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1. Public Bookmark 51

   This is Me Trying / Don’t Blame Me Universe by love_kurdt

   Fandom Stranger Things (TV 2016)

   • Mature, Teen And Up Audiences, Explicit, General Audiences
   • Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
   • M/M
   • Series in Progress

   08 Apr 2026

   • Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
   • No Archive Warnings Apply
   • Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
   • Mike Wheeler/Original Male Character(s)
   • Holly Wheeler & Mike Wheeler
   • Holly Wheeler & Mike Wheeler & Nancy Wheeler
   • Karen Wheeler & Mike Wheeler
   • Will Byers/Original Male Character(s)
   • Joyce Byers & Will Byers
   • Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper
   • Jonathan Byers & Will Byers
   • Will Byers & The Party
   • Will Byers & Jim "Chief" Hopper
   • Ted Wheeler (Stranger Things)
   • Karen Wheeler
   • Joyce Byers
   • Original Experiment Character(s) (Stranger Things)
   • Mike Wheeler
   • Will Byers
   • Jim "Chief" Hopper
   • Eleven | Jane Hopper
   • Jonathan Byers
   • Holly Wheeler
   • Nancy Wheeler
   • Dustin Henderson
   • Lucas Sinclair
   • Maxine "Max" Mayfield
   • Shameless Smut
   • Angst
   • Mike Wheeler is a Mess
   • Gay Mike Wheeler
   • Mike Wheeler-centric
   • Mike Wheeler Has Issues
   • Mike Wheeler is Bad at Feelings
   • Past Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler
   • Mike Wheeler Needs a Hug
   • Mike Wheeler Has a Crush on Will Byers
   • Gay Will Byers
   • Sad Will Byers
   • Will Byers Needs a Hug
   • Post-Canon
   • Internalized Homophobia
   • Consensual Underage Sex
   • Date Rape Drug/Roofies
   • Underage Drinking
   • Implied/Referenced Drug Use
   • Bad Parent Ted Wheeler (Stranger Things)
   • Supportive Joyce Byers
   • Joyce Byers is a Sweetheart
   • Good Parent Karen Wheeler
   • Mike Wheeler is in His Whore Era
   • Song: this is me trying (Taylor Swift)
   • will actually gets to be mad in this one ok
   • Panic Attacks
   • Drunk Driving
   • Near Death Experiences
   • Suicidal Thoughts
   • Suicidal Mike Wheeler
   • Angst and Hurt/Comfort
   • Hurt/Comfort
   • Emotional Hurt/Comfort
   • Emotional Roller Coaster
   • Self-Hatred
   • Angst with a Happy Ending
   • Fluff
   • Kissing
   • Boys Kissing
   • Emotional Baggage
   • lots of crying lmao
   • Unresolved Romantic Tension
   • Miscommunication
   • Flashbacks
   • Love Confessions
   • Not Actually Unrequited Love
   • mike wheeler is 6’3” and i will die on this hill
   • Jewish Will Byers
   • borderline smut but not actually smut
   • Canon Compliant
   • like it’s eerily canon compliant idk how
   • except el is still alive and their relationship ended in s4
   • Getting Back Together
   • If You Squint - Freeform
   • Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers
   • POV Mike Wheeler
   • Mike Wheeler Being an Idiot
   • Love Letters
   • Lettergate
   • Sexual Fantasy
   • mike is one horny mf
   • Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler
   • Coming Out
   • Will Byers Deserves The World
   • Homophobia
   • Period-Typical Homophobia
   • Implied/Referenced Sex
   • Supportive Karen Wheeler
   • Karen Wheeler Tries
   • it's basically karen nancy mike and holly vs ted
   • Thanksgiving Dinner
   • Thanksgiving
   • Heavy Angst
   • Depression
   • use of slurs
   • Holly Wheeler is a Sweetheart
   • Will Byers Deserves Love
   • Step-Siblings Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper
   • Will Byers Can't Catch a Break
   • Will Byers-centric
   • Homophobic Language
   • Underage Drug Use
   • Good Parent Joyce Byers
   • Protective Joyce Byers
   • Minor Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper
   • Smut
   • Fluff and Smut
   • Eventual Smut
   • Fluff and Hurt/Comfort
   • Nightmares
   • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
   • Childhood Trauma
   • mike wheeler is 6'3" and i will die on this hill
   • Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con
   • Rape Aftermath
   • Blood and Gore
   • Gore
   • Car Accidents
   • will and mike aren’t even together for any of this
   • this is the kind of story that catches you up on what happened behind the scenes
   • and that’s what you missed on glee
   • will byers with an original character
   • Dialogue Heavy
   • Slurs
   • Ted Wheeler Being an Asshole (Stranger Things)
   • Ted Wheeler Being Homophobic (Stranger Things)
   • Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism
   • lots and lots of crying
   • losing my shit honestly
   • cliche as fuck but we're going the homophobic ted route
   • the characterization of ted is based on my mom ok
   • Fights
   • Christmas
   • Chrismukkah
   • Bronski Beat
   • smalltown boy
   • Period-Typical Sexism
   • Antisemitism
   • Will Byers/Mike Wheeler in Love
   • Angst and Fluff and Smut
   • Minor Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler
   • Alcohol Withdrawal
   • Rehabilitation
   • Rehab
   • i will update tags as this story progresses
   • burying these tags tbh bc the plot is too good
   • Minor Eleven | Jane Hopper/Dustin Henderson
   • HIV/AIDS Crisis
   • Mentioned Freddie Mercury
   • Orthodox Judaism
   • religious trauma
   • major spoilers have been removed from tags
   • and if y’all can’t handle the element of surprise/real life shit then idk what to tell y’all- get therapy ig
   • Billy Joel References
   • The Cure (Band) References
   • Queen (Band) References
   • Iron Maiden (Band) References
   • Marijuana
   • Mike Wheeler is Not Okay
   • Wyatt Bowman is a Sweetheart
   • Wyatt Bowman Needs Love
   • Mike Wheeler Being an Asshole
   • Angst and Feels
   • Wyatt Just Isn't Right for Mike
   • And Mike Clearly Isn't Right for Wyatt
   • Wyatt Honestly Deserves Better
   • POV Will Byers
   • Will Byers Fucked Up
   • Will Byers Being an Idiot
   • Will Byers Being an Asshole
   • Gay Sex
   • Top Will Byers
   • Bottom Mike Wheeler
   • mike is bad at feelings so he jokes as a form of coping
   • going out with a bang this year
   • Anal Fingering
   • Anal Sex
   • Oral Sex
   • Rough Sex
   • Rough Kissing
   • Laughter During Sex
   • mike wheeler is a funny guy
   • Good Parent Jim "Chief" Hopper
   • Protective Jim "Chief" Hopper
   • Jim Hopper is Will's Biggest Cheerleader
   • Jim Hopper Ships Byler

