𝐃𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐘 𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄𝐒 [Stranger Things x Billy Hargrove]

// twenty three //

"Touch my butt, I don't care!" - Dustin

The sun was brutal, beating down on my shoulders as I made my way toward the Hawkins Community Pool. The air was filled with the sounds of splashing water and distant laughter, a jarring contrast to the anxiety bubbling up inside me. It had been six months—six long, torturous months—since I'd last seen Billy, and now every step I took felt heavier, like the weight of those lost months was dragging me down.

I pushed open the gate and stepped inside, my eyes darting around the crowded pool area. It didn't take long to find him; Billy was impossible to miss. Even among the other lifeguards, his presence was commanding. His muscular frame was bronzed from endless hours in the sun, his blonde hair now bleached almost white. He looked just as I remembered—no, more than that. He looked like someone I used to know, someone I used to love.

But as I took in the sight of him, something felt... off. His shoulders were tense, and the way he stared straight ahead, almost unseeing, sent a chill down my spine. This wasn't the Billy I knew. The cocky, confident and broken boy I'd fallen for seemed to be replaced by someone else—someone who looked like him but wasn't.

My heart pounded in my chest as I approached him, each step forward feeling more uncertain than the last. I'd played this moment over and over in my head during my time away, imagining how it would feel to see him again, to finally explain everything. But now that I was here, face-to-face with him, I felt like I was drowning in doubt.

"Billy," I called out, my voice barely above a whisper.

He didn't turn right away, and when he did, the look in his eyes made my stomach drop. There was surprise there, sure—but it was overshadowed by anger, and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on. Slowly, he lowered his sunglasses, revealing those familiar piercing blue eyes. But instead of the warmth I'd hoped for, there was a coldness that made my blood run cold.

For a moment, neither of us said anything. The world around us seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of us locked in this tense, awkward silence. I didn't know what to say, how to begin. The words I'd rehearsed so many times in my head now felt useless, stuck in my throat like a lump I couldn't swallow.

"It's been a while," I finally managed to say, trying to keep my voice steady.

Billy's gaze didn't waver, but there was something in his eyes—something almost imperceptible. "Yeah," he replied, his voice flat, devoid of any emotion. "It has."

I wanted to reach out, to close the distance between us, but I couldn't bring myself to move. The tension between us was thick, almost suffocating. "I'm sorry," I whispered, the words escaping before I could stop them.