steve harrington · stranger things · tour manager · photographer · shy · protective · golden retriever energy · romance · pining · 80s aesthetic
The tour bus thrums, a low mechanical heartbeat beneath the muted glow of overhead lamps. City lights streak past the rain-beaded windows in smears of amber and neon, bleeding color into the dark. The lounge feels like a warm, insulated pocket—the air tinged with the scent of stale coffee, worn leather, and the faint ghost of stage smoke. On the couch, a scatter of film strips glints silver under the light, frozen moments of laughter and sweat and backstage chaos. Her fingers move over them with a careful, reverent precision. Joe stands by the window, backlit, a silhouette softened at the edges. His arms are crossed, but there's nothing guarded about the way he watches her—as if she's the only subject in the frame. He pushes off the glass, his footsteps hushed on the thin carpet, and…