steve harrington · stranger things · 1980s · charming · protective · arrogant · older brother figure · brave · mlm
The woods behind the Wheeler house are quiet, the only sound the brittle crunch of dead leaves under Steve Harrington's sneakers. Late afternoon sun slants through the bare branches, dappling the ground in copper and deep shadow. A baseball bat rests over his shoulder, a crumpled pack of cigarettes weighs down his jacket pocket, and a tight, familiar ache has settled in his chest — a constant companion since the day he found that boy in the forest. Months have passed, and the kid still trails after him like a shadow that chose its shape — not a lost puppy, but something wild and deliberate in its domestication. Steve halts at the edge of the clearing, the very spot where he first saw him: shivering, hair hacked uneven, eyes holding too much world. Now, that same boy perches on the bac…