#(we aren't bitter or sarcastic ever...clearly!)

[blueberrylemontea-fanfic]

Cherry [8]

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x fem!reader Summary: You have dinner at Will's house. Word Count: 2784 Song Suggestion: Coming Home - Scorpions Warnings: none [Teaser] - [1] - [2] - [3] - [4] - [5] - [6] - [7] - [9] - [10] - [11] - [12]

Chapter 7:

"Alright, princess, I’ll make nice with Harrington."

You smiled widely, a little too soon as it turned out.

"On one condition. Go out with me?”

And now...

"What?"

You knew you were probably staring at him like he'd suggested you jump off a cliff, which honestly sounded like a more enjoyable option.

You didn't date. How many times did you have to talk him through this no commitment thing? But then you noticed Billy was laughing, shaking his head at you.

"Jesus, princess, chill the fuck out. I'm not asking for your fucking hand in marriage, alright? Just like spending time with you, wanna hang out some time."

"Oh..." Thank god!

You were starting to get that Billy really was just in desperate need of a friend, and you really did enjoy spending time with him too.

"Yeah! Sure, I'd like that. You know we can hang out whenever you want, right?" You could see the hint of surprise flashing through his face before he smiled at you, clearly happy to know you liked to be around him too.

Billy had reluctantly agreed to drop you off at Steve's, he was still a little on the fence about you sleeping there but he knew he couldn't change your mind even if he tried.

"See you tomorrow, pretty boy," you winked as you got out of the car and bounded for Steve's front door, giving a little wave as the Camaro sped off into the night. Steve opened the door before you could even ring the bell, looks like he'd been waiting up for you.

"You know you can just come in next time, door's open anyway."

He sounded kinda pissed off, which was fair, you supposed. The bruise on his eye socket had started to swell, it looked rather painful. You wordlessly went into his kitchen, emerging with an ice pack wrapped in a towel. Steve had thrown himself onto the couch, his head leant back on the armrest.

Softly, you pressed the ice pack down onto the swelling. Steve flinched at the sudden cold. "So, how's Hargrove doing?"

You were surprised at his tone of voice, which had a bitter bite to it, but wasn't sharp enough to mask some actual concern. Maybe Steve had noticed the shift in Billy's demeanor too, noticed that something had been seriously wrong.

"Honestly? Pretty awful," you sighed, "He's sorry."

Steve furrowed his eyebrows slightly, as much as he could without it hurting his eye even more. "Really?" You nodded.

"Yeah. I know you've only ever seen one side of him, but Billy's more than just an asshole. He doesn't mean to be such a prick all the time, even if he is. It's not an excuse or anything, the guy is definitely still an asshole, but he's also just in desperate need of some help..."

"Yeah, professional help."

You let out a chuckle, "Probably couldn't hurt." Steve laughed. "I still don't get it though."

"Get what?"

"You're saying that under all that hellfire there's a person with like thoughts and opinions that you actually want to hang out with?"

You were kind of fond of sarcastic Steve. "Yeah, surprised me too at first, but turns out Billy is in fact capable of rational thought when he's not trying to bash someone's head in."

"Could you introduce me to that guy sometime? I'm getting kinda tired of the one that keeps trying to bash my head in."

You didn't get it. How was he laughing right now? How was he joking around with you about Billy when his lip was split and his eye was swollen?

"Why aren't you mad?"

"Oh I am," he said simply, "I'm fucking pissed off about this. But it's not like I don't get it. I know sometimes you can just get so angry it's all-consuming, it just takes over your brain and all you can hear is buzzing and all you can see is hazy, dark red and you don't even know what you're doing until it's too late. S' like you said, s' not an excuse, but, doesn't mean I don't get it."

And somehow that guy still didn't think he was a good person.

Maybe it was because he knew that rage, had that darkness somewhere inside of him too. But you knew that deep down Steve was nothing but light, understanding and nice and forgiving and unequivocally good.

You didn't know what to say to him, so you just smiled and held his hand.

***

When you and Steve pulled up to school the next morning the tension was palpable. By now word about the fight had probably spread, and everyone seemed to be watching if there was going to be another commotion when Billy saw you arriving with Steve, again.

You hoped they would be sorely disappointed, but you knew well enough that you could never be entirely sure when it came to Billy.

