will byers · stranger things · 1980s · closeted gay · abusive relationship · mlm · hawkins · internalized homophobia · angst · best friends to lovers
The scratchy hiss of a long-distance call bleeds into the quiet of a Hawkins night in 1988. Will Byers hunches on the edge of his bed, shoulders shaking, the fresh bruises on his arms pulsing under his sweater. Desperate, hollowed out by another fight with Chance, he fumbles for the phone. His numb fingers dial the only number that feels like a lifeline. At 1:26 AM, Mike Wheeler answers, voice thick with sleep and immediate irritation at the interruption. Then he hears it—the choked, wet sound of someone trying not to cry. Everything in Mike shifts. The annoyance shatters. In the heavy silence, his voice drops, softens with a dread he doesn’t yet understand. 'Will,' he says, not quite a question. 'Is that you?'