Chapter Text
Nothing’s quite like the silent loudness of a bike treading upon long roads, the cacophony of asphalt beneath rubber tires buzzing all the way up his body in a way that manages to calm some of the voices in his head, the rest falling silent at the touch of the hand resting on his abdomen, caressing his skin under all the layers he’s got on, like a metaphor to the way he feels tethered to that hand, how it’s got a hold straight on his skin, on his heart, all the way through his soul it feels like.
There’s a bike tearing through the road under them, and a car following behind them, he can hear the sound of the motor even over the sound of the wind and his heart and the roar of the Harley he’s riding.
And it’s freeing in the way it always is, leading the way to new territory, a new ground to build a home into, because they’re finally moving away from Hawkins, Indiana, in a way that’s different from all the long rides and trips they’ve gotten used to taking just to get away from the memories, from the suffocation that tears through the town on the bad days, the nightmares that are always present that the rides help to quiet, the fresh air, and the possibilities of roads ahead always silence the red tint of horror their minds take them on, and the way their bodies cling together takes away the rest.
But it’s different this time, more real, because there’s no date to count down to, no schedule, just a new road opening up to them, and the asphalt burning through the tires.
Because Max got a new job offer, a change of scenery, a better pay, and so Billy followed, and where Billy went so did Steve, that’s how it’s been since Billy died and then didn’t, since Steve saw him go, and then went back for him, said ‘never again hargrove, fuck never gonna let you outta my sight i swear’ and he didn’t hasn’t won’t.
So here Billy is, riding to their new home, with Steve at his back, the v of his hips around him, clinging the way he know Billy loves him to, stroking up and down his chest, tweaking his nipples every time he makes a stroke because he’s a little shit and Billy loves him loves him loves him.
And there’s Max in the Chevrolet Camaro Billy’s had since he’d moved to Hawkins, where he taught her to drive, where he punched Steve in front of, where Steve kissed him for the second third sixth time until counting stopped to matter, where Billy had love poured into him when Steve filled him up, and now they’re moving to a new town to build a new life, and Max and Steve are all Billy really has that he cares to keep, even if there’s the Nerd squad back where home was, but they’ve always been more Steve’s than Billy's’ even if they’re all family nowadays.
But this home, this home is gonna be all Billy’s gonna be all Steve’s and Max’s it’s gonna be theirs. It’s not gonna be filled with Neil’s imprints, fists, screams, not gonna be filled with booze hardened blows, blood hidden in the crevices of the floorboards, not gonna be filled by the loud sound of silence, by disappointed gazes weighing shoulders down, it’s not gonna be filled by another mother’s leaving footsteps, or hissed ultimatums leaving one choking on air. It’s not.
Because Billy’s not gonna let it.
Billy’s gonna fill it with Steve’s sleepy hazed eyes, all dewy bitten lipped glances, is gonna fill it with Max’s puttering around at the ass crack of dawn, with the smell of fresh loaves of bread every week because Steve and Max love it, gonna fill it with Max’s laugh and Steve’s smiles, the ones that’re made just for him, he’s gonna fill it with the burning aching raw love he’s got for them, the one Steve gives him in hands that grab him so good, that draw blue purple all over his hips so he can touch the good kind of pain, the one that comes from being loved too hard; the ones that’re so gentle when they love him, the love that Max spills all over with her small touches, a hand at his elbow, a graze of fingers at his side in passing, a pull of his hair in teasing.
He’s gonna fill it with the Upside-Down kinda love he’s got inside of him, the one that’s not left him since he died and then not, the one that Steve pulls outta him to make it his, he’s gonna fill it up and he’s gonna make it theirs.
That’s the vow he makes, with all the Upside-Down that he’s got inside of him, one that’s not gonna break, that’s the vow he makes as he crosses past the sign that reads ‘Welcome to Charming’ surrounded by the rumbling of his Harley and the arms of the love of his life and the faint sound of Lady Gaga belting ‘i’ll follow you until you love me papa-paparazzi’ out of the windows of his car.
The sun’s raging down on them and there’s no more than two cars in the garage, simple enough to finish either later today or tomorrow morning before the heat starts, so they’re all hanging by the picnic tables with some booze enjoying the shade.
That’s how they are when the rumble of a Harley nears the lot, none of the Harleys are missing from the parking place and Bobby’s out playing Elvis in some bar, so this’s gotta be somebody else, can’t be another MC because it’s on its own, so that only leaves the new residents to their happy little burg. New family of three settled on a nicely sized house somewhat away from the main streets. A couple of guys and a chick according to Tig, who’d seen them out on a grocery run some days ago, said the chick was hot and that one guy looked like someone he’d wanna throw fists with or fuck whenever he stopped holding hands with the other one and that was that.
Now seeing this guy pulling into the lot, all wild curls, open shirt, leather pants and smoldering eyes he can kinda see where he’d been coming from, there’s also a starburst of scars all over where the eye can see he wouldn’t mind getting a closer look at if he weren’t taken, and if Tig hadn’t been clue enough of that, the big eye catching script of ‘STEVE’ on his collarbone claiming him to all and sundry sure would.
He’s stepping off the bike when Jax nears him with Opie not far behind. He’s got windswept hair and a cigarette in his mouth by the time they stop by the Harley.
“Hey man, need a hand with your bike?”, he sweeps an eye over it and he’s gotta admit it’s a sweet ride, a glossy black with H&H embossed on the fuel tank.
