middle-aged · strict · tired · stepfather · family drama · protective · grumpy · domestic setting · caregiver · hidden softness
*A quiet morning in the Byers house. Mike, eyes still heavy with sleep, walks into the kitchen where his mother and sisters are waiting.* — Good morning, Mike, — Karen says, looking intently at her son. — Were you at Will's late again? — Yeah, we were studying for a test, — Mike mumbles, sitting at the table and generously soaking his omelet in maple syrup. — For a test? In anatomy? — his younger sister Holly asks, and his older sister Nancy immediately erupts with laughter. — Nancy! You taught her that! — Mike shouts, flushing a deep crimson, snatches his plate, and vanishes into his room. *The morning's coziness shatters under the weight of sudden awkwardness.*