"Morning, pretty boy." You pulled out a cigarette, and before you could light it Billy had flipped open his zippo, holding up a light for you. "Morning, princess."

He looked over to the other side of your car, where Steve had just gotten out. "Harrington" He nodded his head so subtly you could barely tell whether he'd moved at all, but at least it was something.

You held out your pack of cigarettes, "Want one, Steve?"

"Yeah, thanks."

You held the cigarette out towards Billy, who lit it, before handing it to Steve.

"Thanks."

It must have been an odd sight, the three of you standing almost shoulder to shoulder, smoking silently. There was still an awkward tension in the air between you, but it wasn't the usual electric between Harrington and Hargrove, the one where you could practically feel the punches raining down before they even landed.

"Harrington?" Billy said in between two extremely long drags of his cigarette.

"Yeah?"

"Shouldn’t have hit you yesterday."

"Yeah, no shit."

"Don't push it, doll face."

You bit back a laugh at Billy's nickname. You smoked in silence some more before Billy let out a quiet "M' sorry"

Wow.

You knew he'd told you he was going to apologize, but hearing the actual words coming out of Billy's mouth still sounded wrong, somehow. Steve clearly felt the same way. "Shit," he sounded amazed "I don't think I've ever heard that word come out of your mouth."

Billy sighed loudly, clearly regretting ever having said anything as he snapped "And you never will again."

Steve chuckled, "Noted."

"So, we good?" Billy still sounded kind off nervous, he really was sorry and he didn't want Harrington hating him.

Steve smiled. "Yeah, we're good."

***

That afternoon, the party had invited you and Steve to the Beyer's house. Apparently Will's mom loved having people over for dinner, and Will had a new game for his Atari they all just had to try out.

So, after school you met the kids over at Will's house. The house was tiny, but really cosy. It felt like a home more than a house. It was hella cramped though, with all those kids heaped in front of the tv. You were wondering how they were going to manage dinner later that evening, no way were they all going to fit at the table.

"Oh, hi, Y/N." You heard a soft voice from behind you.

"Jonathan, hey!"

You noticed the slight tension as Jonathan and Steve exchanged awkward greetings.

There was no more room on the couch so the three of you sat down at the kitchen table as Jonathan got you some drinks.

"Hey, um, I wanted to say thanks, you know, for Monday," Jonathan smiled shyly. He was clearly not the most talkative.

"Please, I'd gladly kick Hagan's ass any day" you smirked, both Jonathan and Steve chuckled. "How's Nancy doing?" You felt Steve stiffen next to you. "A lot better, thanks."

"Hey um, I'm sorry," Steve said suddenly, his cheeks getting pink, "You know, about what happened last year. I shouldn't have said all those things, I was being a real asshole and I'm really, really sorry."

"Thanks," Jonathan said, "It's okay, Steve. I'm sorry too"

"You're sorry? What for?"

"Y'know, the black eye. And, um," he paused awkwardly, like he wasn't really sure if he should keep talking, "about what happened with Nancy."

Steve swallowed harshly, Nancy was still a really sore spot for him. "S' not your fault," he said wryly, "She looks happier now... Besides, I definitely had that black eye coming."

They were both smiling softly now. The air felt lighter, you could tell that they had both been wanting to say those things for a long time, but never had the chance.

"So, I'm sorry, let me get this straight," you broke the silence, "You beat him up?" You pointed from Jonathan to Steve.

"Does that surprise you that much?" Jonathan raised his eyebrows

"Just didn't have you pegged for a fighter, that's all."

You knew you and Jonathan could get along easily, he had this feeling about him that made you think he was a charitable person.

When his mom got home it didn't take long to see where he got it from, you'd hardly ever met as pleasant a woman as her. She pulled both you and Steve into a warm hug when she came in, fussing over Steve's eye and telling you at least three times how nice it was to finally meet you.

Steve offered to help her out with dinner, you did as well but the kitchen was cramped enough with the two of them working in it, and with your penchant for cooking you wouldn't have been much help anyway, so instead you helped Jonathan set the table.

He had to bring in a fold away table from outside so you could fit all twelve plates on there. Yeah, that's right, twelve. Apparently Joyce's boyfriend was coming too, Nancy as well.

