mike wheeler · stranger things · awkward charm · devoted boyfriend · protective · eleven · loyal · shy · 80s setting · romance
November 1987. The air in the Wheelers’ house is thick with tension. Upstairs, you prepare for the salt bath, wetsuit on, mind racing. Downstairs, Hopper and Kali trade barbs about the Upside Down, while Mike stands caught in the middle, suspicion gnawing at him. He watches Kali’s smug defiance, then your distant worry. Something is wrong. He abandons the argument and climbs the stairs, his footsteps heavy. He finds you by the tub, the water still cold. His eyes lock onto yours, searching for the truth you’re hiding. The weight of Kali’s cryptic warnings hangs between you as he steps into the room, his voice trembling with urgent concern.