Hi! I’m in search of a lost fic :/// it was one of the long (at least longer) form marauders era fics that centered wolfstar and Sirius. I remember that Sirius spent one of his summers working in a thrift shop with this guy named Alexander (or at least a similar name) and they became super close friends but before Sirius and Remus got together Remus was low key jealous of how many letters Sirius would get from this Alex guy lol. I’ve been looking for it forever and@ this point think it might have been deleted?? Worth a shot lol I remember it being really good
Hi! It's not ringing any bells, but if anyone else remembers this one please reach out. :)
that comment about how you should not borrow grief from the future has saved me multiple times from spiraling into an inescapable state of anxiety. like every time i find myself thinking about how something in the future could go wrong i remember that comment and i think to myself: well i never know, it might get better. it might not even happen the way i think it will and if it does happen and it is sad and bad ill be sad about it then, when it happens. and it’s somehow soo freeing
Mike says, shutting his bedroom door behind him gently and padding over to the bed where Will is laying.
“Hey,” Will murmurs as he burrows himself further into the bed and pulls the sheets up under his chin, trying to ignore his heart pitter pattering inside his ribs. He smooths the fabric over his chest nervously.
Mike smiles at him, something shy and sweet in the way his eyes crinkle. He breathes out and folds his thin arms across his chest, rubbing along his rigid hip with his thumb.
Will tries not to stare where Mike’s shirt rides up, revealing pale skin and a shock of dark hair lining his belly and disappearing underneath his stupid Star Wars pajama pants. Will finds it slightly hilarious, really. Stuck in a bed with your friend at the threshold of the Apocalypse.
Will shoves the dirty thoughts of hands and torn clothes and sighs in the dark away from his mind.
It’s not important.
He blushes when Mike catches his eye. He grins suddenly, his change in demeanor catching Will off guard.
“What?” Will asks, one side of his mouth turning up anxiously.
Mike hesitates for just a second, then leans down on the bed. He smiles and raises his eyebrows suggestively.
Here are some byler fics that are in my bookmarks and I think everyone should read because I said so. I'm going to provide the fic description and share my thoughts on them a little bit too. Some of those are actually series so I'll specify when that's the case.
take me anywhere, i don't care (i don't care) by Cherop (T, 3/3, 19k) - "At midnight on a chilly Friday night in September of 1988, The plan and it’s many backups finally culminates with a black eye, an old car, packed bags, and two boys who have loved each other for more than half of their lives." If you like the Smalltown Boy theory you will LOVE this one so much, it's incredibly well written and extremely in character too. They're already in a established relationship here. it makes me remember why I love the story of those two so much, it's heartbreaking but their love really tops anything. It got me BAWLING all the way through and it's definitely one of my all time favorites
Promises Faithfully by blahruto (T, 1/1, 6k) - "It's almost time for Max and Lucas's wedding. Mike makes a promise." Established byler, such a nice dialogue feels very natural. They're talking about their future while making a gift for their friend's wedding. They're flirty as hell and cute and I had a lot of fun reading this one.
you're my angel, baby by boycattj (T, >9k) - Little series of established byler fics, there's only two at the moment but I think it might have more updates later on. Just nice and sweet byler in a relationship spending time together and having fun, makes me all giggling and shit really recommend it
a game of truths by RomeoWrites (G, 1/1, 22k) - "Mike and Will play a game of truths." Byler through the years told by all the times they played their little truth game it's so sweet y'all there's some miwi in it too and the ending is so beautiful, I love this author so much there's gonna be a bunch of their fics in here and I recommend checking everything out.
Snapshots by Byliever (T, >40k) - "A series of one-shots detailing the married lives of Mike Wheeler and Will Byers as they raise their family, with plenty of glimpses at their own childhoods. Focuses on how childhood shapes who people grow up to be." The married byler fics of my dreams!!!! This is also a series and it already has 14 works and it's really good, they've been married for years here and have kids too and it's really sweet, deals with their traumas a little bit and everything is dealt beautifully through flashbacks and I love it so much please check it out.
Filling the Gaps by nfna118 (T/G, <44k) - "A collection of one-shots in a canon-compliant Byler universe" MIWI HEAVEN!!! Also a series, right now it has 17 works and it's SO GOOD. It goes through their lives since kindergarten until they're older and omg it's the sweetest thing, the dialogues are amazing i miss this one just thinking about it the miwi one's feels canon to me.
