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a lesson in coasting: an idiot's guide to gay allyship by michael j. wheeler by cinnamoncider
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
06 May 2026
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Summary
“So, I’ve been thinking," Mike throws his head back into the sofa’s head rest. “You know how I talk about girls all the time?”
The pencil in Will’s hand freezes for just a moment, something Mike wouldn’t have been able to tell at all if he wasn’t staring right at Will’s hands to avoid his gaze. “So?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking, right?”
Will looks up, but Mike isn’t looking back at him. He’s picking at a loose thread on the couch cushion. “What, about girls?”
“No,” Mike shakes his head, “about boys."
Will nearly chokes on his tongue. “You’ve been thinking about boys?”
or, mike conducts an uncomfortably elaborate semester-long personal inquiry project on how to be a better straight ally to his gay best friend. for educational reasons only. obviously
Bookmarked by rainstorming
08 Jun 2026
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Being a part-time superhero doesn’t solve Will’s problems; instead, it adds to them. As Cleric, he’s forced to deal with his egotistical know-it-all of a partner, Paladin. As Will, he’s stuck hopelessly pining after his best friend. He’s honestly not sure which is worse.
One thing’s for sure, though — he needs a change. In one of his weaker moments, Will comes up with a plan: get over Mike by getting under someone else, someone he knows he won’t fall for.
Maybe Paladin is good for something, after all.
Series
- Part 1 of I Need a Hero
Bookmarked by rainstorming
07 Jun 2026
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ulovechlorine and VTOKKI wrote this because they decided that they’re so fed up with the way that canon treated Will Byers in Stranger Things: Season 5 that they pour all their hopes and dreams into a complicated sci-fi-thriller-romance-frankenstein Stranger Things: Season 1-inspired Byler Fanfiction (Will Not Found Alternative Universe) that takes place 4 years after (almost all of) the events of Season 4.
In other words, almost everything that transpired in the canon--after the start of the last episode of season 1--takes place without Will.
At this point, Dustin, Lucas, Mike, The Byers, The Wheelers... they all are starting to perceive it as a fact that Will Byers is dead, and gone forever.
Bookmarked by rainstorming
05 Jun 2026
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“You do like it,” Mike teases. “I can tell.”
“Obviously,” Will huffs. “You know what I like.”
Mike does. What a surreal feeling it is, to be the one who knows what Will likes. What makes him blush, or shy away. What turns him on. To be the only one who knows these things.
“Yeah,” Mike says softly. “I know.”
or
Will becomes the patron saint of pretending to sleep with guys to help them come out of the closet. Mike isn’t exactly thrilled with the situation.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 52,958
- Chapters:
- 5/10
- Comments:
- 320
- Kudos:
- 1,221
- Bookmarks:
- 400
- Hits:
- 37,621
Bookmarked by rainstorming
03 Jun 2026
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“We haven’t done this since middle school,” Will says, voice barely above a whisper.
“Huh,” Mike whispers back. “Yeah, guess not.”
A couple years ago, Mike read a National Geographic article about a phenomenon called the polar night. In the farthest north and south regions of the globe, there are weeks, sometimes months depending on how close you are to the poles, where the sun does not rise above the horizon, plunging the world into a perpetual nighttime. Living in such conditions, the article had explained, can affect one’s circadian rhythm, heighten issues with concentration and energy levels, and cause a spike in depressive symptoms among local populations. Some resort to using light therapy lamps to mimic the daylight.
It was only after the Byers moved away, all those years ago, that Mike began to understand what the prolonged absence of the sun can do to a person.
The Upside Down is gone, and everyone has made it out unscathed. In the aftermath of the not-so-end of the world, snowballs turn into avalanches. Sometimes it just takes time.
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The terrible, awful thing about finally getting what he wanted — namely, Mike — is that now he wants more, the selfish creature that he is. When he was younger, he’d been able to convince himself that kissing Mike, just once, would be enough to last him a lifetime. Foolishly, he’d thought that he could relish that single kiss and live a peaceful life, one where Mike was still his friend and nothing changed but his feelings would dissipate.
Instead, they grew; they’re still growing, Will fears, growing bigger and bigger each time Mike and him get together, because every sound Mike makes when Will kisses him makes Will want to find ten more little gasps and whines and groans, and each time Mike twists their fingers together and pants against his skin Will thinks about how much better it is than the time before.
will and mike are - something, and will's not entirely sure what. whatever they are, he wants more, but he's not sure if he can have it.
Series
- Part 1 of casual au
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 48,428
- Chapters:
- 8/8
- Comments:
- 488
- Kudos:
- 2,449
- Bookmarks:
- 656
- Hits:
- 45,723
Bookmarked by rainstorming
24 May 2026
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Summary
Mike grins so widely that he displays each one of his baby teeth. "Open it," he says. "It's a card. I made it for you."
When Will gingerly peels the birthday card open, Mike’s uneven handwriting is displayed across the page.
