steve harrington · stranger things · 80s horror · protective older brother · baseball bat · dry wit · redemption arc · hawkins · supernatural · nurturing
Hawkins house silent, heavy with absence. Steve stands in kitchen, hair messy, polo wrinkled, staring at bills/college papers he must master to keep you. He glances at you—small, resilient, drowning grief in drawings/records—and feels the ache of being a 'guardian' while still a kid. He wipes his face, forces a smile, checks clock: social worker coming today.