This is DEFINITELY what happened in s4 trust me I'm actually the Duffer Brothers stacked on top of each other under a trenchcoat and comically large top-hat.
Yayy another animatic! Anyways I love this song a lot and I hope you guys enjoy this animatic
guys i forgot this was like an art blog i promise i can still draw here’s one little thing for you guys he’s my pride 🏳️🌈 and joy
i love you season 4 mike wheeler don’t listen to the haters saying that you had a chopped fugly ass haircut they’re just jealous it was tuff af as fuck 🔥💪
basically, it's collage byler (post canon au) where Mike is a radio host and gives advice to callers. along the story, Mike and Will grow closer (which we love)
right now theres about 5/7 chapters and its like 30k words in total
cw....set to s4 again yesyesy I love s4mike,, au so no upside down, mileven didnt happen, hurt to comfort, not proofread so mb for mistakes, I think thats it
Authors note— i dont like this post, im sick atm andeverythings messy i swear ill edit this soon or post anothr oneshot i js needed to post smthhhhhh. Also I rlly hope the pacings good cause in my other works I just feel like im rushing it too much. I dont know much about dnd so I hope i did this right..
(OH MY GOD TS IS SO BAD IM SRRY NEVER LET ME WRITE OR EDITEVER AGAIN)
When you were a little kid, everything was easy, simple and life was just enjoyable. Until puberty hit you hard and you've separated from your friends. Teenage life wasnt what you expected, you also had to moved into hawkins — It was hard trying to fit in especially since it seemed like everyone knew eachother in the town, rumors has it that this place had been cursed as well.
..You couldnt care less about it. But you started becoming more aware of your reputation ever since after distancing yourself from every friend just so they wouldn't miss you before you move, kind of a dick move. So how every other person would react, they shit talked about you.
Your family too hadn't really been kind to you either when you all moved, everyone was busy, especially with paperwork and handling money, your family had a business to take care of meaning no ones giving you attention. They'd brush off your sickness or anything else concerning for something that just needs painkillers. The only thing you could do was just..
Exist there, just eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, do chores. All without a word.
Life isn't fair, its annoying, you couldn't bother to help yourself up anymore,You knew you'd fall back down again, you didn't want it like this but teenage years really did hit you hard.
Starting highschool and entering Hawkins High, it was crowded, noisy and your head rang whenever someone would slam their locker closed. You navigated through the corridors for soooo long until you finally found your classroom. You were late by 5 minutes.
Knock knock
The door swung open and you were greeted by not the teacher, but a skinny dude with a mess of black curly hair in a.. hellfire club? Tshirt, gripping on to the bathroom pass tightly. You nearly walked straight into his chest.
"Woah!" He stumbled back, catching himself on to the door frame. You froze instantly and your face started burning. Five minutes late, first day of class and you almost tackled into a stranger. Wow, you're so great at this, [Name].
He stared at you like you were an inconvenience to him, oh god. You did not need more people hating on you. "My bad." He muttered with that slightly impatient voice a teenager boy had.
"..Goodluck. Mr. Clarke (I CANT COME UP WITH A DIFF NAME IM SORRY) is not in the mood today." He said, before slipping out of the room beside you. Your throat tightened up, you couldn't say anything and just stood there for a second, watching him walk away before you heard a teacher.
"Are you coming in or not?"
Oh. You walk into the room while your stomach did nervous somersaults.
"You're late." Your teacher said with a stern voice, holding on firmly to the clipboard of names of students in his hands.
You swallowed, you wanted to apologize but nothing was coming out of your mouth. How did you turn from being the most bubbly kid ever to a girl who cant even open up her mouth? "Sorry, sir.." you mumbled quietly.
He continued with his lecture and you made your way to the back, vacant seat. Everyone stared at you like you did something wrong, you didnt know what you did. You didnt want them to stare. You stared intensely on to the table, like the wood was the most fascinating thing ever.
A few minutes later, the door clicks open and hes there again. That guy with the hellfire tshirt. He hands the bathroom pass back to the teacher and sits right beside you, oh. He's your seatmate too.
The chair beside you scrapes against the floorboards and he drops on to it with a sigh. Sinking down into his seat with legs stretching out. You peek..Just a little bit. On the corner of your eye, observed him a little bit. He was beautiful. His dark curls swooped on the sides of his face, the sun shone on him and his skin was pale, like a vampire.
