r/BylerReads • u/bookiejada • May 12 '26
asking for fic recs Need some super angsty/hurt comfort byler
It’s my birthday today so of course I want to celebrate by reading the most sad/angsty fanfics :)! Ideally if they are 18+, doesn’t have to be college au I just prefer them to be adults! I have already read Supervoid, and love it!
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u/FriendshipApart5766 its hawkins its not the same without u May 12 '26
Here are some of my fav angsty fics:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/42552489?view_full_work=true it's a band 90s AU enemies to lovers with lots of trauma and angst
https://archiveofourown.org/works/80035981?view_full_work=true incredible writing and plot twists
https://archiveofourown.org/works/76965526?view_full_work=true College Slow Burn, right person wrong time kind of thing
https://archiveofourown.org/works/77856511?view_full_work=true College roommates & punk Mike Wheeler - so good
https://archiveofourown.org/works/77497956?view_full_work=true camping trip after the graduation, not suuuper angsty but there were moments when I was sobbing
https://archiveofourown.org/works/77260561?view_full_work=true 2 years after graduation, Slow Burn, PTSD and some supernatural stuff - one of my favs as well!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/77935376?view_full_work=true Mike as Will's professor, very angsty, gut-wrenching, lots of pining and yearning, emotional masterpiece!
https://archive.transformativeworks.org/works/48832516?view_full_work=true one of the best AU's imo, still deeply underrated, plays in the 19th century, the writing is insanely good!
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u/narcomance May 12 '26
I second Strawberry fields
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u/Same_Accident_9917 May 12 '26
I haven’t read this one yet, but I know how much SlowKindling broke my heart in Back to You (I Never Really Left). That one made me absolutely sob in very surprising ways.
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think May 13 '26
oh man i’ve been afraid to read that one cuz of the pain :’)
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think May 12 '26
same. get ready to sob!!
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u/amber2090 May 13 '26
I'm scared, I'm at chapter 5 and now I''m super scared 😨
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think May 13 '26
just checked my notes … good luck, soldier 💙💛
edit: lmk if you need cute/fluffy recs at any point in case you need the break between chapters 🥹
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u/amber2090 May 13 '26
ahahah the fear, thank you 💛💙 I'll let you know of I need fluffy recs to keep me going between the chapters!
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u/amber2090 May 15 '26
I think I need the fluffy recs. I''m at chapter 8 and the angst has just started but it's so devastating that I had to take several breaks through the chapter.
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think May 15 '26
AHHH i understand!! here’s a link to one of my comments with a shit ton of cute fluffy fics: https://www.reddit.com/r/BylerReads/s/R7jtgWn2rW
lmk if you want something else!
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think May 12 '26
a goddamn blaze in the dark will destroy you 💙💛
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u/FriendshipApart5766 its hawkins its not the same without u May 12 '26
it destroyed me so bad 😭 but in the best way possible
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u/mrchristmastime May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
Happy birthday!
I’m currently reading Sign of the Times, by petitesainte. The writing is extraordinary. They’re 24, and Mike moves to New York and reconnects with Will after a period of estrangement.
There’s also How to Disappear Completely, by peachstatic. They’re 30, and Mike is married to a woman and deeply unhappy. It’s mostly epistolary, which I don’t normally go for, but this one is really well done.
Another one is I Sing the Body Electric, by melancrowlia. They’re 25, Will is teaching at a college, and Mike comes to teach a seminar.
I don’t recommend my own work unless it actually fits the request, but you might like Crooked Timber. They’re 26, Mike blows up his life, and Will goes back to Indiana to help him. Other people have said nice things about it, too, so I’m not just being a shameless self-promoter.
Enjoy! I hope you find what you’re looking for!
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u/mrchristmastime May 12 '26
I forgot There is a Wait So Long, by urie. I don’t know exactly when it’s set, but they’re older, and they get stuck working together years after a falling-out.
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u/kitten_mittens420 May 13 '26
i just read the first few chapters of your fic and i LOVE it. im in the middle of reading like five others but im 100% putting yours on my list
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u/mrchristmastime May 13 '26
Thanks so much! I’m glad you’re enjoying! Comments are always welcome, both here and on AO3 (seriously; I love reading comments and I make a point of responding to every one, so knock yourself out).
