soooo several days ago i made a post talking about how there’s a lot of good byler fanfic out there, and i got several requests from people to drop some links. this MIGHT be a bit overkill, but i rarely see recs anywhere else on tumblr, so here is a long-ish list of all my favorites. there are no hyperlinks in this post, but if anyone can’t find these for any reason just message me and i’ll drop a link :)
( @moonysbookmark , @rachiegirl, @bolognaisecat88 , @suchmadness , @literallycrashingoutrn, consider this my response to your comments. sorry it took so long, hopefully this list makes up for it xoxo)
“‘cause love’s just an old fashioned word” - hisho (rated M, 43k words) — scenario where will has a secret relationship with chance, while still not being over mike, and throughout the story will is dealing with this as well as discovering that he has powers. there is a lot of period-typical homophobia in this story, and a lot of will’s inner dialogue is centered around this as well as his trauma (also side-note: in my opinion this story should be rated E and not M, because while there isn’t really any explicit smut that happens in real time, the way that will talks about sex and his preferences is def pretty explicit, so if you don’t want to read about sexual content then you have been warned!!) (also yes this is byler endgame don’t you worry) (just let it cook, tbh i thought this story was a beautiful slowburn)
“Dear Dorothy” - thepoetsandtheplays (not rated, 30k words) — (Modern AU) will and robin have a podcast where every week they respond to listeners who write them for advice. they eventually start to receive a series of letters from a boy who is in love with his best friend and wants to know how to confess his feelings— little does will know that this writer is mike, who is writing for advice on how to confess to him (will is kind of uncharacteristically clueless in this but it’s cute and pays off so idc!!) (it’s corny at times but like good corny i think)
“don’t delete the kisses” - lightsflicker (rated T, 26k words) — just another typical slice-of-life fic about mike and will dating in secret and figuring out how to tell their loved ones; so SO fucking cute, smiled like an idiot to myself while reading the last chapter (some of my favorite fluff fics are the ones where the party is all just gradually getting more suspicious at mike and will’s behavior as time goes on)
“Egg” - silversprings (wishfilm) (rated M, 11k words) — WIP canon-compliant fic of mike in college figuring out his feelings for will, serves mostly as a character study of mike’s internalized feelings for will and repression of his sexuality; there is only one chapter published so far, but i can already tell this fic is going to be one of the great ones so i am telling all of you to hop on it now before it blows up (dare i say the best characterization of mike wheeler i’ve ever read in the ten years i’ve been in this fandom) (i’m not kidding go read it and get attached RIGHT NOW)
“Heavy Hopes” - beansie (rated T, 44k words) — fic where mike and will live at college together and are kind of codependent, but then mike walks in on will making out with a guy, freaks out and thinks he’s homophobic, then has a gay awakening; very lighthearted, only very mild angst (i fucking love clueless mike, best trope ever)
“honey-mouthed” - smoosnoom (rated T, 10k words) — super cute one-shot that is all based off of the idea that mike has a “will voice” and everyone notices it and makes fun of him relentlessly for it, making him realize some things
“i could be your lover (and you could be my heartache)” - sunsetozier (rated M, 77k words) — set in a scenario where mike gets vecna’d/kidnapped and will sees it in a dream; the rest of the core four try to find out where mike was taken, solving the mystery by going through his personal journals and letters, which uncover the trauma he’s experienced along with his secrets; focused on themes of internalized homophobia and mental illness (i pulled an all-nighter reading this one, it was so so fucking good, my only critique is that i wish it had an epilogue) (EDIT: the author just swooped in today to say that they’re adding a bonus chapter further exploring the ending, so it seems i manifested this??? anyways stay tuned for that ig)
“look before you leap” - lumism (rated T, 13k words) — (Modern AU) SPIDER-WILL SPIDER-WILL SPIDER-WILL!!!!! in this one-shot will is spider-man, dustin is the guy in the chair, and mike is the “best friend” will is secretly yearning for. when will has an encounter with mike while masked as spider-man, mike confesses that he has a crush on his best friend, setting off a series of events full of miscommunication (and yes they do in fact do the iconic upside-down spider-man kiss at the end) (this fic is so cute and perfect, i love dorky flustered mike and shy yet confident will)
“Michael Wheeler, I’ll Always Love You” - Azkaabanter (rated E, 31k words) — after vecna is defeated, will and mike navigate being in a secret relationship while facing the homophobia of their hometown; there are a lot of religious themes in this one, along with bigotry and just period-typical attitudes in general (god this one is CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED)
