billy hargrove | heaven-sent | one-shot
masterlist | series masterlist | request | ko-fi
warnings: kidnapping, trauma! at hawkins lab, violence w/ guns (but no shooting), angst, comfort, strong language, superhuman oc, bad plot probably, set between seasons two and three
prompt: Hi I was wondering if you could write a Billy Hargrove x reader. She has powers like 11 and know each other. One day he sees her handcuffed and led by some men to a van and she has some bruises on her arm so he goes after her.
â I adjusted this because it fit too well with my heaven-sent series to not turn into a fran x billy heaven-sent one-shot. hope that's okay!
Billy changed the route of his daily morning jog around the same time that he and Fran becameâŚwhatever it is they are. Whatever that aching knot in the very pits of his belly means. The first day, he pretended as though he hadnât gone out of his way to run by the trailer on the edge of the lake. The second, she caught him and offered him coffee. Now, itâs pancakes or cereal or whatever she has on offer that day, and he can never say no. Not to her.Â
But somethingâs wrong today. In front of the trailer sit three white vans. Not her fatherâs, the chiefâs. JustâŚplain, ominous white vans. He slows and yanks off his headphones, sweat dripping down his neck. And then the trailer door swings open, and his heart sinks into his stomach. Fran is being pulled along by a group of neatly dressed men, and her eyesâŚgolden. Round. Filled with fear that canât mean anything good.Â
âHey!â he shouts, but when they spot him, the men only urge her toward the vans quicker. Fran stumbles and strains to get a look at him, and only then does he realise sheâs handcuffed. âFran. What the hellâs going on?â
One of the men holds him back like sheâs some sort of celebrity. Or prisoner.Â
And a part of him already knows, then, or at least can guess what these people would want with Fran. With his Fran. Sheâs shuddering just like she always does when an episode happens, a speck of blood beneath her nostrils. They know about her powers. Theyâre trying to take her away.Â
âCall my dad, Billy,â she begs.Â
âIâm afraid Hawkins' chief of police wonât be able to do much this time,â the man yanking her forward drawls. As though heâs enjoying it. It makes Billy sick.Â
âNo. No way. Youâre not taking her.â He shoves the human barrier aside and runs for the car, but his arms are pulled back and there are more of them restraining him now.Â
And then a cold piece of metal presses against his head. A gun. He stops writhing, his blood going cold.Â
âLet her go.â All he can do is beg, fear a shivering fist around his gut. âYouâve got it wrong. You canât take her.â
âJust call my dad, Billy,â Fran pleads again, and then her head is lowered and sheâs pushed into the back of the van. The last thing he sees before the doors close is that terror contorting her features, and those gold eyes, and the pain he knows she feels when it happens.Â
A lump forms in Billyâs throat, hatred curling his upper lip, but he doesnât dare move. What good would he be to her if his brains are splattered across her driveway? Sheâs right. He needs to get Hopper. âLet her go,â he grounds out anyway. âThereâs a mistake here.â
âYou wonât tell anybody about this.â The gunman clicks the safety off just to give his message loud and clear. If Billy talks, he dies. âBilly Hargrove, isnât it? Howâs your sister, Maxine?â
That, he hadnât expected. They know who he is. Know about Max. Probably know where he lives. Jesus. How long have they been watching Fran? To what fucking end?
He canât even think about that. If he gets angry, heâll do something stupid like get them both killed, and he canât let that happen. She needs him strong, steady, something Billy Hargrove has never felt before and certainly doesnât feel now.
But heâll do his damn best for her.Â
âI wonât tell anybody,â he whispers.Â
âNot even the chief.â The gunmanâs finger hovers over the trigger.
Billy shakes his head, defeated. âNot even the chief.â
âGood.â He slaps Billyâs back, the group dispersing back towards the vans. âGlad we could clear that up. You forget about all of this and you wonât have to worry.â
He climbs into the van and slams the door, cool gaze still fixed on Billy. They drive off, leaving Billy in the dust. He watches the van with Fran inside, his lower lip trembling. What the fuck does he do now?
He shakes. For the rest of the day, he shakes like a fucking leaf. He goes to school because he knows heâs being watched. Pretends everything is normal; like Fran isnât gone. He tries not to think about what they might do to her. Sheâs not normal, maybe not even human, and he realises somewhere along the line that he was wrong. He has seen those vans before, the night that Fran and him found Hopper underground. Those vine things alive, curled around him.Â
He needs Hopper, and much as he hates it, he does the only thing he can think of. Gets the policeâs attention.
