Byler Fanfic - Tumblr Posts

I’m literally fighting back tears. Thank you for writing this absolute masterpiece and reminding us all why this story is so vitally important. Please read this work and witness the healing power of love. ❤️‍🩹🏳️‍🌈🥹

we will never go back (to that bloodshed)

A wide smile breaks across Mike’s face and not even a moment later, Mike’s on the ground in front of him, wrapping his arms around the back of Will’s neck and his back and pulling him into a hug so tight that it makes his wounds ache, just a little.

“Holy shit,” Mike says into the crook of Will’s neck. He sounds just as breathless as Will is feeling. “Holy shit, Will.”

“Yeah,” Will laughs lightly, “Holy shit.”

Or, Will and Mike after battle

LOOKING FOR RP PARTNERS

Dm me

Fandoms and who I typically play:

Stranger things

Will Byers (favorite)

Mike Wheeler (rarely)

All of us are dead

Lee Cheong-San (favorite)

Lee Su-Hyeok (occasional)

Yoon Gwi-nam (rarely)

Nam On-jo (rarely)

Bts

Jimin (favorite)

Jin (favorite)

Yoongi (occasional)

Taehyung (rarely)

Heartstopper

Nick Nelson

EVERYONE READ THID RN. RN ITS VERY GOOD ANF SO COOL

by @marshmallo824 pls follow her 🙏🙏🙏

Chapters: 16/? Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Will Byers/Original Male Character(s), Will Byers/Mike Wheeler Characters: Will Byers, Mike Wheeler Additional Tags: Abusive Relationships, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Verbal Abuse, Physical Abuse, here me out here when i say will is dating an oc please, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, but idk what american colleges are like, but my beta readers does, Slow Burn, Musician Mike Wheeler, Ballerina Will Byers, Heavy Angst, Cheating, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Unhealthy Relationships, Suicide Attempt, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Trans Mike Wheeler, Referenced Hate Crimes, typical time period use of the world transsexual Series: Part 1 of watching you across the room Summary:

Will is 2 years into a relationship, ten years into a career in ballet, and happy as he can imagine himself. Mike is 7 years into a music career, and unable to see himself happy in another relationship. Meeting was a horribly amazing chance of fate.

⚠️⚠️ was previously called 1993, sorry for randomly changing it after 4 months ⚠️⚠️

Chapters: 1/5 Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Will Byers & Eleven | Jane & Dustin Henderson & Maxine Mayfield & Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler Characters: Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Dustin Henderson, Nancy Wheeler, Robin Buckley, Karen Wheeler, mentioned jonathan byers at the end Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Autistic Mike Wheeler, the party is 15, will is very upset and confused, Mike Wheeler Needs a Hug, POV Multiple, Trans Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Trans Lucas Sinclair, Everyone is Queer, Will Byers Has PTSD, karen wheeler is important to the story here, i swear to god i know what i'm doing, Eleven | Jane Hopper Needs a Hug, Break Up, Autistic Eleven | Jane Hopper, non verbal el hopper, will byers has amnesia from the upside down, Mystery, not really - Freeform, too much lore, Sorry Not Sorry, Fluff and Angst, Slow Updates, Grief/Mourning, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, no beta we die like lonnie byers Series: Part 3 of the only truth i know is you Summary:

when you find out twelve thousand, four hundred and fifty three days have passed, a lot feels sickeningly old. dealing with such a fact is not something a single person in the household is ready to deal with.

we'll be a fine line wip but im not telling you what chapter its from

:3

Chapters: 15/? Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Will Byers/Original Male Character(s), Will Byers/Mike Wheeler Characters: Will Byers, Mike Wheeler Additional Tags: Abusive Relationships, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Verbal Abuse, Physical Abuse, here me out here when i say will is dating an oc please, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, but idk what american colleges are like, but my beta readers does, Slow Burn, Musician Mike Wheeler, Ballerina Will Byers, Heavy Angst, Cheating, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Unhealthy Relationships, Suicide Attempt, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Trans Mike Wheeler, Referenced Hate Crimes, typical time period use of the world transsexual Series: Part 1 of watching you across the room Summary:

Will is 2 years into a relationship, ten years into a career in ballet, and happy as he can imagine himself. Mike is 7 years into a music career, and unable to see himself happy in another relationship. Meeting was a horribly amazing chance of fate.

