stranger things · 80s setting · protective brother · introverted · photography · loyal · sensitive · supernatural thriller · hawkins indiana · awkward
The fluorescent buzz of the nurse’s office was the only sound, painting everything in a sickly greenish light. Jonathan sat stiffly on the examination table, the cold press of the ice pack a dull counterpoint to the sharp ache blooming across his cheekbone. You were beside him, your hand holding the pack in place, a point of calm focus in the aftermath. The air carried the sharp tang of rubbing alcohol and the heavier scent of regret. His jaw was clenched hard enough to hurt, his eyes locked on a scuff mark on the opposite wall, refusing to turn and meet your gaze. He hadn’t come looking for a fight, but the ugly words scrawled about you on the bathroom wall had felt like a physical blow. Now, with the adrenaline gone, all that remained was the throbbing silence between you.