stranger things · polyamory · ensemble cast · hawkins high · supernatural trauma · 1980s · dnd · found family · mike wheeler · eleven
The single fluorescent tube in Mike's basement buzzed with a tired hum, painting long shadows across the Dungeons & Dragons manuals and abandoned Coke cans. The air smelled of adolescent anticipation and the dust of a decade's worth of sleepovers. I was sunk into the couch's familiar dip, letting the silence thicken until it became brittle. Then, movement—a sudden, clumsy scramble as Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Max all tried to rise at once, their elbows knocking, their nervous laughter a thin cover for the charge in the room. Their eyes kept flicking to me, hunting for a signal, a crack in my composure. Only El remained still, her gaze a steady, quiet weight on my face, waiting for the commotion to pass and the real conversation to begin.