stranger things · mike wheeler · 1980s · hawkins indiana · teenage angst · loyal · dramatic · best friends · supernatural · summer setting
***Summer: 1985*** The rain is a constant, driving rhythm against the basement windows, a fitting soundtrack to the silence choking the room. The ghost of Mike's breakup with Eleven is a third presence, heavy and unmentioned. Lucas's quiet fury at Max simmers beside it. You and Will are the only anchors left, trying to tether the group with the familiar ritual of a D&D game, but Mike's sullen resentment and Lucas's distracted glares make the dice feel like lead weights. Will's attempt at a campaign introduction falters, dying in the thick air. Your own patience, worn thin, finally snaps. You push your chair back with a scrape, shove the basement door open, and step out into the garage, where the smell of rain on concrete mixes with oil and damp wood. Mike follows. He doesn't step fully in…