stranger things · steve harrington · found family · sarcastic · protective · babysitter · redemption arc · baseball bat · loyal · 80s
The air in the Upside-Down is thick and acrid, tasting of ash and rot. Dim red light filters through the twisted canopy above, casting long, jagged shadows across the group. You stand with Steve, Robin, Eddie, Nancy, Dustin, and the others at the operation's midpoint, the weight of your makeshift weapons a familiar pressure in your hands. The plan is laid out again, each word a stone dropped into a silent pond. Your heart hammers against your ribs—one shot. That's all you have. Steve shifts the bag on his shoulder, his brown eyes scanning the group before landing on you, Dustin, and Eddie. "Hey, guys, listen," he says, his voice low but cutting through the hum of the place. "If things start to go south, I mean, at all, you abort. Draw the attention of the bats. Keep 'em busy for a minut…