6 Works by ElephantShoe
Listing Works
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Hold My Heart (and watch it burn): a Byler Files Christmas story by ElephantShoe for PinksMonkey, a70sMatthew
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
25 Dec 2025
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KAREN: You nervous, honey?
MIKE: Y-yeah. I, I kinda am. I dunno why. I mean, it's only Will, right?
(As if Will could ever be “only” anything.)
KAREN: Well, yes, but… it’s bound to be a little surreal after not seeing each other for so long. It makes sense that things might feel… different. (Mike's furrowed brow furrows even deeper.) Oh, don’t worry, sweetie. I'm sure once he's here, it'll be like nothing's changed.
MIKE: Yeah?(It's at this point that the doors slide apart, releasing an avalanche of travelers. Karen’s mouth falls open and her eyebrows lift in surprise.)
KAREN: Or I… could be wrong…
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It's Christmastime while the Byers are still living in California and the only thing Mike asked his parents for... was Will.
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Chapter 14 is (FINALLY!) up! Enjoy 😃
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WILL (quietly): Are you… in love with me?
MIKE (shocked): What…? Why… why would you ask me that?
WILL (getting scared): Y-you're not, are you? Oh god – is it true? Am, am I… am I delusional?
MIKE: No! No. Will – Of course I'm in love with you. Why would you even have to ask? You know how much I love you…
WILL: You do…? Really? They said it wasn't true. That it was all a dream… That I'm… (slowly) not… really here.
MIKE: Who said that?
WILL: Are you real…?
MIKE: Of course I'm real. Who said that?
WILL: The Lost Souls. They said I'm one of them. They said I died in the Upside Down. Or… I'm… going to. Soon. I dunno.
MIKE: Well, that's bullshit. What do they know? (insistent) Will. You are here. (He cups Will's face in his hands.) And I love you.
WILL (welling up): Promise?
MIKE (nodding): I promise.
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Will and Mike are finally, happily together and ready to take on the world. But now, a terrifying dream, a mysterious phrase, and a looming threat lead them to uncover secrets buried long ago – secrets that could change everything.
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The Byler Files, appendix B: Mike's Song Lyrics by ElephantShoe
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
07 Jan 2025
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In one of Mike's letters to Will, he writes:
"Um, I have a little secret to confess… I write songs. Yup. Cringey, huh? I've been writing them for years now, since the first day of Kindergarten, actually – the day we met. Most of them suck, but I think a few might be pretty good. Eddie thinks so too. And here's another confession… they’re basically all about you. I know it sounds stupid and corny, and kind of makes me want to bury my head between the couch cushions a little, but… you inspire me, Will. You really do. You're just so sweet and beautiful and talented and amazing, and I think there should be songs about you, so I wrote some... I've been writing a lot of them since you left, because honestly, you're all I can think about. In case that wasn't obvious already."
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This is Mike's Song Book, containing the lyrics of the songs he has written and performed throughout The Byler Files, in the order they appear.
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The Byler Files, appendix A: Mike's Letters by ElephantShoe
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
17 Nov 2023
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Oct. 13th, 1985
Dear Will,
How are you? I am fine. Everyone here is good. Lucas made the basketball team… blah, blah, blah. God, this letter is bullshit! It doesn't even begin to tell you what I'm actually feeling.
I am miserable, Will – horribly, soul-suckingly, excruciatingly miserable. School sucks, everything sucks, you are gone, and I am so mad at you for leaving...
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In The Byler Files, vol. 2, chapter 3 - "Love Letters":
Stashed under Mike's bed, Will finds a shoebox with his name printed across it in thick blue marker. Inside is a pile of letters scribbled on scraps of paper in Mike's handwriting, all addressed to Will.
These are the letters.
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(Reluctantly, Will ventures a possible solution, despite the unlikelihood of Mike being on board. Desperate times, and all that...)
WILL: You knowww… my mom did say we could come to her with any questions…
MIKE (sarcastically): Oh yeah. I can just picture how well that would go. "So, Mrs. Byers… Joyce – can I call you Joyce? (Will starts laughing hysterically.) Just out of curiosity… what do you think would be the, um… safest way for me to bang your son?"
WILL (laughing): Well, when you put it so eloquently…
MIKE: You're her precious little angel boy. There is no way I'm asking her how to defile you.
(Will falls back onto the bed, his legs still dangling over the side, and pulls Mike down on top of him, kissing him deeply.)
WILL: But I want you to defile me.
MIKE: Yeah, but she doesn't need to know that.
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Together, Will and Mike navigate the boundaries of their new relationship, while also trying to hide it from the homophobic haters of Hawkins, and maybe find a little privacy once in a while.
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(Volume 2 of TBF series -- you don't have to read vol.1 first, but you can if you like.😊)
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WILL: Y-you want us to practice kissing? Like, with each other…?
MIKE (flustered): You know what? Nevermind. I, I told you, it's a dumb idea. Forget I mentioned it.
WILL: No – it's not dumb.
(A look of surprise flashes across Mike's face. Did he hear that right?)
MIKE: I mean, I, I just thought it would be easier with a friend, you know? Someone who won't make fun of you if you do it wrong. Someone who…
WILL (nodding): Makes you feel safe.
MIKE: Yeah. Exactly! Who knows, maybe we'll get good enough to really impress the ladies. (He raises his eyebrows comically several times.)
WILL (laughing): Okay. So… what do we do?
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With help from family and friends, Mike Wheeler embarks on an emotional journey of self-discovery to learn how to finally embrace his true feelings for Will.
*Tender emotional music playing*
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