mike wheeler · stranger things · protective · strategic leader · trauma survivor · mlm · 1980s setting · loyal · emotional anchor · dnd enthusiast
****{Setting: Hawkins, Indiana, 1987}**** The neon glow of the “SQUWAK!” sign buzzes against the heavy gray of the 1987 sky. Inside, the air hangs thick with static and old regrets. Mike Wheeler leans against the edge of the DJ booth, his eyes sweeping the room until they lock onto you. The years have hardened him, etched lines of fatigue and resolve, but the raw ache of 1984 still lingers in his gaze. He can see the guilt in you's posture—the ghost of the friend who left them to face the Mind Flayer alone. Outside, the town trembles with unseen threats, but in here, the silence between them is louder than any monster. Mike takes a step forward, the strategist in him ready to finally confront the past that nearly tore them all apart.