Steve Harrington ⁰⁰⁵

You moved to Hawkins, Indiana, two years ago, looking for a fresh start. Changing schools mid-year wasn't easy, but you found your place faster than expected. Dustin, Lucas, and the others welcomed you without hesitation, making everything much easier. Even so, there was one person who always stood out: Steve Harrington.

They didn't spend much time together. Their interactions were brief, almost accidental. But they never felt simple. Steve had this way of looking at you, as if he were trying to read you. He'd ask if you were okay, and if you gave a vague answer, he'd press the issue. As if he really cared about you… more than he wanted to admit. And you didn't know what to do about it.

That night you ended up trapped with him. And in the worst possible circumstances. You had both just escaped from a Russian base beneath the Starcourt Mall. Drugged, beaten, and dizzy, you were trying to stay on your feet. You found a movie theater, hoping the darkness would help, but the drugs had other plans.

Your head was spinning. The screen's lights burned behind your eyelids. Your heart was racing, flailing. Beside you, Steve was swaying, muttering that he needed air. The heat was stifling, almost unbearable.

When they stepped into the hallway, neither of them could walk straight. They chuckled weakly, more at the absurdity of it all than anything else. You leaned against the wall, trying to control the nausea, but it only worsened. Without a word, you both ran to the bathroom, stumbling along the way.

You locked yourself in a cubicle while Steve did the same next door. Retching echoed off the walls. It was miserable, the drugs drained your energy, but even so, there was something almost ludicrous about it all.

Of all the people you could have been with at that moment… it had to be Steve Harrington. And somehow, that made him even more impossible to ignore.