soooo several days ago i made a post talking about how thereās 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. i will be adding to this post with more fics gradually as i read more as well! there are no hyperlinks in this post, but if anyone canāt find these for any reason just message me and iāll 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)
āācause loveās just an old fashioned wordā - hisho (rated M, 43k words) ā 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 Willās 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 isnāt 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 donāt want to read about sexual content then you have been warned!!) (also yes this is Byler endgame donāt you worry) (just let it cook, tbh i thought this story was a beautiful slowburn)
āDear Dorothyā - thepoetsandtheplays (not rated, 30k words) ā (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 feelingsā 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 itās cute and pays off so idc!!) (itās corny at times but like good corny i think)
ādear will (and all of the things iām too much of a coward to say)ā - Aloyx (rated T, 55k words) ā In the summer of 1989, the core four go on a āboys tripā out into the wilderness for a week, as a last hurrah before college. Mike wants to apologize to Will for all the years of being an ignorant asshole, and starts writing a letter. The only problem is, he canāt seem to articulate his feelings into words at all, or even admit to himself what he really wants. Seven days in the woods teaches Mike some long-deserved lessons in patience, humility, and just finally ripping off the band aid. (forced proximity Byler i love you) (also there may or may not be a treasure hunt as a lil side plot) (this is low key very stand by me if they were gay eighteen-year-olds)
ādonāt delete the kissesā - lightsflicker (rated T, 26k words) ā Just another typical slice-of-life fic about Mike and Will dating in secret and figuring out how to tell their loved ones. Little do they know, everyone is slowly but surely catching on, and these two are most definitely not as subtle as they think they are. 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 Willās behavior as time goes on)
āEggā - silversprings (wishfilm) (rated M, 21k words) ā WIP canon-compliant fic of Mike in college figuring out his feelings for Will. Mike is in college, still in Indiana, still going through the motions of his day to day life. Will is in New York City, new life, new boyfriend, new light behind his eyes. Once in a while, the party meets up halfway in Philadelphia, reminiscing for old timeās sake. The only thing is, Mike canāt figure out why his chest hurts so much every time he hears about Willās life during their weekly phone calls. Mike is dating a new girl named Jeanā sheās pretty, sheās nice, sheās safe. sheās a distraction. His whole life has become a distraction. This fic serves mostly as a character study of Mikeās internalized feelings for Will and repression of his sexuality; there are only three chapters published so far and itās kind of slow at updating, 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 iāve ever read in the ten years iāve been in this fandom) (iām not kidding go read it and get attached RIGHT NOW)
āeye for an eyeā - ileikbees (rated M, 34k words) ā Thereās something wrong with Will. Over the course of a few weeks living at the Wheelersā, he has turned withdrawn and irritable. He wonāt let Mike near him, and he is waking up from night terrors every single night. The situation reaches a breaking point when Will injures himself, trying to keep the voices silent. It quickly becomes apparent that Will is becoming possessed by Vecna and the Mind Flayer again, so a plan is put together to exorcise them out of him in the same way they did in season two. The only thing is thisā instead of just one entity in his head, there is now two, and once the Mind Flayer is gone from him, Vecna still remains. And the only way to set him free is to remove his left eye. Mike helps him through the possession/exorcism, causing some hidden feelings and a dramatic confession to come to light. (EXTREME TRIGGER WARNING THIS ONE IS FUCKING VIOLENT AND JUST REALLY GROSS) (like SERIOUS body horror, read the tags iām not playing) (but itās so so good, so well written) (if you enjoy horror books then youāll love this)
āFortunately, I Believeā - JustMyName, olliecoddle (rated E, 67k words) ā AU where Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Max have all been attended the same religious summer camp since they were kids. Mike skips a year after he confesses to his parents that he is a raging atheist, and comes back the summer after his high school graduation to see that a new boy is working there (Will). There are terrible rumors that circulate around Will about a traumatizing past and shameful secrets. The two develop a fixation on each other and engage in a secret relationship, brought together by simple adoration and conflicted faith (warning for a VERY bittersweet and not entirely happy ending, as well as extremely extremely complex religious themes) (like seriously so complex) (Willās faith is so complicated but truly so beautiful) (this story is literally if Sun Bleached Flies by Ethel Cain was a gay fanfic, and yes it did make me cry)
