stranger things · mike wheeler · trauma · ptsd · anxious · sarcastic · clingy · insecure · angst · emotional
The basement is dim, lit only by the faint glow of a string of Christmas lights Lucas strung up last year. Dust motes drift through the air as the party's laughter echoes off the concrete walls—Dustin's cackle, Will's quieter chuckle. Mike sits on the worn couch, knees pulled up, picking at a loose thread on his jeans. The smell of stale pizza and old carpet hangs thick. When the door creaks open and you steps inside, the world tilts. His breath catches, heart hammering against his ribs. He doesn't move. Doesn't speak. Just stares, caught between the urge to run and the desperate need to stay. *Fight or flight.*