#i mean that byler fic i have is long but not THAT long

[glisten-inthedark]

You wanna know what gives me confidence for Byler? The show.

That's it.

Because I promise you, if you watch the show objectively everything is there. You don't even have to look at camera angles, lighting, or signs that point towards closets, the information you need is there.

And it isn't even shit people made up (****** I'm looking at you, even though I ship it). It's there, I fucking saw it before even shipping it.

And at first, I assumed I was seeing shit. To be honest I mostly brushed it off, but when we found out that Will was gay and in love with Mike, it clicked.

My favorite mental exercise is: If Will was a girl, how would you perceive their scenes? All you have to do it's switch up their genders and it's not even up for debate because we all know everyone would eat that shit up.

I mean, a boy relentlessly looks for a girl in the woods, stays by this girl' side, tells her they'll go crazy together while touching her hand, tells her that asking her to be his his friend was the best thing he's ever done, fights with her but actually tries to apologize, then we find that said girl has been in love with her friend but it's lying so that this friend could be happy. Tell me that if this was the case there wouldn't be like 30000 fics of that couple on Ao3 and millions of people begging the showrunners to make them canon? Tell me, I fucking dare you.

And at this point I'm like a broken record but I am going to repeat myself.

WILL BYERS BEING IN LOVE WITH MIKE WHEELER does not make a difference to the plot. It doesn't.

He could have been gay and not be in love. If the life lesson was: "Will has to learn to accept himself as gay, and to love himself and understand he isn't a mistake" they could've done without the love. They could've given him exploring that part of himself in California, they could've presented another gay character that taught him that.

They could've fixed El and Mike's relationship without Will's love. We've seen them doing it before. Will could've helped by just being Mike's friend.

So can we ask ourselves this itsy bitsy question: Why make Will in love with Mike in the first place? Why make him say not once, but twice, that he and Mike could play DnD together for the rest of their lives which, if you're not good at subtext, means he sees himself with Mike by his side as long as he lives if all they're going to do is bring him more misery?

Because I'm going to be honest, with the way they wrote this love Will has, they literally didn't gave themselves a easy way out. They made sure we knew it was real, it was unconditional and that it would never change. We didn't make it up, they gave us that information with their writing.

So again, ask yourselves why that is.

Because whatever non Byler explanation I try to come up with doesn't make sense.

Queerbaiting? More like Bylerbaiting at this point considering Will is gay and again, he could've been in love with anyone else or not be a queer character experiencing love at all.

Make Mil*even stronger? It literally did the opposite, the ship is going down in flames and we all know it. Their relationship isn't healthy, El's arc isn't about romantic love and the painting which was the only reason Mike proclaimed the romantic love he doesn't feel literally came from Will.

So... Again. Why?

[beanghostprincess]

If anybody reads my Sanuso fantasy AU longass fic I need 10 pages of feedback or otherwise I will go insane

[astrobei]

byler 22 for the touch prompts??

22 for touch prompts: falling asleep on the other's shoulder (+ bonus mini soundtrack that i listened to on repeat while writing this)

“Remind me again,” Mike says, as Will climbs into the passenger side of the car, “why we have to go to this thing today?”

Will gives him a look. Or his best attempt at a look anyway. He’s ninety percent sure they fall too flat to ever be effective, or Mike would have stopped saying stupid shit years ago. “This thing?” He struggles with the seatbelt for a moment before it finally clicks into place. “You mean your sister’s wedding? To my brother?”

Mike pulls a face. “If you want to get into the semantics,” he mumbles, adjusting the rearview mirror, and Will laughs.

“You’re ridiculous. It’s their wedding, Mike.”

“Rude to get married on a Saturday night,” Mike says, as if every wedding in the history of the world ever hasn’t taken place on a Saturday night. “Maybe some of us had things to do.”

“Yeah? What did you have going on?” Will asks, smoothing down the lapel of his suit. This jacket is a lint magnet like nothing he’s ever seen before, and he plucks a little piece of it away. “Hot date?”

Mike wiggles his eyebrows, and Will realizes immediately that this was the wrong thing to say. “Yeah,” Mike chirps, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “You.”

Despite himself, Will feels his cheeks turn red. It’s stupid, because he quite literally handed Mike the opportunity to say this on a silver platter, and it’s more dumb than any sort of flirtatious, except the unfortunate truth of dating Mike Wheeler is that he doesn’t even have to try and actually flirt to get Will blushing like a teenage girl. “I had that coming,” he admits, and Mike grins even harder than before. “And we didn’t have a date tonight.”

“We did! We were going to–”

“We can order pizza and watch TV when we get back, Mike,” Will chides, and, when Mike’s lower lip turns downward in something reminiscent of a pout, “this is Nancy’s wedding.”

“I was never Nancy’s favorite sibling,” Mike says noncommittally, releasing the parking brake, “she won’t even notice if I’m not there,” which one, is not true because Mike makes up about a third of Nancy’s bridal party so she will most definitely notice if he goes AWOL. And second, this is also not true because Will knows that Holly is currently in the throes of teenage angst, and Mike is still working on the angst but he’s moved on from the teenager part, at least, which is definitely earning him some points in Nancy’s book. So at worst, he’s tied with Holly. At least for the next couple of years.

And Will knows he’s not being serious anyway. For all of the fuss he’s kicking up, he knows Mike is happy for them. Will checks the backseat to make sure he put the presents in the car earlier that afternoon, and says, laughing, “Cold feet? It’s not even your wedding, Mike.”

“I know,” Mike moans, falling forward until his forehead hits the top of the steering wheel. “And it’s exciting! I’m happy for them! And your brother too, and I know your mom and Hop are so pumped, and– it’s just that I’m not so pumped about spending the evening with my family.”

Will suddenly feels very, very stupid. Jesus, he hadn’t even thought about that– about Mike’s parents being there, and his nana, the one that his mom had totally guilted Nancy into inviting because she might not live long enough to see Mike and Holly get married, Nancy, just let her have this. Which was kind of a depressing enough thought on its own, Will thinks, even without the entire conversation that had followed, the one he’d overheard Mike have on the phone in the living room, loud and frustrated before he’d slammed the phone down on the receiver hard enough for Will to hear it from their bedroom.

“I’m sorry,” he breathes out, then rests a hand on Mike’s shoulder. “Don’t listen to them, okay, Mike? Just– hang out with us instead. I know Dustin’s been dying to break out his new dance moves.”

Mike cracks a tentative smile, then turns his face slightly so that one side of it is illuminated by the glow of the street lamps outside. “I’m scared he’s going to get driven away in a stretcher,” Mike admits, and Will grins. 

“Yeah, probably. It’ll be a good distraction, at least. I’ll tell him to take one for the team.”

Mike nods once, but he doesn’t look convinced. “Yeah. Thanks.”

Will hesitates, then drops his hand to Mike’s and slots their fingers together. “Hey,” he says quietly. “Look at me.”

Mike looks up the rest of the way. He looks incredible tonight, which is something Will’s been thinking ever since they’d started getting ready an hour ago, and at least half of the reason it took him so long was because he’d been totally distracted the whole time. Maybe Will is just biased, which is a little true, sure, but Mike should definitely wear suits more– and he’s officially taking it upon himself to make sure that Mike wears suits more– because suddenly he’s tempted to take Mike up on his offer of becoming a runaway best man and going back inside and collapsing on the couch and kissing him stupid into the early hours of the morning.

“What?” Mike is saying, eyebrows twisting a little self-consciously. “You’re looking at me funny.”

“You just look really nice,” Will says simply, and then, because that comes nowhere close to how good Mike looks in a tie, “no, actually, you look– wow.”

Mike’s lips twitch, but he looks a little pleased. “Wow? Really?”

“You’ve rendered me speechless,” Will nods rapidly, and Mike’s shy smile breaks into something more genuine. “You– look at you, I mean– I can’t even– wow.”

“Will,” Mike says, drawing out the single syllable until it feels big enough to fill up the whole car. “Okay, I look nice! You can stop playing it up now.” 

His cheeks are turning red, slowly, visible even in the dim lighting of the street lamps through the windows, because it’s early fall and it’s started to get dark ridiculously early in the day. It feels like a victory, getting Mike flustered, even after a year of dating. Will smiles to himself. 

“I’m not,” Will says, then leans in across the console. “Come here. I’ll prove it.”

