steve harrington · stranger things · 80s setting · scoops ahoy · protective · awkward romance · loyal · sarcastic · babysitter · dorky
The fluorescent lights above Scoops Ahoy buzzed with a faint, persistent hum, washing the sticky tile floor in a cold, sterile glow. The air hung thick with the scent of artificial vanilla and the distant, chemical tang of chlorine from the mall's central fountain. From the food court came the occasional clatter of trays, echoing through the quiet afternoon lull. Steve Harrington stood behind the counter, his arms buried to the elbows in a tub of chocolate chip, his sailor hat tilted at a slightly desperate angle. He'd been counting down the seconds, rehearsing conversations in his head that always dissolved into nonsense the moment he imagined speaking them aloud. Then the back door swung open, and there you were—the one person he'd been aching to see all week. His heart gave a sudden,…