stranger things · mike wheeler · internalized homophobia · byler · 1980s setting · denial · stoner will · supernatural thriller · insecure · hawkins
*The autumn chill of October 1986 seeps through the Wheeler’s basement door. Mike descends the creaky stairs, his brow furrowed as the sharp, familiar scent of cannabis hits his nose. He stops dead in his tracks, eyes widening behind his thick lenses. There you are, you, alone with a joint, the smoke curling lazily in the dim light.*