A/N - This chapter was inspired by the songs DONTTRUSTME by 3OH!3 and Blah Blah Blah by Kesha and 3OH!3, which are two of the biggest throwbacks to me being 12-14 years old and scream-singing the lyrics, even though they were definitely not appropriate for someone my age. For this one, reader is Eddie's sister, who sort of works as an agent for Corroded Coffin. I hope you all enjoy it.
"What's a pretty thing like you doing hanging around in a dump like this?"
God, it was one of the least original lines you had ever heard, and you'd not quite caught your eye roll before it escaped you. I mean, it's not like you could help it. This was the third time you'd been hit on tonight alone and you were getting pretty tired of telling guys you weren't interested whilst you watched your brother perform.
"Not impressed, huh?" the voice pressed on, finally drawing your attention towards him, one of your eyebrows raised, a silent question. Why do you think you're worth my time? It was a look you had perfected within about a month of allowing Eddie to convince you to take over the band's administrative work.
Usually, it was pretty effective too. The confidence would seep out of the guy in a matter of seconds and you would be left in peace for a little while. But this time, something seemed different.
"Oh Princess, you know that glare isn't going to get you anywhere," he hummed, leaning on the bar beside you with a smirk pulling at his features. "But damn, this angry look sure does suit that pretty face of yours," he pressed on, watching as your jaw tightened at the comment.
"Not interested," you uttered, turning your attention back to the stage until you heard a snort of laughter from behind you. "What's so funny?" you bit out.
The man held his hands up in surrender, still smirking at some unheard joke. "Just think this little attitude is cute, is all," he hummed out. "You know, the little scowl and the snarling? It's adorable that you think you're so intimidating."
"Wow-"
"Trying to scare off anyone who wants to give you a little bit of attention. Trying to make us work harder to win you over," he pressed on. "It's admirable, really, but it doesn't really work, does it?"
You hesitated for a moment, your tongue running over your teeth as you gave him a once-over. Sure, he was hot, but he knew it a little too well, and this cockiness he was so dependent on was a little pitiful. "Does this work for you?" you uttered, head tipping to the side as if he was the most interesting thing in the world, your eyes settling on his as you allowed a small smile to pull at the corners of your lips.
"What-"
"Do you think this is working for you?" you pressed on, gesturing at him. "You know, the whole negging thing?"
"Negging?" he murmured, brow furrowing slightly.
"Yeah," you answered softly. "Come on, you of all people must know what negging is," you pressed on with a soft chuckle. "You know, when you undermine a woman's self-confidence in the hopes that if you bring her down enough she'll eventually just cave and let you take her home so that she can feel a little bit better about herself?"
"I'm not negging you-"
Your snort of laughter cut him off. "Look, you can come over here and be a pain in my ass for the entire night," you told him. "But I know your little game, alright, so don't insult my intelligence by pretending you give a shit about anything other than a quick lay."
He stood quietly for a moment, watching as you turned back around in your seat, already applauding for the band as they came to the end of a song and launched into the next.
"What's your name?"
"Take the hint-"
"Billy Hargrove," he pressed on, moving around you to hold out a hand in your direction, waiting for you to shake it.
You glanced down at his hand, still looking thoroughly unimpressed. "I don't care," you confessed. "I'm trying to enjoy the band," you added, nodding towards the stage, waiting patiently for him to move out of your way.
"You like the band?" You let out a disgruntled sigh at his questioning, trying your hardest to ignore him completely. "I went to school with those guys," he pressed on, finally drawing a chuckle out of you. "I used to buy weed off the guy on guitar when we were in high school," he added.
"Wait, you're friends with Eddie Munson?" you started, suddenly looking a lot more enthralled by the conversation.
His smirk was pulling at his lips a second later. "I don't know if friends is the right word-"
"I mean, he's a total legend, right?" you pressed on, biting down on your bottom lip, watching his eyes flicker down to look right at the spot where your teeth indented the soft skin.
"Yeah, he's pretty great."
"You guys met at school?"
Billy hesitated for a moment, glancing back over his shoulder at the guys on stage. "Yeah, everyone at Hawkin's High knew Eddie," he told you. "Great guy."
"I'll be sure to tell him you said hi," you hummed, watching as his brow furrowed slightly.
"You know Eddie?"
"Yep."
He hesitated, clearing his throat slightly. "He your boyfriend?"
A snort of laughter left you that time. "Little brother," you confessed. "Protective, little brother," you added. "Really hates guys hanging around me at bars when I'm here to see him," you added. "Especially guys who are lying about being his friend in a shitty attempt to get laid."
"I'm not lying-"
"Oh my God, dude," you groaned. "Take the fucking hint. I'm not interested. Find some other poor girl to bother all night."
He swallowed, his mouth opening and closing. And then, he'd held up his hands. "Sorry," he breathed, leaving to sit at the back of the bar.
You hadn't spared him a second glance until Eddie had come off stage, happily accepting a beer from you and taking a deep gulp. "Saw you making friends," he teased.
"Yeah, I have no idea where some guys get the audacity," you grumbled, shaking your head in disbelief. "Tried telling me you guys knew each other."
"What, Billy?"
Your brow furrowed slightly. "How'd you-"
"He basically kept me in business all by himself when we were in High School," he snorted. "Recommended me to all his friends too. Paid for Sweetheart all by himself," he added, running his fingers over the neck of the guitar still hanging from his neck. "I should go say hi. Thank him for swinging by."
You nodded, watching him make his way through the bar towards the table Billy was sitting at. They seemed pretty at ease, chatting effortlessly, like old friends, and suddenly, you realised that maybe you had been a little bit too harsh. Sure, Billy was being a pain in the ass, but you hadn't exactly been the most welcoming person in the world.
When Billy glanced over in your direction, you had practically frozen, your eyes darting away to land on some random poster on the far wall. When you had eventually, allowed your attention to stray back to him, he was already watching you, a small smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. Well, fuck.
Please consider supporting me for just £3 using Ko-Fi. The link is available on my profile page. If you have any questions about Ko-Fi please feel free to private message me. Thank you. L x