1 - 20 of 32 Bookmarks by MatchingPromises
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“Is it Tammy?”
Will feels his face scrunch up in confusion, pulled clean out of his thoughts by the absurdity of the question. “Tammy?”
“Earlier, you said- it’s Tammy, right? The reason you’re- you’re ignoring me? We have to be a team, right now-”
Will blinks for a moment, head shaking as he leans it back, trying to think of how Mike could be so… so out of the loop. “Mike, Vecna is going to kill us, I don’t care about Tammy-”
“But you like him, right?”
“What?! Tammy Thompson?”
Mike lags, freezing. “Thompson?”
Or, Will is preparing to give up one last thing for the people he loved. The last thing he hasn't given them yet. His life. Mike, however, is a lot more concerned with whoever this Tammy person is and why Will cared about them enough to include them in his confession.
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
12 Jan 2026
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“What are you doing?” he asks, dumbfounded.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m climbing through the window.”
“You know that people created the doors just for this precise purpose?” Will rolls his eyes, but cannot stop himself from smiling.
“Yes, but it’s not that romantic, isn’t it?” Mike smiles, putting his hands on the windowsill, voice breaking on the romantic.
“Romantic?” Will says, confused, not sure if he heard him correctly.
“Romantic,” Mike frowns, trying to push himself to climb into the window. Will is just standing there, expectedly, observing his failing attempts.
“You don’t have an athletic bone in your body,” Will rolls his eyes and leans against the window still. “Are you sure you don’t want to try the door?”
“And risk being caught by your mother? I don’t know about you, but I would rather not explain to her why I decided to drop by almost at midnight with the expectation to spend the night in her son’s bedroom."
Or: Will comes out. Lucas and Dustin handled it pretty well. Mike Wheeler's reaction is a bit harder to read.
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
12 Jan 2026
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Will takes a moment, hands clenched into fists at his sides, to rest his head against the grain of the wood and close his eyes. Here, with the solid weight of the door to ground him, he evaluates the facts: the war is over, Vecna dead and gone for good this time. Max is awake, reunited with Lucas and El at last, who both rushed to return to their places at her bedside the moment they knew. The rest of his family is upstairs, the rest of his friends alongside them, alive and mostly well and rejoicing in the fact that a years-long nightmare has finally reached its conclusion. It’s a night for togetherness, for celebrating hard-earned victories, for finally looking ahead instead of back over their shoulders.
It’s also a night where Will almost killed Mike.
In the midst of their final stand against Vecna, a possessed Will nearly strangles Mike to death. In the basement bathroom of the Wheeler's house after their victory, Mike and Will confront the aftermath.
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
12 Jan 2026
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“Shut the fuck up.”, Will whispers because he can’t, he just can’t deal with Mike’s confusing ass right now. The soft light is illuminating Mike’s features, jaw carved out so perfectly, cheekbones high, eyes so dark Will feels like they’re swallowing him. “You are, too.”, he adds.
“Prettier than your lame boyfriend?”, Mike ask, voice somehow careful and urgent at the same time.
“Mike…” Will shivers a little, not sure what to do with himself. It’s ridiculous for Mike to actually believe Will has a boyfriend; if that were the case, he would’ve never stepped a foot into this bed. But somehow, Mike’s need to come out on top compared to the guy he is supposedly dating makes Will break out in goosebumps all over.
“That’s not a no.”, Mike remarks.
“That’s not a no.”, Will whispers, scared to move at all and break the moment.
A soft grin plays at the corner of Mike’s mouth, “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.”, Will nods, “But you knew that already.”
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College AU where Will pretends to date a guy named Carlton to set a boundary with Mike and stop him from flirting when he keeps insisting they're just 'best friends'. It backfires and Mike sends him more mixed signals than ever.Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
11 Jan 2026
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Of course, that's when Will sees him. Hopper's got a thick arm wrapped around his shoulders, making him look small, despite the fact that he'd shot up three inches in their last summer together and now stood a whopping five feet and eleven inches tall. His limbs stick out at awkward angles and his trousers are slightly too short, nipping at his ankles and showing off mismatched socks. He looks away from Hopper, and—
Mike's eyes lock with Will's.
Mike Wheeler is somewhere in there, Will is certain. He's going to get his best friend back, and if he ends up with a little more than what he bargained for, well, who is he to complain?
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
10 Jan 2026
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In the end, it doesn’t matter. None of it fucking matters. Because what’s really in control is the tension. This elusive string tied between their chests that’s always changing length. Right now it’s so short and taught and strong that Will can’t imagine resisting it. So really, it was never a matter of if he would. Just when. When will he fold? When will he let go and let himself follow Mike into the water?
He dares to glance down at his knees, where he can see Mike’s fingers peeking out from behind his calves (as if he needed that visual reminder that they’re touching), and then back up to meet Mike’s expectant gaze.
He’s going to do it. He’s such a fucking idiot.
OR
Mike & Will have a long overdue conversation on the way back to Hawkins— by, in, and around a random motel pool.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 30,013
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Comments:
- 107
- Kudos:
- 2,807
- Bookmarks:
- 937
- Hits:
- 46,016
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
07 Jan 2026
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“Shut up!” Mike says with a scowl. “I meant, like…I was just thinking…why don’t we just do it? Why don’t Will and I kiss?”
