#would you believe me if i said this fic is mostly byler

[elekinetic]

wip wonday

[foundmywei]

Stranger Things Fanfic Recs

Here are my favorite stranger things fics, mostly byler and Will-centric fics bc I don’t hide who my favorite character is... I will probably add more as I read. Enjoy!

(last updated: 19/02/23)

Masterpost

Byler

THE DARK MIRROR by sevensided (stonedlennon)

(122,539 words | Teen And Up Audiences + Mature | Series - 2 works)

From Indiana to Anaidni, and across different times and dimensions, Mike and Will find each other.

yesterFriday by nbfutureboy

(19,284 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 6/6)

Will Byers wakes up as usual one Friday morning - he worries about his family, his History test, and telling the people he loves that he doesn’t Like Girls in that way.

Then he does it again.

[Groundhog Day AU where Will gets stuck in a time loop.]

Me & You by CicatriceEllipsis

(15,468 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 2/2)

"It has been two hours.

Two hours since Will had heard a clock ticking, since his head began throbbing. It had seemed so real. One moment he was standing in the bathroom of Hoppers cabin, the next he was in the Upside Down. Even then, It hadn’t seemed that strange until a voice whispered in his ear.

That sound, that voice. Will’s entire body reacted to it, shaking so violently that he stumbled.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” it had said and Will screamed

—————

Will is spirally out of control and Vecna takes advantage of that. Mike is there to bring him back.

Heaven Knows (it's got to be this time) by frankiewaters

(98,101 words | Not Rated | Chapters: 51/51)

As Vecna's reign of terror plunges Hawkins into darkness, our characters find themselves regrouping, recuperating, and planning their next moves carefully as they navigate the chaos together. Eleven guides Will through his journey towards integrating his psychic powers, believing him to be the key to restoring order as loyalties within the group are challenged. Mike vows to bring him home, no matter the cost. Even at the edge of the world, love continues to grow forever.

the boyfriend problem by RomeoWrites

(15,032 words | General Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

The first time his dad calls Will his boyfriend, Mike thinks he’s hallucinating. But then it happens again. And again. And again, after that. And as heteronormativity continues to elude Ted Wheeler, Mike thinks that maybe he should just take the hint.

OR

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.

"or at least until the afternoon" by TheWrongKindOfPC

(28,790 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 3/3)

Will asks, "What if you were talking to a friend who was a girl?" but he doesn't mean Max, Mike’s actual friend who is a girl. No, Will’s asking what would you tell me if I were a girl? and the answer to that is something entirely different.

Because if Will were a girl, they wouldn’t be having this conversation at all. If Will were a girl, he wouldn’t be asking questions about how to ask a guy out, because he and Mike would already be dating.

In which Mike has kind of a rough time in college, and talks on the phone about it a lot.

What do you do now, Will the Wise? by RainbowNixie

(11,534 words | General Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

The party is playing D&D together and Mike, as the dungeon master, won’t stop trying to make the Paladin and the Cleric flirt. He’s basically making moves on Will through the game. Will is caught off guard by this, and doesn’t know how to respond to the following question:

What do you do now, Will the Wise?

Everything comes down to a simple roll of dice.

More Than a Metaphor by Nikocat

(95,844 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 16/16)

Will Byers returns home from college for the first time for Christmas break and he's a bundle of nerves. He's reckoned with some deep truths while away at school, finally coming to accept that he's gay. While he can be open and honest in his new city of New York, Hawkins is an entirely different story.

Or Will Byers comes out to the people he loves and gets more than he bargained for.

you can hear it in the silence by astrobi

(36,965 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

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

eyecatcher by smoosnoom (moonsooms)

(9,336 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

“Nah, man,” Lucas shakes his head, leaning back as he snacks on an apple, “he got, like, buff. Do you see his arms?”

Mike does, in fact, see Will’s arms. He has not stopped seeing his arms.

“She definitely sees his arms,” Dustin very unhelpfully points out, waggling his eyebrows, and Mike gets the overwhelming urge to bash his own head in.

While volunteering at the Hawkins' help center, it seems like every girl around has a newfound interest in Will Byers, and Mike doesn't know why he feels the way he does.

i know, i know, i know by aude_sapere

(32,823 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

“We are more similar than you realize, Will. Both of us were...sensitive children. We were different. Seen as freaks. But we are special. You are special.”

