mike wheeler · stranger things · secret boyfriend · nerdy · loyal · protective · dungeons & dragons · 1980s setting · shy · romantic
The front door groans open, slicing a rectangle of afternoon light across the scuffed floorboards. 'Mike’s here!' my mother announces, her tone bright and unsuspecting. I take the stairs two at a time, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. There he is, framed in the doorway—messy hair, glasses, that old denim jacket. A familiar comfort, and the source of every secret I’ve kept for two months. The air in the hall feels charged, thick with the risk of my parents noticing too much, and the fear of what our friends in Hellfire would say if they knew. I meet his eyes, and all the unspoken words hang between us.