"Tense" - Stranger Things, Harringrove (2022)

𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎;

Harrington scrubbed viciously at the buffed counter top. Failing to hear the creaking steps of leather boots entering the shop, it was only when steel shoe tips came into view, that the startled ice cream peddler flung his cloth aside to greet his newest customer.

“Ahoy—“

Oh, for 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬’𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦.

Icy blue eyes, golden ringlets and a shit-eating grin. Sure enough, Billy 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 Hargrove was standing before him. A black leather jacket hung off his broad frame, a tight white shirt clinging to his body underneath. Acid wash denim jeans wrapped his legs and fed into the steel-toed leather boots that had invaded Steve’s angry little cloud.

“— 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴?” Billy finished Steve’s greeting mockingly. Fuck. Evidently, he’d heard Steve’s flirtatious attempts. Excellent. More fuel for Hargrove’s unending fire.

Before Steve could stammer out a retort, Billy was speaking again, white teeth flashing across the counter in a smug smirk.

“Harrington, that’s just 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤, man. You can’t even win these bitches over with free ice cream, huh—?”

“It’s better than whatever you’re offering, buddy.” Yeah, that’s it, Steve. 𝘎𝘦𝘥’𝘩𝘪𝘮.

A taunting laugh escaped Billy’s lips before he leant one elbow on the squeaky-clean counter between them. He smelled like cigarettes and leather, and Steve 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 how that made his stomach jump.

“And how would you know what I’m offering—?” The question lingered in the air, punctuated by Billy’s tongue flicking out to lick his lips. Was he… doing this on 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦?

It took a long moment before Steve realised he’d failed to calculate a comeback. Instead, he’d been staring at Billy’s mouth. Why—? 𝘞𝘩𝘺—!? Flustered, smothering his nerves with false bravado, Harrington tensed up and stammered for a retort.

“You spending your Saturday following me, Billy? Got nothin’ better t’do? Not enough ‘𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴’ in Starcourt Mall for you?”

“I only see one 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 in here, Harrington.”

This 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧.

{EXCERPT}

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Originally written and shared as part of Verbuary 2022: https://tinyurl.com/mr22mthw