⚠️⚠️ was previously called 1993, sorry for randomly changing it after 4 months ⚠️⚠️

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Dustin Henderson Characters: Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Dustin Henderson Additional Tags: Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, Triple Date, Valentines date, Husbands, Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers, Aged-Up Character(s), Domestic Fluff, mike wheeler gets his happy ending, POV Mike Wheeler, Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler, theyre in love, set in 2015, No Beta We Die Like Eddie Munson Summary:

the party go on a triple date for valetines 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Byler Modern + Reincarnation Au (original concept)

(This better get noticed this time or else I'll cry 😭) (Also I don't ship Finn and Noah, just used them as a reference for how Mike and Will are gonna look)

- Pics from left side belongs to Mike and right side belongs to Will

- Will's hair are little more longer in length

- Will personality here is mixed of Max and his past self

- While Mike's personality is mixed of Lucas, Dustin and his past self

⚠️TW : Mention of De@th and su¡c¡de⚠️

This is mostly gonna be like a summary because I have so many things to add in this 🗿

-> Well before starting I wanna say that I'm really inspired by Obamitsu story (in kny) for this Au. The only difference is that they didn't die in eachother hands just like these two :(

Look how cute they are 😭🖐️💖

Anyways -

-> So this obviously takes place after season 5, they defeated Vecna but in the process Will dies but Mike survives (Damn the reddie card). Ofcourse it was devastating for Mike to see Will dying, but he continues to live because Will tells him too [Will says to Mike to care of himself and El (yes El survived) and tells him that he should marry her in future (Will says that because he didn't wanted them to fight like this forever and wanted them to live a happy life together)] and he also confesses to him but before Mike could even say anything, Will dies in his arms with a little smile on his face. Mike was also gonna confess to him but poor dude didn't got his chance (I hope this isn't sounding cringe, but I can already imagine a scene like this in my head). Fast forward Mike and El gets married as for Will (I don't ship them but for sake of this au let's keep it like that). Both of them weren't in love with each other now, they lost their interest in each other a long time ago but still were taking care of each other as they used too and still cared for each other, El knew that Mike liked Will (He [Mike] told her). Later on El dies because of the injuries that she got during the war (Even tho it's been so many years since that war, but people who got injured because of Vecna still faced some consequence). After the death of El, Mike stopped talking to people and became very quiet, he ignored his friends and family. He continued to visit Byers house to meet Joyce and Hopper but other than that he didn't spoke a word to anyone. Later some years his mental health got worse (consequence of war with Vecna) and he k¡lled himself (su¡c¡de)

-> Fast forwarding to now time, Mike, Will and El (and some of their other friends ) gets reincarnated in today's morden world. Although rest of them don't remember their past life (obviously), but Mike kinda does.

Mike sometmes get dream of his past life, the time he spent with his friends and the time he spent with Will. Although he doesn't fully remember everything, he just feels Deja Vu around them.

Well thats it for now, I will post more about this Au in future :)

(Let me know ur thoughts about this)

Peace ✌️🦅

omg since will deserved to see mike in his hellfire shirt (and he’s probs never going to wear it again for obvi reasons rip) IMAGINE A FIC WHERE HE WEARS IT TO SLEEP AND WILL’S LIKE ?!?!! *BLUSHING* *GIGGLING*

someone please give me byler centric mike-gets-vecnaed fanfic recs i am gnawing on the bars of my enclosure

who wants to read the first chapter of my byler fake dating wip to decide if I should keep writing it?

The Byers-Hopper living room had been temporarily turned into a large cave of sleeping bags and blankets. They had managed to get away with the excuse of Max and El coincidentally having a sleepover at the same time the boys did. Not at all a mixed event. Dustin had been trying to throw popcorn into Max’s mouth while Lucas bugged Will with the same question he had been asking since he came out to them.

“When are you gonna get a boyfriend?” Lucas whined.

Will rolled his eyes and set his soda down on the floor next to him.

“As soon as I find a gay boy in Hawkins that is out and wants to date me,” he said with a dry tone that implied the odds of that were very slim, at which Dustin scoffed as if personally offended without looking away from his mission.

“Will, if I liked boys, I would be all over you,” he insisted.

They all laughed as Will pulled a disgusted face, though he appreciated the gesture.

“Thanks, man, but I’m good.”

“You must like someone,” said Lucas with a raised eyebrow.

Will’s eyes darted to Mike, lightning quick so no one would catch it, but he met his gaze before looking away and clearing his throat.

“Leave him alone, guys,” Mike said, annoyed. Max’s eyebrows appeared to launch off her forehead but she said nothing. Of course Mike would be the one to help him, to protect him. He always was, wasn’t he?

There was a moment of silence before El stood up and stretched.

“I am getting more pizza,” she announced and Dustin went to join her.

They managed to make it another two hours before the topic came up again. This time, surprisingly, it was El who said something. Everyone else was getting ready for bed and she sat next to him on the floor.

“Do you not like anyone?” she asked earnestly. Will sighed.

“It’s complicated.”

She paused before saying, “I hope it stops being complicated. I hope you get him.”

Will smiled and hugged his sister as everyone walked back into the room.

“What are we talking about?” asked Dustin.

“Boys,” El told him.

“Yes! Get my boy some di-“

“MAX!” Will interrupted before she could finish her sentence. His face flushed a dark red and he shook his head in disbelief. This feeling only increased when he saw Mike trying to cover up a laugh with a cough.

