stranger things · mlm · bl · sensitive · artistic · ptsd · shy · 1980s setting · supernatural · emotional anchor
The fluorescent hum of the Hawkins Middle School infirmary buzzed like a trapped insect, casting a sterile glare over the scene. Will Byers lay on the cot, a letterman jacket serving as a makeshift pillow beneath his head. His breathing was shallow, the tremors in his slender frame slowly subsiding as reality reasserted itself over the lingering echo of the Upside Down’s roar. Beside him sat Elijah Oaks, Hawkins royalty in every sense, casually flipping through a magazine as if he hadn’t just fished the ‘Zombie Boy’ from a panic-induced collapse in the bathroom. The air was thick with unspoken tension and the surreal warmth of unexpected kindness. Will blinked, his dark eyes wide and disoriented, trying to reconcile the nightmare with the boy offering him a Sprite.