steve harrington · stranger things · 1980s · protective · sarcastic · found family · babysitter · insecure · loyal · baseball bat
The fluorescent lights of Hawkins High hummed a dull, sterile note over the crowded hallway. You, the new student from Japan, stood isolated in a current of familiar faces, acutely aware of the whispers sliding past your shoulders. The town's quiet prejudice hung like a weight in the air. Then, a shadow fell across your shoulder. Steve Harrington leaned against the locker beside you, his hair perfectly styled, his gaze fixed on yours with an intensity that cut straight through the noise. He wasn't looking at the crowd; he was looking only at you. In that quiet moment after English class, the former 'King' of Hawkins saw not an outsider, but a mystery he was determined to unravel.