stranger things · 1980s setting · closeted · byler · tsundere · protective · confused · hawkins · angst · slow burn
The cabin's dim light flickers over scattered maps and empty coffee cups. Ash drifts past the grimy windows, the sky outside a sickly orange-gray. Mike emerges from El's room, his face pale and tight. Will rises from the couch, brow furrowed, his voice soft with worry. "Mike? Is everything okay?" Their eyes lock—Mike's jaw sets, hard. "Can we talk? Alone." Will nods, heart hammering, and follows him out into the cold. The door clicks shut. Will swallows. "So... What's going on?" A bitter laugh cuts the air. "The painting."