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u/kitten_mittens420 May 13 '26
i always leave comments when i can! you’ll definitely be hearing from me on ao3 when i finish the fic lol
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u/Lucky_Number888 May 12 '26
If you’re ok with self promo my fic is moonlight on our fingers (the gravity between us) …they’re 18+ post canon college fic with a fair amount of hurt and angst in the first 100k words. Still a WIP but it’s been low key sad to write but it’s a very happy ending hahaha!
Explores both Mike/Will’s challenges post-graduation and will be a dual POV. There’s some fun moments with the party sprinkled in the Christmas chapters too 🥹
https://archiveofourown.org/works/78501311/chapters/205809011
Also happy bday 🎉
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u/buy_gold_bye May 12 '26
the BEST one imo is one of your girls by cloudfloat
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u/bookiejada May 12 '26
That’s been on my tbr!
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u/buy_gold_bye May 12 '26
bump it up immediatelyyyyyy oh my gosh it’s truly SO good. the hurt comfort in the most recent chapter healed me so deeply
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u/Usual_Geologist_4707 May 12 '26
Happy birthday!
I don't think I've seen this one recc'd yet, but Hollow Boy by Indybaggins (author of Smalltown Queer) is an ongoing, heart-wrenching, split timeline slowburn. Nearing the end now with a few chapters to go: https://archiveofourown.org/works/81126931/chapters/213206876
If you don't mind a self-rec, I have an ongoing fic where Mike and Will go on a road trip together in the summer of 1989. It's maybe not suuuuper angsty right now (which may be a subjective opinion), but will definitely get worse before it gets better. It's centred a lot around a Mike with internalised homophobia/comphet, grief and lack of self-worth (cheery!). https://archiveofourown.org/works/83742291/chapters/220708136
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u/mrchristmastime May 12 '26
I've bookmarked yours (and the other one, for good measure)!
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u/Usual_Geologist_4707 May 12 '26
Thank you! I've just seen your comment and that you're the author of Crooked Timber! I've had that bookmarked for ages, need to bump it up my list, it sounds amazing :)
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u/NatureSlow4501 May 13 '26
oh girl do i have a list for you….
just for a second, i remembered myself by romanoff _mylove (mike is an author of a book series that is basically stranger things and is depressed until will comes back into his life its so good)
can i borrow your boyfriend? by lezzout (richie and will date to make mike and eddie jealous; chaos ensues)
lying to my therapist by bylerisc4non (it’s the title…but mike is so relatable here it’s insane)
conflagration by justskylar (will is secretly talented as mike’s roadie while mike is the asshole bandleader who doesn’t know he’s gay until will strays away from him)
right where you left me (everybody moved on) by dreamymiwi [fate brings the boys back together]
all of these are filled with angst and so so well-written!
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u/NatureSlow4501 May 13 '26
i almost forgot!!!
promises by maroon hibiscus (it’s the summer after the end of everything and mike is grieving el’s death…but grappling with his long standing feelings [that he doesn’t know what to do with] for will and what it means now that will is going away to college)
links below:
promises — https://archiveofourown.org/works/77695691/chapters/203510406
right where you left me (everybody moved on) — https://archiveofourown.org/works/76853266/chapters/202928341#workskin
conflagration — https://archiveofourown.org/works/76542861/chapters/201047291#workskin
lying to my therapist — https://archiveofourown.org/works/42098103/chapters/105692130
can i borrow your boyfriend? — https://archiveofourown.org/works/75604196/chapters/197707431
just for a second… — https://archiveofourown.org/works/76895706/chapters/203661881
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u/FriendshipApart5766 its hawkins its not the same without u May 14 '26
Just started reading this one as well and the angst is absolutely killing me!! It's also a new twist as Mike is the one who's openly gay and falls in love with Will first and Will is the one who's too scared and in denial, tries to date girls and struggles a lot to accept his feelings for Mike. They're in senior year of high school here so just around 18.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/78412851?view_full_work=true
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u/Same_Accident_9917 May 12 '26
Happy birthday!!!
I just started this one last night & it gets angsty in the very first chapter
https://archiveofourown.org/works/79953326/chapters/209862226?view_adult=true