“Something funny, Michael?” he asked.

“Nope,” he said, finally laughing out loud.

That laugh. Will had heard it all his life and yet he never tired of it. The way his nose scrunched and his cheeks dusted with pink. It was Will’s favorite way to draw him.

They had all settled in to watch a movie, and the subject was not brought up, but Will’s mind wouldn’t let the topic go.

When would he get a boyfriend, if ever? Why was he stuck on Mike after all these years? Why couldn’t he just move on?

“Hey,” Mike said in his ear from beside him on the floor, “You ok?” 

Will swallowed. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Mike’s breath had been hot on his cheek and they were pressed up so close against the couch. Will wiped his sweaty hands and excused himself to go to the bathroom. He just needed a moment to breathe.

When he reached the bathroom and closed the door, he finally felt his limbs relax. It had only been about a minute and a half before there was a knock at the bathroom door.

“Yeah?” Will called.

“Will, it’s Mike, I just came to check on you.”

He opened the door to let Mike in and closed it once more. The two boys sat on the cold tile, knees touching ever so slightly.

“What’s going on?” he asked softly and Will sighed deeply.

“It’s stupid, I’m just a bit tired of all the relationship questions.”

Mike nodded sagely and his brows furrowed. Will knew that face. It was the same face Mike made when he had an idea for a campaign. That was a dangerous face.

“Miiiike. What are you planning?” he pouted, shoving the boy.

“Shh, let me think,” he said, putting his finger to Will’s lips for a second. He went cross eyed to look at the hand on his mouth and his heart picked up about ten paces. Mike removed his hand and stood up, beginning to pace the small bathroom and Will stood soon after in confusion.

“Okay, so the party won’t stop bothering you about dating someone, yes?”

“Yes?” Will said slowly.

“And your family is worried you're lonely, yes?”

“Hey! I-”

“Shut up and let me finish. I want to move out of my dad’s house but he won’t let me…” Mike trailed off as if Will could finish the thought for him.

“Mike, literally what do those things have to do with each other?”

He looked at Will like it was obvious and held his hands out in a general ‘duh’ gesture.

“You date me!”

Will caught a glimpse of the face he made in the bathroom mirror, and no words could describe what that emotion was. Will calls it, ‘my-best-friend-who-is-a-boy-and-very-straight-who-I-am-in-love-with-says-I-should-date-him.’

It took a moment for Will to get the word out of his mouth, as it had gotten very dry. “What?”

“You date me! Pretend, of course-”

“Of course.”

“-so everyone leaves you alone and my dad kicks me out because he’s a piece of shit. Everybody wins!”

After a moment, he deduced that Mike was not joking, and the panic receptors in his brain which never did their job correctly made him laugh. Loudly.

“What are you smoking, Mike?”

“What?” Mike asked, offended. He seemed to think it was a great plan. Will caught his breath and leaned against the wall.

“Mike, no one’s gonna buy that. Also, it is not worth losing your family over a joke. What if he- what if he hurt you?”

As Will tried to get Mike to see reason, some part of him wanted to say yes. Some awful, selfish, thirteen year old part of him wanted Mike in whatever way he could get him even if it was fake. 

Mike seemed to think Will’s words over, and he had a moment of hope that the boy would change his mind.

“You think he would hurt me?” Mike asked, as if this had never occurred to him.

“Mike, I’m not saying your dad’s a bad person, but-”

“He’s the scum of the earth, but continue.”

“People do crazy things when they think someone they love might be g- might be like me.”

Mike’s face twisted in a way that churned Will’s stomach. No, don’t be sad, don’t look like a kicked puppy. 

“Well then we gotta do it.”

“What?!?” Will exclaimed, more confused than ever. He thought he had changed his mind, not egged him on.

“Think about it. If Hawkins has a publicly gay couple, it could make it easier for other people.”

“You want it to be public?” Will screeched. Okay, Mike had officially lost his mind, because if he thought the bullying was bad already, just wait until he announced he was a boykisser.

Mike grinned. “Are you agreeing?”

“No! I’m the opposite of agreeing! I’m disagreeing! I am the antithesis to whatever point it is that you’re trying to make!”

Mike just laughed. “The point is it’s a win-win situation. We say we’re dating, we hold hands in front of people, maybe kiss a few times then we stage a break up. No harm done.”

Kiss. He wanted them to kiss. Well, no, not wanted, but he suggested it. Oh god.

“You do realize if your father kicks you out, you might never speak to him again.”

“If that’s the worst case scenario, then this plan is better than I thought.”

Will sighed again, running his hands over his face. He only had so much willpower. The boy he had been in love with for years was offering a free trial on a silver platter and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“How would it work?” he asked quietly, trying not to read into the way Mike’s face lit up when he said it.

“We would walk downstairs now holding hands and tell the party we’re dating. Then tomorrow we tell your family. Word gets around, my dad explodes, I move in with Nancy.”

