A/N Notes: Hey everyone! Apologises for the late update with this story, but as I am sure a lot of you know, there have been glitches on this website this week, so I decided to delay the new chapter. If you can't see the update, please try on the App. Thank you for all the support on this story and enjoy:)
Billy's eyes slowly opened as he felt the warm sun on his skin, and the smell of bacon wafting into his room. He moved his hand to rub his eyes roughly, before practically rolling out of his bed. He figured Susan must have been cooking and went to knock on Krystal's door, knowing she wouldn't want to miss out on breakfast. He let his hand hover in the air for a moment when he realised Krystal's door was wide open, with no sign of her inside. Stumbling towards the kitchen he was surprised to see it was her who had been cooking, watching as she placed a few slices of bacon on a plate.
"Morning sunshine" Krystal grinned, turning around to face him.
Billy wondered how she realised he was standing there, figuring he must have made more noise rolling out of bed than he had thought. She strolled over to him, the pleasant smell of the bacon hitting his senses once again. The plate in her hand was piping hot as she passed it to him, but she didn't seem to notice.
"You…cooked?" Billy frowned at the odd behaviour.
"I figured you deserved a treat" Krystal shrugged, as Billy placed the plate on a nearby armchair.
"Well, in that case, you should have given me breakfast in bed" Billy smirked, wrapping his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to him.
"I don't think Max would appreciate that" Krystal giggled, indicating to where her sister would still be sound asleep in her room.
"What are you doing up so early anyway? It's not even seven yet" Billy pointed out, as Krystal shrugged away from his embrace.
"I'm heading out to help Steve search for a new job" Krystal shrugged.
"You're hanging out with Harrington? Again?" Billy groaned.
Billy had understood that the pair had been friends long before he had met Krystal, and that wasn't going to change. Hell, he had even started to begrudgingly like the lanky boy. But Steve had spent more time with Krystal in the past month than he had. It seemed like she was continuously making excuses to see him Steve.
"You remember which one of us is your boyfriend, right-" Billy began, but was cut off as Krystal grabbed a slice of bacon and shoved it in Billy's mouth.
"He's just going through a lot right now. After his breakup with Nancy, quitting his job at Scoops, he just…he needs me" Krystal explained, as Billy finished chewing his mouthful of bacon.
"Well, just don't forget I'm the one who can make you feel like this…" Billy trailed off, leaning down to press soft kisses against her jaw.
He felt her hands grip his hair as he licked down her neck, biting on the spot he knew she liked. A soft sound from the back of her throat had him going further, as he popped open the first button of her shirt, pressing more kisses past her collar bone. Suddenly, she was shoving him away, a conflicted look on her face. Billy frowned as she quickly went to buttoning up her shirt, looking almost violated.
"What's wrong?" Billy questioned, reaching out to her.
"It's just…I mean Max could walk in, or my mum…we shouldn't do that" Krystal exclaimed, confusing Billy further.
Billy gave her a barely their nod in response, a tight-lipped expression on his face. It seemed every time they had got intimate recently, she found an excuse to stop. A month ago she could barely keep her hands off him, and now she was practically recoiling at his touch?
"I'll come by the pool later, okay?" Krystal suggested, sensing Billy's mood.
"Whatever" Billy sighed, doubting she'd even show up.
"Maybe I'll even wear that bikini you like" Krystal winked at him, as Billy's lips twitched into a smile despite himself.
"You better" Billy replied, as Krystal leaned forward to press a quick kiss to his cheek.
"Steve's here. I'll see you later. I promise" Krystal told him, heading towards the front door.
"How do you know he's…" Billy trailed off, as they both heard the familiar horn from Steve's car.
Billy frowned as the door to reveal Steve leaning against his car, with Carol right beside him, and a familiar boy in the backseat. Billy felt a chill go down his spine as the boy turned to look at the house, his eyes finding Billy's. Tommy H. The boy who Billy had seen die. It still didn't make sense to him how after only a few hours after the incident at the pool, Tommy was back on his feet, the wound on his head the only evidence that anything had happened. The police had been all but ready to arrest Krystal and Billy for being implicated in Tommy's apparent suicide when the boy in question had walked through the doors of the police station. Billy was thankful that he had only seen very little of the boy since that day. Apparently, Tommy had been resting up at home, not that anyone had seen his family in weeks. The whole thing didn't make sense. Billy felt his skin crawl as a smile spread on Tommy's lips when he saw Krystal, pulling the cap that permanently rested on his head up just the slightest bit.