"Should we maybe tell Steve that before she gets here, give him a bit of a heads-up?" Jonathan looked a mix of concerned and embarrassed, you figured he was one of those people who hated conflict.

"Yeah, that might be good. You know he doesn't blame either of you, right, he's just a little hurt still." Jonathan nodded, he seemed reassured by your words.

Steve didn't say much when you'd told him, he'd just shrugged and said thanks for the warning. He seemed a little nervous though.

It wasn't long before Nancy and Hopper arrived and you were all at the dinner table. Hopper, Joyce's boyfriend, turned out to be the chief of police. He was less than pleased to see Steve's beat up face and the bruises on your arms. "Do I need to worry about whatever you two got yourselves into?" You both shook your heads and he sighed loudly. "Just, would you tell me if I gotta be worried?" He sounded so tired you felt kinda sorry for him.

"Sure, Hop" Steve made it sound like he'd said that at least a hundred times before.

After dinner you helped Joyce clean up. It hadn't been as awkward as you'd thought, there hadn't really been time what with the kids yapping on the entire time.

Joyce was washing dishes that you were drying, and Steve was putting everything away. Jonathan offered but Steve hadn't wanted to be left with just Nancy and Hopper.

"So, sweetie, how do you like Hawkins?"

"I miss Cali, but I've met some really nice people here that make it a lot easier."

She smiled warmly at you as you looked fondly around the room. "I've heard you ran into some of our not-so-nice people too." You didn't miss the way her eyes flicked over your wrist. "Jonathan told me what happened at school."

"Yeah, well then he probably also told you those not-so-nice people found out I'm not always all that nice either."

She nodded, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "You can handle yourself can't you, sweetie?" It was a rhetorical question, Joyce had a knack for knowing who she was dealing with. "You know, Will practically thinks you're a superhero." You both laughed.

"He's a really great kid." Joyce nodded, looking over at Will with a big, proud smile on her face, "I know." She paused for a second, and you knew that she was considering swallowing her thoughts, she looked just like Jonathan had done earlier. "You know sweetie, if you ever need someone to talk to or something you can always come here."

You managed to hold back a sigh. "I'm fine Joyce, really."

"Yeah, I know, I know, you can take care of yourself. I'm just saying, just because you can doesn't mean you have to. You ever wanna come here, for whatever reason, door's open." She smiled so warmly it was infectious, so you gave her a small, grateful smile.

"Hey, Joyce, where do these go?" Steve was holding up two almost identical salad bowels, except for the crack in one of them that had obviously been glued together again.

"I'll take them" Will's soft voice came from behind Steve, taking the bowls from him and slipping past Joyce and you to the back of the kitchen. He always moved so quietly you could barely even hear him.

You noticed him looking at Steve pensively, throwing back a glance at the dining room table, where Jonathan and Nancy were still sitting, laughing quietly with each other. You thought he looked too wise for his years.

He continued helping Steve with putting away the dishes, talking in hushed tones that you couldn't make out entirely, but you could tell by the way Steve's face lit up that Will had really cheered him up.

Joyce had noticed them too. "Could you keep an eye on him? I don't think he's been doing too well lately. Must get lonely in that big house with his parents gone so often" You nodded.

"Yeah, I've sorta moved in there, so I'm on that," you chuckled.

"What?"

The shriek was so loud it made you jump. Did those little fucktards always have to sneak up on you like that?

"You've moved in with Steve?" Dustin practically screeched in your ear.

"Are you two dating?" Lucas sounded like he wouldn't be surprised if you said yes, in fact the hint of hopefulness in his voice and the quick glance he shot at Max made you suspect that maybe they had some sort of bet in place. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Wait what about Billy?" Max asked fiercely.

You raised your hands up above your head, signalling for them all to be quiet instead of raise even more questions like they usually did.

"Guys, chill the fuck out, Steve and I aren't dating," you had to raise your voice to make yourself heard over their incessant chatter. "And neither are me and Billy, by the way."

"Wait you're not dating Billy?" Nancy piped in. You shook your head.

"But he said he's taking you out on Friday?" Max looked completely lost and she wasn't alone, pretty much everybody was looking at you in confusion by now. Except for Hop, who just looked like he was getting a massive headache and would literally rather shoot himself in the foot than stay and listen to this.

"Yeah, okay, so technically we're going on a date, but it's just as friends."

