If you’ve spent more than five minutes on the "Stranger Things" side of the internet, you’ve seen it. The fan art. The 50,000-word "fix-it" fics on AO3. The grainy TikTok edits set to 80s synth-wave. I’m talking about Billy Hargrove x Steve Harrington, better known to the initiated as Harringrove.
It’s a weird one, honestly. On paper, it makes zero sense. Billy spent most of Season 2 trying to run Steve off the road and eventually beat him into a literal pulp on a kitchen floor. By the end of Season 3, Billy was dead, sacrificing himself to the Mind Flayer in a redemptive arc that didn't involve Steve at all.
Yet, years later, the ship is still a juggernaut. It’s a fascinating case study in how fandoms take a few minutes of screen time and turn it into a sprawling, complex universe.
The "Pretty Boy" Problem
Let’s be real. It started with the shower scene.
In Season 2, Episode 6, Billy corners Steve in the locker room. He’s standing there, mostly naked, mocking Steve’s "pretty boy" status and leaning way too far into his personal space. To a casual viewer, it was just a bully asserting dominance. To the shippers? It was a masterclass in Unresolved Sexual Tension (UST).
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Billy's obsession with Steve in Season 2 felt deeply personal. He didn't just want to be the new "King" of Hawkins High; he seemed specifically fixated on breaking Steve. Dacre Montgomery, who played Billy with a terrifying, coiled-spring energy, has actually talked about this. He mentioned in interviews that he viewed Billy’s aggression as a byproduct of his own "emasculation" by his father, Neil. Billy saw Steve as this "alpha" figure who was soft and liked by kids, and it drove him crazy.
Why Harringrove Works (Even When It Shouldn't)
Fandom loves a project. And Billy Hargrove is the ultimate project.
The appeal of Billy Hargrove x Steve Harrington usually boils down to three specific tropes that fanfic writers eat for breakfast:
- Enemies to Lovers: This is the gold standard. People love the idea of two people who hate each other realizing that the "hate" was actually just redirected passion.
- Hurt/Comfort: Steve is the "Mom" of the group. He’s nurturing, protective, and has a big house with usually absent parents. Shippers love the idea of Steve being the one to finally show Billy the kindness he never got at home.
- Queer Coding: Many fans argue Billy was heavily queer-coded. His hyper-masculinity, his distaste for his father’s "slurs," and his fixation on Steve’s looks all paint a picture of someone struggling with internalized homophobia.
Steve, meanwhile, is the perfect foil. By Season 3, he’s become the most emotionally intelligent person in the show. He’s the guy who can handle a group of rowdy kids and a secret Russian base. In the world of Harringrove, he’s the only one strong enough to handle Billy’s volatile nature without breaking.
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The Real-Life Chemistry
It helps that Dacre Montgomery and Joe Keery are actually friends.
The internet went into a tailspin when videos surfaced of them getting along during press tours. Seeing the two "enemies" laughing together on "Good Mythical Morning" or joking about their hair in Teen Vogue interviews gave shippers all the fuel they needed.
It’s that classic disconnect between the actors and the characters. We see Joe and Dacre being wholesome, and our brains immediately want to project that back onto the "Stranger Things" universe.
The Redemption That Never Happened
A huge part of the Harringrove community focuses on "fix-it" stories. These are narratives where Billy doesn’t die at the Starcourt Mall. Instead, he survives and has to deal with the fallout of being possessed.
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Steve is almost always the one who helps him through the trauma.
Is it canon? No. Not even close. But it’s a compelling "what if." It allows fans to explore Billy’s potential for growth that the show cut short. It turns a tragic villain into a survivor.
How to Dive Deeper into the Harringrove World
If you’re curious about why this ship has such a death grip on the community, you don't have to look far.
- Check AO3 (Archive of Our Own): Filter for "Steve Harrington/Billy Hargrove." You’ll find everything from "alternate universe" (AU) stories where they’re just two normal guys in the 80s to dark, canon-compliant explorations of their rivalry.
- Look for "Fix-It" Fics: Specifically, search for Season 3 endings where Billy lives. These are usually the most emotionally resonant for fans of the pairing.
- Watch the Cast Interviews: Go back and watch the 2017-2019 press junkets with Joe Keery and Dacre Montgomery. The contrast between their real-life friendship and their on-screen violence is where the ship was born.
Harringrove isn't for everyone. It’s messy, it’s based on a toxic dynamic, and it’s entirely non-canon. But as long as people love a good "bad boy gets redeemed by the golden boy" story, it’s not going anywhere.