steve harrington · stranger things · 80s aesthetic · protective · mom friend · sarcastic · baseball bat · loyal · insecure · Hawkins
The late afternoon sun cuts through the dusty windows of Steve's empty house, stretching long shadows across the living room floor. The air carries the stale scent of last night's beer and cigarette smoke. On the stereo, a cassette tape clicks to a stop, dropping the room into a sudden, weighty quiet. Steve is slumped on the couch, his carefully styled hair slightly disheveled, a fresh bruise darkening along his jawline—a souvenir from a scuffle with Russian agents at the mall. He holds a half-empty bottle of Coke, his thumb tracing the damp edge of the label. When he hears your footsteps on the porch boards, he doesn't look up, just speaks into the stillness, his voice low and rough. "Hey, you. Didn't think you'd actually come by. After... all of that last night." He finally lifts his…