“That’s it? That’s your genius plan? We need to figure out every step. How long have we been dating? Who asked who? When did you realize you were gay? Are you even gay or are you bisexual? Do we…”

Will trailed off and grinded his teeth. Mike cocked his head.

“Do we what?”

“...kiss?”

Mike paused a second before laughing at Will’s hushed tone.

“I would hope so, if we were dating.”

Will rolled his eyes and grabbed Mike by the shoulders to make him look at him, ignoring the way his heart fluttered at the contact. He needed to get this point across.

“Mike. If we were fake dating. If we kissed. Then that means that you would have to kiss me. On the lips. Me and you,” he said clearly, sure that this would be the deal breaker to snap him out of it. Instead, Mike just looked at him with the same serious face, pushing Will’s hands off his shoulders.

“Will. I know. That’s how kissing works,” he said with a shit eating grin.

“And you’re okay with that?”

This was Will’s lifelong dream and worst nightmare all wrapped into one.

“Yeah, I mean, it would be weird if it was like Lucas or something but it’s you.”

He said it so plainly, so surely that Will knew he meant it. And that hurt so wonderfully. His head was spinning. No, he did not want to kiss him, but he would rather kiss him than another boy. He offered.

“Have you ever kissed anyone?” Mike asked, making Will roll his eyes.

“Mike, when would I have ever had the chance to kiss someone?”

Mike just shrugged and leaned back against the sink. “Wanna practice? Y’know, before we kiss in front of someone else.”

Will blanched. “I- I still haven’t agreed, technically.”

His heart seemed to be trying to escape his ribcage and he willed it to calm down. This was not happening. Mike smiled at him, that wonderful smile, and knelt down on one knee, holding out cupped hands in front of him.

“William Byers, will you do me the honor of fake dating me?”

There was a pause, and then, “Ugh, fine. Get off the floor, it’s dirty.”

Mike stood and brushed off his pants with a haughty sort of pride at having convinced him. The boys looked at each other for a moment, saying nothing.

“So, uh, what now?” Will asked, fidgeting.

“You never answered my other question.” Mike said, stepping closer. Will’s heart pounded.

“What other question?”

Mike took another step so he was almost pressed against Will, but not quite.

“Wanna practice?”

Oh god. What was he supposed to say? Which answer was less suspicious? If he said yes, he would seem too eager, but if he said no, it would look like he was hiding something.

Mike studied his face and took a quick step back, looking guilty. “Hey, we don’t have to kiss at all if you’re not comfortable with that. Maybe we’re not a PDA couple.”

Will groaned internally. Had he just missed his one chance to kiss Mike Wheeler? It’s not like that offer was going to present itself again.

“No,” he said too quickly, “I mean, no it doesn’t make me uncomfortable. We can… kiss.”

Mike raised an eyebrow and stepped back into Will’s personal space.

“You sure?”

“M’sure,” he breathed.

Mike slowly reached out to grab his chin and Will tried not to squirm. His hands were big enough to cradle his whole face if he wanted to. He felt himself being tugged forward slightly and Mike Wheeler was kissing him. It was… disappointing. Will forgot to close his eyes or do anything with his lips and his hands were just hanging at his sides uselessly. Mike pulled away slightly. Well, that was it. His first kiss. Wahoo.

“You gonna kiss me back or what?” he asked with a smirk, his voice slightly scratchy, setting every nerve ending in his body on fire.

Their lips touched again, and this time he responded. He closed his eyes and kissed him back. Their lips slotted awkwardly at first, but Will tilted his head to the right and there it was. This was the kiss that he had wanted. It was soft and his heart was in his throat as he was trying so hard to not fuck it up. Mike pressed closer to him, putting a hand on the wall beside him. His lips opened slightly, prying Will’s open as he skated his tongue across his bottom lip. Will inhaled sharply through his nose and pulled away so he could breathe. His lips tingled slightly and he felt like he was only half awake.

“We should probably go back downstairs,” Mike said plainly, looking unaffected. Will drew in a deep breath to steady his thoughts and nodded. Mike stepped away and held out his hand for Will to take.

“Shall we?”

Will took his hand shakily and their fingers interlocked. They had actually held hands before. They did it a lot as kids until they were told they weren’t supposed to. Mike’s hands were much bigger now than they had been back then, and Will hoped his weren’t too sweaty.

They made their way downstairs, hand in hand in the dark living room. All eyes flicked over to them from the TV, aside from Max who hadn’t been looking in the first place.

“What took you so long?” she asked while everyone else silently clocked their intertwined hands.

“Uh, sorry. Headache,” Will said plainly.

“Bullshit,” Max called from the couch.

“What?”

“Bullshit. What happened?”

Although she was blind, Max still never missed anything.

