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cavinginhisfvce · 1 year

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'William Orchard Hopper"

Pairing: Harringrove.

Tw: child abuse, mentions of infidelity.

This started out as a headcanon of Jim being Billy biological dad and quickly spiraled into this??? Sorry. <3

Not many people know that Jim Hopper spent a considerable amount of time in California in his twenties.

Jim and Billy's mom, Bria Hargrove met and had an affair that led to Billy being born.

Neil knows Billy isn't his son, and becomes abusive towards Bria and Billy until she can no longer take it.

When Billy is ten, she leaves and hides a note in Billy's room for him to find.

The note tells him that Neil isn't his real father, it tells him his real father lives in Indiana. Hawkins, specifically but that he had once lived in California. She tells him that the man is named Jim Hopper. She doesn't give him any other details. Not that it truly matters, Neil is whose on his birth certificate. Neil is who is raising Billy into the man he's destined to be.

Confused, Billy tucks the note away. He can almost forget about it, but the knowledge that Neil isn't his dad stays with him. Even when Neil married Susan, and he gained a step-sister in her daughter, Max.

It doesn't become a problem for Billy until Neil announces that their new, fragile thing of a family is moving to Hawkins, Indiana.

He doesn't know if Neil knows he'll be dropping them in the town of the very man his mother cheated on him with.

A week after the move, Billy makes the mistake of getting high after Neil's latest lesson in Respect and Responsibility that ended with Billy nursing bruised ribs and what's definitely a mild concussion.

The mistake isn't smoking weed, per say. No, Billy's mistake was forgetting just how loose lipped he gets when high. Because, now he's shown Max the letter his mom left all those years ago, he tells her that Neil isn't his biological father.

Max doesn't say anything, she just stands up and hugs her step-brother.

The blond tenses briefly, before he's sinking into the hug; his own arms winding around her small frame.

She's gotten taller, so with Billy sitting, his head is pressed into her stomach.

She doesn't comment on the warmth of his tears, she just hugs him tighter.

What does someone say to their step-brother who's father beats him on a regular basis? What do you say when that same boy knows the man who lords his parental status over him, isn't actually his dad?

Max decides you say nothing. Billy doesn't seem put off by the lack of response.

It isn't until after Halloween, after Max has plunged a syringe into Billy's neck to sedate him when a panic attack had led to a violent fit, that they're both forced to confront the very thing Billy has tried so hard to forget.

It wasn't the first time Billy lashed out like this, but it was one of the worst times. Her new friends had gotten permission from Neil and her mother to come over, but something set Billy off when she introduced him to Jane.

To his credit, Billy had fled the house when he noticed his breathing picking up. It hadn't helped much, because Max followed behind him, leading her friends to do the same.

When Jane met his gaze, her eyes were soft but unreadable, like she knew she held the last name of the man his mother confessed was actually his father.

It could've been a coincidence, but his mom had also told him the mystery man was training to become a police officer.

That was too many coincidences, if you asked Billy.

He doesn't remember much after that, not that ever does.

He knows her friends had been afraid, but for some weird fucking reason they tried to comfort him.

The curly-haired one even called Steve Harrington, declaring that the elder was good in situations like this.

Billy seriously doubted that, but he'd never pass up a chance to see Steve. Their relationship was still new. New as in they'd only been official for the past week.

Once Steve had arrived, the kids all seemed to lose interest in everything, and retreated into the living room to play video games. Max took some convincing, but eventually, they were able to pry her away from the place she'd refused to leave at Billy's side.

The couple quickly toed off to Billy's room, and Steve wasted no time in pulling Billy into his arms.

Billy felt bone-tired, the sedative given to him never knocks him out, it mostly tires him out. Makes the world fuzzy, and like it's covered in a foggy film.

But, this felt different. This felt like a tiredness that wouldn't be quelled by resting for the remainder of the day.

The younger boy hadn't told Steve about Jim, so when he asked what triggered this episode, Billy quickly spilled. He spoke until his throat felt raw, and his hands were shaking.

