Byler Fic Rec Masterpost
Hello! This masterpost mostly serves as a place for me to store all my favourite Byler fics so I can come back to them any time I want. These fics are all amazing in their own way and I hope you will enjoy them too! (this list is ongoing)
Fics that I wish I could read for the first time again:
There is a wait so long by Urie (Rated Teen and up, 124k)
It's 1997 and the ghost of Mike Wheeler walks back into Will Byers' life twice in one day: first in a Midtown coffee shop, then as the writer assigned to his graphic novel. Eight years of awkward distance now have a deadline. Collaboration is a special kind of torture when the person you're building a world with is the one who broke yours.
Tags: Post-canon, second chances, slow-burn, strangers to lovers (kind of)
This fic is the reason I wanted to do this post because it is genuinly so fucking good and I don't see enough people talking about it. The characterization is spot-on, it feels so incredibly atmospheric that it makes me feel like I'm watching a movie when I read it. I love it.
Egg by silversprings (wishfilm) (Rated M, wip)
Mike is gone from his own body. He's in the corner looking at the back of Will's neck, he's in Indiana staring at John as he pulls on a t-shirt, he's in Jean's dorm and kissing her until it begins to feel good. He's a thousand different places and things, and not one of them is a good thing, not one of them is honest. And not one of them knows how to love Will Byers the easy way.
Tags: Post-canon, angst, internalized homophobia
Another amazing fic that deserves way more recognition!
Smalltown Queer by Indibaggins (Rated E, 65k)
Twenty-two years after leaving, Will travels back to Hawkins to face his past. Only Mike now lives there, too. Or, ‘He might as well have carved 'Mike' into his thigh. It would have been more honest.’
Tags: Post-canon, second chances, LGBTQ themes
I love the nods to queer culture in this fic and I feel like Will could have absolutely gone down this path that is described in this fic. It is a beautiful depiction of queer history and facing past-trauma.
Hollow Boy by Indibaggins (Rated E, wip)
Mike is spending the last urgent summer days with Will in Hawkins. He’s also writing in college. Somehow, these two things are always happening at once. Or, ‘Funny how there’s a face underneath my face.’
Tags: Post-canon, self-exploration, sexual exploration, second chances
Supervoid by Maximumtrash (Rated E, 48k)
Mike pushes into his hands, but Will keeps him still. "Ask again," he says. Because he's greedy, and he wants Mike to want him. He stares at Will's mouth. "Please." "Again." El is gone. Will tries to figure out how to move on in New York, and Mike follows him. Their apartment is haunted not by ghosts, but by the two of them. Or: Catastrophically traumatized boys cling to each other and accidentally figure out how to be close—too close—while moving through their grief.
Tags: Post-canon, college, angst with a happy ending
True End by daniartonline (Rated Teen and Up, wip)
NOVEMBER 6TH, 1986 In the three years since Will Byers went missing, the town of Hawkins has been under constant threat of the creatures from the Upside Down. But now, eight months after Vecna has ruptured a giant rift through the town of Hawkins, that threat is about to reemerge. Unaware of Vecna's true plans and trapped under a military quarantine, our heroes will not only be forced to face the greatest evil from the Upside Down, but also overcome impossible odds, in order to save their town, and each other, one last time. Written in a SCREENPLAY format, this fic operates as a diverging conclusion for the final season of Stranger Things.
Tags: S5 fix-it, screenplay
This screenplay is the best season 5 re-write I have seen so far, I absolutely love it. The characterization is spot-on, it makes me feel like I'm actually watching an episode of ST when I read this.
Bury me in metamorphoses (with galatea, my sweet) by hiscleric (Rated Teen and Up, 32k)
It’s been seven years since Will Byers vanished from Hawkins for the second time; seven years since he picked up his life, moved across the globe, and finally settled. He had found himself in a small town outside of Dublin with no desire to be anyplace else. He was happy. Ireland was great — beautiful sights, decent weather, and it was far. So, so far. But when past feelings bubble from under the surface and start to poison his creative endeavors, he doesn’t think things could get any worse. Seeing Mike Wheeler at his local grocery store quickly proves him wrong. OR: Running away and the reunion of a lifetime.
