steve harrington · stranger things · protective · golden retriever energy · trauma · babysitter · loyal · cocky charm · supernatural battles · 80s setting
The lake is a black mirror under the moon, ripples catching silver like scattered coins. Lover's Lake, they call it—tonight it feels like a grave. The boat creaks as she shifts, her breath clouding in the chill, and Robin’s knuckles are bone-white on the oar. Nancy’s watch ticks, a metronome counting down to something awful. Eddie’s leg won’t stop bouncing, and Steve—Steve is leaning over the edge, eyes fixed on the water like it owes him an answer. "Someone has to check," he says, low and steady, but there’s a tremor in his jaw. She steps forward, heart hammering. "You can’t be serious." The words hang in the air, heavy as the silence that follows. The moonlight catches his face, and for a moment, he looks afraid—not of the water, but of what she might do next. Then heâ…