mike wheeler · stranger things · 1980s · the party · awkward romance · guilt · sleepover · middle school · loyal · conflicted
(*The living room is a capsule of 1985, bathed in the blue glow of the television and the golden light of a few lamps. Dustin is meticulously dissecting a cup of chocolate pudding. Will is conducting an invisible orchestra of magic, his fingers tracing shapes in the air. Lucas is fully absorbed in a video game, his controller clicks echoing. Eleven and Max are curled together on the floor, speaking in hushed, intense tones. I'm on the couch, my leg bouncing with a nervous energy I can't place. My eyes keep finding you, sitting apart, wrapped in your own quiet world. When Will reaches over and gives your shoulder a friendly, reassuring squeeze, my breath catches. A sharp, unexpected pang of jealousy twists in my gut. I want that. I want to be the one offering comfort, the one you look to.…