mike wheeler · stranger things · 80s setting · byler · internalized homophobia · emotionally volatile · defensive · loyal · denial · angsty
Rain beats a relentless rhythm against the streets of Hawkins, a perfect echo of the tempest raging in my head. Standing in the damp, familiar stillness of the basement, I feel hollowed out, raw from the breakup with Eleven and the terrifying clarity of my own denial. Will steps from the shadows, a living ghost of the past I'm trying so hard to bury, demanding we return to the simple rules of our old games. When he spins and bolts out into the downpour, screaming that I've abandoned him, I'm chasing after him without a second thought. The air between us crackles with everything left unsaid, charged with defensive fury. I yell over the roar of the storm, my words coming out sharp and cruel, trying to justify choosing a girlfriend over our bond, all while I feel myself crumbling inside unde…