   Summary

   mike wheeler deals with demons.
   will byers’ lifeline is missing.
   wyatt bowman is haunted by history.
   matt winters is always first on the scene.

   Words:

   265,831

   Works:

   11

   Bookmarks:

   51

   Bookmarked by THUMPZILLA

   28 Apr 2026

2. Public Bookmark 21

   strangely, he feels at home in this place by orphan_account

   Fandom Stranger Things (TV 2016)

   • Teen And Up Audiences
   • No Archive Warnings Apply
   • F/M, Gen, M/M
   • Series in Progress

   01 Aug 2022

   • No Archive Warnings Apply
   • Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair
   • Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper & Maxine "Max" Mayfield
   • Will Byers & Maxine "Max" Mayfield
   • Eleven | Jane Hopper & Maxine "Max" Mayfield
   • Jonathan Byers & Maxine "Max" Mayfield
   • Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
   • Maxine "Max" Mayfield
   • Lucas Sinclair
   • Will Byers
   • Eleven | Jane Hopper
   • Jonathan Byers
   • Erica Sinclair
   • Mike Wheeler
   • cashier in the background
   • Bisexual Maxine "Max" Mayfield
   • max goes through a bi crisis
   • Break Up
   • (not a bad one though!!)
   • Good Friend Lucas Sinclair
   • Good Significant Other Lucas Sinclair
   • POV Maxine "Max" Mayfield
   • Maxine "Max" Mayfield Loves Lucas Sinclair
   • Lucas Sinclair Loves Maxine "Max" Mayfield
   • theyre so
   • lumax supremacy
   • no beta we die like eddie
   • (rip eddie)
   • Trans Maxine "Max" Mayfield
   • (i dont want to tag maxine but)
   • Gender Dysphoria
   • transmasc max
   • will and el are the best
   • Coming Out
   • max is referred to with they/them for the first part of this
   • he starts using he/him halfway through
   • Good Friend Will Byers
   • Good Friend Eleven | Jane Hopper
   • Minor Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield
   • Post-Season/Series 03
   • elmax is pre-slash
   • Established Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair
   • Hurt/Comfort
   • Angst
   • Bisexual Lucas Sinclair
   • Tooth-Rotting Fluff
   • Boys In Love
   • No beta we die like bob
   • Gay Mike Wheeler
   • Gay Will Byers
   • Mike Wheeler is a Mess
   • Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers
   • Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler
   • the real mvp: the dress will bought mike
   • no beta we die like mikes heterosexuality
   • Mental Breakdown
   • Love Confessions
   • Mike Wheeler Needs a Hug
   • He gets his hug
   • and a dress
   • obligatory mike wheeler ik what u are
   • Past Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler
   • Period-Typical Homophobia
   • gnc!mike wheeler u will always be famous

   Summary

   the party being there for each other through figuring themselves out

   [not canon compliant after s3, the byers don't move away]

   Words:

   8,025

   Works:

   4

   Bookmarks:

   21

   Bookmarked by THUMPZILLA

   09 Mar 2026