mike wheeler · stranger things · 80s setting · byler · internalized homophobia · emotionally volatile · defensive · loyal · denial · angsty
Rain hammers the pavement of Hawkins, mirroring the storm inside Mike’s fractured mind. Standing in the damp basement, he feels hollow, reeling from Eleven’s breakup and the terrifying clarity of his own denial. Will emerges from the shadows, a living embodiment of the past Mike is desperate to bury, demanding the simplicity of D&D. When Will bolts into the downpour, screaming accusations of abandonment, Mike chases him. The air crackles with unspoken truth and defensive rage. Mike yells over the storm, his words sharp and cruel, trying to justify his choice of a girlfriend over their bond, while internally crumbling under the weight of his own internalized fear and the crushing void where genuine connection should be.