If those damn freaks knew anything about him, theyâd know heâs had a few run-ins with the law. So he skips fifth period and speeds around town until those damn lights follow him. Callahan takes him into the station as predicted with a smarmy, âNo girlfriend to bail you out this time?â
Billy grits his teeth, remembering the first time Fran bailed him out for drunk driving. They take care of each other. Itâs what they do. And it kills him that, this time, he doesn't know how.Â
âChief around?â he mumbles after heâs been questioned and left with a strike in his license.Â
âOn his lunch break,â Callahan replies.Â
Great. Fuck knows how long that could last. He leans back in his seat, knee bouncing as he tips his head and blows out a long, ragged breath.Â
âDonât think heâll be too impressed to find you here again. You wanna date the chief's daughter, you better stop being a delinquent.âÂ
He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. âI need to talk to him. Can you call him in?â
âNo need. Youâre all done here, as long as you pay the fine in the next two weeks. Another strike on your license, and itâs gone. You hear me?â
Thankfully, the station door opens and a heavy-footed Hopper struts in, a box of donuts in his hand and a bear claw in his mouth. Both are left on Floâs desk when he catches sight of Billy. âAre you kidding me?â
âI need to talk to you in your office.â
âOh, youâre gonna.â He glares and yanks Billy up by the collar, causing him to scowl. âJesus Christ, what the hell does Fran see in you? What are you in for now?â
âSpeeding,â Callahan supplies.
Another grumble as Hopper shoves him into his office. Billy waits until the door is closed, and then all his pent-up worry finally pours out of him. âFranâs gone. Sheâs gone, chief, and I donât know what to do. I donât know what to fucking d ââ
âWoah, woah. Slow down. Franâs gone where?âÂ
âThey took her.â His voice rises with panic, no matter how badly he tries to keep quiet. âThose guys in the white vans. The ones who were there that nightâŚthey took her. Said if I told anyone, Iâd be dead and made it pretty damn clear the rest of my family would be, too. I wanted to go after her, but there were too many. There were too goddamn many.â
Hopperâs features turn grave in an instant. âWhen was this?â
âThis morning. Around eight.â
His knuckles whiten, hands curling into fists. âYou should have come to me sooner.â
âTheyâre watching me. What the hell was I supposed to do? They threatened my goddamn sister.â
Hopper pinches the bridge of his nose. âAlright. Youâre right. We have to be careful about this.â
âBut we can get her back, right? You know where theyâd take her?â
âI have an idea, yeah.â
Billy blows out a breath of relief, still trembling all over. âSo letâs go. Now.â
âWe canât just waltz in. We need a plan. I needâŚJesus, I need to call Joyce. She can get us in, Iâm sure.â
He knows nothing about Joyceâs place in all this, but any plan is better than playing sitting ducks. He runs a hand over his mouth, exhausted and desperate to get Fran back. âDo you thinkâŚwould they hurt her?â
Hopper purses his lips as though he canât bear to answer. Finally, his brows lower and he heads to the telephone on the desk. âNo. They wonât hurt her. We wonât let them.â
Billy wants so badly to believe it.
An hour later, theyâre at the gate of Hawkins Lab, Joyce and Hopper in the front seats. After a lengthy argument about Billyâs role in it all, heâs hiding on the floor of the back seat while they attempt to convince the guard that itâs urgent. Something about Will. A flashlight flits around the car and then the gates buzz. Theyâre in.
âYou stay in the car,â Hopper rattles for the tenth time. âIf they see you, theyâll know whatâs going on.â
âRight, and they wouldnât suspect you,â Billy retorts.
âThey think they can control me. I let them think that. But youâre a livewire and you have no idea what weâre walking into here.â
âBecause nobody tells me a damn thing.â
âThank your lucky stars for it, kid. You donât want to know. Trust me.â
âJust like Fran didnât want to know?â Itâs a low blow, especially now, but Billy is pissed off and he knows how badly it hurt Fran when she found out she was adopted. Sheâd come from the lab and hadnât known it. Hadnât known she was gifted at all until recently. She deserved better than that. She deserved the truth.Â
âIâm not arguing with you, Hargrove.â Hopper pops a cigarette in his mouth before ordering, âJust stay in the damn car.â
Joyce and Hopper get out, and Billy waits all of five minutes before impatience gets the better of him. He peers out of the window on all sides before sneaking out, weaving between the parked cars and behind the back of the building. Hopper is taking the long route, but Billy just needs Fran back. Now. He canât sit by and wait and hope a small-town police chief and Joyce Byers can take on the group he saw this morning. No fucking way.
