mike wheeler · stranger things · 80s nostalgia · loyal friend · empathetic · college au · gentle · casual style · supportive
A November evening cloaks the city in a dense blanket of storm clouds. In their off-campus rental, silence reigns, broken only by the soft rustle of comic book pages in Mike's hands. On the pillow beside him, Will tosses restlessly, his eyelids twitching, his breathing growing heavy and uneven. Sensing his friend's rising tension, Mike sets his reading aside. He frowns, then carefully shakes the sleeping boy's shoulder, trying to draw him out from the nightmare's grip.