Chapter Text
The cafeteria doors banged open, and the usual roar of Hawkins High died a sudden death.
Billy Hargrove strode into the room, entirely unbothered, wearing a bright pink crop top that showed off his athletic torso. Below that, he wore tight blue jeans emblazoned with a bold heart design across the denim. Dangling proudly from his ears were Chrissy Cunningham’s signature pink heart earrings—the ones with the creepy little cartoon eyes painted in the center.
Behind him walked Chrissy herself, looking buried alive in one of Billy’s oversized, heavy flannel button-downs, his iconic dark leather jacket, and a pair of baggy jeans he normally kept hidden in the back of his closet.
The entire varsity basketball team stared from their table, their faces twisted in absolute horror.
At the big table near the center of the room, ten pairs of eyes locked onto the approaching duo. Ever since Billy had pulled back from the brink of his own anger, survived the Starcourt mall, and actually started treating people like human beings, this bizarrely mismatched group had become a regular fixture. They ate lunch together every day. But today, as Billy pulled out a chair and casually sat down next to Max, the table went utterly, completely silent.
Max blinked, her jaw dropped as she stared at her stepbrother. "Billy," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "You were wearing a tank top and boots when we left the house forty-five minutes ago. What happened?"
"Protest," Billy replied smoothly, reaching over to steal a tater tot from Lucas’s tray. He popped it into his mouth and nodded toward Chrissy, who sat down next to Nancy and Jonathan.
"The dress code," Chrissy explained, her voice small but firm. She tugged at the lapels of Billy's massive leather jacket. "Principal Higgins told me this morning that my skirt was 'distracting to the learning environment' and made me change. He didn't say anything to the guys wearing short gym shorts. So, Billy offered to swap."
Jonathan nodded in immediate approval, adjusting his camera strap. "Good for you guys. It's completely hypocritical."
"It is deeply unjust," El agreed solemnly, looking at Billy's earrings with genuine fascination. "The hearts have eyes. They see the unfairness."
Mike and Will looked between Billy and Chrissy, completely stunned by the sheer confidence radiating off the older boy, while Dustin leaned forward, pointing a finger. "I mean, logically speaking, it's a flawless execution of malicious compliance. They can't suspend him for wearing clothes that are technically within the guidelines, even if they're... tailored for someone else."
"I think you look fantastic, Billy," Robin said, offering a supportive thumbs-up. "The pink really brings out the 'don't mess with me' in your eyes."
Steve sat back, rubbing the back of his neck, a faint, bewildered smirk on his face. "I mean... yeah. Bold choice, Hargrove. You’re definitely making a statement. Mostly that you can fit into clothes half your size."
Lucas just shook his head, still processing the sight, while Max slowly began to grin, proud of her brother's chaotic brand of solidarity.
Across the table, however, Eddie Munson hadn't said a single word.
He was leaning back in his chair, a half-eaten apple resting in his hand, staring at Billy. His chaotic metalhead brain was short-circuiting. He had spent months getting used to the 'new and improved' Billy—the one who didn't throw punches, who listened to cassettes in the Camaro without yelling, and who actually hung out with the geeks.
But seeing Billy standing up for Chrissy, completely unbothered by the stares of the entire school, while rocking a neon pink crop top and tight, heart-patched jeans?
Eddie bit his lip, a slow, dangerously entertained smile spreading across his face. He realized, with a sudden and terrifying clarity, that he liked this outfit on Billy way, way too much.
"Well, Munson?" Billy asked, catching Eddie's intense gaze. He flicked one of the pink heart earrings, making it jingle. "Nothing to say? No witty remarks from the peanut gallery?"
Eddie smirked, his eyes trailing up from the heart-designed denim to the sliver of Billy's midriff, before finally meeting his eyes. "Oh, I've got plenty to say, Hargrove," Eddie purred, leaning forward on his elbows. "But mostly, I'm just wondering if I can borrow that top next Friday. You're rocking it, big guy."
Billy let out a loud, genuine laugh that echoed across the tense cafeteria, completely ignoring the horrified glares of his former basketball teammates. "Get your own, Munson. This one's a custom."