He spoke until the room felt as if all the air was quickly evaporating.

Steve waited until Billy's word vomit came to an end, before gently responding, "It's okay, B. If Hop is your dad, he's a good man. A little grumpy, but he's not like…" he trails off, but Billy can fill in the blanks just fine.

"H-how am I even supposed to broach this subject with him, Steve? What if...what if he doesn't want me just like her, and I'm stuck with Neil until I'm 18, or dead?"

The brunet quickly reaches out to cup Billy's cheek, his thumb grazing the smooth skin. "That won't happen. Even if it did, you've got me. You're never gonna be stuck with him forever so long as I'm alive and breathing, baby."

There's more the boy wants to say, but he just feels so tired. The sounds of the kids all yelling in the other room serve as nothing more than background noise.

It's about an hour later, and Billy's only been fighting his sleep because Steve is showing him various tiktoks and clips of random gamers he enjoys.

Soon though, he's starting to doze on Steve's shoulder, when there's a knock at his door, then a head of brown curls are peaking into his room.

Jane.

His breath hitches, but Steve's hand finds his back and begins to soothingly rub his stress away.

Metaphorically, of course. Because in reality, Billy is still freaking out.

"Jim is here to pick me up, but he wanted to meet you."

This causes him to bristle, "Me? Why?"

Jane merely shrugs, before turning away.

Billy has an inkling she does know, but he swallows it down and climbs off his bed to make the short trek to the living room.

When he lays eyes on Hopper, the man is dressed in his uniform, a small grimace on his lips as he observes the sparsely decorated room.

His eyes eventually land on Billy and he offers something that could be considered a smile.

"So you're the owner of that Camaro out front, or is that your dad's?"

Billy wants to laugh out loud at the question, but instead he shakes his head. "No, sir. She's all mine, fixed her from the ground up myself."

It was true, Billy spent months fixing her up, she'd been all but totaled when he found her body at the junkyard in California.

He immediately fell in love with the car, despite the appearance and the rest was history.

The chief let out a long whistle, along with an approving nod.

"Damn kid. You lookin' for work? I know the mechanic in town could use someone like you on weekends."

Billy only nods, unsure of what to say.

"Yeah, yeah that'd be great, actually! Thanks."

Jim nods, his eyes never leaving their place of observing the blond.

"I'll set it up, just come by my office on Monday and we'll work out all the kinks."

Soon after, Jim leaves with Jane, who promises Max that they'll hang out soon.

Much to Billy's chargin, Steve leaves with the rest of the kids, sans Max, around forty-five minutes later.

Neil and Susan return after Billy has finished cleaning up the dishes from his and Max's dinner.

His dad seems pissed by something, something Billy can't figure out.

Not that it matters. All that matters is that his bad mood means a repeat of last night.

As it plays out, Billy doesn't have to wait until Monday, because the man in question all but busts the Hargrove's front door down, catching Neil in the act of wailing on the defenseless blond.

There's a whirlwind of activity that ends with his father in cuffs, and Hopper escorting Billy to the hospital with Max glued to his side while Susan tails the Chief's car.

On the drive there, Billy doesn't expect the chief to blurt out, "Jane heard what you told Steve." Billy wants to play dumb, he wants to pretend he has no clue what Hopper is referring to; but instead he just shrugs and glances back at Max, the red-head at least looks apologetic.

"Does she always ear hustle that hard?" The large man huffs out a laugh, "you have no clue kid," he pauses, chewing at his lip before he carefully continues, "I knew the last name was familiar, just chalked up to a coincidence. But your ma...you look just like her…"

"Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"I didn't want to assume, I was gonna do some digging. You know? I didn't know Bria was pregnant when we broke things off. All she said was Neil was getting suspicious. She didn't tell me, if she had…" he trails off, pulling up to the entrance of the hospital.

"I'm gonna make this right, Billy. I promise."

Billy wants to scoff, but one glance at Max's hopeful face in the mirror has Billy nodding instead.

"Yeah, okay." His words are soft, lacking any bite.

