. ‘I don’t like that your spending all your time with Blaine, and not me.’ He admitted to you. ‘Selfish much?’ You asked, he knocked your shoulder with his. ‘Is there a specific reason you don’t like it?’ You asked him, he slowly nodded. ‘I like you, a lot, and I don’t want him taking my girl.’ He said, his grip tightening around yours and you smiled. ‘Well you see, there’s a problem, I have a thing for a blonde.’ You told him, his eyes widened slightly. ‘Two?’ He asked, teasing you. You scoffed and shook your head. ‘No, double it.’ You said, he looked confused before realisation kicked in. ‘You like me?’ He asked, you smiled and nodded as you stared at each other for a while. ‘Go on a date with me?’ He asked suddenly, you smiled wider and nodded. ‘Of course, tell me when and where.’ You said, he thought about it. ‘My hut, tonight and bring all your snacks.’ He said, you nodded and squeezed his hand. ‘It’s a date then.’ You said, he smiled and leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“Oh yeah, her and her husband are the sweetest to me.” You told him while motioning for him to remove his glasses, he was only a little bit taller than you actually, and thankfully he was leaning so it was easier. The bruise was more on the outer of his eye so you didn’t need to apply any powder on his actual eyelid. Seeing as he has probably never worn make up by the face he was giving you when you were setting his face. “Okay, all done, looks good too!” You told him before moving back, putting your stuff back into your bag.

He motioned over to your mirror and checked himself out, giving you time to scan the area, there wasn't a lot of people up, since the store isn’t on the main road there wasn't a lot of people driving back and forth, you looked over into his car, seen a little redhead sitting straight but her eyes were closed. “Who’s the kiddo?” You asked him while he was straightening up. 

Following your gaze, “Oh, that’s my step sister, Max.” Which explains why they actually look nothing alike from what you noticed from last night and this morning being up and close with Billy. “You should be going home and getting some sleep right?” He asked concerned. You only nodded, yeah home. Your home is in your car, but he doesn’t need to know that. 

“Oh yeah totally, and you should be getting your butt to school right?” You spoke almost as if you had known him your whole life. It was a weird euphoria, the only time you ever witnessed it was when you first met Anne and Kory back when you were a teenager.

He smirked and nodded, agreeing, looking over at his car, the little redhead poked her head out of the window, giving him a look. Probably referring to, “Bitch I’m bored hurry the fuck up.” But you’d just assumed by the way her facial expression on her was. 

“Halloween is coming up, you got any plans?” He said, turning to look at you, his back facing Max, so you couldn’t see her and she couldn’t see you. He flashed a world famous smile. 

“Working I believe, but maybe you can come by and I’ll give you some free candy.” You returned a similar smile, but yours was far less famous and more broken. 

Leaning on your car you exchanged goodbye’s and you waved to the kid in his passenger seat, she sort of just gave you a look and an awkward wave. Soon enough Billy was pulling out of the driveway and you were doing the same, but instead pulling into the back of the store’s parking where no one goes.

In the car on the way to the school, Max had her skateboard tucked between her legs and her backpack on the floor of the vehicle. “Who’s your new girlfriend?” She started, knowing very well they have only been here for a few days and it’s insane that her step brother already has a girlfriend, but she wasn’t surprised at least, he had his ways.

“Not my girlfriend, and stay out of my business, brat.” He huffed, before cursing and turning up the volume to his car before pulling into the parking lot of the schools. Both of them exiting the vehicle, Max went her separate way, Billy of course noticed the gaze and attention he brought from his car, the sound and well of course him. He knew he was good looking, and he was confident in it. 

Or, at least, he tried.

Billy had not counted on your being so very persistent. The two of you only shared a few classes (in which he finangled everything to make sure the both of you sat nowhere near each other), but somehow he was seeing you everywhere. After every single one of his classes, you were there, outside the door, ready to engage him in conversation. He found notes slipped into his locker, tucked into his books, asking him to meet you at lunch, after school.

