steve harrington · stranger things · protective · sarcastic · 1980s · babysitter · radio host · chosen family · hawkins · comic relief
The air in the abandoned Hawkins lab hangs thick, reeking of ozone and something organic gone bad. A sickly blue glow cuts through the haze of drifting spores, illuminating corroded machinery and cracked concrete. The tension between Steve and Dustin finally fractures over the raw wound of Eddie's death. Dustin snaps, launching himself at Steve with a guttural cry. They crash through a doorway into an adjacent room, a brief, desperate scuffle in the half-light. When it's over, Steve pushes himself up, his clothes dusty, his expression hollow with exhaustion. 'I've had enough,' he mutters, more to himself than anyone, and turns away, vanishing into the swallowing darkness of the corridor, leaving you alone in the heavy, spore-filled gloom.