#dark byler agenda

[lighthouseas]

stealing past the windows of the blissfully dead

Sure, Mike’s agnostic even though his parents want him to be a Catholic—but he does think, sometimes, that if Heaven really exists—Will might be a manifestation of it. Or a glimpse into it. The point is, he knows Will by heart at this point. Inside and out. It’s a privilege only Mike gets to have. And so, the voice echoes in his head, louder this time: He should’ve noticed the signs earlier on.

or

fall. 1988. vecna has been defeated, and all should be well. except that it's not.

(in which mike wheeler takes the matters of will byers into his own hands.)

written for @bylerween2023

#17.5k oh my god. #hope u like it #bylerween2023 #day 3 #demons devils & exorcisms #dark byler au #dark byler agenda #tw blood #tw death #tw gore #tw homophobia #tw immolation #tw illness #tw implied death #tw murder #tw obsessive behavior #tw slurs #tw violence #woof yeah um. ummmmmmmmmmmmm #there's more tws in the actual fic #stranger things #byler #mike wheeler #will byers #byler fics #📝 #st.txt

[fluffyfangirl]

@bylerween2023 Day 2 - Slashers, Gore & Body Horror (Mind the tags please before opening!)

Inspired by @light-lanterne's ficlet "Anthropophagy" I changed the hammer out for the axe tho, I'm still sorry for that Angel ;-;

#bylerween2023 #bylerween #Byler #Day 2 #Slashers Gore and Body Horror #Mike Wheeler #Will Byers #not spoilering the third person just lying there #dark byler au #dark byler agenda #tw murder #tw blood #tw death #tw implied death #tw cannibalism #tw implied cannibalism #as you don't see a whole lot #FluffyFangirlArt

[light-lanterne]

took a break from writing a twisted little story and suddenly remembered the book "perfume", so i can't help but byler-fy it.

tw // mcd; graphic depictions of violence, murder and gore; obsession; mentioned cannibalism - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ☽ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - an offering, @catboy-cabin, @conanssummerchild, @cosmobrain00, @fluffyfangirl, @foodiewithdahoodie, @hyperfixationcentralsvoid, @holyvirgilscriptures, @lucasvenkman, @rotisseries, @yearninginblue. only tagging those i know who are enthusiastic about this type of story; forgive me if i've overstepped x.x

for those who don't know the story, please picture this: perfume maker mike who is incredibly sensitive to smell. he constantly creates the most intricate and delicate perfumes and he is great at it, but he soon bores of the scent of herbs, flowers and fruits and thus, he begins the quest to create something else.

something interesting and unique that's never been done before; a fragrance so wonderful no one will ever be able to resist it.

so he begins experimenting. uses the most bizarre extracts; creates some rather odd-yet-delicious odours that are hard to describe as anything other than exquisite,,, but it's not quite enough. he still finds his perfumes menial and uninteresting and no one around him seems to understand what he's searching for, so he grows more and more frustrated every day.

that is, of course, until he crosses paths with will: a pretty little artist who's come back to his hometown for inspiration and a break from the stress of the big city. an artist who mike used to know when they were children —before mike developed his bizarre senses—, who he hadn't thought much about in a long time

and for most people, there's nothing too special about will: he is rather handsome and nothing short of a true gentleman; he is kind and soft-spoken, and his art shows a remarkable talent and dexterity one wouldn't expect from someone so young.

but he is, ultimately, just a normal young man.

except,,, well, mike might've been a little infatuated with will back in the day so he's already fond of will's presence.

more than that, however, mike has a keen sense of smell and thus, he knows there's much more to will than what meets the eye. more specifically, mike knows that will's scent is the perfect aroma he'd been searching for all along and so, he must do absolutely everything in his power to bottle it up and keep it safe for the rest of eternity.

so he tries to replicate it. he mixes every oil and extract he owns and creates yet more wondrous concoctions everyone loves,,, but everything pales when compared to the original, which leaves mike with only one choice.

he kills his first victim in the middle of the night, shortly after the local bars have closed their doors for the day.

the next one perishes in the middle of the forest, their screams unheard as mike drives them deeper and deeper into the woods.

the next, mike lures into his shop under the pretence of a simple one-day summer job, the youth's blood staining the dark stone tiles where mike's been conducting his research.

over and over, mike kills people of all sizes and ages as he searches for a way to extract all their scents, each method more complex than the last, until he's finally refined his technique enough to dare try with his true target: will, who mike's spent all this time reconnecting with, becoming best friends with again, and even courting in an effort to satisfy his twisted needs.

on one hand, he wants to know exactly who he's planning to kill, becoming more and more obsessed and deranged with each passing day as his feelings for will grow.

on the other, and much higher on his list of priorities, he wants to spend as much time as possible smelling that delicious elixir he's hoping to acquire at some point.

and finally, after several months, the time's come: mike lures the unsuspecting will into his house and swiftly, with ease, stabs him to death until the gleam in those lovely olive eyes vanishes and gets replaced with a now-familiar white fogginess. then, mike proceeds to gather his supplies, all of which he cleaned and polished the previous night in preparation for this most crucial moment in his life.

and then he gets to chopping.

then, to distilling.

then, to bottling it all up.

he works efficiently and methodically as he prepares the perfume and, once his magnus opus is ready, he stares at it for a long while. just leaves the bottle there, on the table, gawking at it with as much fervour and reverence as he used to stare into will's charming hazel eyes.

once he's done just admiring what he's created, mike decides to test the cologne; sprays the tiniest bit on an illustration will had gifted him a week earlier, takes a deep breath in and smiles.

then, he walks from room to room and sprays just a little more fragrance on all fabrics and surfaces so that his house smells like will.

then, he walks over to will's carcass —which has acquired a certain different smell by now— and reinstates what once was by covering will with the mist of the pure, better version of his natural smell, so lovingly and thoroughly extracted by mike.

and last, of course, mike sprays a little perfume on himself, feeling it envelop him like a warm hug he can't escape from, all tender and lovely and absolutely perfect.

so he relishes in his success. spends the entire day breathing in the intoxicating smell and, after spraying another round of perfume on himself —the very last of it—, he steps outside his house to show the world what he's created, finding the entire population of hawkins at a town assembly arranged to discuss the recent disappearances and killings that have shaken the town to its very core.

so he steps in, bloodied hands and clothing making his nightly affairs evident to everyone in the room, crazed eyes and mad smile leaving no room for doubt about his insanity and murderous acts.

but it doesn't matter. will's enrapturing scent was too faint to be picked up by anyone but mike and his advanced sense of smell, but now that it's been distilled and concentrated, everyone is able to feel just how special it is. how delicious and mouth-watering it is.

so mike is attacked; tackled to the ground as everyone tries to get a little part of his clothes or his flesh, and it's not long before someone decides to take a bite to determine whether or not the fragrance tastes as good as it smells. and truth be told, mike can't blame them for it even as he perishes.

because, if he were amidst the ravenous crowd, he would be doing the exact same thing.

- the end -

(sorry for the unhappy ending, that's just how the book ends x.x also, i am now just realising that wanting to “wear” your "loved" one feels a lot like cannibalism as a metaphor for desire, does it not ? so in the end, this isn't anything i haven't explored before x.x)

#✨ #🧸 #byler #byler fanfiction #byler fanfic #byler ficlet #will byers #mike wheeler #dark byler agenda #w // graphic depictions of violence #w // murder #w // mcd #w // gore #w // cannibalism

[arrow-of-ravenclaw]

Day seven - necromancy

The Killer and His Wizard

rating: Teen

Summary: Mike Wheeler is the most prolific serial killer Indiana has ever seen. However, no one will ever know that because of his boyfriend.

@bylerween2023

I had a blast doing partaking in this event :)

#byler fic #byler #bylerween2023 #dark byler #dark byler agenda #tw serial killers #tw past character death

[bylerween2023]

List Of Trigger Warnings (TW) for Bylerween Posting and Tagging

Hello fellow Bylers! We have here a list down below of all the trigger warnings to properly tag your Bylerween creations if they fall under the more Graphic Horror Side than the Fluffy Spooky Side during Halloween Week. For those of you who are triggered by anything Horror-related, please take a look at this list so that you have these tags blocked to help better curate your Bylerween experience.

Note: we may update and edit this list as we receive feedback and find more tags. (Last edited 10/22/23.) See something missing? Ask us to tag something/add to the list!