“You’ll–” Mike gets out, eyes going wide in surprise, “–has anyone ever told you that you’re–”

Whatever it was that people may or may not have told Will is apparently a mystery that will die with the universe, because Will never finds out. He kisses Mike with one hand still holding his, threads a hand through his hair and cups his jaw. Soft. Slow. Unhurried, even though they should have left ten minutes ago and they’re going to be cutting it real close– Will can’t be bothered to rush.

Mike hums low in the back of his throat, pleased, and shifts closer. He’s pushing himself up over the console, a hand ghosting the side of Will’s neck, when–

Beeeeep.

“What–” Will jerks backwards, startled, and Mike immediately lets go of his hand. “Did you just–”

Mike rubs his elbow and moves further away from the wheel. “I got a little distracted,” he laughs, but the tension has ebbed from his shoulders a little and his eyes are creasing up at the corners, so Will considers this a mission success, thank you. “We should probably go?”

“Good idea,” Will says, then reaches over to smooth out a stray tuft of Mike’s hair that was– he thinks, a little proud of himself– definitely not out of place before. “And hey,” he adds, before Mike can take the car out of park. “Seriously. Ignore your parents. It’s not their wedding, okay, it’s Nancy’s. And Jonathan’s. And they both want us there. Together.”

Mike’s lips press together into a thin, determined line. “You’re right,” he nods, “I know, it’s just–”

“I know,” Will echoes, and Mike shoots him a grateful smile. “Now let’s go, or we really will miss the ceremony.”

—-

They don’t miss the ceremony, which is good, because having both the best man and the– whatever Mike was– would probably not be a good look for anyone involved.

“I can’t believe you cried,” Dustin says, after the toasts are done and the speeches are given and everyone’s been supplied with enough champagne to go a little loose and maybe a little tear-happy.

Mike scowls across the table at him. “I didn’t cry,” he insists, which is kind of pointless because Will had been watching him the whole time he’d been standing up there, shuffling his feet awkwardly in place at his designated spot in between Holly and Robin Buckley, and he’d definitely cried. Just a little, but he had.

“You did,” El chimes in primly, plucking at her shrimp cocktail. “I saw.”

“Thanks, El,” Mike mutters, sinking back in his chair a little and crossing his arms. “It’s– the vows were very emotional, okay, you’d have to be made of total stone to not tear up!”

“I didn’t cry,” Lucas announces, which is a fucking lie, by the way. Will saw him dabbing at his eyes in the bathroom on the way here.

“I think it’s sweet,” he says, instead of throwing Lucas to the dogs like he maybe should have. He flashes Mike a grin, leans over in his chair to bridge the space between them and squeezes his hand, once. “They were very sappy vows, to be fair.”

Mike blinks up at him from where he’s slumped down to somewhere around shoulder height. “You didn’t cry.”

“Oh, I did,” Will assures him. “I just cried in the back with Jonathan while he was getting ready.”

“Really?” Mike perks right up. “You did?”

“Yes,” Will laughs, “and I can’t believe you’re happy about it,” and then Mike grins so wide that Will can’t help but lean in the rest of the way and press a quick kiss to Mike’s cheek.

“You two are disgusting,” Lucas says, and he’s maybe one strike away from Will speaking up about the bathroom incident after all.

“Maybe so,” Mike relents, looking properly cheered up now. “What about it?”

Mike’s grip on Will’s hand never falters. Will feels himself turn warmer with every slow pass of Mike’s thumb over his knuckles, even with their hands tucked under the tablecloth and out of view. And it isn’t from the champagne. He’s had just the one glass with dinner, which is nothing, so it must be something else that’s making him feel like this. Something–

“You okay?” Mike murmurs as his thumb pauses, briefly, on the back of Will’s hand. “You got kind of quiet out of nowhere,” and yeah, there it is.

“I meant it,” Will says, lowering his voice so their friends can’t hear them from across the table. “What I said in the car, I mean. You look beautiful.”

It’s a little amusing just how fast Mike can turn such a violent shade of red. “You can’t just say that,” he splutters. “Give a guy some warning, Jesus, Will–”

“Mm, no,” Will decides smugly, watching the red creep down the collar of Mike’s carefully starched dress shirt. Then, because the soft lighting of the venue and the way Mike’s hair has started to fall free around his face is doing something funny to his chest and stomach, Will nods to the dance floor and says, “You wanna?”

Mike hesitates, looking over his shoulder. “Dance?”

Will shrugs, then looks over to where Jonathan and Nancy are trying– and failing, quite hilariously and miserably– at a dance of their own. “I mean, it’s a wedding, and people dance at weddings. Not that either of us are good at it, but it might be fun to try?”

Mike chews nervously at his lower lip and nudges Will’s foot with his own. “I don’t know,” he admits. “My mom was eyeing me earlier and I was totally avoiding her by hiding out over here but I feel like the dance floor is fair game for a–” he waves his hands around, “pseudo-confrontation. Nancy’s only three years older than you, blah, blah. When are you going to settle down, blah, blah. Even though I’m here with my boyfriend, which apparently doesn’t count for shit, and–” Mike sighs dejectedly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring the mood down, it’s just– I was having such a good day, too.”

Will squeezes Mike’s leg, just above the knee. “You were having a good day? Really? Even though your hot date got canceled?”

“Well,” Mike rolls his eyes. “My sister got married, and now my hot date is all dressed up and sweet-talking me, so I think this is even better than pizza on the couch.” He pauses, contemplating. “Actually, scratch that. It’s not. But it’s a close second,” Mike adds, then grins and picks Will’s hand up again. “Dance– later, maybe? I’m really enjoying this for right now.”

“Of course. Anything you want,” Will smiles, as the music in the background softens into something more mellow. He pulls his chair up so that it’s flush with Mike’s, their thighs pressed up together in one line, and passes Mike a flute of champagne from the table. “You might want to drink this, though, because your mom looks like she might be heading over here any second.”

“Thanks,” Mike groans, then knocks the whole thing back in one go.

—-

Will knows that a big fancy flashy wedding isn’t really Jonathan’s style, and he didn’t think it was Nancy’s either. Which is why he was surprised to get an invite to an event at all, because he’d honestly sort of thought they’d make a courthouse affair of it and then have everyone over for dinner or something. They’d been engaged for, like, three years, because it was career stuff and then more career stuff and then a couple months of long distance while Jonathan was doing some photojournalism thing in London, and Will had figured at some point that they��d get so tired of being engaged that they’d show up the next day with papers from City Hall and that would be that.

Apparently, though, in a not-so-surprising turn of events, Nancy Wheeler takes to event planning like a moth to flame, and Jonathan was immediately dragged along for the ride. He didn’t seem too upset about it, though, when Will had asked. “It’s Nancy,” he shrugged, like that explained everything. And maybe it did, because not too long after that, Will started dating Mike and everything immediately clicked.

Which is maybe the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to him. For anyone else, Will would not even entertain the thought of fussing over seating arrangements, and he’s certain he only knows, like, five types of flowers– if pink and red roses count as two different types. It’s Nancy, Jonathan had said, and Will hadn’t gotten it then but he does now.

Mike’s hand twitches on Will’s bicep, fingers clutching once at the fabric of his shirt. Will’s suit jacket lies abandoned on the chair behind them. Mike had leaned over maybe half an hour ago to rest his head on Will’s shoulder, as it got later in the night and guests started slowly trickling out of the room. And then, maybe fifteen or so minutes ago, his breathing had evened out, fingers slackening in their grip against his arm, and Will doesn’t know how the hell Mike can fall asleep in a room that’s filled with so much noise, but he can’t help but find it endearing– wholly, completely, embarrassingly endearing.

And he gets it, he does. It’s Mike, he thinks, chest flooding with warmth in a strange, hollowed-out way, like there’s nothing left inside him except this feeling. It’s Mike. It’s Mike. It’s–

“Hey, hon,” comes a voice behind him, and Will startles, just a little, then immediately relaxes.

“Oh, hey mom,” he whispers, and Mike’s hand twitches lightly against his arm again. Joyce gives him an amused look, glancing down at Mike, then back at Will.

“Did he fall asleep?” she asks, pulling up a chair next to them. “I’ll be quiet, don’t worry.”

Will feels himself smile before he actually realizes he’s doing it. “Yeah,” he snorts softly, “but I have no idea how.”

