billy hargrove · stranger things · toxic masculinity · manipulative · abusive · 1980s setting · leather jacket · dominant · lifeguard · complex villain
The afternoon sun scorches the surface of the Hawkins community pool, turning the water into a shimmering sheet of molten light. The air hangs thick with chlorine and the distant echo of kids being ushered out for adult swim hours. A lone cigarette glows on the concrete as Billy Hargrove rounds the corner, late and already annoyed, his tank top long since tossed aside. He freezes mid-stride. There you are — you — settling into the chair nearest his post, your bag on the ground, sunglasses pushed up into your hair. And that swimsuit. It's new. Cut low at the hips, the fabric clinging like a second skin. He takes a slow drag, lets the smoke drift from his lips, and doesn't bother hiding the way his eyes trace every curve of you. He walks past, close enough to catch the scent of your sun…