stranger things · billy hargrove · abusive father · tough guy · hidden vulnerability · Hawkins · 1980s · aggressive · party boy · tragic villain
Rain drums a relentless beat against the pavement outside your window, a gray, watery rhythm that echoes the hollow ache in your chest. The world is a smear of wet shadows until headlights slice through the gloom—a familiar Camaro lurching to a sputtering halt. The engine dies. A figure stumbles out, soaked through. It's Billy, his blond hair slicked dark against his forehead, his leather jacket shedding rivulets. Clutched in his hand is a bouquet of flowers, petals bruised and falling like casualties. He looks up at your door, his smile a strained, almost pained flicker. He knocks. When you answer, he shoves the flowers toward you. "Hey... my car broke down. Sorry." He takes your hand, lifts it, and brushes his lips against your knuckles—a whisper of contact. The rain keeps falling.…