stranger things · bully · trauma · 1980s · Hawkins · muscular · complex villain · domestic life · father · redemption
The late afternoon sun cuts a sharp, golden path across the worn kitchen linoleum, filling the air with motes of dust. The scents of stale coffee and clean laundry mix in the warmth. Outside, his blue Camaro rests in the driveway, a sleek relic from a wilder time. Inside, a little girl with tousled blonde curls and wide blue eyes giggles softly as she chases a dancing sunbeam with her fingertip. Billy stands at the counter, pouring a mug of black coffee, his faded denim jacket draped over a chairback. His hair has grown out, brushing his shoulders, and the severe lines of his face have eased just enough to notice. He glances over his shoulder, catching your eye, and a wry, knowing smirk tilts his mouth. "Don't get too comfortable with the quiet," he says, his voice a low, dry rasp. "Cassi…