āHeavy Hopesā - beansie (rated T, 44k words) ā 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 heās homophobic, then has a gay awakening; very lighthearted, only very mild angst (i fucking love clueless Mike, best trope ever)
āHollow Boyā - IndyBaggins (rated E, 104k words) ā Mike and Will find each other in the last summer after senior year, as reflected on by Mike in college, who is slowly realizing through his university poetry curriculum that his life does not have to be hollow. The two young men find each other first in 1989, and again in 1992. They grow up and grow apart and grow back together again. (god this might be one of the best iāve ever read) (incredible character study on queerness and the experience of denial and being closeted)
āhoney-mouthedā - smoosnoom (rated T, 10k words) ā Super cute one-shot that is all based off of the idea that Mike has a āWill voiceā and everyone notices it and makes fun of him relentlessly for it, making him realize some things
āi am caught, right inside your line of fireā - ethqreal (rated T, 16k words) ā Several years after the Mind Flayer has been defeated and the events of season three are over, a portal opens back up in Hawkins. Instead of an interdimensional monster, itās Mikeā not normal Mike, but rather his D&D Paladin persona. This version of Mike is charming, determined, brave, and very much obsessed with Will. He reveals that he has been on a journey to find his dimensionās version of Will, and thinks he has found him in this world. Normal Mike sees Paladin Mike being this way and gets very, very, jealousā forcing him to stop being so scared and reveal what he really wants (this fic is pure crack, itās so fucking funny) (this one is for the D&D nerds and also the people who love to see Mike Wheeler endure a necessary humiliation ritual) (jealous Mike i love you, Paladin!Mike i might love you even more) (Bravebyers fans RISE UP)
āi could be your lover (and you could be my heartache)ā - sunsetozier (rated M, 95k words) ā Set in a scenario where Mike gets Vecnaād/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 heās 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 theyāre adding a bonus chapter further exploring the ending, so it seems i manifested this??? anyways stay tuned for that ig) (EDIT 2/10/26: NOW COMPLETED WITH AN EPILOGUE GO READ IT!!)
ālandslideā - hopelessromanfic (rated T, 40k words) ā In the fall of 1987, after Vecna is defeated, Will Byers wakes up one morning to a shocking and confusing sightā Mike Wheeler on his bedroom floor, but not the Mike he knows. This Mike is four years younger, and just as confused as to what he is doing in 1987. Will and the Party do their best to solve the puzzle of this accidental case of time travel, all while trying to fix the rift that has grown between Will and present-day Mike. (this fic made me actually lose it, so emotional and so incredibly well done) (also i shouldnāt even need to say this but i cannot stress enough that nothing inappropriate happens between child-Mike and almost-grown-man Will) (like you guys please itās not like that) (very wholesome and reminds Will who Mike really is under all of his 16-year-old angst and repressed feelings basically) (bonus points for child Mike and teenage Mike hating each other and fighting every five seconds) (child Mike calling teen Mike a little bitch increased my life span by five years)
āLike Everybody Else Doesā - peachstatic (rated T, 48k words) ā Right as the Byers are preparing to move to Montauk in july 1989, Will confesses his love for Mike thinking they may never see each other again, all for Jonathan to then invite Mike to Montauk with them for a few days while theyāre moving in. Mike uncovers some buried feelings on this trip, forced to confront everything heās suppressed over the years (fluffy, emotional, yearnalicious, what more could you ask for) (i fucking loved this one oh my god) (kinda the same vibes as the closing scene of season 3 but as adults and a whole lot gayer)
ālook before you leapā - lumism (rated T, 13k words) ā (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 ābest friendā 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)
āMichael Wheeler, Iāll Always Love Youā - Azkaabanter (rated E, 31k words) ā After Vecna is defeated, Will and Mike navigate being in a secret relationship while facing the homophobia of their hometown and the wrath of their families. Mike wants to tell his family but fears the wrath of his father, and Will just wants to look out his window without feeling the guilt and judgment radiating from the Baptist church services across the street every morning. They love each other anyway, in secret and dreaming of one day leaving Hawkins to love each other out loud. 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)
āMy Will is Goodā - peachstatic (rated E, 34k words) ā WIP that features Mike and Will in college (as usual), and Mike has an idea. A very bad one. He proposes that he and Will be friends with benefits, and they start an arrangement where they fool around every Friday. But of course, the two are hopelessly in love with each other, wonāt admit it, and the miscommunication begins to snowball. (i have a lot of gripes with the miscommunication trope but this fic actually eats down because itās done so well) (lawless Byler enjoyers who also dabble in a bit of pining and emotional hookups now and again, this one is for you) (EDIT 3/31/26: Now has a FIREEE sequel, with a third installment coming soon! Go read!!)
