19 Bookmarks by forensicsqween
List of Bookmarks
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('round, 'round, get around) I get around by racinggoats
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
24 Apr 2026
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Summary
If there was one thing Dustin ought to know about Mike Wheeler, it was that he never answered his phone.
So the first sign that something was up was, on reflection, the little click and the silence between the dial tone and somebody answering.
It's the '90s, and Dustin phones Mike in San Francisco more often than he ever expected to. Most of the time, Mike doesn't pick up. But, sometimes, the call is answered by one of Mike's friends. One of Mike's invariably male friends. One of Mike's numerous invariably male friends.
It takes Dustin way longer than it should to work out what's going on.
Series
- Part 1 of come back from san francisco
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
01 Jun 2026
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Summary
“Max,” he says, panicking. “What’s going on?”
Max – who is rarely left speechless – is currently just that. Her eyes rake Will up and down before finally meeting his gaze.
“Don’t panic,” she says slowly, arms outstretched towards him. Too late, he thinks. Then she says the exact words he was praying she wouldn’t.
“I’m not sure how,” she starts. “But I think you may have turned into a…girl.”
In which a summer bucket list and Will Byers waking up as a girl version of himself finally causes Mike Wheeler to realize his feelings for his best friend. Set post-S5 finale. Summer after graduation.
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
01 Jun 2026
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Summary
“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.
or: Mike gets into Brown, Will gets into RISD, and the friends-to-???-to-lovers slowburn that ensues.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 141,721
- Chapters:
- 10/12
- Comments:
- 195
- Kudos:
- 431
- Bookmarks:
- 173
- Hits:
- 15,695
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
01 Jun 2026
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Summary
Will Byers is a barista who uses his first spring break to save money, paint faceless figures, and maybe make a tall, dark haired stranger a little bit confused.
Mike Wheeler is the drummer of a rock band in California who uses his first spring break to play music, hang out and, well… get confused.
The universe keeps bringing them together, and these supposed strangers begin to know one another for the very first time.
Or is it?
*This is a very vague summary for a reason- if you wanted a different season 5, just trust me ;)
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 165,412
- Chapters:
- 18/18
- Comments:
- 1,555
- Kudos:
- 1,728
- Bookmarks:
- 427
- Hits:
- 43,659
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
01 Jun 2026
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Summary
Out of summer boredom, Mike and Will start making bets. Mike decides to up the stakes, offering the loser should do everything the other tells him for the rest of the summer.
Mike loses.
And somehow, following Will’s orders isn’t as bad as it should be...
Or: Will wins a bet and gets to tell Mike what to do, and it makes Mike feel all sorts of things ;)
Pasteur saw that germs only appear if there’s exposure to the outside world.
Darwin saw that finches with certain beak shapes survived while others went extinct.
And Mike Wheeler saw that being told what to do by his best friend makes him horny.The question asked after all of these discoveries, inevitably, is - why?
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
01 Jun 2026
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Summary
After years of running from past mistakes, trauma, and the life he left behind, Will has finally settled. He’s found his purpose as an art teacher at a group home for troubled kids, and he’s starting to believe he can actually cauterize his own wounds by tending to the fresh ones of others.
But as he starts his second year - the new creative writing teacher helps him realize you can’t grow new flowers when your roots are still displaced.
Or: An entire school year in which Mike and Will rediscover themselves and their relationship after 8 years no contact, bonding over their shared love for the sweetest children with familiar, painful histories.
"Every time I make you cry, it starts raining," Mike states quietly. His voice is barely audible over the roaring downpour, but it cuts through the thunder like a blade.
"Only the times you've witnessed," Will says in return, his voice barely a whisper.
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
01 Jun 2026
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that's me in the corner / that's me in the spotlight by psychescribbles
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
30 May 2026
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Summary
Approaching the end of his time at NYU, Will Byers is a mess. It wasn't supposed to look like this, wasn't supposed to hurt like this. The life that he crafted from his dreams has splintered apart, leaving him coasting towards a future that he doesn't know.
