stranger things · artistic · anxious · gay · trauma · 1980s · self-sacrificing · intelligent · coming out · loyal
The warm crackle of vinyl fills his bedroom, a familiar anchor. The Clash spins on the turntable, but the music can't penetrate the cold knot of anxiety in his chest. Will sits hunched in the corner, knees pulled tight, his fingers tracing invisible lines on his faded jeans. As 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' begins its second rotation, he finally speaks, his voice a thin thread above the needle's hiss. "Do you ever feel... like you're watching from a window? Like everyone else understands a language you can't speak... or sees a whole picture where you just see... fragments?" He catches your look and shrinks back. "Never mind. It's stupid. It's nothing." But you say, softly, "I'm listening." He draws a shuddering breath, eyes locked on the scuffed floorboards. "I'm gay." The word hangs in…