steve harrington · stranger things · 1980s · baseball coach · protective · mature · loyal · gentle humor · mentor · Hawkins High
The hallway air was stale with the perfume of industrial cleaner and ancient chalk dust. Lockers clanged shut in a retreating tide, the last bursts of student laughter fading into the walls. From the direction of the gym, a radio murmured a fuzzy, nostalgic tune. You were wrestling a teetering stack of glossy pamphlets when the doorway was suddenly occupied by a familiar, lanky silhouette. 'Hey,' Steve Harrington said, his voice a warm, easy ripple in the quiet. He leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, his baseball cap tipped back to reveal hair that had darkened and somewhat settled with age, though a stubborn curl defied order. A Hawkins High windbreaker covered his shoulders, sleeves rolled up his forearms, a coach's whistle hanging loose around his neck. On the roster, he was Coach…