It turns out that the police chief busting down your front door to find your "father" beating you bloody, is more than enough evidence to send said man to prison.

It also turns out that one nicely worded threat is enough to have Neil Hargrove give up parental rights that never rightly belonged to him.

A DNA test for confirmation later Billy was getting a new birth certificate in the mail with the name William Orchard Hopper.

Below it read Bria Hargrove and James Hopper.

Billy was in the middle of decorating his new room in Hopper's place when Max barged in, Steve trailing behind her with a sweet grin on his lips.

"Billy, can you take me and Jane to the arcade?" Jane, who Billy hadn't noticed initially just smiled up at him.

The boy shook his head, turning to Steve, "aren't these your charges? Why am I the chaperone?"

Max rolls his eyes, "you're our brother, so you have to! You love us!"

Jane quickly nods her head, a sparkle in her eyes, "Yeah! You love us."

Steve hums his agreement, which has Billy shaking his head again, "okay, whatever shitbirds. Let me change, at least."

They seem to accept that, and slip out the room, leaving Billy and Steve alone.

The latter smiles at him, before crossing the room to plant a light kiss to his lips.

"Alright, now hurry up, Blondie! We can't let the boys get too cocky, Jonathan dropped them off already and I just know Dustin is trying to beat Max's highscores already. They're gonna fight all day."

Once Billy is dressed, he drags Steve out his bedroom, only to run into Hopper. Literally.

Billy's head bounces against his chest and everything.

The man just grunts and steadies the smaller boy, his lips parting to speak before Billy is wrapping his arms around his midsection, "see you for dinner, Pops!" before he's grabbing Steve's hand and ushering Max and Jane out the door.

Jim doesn't miss the smile that graces his son's lips before he calls out, "be safe!"

He can almost see the way Jane and Billy roll their eyes before responding without missing a beat,

"Us? Always!" Jim doesn't mention the time he had to put out a small fire from when Billy tried to teach Jane tricks with his zippo.

Yeah, always my ass, he thinks.

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ickypuppi3 · 1 year

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#this dynamic #billy hargrove #el hopper #el being all what’s a switchblade and then realising she doesn’t have one #and billy’s like ah fuck here you go #max: you’re a bad influence #billy: didn’t you teach her how to shoplift?#max: yeah and who taught me #billy: no comment #billy’s a good big brother this is all slander #also #billy giving el a mullet when #i would like to see it #ickyposts

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biillys · 2 years

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gyllenchains: the question was what would he want to see for billy. i didn’t record the other part but he said billy had to die. so i’m gonna walk into traffic

dacre @ stranger con, chicago (9th oct 22)

#'he was constantly trying to push through and break the mould of his father' dacre i need u to know that i owe u my life #gifs #m #dacremontgomeryedit #dacre montgomery #billy hargrove #camaro 67 #something so fucking tragic and sad about the way that so many people believe that the only reason billy could redeem himself is by dying #like.............................................................my brother in christ......if he lived.....and he got to experience life #without neil...................... like if he got to breath some fresh fucking air without his father constantly just. existing. right there #sometimes out of sight but never out of mind....... then my GOD the way he couldve clawed and pieced together a life for himself #a family for himself in him and max #just like. a new beginning #but like. no.#his only redeeming quality was if he fully got himself killed just so the kids could live #wait this isnt me coming for dacre and what hes saying here its me coming for ppl that are like #'actually the only good thing billy done was die. and he deserved it.'#hate that crowd #like its just fucking tragic that ppl that are going though this and suffering constantly at the hands of ppl they should be loved by #are seeing people be like 'well the only way you can make up for the fact that ur a Piece of Work is if you #fucking sacrifice yourself for a Good and Palatable Victim. die bitch.'#but i do get what hes tryin to say here!!!!!!!!!!! i get u dacre!!!!!

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suspiciouslackofclowns · 1 year

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Big fan of Billy being super strong. Like, stronger than he looks, and he looks strong.