āthe night is long but you are hereā - IrisCandy (rated T, 87k words) ā Absolutely spectacular rewrite of season 5, picking up immediately with Vecna forcing Will to confess to Mike how he feels about him. From here itās 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)
āpunch in the nose (donāt overreact)ā - goldenpigboy (rated T, 52k words) ā Yet another college Byler cheating fic (can you tell i love these). Mike and Will go to separate universities; Will living his best life in New York City, Mike still trying to find peace in Indiana. After a drunken night making out with another guy makes him realize some fundamental truths about himself (ffs, Michael!), Mike decides that he will do whatever it takes to win Will over again. Even if that means getting him to ditch his boring new boyfriend. (can you tell i love cheating Byler fics where Mike is just honestly really stupid and Will is exasperated and tired as hell by it but loves him anyway) (read this if you want to see Michael Wheeler get decked in the face) (you know you want to see that cāmon now)
āRoll to Charm Personā - harriet_vane (rated E, 59k words) ā Set at the end of their senior year, Mike and Will fake-date as a way to prove to Willās parents that he can bring a date to Joyce and Hopperās 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)
āthe secret door swingsā - abysstrips (rated T, 3k words) ā Fluffy one-shot written based off the hc that Will and Jonathan run into each other in the Wheelersā hallway while sneaking out of Mike and Nancyās bedrooms (i made this hc) (not biased at all or anything) (did i mention somebody wrote this based on a post i made) (teehee)
āThe Secrets That You Keep (When Youāre Talking in Your Sleep)ā - DH_epub (rated M, 248k words) ā Mike is just a normal guyā heās rude to his parents sometimes and sure, he wonders why he keeps making excuses not to visit his girlfriend, but really, heās just a normal guy. Until he starts having a serious of concerning dreams that feature himself and his best friend in slightly more than friendly situations. Mike begins to spiral, go through the stages of grief multiple times (mostly denial), and even resort to asking Steve Harrington for advice, not knowing that the entire time Will feels the same way. This fic is mostly Mike-centric, focuses a lot on his internalized homophobia and his dorky nature, with him and Will just both being so fucking stupid around each other. (so funny while also so upsetting and raw, Mikeās internalized homophobia is PERFECTLY written, one of my all-time FAVORITES)
āSomething Clickedā - thehouseisglass (rated T, 22k words) ā 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 Willās 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 iāve read to what i genuinely thought was going to happen in vol. 2 before the writers chose the evil plotline)
āsomething kind of sweet and blueā - hxllcatspangled (rated M, 106k words) ā Complete rewrite of season 5 vol. 2-3! Will begins having some very terrifying visions given to him by Vecnaā confessing to Mike, Mike rejecting him, Mike hurting him, him hurting Mike, repeat. These visions are troubling enough to start pushing Mike away, all while trying to prepare for the final battle. Meanwhile, Mike is starting to realize some things himself, all branching from the way heās felt bones-deep duty to protect his best friend. In the midst of the apocalypse, with the odds stacked against them, they finally stop dancing around each other. (okay SO out of all the season five fix-its, this one stays the most true to what was written into the show) (they just fixed the essential things) (and tbh if you want a lore-heavy fix-it READ THIS ONE!! imo itās better with the sci-fi rewrites than the romance but thatās just me)
