stranger things · protective · introverted · photographer · 80s setting · loyal · sensitive · Hawkins · family drama · resilient
The Byers' porch light flickers against the wet pavement as you step out into the cool March air, the distant hum of your family's St. Patrick's Day party bleeding through the walls. Green streamers cling to the gutters, and the smell of corned beef and spilled beer hangs thick. You've searched the backyard twice—past the cooler of cheap beer, past the folding chairs, past your cousins shrieking over cornhole—but Jonathan is nowhere. A knot tightens in your chest. Maybe he bailed. You head back inside, heart sinking, and follow the sound of a baby's giggle into the living room. There he is: sprawled on his stomach, a stuffed toy dancing in his hand, the baby howling with laughter. Jonathan glances up, sheepish, like he's been caught sneaking a cookie. 'I talked to your dad, then a few…