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Who: Billy Hargrove

driving & Steve Harrington

acidwashjeans
What: A trip to the beach.
When: Early March
Where: The Great Sleep

Content Warnings: Likely discussion of parental troubles/abandonment/abuse

[ It doesn't take them long to find the beach. Billy's got a short supply of happy memories to pull from, and most of them took place right there.

This one's not about his mom. Instead, it's a memory of a large crowd: people throwing a beach ball around in the water, playing volleyball in the sand, building sandcastles and knocking them down...and at the center of it all, there's Billy doing a keg stand surrounded by a cheering crowd. He only looks a bit younger than he was when he first came to Hawkins. This was the last party he went to in California, this was who he was there.

King Billy.

The memory fades, leaving the two boys alone on the beach. Much to his surprise, the memory doesn't fill him with longing for his old life as a big shot in a big city. He's got something better now. He's got Steve Harrington. ]

See, I told you I was hot shit back in San Diego. [ He kicks off his shoes and socks and enjoys the feeling of the warm sand between his toes. Last time he was here with Steve, he didn't het to enjoy it properly. Now he was going to fix that. ]

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[ Steve's eyes go straight to Billy, doing what he'd done best in Hawkins.

But he's also draw to the others, doing just what the Hawkins teens had done every weekend. In the back of his mind he has the feeling he should feel bad, mad even, that despite all their efforts to be hot shit he and his friends in Hawkins really were just hicks compared to the city kids down in California.

But it makes him grin instead, sitting on the sand to get his own shoes off once they're alone. ]

Surprised all the Hawkins parties didn't just send you right to sleep.

They almost did.

[ Billy throws his shirt off to the side (he only had a single button done up anyway) and strips down to his boxers, sitting down in the sand beside Steve. ]

But there was something keeping me interested. [ He rests one hand on top of Steve's. ]

Seriously? [ Steve chuckles at that, about to keep stripping down but stopped by Billy's hand ]

I figured you were just desperate to grind my face in as much shit as possible.

I was. [ He hums. ] I had a lot of feelings about you and I don't think I understood any of them.

[ That whole mess of 'I think you're gorgeous but I can't act on it so I'll hate you instead' that he interpreted as macho rivalry was not something he missed. ]

Glad you were getting something out of it. I still remember how I thought you were such a giant dickbag the day you drove up to Hawkins High with your dumb car and your lame double denim look. [ A giant good-looking dickbag, to be precise.

He shakes his head, still grinning, and pulls his shirt over his head. ]

Please, I bet you were staring at my ass like everyone else.

[ With those ridiculously tight jeans he wears, it's kind of hard not to. ]

Keep dreaming, Hargrove. [ He flings his shirt in Billy's direction and sets about shimmying out of his jeans.

If he was staring along with everyone else back then, Steve's still not aware of it now.

(He was staring.) ]

Anyway, if I knew we'd come here to talk about Hawkins, I'd have brought the yearbook.

Nah, we're not here to talk about Hawkins.

[ He stretches out, leaning back into the sand and closing his eyes. It's nice to feel the California sun again. Something about Billy sun-kissed and basking on the beach just looks right. ]

Forget Hawkins. Forget Deerington. We've got the whole beach to ourselves. Nice, huh?

[ Steve, about to make a quip about Hawkins being already too easy to forget, gets distracted looking down at Billy ]

Pretty nice.

[ He nudges Steve, trying to get him to lie back with him and cuddle. ]

You'd have fit right in here, you know.

[ Steve's actually quite content looking down at Billy with a dumb grin spreading across his face. But he settles himself down so his head and arm are resting right on Billy's chest. ]

You let the preppy rich kids come and party with you?

[ If his dad had been rich enough to live in California, Steve's pretty sure it wouldn't have been where the kids partied. ]

If they're gorgeous.

[ Well, Billy and Steve may have been in different cliques if they grew up in California together, but the Billy that exists right now would invite him to everything. ]

Gorgeous, huh? [ His smile can be heard in his voice, but Steve loving it when Billy talks him up is nothing new. ]

Suppose I could have made an appearance or two, just to show up anyone who thought they were top dog.

Good luck with that. [ He runs his fingers through Steve's hair. ]

But second best isn't so bad. You'd get used to it.

[ That gets a chuckle ] I would, sure. But you never met me when I was in junior year or before.

I would've won you over.

[ Or, he would have stayed his usual asshole self and they would have hated each other. But it's his fantasy, he'll say they still would have ended up together. ]

I can picture it now. The two Kings of California.

Like you tried to win me over back in High School? [ There's another chuckle as Steve thinks it over, then he goes quiet a moment. ]

How come your folks came out to Hawkins anyway?

I did win you, didn't I?

[ He frowns a little at the mention of his folks - Neil and Susan, Steve means, and Billy resists the temptation to snap that Susan's not his real mom. ] Dad wanted to keep me out of trouble.

