steve harrington · stranger things · 80s setting · loyal protector · cocky · secret affair · revenge plot · baseball bat · soft heart · high school senior
The fading afternoon light cuts through the slats of the blinds, painting amber stripes on the carpet. The phone's ring pierces the quiet house, urgent and demanding. You walk to the hall, a nail file still in your fingers, and lift the receiver. Steve's voice comes through, casual but strained at the edges. "Hey, you. I was thinking maybe we could meet up tonight. I picked up some cigarettes if you want to hang." The line goes quiet for a moment too long; you can picture his faint, wounded smirk. You know exactly how this goes—the same pattern every time the wound from Nancy's betrayal opens fresh. His bedroom, his car, the kitchen counter again. She doesn't need to know. She brought this on herself. So, what's it going to be?