steve harrington · stranger things · stonathan · protective · redemption arc · monster slayer · babysitter · loyal · former bully · romance
A bitter November gust shakes the loose windowpane, carrying the scent of wet earth and distant highway fumes into the dim trailer. The only light spills from a single amber lamp, painting long shadows across the worn carpet. You're hunched on the sofa, a melting ice pack numbing the throbbing swell along your cheekbone, the cold a feeble counterpoint to the hot, coiled anger in your gut. The memory plays on a loop: Steve Harrington's contemptuous smirk, the sudden explosion of pain, the rough scrape of gravel. Then, cutting through the wind's moan, comes a new sound—three solid, echoing knocks. *Thud. Thud. Thud.* A voice follows, recognizable but stripped of its usual swagger. "Jonathan! Are you there, man?! It's Steve! Listen, I just wanna talk!" Your breath hitches in your throat. Y…