Please do not repost, reupload, or copy my work to any other sites! Tumblr and Ao3 (and maybe Twitter) are the only platforms I will ever post my writing to.
My AO3 | Twitter: Kleine_dee
FANDOMS I WRITE/HAVE WRITTEN FOR: Stranger Things, Love and Deepspace, Hogwarts Legacy, Haikyuu!!, Boku no Hero Academia, MCU: The Eternals.
~STRANGER THINGS~
Sidelined - Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
ON-GOING
TAGS: Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, Former Best Friends, Falling out, POV Mike Wheeler, Unresolved Tension, Mike Wheeler is Bad at Feelings, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Upside Down (Stranger Things), Popular Will Byers, Nostalgia, Forced Proximity, Miscommunication, Unreliable Narrator Mike Wheeler, Petty Mike Wheeler, Petty Will Byers, Will is a runner, he's a track star, Eventual Smut, El is not adopted by Hopper in this universe sorry not sorry she deserves better, mike and el never dated
Masterpost
all eyes on me (but i'm only searching for you) - Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
On-going
TAGS: Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Princess Diaries AU, Will is the prince of Genovia, Modern Royalty, Yearning, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends to Lovers, Unrequited Love, but not really, Identity Crisis, Fluff, Angst, mike wheeler is a simp, Insecurity, Past Bullying, eventual smut
like we always do - Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
on-going
TAGS: Alternate Universe - No Upside Down (Stranger Things), Minor Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Will Byers is in Denial, Idiots in Love, Truth or Dare, Party Shenanigans, Mike planks until failure, Will finds it hot, Sexual Tension, Will's coming out scene(s), Eventual Smut, Requited Unrequited Love.
⋆˚࿔-LOVE AND DEEPSPACE- ࿔˚⋆
♡ CALEB ♡
Practically Yours - Caleb/You
Completed
TAGS: Alternate Universe – Hogwarts, Slytherin MC, Hufflepuff Caleb, Slytherin Gideon, Slytherin Sylus, Caleb has a fan club, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Gideon is a good friend, First Kiss.
TAGS: Alternate Universe – Hogwarts, Caleb has a fan club and they aren't nice, Sylus is hopelessly in love, Slytherin Sylus, Hufflepuff MC, Gryffindor Caleb, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Bullying, Flirting, Enemies to Lovers, Teasing, Jealousy, Angst with a Happy Ending.
AO3 – Words: 16,004
Side Effects May Include - Sylus/You
Completed
TAGS: Alternate Universe – Hogwarts, Slytherin Sylus, Hufflepuff MC, Slytherin Luke & Kieran, Hufflepuff Tara, Potion Mishap, prank gone wrong, You and Sylus are bonded physically and emotionally, Feelings Realization, Suggestive Themes, Jealousy, Getting Together, Kiss, Implied/Referenced Sex.
TAGS: Alternate Universe – Hogwarts, Teasing, Sexual Tension, First Kiss, Happy Ending, Zayne tutors MC, and its an exercise in self-control, mc is a brat, Flirting, A bit of angst but not really.
AO3 - Words: 4,661
♡ MULTI-SHIP ♡
Somewhere Between - Xia Yizhou | Caleb/You, Qin Che | Sylus/You
Ongoing
TAGS: Inspired by Daisy Jones & The Six, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Drama & Romance, Angst, Love Triangles, Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, band dynamics, Secret Relationship, Infidelity, Slow Burn, Other Additional Tags to Be Added.
AO3 - Words: 21,473
The Edge of Familiar - Caleb/You, Sylus/You, bg Xavier/Tara
Completed
TAGS: Alternate Universe – Hogwarts, Triwizard Tournament, Slytherin Sylus, Hufflepuff Caleb, Gryffindor MC, Love Triangles, slight enemies to friends to lovers, Flirting, Fluff, Angst, Ambiguous/Open Ending , Happy Ending.
AO3 - Words: 27,049
♡ MISC SERIES ♡
Curatus - Ongoing
Summary: A collection of one-shots following your journey through Hogwarts as you cross paths with Caleb, Gideon, Xavier, Sylus, Zayne, and others. Through quiet moments, small adventures, and shared experiences, you build bonds of friendship, trust, and camaraderie, proving that magic isn't just in spells, but in the connections we make along the way.
Part One: Sorting Things Out | No Romantic Pairing
TAGS: Post-Canon, Department of Mysteries (Harry Potter), Workplace Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Infidelity (you and sebastian both get cheated on), Everyone can see it but them, Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Sex.
AO3 | Words: 6,535
Sienna - Sebastian Sallow/You
Completed | Warnings: Major Character Death
TAGS: Main Character Death, Grief, Canon-diverent, Post-Canon, What Could Have Been, Implied/Imagined Parenthood, Melancholy, Hurt, No Comfort, Bittersweet, Angst, Break Up, Former Lovers, Yearning, Dark Magic, Lost Futures, Tragedy.
AO3 – Words: 2,759
The Summer After Him - Sebastian Sallow/You
Ongoing | Warnings: 18+ Smut
TAGS: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Post-Breakup, Growth, Found Family, Slow Burn, Hook-Up, Emotional Healing, roommate shenanigans, Lit major Sebastian, Chemistry major Garreth, Philosophy major Ominis, Messy Feelings, no labels Just Vibes, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Creampie, Praise Kink, Blow Jobs, campus life, Sebastian is a gentleman a simp and good at sex.
TAGS: Post-Hogwarts Toxic Relationship Codependency On-Again/Off-Again Relationship Mutual Infidelity Emotional Hurt no comfort Angst Bittersweet Ending Obession They keep going back to each other told from seb's pov
AO3 – Words: 1,893
☆GARRETH WEASLEY☆
COMING SOON
☆OMINIS GAUNT☆
COMING SOON!
