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ellewritesandrants · 1 year

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I was inspired to write some Billy and Max wingmanning for each other because of this post from @11willgrahamseyes11 because why not?

Imagine it’s post S3 where Billy survived and Max just found out that Neil had left Hawkins. She heads to the hospital to tell her brother, because that’s what he was, that his dad had just skipped town to avoid paying medical bills he wasn’t even going to be charged for.

“Neil left?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, Billy.”

“Figures he got sick of having a queer disabled freak for a son.” Billy scoffed.

Max slapped his shoulder, confident enough to do so after months of proper communication, bonding and actually getting to be siblings and not each other’s burdens to bear.

“Hey! Don’t talk about my brother that way, asshole. And anyway, Neil would have eventually realized he had two queer kids and he’d probably have run even faster.”

Billy eyes snapped to hers.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

A peaceful moment of silence passed before Billy broke it.

“Is it that psychic chick, the one that’s dating Wheeler?”

Max immediately bristled.

“How’d you know?”

“Let’s just say I know what it feels like to pine after someone who’s in love with a Wheeler.”

Max took a good minute to think before it finally clicked.

“Steve? You like Steve?”

“Don’t be so loud, Maxie! But, yeah, I like Steve. Anything wrong with that?”

“A lot. Steve’s a dumbass, Billy.”

“Hey! I think it’s cute. Anyway, that El girl isn’t the most talkative girl in the world.”

“But I like that about her.”

“Well, I guess we’re both saps for people who’ll never like us back.”

“I don’t know. I think I might have a chance if I can convince her to break up with her boyfriend.”

“Don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“Lucas? I broke up with him months ago after he didn’t even try to give you a chance to apologize. If he wanted to get me back, he knew what he should have done and if he doesn’t want to, then good riddance.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. After all, it’s me and you against the world, right, Kill Bill?”

“It’s me and you against the world, Mad Max.”

Since Billy wanted at least one of them to get their happy ending, he gets Max to ask El if she was willing to visit Billy so they could talk about the memories she’s seen and of course, El agrees.

Billy hasn't really had any visitors outside of Max ever since he was admitted into the hospital due to him being in the PICU for the first three months and only allowing a limited number of people inside to visit him. It's been another three months since he was moved to a regular room and the doctors had just cleared Billy to receive more visitors but to keep them to 2-4 people to avoid overcrowding.

None of his so-called friends actually visited but he had somewhat expected it. Tommy had promised to visit after sending a letter checking in but he and Carol were busy at the college their dads bought them into so it left the basketball team who stopped by after practice once to tell him how badly they were doing without him and how they couldn't wait to have him on the court again.

None of Max's friends have been by either but Billy heard from Max about a big fight they'd had regarding Billy and how the boys refused to think that Billy was anything but evil, forcing Max, El and Will to branch away because Will was hurt since he'd also been possessed and therefore, just as evil and El hated how they treated Billy as a monster when he was just as much a victim as she was.

Hopper doesn't really trust Billy but after he allows it on the condition that Max stays in the room which Billy doesn't fight. They have a nice chat about the memories, most of which Max wasn't aware of but it actually helps them since Billy's willing to trust Max enough to bare his soul to her willingly.

After they have an emotional talk about bad fathers who need to be kept out of their lives as well as absent mothers who tried, Billy shifts the conversation more to school because he's been helping Max keep on top of her classes so he offered the same to El.

Max quickly corrects Billy and tells him that El was homeschooled due to her not being allowed to study because of the lab. Billy has the bright idea of tutoring El during the day since he wasn't really doing anything and he was bored out of his mind and running out of books to read that Max would borrow from the library for him.

It would not only give him something to do but also a way to see if Max actually had a chance that didn't involve Max getting hurt. He could also help El who seemed like she really did need help, just like he did.

Of course, they ran it past Hopper who initially wanted nothing to do with Billy Hargrove until Max told him the truth about Neil. Hopper was eventually worn down by El who was tired of being stuck at the cabin with no one to talk to and he agreed under the condition that he'd be there during the first few sessions.

Once Hopper was there, he took the sessions as a chance to confirm what El said and when he really, truly looked at Billy, he saw a reflection of the kid he used to be, abused and alone and he realized why El had wanted to get to know Billy and to be his friend.

It also didn't hurt that Billy was an honors student who used to tutor in California during the weekdays for extra cash and he was used to being a tutor and helping students with their studies.

