This Means War // Billy Hargrove x Reader

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

"God, what a loser." That little bastard James Dante teases Mike, shoving him to the ground. You'd raced over, thirteen and full of all the rage of an untrained chihuahua. "Hey, get away from him!"

Your little brother was holding his tiny hand over his knee which was bleeding from a small cut he'd gotten after hitting the asphalt. Nancy lagged behind you, trying to reach out and get you to just leave it alone. She'd ducked beside Mike, consoling him while you grabbed James by the scruff of his shirt. "Think that's funny, you little asshole?" 

If your mom heard you even whisper that word she would have been pissed but she wasn't here right now. The playground was alight with screaming children enjoying their lunch break in the bright summer sun, the noises covering what you'd said from the teachers, who were busy secretly smoking in the corner. 

"I, uhh--" The boy pauses, looking to his friend for back-up that would never come since he'd run off in the commotion. "I'm... I'm sorry, (Y/N)." He cowers under your intense stare and you shove him to the floor, the force behind it similar to what he'd given to your brother.

Stepping closer, you lean over him to really drive home the intimidation, pointing an accusatory finger out at him. "Don't ever go near him again, you hear me?"

The boy nods, borderline pissing his pants as he shifts from beneath you and hurls into the crowd. When you turn, Nancy was tentatively applying a bandaid from her bag to the cut on Mike's knee. You duck beside the boy, smiling smug about defeating his bullies. 

"I could have handled it." He grumbles, but offers you a smile in return anyway. You ruffle his hair, laughing quietly to yourself at his indignation. "I know. But you didn't have to. I always got your back, no matter what." 

"Hey, wake up. We're here." Steve drags you from the pleasant dream you'd been having. It was a memory really, showing itself to you while asleep to remind you of better days. Days when your siblings were close to heart, the three of you a team against all the dangers of the world. 

A time when you were together, really and truly together. Ancient history now.

You blink the sleep from your eyes and take a moment to look around. You were at the Byers' house, which was illuminated from all the lights inside and the two on the front porch. 

Eliciting a heavy sigh to prepare yourself, you move out of the car and square your shoulders in attempt to seem at least a little bit confident in what was happening. When you open the door, Steve lagging slightly behind you, you're greeted with familiar and grim expressions - well, almost familiar.

Steve had said Billy's little sister Max was part of the group now, but you'd entirely forgotten that fact at first.

Still, you don't question it. Mike's relieved expression drags your attention away and you relax the tension out of your shoulders upon seeing for yourself that he was okay. "Nance?" You ask, remembering she should be here as well. As you're turning your head, you have barely a moment to brace yourself as she's coiling slender arms around you tightly.

You couldn't stop yourself from doing the same, arms wrapping her up in a taut embrace. You had missed her so much, been so worried about her, and it was so nice to finally know she was okay. "You're okay. Thank God." You tell her, fingertips digging ever so slightly into her coat.

"Hi, everyone." You tell the group as you release your twin, fixating her with a stern look afterwards. "Nance. Mike. Can I talk to you in the kitchen a sec?" 

An expectant look was shot their way before you head for a little privacy to talk to them. Regardless of how elated you felt to see they were okay, you were still deeply pissed to know they had gone through it all without you so far. Seeing them had only made it worse.