As if roused by some sixth sense, like he knew they were talking about him, Mike stirs, lifting his head off of Will’s shoulder and blinking blearily. “What–”

“Shh,” Will says, and Joyce bites back a smile. “Go back to sleep.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Mike says, and then yawns loud and conspicuously. “Shit– I’ve just been so tired this week, sorry, Will–”

“Don’t be,” he says immediately, even though his shoulder and arm are starting to fall asleep, just a little. Will drops a kiss to the top of Mike’s head, and feels him start to smile into his shoulder before stiffening, a little self-consciously, and glancing up at Joyce.

“Um–”

“Oh,” his mom waves a hand, “don’t mind me. You two are so sweet. You remind me of Nancy and Jonathan after they started dating. Jonathan would turn so red, but maybe not as red as you’re turning right now, Will–”

“Mom!”

“Red?” Mike perks up, and then, “Oh you are turning red!”

“Shut up,” Will mumbles, but he’s sure it’s not convincing in the slightest. “Did you come over here just to embarrass me?”

Joyce puts two hands up in the air like hey, don’t look at me. “I was just going to let you know that Hop and I are taking off,” she says, eyes sparkling. “He has the early shift tomorrow, but Mike, now that I’ve caught you– your speech was wonderful. Really. Jim was tearing up and he told me to never let you find out but I figured you’d want to know.”

Mike blinks. He still looks a little out of it, still a little red from sleep or the champagne from earlier, but he smiles, sudden and pleased. “Really?”

“Don’t tell him I told you,” Joyce grins conspiratorially. “But yes. It was very sweet.”

“Thanks Mrs. Byers,” Mike says, the words stretching into another yawn, quieter this time. He groans lightly, then pushes himself off of Will’s shoulder and sits back up.

Will peers over at him. “Are you tired? You want to head back?”

Mike rubs at his eyes with both hands, blinks a few times in rapid succession, then shakes his head like he’s trying to shake the sleep out of his body, like it’s a physical thing. “No,” he smiles, and it’s a little bit tired, but he looks happy. “No, not yet.”

“Okay,” Will whispers, and he’s probably grinning like an idiot, but he can’t help it. That’s the common denominator here, between every interaction he ever has with Mike– that he’s so happy that he just can’t help it. “You still want to get pizza on the way back?”

“God, yes please,” Mike groans in relief. “Um. No offense, but wedding food is just– like what the hell, man, I’m starving. That was nothing.”

“Pizza it is,” Will agreed easily, mentally making a pros and cons list of getting a large and having leftovers or saving money and going for a medium. “Pepperoni?”

“Anything goes,” Mike is saying, and then Joyce clears her throat.

“Well,” she says, snapping her purse shut and smiling. “Hop and I are heading out but– oh, drive safe you two. Eat a slice for me, actually, I’ve been craving pizza all week.”

“Bye, mom,” Will smiles, craning his neck upwards as she plants a kiss on top of his head.

“You too,” she says to Mike, who barely has time to blink in surprise before his mom is dropping a kiss on his forehead. She rests a hand on his shoulder briefly as she smiles and says, “I’d welcome you to the family, Mike, but you’ve been a part of it for years already.”

“I– bye, Mrs. Byers,” Mike says faintly, eyes wide, as Joyce waves goodbye. He turns back to Will. “Part of the family? Really?”

“It’s what you get for dating your best friend,” Will murmurs, glancing out over the rapidly emptying room before tugging on Mike’s arm until he falls into him with a small, startled noise. “You get smothered by my mom.”

“I wouldn’t call it smothering,” Mike laughs, eyes darting down to Will’s mouth. He swallows, and says, softly, “Plus, I like your family. No complaints from me.”

Will hums, soft. “I’m sorry about– you know. How did that go?”

“Nancy said she survived mom and dad with minimal damage,” Mike laughs drily. “And nana too. And I managed to avoid them long enough that they didn’t have a chance to ambush me, so.”

“Good,” Will says, kissing Mike softly on the corner of his mouth, then again, right over the curve of his cupid’s bow. He’s a little warm, a little loose and pliant from sleep, and he moves easily, tucking a finger into the loop of Will’s tie and pulling him in closer. Their knees bump against each other under the tablecloth, chair legs scraping gently across the polished floor as Will leans forward. “I’m glad,” Will says into the kiss, and Mike smiles.

“Me too,” Mike whispers, tucking his hands into Will’s hair and pulling away, just barely. “Because now they’re gone and all of our annoying cursory invite relatives are gone and it’s just you and me– and Nancy, and Jonathan, and El and Lucas and– whatever. I think I owe you a dance.”

There’s something slow and melodic playing as Nancy and Jonathan make the last of their rounds, most of the tables empty and the dance floor cleared out. Will grins, kisses Mike one more time for good measure, then stands up. “Okay,” he agrees, “but I’m leading.”

“I don’t think it makes a difference, because neither of us can–”

“I’m leading,” Will says again, and Mike chuckles, shaking his head.

“Yeah, sure. Lead the way, Will.”

[you-were-alone-too]

for those of you that wish we could have gotten a regular byler road trip full of mike and will shenanigans and gay pining, look no further! below is a fic i've been working on for a long time (with art by @oceanic-sunsets and @hei-jessi-draws !!) and i'd love if you'd be willing to check it out and leave a kudos, bookmark, or comment :)

summary: “I’m serious, though,” he says, and when he glances up, Mike’s already staring back at him, brown eyes imploring into hazel. Insistent. “We should do it. For real.”

Will’s breath catches at the way it feels like he can see right through him, and he swallows hard at how sincere he sounds, even if he doubts the idea will ever get off the ground, if he figures that Mike will forget about it in a day or two. “Where would we even go?” Will says, humoring him.

“California,” Mike answers, like it’s obvious.

OR: Mike and Will recreate their perfect spring break by taking a road trip to California.

[notebooknonbinary]

As I promised last night, here’s a very short (and early draft) snippet from my upcoming Byler fic, All The Time in the World (posting date TBD), which is a sequel to This fic:

Dustin: “So, if you two get married, whose last name are you taking?”

Will: “What?”

Dustin: “Like when gay marriage becomes legal, are you gonna be the Wheelers, or the Byers?”

Will: “…It's a moot point, because we can’t get married.”

Dustin: “Just, hypothetically though? Because either Mike is gonna be Michael Byers, or you’re gonna be Will Wheeler.” He gasps suddenly, excited. “Or, you could be the Hoppers!!”

Will snorts. “Mike would never agree to have the same last name as Hop, Dustin.”

Dustin laughs. “Okay, that’s true. But then we’re back to the original question: Byers or Wheeler?”

Will sighs. “Byers-Wheeler.”

D: “Huh?”

W: “Byers-Wheeler. Then Mike could be Michael B. Wheeler and I could be Will Byers-Wheeler.”

D: “So you have thought about this?”

W: “Of course I have Dustin, I had a crush on him for years! I didn’t want the love of my life going around with a name that sounded like an axe murderer.”

D: “And you didn’t want the alliteration.”

W: “Of fucking course I don’t. I’d sound like a cartoon character.” A pause. “Don’t tell Max I said that.”

D, smug: “I accept bribes in the form of candy.”

[eddiezpaghetti]

Hey, something I do that more people should do, I think:

Only tag the relationship the story is ABOUT in the relationship tags if you're writing a fic on AO3.

Side ships totally belong in "additional tags". The tags are there for navigation purposes. If your fic is about Steddie but has Byler in it for five seconds, tag it as Steddie. Don't clutter the Byler tag with fics where Mike and Will talk for five seconds.

Oh, also, if you're writing a poly ship? Tag it as the poly ship only. The poly ship is a different relationship than each individual duo within it. Lucas and El and Max as a poly relationship is cute as hell, but people looking for that and people looking for Lumax or Elmax are different groups of people.

Tag any additional relationships who are not at the core of the story as "Minor (ship)" or "Side (ship)" in the additional tags. Do not overlap poly ship tags and mono ship tags.

This has been your wisdom for today.

[moleaboveyourlip]

Both !