Hopper worked out a deal with Billy that El would come over three times a week when she was supposed to have school and he would help her for a daily rate.

She progressed in leaps and bounds under someone who was used to working around certain hang-ups and Billy was able to help El, whom he commonly called Jane or Janie to find a way of studying that worked for her that wasn't just reading books and answering worksheets.

Her progress astounded the newly together Joyce and Hopper, leading to her asking if Billy could do the same for Will since he wasn't really talking to the other boys.

Soon, Billy's hospital room became the trio's common hang-out spot after school, with Will and Max either biking, skating or walking together so that they could get help on their homework from Billy after he and El were done with their lessons for the day.

The entire time that Billy had been tutoring the kids, he'd been observing the interactions between El and Max and it really did seem like his little sister had a chance. Of course, there was still the tiny hang-up in the form of Mike Wheeler and Lucas Sinclair who apparently still didn't get the hint that their respective relationships were over.

Since El, Max and Will were all comfortable with Billy, once they were done with their homework and lessons, they usually talked about anything under the sun to help El be more familiar with popular culture and how the world worked so one day, Billy slyly got the conversation to head towards gender expression and sexuality.

He'd learned a lot in California that he couldn't really put into practice in Hawkins but he was reasonably sure that these three kids in particular would be able to accept him and would actually benefit from what he said.

Billy had ended up coming out of the closet to the kids who swore to keep it a secret and he answered any and all questions they had. El was surprised that women could be with other women and men could be with other men or with multiple people because all Hopper and Mike had ever told her was that boys went with girls and vice versa.

This led to Will and El to question their sexualities and to realize that maybe they weren't as straight as they assumed. Will was definitely getting a case of hero worship for the older teen and it showed when he got home, enough that Joyce was able to paint a clear picture of Billy's life which she didn't like.

She came to visit him once without El to confirm her assumptions and she made sure to tell him that he was always welcome at their house after everything he's done for them. Billy had teared up and he'd gotten his first hug from a mom in months since Susan had ended up falling into a pit of alcoholism again.

Joyce had reamed Hopper afterwards for not being able to help Billy beforehand and how Hopper would have to make things up to Billy after he was discharged. Joyce would keep visiting Billy, often bringing food to share and occasionally, bringing Hopper along with her to help the bigger man to see Billy as she saw him, a lonely kid in need of parental guidance.

Almost a whole school year passed with an increase in the tension between Max and El but no action on either side of the pair. Will was El's confidant and he was slowly going crazy about how El ranted and raved about how pretty and smart Max was without doing anything about it.

Billy, on the other hand, was tired about hearing all about how cute and adorable El was from his little sister and while he had partially caused this to happen, he also didn't want to keep hearing about it.

So, Billy made plans. He was getting discharged pretty soon and his physical therapy was going pretty well, enough that he was looking to be in shape and back to peak condition in a few months and that he was being allowed behind the wheel.

Truth be told, Billy had fully recovered by the time he started tutoring the kids but the doctors and scientists still couldn't understand why he was still alive and how he had survived. The past few months were heavily focused on physical and mental therapy to help him get over the ordeal and to be able to live a normal life.

Billy would be forced to take his senior year a year late but he didn't mind since it would allow him to be able to watch the kids for their first year in high school, enough to at least protect them from the worst of it after hearing how badly Will had been bullied before.

The first thing Billy did after getting out of the hospital was to get Hopper to take him to his fully repaired car so he could get over the mental block of being behind the wheel and actually being in control.

After going around town with Joyce in the front seat, cheering him on, he went to pick up the kids on their last day of middle school so they could celebrate.

The entirety of Hawkins was shocked to find Billy Hargrove driving his signature Camaro, thinner and more lithe than before but happier than they had ever seen him, picking up his little sister and spinning her in a hug and immediately pulling Will "the Fairy" Byers into an other hug after.

The rest of the party watched in awe and shock at the scene, not knowing that Will had even talked to Billy after everything. Steve was also equally in shock but it also felt like the first time he had ever seen Billy Hargrove.

After, Billy stopped by the new Byers-Hopper house to pick up El and he invited Jonathan to come with them for dinner at the diner where Joyce and Hopper would meet them. He and Jonathan had had a few conversations since he'd come to the hospital to pick up and drop off Will, El or both of the teens and they'd come to bond over shitty fathers and the small overlap of the musicians they liked.

Weirdly enough, it was the exact same diner that Steve had brought the other boys to celebrate their last day of school since it was beside the arcade. Billy had been half tempted to leave but having Max by his side made him brave enough to brave the stares that followed him.