"Hey" Krystal greeted, as Carol gave her a small wave, before jumping into the backseat with Tommy.
"I heard the video store is hiring. You think you can help me with my resume?" Steve queried, just loud enough for Billy to hear.
"Sure. I hope you didn't use your mom as a reference again" Krystal exclaimed, as Steve's forehead wrinkled.
"Why not?" Steve asked, cluelessly.
Billy let out a scoff, giving his head a small shake before closing the door. He hoped Krystal stuck to her word and came to see him later. He hated to admit it but he missed her.
Outside the house, Steve's dorky smile had dropped from his face the moment he heard the door slam shut. The pair quickly entered the car, with Krystal opting to ride shotgun, feeling the tension in the air.
"Your late" Steve announced, making Krystal shrug.
"I was making breakfast" Krystal replied, as Steve quirked an eyebrow her way.
"You don't eat" Steve pointed out.
"It was for Billy" Krystal informed him, as Steve gave her a look.
With a sigh, Krystal grabbed a magazine out from the backseat, flicking through a few pages, before holding it up. The title stated, 'the way to a man's heart was through his stomach'.
"It doesn't mean it literally" Steve rolled his eyes, making Krystal pout.
"Well how should I know? I'm supposed to be in love with him remember. I need to give him something back or he's going to get suspicious" Krystal explained.
"You can't feel those things anymore, Krystal. There's no point in trying. Besides, soon enough our cover won't be a problem" Steve went on, as a smile grew on Krystal's lips.
"The Russians?" Krystal guessed, as Steve nodded.
"Are doing exactly what we want them to" Steve grinned, as the two shared a look.
Billy's eyes darted between the pool and the metal gate a few metres away, hoping he would soon see Krystal walking towards him. The pool would be closing in twenty minutes and there had been no sign of her. Again. Mrs Wheeler and the rest of the suburban moms had certainly made their presence known, parading up and down underneath his lifeguard chair. The whole thing was beginning to grow desperate, sad even. No matter how much he tried there was only ever one girl on Billy's mind now. He ran a hand through his blond locks, setting his eyes firmly on the pool this time, figuring he'd better make sure none of the kids had drowned while he had been distracted. A familiar boy caught his eye, forcing Billy to quickly rush down the steps from his chair, coming to crouch down beside the pale teenager.
"You know you really need to cut your hair, kid" Billy exclaimed, ruffling Will's hair a little, who shrugged him off.
"Mum doesn't have the money to send me to the barbers" Will replied, from where he was dangling his legs in the pool, which had grown a few inches over the summer.
"Well, I could always lend you the cash. Especially if it means I never have to look at that bowl-cut again" Billy teased.
"Is it that bad?" Will cringed, running a hand through his short hair.
"It looks like it belongs on the end of a mop" Billy joked, frowning when he saw how Will's face fell.
"…Shit, Byers. I didn't mean to piss you off, you know how I am. Foot, mouth, Billy Hargrove" He insisted, as Will nodded.
"Do you think you could cut it?" Will asked, looking up at the older boy.
"Well, I sure as hell can't make it look any worse" Billy stated, earning a small chuckle from Will.
"Dustin's back. Our Welcome home party didn't go according to plan" Will informed him, as Billy leaned back on his hands.
"Oh, right. He's been at Camp Lame, huh? Krystal must have been happy to see him" Billy exclaimed, as Will's forehead wrinkled.
"She didn't turn up. Dustin shrugged it off but…when Steve didn't turn up either, he was pretty upset" Will admitted, making Billy scoff.
"That little shit. You know people say I'm the bad influence on Krys. Shows how much they know" Billy muttered, as a smile spread over Will's lips.
"Krys?" Will questioned, noticing the nickname, a teasing tone to his voice.
"Not a word, Byers" Billy warned him, holding his finger up.
"…What are you doing here, anyways?" Billy inquired, a moment later.
"Mike and Eleven ditched us. I didn't feel like staying after that" Will shrugged, as Billy's eyes softened a little.
"Mike still got his tongue down her throat as usual?" Billy guessed, watching Will's face morph into disgust.