Tags: Canon-Divergence, second chances, angst with a happy ending
You took my heart (I was sleeping) by lameparties (Rated Teen and Up, 52k)
It’s winter in Hawkins, and Mike and Will aren’t speaking anymore. Living in Mike’s house, Will tries to be invisible, spending most of his time in the basement. Then the power goes out — and if there’s one thing he dreads more than facing Mike, it’s the cold. or Seven nights in which Mike and Will have to sleep in the same bed, even though they’re barely friends anymore.
Tags: slow-burn, hurt/comfort, 18-month time jump (mwtfdydg)
Who am I (to ask for more) by bookinit (Rated Teen and Up, 20k)
Will’s eyes sting with tears, and his nose prickles with heat. He feels like he’s burning, like he’s on fire. But Mom’s right—he doesn’t have to be afraid. She knows, and she loves him, and she’s not leaving. All that’s left is the words. And he shouldn’t be scared of words. After all he’s been through, if what takes him down is the English alphabet, then the world has a really fucked up sense of humor. He just needs to rip off the bandaid. — Alternatively: Five times Will Byers came out, and the one time someone came out to him.
Tags: Coming out, post s4
This genuinenly made me tear up at certain parts, it hit a little too close to home in the best way possible.
Some sort of ripple effect by sylvianightshade (Rated Teen and Up, 30k)
In the end, it doesn’t matter. None of it fucking matters. Because what’s really in control is the tension. This elusive string tied between their chests that’s always changing length. Right now it’s so short and taught and strong that Will can’t imagine resisting it. So really, it was never a matter of if he would. Just when. When will he fold? When will he let go and let himself follow Mike into the water? He dares to glance down at his knees, where he can see Mike’s fingers peeking out from behind his calves (as if he needed that visual reminder that they’re touching), and then back up to meet Mike’s expectant gaze. He’s going to do it. He’s such a fucking idiot. OR Mike & Will have a long overdue conversation on the way back to Hawkins— by, in, and around a random motel pool.
Tags: Canon-divergence, post s4
This is one of the classics in my book, a must-read for all Bylers.
In your own sweet time by Sunnubs (Rated Teen and Up, 50k)
It’s the year 2000, and Mike Wheeler has come to Montauk to house-sit, write, and very intentionally not think too hard about his life. Then Will Byers arrives unplanned and, without meaning to, forces Mike to reexamine everything he thought he knew about himself. Or One week by the ocean where Mike figures out he’s been in love with his best friend for years, and Will is trying very hard to not let old feelings resurface.
Tags: Post-canon, second chances, sexuality crisis, forced proximity
This fic is so good and I don't understand why it has so few likes, go give it some love!
Crooked Timber by BackwoodsJupiter (133k)
What do you do when the world fails to end? If you’re Will Byers, you build a life. If you’re Mike Wheeler, you build a tomb. It’s been a decade since El disappeared, Mike is still trapped in his own head, and no one knows how to talk about it. Then, Mike does something impulsive, and sets in motion a chain of events that will cause Will to question everything he believes - including about himself. Or: A story about grief, love, fate, freedom, and the things that hide in the dark (and maybe the light, too). This starts slow, but bear with me; I promise it doesn't go where you're expecting!
Tags: Post-canon, second chances, slow burn, religion/spirituality
Silly 'lil fics that are just happy la-di-da:
I am caught, right inside your line of fire by ethqreal (Rated Teen and Up, 16k)
“Why are you touching him? You don’t own him.” Will dropped his head into his hands. “Mike, oh my god—” Paladin Mike’s jaw tightened. “I do not own him,” he said immediately. “He is—” He stopped, swallowing. His eyes went back to Will softening, and that softness made Mike hate him even more. He could recognize the look, and saw it mirrored in his own eyes countless times. [...] “He is the Light. By your oath, I am bound to him. My liege.” He bowed his head slightly toward Will, his mouth wrapped around the word like it was a prayer. “My cleric.” He said after, softer. “Oh my god.” Will flushed, impossibly. “That is crazy. He is actually crazy." Max, who had been standing with her arms crossed behind them, muttered, “Jesus Christ,” under her breath.
