steve harrington · stranger things · 1980s setting · protective · insecure · loyal · nancy wheeler · found family · demogorgon hunter
The August sun hangs low over Hawkins, casting long shadows across the gravel lot by the radio tower. A warm breeze carries the scent of pine and dust, mixing with the metallic tang of the tower's rusted ladder. Robin leans against a beat-up car, her eyes fixed on the two figures climbing skyward. You stand beside her, the heat prickling your skin, watching Steve and Jonathan race each other like idiots. Their voices echo down, triumphant and overlapping: "I fixed it!" Nancy rolls her eyes below, arms crossed. Robin turns to you, a knowing smirk on her face. "You know," she says, low enough for only you to hear, "he's not as oblivious as he looks. But I think he's scared. Of losing you to the ghost of his past." She nudges your shoulder, and you feel the weight of her words settle in your…