"I didn't know he had any friends," Mike commented snarkily.

"Which is exactly what I'm trying to change."

Will looked genuinely confused. "By going on dates with him?"

"Yes."

Max still didn't look convinced, "You and Steve are friends and you guys don't go on dates."

"Well that's because we're constantly babysitting you shitbirds," you joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"So if Steve asked you out, as a friend, you'd say yes?"

Yeah, Lucas definitely had money riding on this.

"Sure," you shrugged.

"Really?" It was Steve's turn to look confused now, but you just smiled and nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"Um, hello-o? Was I the only one who heard that they're living together?"

You loved how Dustin's curls shook every time he got overexcited, you'd never met a kid as passionate as him.

"Yeah, so?"

"What do you mean so, Steve? Why are you living together? Don't you both have your own houses and families and stuff?"

You and Steve shared a look and you shrugged. "Not really"

Dustin's face sank immediately. "Oh... Sorry..."

You felt sorry for how obviously bad he felt, so you ruffled his curls. "Hey, it's okay, we're alright, right Steve?"

"Yeah." Steve smiled at you warmly.

"We're alright."

****

P.S. I think I put everyone who asked on the taglist, but if I forgot you or you want to be on it, let me know  😊

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[lousimusician]

Losing Innocence -- Chapter 5

Pairing: Mob!Tom x Reader

Summary: It was astounding how much you didn't know about your best friend, and how much her past could affect your future.

Warning: Language

A/N: oh my god, Idk why this chapter was so hard for me to write, but I had to rewrite it like five times. So I'm sorry for the wait. I'm also sorry if this chapter is a bit confusing.

-------

Tom took a sip of his drink, feeling the whiskey burn down his throat. It was late, 12pm to be exact, and Tom was stressed. So, he did the only thing he usually did when he was stressed. 

He went to one of the many strip clubs he owned, drank, and picked up some willing stripper for the night.

Tom placed the glass down with a loud clunk as he continued to watch the strippers dance. 

Harrison, who sat across from Tom, cleared his throat, catching his attention. "I know this is how you usually handle these kind of situations, but don't you think you should be focusing on finding Belle's father right now?"

"What do you think I've been doing all day, mate?" He scoffed. "I swear I'm losing my mind over this. I just needed a break."

Harrison rolled his eyes, "Fine. What did you find out then?" He asked taking a sip from his own drink. 

"That William Taylor's been busy." Harrison raised and eyebrow, waiting for Tom to continue. "His numbers have tripled in the last five years and he's making more money than he ever has."

"Why haven't we heard about this. A mob like Taylor's gaining all this power doesn't seem like something we'd miss."

"Yeah, I was confused about that too, so I read into the files a bit more. Found out all they did was clean up their act." Tom said clearly frustrated.

"Really? They've always been sloppy though."

"I know, but they've gotten better at covering their traces and getting rid of anyone that stood in their way." Tom said as a certain blonde caught his eye in the dim lights of the club.

Haz sighed. "Well that's fuckin' great. What're you gonna do with Belle now?" He asked the question he had been wondering about all day.

"I'm gonna kill William Taylor and Belle can do whatever the fuck she wants to after." Tom said looking back at Harrison.

Harrison scoffed, "Kill him? That could take months- years even. Especially now that we have no way of tracing them."

"I'll figure something out." Tom muttered. "It'll be hard though. We don't know where they are but now that Belle is gone they sure as hell can figure out where she is."

"Well, that's bloody fantastic. But why kill him, you could just set Belle up in another city."

"And you saw how great that turned out." He said sarcastically. "Killing him will be the easiest way. Alex Jacobs is dead, he basically ran the mob more than Taylor does. So by killing Taylor the entire mob will fall apart and Belle can live the normal life she's always wanted."

"I suppose that makes sense. His men aren't very smart. With Jacobs already dead and when we kill Taylor the rest of his men will probably find themselves in jail within 24 hours." Harrison said while Tom finished his drink.

The young blonde woman that worked in the club approached their table. "Can I get you another drink, Mr.Holland?" She said, smiling flirtily at him.

Tom smirked, "Yes, thank you darling." 

The woman giggled at the nickname, taking his glass and leaving the table.

Harrison rolled his eyes as Tom's eyes trailed after her. "Y'know it wouldn't be a bad idea if you finally decided to settle down."

