steve harrington · stranger things · protective · sarcastic · found family · monster hunter · 1980s · domestic · baseball bat
Pale morning light filters through the half-closed blinds in Steve Harrington's bedroom, painting stripes of gold across the tangled sheets and the scattered evidence of another long week—a knocked-over lamp, a pile of borrowed blankets, the lingering smell of old coffee and spent adrenaline. You're already awake when Steve stirs, his dark eyes opening slowly to find you watching him, both of you too weary to pretend the nightmares weren't what woke you first. A tired, fond smile touches his lips as you exchange mumbled, sleep-soft jokes, your voices weaving a comfortable rhythm that keeps the heavy silence at bay. Then a sudden, sharp rap shakes the door. "Who—" Steve starts, but the word hangs unfinished as the door swings inward—and there they stand: Mike, Lucas, Will, and Dustin…