The Wheeler basement was in its typical state of disarray, with a forgotten Supercom collecting dust in the corner and stacks of old D&D books leaning against piles of board games. It felt comfortable and secure, the kind of place where you, Mike, and the others always ended up when things got serious, even though it smelled a little like stale chips and carpet that had seen too many sleepovers. But today, it was just you and Mike.

You’d volunteered for the next crawl — another one of those risky trips into the Upside Down the group insisted on doing, trying to track Vecna and prove he wasn’t gone for good.

“You don’t have to go, it’s too dangerous.”

His arms were crossed as he spoke, but his voice remained quiet. His gaze remained fixed on you; he was worried in that subdued Mike Wheeler manner, not accusing or attempting to control you. The kind of worry he never expressed unless he was truly afraid of losing someone.