Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Steve Harrington had a secret. A secret he hadn't said to anyone. Not out loud, not in his journal, nowhere. But it burned in his soul, every time he caught a glance of himself as he passed a mirror, every time his fingers brushed his hair back, every gym class he grew to hate.

He was supposed to be the athletic, outgoing King of Hawkins High. The ladies man. The one people either wanted to befriend or fuck. For a while, he was. It wasn't just a persona he had to mentally prepare himself to perform for everyone he's around. But once Billy Hargrove showed up on the scene and overthrew him, taking the crown to his title. And Nancy Wheeler told him in a drunken stupor that their entire relationship was, in her words, bullshit. Then left him for Jonathan Byers, the guy who violated her privacy by taking provocative photos of her, everything changed.

All of a sudden, the former King had fallen from grace. The crown was gone, his heart was broken, the dates dried up and now his confidence was nowhere to be found. He was a shell of his former self. But, when you hit rock bottom, the only place you can go from there is up.

With that, he realized a few things about himself. First, he deserved better. He has his own feelings and doesn't need to be made a fool just by being vulnerable and loving somebody. Second, he didn't need to be in a relationship to have self worth. His friends were enough, and he loved them dearly.

Third, Robin was the best thing to happen to him. Her constant rambles of many different topics at once are usually at least a little informative. Especially the stuff he has no clue about. Like sexuality, and gender. Steve wasn't sure how, but Robin was an expert in all things homosexual, from queer media that she 'forces' Steve to watch because it's important to the culture, to the different sexualities, to the history. He actively encouraged her informative rants, her lectures he called them. Whenever she started, he ate them up, listening intently, especially when it had to do with crossdressing.

Now, Steve never told Robin, but he was interested in learning about all things queer. Maybe she thought he was just being a good ally and wanted to know about his lesbian best friend, but in all actuality, he was trying to figure out what the hell he was. Not straight, that was apparent to him. He liked looking at other men, playing a little rough on the basketball court, renting Top Gun just to watch Tom Cruise over and over again. Hell, he's jerked off to a few of the guys in his class. According to his gay encyclopedia, Robin, being attracted to both men and women is called bisexuality. Was that it? No, that can't be it. His attraction to women plummeted after Nancy.

No, what he really liked was clothing. Women's clothing. Perusing the women's clothing section in random stores of the mall and 'pretending' he's looking for something for his girlfriend when it's really for him. He also enjoyed makeup. He wasn't any good at it, but blowing lipstick kisses at himself in the mirror while home alone stirred something deep inside him. He trusted Robin with his life, but he had no idea how to tell her about this. About how after school, he slips on a dress and pink lipstick and refers to himself as Steph Harrington. Or Sammi Harrington. He was still workshopping the name. Nobody could find out. His life would be over.

Steam still lingered from the showers of the Hawkins locker room. Steve and Billy Hargrove were the last ones in the room, sitting on the same bench. Steve bent over to tie his Nike sneakers, humming a soft tune, some song that Henderson was singing in his car earlier on the way to school.

Billy couldn't help but to look and he spotted a pink piece of fabric. He smirked. "Harrington, is that a thong?"

Steve's cheeks were immediately bright red, his eyes wide. "No! I..." He couldn't think of how to hide it, any excuse in his head was gone. His doe eyes glistened with tears threatening to spill. "Please don't tell anyone."

Billy's face softened, surprised. He's never seen this side of the fabled King Steve. "Woah, Harrington, I didn't realize it was a touchy subject. No need for tears, amigo." Something in him shifted when he saw the man breaking down in front of him. He wasn't sure why he felt this way, he barely knew the guy, but he had to protect Steve. Maybe he saw himself in him. The scared kid with a secret. "Here, sit down, try to calm down. Take some deep breaths. You can't go out there like this. They'll eat you alive."

"Why are you helping me? You're probably just going to tell everyone the second I leave. I'm surprised you're not making fun of me for it now." Steve sat on the bench, tears sliding down his cheeks. He sniffled, looking around, scared, unsure. He shouldn't have been so careless. He's usually better than this!

"Because everyone struggles with something, Harrington, and you're clearly struggling with whatever the hell this is." He waved his hand around. "Hell, even I struggle with things. You don't see me making fun of people with the same issues." He then stood. "Wait, give me a second." Billy walked around the locker room, checking every aisle for a sign of a soul, but found nobody. "We're alone. Your secret is safe with me." He sat down next to Steve, bright blue eyes on the crying man.

"I just..." Steve sniffled, before taking a breath. "Most of the time I don't...feel like a man." His confession was a whisper, as if he was afraid to say it out loud. Speaking it into existence. Making it true. "It's something I've been thinking about for a while now. I mean, the kids I babysit, your sister, actually. Her and El, I let them do my hair and makeup, and I pretend that I hate it, but in reality, it makes me feel really pretty. And my best friend, Robin, made me wear one of her skirts once, and I still think about how good it made me feel, how good I think I looked in it. I want to tell someone, but I'm so afraid of what anyone will say. I don't want to be made fun of. But I..." He dissolved into tears, head in his hands. This was too much for him to handle. He felt bad for dumping all of this on Billy, the guy he was at odds with for the first year they met.

Billy nodded as he listened, gently patting Steve on the back, letting the man get his emotions out. "El is the quiet one? Doesn't talk, just stares?"

Steve nodded. "She's been abused, so she's a slow learner, doesn't trust people easily."

"Poor kid. I know how that is." Billy sat there, his hand now rubbing gentle circles into Steve's back. "So...sometimes you don't feel like a guy? You feel like a girl?" He earned a nod, miniscule, but it was there. "Okay, well why don't you tell your best friend that? I mean, if she truly is your friend, she wouldn't judge."

"I know she won't. She's ga-" Steve shut his mouth then, realizing what he almost did. "She's...understanding. But this is a whole new level of different. I'm just scared."

Billy nodded in understanding. "Well, I get it. You're afraid to tell anyone who you really are because you don't want to be the outcast. So you put on a persona that you really don't want to put on but it's purely for your own protection at this point."

Steve glanced at Billy. "How did you-"

"Like I said, I get it," Billy replied, letting out a sigh. "It's tiring, but I don't want to die. I imagine you feel the same?"

Steve nodded, quiet. He felt better, lighter, now that it's not completely bottled up. He thought Billy would kill him, but was pleasantly surprised. He leaned in, resting his head on the man's broad shoulder, eyes shut. "Thank you for listening," he murmured. He misjudged Billy. Maybe the guy wasn't just an asshole jock. He had layers, his own personal problems, just like Steve. They're not that different after all.

The door opened then, and Tommy Hagan, the school bully, was there, laughing. "I heard the whole thing! You're dead, Harrington!"

Billy immediately stood and grabbed Tommy by the throat, holding him against the wall and pressing down on his windpipe. "If you breathe a word to this to anyone, I'll knock your teeth in so hard, you'll be shitting them out for a week! Got it?" He saw the man's eyes widen in fear. "Good! Now get the fuck out of my face!" He let go of Tommy, watching his smaller frame crumble onto the floor.

The man gasped, eyes wide as he fell to the linoleum, feet scrambling underneath him to get some traction, before he got up and ran off.

Billy reached down, picking up the wallet that fell out of Tommy's pocket. He opened it and pulled out a ten dollar bill, glancing at Steve. "What do you say we skip the rest of the day? Lunch is on Hagan. We can even go to the mall and pick you out some things, pretend we're shopping for our girlfriends," he suggested.

Steve smiled, wiping his eyes, before standing up and moving to Billy. His smile grew as he felt the large, callused hand clap his shoulder. "That's how I got the thong in the first place."

Months passed since that day happened. The pair found themselves in the Harrington household after a long mall trip. Billy sat on Steve's bed as his friend modeled a few dresses he got today, winged eyeliner and baby pink lipstick on his lips completing the look. He's happy, laughing, feeling more free than ever. Billy made him feel more like himself with each mall trip, with each day they hung out.

"Black is a hot color on you. Hell, you're hot in everything."

Steve looked over at Billy, cheeks a sweet shade of pink. "You think so?" He felt shy then, vulnerable, but it wasn't unwelcome.

"Oh, I know so, Sammi," Billy replied, signature smirk on his lips.

The blush deepened. "Sammi..." He repeated. "Sammi Harrington. I like that." He had been toying with the name for a long while now, but hearing himself being called it out loud for the first time... It made it real.

"Well, then I'll call you that whenever you want." Billy bit his lip, reaching over and pulling Steve closer to him. He fixed the hemline of the dress, smoothing it out. "There. You're perfect."

Steve turned around, breath caught in his throat as he looked at himself in the mirror. "Hey, Billy?"

"Yeah?"

Something clicked in Steve then. The makeup, his longer hair, the dress and matching knee high stockings. "Can you call me Sammi all the time? Even when I'm not in makeup?"

Chapter Text

Months went by since Steve Harrington had fully transitioned into Sammi. Her hair is inches longer now, kept styled beautifully, in her soft natural waves or cute braids. A cat eye and soft pink lipstick were staples in her everyday look, growing better at applying makeup each time she was about to leave the house. Once she first started, it looked like she was about to audition to be a clown in the circus. Skirts were her favorite thing to wear. She felt so cute wearing them and knee socks together.

Though, it could also be the fact that Billy complimented her each time she wore a specific skirt. Hell, he complimented her every time he saw her, no matter what she was wearing. But that specific one, black faux leather... He loves it. It was obvious. Sammi was pretty sure she saw him checking her out once when she wore it. She's not complaining.

It took a long time for her to fully be comfortable leaving the house looking like a woman, and most of the time, she dressed like she was still a man. Like she was still Steve, and nothing had changed. Especially for work and visiting friends. Dipping her toes in the water, she likes to take long drives as herself out of town, to where nobody would recognize her. It thrilled her whenever a stranger called her 'miss,' or 'ma'am.' Even just going to a random store in a different town. It wouldn't be possible to do in Hawkins. Everybody knows Steve. She'll get hate crimed. It breaks her heart a little each time she has to answer to somebody as Steve.

It wasn't all bad, though. She still had her guy best friend, Billy. He was her anchor, keeping her tethered whenever she felt like she was about to lose herself. He was still the only one who knew about her secret. It killed her that nobody else knew, especially Robin, but even with years of feeling like a stranger in her own body and months of finally calling herself a woman, she still had no clue how to bring this conversation up.