☆MULTI-SHIP☆
What We Won't Say – Sebastian Sallow/You, Garreth Weasley/You
Completed
TAGS: Post-Canon, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Slytherin Reader, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Emotional Constipation, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Jealousy, Confessions, Banter, Love Triangle, Good Friend Ominis Gaunt, Endgame Sebastian.
AO3 – Words: 6,493
☆MISC SERIES☆
Where We Begin - Ongoing Series
Pairing: Sebastian Sallow/You
Summary: In the aftermath of loss and regret, Sebastian Sallow finds unexpected healing, purpose, and love. Beginning with the hand that reached out to him when he needed it most. From quiet summers to life-changing years at Hogwarts, this is a story of growth, forgiveness, and the futures chosen.
Part One: A Place to Land - Sebastian Sallow/You
Completed
TAGS: Post-Canon, quiet moments, Mutual Support, Comfort and Solace, Post-trauma healing, Emotional Intimacy, Friends to family, You Are His Home, Slytherin Reader, Guilt.
AO3 – Words: 5,201
Part Two: COMING SOON
Of All the Things Left Behind - Ongoing Series
Pairings: Ominis Gaunt/You, Sebastian Sallow/You (PAST)
Part One: Words Unsaid, Words Spoken - Ominis Gaunt/You, Sebastian Sallow/You (PAST)
Completed
TAGS: Post-Canon, Seventh Year, Sebastian Sallow is a womanizer, Protective Sebastian Sallow, Sebastian Sallow & Reader (past), One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Jealousy, Emotional Hurt, Unrequited Love, Angst, Ominis Gaunt Needs a Hug, Soft Ominis Gaunt, Love Confessions, Comfort, First Kiss, Getting Together.
AO3 – Words: 2,228
Part Two: To You, Again - Ominis Gaunt/You, Sebastian Sallow/You (PAST)
Completed
TAGS: Post-Canon, Told from Sebastian's POV, Unrequited Love, Angst, Reunions, Hidden Feelings, Love Confessions, Heartbreak, Longing, Jealousy, Sebastian Sallow is Bad at Feelings, Sebastian Sallow is a womanizer.
AO3 – Words: 1,830
Part Three: Too Much, Too Late - Ominis Gaunt/You, Sebastian Sallow/You (PAST)
Completed
TAGS: Post-Canon, Past Love Triangle, Angst, Bittersweet, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Second Chances Denied, Missed Opportunities, Sebastian Sallow is Bad at Feelings, Unrequited Love, Pining, Regret, Closure, Unspoken feelings, "It's too late" troupe, painful confessions, domestic life, Established Relationship, Reunions, Healing, Soft Ominis, Father Ominis.
AO3 – Words: 2,320
Part Four: COMING SOON
In All Directions - Ongoing Series
Pairings: Sebastian Sallow/You, Ominis Gaunt/You, Garreth Weasley/You
Summary: This series explores a polyamorous relationship in which reader is romantically involved with Sebastian, Ominis, and Garreth individually. +Now including a Modern AU :)
Part One: Secrets and Slips - Sebastian Sallow/You, Ominis Gaunt/You, Garreth Weasley/You
Part Two: Tongues and Ties - Sebastian Sallow/You, Ominis Gaunt/You, Garreth Weasley/You
Completed
TAGS: Polyamory, Friends With Benefits, social club setting, Teasing, Jealousy, Romance, Flirting, Mutual Pining, Kissing, Intimate moments, Secret Rendezvous, protective partners, Humor, Implied Sexual Content.
AO3 – Words: 3,496
Part Three: In Plain Sight - Sebastian Sallow/You, Ominis Gaunt/You
Completed
TAGS: Post-Canon, sixth and seventh year, Accidental Voyeurism, Poor Imelda, Implied Sexual Content, Making Out, Vaginal Fingering, Post-Match, Party, Hot and Heavy but not quite smut, Slytherin Player Character, Third Party Perspectives, Romantic Tension, soft, intimacy, quiet moments, Tenderness, friendship to romance.
AO3 – Words: 5,233
Part Four: Room for One More - Sebastian Sallow/You, Ominis Gaunt/You, Garreth Weasley/You
Ongoing | Warnings: 18+
TAGS: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Break Up, Rebounding, Frat Party, Frat Life, College Life, Roommates, Casual Relationships flirty tension, hoe-phase era, Banter, Sebastian Ominis and Garreth are frat boys, Oral Sex (male and female receiving), Other Additional Tags to Be Added Ominis has a service dog, Garreth is a flirt.
AO3 – Words: 4,939
Where Roads Divide - Completed Series
Pairings: Sebastian Sallow/You, Garreth Weasley/You
Part One: The Storm That Follows - Sebastian Sallow/You, Garreth Weasley/You
Completed
TAGS: Love Triangles, Post-Canon, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Slow Burn, Emotional Hur, Angst, Friends to Lovers, friends to strangers, Mutual Pining, Healing, Guilt, Grief, Burnout, Found Family, Bittersweet Ending, First Kiss, First Time, Implied Sexual Content, Garreth is endgame, but not really because this is a prequel to endgame Seb, Anne Sallow dies, Emotional Manipulation.
AO3 – Words: 21,307
Part Two: Where the Ash Settles - Sebastian Sallow/You, Garreth Weasley/You
Completed
TAGS: Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends, Feelings Realization, Emotional Baggage, Post-Hogwarts, Post-Canon, Sebastian is an unspeakable, Regret, Almost Kiss, Fake Marriage, MC is an Auror, Insecurity, Pining, Fluff, Love Triangles, Angst with a Happy Ending, Forced Proximity, First Kiss, Pregnancy. Endgame Seb.