Mike Wheeler knew little outside his life with Will in the city, until the past seven months forced it on him. He's been building himself back up, though it may never feel the same.
or
A past/present journey through the post-epilogue story of Mike & Will in NYC, circa 1989-1993
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
01 Jun 2026
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Summary
It’s 1992, and Will is at the tail end of his second-to-last semester of college. Stuck in a dead-end relationship with a final project looming over his head, his anxiety is reaching a record high. Stopping for a coffee on his way to class was intended to provide only a small amount of comfort, but when he sees a familiar face in the shop, that comfort grows into a feeling he can’t quite name. His stress becomes an afterthought, and he realizes a visit to the café might be the best damn decision he’s ever made.
OR:
Mike and Will lost touch three years ago, but a chance meeting in New York could change everything—and reveal the secrets they’ve kept hidden from each other for so long.
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
01 Jun 2026
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moonlight on our fingers (the gravity between us) by liminalyearning
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
01 Jun 2026
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Summary
"I was just thinking about the moon. How it's the same one, everywhere."
Will leaves Hawkins for art school in New York. Mike stays behind and slowly falls apart.
For three years, they orbit each other: phone calls that say nothing, letters that say too much, stolen touches in the dark, fights that feel like breakups when they were never technically together. They try dating other people. They try being just friends. They try pretending the thing between them doesn't exist.
Nothing works.
It takes distance, loss, and someone finally getting on a plane. Not to chase, but to choose.
A post-Season 5 slow burn about grief, shame, wanting someone you’re not supposed to, and learning the difference between loving someone quietly and loving them out loud.
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
01 Jun 2026
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Summary
Mike Wheeler has everything going for him. Great job. Published author. A boyfriend he wants to start a life with. He is ready to take the next step, only, life has a way with halting his plans.
What happens when Will wakes up after an accident and he doesn't remember who he is besides being his 'best friend'?
Can you fall in love with the same person twice?
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 30,242
- Chapters:
- 5/?
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 53
- Kudos:
- 70
- Bookmarks:
- 13
- Hits:
- 1,259
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
01 Jun 2026
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Summary
Freshman year was supposed to be about independence.
For Mike Wheeler, it becomes about rules.
Rules about borrowed clothes. About hypotheticals. About not drinking Smirnoff, not stealing kisses, not saying things like mine like they mean something.
He and Will Byers are just roommates. Obviously.
Except roommates don’t share beds, trade jackets, raise a kitten together, or write each other into the margins of their lives like this.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 56,356
- Chapters:
- 57/57
- Comments:
- 215
- Kudos:
- 524
- Bookmarks:
- 134
- Hits:
- 10,219
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
22 Apr 2026
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Summary
“Come on,” Mike argues. “Think of it like… a test drive. You’ll get the full Mike Wheeler boyfriend experience. It’s miserable! You’ll be over me in no time!”
They only have one last summer before they go off to college, and Will is sick of keeping his cards so close to his chest. So, in a fit of alcohol-induced bravery, he tells Mike everything.
Instead of breaking his heart, Mike proposes a deal: they’ll date for the summer. Get Mike out of Will’s system, show him he makes for a lousy boyfriend anyway, and make sure there aren’t any what-ifs waiting for him in New York.
No stone left unturned, after all.
Or: Summer brings clouds, nostalgia, and the all-consuming fear of change. They deal with it.
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
22 Apr 2026
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Summary
Hybrids are dangerous. They're a menace to society. Ticking time bombs allowed to run freely. At least that's what peope say.
When charming cat hybrid Will Byers moves into Mike Wheeler's apartment, Mike learns none of that is true. Instead, he gets tangled in the boy's proximity — and maybe even his bed. But who's really paying attention to that?
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 79,538
- Chapters:
- 12/12
- Comments:
- 338
- Kudos:
- 843
- Bookmarks:
- 172
- Hits:
- 16,970
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
18 Apr 2026
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Summary
"So, let me get this straight. You're telling me, that Mike brought in another girl last night?" Max grimaced.
"Well, with them specifically sounding like dying dolphins which are also having sex, precisely, yes."
"Why don't you do the same, then?"