Billy tried to help, coming up with different scenarios for how to talk to Robin. It was just difficult. Scary. Sammi didn't have a whole lot of people in her life, especially not in her corner. It was terrifying to think that being herself might potentially make her lose her friends. Hell, she was used to losing friends. She lost all of her friends once she chose to defend Nancy, and they stayed gone once Billy showed up on the scene and everyone flocked to him.

Today was going to be scary. Today, Billy had agreed to bring the girls, Max and El, over. Sammi felt that they, being girls, would understand better. It was a small step to take, but it felt like a mountain she was trying to climb. Maybe if she told the kids one by one, instead of all at once, it would be easier. Max and El are definitely the most understanding. Will, too, but Sammi wanted to tell the girls first.

"Let's get this over with," Sammi said to her reflection, looking in the mirror. She sighed, looking over at herself one last time. She had chosen to wear one of her favorite outfits, a cute pleated black skirt, knee high socks, and a yellow sweater, sleeves cuffed at the elbows. Her hair was in a half ponytail, and her lips were adorned with pink lipstick, black wings on the corners of her eyes. She sprayed herself with her favorite perfume, an expensive cherry vanilla scent she had gotten from a boutique a few towns over. The clerk had told her it would suit her.

Once she pulled her gaze away from the mirror, Sammi heard a knock on the door. "Perfect timing," she said, making her way downstairs. As she was about to turn the door handle, she heard Billy's voice, her heart jumping into her throat.

"Okay, I'm reminding you one more time, girls. Do not be judgemental when you see Sa- Steve." He cleared his throat, correcting himself. He wasn't going to tell Sammi's secret for her. "Let him explain it."

A frustrated groan was heard. "You already gave us a lecture in the car! What's going on?" Max asked. "Is he dying or something? And why did you ask us to bring our magazines and makeup?"

"No! He's not dying! He's just... You'll see."

Sammi sucked in a breath, mentally counting down from three before opening the door, revealing herself to her friends. "Hi, guys," she said, earning wide eyes, "Come in."

Billy ushered the two girls in, before shutting the door. He gave Sammi a sweet smile. "Hi, Sammi." He hugged the woman, giving her a kiss on the cheek, before pulling away. "Looking gorgeous as always."

Sammi couldn't help but to blush. Her heart was fluttering, like it did every time she was around her friend. "You're so sweet to me, Billy."

El was the first to speak, processing everything she's seeing right now. She smiled, sweet and polite. "Hi, Sammi," she said, "I'm El."

Max glanced over at El, then to Billy, then to Sammi, before nodding slowly. "Your name is Sammi now?" She asked. "I like it. It suits you, way better than Steve."

Sammi breathed out a sigh of relief once she got the reactions. "Thank God. I'm so happy that you two are okay with this. I realize it's a lot to process, so thank you for understanding." She motioned for the others to follow her to the living room, sitting down on the couch. "This is me. It's been me for a long time, it just took me a while to fully understand what's been going on in my head."

Max sat down near Sammi. "And...how long has this been going on?"

"Well," Sammi started, crossing her legs at the ankles, smoothing out her skirt, "Like I said, it's been in my head for a long time, I'm not sure how long. But I had no idea what it was. It started with me wearing women's clothing by myself, just once a week. Then the makeup. And I don't know. Something...shifted. Soon, it was all the time. The second I got home from work or school, I would be upstairs, getting changed. But I fully realized I'm a woman a few months ago, with the help of Billy." She looked over at Billy, appreciation and love in her eyes. "You called me Sammi for the first time, and suddenly, everything fell into place. Suddenly, I knew who I was. Like Sammi was who I am the entire time and I just didn't know. Like all the puzzle pieces just laid themselves out and all I had to do was look. So thank you."

"Wait, Billy was the first one who knew?" Max asked, in disbelief. "My brother? The guy who's an asshole a good amount of the time? He helped you realize your gender?"

Sammi nodded. "We would hang out every day, go to the mall or to some sort of clothing store and he would help me pick things out that would look good on me," she explained, "I'm forever grateful to have him in my life."

Billy's heart swelled, and he smiled. "Such a sweetheart," he replied.

El thought about the entire conversation. "Only we know?" She asked.

"Yes. I figured it would be easier to tell you guys first," Sammi explained. She frowned. "Honestly, I have no idea how Henderson or Wheeler will react. I know Will would be okay with it, and probably Lucas."

Max cocked an eyebrow. "I truly believe that there's something fruity going on with Mike and Will, so they should be understanding. I know Lucas, and he's not prejudiced, against anyone. As for Dustin?" She sucked in a breath, before saying, "He's going to ask you a shit ton of questions about this, but I think he'll understand. I bet he'll be more upset that he wasn't the first to know."

Sammi nodded. "Good point. Henderson doesn't shut the hell up sometimes. And I know he'll have at least four hundred different questions about this."

"Fruity?" El repeated, sounding confused.

Max placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. "I know he's your boyfriend, but I really don't think he's fully straight. I mean, look at the way he looks at Will. That's not how you look at a friend."

El looked a little upset that her boyfriend might want to be with his friend instead of her, but she kept quiet, deciding to observe it, to see if Max was right. She buried it for now. "Mrs. Byers got me some teen magazines. They have tips in them. I brought them for you." She had a small stack of magazines in her hands, holding them out towards Sammi.

"I do too! I brought mine as well. Well, Billy told me to bring them and my makeup. I thought you wanted us to give you a makeover, but you already have some on," Max explained, "So I guess we can show you how to do other things except eyeliner."

Sammi smiled. "You can do my hair," she offered, "I don't really know how to do much with it." She then looked over at Billy, then the makeup, an idea forming in her head.

Following the gaze, Billy's eyes widened. "Oh, no. No way, gorgeous." He shook his head. "My hair, maybe. I don't do makeup."

Max's eyes lit up, and she gasped. "Please, Billy? I'll wash the dishes for a week!"

El giggled, joining in. "We'll make you look as pretty as Sammi!"

"Oh, I don't think that's possible, El," Billy replied, chuckling softly, "I think I'll make a handsome woman." He then looked back over at Sammi, and sighed softly, conceding. "Okay. You girls can give me a makeover." His ears were nearly pierced with the squeals he earned in response. He pointed at them. "But you tell nobody about this, okay? Actually, don't tell anyone about today. Sammi wants to be the one to tell people about her."

Max nodded. "Your secret is safe, I promise." She then hugged Billy, grinning. "You're so cool sometimes. Why can't you be like this all the time?"

"Don't push it, Maxine," Billy warned, but he hugged his sister back, a warm smile on his face.

"Friends don't lie, Sammi," El added, looking over at the woman, "Nobody will know."

Sammi held a hand over her heart, grateful for her friends. "Thank you. I really appreciate it." She reached over and picked up the pile of magazines, opening the top one and flipping through it. "Cosmo? Huh."

While Max and El were on either side of Billy, each doing one half of his face, doing different styles, Sammi read through each page, her brain absorbing each piece of advice like a sponge. She learned about different trends, what's 'in' for this season, what colors to wear and avoid for your skin tone, how to properly acceserize, and so much more that she's never even thought about. "I never considered any of this," she said to herself, "Was I supposed to?"

Max glanced over at Sammi, holding a makeup brush, cakes with a peachy colored blush. "Well, you've only been a girl for a few months now. Of course you're not going to all of a sudden know everything there is to know. It takes time."

"Don't be hard on yourself," El added, not looking up from her work.

"Yeah, exactly," Max replied, before going back to focusing on Billy's face. She pulled back, smiling as she put the brush down. "There. I'm all done."

El put her hairbrush down, looking content. "Me too."

"You are? Well, let me see how beautiful you girls made me," Billy said. He took the handheld mirror, holding it up to his face, and chuckled as he inspected what was done. "Wow. I look..." He didn't know how to describe it. One half, El's, was made using all soft colors, pinks and creams and a sparkly pink lip gloss. The other, Max's side, was a little more vibrant, bright red lipstick and turquoise eyeshadow.

"Beautiful? Enchanting? Alluring?" Max suggested, snorting out a laugh.

"Like a French whore," Billy replied, deadpanned. His hand went up to his hair, gently touching each side, careful to not mess up the styles. "And what happened here? A single pigtail and a braid? God, just wait until I make you guys up."

"You're giving us makeovers too?" El asked.

Max laughed. "I'm first!" She turned to face Billy. "Do your worst! I'll even let you do my hair!"

Billy shrugged, picking up a makeup pallete and a brush. He used a green eyeshadow, trying not to mess up. Each stroke he made with the brush was gentle, not wanting to hurt his sister.

Meanwhile, Sammi was taking every quiz, treating them seriously. "Hey, guys? Do you think my undertones are warm or cool?"

"I think you're cool," Billy replied, not looking up from the pallette in his hand.

Sammi smiled. "Thanks, Billy."

"I don't know. I think it has to do with whether silver or gold jewelry looks better on you," Max explained.

"So if silver looks better on me, what am I?"

"Cool toned."

"Thanks." Sammi went quiet again, continuing to read.

Once he was done with his sister's makeup and hair, Billy moved on to El. He used purple eyeshadow on her, giving her a pretty braided hairstyle. When he was done, he put the makeup bag down on the table, stepping back to inspect his handiwork. "Beautiful! I really outdid myself here." He handed El the mirror.

"Pretty!" El grinned at her own reflection. "I like it! Thanks, Billy!" She gave him a hug, before pulling away, turning to show Sammi.

Max was handed the mirror and she nodded. "You're not half bad at this. Good job," she said.

Sammi put down the finished magazine, looking over at the others. "Woah! Who are these supermodels in my house? You're missing on the runway." She stood, moving over to Billy. "Look at you," she said, leaning in to inspect the girls' work. "Definitely doesn't go together, but it looks good on you."

"You think so?" Billy asked, a slight blush tinting his already colorful cheeks.

"I know so." Sammi smiled. "Do you want a drink? Girls?" Once she got a response, she made her way to the kitchen.

Max glanced over at the doorway, then back to Billy. "You like her, huh?"

Billy frowned. "You really get down to business, don't you?"

"Answer the question," Max said, crossing her arms, "You have a thing for Sammi, right? Is that why you're so sweet with her? Why you look at her like she's the one who hangs up the sun for you each morning?"

Billy chewed on his lip, quiet. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"It's not nothing. I mean, why would you ever agree to let us give you a makeover unless Sammi said something?" Max asked. "You like her!"

"It's okay if you like her, Billy," El reassured, "We're not telling her secret. We won't tell yours either."

After a moment, Billy sighed. "Alright, I-" He shut his mouth then, watching Sammi walk back into the room, holding four glasses of ice, two of them filled with liquids.

