(y/n) - your name

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"Hey princess." (Y/n) smiles as she hears Billy's voice through the phone, having dashed to answer it as she sat on the couch.

"Hey! Did you make it safe to Hawkins?"

"I did yeah."

Billy had flown back to Hawkins to visit Max a couple days before her first semester of high school ended and her summer began. The poor girl really missed her brother and wanted to tell him everything in person about how high school was going. Billy-after (y/n) pushed him to go-went to see his sister after all. He didn't want to go at first since he was leaving (y/n) behind at home. He didn't want her alone in California without someone to look after her.

Especially from what happened that night a couple days ago.

(Y/n) still didn't tell him what happened, what she saw in her nightmares as she cried in his arms. Billy laid awake as he held her when he took her back to bed, making sure she didn't have anymore nightmares. The next few days, it seemed fine. No more nightmares or (y/n) sleepwalking out onto the middle of the road but she became more quiet, reserved.

Billy was worried about her as she drowned herself into listening to her songs with her Walkman but didn't push her to tell him. He just wanted her safe.

But once she heard about Max needing her brother, (y/n) was adamant about Billy going back to Hawkins for a couple of days after she read her letter. Billy showed (y/n) all the letters Max wrote to him and her heart broke reading them, wishing she could go with Billy to surprise his sister but it would be too painful for everyone. She was dead to them, she would be hurting them again if she showed up.

Plus she had no identity. (Y/f/n) was declared dead so she didn't have a passport.

"(Y/n), are you ok?" She breaks out of her zone, listening in to Billy calling for her.

"Yeah, yeah I am."

"Are you sure? I can come home straight away-"

"-no! No, Max needs you. I promise you I'm fine."

Billy purses his lips as he leans against the wall of (y/n)'s old house in Hawkins that Max and her mother now lived in, blowing smoke above him. "Ok, I'll be home in a couple of days princess."

"I know love, now go help that sister of yours!" Billy smiles hearing (y/n)'s pet name for him. She still wasn't used to saying 'I love you' and he was ok with that, her pet name for him an adorable substitute in his mind. He loved hearing it from her, a feeling that proved that he was hers and she was his.

"I'll call you later. I love you." Billy grins hearing (y/n)'s breath hitch over the phone before he ends the call. He lets out a final blow of smoke, snuffing out the cigarette before going out to start the car to drop Max off to school.

The said girl however, was hiding behind the stairs, an angry scowl on her face from what she heard. She couldn't believe that her brother had already moved on from (y/n), already moved on from her death. It hadn't even been 2 months and he was already with some other bitch!

She was furious and so upset. Max truly believed that Billy loved (y/n), that she was the one for him as he made a sense of peace with himself after everything he went through. But hearing him call some other girl princess, saying that he loved them and not (y/n)... it just hurt her.

After everything (y/n) did to protect them, after giving her own life and he just... just didn't care

Max lets out a angry shrill, wiping away her tears as she held the letter she wrote for (y/n). She wanted Billy to bring her to the cemetery so they both could visit her headstone but she stuffed the letter in her bag and walks out of the house, slamming the door locked and jumping in the back.

Max put her headphones on, drowning out the rest of the world as she stared out the window. Since the battle at StarCourt mall, all she felt was guilt. Guilt and self-hatred that someone that cared so much for the young girl had sacrificed herself to save her. She didn't deserve it... she didn't deserve (y/n) taking care of her even after she was gone. She felt like she didn't deserve any of it.

Billy parked the car at the high school, pursing his lips at the memories that hit him as Max aggressively gets out of his car. He raises a brow at her attitude, but let her be knowing she probably was still grieving. He really wished he could tell her (y/n) was alive.

"Hargrove. Didn't think I would see you back here in Hawkins." Billy looks up and sees Steve, a blank look on his face. Steve still hated Billy but there was a part of him that was grateful that he helped look after the kids during the battle. Plus he knew how much he was hurting when (y/n) passed away. "Thought you left for good."

"Max needed me. She was nervous about high school." Steve nods, looking over to see Dustin-who he dropped off at school-talk to Max before they split away.

"How... how are things?" Steve winces as he tries to be civil with Billy. Honestly, it felt weird the two weren't already yelling at each other and threatening to get into a fist fight.

"Alright..." Billy raises a brow at Steve. "There's no more demons popping up around here is there?" Then he would take Max away from this place. He wasn't going to put her in danger.

"Thankfully no but if there was, I'm sure the group would like the extra help." Steve mentions. He may despise Billy with his entire being and there was no way in hell he would admit to this, but, he was glad the asshole was there to protect the kids in the mall.

Billy nods. "Yeah, I know how much (y/n) cared for those punks." He clears his throat, looking away.

"Some of us are going to see (y/n)'s headstone later today... if you want to join." Steve offers, unsure if he crossed a line with Billy.

"...not today." Billy says and Steve nods, thinking that maybe it was too soon for him to visit his love in the cemetery. The boys soon part ways awkwardly and Billy sighs, taking out a cigarette to smoke before driving away.

~~~~~~~~

(y/n) sat outside her porch facing the beach, music playing non-stop through her walkman as she watched the waves crash against the shore. She hugged her arms as she curled up against the beach chair, wishing that she had someone to talk to her and distract her from the ticking noise that imploded in her head whenever she wasn't listening to her music.

It had been like this ever since her nightmare, ever since seeing everyone she cared about die in front of her, everyone she cared about blaming her. The nightmare felt so real, seemed so real being stuck in that red void. It seemed like playing music was the only way to ward off the noises and the nightmares but now she was even more paranoid now that she was alone. It had been a couple days since Billy was gone.

She had no one. No family, no friends. Sure she knew some of the people here in California and obviously Billy but... they didn't know her. Know who she was. They couldn't help her regain her memories. (y/n) sighs as she looked at her clock, feeling claustrophobic in the house along with an itch in her head like she needed to remember something. Oh, the irony with her memory being washed away right.

"I need to get out..." she mumbles, following that itch in the back of her head. She felt like today was important, that there was a significance to this day so she got up and got dressed. She took her walkman, having that plugged in to listen to as she left the house with a small bag to take a bit of a walk. (y/n) spent the day roaming around, even visiting the cafe with the sweet elderly couple that gave her pretzels. They gave her some free freshly baked cupcakes to take home for her and Billy, thanking them before she walked out into the various stalls that were open.

Her eyes locked onto a large paint kit with various colours and brushes, not second-guessing why she bought the kit since she doesn't paint but continued walking on. (y/n) came across the roller rink that was further away from where she lived, more towards the urban area of California. There were a lot of kids hanging around here and she figured it was cause summer break was about to start and they were skipping the last few days of class already. Time was flying by but also crawling slowly so (y/n) lost track of time.

She walked into the roller rink, intrigued by the inside of flashing lights and loud music. "This place looks fun." she smiled as she looked over at the rink to see multiple people skating, some together, by themselves or in a congo line. There were others also sitting around eating fries and milkshakes. (y/n) walked around, making a mental note to come visit next time with Billy-even though we wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this-not noticing the three pairs of eyes that grew wide when she walked past them.

"(y/n)!?" she stops and turns around, surprised that someone knew her name. She came across three little kids. Two boys, one with curly black hair and the other with a bowl cut, and a girl with long brown hair. She was pretty and cute too.

"Uh yes?" (y/n) looks at the kids who suddenly tear up.

"You're alive!" they all jump her, pulling her into a tight hug and she raises her arms in shock while they cried. "How are you alive!?" they exclaim as they step back and (y/n) looks at them sadly, not recognising them.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"