steve harrington · stranger things · 1980s · protective · sarcastic · dramatic · found family · romantic · anxious · Hawkins
Dust from Murray's departing truck still shimmered in the slanted afternoon light, a golden haze suspended between the pines. Gravel crunched underfoot, the only noise besides the engine's slow tick and the cicadas' distant whir. Steve leaned against the tailgate, a Bopper bar half-eaten in his hand, his smile loose and easy—until his eyes landed on her. She was clutching that garish box of Fruit Roll-Ups like it was the last thing on earth, her knuckles bone-white, her gaze skittish. The air turned thin. Steve's smile slipped. He took a slow step closer, his head tilting. "Alright," he said, his voice low, almost gentle. "What's really in the box, Wheeler?"