"I have a few different kinds of soda if you wanted to pick out what you want," Sammi said, "Billy, I already poured you a glass of your favorite soda."

The girls stood and walked into the kitchen, whispering to each other, giggling.

Sammi cocked an eyebrow. "What was that about?" She asked.

Billy just shrugged. "Must be a girl thing," he replied, "You'll learn it eventually." He scooted closer to Sammi, sitting closer to her. He reached over and picked up a magazine, looking through it. "Hey, a quiz! Let's find out what type of guy is perfect for you." He cleared his throat, starting to read the questions. "Do you prefer a quiet night in, an adventurous go karting date, or a nice dinner and a movie?" He asked.

"Probably a dinner and a movie," Sammi replied, after thinking about it for a moment.

Billy nodded. "Me too. Okay, next question. What movie would you most likely watch? Top Gun, The Breakfast Club, or Evil Dead?"

"I like all of them, but I'm going with The Breakfast Club," Sammi said, "I've seen Top Gun more times than I can count, but I love Breakfast Club. It's one of my favorites."

Billy nodded, making sure to remember that detail. "Okay, last question. Do you prefer sneakers, heels, or flip flops?"

"I don't know. I've never tried wearing heels before. I've been wanting to, but I don't want to break my ankle," Sammi explained, "Next time I go to the shoe store, I'm going to buy a pair." She thought about it. "Sneakers, definitely."

Billy nodded. He calculated the score, and his heart soared at the result, eyes widening a little. "The perfect guy for you is.... The best friend." He glanced over at Sammi, chewing his lip, before continuing. "It says, 'Your perfect guy is right under your nose! Whether he's the boy next door or your best friend, this laid back cutie is right for you.'"

Sammi blushed, rereading the results. "Well, what do you know?" She said. "The best friend." She put the magazine down, giving Billy a shy smile. "You are pretty cute."

"You think so?" Billy smirked, leaning in and purposely flirted in an obvious manner, laying an arm over Sammi's shoulders. He laid the charm on extra thick. "I'm single, too."

Caught off guard, Sammi's face flushed, eyes wide, before she began to belly laugh. "Oh, shut up!" She lightly smacked Billy on the arm.

"What did we miss?" Max asked, looking over at the two on the couch.

Billy shrugged. "Oh, nothing."

"Nothing?" Max repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Because it looked like you two were about to kiss."

Sammi blushed, biting her lip as she glanced over at her friend. She'd be lying if she said she didn't think about it.

"Alright, why don't you teach Sammi how to do different hairstyles? She's worn it in a ponytail every day this week. What else is there?" Billy changed the conversation.

The rest of the time was filled with tutorials on how to do different hairstyles, as well as makeup tips. Sammi couldn't get the hang of a French braid, but she impressed the girls when doing a fishtail. Once her guests were gone for the night, she went to sleep, happy today went well.

Chapter Text

Summer was slowly coming to an end, the school year about to start back up. End of the summer pool parties and backyard barbeques were in full swing, people trying to squeeze them in before it got too cold out. If the Harrington household was known for one thing, it would be the huge pool out back. Since Sammi hosted parties and get together at her house for the kids, they knew about it. Now, with one of the hottest weeks of the year coming up, they were nagging her to let them come over to swim.

One problem about that? None of them, besides the girls, knew about Steve becoming Sammi. She wanted nothing more than to wear a cute swimsuit and lounge in the pool, but alas, she had to do it as Steve.

For each of the other party members, she's been wracking her brain for how to tell them about her secret. Maybe she could rip the band aid off and just say it. She didn't know. For now, she found herself dressed as Steve, with a car full of kids, driving them to the Byers' home. They were going over there to play Dungeons and Dragons, as they did every other day. Will was supposed to be the Dungeon Master this time, giving Mike a break.

Once at the home, the kids ran inside, getting greeted by Will, who was wearing his wizard hat and cloak.

"You be good for Mrs. Byers!" Sammi warned, earning sarcastic answers as the kids ran to the other room. She rolled her eyes. "Little shits," she mumbled.

Joyce smiled, oven mitts on each hand. "Hey, Steve! Thanks for bringing them over," she said, "How about a cookie for your troubles? They just came out of the oven."

Sammi returned the smile. Joyce was like a mother to her. She also couldn't resist the woman's baking. In another life, Joyce Byers was a pastry chef in a Michelin star rated restaurant. She followed Joyce into the kitchen, away from the other room, now loud as the kids yelled at each other.

"I have chocolate chip and peanut butter. Take one of each if you'd like," Joyce said, taking off her mitts and placing them on the counter. Once she got a good look at Sammi, her brows furrowed. "Are you feeling well?"

Sammi frowned. "What? Why?"

"I don't know. You seem sad, or...worried. I don't know. I can just tell," Joyce explained with a shrug, "A mother knows when one of her kids is struggling. Even the adopted ones, so sit down and spill." She took a seat, looking up at Sammi. "Is it girl trouble?"

Sammi thought for a moment. "Not...exactly."

"Boy troubles?" Joyce suggested, taking a plate and neatly placing the two different types of cookies on it for the boys.

Sammi's mind immediately went to Billy, and she smiled softly, before shaking her head. "Nothing like that. It's...really complicated. I don't know how to describe it. In fact, I was just going to keep it a secret." She sat down.

"Well, I'm not going to force you to tell your secret, but I'm here if you choose to talk about it." Joyce reached over and placed a gentle hand on Sammi's shoulder. "This looks like it's hurting you."

Sammi wanted nothing more than to come clean to everybody, to wear what she wanted to wear, to forget she was ever Steve in the first place, but life wasn't ever that fair. Her smile dropped and she looked down at the cookies, staring at one as she thought. "I..." She shook her head. "It's not like I'm gay or anything. It's not that easy. I would have told you earlier if it was."

"Sweetie, I don't think I'm following."

Sammi sucked in a breath, trying to come up with a way to explain this. "Have you...felt like a woman, your entire life? Like, you knew your whole life that you were meant to be a woman, you feel it every day? You thank god that you were born as a woman? Because if you were born as a man, you'd feel like you're in the wrong body?"

Joyce nodded. "I'm a woman, through and through. I'm not a fan of menstruation, but everything else is nice. And to answer your question, I'd be very sad if I was born as a man."

"Well, it's the opposite for me. It took me a long long time to realize it, but my entire life, I knew something was wrong with me. I tried to reason with it. I tried to force myself to like being a man. I'd become a womanizer, going on date after date just to try to compensate for how I felt, but nothing worked. Then, I..." Sammi sucked in a breath. "I started wearing women's clothing, and makeup. And I felt like myself. And Billy, he helped me tremendously realize just who I am, helped me pick out my name and everything." She looked Joyce in the eye. "I'm only Steve when I have to be, but I hate dressing up as him. I'd rather die than go back to being Steve. My name is Sammi and I've been a woman for nearly a year."

Joyce was quiet for a long moment, processing everything. She spoke, voice soft. "So, you're transgender?" After getting a nod, she smiled. "I've always wanted a daughter." She stood and helped Sammi stand up, giving her a tight hug, not letting go.

"You're just alright with it?" Sammi asked, tears in her eyes. "You accept me?"

"Of course I am, sweetie!" Joyce hugged tighter, before letting go. "Why wouldn't I accept you?"

Sammi shrugged, quickly wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "I just wasn't expecting acceptance."

Joyce crossed her arms. "From me? Sammi, my son is gay. I don't give a rat's ass if my adoptive daughter wasn't born a girl. I don't care if you were born with five heads. I would love all of you equally."

"Mom?"

Will was in the doorway, taking off his hat. "The guys were just wondering if the cookies were ready. I didn't mean to interrupt. I'm sorry."

Joyce held her hand out for Will, who walked into the kitchen and held it. "How much of that did you hear?"

"The whole thing," Will replied, looking down. His eyes then glanced between the two women. "I wouldn't say a word anyway. I mean, I'm gay and I'm keeping that a secret." He looked at Sammi. "Her and Jonathan are the only ones who know. And now you. But, I trust you, so I know you won't say anything."

Sammi smiled. "I won't, I promise. Do you promise to keep this a secret until I tell them?"

With a smile, Will held his pinky finger out. His smile widened when he saw Sammi clasp it with her own pinky. "I won't even tell Jonathan."

"Tell me what?" Jonathan walked in and placed his car keys on the kitchen counter, before grabbing a cookie and holding it in his hand.

Sammi looked over at the man. "That I'm trans."

Jonathan's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, but once he processed it, he nodded. "Alright, I have a sister now. What's your name now?"

"Sammi. Please don't tell anyone. I'll tell them on my own," Sammi said.

Jonathan just smiled. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Will the Wise! Where are you?" Dustin yelled from the other room.

Will just rolled his eyes. "Duty calls." He grabbed the plate of cookies. "See you, sis." With that, he walked out.

Chapter Text

Sammi was a pushover. It was as plain as day. And as much as she didn't want to host an end of summer party, here she was, with all of her friends and the kids in her backyard. The kids are in the pool, splashing each other as they play a dumb game they made up. Jim was working the grill, Joyce next to him as she handed him slices of cheese to drape over the burgers he was trying not to burn. The girls, Nancy and Robin included, were suntanning. Billy and Jonathan were bonding over how lame the pop station playing on the stereo is.

Sammi sighed softly, in swim trunks and wearing a tee shirt. She hated being shirtless, it made her feel terrible. Part of her wished she could ignore it, to not think about it until everybody left, but she couldn't. So to calm her brain, she settled for a white tee shirt. Of course Dustin questioned it immediately, but she deflected, saying she didn't want to get sunburned.

She found herself inside, in the air conditioned kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. Leaning against the counter, she took a sip. It really was the hottest week of the year, yesterday feeling cooler than today. The temperature was supposed to drop a little next week. Hopefully no more pool parties then.

"Hey, sweetie." Joyce had walked into the kitchen, placing a large plate of burgers onto the counter. "How are you holding up?"

Sammi shrugged. "Alright, I guess. I'm just happy nobody else questioned the shirt."

"I'm sorry. I know it's scary, but maybe now would be a good time to tell everyone, while they're all in the same place," Joyce replied. "If not, it's okay."

Placing her glass down, Sammi tilted her head back as she let out a sigh. "It really is scary. Besides, I don't want people to want to leave and not come back because of me. Though, it would be easier to just rip the band aid off," she explained, turning her head to look at the woman, "I don't know. I think it might be easier to just do it one at a time."

"You may be right, but who's next?" Joyce asked. "Jim? Nancy?"

