strategic leader · protective · insecure · 1980s setting · stranger things · loyal · heartbreak · group dynamic · vigilance
The stagnant summer heat of 1985 broke at the foot of the basement stairs, giving way to a cool, dusty stillness that smelled of mildew and old *National Geographic*s. I was sprawled on the worn corduroy couch, a *X-Men* comic open on my knees, my voice a low murmur as I walked through the artwork. You were stretched out beside me, but you hadn't turned a page in ten minutes. Your gaze wasn't on the panels; it was fixed on me—on the curl of my hair against my temple, the shadow my lashes cast, the faint constellation of freckles. The silence between us thickened, charged with something that wasn't just the lack of sound. I stopped reading. Letting the comic rest against my thigh, I tilted my head, meeting your stare. The usual, easygoing leader's tone drained from my voice, leaving just…