"It's been like that all summer. I thought when Dustin got home…it's like he doesn't care about anything anymore. Nothing but El" Will muttered, annoyed.
"She's his first girl. Guys can get pretty intense with that" Billy informed Will.
"But what if he stays with her forever? What if he never likes anyone else?" Will went on, biting his lip anxiously.
"You thinking about anyone in particular, Byers?" Billy asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"…I just…I want things to go back to how they used to be" Will sighed, his eyes downcast.
"When Wheeler only had eyes for you?" Billy suggested, watching Will's eyes widen.
"It's not…he doesn't…he's my friend…that's all…" Will stuttered, in a panic.
"You really need to get better at lying, kid" Billy chuckled, shaking his head a little.
"You won't tell anyone will you?" Will asked, a pleading tone to his voice.
"I've known about your crush for months. I ain't gonna' spill now" Billy replied, making Will frown.
"Is it that obvious?" Will groaned, dropping his head into his hands.
"The googly eyes and little smiles do give it away" Billy teased him, earning a groan from the teenage boy.
"Why can't I just be normal?" Will complained, his voice muffled by his hands.
"You're not so bad" Billy shrugged, as Will slowly looked up at him.
"Yeah?" Will questioned, as Billy nodded insistently.
"Yes…fucking hell, Byers. Enough with the chick flick moments" Billy exclaimed, nudging the boy with his elbow.
"Well, isn't this cute" A teasing voice announced from behind the pair, as Billy whipped his head around.
A large grin grew on his face as he saw Krystal standing a few metres away, pushing himself to his feet in a matter of seconds. It was obvious to anyone watching them that Billy wanted to take her in his arms that second, but he seemed to remember where he was. Instead, he gave her a dorky smile, letting his eyes roam over the red bikini that complimented her pale skin so well.
"How long have you been standing there, stalker?" Billy grinned.
"Long enough to hear your going soft" Krystal smirked, as Billy gave her an indignant look.
Before Billy could open his mouth to reply, they heard a splashing sound from behind them and saw Will on his feet, holding the back of his neck with a shaking hand. Billy frowned as he saw the scared look on Will's face, and instantly knew what was happening. Will's episode's had been happening more and more recently, but neither of the boys could figure out why.
"Hey, you good?" Billy asked, taking a step before him.
Will's already pale skin had turned a ghostly white now, his bottom lip trembling. Billy realised that Will's eyes were firmly on something behind him and turned to see Krystal tilting her head at Will.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, Will. Are you sure you're okay?" Krystal inquired, coming to stand beside Billy.
"Y-yeah…I just…I need to go home. My mom will be wondering where I am" Will mumbled, backing up a few steps.
"Let me drive you, yeah?" Billy offered, but Will shook his head quickly, his eyes wide.
"No. No, I want to be alone" Will replied, his eyes never leaving Krystal's.
"Alright, well…come by tomorrow, okay? I'll sort your hair out" Billy stated, earning a curt nod before Will was rushing in the opposite direction.
"Weird kid" Krystal scoffed, as Billy gave her a look.
"He's been through a lot" Billy pointed out, as Krystal rolled her eyes.
"And let me guess? He needs a big brother to look out for him? He's a freak, Billy" Krystal insisted, surprising him with her words.
"It wasn't so long ago that most of the people at the school were calling you that, Krystal. You didn't like it much" Billy pointed out, expecting her to get annoyed at his words.
"I guess your right" Krystal shrugged.
"You know I…I shouldn't have called you all the names I did when we first met. I was just angry. I needed someone to blame and you were an easy target-" Billy began, but Krystal quickly cut him off.
"Forget about it. I already have" Krystal shrugged.
"…Right. Hey, why didn't you go to Dustin's welcome back party today? I heard Harrington didn't either?" Billy questioned.
"He's been at camp for a month. Steve figured he could last another day without seeing us" Krystal mumbled, dismissively.
"Sounds like he missed you" Billy went on.
"Shame…have you seen Heather anywhere?" Krystal inquired, changing the subject quickly.
"Why?" Billy frowned, knowing the two had barely said two sentences to each other in the past.
"Steve's thinking of asking her out-" Krystal started, but was cut off by Billy's loud groan.
