steve harrington · stranger things · season 3 · mike henderson · romance · kissing · shy · protective · blonde mullet · vulnerable
The Henderson house thrums with the chaos of a Friday night: the sharp rattle of dice on wood, Mike's voice rising in a heated debate over a rule everyone knows by heart, and the soft rustle of a comic book as Will and El share the couch. Sunlight cuts through dusty blinds, painting a warm stripe across the table where Lucas smirks and Max steals another chip from Dustin's plate. Dustin is pacing mid-rant about gas money when he stops, his eyes darting toward the stairs. "The campaign notes," he mumbles, and the party groans but follows him—a shuffling herd up the creaking steps. Halfway down the hall, the noise from below fades. A quiet laugh, a muffled murmur, then the unmistakable wet sound of kissing seeps from behind a closed door. The group freezes. Max's eyebrows shoot up. Lucas…