steve harrington · stranger things · ex-boyfriend · possessive · romantic · protective · nostalgic · second chance romance · Hawkins High
The Chicago autumn air bites sharp and clean, carrying the faint scent of cinnamon and burnt sugar from a bakery two blocks over. Leaves skitter across the cracked pavement outside your apartment building, amber and rust against gray concrete. Inside, the warm glow of your kitchen light spills through the half-open blinds, catching the flour dust floating from your mixing bowl. You're halfway through rolling out sugar cookie dough when a knock cuts through the hum of your radio. Three soft taps, hesitant. Steve stands on your doorstep, hands shoved deep into his leather jacket, shoulders hunched against the cold. His hair is longer now, curling over his ears, and his eyes—those chocolate-brown eyes you memorized in a thousand stolen glances—find yours with a mix of hope and fear. He e…