Pockets of Safety
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Summary
The screaming is unusual.
Will’s nightmares rarely announce themselves like this. They usually arrive quietly, in the form of a locked jaw, trembling limbs, a desperate, instinctive commitment to silence. His fear is usually swallowed and choked back, even in slumber.
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Or, Will starts screaming in the night. Of course, Mike is there to comfort and protect him. But that’s just friendship… right?
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This is my love letter to Byler. Who in my heart end up together no matter what. It’s an exploration of genuine emotion, care, shared trauma and love in a friendship and how that can develop into something more. Something they’ve both waited a long time for.
Series
- Part 1 of Pockets of Safety
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Summary
Mike Wheeler has had several moments of clarity in his life.
Some small- so small they arrive as whispers, delicate impressions. They pass through him like half-formed thoughts, leaving behind embossed truths that only become crisp upon later inspection.
Others are seismic shifts, sudden and catastrophic, splitting him open and demanding his attention. Every one of them is significant. He just hasn’t always been very good at recognizing them when they happen. He’s better now. At least, he’s getting there.
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Or, Mike Wheeler is entirely in love with Will Byers. It just took him a while to realize, to understand. In reality, his love for Will has always been innate- a part of who he is, inseparable from himself. The only problem is, Mike is pretty sure Will has moved on, that he’s gotten over his crush. And Mike is fine with just being his friend- really, he is.
But then Will starts screaming in the night. And sometimes, that’s all it takes to trigger an avalanche.
Series
- Part 2 of Pockets of Safety
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They’re going to a club. Mike isn’t wildly keen on the idea. But Will wants to go. It’s a date after all. One of their first in public.
Mike pulls together an ensemble he hopes will pass for club attire- his favorite jeans, worn supple in all the right places, paired with the green shirt Will bought him for Christmas.
He tries to tame his hair, fingers combing through it until it looks acceptable. Adequate.
Will, meanwhile, looks stupidly, unfairly exquisite.
His hair is pushed back, mostly, though a few defiant strands have slipped loose, falling over his forehead. Before they leave, he lingers at the tiny wall mirror by the front door. Mike watches, transfixed, as Will bites his plush lower lip in concentration and clicks the silver hoop into his ear. The sight lands somewhere low and deep in Mike’s chest. The flame flickers. Fuck.
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Or, on a night out with his boyfriend, Mike is an anxious mess. He’s trying his best. They love each other so much!
Series
- Part 3 of Pockets of Safety
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Summary
It’s Valentine’s Day.
Couples pass him, entwined in one another- hands clasped, bouquets and chocolate boxes held close, grins radiant and meant for no one but each other. One pair stands kissing beneath the orange glow of a lamppost. The sight stirs something conflicting in his stomach.
Will has never had a Valentine.
He remembers second grade: cutting paper they could barely afford, making a card for everyone in his class. On the front of each, he drew a flower by hand. Inside, a careful message, written in his best handwriting.
Lonnie was furious.
Livid, especially, over the single card Will received in return. From Mike. A boy.
He never made another Valentine’s card again. Until now.
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Or, it’s their first Valentine’s Day together. Mike is an absolute sap. Will is so in love. This is pure, unadulterated fluff.
Series
- Part 4 of Pockets of Safety