11 Bookmarks by fallenpaladin
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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:
- 13,762
- Kudos:
- 188,405
- Bookmarks:
- 28,812
- Hits:
- 2,443,943
Bookmarked by fallenpaladin
06 Dec 2025
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"He's way too young for you," Mike muttered, whipping his head away from Robin and tucking his knees up to his chin. For some reason, he thought this conversation might go a lot worse for him if he looked her in the eye. "And you took him into the woods— where he got taken, I mean, I don't even—" and he shook his head, frowning deeper. "You went against his mom's orders! Can you not even respect his parents?"
A choked noise snapped Mike back to reality. "You— what?" Robin blinked at him, her mouth hanging slack. "I respect Joyce Byers. Very much."
With Will unconscious, Mike and Robin find time for a tense chat.
Bookmarked by fallenpaladin
30 Nov 2025
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"I live in your house, Mike," he said, crossing his arms defensively. "I thought you'd already have enough of me."
"I don't." Will jumped at Mike's voice, head whipping back around to face him. "Come on, Will! You talk to Holly more than you do me. You're always doing those— those ugly craft projects with her, and I didn't even know you liked crafts, and I didn't know you liked Holly more than me, either. I don't know anything about you."
Will blinked at him, mouth agape. "They're not ugly," he said, weakly.
"They are." Mike glared at Will harder. "See? I didn't know you lied now, either."
The Byers spend their first year with the Wheelers. Will learns how to handle Mike, and Mike learns how to handle change.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 19,617
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Comments:
- 149
- Kudos:
- 2,178
- Bookmarks:
- 505
- Hits:
- 29,099
Bookmarked by fallenpaladin
19 Nov 2025
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But I know, if the world turned upside down / Baby, I know you'd always be around
“Mike?”
It’s a whisper, but it’s filled with something so earnest, so true, that it strikes through Mike’s very core. Rips apart at his chest, with the familiarity of it. The way his name sounds in this younger Will’s throat, soft and gentle and so, so relieved.
“Will,” Mike says back, matching his whisper. “Hey, Will, it’s me. Mike.”
“But—” Will frowns. He’s so unsure, Mike wants to cry for him. “You’re so tall.”
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Or, when Will is possessed by Vecna and trapped in his own mind, Mike is the only one who can save him.
Bookmarked by fallenpaladin
18 Nov 2025
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1989. Senior year.
It took nearly three years of growing apart, but Will Byers has finally gotten used to life without Mike Wheeler. He has El, he has Max, he has his art, and, as of two days ago, he has a full ride to art school in Chicago, so things are good. Right? So when Mike climbs through his window one night and stumbles back into his life, Will’s not prepared for the resurgence of old feelings—and even less prepared for the possibility that they might not be as hopeless as he always thought. With the expiration date of graduation looming, Will has to figure out not only his future, but what exactly he and Mike are to each other.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 33,017
- Chapters:
- 7/7
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 197
- Kudos:
- 2,275
- Bookmarks:
- 797
- Hits:
- 62,019
Bookmarked by fallenpaladin
14 Nov 2025
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the windows of this love by delusionaltogether (Whyyyyy)
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
12 Jun 2023
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Will smiles encouragingly at him, swiping his tears away and kissing his forehead again. "Let's make a deal, okay?" he murmurs, voice low and full of a bittersweet sort of hope. "If in five years we're both doing better, and we're not dating anyone else-" Mike blanches at the concept of dating anyone else, of Will dating anyone else- "we can try again, okay?"
Five years sounds like a terribly long time. In five years, Mike will be twenty-three. He'll be done with college, will have a career, could be living anywhere in the world for all he knows, and the same goes for Will.
But five years is a whole lot less than forever, so Mike will take it.
In the summer of 1989, Mike and Will fall apart. Five years later, they fall back together.
Series
- Part 1 of take the long way home
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 53,755
- Chapters:
- 4/4
- Comments:
- 477
- Kudos:
- 3,507
- Bookmarks:
- 1,158
- Hits:
- 81,652
Bookmarked by fallenpaladin
13 Nov 2025
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Will presses his lips together. “I waited for him before,” he points out in a low voice, fighting the tears that are always lurking somewhere in the back of his throat these days. “I can do it again.”
“I don’t care if you can or not,” El snaps, and Will glances up at her, more shocked than offended by her tone. “I care about what’s good for you.” She takes a deep breath, drumming her fingers against the counter, and her voice is thick when she continues, “You- you’ve always been so eager to torture yourself, Will. Why do you think your own happiness isn’t worth anything?”
In the summer of 1989, Will loses the one thing he's always wanted. Five years later, he gets him back.
Series
- Part 2 of take the long way home
Bookmarked by fallenpaladin
13 Nov 2025
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Disconnected by calmb4storm
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016), Stranger Things: The First Shadow
07 Jan 2026
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Summary
Panic begins to run through his veins, speeding up his pulse and his breathing. “I can’t– why don’t I remember it? I don’t remember any of it.”
Mike blanches. “Any of what, Will?”
Jonathan’s hand is on his knee. Both of them are too close. He can’t breathe.
“The Upside Down. I… I can’t remember any of the Upside Down.”
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OR: A Will Byers-centric/Byler canon version ST5!
(now a post-finale fix-it fic.)- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 169,355
- Chapters:
- 31/31
- Comments:
- 841
- Kudos:
- 3,465
- Bookmarks:
- 884
- Hits:
- 129,088
Bookmarked by fallenpaladin
23 Oct 2025
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In between the shelves of a dusty book shop, Mike Wheeler's world falls right back of it's axis.
— •
Apricity (adj.)
A rare and obsolete word for the rare but welcome warmth of the sun in winter.Or, the one where Mike has lost Will way too many times already-and even now doesn't think he can ever get him back. Not when Will doesn't even remember him.
Bookmarked by fallenpaladin
17 Oct 2025
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Summary
Mike would do anything for Will. Would he die for Will?
(Or; While exploring the Hawkins church, Will's mind falls under Henry's control. Mike does all he can to bring Will back.)
Bookmarked by fallenpaladin
05 Oct 2025
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Summary
Mike opens his eyes against the water droplets hanging off his eyelashes. Will hasn't stopped walking away from him, and he’s far enough now that Mike can no longer really see the details of his jacket. The rain feels like needles against his skin, and a frustration builds in his gut. Mike can't stand this anymore.
He breaks off into a run.
or Mike and Will finally confront each other about everything. It's raining, and things get messy.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 12,683
- Chapters:
- 2/2
- Collections:
- 3
- Comments:
- 170
- Kudos:
- 5,363
- Bookmarks:
- 1,019
- Hits:
- 61,478
Bookmarked by fallenpaladin
17 Aug 2025