cheerleader | for tightjeans

Chrissy's known for a few days that they need to talk. She isn't avoiding him as much as letting their busy lives at school take over, as she gives herself time to think. They still eat lunch together outside so he can smoke, he still drives her to and from school. But there's an edge to her that's anxious, much like she had been in the days leading up to telling him that she was ending things with Jason because she wanted to be with him.

And she thinks he can recognize when she's afraid or nervous, two things that she's very much feeling now. Every time she even thinks about glancing at the pregnancy test hiding in her backpack, she starts to feel terrified. Chrissy feels backed into a corner, like she has no options. And she really doesn't want to force that same kind of pressure on him. He's just gotten his life back together, and they worked so hard together to get him acclimated to being back at school. It wouldn't be right to pull the rug out from under him now.

But she also can't not tell him either. She's not the kind of girl that lies by omission. So she finds her courage on the way to school one day to ask him to go anywhere other than Hawkins High School. They find themselves sitting in his car near the lake, Chrissy anxiously fidgeting.

"There's something that you need to know."

She can barely speak over a whisper, her stomach is in so many knots.

"It's important."

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“No.” His answer comes without hesitation because of course he doesn’t want that. This baby, while it will make things difficult, is a part of them and, while he’s absolutely fucking terrified of what kinda dad he’ll be, anything that’s part Chrissy is something the world deserves.

“If you want to keep this baby, then I’m in. I’m all in. But we do what you wanna do here, babe.” It’s going to be harder on her, after all. Billy’s reputation has already gone down the shitter and he’s only ever looked on with pity and resentment now.

Her mum is going to hate every thing about this, she’s going to cop shit from every direction. “I just… I worry about what’s going to happen. This town? These people? They won’t be kind.”

"I want to keep the baby," she insists, crying a little harder as she realizes that everything has changed. They can't ever go back to the way things were. It's only a path forward, one that ends with them as parents. The thing is, she actually likes the sound of that. It's something that she knows they can both be happy with, since they're staying together.

He's right, though. People are going to be cruel. They're going to say terrible things, and her friends are all going to turn on her. And Jason...

God, she's terrified of what he might do. He was pissed when she ended things with him so she could go be with Billy. He's going to have a lot to say about this, and none of it will be kind. Which of course, makes her cry even more. She's a mess by the time she tries crawling over into his seat to curl up in his lap.

"It doesn't matter what people say to me. I want to keep the baby, and we can..." She has to stop talking in order to sob a little, clinging to him. "What? Get married?"

Chrissy’s sobs make Billy’s heart twist and it feels like a knife seeing her so upset and afraid. “Then we keep it, Chris.” It was her choice and he could deal with his own feelings of fear and anxiety in the coming months. They’d deal with it together, that’s what you’re supposed to do right? That’s what parents do.

When she climbs over the middle console and tries to get into his lap, Billy pushes his chair back as far as he can to make room and he holds her tightly to her chest. The pregnancy test has clattered to the floor at his feet and he makes a note to get it later.

“Yeah? You wanna marry me, Chrissy? Make an honest man out of me?” His heart seizes at the idea but he realizes there’s no negative feelings there. He hadn’t really given it much though but he knows they could make it work and it would probably not be a bad thing; he dreads to think of what this town would think of her being an unwed teen mother instead of just a teen mother. “At least the three of us would have the same name.”

She's crying, but still manages a laugh when he suggests that she make an honest man out of him. This is all happening really fast, and she knows that neither of them are sure what to do. But the thought that they could find a way to bring a life into the world and make it work is reassuring on some level. He's right in that the silver lining is they'd all have the same last name. She wouldn't have to worry about being unwed. Her baby would have its father in their life. They'd be a family.

"Then let's do it," she murmurs, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Let's get married." It's hard to prevent a giddy little laugh from bubbling forward. She had been so afraid he might turn her away. How stupid is that?

"Yeah?" Billy smiles into the kiss. "I guess we're getting married. You're a ballsy woman, Chrissy Cunningham, marrying a man like me." A man who was an absolute mess of a human, who'd been a part of killing a whole bunch of people, who still couldn't even talk about his trauma. Who was terrified about the idea of becoming a dad at all, let alone now at 18 years old.

But they could do this. They could make this work. Except he needed to do this properly, so he sits back in the chair enough to meet Chrissy's eyes and he smiles. "Chrissy Cunningham, will you marry me?"

This whole thing is completely surreal. Chrissy softly laughs, showing some of her disbelief. But she's smiling, and gives an eager nod of her head. "Yeah," she answers his question, leaning in to kiss him one more time. "I'd really like that."

It's nice to bury herself in him and the happiness of this moment. She doesn't have to think about the rest of the world that exists outside his car, doesn't need to worry about what her mom will say or think. It's just them, and the life they made together, and maybe they can figure everything out together.

"But first, I think I need to go see a doctor."

Billy smiles into the kiss and wraps his arms tight around Chrissy’s waist. This whole situation is beyond bizarre and Billy knows they’re both going to feel the stress of this situation in the coming months. But for right now, they can just bask in this moment of happiness that this is going to happen.

“Yeah? How do we even find a doctor for this? It’s gotta be a special one, right?”

"It needs to be a special one that's two or three towns over." Chrissy's not sure of a lot right now, but she knows they need to buy themselves as much time as possible. And going to any doctor in Hawkins is out of the question.

"I'll look and see what I can find later today. Try to schedule an appointment for next week. We can skip school and make a whole day out of it."

With his arms around her, she's at least able to relax. She's been so stressed and has felt so alone that she's almost feeling exhausted now that things are out in the open between them. "We could skip today too, if you wanted. I'm feeling pretty tired."

"Alright, yeah. You just let me know when it is and I'll be with you." She'd need him to drive her there but he was glad she wanted to actually include him in this. "You can call from my place. I'll probably need to get a phone book but it'd be a better option, y'know? To not call where your mum can hear."

He presses a soft kiss to her temple and smiles. "Yeah? Lookit you, Chrissy Cunningham. Hanging out with me, getting pregnant and married in high school and now skipping? Maybe I am a bad influence." There's a softness to his tone that he only ever has with her at his words.

"You're a terrible influence," she tries to sound grumpy about it, but her smile gives her away. If he is that bad of an influence on her, she really doesn't mind. Besides, skipping school is now the least of her worries.

"But Billy, we have to be so careful. Okay? My mom can't find out yet." She bites at her lip after insisting on that, even as she leans toward him for comfort and support.

"I'm really afraid of what she'll do when she finds out."

"The worst." He agrees with a smile. Really, they both knew he could actually make Chrissy do anything she didn't want to and he wouldn't even if he could.

He nods, gripping her hands gently. "She won't. It's just between us, alright? For as long as we can keep it that way." Pressing his forehead against Chrissy's, Billy sighs softly. "No matter what, we're in this together."

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