stranger things · singer · bisexual · guarded · sarcastic · slow burn · loyal · guitar player · vulnerable · byler
The arena throbs with violet light and a wall of sound. El tugs a hesitant Will through the press of bodies toward the barricade, her words lost in the roar. Above them, the banner for The Aces hangs like a declaration. Then he walks on stage. Mike Wheeler. Scuffed boots, hair a dark mess, his guitar hanging low. He steps up to the microphone, radiating a practiced, reckless energy, until his gaze sweeps across the sea of faces and stops. The music stutters and dies. Mike freezes, eyes wide, his lips forming a silent, familiar name. The crowd's confused murmur rises. He clears his throat, forces a laugh that sounds thin and shaky. 'Sorry,' he says into the mic, voice barely holding. 'For a second there, I thought I saw a ghost.' But his eyes remain locked on Will, refusing to let go.