Tags: Bravebyers, jealous Mike Wheeler
This was so silly and fun I giggled multiple times reading this fic
King of my heart by bookinit (Rated Teen and Up, 21k)
Will finds himself wondering, sometimes, if his mark matches Mike’s. He thinks it must, really—he can’t imagine wanting to spend the rest of his life with anyone else. Mike’s cool and strong and brave and funny. His hair flops down over his forehead and his eyes bore into Will’s soul, always so steadily intense. He doesn’t cry when he scrapes his knee. Instead, he just gets back up. Will thinks that if Mike isn’t his soulmate, something is seriously wrong with the world. — everything is the same, but will & mike are soulmates. so really, business as usual.
Tags: Soulmate-au, light angst, mostly fluff
A cruel summer with you by andiwriteordie, astrobi and wiseatom (Rated Teen and Up, 336k, wip)
“Oh, come on,” Will says, struggling to keep his voice neutral in a different way. His mouth is dry, and he hates Mike for it even more. “Is this what it’s going to be like this summer?” Mike looks back at him, considering, lips pursed in an effort to shut down the smirk that Will knows is fighting to break free. Will doesn’t dare to let his gaze catch there, focusing instead on holding Mike’s stare, because this, too, is a game. Five years into a rivalry with bittersweet origins, the only thing Mike and Will want is to beat each other at this summer’s camp counselor competition. But being back at camp is dredging up old memories, and as Mike and Will lose momentum and gain something else entirely, it becomes increasingly clear that one summer can change everything.
Tags: Summer camp - AU, Modern - AU, Enemies/Rivals to lovers, slow-burn
This is the only Modern - AU so far I have actually enjoyed. It's so silly and fun, my partner and I both love this one.
The evening speaks by nbfutureboy (Rated Teen and Up, 23k)
Will Byers enjoys working on his assignments deep into the night… Usually to the sound of his favorite college radio show, Wheeler on the Mic. One phone call in the early hours draws him into a ridiculous bet with the host.
Tags: Canon-Divergence, fluff
I can't pinpoint what it is but there is something mesmerizing about this fic, I loved it.
You can hear it in the silence by astrobi (Rated Teen and Up, 36k)
Will moves back to an upright position, wiping his hair out of his eyes, head and shoulders peeking above the water. “Mike,” he says, pulling Mike up with him, their fingers still intertwined. “Yeah?” Mike says, tilting his head so the water trickles out of his ears, wincing slightly. “What is it?” Will’s eyes dart back and forth between his, and then Mike feels his hand squeeze his own. “I don’t want you to, like, think I moved back for you,” he starts, which in and of itself would be enough to get Mike’s soul soaring straight out of his own body, if it weren’t for Will’s thumb pressed against his pulse point like some kind of mortal tether. “Because it’s not like that, I promise. But I think– I think I realized there’s a difference between things you want and things you need, you know?” mike wheeler on losing people and having them again, the difference between wanting and needing, and finally letting go. ft. robin buckley, will byers, and the mortifying ordeal of working in the food service industry
Tags: Canon-divergence, post s3 (kind of), long-distance, Mike Wheeler loves Will Byers
Mike is so in love in this one it was beautiful to read.
I never find out 'til I'm head over heels (Rated General Audiences, 12k)
Wherein Mike believes he’s being obvious, Will doesn’t know what he believes, and the pair of them could use a lesson or two in effective communication. Somehow all of this has both nothing and everything to do with five years' worth of school dances.
Tags: Fluff, High School
I hate accidents (except when we went from friends to this) by burgundyshirts (Rated Teen and Up, 16k)
The first time it happens, Will classifies it as a little accident. When he wakes, the morning sun is burning through the window onto their faces, and Mike’s cursing as he stands to close the curtains, stumbling all the way. “Scoot over,” he grumbles, voice dry, and for a second Will can’t do anything other than sigh like a lovesick idiot. It’s a second too late for Mike, because he grumbles more words Will doesn’t catch under his breath and then physically pushes Will towards the wall to lay beside him, arm over Will’s middle. A second of silence passes, then Mike sighs, only to whine: “Fuck, my head hurts.” Will can’t help it: he breaks down laughing, much to Mike’s offense. --------------- Alternatively: five times Mike kissed Will, and one time Will kissed back.
Tags: College - AU, fluff, miscommunication
