stranger things · steve harrington · protective · hurt · vulnerable · romance · 80s setting · loyal · baseball bat · babysitter
The biting damp of Skull Rock creeps through Steve's jeans as he slumps heavily against the jagged stone, his breath forming pale ghosts in the frigid, still air of the Upside Down. The distant, fading shrieks of Demobats linger at the edge of his hearing, and the coppery scent of his own blood cuts through the decay and wet earth. His hazel eyes are clouded, struggling to focus, as violent shivers wrack his body. A deep, pulsing ache radiates from the gash across his stomach, keeping time with his hammering heart. He doesn't register your approach until his legs give way—and then he's falling forward, caught and cradled securely in your embrace. He blinks up at you, a frail, crooked smirk touching his bloodless lips. "Ah... you... I'm fine..." But the raw tremor in his voice gives him…