STRANGER THINGS CHARACTERS ONESHOTS

Billy Hargrove - Gone

You squinted at the mismatched group of weirdos as they walked towards you, where you were hurriedly getting out of Joyce's grip on you. You ran towards them, the lessening distance revealing all their injuries, scars and bleeding. The cold wind smacked your face and your hair as your legs ached from the effort.

  "Holy shit. Shit," you breathed as you ran towards Mike and Will first. You checked them over, only a few bruises here and there. Your eyes flickered over all of their faces as you heard Joyce's hurried footsteps behind you. Steve had a huge black eye and a busted lip, Robin was bleeding from a scar on her head and looked absolutely exhausted. "Shit. I was—I was so worried."

  You glanced at them all again, eyes frantic and breath coming out in pants. You caught Eleven's wide eyes; they were filled with dreadful realization. She noticed the absence of Hopper. Fuck. The girl ran towards Joyce, who sobbed as soon as Eleven was in her arms. Will ran to his mother as well, the three of them in a hunched mess of trauma and desperation.

  Steve caught you by surprise when he stepped towards you and embraced you. "Steve. Steve, oh god," you whined into his shoulder breathlessly as you felt all the tension in your body melt away at his comforting hug. You cling onto his stupid Scoops Ahoy shirt as the heat from the mall fire started warming you up. You caught Max's eyes over Steve's shoulder. Robin had her in a side-hug, seeming to be whispering things in her ear.

  Your heart dropped. The redhead looked absolutely devastated, red-rimmed eyes wide and desperate, breathless with red cheeks. What happened? You slowly let go of Steve, who now had tear tracks down his face as he glanced at you in confusion.

  "Max?" you whispered, concerned. She looked at you, face immediately crumpling and twisting as sobs escaped her lungs. You rushed towards her, holding onto her slouching figure as she stuffed her face in the crevice of your neck. "Max, what happened? Max?"

  The younger girl didn't reply and you were getting more terrified by the second. Who was missing? Did someone...die? You looked around quickly. No, all the kids were here. But.

Billy.

  "It's—it's Hargrove," Steve whispered to you, just as Robin wiped away a few tears running down her cheeks. "The Mind Flayer got him."

Billy.

  Max let out a series of aggressive sobs, loud and heart-wrenching, clutching onto you even tighter. She was shaking all over. The flames coming from the mall roared even louder. The boy had been flayed, but you never thought he'd...

Billy's gone.

  You pictured his face; it was still so clear. Taunting blue eyes and a smug grin. Plump, red lips, always being abused and bitten. His rosy cheeks, his dirty blonde hair, how it curled around his face. How he would through back his head when he laughed, when it wasn't a mean one. How he would nudge you with his shoulder when he joked around and made fun of you. His voice, how it would reverberate through your soul when he would try to coach you at basketball, stood right behind you. You hadn't known him well, but you'd seen him everyday. He liked you, you liked him, and he wasn't mean to you like he mercilessly was to everyone else.

Billy's gone. Who'd make fun of your voice now?

  Fucking hell. This was a mess. You could hear all types of sirens behind you, along with the talking of all the kids. Lucas was standing to your side worriedly, staring helplessly at Max. You could feel tears slip down your face, so you hid it in Max's blazing hair. Honestly, you could feel your heart breaking into little pieces at the same time, tightening pain in your chest. Steve tightened his grip on your shoulder.

Billy's gone.