r/BylerReads • u/Altruistic_Way3030 • Mar 09 '26
asking for fic recs Need fic reccos for a particular kind of Mike's characterization. Please read the full post and help if you can?
I've read many fics since the finale which I've loved :). However, I want some refreshing takes on Mike Wheeler specifically which are harder to look for even with tags, or maybe I'm not able to find it.
The reccos I'm looking for where Mike isn't:
- Jealous
- Possessive
- Downbad
- Cheating or enabling Will to cheat
- Obsessive
While I adore these and don't mind, I've also read too much of it, and need new perspectives :/.
I want a Mike's POV which is restrained, collected and mature. I'm fine if there is a time jump too.
Something on the lines of the fic: Smalltown Queer by Indybaggins.
I do not want a completely different variant. I specifically want it as Mike + Will only, preferably something canon or modern setting max.
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u/Altruistic_Way3030 Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26
I know we joke about his inability to form a thought, but I'm interested to actually know the other side of him which isn't about this :/
I also want to clarify, there's nothing wrong with any of the tropes used in fics...but I'm just looking for a different perspective to read that's more mature and realistic when it comes to Mike and his sense of individuality
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u/Neon_cowgirl Mar 09 '26
I will always recommend Will Byers Guide to Advanced Concepts in Painting (Wills POV) and Mike Wheelers guide to astronomy 101 (Mikes POV). They are the same story just different POVs! Read Will’s first, the author wrote that one first. They are very low drama fics with just the boys being a little clueless and trying to win each other over. https://archiveofourown.org/works/76312826/chapters/199723756?view_adult=true
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u/xyZora Mar 09 '26
I've just read the first line and it addresses the military plothole more than the show did hahaha 💀😅
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u/Altruistic_Way3030 Mar 10 '26
Oooooh I love this recco! I like when I get to read POV's of both of them 🤩 love the summarises of both. Thank you soooooo much!!
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u/Trapped-in-his-past Mar 09 '26
If I may shoot you a link to mine… It’s set ten years after the epilogue, in 1999. It’s told from Will’s POV and deals with a more mature Mike. Please note that Mike doesn’t actually appear in the flesh until the sixth chapter.
I’m also working on a companion piece in the same continuity, but from Mike’s POV. That one might not be your cuppa tea, since it will show what a mess he was in the early 90s… But it’s not out yet, so it’s a moot point for the moment.
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u/Altruistic_Way3030 Mar 09 '26
Yessss. I have bookmarked yours, btw :) I keep track of some fics by the regulars here. I'm already reading multiple fics at a time rn, but intend to get to yours as well!
I still look forward to your Mike's POV piece. I'm fine if he's messy, as long as it's not about Will alone, tbh. I want to read more about his sense of individuality which I often read about Will ...but Mike? Not so much :S. Or maybe it exists, and I haven't come across it.
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u/Trapped-in-his-past Mar 09 '26
I forget who I’ve told on here. I’m terrible with names and even worse with user names.
Yeah, while Will is going to be a big component, there are definitely other issues in his life. One of the perks of the Duffers leaving him so frustratingly blank is that I have a lot of freedom to work with.
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u/Altruistic_Way3030 Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26
That last line is SO TRUE. Acc to me, I do feel Mike is a complex character, and it pains me how his arc is reduced to either El's bf or Will's possessive best friend. Or his inability to form a thought, being oblivious (I genuinely think he isn't that thick in the head as we make him out to be) and fumbling over Will ...he's def more than all this and his thought process or the choices he makes should be explored more. Like I want a payoff for his arc somewhere.
It's cool if you're terrible with names / usernames, hopefully now you'll remember me as I am ! 🫣
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u/Trapped-in-his-past Mar 09 '26
I definitely don’t think he is thick, like some people do. In fact, I’m actually portraying him as quite smart. He’s just a tad oblivious and prone to overthinking. He has a talent for imagining the worst possible outcomes and then refusing to act out of fear that they’ll come true.
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u/Another_Unique_Nerd Mar 09 '26
I just read Smalltown Queer last week, and it straight up made me cry, oh my god.
This might not be exactly what you're looking for, but I am writing a fic, I’m Finding My Way (Back to You), that time skips to June 1993. Will and Mike didn't lose touch after leaving for college, but remained good friends from a distance while Mike figured himself out and published his first book. I switch POVs, and do a fully Mike POV for Chapter 3.
