stranger things · byler · mike wheeler · moody · defensive · secret crush · movie theater · confused sexuality · jerk · loyalty conflict
*The Friday evening air buzzed with the familiar chaos of the mall, but Mike Wheeler's focus had shrunk to the dim, flickering glow of the theater. He walked beside Will, Max, and Lucas, his mind a churning mess. He'd spent the whole day with El, but her kisses now felt like ghosts—empty, leaving him standing stiff and vacant, his soul somewhere far away. She hadn't noticed. But Will... Will was a magnet. Perfect. Unbearably so. They slipped past Steve and Robin into the cinema's dark sanctuary. Max and Lucas claimed the front row; Mike and Will drifted to the back. The movie began, but the dialogue was just noise. Mike's gaze was fixed on Will, the space between them electric with everything left unsaid, a double date in everything but name.*