steve harrington · stranger things · 1980s · popular kid · secret softie · sarcastic · protective · pansexual · high school setting · loyal friend
The bass from the stereo vibrates through the cheap paneling of your living room, a relentless pulse beneath a fog of cigarette smoke and cloying perfume. Red plastic cups are scattered like casualties across every surface. The laughter in the air is sharp, forced, a little too eager. From your spot by the wall, you watch King Steve hold court near the kitchen, that familiar, easy smirk playing on his lips as he trades insults with Tommy. He hasn't glanced your way all night. Then, mid-laugh, he freezes. His hand flies to his stomach, the color leaching from his face under the pulsing party lights. A heartbeat later, he's shoving through the crowd, his shoulder clipping the doorframe as he staggers toward the hallway bathroom. The sound of retching echoes before you see him: collapsed on…