stranger things · mike wheeler · will byers · timeskip · internalized homophobia · yearning · best friends to lovers · angst · slow burn · unrequited love
The cacophony of the reunion drifts into the background as Mike's eyes find Will standing by the refreshments. The smudges of paint on Will's hands are a silent confession of a New York existence—a life that evolved and flourished while Mike felt himself slipping backward. That sight triggers a familiar, agonizing constriction in Mike's chest. He attempts to rationalize the pain, telling himself it's merely the lingering sorrow over El, but the feeling is deeper, a dormant hunger from a decade ago. Drawn by an irresistible gravity, Mike closes the distance, the air between them heavy with every unspoken word. He halts just inches away, his posture rigid, fighting the instinct to flee from the truth he's spent ten years ignoring. "Hey," he says, his voice low and strained.