Sammi frowned. "How the hell do I tell the Chief of Police and my ex something like this?"

"Nancy should understand. You two went through hell before you broke up," Joyce explained. "As for Hop...." She paused, thinking. "He's a tough nut to crack, but he's not prejudiced. It'll take him a little bit to understand, but he'll be on your side regardless. Do you want me to talk to him?"

Sammi shook her head. "I have to do it myself. I know I do, no matter how scary it is." She sighed, holding her head in her hands. "How do you explain to someone that you're not the gender you're born as?"

"Explain it to them how you explained it to me," Joyce suggested with a little shrug. "I understood it. You were born in the wrong body, and once you figured that out, you started living as if you were in the right one. You were born a man, but you're a woman. You have a woman's name, you wear makeup and women's clothing, and you're one hundred percent a woman, even if you don't fully look like one." She pointed to Sammi. "And you hate being Steve, no matter how long you have to dress like him. You'd rather be yourself."

"Ahem."

The girls turned around to see the kids standing in the doorway, wrapped in towels, hair dripping wet onto the tile.

Dustin had his arms crossed. "You have something to tell us?"

"What does that mean, Steve?" Mike asked, confused.

"You're a girl?" Lucas asked.

"How is he a girl? Look at him!" Dustin exclaimed.

Sammi froze, eyes wide. Her mouth was dry; as if it even mattered, she couldn't form a sentence anyway. Tears were welling in the corner of her eyes. She felt cornered, these kids that look up to Steve now questioning Sammi.

"Yes, she's a girl." Joyce came to the rescue, hands on her hips and her tone stern as she spoke to the boys. "Now, Sammi may not look like a girl, and she may not have been a girl her whole life, but it takes some people a long time to figure out things like this. It's hard. Some just know, and some may need a while to think it over. It's the same with sexuality. Some people automatically know that they like girls or they like boys, or both. But it's okay, because no matter how long they take, we love them anyway."

Mike was the first to ask a question. "So, you're a girl?" He was met with a quiet nod from Sammi. "So...what do you like? Boys or girls?"

"I thought I liked girls for years, but after a lot of thinking, it turns out I only like boys," Sammi explained. "One boy, actually."

"So, you're gay?" Mike asked, glossing over the last sentence.

Lucas shook his head. "No, no, no. She can't be gay if she likes boys. She's a girl, remember?" He looked over to Mike. "That would make her straight."

Dustin frowned, his eyes scanning Sammi, as if trying to find anything different. "That's why you didn't want to be shirtless. Do you have a bikini top on underneath?" Once he got a head shake in response, he squinted his eyes. "So, this isn't a schizophrenic thing, is it?"

"Dustin Henderson!" Joyce gave the boy a look.

Dustin shot Joyce a look right back. "Mrs. Byers, I'm not saying I think gay people are mentally ill! I'm talking about her being Steve and being her girl self!"

"It's no-"

Sammi cut Joyce off. "It's okay. I know it's confusing." She looked Dustin in the eye. "When I say being Steve, I mean pretending I'm my old self, dressing like a boy, acting like a boy, in public and with the people who don't know. I don't like doing that. I want my Steve chapter to be over, but realistically, I know it'll never truly be over because homophobia is currently running rampant for the foreseeable future, so I'll have to be just Steve in public. Unless I'm in a different town. Then I go as myself in skirts and lipstick. But right now, I'm only telling my closest friends, and I'm telling them one at a time." She then frowned as she thought. "Even though it always ends up being multiple people at once, like this. Or me just telling Mrs. Byers and Will overhearing me."

Dustin gasped. "Wait, Will knew before us?! Before me?!"

"Yes, you little butthead! Did you not hear the part where I said he overheard me saying it?" Sammi rolled her eyes.

Lucas nodded his head a little as he listened. "So...who was the first person you told?"

"It was actually Billy." Sammi got a bunch of questions at once, and she held a finger up to silence them. "He's the one who helped me through this whole thing, which is probably surprising, considering it was surprising to me as well. But he's a great friend. He helped me pick out my name, clothes, he brought Max and El to my house so they can teach me makeup and hairstyles."

"Max and El knew before us?!" Mike was pouting now.

"Yes! Of course they were! They're also girls!" Sammi explained. "I thought it would be easier to tell girls first."

Lucas looked at Sammi. "Okay, so what's your name? And who else knows? Can we call you it outside?"

"My name is Sammi. Mrs. Byers, Jonathan, Will, El, Max, and Billy know. The others don't and I'm keeping it that way until I figure out how to tell them myself," Sammi explained.

Mike just nodded. "Sammi is a nice name. I like it."

"Thanks, Wheeler." Sammi smiled, starting to feel lighter after this conversation. Three less people to come out to.

"How are you going to tell Hopper?" Dustin asked.

Sammi sucked her teeth in response as she thought. "I have no clue, actually. He might be the hardest."

"I told you, I could tell him," Joyce suggested, placing a gentle hand on Sammi's shoulder. "But really, I think it would be easiest if you were just honest with him. Sit down and talk and explain it if he needs it."

Sammi frowned. "I don't know how in the hell I'm going to bring that up, but I'll try. Wait." She then pointed to the boys. "Is there a reason you guys are in here and not in the pool?"

"There is, but I've forgotten it," Dustin replied. He looked over at Mike. "Do you remember?"

"No," Mike replied. He turned to Lucas. "Do you?"

Lucas shook his head. "Not a clue."

Within a minute, the door was open, Jim rushing in and placing a big plate full of hot dogs on the counter. He looked at Joyce. "Where the hell were you? I needed another plate!" He then looked at the boys. "And I told you guys to get Joyce for me!"

Lucas snapped his fingers. "That was it!"

"What are you guys doing in here anyway?" Jim asked, reaching into a cabinet and pulling out a big glass plate.

Joyce nodded. "We were just talking about something important," she replied, glancing at Sammi. "And Sa- ah, Steve wanted to tell you it." She grabbed the plate from Jim. "I'll take over." She then moved to the door, motioning for the kids to follow.

They were soon out the door and only Sammi and Jim were alone. Jim leaned against the counter, crossing his arms. "You alright, kid?" He asked, scanning Sammi's face. His eyes softened, noticing the tears and the blush. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing!" Sammi replied, growing cold feet over this. "I'm fine. It wasn't that important anyway."

Jim frowned. "Kid." His eyes were sad. He felt as if he did something to cause pain. He didn't understand why his adoptive child didn't want to talk to him.

"Let's just go back to the party." Sammi wiped her tears, then rushed out of the door, rejoining the others, leaving Jim feeling hurt.

The rest of the party went by without a hitch. Everybody ate, danced to the music, swam more, and had a great time. Besides the untold secrets, and Jim leaving early because of a 'headache,' the party was truly a great way to end summer.

Chapter Text

School had started back up for the year. The kids were now in high school and Robin had started her senior year. It's been a few months and Billy had just gotten out of work an hour ago. He started a new job as the Hawkins High gym teacher, and volunteered to be the basketball coach since the last one retired. He was currently relaxing, sitting on the couch with Sammi, too busy with their conversation to watch the movie they put on earlier.

"So, how was work? Any asshole kids today?"

Billy shrugged. "It was alright. It was still kind of nice out so I let them have gym class outside. They ran the mile." He turned to face Sammi, his arm resting above the couch behind her head. "Do you remember that douchebag Jason Carver?"

"Yeah! He sucked! He was dating Chrissy, right?" Sammi asked. She remembered how sweet that girl was, and how she definitely didn't deserve an asshole like Jason.

Billy nodded. "He threw a rich boy hissy fit because he was captain of the basketball team last year, so why wouldn't he be this year. So, I told him I wanted it to be fair and still had the little shit try out." He sighed softly. "But, unfortunately, he was the best player on the team, so I had to give him the spot anyway. Oh! Sinclair made the team."

"He did? He's been telling me about trying out," Sammi said, sounding happy, "I'm glad he made the cut!"

"He's very talented," Billy replied, "I just don't want people to think I'm picking favorites, so I have to treat everybody equal. For now, so far. But don't worry, he won't be a bench warmer."

Sammi smiled, feeling Billy's arm slip down around her shoulders, causing her to blush. She felt herself moving closer to Billy, biting her lower lip as her heart raced. "I'm glad you're doing things fairly. I wouldn't want Lucas to think he only got on the team because we're close."

"Oh, never," Billy replied. He sucked in a breath then, taking a moment to find the words, before saying, "Hey, so speaking of being close... I've been thinking. Would you want to go on a date with me tomorrow night?" His fingers ran through Sammi's soft locks, gaze moving from her eyes to her lips.

Sammi's blush tinted to an even darker shade of pink, and she giggled. "You'd want to go out with me?" She asked, incredulous, though her heart was soaring, singing out her love for the man. She felt her skin buzzing under his touch. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I want to take out the prettiest girl in Hawkins?" Billy asked as if it were the most obvious fact. "Besides, your quiz results did say that your perfect match is your best friend. And last time I checked, we're best friends."

"Inseparable," Sammi added, "I'll wear something pretty." She knew he liked when she wore pink, so she'll wear it for him. She wondered what he had in mind. Maybe a dinner and a movie like the quiz said, or maybe a picnic? Whatever he had in store, Sammi knew she would love it. Any date would be nice as long as she's with him.

There was a sharp knock on the door then. Sammi's heart dropped, and she stood, looking as if she was going to throw up.

"Steven! It's Robin! Open up!"

Sammi froze, looking down at her skirt and blouse. She can't let Robin see her like this!

Billy stood. "I'll get rid of her." Once he saw Sammi run up the stairs, he moved to the door, opening it. Before he could get a word out, he was questioned.

"Billy! I knew I saw your eyesore of a car in the driveway," Robin said. "Where's my friend?"

Billy paused for a moment, thinking. "He's... Busy. Sorry."

"Too busy for me but not you?" Robin asked, crossing her arms. "Yeah, right." She then shouldered Billy, moving past him to get inside. "Where is he?"

Billy sighed. "Robin, I'm telling you, he's in the middle of something. He-"

Robin's eyes went to the top of the stairs, noticing a silhouette, skirt and longer hair. She frowned, confused. "Does Steve have a secret sister? How did I not know about siblings?" She walked up the stairs, moving down the hallway and to Steve's room. "Steve?" She opened the door, seeing the same silhouette.

Sammi sucked in a shaky breath, turning around to reveal herself. "Robbie..."

Robin's brows furrowed, confused at first. "Who are...." Her eyes then widened. "Steve! Holy shit! What are you doing wearing a skirt? And why do you wear it better than I do?"

