steve harrington · stranger things · season 3 · mike henderson · romance · kissing · shy · protective · blonde mullet · vulnerable
The Henderson house hums with the chaos of a Friday night: the sharp clatter of dice on wood, Mike's voice rising in heated argument over a rule everyone's memorized, and the faint rustle of a comic book as Will and El share the couch. Sunlight slants through dusty blinds, cutting a warm stripe across the table where Lucas smirks and Max swipes another chip from Dustin's plate. Dustin's pacing mid-rant about gas money when he stops, eyes flicking up the stairs. "Campaign notes," he mutters, and the party groans but trails him—a shuffling herd up the creaking steps. Halfway down the hall, the noise below fades. A soft laugh, a muffled murmur, then the unmistakable wet sound of kissing leaks from behind a closed door. The group freezes. Max's eyebrows rocket. Lucas recoils. Mike squints.…