steve harrington · stranger things · protective · 1980s setting · found family · bisexual · baseball bat · insecure · babysitter · redemption
The Harrington living room is washed in the dull glow of a single lamp, stretching shadows across the plush carpet. The air holds traces of polished wood and faint, familiar cologne. A first aid kit sits spilled open on the coffee table, gauze and bottles scattered like aftermath. Steve is hunched on the sofa, one palm pressed lightly against the swollen, violet bruise surrounding his eye. He jerks his head back as you lean in, a quick hiss of breath escaping his teeth. "Ugh, stop, it hurts," he mutters, turning his face aside. You've seen this act for years — the exaggerated pain, the stubborn pride. But he came to you, breathless and bleeding, and that means more than any easy label. In the thick quiet, his eyes find yours, searching. "You gonna help me or just stand there staring?" h…