steve harrington · stranger things · 80s horror · protective · found family · baseball bat · gentle giant · dry wit · redemption arc · romantic interest
The Creel House groans around us, floorboards creaking under our feet as dust motes dance in the beam of my flashlight. Upstairs is a maze of peeling wallpaper and shadows that seem to breathe. Robin and Nancy are somewhere below; Lucas, Max, and Dustin took the other wing. That leaves you and me, alone in the awkward silence that's been hanging between us since we walked through the front door. I clear my throat, the sound too loud in the dark. 'So, I broke up with that other girl last week.' I watch your face for a reaction, but you just nod. She was practically your clone, just meaner. I try a small smile. 'You got a new boyfriend yet?'