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At first, Mike was unsure how to approach him when he got like this. But they’ve been living together for months now, never further than five feet apart in their dorm beds, so Mike’s learned what works and what doesn’t.
It works when he wakes Will like this, with gentle hands and words, telling him he’s safe. It works when he climbs into Will’s warm bed, turning him on his side and curling up against his back, an arm over his waist and his cheek pressed against his shoulder. They lie together like that until Will’s hiccupping gasps soften into steady breaths, until Mike feels him go limp in his arms and he knows he’s fallen back asleep. It always works.
or: Will has nightmares and Mike is the only one who can console him. Not even Will's boyfriend can. Mike takes great pride in this fact.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 8,126
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Comments:
- 576
- Kudos:
- 19,895
- Bookmarks:
- 3,413
- Hits:
- 139,413
Bookmarked by johnlockness
13 Jan 2026
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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:
- 348
- Kudos:
- 4,496
- Bookmarks:
- 1,171
- Hits:
- 38,024
Bookmarked by johnlockness
12 Jan 2026
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[podfic] true sight by rosepods (roseprose) for Pseudologia
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
14 Dec 2025
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On Monday, Will shows up to school wearing glasses.
After a lifetime of getting bullied for being a nerd, he’d rather show up to school covered in live ants, but it actually goes fine. Weirdly well, even. Jennifer Hayes asks him to carry her books to Geometry, and Denise King enthusiastically volunteers to be his lab partner in Chem. Will is all too aware of the attraction he somehow poses to the school’s most sought-after girls, but this feels like another level. Maybe it’s a charity case thing now, because of the glasses.
“It’s not,” Max tells him frankly at lunch. “You just look really hot with glasses.”
Podfic Length: 14:58
Bookmarked by johnlockness
11 Jan 2026
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[podfic] friend of my brother is my enemy (or something like that) by rosepods (roseprose) for rosesgf
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
26 Dec 2025
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Jonathan would never hear the end of it if Will found out what he’s doing, so he needs to be subtle. Just enough to get Mike to treat him better. Just enough to redirect things.
He settles on a stern, “Mike, I think we need to have a talk.”
Podfic Length: 50:30
Bookmarked by johnlockness
11 Jan 2026
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what the hell is going on in mike wheeler's head?
Bookmarked by johnlockness
08 Jan 2026
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Will Byers enjoys working on his assignments deep into the night… Usually to the sound of his favorite college radio show, Wheeler on the Mic. One phone call in the early hours draws him into a ridiculous bet with the host.
podfic length: 2 hrs 45 mins
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 23
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 106
- Kudos:
- 279
- Bookmarks:
- 46
- Hits:
- 5,165
Bookmarked by johnlockness
08 Jan 2026
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[podfic] you are so gorgeous (it makes me so mad) by rivendellion
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
04 Jan 2026
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“Okay, okay, I see you, Wheeler.” Max grins, and though he’s blushing, Mike smiles back. “So, who is he? What does he look like? Where did you meet him?”
“Jesus Christ, you’re as bad as Nancy and my mom,” Mike groans, rolling his eyes. “I’d also like to point out that I’m not dating him yet, and I have no idea if he even likes guys. But Max, he is quite literally the most gorgeous person I have ever seen in my life. Like holy fuck, he’s pretty. And he’s nice and funny, and I saw him reading that book series I was telling you about the other week, and holy shit, I want to kiss him so badly—”
Or:
It's sophomore year of college, and Max's best friend, Mike Wheeler, has just met the guy of his dreams. The only problem? Mike's mystery crush just so happens to be dating the guy of Max's dreams.
Podfic of you are so gorgeous (it makes me so mad) by andiwriteordie
Bookmarked by johnlockness
08 Jan 2026
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Mike Wheeler never talks about his first love.
His daughter notices.
Determined to understand who her father was before he became someone afraid, Willow begins investigating the one person missing from every story— Will Byers.
Bookmarked by johnlockness
08 Jan 2026
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One fateful October night in 1995, Will Byers is dragged by his step-sister, Jane, and her best friend to a rock concert. That was just the beginning...
