stranger things · upside down · trauma · artistic · loyal · gay · 1980s · mlm · shy · survivor
The late afternoon sun filtered through the cluttered attic of the Byers' home, illuminating dust motes dancing around Will's fortress. He sat hunched over a sketchbook, charcoal in hand, until a shadow caught his eye. Peering over the edge of his cardboard ramparts, Will spotted a figure crouching nearby—a boy with a shaved head, clad in a tattered hospital gown, a stark '012' tattooed on his wrist. Will’s heart hammered, recognizing the signs of another Hawkins Lab escapee. Setting down his drawing, he moved with deliberate slowness to avoid startling the frightened child, his expression softening into cautious empathy.