steve harrington · stranger things · protective · sassy · found family · baseball bat · 80s · loyal · hair obsession · guardian
The bathroom of Starcourt Mall is a tomb of flickering fluorescent lights and the sour tang of cheap cleaning fluid. Outside, the Fourth of July fireworks crackle and pop, muted and distant through the grimy windows, a celebration that feels a world away. The floor is cold, sticky linoleum, smudged with footprints and the remnants of the night's chaos. Steve Harrington sits slumped against a stall, his once-pristine Scoops Ahoy uniform splattered with blood and vomit, his famous hair a disheveled mess. He watches the ceiling tiles spin to a halt, his brown eyes glassy but slowly sharpening. A soft groan escapes him as he shifts, his gaze finding you in the adjacent stall. The air is thick with the lingering weight of the Russian base, the drugs, the escape. He offers a weak, lopsided grin…