Ok!! This is gonna be a long list so I hope you enjoy. These aren't in any particular order <3 if you want more just ask lolol (Also I'm assuming you mean just for Byler - These are all on AO3, I'll tag the author if I know their Tumblr)

Also for some reason only one link is working?? I have no idea why pls ignore that

The Open Door - Mylesime - Rated E - unfinished :( (last updated 10 months ago)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/40938036/chapters/102591780

The pact of our youth (where you go, i'm going) - a_pynch_of_spice - Rated T - finished!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36273955/chapters/90427705

Perfect Match, Inc. - wendywanderlust - Rated E - finished!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23748925/chapters/57037507

cursing my name, wishing I stayed (look at how my tears ricochet) - mikeslawyer - Rated T - unfinished (last updated 11 days ago) @/mikeslawyer

Left His Heart There In the Sea - Concerned_terrapin - Rated T - unfinished (last updated 6 days ago) my personal fav fic rn ;)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53900890/chapters/136433467

Now That It's Over (I'll Never Be Sober) - if_the_stars_fall - Rated T - finished

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45371932/chapters/114153373

If you take me in your arms, be confident -

Marshmallo824 - Rated T - unfinished :( (last updated 9 months ago)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49479688/chapters/124876729

i was going to make a joke about time travel but nobody laughed - iry - Rated T - unfinished:( (last updated a year ago in 2 days) genuinely mourning this fic so much it's amazing. I recommend reading it even though it's probably never getting finished

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43294047/chapters/108823695

Nocturne - lilacline - Rated T - unfinished (last updated 1 year ago :(( )

https://archiveofourown.org/works/42051066/chapters/105580665

i can hold it (i'm lying) - lawofmurphy - Rated E - finished!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43008933?view_adult=true

next exit - lawofmurphy - Rates E - finished!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47227549

I dey Kolo for your love (I dey mad for your love) - ClareeOs - Rated E - finished!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49246753

No Lifeguard on Duty - olliecoddle - Rated E - unfinished (last updated 3 days ago) deals with a GNC Mike which I absolutely adore since I never see any fics with that @souverian-are-we

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55277647/chapters/140223577

As The World Falls Down - olliecoddle - Rated E - unfinished (last updated 5 months ago) genuinely amazing and I hope it gets finished at some point

https://archiveofourown.org/works/50827234/chapters/128401930

Supersensory perception - kissingpractice - Rated E - unfinished (last updated 19 days ago)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56720188/chapters/144187681

asking too much - kissingpractice - Rated E - finished!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49699522/chapters/125445982

[starsarefire824]

Byler Fic Recs

I haven't posted some fic recs in a while so I thought I would!

Here are some ones I love:

In Undertow (M) by olliecoddle (@souverian-are-we): This is my favorite thing I'm reading right now. It's. Just. So. Good.

The Wheeler’s lakehouse was a two-story wooden building with white siding and blue shutters on each of the little windows. It sat on the edge of a large blue-green lake, a long backyard full of tall tufted grass that ended in a wooden dock extending out over the water. Will had been to the Wheeler’s lakehouse twice as a child, once when he was eight and again when he was sixteen. Now, he was twenty-nine and pulling up to the long driveway of the house in his beaten-up Ford Escort, his stomach in nervous knots that he was trying to calm with a half-full can of ginger ale.

or, four months after one byers/wheeler couple breaks up, another gets married. and, of course, will and mike are both the best men. and, of course, there is a plot to get them back together. nothing goes to plan.

one soft infested summer (M) by wheelersboy (@lucasvenkman)" The Stoned Byler to ever be stoned. And it's sexy and emotional and just delicious summer vibes. And I'll forever be thankful for the Director's Cut. 😉

The Party spend their last summer before college together at Summerfest in Milwaukee. Oh yeah, and they're stoners.

My Teeth In Your Neck (T) by @foodiewithdahoodie: Boarding school, sexual tension, and fencing. It's dope.

Mike and Will used to be friends. Best friends! But after one fight they couldn't come back from during the summer, they haven't spoken to each other since. The only time they cross paths is on the piste, with epee swords brandished, as fencing rivals for their opposing boarding schools - Hawkins High vs Lenora Hills Prep. This year is no different, except it kind of is. Something pulls them together and this time they can't escape it. Because there's no Mike without Will and there's no Will without Mike. Simple as that.

the strawberries are dying (T) by @eggowls Rated T: the world needs more historical au Byler fics, and this one is perfect. Beautifully written and an interesting premise. I have to catch up on this one.

At the height of the stock market crash, the Wheelers are the richest family in Roane County and in need of domestic servants to fulfill their estate's needs. In a bout of desperation, they end up hiring the Byers family, much to everyone’s (except Nancy’s, who has a crush on Jonathan) chagrin.

However, in the midst of it all, two outcasted young boys from completely different lives find a light in each other. And—slowly—their lives begin to intertwine to the point of no return.

need, lie, mean, cry (T) by @willow-lark: a good shorty fic with lots of angst!

Nobody needs Mike Wheeler. He probably wouldn't be so mad about it if Will hadn't lied and made him think otherwise.

Let's Go Crazy Together (but not like this) (M) by Julia_Skysong: Byler hate each other and end up sharing a room at rehab. It's awkward. I'm only halfway through, but I'm loving it.

Anger, fear, trauma, grief. One turned to alcohol. One turned to drugs. Now, somehow, they've ended up sharing a room at the same mental hospital. Will and Mike are stuck, forced to work through their issues together, for better or for worse.

things i can't say (T) by @chiquitablanquita. Switched notebook trope, my beloved. I really liked the writing here.

Will’s sketches contain a confession: he’s in love with his best friend. Unfortunately, his best friend’s journal looks a lot like his sketchbook.

If You Stay (M) by Flurryofstarz. A The Proposal AU, Byler edition. It's fucking cute. Impatiently awaiting an update.

Faced with the threat of deportation, career-oriented Mike Wheeler says he's engaged to his hapless assistant, Will Byers. Will commits to the lie while imposing a few conditions of his own. With a skeptical immigration official waiting for them to slip up, the two must work together to fool their friends and families into believing that their once-strained relationship has since evolved into true love.

But what happens when they start to believe the lie too?

Or, the fic inspired by the enemies-to-lovers rom-com, The Proposal (2009).

he could be a bee to a blossom (E) by anonymous: I loooveed the writing. Truly a Tragedy that it's anonymous.

Mike reached down and grabbed something. He was seated on the edge of the bed, curled towards him with his knee resting near Will’s pillow. He had a carton of freshly washed and cut fruit in his hand. “I already went to the grocery store and got, like, a million things. We could probably shelter in place here for a month and a half.”

Mike said it in a way that was not remotely sexy, but it still made something in Will’s stomach heat. He almost felt like purring, kneading his hands into the mattress with satisfaction. [My alpha got that for me. My alpha is making sure I’m healthy and hydrated. My alpha is taking such good care of me.]

A record scratch went off in Will’s head. Christ alive, Mike was NOT his alpha.

(A/B/O AU… And they were roommates!)

Be mine through the Hawkinspocalypse (and I'll be yours forever) (E) by TikaWayward: I love this whole series. It's unique and sexy and well written.

Mike was long. Long frame extended in a stretch. Long limbs shaking from exhaustion. Long fingers clenched around ripped sheets. Long hair damp with sweat, sticking to his long pale nape and freckled shoulders. Even his back seemed long as he tensed. Will had to commit this view to memory, engrave it in his mind forever. Even if it was the only time they ever shared such intimacy, even if Mike had only asked him for help because he was there, familiar, convenient, and they needed his heat to stop as soon as possible. There are goddamned monsters out there Will, I can’t be in heat right now, I can’t! He needed to revere this moment.

Mike truly was the most beautiful creature Will had laid his eyes on. __________________________________________________________________

Or Mike presents as an omega in the middle of his patrol with Will in a monster infested forest.

The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Hawkins (M) by olliecoddle (@souverian-are-we): uhmmmmm, I'm obsessed with this. Rock star angsty Byler.

Will had the same pre-show ritual before every gig he ever performed. About twenty minutes before he had to go on stage, he would lock himself in any confined space he could find. In a bathroom stall, his dressing room, the maintenance closet, he would turn off the lights and hide for a few minutes. Today, though, it was five minutes before he had to go on stage, the clock ticking down, and he had spent the last half hour wandering around the venue looking for Mike Wheeler.

Will needed to talk to him.

or, the party has a band. will and mike make out on stage. for the bit, of course. it causes problems.

I’m a Wreck (Without You Here) (M) by @talkingtothelights. I'm only on the first chapter but it's so heartbreaking and emotional. Good shit.

