#the most unlikely of frieeeeends!

[okaybutlikeimagine]

I need brother!billy to be protective of Johnathan bc hey that's his brother now Tyvm and only he can mess w/him 👀 and Johnathan is just Exasperated™️

I. LOVE. THIS. AND I COULDN’T AGREE MORE.

{TW: Q-slur used once}

Kay so i really just am so interested in how Billy and Jonathan’s relationship would work. I’ve talked about this before but i absolutely headcanon them as smoking weed together like, weekly at least. They just enjoy the energy of the other and the virtual silence that they’re able to slip into comfortably (i also kind of headcanon Jonathan as being an empath who probably doesn’t know it.)(so like, he’s super affected by different energies)(we don’t have to get into this though) 

They don’t really hang out often, but they talk every now and then when they’re at the other’s house and it’s always amicable enough and surprisingly far from awkward. Billy never fucks with Jonathan at school and Jonathan enjoys being invisible for the most part, so he very much appreciates it. Jonathan used to get SUPER nervous about playing music too loud when Billy was over at their house bc he knows the boy is a music fanatic too and doesn’t want to hear any more shitty opinions on his music taste (even though he has some choice words about Billy’s own taste in music). this doesn’t stop Billy from giving Jonathan shit about it though whenever he hears his music playing.

and as they get closer to each other and talk more, Billy gets brattier and more mouthy. He swipes at Jonathan’s hair in front of his face and calls him “Beatle” and asks if he can see through “that curtain”. He taps the boy’s back and tells him to straighten his back out bc “you’re already short enough, you’re losing some valuable inches standing like that.” The first time Billy hears about the extent of the fight he got into w/ Steve (Steve and Jonathan and Nancy are all on good terms at this point, Steve just mentions it in passing as a joke), Billy puts Jonathan in a headlock and ruffles his hair and asks about the “fighter” in him.

but Billy is never hard w/ Jonathan, necessarily, bc he knows Jonathan has dealt w/ shit. Jonathan doesn’t have a dad around. Will nearly died and in fact was said to have died like, less than 2 years ago. They had a fucking funeral for him and everything. He had to watch a crazy as fuck monster possess his brother. Their family is poor and struggling and Jonathan works hard as fuck, way harder than a teenager should, so Billy knows the boy is tired and doesn’t need to be given more reasons to be. Plus, Jonathan is pretty damn passive during every encounter of theirs; he just takes it and gives Billy a tired but ultimately amused huff.

When Joyce and Hop get married and Jonathan and Billy officially become brothers, they get even closer. They smoke and talk more. They share similar music tastes like Bowie and Queen. they talk about relationships and sexuality and little siblings and shitty parents and… pretty great ones. They have long talks out in the woods around their house and they sit in the cold and smoke joints and Billy puts Jonathan in a headlock like, once a week with the excuse of “keeping you on your toes, John Boy!” When Jonathan is feeling a little less passive, he’ll pull at a curl on Billy’s head that’s noticeably longer than the others and say “Your mullet has a tail” or “your mullet’s tail is looking a little ragged, I think you missed it w/ your hairspray”

They make weird jokes that aren’t funny to anyone else and they laugh muted quiet laughs that would probably confuse anyone other than them and then Jonathan’s car breaks down and Billy drives him to school while they’re trying to figure out what’s up with it.

It’s then that Billy notices people fucking w/ Jonathan.

Bc he just doesn’t hang out w/ Jonathan at school. They leave each other alone bc that’s what they prefer from each other. That’s just the relationship they have.

But as Billy is waiting in his car, singing along to Zeppelin, he sees Jonathan walking up, followed by a few guys he’s never seen before. He figures it’s just Jonathan’s friends when he notices one of the boys reach out to grab at Jonathan’s bag strap. Another one tries to knock the books out of his hands. Billy flares up immediately bc who the fuck are these guys and what are they doing to his brother?

He gets out of the car, walking around to greet the group right as they’re talking about Jonathan being a “drugged out freakazoid” who’s “probably queer and just using Nancy as a beard.”

Billy leans up against the Camaro and clears his throat, fully ready to throw hands.

“Hey, assholes. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

And the boys are very clearly freaked, but they try to keep it cool.

“Oh, you need Hargrove to come to your rescue-?”

“Hey.” Billy demands, smacking his gum in the most intimidating manner possible. “It’s Hopper, dipshit. And either you shut the fuck up or I kick your teeth in. Your choice.”

The boys grumble, and nearly run away. Jonathan has his head down, trying to slink his way into the Camaro while Billy asks:

“Do they always fuck with you like that?”

“C’mon, as if you didn’t know-”

Billy doesn’t like that answer. He grabs Jonathan’s wrist before he can open the door and gives him a serious as hell look.

“Hey. I didn’t.”

Jonathan pauses for a second before rolling his eyes w/ a small sigh and getting into the car, but the conversation is far from over.

“I’m serious, how many dickwads are saying that shit to you?”

“It doesn’t matter?” Jonathan says it like a question.

“Except it does. They shouldn’t be doing that-”

“I know you think you care but-”

“Shut the fuck up, Jonathan.” Billy is adamant but not harsh. “You’re my brother now, alright? We’re family. And that means I’m not letting dick wipes like that treat you that way. You don’t deserve that shit.”

Jonathan doesn’t know what to say but he gives out another sigh and looks out the window and thinks about when Billy didn’t care to get involved w/ Jonathan’s life and how much simpler it was then. but how this feels a tiny bit warm so maybe it’s fine.

And the following day at school, and for the rest of the week, and then the rest of the month, and then the rest of the year, Billy starts hanging out with Jonathan at school. When Jonathan isn’t w/ Nancy, of course, bc no one fucks w/ Jonathan when Nancy is around. But sometimes she can’t be there, so Billy takes her place in those times.

And at first it kinda feels like a duty; like he’s Jonathan’s body guard and Jonathan hates it. It feels like even more of a target on his back. Billy fucking walks him to class and to his locker and to his car and to lunch and will even sit w/ him at lunch if Nancy can’t. like, just imagine Billy strutting down the hall next to quiet, small Jonathan, fucking snarling at anyone who dares to give Jonathan a mean look. It’s just???? Weird and exhausting and Jonathan wants to be left alone.

But eventually, it becomes a lot more normal. Bc eventually, they become actual friends. They’re talking about concerts they wish they could see and the homework from last night and that new music video that was on MTV over the weekend. They talk about books and good weed and even better alcohol that Billy is always trying to convince Jonathan to try but that Jonathan keeps refusing bc he doesn’t really drink.

And Billy used to leave when Nancy would come by, but he’s started talking to her more and more and now they talk about the books they had to read for class and really, it’s just Nancy giving Billy the plot bc Billy was too anxious to sit and read it. But Nancy eventually ends up forcing Billy to read his own books and they actually have pretty in depth debates on the ethics of the characters. And then, when Tommy and Carol are being dicks, Billy will find a home at Nancy and Jonathan’s table for lunch where they talk about what the next John Hughes movie might be or how that episode of Family Ties was last week and what the new one will be tomorrow and no one fucks w/ Jonathan again and if they try to Billy growls at them and Jonathan is  T i r e d  but he’s tired w/ a smile and that’s all Billy needs.

Bc now he doesn’t feel bad about flicking Jonathan’s arm and goading him to “work out, you look like a twig.” with that smarmy smirk that makes Jonathan so exhausted