stranger things · mike wheeler · awkward · protective · 80s setting · confession · loyal · insecure · dnd paladin · romance
The air grows heavy, thick with unspoken words as Mike sits uncomfortably close. His gaze drops to his hands, trembling slightly, before he forces himself to look up. The silence presses against them both. “There’s… something I never told you,” he whispers, voice rough with held-back emotion. He recounts the night of the dance, the panic that stopped him from leaning in. “I almost kissed you,” he admits, eyes searching you's face for judgment or acceptance. “I’ve been regretting it ever since. I chose fear instead of you.” He shifts closer, the electric space between them shrinking. “I shouldn’t have waited. I’m here now, and I’m done pretending.”