Mike has been living 2,200 miles away from his family and hometown for the past fourteen years. He rarely visits, but when he receives heartbreaking news, he’s forced to return home for a funeral. It’s in this unfortunate chapter of life that Mike must come to terms with the consequences of abruptly running away from home and perhaps reconnect with the one person he’s tried his damnedest to forget about.

not strong enough to be your man (T) by @perexcri. The prose is fucking beautiful. I really enjoyed this one.

He swallows down a flurry of all the things he wants to say – every moment and untold truth and aching thought that’s bruised his mind for years – but it comes out so plain, so stark and oddly-jagged in the silence following the lighting, taking up space where thunder should be:

“I meant it, Will. You’re not an inconvenience.”

Will shakes his head and turns.

Mike wants to feel like he's meaningful, like he's an active part of his own life - worthwhile.

It's a good thing Will needs him now more than ever.

Right?

Make Believe (E) by FlurryofStarz. One of all time favorites. Amazing slow burn and super interesting a/b/o dynamics. Mike centric. I cannot wait until the plot point I think is going to happen is revealed. 👀

There's absolutely no way to know what a person will present as ahead of time, but Mike's never been more certain about something in his life. Will Byers is going to be an Omega--a male Omega--and the second that happens, he'll lose everything. Some knothead Alpha like Troy or James will claim him as their own and no one will be able to stop them. Luckily, the Party has a plan. It might be complicated and unconventional. It might not even be legal, but it's something and that's all Will really needs. Something. And Mike's more than willing to try it if it means saving Will.

But what if Will isn't the one who needs saving?

*** if you’re listed here and want to be tagged let ms know!

[sparks-olivarpente]

Byler fics: kissing as a dare !

List of fics: the ones where they kiss as a dare! Feel free to reblog and add other fics :)

put your lips close to mine, as long as they don't touch by @elmaxed It's the end of the world. Mike thinks that he and Will should kiss about it.

Bad Idea by Total_Serene (@total-serene560) “High praise coming from someone who's never had to kiss me,” Will meant it as a joke, but the moment it left his mouth, he wished he could just swallow his own tongue and fall through the couch, “I-I mean-“

Twizzlers by midnighteverlark (@serendipitous-magic) Prompt: "Picture The Party playing Truth or Dare and one of them dares Mike or Will to kiss the other and they become extremely flustered"

not like this by delusionaltogether (@parkitaco) "God, Michael, you are so dramatic, just fucking kiss me already!"

Triple Dog by scout_thewise (@edelweiss-coffee) “My idea, by the way… It’s a game. Let’s go down to the basement. I think you guys’ll like this.”

And a couple of fics with a different kind of dare:

tell me, is it really love? by agustplz When the party dares Mike to tell someone he loves them for one hundred days, Will doesn't expect to be the unlucky recipient.

Mike Wheeler and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being Obsolete by Pseudologia “All right, Wonder Twins, prepare to meet your maker.” Dustin points a finger at El and smirks. “Never have I ever had a crush on Mike.��

[castlebyersafterdark]

Your post about will wanting mike physically made me wonder if many of the puritan bylers used to be milevens (statistics would suggest yes) who are still struggling to come to terms with what it means for a man to be gay. 

There seems to be a lack of understanding about how boys actually relate to each other in both platonic and romantic contexts. After all, lots of gay media that caters to young teen girls, like heartstopper, is cutesy if not totally sanitised, and if they are basing what byler could be off of what they thought mileven WAS, then it tracks - because mileven was never physical or sexual either. The reasons for this are all to do with mike’s sexuality, but perhaps many people think that mileven WAS real and no longer is, and therefore when mike and will get together it’ll just be another version of that heterosexual romance. 

Ofc this is wrong, not least because mike and el were so young when they were exploring each other even if it was entirely performed rather than genuinely exploratory. but even if mike was exploring a relationship with el for the first time as a 16/17 yr old, it would still manifest differently to one with will because they are both boys. Not to say that love itself or the butterflies you feel are different, but the way that two men will express their love + the fact that mike and will are friends, would obviously change their dynamic. 

Do you think that if mike and el had been shown to check each other out, that people would have a different opinion (not about mike being gay or bi, but about how his and will’s attraction will express itself?) Because you’re right - people do forget that will being gay means he wants to be intimate with men. Is that because they think his attraction is never physically expressed in the show? But then what exactly would that physical attraction look like? Has he not been ogling mike enough for you? Or painting his body in a very intricate ritual of dedication and love? Or is it because Will is just so gosh darn adorable, and they think that someone who has a baby face cannot experience sexual attraction? 

Intriguing premise on multiple fronts!

Re: the former Milevnn scenario - never considered that but at least for some folks in fandom? Maybe! That's an interesting idea, but I do kind of lean towards a lot of the 'puritan' ideas just being a product of today's internet/fandom culture, via this agenda from how gen z seems to have grown up entirely online. And you can't fully blame it on this generation! Those under that mindset didn't inflict it on themselves! (Same vein as "no one is born racist - you are taught to hate"). It's a reaction to a deeper conversation of social media and surveillance culture and this pervasive mindset of thought-crime, etc. I'm toeing the line between genZ/millennial but my fandom experience in the early years was a bit different, where there wasn't as strong of a backlash and negative reaction to sexuality and sex in regards to fandom (people were writing fic about high school age characters doing alllll sorts of stuff and, thinking back, getting a call-out about that content kinda seems unfathomable in retrospect). I genuinely feel it's mostly a culture clash in fandom spaces. But with kindness and re-education and conversation, I think we can either come to agreements and find common ground rather than fighting and call-outs and witch-hunts and all that negativity. I find it more helpful to ask the puritan-mind set folks "why do you feel this way? what about this is so upsetting to you? Have you never really examined your judgement and why it makes you upset?" Learning moments! Kindness and compassion goes a long way in fighting repression and bigotry, and I know that's a hard pill to swallow sometimes in the face of contentiousness.

Re: not understanding the teenage boy experience - another verrrrrrry big factor that I also think simultaneously plays into what's going on, even with those well-intentioned and supportive, just hesitant. It's just the honest truth. Without getting too far into gender politics et. al - yeah, unless you yourself are or were a teenage boy, especially a gay teenage boy - there's a lot of presumption and inference and while mileage does very much vary in personal experience, there are tenets that will factor into an accurate portrayal. Yes - not every teenager is going to have sex. Not every teenager is even interested in sex and many will grow into adults who aren't interested either and that's totally valid and fine. But I do not think that is the case for these specific characters, personally. It's a disservice to sanitize queer sexuality. To put it bluntly, if two teenage boys are dating/have feelings for each other - they're going to want to have sex. Are you kidding me? Teenagerdom? The horniest time of our lives??? Yall. It's going to be awkward and fumbling and exploratory and they won't fully know what they're doing, but these boys will want to experiment and get it on. That's nature, that's biology. It honestly cracks me up when I read some sfw byler fics with heavy make-out scenes and the next moment it's like 'oh we better stop before we get carried away' and I'm like, oh honey. That's not how dicks work. They're already hard and they both know it. They're sixteen. You get hard at a strong breeze sometimes. The love of your young little life has his hands up your shirt and his tongue in your mouth? Boner central. Sorry!!!

Re: a different portrayal of Mike and El - interesting as well. There are so many factors here to consider. Showing Mike and El in more 'intimate' scenarios I don't think really would have that big of a factor in regards to the anti-sex brigade in general. A big portion of the same people who spout off about 'they're minors! we don't need to see sex in media!' would say it whether it's mike and el or mike and will... but there's def a layer of homophobia inherent with mike and will in conjunction with that mindset, even by people who claim to like and support gay ships. The Will dilemma tho. I've been puzzling over the Will dilemma since I stepped into the Byler fandom. And why he, despite being literally "the gay character" - his sexuality is less explored in regard to the most baseline aspects of being gay. Is it infantilizing because he's our cute sweet little victim? Is it because he has yet to actually pursue his love interest in the narrative? I'm still working on pondering this myself!! Because it isn't at all how I viewed his situation or character. But, very interesting points...

[wisehearts]

Random thought that occurred to me as I was rewatching season 1, is that why are so many people against an implied/leading up to sexy scene for byler?

We literally see Steve and Nancy have a pretty obvious intimate scene in season 1 and I don’t want to hear ‘Byler are minors’ SO WERE STEVE AND NANCY THEY WERE LIKE WHAT 16?! At most. I get that there’s not a happy correlation with it because of Barb but that’s not the point. The point is that the Duffers could very well make byler go there if they wanted to.

