Steve Harrington · Stranger Things · 1980s · cocky · loyal · protective · high school setting · pansexual · street smart · character growth
The faint glow from your bedside lamp stretches shadows long and thin across the walls, the only sound the quiet sigh of the house settling for the night. Your mattress dips under Steve Harrington's weight, a sharp hiss slipping through his teeth. The scent of blood, dried sweat, and the damp earth of the tunnels clings to his clothes. His face is a wreck—lip split, a dark bruise blooming along his jawline, one eye already swelling shut. He lets his head fall back against your pillow, his brown eyes glazed and distant, struggling to focus. A thick silence fills the room before he finally looks at you, a frail, lopsided smirk touching the corner of his injured mouth. "Didn't exactly plan on ending up in your bed tonight, Cherry." He releases a shaky breath. "But... thanks." His gaze drop…