..Mike was observing your tense body language, and he figured the teacher had scolded you.
"See? Told you he was in a bad mood."
..Your shoulders locked up-- opening your mouth up to reply but not a sound came out. Not even a simple "Yeah" could even come out. Your body is betraying you and its embarrassing, you need to get a hold of yourself if you want to be better.
Instead of saying something, you just nodded. Your whole body burns and you just hope he's not misinterpreting your quietness. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes scanning your posture.
For a second he was confused, well, looked confused. Maybe he was wondering what he did wrong. But he just went back to listening.
He unzips his backpack, brings out a pen and notebook, writing down messy notes. It seemed like he didnt care, he just let you live in your quiet corner. What a relief..?
The rest of the class was boring and dull. Your teachers voice filled the room but your brain didnt register anything at all. The only thing you could focus on at the moment was Mikes writing, he wasn't actually writing class notes— he was writing stats, and doodling monsters. It was nice sitting beside him, he wasnt passing notes to anyone about you, not pointing fingers, he was just letting you live.
Suddenly, the loud jarringsound of the bell echoed. The whole classroom abruptly stood up, the chairs scraped and the bags zipped up. Everyone rushed out the door quickly. You flinched at the sound and immediately started frantically stuffing your notebook back into your backpack, you didnt want to be left behind. Your hands were shaking just enough to make zipping up your bag a struggle.
"Hey," you freeze.
Your seatmate. He stood up with a jansport backpack sling over one shoulder, he was looking at you, curious. "You dont have to act like Mr. Clarke is out to get you, you know. He's all bark but no bite."
Your throat did that terrible tightening thing again, you held on to your backpack sling tightly, looking up at him with slightly widened eyes. He noticed how tense you still were, so he sighed and relaxed his posture.
"Im Mike by the way. Michael Wheeler."
You swallowed hard again, before forcing your vocal cords to let something out for once. "[Name]".. it sounded like a squeak.
Mike nodded, "Cool. Well... see you next period."
He turned and made his way to the door, blending into the sea of.. highschoolers. You stood there for a moment, staring into your desk. Slowly letting out a breath you didnt even know you were holding for so long.
You navigated through the crowded hallways again, head down. Clutching on to your printed schedule so hard it crinkled.. Next subject was English. You prayed that whoever was up there and listening, that the teacher wouldn't make you stand up and introduce yourself. You pushed open the door, looking away from everyone and just quickly scanning the whole perimeter. Before finding Mike.
The only vacant seat was beside him, again. So, all you had to do once again is to just sit beside him. You hurried over and sat on the chair, ignoring everyone who passed by.
"Oh, you again." Mike said, voice flat.
You quietly mumbled a "yes" and he didn't even hear you. Your heart thumped loudly— you just wanted to disappear back into your bedroom. Mike glanced sideways at you for a second, noticing how stiff your posture was.
"Don't worry." Mike muttered, "im not gonna try to make small talk with you." You let out a small sigh of relief.
Mike didnt wait for a response, he just leaned back into his chair, his attention to the chalk board. He really meant what he said, he didn't push you to talk to him, he didn't stare and didn't act like your silence was offensive. You dont know much about him, but you'd say, hes just being.. Mike.
The tight knot in your chest loosened and you dropped your shoulders, pulling your notebook out to take notes. You were someone who always kept people an arms length away, someone who always felt out of place anywhere you'd go.
But surprisingly, it felt nice to sit beside someone like him. Someone who lets you live in your own bubble, you didn't have to talk or apologize for anything you did. It felt safe.
The whole english lecture went on and you relaxed in your chair, first week of orientation, Hawkins High was loud, annoying. But sitting beside Mike Wheeler in this quiet little corner makes you feel like you could breathe freely.
Another bell echoed, signaling the end of class. It's now lunch. For the first time, you didn't flinch. You packed your things carefully, taking your time. While Mike was beside you, bag slinging over his shoulder.
He stood up slowly before pausing and turning to you, not with judgement or impatience. "We survived English." A small smile tugged on the corners of his lips, and you almost felt yourself smile back.
