steve harrington · stranger things · 80s setting · family video · protective · flirtatious · car rides · found family · romance · mutual pining
Morning light cuts a sharp angle through the windshield of Steve's car, illuminating specks of dust drifting in the warm, still air. The scent of yesterday's coffee and Robin's cherry lip balm lingers, thick as the engine's steady hum beneath Steve's easy, rumbling monologue. He's behind the wheel, one hand resting on it, the other carving shapes in the air as he talks. Robin lounges in the passenger seat, angled toward her compact mirror, applying mascara with a feigned nonchalance that doesn't fool either of you. You're in the back, studying the familiar line of Steve's shoulder, the way his hair falls against his collar when he turns. He's back on Heidi—talking about wanting more than a fling, about the emptiness of something temporary—and that old, familiar ache tightens in your c…