AO3 – Words: 34,015
⋆.𐙚-Haikyuu!!-𐙚.⋆
something in the way we were - Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Completed
TAGS: Angst, Alternate Universe - College/University, Break Up, Getting Back Together, Falling Out of Love, Jealousy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Roommates.
AO3 - Words: 5,660
⋆˙⟡ Boku no Hero Academa ⟡˙⋆
No One But You - Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku
Ongoing
TAGS: Miscommunication, Angst, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Misunderstandings, Bakugou Katsuki is Bad at Feelings, Midoriya Izuku is Bad at Feelings, Bakugou Katsuki's Hero Name is Ground Zero, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending
Mike and Will used to be inseparable. Best friends. Then Will moved away without warning.
Now he’s back in Hawkins… and he’s different... and everything Mike isn’t: popular, charming, athletic, and adored by everyone.
Mike can’t stand him.
But thanks to a very unfair Mr. Clarke, they’re stuck together on a senior project. One project. Two ex-best friends. And somehow, they’re both about to survive the most complicated semester of their lives.
Or: the forced-proximity, enemies-to-lovers Byler fic no one asked for.
Rating: Mature (eventually will be changed to Explicit)
AO3 - Tumblr
a/n: uhhh I forgot to post this. It's been up on AO3 for a while... still, I'm sorry to everyone who's reading here exclusively! I thought I'd do it later, and then suddenly later was right now and right now is a week later... I'm bad with time RIP.
Anywhoooo, hope you enjoy :)
.
Read Chapter One here.
.
Chapter Eleven
Friday March 24, 1989
By the time Mike pushed into the crowd, the noise had already started to unravel.
What had seemed, from a distance, like a single solid wall of sound broke apart as he moved deeper into the party. Music, of course, was loud enough that the bass thudded through the cabin floor and into the soles of his shoes when he stepped onto the bottom porch stair. Underneath it, voices emerged in layers, overlapping and colliding without rhythm.
Laughter cut sharper up close. Someone shouted, the words stretching toward him before dissolving into the low, constant hum of conversation.
He slowed a little as he climbed the steps, not enough that it would look like hesitation if anyone happened to be watching, but enough that he could take in what he was about to walk into.
The front door was propped open, a wedge of light cutting out onto the porch. People moved in and out without really thinking about it, brushing past each other, shoulders bumping, drinks sloshing dangerously close to the rims of plastic cups. No one was checking who came in. No one was paying that much attention.
That should’ve made it easier. It didn’t, exactly.
Mike hovered just to the side of the doorway for half a second longer than necessary, his hand brushing briefly against the frame before he stepped inside.
The shift hit immediately. Warmer, thicker air, like the whole place had been sealed up and filled past capacity, which it very clearly was.
The smell of alcohol was stronger in here, mixed with something sugary and something faintly burnt that he couldn’t quite place. The light was brighter than outside, too, and yet harder to see somehow, lamps turned on in corners, shadows cutting across the room in uneven patches.
It took a second for his eyes to adjust, for the movement in the room to stop feeling like one shifting blur and start resolving into people. Faces. Groups.
His gaze moved automatically, scanning in a way he didn’t have to think about, passing over clusters of people until it snagged, just briefly, on anyone who might be…
No. He wasn’t here.
There were too many people crammed into the cabin, shrinking the space into something tighter than he remembered. Bodies shifted constantly, sightlines breaking whenever someone leaned the wrong way or bumped into him.
An unease settled as his chest tightened, small but noticeable. He pushed it down just as quickly.
Mike threaded through the crowd in the direction of the kitchen. It was the logical choice. Lucas was probably there, Max too, hanging around the drinks like they usually did at parties like this, and Dustin… well, Dustin just went wherever things were actually fun.
He angled that way, moving more carefully than usual. The floor was already sticky, his shoes catching against the wood, forcing him to lift each step clean. Someone brushed past his shoulder without apologizing, without even glancing at him long enough to recognize who he was.
That indifference, for some reason, felt worse, like an unpleasant reminder.
He reached the kitchen. It was crowded, but less busy than the main room. People were more stationary here, gathered around the counters, leaning into each other to talk, drinks set down wherever there was space. Bottles lined up in uneven rows, a few already tipped on their sides. Someone had spilled something near the sink and made no attempt to clean it up..
El was easy to spot. Max beside her, both of them bent slightly over the counter, shoulders pressed together in a way that suggested they were either sharing a joke or about to. Lucas stood just off to the side, not removed, but not fully pulled into it either, his attention split between them and everything else happening around them.
Relief came quicker than Mike expected. He moved toward them, slipping into the edge of their group.
Lucas noticed him first. His gaze flicked up, something unreadable flashing across his face before it settled.
He gave a small nod. “Mike.”
“Hey,” Mike returned, the word coming out quieter than he meant it to, like he hadn’t fully adjusted to the volume in the room yet.
Still, El turned at the sound of it, a fraction slower than she usually would’ve, and then her face lit up in a way that was immediate and completely unfiltered.
“Mike!”
She closed the distance between them without hesitation, arms wrapping around him tightly, her momentum enough that he had to shift his footing slightly to keep them both balanced.
“Hi,” he said, a small laugh slipping out as he brought his arms up around her in return.
She pulled back just enough to press a quick kiss to his cheek before hugging him again, like she hadn’t quite decided she was done yet.
Mike smiled despite himself, something in him easing in a way that felt almost automatic. “Okay, yeah, hi--”
El finally leaned back, still holding onto his arms, her expression bright and just a little unfocused.