The p’s in happy are backwards, the y wobbly and curled at the end, and the k in Mike is also flipped the wrong way. The word birthday is etched in their kindergarten teacher’s steady print, and it seems like she'd also added the punctuation for him.
Happy birthday, Will!
Love,
Mike WOr: Will Byers' birthdays from age six to adulthood, told through cards from Mike.
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Summary
“I—I would tell you.” He says reflexively, but he doesn’t take it back. The words are true. He hears Mike’s breath catch and his hand twitches. “I just wouldn’t want you to– to pity me. Or see me… differently.”
“I would never.” The response is instant. “You’re strong. I’d never pity you. I… god, how do I explain?” Mike turns his body to face Will head on and grabs his hand properly. Will feels a shiver run through him, but he squeezes back all the same. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, for what you’ve been through, whatever it is. But it would never, never make me look at you differently.”
“Promise?”
“I promise."
Or: Will breaks down after the events at the MAC Z and trusts Mike to help him pick up the pieces.
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Summary
Three years after moving to California, one Will Byers shows up - via dimension teleportation, or something - back in Hawkins. In the corner of Mike's bedroom. In the middle of the night. Turns out this is a bad thing, namely for Mike and Mike's sanity.
or: Will is having Upside Down Related Issues, and Mike is only helping because it's his duty as a friend. As a friend, seriously.
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Summary
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
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Summary
Mike barks a laugh. “I’m, unfortunately, requesting your companionship Thursday night to see Child’s Play 2 with Will and I.”
She sends him a look of bewilderment. “How did I get dragged into your date with Will?”
“Y’know, it’s really great that I can count on such discretion from you and Lucas. Super awesome that you don’t tell each other everything.” Max ignores him and he continues on. “Well, I tried my best, but he kind of looked at me all-dumbfounded and wasn’t saying anything, so I panicked.”
“Well, duh. He’s liked you since, like, birth. Did you even give him enough time to answer?”
“Of course I gave him enough time to answer.” Mike grits out, voice tight. “I know how to have a fucking conversation with someone, Maxine.”
Mike Wheeler can’t pick a major to save his life, is fighting for said life in the worst class ever (Astronomy 101), and is desperately trying to romance the best person in his life.
Enter: Will Byers, his advanced concepts in painting final project, and his pretty eyelashes.
Series
- Part 2 of devotion | Indiana University
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 25,692
- Chapters:
- 7/7
- Comments:
- 317
- Kudos:
- 3,331
- Bookmarks:
- 903
- Hits:
- 54,946
Bookmarked by rainstorming
28 Apr 2026
Bookmarker's Tags:
Bookmarker's Notes
i just love willsexual mike. like yes.
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Summary
A sharp crack tears through the air. Mike flinches back, staring down at Will's lifeless body. He gets one last look before the ground is giving way beneath them, and all at once, they’re falling.
A shrill cry tears from Mike’s throat as he finds himself flailing through the open sky. A sharp crack of lightning shutters in the distance. Will's limp corpse contorts, dropping faster than he can. He’s screaming, unimaginable terror ripping through his body. He writhes, reaching for Will, crying the boy's name.
He’s falling, plummeting through a destabilized upside down and there's nothing he can do to stop it. He’s going to die.
Mike reaches out, eyes squeezed close. He tears the watch from Will's wrist, seconds before colliding with the Exotic Matter.
.
OR
Colliding with Exotic matter as the Upside Down collapses in on itself sends Mike hurtling through time. He’s given the chance to save Will before any of this starts.
But he can’t seem to get it right. Reliving moments throughout the years, helpless to warn Will. He just wants to keep him safe. Why can’t he keep him safe?
He’ll do this again and again until he gets it right. He won’t lose him again.
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handle me with care in this life (we can live it out again twice) by subliminalpsyche
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
09 Mar 2026
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Summary
Mike doesn't remember much of the final battle against Vecna, but he quickly finds out nothing is as it seems — and it hasn't been for a long time.
Or a post-S5 volume 2 fix-it fic where monsters are lurking around an abandoned Hawkins, Vecna is nowhere to be found, and Mike has no idea how they can stop the world from ending.
***On pause***
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Summary
It's 1995, and it's snowing in Hawkins. Will has not been home in five years. He hasn't laid eyes on Mike Wheeler in five years. A phone call that he can't ignore, a long drive, and he's there, in front of Mike's house, like nothing has changed. And maybe, nothing has.
Or: Mike falls apart. Will puts him back together.TW suicide attempt
(Everyone was far too happy in that epilogue for my liking... you will mourn el properly and you WILL have trauma and you WILL ALL be miserable. This will be really depressing but I fear I have no choice in the matter. Byler I will avenge you.)
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 27,471
- Chapters:
- 8/8
- Comments:
- 182
- Kudos:
- 1,044
- Bookmarks:
- 378
- Hits:
- 24,213
Bookmarked by rainstorming
24 Apr 2026
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Summary
“You’re not coming this summer. I haven’t seen you in a year and a half and I know it’s-it’s pathetic—“
“It’s not pathetic,” Will interjects quickly, shaking his head, “It’s not—“
“It is, Will,” he hears Mike’s voice break over another hitched breath, “I know you’re… I just want you to be happy. I never want you to come back to Hawkins, but I’m fucking selfish. I’m so selfish, and I’m sorry.”
