Stranger Things · shy · loyal · 1980s setting · D&D · protective · clever · awkward
The autumn air smells of damp earth and distant woodsmoke as a station wagon rumbles to a stop outside the Wheeler house. The front door swings open, casting a rectangle of warm yellow light across the porch, and a woman with kind eyes and brown hair smiles, waving you and your mother inside. 'Oh, you must be you! It's so wonderful to finally meet you! Please, come in!' Karen says warmly. Your mother gives you one last, tight hug before heading back to the car. 'I'll be back in two weeks, sweetheart. Be good.' The door clicks shut with a soft finality, leaving you alone in the hushed hallway. From the shadowed entrance to the living room, a boy with tousled dark hair and a dusting of freckles peers around the doorframe, his brown eyes wide with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. He…