He took her in for a second, the looseness in the way she held herself, the slight delay in her reactions, the way she was smiling like everything was just… good.
“You’re-” he started, then huffed out a quiet breath through his nose. “You’ve had a few.”
“I am having fun,” she said, like that answered everything.
“Yeah,” Mike said, nodding a little. “I can see that.”
She was definitely more gone than she’d been Wednesday night, swaying, looser than usual, but she looked okay.
His gaze drifted past her to Lucas and Max.
Max, who’d been half-turned away, leaned back against the counter and squinted at him, like she was only just now registering that he was there at all.
“Well, look who finally showed up,” she said, her tone already edged with something sharp enough to catch.
Mike exhaled, a small brace settling into his shoulders before he could stop it. “Yeah, I-”
“You bailed,” Max cut in, straightening as she pointed at him with the small plastic cup in her hand. The liquid inside sloshed dangerously close to the rim. “You were supposed to help set up. I can’t believe it, Wheeler. The one time we--Will--actually asks you for something, and you completely bail.”
A few heads nearby shifted, not fully paying attention, but close enough that Mike felt it anyway.
Beside her, El let out a small, uncertain laugh, the sound thin and misplaced, like she wasn’t sure if this was a joke or not but wanted it to be.
“I didn’t bail,” Mike said quickly, the words coming out sharper than he meant them to. Defensive, immediate. “I had to be home for--”
“You disappointed him again, you know,” Max slurred, cutting across him as she took a sip from her cup, her eyes fixed on him over the rim.
The words hit harder than they should have. Mike felt the instinct to push back rise up just as fast: tight, immediate, almost automatic.
That wasn’t fair. Max didn’t know. She didn’t know anything about what had happened, about what he’d been dealing with, about why he couldn’t just show up when he wanted to. The accusation sat wrong, built on something incomplete, something she didn’t have the full picture of.
And still… something in his chest dipped anyway.
Because he had wanted to be there. On time. He’d meant to be. He’d pictured it, even, being alone with Will before everyone arrived, helping out once they did, having fun after. The defensiveness didn’t go away, but it tangled with something else now, something more insistent and harder to ignore. Guilt.
Lucas reached over and nudged Max’s arm down, gentle but firm. “Alright,” he said under his breath, “that’s enough.”
Max rolled her eyes but didn’t push it further, already turning back toward the counter and whatever they’d been doing before.
Lucas looked back at Mike and gave a small shrug, one shoulder lifting like he didn’t have anything better to offer. Mike let out a slow breath, trying not to let that settle too deep.
“Where’s Dustin?” he asked, because it was easier to move past it than sit in it. “And,”
He didn’t finish the second name, but he didn’t need to. Lucas understood anyway.
“We lost track of both of them a while ago,” Lucas said.
Mike frowned slightly. “Both?”
“Yeah.” Lucas shifted his weight, glancing toward the door. “Last I saw, Will was outside. With Scotty and Chance.”
That sat strangely with him, something he didn’t have time to unpack.
“And Dustin ran into Steve and Robin right off the bat,” Lucas added. “He trailed after them before we could stop him. They might still be around here.”
Mike huffed a quiet laugh. “Yeah, that makes sense.”
For a second, the noise of the room pressed back in around him, the brief pocket of familiarity already starting to thin.
Lucas tipped his head slightly toward the exit. “You should check outside. Cabin’s packed, but they’re not here. I would’ve seen them. Will locked the bedroom doors,” Lucas went on. “So nobody’s in there. Everyone’s basically spread out outside.”
Mike nodded, already half-turning, his mind moving ahead of him now. Outside. More space. Easier to find someone without having to push through the crowd every two seconds.
El reached out and caught his sleeve before he could step away, her hazel-downcast eyes looking up at him with a worried softness that made his heart soften.
“Don’t look so sad, Mike” she said, her voice slower now, barely loud enough that he could hear over the music, “You’ll find him. I am sure you will.”
Mike glanced down at her, something in his chest tightening again, though not in the same way as before.
“Don’t worry about me, El. You have fun, okay?” Mike said, just as softly, giving her a small nod and a faint, fond smile, before pressing a kiss on to her forehead.
El’s fingers lingered on his sleeve for a moment, and her worried hazel eyes softened slightly, a tiny, reluctant smile tugging at her lips. She didn’t say anything, but the way she squeezed his arm made him feel like she understood.
He turned, glancing over at Max and Lucas, both of them watching a little too closely, their eyes narrowed in that way that made it clear they’d been tracking the whole exchange.
“Take care of her, yeah?” he added.
Max let out a exasperated huff into her cup, not quite looking at him. It could’ve meant yeah, or obviously, or don’t tell me what to do. With Max, it was likely all three.
Still, she didn’t argue, and that, Mike figured, was about as close to agreement as he was going to get from Max.
Mike turned to Lucas who gave him a quick nod. He squeezed El’s hand once before letting go, and turned back toward the door.
Mike let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding as he stepped outside, the muffled bass of the music immediately swallowed by the open night air. It was cooler out by the lake, the kind of damp, early spring air that clung to his skin, and for a second he just stood there, adjusting, taking in the scene in front of him.
Then he heard it, chanting, loud and rhythmic, carrying over the water.
He frowned slightly, drawn toward the noise, and followed it down toward the dock where a crowd had gathered in a loose, uneven circle. The string lights strung between trees cast a faint golden glow over everything, mixing with the pale wash of moonlight, making it just bright enough to see shapes, movement, flashes of faces.
At the center of it all, someone tilted their head back, arm raised, chugging from a massive can while people shouted encouragement.
