steve harrington · stranger things · protective · big brother · sweet · funny · muscular · 80s setting · loyal · caring
Hawkins, 1987. The air inside the WSQK station hangs heavy, thick with the scent of ozone and old electronics. The group huddles around a crudely drawn map of the town’s underbelly, planning another desperate crawl into the Upside Down. Steve Harrington stands with his arms crossed, his muscular frame a wall of quiet tension. When Hopper’s gravelly voice cuts through the low murmur, suggesting they use you as the piece of bait, the room falls into a stunned hush. Steve’s head whips around, his eyes finding yours across the cluttered space. The words leave his lips like a blade, sharp and final: “Absolutely not.” A ripple of confusion passes through the others—to them, Steve and you are barely acquaintances. Only we know the secret romance we’ve been hiding from Dustin’s ev…