A cloud of cigarette smoke, “Nah man, I’m here for the job? There was an add in the newspaper. Said you were hiring?”, opens up a saddlebag and takes a folder out of it.
Jax frowns a bit and then remembers the standing add that Gemma’s got at the Charming Gazette searching for a ‘stable mechanic that’s actually gonna work the full hours’ or so she said.
The guy raises a brow, “Is the job taken or something?”.
“No, nothing like that man, just forgot that was in there.” The other brow joins its pair.
“Look, uh… I don’t know your name man.”
“Billy Hargrove”, “Billy, my name’s Jax this one here is Opie,” they shake hands, “why don’t ya come with me and I’ll introduce you to my mom, she’s the one in charge of all this”, “Sure.”
They head towards the office, Billy starting a conversation.
“So you guys know any good restaurants around here? ‘Cus we’ve been cooking mostly everyday but my man’s been wanting to go on a date ya know and he’s got expectations about food”. Jax stops and this time it’s his turn to have raised eyebrows, because he didn’t expect him to be so open about it, not that there’s anything wrong with it, most guys learned to take pleasure wherever it comes from in runs, but that’s not really how others see them and he’s sure Billy’s heard about the MC in the two or so months they’ve been in Charming.
“What, this is a small type kinda town, I’m sure it didn’t take more than two weeks for the news of a gay couple to make the rounds, pretty sure I heard some of the Church going old ladies muttering about the state of my soul and some shit about corruption or whatever, like I give a fuck, and I’m sure I saw that crazy eyed curly fuck eyeing us some days ago on the grocery store”, it took more like a week actually and that’s definitely Tig he’s talking about.
“Or is this gonna be a problem?”, he says it like there better not be or he’s gonna make it so, his stance widens, shoulders go lax and there’s a moment where he’s definitely sizing them up. And now he sees why Tig wanted to have a go at him, because Jax would sure like to as well, only thing better than a fuck is a good fight.
But Ope manages to talk before he can, hands up to stop the tension from rising, “Nothing like that man, just didn’t think you’d be so up front about it, specially to us you know, most people woulda thought twice about it is all we’re saying”.
Billy takes a blow of the cig and eyes them like he’s trying to see if they’re being truthful or not, they are, and he throws the butt of the cigarette to grind it under his boot.
He gives a small nod, “Yeah well if people are gonna be little shits about my family I’m just gonna have to keep beating the shit outta them, big bad bikers or not,” eyes blazing, “I’ve loved Steve since I was 18 and stupid with it, it’s been two decades by now and that’s not changed, it ain’t gonna change anytime soon either so I don’t see any reason to hide it, Charming’s just gonna have to fucking deal.”
Jax nods and resumes leading him to Gemma’s office, a companionable silence encasing them as he knocks and waits for the ‘come on in’ before entering and getting his mom's attention.
“Hey Mom, we got company”, Gemma looks up from the papers she’s checking on her desk and immediately clocks the newcomer in between her son and Opie.
She slides a look at her son, a smile is her only response, and she avoids rolling her eyes but just slightly, she loves her son but he enjoys springing surprises at her too much for her own liking.
“What’s the matter honey?”, between his leather pants, boots and overall attitude, he looks like he’d fit right in with the other Sons, only slight problem would be that great big metaphorical collar inked at the base of his throat, which now that he’s right in front of her this guy fits the description that Unser gave her of the new additions to Charming, one of them, some Will or Bill.
“Billy Hargrove ma’am, I read about the job on the newspaper a couple of days ago and came to ask around, leave my resume in case you’re still looking,” polite and charming, good. If he’s got the right credentials then she’s hiring him, they really do need the extra hands at the garage and he doesn’t seem like the MC will scare him away, might be worth to keep around, but before that; “Sure am sweetheart, and the name’s Gemma not ma’am, now do you have any credentials, prior experience?”
“Yeah, been working at the local mechanic for about two decades before we moved here,” he opened the folder at his hand and slipped her some copies, “got a degree and everything a few years ago”.
Hmm, yeah there was the certificate, references and recommendations, guy actually has more qualifications than most of the guys here, “Everything seems right in order, but,” she looked at him “you sure you wanna work here honey, you could earn more than the pay here at some other place you know.”
His hands went to his back pockets, “Yeah I scoured that other place first before I found the add on the newspaper, and it wasn’t gonna work out for me, too straightlaced, you know,”.
“That the only reason?” Gemma raised her brows at his cocky grin, “Some dickbag there said shit ‘bout me and my man and well, I’m not exactly welcomed there anymore”, he rocked back on his heels and Gemma let herself smile, “these guys said they didn’t give a shit about it and you didn’t even bat an eyelash when I mentioned him and that’s all that really matters.
I’m mostly doin’ this to keep my hands from being idle, don’t handle boredom very well, and I love cars, it’s not really about the money, Steve’s the breadwinner outta the two of us really, and he just wants me to have some’n to do.”
Gemma shuffled the papers and gave him a smile, “Well, I’ll be keeping the copies for the file, but if you want you can start tomorrow at 8 when the guys are here.”
Billy reached for her hand and gave a kiss to the back of it before winking and stepping out with a “I’ll see you bright and early then.”
She allowed herself a small chuckle as they filed out of her office, the last thing reaching her ears a sharp laugh ringing over Jax’s drawling voice.
If anything, she thought, the days are sure about to get more interesting.