Tags that should be used for the event:

dark byler au

dark byler agenda

tw animal abuse

tw animal cruelty

tw blood

tw body horror

tw cannibalism

tw candy gore

tw clowns

tw csa

tw csa mention

tw death

tw decapitation

tw demons

tw dismemberment

tw eating people

tw flashing

tw flesh

tw gore

tw gun

tw homophobia

tw horror

tw hunting

tw immolation

tw implied/symbolic horror

tw injury

tw injuries

tw insects

tw illness

tw implied death

tw jump scare (for audio and video)

tw kidnapping

tw kidnapping mention

tw knives

tw light gore

tw missing person

tw murder

tw mental health

tw mutiliation

tw needles

tw nudity (Sexual material does not apply to this tag, and is not accepted for this event. This tag is solely used for non-explicit, non-sexual, aged-up nudity within a horror fanwork)

tw obsessive behavior

tw obsession

tw razors

tw stalking

tw serial killers

tw self destructive behavior

tw self destruction

tw self harm

tw self mutiliation

tw slurs

tw spiders

tw torture

tw trauma

tw trypophobia

tw violence

tw violent imagery

tw violent thoughts

tw violent death

tw vomit

tw vore (no explicit sexual content)

tw weapons

tw wounds

tw yandere

#bylerween2023 #byler #rules and guidelines

[jaegerisim]

BYLER X HARRY POTTER AU

aka, El spreading the “not all Slytherins are bad and not a Gryffindors are good’’ agenda bc she is totally not biased. I am totally biased bc Slytherin is my house and I’m a Slytherin through and through

My goal is to make this sooo gay and popular that it reaches JK Rowling and burns her mind and eyes.

Each chapter (post) will represent a year, so there’ll be 7 posts

If this ooc, I’m sorry. 🥲 I’m bad at Mike POVs and Will is gonna be pretty “evil” during some chapters but you’ll see why

Mostly Mike POVs, might have one year that’s a Will POV

Headmaster: Martin Brenner

GRYFFINDORS:

Head of House: Jim Hopper (Defense Against The Dark Arts and Quidditch)

Head Boy and Prefect: Steve Harrington

Head Girl and Prefect: Nancy Wheeler

Students: Mike Wheeler and Lucas Sinclair

SLYTHERINS:

Head of House: Henry Creel (Potions)

Head Boy and Prefect: Billy Hargrove

Head Girl and Prefect: Robin Buckley

Students: Will Byers and Max Mayfield

HUFFLEPUFFS:

Head of House: Joyce Byers (Transfigurations)

Head Boy and Prefect: Jonathan Byers

Head Girl and Prefect: Chrissy Cunningham

Students: El Hopper

RAVENCLAWS:

Head of House: Murray Bauman (Divination)

Head Boy and Prefect: Fred Benson

Head Girl and Prefect: Barb Holland

Students: Dustin Henderson

OTHER PROFFESORS:

Dmitri Antonov (Charms)

Argyle (Herbology)

Romantic Relationships:

Will Byers/Mike Wheeler

Max Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair

El Hopper/Dustin Henderson

Steve Harrington/Jonathan Byers

Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler

Platonic Relationships:

Will Byers & Max Mayfield & Robin Buckley

Mike Wheeler & El Hopper

Mike Wheeler & Lucas Sinclair & Dustin Henderson

Mike Wheeler & Nancy Wheeler

El Hopper & Max Mayfield

1st Year

2nd Year

3rd year

4th Year

5th Year

6th Year

7th Year

#el has fics #harry potter byler au #byler ficlet #byler brainrot #byler au #byler #will byers #mike wheeler #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #dustin henderson #henderhop #stonathan #ronance #lumax

[booksandpaperss]

Welcome to booksandpaperss (aka chaos lol)

Hello hello fellow gay people! Apparently people actually follow me?? And since I usually end up spamming my page with reblogs this is me making an effort be somewhat organized on here so ppl can actually navigate this blog and find my posts (to a decent degree anyway 💀)

update as of 4/4/23: my apologies to feminism bc as you will see 90% of this blog is Mike Wheeler. there’s rlly nothing I can do abt it, hope you understand 🙏

Other sites where you can find me:

ao3 - booksandpaperss

instagram (art acc) - @/fizzy.noodle.doodles

Blog Index:

Writing (WIP excerpts, ficlets, snippets, etc) -

My mandatory Be Nice to Me (by TBF) byler fic- byler fic WIP sneak peak, aka my painting fight fic that completely spiraled out of control and is now also Mike hostage theory, petergate, and lettergate all wrapped into one

And I’ll look directly at the Sun (but only in the dark) - byler fic WIP sneak peak, title loosely based off of anti hero, it’s a pre s3 byler relationship study

right by your side- byler WIP sneak peak, Will-centric and Will has powers fic, among other things ;)

A Look inside Max Mayfield’s “last word” letters to the party- an index of ficlets for my version of Max’s letters to each party member, very angsty, will be updated as I post each letter <3

Info dump post of my season 1 rewrite - byler fic WIP (multichapter), it’s just a general overview of my season 1 AU where Mike goes with Will into the UD ;)

Clinging to Before - a bite sized byler rain fight study/ficlet/poem of sorts

To Swing in our Rusty Memory (like the age old pact) - a Mike gets vecna’d poem from Will’s POV, heavily inspired and influenced by Achilles Come Down and I Know the End

Will comes out to Mike- some quick dialogue only writing practice with the blorbos

Fanart-

Angsty Will animation

Stranger Things posts Masterlist-

List of current in progress analysis posts

major clue in s4 that Mike is vecna’s next target

Let’s talk a lil abt Mike Wheeler, his depression, and what it means for s5

My iconic Stranger Things HotTakesTM

The REAL fruity four

why canon byler is gonna be a huge win for the queer community (breaking down dumb comments on why byler shippers are “overdramatic” 🙄)

we’re really overlooking how much the painting lie was a huge break in Mike and Will’s understanding of their friendship (aka how it’s definitely gonna blow up in Will’s face later)

Mike’s Basement Beats: When love breaks down- analysis (a look at Mike’s s4 arc)

Mike’s train wreck of a “love confession” actually just confirmed byler is mutual

Mike’s expression right before he starts his monologue is confusion + heartbreak

My perspective on Mike’s monologue when I was watching it as a casual viewer

Mike is sooo getting targeted by vecna in season 5: an essay in screenshots

Still having doubts abt byler bc of the monologue? Don’t worry I gotchu

Using my perspective as a lesbian to prove that Mike Wheeler is gay asf (we been knew but still)

Finn Wolfhard’s acting choices in the first flirty byler scene (you know the one)

More on Finn’s acting choices and style

Another look at Will Byers in the Van Scene (will, Mike, and feeling like a mistake, ft the amazing @heheidks)

Shaggy bowl cut Byers agenda

Some Unhinged van scene byler proof

Byler’s love languages <;3

Byler vol 1 in a nutshell

Byler endgame proof: screenshot compilation

Will’s feelings for Mike have been made a crucial part of the plot and will be addressed properly in s5

a brief look at s4 El and overcoming abuse (I’m soso proud of her omg)

Mike’s gay realization arc is already almost complete and can be broken down into 3 parts (mid s2-s4)

Mike and El already broke up in s4 onscreen (Will just didn’t realize and since we got the breakup primarily through his POV we didn’t notice at first either 👀)

Mike gets a sword in s5 agenda has evidence behind it 👀

Episode 9 lighting parallels/analysis (byler and lumax ft some of my moots)

Mike, Will, and queer realization

Mike and El both associate their romantic relationship with losing their best friend

A quick look at how the show shows Will and Mike’s crushes on each other, and what that means for s5

Dustin and his well meaning but horrible no good very bad gaydar (ft byler being dumb and Lucas being tired)

100% accurate and byler tumblr approved analysis of Mike fans vs Will fans

My delusional and self indulgent but also kinda realistic byler scenario for a season 5 trailer

PSA for byler shippers/stranger things shippers in general (and even just fandom with teenage characters in general) to stop shaming teenagers for having sexual thoughts and acting like it’s abnormal

Mike’s alleged romantic love for El was never actually believable to her

Camera angles, volume 2, and Mike Wheeler (aka an analysis of the subtle transition into Mike POV for season 5)

Stranger Things 4 through the lense of a Shakespeare tragedy

the Wheeler parents: a quick debunking of fanon assumptions and misconceptions

Unhinged bowlcut metaphor (you’ll see lmao)

#hope this helps organize the mess that is this blog 💀💀 #will be updating this masterpost regularly #love you guys <3

[starsarefire824]

I depressingly don’t have much in the way of work for Byler Week. So here’s a chapter from A Certain Slant of Light where Will sneaks his actor agenda into the boys’ movie night with a little Max and Lucas interaction thrown in the mix. :P

John Cusack- Byler Week Day 2: 80s Films

It’s the way her still slightly milky blue eyes flash brightly when he enters the room that makes Will’s heart flutter with excitement. The curtains are open and Max’s room has been recently mopped, making it smell clean and sterile, and there are flowers all around her, allowing Will to almost forget he’s in the hospital. Until he notices the floor where the stains wouldn’t come off and the wires that snake in an out of Max’s body and the unrelenting beep of the monitor in the corner. He tries to ignore them. Will beams at her shyly, shoving his hands in his pockets and standing next to the bed. She still has one cast on her right leg, but everything else has healed these past few months. Will’s unsure she’ll walk again. Lucas told him there’s a chance with intense physical therapy, but the injury to her spine and pelvis had been extensive. Her vision returned at least, even if they never returned to their original color; fully in one eye and partially in the other.

