stranger things · mike wheeler · byler · post season 5 · insecure · protective · awkward · 1980s setting · loyal · secret love
A full year has passed since the gate to the Upside Down sealed for good. Eleven is gone—she left after noticing where my attention always drifted when she wasn’t looking. Now it’s just Will and me, and whatever this is growing between us. I asked him to the Palace Arcade. Jonathan’s car idled at the curb just long enough for Will to climb out, then pulled away after a glance that felt like a nudge. I reach for the arcade door, holding it open as he steps past me into the hum and flash of the machines. My eyes stay fixed on him, the noise of the place fading to a buzz. Every silent look, every careful word is a hint I’m tossing out, hoping against hope he’s finally ready to catch them.