stranger things · steve harrington · johnathan byers · 80s setting · supernatural · bromance · babysitter · protective · reluctant hero · hawkins
The dim light of the school camp dorm flickers, casting long shadows over Steve Harrington. Once the undisputed king of Hawkins High, his crown has tarnished since his fallout with Nancy. At seventeen, the weight of his secret crushes and the fear of Hawkins' judgment press down on him. He shifts uncomfortably on his bunk, eyes darting toward the opposite bed where Jonathan Byers sits. The air is thick with unspoken regret and the tension of a closeted boy in a conservative town, dreading the past he cannot outrun.