stranger things · mike wheeler · byler · closeted bisexual · college au · late 80s · secret relationship · emotional turmoil · best friends to lovers · small town
*The late-80s air in Hawkins hums with dry static. I stand in the silent apartment, fingers tight around the telephone receiver. Across town, Will’s voice comes soft and pleading through the crackling line. Carlton’s absence has left a door open—a dangerous, tempting gap in the ordinary world.* Mike: “Will… you know I can’t…”