It’s as if you could hear a pin drop.
Lucas stares at Mike like he’s grown an extra head. Dustin and El exchange a meaningful look. Even Max, who just a moment ago had been happily poking fun at Mike, is seemingly at a loss for words.
Will is silent too, color rising to his cheeks. It’s one thing for Max to suggest it; it’s another entirely for Mike to double down. Mike, his best friend for as long as he can remember. Mike, who regardless of any newfound warmth could barely touch Will for an entire year. Mike, who is oblivious to the fact that Will is desperately in love with him.
Mike, who despite all that said Why don’t Will and I kiss as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
After his first semester of college ends, Will is more than happy to spend a relaxing New Year's Eve in Mike's basement with the rest of the Party. Things go off the rails, however, when Max and El ask everyone to join in on an interesting new tradition—a tradition which may or may not involve him and Mike sharing a kiss.
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
06 Jan 2026
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(PODFIC AVAILABLE)
Lucas doesn’t believe in coincidences. That much is a given. Most especially now that Max is still hospitalized, so he has more time to really observe the people around him and willingly take charge in uncovering certain mysteries smaller than the upside down and much closer to him than he thinks. He eventually starts picking up on things he’s always been skeptical of
OR
Sometime during the 18 months, Lucas is finally choosing to believe he’s in fact NOT crazy and that Mike Wheeler is exactly what Lucas has always thought he was (a homosexual)- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 90,116
- Chapters:
- 17/17
- Comments:
- 327
- Kudos:
- 2,176
- Bookmarks:
- 561
- Hits:
- 47,263
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
06 Jan 2026
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Will wakes up to find Mike Wheeler sleeping on his floor, only four years younger. Now it’s up to the Party to get him back to his own timeline.
Title from the song Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
Series
- Part 1 of landslide
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 40,402
- Chapters:
- 11/11
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 1,159
- Kudos:
- 10,203
- Bookmarks:
- 2,139
- Hits:
- 159,338
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
04 Jan 2026
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we all have a hunger (tell me what you need) by papenathy
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
03 Jun 2025
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“Looks like I bit you.” Will tilts his head to get a better look. All Mike can do is stare at him. His fluffy hair at the front, clumped pieces at the back where he’d slid his fingers in a mere few minutes before. His pretty green eyes that look hazel or even brown in this light, the dark circles he gets when he drinks framing them like intricate paintings. A satisfied, bloody smile.
Mike isn’t satisfied. He swallows thickly, choking down the words 'don’t you want more?'
Or: Will dresses as a vampire for a college halloween party, but Mike thinks his costume isn’t bloody enough. Will lets him fix it. Mike goes into a crisis.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 34,403
- Chapters:
- 3/3
- Comments:
- 959
- Kudos:
- 22,916
- Bookmarks:
- 5,014
- Hits:
- 320,939
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
30 Dec 2025
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will byers’ guide to advanced concepts in painting by falloutboi
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
27 Dec 2025
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Dustin hums in agreement while he swallows his bite. “It’s like, against his factory settings to say no to you. What do you need him to do, model for you or something?”
Will shoves his face back into his hands. “I’m going to fail.”
Max rolls her eyes. “You’re not going to fail, you’re going to paint Mike.”
Will lifts his head up from his hands, eyes wide, and shakes his head. “You don’t understand.” He pleads with his awful, awful friends, voice low. “He’s been, he’s using my-he came out of my bathroom in just a towel last night.”
--
Studio art major Will Byers has a study of the human body due before the semester ends, is in desperate need for a model, and has a huge, life-altering, heart wrenching crush on his best friend.
Enter: Mike Wheeler, his broken shower, and his collection of plaid-print boxers.
Series
- Part 1 of devotion | Indiana University
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 18,437
- Chapters:
- 6/6
- Comments:
- 342
- Kudos:
- 4,379
- Bookmarks:
- 1,140
- Hits:
- 36,707
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
29 Dec 2025
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“Hungry,” is all Mike manages to get out. Will can hear each ragged breath scuttle up and down his chest. He squints at Mike, the boy refusing to break eye contact, staring intently at Will. The emptiness from this morning is back.
Will scoots up in bed and shimmies out of his blanket cocoon, placing his hands on the sides of Mike’s arms. “Are you feeling sick?” he questions gently. Something’s not right.
Mike shakes his head and once again, opens his mouth with a brief pause before speaking. “I’m so hungry, Will.”
Mike gets a little too into the occult. After a ritual-gone-wrong, Will has to piece together a decades-old mystery to save his best friend's life.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 84,549
- Chapters:
- 18/18
- Comments:
- 364
- Kudos:
- 527
- Bookmarks:
- 250
- Hits:
- 20,276
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
21 Dec 2025
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don't know what to do (when i'm like this) by liveandfall
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
17 Dec 2025
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He shouldn't have let Max goad them into doing this. He should have shut the whole operation down the moment he saw her share a smirk with El when they were still out at the diner, innocently eating shitty waffles and soggy fries. He should have never agreed to let everyone come back here, he should have never let Robin and Steve pawn them off a twelve-pack of disgusting Sam Adams, and he should have never, ever let Dustin put his empty bottle in the middle of the circle they were sat in, comfortably buzzed and basking in normalcy.
