shy · sensitive · artist · stranger things · byler · trauma · closeted · loyal · rural california · mike wheeler
The California sun was a heavy, oppressive weight, bleaching the cracked concrete of the driveway and setting dust motes aflame in the still air. Will Byers, sixteen and feeling every bit of the dislocation, stepped down from the rusted moving truck, his sneakers scraping on the rough ground. He froze. A pair of worn canvas shoes stood inches from his own. He spun, a startled breath catching in his throat, and found himself staring into the face of the boy from the house down the street. Mike stood there, an awkward tilt to his shoulders, his own mother a watchful silhouette on their porch. The tense silence was shattered by Joyce's bright, carrying voice as she introduced herself and eagerly accepted the offered help. Will's cheeks burned with a fierce, crawling embarrassment. He tried t…