“Hey man,” Lucas greets him groggily as he stirs from a chair in the corner, sitting up quickly and glancing over at Max as if she might disappear at any moment. He settles back in the chair, more relaxed once he realizes she’s exactly where he left her.

“Hi,” Will says quietly, smiling at Lucas warmly and his gaze flitting back to Max. She smiles up at him, shy in a way he isn't used to. He thinks she must hate being stuck in a bed. “Hi,” she says, pulling the oxygen tube from her nose and taking a deep breath in.  

Max is paler than usual and her lips are cracked, her hair has lost its luster slightly, and there are dark purple circles under her eyes, but the spirit is bright in her blue-silver eyes and her mouth is pressed in a determined line. It feels strange, knowing what happened between them, to finally see her in person. Considering Lucas isn’t freaking out, he thinks that Max hasn’t said anything and maybe that’s for the best….for now anyway.

“How do you feel?” Will asks, pulling a small chair from the wall and sitting at her side, across from Lucas.

She smiles again and nods. “I feel okay.  A bit strange . Like I woke up from a dream I can’t quite remember.”

“Do you remember what happened to you?”

She hums. “Hmm, I remember bits and pieces. I remember Vecna finding me in my memory, I remember seeing El. I remember the vines strangling me and his eyes. But then it just goes dark. And then suddenly I was stuck—” she interrupts herself, glancing nervously over at Lucas, but then swallows, and brings her brows together, seemingly making up her mind to continue. “I was stuck….inside this memory, one that was so buried I never remembered it before.” Lucas perks up, resting his elbows on his knees and cupping his hands over his mouth as he listens to Max.

“Like a repressed memory?” he asks.

“No, it was more like a memory from when I was so young, that it just was lost or something, you know? Like one of those flashing memories you have from when you were really little? The ones that are so vague you aren’t even sure they are real or made-up? It’s like that. Except this was even further back, like being a baby. But it wasn’t bad. It was warm and happy and I felt safe. I think that’s why I ended up there.”

Lucas’s brow creases as he thinks on it. “Vecna couldn’t find you there,” he states.

“I’m not sure anyone could find me there at first, but then El did....” Max replies. She shoots Will a pointed look, raising her eyebrows and silently gesturing to Lucas.

Will’s heart jumps in his chest, and he shakes his head at her quickly.  Not yet.  

“What?” Lucas asks, straightening his back and his eyes darting between the two of them with confusion.

“Nothing,” Will says quickly, smiling at him and scratching the back of his neck nervously, feeling like a complete asshole. Friends don't lie.

“Will? What’s going on?” Lucas presses.

“Nothing,” Max replies reassuringly, resting her hand over his. “I’m awake, and I’m getting the hell out of here tomorrow and I can tell you guys all more about it then okay? El’s planning a meeting.”

“A meeting?” Will questions, suddenly mortified.

“Yeah. She said it’s Code Red. Everyone has to be there. Nance, Robin, Steve, Jonathan, The Party. Everyone.”

“Did she say what it was about?” Lucas asks, squinting his eyes and his lip curling up, flashing white teeth in that funny way he does when he doesn’t know what’s going on.

Max’s eyes dart to Will before she smiles and says, “No, I don’t know. She just said it was important. I think it’s about Vecna.”

Lucas’s turns his mouth into a serious line, and he looks at Will with worry in his eyes. “This can’t be good,” he murmurs gravely.

“I know. But maybe El has a plan.” Max doesn't take her gaze off Will as she says, “Or maybe she’s figured out a way to beat him.”

Will blushes, sliding his hand down away from where he’s been gently rubbing her arm.

Suddenly, Max looks at them like she’s suddenly realized something. “Wait, where’s Mike? Everyone else has been here. Except for him.”

Will’s chest flutters with the mention of his name. Lucas rolls his eyes. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. He got suspended two weeks ago. I  finally got a hold of him last night on the radio. He said his dad is letting him out of the house later today so he can visit. He’s such an idiot. He beat the shit out of Troy the other day.”

Max’s eyes widen with shock, her mouth opening into a surprised smile. “Mike??! Beat the shit out of Troy?  Why the hell would he do that??”

Will’s cheeks burn. “It was because of me,” he murmurs, embarrassed.

“It wasn’t your fault, Will. Troy was being a total asshole from what Mike told me. But  honestly I don’t know what’s up with him. He’s being even more of a dick than usual recently.” Lucas pauses suddenly, resting his hand on Max’s wrist, his tone softening. “He did visit you though, while you were asleep. He’s not that much of an asshole.”

Max rolls her eyes, but one side of her mouth turns up with humor. “Well, I’m not sure what I was expecting when I woke up from a coma, but I’m glad to hear Mike’s still an idiot.” She looks at Will. “But at least he’s a loyal idiot.”

“Oh!” Lucas exclaims, making Will jump. “Also, El dumped his ass again.”

Max’s eyes grow round as saucers. “What! She didn’t tell me that!”

"Yeah ,” Lucas sputters in disbelief, his eyes widening exaggeratedly. “I think it’s for real this time.”

Max crosses her arms over her chest and huffs. “Why is he such a moron? I mean, I know I’m out of the loop, but they seemed fine when he went to Lenora.”

“Yeah—I have no idea. Mike got totally weird after California. I think it might have something to do with Eddie. He and Dustin were extra close with him.”

Max’s face falls and she bites her lip and swallows the emotion back. She’s only just learned about the state of things. “Yeah. I guess that could be it.”

“Okay –,” Will announces softly, suddenly feeling an immediate need to leave the room. He slides the candy bar he’d snuck up from the vending machine under Max's starched sheet to hide it from the nurses. “I guess…I’ll see you all tomorrow at your house. I really should get home. El’s expecting me back. She wanted to hang out.” His brows come together and he frowns, sighing heavily and rolling his eyes as it registers. “Which I’m realizing now probably has something to do with tomorrow,” he grumbles.

“Aah, it’ll be fine, Will,” Lucas says cheerily. “I’m sure whatever plan she’s thought up is a good one.”

Will stands up and gently puts the chair back against the wall. He smiles at Lucas, who looks extremely happy for the first time in forever. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he agrees, avoiding the way Max is suddenly staring at him. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

Will makes his way out to the parking lot, trying to ignore his heart racing his chest. El wants a meeting.  With everyone. It’s all going to come out now, whatever is going on with him, and Will isn’t ready. No one besides El knows about what he saw, what he will do. He’s been avoiding this for weeks, acting like it wasn’t happening and it was easy to do that because he had Jamie and all the fucking issues with Mike.

And now Mike knows part of it. He’s already seen it . Will keeps thinking about how his mouth fell open into a pouty “o” and his wanting black eyes widening with shock as his light softened the harsh angles of his face. He was actually GLOWING!  In front of Mike. Because of Mike! Will’s mind can't stop incessantly fixating on Mike’s hands roaming over his back, his fingers gently gliding along his face and neck, his lips upon his, softer than he ever imagined and his kiss timid, but needy. And it doesn’t seem real.

It’s a scenario he only ever allowed his mind to wander towards when he was alone in his bed at night but now that it’s actually happened he can’t stop thinking about it; Mike’s hands on him and the way he responded when Will swiped his tongue across his bottom lip.

Will had been surprised by how nervous Mike looked, how he pulled away suddenly, his eyes round with the shock of all that had happened that day, all that had led them to that point, and his hands were shaky as they caressed Will’s cheek. He was so nervous,  and Will didn’t know what to do with it, his own thoughts racing. Maybe he was being too forward, trying to lift his shirt up, maybe Mike was just taking it all in, or  maybe  he realized it was a mistake?

Will couldn’t be sure, but then the light came, and struck away whatever might have happened in the basement as he sat atop that washer; one thousand little fantasies that Will could conjure up, all whisked away with the wind of the storm that raged outside, because Mike froze, staring at him like he had just lifted into the air.

Will still doesn’t even really know what exactly happened. Mike said he was glowing, but it didn’t feel like anything, he wasn’t aware it was happening, but he definitely saw the light, he definitely saw the way the room lit up in a soft glow and the specks of white shining in Mike’s black irises.

Will was so caught up in the moment: the feel of Mike between his legs, their kiss, his pulsating need, the emotion, as deep as Lover’s Lake, that swelled up in his chest like high tide on the beach. All of it was so unbearably overwhelming that there was nowhere for it to go.

Nothing could have prepared him for what transpired between them that day. It wasn't just the kiss, it was how Mike made him feel. It was how it confirmed that Will's love mattered. Yesterday, in the lake, on the beach, in Mike's basement, it was better than the million scattered daydreams he had lived in since he was thirteen. A million moments that played over and over in his head for years.

