thewoodwork
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Summary
The Byers officially move in two days after he and El break up.
And maybe, historically, Mike is not actually very good at friends.
(He is so, so, so fucked.)
or; vignettes from those 18 months in the Wheeler household (otherwise known as Mike What The Fuck Did You Do Gate)
Bookmarked by thewoodwork
11 Jan 2026
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something so magic about you (don't you agree?) by teacats
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
03 Dec 2025
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Summary
Now, in the silent aftermath of the massacre, it’s already hard to believe that Will did what he just did. He can’t imagine that anything about this development is good news to Joyce, who has been fighting tooth and nail to keep Will uninvolved since they were thirteen years old. No such luck. The Upside Down clings to Will like a moth drawn to a light, tugging and lapping at his heels with whispers of the impossible. Born to be steeped in magic. Mike could have warned Joyce years ago. Will Byers isn’t the kind of person that can ever be fully walked away from.
[or, following the events at the MAC-Z, Mike and Will have some things to discuss.]
Bookmarked by thewoodwork
11 Jan 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
They really felt like best friends here (and more), loved it
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something about you (it's like an addiction). by lixsun
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
13 Dec 2025
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Summary
The juice container nearly slips from Mike’s hands the moment the truth hits him hard and cold, like a bucket of ice straight to the spine, the hairs on the back of his neck rising unpleasantly. He’s remembering Will.
Not the kitchen Will, not the real-life Will in front of him, but the Will from his dream. Which means it wasn’t an actual nightmare. Not even close.
“Are you okay?” Will asks softly, suddenly right beside him at the fridge.
or; Mike wakes up from a dream he can’t fully remember. At first it feels like a nightmare, but soon hands, whispers, and kisses start to flicker through his mind and suddenly, Mike realizes he might be completely, hopelessly into his best friend Will.
Bookmarked by thewoodwork
10 Jan 2026
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Summary
Will isn’t looking at him. He’s looking at everyone else instead.
“I don’t like girls.”
The words don’t echo. They don’t bounce around the room. They fall straight down and lodge themselves somewhere deep inside Mike’s chest, deliberate, like they were always meant to land there. He feels they are directed at him.
or; Mike tumbles into a spiral of thoughts the moment Will confesses he doesn’t like girls. Maybe Mike doesn’t like them too.
Series
Bookmarked by thewoodwork
27 Dec 2025
Bookmarker's Notes
Instead, he reaches out.
His hand closes gently around Will’s sleeve, easing his fingers free, grounding him. The contact is steady and warm where Will’s grip was anxious and tight. Mike holds there for a moment longer than necessary, thumb pressing lightly into the fabric.
“You’re… wrong,” Mike says quietly, swallowing, jaw tight. His eyes don’t leave Will’s. “You are not alone in it.”
It’s not a confession, not exactly, but it’s enough. Everything Mike has to offer right now, while everyone else has already piled into the van. Will’s breath stutters, barely audible. His brows draw together again, confusion giving way to something fragile and disbelieving. “Mike—”
“I can’t,” Mike cuts in, softer now, almost apologetic. His fingers tighten just a little, like he’s afraid Will might slip away if he lets go. “Not here... Not like this.” Will studies him, searching, weighing. Then something in his expression shifts. His shoulders ease. The tension in his hands fades.
“…Oh,” Will breathes.
Mike doesn’t smile. He doesn’t say anything else. He just lets his hand linger for one last second before releasing Will’s sleeve. And for the first time since Will started speaking, Will doesn’t look like he’s bracing for rejection anymore.
Mike watches him leave the room.
He doesn’t move, doesn’t follow. He just stands there, eyes fixed on the doorway long after Will is gone, until the space he occupied feels unmistakably empty.
Only then does Mike allow himself to breathe. Carefully and silently. Like even the sound of air filling his lungs might give something away.
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In a Normal Life, I Want To by hurricanelilies (porridgemilk)
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
11 Dec 2025
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Summary
Sometimes, even this close, always in the same space, Mike feels like there’s a want inside him that aches so much, like Will is somehow going to drift away if he doesn’t reach out and latch onto him. He’s clingy, he’s gross, and the world has already ended and somehow pieced itself back together.
Maybe Mike deserves to be clingy and gross and a little, a lot, in love.
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Or, Mike and Will have their first kiss during the end of the world. Kissing a second time, when everything is finally back to normal, takes a lot more courage.
Bookmarked by thewoodwork
10 Jan 2026