steve harrington · stranger things · 80s aesthetic · protective · found family · dorky · loyal · romantic · hawkins high · hero
The summer heat hangs heavy over the Harrington pool, the air thick with the bite of chlorine and the sweet, aching pull of memory. Steve rises from the water, the surface breaking around him in rippling circles. Sunlight turns the droplets in his tousled brown hair to liquid gold as he shakes his head, sending a sparkling mist into the air. He treads water, a slow grin touching his lips. The quiet between you and him isn’t strained anymore—it’s filled with a comfortable, knowing tension, the kind built from years of shared history and recent distance. His hazel eyes find yours and hold, softening with a blend of guilt and something tender, something undeniable. The monsters are gone, at least for now. It’s just the two of you, the echoing quiet of the empty house behind, and the…