It’s a different story if you’re to say the actors are minors but that’s the thing they’re not any more and by the looks of it they could possibly be onboard with the more intimate Byler scenes.

Idk like I’m not gonna be outraged if it happens because it’s pretty clear the show runners and writers aren’t afraid to include something like this within the show

You're right on all accounts honestly! There is nothing wrong with it. it's homophobia, straight up. I can hear a "you're calling me homophobic for not wanting to see two gay teens have sex?" in the distance but I mean... yeah? technically. The characters are fictional. 17/18 is a normal age to explore sex. The actors are adults. The characters are fictional. sex - especially gay sex - isn't dirty and if you (collective you) think mike and will heavy petting or having sex taints them and makes them less innocent (pure) then yes you're being homophobic. even if you yourself are queer. and I encourage them to learn their queer history to see why it'd be impactful if they did give us a scene (AIDS!!!) and stop holding conservative beliefs 🙂🙃

Being uncomfortable with sex or sex scenes (or not yet being mature enough for them) =/= they shouldn't happen, and that they can't happen between teen characters. s1 sex scene being "bad" as it's not right for nancy and plays alongside barb's death =/= sex is bad, which is what those people imply they think when they say sex was only used negatively in the show. And it wasn't anyway, nancy and jonathan have sex right after their first kiss and it's a positive thing.

The major thing is that the goal posts keep moving. they can't decide why it's bad, they confuse their personal individual discomfort with it being a collective moral issue so it never makes sense. A big ol' echo chamber.

"No byler sex!" > "okay you can discuss sexuality in st but you can't fantasize and write fics!" > "okay you can write fics about their sexual attraction or the time period but pure smut is fetishizing!" 🤦‍♀️

"they're minors!" > "okay they're adults but you watched them grow up and if I can't let that go then obviously that means you can't either so you're weird!" *I glance at incredibly long list of hollywood heartthrobs that have been acting since they were very young* 🤦‍♀️

The latest one I've seen is "they're gonna be 18 in s5 but I don't want them to be because we can't protect them from the weirdos when they sexualize". like okay cool thank you for the heads up that it'll be okay by your standards then?

I personally don't have an opinion on whether I think there will or won't be a scene for byler, but of course if there's anything intimate I'll cheer it on because a terrified teenage gay couple saying fuck society and letting go of fear to love and be with each other physically, is so much better than spitting on the importance of more queer intimacy in media.

[elekinetic]

user elekinetic do you have any tips to spare for outlining fics 😭 i feel like I word vomit any of the concept that I have in my head, and dialogue ,and build off that adding paragraphs as I go and I go so slow bc of it. But ive been trying hard lately to write a list of “scenes” and bullet point the story but yeah.

do you know anything that could help me have an idea of where to go start to finish instead of starting at the random spot I’ve come up with first? I waste so much writing time because I haven’t built a backstory for characters and things like that so i don’t always know how they start the story off, only the situation they’re in. Is that something that could help? Making a list for each character or something? Would love to hear your thoughts thank you! <3

hi! first of all i’m so flattered you asked! to be clear, i am a very slow writer too lmao and i’m relatively new to prose writing, and though in very confident in my understanding of what makes a good story (W screenwriting), i am still figuring out my outlining process. but hey! let’s learn together.

sorry in advance for how long this is. i love talking.

so i basically figure everything out in the outline and write after i feel very good about it. if you have a strong foundation, everything gets a hell of a lot easier. t kind of sounds like your process might be similar to mine, so i’m just gonna explain what i'm doing for my current project.

my key document is my “bible.” i split it up into a couple different sections using page breaks (page breaks my best friend ily page breaks):

pitch/word vomit summary

scene ideas

outline

notes

ok so wtf does that mean.

1. pitch/word vomit summary — explain your concept. bc i've got a film/tv background, im starting off with my logline. (e.g. "after robin learns will is gay, they have a heart to heart in an abandoned video store about insecurity and feeling alone. they learn they're not." sometimes i'll follow that up with a note to myself like, "this fic isn't robin finding out, this is what happens after. starts with her already knowing. will pov, focus on his perception of robin changing. subtly reference toward feelings about mike, dont come out (haha) and say it") then, i write as MUCH of the concept down as i can, like i'm explaining it to a friend. (sometimes i copy and paste rants from dms directly into the document). it can be totally out of order, non-sensical, contradictory. just get as many of your ideas down as possible. you want to be able to come back to this and be like, oh i totally forgot about that. vague chapter summaries, personal notes about themes, whatever you want. i have a list of beats that you find in romantic dramas for inspiration and a paragraph abt ways i want to parallel/subvert s3 of st. just. go ham. 2. scene ideas — this is pretty self explanatory. i take some of the stuff i have in the p/s and flesh it out, or put down new ideas. this is where i'm writing out dialogue in bullet points, or what i want them to be Really Saying. (e.g. "mike: [panics bc he feels seen, tries to flip it back on (redacted) and fails] ") this is for when i can see stuff more clearly or i get out of the shower with a whole exchange in my head. gonna be out of order, a little all over the place. 3. outline — so. this is where you start piecing it together. put the bullet points in order. figure out objective of each scene and what needs to happen to accomplish that goal. figure out pacing, what needs to happen when. this step is where im looking at dialogue and thinking "why does mike say that? why does he feel that way? what needs to happen to get him to this point emotionally?" or looking at scenes and thinking "these are two scenes with people arguing back to back. lets make sure they feel different and give the characters different tactics to get what they want (byler argument where mike is avoiding will vs max argument where max is avoiding lucas. i could use this to highlight similarities and differences in the relationships, but having two scenes with the same tactics back to back might feel repetitive. maybe i move the scenes farther apart or change circumstances. maybe mike and will are having a veiled argument while theyre with a group of friends in a public space and max and lucas' argument is outside max's house.) also asking if conflicts are resolved too quickly, if the miscommunications feel too convenient, if characters disappear or are only around as plot devices. write. troubleshoot. repeat. 4. random notes — everything else that doesnt fit. for me this is literally just taylor swift lyrics (writing the fic vaguely off of a Specific Song that SHOULD BE STREAMED MORE WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE anyway) and links to posts i use as character reference to make sure im staying true to the characters. (remembering will said "i was being a total jerk to el, i deserved it," AND "you're ruining everything, and for what!"/"i wasn't moping!")

i want it to be clear im doing all of this at the same time. im jumping around and pulling new ideas and rearranging as stuff changes. i think the thing that's really hard is that i want to be able to sit down, write the outline, and then move on. but for us scatterbrained writers, you're gonna have to re-outline and readjust like. a thousand times. and that's okay. that's good! it feels tedious as hell but the story is so much better for it.

take your time. let yourself be slow. keep finding holes in your story and fill the world in as you fix them.

here are some more questions i ask myself to make the story better:

What are you trying to accomplish over the course of the story? What is it about? (for the will&robin fic, it was something about feeling seen for the first time.) When you get lost in your story or aren't sure why a scene feels stale, come back to this. is the scene furthering that goal?

What is changing internally for each of your main characters? (yes theyre dating by the end but like. what do they learn.)

Are the side characters people or props? (will pov scene of a party-wide picnic where everyone's talking but will is focused on mike's hands.... where is max's head at in the scene? you don't have to have a super long backstory and she doesn't have to be a big part of the plot, but if she's saying something, figure out why she's saying it. if will is having a heart to heart with el, understand why el is responding the way she is. the scene's goal may be to get will through a breakthrough, but el's circumstances will change in the scene too. figure out how this conversation lands with her. oh, and remember the adults are people too!)

Why is this character saying this/why are they responding this way? (this should answer your "where do i start?" question. start in that random spot and figure out A) why they are there and B) why they are reacting the way they do (see last bullet point).

side note: some of the best advice i ever got was "enter the scene late, exit early." skip the prologue. try starting from that random spot. if it feels like something's missing, figure out exactly what that something is, and go from there

Do the stakes feel high enough?

What do i need to set up to make sure this scene/beat is satisfying as possible? (are will and mike going to have a big argument? oh, so we have to show tension before.... BAM you have another scene to write and your outline is fuller)

i could go on a lot longer but. basically.

i edit while i write. i'm someone who needs a very fucking strong outline and a very fucking clear idea of the story before i can start writing it. i'm putting probably 70-80% of the leg work in at the start so i can focus on making the prose (or script, most of the time) the best it can be.

