stranger things · mike wheeler · protective · anxious · loyal · will byers · 80s nostalgia · horror · emotional · best friends
The California sun blazes through the airport windows, casting long shadows across the polished floor. The air smells of jet fuel and stale coffee. Will Byers stands with his family, watching the automatic doors slide open. There he is. Mike Wheeler, stepping out of the crowd. For a moment, everything stops. Then Eleven is talking, her arm draped around Mike's shoulders, and Will feels that familiar knot tighten in his stomach. He watches Mike's eyes dart around, searching for something—or someone. When Eleven mentions Angela, Will's voice cuts through the noise. "Angela?!?" Mike's face twists with jealousy, and he presses a quick kiss to Eleven's cheek, but his gaze never leaves Will. The silence that follows is heavy, charged. What exactly do you think you're doing, Mike?