Headcanons and au’s where he’s disabled in some aspect after s3 are so near and dear to my heart, but I also take guilty pleasure in making him an unstoppable force sometimes. Just. Billy being built like a fucking bear, but also having learned to embrace his softer side again through his partner, because he is soft somewhere in there. Always has been.

Not to say that he doesn’t still get angry.

Maybe a few years later after he graduates and is settled into an apartment with Steve (or Eddie, Jonathan, Argyle, etc.), he has more of a rapport with the party. He’s not necessarily ruffling Dustin’s hair or giving Will the gay talk, but he’s around them and they don’t mind each other. He has playful banter with Max and maybe he even finds himself shooting hoops with Lucas every now and again.

He’s friendly with these kids, long story short. So when something happens like Troy Walsh and James follow Dustin on his way over to meet up at the apartment for D&D, because Steve and Billy let the party host there sometimes, Billy gets rightfully pissed.

Catches the kids out on his lawn, Dustin pinned on his back as Troy hovers over him and all of the other kids are screaming. He yells, sharp and quick and stomps over, just in time to startle Troy back before he’s able to land even a single punch. Steve is in the background trying to help Dustin to his feet and check for any injuries while Billy just fucking glares at this kid.

“Get lost,” Billy says.

Squares his shoulders and stands his ground, firmly placed between Troy and Dustin.

The kid looks scared. He swallows, takes a careful step back after he seems to assess that Billy is less of an angry parent and more of an impatient (and reckless) older brother. But then he smirks and reaches over to smack James’ arm.

“Sorry,” he muses. “Didn’t realize the fag brigade were official nerd protectors.”

Somewhere behind Billy, Steve drops Dustin as he’s attempting to help him to his feet, quickly scrambling to grab his hand again and hoist him up. Because he knows something that even Billy himself apparently doesn’t.

The blond is nice now. Downright pleasant to be around, even. He’s worked like hell to get here and he prides himself on being reformed. On being better than he used to be.

Something in his brain switches off. Steve sets a hand on his shoulder and Billy shrugs it off, taking a large stride forward and snatching the collar of Troy’s shirt. He doesn’t really think as he does it. Yanks him forward and grabs his thigh, and hoists him up into the air, kicking and screaming to no avail.

Like this kid weighs nothing at all.

James has retreated to the curb, yelling to put him down, put him down!

But Billy doesn’t budge. He merely bends his elbows and lowers Troy just enough to get their faces close.

In this blinding, white hot rage as brilliant as the glare off of a windshield in summer, Billy can’t even get the words out. Clenches his jaw. Unclenches. Fights the urge to throw this kid straight into the fucking sun.

Then he hears Steve behind him again, ushering the kids back and towards the house.

As silly as it is, that’s what breaks him. Hearing Steve’s voice, the man he loves, simply talking. Being naturally good as Steve always has been without trying — he can put on a show of playing the supreme bitch, but it falls flat somewhere in the delivery. Always.

Because he’s sweet and kind and he cares so much and he doesn’t deserve to be called that word. That horrible, horrible word that Billy has come to hate.

But he’s never hated it like he does right now. Not when it was hurled at him in school, or at home by his own flesh and blood.

But when it was casually directed at Steve. His Steve.

That lets the words flow easy.

“Don’t come around here again,” he hisses. “Don’t talk to or so much as even look at these kids or I’ll find out about it and I will hunt you down, you little shit.” Billy’s knuckles are white and his arms are shaking, but he doesn’t relax his grip for even a second. Troy whimpers, tears streaming down his face. “Am I clear?”

“Yes sir,” Troy manages between sniffles.

Billy finally lowers him back to the earth. The kid’s legs wobble when his shoes meet the ground, and the blond is half convinced that he only stays standing because Billy keeps his fist tangled in the front of his shirt. Stares at him with stern eyes for a moment longer before he shoves him towards his friend, still standing at the curb, and sends him tumbling down on the grass.

“Get the fuck off my lawn.”

The two boys scramble to their bikes and take off down the street without their asses so much as touching their seats.

A moment of silence persists after that. Billy pushes both hands into his hair and sighs, long and frustrated, and just… stands there. The kids are all still checking on Dustin, but Steve carefully approaches his partner from behind.