“Uh, well,” Mike said, cheeks coloring, “Me and Will are kinda dating.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment and Will considered taking his chances with a tall building, but then there was a cacophony of, “Finally!” and “I knew it!”, which Mike made a face at, but said nothing. 

Eventually, everyone was tired enough to actually go to sleep, and they began to settle into their sleeping bags.

“What are you doing?” Will asked as Mike pushed his sleeping bag closer to his.

“Shouldn’t we sleep together?”

Will’s mouth went dry at the wording and he just nodded mutely as he crawled in to go to sleep. Mike did the same, so close that Will could feel his breath on his nose. Those lips. He had kissed those lips. Rather poorly at first, but still. Mike shifted even closer and Will swore all of Hawkins could hear his heart beating. Everyone else had already fallen asleep, it being three in the morning, so it was really just them.

“Mike,” Will whispered, “No one’s watching.”

“Just to be safe,” Mike whispered back, and leaned in, pressing their lips together quickly before pulling away and laying his head down, still facing him. “Goodnight, boyfriend.”

Will sighed. “Goodnight.”

If this plan didn’t go to shit, he owed the universe a lot of money.

Here's Chapter 2, sorry I took so long.

Will woke up with a sharp sense of dread in the pit of his stomach and Mike Wheeler sleeping on the floor beside him. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he remembered exactly what he had agreed to the night before and just about threw up on his sleeping bag. When he stood up to get breakfast he found Lucas in the kitchen.

“Hey, want some toast?” he asked. “Made it for Max but she’s still asleep.”

“Yeah, thanks man,” Will said with a smile and sat at the kitchen table.

“Crazy night,” Lucas said, sitting next to him and placing toast on the table.

Will laughed softly. “Yeah. Crazy night.”

“So how’d it happen? C’mon I’m curious.”

Will almost choked on his toast at the question. Ah shit. He knew they should’ve come up with a story last night. He was awful at lying on the spot.

“I don’t know, he just kind of asked. I wasn’t sure but he made some good points and there you go.” Technically all of that was true.

“That’s specific,” said Dustin from the doorway, making them both jump. He sat at the table with them and took a piece of toast off Lucas’ plate, ignoring his protests.

“That’s what happened!” Will insisted.

“Details, William. Details,” Lucas said solemnly. Will heaved a sigh at his friends and put his head in his hands.

“I don’t know what else to tell you.”

“Tell them about what?” asked Mike as he entered the room. Will’s head snapped up and their eyes met for a moment. Mike smiled. That smile he only gave Will. Oh, he was fucked.

“How you two got togetherrrrrr,” Dustin told him, eyebrows dancing suggestively.

Mike turned slightly pink, almost imperceptibly so, but Will caught it. 

“I don’t know, I just asked.”

Lucas threw his hands in the air. “Match made in heaven.”

Mike chuckled and laid a hand on Will’s shoulder, making him go still. He hadn’t even noticed Mike walking up behind his chair.

“How’d you sleep?” he asked, surprising him. He was a little too good at playing fake boyfriends. Although, maybe he would’ve asked that before, Will wasn’t sure.

“Uhm, good. You?”

“Good.”

Lucas and Dustin smirked at each other and Mike whacked the latter on the shoulder, considering he was closer. Soon enough the girls woke up to get breakfast and everyone was sitting at the kitchen table.

They left soon after that. Will was in the middle of picking up the living room when he turned to see Mike standing there.

“Thought you left.”

Mike just smiled. “Nope. Still here.”

The room was filled with a strange sort of silence. They had never discussed how they would act when they were alone. Did they just pretend everything was normal or…

Mike walked towards him and helped him fold up a sleeping bag. “Whatcha thinking about?”

Will shook his head. “I think this may be the stupidest thing I’ve ever agreed to.”

“Why? It’s working, they all believed it.”

“Mike, there is no way this will end well. There’s still time to back out, tell them we were just messing and leave it be.”

Mike frowned and sat down on the couch. “Why would we do that?”

Will sat next to him in silence, looking at his shoes. When he finally looked up, he saw Mike staring at him. He wanted so badly to break eye contact but for some reason he just couldn’t. He didn’t realize they had gotten closer until their noses were practically touching.

“Will.”

“Mike,” he whispered, barely able to talk, “nobody’s-”

“Please.”

That broke Will’s resolve almost instantly and suddenly their lips were crashing into each other. This was not like last night, all gentle and scared, although he was definitely still scared. Will lightly touched his tongue to Mike’s lips, testing the waters. Mike’s hand grabbed the back of Will’s head to pull him closer and suddenly his attitude towards this plan changed. He was going to make the absolute most of it.

He pulled back slightly so he could breathe. He was worried he had gone too far, but Mike was just staring at him with dumb shock and he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

“Uhm,” Mike said, clearing his throat, “I should, well, I’ve gotta…”

He trailed off and kissed Will again, gentle but needy. When he pulled away he nodded and stood up.

“I’ll call and we can, uh, plan more.”