"Jesus Christ, enough about Saint Steve already. Can we just have one conversation without him?" Billy complained.
"You asked a question. I'm just answering it" Krystal stated.
"I know, I know. I've just barely seen you recently. I fucking miss you, okay?" Billy admitted, a vulnerable tone to his voice.
"Me too" Krystal nodded, blinking a couple of times.
"Well, I was thinking…maybe Max could stay around El's tonight and then you and I could-" Billy started, but Krystal stopped him.
"How is Eleven? Still living with Jim Hopper, right?" Krystal asked, leaving Billy dumbfounded for a few seconds.
"Uh, yeah. So, what do you think?" Billy exclaimed, making Krystal frown.
"About what?" She queried, blankly.
"Getting the house to ourselves for the night" Billy stated, a small smirk on his face.
"Oh, you want to fuck me" Krystal realised, speaking a little too loud, as a little kid a few metres away gaped at the pair.
"Well, yeah. Obviously. But you know…we could watch a movie too, if you want? Get takeout?" Billy suggested.
"Sure" Krystal replied, with a quick nod, already getting an excuse ready for that evening.
It turned out that Krystal hadn't needed to think of an excuse when Murray ended up on their doorstep late that night. To say the two teens were surprised to see Murray out of the house, not mention in Hawkins was an understatement. Murray's shoulders sagged when the pair opened the door, and he saw himself that neither of them had been harmed.
"Would it kill you both to pick up the damn phone?!" Murray exclaimed, shoving his way into the house.
"What are you doing here?" Krystal frowned, as he made himself at home on their couch.
"I came to make sure the two of you hadn't been kidnapped by the government…or pulled into the Upside Down. Not sure which one is worse really…oh, Pizza. Nice" Murray mumbled, grabbing a slice of the takeout, and stuffing it into his mouth.
"Well, as you can see we're-" Billy began, but was cut off by Murray's panicked voice.
"Three weeks! Twenty-one days and nothing! Not a peep. I mean anything could have happened!" Murray insisted, through a mouthful of pizza.
"You haven't talked to him in three weeks?" Billy questioned, turning to look at Krystal in confusion.
"I forgot" Krystal shrugged, not understanding why it was such a big deal.
"Oh well, that's okay then?! Children" Murray groaned, grabbing another slice of pizza.
"It's great to see you and all Murray but me and Krys were actually in the middle of something" Billy exclaimed, raising an eyebrow.
"What?" Murray questioned, innocently.
"A fucking crossword, Murray. What do you think?" Billy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Oh…Oh!" Murray gaped, looking a little embarrassed.
"But you must be really tired from your drive, right? Why don't you stay? Just for a little bit?" Krystal asked, as Billy bit on his lip.
"I mean, I don't have to…" Murray trailed off, seeing Billy's expression.
"Great. More the merrier" Billy muttered, coming to sit beside him on the couch, shoving a slice of pizza into his pouting mouth.
"Oh, hey! I love the Shining. You mind if we start from the beginning?" Murray inquired, noticing that they seemed to already be halfway through the movie.
Billy simply held his hands up in exasperation, slouching down on the couch, looking like a kid who had just been put in timeout. He really hated his life sometimes.
It was the middle of the night when Krystal snuck out of the house, leaving Billy and Murray snoozing on the couch, the older man's feet hovering just above Billy's head. It was amusing, she thought, forcing a quiet giggle out of her mouth. Walking to the door with a frown, she wondered why she bothered. No one was watching her anymore. She didn't need to fake her emotions. Nonetheless, a smile spread across her cheeks when she saw Steve waiting outside her door, feeling peace wash over her. She could be herself around him. The new version. Steve ushered her over to the car, where Carol was sitting in the backseat, Tommy flopped out next to her.
"He's starting to smell" Carol commented, as the pair entered the vehicle.
"We won't need his body for much longer" Steve informed them, as Krystal's eyes dropped to Tommy's figure in the back.
His hat had fallen off, revealing the rotting skin around his hairline, and the large dent at the top of his skull. Carol was right, his corpse was starting to smell. She wished they could just dump his body, but he needed to be seen otherwise suspicions would be raised. The police still didn't understand how Tommy had survived or why he had even hurt himself in the first place. But with nobody or crime, they had no authority to look into it.
