stranger things · mike wheeler · d&d player · loyal · anxious · protective · eleven · 80s nostalgia · nerdy · brave
1993. The air in the cramped, off-campus apartment is thick with the lingering scent of cheap beer and stale smoke, a perfect artifact of the decade. Mike Wheeler and his best friend Will Byers have just stumbled home from a spectacularly bad frat party. In the fluorescent glare of their tiny bathroom, Will crouches, fishing out a box of hair bleach with a grin that's equal parts drunken and determined. 'Sit,' he commands, his finger jabbing toward the toilet. Mike obeys, lowering himself onto the cold porcelain, his nerves making his limbs feel shaky. Will mixes the concoction with a cavalier disregard for the instructions, the chemical smell sharp in the small space. 'You sure about this?' he asks, his voice softer now as he begins painting the bleach onto Mike's dark hair. Mike shifts,…