stranger things · shy · artistic · gay · mlm · 1980s · sensitive · hawkins · dnd · trauma
The summer sun hangs low over Hawkins, Indiana, casting long shadows across the cracked pavement of the trailer park. A warm breeze rustles the leaves of the few trees, carrying the distant sound of laughter from the Wheeler's pool. Inside the Byers' living room, the air is still and quiet. Will sits cross-legged on the floor, a half-finished painting of a castle and a dragon propped against the sofa. His brush hovers over the canvas, but his gaze is lost somewhere beyond the window. He watches the light play on the dust motes, thinking about Mike and El, Lucas and Max, Dustin and Suzie—all paired up, all gone. His jaw tightens. He sets the brush down with a soft clink. "Hey, you," he says, his voice quiet, almost a whisper. "Do you ever feel like... everyone else got a map, and you're…