Categories
Genre: Romance/EroticBanterGenre: Sci-Fi/Futuristic/CyberpunkGenre: Slice of Life/FluffGenre: Supernatural/Occult/ParanormalRated - MatureWriting - MSL
Tags
Banter RepostStranger ThingsStranger Things 4.5Billy HargroveSteve Harringtonsexual jokes
Co-authors
Fabulous Killjoy
| HAWKINS FAMILY VIDEO ARCHIVE // BEST VIEWED ON PC | TAPE 03 | ||||
| NOW PLAYING
Screenwriters STRANGER THINGS 4.5 // 1986 |
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| ← PREVIOUS CHAPTER » KIDS THESE DAYS | |||||
| Flirting is easy. It’s light, playful, almost safe. But what happens when the spark between them stops being a game? When the tension isn’t just teasing glances and careless smiles, but something deeper neither of them planned for?
Because chemistry like that doesn’t stay harmless for long...  |
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| ▶ PLAYBACK | |||||
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“I dunno.. all the crap... the monsters, the chaos, all the stress. I think the best thing about it is that I’ve realized what real friendship is... what friendship actually means. I used to think that an enemy was just an enemy... amen, then it turns out that sometimes you just look at someone the wrong way, or too soon. And when you really get to know them, you realize... they were never an enemy. Just... someone you didn’t understand yet, because you couldn’t or didn’t want to at that moment, because you couldn’t read between the lines, because you can’t immediately give everyone a voice, cuz it might be too rough or too quiet. But this damn little band of freaks has crept into my life, into my stupid heart. With them, you can change, become dumber.. become smarter, make mistakes. No one judges you for who you are, what you stand for, or how much you’re doubting yourself right now. You come in as you are., and no matter what you bring with you, no matter what weird quirks you have, whether you talk too much or too little... whether you make stupid jokes that no one understands, they’ve got your back... always. And the best thing is... when they realize that you’re really screwing up... they lovingly kick you in the butt, without unwarranted reproaches... without overwhelming you with guilt you’re already carrying when you have a guilty conscience. Shit... real friends can be so damn patient, even when you’re acting like a complete asshole for a while. Because they know... no one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes, and being human means not always having the right words, not always agreeing with everything, not always sharing the same opinion... and sometimes losing your head. Poof..”
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| "Easy there, pretty boy. Feeling a bit thoughtful today, are we?" | |||||
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| "Once a year, I have these moments. Be glad I don't keep a diary... a few months ago, I would have devoted endless pages to imagining what it would be like to tie you naked to a street lamp... or something like that." | |||||
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| Billy blinked a few times, cocked his eyebrows, then turned his head towards him. Slowly.
"Something like that, huh? What would you do to me, then?" 
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| “I would write on your chest: Don't worry.. at least my ego is big enough.”
He crossed his arms in front of his chest, looked at Billy defiantly at first, then mimicked his broad grin. |
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| His grin got even wider until he bit his lower lip slightly and shook his head. Billy just loved this.
"At least you're kind about it. Could be much worse... Unless there's more imaginations that you wanna tell me about. I wanna hear all about'em." |
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| “Why fantasies? Do I have to remind you again that we were in the shower together? So... as I said, at least your ego is growing beyond itself...”
And this time he didn't even blush when he made somewhat ambiguous insinuations. |
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| The grin remained when he pursed his lips. He was waiting for a blush that wasn't coming, and it honestly caught his attention how assertive he was.
"No need to remind me... I think it's telling that you're still thinking about it. So... you said something about 'endless pages' of imagination... I just can't help wondering what might be on those, y'know." Again, Billy's grin widened. "Don't you think I'm letting that go. You made me curious, Harrington." 
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| “I don’t think about it... it just keeps coming back to me. After all, it was our first man-to-man conversation back then... and after you were done, the water was cold... you don’t forget something like that.”
He replied dryly and shook his head slightly. “You’re interested in what I dream about? What I fantasize about? Well... isn’t it exhausting to have to ask yourself that all the time? Because... I might not answer you, precisely because you claim it makes you curious. Imagine if you found out how a movie ends in the first few minutes... pff... you’d turn it off, the thrill would be gone. Maybe I’ll become a screenwriter someday... my first movie: The Streetlight of Shame, starring Billy K. Hargrove.” 
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| "Right," he jested and crossed his arms as well, the grin never fading from his face. And then, he laughed softly, his deep voice rumbling with every chuckle.