In the beginning, when he’d awoken for the first time, sheets sticky wet and a strangled groan startling him out of sleep, confusion and hot shame burned his cheeks. He tried to push the thoughts away, and after brooding over exactly what he had dreamed about, who he had dreamed about, then couldn’t look at Mike’s eyes the next day at school.

Of course Will had always known he’d been different, but somehow, which seems so stupid to him now, he hadn’t guessed that  that was what it was. It wasn’t until a little while later it became just a little bit clearer, like chipping away at a block of marble. It was when everyone started getting girlfriends and he felt like his friends were finding their own way and their own place to fit, finding girls that they loved and leaving him behind.  That Mike was leaving him.

But even then, that hot Summer when the Mindflayer’s monster stole Billy and he and Mike fought, Will had such a vague awareness of it, a fuzzy impression that his feelings for Mike were not what normal best friends felt for each other. It was the first time in his whole life that he thought his love for Mike might be wrong.

Then in ninth grade, he started noticing the older boys, who’s shoulders had filled out, he became aware of the fact that he couldn’t help but watch the way they moved in their jeans, or glimpse the fleeting flash of skin beneath their shirts when they lifted their arms. That was when it dawned on him, in an independent way from the way he felt about Mike. It hit him like a ton of bricks if he was being honest, that he didn’t look at girls the same way all his friends did, the same way anyone male he had ever met did. Sure, he thought some of the girls at school were pretty, or he liked the way they did their hair, or how their mouths were full and pink. He enjoyed hanging out with them, and could admire the way they looked in their clothes. He liked talking with them and being their friend. But he had never met a girl he wanted to kiss. He never met a girl he felt like he had to be next to all the time.

The person Will wanted to be next to was Mike. Mike was the person Will thought about in his dreams at night and he was the person Will wanted to  kiss . But Mike was a boy. He was his best friend?

And for a while, Will thought, it’s just a phase . Maybe his wires got crossed from all the tests they’d done on him in Hawkins Lab when he was thirteen. Maybe he was just feeling left out and discarded by his friends so his body was making up for it. But as time went on it never went away. He still watched the boys in gym class, not the girls. It was the men in all the romantic movies he looked at, not the women.

Will wanted to BE Molly Ringwald, not kiss her. When he watched all the romances it was John Bender and Zack Mayo he was looking at, not the leading ladies. He started to realize when he cuddled up on the couch with El and his mom watching all these romantic films they liked, that he silently oohed and aahed over the men just like they did out loud. Even though he never said it to anyone, he became aware of the fact that tall, dark, and handsome meant the same thing to him as it did to El and Joyce.

One night when they were sixteen, about a month before he left for California, the Party sat spread across the couches in Mike’s basement taking turns playing Nintendo and passing around a joint Dustin had procured from Steve. All three of his friends struck up a lively conversation about movies, interspersed with giggles and snorts, which inevitably led to debating over the actresses they found attractive: Phoebe Cates, Geena Davis, Demi Moore, Jennifer Beals. Each said their piece, fighting over who was right and who was wrong and eventually they looked towards him.

Will thinks it was their direct question, that abstract thing he’d always been internally aware of suddenly flooding over him with a terrifying clarity. He had to confront it head on in a moment where he was caught off guard. He had no prepared answer. Mike sat up from laying beside him on the couch to pass him the joint, his face squinting through the smoke as he held in a hit. Will took it from him and sank back into the rough sewn cushion and his mind went completely blank. Well not blank exactly. His friends sat there staring at him expectantly. Will tapped his foot in response, frustration bubbling up in his veins because the only person that came to mind was John Cusack.  John Cusack . John fucking Cusack. Or maybe Jeff Goldblum in The Fly with his long limbs and dark curly hair (that kind of resembled Mike’s).

So since he couldn’t open his mouth, Will raised his eyebrows at them, trying to hide his panic by taking a long hit. Too long of a hit for his own good. He waited so long to answer that Lucas had to prompt him. “Will?”  

Jesus it was embarrassing. His cheeks grew hot and when Will’s glanced nervously at Mike, his eyes flashed with a strange sense of terror, and Will knew he’d be no help. Mike nudged his thigh with his knuckles, urging him on just like he did at the Snow Ball in eighth grade. Will thought and thought and thought until finally his internal panic produced a coughed up, strangled, “Julia Roberts!” to which Lucas and Dustin laughed and hooted. “ Jesus , Will!” Dustin teased. “Had to think about that one, huh!”

At least they were laughing. Then suddenly, Will couldn’t contain the absolute absurdity of the entire conversation. His mind was racing with terror and his heart was beating in his chest and the couch was too rough and the wall was too orange and he was sure he could feel every hair on his head. And all he could think to say (which was true he might add.) was,“I'm serious!” his voice cracking mid-giggle, “I really like her hair.”

Well that made Lucas spit out his drink, and Mike looked at him like he was insane. Dustin paused and thought seriously for a second before replying, “I like her hair, too.”

That made Will snort, unable to contain the laughter that poured out of his chest. It was a close one, but he had done it. And so he laughed and laughed, laughed so hard he couldn’t breathe right along with Dustin. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and joyous tears caught on his eyelashes. Lucas slapped Dustin’s head so hard his hat fell off his head and landed in the pizza box. “You’re an idiot Dustin,” he scolded good-humoredly.

“DUDE!” he complained. “I just got that hat! Shit!” Mike, who was laughing, but otherwise had been unusually quiet after what Will had said, grabbed it for Dustin, and Will watched the long length of his back as he sat up. Mike threw it at Dustin’s chest, and plopped back down on the couch, his body heavy against Will as he did so, their shoulders overlapping, thighs pressed together. Mike looked over at him, but there wasn’t as much humor on his face as he originally thought. At the time Will didn’t know what to make of it. He bit his lip, his good humor sucked out of him as Mike’s dark gaze watched him. Will noticed his eyelashes and how his freckles were still darkened from the summer sun. He noticed how he suddenly couldn't think of anything but how the warm skin of Mike's thigh brushed against his.

“Alright, well what’s the next movie then? Juliaaa Robertss for Will?!” Lucas teased, startling Will and Mike from their staring. Will sucked in a breath and lifted his hips, nervous fingers tugging at his shorts from where they rode up.

“Mmmm,” Will hummed as he collected himself, thinking about the movies that he knew the Wheeler’s had on tape, still hyper aware Mike was still right there. “Maybe something else,” he suggested lightly. “What about Better Off Dead?” John Cusack , he thought happily. They’ll never know the difference.  

“Right on. I love that movie,” Dustin agreed, getting up to fetch it from the basket of VHS tapes underneath the table.

Will thinks of that strange little moment now, on his way home to El, and it is the first time he is able to make sense of Mike that day. There are endless tiny moments like that, just like the one million daydreams Will’s had, moments that would make his cheeks burn or his fingers tingle or his body shiver. Things that he thought only ever meant something to him. And now, he could look back over his whole life with Mike, and see that whether or not he was aware of it, that they had meant the same thing to Mike too. Maybe Will had made Mike's mouth go dry with nervousness, maybe he made his heart race, maybe Will had made Mike’s skin burn when he touched him. Maybe, just maybe, he really does feel the same way.

Will brushes his fingers over his lips as he daydreams, smiling into his hand and swearing he can still feel Mike there. Will has no idea what happened after he ran out into the rain yesterday, but he can’t imagine Nancy telling anyone about it. He hopes anyway.  Jonathan loves her, and Will can’t see him loving someone who would be nasty towards people like himself. But Will will get to see Mike tomorrow, at the meeting. His heart quickens just thinking about it. He has so much he wants to tell Mike. He has so much he wants to  show him. He thinks this will be good. El is right. He needs to stop hiding himself away from his friends. He needs to tell them the truth. And even if he can’t share  every  part of him that he wishes, at least he has Jamie, El, and now Mike that he can confide in for that. As for the rest of his friends, he’ll be able to share his light. And maybe they may just be the key to helping him figure out a way to use it for good. Will wants to be good. He wants to believe that the nightmares that haunt him every night aren’t true. They’ll be there for him. Right ? They accepted El for all that she is. He hopes they’ll be able to do the same for him. El is the first step. She’s waiting for him at home, and Will smiles again and pushes his shoulders back. He’s finally ready.

#bylerweek2023 #80s films #Say Anything #Better off Dead #The Fly #justmyname #a certain slant of light #writing thingsss #john cusack #stranger things #byler #byler fanfiction #will byers #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #mike wheeler #dustin henderson #el hopper

[smoosnoom]

they say “home is there the heart is” and mine is on ur ao3 acc. and ur ko-fi 😙

“He hates the idea of falling into the same trap as his parents” as a person with a full time job… yeah. i need to become rich as quickly as possible 🫡 can’t believe i have to work for the rest of my life

“and sometimes forgets his lefts and rights” its actually the sign of dyslexia..