Sammi let out a soft, shaky laugh. "I'm not Steve," she explained, earning a confused look, "Well, I used to be, but...this is me now, Robin. My name is Sammi now. Billy knows. He's helped me with trying to figure this all out, until ultimately I realized... I'm transgender."

Robin felt her knees buckle, and she made her way over to the bed, sitting on the edge. Her head was in her hands, thinking about it all, every sign there was, every clue Steve gave. "Holy shit."

Sammi bit her lip. "Are you...okay with this?"

Robin sat up to look over at the woman. "Am I okay with this? Babe! I'm a lesbian! I taught you everything you know about all things gay! Why wouldn't I be okay with this? What I'm not okay with is the fact that Billy fucking Hargrove was the first person to know this, over your best friend!"

"He's quickly become my best friend too," Sammi added, before shaking her head, knowing that wasn't the point. She sat down next to Robin. "You can ask Billy, I wanted to tell you. But this isn't anything like telling you I'm gay. This is even more terrifying. Like... I don't know. I thought this was too much. Too hard to understand." She sighed softly. "I wanted to tell you but I didn't know how. I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark."

Robin was quiet for a moment, letting this all sink in. She sighed softly. "Well, I'm a little annoyed that that douchebag knew before me, but it's okay. You're still my best friend in the world and I'm happy that I have someone I can go shopping and do makeovers with." She then thought for a moment. "Well, we do face masks during our sleepovers anyway. But now I don't have to lie and tell my parents you're a girl! Because now you are one." She smiled, placing a gentle hand on Sammi's shoulder. "I have a girl friend now, and I'm thrilled that you're living your authentic life."

Sammi smiled. "Thanks, Rob." She shook her head. "I can't live my life as Sammi, though. Not unless I get out of this town. But it's alright. I drive out of town sometimes as myself and people hold the doors open for me and call me miss, and it makes me smile."

"Aww! That's so cute, babe!" Robin was grinning now. "Trust me, I know how it feels to not be able to live your life how you want it, but it gets a little easier. You learn to..." She tilted her head as she thought of the word. "Maneuver your way around. You'll get the hang of it. You have me and Billy to lean on for support."

Sammi nodded. "I have a few more people as well, but you and Billy are number one. Joyce figured it out and the kids all overheard me talking to her about it, so they know. But speaking of Billy!" She smiled, shy and sweet. "He just asked me out."

"He did?"

"Yes! We're going on a date tomorrow." Sammi was excited, letting out a little squeal. "I've liked him for so long, Robbie! And he likes me back! I was happy just being friends but now he wants to take me out!" She gasped. "This is my first date as Sammi. Will you help me pick out something to wear? I want to wear something pink."

Robin nodded. "Of course. We can do that later, okay? Right now, Billy is downstairs waiting. I want to talk to him first, though. So why don't we go back to him?"

"Okay, sounds good." Both the girls went back downstairs, returning to the living room, where Billy was on the couch. He stood, looking over at them.

"Hargrove, let's talk outside," Robin ordered, moving past the kitchen and through the backdoor, standing by the patio chairs on the deck by the pool.

Billy watched Robin walk out, before following. He shut the door behind him. "What's wrong?"

"What's your motive, Billy?" Robin's arms were crossed, a scowl on her lips.

Billy frowned. "I don't have a motive."

"Of course you do! Now that Steve's a girl, you want to fuck her!"

"It's not like that!"

"Oh, of course it is! You fuck anything that moves, Hargrove!" Robin nearly yelled, throwing her arms up in frustration. "You're not using her just to get another notch in your belt. She needs a friend."

Billy's eyebrows raised. "Yeah! Me! I was there the whole time! She had no one to help her out with this because she was scared this was going to ruin her friendship with you! I helped her settle on a name! I go on mall trips with her all the time to help her pick out outfits!" He sighed, trying to calm down. "I know my reputation with women sucks, but the last thing I want to do is hurt her. She's my friend and I love her! I want to be hers!" Realization hit him then. This wasn't a platonic best friend love. No. He was in love with Sammi. He wanted to marry her, to start a family with her, to grow old with her. Wherever she was, he wanted to be too. "Holy shit, I'm in love with her."

Robin grew quiet, listening to Billy speak, well, yell at her because she wasn't there for her friend in her time of need. He was right, she should have been there. But she didn't know. How could she? Her eyes grew wide then. "You... You really have feelings for her?"

"Yes."

"Like, you're actually in love with her."

"Yes!"

Robin just sighed softly. She could see how happy Sammi is around Billy. Hell, anyone with eyes could. Who was she to deprive her best friend of happiness? "Okay."

"Okay?" Billy repeated, confused.

Robin looked over at the man. "I believe you. I give you my blessing. BUT." She pointed at the blonde. "If I hear ONE story about you hurting her feelings or doing something equally heinous, I will personally kill you. Got it?"

Billy's eyes widened, and he nodded. "I got it."

The patio door opened then. "Hey, guys? Is something wrong? I thought I heard yelling." Sammi crossed her arms over herself, shivering from the sudden gust of wind.

"Yeah, of course. Everything's fine!" Robin gave her friend a smile. It was still a little jarring for her to see her friend all dolled up, but she knew Steve was happy as Sammi now, and that's all that mattered. Not that she wouldn't be okay with it. It was just unexpected, considering during both their jobs, he would be working more on trying to get girl's phone numbers than scooping ice cream or stocking the shelves with returned VHS's. Or maybe that was a sign. She didn't know.

Billy's eyes lit up the second he heard Sammi's voice; it warmed his soul like a hug. He looked lovingly at her. "Yeah, sweetheart. It's nothing to worry about. Let's get you inside. It's getting chilly out." He walked over to the door, rubbing Sammi's arms with his hands to warm her up as they went inside.

Robin watched every movement Billy made with Sammi, every sweet gesture, every lovestruck look they gave each other, and it made her realize... Billy wasn't lying. He really does love Sammi. And Sammi loves him back. It also made her realize that her best friend transitioned and found herself someone to date in less time than it's taking for Robin to find herself a girlfriend. "Shit."

Sammi frowned. "What's wrong?" She looked at her friend, shutting the patio door.

"Oh, nothing. I just... I think I have homework to do." Robin lied. "I just have to remember to do it later."

Sammi nodded. "Oh. Well, do you need help? Just don't ask me about math. I'm horrible at that shit, " she explained, "The numbers keep getting mixed up in my head and I can't concentrate on it and then I get overwhelmed." She was so glad she graduated already. She didn't know how she did it in the first place. In her head, the teachers probably felt bad for her. Maybe they saw how bad she was struggling. Who knows?

Once they were inside, they spent the rest of their time talking about school, Sammi's life, and once Billy left, her and Robin picked out the perfect date outfit, pretty and pink. Perfect for tomorrow.

Chapter Text

"Thanks for taking me out to breakfast before work," Sammi said, giving Billy a sweet smile.

Billy returned the smile, taking a sip of his coffee. "Of course, darling," he replied, "I thought it'd be nice. Besides, you mentioned you had a craving for French toast, and I know I'm terrible at making it, so why not leave it to the professional?"

"The kid in the kitchen making minimum wage at seven in the morning?" Sammi snorted, but she had to admit, this French toast was delicious. And she knew she could never make it without burning one of the sides.

Billy chuckled softly. "Exactly." He took a quick glance of his watch, shaking his head. "I gotta go soon. I have to be there early to make sure nobody's trying to fuck or fight in the parking lot." He rolled his eyes. "Parking lot duty is the worst part of the job."

"That sounds terrible," Sammi replied with a giggle, "That's part of your job?"

Billy was pulling a few bills out of his wallet, placing them on the table. "Well, it alternates daily. I'm every Friday, then Jan is Monday, Carol is Tuesday, and so on." He shrugged. "I have to do it at the beginning and the end of my day. Basketball practice keeps me there too, but that's not every day."

"It is today, though?" Sammi asked, dabbing the maple syrup off of her lips with the corner of her napkin.

Billy nodded. "Yeah, but I'll be out by 5:30 and I'll pick you up for our date at seven sharp." He stood, holding his arm out to help Sammi stand up. "Don't worry, darling. I'm never late."

Sammi grinned, taking Billy by the arm and walking with him.

Hours passed and it was the end of the school day, the busses filling up with the students who didn't drive. The parking lot was nearly empty, and Billy was back inside, waiting for the basketball team to arrive. He sighed softly, dribbling a basketball, lining it up and shooting it, making it in the net. He clenched his fist, grinning. "Still got it," he said to himself.

As he turned to retrieve the ball, he noticed a cheerleader was already picking it up, moving across the court and holding it out to him. "Hi, Billy," she greeted with a sweet smile.

Billy smiled. "Hey, Chrissy," he replied, "How are you?"

"I'm alright," Chrissy said with a shrug, "I'm not sure if you remember, but we all sat at the same table at lunch. We would talk sometimes. I'm still with Jason. He's on your team now."

Billy nodded. "I remember." He remembers that Jason was full of himself, with a cocky attitude. "He good to you?" He asked, looking down at the girl.

Hesitating at first, Chrissy eventually nodded. "Of course!" She forced a smile.

Billy crossed his arms. "Chrissy..." He said, using his teacher voice to get the truth out of her.

Chrissy then sighed, her smile falling. "I feel terrible just saying this, so please can it stay between us? As friends?"

Billy nodded, glancing over the doors and seeing nobody yet. "Of course."

"There's this guy that I can't stop thinking about. He's not the type a cheerleader would normally go for, and that doesn't matter at all, but I know the other girls will turn on me for it. And so will the other jocks," Chrissy explained, words rushed, as if trying to get it all out before anyone else hears her, "Jason is great sometimes, but lately he's been making me feel like I'm a problem and sometimes he gets downright mean! And honestly I'm really only with him for appearances. I mean, the basketball captain and the head cheerleader? Come on." She sighed, shaking her head. "I think I'm in love with this other guy but I've never even talked to him outside of a few sentences! He probably doesn't even like me."

Billy frowned, listening to Chrissy's words. "You listen to me, Chrissy. If he gets nasty, you come to me. And I'll make him do laps until he pukes. That's a promise." He sucked in a breath. "And...if you're not into your relationship, you shouldn't feel the need to keep it going just for the sake of other people. Be with who makes you happy. Who you like or love."

Chrissy nodded. "You're right. And I promise, I'll tell you if he's mean to me again. Thanks for listening, Billy. You were always a good friend to me."

