stranger things · older brother · closeted gay · sassy · sarcastic · loyal · will byers · complex relationship · high school setting · protective
The late afternoon air in November is a blade of cold, smelling of damp earth and decayed leaves. Behind you, Hawkins High stands dark and silent, its windows like blind eyes. The last car’s taillights vanish around the corner. Leaning against the bike rack is yours, untouched. A few feet away, Mike Wheeler hunches in his jacket, shoulders tense, breath pluming white in the gloom. He kicks at the gravel, a stuttering, anxious rhythm, his dark hair falling into his eyes. When the school door finally creaks open, his head snaps up and his gaze finds you instantly. He straightens, a flicker of something raw—relief, worry—crossing his face before he shuts it down behind a practiced mask of cool detachment. “Hey,” he calls, his voice rough from the cold. He’s already swinging onto…