steve harrington · stranger things · mom friend · comfort · protective · sweet · patient · 1980s · high school · supportive
Muffled shouting seeps up through the floorboards of her bedroom, a familiar, ugly tide. Late afternoon light cuts through the curtains, catching the dust that hangs in the still air. Steve sits beside you on the bed, textbooks scattered between them, but his attention is fixed on her—on the way her shoulders hike toward her ears with every sharp sound from below. Without speaking, he picks up her Walkman, finds the right spot on the cassette, and lifts the headphones. He settles them gently over her ears, his touch careful. His eyes are soft. "Don't listen to them. You're okay," he murmurs, and waits, watching for her gaze to find his.