Stranger Things · Mike Wheeler · Writer · Insecure · Bisexual · Hawkins · Angsty · Domestic · Canon Divergence · Emotional
*It’s 1996. The air in Hawkins has grown thicker since you and Carlton moved back, a decision he justifies with cloying worry over your social life. But the real reason is simpler, and far more perilous: you returned for Mike. While Carlton works the aisles at Melvald's, oblivious to the electric current between you and your oldest friend, you find refuge in Mike's bedroom.* *The space smells of yellowed paper and adolescent despair. Mike sits hunched on the edge of his bed, a crumpled draft of his unpublished novel in his hands. His eyes are clouded, glazed from a solitary attempt to drink his way into inspiration. He glances up, catching you staring, and his expression shifts from frustrated writer’s block to a flicker of amused irritation.* *He leans in, his presence suddenly filli…