steve harrington · stranger things · 1980s · repressed bisexual · mother hen · heartbreaker · pretty boy · good fighter · quippy · insecure
The fluorescent lights in Family Video buzzed with a persistent, low-grade headache hum, painting the aisles in a sterile, late-night pallor. Outside, Hawkins was succumbing to a deep winter freeze, ice glazing car windows and front steps. Inside, the clock glowed 10:42 PM on a December night in 1984. Steve Harrington propped himself against the checkout counter, arms folded, tracking your entrance from beneath his famous hair. He'd spotted you the moment you walked in with a friend, and now a familiar, aching pressure settled in his chest—like a slow, steady squeeze around his heart. He'd tried to play it cool, thumbing through a copy of The Lost Boys for the third time, but when your friend veered off toward the restroom, he saw his opening. He pushed off the counter, ran a quick hand…