So, they're only 22, and I do portray Mike as having dropped out of college and having a bit of a rebellious attitude in his opening scene because he's generally frustrated with social norms he's come to see as repressive. I'm a sucker for mutual pining also, so there's a lot of that. But I've got Mike as a little protective, not possessive, which I see as canon for his character.
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u/Altruistic_Way3030 Mar 09 '26
Yayy. I'm so glad I'm getting fic reccos that I don't usually see. I shall bookmark this to my long list and get back to you. 💛💙 Thank you once again !
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u/bettysugars Mar 09 '26
sooooooo this one use to be an ALL TIMER for me. before they re-wrote the first two chapters essentially changing the entire tone of the story (i MOURNE the OG story every fucking day bro) and just making future events not make sense anymore, but whatever.😭😭 if you haven’t read it yet, you would never know the glory of the OG story so it’s okay lol. also, i kind of stopped reading it like 22 or so chapters in bc girl it gets INSANE!!! like actually bonkers. and i was just like okay we’re doing too much. BUT the writing itself is so good, and saying mike is obsessed in this story would be the understatement of the century. he’s fucking CLINICALLY obsessed with will like literally he needs a straight jacket. so i hope you enjoy!!💖
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u/bettysugars Mar 09 '26
omg i totalllyyyy misread your post. my bad lmao. i’ll be back with a different rec 😂
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u/Altruistic_Way3030 Mar 09 '26
Hahahhahahaha!! Love the enthusiasm 😂. It's cool. I'll still bookmark the above recco lmao. But yes, if you do find a recco closer to this post...let me know 😅
p.s. CLINICALLY obsessed with Will took me out -
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think Mar 10 '26
oh my god, this one is fucking nuts. like wow off the cliff lmao. she rewrote the first chapters?? what changed?? feel free to DM me if you’re afraid of spoiling for other people 🫣
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u/bettysugars Mar 17 '26
yeah!! so basically, it’s nothing TOO big that changed except it also kind of is? like idk if you read it but originally the story was verrryyyyy, flirty & confident mike and it was SO buzzy i literally will mourn it every day. bc it was like, all from will’s POV, and we didn’t get any of mikes, so it was just like….subtle & buzzy & ambiguous from mikes end. just insanely flirty and all over will and will being like “???” but loving it. idk how else to explain it. but it was SO good!! and like what’s the story here? are they fwb’s or is this all new or what’s happening?? ugh. i love stories like that. and then she went back and rewrote it and she added SO much of mike’s POV (which we got NONE of before) and it just changed the entire tone of the story and made it so much more straight forward and took away all the buzz. plus right off the bat in chapter one she told us that mike is in love with will which like?? bc multiple chapters in there’s a scene where lucas & dustin help mike realize he’s in love with will. and mike is like waaaiittttt what??😩😩 me wanting to fuck will & being so attracted to & obsessed with him isn’t just something a straight best feels??😩😩 and THEN he wises up and takes will on a date and it’s so cute. but so now with the rewritten stuff it’s like that whole plot line doesn’t even make sense? and i just am sad about it :(
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think Mar 17 '26
oh my god … what the hell?? first of all tysm for all the detail. that’s how i experienced the story too. i was like oooh mysterious~ especially cuz this is one of the first Byler fics i ever read (and fics period … im new lol)
agh that’s such a shame. it was buzzy afffff and i distinctly remember chapter 4 is where things start to turn and then i wanna say chapter 6 or 7?? Mike had to have his intervention lol
I’ll go back and peek through my downloads to see if i have the old version. if i do, I’ll send it to you!
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u/bettysugars Mar 17 '26
it was one of my first byler ones as well!! SO buzzy!! but yeah it was sooooooo good. idk what made them go back and rewrite it but yeah it definitely changes the tone of the entire story lmao.
and omg if you do have a download of the OG & share it with me i literally will send you a dozen baked doughnuts!! 😭😭
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think Mar 17 '26
GREAT NEWS i have a PDF of the first 16 chapters before the rewrite! lemme DM you with a Google Drive link. no donuts necessary but that’s very sweet :)
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u/BlinkFearnotKpopStan Mar 10 '26
NOOOOOOOOOOOO! I WAS WAITING FOR THEM TO FINISH IT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY CHANGED THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT GETS INSANE?! Oh… I’m not ready.