Will takes a shallow breath, tries to swallow his nerves. He speaks flatly. “And?”

Henry blinks, seemingly surprised by Will’s coldness. “I chose you that day, you know.”

And Will sees himself, small and alone, riding his bike through the dark. He sees the silhouette of something tall and dark. He sees himself crashing his bike. Running home. But the creature unlocks the door. It follows him into the shed. It gets him.

“It was you,” Will whispers, a hand coming up to the back of his neck. The monster that took him. The possession. The visions. “It’s always been you.”

(or the one where will’s connection to the upside down is a crucial part of season 4 instead of him getting sidelined, and how it changes everything)

who am i (to ask for more) by bookinit

(20,537 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

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.

cause i've built my life around you by andiwriteordie

(145,017 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Series - 2 works)

Well, I've been afraid of changin'

'Cause I've built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Even children get older

And I'm getting older too

Oh, I'm getting older too.

- Landslide, Fleetwood Mac

Or:

Seasons 4 and 5, but make it Mike and Will's coming of age story.

Going Too Far Just to Have You Near by borealisaurora

(11,531 words | Not Rated | Chapters: 7/7)

Mike Wheeler always seems to gravitate toward Will Byers, like they’re connected by an invisible string; Will could be on the opposite end of any room and Mike would somehow find his way over to stand next to him. When Robin points this out to Will, Will thinks she’s crazy, and they strike a deal; if Will stays away from Mike for a week and notices how Mike will always find him, Will has to consider that maybe, just maybe, Mike has a crush on him too.

A deal which Will agrees to because, why not? There’s no way this can be true.

Can it?

More

I Didn't Know There Were Wizards in California by spotlightonmringenue

(104,163 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 18/18 | ST + IT crossover)

Will ignores a timid reply from his classmate, his focus fully on this strange interloper that could be his best friend’s twin.

Evil twin, as Dustin would say, his voice low and incriminating. Ultraman type shit. Will considers relaying the situation on their upcoming weekly call to make the current situation less unsettling.

The guy is cautiously smiling back now – a reflection of Will’s unconscious expression at the thought of Dustin’s clarification – and it doesn’t falter, even once Will loses his amusement. Instead, the grin widens, almost too big for his face and definitely too big for Mike’s usual range of expression. His eyebrows rise above the rim of his lenses.

PB&J, Heatstroke, Vomit, and David Bowie by krb

(55,923 words | Explicit | Chapters: 19/19 | ST + IT crossover, will/richie)

Will Byers thinks it would be better if he just vanishes from the face of the earth, so he does…kind of. He meets a lost soul on his journey to disappearance, an awkward but somehow extrovertedly obnoxious, free-spirited character with dark secrets to rival his own.

without a flashlight in the dark by jurassicqueer (kukurosaki)

(8,435 words | Mature | Chapters: 4/4)

The lights go out. Steve keeps his eyes fixed just left of the thing, can just barely make out a shoulder and sort-of head in the light of the moon, and tries to swallow back the sickening feeling of being hunted. He wants to run for his house but he can’t. He can’t, because if he takes his eyes off the thing for even a second, he won’t know where it is, and that’s scarier than seeing it.

But then- then Steve’s vision blurs for just a moment too long, and when he blinks away the tears and looks, it’s gone.

Steve lunges for the house doors. When the patio lights flicker back on, the poolside is empty, and Steve Harrington is missing. No one notices.

Or: Steve Harrington gets dragged into the Upside Down instead of Barb Holland. Someone else comes out.

The Dad Who Stepped Up by MagikMask

(7,829 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

Hopper’s many attempts at bonding with his youngest unofficial stepson over the course of their first year in Hawkins.

Sometimes it goes well, other times he’s trying to see if he’s unlocked his daughter’s ability to glare someone (Michael Wheeler) to death.

november and july by fireflywitch

(11,071 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 2/2)

She took a mint, flicked it between her tongue and teeth, and leaned against the sink. Will had gone back into the living room—cleaning glass and replacing it—before coming back into the bathroom and sitting beside her, resting his own face against the toilet seat.

