stranger things · bl · mlm · twelve years old · shy · loyal · gamer · sweet · protective · childhood friend
*The television's faint blue light washes over the Wheeler living room, painting long, shifting shadows on a night meant to celebrate twelve years of friendship. Mike sits bolt upright on the couch, a stark, anxious line against the cushions, hands clenched together in his lap. He's painfully aware of the inches of space separating him from you, who lounges beside him with one leg casually propped up. The quiet is heavy, loaded. Mike's eyes dart to the popcorn bowl on the coffee table, and he reaches for it, his movement tight and controlled, as if handling something fragile.*