—
When you stepped into the overwhelming cafeteria, you held on tightly to your tray. The noise was suffocating and for a second, you considered turning away and eating in the bathroom. But while your eyes scanned the room, you saw Mike. He was there, sitting in a table with.. guys that are probably super seniors??.. wearing the same hellfire shirt as him.
And before you could look away, his eyes met yours. He didn't yell or make a scene, he just gave you a small nod, a nod of recognition before turning back to his conversation. It was a small gesture but it helped ground you for the rest of the lunch time.
—
By the end of the day, you finally lost all luck with your locker. No matter how many times you jiggled the combination lock, the rusty latch refused to budge.. from the amount of frustration, you were convinced you could just punch this locker open, until..
You heard a familiar voice from behind, which by the way, made you flinch. "You have to kick the bottom left corner"
You turned to see Mike leaning against the lockers.
He stepped forward, gave the locker a sharp nudge with the heel of his shoe and the door popped open.
"..Hawkins High quality" he muttered, "See you tomorrow, [Name]."
For the next few weeks, everything felt so normal with Mike Wheeler. You always thought that someone would judge you, for being awkward and quiet. But Mike never did that, he settles down to the chair beside you normally and gets work done.
Its either writings for his campaigns or messy class notes. He never forces you to talk, he only gives you side glances whenever a teacher says something ridiculous. You did it, you made a friend. Atleast.. you think..?
You haven't been exactly friendly with others ever since you moved here, you forgot what it was like to have one. But this was nice, this thing between you and Mike. The only thing needed is your vocal cords to finally coordinate with you, but maybe Mike is just fine with the silence between the two of you. That's what makes you happy.
You two share moments that dont require you to speak a word at all, like him rolling his eyes at what a teacher had just said. A subtle moment of "what are they thinking?"
its all nice. Mike doesn't put you on a pedestal at all, its like he just knows you already. You love it, you're starting to look forward to classes with him. When he arrives late, you save a seat for him, always. You dont want anyone else sitting beside you if it means someones disrupting your safety bubble.
A quiet routine just forms, you start to notice little things of him, like how he forgets to bring an extra pen. So you do, just in case he needs one too. While he reaches in his bag frantically, you just quietly slide your extra pen on his desk. He turns to you with a quiet, crooked nod, a thank you.
Or when the class gets too loud during group discussions, he subtly angles his body towards you, creating a small barrier between you and the loud classroom.
Finally, he teaches you about D&D. He shows you his binder, trusts you enough with his campaign ideas?.. he lets you bring home some of them for you to observe, and you do, you always do. Its intriguing and it also shows how much you appreciate him, so its something.
And while class is ongoing, you give him a small review of his work. Since he always asks if its okay, it's annoying but tolerable because.. its Mike.
You never have to explain yourself to him, its refreshing. Ever since you moved into hawkins, you felt non existent. Until you met Mike, and you just felt noticed. For the first time in life, you dont feel like an outsider.
The bell for the final period rang, everyone left except for you and Mike. You were taking your time packing up carefully while Mike leaned against the edge of his desk, watching you. "So," Mike started, "Did you actually read through the campaign ideas i gave to you? Or did you just skim through to be nice?"
Your chest tightened, usually, you speak to him through notes or a simple nod. But he looked at you, waiting for an actual answer. "I— I read it." You managed to say, voice cracking slightly. You cleared your throat to continue, "I liked.. the part.. with the.. cave thingy— It was cool. The.. um"
This is insane, your body heated and your voice betrayed you. You stumbled over your words, messed up the names and then accidentally just talking about absolute gibberish. The more you tried to save yourself, the more it just worsened. You sounded like a broken radio.. isn't that great.
You just stopped talking, squeezing your eyes shut and shying away. Your face was probably red as hell, you held on to your backpack tightly while silence just hung on the air for a hot minute, you expected him to make fun of you.
Instead, a soft laugh came from beside you.
You peeked through your hair, opening your eyes. Expecting a judgmental look, but Mike was just leaning back, a genuine smile tugged on the corners of his lips— It wasnt mean or mocking at all. He just looked amused by how much effort you were putting into just a simple conversation. Were you supposed to or?..
"Cmon." Mike said softly, his voice was surprisingly gentle. "You dont have to scramble your brain to give me a full essay. I think I get what you mean." He then slung his backpack over one shoulder, waiting for you to finish packing your stuff.