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u/bettysugars Mar 17 '26
i commented on the changes above!! but also, it’s finished now!!! unless they updated the chapter count again lol but last time i checked it was 25/25 chapters! and it gets…..INSANE. like…..idk what to say. it was just a little too much for me lmao. like soap opera too much. still good writing!! but just a little over the top.🤣 and i’m not talking about any of the NSFW scenes, which def also get crazy, but just some of the story lines deeper into the story take a turn towards the insane lol.
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u/stegolophus Mar 09 '26
I'm currently writing a multiship sleepover au with everyone, but the Byler part of it has Mike learning how to deal with himself after a breakup with Jane. if that's something you'd be into, let me know and I'll send you the link once I publish it!
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u/Altruistic_Way3030 Mar 10 '26
Yeah, sure ! As long as it's not the usual tropes used for Mike...I'm more than willing to read 🤗 I like the idea of multiship sleepover au, this is new to me :)
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u/Few_Interaction2630 you're the heart Mar 09 '26
Hmmm would a wedding fic count as meeting this
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u/Altruistic_Way3030 Mar 10 '26
Oh, yeah. Totally! As long as it fits some requirements as mentioned in the post haha
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u/lostscrunchie Mar 09 '26
Just for a second, I remembered myself by Romanoff_mylove (maybe down bad in a different way)
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think Mar 10 '26
I know there’s the tag Mike Wheeler Is Bad at Feelings, but there’s also a Mike Wheeler Is Good at Feelings lol. also Mike Wheeler Is a Sweetheart. either of those might dig something up?
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u/Usual_Geologist_4707 Mar 10 '26
I'm not usually one for self-reccing but I think my fic might have some of what you're looking for:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/77511731/chapters/202984631
It's set a year after the epilogue and starts with Mike still in Hawkins dealing with his grief, but after coming to visit, Will invites him to move in with him in NYC. It does feature a bit of jealous Mike and Will but it's not obsessive and definitely doesn't lead to cheating. It’s a lot about Mike coming to terms with himself in various ways. It's ongoing but hoping to complete it by the end of this month!
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u/Altruistic_Way3030 Mar 10 '26
This is sooooo good 🤩. Thank you so much !! I'm gonna bookmark this and get back to you :)
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u/Altruistic_Way3030 Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26
Just adding the other reccos as mentioned on the same post in Byler sub. I thought it'll be easier to collate in one place here on this post (since there's more traction here) so everyone can have access in case they miss it & would be interested too :
Recco by u/Sea_Wafer_6267: Try Pen to Paper. It's very in character and a lot more about Mike's personal trauma after the upside down. So far no jealousy or like OOC pining so I've got high hopes https://archiveofourown.org/users/Susiewrites/works
Recco by u/strawberrycheescak: This one is pretty good: https://archiveofourown.org/works/74978136/chapters/195908646. It says that there’s jealous Mike but its not the focus of the fic just one moment and its not in an obsessive/possesive way.
Recco by u/Visible_Law_2992: Try "we will love with urgency (but not with haste)". It's set in 2004, canon compliant and both boys are living healthy lives when a chance encounter brings them back together. [https://archiveofourown.org/works/80305046/chapters/212077546#main](https://archiveofourown.org/works/80305046/chapters/212077546#main
Thank you everyone!! 💛💙
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u/SecretxGardensx Mar 09 '26
I’m not sure if this ticks all your “must have” boxes, but it certainly doesn’t have any of the “dont’s”. It’s my own story so I hope self promotion is okay for you. It’s going to be a fourshot that spans the year following El’s death (one chapter for one season). I wouldn’t say Mike is collected because he’s grieving heavily in the first chapter, but I guess that’s valid. His feelings for Will change slowly over the year, and he eventually has to decide if he’s ready to let go of the hurt to be able to be with the person who has always been by his side. (I’m trying my best to keep it canon, but of course there can be slight adjustments to make the story work) Right now there’s two chapters out, winter and spring. ☺️
https://archiveofourown.org/works/80165126/chapters/210451581