āSupervoidā - maximumtrash (rated E, 48k words) ā Will and Mike are getting by. Vecna has been defeated and El has been gone for one year. They have been going through the motions, coping and trying to live their lives the best way they canā but also just not talking about it. One fateful night leads to an emotional hookup, setting off a series of events riddled with miscommunication and poor coping skills. The two start hooking up to find comfort in each other and move on from their grief, before they realize that they need to stop dancing around each other and face what they are truly feeling; 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 iāve ever read, they donāt just jump into each others arms and have to figure their shit out, itās sooo angsty and peak hurt/comfort)
ātake a chance with meā - finncandrownmeandillsaythnx (rated E, 18k words) ā 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 Mikeās 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 iām deceased)
āthis loving feeling (it wears us out)ā - Girl_rotting (rated M, 88k words) ā WIP of our boys in college!! Will thinks he has it all figured out. Heās back in California, with a new life far away from Hawkins. He got his fresh start. Exceptā he doesnāt really like his new boyfriend. One night after an argument with Carlton finds Will calling Mike in the middle of the night, which ends up with a surprise visit from his best friend in San Francisco. Mike stays at Willās place the week before thanksgiving, causing tensions between the three of them to rise. and Mike decides that he really doesnāt like Willās new boyfriend either. (aka the phone kiss fic!!!) (CHEATING BYLER CHEATING BYLER) (itās a little bit toxic but the BUZZFEST IT GIVES ME)
ātouch like velvetā - ciders (rated T, 190k words) ā AU where will meets Mike in a diner, they become friends, and then decide to fake date to piss off Mikeās 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 donāt read this if youāre super particular about OOC characters (but if it helps i donāt usually like AUs and i really liked this one)
āWe All Have a Hunger (Tell Me What You Need)ā - papenathy (rated T, 34k words) ā 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 āI Ranā is playing) (did i mention there was fake blood that Mike thinks is hot) (āmake me look really fucking hungryā AGSGFHGHG) (EDIT 3/31/26: This one ALSO now has a WIP sequel, and itās fireeee go read it!!)
āwhere iām going (will you follow?)ā - starrydoie (rated T, 17k words) ā After the war is won, Mike struggles with guilt, mixed-up and false memories, and āthe story he can never tell.ā We see Mike and Willās story through Mikeās eyes. What is has been, what it could be. What he wishes he was brave enough to say. He knows he has made mistakes, knows he has failed Will and failed El even more. He realizes he can rewrite this narrative if he wants to. Enter Will, who is tired of not being brave. He is finally going to take what he wants. (truly just a beautiful character study on the nature of Mikeās grief and feelings towards Will) (not as complex and angsty as fics like āSupervoidā but still has the same effect of making up for lost time) (underrated and fucking beautiful)
āYou Took My Heart (I Was Sleeping)ā - lameparties (rated T, 52k words) ā THE POWER OUTAGE FIC!!!! Will and Mike donāt talk anymore. They live in the same house, they eat the same food, they share each otherās space, but they donāt talk anymore. There was no fight, no explosion, just two former best friends who are now grown apart. One night, a power outage strikes Hawkins in the middle of winter, making the basement too cold and no longer safe for Will to sleep in. He resorts to sleeping in Mikeās room, where quickly their newly shared company leads to some much needed conversations, huddling for warmth, and eventually, being forced to acknowledge feelings that have been long buried. (currently also has the second most kudos on all of ao3) (god the first kiss in this fic is the buzziest first kiss iāve ever read in my LIFE)
