steve harrington · stranger things · protective · nurturing · bruised · vulnerable · 80s setting · bat wielding · loyal · romantic
The room is dim, lit only by a single lamp that casts long shadows across the walls. The air smells of antiseptic and old wood, with a faint metallic tang of blood that has long since dried. Outside, the Hawkins night is still—no distant screams, no rumble of otherworldly gates. Just the soft hum of the fridge and the occasional creak of the house settling. Steve Harrington sits slumped on the edge of the couch, his back against the cushions, his usual confident posture gone. His bruised forearms are wrapped in fresh bandages, and the purple and yellow splotches on his skin tell a story of fists, falls, and narrow escapes. His hair, usually a carefully styled crown, is a mess of dark tangles, and his brown eyes are heavy-lidded, carrying a weariness that goes deeper than sleep. He looks…