LostHeart
A Byler variant AU with Peter Pan/Lost Boy!Will and Wendy!Mike
See under cut for a MASSIVE amount of parallels and lore dump I've been cooking up for this AU (there's SO MUCH but please bear with me, it was so much fun to come up with this stuff!):
Will was kidnapped and taken to Neverland 18 years ago in 1969 when he was 5 years old (Jonathan was 2 years old). He has aged up to 16 and stopped, though in present day 1987, he should be 23
The Lost Boys are Dustin (15), Lucas (15), Max (15), Erica (12), Kali (14), and Derek (9)
Tinkerbell is El. TinkerbELL. When I tell you the scream I scrumpt—!
Neverland is basically a magical version of the Upside Down: it's an alternate dimension that still mirrors the size and shape of Hawkins
Due to the magic of the island and the Shadow Creature's influence (more on that later) it gets into the minds of its inhabitants and ties them to it. So Will and the other Lost Boys have little memory of their life from before, and not much desire to return to it. Will, though, has moments where he remembers loving his mother and his baby brother, and often travels back to the real world in search of them (and bc Peter Pan is a little stupid, Will spends 18 years looking for a BABY brother, not one that has been growing)
During one of these trips, he accidentally spies on Mike through his bedroom window. He thinks he's the most beautiful boy he's ever seen, and wonders why he seems so lonely
He hides outside the window and listens as Mike reads stories he's written in his notebook out loud to Holly. He gets invested, almost obsessed, with these stories, about knights and wizards and adventure and love
One night, after Mike falls asleep without telling Holly a story, Will sneaks in to try and peek in the notebook (realizing pretty quickly that it doesn't matter bc he can't read lmao)
Mike wakes up and FREAKS out, obviously. Nancy and Holly come in and also freak out
Will introduces himself, and Mike is. Flabbergasted. He stops freaking out and.... continues to freak out a little, actually, because he also thinks Will is the most beautiful boy he's ever seen, and he can FLY, and he's FLYING and telling Mike how much he loves his stories, and how he should come with him to Neverland to tell them to the Lost Boys, because they all love stories but aren't very good at telling them. And also because Mike seems lonely, and Will wants his friends to be Mike's friends too
Mike is now completely smitten and agrees, because he IS unhappy and he's always been different and had trouble making friends ever since Nancy grew up and stopped making time for him (Dustin and Lucas and Will don't exist in his universe) and he's about to go when Nancy is like????? No???????? You're not going??????? But Mike is stubborn and she finally agrees, but only if she and Holly come too. Mike and Will are both like um okay yeah I guess whatever
Mike can't fly at the beginning of the story bc he has trouble thinking of a wonderful thought (any happy little thought). Holly obviously has no trouble, and Nancy struggles at first too, but is able to get off the ground. Oh well, Will has to carry him there 💚
Will takes them to Neverland, and they go to the Lost Boys' hideout (Castle Byers, instead of Hangman's Tree) where they live and hide from Captain Hook
OH I almost forgot the kissing stuff. Okay, so back at the Wheeler house, Will tried to ask what a kiss was, because Mike talked about them in his stories. He remembers the word, but can't remember what it means, though he says he'll know as soon as Mike gives him one. Mike gets flustered when Nancy snickers behind him and panics. He gives Will a small Superman toy. Will says he wants to give Mike a kiss too, so he pulls a small tin soldier out of his pouch and gives it to him
(Later on Neverland, one night when Will is trying to teach him how to fly, Mike admits that he lied about what a kiss is. He and Will share a real one, and then wow, would you look at that, suddenly coming up with a happy thought isn't so hard after all, this flying thing is EASY now)
(Btw the Neverland mermaids still like to flirt with an oblivious Will and Mike is SEETHING)
OKAY so the Captain Hook stuff is fun and a little darker. (See my art of him here) In my version, Hook is Henry, obviously. He was a Captain who made a deal with "Davy Jones" in 1787 for power and wealth. When it came time to pay up, he was trapped in Neverland, to be devoured by the Shadow Creature, which takes the form of a massive, black crocodile that haunts him with a chiming clock (not so fun the other way around, is it Henry??) and drives him to madness for 200 years
Even though he made the deal, he's still a piece of shit, so he finds a way to kidnap children and bring them to the island, hoping to sacrifice them in his place and appease the crocodile.