He knows that Billy gets skittish sometimes when he’s angry. That he sometimes doesn’t appreciate being touched. So he carefully sets a hand on his shoulder and squeezes when he doesn’t shrug him off.

“Bill?” Steve tries. “You okay?”

Of course Steve would ask him if he’s okay. Billy says nothing for half of a beat, and when Steve gently turns him around, he’s met with two huge eyes filled to the brim with with water. Billy blinks and it all comes crashing down in under a second.

He can feel his eyes already burning. Can feel the sobs begin to stir in his chest where he tries to keep them buried unsuccessfully.

Steve just guides him forward and wraps his arms around him protectively. Cradles him close with a one hand cupped over the back of his head and the other rubbing circles into his back.

“Oh, honey, it’s okay,” Steve croons. “You’re alright.”

Billy’s breath stutters as he slumps into Steve, thankful that the brunet is able to take his weight. He doesn’t feel like standing himself right now but he really doesn’t feel like trying to clean grass blood out of his jeans.

He isn’t sure how long they stand there, but he moans feebly when his eyes run dry. Let’s Steve push him back enough to cup his face in his hands.

Billy knows he must look ridiculous. His face always blotches his horrible red and his eyes get puffy when he cries, but Steve still smiles at him nonetheless. Brushes his thumbs over his cheekbones and admires him closely.

“I’m sorry,” Billy says hoarsely. Bites his lip to keep it from quivering. “I didn’t mean to get mad.”

“No one means to get mad, it’s just something that happens sometimes.” Steve presses their foreheads together and breathes in deep, guiding Billy’s breaths. “You can’t expect to not get mad ever, okay? The most you can do is learn how to control your reactions when you do.”

“I can’t.”

“You can, baby, we’ll work on it. For now, let’s just focus on making you feel better.”

A kiss gets pressed to his nose and Billy nods. Sniffles when Steve leans away and takes hold of his hand so he can guide him up the walkway to their porch.

Inside, the kids settle around the coffee table, still shaken up but calming down once they tap into the pantry for snacks. Steve sits Billy down on the couch and treats him like a damn princess, bringing him food and swaddling him in blankets and kissing his face until he’s sufficiently simmered down. Until his eyelids are heavy and he’s slouching into the sofa cushions.

Crying always takes it out of him. Steve seems to delight at his sleepy posture, plopping down on the couch next to him and setting his chin on his shoulder.

The kids have started working to set up their game. Dustin throws on a tape with strange medieval music that Billy would normally tease him for, but right now he can’t bring himself to care about anything other than the warm body pressing against his side.

“How’re you feeling, my boy?” Steve whispers.

Smooths a hand over the top of Billy’s blanket right over his chest and earns a little smile.

“Better.”

“Good, I really hate it when you cry. Makes me wanna fight god.” The two of them share a chuckle and Steve brushes his lips against the corner of Billy’s jaw. “I do like seeing you use your muscles, though.”

For emphasis, he finds Billy’s bicep under the blanket and squeezes it. The blond’s smile fades momentarily.

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Dude, you bench pressed a whole teenager. That was the coolest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” Steve lilts, leaning closer into his side. “And I’ve seen some pretty cool shit.”

Billy snorts. Can’t help that he’s grinning from ear to ear when Steve starts kissing him again.

“You’re crazy.”

“If by crazy you mean super smart and handsome, then yeah, consider me batshit.”

“Dork,” Billy teases. Stretches an arm around Steve’s shoulders and envelops him in the warmth of the blanket. “I bet Walsh is gonna be scared of heights now, though.”

Steve snickers.

“And fags.”

They both start giggling hysterically, only stopping when Steve sees fit to turn Billy’s face towards him and mash their lips together.

So, Billy might not be as mellowed out as he previously thought, but he’s working on it.

They’re working on it. Together.

