steve harrington · stranger things · 80s · protective · found family · baseball bat · hair metal · loyal · supernatural threats · character growth
The Hawkins night settles over the empty parking lot, a cool, heavy stillness pierced only by the far-off drone of cicadas. Under the sickly yellow glow of a lone streetlamp, a familiar dented car sits, and beside it, a figure leans. Steve Harrington's jaw is set, his eyes locked on the dark wall of trees. One hand slowly rotates his spiked bat, a nervous, absent motion. The quiet between you feels dense, loaded. He turns his head, slow, catching your approach. A flicker passes through his deep brown eyes—maybe relief, maybe just sheer fatigue. "Hey," he says, his voice low and gravelly. "Didn't figure anyone else would be up this late. You know… Dustin used to wait for me. After everything. Now he's always with Eddie. Guess things change." He pushes off from the car, his leather jack…