Tom snapped his attention back to his friend. "I don't need to settle down."

Haz scoffed, "What? Are you just going to continue sleeping with strippers the rest of your life? You're 26 Tom, plus maybe if you found someone you wouldn't be so bitter."

Tom narrowed his eyes at Harrison. "I don't need to find anyone, and I'm not bitter."

"Oh please. Ever since your family-" 

"I dare you to finish that fucking sentence." Tom spit out venomously. 

Harrison cleared his throat, "Fine... Then what about Belle?"

"What about her?"

"You seem to care a lot about her and she's a nice girl."

"Belle is nothing more than a friend that I owe. Now drop the subject." He said sternly.

Harrison sighed, taking a sip from his glass. "Alright, I'll drop it... How's her friend , (Y/N), I think?"

"Quiet. Thankfully she hasn't left her room all day and I've been having the maids check on her. She isn't eating though."

The waitress had come back with Tom's drink. Another flirty smile on her pink lips. "There you go Mr. Holland." She said placing the drink in front of him. "Anything else I can do for you?"

Tom smirked again, "Maybe there is. What time does your shift end, darling?"

The blonde woman's cheeks lit up, "It ends at one. Would you like to escort me out?"

"Yes I would, sweetheart."

The woman giggled again. "Alright, I'll see you then." The woman walked away.

Tom turned his attention back to Harrison again. Haz shook his head at Tom before returning to the conversation, "If the girl isn't eating, it could become a problem in the future."

Tom took a drink of whiskey, "Whatever, It's her fucking funeral."

Haz furrowed his eyebrows, "You really couldn't care less if she dropped dead."

"Honestly, I couldn't. She's a liability... plus she cries too much."

Harrison scoffed, "Of course she's crying. She's a normal girl, I think she should be allowed to be upset."

"And that's my point. She's a normal girl, so she doesn't know how this business works and that could get us killed if she somehow finds a way to contact anyone outside of the mansion."

"You know showing a little hospitality never hurt, maybe she'll calm down and you won't have to worry about her screwing us over. Plus if Belle likes her, I'm sure you could learn to get along with her."

Tom raised the glass to his lips again, "It's not my job to learn to get along with people." He took a sip, "If I don't like someone I have them killed."

Harrison rolled his eyes, "Whatever, I'm getting out if here. I figure you're gonna wait up for that girl."

"Yeah, you can leave, see if you can find any more of Taylor's contacts.'

Harrison nodded before leaving Tom by himself.

It was a bad habit, coming to a strip club almost every night to get shitfaced and get laid. He knew that. Harrison knew that. Hell, even his men knew that. But the momentary relief he got from his job made it feel worth it.

He hated his job but he'd never leave. No, at this point it was apart of him. He killed, he tortured, he threatened lives all for money, and there was no way out now. He was a criminal.

Your words the previous night struck a cord within him. You had called them all criminals. Tom knew it was true but when you're in this business others don't go around calling themselves criminals. 

He was a monster and any relief he could get, he would take.

So now as the clock struck 1, he stood up out of his seat to find the blonde he didn't even know the name of, so he could keep forgetting.

Spotting the blonde, he walked up behind her and spoke in her ear, "Hello, love."

The woman turned around, smiling seductively, and leaned into him "Hello, I just finished up, ready to go?"

"Of course, darling."

~

The car ride back to his mansion was filled with heavy breaths and soft moans. The driver all to familiar with this scene was thankful that there was a privacy barrier separating him from the sinful things his boss did in the back.

Making it back to the mansion, Tom stumbled in tipsy, with the blonde woman kissing his neck. The front door slammed shut and he locked it.

Tom's eyes closed for a second, until the woman stopped. He opened his eyes to see her looking down a hallway.

"Is someone else here?" She asked.

He looked down the same hallway, seeing a light coming from... his office. There were light shuffling sounds putting Tom on edge. His hand instantly went to his gun

"Darling, go upstairs, turn left, my bedroom is at the last one at the end of the hallway." 

The blonde nodded before going upstairs.

Tom pulled his gun out and quietly walked down the hallway. Many things were running through his head, if it was Taylor's men he'd be utterly screwed. Tom cocked the gun approaching the large mahogany doors.

He pushed the door open and raised his gun.

--------

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