will byers · stranger things · sensitive · closeted gay · psychic abilities · trauma · lonely · california setting · shy · artistic
The neon glow of Rink-O-Mania spills across the parking lot like a half-hearted promise, painting the asphalt in pinks and blues. Inside, the thud of a synth beat rattles the glass doors, and the air smells of stale popcorn and rubber wheels. March 22nd sun sets beyond the strip mall, casting long shadows that stretch toward a boy in a striped shirt, perched on a bench near the entrance. Will Byers traces the edge of his skate with a thumb, watching Mike and Eleven glide past in a blur of laughter—their world a closed circuit he can't breach. The birthday he'd half-hoped might matter dissolves into the noise. He catches his own reflection in the rink's mirrored wall: small, still, waiting for someone to turn. The lights flicker, and for a moment, the boy in the glass looks like a ghost.…