THAT BEING SAID, this is just the way i do it and i have like. a fic and a half published. im taking my sweet time bc im creatively burned out and this is for fun first and foremost. like i said. i am a Very Slow Writer.

i highly, highly recommend hitting up the ask boxes of writers like @/strangeswift, @/wiseatom, @/astrobei, or @/andiwriteordie. no guarantees on responses bc they are busy ppl with busy lives but i really do think theyre some of the best writers out here right now, and im not just saying that bc they're my friends. abby (strangeswift) and i have been each other's sounding board through a lot of projects and she's almost done with one of her first Big Fics, so its worth asking her about that.

i hope this helps! ah!!

[strangeswift]

Mike is Graham.

MIKE IS NOT GRAHAM ok listen.

(for anyone clueless this in in reference to a byler but i'm a cheerleader au)

i Understand why you would think mike is graham. but let me tell you why that is wrong. putting a readmore bc i went off

ok first my arguments for will as graham. first of all you people always wanna make mike the edgy one bc finn is cool and he has long hair but listen up. will byers is the one who is into punk music and while they both hold anticonformist ideals will is the one who puts his money where his mouth is while mike is out here "trying to be as normal as possible" (finn's words) by getting a girlfriend, not wanting to play dnd anymore in s3, etc. meanwhile when he asks will if he thought they were never gonna get girlfriends and just play dnd for the rest of their lives, HE SAID YES. okay that is Bold as Hell and very much a graham move. he is still emotionally vulnerable and he still does art, two things that caused people to see him as gay in the past and yet he continues to do them bc that's Who He Is. graham is more masc presenting which would cause her to be seen as gay and at the beginning she is Unapologetically gay, which is way more will than mike. (i could keep going but i won't)

ok now here is why mike is megan. at the beginning of the movie she doesn't know she's a lesbian, she just surrounds herself with girls, and hangs up posters of girls (hello buff dragon poster + the superman obsession), and has a boyfriend she makes out with but doesn't enjoy it (hello mi1even). in My Opinion will realizes that he's gay before mike does (i know we all have different opinions on When he realized). plus i just strongly prefer mike being the one having a Big Gay Realization in fics. AND megan literally rescues graham HELLO PALADIN CODED MUCH SHE LITERALLY SNEAKS INTO THE GRADUATION AND RESCUES HER HELLOOOOOOOOO JUST LIKE MIKE IS ALWAYS OUT TO RESCUE WILL i am not calling will a damsel in distress by any means bc graham certainly isn't. in different ways they save each other. but the heroics are down to megan. WHICH. IS. MIKE.

now here's how the girls family lives would translate. so megan has parents that are avid church goers and they act as if they care So much for megan, but when push comes to shove they abandon her. that said, they're not as outwardly disgusted by her being gay as graham's parents are. graham's dad uses the f slur and is definitely the most lonnie coded of all the parents. but you might be asking "what about graham's mom. joyce would never go along with that" WELL GUESS WHAT GRAHAM'S MOM ISN'T IN THE MOVIE ONLY HER STEP-MOM. so in this universe something happened idk joyce lost custody or . died or something. (don't get mad at me she can't be megan's parents either they also suck. better to have her out of the picture altogether). ok back to megan's parents. so in the movie her dad cares way more about her than her mom does, her mom is just kinda there. so. switch it flip it and reverse it and that's ted and karen. ted is the disinterested father who only offers occasional unhelpful outbursts (i mean come on sitting there silently during the gay intervention then interrupting the dad's gentle speech by yelling "honey we think you're a lesbian" is so ted coded.) while Karen is more playing the role of megan's dad, who is supportive and doting and very "you can tell us anything" Except again, when it comes down to it, they abandon their child. (personally i don't think canon karen would kick mike out for being gay i do think she would Not be thrilled about it initially, but ofc any au needs allowances to be made)

ok that is all for now.

[oldfashionedmorphine]

If you’re seeing this first and haven’t caught up with chapter 16 cause you follow me DON’T LOOK YET!! (there will be a link at the end of the chapter if you aren’t caught up yet, so don’t worry 😉)

And if you don’t currently read my byler fic I’m a Wreck (Without You Here) …why not start? Give it a try, I might just make you cry ;)

Below the cut is a small POV of Will talking to Dustin :D

@across-thestars @boahey @magentamee @booksandpaperss @wheelersboy @sparks-olivarpente @greenfiend @castelobyers @daydreams-in-the-moonlight @total-serene560

😎

I’m kidding, I’m kidding!!

I just couldn’t help myself. I saw an opportunity and took it 🤣

Here you go! <3

——————————————————————————

Will catches Dustin’s eye in the rearview mirror. They shared a similar silent reaction to Mike cutting off the music. And again less than a minute later when he practically jumped out the car, because Will barely had put it into park. And by the time they both step out of the car, Mike was almost halfway across the street. But they don’t race to catch up with him, they linger behind, taking off their suit jackets and placing them in the car.

Dustin tilts his head slightly, then glances at Will. “Does he seem a little off to you?”

Good question.

They both watch as Mike slips from their view when he enters the bar.

“A little...”

Should he be worried? Will was only just getting to know Mike again. Overall he mostly seemed like an older version of the guy he used to know once upon a time. But there were almost fifteen years of bitterness that had kept them apart, so Will would be kidding himself if he really thought he knew him well enough to know better. It actually made him mad—mad because it was his own damn fault for becoming such a stranger to Mike. And Dustin wasn’t exactly wrong, Mike was acting a little off today. He started to notice it right after the burial service at the reception, but he brushed it off because it also made total sense to him—his sister had died and they literally just buried her. How else is he supposed to act? If it had been Jonathan, Will imagines he wouldn’t be acting much different at all. What Mike needs is time—time to process the loss. He’s bound to act a little ‘off’. Right?

“‘Course I don’t exactly know what else to expect from him…I mean, I’d probably be a little off too if Jonathan had died—maybe even more than a little off, actually.”

They both finally start walking towards the bar.

“True...I suppose…it was just a weird vibe I got.”

“Weird vibe how?” Will asks.

“Not sure. He seemed…I don’t even know—I’m not exactly best friends with him anymore—”

“And I am?”

“Hey, from my perspective, you two seemed all patched up and act like you’ve been friends this whole damn time—also another vibe I’ve been getting, by the way—I only meant that you’ve spent way more time with him the past few days compared to me, so I was curious about your opinion.”

After crossing the street Will stops walking, then Dustin stops too. “Well, l don’t have much else to compare it to…he’s still Mike, he’s…I don’t know what I’m saying—what I mean to say is, it’s been a long time. And what I do know, I could fit in the palm of my hand compared to what he’s lived through without me for almost fifteen years. I’m sure he could say the same. And maybe what seems off to us is normal for him. Either way, if I were in his shoes—if it had been Jonathan—I’d probably be acting no different than him.”

Why did that sound like a bunch of excuses? Because it was the truth. Will didn’t know everything. Which again stirs up an unpleasant feeling in his chest.

“Right…you’re right,” he sighs, “but I’m glad you both are friends again.”

“Yeah, me too…I really missed him—way more than I wanted to ever admit,” Will laughs. “But don’t tell him that though—it’ll go straight to his head.”

Dustin mimics the turning of an imaginary key over his mouth, then pretends to throw it over his shoulder.

Will uses the opportunity to change the subject as they start to inch closer to the door. “So…you ready to sing?” And then he reaches for the handle.

He groans. “Would saying ‘no’ would change my fate?”

“Nope…” Will opens the door, allowing Dustin to enter first before following him in. “It wouldn’t…you’re doomed.”

[spicybylerpolls]

I agree the preferences are definitely relative to will, but also just who byler is? as a switch byler enjoyer I understand anon's points, and ultimately people can hc what they like, but I think it's worth noting that byler specifically have particular personalities that lend themselves to a dynamic which shouldn't make it surprising that it's what people prefer or notice in canon and work with. the writers have written them a certain way, and I personally don't feel a need to "subvert expectations" - personally. same with how public personas don't always =  you are different in the bedroom, that's not the experience for everybody AND there's different ways to view it. for example will being softer in his daily life means to me that he may be a slut in the bedroom, not a raging dom. also, dom/sub is not all that sex is or can be. byler can be neither to a degree.