"What do you mean?"OR: Tired of Mike being avoidant and hooking up with girls in their apartment, Will finally decides to invite a man over for similar intentions.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 29,062
- Chapters:
- 6/6
- Comments:
- 133
- Kudos:
- 1,115
- Bookmarks:
- 258
- Hits:
- 22,293
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
17 Apr 2026
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Salt, Sugar and Suppressed Desires by summerofsecrets for AAA_Suka
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
10 Jun 2026
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Summary
“I look like a nautical disaster, Max. I look like I’m about to go down with the Titanic.”
“Correct. But a nautical disaster that earns $3.35 an hour.”
Mike Wheeler’s summer goals were simple: survive the humiliating polyester sailor suit of Scoops Ahoy and save enough money to buy a new D&D manual. He didn't account for the heatwave, the sudden influx of girls flirting with his "indie-rock" hair, or the fact that Will Byers was working twenty feet away at Surfer Boy Pizza in a yellow visor that made Mike’s brain stop functioning.
Between trying to write his phone number on melting ice cream cups and surviving Max’s blunt commentary on Will's "athletic" development, Mike is losing his mind. But when the mall lights go out and the grease-and-sugar tension finally boils over on a flour-dusted prep table, Mike realizes that being a "Little Sailor" might not be so bad—as long as he has a Pizza Prince to come home to.
Or: The one where Mike pines, Will glares, and Max Mayfield deserves a raise for dealing with both of them.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 108,637
- Chapters:
- 11/?
- Comments:
- 231
- Kudos:
- 773
- Bookmarks:
- 247
- Hits:
- 29,969
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
17 Apr 2026
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Summary
Mike Wheeler and Will Byers were childhood best friends who lost contact after the Byers' departure to California. Four years later, they both end up working right next to each other in Hawkins; Mike at Scoops Ahoy and Will at Surfer Boy Pizza.
Thus, a summer of reconnecting, secretly hooking up, and falling in love again.
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
17 Apr 2026
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will i always wonder? (will, i always wonder) by acatalepsae
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
13 Jun 2026
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Summary
“I keep imagining telling you all of this in person and then immediately shoving a gun down my throat and killing myself. Because then you’d look at me differently. Or worse— you wouldn’t. You’d look at me exactly the same, and I wouldn’t know what to do with that.”
His voice cracks slightly, but he keeps going.
“I don’t want you to feel like I’m breaking in front of you.”
“But I think I already am. I think I already did. I think you looked away. I think you still care. I think you’re scared. I think I love you. No. I Know I love you. I’m as sure of it as Dustin is about wavefunctions collapsing the moment you try to define them too precisely.”
“Will, I always wonder… if we too, would collapse if one of us tries to define what we are too precisely.”
OR
In which Mike and Will get high, make terrible decisions, and avoid one very obvious conversation for an impressive amount of time.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 266,618
- Chapters:
- 24/?
- Comments:
- 835
- Kudos:
- 809
- Bookmarks:
- 285
- Hits:
- 38,526
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
17 Apr 2026
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so there's no need for us to hesitate (we're all alone, let's take control) by enbybylers for beaubyler
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
09 Apr 2026
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Summary
"Do you know his name?" Will replied, glancing back at the man, a smirk cemented on his face as he watched the two of them towel off. Max scoffed, "Unfortunately yes, it's Mike Wheeler." She rolled her eyes as she said it. Mike Wheeler. Will had heard that name before, but he wasn't sure where. "I feel like I've heard of him before." Will replied, looking down at the grass as he ran the towel through his mousy brown hair. Max hummed, "He got into trouble a few years ago, I guess he sold something to Mayor Kline's daughter that was laced and she got like, super sick from it." Will froze, his stomach felt like it was full of knives. He's bad news. He knew he had to be, and yet he wanted to know more.
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
17 Apr 2026
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Summary
Mike is spending the last urgent summer days with Will in Hawkins. He’s also writing in college. Somehow, these two things are always happening at once.
Or, ‘Funny how there’s a face underneath my face.’
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 104,916
- Chapters:
- 22/22
- Comments:
- 2,159
- Kudos:
- 1,051
- Bookmarks:
- 388
- Hits:
- 35,182
Bookmarked by forensicsqween
17 Apr 2026