ғɪᴠᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ғᴇʟʟ ᴛᴏ ʀᴏᴛᴛᴇʀs, ᴍɪᴋᴇ ᴡʜᴇᴇʟᴇʀ ʟᴇᴀᴅs ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ʟᴇғᴛ ᴏғ ʜɪs ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜɪɴs ᴏғ ʜᴀᴡᴋɪɴs. ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʟɪᴠᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ʀᴏᴜᴛɪɴᴇ, ᴘʀᴇᴅɪᴄᴛᴀʙʟᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏɴᴇʟʏ... ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛᴡᴏ sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀs ᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴏᴅs. ʙʀɪɴɢɪɴɢ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴀɴᴇ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴄᴀᴍᴘ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇs ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ, ғᴏʀᴄɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜᴘ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀᴜsᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ... ᴀɴᴅ ғᴏʀᴄɪɴɢ ᴍɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ʜᴇ'ᴅ ʙᴜʀɪᴇᴅ. ɪɴ ᴀ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ʀᴜʟᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀɴ sᴛɪʟʟ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ʜɪᴍ.

**GUYS!! PLEASE check ao3 (same name and user) for the complete story. there are also edits made in the ao3 version that are not here!!! it is a bajillion times better written over there lol. regardless, though, hope you enjoy :) Following the ending of S5 pt 1., Mike and Will navigate their feelings for each other, misplaced jealousy, and misunderstandings, and how to juggle them with what seems like the end of the world. Eventually finding themselves hiding out in an abandoned church on the outskirts of Hawkins, the forced break from their participation in the mission to end Vecna, and forced proximity to each other, reveals quite a bit. serves as a s5 replacement because... what the fuck was that originally written for ao3, lol. More so Mike's pov! *knowing the byler water symbolism shown throughout the show is important context for this story! colorgate, churchgate, mwtfdydgate, maxgetawayfromthedoorgate, watergate, etc etc. **This was written before pt2 came out!!! So if you read this after the 25th, obviously ignore anything that actually happens in pt2 lol. Or, if we get either queerbaited into oblivion or just a really unsatisfying ending for them, you can always just pretend this is where their story goes instead. enjoy :) *if left without updates, all parts should be posted to ao3.

Mike Wheeler has written Will Byers a hundred letters. He's sent none of them. Every draft is a confession he's too scared to make - about the distance between them, about the silence he created, about the feelings he can't name without his chest tightening. When Will moved away, Mike thought ignoring the ache would make it disappear. Instead, it grew teeth. Now Will is back in Hawkins, living under the same roof, sitting in the same classrooms, breathing the same air... and Mike can't look at him without wanting something he doesn't understand. Will Byers has stopped waiting for letters that never came. He's spent years learning to shrink himself, to swallow the hurt, to pretend he doesn't still orbit the boy who once asked him to be his friend on a kindergarten swing set. But being near Mike again - really near him - makes every buried feeling rise like a tide he can't hold back. And when Mike starts acting strange - jealous, quiet, too attentive, too distant - Will doesn't know whether to hope or run. As old wounds reopen and new truths surface, the boys find themselves caught in the space between fear and longing. Between what they say and what they mean. Between the letters Mike never sent and the ones Will never received. Disclaimer I don't own the characters.

Will Byers never planned on falling for his best friend. Leaving Hawkins for college was supposed to be simple, a fresh start, a new city, a chance to finally breathe. But everything changes when one impulsive kiss turns his entire world upside down. Mike Wheeler has spent years loving Will quietly. It takes losing him once to realize he can't do it again. One frantic phone call, one confession, and suddenly he's running across town to fight for the boy he should've fought for years ago.