Stranger Things Oneshots & Headcanons

Fine Line (Billy Hargrove x GN!Reader)

Warning: substance abuse, addiction

Just once, had been their thought process as they eyed the powder. It's fine, I really just need this, I need to feel it.

The guilt clawed at (Y/N) as they stumbled down the street. The euphoric joy was fading and was being replaced by a drugged haze and feelings of self-loathing and guilt. They had been clean, they had been fine.

Until hours earlier, when they couldn't take it anymore and broke open their hidden stash. It helped them for a little while, before they realized what what they had done.

Realized that they had thrown two months of sobriety down the drain. Their longest time sober yet.

It had led to (Y/N) stumbling down the streets until they arrived at their boyfriend's home. They didn't know how he would react, the darkness in their brain telling them that Billy would be furious. There was a fine line between love and hate, and they were terrified that their actions would make him cross it.

But they still wanted to see him, they needed it.

***

Billy heard a knock on the door as he was working out. His father and Susan were out for dinner, Max was out with her friends. He had called (Y/N) a few hours earlier to come over, but hadn't got a response.

But as he opened the door, his partner was there. "Hey-" he said, but they just pushed passed him, standing in the middle of the room. That worried him, worried him just as much as the jittery way they were moving.

"I called you earlier." He said, cautiously approaching them. "Are you alright?"

(Y/N) laughed nervously, further proving his hypothesis that something was wrong. "I'm fine, honest Billy. Healthy as a horse." But they weren't looking at him in the eye, and they sounded too positive.

"(Y/N)." He could hear the concern in his own voice. "Why didn't you call me?" Maybe they would answer that questions.

But... "I just wasn't there... I mean, I was there but I wasn't... there." They trailed off vaguely, sounding oddly defensive.

A realization hit Billy.

He took a deep breath, hoping that he wasn't right. "Babe, did you take something?" He knew about (Y/N)'s addiction, thought that they had gotten better.

"It was just a couple of lines and..."

"A couple?!"

They stepped back, just as a pit was forming in his stomach. "I'm sorry! Don't yell at me!" They said, even though he had barely raised his voice. "I'm fine, see?" They gestured. "I'm sorry, okay? But like..."

"(Y/N)." Billy muttered, worry in his voice. (Y/N) practically wilted at that tone. They knew that he had been so proud of them for quitting. They had done it for him, but Billy hadn't had to deal with a relapse yet. He had hoped that it wouldn't happen, and after 2 months of sobriety he had been lulled into a false sense of security.

But now they were in from of him, and he was so scared that he was about to loose them. "I'm not angry at you." He sighed, not wanting to fight with them, it wouldn't lead to anything good. Instead, he pulled them closer to him, telling himself that as long as (Y/N) was next to him, he could keep them safe. "It's not your fault. It's that goddamn fucking drug."

He loved them, he really did. But he could feel the disappointment bubbling inside of him. He tried to push down it down. It was his primary reaction after the worry and fear, but he knew it would be useless. It wouldn't help to situation and he know it wasn't really their fault.

They sniffed against him, holding onto his shirt. "It is, though. It's me. I did this."

"No, you didn't." He hoped that his voice would sooth them. "You're just sick, it's just your brain."

They shook their head against him, but was beginning to breath normally.

"You're fine." He whispered to them. "You're alright. We'll be alright."

He lowered the both of them to the floor, cradling his love in his arms. Trying to stay patient, he traced patterns over their back.

They didn't speak for a while, but after a few moments he finally heard their voice, still raspy from crying. "I don't think I can get better."

Those words broke his heart, and he tried to stifle his own tears. "You can, I'll help you. Okay, sunshine? I'm going to help you get better. I'm not going to let you do this alone."

He made that promise to them, to himself.