permanentlyinspired
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It's A Long Trek To Mordor (And A Long Climb To The Abyss) by permanentlyinspired
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
11 May 2026
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Summary
What if the "friends? no thanks. best friends." was just the first of several conversation that Will and Mike had when they were climbing the radio tower into the abyss? With each break that they take to catch their breaths, Mike has an increasing sense of doom pressing down on him. Is he really going to go to his grave being such an idiot, or is he finally going to wise up?
First stop: Canon
Second stop: Coming Out
Third stop: Confession
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“What?” Will asked, confused. He turned, gathering his crayons from where they had fallen.
“We could try kissing,” Mike answered, rushing to say the words like he could not get them out fast enough. He was grinning wildly, still with most of his baby teeth, crooked and perfectly imperfect.
OR
Mike and Will practice kiss as kids. Miwi soup for the soul.
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blood, guts & birthday cakes by Zana (LeaveYourMessageAfterBeep)
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
18 May 2026
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Summary
Mike hasn't had Will's blood ever since.
It felt strange at first—like not being allowed to eat the birthday cake before the guests arrive. Something temporary.
Until Troy pushed Will to the ground and Mike spent the entire third period in the infirmary biting the inside of his cheek, tasting his own blood to avoid thinking about Will's O negative while the school nurse patiently picked gravel out of Will's palms with tweezers.
It feels a bit bigger than cake after that.
Maybe because the candles have already been blown out, and he still can't have it.
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Mike Wheeler was born a vampire.
It changes both more and less about the canon than you'd think.In other words: Mike learning that you can't have a cake and eat it too
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But it wasn’t a monster that came out of the trees. It was a person. A boy.
Mike froze.
Then he was spotted, and the boy stopped in his tracks; with skillful movements, he quickly slung the rifle off his shoulder and pointed it at Mike’s chest. Mike raised his hands while trying to keep most of his weight on his left leg.
“Whoa. Hey,” Mike said, his eyes wide as he stared at the tip of the rifle. “Just hold on. I’m not—I’m not going to hurt you.”
Or: A crawl gone wrong left Mike stranded in the Upside Down. Hurt and alone, Mike stumbles upon someone everyone told him was dead.
Will Byers was never found Au
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Summary
Mike Wheeler spends years trying to be “normal.”
Normal son, normal friend, normal boyfriend, normal boy.But growing up with Will Byers — through disappearances, monsters, trauma, high school, and finally college — makes “normal” feel less and less like something he actually wants.
This is the long, messy, painfully slow journey of Mike figuring himself out, losing himself, finding himself again, and realizing that the only thing that ever made sense — the only thing that ever felt right — was Will.
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Bookmarked by permanentlyinspired
29 Apr 2026
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Bookmarker's Notes
And for the first time in his life, Mike Wheeler realizes he wasn’t chasing normalcy.
Or safety.
Or some imaginary version of himself he thought he was supposed to be.
He was chasing this.
Truth. Love. Home.
Will.
Mike slides his hand into Will’s.
Warm. Solid. Real.
The world doesn’t end. No lightning strikes. No adult voice booms “inappropriate” from the sky.
It’s just two grown boys — two men, almost — holding hands in an empty playground, the same way they did before they knew there were rules against it.
He squeezes.
Will squeezes back.
“See?” Will says softly. “Perfectly appropriate.”
Mike laughs, a little broken around the edges, and lets himself lean in until their shoulders touch.
They sit back down on the teeter-totter, still holding hands this time.
Up. Down. Up.
“What now?” Mike asks eventually.
Will rests their joined hands on his knee, thumb tracing small circles on Mike’s skin. “Now we enjoy this perfect summer and then go back to Boston,” he says. “You annoy your professors. I stress over canvases. And then one day — if you’d still have me — we find a place with terrible plumbing and a decent view. We… live.”
Mike freezes for half a second.
Not because it scares him — because it doesn’t. Because the idea lands in him so cleanly, so naturally, it’s almost absurd that Will would even doubt it.
If I’d still have him.
As if there’s any version of the future where Mike lets go of him willingly.
He squeezes Will’s hand, a little tighter than before, thumb brushing back in the same slow circle — an answer before words.
“Revolutionary concept,” Mike says, voice warm, certain. “Living.”
Will smiles sideways. “I heard it’s the new normal.”
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It starts with a Hellfire shirt. Mike doesn't know if it's cursed or blessed because wearing it always makes Will act strangely. Then, it's spiraling into a hope Mike didn't know he could have. Will has never been closer, but Mike still isn't sure he can have what he wants. Or can he?
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“You’ll let me do your hair?”
Mike knows this is a bad idea. Knows he’ll be red the whole time and stutter and give himself away, but this is Will. Will with his hands in his hair, so close Mike can stare all he wants. Fantasize about what a kiss might be like. Hidden away in the safety of what should’ve been their bedroom. Maybe he can use today to convince Will it can be.
“Only if you make me look good.”
Will stands with a sweet smile. “Easiest job in the world then.” And then he disappears into the hallway before Mike can even start to stumble in front of him.
What?
What does that mean?