He hadn't let their glares get in the way of his first real meal outside of the hospital and he enjoyed dinner for the first time in a long time surrounded by people who cared about him.

After he paid using some of the government’s compensation, Max managed to convince him to show El the ropes in the arcade because he had been the one who had taught her most of the tricks that she used to get the high score.

The boys and Steve couldn't help their curiosity once Billy and the rest of the kids entered the arcade and they watched from a distance as Billy blew all of the high scores on all of the machines out of the water without even breaking a sweat.

Max saw this as the perfect time to set her brother up with his crush so she tricked Steve into agreeing into a competition on the basketball shooting game with Billy. Having them play side-by-side ignited the adrenaline rush that Steve used to feel when he was playing against Billy but this time, he was happy and excited and not angry.

By the end of 5 rounds, Billy had trounced him completely but Steve took his defeat graciously, even offering a rematch in swimming in his heated pool.

While the boys were having their friendly competition, the rest of the party, namely Dustin, Lucas and Mike were apologizing to Will, Max and El about not believing them when it came to Billy. It was obvious to see that he had changed a lot from the person he used to be and they wanted their friends back.

Max and subsequently El refused to accept their apology until Billy accepted their apology but Will quickly forgave his childhood best friends. Will had missed playing D&D with his friends and being able to talk them and not just to his family, including his new sister and her crush.

As soon as the friendly competition between Billy and Steve was over, the boys apologized to Billy who decided to be the bigger person and accept it while also apologizing for how he used to be.

Billy's made leaps and bounds of progress in therapy as to why he was the way he was and he was well on his way to become the person he wanted to be which meant forgiveness and understanding on both sides of the party.

The next weekend, Billy got permission from Joyce and Hopper to take El and Max to the mall in the next town over so he could finally get them to go on a date. Of course, Max hijacked his plans by subtly inviting Will to get the boys to watch a movie and of course, have Steve drive them.

While the boys were watching a movie, Steve was wandering aimlessly just as Billy was and in a small mall in Indiana, they were bound to cross paths. Steve couldn't help but want to get to know this new Billy so they ate a snack together at the food court and they passed a few hours getting to know each other.

The mall trip was a success on both ends because Max was finally brave enough to ask El to be her girlfriend while Steve was brave enough to set a date on the swimming rematch they planned to have.

It took a few months of summer loving before Steve finally worked the courage to kiss Billy and ask him to be his boyfriend but he eventually got there even if he had needed the intervention of the party because they were tired of his pining.

The Mayfield-Hargrove siblings were good wingmen to each other and they had a 100% success rate in stealing partners from the Wheelers.

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stuck-in-hawkins · 6 months

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The Field- New in Town

Stranger Things

The letters laid strewn across the floor. Their words had been El’s solace for the first few weeks moving out to California. But as each letter came, a small hope peeked in her. She would scan the letter looking at the end and find disappointment at the words:

“From, Mike”

It stared back at her in silent mockery. “From,” but never “love.” He had said it once. He had meant it. But now, it had hidden itself inside him and he had not let it show since.

A gentle knock came to her door. She sniffed, “Come in.”

Will walked in to see the scene. The letters all across the floor. The balled up tissues that hadn’t quite made the wastepaper basket.

“El… what’s wrong?” He kneeled down gingerly. Ready in case she wanted to kick him out instead.

She put her head in her hands, she mumbled, “…alone.”

He bit his lip. “I’ll give you some space.”

She lifted her head up and new tears burst forth. “No! I said I feel so alone!”

Will immediately realized his mistake and got on the floor with her. She wailed and he wrapped his arms around her.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay, El. It’s okay.” He soothed, holding her and she sobbed into his shoulder. “You know that’s not true, right? You aren’t alone. You have me and Jonathan and my mom- our mom.” He wasn’t sure if she was actually okay calling her mom but it felt right in the moment.

“I know that. But I used to have everybody. I had Max, and Lucas and Dustin and… Mike.” A fresh sob emerged from her throat at the mention of his name. Her cries choking out the last name, “Hop-”

He squeezed her tight. Why? Why did all this stuff happen to her? To them? She was right. There was a moment. After the Snow Ball, there had been a reprieve from all the fear and the heartache. They went over to the cabin nearly every other day. They helped her learn what they knew. They would talk and laugh. And then summer came and everything fell apart.

