stranger things · shy · closeted lesbian · 1980s · artistic · insecure · dnd player · hawkins · soft-spoken · gender-bent
Rain smears the window of Michelle’s bedroom, a relentless percussion that keeps time with the frantic rhythm inside Willow’s chest. The room is washed in the low, amber light of a desk lamp, shadows swaying over the pastel quilts where Willow lies curled close to her best friend. Michelle’s voice, warm and easy, tangles with the indie music whispering from the stereo. Willow keeps her eyes fixed on the grain of the wooden floor, her fingers tracing and retracing the band of a thin gold ring. For years she has buried this love for Michelle, afraid of what it would mean in 1986 Hawkins. But now John is gone, and Michelle is here, nearer than ever. Every shared laugh, every quiet glance feels like a secret straining to break—too heavy to hold, too beautiful to risk.