Stranger Things - Imagines (Book 2)

Billy Hargrove X Reader - Used To Be Young

A/N - This chapter was inspired by the gorgeous new song Used To Be Young by Miley Cyrus. For this one, Reader and Billy are in their late 20s and have been together since High School. I hope you all enjoy it. 

You never come out anymore. You always come up with excuses when we make plans to go out. You used to be so up for a night out. You're getting boring. 

When you had let Billy persuade you into going out for a few drinks with the girls you went to High School with, you hadn't expected it to turn into some sort of intervention. You'd assumed, probably a little naively, that they would be happy that you'd needed to take some time away from the all-night partying and drinking that you'd been so prone to when you were teenagers. 

The snide little comments had just carried on, too, all the way through the first drink and into the second, until your heart couldn't take it anymore. It felt like every single utterance was a smack in the face. I mean, these girls were your friends. They were supposed to be happy for you. Yet, here they were, complaining about how boring the source of your happiness had made you. 

"I should be heading off," you murmured, pushing your half-finished second drink towards the middle of the table. "Early morning tomorrow," you pressed on, forcing a small smile onto your lips as you caught the girls exchanging glances and rolling their eyes. 

"You used to be so much fun," one of them uttered, shaking her head slightly. "And now you're dressing like this and heading off at 8 pm," she added, gesturing at the dress you were wearing.

You glanced down at your clothes, brow furrowing slightly. You hadn't really realised that you weren't dressed like the other girls, but now that you thought about it, the difference was pretty clear. They were in the short, skin-tight dresses that you'd loved when you were a teenager. The sort of dress that left you feeling self-conscious and uncomfortable these days. 

"I'll see you guys around," you uttered, tugging your purse onto your shoulder and making a beeline for the door of the bar, leaving them a little startled at your sudden escape. 

By the time your cab had dropped you outside the house, it was 8:30 and you were hesitating. Maybe it was a little weird that you weren't going out every weekend anymore. Maybe it was a little sad that you weren't wild and fun like you had been before. Maybe, Billy could see it too. Maybe he missed you being the person you were when you'd first gotten together. 

"Baby?" his voice called out, drawing your attention up to the front door, where he was standing with your daughter, Clara, on his hip, his brow furrowed slightly. "Thought you'd be out longer," he hummed as you finally made the journey up to the house, forcing a smile onto your face. 

"Wrapped up earlier than we planned," you lied, clearing your throat softly when Clara started babbling, reaching out for you. "What are you doing awake, Bub?" you hummed, taking her from his grip and moving further into the house. 

"She was fussin' so much in her crib. Thought she might go off a little better if I held her," he told you, pausing for a moment. "I was just getting ready to settle down when I saw you out the window," he pressed. 

You swallowed the lump in your throat, letting him follow you through the house to Clara's room, settling her down in her Crib. It didn't take long for her to drift off, and when she did, Billy's arm wrapped around your middle, pressing a kiss to your neck. 

"Clearly, someone just missed their Mom," he teased softly, waiting patiently for a laugh that never came. "What's wrong?" he murmured, hands shifting to rest on your hips, turning you to look at him. "Baby-"

"Am I boring?"

Billy's brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"I just-" you paused, swallowing the lump that had formed in your throat. "Do you think I've gotten boring?"

Billy's hand lifted to cup your cheek, his eyes fixed on yours. "No. You aren't boring," he answered, making sure that you knew he meant it. "What's got you thinking that?"

"The girls-" You shook your head as the words trailed off. "I mean, look at me," you pressed. "I'm not the same girl you took to the movies, am I?" 

Billy hesitated. "No, you aren't. Do you want to know why?" You bit down on your bottom lip, fighting back a wave of tears as his thumb ran gently over your jaw. "Because you aren't a girl anymore. You're a woman. And a Mom. And a wife. And you have other stuff to do with your life than drinking and partying and being wild." 

You let the words settle, and as they did, you felt the knot in your chest loosen, letting you lean into Billy's chest. 

"You think I'm the same knucklehead that took you to the Movies?" he pressed, feeling you shake your head, drawing a snort of laughter out of him. "We're not as young as we were, but that's not a bad thing, right? We had a pretty good run back in the day, we don't need to keep doing that shit." 

Billy lifted your chin, sending you that bright grin that you had fallen in love with on that first date, and then he leaned down to press a kiss to your lips. 

When you pulled away, you rested your forehead on his chin, feeling the couple of days old stubble that had started growing there. And in that moment, you realised how right he was. You weren't the same person anymore, but that wasn't a bad thing. In fact, it was an incredible thing. The two of you had grown together. You'd gotten married and bought a house and had a baby. You wouldn't have been able to do all of that if you hadn't let yourself change. 

You quickly tipped your head back, smiling up at Billy. 

"I love you," you told him softly, watching his own smile grow at your confession. 

"Yeah, I love you too, Baby."

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