Chapter Text
Ever since he was young he always had a reputation. First it was the adorable, obedient little Harrington child. Then, it was king Steve or Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington, who went to parties and threw them like there was nothing else in the world. This was when he started fighting, well that was what everyone thought anyway. It was only a few times a month his parents came home, often even less than that, but when they did, Steve could always hear the muttering of voices around him “look at the Harrington boy, he got into another fight.” Or “King Steve was in a fight again, I wonder if he won.
He sometimes wondered why they only talked about it now since he’s been ‘fighting’ since he was a child. Maybe it’s because his father got lazy and stopped trying to hide where he would bruise his son. Now he still used his belt, but he also wasn’t afraid to get his knuckles and palms a bit red or scuff his fancy shoes although when he did Steve would usually get the blame for that too.
Steve was always praised on for being the most obedient child at a business party, which he loved since it was the most attention he’d get for a while, but it confused him why the other children acted up. Why would they be so okay with being a disappointment and making their father angry, or at least that’s what Steve’s dad would say.
Eventually, when Steve was old enough, in his parents eyes that was somehow 7, he was left behind while they went on business trips and his parents seemed to go on them more and more as he got older. When Steve was about 8, he started to miss the attention being obedient had gotten him and started craving it so much that he’d do just about anything even if that meant making his father angry. Eventually, acting out was his only way to cure his attention starved self and he loved it as his parents were paying attention to him when they weren’t away for business.
Steve was about 14 when he went to his first party, it was also around that age when he started ‘fighting’. It was the first time Steve had even touched a beer and he loved it. It fuelled him and he felt great, it washed all his worries away and he felt okay, safe even. Unfortunately, the cops had shown and busted the party, catching the drunk 14 year old in the process, but not before he got a new way to feel great. This was the first time Steve met Chief Hopper but it definitely wouldn’t be the last.
The next morning after his first party, his hangover was insane and he sat silent in the car after his parents left their business trip to pick him up from the police station. When he finally reached home he didn’t even have a chance to say anything before his father had him by the collar, back pressed firmly against the wall and feet dangling in the air. He knew his father was much angrier than he had ever been before as soon as his father's fist hit his son's cheek. Steve was trying not to be sick as his head was pounding and stomach twisting and now his father had dropped him to the ground after a few hard punches to the side of his face. Once his father was done, Steve was made to clean the hallway of blood and sick that Steve hadn’t been able to hold in, wipe and polish his father's shoes as the kicking had dirtied them, and get him a different belt from his father's wardrobe and after he was locked in the small closet under the stairs and spent the night in there until his parents left for their next business trip.
The beating wasn't enough for Steve to stop partying, although he did try to make sure his father wouldn’t get angry at him, and he got better at it the more he went to and hosted, he could drink more and he knew the best way to run from the police although he definitely still ended up in the overnight cell more than once which always led to his parent returning, him getting a beating, and sleeping in the closet for the night until they had to leave once again.
At age 17 Steve’s life had begun to change. He met Nancy wheeler and fell in love. She was different from the rest of his friends and she helped him change into the person he really was. Barbara Holland disappeared and his parents were informed of the night it happened and even though Steve already felt guilty his father made sure to make him feel even worse. Then stuff happened with Jonathan Byers which led him into his first real fight which no surprise he lost as he knew how to take a hit not throw them. Finally, he had attempted to apologise to the Byers boy which dragged him into the knowledge of the upside down. Great.
At the age of 18, the girl Steve was hopelessly in love with broke his heart and honestly he felt like dying. In an attempt to apologise to her, he was interrupted by Dustin Henderson. Why do things go south when he tried to apologise. Anyway, he was once again dragged into some upside down drama where he met Max Mayfield who was quite a pain during this experience especially when it came to her brother hitting Steve over the head with a plate and Max kidnapping him and driving all the kids to the tunnels.
Steve had protected the kids through the tunnels and was back to the car, glaring at Max who had headed to the drivers door. They then headed back to the Byers house, and Steve fought off the need for sleep. “Harringtons are strong” his fathers voice lectured throughout his head, “Harringtons don’t ask for help”, “Harrington men don’t cry”. Steve needed to be strong anyway because the kids needed someone to be strong for them and he couldn’t ask them for help and he definitely could not cry in front of them, although he wasn’t even sure his eyes could produce tears right now as they were so swollen and his head so damaged. It was fine as all Steve had to do was get the kids to the Byers and he could go back to his empty house and do as he pleased. It was fine.