THE DARK MIRROR by sevensided (T/M, <100k) - "From Indiana to Anaidni, and across different times and dimensions, Mike and Will find each other." Another series and ok this is one is so canon compliant in some parts that is a little creepy, there's mad predictions of s4 here even tho it was posted before it dropped makes you wonder if it's not a stranger writer lurking there or something, it covers what happens in those 3 months before the byers move to california. So well written is insane got me crying like a baby at some parts and there's such a big surprise later on like wow and it's very slow burn I was dying reading this fr but it's soooooo good (not finished yet but read it anyway) also there's this big sequence of Mike trying to understand his sexuality that is just perfect and really fun to read
nobody's ever loved me like you do by unidentifiedblackthorn (T, <11k) - STONER BYLER!!!! It's not really a series but it's in two parts and jfc it's one of the best fics I've read they're high, flirty as hell, no make out has ever been better written that this sorry y'all, it's too perfect. I love Mike's characterization in this, they also talk about important stuff and all but it's just so fun please read this one immediately
belief in romantic clichés (holiday byler) by Cherop (T/G, <7k) - Another series it has 6 works already, basically holiday fics with byler getting together and being cute as hell really warms my heart give it a try is really really good
the comforts that make us feel numb by passerine_in_jade (M, 1/1, 5k) - "Will and Mike get high in the desert." STONER BYLER!!!! well they get high in the desert. Beware bc there's some sexual talk (damn mike calm down😭) in it bc let's be fr stoner byler not being horny af it's unrealistic plus there's cheating too so if you're uncomfortable with reading something like that don't go for it, also it kinda explores a little bit of Will's pettiness towards El and the competitive nature of it I love to see my boy being a little selfish for once
if you kissed me now by astrobi (T, 1/1, 13k) - "Will Byers and the harrowing experience of being snowed in with your mom, your almost-stepdad, all of your friends, and your (kind of) (secret) boyfriend." Another established byler, they get stuck at home with all of their friends and some family members and they're in a secret relationship and kinda trying to hide it and enjoy their time together at the same time. Is very sweet and very fun love to see them being cute together as always. Also this author really have some bangers I recommend checking other works too bc they're all great
now more RomeoWrites fics bc they slay
accidentally on purpose by RomeoWrites (G, 1/1, 5k) - "Mike accidentally kisses Will in front of everyone. But maybe that's not such a bad thing." established byler in a secret relationship my beloved!! it's a lot of fun and really sweet, their friendship here it's great too and it's just them being goofy and having great friends
the boyfriend problem by RomeoWrites (G, 1/1, 15k) - "Ted Wheeler thinks Mike has been dating Will since they were twelve-years-old. And Mike doesn’t know quite what to do with that information. Until he does." I was reading a discussion here this week about how funny it would be if Ted Wheeler was not actually homophobic and has been thinking that Mike and Will were dating this whole time and I remembered this MASTERPIECE of a fic. Is hilarious and this idea is so well explored here, the dialogues feels very natural and it goes through many moments in their lives. One of my favorites for sure
a jonathan byers pep talk by RomeoWrites (G, 1/1, 5k) - "Mike experiences a classic Jonathan Byers Pep Talk - one that helps him in more ways than he could have imagined." SWEET!!! yes I love established byler how did you notice? Jonathan and Mike talk about his relationship with Will, their childhood and Mike's own struggles too and it's so nicely written and the dialogue is so natural ugh just read it's super cute Jonathan being a great big brother as always
my life begins and ends with you by RomeoWrites (G, 1/1, 10k) - basically a s4 fix it and it's the best one out there in my opinion, Will confronts him and they fight a lot, there's some jealous Mike in it, but they love each other so much and the ending is so beautiful I loved it
i'll kidnap all the stars (and i will keep them in your eyes) by delusionaltogether (Whyyyyy) (G, 1/1, 6k) - mike takes Will to stargaze in a field, it talks a little bit about Mike's depression and how Will reacted after finding out about the quarry incident, their friendship is everything will is so down bad I love it
i hate accidents (except when we went from friends to this). by burgundyshirts (T, 3/3, 16k) - "five times Mike kissed Will, and one time Will kissed back." Ok this one is insanely good I'm serious just read it just do it is very fun and very sweet and there's a plot twist in the end definitely one of my favorites
i'm tearing you asunder by smoosnoom (moonsooms) (T, 1/1, 21k) - "The world ends, and then some. Mike and Will find each other again, amidst the debris and distance." A beautiful fix-it for s4, there's so much tension in the beginning here and we get to see them rebuilding their friendship while Mike is trying to make up to Will for his mistakes. It's very sweet and really in character too, I highly recommend other fics from this author they have so many other great ones everyone should take a look
come back to me and forgive everything by dragons_like_smores (T, 18/18, 78k) - "Will spends every July at Lonnie’s due to his parents’ custody agreement from their divorce. Fueled by a heartsickness that he doesn’t quite have a name for yet, Mike does his best to make things better." I loved the concept of this one, everything is based around this idea of Lonnie having shared custody and how this affects both Will and Mike. They fight a little bit, forgive each other, communicate, learn how to treat each other more fairly too is very nice. Mike is a sad wet cat in this one he's sooo pathetic I love him, one of the rare fics where he doesn't have internalized homophobia enough to kill 100 men.