Just like that he was gone and Will collapsed back on the couch, hands on his face in utter disbelief. He got about twenty seconds of peace.

“Is it safe to walk in now?” Will’s mom asked from the doorway of the kitchen.

 Will sat up with a wide-eyed stare.”Mom, you’re home.”

“Have been for five minutes, but you two were a little distracted,” she said with a smile, walking up to the couch and sitting next to him.

Will groaned and hid behind his hands. “Mom, you make that sound so bad.”

“Oh it’s okay.” She put a hand in his hair and brushed it out of face. “I didn’t know you two were dating!”

“We’re not- well, it’s new. New development.”

“New development my ass,” Hopper snorted as he walked by, taking his bag to his room.

“Hopper knows too?” he groaned.

“Aw honey. You two weren’t exactly subtle. But I’m really glad you finally worked it out. I’m so happy for you.”

Will felt a pang of guilt at those words. She had wanted him to be happy for so long, and now he was lying to her about it. That’s just cruel. He took his hands off of his face to look at her for a moment.

“Thanks mom,” he said, giving her a hug.

“Mm, there’s going to have to be some new rules, though.”

He pulled back in shock. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you know Mike is always welcome here and I want you two to have fun, but you are teenagers and sometimes it’s easy to get carried away. I know when I was your age-”

“Mom! Gross, no. We don’t- It was a kiss. That’s all. I’m not… ew.”

Joyce laughed. “Alright, I trust you. But be careful unless you want the door open three inches rule.”

He honestly might need it. He had no idea when Mike said they would kiss a little that he meant they would kiss like that. And he seemed just as eager. He was going to have to watch himself before he did something stupid, like tell him he loves him. Or worse, try something that makes MIke hate him, which he would never do, but still! 

This was not a situation he knew how to navigate. 

who wants to read the first chapter of my byler fake dating wip to decide if I should keep writing it?

The Byers-Hopper living room had been temporarily turned into a large cave of sleeping bags and blankets. They had managed to get away with the excuse of Max and El coincidentally having a sleepover at the same time the boys did. Not at all a mixed event. Dustin had been trying to throw popcorn into Max’s mouth while Lucas bugged Will with the same question he had been asking since he came out to them.

“When are you gonna get a boyfriend?” Lucas whined.

Will rolled his eyes and set his soda down on the floor next to him.

“As soon as I find a gay boy in Hawkins that is out and wants to date me,” he said with a dry tone that implied the odds of that were very slim, at which Dustin scoffed as if personally offended without looking away from his mission.

“Will, if I liked boys, I would be all over you,” he insisted.

They all laughed as Will pulled a disgusted face, though he appreciated the gesture.

“Thanks, man, but I’m good.”

“You must like someone,” said Lucas with a raised eyebrow.

Will’s eyes darted to Mike, lightning quick so no one would catch it, but he met his gaze before looking away and clearing his throat.

“Leave him alone, guys,” Mike said, annoyed. Max’s eyebrows appeared to launch off her forehead but she said nothing. Of course Mike would be the one to help him, to protect him. He always was, wasn’t he?

There was a moment of silence before El stood up and stretched.

“I am getting more pizza,” she announced and Dustin went to join her.

They managed to make it another two hours before the topic came up again. This time, surprisingly, it was El who said something. Everyone else was getting ready for bed and she sat next to him on the floor.

“Do you not like anyone?” she asked earnestly. Will sighed.

“It’s complicated.”

She paused before saying, “I hope it stops being complicated. I hope you get him.”

Will smiled and hugged his sister as everyone walked back into the room.

“What are we talking about?” asked Dustin.

“Boys,” El told him.

“Yes! Get my boy some di-“

“MAX!” Will interrupted before she could finish her sentence. His face flushed a dark red and he shook his head in disbelief. This feeling only increased when he saw Mike trying to cover up a laugh with a cough.

“Something funny, Michael?” he asked.

“Nope,” he said, finally laughing out loud.

That laugh. Will had heard it all his life and yet he never tired of it. The way his nose scrunched and his cheeks dusted with pink. It was Will’s favorite way to draw him.

They had all settled in to watch a movie, and the subject was not brought up, but Will’s mind wouldn’t let the topic go.

When would he get a boyfriend, if ever? Why was he stuck on Mike after all these years? Why couldn’t he just move on?

“Hey,” Mike said in his ear from beside him on the floor, “You ok?” 

Will swallowed. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Mike’s breath had been hot on his cheek and they were pressed up so close against the couch. Will wiped his sweaty hands and excused himself to go to the bathroom. He just needed a moment to breathe.

When he reached the bathroom and closed the door, he finally felt his limbs relax. It had only been about a minute and a half before there was a knock at the bathroom door.

“Yeah?” Will called.

“Will, it’s Mike, I just came to check on you.”

He opened the door to let Mike in and closed it once more. The two boys sat on the cold tile, knees touching ever so slightly.

