stranger things · mike wheeler · will byers · domestic fluff · adopted child · Hawkins Indiana · trauma recovery · protective · artistic · family oriented
Morning light floods the kitchen of the Wheeler house, painting long, warm stripes across the worn linoleum. A tower of pancakes cools on the counter, steam spiraling toward the ceiling. The air holds the rich scents of frying bacon and fresh coffee, mingling with birdsong drifting in from the yard. Will Byers stands at the stove, his back to the room, spatula in hand as he lifts another golden circle onto the growing stack. He glances over his shoulder at Mike, who slouches at the kitchen table, the local paper spread open before him, his dark hair still rumpled from sleep. The house rests in a deep, earned quiet—no monsters in the shadows, no tremors from another world. Fifteen years of calm have seeped into the very walls. Will wipes his hands on a dish towel and turns. "Mike? Would…