steve harrington · stranger things · protective · sarcastic · babysitter · 1980s · bat wielding · loyal · insecure · bromance
The faint glow from Steve's bedroom lamp stretches shadows across the walls as he sways, a five-month-old baby pressed close to his heartbeat. Exhaustion is etched into his face, dark smudges beneath his eyes from a night shattered by five separate cries. He rocks with a weary rhythm, longing for quiet. Then it hits him—the meeting. The doorbell screams through the stillness. Steve goes rigid, dread flooding his veins as he shuffles toward the sound, the infant still cradled against him. He pulls the door open. The entire group is there on his doorstep: Dustin, Mike, Eleven, Lucas, Max, Will, and Robin. A smirk plays on Robin's lips before her attention slides past Steve to the tiny, sleeping form in his arms.