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #tw homophobia #hugely inspired by an interaction I saw between my dad (rip king) and my 18y/o brother #where my brother was like bucking up to him trying to start a fight and my dad just picked his ass up #and pressed him flush against the ceiling #so yeah #def some of the scariest shit I’ve ever seen #and it’s not even the craziest thing I’ve ever seen him pick up so #anyway #Billy not being good at regulating his emotions? yes absolutely #him having crazy bursts of strength when he’s angry? yes absolutely #my writing #rambles #ficlet #unedited

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nogitsunbae · 2 years

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It’s been a few years, the party is old enough to… party. And on Halloween Billy and Steve drop them off at a house party and Billy just glares at them and says “Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do. Also none of you little shits better go for my keg stand record.”

Max beats it out of spite.

When they get picked up later, because as reckless and wild Steve and Billy were they’d be damned if they let their weirdo nerds drive drunk, Max is just standing there with a shit eating grin on her face.

“So are you drunk or did you beat my record?”

“What do you think, asshole? Both.”

#a bit of #harringrove #but mostly just Billy being the good but still an asshole older brother #billy hargrove

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blcssom · 8 months

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closed starter for @persephonyed based on this plot

she knows better than to approach her brother's newly minted girlfriend, especially so early in the evening.... and yet billie can't help but saunter up behind the familiar face. "fancy seeing you here." beat. "fancy seeing you clothed, no less. that's a sight i'm not used to."

#she's just..... a menace #havin a good laugh about this in her head #but also this wouldn't be the first of her brother's girlfriend's she'd swiped from under his nose rip 2 him #( int/ billie prescott. )#( testing. )#persephonyed

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queer-coded-camaro-driver · 1 year

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Max, slamming the Ouija board down on her bedroom floor: Listen up, asshole; I come bearing gifts.

Billy/Planchet: W H A T I S I T?

Max, pulling several polaroids out of her hoodie pocket and setting them on the floor: Steve took his shirt off at the pool and El took a bunch of sneaky pictures. I snagged a few of the good ones while she was busy. You’re so fucking welcome.

Billy/Planchet: B E S T S I S T E R E V E R!

Max: I know.

Billy/Planchet: N O W G O A W A Y

Max: What, why? There was swimsuit clingage, dude. Don’t you want the rest of the details?

Billy/Planchet: N O I W A N T S O M E P R I V A C Y

Max, flipping the board over and gagging: Oh, gross! Ugh, you’re so nasty. Jesus fuck, Billy, even in the afterlife? That’s so- ewwwww.

#the strange adventures of max and her ouija brother #more ouija memes #ouija board billy #ghost billy hargrove #harringrove #harringrove imagines #harringrove meme #harringrove ficlet #the continuation of the ouija board series #max mayfield #max and billy sibling energy #max and billy good siblings

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every-dayiwakeup · 1 year

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If canon Steve were to talk to fanon Steve he'd be like:

The only thing different we do about Billy is actually give him support and a safe home. I'd even argue that fanon Billy is the Billy we only see glimpses of in canon... when he's not on edge.

Which gets this fandom all hot and unbothered for some reason 🤷‍♂️

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bowiebond · 2 years

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“Oh, you like Mungrove because you’re obsessed with Eddie, right?”

Wrong. I’m obsessed with Billy and THEN Eddie 💅🏻✨ Billy lives rent free in my brain and Eddie is his roommate that refuses to sign the lease.

In fact if I was to rate the Hawkins guys it would be Billy, Eddie, Jonathan and THEN Steve, but to be fair, there is no a big gap in my love for each of these gay/bi icons

#I didn’t include Argyle because he’s not from Hawkins #he’s pretty high up there tho <3 #but seriously #I adore Billy’s character #and Jonathan’s too because they’re parells and he’s such a good brother #I love Steve but I mostly write him because he’s pretty and reflects my inner loneliness—#billy hargrove #eddie munson #mungrove #harringrove is amazing too #because they always write Billy so GOOD 😩🙏🏻

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sofiiel · 10 months

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When they all asked for no pickles.

