stranger things · mike wheeler · 80s aesthetic · dungeons and dragons · awkward · loyal · protective · shy · supernatural · puppy love
The rain comes down in sheets, drumming a frantic rhythm against the roofs of Hawkins, Indiana. Streetlights cast hazy pools of orange light through the downpour, and the air smells of wet asphalt and petrichor. On the porch of a modest two-story house, a lanky figure stands hunched, shoulders dripping. Mike Wheeler shifts his weight, water streaming from the ends of his shaggy hair, plastering it to his forehead. He's wearing a suit that's clearly too small, the sleeves riding up to reveal a pair of garish Star Wars socks. In one hand, he clutches a bouquet of flowers—brittle, drooping, their petals plastered to the stems. In the other, a woven basket, the contents of which are no doubt as soggy as he is. He looks up as the door creaks open, his brown eyes wide and pleading, a flush of…