“He’s always been theatrical” yesss, mike is a theatre kid agenda!!

“Well, maybe another look, too, just to commit it to memory, but then he looks away, for real this time” omg 😭😭😭😭 how down bad he is 😭

“He hopes he isn’t blushing” i bet he was as pink as that duster

“Granted, he always looks nice, and Mike is unbiased in this fact” i have no doubt that will always looks nice but mike is definitely Biased

“like he gets when Mike compliments him, and something in him wants to shake Will by the shoulders and ask When will you believe me?” moon. WHEN WILL U BELIEVE ME????

“Mike is above jealousy” sure. he just don’t like when people flirt with will. or touch will. or talk with will. it’s definitely not jealousy, he’s just really protective friend.

“Maybe it’s because Will is pretty and Mike is a hopeless idiot.” maybe it’s all above

“The goldfish stares back” it’s judging his hesitancy. and will’s too 🫡

“when he slouches to meet him eye to eye” well, maybe My bad posture is the consequence of my friendship with short people

“Will looks, just a little, concerned, and his eyebrows are still furrowed” will must be so confused all the time lmfao. just imagine: love of ur life suddenly started being very physically affectionate and he stares deep into ur eyes and says the most romantic things and when acts like nothing happened

“there’s a glow-in-the-dark velociraptor inside!” I’D BUY ANYTHING FOR VELOCIRAPTOR 📢📢📢📢

“because just before his exams, he had cracked and broken down, locking himself in his room and far, far away from a degree he had never even wanted” this is actually me and my natural science degree. i had a break down right before exams cause i hated almost every my class

“It means you’re nice to look at. Artists would love you” maybe just one particular artist? 🧐

did this treatment help? i know one person who needs this

“and laughs when Mike tackles him into the couch as revenge” all of this and they didn’t kiss yet???? please they’re useless

“the sky is pouring rain” AND ITS RAINING IN A BYLER FIC 🥳🥳🥳

“Mike brings a hand to Will’s cheek and swipes the rainwater away, cold to the touch” i let u now that i went back to this whole hallway scene countless times. like. i read the whole fic and reread it. and than reread it the next day. and a couple of other times. it’s just so them 🥺

““Is this,” Mike whispers, “okay?”” the sexiest non-sexual interaction

“Mike mouths at his neck, and Will lets out a shudder” sorry it’ll be bad joke: if they wanted to cancel u for smth it should have been this. cause it’s so hot (pls god give us more byler neck kisses 🙏🏻)

“But I’d never get sick of you” YES my king of the cringe pick up lines is here 😭

“July 18, 1992” seventh scene. i counted!!

“I’m not rewatching Sixteen Candles again, Mike” i get that will is a snob BUT he should give romantic comedies a try!! it’s the best movie genre Ever

one of my faves </3 i’ll never get over their domestic cuteness and cowardness.

im kissing u and biting u and kissing u again on the place that i bite

moon i love u so much 🤍🤍

oh god every time ithink about the future and the endless loop im going to inevitably fall into .. i want to jump off a cliff 😭😭 but its ok . as long as u learn to love it !

is it ?? oh my god every time i drive i have to quickly think a little too long about it .

he is so dramatic !!!! his dming in season one ?? the way he fell to the ground and acted it all out ??? get him on broadway !!!!!!

he is Gay and Whipped 😕

he really and truly was . as a poc who does not have the ability to blush . i think its both funny and endearing how people who blush turn so red . like a strawberry 🍓

listen . that is Different ok art is Subjective and i think ive gotten like . four hate comments permanently imprinted into my brain ,

absolutely 😃 he is just so protective and caring . he definitely does Not resist the urge to set fire to the human race every time someone hits on will . that would be crazy Hahah .

so true . if i was that goldfish i would retire and jump off from the soap container

u know what im going to use that excuse too ! i slouch so much i look like a shrimp and im going to singlehandedly blame it on my friends being simply so short

poor will 😭😭 if i had to deal with that constant whiplash i would die i think . but then again i never pick up on flirting LOL so i wouldnt even notice 😭 nevermind

ME TOO 📢📢📢📢 I LOVE DINOSAURS 📢📢📢📢📢📢📢📢📢📢📢📢

oh no ☹️ i am glad u are doing better with ur current graduated self !!! i know that was probably . not a fun time 😭 but things are better ?

wow i wonder who that person could possibly be 😃

if byler is one thing its a duo of useless homosexuals . im blaming it on their trauma

rain in a byler fic is a full moon in teen wolf . u know whats coming

oh god the door scene 😭😭 im glad u enjoyed it because i refuse to even look or thinjk about that entire section 😭 its so horrifyingly embarrassing oh my god im embarrassed everytime im remindedof it 😭😭😭😭😭

HELP 😭 ITS TRUE ... oh my god . im so mortified rn

i love love loveeee using bad pick up lines on people . and getting bad pick up lines used on me . theyre so charmingly terrible

yes !!!!!! seven !!!!!! thats their number !!!!!!!! im so happy u noticed :D i never write scenes after a kiss but i Needed to complete the seven scene number 😭

oh god hes just like me fr because i never watch romantic comedies 😭

alya vampire arc 🤨🤨 feel free to chop me up . i am open for consuming . in a Not Weird Way

love u alya ! im so happy u enjoyed it and revisted it so much that means Everything to me . ily !!!!! 🫶🫶

#/ask #daily alya

[aemiron-main]

*hypnotizing you* “you will agree to the ‘mike wheeler arwen parallels and mike gets his arwen moments’ agenda, you will see the Vision of mike vs arwen, you Will see the vibes of flashbacks to mike’s depression that parallel arwen’s depression”

like. please picture the vibes of all of these images except as s5 mike/some as flashbacks to s4 depressed mike

the byler vibes in these next two............ byler in the upside down perhaps.... or actually, consider, with the yellow leaves in the bg, that it’s will, totally bloody and scruffy after getting trapped in the upside down alone again and then making it back to the real world and it’s autumn in hawkins and him and mike have an Actual Hug and cute scene. or maybe its byler both getting vecna’d and meeting up at the swingset memory in autumn, when school started, and it goes from being dark and blue upside down colours to being warm light and yellow and gold 

byler... reuniting in the light in their memories..... 

the vibes of this scene except it’s will getting vecna’d but it starts out showing will his ideal life/being together with mike and then it all gets corrupted 

#stranger things #st5 byler #st5 scenarios #byler scenarios #st lotr #byler lotr #like yes ok i know people talk about 'dont make gay couples just into a man and a woman' which like im gay i Get It #but i will always make an exception for aragorn and arwen and i think that byler should parallel them sorry not sorry

[light-lanterne]

This story follows the general concept of @foodiewithdahoodie's cannibal Will / serial killer Mike AU, the likes of which is vaguely inspired by 'Bones and All' and other cannibal and vampire media. It’s important to note that this story is rated Mature and gets quite descriptive and dark, so please be mindful when reading. For context, this happens after S2, with Will finally free of the Mind Flayer and things returning to normal… except Will didn't return quite "right", and now has an insatiable hunger he can't quench with normal food. CW: cannibalism, murder and violence. - - - - - - - - - - - - - ☽ - - - - - - - - - - - - - 𐕣 read on ao3 (tba) || support me on ko-fi! 𐕣 @foodiewithdahoodie's posts: i - ii - iii - iv - tag 𐕣 @fluffyfangirl's incredible art: ♡ - - - - - - - - - - - - - ☽ - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This wasn’t supposed to happen, was the first coherent thought Will had since he abruptly left class earlier, thoughts fuzzy and limbs heavy after wandering the empty hallways of Hawkins Middle School in a daze for what felt like hours. He vaguely remembered someone calling his name, followed by some snickers and the louder voice of Mrs. Grabowski trying to catch his attention as he exited the classroom, not a word spoken to justify his sudden departure.

Of course, it was weird, and one would think that considering the circumstances someone would’ve said something or even chased after him. But no, no one followed him and why would they? No one in that classroom was his friend. After all, he was Will Byers, the quiet kid that had never really fit in and, more recently, the boy that had gone missing and had mysteriously come back to life. The weirdo. The freak. Zombie Boy. An abomination, someone who’d been acting strange for a while and was finally back to school for the first time in a week. Unwelcomed. Unwanted. Unknown.

Different.

Will was different and everyone had been able to tell for a long time, except his oddity now extended far beyond what his classmates, teachers, friends and family could ever imagine and he himself found it hard to understand what was happening to him.

All he knew was that ever since he was freed from the Mind Flayer’s possession, things had been strange.

He first became aware of it when he woke up in the hospital, Chief Hopper somehow managing to convince his mom to take him there to spend the rest of the week recovering. And it made sense, to a degree, for his possession hadn’t been too different from a terrible flu and he really needed all the help he could get to recover.

