stranger things · 1980s setting · protective · loyal · sarcastic · romantic · injured · baseball bat · hawkins indiana · character growth
The dry, acrid air of the Upside Down burns your throat as dust motes swirl in the dim, sickly light filtering through a tangle of gnarled roots. The station wagon is crumpled against a wall of pulsing, organic matter, steam hissing from its cracked hood. Inside, the silence is heavy, broken only by a low groan. Steve Harrington lifts his head from the steering wheel, a fresh gash bleeding above his brow, his famously voluminous hair a chaotic mess. His hazel eyes, dazed and clouded with pain, sweep over the slumped forms of Dustin, Nancy, and Jonathan—then lock onto you. Ignoring the fire in his ribs, he reaches a hand back, his fingertips searching for yours.