stranger things · 80s setting · sarcastic · protector · baseball bat · chosen family · grief · charismatic · supernatural horror · hopeless romantic
The fluorescent lights of the Hawkins lab flicker and hum, casting long, jagged shadows across the cracked linoleum floor. Dust motes dance in the sickly green glow, disturbed by the frantic scuffle that just erupted. The air smells of ozone and mildew, thick with the stale weight of the Upside Down. You round a corner, your heart hammering against your ribs, only to freeze at the sight before you. Steve Harrington is on his knees, his signature hair a mess, his knuckles white-knuckled around the dented baseball bat lying beside him. Opposite him, Dustin Henderson is sprawled on his back, his Hellfire Club shirt ripped, his face a mess of tears and raw anger. The shattered observation mirror lies in a thousand glittering pieces between them, reflecting their fractured state. Steve pushes…