stranger things platonic fics rec!!
very mike-centric since he's my fave but if that's your jam, i welcome you here! organized by wordcount in ascending order
though nothing can keep us together by officialghafa
A look into what Nancy Wheeler saw and had to do when she saw her little brother lose the light in his eyes.
wc: 916 || ch: 1/1 || rating: G || light mileven/stancy (very much in the bg) || god, how i love the wheeler siblings... i wish they had more canon material but since they don't, to fics i go!
a drag path etched into the surface (can you find me?) by bbnarancho
He looks at Max, who still is looking at him. He sees it in her as well. He sees the things he cannot really explain, and Max doesnât seem like a person actively trying to help him with it either. Mike thinks that, maybe, if he stood up and faced the cliff, she would hold his hand and make the first step.
Sometimes, it scared him more than thinking of jumping himself.
(or: Mike and Max share a can of beer and a pain)
wc: 2,223 || ch: 1/1 || rating: G || madwheeler + depression + the quarry
teens of style by kublakola
Max has started hiding under the bleachers instead of going to class. She doesn't see the point in going, anymore. She doesn't really see the point in anything.
Sometime in the winter of 1985, despite the fact they haven't spoken in months, her least favourite friend decides to join her.
wc: 4,091 || ch: 1/1 || rating: T || big fan of madwheeler blossoming after the byerses move away, if you couldn't tell yet
meet me in the middle (of the parking lot) by Zannolin
âWhat are we doing?â Mike asks again, rubbing his wrist and scowling, but she can see the curious way heâs eyeing her skateboard. He canât fool herâshe was there in the gym, too. He might not want to admit it, but he was impressed with her skateboarding skills, if not with Max herself.
âWe arenât doing anything,â she says, nudging the skateboard towards him with one dirty sneaker. âYouâre gonna get all your nervous energy out, and Iâm going to watch to make sure you donât break my board.â
(or, max tries to teach mike wheeler how to skateboard and get him to be her friend, to varying degrees of success.)
wc: 4,157 || ch: 1/1 || rating: G || actually the cutest ever madwheeler fic, its canon-compliant and the author nailed max's thoughts and their complicated, burgeoning friendship
the first law by bloodofgods
When Hopper takes refuge at the Byers house in the winter of 1983, he finds someone else doing the same. Now if only children would stop disappearing in the first place.
Featuring the laws of motion, Hopper doing detective work, and the mystery of Mike Wheeler.
Or: Hopper finds out about the quarry
wc: 5,398 || ch: 4/4 || rating: M || hopper and mike have some serious talks!! ps. petition to name their duo mipper bc thats fucking adorable (or it could be hike lmfao) (i feel the urge to make a quarry joke)
friend of my brother is my enemy (or something like that) by rosesgf
Jonathan would never hear the end of it if Will found out what heâs 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, âMike, I think we need to have a talk.â
wc: 7,599 || ch: 1/1 || rating: M || when you accidentally come out to your best friend's brother while he's lowkey giving you the shovel talk
all this sympathy is just a knife (i couldn't even be him if i tried) by arcadesintheneighbourhood
âWhat are you waiting for?â Mikeâs urging causes Lucas to scramble for his backpack and bike. âLetâs go!â
âMike!â Lucas calls to a speedy, steady Mike up ahead. He didnât even let him reorganize the emergency supplies in his backpack for their lesson. Still, he smiles and shakes his head to himself. It doesnât really matter in the end. Wherever Mike goes, heâll follow.
-
Mike and Lucas are life-long friends, neighbors, and twin flames. Dual leaders of the party, they harbor equal parts of admiration and envy for the other, leading to conflict and explosive moments. However, their friendships is forged from deep love, and they always return to each other.
wc: 7,705 || ch: 1/1 || rating: G || a wheelclair friendship study (can be taken either romantically or platonically but their feelings aren't stated outright) but!! such a good insight on their feelings and views on each other, it feels so canonical
