stranger things imagines {slow updates}

𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟔

YOU STORMED TOWARD BILLY, WHO WAS LEANING AGAINST HIS CAR WIDE EYED.

"you are such a fucking asshole," you hissed, shoving him as soon as you got close enough. you already heard murmurs around you, as everyone was drawn to your sudden shout.

"what the hell are you on about?" billy refuted, getting in your face, and before you could say a thing, you felt a warm hand on your arm.

"don't get so close to her, dickhead." you turned to see steve, who was glaring at billy with such intensity that you were waiting for fire to shoot out of his eyes. billy stared back with matching anger, but beneath it you could see some hurt.

"that's right. you need your boyfriend to protect you. why don't we see how strong your boyfriend really is?" billy taunted, eyes darting between you and steve. you felt steve tense up behind you, but you held him back.

"billy, i don't want you to fucking fight steve. i just want to know why you think it's okay to lie to everyone. why in the hell did you tell everyone we were together?"

billy's tough expression faltered a bit, and his lips remained slightly parted, as he didn't know how to respond. you connected the pieces slowly - he must've gotten drunk at the party, and blurted it out. did he even remember doing it?

"you did what?" steve sneered, pushing against the arm you were using as a barrier between the two boys. you could sense the anger emanating from steve increase quickly, and you needed some way to diffuse the situation.

"what do you care? you guys ain't together. sorry to break it to you, harrington, but i was and always be first.

the exact opposite of what you needed.

steve was okay until he heard that. he swung his fist suddenly at billy, and it connected with his jaw in almost a cartoonish way.

the crowd gasped as billy stumbled backwards, clutching his injury as he wobbled. with a fury burning in his eyes, billy ran for steve, knocking him to the ground. you jumped as you were almost caught in the crossfire, but max, who was standing in a front-row view, pulled you away.

"goddamnit! get off of him, billy!" you screamed, attempting to yank him off of steve. he shoved you to the ground with one swift movement, causing you to tumble to the gravel. you scraped your cheek against the rocks and yelped in pain.

"don't fucking touch her!"

soon, steve was on top of billy, letting loose on him with such animosity that you were almost frightened. four boys from the crowd ran in once they realized steve was definitely not going to stop, and they yanked the two boys away from each other.

"you're gonna fucking regret that, harrington! i'm not afraid to get dirty," billy threatened, struggling against their grip. steve spat crudely at billy's feet and snarled.

"i'm not afraid of you, billy. touch y/n again, and i'll fucking kill you!"

and all you could do was gawk at the scene, unsure of what to feel, what to do. here it was, the thing that only happened in movies; two boys fighting over the girl. you never imagined it could be this violent - billy with a crooked nose and a bruised cheek, and steve with a busted lip and a black eye.

billy successfully wiggled out the two boys' grip, but didn't attack steve any longer. he simply stalked toward his car, the crowd immediately parting in fear of being his next target. as soon as billy took off, everyone dispersed, the fight no doubt being the topic of every whisper.

•••

"sit still."

steve squirmed underneath your touch, but you gave him a sharp look and he toughened up, closing his eyes as you pressed the alcohol swab to his cuts and bruises.

"you really didn't have to do that," you whispered, avoiding eye contact. steve shrugged, but reached his hand up to trail the scratch on your cheekbone.

"he hurt you. i don't like to see girls get hurt by guys. it's one of my ticks," he explained, his voice staying calm as he used his thumb to touch the cut lightly.

"okay, but you're hurt now. i feel kinda bad," you admitted, pausing your first aid and giving steve a sympathetic look. he smiled softly and stopped touching your scratch, moving to caressing your cheek.

"don't feel bad. i've wanted to beat him up for a long time, and you just gave me an excuse." you managed a small smile, and before you knew it, steve was kissing you. it was soft and gentle, like the embrace of an angel. it filled you with warmth and you felt as if you were floating.

"you really are something special, harrington," you whispered, your hand snaked around the back of his neck. his eyes flitted around your face before he leaned in for another kiss, not bothering with words.

"and the same to you, y/n. you're the best thing to happen to me in a long time."

you continued to wipe steve's cuts, only now you had an irremovable grin painted neatly across your face.

in that moment, you realized you were over billy.

••

you lied awake in bed, absentmindedly running your finger over your bandaged cut. you felt steve's phantom fingers caressing your face, and you smiled at the touch, staring up at the black ceiling.

suddenly, you jolted up at three small taps on your window. you grabbed the nearest heavy item and tip-toed toward the sound, taking increasingly fast breaths as your heartbeat sped up.

you felt a surge of relief, and then shock, when you noticed it was billy sitting on your open window sill. it was dark, but you could see half his face illuminated in the moonlight - it was glistening with either sweat or tears, you couldn't tell.

"what the hell are you..." you trailed off, placing the item to the side as billy fully entered your room. you could tell, now, that it was tears that made his face shine. you just couldn't be mad when billy cried like this, especially when you noticed that the bruises on his face weren't just from earlier.

with a sigh, you caved in to your inner sympathy. "sit on the bed. i'm getting you an ice pack," you said, keeping your voice quiet so you wouldn't wake up your mother. you couldn't believe you were welcoming him into your home, even after everything that happened between you. however, no matter how much you told yourself that you hated billy, years of friendship and secret love couldn't be tossed away in a few days.

you began to walk out of the room, but you stopped when you felt billy's clammy hand reach out for yours. you turned back to him to see his eyes glazing over as a few drops of blood leaked out of his nose.

"please. stay," he whispered, voice cracking. you couldn't resist - no matter what billy did, he would always have a special place in your heart.

so, with a sort of ache within your heart, you climbed into bed, patting the spot beside you. billy slipped off his jacket and shoes, lying in the bed next to you. you reached out to stroke his face, just as he started to cry.

"i'm so, so sorry, y/n. it's bad. it's real, real bad. and so i am," he sobbed, crawling closer to you. you let him cry into your shoulder, fighting some tears yourself.

"you aren't bad. you've just done some bad things, billy. i know you, and you're a great guy. who was the one who beat up gary for standing me up? who spoke up for me in school? you did, billy. you just have to remember who you are."

in that moment, you silently forgave him, though you hoped he knew it without you saying.

billy clung onto you for dear life, and you could tell that while he cried, he got the message.