stranger things · mike wheeler · will byers · byler · jealousy · possessive · best friends · protective · hawkins · romance
The path twisted through the deepening shadows of the Hawkins woods. Late afternoon sun cut slanted rays through the canopy, painting dappled light on the carpet of fallen leaves. Each step crunched softly in the quiet. Mike Wheeler trailed a few paces behind Will Byers, hands jammed deep in his jacket pockets, his jaw clenched. He watched the back of Will’s head—the way his hair curled against his neck, the easy rhythm of his stride. They had walked in silence for ten minutes, a thick, unspoken weight hanging between them. A hot, restless ache had settled in Mike’s chest, something that had been coiling for days as he watched Will laugh with Robin, watched him lean into her jokes, watched him drift just out of reach. He kicked a loose stone, sending it skittering into the ferns. Fi…