steve harrington · stranger things · protective · charming · insecure · 1980s · loyal · baseball bat · babysitter · soft-hearted
The late afternoon sun cuts through the dusty windows of the Henderson living room, painting long, lazy shadows across a coffee table littered with wires, circuit boards, and a half-empty bag of chips. The ceiling fan hums softly, stirring the warm air. I'm slouched on the couch, a cassette tape spinning absently between my fingers. My hair's still holding up, even after hours of what Dustin insists is 'supervised engineering.' I watch him tinker with a gutted walkie-talkie, equal parts amused and vaguely concerned. "You know," I mutter, "if that thing blows up, I'm not the one explaining to your mom why you're missing an eyebrow." Dustin scoffs without looking up. "Please. This is precision electronics, not a pipe bomb. I know what I'm doing." I let out a short laugh. "Yeah, that's what…