“What’s going on?” he asked softly and Will sighed deeply.

“It’s stupid, I’m just a bit tired of all the relationship questions.”

Mike nodded sagely and his brows furrowed. Will knew that face. It was the same face Mike made when he had an idea for a campaign. That was a dangerous face.

“Miiiike. What are you planning?” he pouted, shoving the boy.

“Shh, let me think,” he said, putting his finger to Will’s lips for a second. He went cross eyed to look at the hand on his mouth and his heart picked up about ten paces. Mike removed his hand and stood up, beginning to pace the small bathroom and Will stood soon after in confusion.

“Okay, so the party won’t stop bothering you about dating someone, yes?”

“Yes?” Will said slowly.

“And your family is worried you're lonely, yes?”

“Hey! I-”

“Shut up and let me finish. I want to move out of my dad’s house but he won’t let me…” Mike trailed off as if Will could finish the thought for him.

“Mike, literally what do those things have to do with each other?”

He looked at Will like it was obvious and held his hands out in a general ‘duh’ gesture.

“You date me!”

Will caught a glimpse of the face he made in the bathroom mirror, and no words could describe what that emotion was. Will calls it, ‘my-best-friend-who-is-a-boy-and-very-straight-who-I-am-in-love-with-says-I-should-date-him.’

It took a moment for Will to get the word out of his mouth, as it had gotten very dry. “What?”

“You date me! Pretend, of course-”

“Of course.”

“-so everyone leaves you alone and my dad kicks me out because he’s a piece of shit. Everybody wins!”

After a moment, he deduced that Mike was not joking, and the panic receptors in his brain which never did their job correctly made him laugh. Loudly.

“What are you smoking, Mike?”

“What?” Mike asked, offended. He seemed to think it was a great plan. Will caught his breath and leaned against the wall.

“Mike, no one’s gonna buy that. Also, it is not worth losing your family over a joke. What if he- what if he hurt you?”

As Will tried to get Mike to see reason, some part of him wanted to say yes. Some awful, selfish, thirteen year old part of him wanted Mike in whatever way he could get him even if it was fake. 

Mike seemed to think Will’s words over, and he had a moment of hope that the boy would change his mind.

“You think he would hurt me?” Mike asked, as if this had never occurred to him.

“Mike, I’m not saying your dad’s a bad person, but-”

“He’s the scum of the earth, but continue.”

“People do crazy things when they think someone they love might be g- might be like me.”

Mike’s face twisted in a way that churned Will’s stomach. No, don’t be sad, don’t look like a kicked puppy. 

“Well then we gotta do it.”

“What?!?” Will exclaimed, more confused than ever. He thought he had changed his mind, not egged him on.

“Think about it. If Hawkins has a publicly gay couple, it could make it easier for other people.”

“You want it to be public?” Will screeched. Okay, Mike had officially lost his mind, because if he thought the bullying was bad already, just wait until he announced he was a boykisser.

Mike grinned. “Are you agreeing?”

“No! I’m the opposite of agreeing! I’m disagreeing! I am the antithesis to whatever point it is that you’re trying to make!”

Mike just laughed. “The point is it’s a win-win situation. We say we’re dating, we hold hands in front of people, maybe kiss a few times then we stage a break up. No harm done.”

Kiss. He wanted them to kiss. Well, no, not wanted, but he suggested it. Oh god.

“You do realize if your father kicks you out, you might never speak to him again.”

“If that’s the worst case scenario, then this plan is better than I thought.”

Will sighed again, running his hands over his face. He only had so much willpower. The boy he had been in love with for years was offering a free trial on a silver platter and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“How would it work?” he asked quietly, trying not to read into the way Mike’s face lit up when he said it.

“We would walk downstairs now holding hands and tell the party we’re dating. Then tomorrow we tell your family. Word gets around, my dad explodes, I move in with Nancy.”

“That’s it? That’s your genius plan? We need to figure out every step. How long have we been dating? Who asked who? When did you realize you were gay? Are you even gay or are you bisexual? Do we…”

Will trailed off and grinded his teeth. Mike cocked his head.

“Do we what?”

“...kiss?”

Mike paused a second before laughing at Will’s hushed tone.

“I would hope so, if we were dating.”

Will rolled his eyes and grabbed Mike by the shoulders to make him look at him, ignoring the way his heart fluttered at the contact. He needed to get this point across.

“Mike. If we were fake dating. If we kissed. Then that means that you would have to kiss me. On the lips. Me and you,” he said clearly, sure that this would be the deal breaker to snap him out of it. Instead, Mike just looked at him with the same serious face, pushing Will’s hands off his shoulders.

“Will. I know. That’s how kissing works,” he said with a shit eating grin.

“And you’re okay with that?”

This was Will’s lifelong dream and worst nightmare all wrapped into one.