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Or:
A much needed byler enemies to lovers 90s rock band au.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 163,010
- Chapters:
- 31/31
- Comments:
- 1,315
- Kudos:
- 4,224
- Bookmarks:
- 856
- Hits:
- 93,921
Bookmarked by johnlockness
07 Jan 2026
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what are you doing new year's eve? by wayward_sherlock
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
29 Dec 2024
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Before he can think twice, Mike’s typing out and sending a message, then throwing his phone on the bed and walking away while he shakes his hands out. He’s suddenly full of nervous energy, thrumming through his veins, and he’s terrified and anxious and - and thrilled, all at once, and he’s feeling so much that he doesn’t know what to do with it.
He hears his phone vibrate twice in reply and punches one of his pillows, just for good measure.
His heart is beating like he just skydived from space, or something equally as adrenaline-inducing, and he’s a little embarrassed that his body is reacting this way to a boy, but at the same time he’s losing his mind and Will seems to be reciprocating, so what does he care? They’re losing their minds together.mike and will are stuck in the talking stage and mike's really very normal about it. he's also normal about trying to find a way to hang out with will over the holidays.
Bookmarked by johnlockness
05 Jan 2026
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The freckled boy turns the notepad around and lifts it for Will to see. On the page is a message and Will reads twice to confirm he’s not dreaming.
HI :)
Will furrows his brows but he can’t hide the smile teasing the corners of his lips. He blinks at the boy in front as he too lifts the corners of his mouth.
Will waves his free hand in which he holds his pen and mouths, “Hi.”
-or-
The Byers move to Lenora and Will finds himself amazed by his neighbour's captivating eyes. The same neighbour has a window facing Will's own bedroom and he communicates through notes like he's in some stupid romcom.
Bookmarked by johnlockness
05 Jan 2026
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“Jesus, how much did you drink?” Mike frowns. He hadn’t been counting them up or anything — he’s not Will’s keeper — but he’s sure it couldn’t have been enough for him to be acting like this. They’d been out on the trail for just a couple of hours, and whatever shitty booze Dustin had managed to wheedle off Steve probably didn’t surpass an ABV of 20% anyway. Will holds up a clumsy hand and, squinting in concentration, puts up four fingers. He lowers one after a moment, frowns, then puts it back up again. “Okay,” Mike says, after four does not turn back into three. “So you’re kind of a lightweight. Good to know.”
Will huffs, a sharp, irritated noise. “I’m not that drunk,” he says — a blatant lie.
The Party partakes in Camp Whiteman's (unofficial) first-year counselor traditions, and Mike partakes in being designated babysitter.
Series
- Part 3 of in the quiet of the night
Bookmarked by johnlockness
13 Dec 2025
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follow the sparks (i'll drive) by astrobi for wiseatom, andiwriteordie
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
30 Mar 2023
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“Will? Will Byers?” The edge of a face comes into view as the car’s obnoxiously tinted windows get rolled down, all black hair and wide eyes and confused, furrowed brows.
Will, to his dismay, recognizes the face immediately.
“It’s Mike,” Mike Wheeler adds, rather unnecessarily. “From camp.”
From camp, as if Mike hadn’t–
“Hi,” Will says anyway, because being wet and soggy and stranded on the side of the road kind of limits his leeway for snark. He shifts in his soaking wet shoes, glances up at the thundering sky, and thinks about how much he hates his life. “Yeah. It’s me.”
Will's a good person, really. But apparently the universe thinks otherwise. Why else would it send him a broken down car, a dead phone, a thunderstorm, and Mike Wheeler (and Mike Wheeler's horrendous Tesla) all in the same afternoon?
Series
- Part 2 of in the quiet of the night
Bookmarked by johnlockness
13 Dec 2025
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take a little moment (find the right words) by astrobi for wiseatom
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
10 May 2023
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“Wow,” Will breathes out, just on this edge of teasing. “You sound very confident about this.”
“Well,” Mike shrugs, swallowing hard in a desperate attempt to soothe his very, very dry mouth, “I don’t know why someone wouldn’t be interested in you.”