Heavy Hopes by beansie (5/5, 44k) - "Mike walks in on his roommate making out with another guy, and gets really upset about it. For all of the normal, straight reasons." College byler living together, Mike having some realizations about himself (he's very slow ok but he gets there), I really love the characterization in this one and is SO FUN to read, is in Mike's pov and he is a disaster💀 usually I don't enjoy bi mike fics bc it's not my headcanon but this one stand out so pls read it
this is all 100% true but it always made me really mad that Chidi’s “crime” was having a severe anxiety disorder like he needed understanding and therapy, sending him to the Bad Place for something he had literally no control over was incredibly fucked up
I feel like a less-surface theme of the show is that they’re all in a situation where they have been forced into bad patterns by forces outside their control - Chidi has SEVERE anxiety; Eleanor was forced by abuse and neglect to adopt a self-centered attitude from early childhood and, like many people with traumatic pasts, responds by not dealing with difficult emotions; Jason was very overtly raised in an environment where he got no education and all his models for behaviour were criminal and/or self-destructive; and Tahani has been raised in an environment where everything is performative and she is shot down for any genuine expression of unhappiness or non-material want. Just as Michael and Janet are made one way but changed by their experiences, the moral of the story is that things outside your control shape you but you can move away from them. That could easily be really insulting, in a sort of ‘just get over it’ way, but the idea isn’t that they change solely because they decide to be better - all six of them change because their circumstances change and give them the OPPORTUNITY to be better, because they’re finally given the support system they lack.
I like The Good Place because the whole show has since day 1 been predicated on the idea that black and white moral judgements made in a vacuum are bullshit, and that moral choices are informed by things outside our control, whether that be education, behaviour modelling, unfair treatment or mental health issues. That doesn’t mean we aren’t responsible for our actions but it DOES mean we have to understand morality in the context of people’s varied experiences AND asks for the possibility that if their environment is improved, their ability to function as moral agents also improves.
“sending him to the Bad Place for something he had literally no control over was incredibly fucked up” yea it was fucked up that was the entire point they made in the show. thats why they spent multiple seasons fighting to change the system of the Good Place vs. the Bad Place.
thinking about the fact that from a human’s perspective crowley is just some skinny middle aged goth dude with dyed red hair and a face tattoo who drives an almost hundred year old car to his complete opposite aesthetic boyfriend’s bookshop nearly every day. why? because he can, that’s why.
"You know, my mom told me that, one day, I'd fall in love."
Mike startles out of his thoughts, blinking a few times before he looks at Will. The two of them are strewn across Mike's bed, all lazy and half asleep from the heat. Not unbearable heat, but the comfortable kind, the kind that feels like a pile of blankets fresh from the dryer. The light that pours in from the window is no help, either, all golden and honey like. Up until Will had spoken, Mike wasn't sure if he was entirely awake. He realizes that he's been quiet too long, staring too long, and he opens his mouth to reply. Will beats him to it.
"I thought she was crazy, said I'd never do that." Will looks... sad. It's a hard emotion for Mike to understand, it's difficult to find one word for it. It feels like the loss of hope. The acceptance of reality. Something Mike can't really begin to understand, and he hates it. Mike knows everything about Will, he can pick up on the slightest of changes. He's spent so much of his life just watching. Reading Will is practically second nature. So when Mike can't understand him, it's unnerving.
He hesitates again, looking for the proper words. "Did you? Fall in love, I mean." Mike doesn't know if that's the right question to ask. Maybe he's pushing a boundary, maybe Will is going to scoff and leave Mike here to rot in his own room.
