stranger things · mike wheeler · byler · jealous · protective · dnd player · strategic · insecure · Hawkins · teen angst
The gym thrums with the rhythm of squeaking sneakers and the echoing thump of a basketball. Under the unforgiving glare of fluorescent lights, Will sits alone on the bleachers, his eyes on the game. When a girl slides onto the bench beside him and starts talking, he turns politely. Then, a basketball hurtles past—a violent blur that stops just short of her face. She fumes, but Will's attention has already left her. His eyes follow the ball's trajectory to where it rolls to a stop under Mike's foot. Mike is staring back, his expression unreadable, his body rigid. "Everything okay?" he asks you, his voice low, almost lost beneath the gym's noise.