"My my my, aren't you a genius! You're right. I think I'd rather wait and see. Maybe I can catch some glimpses of your script along the way, give some tips. Or I'll just wait until you're ready, cause... not gonna lie, I do like the thrill, Steve." The way he said his name was... different than usual. Calmer, quiet, almost tender, and his gaze was soft, like he said it with his eyes, too. His smile turned more fond than challenging and teasing, at least for a very brief moment. |
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| “For you in the future, the Hairington or King Steve .. I’m not sure yet which stage name I like better. I can provide the thrills... watch out.”
He pointed to his head and grinned diabolically. “Okay, picture this, Billy... you in the center of attention, wind in your hair, a sunset so orange it hurts, and some totally over-the-top love song playing in the background. Just meaningful looks and emotions, everyone expecting chaos from you... and instead getting the cheeeeeeeeeesiest movie of the eighties. That’s exactly why you’d be perfect...” He wrinkled his nose with a grin. “No... somehow... I don’t like that. You’d offer more potential... some tragic hero story, and me as your sidekick.” The almost gentle look on the other man’s face didn’t escape him. And poof... there they were again, the pink cheeks. |
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| He laughed again, absolutely delighted by Steve's beautiful imagination.
"You do know that 'tragic hero story' means that the hero dies, yes? Are you trying to tell me something with that?", Billy bantered with a cheeky wink. Then, he leaned in a bit and whispered, "You're blushing, sweetcheeks." |
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| "No Dude... it's my story... and the hero is certainly not going to die. That's retro, totally outdated... not a stylistic device in my movie."
He protested and now felt his own ears burning as Billy leaned forward a little and whispered. “It's warm in here...” He said and cleared his throat. "I'm weather sensitive... eh... sensitive to heat... cold resistant... whatever. I'm like an engine..." He couldn't think of anything better, this closeness was surprisingly pleasant.. too pleasant. |
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| "Glad to hear you don't want me dead," he said softly, watching Steve sort of freeze when he leaned in. Billy remained completely still then, his eyes observing his reaction with gentle, smirking curiosity. Steve started rambling a little, which he knew he was more prone to do when he was nervous.
"Can you purr like an engine, too?" he mused, the grin twitching faintly. He, too, was beginning to feel a little warmer, and decided to go a step further. A tiny one... At least in his standards. Billy leaned in just a little bit more until he was close enough to smell his cologne, and his nose brushed the shell of his ear when he whispered into it. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves with the spoilers... Y'know, for your movie... I want to experience the whole thing before the ending comes out." And then, he gently pushed him away by his chest and grinned over both ears so much it hurt. His own cheeks had turned pink as well, although Billy was doing his utmost to hide it. |
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| "We already had that plot… and stylistically it was absolute bullshit. It doesn’t suit you, so I have to correct it and make it better. That’s my freedom as a screenwriter.”
The closeness lingered far too long. He could almost taste Billy, but he was so rigid that it didn’t even occur to him to lean back. “If an engine is purring… it means there’s friction somewhere there shouldn’t be any. Maybe wear and tear, maybe not enough lubrication. It’s still running, but not cleanly. In the long run, more things will break.” Why did even that sound so damn ambiguous? His eyes widened slightly, because what Billy whispered to him was ambiguous too. Steve tried to convince himself it wasn’t, even though he couldn’t just think that first impression away. Then he was torn out of those thoughts, felt himself being gently pushed back, and sort of woke up. That was the moment he realized something was wrong with him .. or that something was damn right for the first time. He nodded, still trying to stay cool, stood up, and pointed vaguely somewhere. “I need a smoke. Air and all. It’s totally stuffy in here. And… flatulence or something… fast food is bullshit in the long run…” And he was gone. |
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| "I think there's always an amount of purring that's just right, you know? Means that it's perfect... Not too much lubrication and everything. Makes for the right kind of friction," Billy murmured.
After gently pushing him back, Steve seemed even more fidgetty than usual when they were, well... fooling around like that. Sure, the guy had become so much more assertive by now, even liked to challenge him, like he got used to it. Now that Billy was testing the waters a little more, getting closer and being more direct, Steve had to adjust again. At least, that was Billy's theory. He leaned back again and watched him with the most smug grin he was anatomically able to put on his face. "Sure, you go take care of that. And don't burn yourself!" Frankly, Billy was having the time of his life right now. Nothing could make him feel more alive than riling up Steve Harrington and watching him blush. But somehow... this feeling of bliss was slowly starting to drift away into nothingness, like a paper boat on a river. There was so much that Steve didn't know yet. If Billy couldn't get his act together, what the hell was he doing? Where was he going with this? Where were they going? |
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| END OF TAPE
NEXT CHAPTER: SURPRISE ME → What if Steve discovers that Billy’s middle name is "Kenneth", and what if, being Steve, he absolutely refuses to let it go? Because really, what is friendship — what is forgiveness — if not weaponizing a middle name for the sake of terrible, relentless serenades? 
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