Mike squinted, stepping a little closer, and then his stomach dropped in a way that felt sudden and irrational as recognition hit.
Will.
He stood there, at a considerable distance, for a moment longer than he meant to, watching as Will finished the beer to a roar of approval, people shouting his name like it meant something, like it carried weight.
Chance was right there beside him, half-laughing, half-yelling in cheer, one arm slung carelessly, comfortably, around Will’s shoulders like it belonged there.
Chris and Scotty flanked them, close enough to lean in, to clap Will on the back, to be part of it.
Will looked… good.
Not just good, right. Like he fit into the moment so naturally it didn’t make sense with the old version of him Mike still had in his head. He was smiling wide, flushed from alcohol and attention, letting himself be pulled and jostled as the group surged around him.
Like he belonged there.
Mike shifted his weight, something tight settling in his chest as he took it in. It wasn’t even that Will was at the center of it; that part he could rationalize. Maybe it was everything around it. The ease. The way people gravitated toward him. The way he didn’t look out of place for even a second.
Will had always been… quieter, before. Selective. The kind of person who stuck close to what he knew. That wasn’t true anymore. The scene before him made that much clear.
Mike exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his hair as he watched Chance say something that made Will laugh, the two of them leaning into each other like it was nothing, like that kind of closeness was natural and expected.
Mike’s eyes lingered on it longer than they should have, catching on the casual way Chance’s hand squeezed Will’s shoulder, the way Will didn’t pull away. Didn’t even seem to notice. Or maybe he did. Maybe he even liked it.
The thought came uninvited, sharp and unwelcome, and Mike felt his jaw tighten before he could stop it.
He forced himself to look away.
It didn’t matter. It wasn’t his business. Will could do whatever he wanted, with whoever he wanted, and Mike had no claim over that, no reason to feel…
A burst of laughter pulled his attention back despite himself.
A group of girls had gathered around Will now, crowding in close, talking over each other, all smiles and bright eyes.
Will turned toward them easily, still riding whatever high the moment had given him, and smiled in return, something softer this time, something almost… affectionate.
Mike felt something twist low in his stomach. He shook it off immediately, sharp and deliberate, like he could physically dislodge the feeling before it took root.
No.
He wasn’t doing this. He wasn’t going to stand here and overanalyze every little thing, wasn’t going to spiral over something that didn’t even…
He turned on his heel before he could finish the thought, heading back toward the cabin with more purpose than he actually felt.
The porch was crowded, people sitting along the railing, some crowding the hot tub, a couple more leaning against the wall, passing a cigarette between them that smelled faintly of vanilla. The conversation dipped slightly when Mike stepped up, just enough for him to notice, just enough to make him aware of himself.
He recognized a few of them from calculus: familiar faces, not familiar people.
He hesitated for half a second, then pushed through it.
“Hey,” he said, a little too abrupt, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. “Have any of you seen Dustin--Henderson?”
There was a beat of silence that stretched just a little too long.
A couple of them exchanged looks, subtle but not subtle enough, like they were trying to place him, or maybe trying to figure out why he was there at all. Mike felt heat creep up the back of his neck, irritation following close behind it.
Right. Of course.
He almost repeated himself, sharper this time, when Amanda, he was pretty sure her name was Amanda, shifted forward slightly, saving him from it.
“I think I saw him,” she said, glancing toward the side of the cabin. “He went out back, to the fire? He was with a girl and Harrington… and Munson.”
Mike blinked, the name catching his attention immediately.
Eddie was here.
Something in him loosened just a fraction.
“Okay. Thanks,” he said quickly, already turning before the conversation could stall again.
He didn’t wait for a response, just moved, cutting around the side of the cabin and onto the narrow path that led toward the trees. The noise of the main party dulled as he walked, replaced by something quieter, more contained, low voices, occasional laughter, the crackle of fire.
The clearing opened up in front of him, the fire pit at its center casting flickering orange light over a scattered group of people sitting in mismatched chairs or on logs lying on the ground.
It didn’t take him long to find them.
Dustin was easy to spot, animated even while sitting down, gesturing wildly as he talked. Steve was slouched back in his chair, looking both engaged and completely lost at the same time, while Robin leaned toward Dustin, adding onto whatever conspiracy he was currently spiraling into.
And Eddie… Eddie caught sight of him first.
It was immediate, the shift in his expression, like a switch had flipped the second he caught sight of Mike standing at the edge of the clearing. His mouth curled into that familiar, crooked grin, sharp and amused and a little too knowing, like he’d been expecting him all along.
Mike felt something in his chest ease at the sight of it, something automatic and unguarded.
He found himself smiling back before he even reached them, something instinctive and easy settling over him in a way that hadn’t been there out by the dock.
Eddie leaned back in his chair as Mike approached, dragging a blunt between his fingers with lazy familiarity before lifting his chin in greeting.
“Well, well, well,” he called out, loud enough to cut through whatever nonsense Dustin and Robin were currently feeding Steve. “Look who’s actually here.”
Dustin’s head snapped up immediately.
“Mike!” he said, like it was both a greeting and an accusation.
Robin followed with a bright, “Hey, little Wheeler!” while Steve gave him a slightly delayed "Hey, man." and a nod, his expression hovering somewhere between recognition and confusion.
Mike dropped into the empty chair beside Eddie, the metal creaking faintly under his weight. Up close, he could see it clearly now: Dustin’s glassy eyes, Robin’s unfocused enthusiasm, Steve’s slow reactions. They were all completely wasted.
Eddie, on the other hand, just looked relaxed. Loose. Like he’d settled into the high instead of letting it take him under.