They were both crying. It wasn’t the harsh kind—more that the four eyes between them decided that this was the moment to expel everything that had been building up. And Will wasn’t watching her and Max wasn’t watching him, but she could feel it, nonetheless. That strange solidarity.

//

Max and Will: two sides of the same shitty coin.

i think there is someone (you love) by fireflywitch

(22,262 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 4/4)

“Do people act crazy when they are in love?”

“Oh,” said Will. “I—I don’t know.” He shrugged his shoulders, and El realized she had no idea if Will had ever been in love. If he’d ever looked at the girls in Lenora—El knew they looked at him, but that was a different question—or if he felt crazy. “I think—I mean, people say that you act different.” His voice was halting, stilted.

The cassette tape stopped. “Different,” he said again. “Crazy. Weird.”

“Weird,” repeated El, and Will nodded, closing his eyes against Madonna’s syrupy sweetness. They sat there, the two of them, two weirdos, and something filed itself away in El’s brain, something she wouldn’t make sense of until later. Much later.

--

El thinks Will’s been acting weird. But he’s not the only one. Featuring excessive 80s pop synth, secret dance parties, the sick, ruinous embarrassment of existence, blue paint spills, motel room realizations, dictionary definitions, and that four letter word.

all the bad dreams that you hide (show me yours, i'll show you mine) by vissers

(31,826 | Teen And Up Audiences | Series - 5 works)

deep conversations and coming outs between will byers and his party

[sevensided]

My first reaction after hearing Noah was actually "shit, that means Byler's not gonna happen!". Because would he really be casually talking about it, saying "there's some of that", if he knew that Byler would actually happen? For the show that would be a plot twist, and he would be spoiling it. I think he just meant there's gonna be (platonic) scenes with them and that's it. Now I believe even less in canon Byler :( Am I the only one thinking like that? What do you think?

Real talk.

I will confess that when I first saw the video, I did think that it was a bit too good to be true. I also noted the minimising language used (”Yeah, there’s some of that”) which implied that it was a one off or certainly not the extent to which we’re hoping. That made me think that Byler is going to manifest in S4 but it won’t be particularly fulsome and/or romantic in the slightest. That was what I first thought.

But then I figured... well, it is significant that everyone has broken their silence. As others have noted, we’ve gone literal years with the cast not mentioning or acknowledging Byler in any way. Noah is pretty tech literate, he would have seen Byler stuff, it’d be impossible not to. It’s more probable that this is all part of the marketing for the show and it’s to generate hype as much as possible.

But in terms of the platonic stuff... I don’t know. I don’t think it’s as bad as you’re feeling it’ll be. I actually (honestly) think that Byler is going to be presented in a romantic way. We’ve had three seasons of seemingly platonic (to a general audience) Byler - the fact that it’s now talked about in a more romantic/pointed sense makes it hard for Noah - or Finn - to feasibly interpret that as platonic. This might be reaching, but pretty much everyone knows that “ship” refers to romantic ships. Even in fandom spaces, in my experience, “ship” is rarely used for platonic purposes, and it’s mostly just to save space when typing or to use it in tagging. That’s why I feel like they’ve both understood this implicitly as romantic and have chosen to answer as they have with that in mind. You can even tell by the way they answer the questions - with the smirking and knowing smiles/laughs - that they know what’s up.

In terms of Byler happening, I’ve long said that I’d prefer it if S4 was the set up and S5 the execution. It’s too rushed if Byler is forced together in one season, and I actually wouldn’t want that to be the case! I think that by the end of S4 we should know more or less what might happen with Byler in an endgame capacity. And remember that’ll include some foreshadowing, hints, if not an outright set-up, that we will be able to map some predictions on.

Above all else, I absolutely think that this season will confirm Will’s sexuality. Without a doubt.

