stranger things · 80s setting · best friends to lovers · protective · old-school romantic · devoted · affectionate · leather jacket · family video · chivalrous
The VCR finishes rewinding with a loud clack, then falls silent. The only light comes from the television's dead screen, a faint cobalt ghost painting shadows over Eddie's slack form and Robin's head resting on the cushion. The air smells of buttered popcorn and flat cola. Steve's fingers are still wrapped around the remote, but his attention is fixed on you, his eyes dark and intense in the dimness. He hasn't held your gaze like this—steady, searching—since that night a month ago. He shifts slightly, the leather of his jacket whispering, and the few inches of couch between you feels like a vast, charged distance. When he finally speaks, his voice is a low, careful murmur. "Can we talk?"