“Yeah, I mean, it would be weird if it was like Lucas or something but it’s you.”

He said it so plainly, so surely that Will knew he meant it. And that hurt so wonderfully. His head was spinning. No, he did not want to kiss him, but he would rather kiss him than another boy. He offered.

“Have you ever kissed anyone?” Mike asked, making Will roll his eyes.

“Mike, when would I have ever had the chance to kiss someone?”

Mike just shrugged and leaned back against the sink. “Wanna practice? Y’know, before we kiss in front of someone else.”

Will blanched. “I- I still haven’t agreed, technically.”

His heart seemed to be trying to escape his ribcage and he willed it to calm down. This was not happening. Mike smiled at him, that wonderful smile, and knelt down on one knee, holding out cupped hands in front of him.

“William Byers, will you do me the honor of fake dating me?”

There was a pause, and then, “Ugh, fine. Get off the floor, it’s dirty.”

Mike stood and brushed off his pants with a haughty sort of pride at having convinced him. The boys looked at each other for a moment, saying nothing.

“So, uh, what now?” Will asked, fidgeting.

“You never answered my other question.” Mike said, stepping closer. Will’s heart pounded.

“What other question?”

Mike took another step so he was almost pressed against Will, but not quite.

“Wanna practice?”

Oh god. What was he supposed to say? Which answer was less suspicious? If he said yes, he would seem too eager, but if he said no, it would look like he was hiding something.

Mike studied his face and took a quick step back, looking guilty. “Hey, we don’t have to kiss at all if you’re not comfortable with that. Maybe we’re not a PDA couple.”

Will groaned internally. Had he just missed his one chance to kiss Mike Wheeler? It’s not like that offer was going to present itself again.

“No,” he said too quickly, “I mean, no it doesn’t make me uncomfortable. We can… kiss.”

Mike raised an eyebrow and stepped back into Will’s personal space.

“You sure?”

“M’sure,” he breathed.

Mike slowly reached out to grab his chin and Will tried not to squirm. His hands were big enough to cradle his whole face if he wanted to. He felt himself being tugged forward slightly and Mike Wheeler was kissing him. It was… disappointing. Will forgot to close his eyes or do anything with his lips and his hands were just hanging at his sides uselessly. Mike pulled away slightly. Well, that was it. His first kiss. Wahoo.

“You gonna kiss me back or what?” he asked with a smirk, his voice slightly scratchy, setting every nerve ending in his body on fire.

Their lips touched again, and this time he responded. He closed his eyes and kissed him back. Their lips slotted awkwardly at first, but Will tilted his head to the right and there it was. This was the kiss that he had wanted. It was soft and his heart was in his throat as he was trying so hard to not fuck it up. Mike pressed closer to him, putting a hand on the wall beside him. His lips opened slightly, prying Will’s open as he skated his tongue across his bottom lip. Will inhaled sharply through his nose and pulled away so he could breathe. His lips tingled slightly and he felt like he was only half awake.

“We should probably go back downstairs,” Mike said plainly, looking unaffected. Will drew in a deep breath to steady his thoughts and nodded. Mike stepped away and held out his hand for Will to take.

“Shall we?”

Will took his hand shakily and their fingers interlocked. They had actually held hands before. They did it a lot as kids until they were told they weren’t supposed to. Mike’s hands were much bigger now than they had been back then, and Will hoped his weren’t too sweaty.

They made their way downstairs, hand in hand in the dark living room. All eyes flicked over to them from the TV, aside from Max who hadn’t been looking in the first place.

“What took you so long?” she asked while everyone else silently clocked their intertwined hands.

“Uh, sorry. Headache,” Will said plainly.

“Bullshit,” Max called from the couch.

“What?”

“Bullshit. What happened?”

Although she was blind, Max still never missed anything.

“Uh, well,” Mike said, cheeks coloring, “Me and Will are kinda dating.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment and Will considered taking his chances with a tall building, but then there was a cacophony of, “Finally!” and “I knew it!”, which Mike made a face at, but said nothing. 

Eventually, everyone was tired enough to actually go to sleep, and they began to settle into their sleeping bags.

“What are you doing?” Will asked as Mike pushed his sleeping bag closer to his.

“Shouldn’t we sleep together?”

Will’s mouth went dry at the wording and he just nodded mutely as he crawled in to go to sleep. Mike did the same, so close that Will could feel his breath on his nose. Those lips. He had kissed those lips. Rather poorly at first, but still. Mike shifted even closer and Will swore all of Hawkins could hear his heart beating. Everyone else had already fallen asleep, it being three in the morning, so it was really just them.

“Mike,” Will whispered, “No one’s watching.”

“Just to be safe,” Mike whispered back, and leaned in, pressing their lips together quickly before pulling away and laying his head down, still facing him. “Goodnight, boyfriend.”

Will sighed. “Goodnight.”

If this plan didn’t go to shit, he owed the universe a lot of money.