"What are we doing at the Mall?" Carol's voice shook Krystal from her thoughts.
Krystal's eyes snapped to the front of the car, realising that she had lost time again. It had been happening more and more recently. Her head felt like it was on fire constantly, it was as if her mind would switch off here and there to protect itself.
"We need to make sure the Russian's stay on task…your up, Krystal" Steve announced, turning to her.
"I can't take over the whole base in one night" Krystal pointed out.
"Nor do we need you to. Take off a few stragglers, I'll do the rest" Steve informed her, pushing his car door open.
"Should I come-" Carol began, as Steve waved his hand out.
Instantly, Carol flopped down in the backseat, as Krystal tilted her head, wondering if Carol was only unconscious…or dead. She quirked an eyebrow at the older boy, as she exited the car, coming to stand beside him.
"She talks too much" Steve muttered, as the pair made their way towards the Mall.
It didn't take Steve and Krystal to spot a Russian soldier patrolling the dark corridors of the Mall, a gun tucked close to his side. Stepping out of the shadows, Krystal came into the soldier's eye line, who raised his gun instantly, letting out a shout of warning. Before the guard could fire, Steve had snuck up behind him, kicking him in the back of the legs, his arm wrapping around the man's neck to hold him in place. Krystal was quick to march forward, her arm outstretched as spores begun to swirl out of her palm. The soldier shook in fear, letting out a cry that was cut off as Krystal placed her hand over his mouth. The Russian flopped to the ground after a few moments, sucking in a breath as the last of the spores were swallowed down. His eyes shot open immediately, dark veins covering the whites of his eyes, as he lay motionless. Steve thrust his hand out to the Russian, who stared at the offered limb in confusion.
"How do you feel, Arkady?" Steve asked as the soldier frowned at the use of his name.
When someone was brought into the Hive, the Mindflayer could see all their memories, their thoughts, their fears. Everyone was connected.
"At peace" Arkady replied, an almost serene look on his face, as Steve helped pull him to his feet.
"Call the rest of your team here" Steve ordered, as the Russian nodded.
"Viktor, Andrey. I've found something on the second floor. Come see" Arkady announced, taking out his walkie talkie.
"What is it?" A rough voice inquired.
"You need to see this. Both of you" Arkady insisted, as there was a gruff scoff from the device.
"Just tell us what it is" Another voice stated.
"Come and see" The soldier repeated, taking his finger off the button.
They had Arkady kneel on the floor, his back turned as the others from his group approached, not aware that Krystal and Steve were watching from a few metres away. The soldier's lights were the only thing that lit up the dark corridor, as Krystal noticed their hands must have been shaking from the way the torchlight flitted around.
"Arkady? Arkady, turn around" One of the soldiers exclaimed, his hand reaching for his gun.
He slowly walked closer to his friend, whilst Krystal snuck up behind the other soldier, placing her hand over his mouth, muffling the scream from the soldier. He let out a quiet choking sound, as Krystal dragged him into the shadows, just as the first soldier whipped around.
"Andrey? This isn't funny! Where are you?!" The soldier cried, raising his gun out.
Earning no response, the Russian felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end, knowing something was wrong. His legs were begging him to run but he felt frozen to the spot.
"I'm right here" Andrey, the soldier Krystal had just infected, announced, stepping back into view.
Before the uninfected Russian could open his mouth, he felt someone grab him from behind, the gun dropping from his hand. He was roughly shoved to his knees, as he looked up to see Arkady looming over him, a dark look in his eyes.
"Don't fight it, Viktor. It will all be over soon" Arkady soothed, his hands gripping the other man's shoulders roughly.
"W-who are you?" Viktor stuttered as Krystal and Steve came out of the shadows.
"I am the solution" Steve replied, ushering Krystal forward, spores already coming out of her hand.
"No…no! Don't, please! Don—" Viktor was cut off, as Krystal slammed her hand over his mouth, as his body shook with pain.
After only a few seconds, Steve's eyes fluttered shut as he felt the Russian join the Hive, all the fear the man was feeling seconds ago being washed away in an instant. Now the real work could begin.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! This story is definitely taking a more horror route, isn't it? Is there anything, in particular, you guys want to see in the coming chapter? What do you think about this new Krystal? Please leave a review:)
LoveFiction2020: Thanks for reviewing:)