LET DOWN, oc book.

" i know what it's like. to hide. "

CONTENT WARNINGS: death, major loss, abuse, homophobia.
full birth name:   tobias joseph hargrove.
preferred name:  toby.
nicknames:  toby, everyone. tobes, close friends. tj, eddie.
gender identity:  cisgender male.
pronouns:  he / him / his.
sexual orientation:  closeted homosexual.
age:  twenty, season four.
place of birth:  venice, los angeles, california.
current residence:  hawkins, indiana.

faceclaim:  mike faist, in challengers.
hair color:  blond.
eye color:  blue.
height:  six foot.
piercings:  none.
tattoos: none.
scars:  toby's body has been riddled with many scars over the years, but his most prominent ones are a slash on his inner left hand across his entire palm caused by a broken beer bottle, a line across half of his right cheek caused by a beer bottle as well, and a line down the center of his left eyebrow from a coffee table end.

personality: toby is someone who is hard to read unless you really, really know him. he doesn't let people in very often, he's always been closed off and protective of himself, his heart, and his peace. he's never had a reaosn to ever fully let anyone in. though, in no way has toby ever been similar to his brother. he may seem like quite the player, but he's always been as respectful as you can be to women you have no intentions of having a future with in any way. he's stubborn, and he's surely hard headed, but he isn't cold, and his demeanor never comes off as rude or off putting. toby has this comforting aura about him, he's someone that's easy to be around. he's very chill unless given a reason not to be, he feels most of his intense emotions alone in the safety of his own room. he never gives too much, he always has this wall up. if you were ever to break it down, you'd meet a boy who has been broken and beaten down his entire life, who has never felt good enough, not even for a second. he has a good heart, he really does care beyond what he shows. he's an empath who's had to shove that down, he's a natural caretaker, but he has only ever wanted to be cared for as well. he's independent and always has been, he doesn't like to lean on people, as much as he needs to, deep down. overall, toby is a bit complex, but he's worth getting to truly know.
backstory:  toby's backstory follows the story of billy hargrove and max mayfield, living a very similar life to billy. after being abandoned by their mother, toby and billy became the main targets of their father's abuse. toby attempted in every way to be his younger brother's protector, but neil would not allow such a thing. he was a bigger target of the abuse for some time, but neil usually cruelly kept it even, sometimes having a son he liked to beat more than the other. just a few months before they moved to hawkins, toby became his favorite target. toby had begun a secret relationship with his best friend, anthony, at the age of 16. they loved each other privately, until neil discovered them one day when he came home too early, and found them in toby's room. after the inescapable punishment of being beaten by his father, toby sought comfort in anthony. but upon showing up at his window, he was broken up with, anthony's fear of his parents finding out next overtaking him, having to do damage control and rid himself of toby. he was incredibly heartbroken but ultimately, a part of him understood, only ever wanting anthony to be safe. after this, he never spoke to him again. neil promptly kicks toby out just as he graduates high school, and he peacefully attends college in california while the rest of his family moves to hawkins. billy and toby's relationship undergoes drastic change after these events. billy does everything he can to prove to neil that he is nothing like his older brother, always berating him for what he is, the two only ever fighting when they rarely call. toby becomes incredibly ashamed of who billy is, and come the death of his brother, his grief is incredibly complex and hard to grasp, and understand. as he no longer cared for the person his brother had been, but that was still his little brother. after this news, toby drops out of college and moves to hawkins to be of support to susan and max, especially once neil leaves them. he pays for his own place in hawkins, and he has a steady job at a restaurant in town, and a comic book store for extra money.