Thatâs why, when a guy dressed in a lab coat comes out of the back entrance by the dumpster, Billy wastes no time in knocking him out. Neil might be a piece of shit, but heâs taught him how to throw a decent punch. The scientist goes straight down, and Billy catches the door with his foot before it closes, bending over to yank off the coat. He finds a key card in the pocket and slips the coat on, licking his palm and slicking back his curls in the hopes it might make him look less like a Brat Pack teenager and more like a kidnapping, experimenting piece of shit.Â
The lab is bigger on the inside. He takes the stairwell in the corner of the building where heâs less likely to be spotted, finding a list signposted on each floor. He has no idea where Fran might be, until heâs breathless and finds the word subjects listed under the sixth level. He canât even think about what it might mean, only that itâs the closest heâs come to feeling Fran since she was taken. So he smooths down his shirt, takes a deep breath, and steps into the corridor.Â
Itâs grey-walled, with sad excuses for rainbows painted along every edge of it as though this could be anything but hell. He peers through each door and finds empty rooms â until the end one. There Fran is, curled on her side with her back to him. His heart leaps into his throat and he uses the key card to get in.Â
Sheâs trembling, and he isnât sure sheâs even heard him at first. Not until she murmurs, âGo away. Go away. Go away.â
âFran, angel.â He walks cautiously towards her, crouching but not daring to touch her yet. âItâs me. Itâs Billy. Look at me.â
She stiffens finally and turns around, sitting up. Sheâs pale, bandaids on her elbows as though sheâs had blood tests or IV drips inserted into her. Anger swirls in him. If theyâve used her as some damn lab-ratâŚ
There are bruises, too. From the way they manhandled her, maybe. He hopes thatâs all itâs from. If someone hurt her, he isnât sure what heâll do.Â
âBilly,â she whispers, her eyes becoming glossy as she wraps her arms around him. âOh my god. Billy.â
âIâm here.â He tucks a curl behind her ear gently. âWhat did they do to you? What did they do, Fran? I swear to god, if they hurt you ââ
âTests. They did tests.â Her voice wobbles, so far removed from her usual cockiness and wit. It breaks his heart right down the middle. âIâve been here before. I rememberâŚâ
âLetâs get you home, okay? You can tell me everything when I get you home.â
She nods, her chin wobbling. âIâm scared, Billy.â
âYou donât need to be scared. Iâm here.â
She places a hand on his chest as though she canât quite believe it, and his fingers curl around her elbows to help her up. Her legs are wobbly, eyes glazed.Â
And then the alarms go off.Â
âWe need to go. They know weâre here.â He pulls her into him and they set off into a staggering run back down the blaring corridor. Sheâs barefoot, unsteady, but sheâs in his arms and thatâs all he can focus on. Footfalls echo behind him and he knows theyâre close. Breathless sobs leave her as they skip down the stairs two at a time, back the way they came. He realises at the last minute that it isnât a good idea and pulls her into the next corridor to take another flight of stairs. Somebody will have found the guy he knocked out by now and he canât afford to run into whoever it was.Â
The lab gets busier the further down they get â but then Hopper and Joyce are there on the ground floor, relief written across their faces.Â
âGo!â Billy yells, urging them all out. They do, Hopper sprinting to the car ahead of them so he can unlock it. People are running onto the parking lot now â scientists, guards, people in suits like the ones from this morning, but they donât know where the threat is, still bewildered, and it gives them the chance to get out.Â
Only the gates are closing. Billy pulls Fran into the backseat and Joyce collapse into the passenger. They donât have time to fasten their seatbelts before theyâre speeding away, and just in time before the gates close.Â
Billy chokes on his relief and focuses on Fran. Still pale, still shaking, still not her. âWeâre going home now. Weâre getting you home, okay? Youâre safe.â
She shakes her head at the same time Hopper replies, ââFraid not. We need to get out of Hawkins. Are you okay sweetheart?â
âYeah.â Itâs an uncertain whisper.Â
âI left you on your own too damn much,â he mumbles. âShouldâve been there.â
âYeah,â she repeats. Sheâs clutching Billyâs hand so tightly his skin is turning white, but he doesnât care. Heâs needed this all day. He canât put into words just how much he's needed it. Heâs alone in the world without her, floating in an abyss, and he needs her. He needs her so damn much he aches.Â
He smooths down one of her knotted curls, his finger trailing down her cheek, her jaw. She gulps and closes her eyes, nestling into his chest.Â
âThe two of you need to stay out of sight until weâre out of town,â Hopper says. âGet down.â
They do, cuddling up on the cab floor together. Billy canât bring himself to let go. âScared me so damn much, angel. Jesus.â He can still feel it pressing into him, that fear.
âIâm never going to be normal,â she replies, her voice cracking. âIâm never going to be me again.â
âYouâre always gonna be you.â He squeezes her hand. He wants to rip the hospital gown off. Itâs too harsh a reminder of what sheâs faced. What he couldnât save her from. âAnd Iâm always gonna be here to make sure you remember it.â
Her eyes fall shut finally, and heâs never seen her look this small, this young. He wishes he could help her. Wishes there was a quick fix. But Fran will never need fixing. She just needs to be set free, and the world wonât let her.Â
âMy fuckinâ angel, huh?â he murmurs, dragging his knuckle against her cheek again. âAlways my angel.â
And heâd happily be her devil if she let him. Heâd be anything for her. The fucking halo on her head. He doesnât care as long as heâs hers.Â
âYou shouldnât be mixed up in this,â she says.
âToo bad,â he replies without missing a beat. ââCos Iâm here, and Iâm not going anywhere. Itâs you and me.â
She cups his jaw finally, resting her forehead against his chin. âThank you for getting me out.â
âI was never gonna leave you, Fran. Never.â He kisses her forehead and then cradles her head against his shoulder, snuggling in this cramped, unknown space while the engine whirs beneath them. And heâs still terrified, but heâs not floating untethered anymore. Sheâs here, and it has to be enough until they figure out what comes next.Â
âNever,â he repeats, just to be sure she knows it.