(Steve's 'can you believe this?' face)

(Max is ready to fight - Lucas just hopes no one spits in the food after all the ranting)

(Max runs off to call Erica and the whole situation just gets that much worse)

#good billy au #fanon billy hargrove #stranger things edit #st s4 #steve harington #billy hargrove #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #lumax #when you make the big brothers mad #protective girl friend #Lucas: I tried to warn them #stranger things au

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hephaestn · 2 years

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if i see one more time that steve is the brother max deserves i’m throwing hands

#she does deserve a good brother #there's no question in that #but billy also deserved time to heal and grow and be away from neil's grasp #and that would've eventually made him a good brother to max #it's insane to me people don't see... the amount of room for love billy had?#one tiny little memory of his mom and look what he did with it #in a better household a healthy good safe household billy would've been the best big brother anyone could've asked for #and nobody literally nobody !!!! can tell me he didn't care for her in his own messed up way #i'm so tired fr

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writer-in-theory · 2 years

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Billy used to think he simply wasn't cut out to love and be loved.

Every time he tried to get the right words out his throat choked up and his brain shorted out until he was saying something entirely unrelated to what he'd meant to admit. It had taken months after Steve first told him he loved him to return the sentiment, and it never quite got easier after the first.

Ever since he got out from under Neil's foot, the idea of physical touch still burned Billy's chest. It wasn't like he was completely averse to it, even finding comfort in knowing Steve was safely held in his arms. But he still sometimes flinched when a hand come toward him too fast and felt his heart leap if Steve didn't in some way announce himself before wrapping his arms around him.

He was far too used to rationing his money to spend on silly gifts. Even spending on himself send waves of guilt through his chest, like there could be twenty other better things he spent on. Billy hated receiving them too, felt too guilty.

There were too many things he couldn't do, too many ways he couldn't return someone's love in the way they expected or needed.

But fuck, if Billy couldn't provide for the people he loved.

Billy first realized he had a chance at love when Max came to visit him in the hospital, loudly declaring that she was his sister that he saved from an interdimensional monster so she should be allowed to stay beyond visiting hours, and well, Owens couldn't quite refute that one.

He'd never really had a sibling before, but Billy thinks he was always meant to have one. Because when Neil ditched his newly disabled son to be cared for by the Mayfields, he found love for the first time since his mother left.

He found it in taking Max to school every morning so Susan could sleep in after her night shifts, even when the act of pressing on the gas pedal still made his ankle ache. He found it in threatening a freshman named Troy who apparently thought it was cute to harass his sister and her annoying friends. He even found it in his new role as El's babysitter, because apparently she asked for him to come by so many times that Hopper and Joyce decided it would be good for the two of them to heal together—him from his physical injuries and her from, well, whatever the hell was going on with her powers.

And of course, he found it in Steve Harrington.

Billy brought him lunch when he knew Steve would forget, because ever since being interrogated by Russians he'd been forgetting basic ways to take care of himself. He would stay awake until he knew Steve was asleep, holding the other man close and brushing gentle fingertips over closed eyelids until Steve's breathing evened out. It was the only way to keep away the nightmares, he'd found.

Steve would tell him to slow down, would tell him that he didn't need coddling.

"I like taking care of you, pretty boy," Billy would tell him, braiding some of that long hair back off of his face one lazy Sunday morning. "When's the last time someone properly took care of you?"

He knew that answer. He knew it in the empty house, he knew it in the way Steve would carefully direct conversations to be about everyone else because he didn't want the others to worry about him. Billy knew his parents hadn't been around in the way they should, knew Steve spent his high school years so worried about Nancy, and Barb, and the kids that he never once stopped to let anyone take that weight from his shoulders.

But Steve was not Atlas, and Billy could see the scars and bruises that stained those shoulders too clearly.

Billy understood he knew love when he could take some of that weight, when he could watch Steve sleep without a care in the world because the other man knew Billy had taken care of everything if only for a day. It may have taken five months after Steve said it for Billy to say the words aloud, but he'd been telling the man he loved him for far longer.

#harringrove #billy hargrove #billy tries to be a good brother #stranger things #stranger jays #harringrove ficlet

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