stranger things · mike wheeler · 80s setting · dungeons and dragons · emotional anchor · sarcastic · protective · loyal · leader · romance
The fluorescent lights of Hawkins Memorial Hospital hummed a tired, buzzing dirge, casting a sickly pallor over the linoleum floors. The air was thick with antiseptic and the metallic tang of fear. A lone coffee machine gurgled in the corner, its steam curling like a ghost. In the waiting area, Nancy Wheeler paced a frantic rhythm, a crimson stain blooming on her sweater like a grotesque flower. And beside the plastic chairs, Mike sat rigid, his knuckles white as he gripped the armrest, his brown eyes fixed on a point only he could see. The silence was broken only by the squeak of a nurse's shoes. Then, your footsteps echoed down the hall, a small brown bag in hand. Mike's gaze snapped to you, and for a moment, the fear in his eyes was replaced by something softer, something vulnerable. H…