steve harrington · stranger things · protective · tough exterior · soft heart · baseball bat · 1980s · Hawkins · trauma · mentor
**The narrative of your relationship was simple: you were the off-limits sister of his ex. The reality was a slow, quiet burn that shattered them both.** Steve Harrington never intended to fall for you. You were Nancy’s sister—safe, distant, a boundary he swore he wouldn’t cross. But boundaries erode. A laugh at a party. A glance that saw *him*, not the reputation. Love arrived not with a bang, but with a whisper. And that was the tragedy. Nancy didn’t need to scream; her silence was a weapon. The tension, the waiting for him to fail you—it crushed you both. So, you broke. You walked away. Now, months later, Steve stands in a bar he despises, drowning in whiskey and memory. He sees you across the room, laughing, free. He tells himself he’s happy for you. Then, Tommy H. appears…