“Oh?” Will says, and it’s definitely teasing now, enough for Mike to feel himself turning warm, all down his neck and to the tips of his own – sadly unpatterned – socks. “Someone?”
“Yeah.” Mike nods. Oh, god. This is fine. “In a very arbitrary sense of the word. Just– people. Someone.”
Mike is approximately ninety-eight percent sure that his feelings are requited. That last two percent, however, has really been throwing him for a loop.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 34,380
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Comments:
- 315
- Kudos:
- 7,740
- Bookmarks:
- 2,332
- Hits:
- 116,871
Bookmarked by johnlockness
13 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:
- 12,384
- Kudos:
- 163,040
- Bookmarks:
- 24,680
- Hits:
- 1,994,593
Bookmarked by johnlockness
11 Dec 2025
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“Do I really have to do this?” Will asks, for what is presumably the millionth time. He lost track a while ago.
“Yes,” Max replies without hesitation. “You’re unbearably lonely.”
Will drops his jaw, offended. Sure, he might not have the most entertaining love life, but he wouldn’t go that far. He’s happy where he is. Content. He doesn’t need a guy to fulfill him. “My loneliness is completely bearable.”
—
Will reluctantly joins a dating app at his friends’ insistence. He doesn’t have much hope, until he’s messaged by a dork who likes rocks.
Bookmarked by johnlockness
04 Dec 2025
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And now — now he’s still not sure what he’s scared of, but he knows he’s scared of something, always feeling on the edge of being found out, caught, even though he doesn’t know for what. He thinks it has something to do with Will — with the way his heart rate picks up when Will’s around, when they’re sitting next to each other on the couch watching an old cartoon on VHS with Holly, when he can feel Will crawl into bed next to him and sense his eyes lingering just long enough that Mike thinks about turning around and asking him why he’s been acting different.
He’s scared he’s going to get caught feeling however it is he feels, and that he’s going to get interrogated and not have the answers himself. He’s really scared of someone else deciding those answers for him.
But in the painting? Mike’s not scared, not at all. He’s the heart of the party, Will said so himself.
fall, 1987. mike decides to let himself consider how he feels.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 4,759
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 22
- Kudos:
- 257
- Bookmarks:
- 30
- Hits:
- 1,998
Bookmarked by johnlockness
03 Dec 2025
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“My nose tastes like dust,” Mike says. The statement catches Will so off guard that he can’t help but laugh. Somehow, he knows exactly what he means. He always does.
“How’s your throat?” he asks.
Mike gives a one-shouldered shrug. “Hurts.”
Will brushes his thumb along the side of his neck, frowning sympathetically. He’s being so tough about it. “Do you want me to get you a cough drop?”
—
Mike is sick. He’s also a big baby.
Bookmarked by johnlockness
02 Dec 2025
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In Mike’s defense, Will should know by now not to leave him alone for an extended period of time.
Yeah, maybe Mike is snooping around his room a little bit. But he’s bored, okay? Will left to tell his mom something or another ten minutes ago. And it’s not like Mike is digging through his drawers or anything— he’s only using resources available to the naked eye. Is that really snooping? He doesn’t think so.
—
Mike comes across a notebook that he was definitely not supposed to find. What else can he do besides steal it?
Bookmarked by johnlockness
02 Dec 2025
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“Are you offended that people think we’re dating?”
“No,” Mike says immediately. “Of course not,” because, again, he should be so lucky.
Will’s baffled expression does not change. “Then why would I be?”
“So– okay, fine, whatever. Should we, like, tell them to get their heads out of their asses and that we’re not– um– dating, or–”
“I think,” Will cuts in, “well. You know what would be funny?”
Honestly, Mike doesn't know what he thought being Will Byers' fake-boyfriend would entail, but he definitely didn't think it would involve this many ugly Christmas sweaters.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 29,011
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Comments:
- 209
- Kudos:
- 7,500
- Bookmarks:
- 1,656
- Hits:
- 70,229
Bookmarked by johnlockness
02 Dec 2025