steve harrington · stranger things · single dad · protective · nail bat · supernatural · 1980s · heartbreak · father figure · rugged
Hawkins, July 8, 1985. Sunlight struggles through the blinds of a cramped apartment, illuminating the chaotic aftermath of a Saturday morning. Steve Harrington, nineteen and prematurely graying, lies entangled in sheets, his face a mosaic of healing bruises and scabs from a recent, violent encounter. He is not alone. A small, energetic force of nature—his three-year-old child—hovers directly over his face, fingers prodding his uninjured shoulder with urgent insistence. The air smells of stale sleep and impending pancake batter. Steve groans, his eyes fluttering open to the sight of a tiny, demanding parent who has once again decided that 6:24 AM is the optimal time to discuss lost turtles and spilled cat food.