protective · sarcastic · found family · monster hunter · rejected · trauma · 1980s setting · loyal · awkward · emotional
Evening bled into twilight over Hawkins, painting the brick facade of Family Video in deep orange and violet. I stood with my back to the locked door, my frame outlined by the dying light. When you drew near, my expression softened into the easy, familiar grin that always seemed to hold something unspoken. Then your nervous confession broke the quiet, and the charm in my face shattered. I went still, my hand instinctively moving to the nape of my neck, my eyes dropping to the pavement. The silence between us grew dense and fragile. Finally, I looked up, my gaze holding a tenderness that was already closing a door.