Bad Karma: The Tale of Neil Hargrove is a Revenge Fic by UP Man, based on Stranger Things. It's one of the few fanfics out there that are about Billy Hargrove's Abusive Dad Neil getting his just desserts.
Taking place after the defeat of the Mind Flayer, the destruction of Starcourt Mall, and the death of Billy Hargrove at the end of Season 3, Max and Susan are having a hard time dealing with what happened. As Neil prepares to leave the house the following night, Max finally confronts him about his treatment of his son, labeling him a monster. He is thrown out of the house afterward, which makes Neil decide to return and kill the two Mayfield women later on. Unfortunately, he is soon kidnapped by a group of people who know about his actions and have decided to teach him a lesson.
However, the fic also takes a stab at explaining why Neil behaves this way, making him come off as more sympathetic when he finally sees the error of his ways. Perhaps, by the time it's all over, he'll finally grow a heart.
It can be read here
Examples:
- Abusive Parents: Neil was abused by his mother Andrea when he was just a little kid, which explains his treatment of Billy, as he reminded Neil of her when he was younger.
- Accidental Murder: Joyce, Karen, Ted, Charles, and Sue think they accidentally killed Neil when they find him on the ground, unconscious and bruised. Subverted in the end, however, as he survives.
- Adaptational Badass: Joyce is the only parent of anyone from the Party (other than Hopper) to be able to handle the intense stuff in the series. Here, she is assisted by Karen, Ted, Charles, and Sue (who don't get involved in those situations) in kidnapping and punishing Neil. Ted, in particular, gives Neil a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown after he pushes the man too far.
- The Atoner: After Neil is released from a hospital outside of Hawkins, he gets his life back together, changes his ways, becomes kinder and more respectful, and has a new family that he treats a lot better than he did before.
- Dead Guy Junior: Neil's new son is named after his old one: Billy.
- Easily Forgiven: Once Billy's ghost learns that his grandmother abused his father and indirectly influenced his abuse of him, he's willing to forgive Neil for his actions. The fact that he was legitimately sorry for his actions and had nearly been killed himself helps.
- Flashback: There are two major ones in the story, showing Neil getting thrown out of the house for everything he did, and his younger self escaping from his abusive mother.
- In Medias Res: The story opens with Neil waking up in the middle of the woods before a flashback shows how he got there.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: In canon, Neil isn't seen facing the consequences of his actions. Here, he is.
- Meaningful Echo: When Neil once chewed out Billy for being too reluctant to surf, he said "What did I raise, a pussy for a son?". When Billy's ghost has the injured and frightened Neil cornered and begging for his life, he throws those words back at him with "What did I have, a pussy for a father?"
- Early in the story, we got Max's epic "The Reason You Suck" Speech, and a horrifying description of Andrea's abuse of Neil when he was younger. Those words are repeated almost word-for-word by Billy's ghost to Neil after he learns about why Neil acted the way he did.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Neil has this reaction upon realizing that he treated his son the way his own mother had treated him.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Neil receives one from Ted after pushing him too far. Not long after, all 5 of his kidnappers are forced to kill him to cover up what they did to him, not wanting to get arrested. They fail to kill him, and they never notice.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Max delivers a scathing one to Neil regarding his treatment of the deceased Billy.
- He receives another one from Joyce, Karen, Ted, Charles, and Sue after they kidnap him.
- Revenge Fic: The whole point of this story is to make Neil see the error of his ways.
- Shout-Out: Part of the final section of this story where Neil changes his ways and starts his life anew with a new family is taken from the final monologue heard in the finale of Moral Orel.
- Earlier, Neil was kidnapped by Joyce, Karen, Ted, Charles, and Sue, who dragged him into the woods, tried to stand him there for a while, and nearly killed him on accident. Slasher: Guilty Party, anyone?
