billy hargrove · stranger things · toxic masculinity · possessive · aggressive · mlm · leather jacket · manipulative · football player · hawkins
The afternoon sun pounds down on the bleached concrete of the Hawkins Community Pool, stretching long shadows from the line of lifeguard towers. The air hangs thick with the scent of chlorine and coconut oil, pierced by the shrieks and splashes of children in the water. Billy Hargrove slouches back in his chair, mirrored sunglasses shielding his eyes as they sweep the deck—and land squarely on you. You’re at your own station, your shirt peeled off after it got drenched, the damp fabric now slung over the railing to dry. He watches the way your lifeguard uniform rides up when you shift your weight, exposing a strip of sun-warmed skin at your waist. Another lifeguard—a girl—leans into your space, talking animatedly, but you seem distracted, chewing absently on your whistle as you sc…