“the night is long but you are here” - IrisCandy (rated T, 87k words) — absolutely spectacular rewrite of season 5, picking up immediately with vecna forcing will to confess to mike how he feels about him. from here it’s a steady slowburn, but also has a lot of very cool lore-heavy rewrites, exploring further the tie between will and henry, with this fic being entirely will-centric (this is how season 5 SHOULD have gone) (taking this as canon thank you)
“Roll to Charm Person” - harriet_vane (rated E, 59k words) — set at the end of their senior year, mike and will fake-date as a way to prove to will’s parents that he can bring a date to joyce and hopper’s wedding, which leads to them actually hooking up and realizing they have real feelings for each other; this one is so lighthearted and stupid and i return to it for just a fun read now and again (bonus points for hopper being completely exasperated by his children just continuing to date michael wheeler)
“the secret door swings” - abysstrips (rated T, 3k words) — fluffy one-shot written based off the hc that will and jonathan run into each other in the wheelers’ hallway while sneaking out of mike and nancy’s bedrooms (i made this hc) (not biased at all or anything) (did i mention somebody wrote this based on a post i made) (teehee)
“The Secrets That You Keep (When You’re Talking in Your Sleep)” - DH_epub (rated M, 104k words) — WIP that covers the 18 months between seasons 4-5 plus a future rewrite of season 5; mike-centric, focuses a lot on his internalized homophobia and his dorky nature (so funny while also so upsetting and raw, mike’s internalized homophobia is PERFECTLY written, one of my all-time FAVORITES)
“Something Clicked” - thehouseisglass (rated T, 22k words) — season 5 vol. 2 fix-it fic!! picks up right after will harnesses his powers, and progresses until vecna is defeated; the main conflict in this one is that will is slowly being possessed by the mind flayer again, while vecna is also trying to use will’s insecurity about his sexuality against him to make him more vulnerable. ultimately mike and their love for each other save him in the end of course (this is probably the closest fix-it i’ve read to what i genuinely thought was going to happen in vol. 2 before the writers chose the evil plotline)
“Supervoid” - maximumtrash (rated E, 48k words) — canon-compliant fic with a time skip to mike and will living together in college; the two start hooking up to find comfort in each other and move on from their grief; core themes are MAJOR guilt and repressed feelings, el really haunts the narrative in this one (this is probably the most realistic canon-compliant byler fic i’ve ever read, they don’t just jump into each others arms and have to figure their shit out, it’s sooo angsty and peak hurt/comfort)
“take a chance with me” - finncandrownmeandillsaythnx (rated E, 18k words) — long one-shot of when mike and will are in college and visit each other on the weekends. will starts seeing carlton, and of course mike gets jealous, until the party + older siblings and friends meet in philadelphia for a house party. a game of never have i ever reveals the truth about will and mike’s feelings, they cry and hug it out on a balcony, and then they fuck in the library (CHEATING LAWLESS BYLER YES GODDDDDDD) (in all seriousness this one-shot is absolutely perfect, hurt/comfort + smut, boots the house down i’m deceased)
“touch like velvet” - ciders (rated T, 190k words) — AU where will meets mike in a diner, they become friends, and then decide to fake date to piss off mike’s parents; ends in real dating, mike is kind of super OOC but this is such a well-written and emotional story; centered on themes of homophobia and running from the ghosts of the past, but maybe don’t read this if you’re super particular about OOC characters (but if it helps i don’t usually like AUs and i really liked this one)
“We All Have a Hunger (Tell Me What You Need)” - papenathy (rated T, 34k words) — short fic of mike and will living at college together getting ready to go to a halloween party, will dresses up as a vampire, mike finds it very attractive, covers will in fake blood, has a gay panic about it; basically just will being confident, mike freaking out about it, and then they make out (yes with the fake blood) the end (bonus points for the homoerotic flirty eye contact they make while “I Ran” is playing) (did i mention there was fake blood that mike thinks is hot) (“make me look really fucking hungry” AGSGFHGHG)
“You Took My Heart (I Was Sleeping)” - lameparties (rated T, 52k words) — THE POWER OUTAGE FIC!!!! semi-short fic that is set in the 18 month gap between seasons 4-5; centered around a power outage in hawkins that leads to mike and will sharing a bed, “huddling for warmth,” rekindling their friendship, and being forced to face their feelings (currently also has the second most kudos on all of ao3) (god the first kiss in this fic is the buzziest first kiss i’ve ever read in my LIFE)
