my favorite harringrove fics of all time
(there's a lot and it's in no particular order)
A baby.
Heās holding a baby.
Thereās a baby in Billyās hand, and Billy ā seventeen years old ā is suddenly a father.
lamp-bright rind by nagdabbit
Billy spies on his cute neighbor, his cute neighbor doesn't know how to cook. Luckily, Billy can do something about that.
and i swear (we were infinite)
If Snow Loves the Trees and Fields by nervoussis
El thinks about it for a minute. Then; "Boys can be stupid sometimes."
"Yeah," Billy says miserably, like. That's the understatement of the century.
He and Steve. Together and separate.
So dumb.
"But they are only stupid because they don't know how to talk about the warm stuff in their bellies, they are worried that if they let the warm things free, they will die out in the cold." El continues in that soft, soothing way of hers. "Maybe your Steve does not love this Nancy person in the same way that he loves you. Maybe he loves--"
Billy can't handle this.
"He doesn't love me."
Max takes the phone away. "Do you really believe that or are you scared of what it might mean to you if he does?"
cherry pie by brawls, ToAStranger
Billy Hargrove lives for summer. Endless sunshine, heavily chlorinated pools, roaming ice cream trucks, and unencumbered freedom? Thereās nothing better.
Even being stuck in Hawkins canāt ruin the summer for him. He eats it up, devouring every day whole.
i'll be his and he'll be mine
Steve had wanted their honeymoon to be as silly and sickeningly romantic as it could get, but unfortunately, the two-week all-inclusive luxury romance package isnāt refundable. Steve could definitely use a breather and he's not about to throw five thousand dollars down the drain like that, so of course he's going to go. He's just not sure why he invited Billy to come along.
Softer Round the Edges by NotEvenCloseToStraight
Four weeks after Starcourt, Steve buries his broken heart in a box alongside a pile of blurry Polaroids, love letters from a secret relationship and the keys to a wrecked, blue Camaro.
Four years later, Steve's car breaks down in the middle of nowhere California. The mechanic at the closest shop has blue eyes and blond hairā¦ and a name tag that says Billy Hargrove.
Negative Harmony by E_D_osbourne
Billy only needs one thing in life, and that's knowing Max is safe. Neil stays off his back, Susan can quit compulsively cleaning the house out of stress, and Billy can sleep at night knowing Max is in his nest, safe and sound.
He doesn't expect to start to feel that same need extend towards her little pack of runts. And he certainly doesn't expect to have to fight Steve Harrington over it.
OR: Secret omega Billy has a soft spots for shitheads.
Back in Business by transcryptidone
Growing up, Steve always knew he wanted to be a dad. As a teenager, he aspired to a camper van with six little nuggets. A whole family together for a full family vacation, no sudden phone calls or business emergencies. Now he's working long days, raking in cash, and divorced. Facing the prospect of starting all over and fueled by the worry that it's too late to have what he's always dreamed of, Steve decides to make use of a high-end surrogacy service, one that offers aĀ mate experience.
Billy and Steve switch bodies.
break (like waves) by residual
āWeāre good together,ā Harrington says to the darkness above. Not a question. Matter of fact. He turns to Billy, a smile sweet enough to make Billy want to do something reckless. Something stupid. āIām telling you, heartbreaker. Weāre gonna be unstoppable.ā
Billy wants to ask. If he means tomorrow. If he means just for the game.
Wants to ask if he means forever.
Heās never wanted anyone to mean forever before.
don't you try me now by whenyouwishuponastar
In which Steve writes for Purdueās monthly newsletter and, in his final year, gains a relentless troll in the comments section. Robin tells him not to feed the troll, but thatās impossibleāthis guy is dead meat and itās so on.
blood in my eyes by whenyouwishuponastar
In which Steve Harrington grows up watching ink tell a story on his skin. Itās far from a nice story, but Steve can only watch, hope and wait. After Billy Hargrove strolls into Hawkins High, Steve knows the pain and heartache are worth it.
But Billy Hargrove hasnāt ever had a nice story.
for want of a nail by sepulchralsmile
Instead of getting there in October, Billy Hargrove rolls into town at the end of November; complete with a broken arm, a head full of stitches, and some newly-refreshed fear of his father. There he meets Steve Harrington: the preppy dreamboat who seems content with hating Billy's guts on sight and is determined to ignore him for the rest of the year. Billy's never been easily ignored, though, and Steve is about to really learn what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.
or, another season 2 AU that occupies my mind rent-free
When The Sun Saw The Moon by Memessavedme
When a Blood Moon appears over Hawkins on the 4th of August 1985 Steve doesnāt think much of it, that is until he wakes to the sound of his parents downstairs, Christmas decorations throughout his home and a calendar telling him today is in fact the 23rd of December 1984ā¦
No matter how he got there, he decides he has to stop the 4th of July from ever happening but to do so he has to befriend none other than Billy Hargrove to stop him from falling victim to the Mindflayer. Except, is the summer of ā85 inevitable or can he save Hawkins from itās impending future?
Star Stuff by justaluckybug
āYes,ā says Robin seriously. āYour love life is a 90s rom-com train wreck because Youāve Got Mail is my girlfriendās favorite movie, and Iām God.ā
āI knew it,ā says Steve.
Steveās falling in love with an anonymous astrology account, which would be the worst of his problems, if it werenāt for his girlfriend, whoās probably (definitely) cheating on him; his useless best friend, who is Not Helping; and Billy Hargrove, who hasnāt done anything wrong, specifically, but whose stupid hair and stupid face make everything gross and terrible all the time.
despite the loss that set me free by HowCleverOfYou
Steve gets trapped in the Upside Down. Three months later, some things have changed.
How Much Clearer Can I Be by toomanysharks
OR Five Times Billy Tries to Woo Steve Using Different Love Languages and One Time He Finally Uses His Words.
Featuring everyone aged up so they can all be working in an office together, for no good reason other than 'I wanted to.'
High Horse (I Ain't Gonna Fence You In) by yllwhornet
Or Steven James Harrington comes from a long line of ācattle baronā in Hawkins, Wyoming on his fatherās side, and prize winning barrel racers and rodeo queens on his motherās. But when his parents offer to sell their Wyoming ranchāand the only place Steve has ever considered homeāto developers, he rises to the occasion to prove that he can in fact take over the family business. And if he has to rely on the newly hired junior foreman Billy Hargrove to do that, well then he might just put up with the handsome cattle handās mysterious past, devilish smile, and teenage sister if it means saving Harrington Ranch.