"You liked the idea" he said with a small smile before continuing, "That's all you needed to say. Want to walk out together?—you know, before the hallways get jammed."
You nodded, and the walk outside was quiet but meaningful, the heat in your body didnt fade away that easily but the embarrassment slowly melted into something more comfortable.
That quiet routine continued for weeks and it became your safe haven. It was simple, low pressure and predictable but you could never get tired of it. You were finally comfortable enough to talk to him.
Until one Tuesday, halfway through lunch, Mike ruined the usual pattern.
You were sitting at your usual bench, bag tucked against your knees and a half eaten sandwich in hand— When a shadow fell over your table, you looked up, expecting a teacher or seniors telling you to move. But it was Mike.
He had a tray balanced in one hand while his backpack slung over the other shoulder. "Hey," he said, "we have an extra spot over at the hellfire table today— you should join us." He nodded towards the crowded, chaotic table in the middle of the room, where Eddie munson?? Was standing on top of a chair, loudly arguing with another.
Your throat instantly did that familiar, awful tightening trick. You slowly shook your head no, while laughing awkwardly "I think.. im contented enough here.." Your hands trembled.
"Come on," Mike urged, his tone gentle but persistent. "Its way too loud over there to talk, but Eddie's making a scene like usual. You don't have to say anything to anyone, I swear. Just.. sit with us instead of eating out here by yourself."
Your chest tightened further with your throat, but the earnest look in his eyes almost made it impossible to refuse a second time. Reluctantly, you gathered your bag and tray.
Walking behind him across the cafeteria felt like walking through a spotlight, and you've never felt so exposed before. Every step towards the center of the room made your stomach turn. When you reached the table, Eddie stopped mid sentence as his eyes landed on you, followed by the rest of the hellfire club members turning their heads to you.
"Well, well, Wheeler." Eddie said, a theatrical grin spreading across his face as he stepped down the chair. "Who do we have here?"
"This is [Name]," Mike said quickly, gesturing for you to sit. "She's in my English and Science class."
You sank down, trying to make yourself as small as possible.
The table was loud, filled with overlapping conversations and arguing over character stats. Mike sat right next to you, casually throwing himself into the conversation occasionally throwing in a joke or filling you in on what Eddie was being dramatic about.
And to anyone else, this would just be a normal lunch table, but to you, every laugh just echoed in your ears, you could barely even swallow a bite of your sandwich. Looking at everyone, noticing how confident, loud they all were and a suffocating thought started to root itself into your mind.
You dont belong here, you never did.
Slowly, you looked up, people were whispering, and those jocks at the other table. You could hear them. They weren't looking at Eddie Munson, they were watching you. You caught one of them smirking, whispering something to his other friend while nodding towards your seat beside Mike.
Look at you, the cruel voice in your head whispered. You dont belong here, now they're laughing at him too.
In the quiet corner of the classroom, it was safe, but out here, sitting next to the only person who actually noticed you made you feel like a giant target. The thought of your awkwardness was bringing unwanted attention to Mike sent a spike of pure panic straight into your chest. Your throat closed up quickly and your hands began to shake under the table.
Why did you let him convince you? What made you think you could sit there like a normal person?
The image of those jocks pointing at the table— at him. Just stayed endlessly in your head. In class, hes just a guy who sits at the back, but in this table, surrounded by his friends, he had a place. A community. And by dragging your silent, awkward self there just gave people more reasons to make fun of him.
And you couldn't do that, not to Mike. Plus, your brain couldnt handle the spotlight anymore.
Mike turned to you, reaching into his bag, "Hey, did you look at section four of the binder? like-" he paused, brows furrowing as he noticed your frantic breathing. "Hey, you alright?" Mike said softly, leaning in for you to hear only.
You shook your head, without a word, you grabbed your bag, stood up so fast and rushed out the cafeteria exit before anyone else could say something.
Over the next week, you became a master at disappearing. It hurt, took you alot of effort. But after a lot of thinking, you had to leave him alone.
You started arriving way earlier just to take a seat furthest away from Mike.
..Whenever Mike would try to catch your eye from across the room— his brow furrowed, a mix of hurt and confusion all over his face. You just stared into your notebook, scribbling nonsense just to keep your gaze occupied.
