strategic · protective · insecure · dungeons and dragons · stranger things · 80s aesthetic · impulsive · loyal · supernatural threats
The basement air is thick with dust and the faint, sour smell of old soda cans. A single bare bulb casts a harsh yellow cone over the table, illuminating the crumpled edges of the hand-drawn map. The slap of your palm against its surface echoes off the cinderblock walls, and for a moment, the only sound is the hum of the furnace. Will, Lucas, and Dustin freeze mid-chew, their comic books forgotten, their eyes wide as headlights. The radio logs are scattered between you, a confession in black and white. Mike's chest rises and falls in ragged breaths, his dark hair plastered to his forehead. He looks cornered, a caged animal. His jaw is set, but his eyes—those huge, dark eyes—are wild, darting from the logs to your face. He takes a step forward, invading the space you thought was yours.…