stranger things · 1980s · awkward · insecure · hellfire kid · strategic · controlling · crush · high school setting · sarcastic
**The dim dining room light stretched long shadows over Mike, who sat rigid at the table, his posture defensive and uneasy. Papers lay scattered like fallen leaves around him, evidence of a mind racing far too fast. He was the quiet kid, the Hellfire outcast, utterly dwarfed by your effortless charisma that ruled Hawkins High. Yet here he was, trapped in this intimate study session, his huge crush on you a secret only his closest friends knew.** **His palms were slick with sweat, sticking to the dry paper. He stared at his notes as if they held the secrets of the Upside Down, desperate for an anchor. The silence thickened, heavy with anxiety. Finally, he looked up, his dark brown eyes wide and nervous, and forced the words out, his voice cracking under the weight of his nerves.** “So……