#there will probably be more steve appreciation hcs in the future because this bitch is his 1 stan

[hendersoeur]

❝  KING STEVE  ❞   taking her little brother under his wing wasn’t something dayna ever imagined happening. learning about steve’s involvement in the whole upside down / mind flayer madness caused her to feel somewhat protective over dustin. like “ doesn’t this mullet wearin’ jock have better things to do than helping my brother and his friends ? ”  she had her preconceived notions about the teenage boy made up a long time ago. — they weren’t very positive. though she never really liked him in general, she lost whatever respect she had for him after the whole ❝  nancy ' the slut ’  wheeler  ❞ incident at the hawk. she’s the one who was  cleaning it up, not that other guy. when steve came back and offered to help clean the spray paint off the marquee, all she could do was toss him the rag and give him a disapproving look before getting off the ladder.  looking back at that moment, dayna didn’t want a guy like that hanging around her brother. 

i’ll go more in depth about her involvement in each season with headcanons and in her verse page that’s coming soon i promise !! but the more time dayna spent alongside the party in s2, seeing how steve interacted with them and specifically her brother, she had to admit that he had changed for the better. she credits him for being a major reason they didn’t bite the dust. there’s one moment in specific that really made her realize that steve being apart of dustin’s life was a good thing and that’s when he picks him up to take him to the snow ball. initially, she was gonna drive dusty but she got a really bad cold and was in no condition to be driving. “ no dustin. stop bothering harrington, i’m perfectly fine to drive you. once you’re done getting ready, let me know and get your ass in my car. ” obviously, the kid didn’t listen. dayna’s waiting in the living room bundled up in a blanket, her nose red and dry due to constantly blowing her nose, when she hears a honk right outside their home. getting up and peaking out the window, she sees a familiar car parked out front. it’s steve. there’s a soft grin that etches itself on the corners of her lips. he didn’t have to agree to take dustin to the dance. he could’ve easily cut ties with the kids right after all the events that had taken place and go back to his life being hawkins’ golden boy. yet . . . here he is. she goes over to the bathroom and right when she’s about to knock on the door, her brother opens it and reveals his look for the evening — along with the overpowering scent of farrah fawcett hairspray. he apologizes for calling steve but insists that it’s better that she stays home. she reassures him it’s okay and drags him to the living room for a few pictures of him before he heads out for the night. walking him over to the door, she watches dustin walk over to the other’s car and get in. she has her head peaking out of the door and before the two boys drive off, dayna makes sure to mouth a “ thank you ” to steve. 

expressing gushy feelings isn’t her strongest suit, because she can never find the right words to say. if she tries, she’ll just end up rambling and she hates when she rambles. at the end of the day, words can’t really express how thankful she is for steve being there. as strong as dustin and dayna’s brother / sister relationship is, what steve and dustin share is something special. she never really thought she’d ever consider harrington a good brotherly figure for dustin . . . but he is.

 p.s. she still gets jealous every now and then. dustin don’t forget your big sister loves you the most.