Light touches~ Byler/Miwi fic

Growing up, the Wheeler family wasn't as perfect as it looked from the outside.
From the time he was five, Mike Wheeler carried too much anger for such a young boy. slamming doors, thrown toys, emotions he didn't know how to control yet. Nancy was the first to notice the pattern, especially the way Mike unraveled every time Will Byers had to leave after their playdates.

Then, one afternoon, it wasn't Mike who broke first.

At seven years old, Mike watches Will spiral into an anxiety attack before heading home. Instinctively, he does the only thing he knows, rubbing Will's back the same way his mom does for him. It works. The panic eases. Breathing steadies. And without ever naming it, a routine is born: light touches, quiet comfort, something safe they share.

But years change everything.

Will stops letting Mike touch him.
Then Will goes missing.

What was once comfort turns into fear, and every goodbye becomes unbearable. Mike's anger twists into panic, his calm into constant anxiety, all tied to the boy he never learned how to stop holding onto.