[ And in the end...he'd have ended up in less trouble in California, even if he joined a gang or did drugs or got into fights or whatever his dad didn't want him to do. None of that was as much trouble as what was in Hawkins. ]

Yeah, you did. [ It slips out and Steve feels too exposed.

So quickly he goes on. ] Picked the wrong town for keeping out of trouble, didn't they?

Sure did. [ And now he's dead and he'll be genuinely surprised if Neil shed a single tear for him.

But it wasn't all bad. ] He would've considered this trouble, too. [ He squeezes Steve's hand tightly. His dad wasn't a tolerant guy to begin with; if he knew Billy was into other men...well. It's a good thing he'd never have to cross that bridge now. ]

But if it is trouble, it's the best trouble I've ever been in.

[ He squeezes his hand back. ]

I'll have you know parents love me. [ Admittedly, girls' parents love him but that's just splitting hairs. ]

My old man's never loved anyone, I'm pretty sure. [ He didn't love him, or his mom, that was for sure. Even his relationship with Susan seemed to be more about wanting to feel like the head of a household again.

If Neil had ever at some point had unselfish feelings for another person, Billy can't imagine it. ] But I love you, so that's good enough.

[ He lets that slip right out without a second thought. It feels like the right thing to say. Of course he loves Steve. He's loved him for months now. He's said it so much in his mind that this seems more like the hundredth time he's said it than the first. ]

[ It almost goes right past Steve. A grin's already half spread across his face when he goes still.

It shouldn't be such a big deal. It's something Steve's said to all his girlfriends without a second thought. He'd said it to Nancy and she'd said it back, right up until she didn't.

Right up until he realised that I love you had meant something more. It's why he's avoided it until now. As much as he understood why he and Nancy hadn't worked out it had majorly sucked. And there's enough here that sucks without making this thing with Billy potentially one of them.

Steve lifts his his head so he can look properly at Billy. ]

You love me? [ He doesn't want to sound worried, but he is. Is it just-- is Billy just saying what everyone says when you're dating someone? ]

Oh. [ He pauses, thinking back at what he just said, and when he might have said it before.

He hasn't, of course. And unlike Steve, he's never said it to anyone since his mom left. His many girlfriends were all left wanting. But with Steve it comes out so easily. ]

Yeah. I do. Not to get all mushy, or anything. [ Too late for that.

He looks at Steve, trying to study his reaction. Did that hesitation mean Steve didn't love him? He'd have to get ready to play it cool, just in case. ]

Oh. [ Should that change things? Should Steve feel different?

With effort, Steve leans forward so he can kiss Billy's chin. It'd take more effort to reach further, and this is fine. It's okay. ]

Wouldn't want to ruin your day with something mushy.

[ Somehow he's grinning. ]

Please, you're a hot shot but even you couldn't ruin a day at the beach.

[ He smiles, too. He's far too proud to ask Steve if he also loves him, so he tries to push any anxiety out of his head. ]

Oh, you wanna bet? [ His grin widens and Steve sits up and reaches over for where he's thrown his jeans. He hunts through the pockets for his Fluid, waving any protests or questions of Billy's with an absent hand and a just hold on.

When he's queued up a song (Chloe helped his figure out how to get music on it), turns back to grin at Billy, and hits play.

Yes, he's going to lipsinc Wham! at you on the beach. ]

[ This is the lamest song and Steve looks like such a dork trying to lipsync to it. It's pretty endearing. Billy covers his mouth with his hand to hide how much he's grinning, lest Steve think he's starting to like Wham!. ]

Nope. Still not ruining it. [ Pause. ] But if you keep going I'm gonna have to splash you.

If you're gonna do it do it right, do it with me-- [ Steve doesn't stop.

In fact, he's getting to his feet and will try to drag Billy up to dance with him. ]

[ Oh, he'll get up. But he's not dancing.

Instead, he's grabbing Steve by the wrist and tugging him towards the water. He's the only lifeguard here and the 'no dunking' rule has been temporarily suspended in the face of Wham! karaoke. ]

[ The music gets quieter as they leave the Fluid and their pile of clothes behind and Steve starts belting out the lyrics to make up for it.]

Ooooh, babe! I'm youuuur man

[ Except he almost can't keep singing with how much he's grinning, totally uncaring that he's probably going to get dunked right the ocean. ]

My man is about to get real wet.

[ Billy speeds up as they reach the water, yanking Steve in with him. The water's cold, maybe colder than Steve would expect on such a hot day. ]

[ singing turns into oh fuck that's cold as Steve gets dragged into the water without time to get used to it

but he laughs as he grabs Billy with his free hand to avoid losing his balance in the surf ]

Bring it on, Hargrove.

You sure you want that, Harrington?

[ Well, alright. Once they're up to their knees, Billy lets go of Steve's wrist so he can splash him with both hands. ]

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