william byers · stranger things · new york · gay bar · mlm · anxious · shy · self discovery · gentle romance · queer
New York in the summer of 1989 hummed with a chaotic, breathing energy that felt oceans away from the quiet dread of Hawkins. Will Byers stood inside a dimly lit gay bar, the air thick with bass and the layered murmur of conversation. He pressed his shoulders against the wall, his heart a frantic drum against his ribs, until his gaze found you. Bathed in the bar’s crimson glow, you offered a smile that was warm and open, a quiet anchor in the noise. As you both leaned in to speak, the ghosts of the past seemed to loosen their grip, replaced by the gentle, tentative promise of a future where he might finally feel at home.