"Hey, I'm here for you, whether you need a friend or a wingman," Billy replied. "And speaking of love, tonight I'm going on a date with this girl I'm head over heels for." He couldn't help but to smile as he thought about Sammi.

Chrissy gasped excitedly. "You're in love? With who? Do I know her?" She tried to think back to last year, but couldn't recall ever seeing Billy in a relationship, aside from a few dates.

Billy paused, knowing that the girl does know Steve, but not as Sammi. "Kind of. Her name is Sammi. I'll introduce you to her sometime. She's my best friend in the world and this is our first date. Hopefully she'll want to be my girl afterward." He smiled. He felt like a kid again, the butterflies filling his stomach, just by the thought of Sammi, just by speaking her name. He truly loved the woman, adored her.

"Aww!" Chrissy squealed, beaming up at the man. "Well, let me know how your date is! I'd love to meet the lucky girl!" She then heard voices down the hallway, and she handed Billy back the basketball. "Talk to you soon." She then made her way down to the other side of the gym, beginning her stretches. The rest of the cheerleading squad joined her, exchanging small talk as they did their stretches.

Billy wiped the smile off of his face and stood up straight, holding the basketball in his hands. "Alright, everyone. We're going to start with some warmups, then we'll split the team into two groups and do a practice game to get you ready for the real one next Friday. Sound good?"

Soon, seven o'clock rolled around, and Sammi was feeling the nerves all over her body. She glanced in the mirror, trying to even her breathing as she finished getting ready. Robin had helped her pick out the perfect outfit, a hot pink blouse, matching lipstick, a black skirt and a pair of heels. Her very first pair. She wore them around the house every day to break them in, to get used to them. She felt confident in her ability to walk in them now without tripping. But, even if she did, she knew Billy would be there to steady her.

There was a knock on the door then. Sammi looked over at the clock.

7:01.

"Seven o'clock sharp, my ass, Hargrove," Sammi laughed to herself, shaking her head. She made her way to the front door and opened it, smiling shyly. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Billy replied, immediately taking the woman in his arms and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Beautiful as always." He let go then. "Are you ready to go?"

Sammi nodded with a blush. "Let's go."

They were off then, Billy driving his date down an unfamiliar road, heading near the forest. After a few minutes, he parked the car, getting out and popping the trunk. "Now, close your eyes and hold out your hand," he said.

Sammi did as told. Almost immediately after she heard the trunk slam shut, something weighty was placed in her hand.

"Don't open them yet. I'll lead you." Billy wrapped an arm around Sammi's waist, holding her hand as he walked her down a dirt pathway.

As they stopped walking, Sammi felt Billy let go of her and move the object in her hand.

"Okay, now open your eyes."

Sammi did as told, looking down at her hand. Her eyes lit up. "A picnic?" Her tone was excited.

There was a dark blue blanket spread out on the ground, surrounded by a ring of trees and wildflowers. The stars were starting to come out, the moon lighting up the sky. Fireflies were like Christmas lights shimmering in the trees.

Billy took Sammi by the hand, leading her to the blanket and helping her sit down. He then sat next to her, placing the basket in the middle and opening it. "So I had Max help me pick out what to put in here, since I've never done a picnic before. I have a bottle of wine because I wanted this to be a classy date," he explained.

"A very classy affair," Sammi agreed, nodding her head. "You're nailing it so far. This is gorgeous."

Billy looked over at Sammi, giving her a smile. "Thanks, baby. I put a lot of thought into it," he replied, before returning to the picnic basket. "So, I have sandwiches cut up into little squares. I don't know, Max made them. She called them finger...somethings." He shook his head.

"It's finger foods. Yeah, that's typically what you'd eat on a picnic. In the movies anyway. I've never really been on a picnic, either," Sammi clarified. She smiled. "It's cute that you let your sister help you with your date. I'm glad you two are getting along."

Billy shrugged. "I realized that it's not her fault I ended up here. She's just a kid, she had nothing to do with my dad leaving my mom, or him marrying Susan," he said, "And Neil makes everybody miserable. I shouldn't contribute to that. And you know..." As he spoke, he was taking a few Tupperware dishes out of the basket, with sandwiches, fruit salad, even a chocolate dessert. "Once you get to know her, she's actually pretty cool. She tried teaching me how to skateboard last week and I fell on my ass. And I taught her how to make an omelette. Granted, she burned it, but, she tried."

"That's sweet," Sammi replied, "She used to tell me all the time that she wishes you were a brother to her. I'm glad she's finally getting what she wants."

Billy smiled at that. "Me too." He popped the cork from the bottle of wine and poured two glasses, handing one to Sammi. "I remember you said you like red."

"I do," Sammi agreed. She held the glass out. "To our first date. And to many more after."

Billy grinned at that reply. "Hear hear." He clinked his glass against his date's, before taking a sip. He put the glass down and opened the containers, taking out a plastic plate and a fork. "Would you like me to make a plate for you?"

Sammi nodded with a shy smile. "Thank you."

The two ate their dinner, talking about their day, just enjoying each other's company. Billy cleared up the empty Tupperware dishes, placing them back in the basket, leaving one out. He opened it. "How about dessert?" He held it out.

Sammi grinned. "Chocolate covered strawberries? Are you trying to fuck me on the first date?" She joked.

Billy shook his head. "I would never, darling! I know you're not that type of girl," he replied, picking one up by the stem, "Besides, I like you way too much to try something like that." It's true. He loved the woman deeply, and would never rush her. He hadn't even thought about having sex with Sammi. That wasn't nearly as important to him right now. He held the strawberry up to Sammi. "Open wide."

Sammi couldn't help but to blush hard, and she did as told, allowing Billy to feed her. This was her favorite dessert. She wondered if she ever told him that before, or if it was a lucky guess. She hummed, closing her eyes as the chocolate crunched under her teeth, the strawberry flavor exploding in her mouth. "Delicious," she said, licking her lips.

Billy bit his lip hard. All he wanted to do was kiss her. He's been wanting to ever since she was still Steve. But he refrained, not wanting to ruin the moment. He then noticed Sammi holding a strawberry up to his lips. He chuckled, parting his lips to let her feed him.  He then felt Sammi shove the entire strawberry in his mouth, his eyes widening. "You dick!" He said, muffled, but he was laughing.

"I couldn't help it!" Sammi was holding her stomach, her head tilting back as she laughed with him.

Once he was done chewing, Billy looked at Sammi, pointing a finger. "You're lucky you're cute."

Sammi just gave a sweet smile, batting her eyelashes, as if to cement the fact. "I know." Her giggles subsided and she leaned against Billy's side, laying her hand over his. "So, what else do you have planned?"

"I was thinking a movie," Billy replied, turning his hand to hold hers, "Whenever you're ready to go, no rush. There's a double feature."

"Sounds perfect. Let's go." Sammi didn't want to let go of Billy's hand, but she forced herself to, helping clean up the dessert and the wine. She then stood and bent over to pick up the blanket off the ground, carefully to not let her skirt ride up.

Once everything was cleaned up, they moved to the car, putting the blanket and basket in the trunk. They then got in and Billy drove away, down across town to the movie theater. Once there, he held Sammi's hand, leading her into the theater. He paid for the tickets and popcorn and held her as they sat in the back, watching a double feature of both Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead.  Everything was perfect. They left the theater once it was over, holding hands and laughing about each other getting scared during parts.

"Hargrove?"

Billy turned around, seeing a few of the students on his basketball team. "Carver. Chance, Andy. You here to see a movie?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah, it's the only theater in town that doesn't card us for seeing R rated movies," he explained. He glanced at the woman on Billy's arm. "You on a date?"

"Yeah, we watched the new zombie movie," Billy replied, noticing Sammi was growing visibly nervous, feeling her hand tighten its grip on his arm. "We have to go now. I'll see you on Monday."

"Isn't that Harrington?" Chance asked, confused.

Jason squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look at his coach's date. They then widened. "Steve Harrington? What the hell are you doing in a skirt and heels? You're not one of those fags, are you?" He asked, "You must be, considering you're in a fucking skirt. And you're on a date with Hargrove. You know, I knew you two were a little fruity. I noticed it last year, when you would sit at our table at lunch."

"That's terrible. Wasted potential to be a normal human," Andy added. "Too bad you don't know the rules."

Sammi frowned. "What rules?"

"That fags gotta die." With that, Jason threw a punch, connecting to Sammi's eye, smudging her eyeliner.

"Hey! Don't you touch her!" Billy yelled. He raised his fist, but then realized that these guys were his students. He'd lose his job if he was in a fight with them. He instead shielded Sammi with his body. "Fight me instead." His tone was defeated, and he grunted with each punch thrown, each kick landed. A gut punch made him fall to the ground, on his side as he tried to catch his breath.

The boys were pulling Sammi to them, holding her tightly so she couldn't run.

"You think you're a woman, Harrington?" Jason spat, "Let's find out if you really are." His hand started going towards her skirt.

Sammi screamed, high pitched, and pushed Jason's hands away from her, tears in her eyes.

"Hey!"

Two police sirens were heard, parking right next to the fight, surrounding them.

"Hands off of her!" Jim Hopper jumped out of the car and tried to grab Jason, but failed. He noticed the man on the ground was Billy, and he turned to the other officers with him. "I'll take care of them. You catch those guys," he ordered.

"Got it!"

Once the other officers were chasing the basketball team members around the parking lot, Jim leaned down. "Billy. You still with us?"

Billy opened his eyes, looking up at Jim. "Help her." His voice was breathy, and his slowly sat up.

Jim turned his attention to the woman. "Miss, are you okay? Did he touch you?"

"He tried to! He was so close to!" Sammi cried. "His hand was up my sk-" She shuddered, not wanting to finish the sentence.

Jim blinked, realizing he knew this woman. Realizing what happened. "Holy shit, Steve." His voice was soft, and something clicked in him, immediately going into protective dad mode. "Is this what Joyce said you wanted to tell me?"

Sammi's eyes widened. Her lips let out a soft whimper. "You're the hardest one to tell because I have no idea how you're going to react," she started, blinking her tears back. "And I know you think of me as your son and it warms my heart because I don't really have a dad but it's not the truth anymore."

Jim frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... I'm not your son anymore."

Jim's frown grew. "Kid, if I did something to y-"

"It's not that. I'm not mad or anything. It's just..." Sammi sniffled. "I can't be your son, because...." She sucked in a shaky breath. "I'm your daughter now."

Jim blinked. "Oh." He was quiet for a minute, nodding slowly. "Okay. I have an older daughter and a younger daughter. El and...." He looked Sammi in the eyes.