But Mike had let them.
Mike Wheeler finds heaven in a boy who’s been to hell and back.
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
20 Dec 2025
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i hate accidents (except when we went from friends to this). by burgundyshirts
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
11 Aug 2022
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The first time it happens, Will classifies it as a little accident.
When he wakes, the morning sun is burning through the window onto their faces, and Mike’s cursing as he stands to close the curtains, stumbling all the way.
“Scoot over,” he grumbles, voice dry, and for a second Will can’t do anything other than sigh like a lovesick idiot. It’s a second too late for Mike, because he grumbles more words Will doesn’t catch under his breath and then physically pushes Will towards the wall to lay beside him, arm over Will’s middle. A second of silence passes, then Mike sighs, only to whine: “Fuck, my head hurts.”
Will can’t help it: he breaks down laughing, much to Mike’s offense.
---------------
Alternatively: five times Mike kissed Will, and one time Will kissed back.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 16,834
- Chapters:
- 3/3
- Collections:
- 5
- Comments:
- 710
- Kudos:
- 18,424
- Bookmarks:
- 3,656
- Hits:
- 202,549
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
15 Dec 2025
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Approximately four hours ago, Will had snapped, fear and anger clouding his mind when he saw the people he loved in danger. Approximately four hours ago, Will had let the darkness in him seep out for all to see, obliterating the monsters who threatened to hurt his friends. To hurt Mike.
Approximately four hours ago, Will had nearly lost him. He hadn’t quite come to terms with that yet.
AKA Mike being a nerd while Will spirals and overthinks things for over 6000 words straight
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
12 Dec 2025
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"Is Will your boyfriend?" Holly asks, and Mike immediately chokes on the lettuce in his mouth.
"Wh- what?" he gasps, dropping his fork and swallowing back the salad that suddenly feels like cement in his throat. Holly's looking at him with a strange expression, like she's trying to figure something out.
"Will. Is he your boyfriend?" she repeats, even though Mike very obviously heard her, and the question doesn't feel any less shocking the second time.
"No!" He yelps. "No, why would you think that?"
Holly shrugs, taking another bite of spaghetti like this is a normal conversation and she is not slowly killing him. "Nancy calls him your little boyfriend sometimes, and Mom says he's your person, which basically means the same thing, and you live together and act like a couple and unpack groceries together, and- I don't know. Seems like it could be a thing."
holly visits college roommates mike and will, and has a few important questions for them
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 21,445
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 3
- Comments:
- 221
- Kudos:
- 4,836
- Bookmarks:
- 1,249
- Hits:
- 47,300
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
12 Dec 2025
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“I need you.”
Will’s expression grows more stunned. “What?” he breathes, voice barely above a whisper.
His instincts tell him to take it all back, but the way that Will’s looking at him with those sorrowful, questioning eyes weakens him. And he’s been stupid for many, many years, so what’s a little more stupidity?
aka a s5 speculatory mike wheeler-centric fic about his internalised homophobia and a lot of moments where he's not so clever about his feelings with will
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 46,457
- Chapters:
- 10/10
- Comments:
- 367
- Kudos:
- 5,941
- Bookmarks:
- 1,205
- Hits:
- 119,184
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
09 Dec 2025
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“I want you to tell him why you're so upset," Vecna says, and Will swears he sees the curl of a smile in the webbed scars of his face. “I want to watch you lose him.”
(Or, Will is forced by Vecna to confess his feelings to Mike, with a slow burn aftermath. Alternate Season 5.)
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 87,597
- Chapters:
- 26/26
- Comments:
- 1,107
- Kudos:
- 5,730
- Bookmarks:
- 1,393
- Hits:
- 114,274
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
07 Dec 2025
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It’s winter in Hawkins, and Mike and Will aren’t speaking anymore. Living in Mike’s house, Will tries to be invisible, spending most of his time in the basement.
Then the power goes out — and if there’s one thing he dreads more than facing Mike, it’s the cold.
or
Seven nights in which Mike and Will have to sleep in the same bed, even though they’re barely friends anymore.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 52,632
- Chapters:
- 8/8
- Comments:
- 12,369
- Kudos:
- 162,461
- Bookmarks:
- 24,586
- Hits:
- 1,984,852
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
05 Dec 2025
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There’s something wrong with Will.
It started three weeks ago, almost four. Will had woken from some sort of nightmare and, instead of seeking comfort in Mike the way he usually would, he’d rolled out a sleeping bag from the closet and chosen to sleep on the floor.
No one believes Mike, except for Joyce. But even she doesn’t understand the full extent to which something is wrong with Will.
Mike understands, though. Mike has been paying attention.
Series
- Part 1 of eye of the beholder
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 34,883
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Comments:
- 743
- Kudos:
- 8,002
- Bookmarks:
- 2,106
- Hits:
- 123,268
Bookmarked by MatchingPromises
04 Dec 2025