Mike glanced at him briefly, then away, trying not to linger on the way the firelight caught in his eyes, the sharp angle of his grin.
It didn’t work.
Eddie nudged Mike’s shoulder with his own. “Showing up late to a party like this. I’m impressed.”
Mike huffed quietly, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, well,” he muttered, leaning back in his chair, “I didn’t exactly have a choice.”
Eddie’s grin widened. “Oh?” he said, interest sharpening his tone. “What, Mom and Dad drag you to the country club? Make you shake hands, kiss babies, all that good stuff?”
Mike snorted despite himself and shoved him lightly. “Shut up.”
Eddie laughed, the sound low and warm, and for a second it felt like it always did around Eddie, like slipping into something familiar, something uncomplicated.
He held the blunt out without looking, offering it to Mike like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Mike hesitated for a fraction of a second, then took it.
The smoke burned a little on the inhale, harsher than he expected, but he held it anyway, exhaling slowly as the feeling started to settle in, not all at once, but enough to take the edge off the tightness that had followed him from the dock.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Eddie watching him. Not subtly, either.
Mike glanced over, raising an eyebrow. “What?”
Eddie just smirked, tipping his head back slightly, but maintaining eye contact nonetheless. “Nothing,” he said, clearly meaning the opposite. “Just weird seeing you not act like a total buzzkill about something involving baby Byers for once.”
Mike looked away. “I’m not a… whatever.”
“Mm,” Eddie hummed, unconvinced, but he let it drop.
The warmth spread a little more, slow and steady, loosening something in Mike’s shoulders. The fire crackled in front of them, Dustin launched into something about the Russians sending coded transmissions, and Robin immediately jumped in to support him while Steve tried, and clearly failed, to follow along.
It was easy. It had always been easy, like this.
Mike leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees as he listened, half-engaged, half-drifting. His thoughts started to blur at the edges, the high smoothing them out, making everything feel a little lighter, a little less immediate.
Eddie bumped his shoulder again, softer this time, like he was checking in.
Mike leaned back into it without thinking.
That was the thing about Eddie, there was never any question of where he stood. No guessing, no second-guessing, no--
A sudden roar of voices cut through the moment, louder than before, carrying all the way from the dock.
“BYERS! BYERS! BYERS!”
Mike’s body went still before he could stop it. The smile slipped off his face like it had never been there to begin with. He didn’t want to look. He looked anyway.
From where they sat, he could just barely see through the trees, glimpses of movement, flashes of light, but he didn’t need a clear view to know exactly what was happening.
They were still chanting his name. Will was still out there, still at the center of it, still…
Mike exhaled slowly, dragging his gaze away.
Beside him, Eddie went quiet, though not completely. Dustin and the others kept talking, and every so often Eddie would hum in halfhearted agreement when Dustin insisted his theories weren’t crazy. But he’d pulled back in a way that felt intentional, like he’d picked up on the shift immediately and chosen not to draw attention to it.
After a beat, Eddie followed Mike’s line of sight toward the dock, then looked back at him.
“You know,” he said casually, like it hadn’t just become the most obvious thing in the world, “I didn’t actually think you’d show.”
Mike let out a short breath, more of a huff than anything. He reached for the blunt again, taking another hit just to give himself something to do.
“Yeah?” he said, voice flat.
Eddie shrugged one shoulder. “Dustin said you and baby Byers were… what, good now?” he said, the words edged with skepticism. “Didn’t buy it.”
Mike shook his head slightly, exhaling smoke. “It’s not…” he started, then stopped, not entirely sure how to finish that sentence. “I’ve told you before, it’s just a lot of bullshit history,” he settled on finally. “Wouldn’t even be here if Clarke hadn’t…” He cut himself off, waving a hand like it didn’t matter.
Eddie watched him for a second longer than necessary, something more thoughtful flickering behind the usual amusement, then nodded once.
“Fair enough.”
There was a brief pause, not uncomfortable, but not entirely easy either.
“So,” Eddie went on, lighter now, nudging him again, “you two getting along, then?”
Mike let out a quiet, humorless laugh, the memory of their constant back-and-forth leaving a edge behind.
“For now.”
Eddie’s mouth curved. “Yeah,” he said knowingly. “Sounds about right. Baby Byers always did have a way of getting under your skin.”
Mike rolled his eyes, though there was no real bite to it. “He makes it easy,” he muttered. “And he’s just as bad.”
“Mmm.”
Eddie leaned in then, closer than before, his voice dropping just enough that it didn’t carry past Mike.
“Oh, I know,” he said, amusement threading through the words. “Honestly, it’s kind of hard to believe you two were ever friends. With the way he acts with you, you’d think…” he paused, just long enough to make Mike glance at him, “you’d think he was a woman scorned.”
Mike felt the heat hit him all at once. Part of it was the high. Part of it was how close Eddie suddenly was. And part of it, annoyingly, was the fact that Eddie was looking at him like that, like he knew something Mike didn’t want him to know.
Mike swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.
Eddie didn’t move away. If anything, he leaned in a fraction closer, eyes flicking between Mike’s.
“So,” he murmured, quieter now, teasing sharpened into something more pointed, “is he?”
Mike blinked. “What?”
Eddie’s grin widened, slow and deliberate. “I’ve always been curious,” he said. “And now seems like my only shot to ask. Is Will Byers your woman scorned, Mikey?”
Mike’s face flushed at the nickname, and he shoved Eddie, not hard, just enough to shatter the moment.
“You’re full of shit,” he muttered, though the words lacked any real bite.
Eddie laughed, leaning back in his chair with the easy confidence of someone who’d already won.
