billy hargrove imagines

jealousy

summary: the one where you're at a party.

word count: 1,142

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the house thumped with the pounding of the music. the stereos' volume dials had been turned all the way up, leaving your ears ringing. sweaty, drunk bodies danced around you, jostling you. your own mind was in a haze, affected by the alcohol you'd consumed earlier in the evening.

you could feel your heart thumping in your chest and your lungs inhaling oxygen. your eyes were glazed over in a pretty stupor. you'd never partied this hard before.

it was your drunken mind that brought steve harrington to your attention. he looked cute. cuter than usual. without a second thought, you approached him, something you surely wouldn't have normally done, but your drunken brain had convinced you it was a good idea.

"hi, stevie," you said in as sultry a tone as you could muster. you weren't sure how well it worked, as your words had slurred together. too much beer.

he didn't look completely sober either, his eyes containing the same dazed expression as yours probably did. he looked almost surprised at your sudden greeting. you and steve were far from friends. sure, you'd had a few classes together, but you hadn't exactly held a real conversation before.

despite your shaky foundations, steve offered you a dazzling smile. "hey! y/n, right?" the uncertainty in his voice sent you into panic mode. he didn't even know your name. maybe this wasn't such a good idea. maybe you were way ahead of yourself, trying to flirt with steve goddamn harrington.

but your lack of sobriety made you push through the embarrassment. "yeah! the one and only." you sidled closer to him, your arms now brushing. the skin-on-skin contact sent a jolt of electricity through your veins. "i couldn't help but notice how handsome you looked tonight." you dived in headfirst. there was no going back now.

he almost seemed to blush, but the shoddy lighting made it hard to tell. your lips curled into a smirk. it was difficult to mask the satisfaction you felt from flustering him.

steve opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking almost like a fish out of water. "oh— i— thank you so much. you look great, too! you look amazing. you look, just, you know, great!" the grin on his face sent butterflies soaring in your stomach.

"you know, i was thinking," you began, "maybe we could go somewhere a little more... private?" there was a hopeful tinge to your voice. you'd dreamt of making out with "king steve" for as long as he'd been called that. maybe you were going to fulfill that dream tonight.

he scratched the back of his neck, his crimson cheeks an obvious sight now. his eyes lit up with an eagerness you hadn't expected to see. he looked almost as excited as you felt.

"y-yeah?" he stuttered. "like, uh, where? the backyard or something?"

"i was thinking more like a bedroom." you licked your lips.

little did you know, billy hargrove was stood scowling in the corner, watching your exchange with steve. his fist clenched and unclenched at his side as his frustration mounted. it should be him you were flirting with, not a loser like steve. what did you see in that guy anyway? steve was weak, and pathetic, and hung out with little kids. what was there to like?

he watched as you put your hand against his bicep. he watched as steve edged slightly closer, his hands roaming to places that made billy sick to his stomach. he had half a brain to go over there and beat some sense into him. but, of course, you had no idea how billy felt about you. you had no idea he felt like he could finally breathe around you. how you were like the sun and he was just a little plant, soaking up every drop of your light. you had no idea billy hargrove was in love with you, because he was too damn scared to say it.

but watching steve touch you might just be the thing that sent him over the edge. he watched you lean forward and whisper something that was no doubt disgusting into steve's ear. and that was it. that was the straw on the camel's back.

billy marched over there, his body exuding nothing but raw anger. he practically yanked steve away from you, his grip like steel. both you and steve let out a yell of surprise.

"what the hell, man! i wasn't even doing anything!" steve sputtered, his expression morphing into one of annoyance.

billy didn't respond, instead choosing to simply raise his clenched fist, ready to pummel steve for even thinking of touching you.

before he could give the other boy what he deserved, your hand rested roughly on his shoulder, pulling him away. he stumbled slightly, and you steadied him.

"what the fuck, billy?" you sounded pissed. billy gulped.

"i was just—"

"you were just what? ruining my night?"

billy's brows furrowed. "no. no i just... can we talk?"

you crossed your arms. "we're talking right now, aren't we?"

he exhaled deeply through his nose, feeling stuck. "somewhere quiet."

you quickly wetted your lips and considered it for a moment. with a slight nod, you allowed billy to lead you into the nearly empty back porch. you leaned against the wooden railing and listened to the crickets chirping.

you waved your hand impatiently. "what is it you wanted to say? it better be an apology, because—"

"i love you," he interrupted you. he realized if he didn't say it right then, he'd probably never get around to it.

your heart stopped beating for a moment. billy hargrove didn't love people. he didn't. you were sure for the vast majority of your friendship that billy couldn't even feel love. it was probably a mean thing to think.

you wetted your lips again, your crossed arms falling to your sides. "you... what?"

he swallowed roughly. "love you. i love you."

you couldn't help the grin that painted your features. you'd be lying if you said you hadn't developed a teeny tiny crush on billy. but you were friends, and you were sure it'd never be reciprocated, so you stamped it out. but all those old feelings came rushing back and left you bursting at the seams.

"you big dummy, what took you so long?"

billy withheld his smile, a softness overcoming him that he hadn't felt in a while. "i was... this is gonna sound stupid but i was kinda scared that you'd, you know, freak out."

you rolled your eyes and smacked his arm playfully. "does that mean you were... jealous?" the realization suddenly came to you.

he scoffed. "no!" his voice sounded shrill.

you snorted and slapped his arm again. you wouldn't be able to make out with steve harrington tonight, but maybe that was okay.