And whenever lunch would come, you abandoned the cafeteria. You hid in the most quietest, dustiest and darkest corners of the school library— or behind the bleachers. You actually started to bring your own food just to avoid bumping into him at the cafeteria.
Eating your food in cold, isolated silence and just avoiding Mike wasn't easy.
It was miserable, especially back at home. Your house felt colder than ever, your parents brushing off your heavy exhaustion as just teenage laziness, and now, school was a constant, exhausting game of hide and seek with the one person that had always made you feel seen.
——
Meanwhile, Mike's basement was loud, louder than usual, for him.
Dustin was pacing around the table, passionately arguing about monster stats, while Lucas and Max were bantering over who would keep the extra health potion. Will was sitting quietly at the table, pencil hovering over his character sheet, occasionally glancing over at Mike. And usually, Mike would be happy about this part of the week. He lived for running campaigns, dropping heavy plot twists, and getting lost in the game. But tonight, his mind was miles away.
He stared blankly at a section of his notebook, a section of the cave encounter. The one you were rambling about a few weeks ago after english class. He kept replaying that moment at the hellfire table over and over in his head. The way your breathing had turned fast and shallow, the terror in your eyes before you grabbed your bag and bolted out the cafeteria. Then.. a whole week of your vanishing. You dodged him in the hallways, swapped desks, and disappeared during lunch.
Did he push you too hard? Was Eddie too loud? Did someone say something to you?
"Mike!"
Dustins voice snapped him back into reality, Mike blinked. Looking up to 5 pair of eyes staring at him. "Earth to Wheeler." Max said, leaning back against the sofa cushions. "You've been staring extra hard at the same page for 10 minutes. Are we fighting the monster or not?"
"Right, yeah, sorry." Mike muttered, cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. He tried to focus on his notes, but his brain was still foggy, "Ehem,roll for initiative.."
"Roll for initiative???" Dustin threw his hands up, "MIKE! We already rolled for initiative twenty minutes ago!!! We're in the middle of combat right now!" Will raised an eyebrow and placed his pencil down with a concerned expression, "Mike.. are you okay?? You've been totally distracted all night."
"Im fine." Mike said instantly, defensive. He straightened his papers, "I'm just trying to map out the next encounter. Can we just play?" "You're definitely not fine." Lucas chimed in, crossing his arms. "You always yell at us when we dont pay attention, and now, tonight? you've barely said a whole sentence."
"I said im fine." Mike snapped, slamming his binder shut wayyy too hard. The room went quiet for a minute, while by the stairs, El scanned his face, tilting her head. "Mike, something is wrong."
That was the final straw, the insistence, the eyes staring at him, the frustration of a weeks worth of unanswered questions. Mike let out a loud, irritated sigh. Running his hand through his dark curls. "Its just-" Mike sighed again, "There's this girl— [Name]." Dustin and Lucas exchanged a quick and.curious glance. "Shes super quiet, okay? Like. Really quiet." Mike explained, "she moved here recently and doesn't talk to anyone, but we've been sitting together for weeks and it was good. She even helped me review the campaign im running right now. So, I invited her to the hellfire table so she wouldn't have to eat alone."
Dustins eyes brightened up, "Oh, the girl we were with on Tuesday?", "Yes, Dustin."
"Waitwait-wait." Max said, leaning closer. "You brought the super quiet new girl to Eddie Munsons table? Mike, Eddie screams at the top of his lungs every five minutes." "I know!" Mike threw his hands up. "I told her she didnt have to talk, but halfway through lunch, they panicked. She looked like she couldnt breathe, then she bolted out the room. And now shes been avoiding me for four days straight!! She changed desks, changed her hallway route— Its like she hates me!!", "Mike." Will said gently, "She definitely doesnt hate you."
"Then why is she running away from me?.." Mike asked, sounding helpless for a second, "I was just trying to include her."
"Because, Mike. Being that quiet means being overwhelmed easily. Putting her in the middle of the cafeteria probably made her feel like standing under a giant spotlight." Max pointed out, this time, softly, and El nodded slowly in agreement, "It is scary.. when everyone looks."
Mike quieted down, looking at the floor. He hadn't thought of it like that, he just wanted you to feel included, to show you, you had a place with them. But instead, he destroyed the one quiet, safety bubble you had. "So.." Lucas asked quietly, "what are you gonna do?"