In short: all is not lost! Don’t panic yet. We have so much to go on, and I actually do feel quietly confident about Byler. Plus, I swear on my life, if S4 does turn out not to deliver, I will write a fix-it fic. I promise. ;)

[awhst-alt]

I HAD THE BEST BYLER DREAM LAST NIGHT AND I REALLY WANNA SHARE IT WITH YOU ALL

it's so long (literally 2k words) so im gonna put it under the cut haha <3

so basically this would take place after mike and will start dating or something, idk exactly the time frame (i picture them being like 18 or something and this is the summer before college) and will goes to this summer arts program for like 2/3 months (i dunno how long american summer is but something like that) and its all the way far from home so there is dorms and stuff and he's "not in hawkins anymore" (no pun intended)

mike and will decide after will finishes his school they'd go to college together (cuz they're gonna be comic book artists together bc thats boyfriend shit) so throughout these months he's practically just waiting for will (<333333)

so one specific scene i remember from my dream involved will and mike getting off the bus to the school and then they hug and then mike grabs wills hand and brings him behind the bus and then he gives will a biggg kiss bc he won't be able to kiss him for 3 months. then they say they love each other and will gives him another quick kiss and is like "two kisses". they agree they'd call each other every day.

so will goes inside and mike goes back on the bus and goes home.

and basically the whole day is a whirl, until the end of it, in which mike is sitting in the kitchen near the phone waiting for like 3 hours for will to call, and will doesn't end up calling.

AND THEN IT GETS SPICYYYYY

so meanwhile at the arts program will asks like the front desk or something if he can call mike and they say phone is offlimits and they don't let him call mike

so then will goes to sleep and he's paranoid that he thinks mike is gonna hate him or something like that

mk than the next day in class there is this girl (they didn't reveal her name in the dream, ill call her stella) so stella is basically looking at will the entire class but will doesn't know it

so when they exit the class stella's like "hi" and will says "hi"

then stella says "i like your painting."

will is like rlly weirded out so he goes "thanks?"

"i um- hope this doesn't sound weird but i have no friends, do you want to be mine?"

"sure"

and then end of scene (this does not sound like a normal conversation but it's my dream so it doesn't have to make sense"

so BACK AT HAWKINS mike is still sleeping even tho it's like 3 pm because yk depressed boyfriend shit but then the PHONE RINGS and mike gets out of bed frantically and goes to the phone and he picks it up and is like "will?" and then it answers "it's el, idiot"

i feel like this is important for context but el speaks english very well now and hoppers back and she lives with hopper and not the byers anymore. ANYWAYS

el says "how's will?"

mike says "idk he didn't call"

"he didn't?"

"no, he didn't"

"okay. well maybe he will call later"

"yeah mb"

"wanna come over"

"ok"

so mike hangs up and gets changed and goes to el's house bc they r a couple o' besties and when he gets there it's like a therapy sessions bc mike usally talks to will every single day and he can't for like 3 months (unless will calls, but he's not going to) so he accepts he's gonna be depressed for 3 months and he's just talking to el about how he's gonna miss him so much and no be able to see his face and that shit

so el's like "well do u wanna do something to take ur mind off of him"

and mike's like "no im not gonna replace will" (I SCREAMED IN MY DREAM SRSLY)

but than el says "okay. guess im gonna go to the mall by myself" (ig starcourt is rebuilt by now)

and than mike bolts up and is like "fine"

"we can by something for will"

"okay yay"

so then they go to starcourt yasss!!

anyways back at the art school will is having lunch and stella is with he friends (even tho she said she doesn't have any friends) and one of her friends is like "omg did you see _____ he's so hot"

and another friend says "YESS! but ____ is cuter"

"what abt u stella? who do u have ur eyes on"

she says "byers" BUT NOOOOOOO WILL IS MIKES MAN

and they say "ew that kid who came back to life"

she says "yea. but he's cute, and shy, and once i wrap them around my finger i can get them to do anything"

so then she goes to sit down next to will at lunch

"hi will"

"hi"

"hru"

"im good"

"okay. good." and she gets upset because will goes ask how she is but she keeps her urging rage inside. and than they have this weird conversation and will is uncomfortable the whole time bc shes all like flirting with him and will is seeing someone obvi

but then she puts a hand on will's shoulder and he's shaking and then says something (idk what it is it wasn't explaining in my dream) then will stands up and runs to the bathroom. so he's just sitting in the stalls crying.

okay back at starcourt this part wasn't shown in my dream but im just gonna make up that mike and el go looking around starcourt for something for will (sort of like the mike/lucas/will montage where they were looking for stuff for el) and then i guess they find something for will and i don't have the slightest idea what they could have got for him BUT THEY GOT HIM SOMETHING GOOD

so mike's all happy but they'res still that depression inside of him lol

so fast forward a week, it really isn't explained but ill just make up that will still hasn't called mike, and he's super sad and all sleeping in but decides to look through his good ol binder full of will's drawings and in the arts school will and stella have a few more interactions im sure which are still very uncomfortable

okay so it's lunch again in the cafeteria and somehow will and stella are talking again but somehow it ends in stella kissing will and will like pulls away immediatley and is like "what is wrong with you!?"

and she says "what?"

