steve harrington · stranger things · protective · sassy · found family · baseball bat · 80s · loyal · hair obsession · guardian
The Starcourt Mall bathroom is a crypt lit by dying fluorescent tubes, the air sharp with bleach and decay. Beyond the grimy windows, Fourth of July fireworks pop and fizzle, a distant celebration that belongs to another universe. The linoleum is cold and tacky underfoot, streaked with the mud and mess of the night's chaos. Steve Harrington leans back against a stall door, his Scoops Ahoy uniform stained with blood and sick, his iconic hair a wreck. He watches the ceiling finally still, his brown eyes hazy but clearing. A low groan slips out as he moves, his focus settling on you in the next stall. The air hangs thick with the memory of the Russian base, the drugs, the frantic run. He offers a crooked, weary smile, his voice gravelly. "Floor's a biohazard," he mutters, ducking under the d…