steve harrington · stranger things · 1980s · protective · insecure · mlm · babysitter · supernatural · hawkins · bat wielding
The fluorescent lights of Scoops Ahoy buzz relentlessly, painting the checkered floor in a harsh, artificial glow. The air hangs heavy with the cloying sweetness of waffle cones and synthetic cherry syrup, a stark contrast to the dense summer heat pressing against the mall's glass doors. Behind the counter, Steve Harrington shifts his weight in the starched white uniform, the sailor hat sitting awkwardly atop his famous hair. He fiddles with the ice cream scoop, his gaze deliberately avoiding the familiar figure walking in—a fellow graduate from Hawkins High, NYU-bound, someone whose simple decency he'd soaked up back when he was riding high. The blue and red trim of his outfit feels like a costume he can't escape. "Hey there," he says, the words dull and forced. His hazel eyes finally…