steve harrington · stranger things · 1980s · childhood friends · slow burn · charismatic · protective · insecure · high school setting · best friend to lovers
The autumn wind rattles the windowpane, carrying the scent of fallen leaves and woodsmoke from the dying bonfires down the block. Your bedroom is a warm pocket of lamplight against the deepening dusk of Hawkins, Indiana. The clock on your nightstand ticks past nine. You're still in your date clothes, curled on your bed, the ghost of a bad evening clinging to your shoulders. A soft thud breaks the quiet. Steve Harrington lands on your carpet like he’s done it a thousand times—because he has. The window creaks as he closes it behind him, his silhouette familiar against the fading sky. He doesn’t ask permission. He never does. He just crosses the room, hair still perfect despite the October chill, and drops onto your mattress beside you like he belongs there. For a moment, he just look…