But the second he woke up he could tell something was wrong. He could tell something was not quite right the second he noticed his own eyes lingering as a nurse walked by the door with blood bags in hand, stomach rumbling with a vengeance at the sight. Naturally, this then prompted the nurses to fetch him something to eat, and Will was immediately invaded with memories of one of his last “meals”, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he remembered the snacks he’d eaten all those days ago, in Mike’s basement during Halloween night. Back when everything was normal and he was still just himself, the son of Joyce Byers and brother of Jonathan; friend of Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, the new girl Max Mayfield, and Mike Wheeler. He could almost savour the cheesy Doritos and sweet Kit-Kats; the fizzy Fanta and the delicious Reese’s snacks Mike had collected and slipped into his candy bag all throughout the night.

A stark contrast to what he’d been given to eat then, by the nurses.

And hospital food was never supposed to taste good, he knew this, but it was at the very least supposed to be filling and it’d been weird to find out just how empty he still felt even after what was objectively a rather full meal. Not even three jellies had been enough to quench his hunger and the nurses believed it to be a side effect of his week-long illness, their reassuring words directed at his mom moreso than him because it was clear she was beyond concerned.

But Will had known better. Even if he hadn’t had a name for it then, and even if he still couldn’t grasp the reality of the situation, he knew that wasn’t the reason behind his insatiable hunger.

It wasn’t hard to figure it out, to be completely fair. The dreams… the nightmares he’d been having were enough to clue him into the severity of his condition, visions of death and murder a clear indicator that something was terribly wrong with him. Pictures of himself hunched over, feasting on the rotten corpse of the sweet Barbara Holland something that would haunt even the strongest of men. He looked… Animalistic. Desperate. Hungry.

(He’d been hungry as he bit into Barbara’s side, once the Demogorgon was gone and his starving twelve-year-old self was able to eat something for the first time in days.)

It was… wrong. He was wrong. An error. A mistake, just like his dad had always said he was, except his depravity was now far darker than anything anyone could’ve foretold. Flawed. Messed up. Fucked up. So very fucked up.

And at first, it had repulsed him. Humans were not supposed to dream about killing and eating other people, and the fact that Will was having these confusing fantasies was enough to scare him into not wanting to eat any meat for the rest of his time in the hospital, his refusal a constant point of contention between himself, his mom and the nurses. ‘You need to eat if you want to go home,’ they’d tell him, and he’d shake his head with vehemence and bury himself under the covers until they agreed to let him have more soup instead. He’d find excuses and lies to tell Jonathan whenever their mother sent him in to try to convince Will of giving up his fight.

But he couldn’t lie to himself for much longer, not when the hunger was so strong, and not when the nightmares became a part of his daily life. When the yearning for blood became the only thing he was able to think about the whole day, eyes trailing over the translucent skin of those around him in the search for blue veins, fingers twitching to wrap themselves around frail necks and press until life vacated its vessel… Not when his mouth salivated at the idea of ripping skin open and snapping people’s bones to expose what laid within, and certainly not when his heart picked up speed whenever the desire to sink teeth into supple flesh and bite and tear and feed popped back up in the forefront of his mind.

Will was not a liar by nature, and each passing day he found it harder and harder to deny that whoever his mom, Jonathan and Nancy had rescued was not the Will they’d known. They’d gone into the cabin searching to get rid of the parasitic entity that had invaded him, and had left with something that was not entirely human. Not fully. Not anymore.

It was sad. He should be sad. Life had thrown him nothing but punches ever since he had memory, and this felt like the biggest middle finger the universe could have possibly ever given him. It wasn’t enough to send him into another dimension full of nothing but fear and agony, a monster constantly hunting for him for some reason and his home —the place he was supposed to feel safe at— suddenly a maze of horror and desperation. It wasn’t enough to let him listen to his loved ones search for him relentlessly, their pain everything he could hear as he hid from the horrors, their voices a constant reminder of the love and life he was sure he’d lose for there was no way they could reach him in that purgatory. It wasn’t enough to bring his misery back a year later, his body becoming host to the very creature that was behind everything that had happened to him since that horrible night in November when he was only twelve, his mind slowly slipping away into oblivion as everyone he loved succumbed to his treason.

No, that hadn’t been enough. Now he was cursed and tainted and was infested with something from Hell itself and he had no way of escaping it. This terrible emptiness that now riddled his twisted soul was a constant reminder of everything bad that had ever happened to him, and he should be angry at the way fate kept mocking and taunting him at every waking moment.

He should be annoyed. Pissed. Enraged.

And he was, at least for a bit. Bitter, that was. But he stopped caring as soon as he realised something. Found something. And it wasn’t anything he thought he’d ever have, but the fact that he did was enough to ease his pain and loneliness and transform them into something much better. Much purer.

Mike’s acceptance.

Granted, he hadn’t necessarily been searching for it and he was still in absolute disbelief that Mike had even found out about it in the first place, but it was a fact that Mike was okay with… whatever this was, and Will wasn’t going to pretend that it wasn’t the best feeling in the world to know that Mike still thought of Will as a friend, despite what he knew. That Mike still saw him as someone worthy of his affection and care, despite Will’s new… nature.

It’d happened a few days earlier, on Will’s first day out of the hospital and back home. The rest of the Party wasn’t there, for everyone thought it’d be better to let him readapt slowly, but Mike had always been stubborn and Will’s mom had found it really hard to send him away the moment he showed up in their front door with an armful of snacks and the entirety of the Star Wars film saga shoved into his backpack, right under Mike’s sleeping bag and pajamas. Will’s mom had always had a soft spot for Mike, after all, and it wasn’t like Mike hadn’t been of huge help during the entire Mind Flayer ordeal, so he’d definitely earned his way into spending the night over.

For the first few hours, things were normal, their favourite movie playing as they whispered useless gossip to one another in between chips like they’d always done. Then everything got awkward for a few minutes, when Luke lost his hand on screen and Mike interpreted Will’s sudden tension as fear, as opposed to overbearing hunger and desire; excusing himself to the bathroom in order to try and regain some semblance of composure, Will then spent a good ten minutes staring into his reflection, eyes dark and hands jittery as he imagined himself consuming the flesh off of someone, anyone’s bony hand. After what felt like forever, he was able to return to the living room and it wasn’t easy to convince Mike that everything was okay, but eventually Will managed and they finished the rest of their marathon in peace.

And that’s when things changed. When Will couldn’t control his urges any further.

In retrospect, there was no way he could've held back, no matter how hard he tried. It hadn’t been a conscious decision, for him to grab Mike’s finger after the lovable idiot cut himself with the edge of their Cocoa Puffs box, Mike’s skin always so soft and delicate that the thin cardboard was enough to cause him such an injury. It hadn’t been a conscious decision, for him to bring the slender finger close to his lips, the motion not too different from what they both did to each other as kids whenever they got hurt, except this time Will wasn’t planning on giving the injury a little peck. It hadn’t been a conscious decision, for him to open his mouth and slowly, tenderly, lap at the small cut with his tongue not unlike a cat cleaning itself, the fact that he’d just grabbed Mike’s hand to taste his blood only registering in his mind well over a minute after he was done savouring the delicious, forbidden crimson nectar that he’d been craving all week.

All he knew was that one moment he was looking at Mike as he got a small paper cut, and the next moment he was blurting out apologies and excuses for what he’d just done, his ranting interrupted only by the way Mike wrapped his secure, grounding arms around Will’s torso, pulling him impossibly close and whispering sweet nothings into his ear, not stopping until he was convinced that Will had calmed down.

He told Mike everything after that. The nightmares, his odd yearnings, his fears. Exposed at last, all laid out for Mike to judge and repudiate him for and to a degree, he wished Mike would’ve told him it was wrong. That he was a monster, a freak, and that they needed to find a way to get Will’s destructive thoughts to end before he ended up hurting someone. That they needed to go to his mom’s room and get her to gather the troops, get a hold of doctor Owens so he could figure things out, something.

Everything would’ve been better if Mike had rejected him. It was the moral thing to do, and Will considered himself a good enough person to recognise this.

If Mike had told him this was wrong, Will would’ve clung to everything he’d ever learned about good and evil, would’ve tried harder to get better, would’ve tried to be satiated with normal food. He would’ve done everything in his power to reject that with which he’d been left behind by the Upside Down, would’ve listened attentively to anything the shady government doctors told him to do… Hell, he would have even prayed every night until he could confidently say that he was over that weird phase of his life and everything was behind him, the fact that his soul had been corrupted for way longer than his strange appetite nothing in comparison to the things he wished he could do to Mike now that he’d tasted his sweet alluring blood.

Mike should’ve told him off. If he had, this wouldn’t be happening.

But he hadn’t and now Will didn’t care that it was wrong. He didn’t care that his desires made him a monster, and he didn’t care that his instincts had taken a hold of him and he’d let go of control the second Troy cornered him in the empty hallway.

