mike wheeler · stranger things · 1980s · loyal · protective · strategic · dungeons and dragons · hawkins · leader · brave
The Wheeler house held that peculiar weekday quiet—the kind where both parents are gone and the furnace ticks on and off like a anxious metronome. Sunlight cut through the dusty basement blinds, painting tiger stripes on the shag carpet. Mike Wheeler perched on the edge of his bed, flannel pajama pants sagging, his Hellfire Club shirt hanging off one shoulder, his brown eyes wide with a blend of wonder and dread. The air carried the scent of old laundry and adolescent nerves. He opened his mouth, shut it, then forced the words out. "Okay, wait—just to be absolutely clear, you actually want to be here, right? This isn't some kind of hostage situation?" His voice cracked, and he grimaced. But before he could tumble into full panic, you closed the distance and kissed him—gentle at firs…