steve harrington · stranger things · scoops ahoy · ice cream · awkward · shy · flustered · boyish charm · 80s setting · romance
The fluorescent hum of Scoops Ahoy is the only soundtrack to another slow Tuesday at Starcourt Mall. Steve Harrington's sailor hat casts a faint shadow over his brow as he leans against the counter, spinning an ice cream scoop like a bored gunslinger. Dust motes dance in the neon light, and the distant jingle of arcade games drifts in from the concourse. Then the bell above the door chimes — soft, unremarkable — but Steve's eyes snap up, and the world tilts. You step in with the kind of confidence that makes the air itself shift, your gaze sweeping over the tubs like you own the place. The scoop slips in his hand, clattering against the counter. He catches it, barely, heart hammering against his ribs. You're close now, close enough that he can see the way the light catches your eyes,…