Mike shook his head, trying to push down the lingering warmth in his chest, the way his pulse still thumped a little too fast. He didn’t get the chance.
“Will!” Dustin’s voice cut through everything, loud and immediate.
Mike’s head snapped up before he could stop it.
And there he was.
Will was walking toward them now, alone, a grin still stretched across his face, bright and a little unfocused. Even from a distance, Mike could see it, the slight sway in his step, the glassy shine in his eyes.
Drunk. Very drunk.
Mike’s gaze locked onto him, stuck there in a way that felt almost involuntary. He was vaguely aware of Eddie beside him, of the way his attention had shifted again, sharper now, more observant.
Dustin was already pulling up a chair, waving Will over like he’d been waiting for him.
Will dropped into the seat easily, right across from Mike.
Their eyes met, and Will’s smile slipped, just a fraction, like recognition had dulled it.
Mike felt his chest tighten, the sensation sharp enough to make him hyperaware of himself and, at the same time, strangely detached from everything else. Because Will’s smile, when it was real, had always had a way of pulling someone in, of making everything else fall away.
And watching it fade at the sight of him stung. More than it should have. The hurt settled quick, turning over into something sharper, more familiar. Annoyance
Will’s hair clung slightly to his damp forehead, and the loose, unguarded laugh he let slip at Robin’s too-loud greeting carried across the firelight. Mike hated that it made something in his chest ache.
Dustin immediately started asking questions, his voice high and excitable. “So, what was all that noise earlier?”
Will leaned back, his smile widening at the memory. “Keg stands,” he admitted. “Chance and some of the track guys got too into it.”
His eyes flicked to Mike for just a second, and something in it, the slight dip of his smile, the flicker of something unreadable behind it, made Mike’s stomach twist.
Mike tried to focus on Dustin, but his attention was drawn to Will.
The differences between them were glaring now more than ever.
Will could step into a crowd, command it, revel in it, and Mike… Mike had felt invisible half the night, like he didn’t belong among the people milling around the cabin, fumbling for social footing. Will thrived here. He lived in this kind of energy. And he had done it effortlessly.
Mike turned back toward Eddie, whose hand bumped his shoulder lightly, grounding him. The familiar warmth was a tether, a reminder that some things were easy in a way nothing with Will had been for a long time.
Eddie leaned in, voice low in Mike’s ear, “Want to get out of here, Mikey?”
Mike smirked, happy for the distraction. He leaned just enough to match Eddie’s closeness. “And do what exactly?”
Eddie’s grin was slow, teasing, and he whispered, “We can do whatever you want.”
The words slid through the tension that had wrapped around Mike’s chest all night, and for a moment he considered it seriously. Being with Eddie was simple, thrilling, predictable, yet unpredictable, in a way that felt strangely comforting.
Mike leaned in slightly to respond, about to let himself be swayed by the familiar warm pull, when a light tap on his shoulder stopped him. He froze, heart skipping.
Will.
He looked down at Mike with that unreadable expression, and suddenly the world seemed to shrink to just the two of them.
Mike’s words died in his throat.
Eddie, sensing the shift immediately, raised an eyebrow. “Can I help you?” he asked casually, though there was a subtle challenge tangled with faint amusement in his tone.
Will ignored him.
Will turned fully to Mike. “When did you get here?”
Mike opened his mouth, but Eddie beat him to it, slapping his knee and chuckling. “Mikey! Right under our noses, huh?”
Mike let out a laugh, shaking his head at Eddie’s antics, and Eddie responded by draping an arm casually across Mike’s shoulders, pressing close in that way that made his pulse stutter.
Will frowned slightly, voice sharp with curiosity now. “No, really. When did you get here, and why didn’t you come find me?”
Eddie’s grip on his shoulder tightened teasingly. “Yeah, Mikey” he said, smirk deepening. “Why didn’t you go look for Hawkin’s golden boy, huh?”
Mike tried to keep his tone light, shrugging off Eddie.
“I got here not long ago. I saw you out by the dock, but you looked… busy. So I went looking for Dustin, and I just settled here with Eddie.”
He gestured toward Eddie, a small introduction slipping out before he could stop himself. “You know Eddie, right?”
“We’ve met,” Will answered icily, eyes narrowing slightly, taking in Eddie with a casual, almost appraising gaze. Eddie smirked through the introduction, unaffected.
Then Eddie interjected, leaning back in his chair with a grin. “Actually, we were just getting ready to head out.”
Mike caught a flicker in Will’s eyes, a flash of sharp indignation, barely masked, like a silent protest that needed no words.
“Where are you going?” Will asked, but there was an edge to it, a tension Mike could feel in the air between them.
Eddie’s smirk only widened, playful and infuriating all at once. He winked, the kind of sly gesture that felt like a challenge. “That’s a secret.”
Will’s gaze slid to Mike, carrying a look Mike hadn’t seen in years but instantly recognized; the same look Will had perfected back when they were kids. One Mike hadn’t witnessed since they were eleven, before Will found more confidence in his words.
The tilt of his head just so, the wide, slightly watery eyes that somehow pleaded and accused all at once. It was the look that could make Mike cave, make him give in without a fight.
“That’s disappointing,” Will added, his voice low but deliberate, hanging between them like a quiet weight. “I was hoping to hangout with you tonight, Mike.”
Then Will pouted slightly, a small, almost childlike gesture that Mike couldn’t stop himself from noticing.
Mike’s thoughts scrambled, his brain short-circuiting under the unexpected pressure.
Before he could even think it through, before his mind caught up with his mouth, he found himself saying the words he hadn’t planned to say.
“Yeah, I can stay.”