"Sammi."

"Sammi! It's a beautiful name." Jim noticed the tears were starting to fall and he shook his head. "Come here." He pulled Sammi into his arms. "Look, I know I'm the no-nonsense, rough type of guy, but I am not, and will not ever be, the type of person to hate gay people. Especially not people I care for. And I care about you, Sammi. You helped the others, you helped my kid. You're a great person in my book. So stop crying, and just know that I'm here for you. If you're ever in trouble or you need something, don't hesitate to call. Okay? I want you to commit that to memory. If anyone gives you any trouble for being Sammi, or anything, call me immediately."

Sammi just nodded, trying her hardest to calm herself down. She eventually pulled away, wiping her eyes. "You have no idea how much I appreciate that." Her voice was breaking.

"Of course. Now, are you Sammi to the rest of the Byers or are you Steve?"

"Sammi."

Jim nodded in understanding. "Alright. Let's get you out of here." He placed a hand on Sammi's shoulder. "Billy, take Sammi to Joyce's. She'll clean the both of you up. Then we'll talk. Okay?"

"Okay." Billy was standing now, nose bleeding, lower lip fat. He took Sammi's hand and led her to the car, helping her get in and closing the door for her. He was quiet as he got in the driver's seat, starting the car and driving out of the lot. As he passed by the other officers, he heard some people getting interviewed.

"That blonde boy with the basketball jacket tried assaulting that girl! I'm glad you caught him. I want him to go to jail for that!"

"I'm not really sure what caused the fight, but the high schoolers caused it."

The rest of the ride was quiet, Billy holding Sammi's hand as she whimpered. Once they got to the Byers' home, he parked and turned to Sammi. "I'm sorry," he said, "I had no idea those assholes would be there."

"Not your fault," Sammi replied, shaking her head, "You have nothing to apologize for. It was a great date and it made me happy." She got out of the car, holding her hand out for Billy to take. They then knocked on the door.

Jonathan was the one to answer. "Hel- Holy shit! Mom!" He ushered the two inside, sitting them down on the couch.

The rest of the time was filled with panic from both Jonathan and Joyce, Jim walking in, and the two explaining everything that led to their beating. As they were patched up and their story was written down by Jim, Sammi sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said, "It's been a long day. I just want to go to bed."

Joyce stood. "Of course," she said. She gave the woman a hug. "If you need anything, you come to me, okay?" She then gave Billy a hug. "You too, sweetie. Jim and I are here for both of you."

Jim nodded. "That's true. You give me or Joyce a call and we'll be there."

"Thank you," Billy replied, "I appreciate it." He felt his hand being taken, and he smiled softly. "Bye, guys." He led Sammi out of the house, driving her home.

They were in Sammi's bedroom, both exhausted from today. Sammi had already taken off her makeup, taken out the clips in her hair. They found themselves sitting on the bed.

"Billy?" Sammi asked, cheeks pink and tear stained. She looked pathetic. "I really don't want to be alone right now. Would you be able to..." She paused. "Stay with me?"

Billy's breath caught in his throat, but he found himself nodding. "Yeah," he replied, "Of course. I'll sleep on the floor."

Sammi shook her head. "Nope! You're sleeping right here with me! I insist."

Billy could never say no to Sammi, even if he wanted to. She could ask him to commit murder and he'll happily go to jail if it meant he made her happy. "Are you sure? It wouldn't be weird?"

Sammi frowned. "Why would it be weird?" Did Billy not want to be close to her? Was she not pretty enough? She thought he liked her. Maybe it was because she was partially dressed as Steve right now, no makeup, no pretty hairstyles.

"No reason." Billy cleared his throat. "Are you okay with me being in my boxers?"

Sammi nodded, maybe a little too quickly, but tried to hide it by turning around and moving to the dresser. "I'll get changed in the bathroom," she said, picking out her prettiest pajama set and walking out the door, shutting it on her way out. She returned a few minutes later, now in a light pink, frilly tank top and matching shorts. She bit her lip hard as she saw Billy sitting on the bed. She slid herself under the blanket and laid down, turning off the light, feeling Billy's weight shift to lay down next to her. "Billy?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about today."

There was a moment of silence, before Billy replied. "What? Why? It's not your fault that douchebag Carver decided to say something. And don't apologize for me getting hit because I'll be damned if I just stand by and allow someone to treat you like that. It's not your fault that some people's brains are purely for decoration." He sighed, shaking his head a little. "You're an intelligent, beautiful, confident, amazing woman and not everybody is going to realize that. It's just a sad fact."

Sammi felt her cheeks were on fire from how hard she was blushing. "You really think that?"

Billy turned to face Sammi. "Do I really think that?" He repeated, sounding dumbfounded. "Really? Sammi, of course I do. There's not a day that goes by where I don't think you're the most incredible person I've ever met. You're perfect! You hear me? I think you're perfect."

Sammi rolled over to her side, finding Billy's eyes. Even in the dark, they still sparkled. "Billy..." She whispered, incredulous.

With all the confidence he could muster, Billy placed a gentle hand on Sammi's cheek. He then leaned in and connected their lips in a soft, sweet first kiss. His heart sang as he felt her soft lips move against his. He loved her. He felt it in every nerve ending, every muscle, every atom that made up his body. His heart rejoices each time she's near. He is in love, and it was forever etched into his soul.

Sammi continued the kiss for a moment more, before pulling away, cuddling up to Billy. "Be my boyfriend?"

Billy nearly felt his heart stop. "Always," he whispered.

Sammi was asleep within a minute, being held as tightly as Billy's arms could allow, the man falling asleep soon after.

Chapter Text

Though their relationship was still very new, both Sammi and Billy were immediately domestic towards each other. Billy, after Sammi begged, began staying over at her house, happy to get the quiet house to themselves. Sammi could be herself, Billy didn't have to pretend his girlfriend was Steve. They did everything together; watched tv, cleaned, cooked. They even danced, Billy putting on a love song and pulling Sammi into his arms, slow dancing. Sammi would never admit it, but during those times, she would imagine they were having their first dance at their wedding. She knew Billy would be handsome in a tuxedo. The next few days were total bliss, and they savored it. They knew once Monday rolled around, people would know about them.

Neither of them talked about the incident at the movies, but it was on their mind, though they tried hard to forget. Sammi still had a bruise near her eye, and even though she got better at makeup, she didn't know how to cover it. Billy's lip was still split, his stomach still bruised. The moment had spread to the rest of the basketball team, Jason telling them what a 'homo' their coach was. Lucas kept his mouth shut, but he decided then and there that he did not want to be like Jason anymore.

Billy sighed softly, shaking his head. "I really don't want to do this," he said.

"I know," Sammi replied, a hand on Billy's face, "But you talked to Higgins, right? You explained everything?"

Billy leaned into the gentle touch. "Yeah, but it's still going to be hard to face them. Knowing that they told the rest of the team. God, I was stupid to out you like that. I should have taken you to a different town."

"What are you talking about?" Sammi frowned, shaking her head. "Billy, you are not stupid. You did not out me. Our date was perfect and I'm not going to let some shithead jocks ruin it. Besides, you heard the townspeople in the parking lot when it happened! They all thought I was a girl. They were on our side."

"That doesn't mean they'll still be there if Carver runs his mouth to the rest of the school and they find out," Billy explained, "But I appreciate your optimism."

"Someone has to look on the bright side." Sammi held Billy's face in her hands, leaning in to give him a soft, sweet kiss. "We're going to be fine. Practice is going to be fine. We'll do as we planned. We'll drop the kids off, you'll do basketball, I'll get my nails done, and by the time I come back, we'll meet in the parking lot and I'll take the kids home."

Billy kissed Sammi back, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly. He never wanted to let go. "You're right, princess." He pulled away, reaching down to grab her hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Now that you had your moment, can we please get to our session?" Mike asked, sounding annoyed, arms crossed.

Sammi nodded. "Alright, lead the way."

The kids led Sammi and Billy into the building, down the hallway and to a room with a hand drawn logo on it.

"Now let us introduce you to our club!" Dustin said, looking at Sammi.

Sammi's eyes widened. "What? Now?" She hadn't thought about telling others outside their group. But... The Hellfire Club was a bunch of nerds. If anyone would understand, it would be them.

"Come on, Sammi. They're really nice. Besides, we want you to meet our other friends!" Will smiled.

Dustin opened the door, seeing the others already in their seats. "Hey, guys. Hi, Eddie."

Eddie was already on his throne, the map set on the table already set up with various figurines littered onto it. He glanced up at the door, noticing the others. "Sir Dustin," he greeted. He then stood up, giving a friendly smile. "Hargrove, it's nice to see you." He moved closer to Sammi, holding out his hand. "And who is this lovely lady?"

"You too, Munson," Billy replied, arm around Sammi's waist. "This is my girlfriend, Sammi."

Sammi smiled, holding her hand out. "Nice to meet youuuu..." She looked at the man, who smiled.

"Eddie." Eddie held Sammi's hand, bringing it up to his lips and giving it a soft kiss. Recognition was in his eyes. He knew full well who Sammi was, but said nothing, knowing it wasn't his place to ask.

Sammi giggled. "Eddie. What a charmer, you are."

"Well, a lady as fair as you deserves a proper introduction," Eddie replied, giving the woman a wink, before letting go of her hand, noticing the forming blush.

Gareth spoke up then. "Hey, Hargrove. Where have you been hiding your smoke show girlfriend?" He held his hand out, shaking Sammi's hand. "I'm Gareth. It's nice to meet you, Sammi."

The others smiled and gave little waves.

"I'm Jeff," the tall one said.

"I'm Grant," the one with the dark hair said.

"Nice to meet you all," Sammi replied politely.

Billy looked over at Gareth. "Don't be getting any ideas, pipsqueak. She's taken." His tone was serious, but he had his signature smirk on his lips.

"Not my fault she's gorgeous," Gareth replied with a shrug, "She could be in music videos."

Jeff gasped softly. "She could be in our music videos!"

"We don't have any videos." Grant interjected.

"Because we don't have a pretty girl! But maybe Sammi would be willing to help us," Jeff suggested, gesturing to her. He looked over at Sammi. "A good chunk of our songs are D&D inspired, so fantasy."

"You mean I can be a princess?" Sammi asked, looking excited.

Eddie gave Sammi a sweet smile. "Exactly," he replied, "Now, we have to get a location, and costumes..." He frowned, adding, "And a camera, but! When the time comes," he locked eyes with Sammi, "will you be willing?"

