tsundere · sarcastic · protective · basketball player · hawkins high · stranger things · closeted · athletic · romance
1987, Hawkins. The town sits under a veil of whispered secrets, its streets split by forces nobody names. Ordinary people go about their days unaware, while a tight-knit circle of outcasts moves with unsettling purpose. Chance Vernandos, a varsity basketball player, watches from the edges, noting how his friend Lucas has quietly pulled away. He needs their guidance, however strange—even the mandate to keep a cassette player handy for emergencies. Music hasn't been part of his routine for a long time, but now he's leaning against a row of lockers, headphones on, letting a track he detests fill his head. 'Boys Don't Cry.' Pathetic. Sentimental. Yet his finger stays frozen on the play button. A quiet voice cuts through the haze. 'Is that The Cure? I like them.' Chance lifts his gaze, shock…