"i'm seeing someone!"

"oh i uh- i didn't know."

the whole cafeteria is staring at them

so will's freaking out almost on the verge of a panic attack "idk what to do, he's gonna hate me and-"

"he?"

will has the look on his face like shit shit shit oh fuck no

"you're gay?"

"i-"

and will runs off once again. and everyone in the whole cafeteria knows that he's day and ofc with everybody being homophobic will knows it's not good at all bc everyone's gonna bully him

so then the next day he goes to class and the teacher is like "does anyone care to tell me where ___ is?" (it would be like a math question like 'where x is' but in art idkkk) and then the teacher calls on "will? can you tell me where ___ is?" and they'res a pause and then the teacher says "or perhaps you'd want to find your boyfriend instead?" (giving me anne with an e vibes prolly cuz i did a rewatch last weekend but i won't explain more in case some people haven't watched it but) anyways will stands up from his seat, everyone is looking at him, and he's shaking and so concerned but then he goes "fuck. you" badass will yeaaaa thats my boy

so then he runs out of the classroom and out of the school in a really cool montage way but then he realizes he's like 2 hours away from home but he runs and runs and he goes to a random bustop (it's not even garanteed if it takes him to hawkins but whatever) he gets on and tries to go back to hawkins.

and soon enough, he gets there, and immediatley goes to the wheelers because he needs to see mike and apologize for everything. so he's at the wheelers, and rings the doorbell, realizing he's still in his uniform lol but karen answers and mike is upstairs in his room sulking (i picture it would be 8 pm by now) so will asks for mike and karen calls mike. mike groans obviously because he doesn't know it's his boy, but he comes down, karen gets out of the way and as soon as he sees will they have a really big hug and it's super sweet and my heart UFHEIOSKA

mike says his usual "are you okay?" and mike is still confused as shit but will says "i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry" and mike says "you don't have to be sorry for anyrhing" but will says "ill explain"

so then they go to will's room, side-by-side on his bed and will starts explaining everything

(this is mostly improvised by me but it's still pretty similar to the dream)

"i hated it."

"the school?"

"yeah. there was no you, (mike blushes lmao), everything was terrible, i felt so lonely, they didn't let me call you-"

"what?"

"they said the phone was off limits. i wanted to talk to you so bad and i thought you'd hate me"

"i could never hate you, will, even if i tried." will smiles

"and then there was this girl, and she hit on me and i didn't know what to do bc i'd be the face of the school if i told her i was dating you and was gay and today she kissed me"

"WHAT"

"im sorry im sorry i didn't kiss back and i was so scared bc i never was in a relationship before and i was so scared it was considered cheating-"

and mike LAUGHSS

"what? mike? what's wrong?"

"if you don't do anything back, it's not considerd 'cheating'"

"oh. good. are you mad at me?"

"what? no! no never!" so mike opens his arms and says "come here" so will and mike hug or something like that and then mike says "do you need me to beat her up?"

and will says "you can't even beat eggs. besides, your noodle arms wouldn't be able to do harm to even a fly"

so mike laughs and says "i'm glad your home"

so will blurts "i cursed out a teacher"

"you? cursing?"

"yes."

"might have to start calling you a bad boy now"

will just smiles and says "i love you"

and mike says "i love you too"

AND THEN END AND IM SO PROUD OF MYSELF BC I LOVE THIS DREAM LIKE I CAN'T BELIEVE MY BRAIN THOUGHT OF THIS BUT IM OBSESSED

ALSO ONCE I FINISH WYBMFFAE ILL PROBABLY WRITE THIS INTO A FULL BLOWN FIC BUT AHIHFUSAH

edit: i have no idea what mike did with the present him and el bought for will but i guess they ended up giving it to him lol