Will smiles. Mike knows he hasn't made a mistake, hasn't fucked up his friendship again. But it's not a happy smile and that's obvious enough. Again comes the look of loss. Loss, loss, loss. Loss of what? What could have left Will looking like this? "I did," Will says, and his voice sounds incredibly small. "I was already in love when I said it, but I just... I don't deserve it, I think."
Just a few words, and Mike is on high alert. He sits up straighter, leaning in just so he's closer to Will. Will knows how serious Mike is, he has to. "You do. You deserve love." Mike can't begin to explain why the idea of Will being unworthy of love feels so wrong. His mind is racing and, not for the first time, he lets the thoughts tumble out of his mouth. "You're great, Will. More than great. You're my best friend, okay? Like- no that's not right. I mean, you are my best friend! But I just mean that you are the best friend. You understand everything so well, you know what to say and when to say it, when to wait and when to push. You're smart in so many ways and you're kind of a nerd. You tease your siblings and your friends, but no one can ever be mad cause it's funny. You're sweet, Will, too sweet for your own good. Everyone loves you! I'm positive that you're going to meet someone who loves you just the way you deserve." Mike pauses before nodding and folding his hands in his lap. That's... right. It's all true and he hopes it gets his point across.
The room falls quiet again, air thick with some sort of tension. Mike's eyes stay on Will, the same as always. Watching, staring, waiting for the slightest change. So he notices the slight pink that creeps its way up Will's cheeks. He notices it and he knows he's not wrong because it certainly wasn't there a few minutes ago. "You really mean that?" The question catches Mike off guard and again, it feels wrong that Will is doubting. Mike would never lie to Will, certainly not things like this.
"Every word." There's a sort of certainty to his voice, a deep rooted confidence that he hasn't expressed in years. Mike has always thought highly of Will, but who wouldn't. Who wouldn't love Will? Will is... well Will is Will. There's no one else like him. He's kind and caring and quick with sarcastic comments. He has great manners and tends to be a bit shy in front of new people. He's soft and subtle, the same way the light is from the window. Mike doesn't think he'd connected that before. Will reminds him of early Saturday mornings, waking up when the sun hasn't yet completely risen, so the light comes in heavy waves. Heavy, heavy, heavy, the warmth and comfort is nearly enough to lull him back to sleep. But to sleep would mean to miss the beauty of it, all golden and bright with oranges and occasional pinks. It's subtle, such a contrast from the blaring sun at noon. Mike by no means knows anything about art, but that early morning golden light? It's a masterpiece of nature, there's no denying it. And Will is like that in every sense. Soft smiles with teeth that just barely poke out, bubbling laughter, moles that create the most perfect constellations, strong jaw and strong build that is in no way sharp. All warm, soft, subtle, and beautiful. Mike can't let himself think about it too long, lest he discover something new about himself.
Apparently, Mike has been staring too long, because Will fidgets with his hands and clears his throat nervously. Before Mike can fully process what he’s doing, he simply continues talking. “On top of all that, you look really nice. Objectively, I mean.” Will’s eyes go wide and suddenly he’s staring back at Mike but Mike can’t stop now so he just averts his gaze and keeps going. He gestures with his hands as he talks, desperately hoping that he doesn’t look too embarrassed. “I mean, you’ve got- shit. You’ve got a nice jaw structure. And you’re–” with one hand, he points to Will and, with the other, moves his hand across his own chest “-- broad, and I think girls like that. Your eyes are really pretty, too, they’re-” Mike pauses for a second, leaning in just a bit closer and squinting as he studies Will’s eyes. “Wow, actually I take back what I was going to say. There’s so many different colors going on there. It’s like a kaleidoscope, but with more natural colors. Does that make sense? And you’ve got a really addictive laugh, like once you hear it you’ll do anything to hear it again. And you just-” Mike lets the sentence fall flat as he finally looks back to Will, who looks about as red as Mike feels. He isn’t sure why he said any of it, but he did, and it’s out there now. There’s no taking it back. Mike doesn’t think he’d want to take it back, though, even if he could. Will’s cheeks are rosy and his kaleidoscope eyes won’t stop shifting, newly colored flecks appearing constantly. "You're just you, Will." His voice comes out too soft, too gentle, to honest. Too obvious. But Will has to know he's serious. "I don't know how anyone couldn't love you."
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