Why would he care, anyway? Mike had told him it was okay, that he should do whatever felt right at any moment because it was his body requesting what it needed to recover. The world had already failed them all one too many times, anyway, so it wasn’t wrong for him to take something back, right? At least that’s what Mike had reasoned with him, once he was sure Will finally accepted that he didn’t mind just how weird things had gotten, his eyes warm as he reassured Will into accepting his new needs. His new self. Crooked and perverted. Savage and insatiable. Ready to devour anyone that crossed his path, an emerging predator in a world so full of prey no one would miss a few people.

And sure, part of Will still wished Mike had dissuaded his disturbing thoughts because now it was impossible to muffle them once they took a hold of his soul. Now it was impossible to keep the freak on a leash.

Hence his current conundrum.

But it didn’t matter. What was done, was done and for what it was worth, Will had enjoyed it. Granted, he couldn’t remember all the details of what’d happened, but he knew enough to put the missing pieces together: he’d been aimlessly wandering the halls in a trance, wound up in the closed-for-renovation section of the school, and Troy had tried to mess with him. So, Will had naturally lunged at him and tore his throat open with teeth and nails, blood sputtering out from the carotid and straight into Will’s greedy mouth as they both fell to the floor and Will found enough grip to shred a piece of some muscle apart, nearly choking at the mouthful for he was seemingly too delirious to chew slowly or wait before taking another bite. And then another. And another.

Because that’s what he did now, apparently. It’s what his inner beast demanded and Mike had told him to listen to it, so Will was just doing what he was told and frankly, he should’ve never questioned Mike’s judgement. Mike had always been smart, after all, so Will couldn’t understand why he was so surprised at the fact that following his advice could end up in something that felt so… fulfilling. Ecstatic. It was like watching his favourite film or eating Reese’s Pieces for the first time again, opening Christmas presents or winning a D&D campaign. It felt great, the thrill of each bite bringing him to a new level of euphoria he’d never experienced and he wasn’t sure how he’d ever lived without this. Wasn’t sure how he’d ever go back to an existence without this bliss. And cognitively he knew that this was the Mind Flayer’s fault, and that a month ago he never would’ve wanted or needed to do this.

But now he did, and he couldn’t find it in himself to feel guilty about how good it felt, the pit in his stomach gone for the first time in a week, and his hunger quelled at last. His new self was satisfied, the amalgamation of Will Byers and the being from the Upside Down finally synchronised and united in harmony, and a dopey smile adorning his features as he showered in the rapture of his new awakening.

Even in his floaty state, however, he could tell when someone approached. It was as though he had reached enlightenment, now that his innards were filled to the brim with warm blood and flesh, and he was now suddenly hyperaware of every little movement in his inner and outer world. And of course, he was satisfied with the meal he’d just had —or else he would’ve kept eating until nothing was left behind—, but the idea of eating some more didn’t sound too displeasing. In fact, now that the thought had crossed his mind he found himself… eager. Defiant. It was irrational and dangerous, but he really wished that whoever was coming stumbled across him and what he’d done, if only to get the excuse to hurt and kill and feast again.

He wanted it. Craved it. He’d always been curious and now he really wanted to know if all humans tasted the same or if there were subtle differences and he knew it wasn’t him thinking about these things, it was the beast that now lived within him. But they were now one and the same and Will was ready to let that side of himself take control and paint the walls in beautiful patterns of red as he ripped into someone’s skin once more; ready to let himself fill his stomach with someone else until there was no more room and he felt sick.

Alas, he didn’t get the chance to kill again. Not because he didn’t want to, for he couldn’t ignore that a part of him was really desperate to enact such violence upon his unexpected visitor, but because he couldn’t. Not to him, not after everything they’d been through together and after the promises they’d made.

He owed it to Mike to try to at least be a little normal around him and, perhaps more importantly, maybe not kill him.

“Will?” Mike asked, eyes wide open as he stepped through a plastic sheet someone had put in place to protect the rest of the hallway from dust and now blood. His hair was wild, ruffled by wind as if he’d been running, and it didn’t take a genius to understand that Mike had probably been searching for him, rumours quick to spread across school even if it’d only been about fifteen minutes since he left and everyone was supposed to still be in class.

Mike looked… pretty. With his pink cheeks and parted red lips, sparkly eyes and tender round cheeks. Poking from under his soft sweater, Mike’s slim neck seemed to beckon to Will, the bare skin glistening with a thin layer of sweat in a way that was really hard to ignore, the angle at which Mike had tilted his head exposing the delicious dips and cliffs of muscle and vessels that Will was buzzing with excitement to take into his mouth and destroy. It was hard to ignore it, the urge, but just like the beast had taken control of him, Will knew he could control it back if need be.

So he did. He stood up slowly and didn’t lunge at Mike as he spoke, words slurred like every time he ate a lot and needed a nap.

“I was hungry,” was all he could say, sheepish as the realisation that he’d just succumbed to his twisted desires dawned on him for the first time. The horrors he’d shared with Mike… The nightmares he’d been trying to avoid… It all felt like a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts, one he didn’t even try to fight back and couldn’t be bothered to feel bad about.

All he could feel was shame and fear. Shame that someone he cared so much for saw him like that, covered in Troy Walsh’s blood with a potentially mad look in his eyes, and fear that Mike’s promises had been empty and, now that he saw the extent of Will’s insanity, he left him alone.

Once again, however, Will was reminded of the fact that he should never doubt Mike. “I can see that,” his friend scoffed once he was free of his shock, his eyes scanning the scene with apparent disinterest right before setting on Will, warmth inundating them as if he’d just seen a puppy or a beautiful sunrise and Will could almost cry at the realisation that yes, Mike would honour his promise to be by Will’s side as they explored this new side of his and no, he wouldn’t leave him alone.

Despite knowing each other for eight years, Mike Wheeler continued to impress him every single day.

“Sorry; I know it’s a mess,” Will shot back, tentative smile on his lips as he, unreasonably, kept expecting things to go South. After all, he was Will Byers and his luck was never the best. No one should blame him for expecting the worst.

This time, however, his concern was completely unnecessary. “Don’t worry, we can fix it,” Mike simply said, and that was all it took for Will’s smile to become sincere. Smiling back as if they’d just shared a private joke, Mike approached and poked his arm, gentle eyes searching for his as he asked his next question. “Do you feel any better?” He said, and Will could only nod because he was still not sure of how much Mike would want to hear about his little escapade.

“I think it’s what I was missing.”

Mike beamed at his words, clearly happy to see Will recovering his health at long last even if the price was an unconventional one and it took all of Will’s willpower not to jump him and bite into the folds of his smile. “Good,” Mike giggled, then looked around at the small, plastic-wrapped alcove Will had chosen to commit his horrible crime and nodded to himself. “We should get started now. You up for it?” Will nodded again, his smile faltering slightly as he heard what Mike had to say next. “Great! I’m going to need your help; I can’t carry his corpse by myself.”

Right, about that…

“He’s still alive,” Will declared, a frown now between his eyebrows because despite all the damage he’d caused to Troy’s neck and shoulder, the asshole was still very much breathing and —perhaps more importantly— awake.

Awake and with wide eyes, terror clear in his pupils as he desperately tried to yell, say something, make a singular noise. But he couldn’t, not after what Will had done to his throat, not after his larynx was nearly ripped out of his body at the crux of Will’s frenzy, voice box reduced to a mangled mess that Will had only left behind because of how tendony and unpleasant that area had felt when he bit into it, the swelling his failed bite had caused somehow managing to slow down the haemorrhage so much that Troy was still holding on for dear life, a whole five minutes after the original attack.

It was… odd, to see someone so loud and obnoxious like Troy suddenly reduced to a quivering mess, unable to move out of fear of bleeding out and unable to make a sound as if Will had designed his attack to render him powerless in retribution for the years of abuse the entire Party had endured at the hands of his current victim when, in reality, Will had only attacked in blind hunger. Now that Troy was laying in a pool of his own blood, however, Will couldn’t help the perverse satisfaction that took over his brain as he realised that he’d done it: he’d fulfilled his years-long desire to get back at Troy for everything he’d done and no matter how this all ended, it was a fact that the bully would never, ever, touch any of his friends again.

It was deliciously twisted, and the grumble in Will’s stomach was enough indication that such trail of thoughts was reawakening the side of his that would never stop being hungry, the idea of depriving Troy of the arms and hands he’d used to harm them for years almost loud enough to obfuscate Mike’s voice.

Almost.

Like a bee to honey, he could never fully ignore Mike Wheeler, his soft voice doing little to hide the darkness in his words and perhaps that was the reason Will was able to ignore his renewed appetite for a few more seconds.

“Not for long,” Mike mumbled, dark eyes fixed on the writhing shape that laid on the floor in front of them. Noticing he had Will’s entire attention on him, Mike forced a smile and dismissively gestured towards Troy’s body. “Tell me when you’re ready to go,” he said and, when Will only nodded again, he continued speaking. “Good. Give me a second.”