But as persistent as you were, it was surprisingly easy to avoid your attempts at conversation. Obviously you didn’t want to pry, no matter how concerned you were about him; and so it wasn’t difficult to deflect you.

“Billy, I was wondering if -”

“No time to talk, (L/N), I’ll be late for practice.” He tossed a wink and strode off.

“Hey, Hargrove, are you -”

“Late to class, (L/N), talk to you later.”

“...no you won’t....”

“I had a question, Billy.”

“I don’t have an answer.” Cheeky grin.

You frowned, a frustrated sigh slipping past your lips; but it didn’t stop Billy from walking away.

In some ways, the ease with which he was able to turn you away was comforting. But at the same time, it made him feel just a little more lonely. Especially when it became clear to you that he wasn’t going to talk. You still tried to talk to him, but the frequency changed. Instead of finding him after every class, it became every other class, and then once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and then once a day. The concern never left your eyes, and he still found notes in his locker every once in awhile.

He didn’t get any new bruises. And neither did you.

And that was a good thing - but he felt lonelier than ever.

Two weeks after that day in his car, something changed. Billy noticed while he was getting dressed that morning - there, just above the crook of his elbow, was a few words written in little purple letters. I know you don’t want to talk about it. You don’t have to. Just know that I’m here, if you want me.

You hadn’t given up.

A small flame of hope flared up in him, filling him with an unfamiliar warmth for a few moments, before he tamped it down. Hope was an exercise in futility, as life had already taught him. He’d hoped things would change when his father married Max’s mom. He’d hoped things would change when they’d moved to Hawkins. He’d hoped things would change his entire life, and they never had. This was no different.

Though it was hard to convince himself of that while staring at your words on his skin. He put on a long-sleeved shirt.

When he stepped out of his car that morning, he found you standing next to his car, arms crossed over your chest, your scarf wrapped loosely around your neck. Thankfully, the bruises from that day had faded already, and there was nothing for you to hide.

Before Billy could make an excuse and run off, you took a small step forward. “We don’t have to talk about that right now, Hargrove, but we do need to talk,” you said, a sternness in your voice. Billy tensed, something you didn’t fail to notice. You let your arms fall to your sides, tucking your hands securely into your pockets, posture relaxing.

“What do you want, (L/N)?” His words were almost a growl, but that didn’t stop the tiniest smile from creeping onto your lips.

“Well, first off, I’d like you to start calling me by my first name. This isn’t the Victorian Era, Billy. There’s no need for such formalities.” The cheeky smile on your face was exceedingly familiar, the echo of the one he often gave to the world.

Billy rolled his eyes, feeling the tension lift from his shoulders. “Any other demands, (Y/N)?”

“Yeah. My car broke down again and I hate riding the bus. And as my soulmate and someone who has been rudely ignoring me for the past few weeks, I think it’s only right that you drive me to school.” You smiled a thousand-watt smile at him.

He could feel the cocky smirk taking form on his face. “I thought you didn’t want to get in my car, (Y/N)? Something about not having a death wish?” The little pout you made at him throwing your words back at you pulled a chuckle from his throat.

“Yeah, well, I’ve been freezing my ass off for the past couple days walking to school, and I’m sick of it.”

“I know of a way we could warm your ass up.”

You blanched at the way he wiggled his tongue at you, which only made his smirk grow. “I thought you promised to keep your hands to yourself, Hargrove.”

“But we’re soulmates,” he teased, and you threw up your hands in exasperation. “And you said you weren’t worried about that.”

“Apparently I said a lot of things,” you grumbled, but there was a smile on your face. “I’m going to go into school now, so I’m not late for class, but you’d better be out here to give me a ride home this afternoon.”

“The deal was only for me to drive you to school, not back home.”

“Bite me,” you called, already walking away. Billy laughed.

“With pleasure!” he yelled back, earning a groan from your retreating figure. He knew you weren’t really upset, just like you both knew he would be waiting for you at the end of the day. Just like he knew things really could change this time.