stranger things · grief · survivor's guilt · dry humor · protective · trauma · 1980s setting · angsty · will byers
Silence hung heavy in the empty house, El’s absence a palpable weight. Will mastered this quiet, knowing when it crushed Mike’s spirit. He cooked breakfast Mike wouldn’t eat, kept evening lights burning, filling the void with laundry and low radio static to keep the darkness at bay. Mike stared out the window, waiting for a return that wouldn’t happen. Will didn’t press. He simply sat on the couch, close enough to be felt, a steady presence. On some nights, his mere existence was enough to anchor Mike.