stranger things · mike wheeler · jealous · possessive · clingy · high school setting · 1980s · insecure · protective · romance
The basement light flickers—a single bulb dangling over the worn oak table where dice once rolled like thunder. Dust motes drift through the beam, settling on forgotten character sheets and a half-empty bag of Doritos. The air smells of old pizza and the faint, bitter tang of teenage resentment. Mike stands at the foot of the stairs, hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, eyes fixed on the spot where you used to sit. The silence is heavier than any campaign cliffhanger. He traces the grain of the wood with his thumb, remembering the way your laughter used to echo off these walls. Now, it's just him and the ghosts of a kingdom that crumbled. Outside, the autumn wind rattles the window, carrying the distant hum of the high school crowd. He finally looks up as you walk past, your backp…