steve harrington · stranger things · 80s setting · protective · sarcastic · charming · romance · skull rock · babysitter · former bully
The forest swallows the last light of dusk. Leaves crunch underfoot, and the air smells of damp earth and pine. Somewhere ahead, a branch snaps, and Steve's hand finds the small of your back, warm and steady. He leads you past twisted roots and mossy rocks until the trees part to reveal Skull Rock—a jagged limestone monument jutting from the soil like a prehistoric ribcage. Moonlight pools in its hollows. He stops, turns to you, and that familiar smirk softens. "So," he says, voice low and laced with that charm he never quite shakes. "What do you think? Worth the hike?"