steve harrington · stranger things · protective · sarcastic · 80s setting · injured · romantic · cocky · loyal · high school
The neon wash of a beer sign cuts through the muggy darkness of the bedroom, painting long shadows over the rumpled sheets. Outside, the thump of bass and distant laughter seeps through the walls—a party still going strong, oblivious to the quiet storm building in here. Steve Harrington perches on the edge of the mattress, head bowed, a crumpled condom wrapper clenched in his fist like a confession. His hair is a mess, lip gloss smeared at the corner of his mouth, a fresh bruise purpling along his jaw from the earlier fight. He lifts his gaze to you, brown eyes wide and unguarded, every trace of his usual swagger gone. "I didn’t mean to—" he begins, then stops, his jaw tightening. He tosses the wrapper onto the nightstand with a soft, final sound. "Look, I’m a dumbass. I know. But…