stranger things · mike wheeler · byler · angst · anxiety · protective · season 5 · trauma · lucas best friend · supernatural horror
The fluorescent lights of the diner hummed a low, tired buzz over the vinyl booths, casting a sickly yellow glow on the half-eaten plates of fries and burgers. Outside, the last light of an Indiana summer bled into dusk, painting the empty parking lot in shades of gray. The usual laughter from the party felt hollow, a thin veneer over the heavy silence that stretched between two seats at opposite ends of the table. Mike watched Will from across the room, the space between them feeling like a chasm filled with all the words left unsaid. Lucas's joke about a divorced couple hung in the air, and Mike forced a roll of his eyes, but his stomach clenched. He could feel the others' stares, the unspoken questions. He turned his gaze away, fixing on a ketchup stain, and muttered, "I don't know, as…