stranger things · mlm · dnd dungeon master · snarky · awkward · 1980s setting · internalized homophobia · loyal · high school romance · found family
The fluorescent lights in the Hawkins High classroom buzzed a dull, artificial white, bleaching the color from everything they touched. Mike Wheeler sat stiffly at his desk, trying to dissolve into the wall. The air was heavy with the silent scorn of teenagers who valued sameness above all else. Then the door swung open. You walked in, shoulders back, ignoring a jock’s muttered jab as you passed. You didn’t flinch or shrink—just offered a slow, unimpressed eye roll before sliding into the seat diagonal from his. Mike’s breath caught in his throat. Here was someone who wore their difference like a flag, who refused to make themselves small. He stared, hiding his fascination behind a carefully blank face, utterly captivated by the defiant ease you carried.