"I—I'll talk to her tomorrow. Do I have to bring flowers?..??"
"Mike, what??" Max's eyebrows furrowed, "She doesn't need flowers, and why did you even think of that? Are you dating her?" "No!" Mike immediately exclaimed. Max sighed and continued, "Just.. be genuine to her. Show you really care, not that you think you can win her over with just some lousy flowers."
"Right-" Mike rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
——
The next morning, Hawkins was dull, especially cause life has been empty ever since you started ignoring Mike. Who knew this tall teenager could paint all the colors in your life? Its annoying, you could've been happy, with Mike. But the weight of burdening Mike settled in your chest, making you feel more guilty than you should be. You arrived at school about 30 minutes earlier, just to avoid him. You expertly executed your routine: keep your head down, slide through the side doors and hide out until the hallways were filled to blend in to the background.
When you stepped into Mr. Clarke's classroom, you immediately took the desk to the front, knowing Mike would never go there and.. its furthest from your guys' usual seat. You pulled out your notebook and pen, staring into the lined paper. Then, the chair beside you scraped against the linoleum floor. Your heart stopped when you saw those converse shoes on the corner of your eyes, the scent of rain and the theater rooms smell also gave him away.. Mike. He didnt drop to the chair heavily or sigh like he usually did.
Instead, he pulled the chair quietly, setting his backpack on the floor before sliding in a single piece of folded paper on to the side of your desk.
You froze, staring at the paper. Then, you grabbed it and unfolded it slowly. Without saying a word.
You dont have to talk to me or even look at me, but please just stop sitting across the room. I just miss I just miss having you check my work and, you know.
Your throat tightened up at the crossed out words, but this time it wasnt due to panic, it was just a sudden wave of warmth that made your eyes sting. Are you tearing up? You dont know, you're just so focused on Mike's letter right now, its a weird feeling. You've never been this emotionally vulnerable. Who knew Mike fucking Wheeler could have this effect on you?
You turned to Mike, he was focusing on the chalk board, lightly tapping on to the polished wood of the desk. A small genuine smile broke across your face.
Mike caught you by the corner of his eye and a crooked smile tugged at his own lips in return.
When class ended, Mike stopped you in your tracks.
Everyone had disappeared into the hallways and it was just you, and him. He didnt take a step closer, he just stood there, pulling his hand back.
"Im sorry." He whispered,
You blinked, then smiled. Throat still tight but forgiveness was shown, you looked away, cheeks flushed. You forced your vocal chords to cooperate, and it did. "Im sorry too." "Why?" Mike responded.
"I just.. I didn't want you to get made fun of, for sitting beside me. Those.. those jocks." You paused, then continued. "They were looking at you, laughing even. Because im.." you couldn't bring yourself to say weird. You swallowed hard, and your fists clenched by your sides, "Im just trying to protect you, you know?-" Mike stared at you, his jaw slightly dropping as the realisation hit him. "You think i care about what those brainless jocks think? Theyre- they're stupid, mouth breathers." He leaned in closer, lips pressed flat, "They already think im a weirdo, [Name]. They can talk trash all they want but- i dont care about them. I care about.. you. I miss my seatmate. If you're gonna continue hiding in the deepest, darkest corners of the school then..fine." he looked up at you, "You're gonna have to let me sit beside you too. Because letting me sitting by myself during english and science class is brutal."
He grabbed your hand gently, eyebrows pressed together and the sunlight marking his most beautiful features-he rubbed his thumb against your palm, "I was an idiot, okay? My friends, you know, Max. They had to spell it out for me because im stupidly dense- andand- I thought that maybe letting you sit at the hellfire table with me could make you feel safe, like you had a space you belonged in."
The overwhelming warmth in your chest spread and you stared back at him, this boy, who's usually defensive of his opinions, completely stripped off his pride just for you. You held his hand close, smiling more. "Its okay, Mike."
"Just talk to me.. when you're feeling.. blue or something, I dont know." Mike muttered, looking away.
I feel like Stranger Things did not draw enough attention to the fact that Mike literally bombed and killed several pregnant women and their unborn babies 😭 Ik they were gonna die anyways, but he really just blew them up no questions asked 💀
