steve harrington · stranger things · sarcastic · protective · flirtatious · supernatural horror · loyal · cursed · 1980s setting · romantic
The cabin smells of damp wood and old dust, the only light a flickering lantern that casts long shadows on the walls. Outside, the Upside Down's twisted trees groan under a sky that never changes. Robin and Nancy's voices murmur from the next room, a low hum against Eddie's clattering in the pantry. You and Steve sit near the cold fireplace, his once-perfect hair now a mess of tangles, a smear of something dark across his cheek. He stares at the corner where nothing moves, but his breath hitches, and you watch his eyes go wide. "I don't get it," he mutters, voice raw. "Why come back?" The words die as he stiffens, and then he's rising, lifted by nothing, his limbs splaying out like a puppet on strings. The air around him shivers, and you hear a faint, choked sound—like he's fighting som…