Harringrove Ao3 Favorites Part 2

Wax Off

Triggers/Warnings: Anxiety (kinda)

Author: flippyspoon

Author's Summary: Billy is late to dates all the time. He has his reasons.

"Shit."

Billy bounced on his toes and squeezed his eyes shut.

He had a date with Steve. He was on his way to Steve's house but he'd pulled over into the woods about a mile from Loch Nora because his hands were shaking and his heart was pounding.

It wasn't a "panic thing." Steve said he sometimes got "panic things." It wasn't that. At first Billy thought it was except that he hadn't felt exactly panicked other times when it had happened. He'd felt...happy and giddy and also nervous and also other emotions that didn't quite have names. Now he was pacing on the side of the road, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, as he rubbed his hands and shook them out again.

"Get it together," he mumbled around his smoke. "Fuck."

This kept happening on the way to see Steve and he couldn't stand to see Steve when he felt like this except that Steve himself seemed to be the cause. He had to calm himself down every time, which could take a while. He kept running very late for dates or for desperate bouts of sex in Steve's room. It kept pissing Steve off too but Billy countered with charm and okay, he also acted like Steve was being kind of a pussy for caring Billy was late. A very weak voice in his head told him that was a dick move. He didn't know what else to do.

"Fuck shit fuck," Billy muttered. All he could think about was how cute Steve had been in English class that day. Billy had actually been paying attention because English was his favorite class but Steve had no patience for it at all. He kept doodling little cartoons of an angry little Billy increasingly surrounded by hearts and then crumbling them up and tossing them over to Billy's desk.

It was so goddamn cheesy but it made Billy have to cover his mouth with his fist, twisting his hand around, trying to swallow his smile. Plus Steve was wearing this sky blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looked so pretty in blue and the sleeves were cuffed tight around his biceps. Billy had wanted to bite them.

Now his heart was pounding. He was nervous.

"This is so stupid," Billy said, stomping on his cigarette. "Dammit."

He ended up arriving horribly late but he was calm, that was the important thing. If he let Steve see him all rattled and fucked up, he'd say something stupid, he was sure of it. He'd act like a completely love-struck doofus. He couldn't have that. Billy Hargrove was not a goddamn doofus.

He checked his hair in the window next to Steve's front door and knocked.

And waited.

And knocked.

"Ugh. Goddammit-"

The door opened in a rush of cool air and Steve was standing there...glaring.

"Oh," Steve said in a monotone, eyes narrowed. "Look who showed up."

"Hey." Billy smiled, all charm. Steve was still wearing that shirt and he'd fixed his hair up fresh for the evening. He looked gorgeous but Billy felt cool now and he leaned in the door and bit his lip, eying Steve up and down. "How's it going, babe?"

"What do you care?" Steve bit out. "It's almost eight and you were supposed to be here at fucking six-thirty-"

"Yeah, I know but Christ, Steve-"

"We made a date for six-thirty," Steve said. "I know, because I said it about ten times-"

"Babe, c'mon-"