Will lets the tears spill over and he lets that want that’s always itching under his skin show itself.
“My whole life I’ve missed you every second you’ve been away from me,” Will confesses quietly into the receiver.
If you’re pathetic, I’m wretched.
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Not long after the final battle, Mike and Will were inseparable– until Will moved out to New York.
Despite the weekly calls and the freedom of living their lives without terror, there’s no world in which they could last so long apart without it feeling like torture.
Will gets a call, and three days later, Mike is at his doorstep.
It only takes a day for them to fall back together again.
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Something's been feeling weird lately by willel_domination
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
21 May 2026
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Summary
Mike’s heart lurches into his throat, constricting his airway as he takes in his face. Because he knows that face. His eyes have wandered along that strong nose, those bunny teeth peeking out between parted lips, that mole beside his mouth. He’s catalogued every detail of that messy brown hair, those long eyelashes, and that pair of enchanting hazel eyes, over and over again, to the point where it burns behind his eyelids when he kisses his girlfriend.
“Holy shit,” the man breathes, gaping in shock, and for once in his life, Mike doesn’t need a trick to stop his loud mouth. For the first time, he’s truly struck dumb.
Because it’s him. Older, taller, and different, but it’s him.
The man standing in front of them, somehow, is Will.
Or,
18-year-old Will Byers gets sent back to July 1985, tries to help them out using some awesome superpowers and futuristic wisdom, and Mike does his best not to combust in the process.
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Soft repairs, because you're mine to mend. by sunniesdoll
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
19 Apr 2026
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Summary
Point was, Mike Wheeler liked to be needed.
And Will Byers?
Well…
Will swallows, eyes focused pointedly on Mike’s long, slender fingers. The way they twist and they pull, fixing the broken strap to Will’s backpack.
Will Byers loved when Mike fixed things for him.
It was becoming a problem.
He didn’t mean to start doing it, but it just… happened. Maybe he was using Mike’s kindness against him, but it was difficult not to, and Will couldn’t feel too badly about it when Mike looked down at him with lidded eyes, one hand dragging up along Will’s side, voice sweet. “Better?”
“Yeah,” Will murmurs, grabbing the bag with trembling fingers. “Yeah, it’s better.”
Or, Will comes up with a plan that could benefit the both of them. Mike gets to be a hero in every day life, and Will? He gets to have Mike's attention.
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Please don't leave me (I'll always need more) by willel_domination
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
04 Apr 2026
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Summary
“Did you know?” he asked at the last moment, voice cracked and warbly from crying. He hadn’t sounded that young in years.
She hesitated for one painstaking moment, and at last replied, “No, Mike.”
She almost closed the door, but stopped again.
“I am sorry,” she whispered, remorse staining her voice, and quietly closed the door behind her.
Three days after graduation, Will disappeared in the dead of night with nothing but a note left in his absence, and Mike's heart left with him.
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Would You Please Be Good To Me? by diamondoftheseason
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
03 Mar 2026
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Summary
Nobody in Hawkins feels like celebrating the holidays this year. Maybe it has something to do with the giant metal Band-Aid splitting town down the middle, or the people who didn't survive to see it. With Dustin and Lucas preoccupied, Will and Mike rely on each other to make the most of the long, lonely winter.
Things get complicated along the way.
Or, Mike and Will write a comic book together over Christmas break. They're closer than ever, and there are so many elephants in the room.
Bookmarked by rainstorming
14 Apr 2026
Bookmarker's Tags:
Bookmarker's Notes
beautiful wonderful story. plot twist made me cry and then i cried 50 more times. happy ending made me cry more.
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Summary
"I have Ms. Kelly today," Max says, almost bitterly. "You'll be okay at lunch without me?" she says it sarcastically, like a joke, but there's an undercurrent of something else in her voice; for a moment, she almost sounds scared.
Will releases her hand, even as they walk out of the gym doors together. "Works out for me," he tells her, "I have that project for art I have to finish up anyways." He pauses, hesitates. "Will you be okay without me?"
Max takes a breath, and then gives him a shaky smile, one that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "I'll have your tape," she says, wiggling the wires of her headphones. "See you after school."
~~
or: a shared tragedy brings max and will together for their first year of high school in hawkins. they stay together, even as their demons rise again. a s4 rewrite, in which joyce is the one who dies at the end of s3 and thus the byers + el never move.
Series
- Part 1 of breaking out
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 77,057
- Chapters:
- 9/9
- Comments:
- 260
- Kudos:
- 1,547
- Bookmarks:
- 463
- Hits:
- 38,287
Bookmarked by rainstorming
07 Apr 2026
Bookmarker's Tags:
Bookmarker's Notes
MADWISE!! ugh this is so beautiful