This is how all the Lost Boys arrived, though they don't know it. El is the only one who knows, bc despite being a child herself (in fairy years) she's the one who rescues them and brings them to safety as small children.
Will was the first, and she only barely managed to save him in time. He was infected by a part of the Shadow Creature during Henry's attempt at the ritual, but since it wants Henry and not Will, the part of the creature in him is benevolent. And that's why his shadow is sentient! For a long time, until the second Lost Boy arrived (Dustin) El and his shadow were his only companions. However, he doesn't realize that it also keeps him tethered to Neverland, almost in the way the Mindflayer keeps Henry repelled from the cave
The Lost Boys don't know the extent of Henry's plans. To them, it's a game between them and Hook, and Will has always been good at hiding. He also, at some point, was able to cut off Henry's hand in a fight and fed it to the crocodile, which only increased its appetite for him
Speaking of the Lost Boys:
Dustin was the first to arrive after Will. They grew close very quickly, and as smaller children, made a rule/promise that they would never grow up. Over time, the island warped this promise into Absolute Law
Dustin and El have a crush on each other, but don't realize it. El likes to sit with Dustin while he tinkers and yaps and she giggles like a bell and he thinks it's the prettiest sound that exists in the whole world
Max came next, and then Lucas and Erica (Henry was playing the numbers and grabbed siblings). Max and Lucas have fallen in love, but haven't told anyone because they're afraid they'll be banished for being too Grown Up
(This is a point of tension for Mike and Will too, btw. They fall in love in Neverland, and Mike fears his feelings for Will bc of the usual homophobia, both internal and external. Will has no concept of homophobia, but fears his feelings for Mike because they feel too Big and Grown Up and he doesn't know what it means or what to do with them)
Kali is the only one who escaped Henry on her own, without El saving her. She survived on the island by herself for a while, before finding the other Lost Boys and joining them. She feels a little isolated from the group because of it
Derek is the newest, and is treated like the baby brother of the group. He's OBSESSED with Mike when he shows up, and follows him around like a puppy listening to his stories, which annoys Will to no end. (Also, I love the parallel of Mike "the leader" doing the Following the Leader song lmao)
Nancy, being so much older than everyone else and an investigative mind to boot, is Suspicious of everything, and begins to uncover the secrets of Henry and his motives, which ends up leading to all the Lost Boys eventually being rescued from the pull of the island and agreeing to return to the real world
Nancy shows up with seven new raggedy ass kids in tow, and while they're reunited with their families, Steve agrees to take them in, because his fuckass parents have retired and moved to Boca or whatever and left him with a big, lonely house. He and Dustin take to each other immediately
Will is reunited with his mom, who never gave up on him, and his brother, who is now four years older than him, rather than three years younger. They both have trouble warming to each other at first, but as always, music comes to the rescue. Will hasn't heard any modern music, after all, and Jonathan is thrilled to be able to share it with him
I'm taking Hook (1991) rules here and deciding that El can decide to be human-sized now. Since she's technically a Jane Doe, she takes the name Jane and is adopted into the Byers family. Will has always been like a brother to her anyway, and Joyce adores her, especially after finding out she saved Will's life. She can't talk at first, unused to her human vocal chords, but does homeschooling with Joyce and her husband, Hopper. She and Dustin now openly spend more time together, and try out the whole kissing thing. So do Lucas and Max
Kali slips away in the chaos. Hawkins was never her home, and she has no desire to plant roots here, so she packs a few things and steals away in the dead of night
Mike now has friends and adventures and someone he adores. Will thinks growing up might be all right now, if it's a new adventure with Mike.
They all live happily ever after. The end.
(That's the closest I'm coming to writing a fanfic about this AU so if anyone else wants to run with this stuff, feel free! I might add more later as it occurs to me, but I NEEDED to get this out of my brain lmao)
BONUS:
My original post-it note sketches from when I was bored at work lol
(Also would love to know what you guys think about the art! My style feels a little inconsistent because I'm still working it out, but I'd love to hear your thoughts while I do!)
