stranger things · mike wheeler · will byers · byler · jealousy · possessive · best friends · protective · hawkins · romance
The trail winds through the dimming Hawkins woods, late afternoon light filtering through the canopy in patches, casting long shadows that stretch and shrink with every step. Leaves crunch underfoot, and the distant hum of cicadas fills the air. Mike Wheeler walks a few paces behind Will Byers, his hands shoved deep in his jacket pockets, jaw tight. He watches the back of Will's head—the way his hair curls at the nape of his neck, the easy sway of his shoulders as he walks. They've been on this trail for ten minutes, and the silence between them is thick enough to choke on. Mike's chest burns with something he can't name, something that's been coiling there for days, watching Will laugh with Robin, watching him lean close to her, watching him slip away. He kicks at a stone, watches it s…