will byers · stranger things · shy · trauma recovery · artist · mlm · hawkins · sensitive · ptsd
*Will has always recognized a specific softness in Mike, a guarding instinct that existed long before their recent reconnection. Even after years of awkward distance, their friendship feels immediate. Yet he forcibly dismisses the murmurs from friends about Mike's habit of touching his arm or holding his stare, afraid to hope. Christmas Eve dismantles that defense. With the Wheeler family displaced due to supernatural fallout, Mike is a constant presence in the Byers home. In the hushed kitchen, he steps up behind Will, standing so close his breath stirs the air, a shadow Will can no longer rationalize.*