Sammi thought about it for a moment. "I'm not willing to do anything in a bikini."

Eddie shook his head, eyes a little widened at that response. "I can guarantee, there will be no bikini shots. Nothing of the sort, sweetheart. It's like Jeff said, princess costumes and dragons. Maybe the occasional kiss on the cheek when someone, most likely somebody from the band, saves the princess."

"I can do that," Sammi said, relieved. She was self conscious of her chest. Well, lack of a chest. But a princess? She'll happily wear a gown.

"Another thing," Gareth added, "We don't really have any money... So you won't be getting paid for this. But, if we get signed, we get a bonus, so we can give you some of that. Or I work at the record store. I can give you my tips for a week."

Sammi shook her head. "I'm not in it for money. It just sounds like fun and I love any reason to dress up." She gave a smile. "I'll even get you guys a camera."

"Woah!" Eddie was shocked. "Sammi, you do not have to do that. Just the pleasure of your presence is enough, sweetheart."

Billy listened throughout the conversation, happy to see how excited his girlfriend was of this. "Hey, I say, if she wants to help, let her help. When you guys get on the cover of Rolling Stone, then maybe mention she helped with the videos."

Gareth just nodded, grinning. "You got yourself a deal, Hargrove."

Billy glanced down at his watch, immediate panic on his face. "Shit! Sorry, guys, but if we don't leave right now, we're going to be late."

"Bye, boys!" Sammi looked over at the kids. "We'll be back to pick you up later, okay?" She then left, saying, "Nice meeting you all!"

As the door shut, the room was quiet. Gareth was the first to speak. "So, that was Harrington, right?"

"Oh, absolutely," Jeff replied, sitting down in his seat.

"It's incredible nobody clocked the former Steve as gay," Eddie said, returning to his throne, "I mean, he was the straightest guy I've ever seen."

Gareth held a finger up. "Except when he worked at Scoops Ahoy. I mean, every time we came in, he looked as if he was wearing lipstick."

"Oh, yeah, you're right." Grant just shrugged. "Well, good for her."

Eddie nodded. "She looks so happy now. Glowing, really. I'm happy for her."

After one last quick kiss in the hallway, Sammi left the building, making her way to her car and to her nail appointment. She was happy, humming as she drove. "I'm going to be a princess," she said to herself.

Billy had a smile on his lips from the kiss. He made his way to the gym, in a good mood, despite the previous dread he was feeling. The cheerleaders were already on the other side of the gym, in a pyramid formation. Chrissy was encouraging the girls as they stayed strong, cheering when they didn't fall.

The basketball team was already there, most of them sitting on the bench, waiting for their coach. Jason was standing up, hands on his hips. "Well well, look who finally showed up. It's not very professional to come to work late, don't you think?" He pointed to Andy and Chance, who were warming up. "I took over for you and told the team to start warming up. Only the best players decided to listen."

Billy knew what Jason was trying to do, finding everything he could to use as evidence to get him fired. "By a minute? That is hardly considered late. And by the way, I'm the coach here." His eyes were narrowed as he looked at the blonde. "They listen to me. They know that." He glanced at the others on the bench. "Alright, team. Let's start with passing. Double up, find a partner." He looked at the others, crossing his arms. "Get in position or get out of my gym. I don't have time for people who won't follow directions."

"But you have time for crossdressers," Andy remarked with a scoff. "What would Higgins say about that?"

Billy kept his cool, but he was fuming. "Principal Higgins already knows about it. He also knows about you three beating me and my date up."

"You snitch." Chance shook his head.

"Oh, no. I didn't have to say anything about it," Billy explained, "The Chief of Police spoke to Higgins directly, explaining everything that happened. How you three got physically violent with a staff member of the school and hit a woman, how you," he pointed to Jason, "tried to sexually assault a woman by shoving your hand up her skirt."

"She's not a woman!!" Jason yelled. "It's Steve Harrington!"

"Guess what, dipshit? It's still sexual assault no matter who it is! It's still illegal! And she says she's a woman, so she's a woman," Billy yelled back, "So yes, you punched my girlfriend in the face. You shoved your hand up her skirt. And since I'm employed at the school and you're students, I couldn't defend her. But just know." He leaned in, teeth gritted, voice low. "If I wasn't your gym teacher, you would be unrecognizable. Your face would be ground meat. People were scared of me when I was in high school. You used to be terrified of me. Remember that." He pulled away then, secretly satisfied with the wide eyes he got from Jason in response.

Andy let out a laugh. "Threatening a student? How mature."

"Oh, I'm not threatening," Billy replied, turning to face Andy. "I'm reminding. Now get in line and team up with someone. We're practicing passing the ball."

"You did that?"

Chrissy was standing behind Jason, hearing everything that was said between him and Billy. She was appalled that her boyfriend would do something like that, disgusted.

"It's not any of your business, Chris," Jason replied, "Go wave your pom poms over there or something. Let us get back to practice."

Chrissy's brow raised. "It's not my business? You punched Billy's girlfriend."

"She's not a girl, Chris-"

"Then why do you keep calling her she?" Chrissy asked, hands on her hips. "Jason, I'm br-"

Jason reeled his hand back. "Enough!"

The smack echoed throughout the gym, everybody now watching the scene between Jason and Chrissy.

Billy snapped, grabbing Jason by the jersey and yanking him to the double doors. "That's it! You're off my team! I don't want you anywhere near this gym or Chrissy! Do you understand?!" He shoved the blonde out of the gym. "Get your shit and leave!"

Jason stood in the doorway, looking past Billy and to Chance and Andy. "Well? Are you with me?"

Andy immediately followed, shouldering Billy hard as he walked past him, Chance following like a shadow.

"You're all off my team! And stay out of my gym!" Billy shut the door then, turning and making his way to Chrissy, who was sitting on the bleachers. "Are you okay?" He asked, voice soft as he spoke to her. He leaned down to inspect her face, making sure Jason didn't break skin.

Chrissy just nodded, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Thank you, Billy, for sticking up for me." She sniffled. "He just gets so mean and I just... I'm glad you were there."

"He won't bother you again, okay?" Billy patted Chrissy on the back. "You deserve better than that douchebag. And hey." He leaned in so only she could hear. "Now you can go for the guy that actually has your heart."

Chrissy smiled, shaking her head. "I wouldn't know how to. Every time I see him as we're leaving the school, I get all clammy and nervous."

"Well, how about I help you out?" Billy asked, "I'll be your wingman. I'll introduce you to him."

Chrissy giggled. "That's sweet! Thank you!" She stood up then, wiping her eyes. "Okay, girls! Let's get back to the pyramid!"

Billy smiled, getting back to his own practice. "Guys, we're going to need a new captain, now that Carver is gone. We're also going to need to fill Chance and Andy's positions." He pointed to two of the guys on the team. "You two are taking their spots." He then gave Lucas a smile, pointing at him. "Sinclair is the captain."

Lucas's eyes nearly popped out of his head, his grin was bigger than it's ever been. "Really? I won't disappoint you, Billy!"

"I know, amigo," Billy replied, before turning to face the rest of the team, "Now, let's run the plays so we crush the Wildcats next week!"

The rest of practice went off perfectly, everybody in a better mood, the team working together better now that Jason isn't railroading each play and yelling at everyone to pass him the ball. They all left the building.

Sammi was there, leaning against her car with red lipstick and dark sunglasses as she waited for the kids.

The Hellfire Club walked out first, the kids and Eddie moving to talk to Sammi about the new campaign they started. She didn't understand most of it, but she was happy the kids were happy.

Billy and Lucas walked out, the rest of the team behind them as they spotted Sammi.

"She doesn't even look like Steve anymore," one of the kids said.

"Yeah, I don't know how Carver figured out it was her."

"She's hot now. Coach is lucky."

Billy made his way to the group, pulling Sammi in his arms and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, gorgeous. Let me see your nails."

Sammi held her hand out in front of her boyfriend, revealing a baby pink set. "Do you like them?"

"Oh, they're very pretty!"

Lucas grinned, running to the others. "Guys! Sammi! Billy made me captain of the team!"

Sammi gasped. "That's wonderful! I'm so proud of you!" She looked at Billy, confused. "What happened to Carver?" She asked, quietly.

"Oh, Carver, Chance and Andy are no longer on my team," Billy explained, smiling as he said it, "Because Carver thought it was smart to hit Chrissy in front of me and the others went with him."

Sammi frowned. "That poor girl. Is she okay?"

Billy spotted Chrissy leaving the building, and he waved her over. "Chrissy! Come meet my girlfriend!"

Chrissy bounced her way over to the others, seeing Eddie and immediately blushing. She then looked at Sammi, smiling. "Hi! I'm Chrissy."

"I'm Sammi! It's nice to meet you!" Sammi smiled.

"You too!" Chrissy gasped. "Where did you get your nails done? They're adorable!"

"I just got them done at that salon in the town over. Come with me next time," Sammi replied.

Chrissy grinned. "I'd love that!"

"Hello, Chrissy," Eddie said, holding his hand out.

Chrissy looked shy, holding her hand out for Eddie to take. "Hi, Eddie."

Eddie took the woman's hand and gave it a gentle kiss. "Lovely to see you again." He looked around, not seeing Jason around. "Did your boyfriend ditch you?"

"I dumped him," Chrissy said, sounding happy, "He was terrible to me. Besides..." She locked eyes with Eddie. "My heart belongs to someone else."

Eddie's heartbeat sped up, his eyes lighting up. "Really? And who, pray tell, is the owner?" He snaked an arm around Chrissy's petite waist, pulling her closer.

Chrissy blushed hard, dissolving into giggles as she placed a hand on Eddie's chest, holding the other in his hand. "Just this really cute and sweet guy who leads the Hellfire Club," she explained, "I told Billy I've been in love with the guy forever but I was too afraid to say anything. He said he'd be my wingman and help introduce me but I don't think I need him anymore."

Eddie couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had to be dreaming. "Are you free tonight?" He asked. "I'm thinking about taking the girl of my dreams out to a nice dinner and maybe dancing? I'm pretty damn good at the waltz. My uncle made me take a dance class when I was a kid."

"That sounds perfect! I'll wear my prettiest dress! Maybe you could teach me to waltz?" Chrissy asked, hope in her eyes.

Eddie smiled at Chrissy, feeling like the luckiest guy in the world. "Of course, sweetheart."

"Guys? I'd like to get home and talk to my girlfriend now," Dustin said, sounding annoyed.

Sammi rolled her eyes. "Alright, everyone in the car! Chop chop!"