All he could do was hold her. “I feel it, too. I miss them everyday. Most days, it felt like they were the only thing keeping me together. And now, they’re a thousand miles away. And I know it’s hard, but they still try to talk to us in the ways that they can. We get to talk on the phone and Mike sends you all these letters.”

There was a pang of jealousy in him. Mike didn’t write him letters. Will had attempted doing the whole “story/ art back and forth” thing, but Mike hadn't sent anything back. To make things worse, his mom had started a new job as a salesperson and used the phone all the time.

El let go of Will and looked, begrudgingly at the letters. “You don’t get it. All these letters, not one of them say love. He won’t say it or even say why.”

Will looked at all the letters, bewildered. Wasn’t that the way you were supposed to sign letters to your girlfriend, ‘love’?

Wil questioned, “Well, have you talked to him about it?”

El quoted, “‘You can’t make someone say, ‘I love you.’ I have to wait.” She was quoting Joyce. She had talked to her about it, but another letter had come and El felt the fresh wave of disappointment.

“I- Yeah, I know you’re right. But maybe just if you say it first.”

“I say it in every letter.” Her voice was frustrated and she sat back against the bed.

“Oh.” Will couldn’t understand or fathom it. Why wouldn’t Mike say it? What was going on with him? He looked over at El and saw the hurt.

There was a small, sad sigh. El leaned her head back against the bed, “I think something is changing. But… I still feel so attached to him. Like he has a part of me forever. When I think of him, I think of that boy in the rain, who made me feel safe, who hid me from the bad men.”

“He has that way about him. He finds ways to save you, in all the ways that matter. Without even trying, he makes you feel like you’re not alone. Like you’re important and belong.”

El looked at Will and she saw that same love

reflected in his eyes and the same ache.

She said, “I want to love all of him, but there’s this part he won’t let me get to, no matter how hard I try. He keeps it hidden.”

“What do you mean?” Asked Will.

She paused, trying to find the words. “I don’t know what I mean. I’m not making sense am I?” She wiped her eyes with her hands.

“He loves you, okay? I know he doesn’t say it on paper, but you gotta understand, his parents aren’t the type to say, ‘I love you’ out loud. A lot of what we learn about love we get from our parents. The people who raise us. But he shows it to you in so many ways.”

El shut her eyes at the thought. Did that mean that some part of her Papa’s love was in her? The twisted, cruel “love” that was conditional and transactional.

No, she thought. Everything she learned about love was from Hopper. Love was reading together. Love was in a tussling of hair. It was in smiling eyes. It was in the smell of freshly toasted waffles. But Mike couldn’t do any of those things.

El said, “We’re a thousand miles away, Will. What other way is there to show love?”

Will was struck dumb. She could be poignant at times. He tried to think of what he could say to console her, “You didn’t hear the way he talked about you when he thought you were gone-”

“Actually, I did.” She huffed, “I’m done talking about this.”

“El-”

“Would you say it?” She asked.

“What?”

“Would you tell him you loved him?”

Will felt flushed, he must have gotten her meaning mixed up. “You mean, if I was him would I say it to you?”

He misread her, but she nodded anyway. She didn’t have the energy to explain herself. The conversation was draining her.

“Well…” he tried to think. It didn’t matter whether he actually would say it or not. What mattered was saying the right thing to her in this moment. He needed to lift her spirits, to give her hope. It was his job as Mike’s best friend to smooth things over.

But he was also El’s brother now. And somehow, in the short time, she managed to learn more about him than he’d ever let the others know.

So, he offered her the truth, “I don’t know, El. There’s a lot of weight behind those words. For me, I heard those words said from my mom and dad when things were good, but that was a really long time ago. And there is so much doubt when I think about it, because of what ultimately ended up happening between them. The fighting, the broken dishes, the yelling, everything. So, it’s like, did they mean it at all? Did they even know what love was to begin with? Do you wait to say the words until you’re absolutely sure?” His shoulders sank with the weight of it all. “And… for me… being who I am and loving who I love… it’s even more complicated because…” He put his head in his hands.

“You should say it some day.”

He could feel his face getting red. To Mike? Never. But that probably wasn’t what she meant. “When I find the right person, I will. But Mike does love you. I see it.”

She sighed, “I know there is love in his words. But I don’t know if it’s the love I thought it was…”. She looked exhausted. “Can we take a bike ride please?”

Will felt like a failure. He couldn’t comfort El or smooth things over for Mike.

“Of course.”

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To read the rest, please visit ao3.

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