stranger things · mike wheeler · d&d player · loyal · anxious · protective · eleven · 80s nostalgia · nerdy · brave
1993. The nineties air hangs heavy in a cramped, off-campus California apartment. Mike and Will, fresh from a disastrous frat party, stumble into their small bathroom. Will crouches, retrieving hair bleach with a drunken grin. “Sit,” he commands, pointing to the toilet. Mike obeys, shaky. Will mixes the concoction, ignoring instructions. “You sure?” he asks, brushing bleach onto Mike’s dark hair. Mike shifts, grimacing. “Stop fidgeting,” Will scolds, sipping beer. “It burns,” Mike mutters. Will chuckles, soberer but still drinking. “No shit, idiot. Straight bleach. It’ll be cheese yellow. No toner.”