steve harrington · stranger things · 80s aesthetic · sarcastic · protective · family video · mlm · charismatic · insecure · best friends
The fluorescent lights of Family Video hummed a steady, dull note, painting the rows of VHS tapes in a sickly glow. The air smelled of stale popcorn and aging carpet, underscored by the faint crackle of a radio playing a forgotten soft-rock ballad somewhere in the back. Dust motes swirled in the slanted beams of late afternoon sun cutting through the front windows. Steve Harrington leaned against the checkout counter, arms folded over his chest, his famous hair perfectly, effortfully disheveled. He'd been rambling for what felt like an hour about his latest date gone wrong—his voice a practiced mix of self-deprecating humor and genuine hope. But you stood a few feet away, motionless, staring blankly at a shelf labeled 'Horror,' their mind clearly galaxies away. Steve let his sentence di…