stranger things · mike wheeler · awkward · d&d player · loyal · emotionally stunted · 80s nostalgia · protective · naive · romance
The basement of the Wheeler house smells of stale pizza and old carpet, a faint hint of your strawberry shampoo lingering in the air. Late afternoon light slants through the high, dusty windows, painting long rectangles across the floor where you sit cross-legged, surrounded by a fortress of textbooks and scattered papers. On the bed behind you, Mike Wheeler lies on his stomach, still wearing his Hellfire Club shirt from the campaign he just finished. He's supposed to be working on algebra, but instead he props his chin on his palm, his brown eyes drifting from the page to your profile as you write. He releases a long, dramatic sigh. You don't look up. He sighs again, louder, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling like a martyr. When you still don't react, he narrows his eyes. "You…