Will’s face lit up instantly. The grin, wide and unguarded, made Mike’s chest ache in a way that was confusing. For a moment, nothing else existed, just the way Will looked right then, satisfied and radiant.
Eddie burst into laughter behind him, clapping Mike on the back. “That,” he said, barely able to keep it together, “was a good show.”
Mike’s face flushed hot with embarrassment and disbelief at the realization of what just happened.
He caved to Will Byers, and in front of Eddie, of all people.
Eddie leaned in close one more time, voice low in Mike’s ear. “Shame. Maybe next time. Enjoy your night with baby Byers, Mikey.”
He patted Mike’s shoulder and stepped back.
The fire crackled, casting long shadows across the trees. Eddie stretched, before announcing, “I’m heading out. Who’s coming with?”
Dustin jumped up, brushing off his hands. “I’ll go!”
“You sure?” Eddie asked, leaning back slightly.
“Yeah,” Dustin said, looking around. “…we should get ice cream on the way.”
Steve groaned, throwing his hands up. “Dustin, it’s… what… midnight? No one’s selling ice cream now. We can’t just go get ice cream.”
Robin smirked “Who says we can’t?”
Steve squinted at her.
“I still have the key to Scoops Ahoy,” Robin said, shrugging. “Technically, we could still get in.”
Steve’s eyes went wide, a grin spreading across his face. Dustin clapped his hands together. “Hell yeah! Okay, Eddie, we have to go. Ice cream first!”
Eddie laughed, letting Dustin grab his arm and pull him along. “Alright, fine. Lead the way.”
Before they disappeared down the path toward the road, Eddie paused, glancing back just long enough to catch Mike’s eye. He gave him a quick, knowing wink.
He didn’t move right away, just sat there, watching as they shuffled off through the dark, their voices fading into the trees. Dustin was still talking, Steve cutting in, Robin laughing at something Mike didn’t quite catch. The sound blurred together, distant and unreal, while the meaning behind Eddie's look lingered, low and unwelcome.
After a moment, Mike forced himself to turn back.
Will was already looking at him, his expression smoothed over into something quieter, harder to read. Whatever pleasant expression that had been there before was gone, tucked out of reach.
Mike cleared his throat and gestured to the chair Eddie had left behind, giving it a light tap. “You can take that.”
Will didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward and dropped into the seat.
The fire crackled near them. The crowd around the pit had thinned; most people had drifted back toward the front of the cabin, drawn by the shouts and the new keg.
Mike leaned back in his chair, letting out a slow breath. The space around the firepit felt bigger now, emptier. Quieter, even with the noise still bleeding in from the cabin.
Mike leaned his head back, staring up past the glow of the firelight into the dark stretch of sky above.
He wasn’t sure what he’d expected from tonight. It hadn’t been this.
Maybe Mike had come to the party hoping he’d get some time alone with Will. That part had just worked out, hadn’t it?
So why did it feel like this? Complicated. Messy in a way he couldn’t sort through, no matter how hard he tried to pin it down.
He hated it. Hated the way sitting next to Will, something that used to be so easy it barely registered, now most times came with this tight, restless feeling in his chest. Like there was too much to say and no clear way to say any of it. Like whatever he chose would be the wrong thing.
He thought about what he’d told Eddie earlier. There was too much history. Too much that had happened separately, in parallel, out of view.
Will had a life here. Mike saw it every time he looked at him, heard it in the names, the stories, the easy way he stood next to people Mike had never cared to properly know. Chance. Scotty. The track team. Parties like this. Will fit into it in a way that felt too natural.
And Mike hated how much that realization stuck with him. How it came back, again and again. He didn’t know all of Will. The thought sat heavy in his chest. But it wasn’t fair. Mike knew that. It went both ways.
Those years Will had been in California, the years they spent not talking, Mike had changed, too. His life hadn’t just paused, waiting. The time had altered him, in ways he couldn’t undo even if he wanted to. He’d been shaped by the people closest to him.
El, Dustin, Steve and Robin, and Eddie...
Eddie. Will didn’t seem to like him.
That made two people. El and Eddie. Two people who mattered to Mike, who were tangled up in his life in ways he wouldn’t separate out, and Will didn’t seem to like either of them.
Mike pressed his lips together, staring out at nothing in particular.
He hated this. The not knowing. The feeling of standing in the middle of something he didn’t understand, with no clear way out of it.
He could ask.
The thought came sharp and immediate. He could just ask Will what his deal was, about El, about Eddie, about any of it.
But asking meant getting an answer. And getting an answer meant dealing with whatever came with it. Reacting. Saying something back. Letting it change things.
Mike exhaled slowly.
He wasn’t ready for that. Not when everything already felt like it was balancing on something thin and fragile.
The truth sat there anyway, uncomfortable and unavoidable.
He was being selfish. He knew it. He’d gotten a taste of this, of Will, of whatever this was between them now, and he didn’t want to let it go. Not yet. Maybe not at all.
Call it what it was. He didn’t care.
If Will kept looking at him with those smiles, kept letting things happen the way they had in stolen moment’s together, Mike wasn’t going to be the one to stop it.
He looked up to find Will already watching him, his gaze steady, searching, like he was trying to piece something together from Mike’s face alone. It lingered a second too long, drifting just enough to make Mike aware of it, of himself.
Mike opened his mouth to speak, something half-formed already there,
But Will leaned forward slightly, closing the space between them, and said, quiet but deliberate, like he’d already made up his mind.
“Mike, we should talk.”
A/N:
I hope yall are doing better than I am RIP. Pray for me friends bc I am going through it.
Thank you to everyone who has commented and sent kudos/likes 🥺🫶
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