I don't even think that it's just his Assets that make people see will as a bottom. if this was a ship between two more balanced masc men I'd get how switchvers debates are pointless, but they tell us explicitly that will is not masc and doesn't want to be and his acceptance is learning that he doesn't have to be, and accepting his visibility because he can't change that. wanting to see mike fucked like a bratty bottom uses will as a tool in ways I wouldn't want to because he doesn't like being aggressive (but this is now making fandom deeper and smut fic is usually fantasy, which is why I don't complain I just simply don't read those fics because will is unrecognizable, it's not my cup of tea but it's fine! I'll read eddiemike instead or something) and puts will/byler on the back burner

does the bratty bottom vision go beyond mike in s3, and somewhat s4 though? I see where people get it from 100% but I would gather mike mellows out as he matures, so I don't see that for his long term relationship with will. if it was another more masc guy, or eddie or whatever yeah I could see it better! less bratty, more cheeky and challenging. it's okay that will isn't the partner people might want for mike physically.

they're basically both bottoms in ways, but I agree with you spicybylerpolls, that if will weren't in the picture mike might be more of a switch or bottom with other guys. will is allowed to be a stereotype, which is the other thing people find hard to grasp, but it's fine for him and we can embrace that. even in sfw things.

the point brought up about will topping as a reclamation of control/power has always felt more like an excuse to me? maybe not excuse, but an easy explanation that's never explored. because topping is not only about power, or the only way to have control during sex, that's... really uneducated if people think so. will can find so much power and control in bottoming, he gets to set the pace AND it's with the most trusted person on earth who already loves to provide and protect him. that's a perfectly fine stereotype and not boring, and wanting to see mike get fucked doesn't erase how that initial dynamic is good in its own way 😭 and people have no issue with a top having no power when it's sub top mike, but will bottoming = bad because he has no power as a sub? it's just not how that works 😅

I enjoy switch byler so much but the way in which people insist mike is the subbiest bottom and get quite rude about how people could possibly see otherwise, when - like you said op - it's clear when will is right there why people enjoy the canon dynamic, and how these are not balanced macho male personalities (no matter how much puberty noah went through that changed will's physique. I rewatch s4 and will is still the softest guy, he's just taller. they purposely tried to hide his growth because that's not their vision for will. finn is also growing bigger too, so) is so unnecessary and shocking to me. byler are not st3ddie, it shouldn't be shocking that a lot of people are fine with a soft will and assertive mike because... well that's in the show? those are the boys we all love? I'm able to enjoy all dynamics while understanding what the creators like for them.

I don't intend to make things deep here, because we all know it's just preference and what we like for our faves, but speaking definitively like "at best"  doesn't make something true so I wanted to offer my two cents!

These are all interesting points! Thanks for adding to the conversation! I fully agree that certain things just are Byler, and as you said, "byler specifically have particular personalities that lend themselves to a dynamic which shouldn't make it surprising that it's what people prefer or notice in canon and work with." 100% true!

And yeah, subverting expectations is not always necessary. Because like you said, "byler are not st3ddie, it shouldn't be shocking that a lot of people are fine with a soft will and assertive mike because... well that's in the show? those are the boys we all love?"

Sometimes people role switch/subvert expectations - not just with the spicy side of byler but with all sides - and it ends up not even looking like them. Especially when the argument is rooted in Will's muscle gain and "buff Byers" which, like, you said is not the original vision for the character. Arguing that Will would top because he's physically stronger than Mike completely loses the plot.

But to play devil's advocate, I say that Will being the soft/gentle/less assertive/sensitive/INFP that he is doesn't necessarily mean he can't also fantasize about to fucking boys/Mike, just like Mike being the assertive/leader/knight in shining armor/more masculine one in canon doesn't mean he can't fantasize about the opposite.

(Like in the same way that a straight guy wanting to fuck his girlfriend also doesn't mean that he can't be soft/gentle/less masculine/less assertive/INFP/sensitive/etc. Even if this isn't in a hyper-masculine/aggressive way like other alpha types, it's still considered "normal" and even expected in straight contexts since, well, that's how straight sex typically works). So why is it different in a gay context? Horniness isn't always 2+2= 4, although it can be.

It honestly seems like a lot of these nuances of this discussion/debate are more about who is more dominant and who is more of the sub rather than their specific positions. One could argue that dom Mike/sub Will would closely link to their canon dynamics.

But even so, I remember one of the earliest polls on here had a high number of people who viewed Will as "domming from the bottom" and Mike as "subbing from the top" which is really interesting and somewhat throws a curve ball in this analysis. Maybe that connects to lots of people using the word "bratty" to describe Mike?

All in all though, when discussing gay sex, especially in fandom, there's always this huge emphasis on binary roles and positions that isn't really present when discussing straight sex, but really is that really fair? Will being more feminine ≠ automatically bottoming and Mike being more masculine ≠ automatically topping because these things aren't necessarily gendered or aligned with personality traits, where one is "the boy" and the other is "the girl" during sex, or at least they don't have to be. They sometimes are, but not always.

Through this lens, even if you view top Mike as more canon compliant, it's hypothetically possible that top Will/bottom Will wouldn't even really be role-switching. It could just be what they naturally gravitate to in the bedroom while still keeping all other aspects of their personality. BUT, like you said, if Will is indeed a bottom, it's 100% true that, "Will can find so much power and control in bottoming, he gets to set the pace AND it's with the most trusted person on earth who already loves to provide and protect him."

What does everyone else think?

[id-rather-be-home]

do you think a lot of bylers try to force will into “the girl role” and mike into “the boy role”?

now obviously will is sensitive and gnc and more feminine in that regard, and mike is a leader and protective so he’s more “masculine” in that regard, but some bylers take that to mean will would always be submissive/passive in the bedroom too. what are your thoughts on this?

ooooof i feel like i may step on some toes with this one because top/bottom discourse gets on my nerves

(no hate at all to you anon though!!! just wanna make that clear first; this is a very good question!)

i think that a lot of bylers do tend to put will into "the girl role" and mike into "the boy role" subconsciously because it is fairly easy to do so! like you pointed out, will has some "feminine" characteristics while mike has quite a few "masculine" ones which makes it very easy to sort them into pre-existing gendered roles. it also probably doesn't help that mike is usually always the one to take care of and protect will and it hasn't really been seen the other way around (which i think is going to change in s5 but that's besides the point)

i think that we tend to sort homosexual couples into heterosexual roles even though i believe most of us who ship byler are queer ourselves; it's just such an easy thing to fall into because of how gender is treated in our society. if a boy is seen as "girly" then it's assumed he'd be on the bottom in the bedroom even though that isn't necessarily the case! it also doesn't help that will has, uhhh, certain Assets that make him more appealing to be on the bottom in a sexual relationship

however, i don't like when people treat sexual relationships as if they're so black and white; even when it comes to heterosexual ones where the sexual roles are pretty well defined.

do i think that will bottoms? yes.

do i think that mike bottoms? also yes.

their relationship is so... balanced and they treat one another as equals in such a way that i can't imagine they have sex only one type of way (whether that's bottom will or bottom mike). i think they would be very versatile and switch things up depending on how they're feeling that day or maybe who needs a little more reassurance and attention, things like that

that doesn't mean that neither of them have a preference for topping or bottoming. but we do not know enough about the characters in a sexual light to be able to determinedly say what their preference is - it's entirely up to an individual's perception based on what we know about them as is! i ended up in the camp that believes mike doesn't have a preference for either bottoming or topping (though he does play a bit more of a submissive role either way) because all he wants to do is make will feel good

will, on the other hand... honestly, it's something i'm still trying to decide. in my fic right now (which is where i'm exploring a lot of these concepts) he has a preference for topping BUT i can see that changing as the fic goes on and they get to experiment more with switching their roles up a little bit

however, whether or not will prefers to bottom i can't really imagine him taking a passive role in the bedroom?? even if he gets a little more submissive from time to time, he would never be passive about it

at the end of the day, nobody actually knows what these characters would prefer because we don't know their sexual preferences aside from what gender they like (confirmed in will's case, highly suspected in mike's obviously). so i think that people should be able to put them in whatever roles they want as long as they don't get mad at other people for not thinking the same as them which is... bizarre behavior if i'm to be honest

like, why would somebody get mad at me if i believe mike wheeler has a preference for bottoming instead of the other way around?

this has gotten pretty long so i'm gonna cut it off here but if you or anyone else has more questions about it, feel free to shoot them my way!