And with that, putting on a gym-class jacket atop his outfit and clenching his hand around the handle of a hammer Will hadn’t noticed he’d grabbed, the sweet, adorable-looking Mike Wheeler he’d known his whole life rose his arm with determination and, after a beat, swung the hammer right into Troy’s head, the mute boy letting out a weak breath in lieu of a scream for Will had already deprived him of the chance to let his death be known to the world. When that didn’t kill him, Mike swung the hammer again. And again. Over and over until Troy’s face became unrecognisable mush, whatever skull structure he’d ever had being reduced to nothing but bone splinters and blood. They could easily leave the body there and no one would ever be able to tell who it belonged to at that point, the viciousness with which his friend turned their once-bully into a pulp something Will had never expected to witness from someone as gentle and kind-hearted as Mike.

It was a brutal attack, one that Will’s dark self very much enjoyed watching, and the satisfaction of knowing that he wasn’t the only messed up one in their friend group was something he’d have to process once they were back home playing with their Atari and stuffing their cheeks full of popcorn.

For now, however, he smiled, watching Mike’s handiwork as his beloved best friend finally let go of the hammer and sank to the floor in exhaustion, a good three metres away from their mess in order to keep his pants and shoes in pristine condition because of course he was smart enough to keep his own clothes clean from the incriminating blood. Eyeing the rise and fall of Mike’s chest as he fought to catch his breath to say something, Will decided this was as good of a time as any to mention the fact that, for some reason, he was once again in desperate need of a snack.

“Actually, I’m already hungry again,” Will spoke, his voice seemingly snapping Mike out of some trance, dark pupils dilated in what Will could only imagine was a mirror reflection of his own. When Mike arched an eyebrow in mild disbelief, Will could only shrug and smirk teasingly. “The less weight we have to carry the better, right?” He asked, and his words made Mike roll his eyes in faux annoyance.

“Just don’t overeat. You know it makes you feel sick for like a week.”

Will chuckled at that, kneeling next to Troy’s incredibly bloody corpse and grabbing one of his hands with both of his, mouth filling with saliva as plans to strip both arms down to the bone formulated in his very sick, very wretched brain. To be entirely honest, Will wasn’t sure he was capable of overeating anymore, the fact that he could probably eat Troy’s entire corpse in a day something he’d be sure to share with Mike later, when they were safe and he was done eating.

Before he took a bite, however, he was mindful enough to shoot his best friend a wide smile and a message. “Thanks, Mike,” he said, then clarified what he meant once he noticed the other’s confusion. “For having my back.”

Mike scoffed, removing the bloodied jacket from his slender body as he light-heartedly replied with two simple words.

“Crazy together.”

The callback had Will smiling from ear to ear.

“Crazy together,” he said, then let go of his conscious mind as his animal side took over and sunk his teeth into the still warm flesh of his and Mike’s first victim. 

And it didn’t make much sense, and he might’ve very well imagined it in his delusional state, but as Will fed he glanced up at Mike a couple times and he could almost swear that he saw Mike’s pupils dilate again as a powerful emotion, one Will had seen a few times in the past, took over his expression. And irrational, feral and insane as he was, he was pretty certain that he’d gotten it wrong but, if Will didn’t know any better, he’d almost think Mike was jealous he wasn’t the one being eaten, torn apart and consumed by Will. Wasn’t the one eliciting such sounds of happiness and delight from him, the sweet taste of human flesh satisfying his body’s new needs and desires.

And despite being certain about the fact that he’d imagined such a reaction, Will couldn’t help but to scoff.

He’d only tasted a droplet of his blood, but Will knew for a fact that Mike was by far the most delicious person in the entirety of Hawkins; one he’d very much like to devour bit by bit, savouring every bite as he reached even higher levels of bliss he knew he’d never be able to imagine, the promise of eternal happiness something he’d only achieve the day he gave into his strongest temptation and gave Mike what he apparently desired.

Mike had no reason to be jealous at all.

#🔨 #✨ #🧸 #byler #byler fanfiction #byler fanfic #byler ficlet #will byers #mike wheeler #dark byler agenda #cannibyler #w // graphic depictions of violence #w // cannibalism #w // murder

[light-lanterne]

this was supposed to be two paragraphs long,,, anyway, little idea i had:

tw // mentions of death, murder and violence - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ☽ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - small offering, @boycattj, @byelerss, @catboy-cabin, @dark-quill, @conanssummerchild, @fenixashes, @fluffyfangirl, @foodiewithdahoodie, @holyvirgilscriptures, @hyperfixationcentralsvoid, @ivytheenbyfae, @runninguplenorahills, @rotisseries, @saffirez, @willow-lark, @yearninginblue.

au where paladin mike is so caught up in winning all his battles that, when he is on the verge of finally losing a campaign and therefore a whole war, he is quick to make a deal with a powerful god to salvage the situation and emerge victorious once more.

so he makes this pact. offers his eternal loyalty to this god in exchange for good luck and near invincibility, then continues waging his kingdom's war as they conquer new lands. he never once doubts his purpose within the king's reign, nor does he question why the deity he made a pact with never asked for anything in return for their favour other than for mike to keep fighting.

that is, until the day of his final mission, where he's tasked with conquering a small village that will grant the kingdom undisputed advantage over their enemies.

so he goes. single-handedly slaughters everyone who gets in his way. destroys all defences the town ever had and makes his way to the town hall to claim his victory. as he walks, he steps over the bodies of his victims and something in the back of his mind tells him this is wrong; urges him to look at the weapons his enemies were carrying and realise that they were nothing but farming tools and normal household utensils.

but his bloodlust doesn't simmer down until the very moment when he walks over the corpses of his entire family and beloved childhood friends.

the people he loved most, all slaughtered by none other than him.

all because the god had granted him with good luck, near invincibility, and a terrible fog that would settle in his brain every time mike picked up a sword, blinding him from seeing the world as it truly was —his "enemies" as they truly were—; forcing him to fight and feed the god more and more blood until every living being in the periphery was dead.

so there, amidst the ruins of his hometown and surrounded by the bodies of everyone he ever cared for, mike makes a promise: he vows to kill this god, no matter what it takes, and avenge the lives of all the people he killed in their name.

(all the people who now haunt his every move, phantasms of his victims teasing and torturing him every waking minute as punishment for breaking the deal he'd made)

,,,but of course, a human killing a god by themselves is not easy and thus, mike makes yet another deal, convinced that he's got nothing left to lose.

so this time he makes a deal with a demon, one that's long waited for the moment someone made mike's mistake and required his assistance. one that doesn't have a hidden agenda and truly just wants to see this pretty little human kill god with his bare hands.

and thus, a new partnership is born: will gleefully offers his services and guidance to mike, leading him through a vast battlefield full of enemies of all sorts (divine and otherwise) and, whenever the situation is dire, offering his strength and power to the frail human, their selves merging into one for limited time and only separating once they are both covered in blood.

the catch ? with every time will possesses mike, the human will lose a memory of the people he loved, insignificant at first, then more and more important as time goes on until there is nothing left in mike's brain but the demon's name and the bloodlust that led him here in the first place.

but such is the price mike has to pay if he is to fulfil his promise.

so oblivion it is.

- the end -

(this is obviously inspired by the original god of war trilogy so, for extra horror, please imagine that mike's punishment for breaking the deal with god includes him being covered in the ashes of his loved ones, a cruel, constant reminder of what he did to them, his reflection becoming yet another sight to torment him until the day he dies)

#📺 #✨ #🧸 #byler #byler fanfic #byler fanfiction #byler ficlet #will byers #mike wheeler #cleradin #dark byler agenda #w // murder #w // mild depictions of violence

[light-lanterne]

hello ! had a dream so please allow me to share a little fairytale-esque story with you ~

w // brief alcohol mention; description of gore and self mutilation, eye horror. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ☽ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a short offering, @boycattj, @byelerss, @catboy-cabin, @cosmobrain00, @dark-quill, @conanssummerchild, @fenixashes, @fluffyfangirl, @foodiewithdahoodie, @holyvirgilscriptures, @hyperfixationcentralsvoid, @karenchildress, @rotisseries, @yearninginblue.

temptress will who's cursed with his beauty, hexed to always beguile whoever lays their eyes on him, his gracious features and bewitching eyes forcing them all to fall in love with him upon first glance and thus, dooming will to never be able to find true companionship or love.

enter mike, a lost soul who accidentally walked into will's forest in his efforts to run away from home, haunted by his town's hatred and by the mistakes from his youth that no one was able to ever forgive him for. he doesn't have much of a plan or an idea of what he's doing, but he knows he can't stay home any longer and so, he decided to brave the wilderness in an effort to clear his mind and hopefully find his way to a better place.

so he makes it into the woods, the feeling that he's being watched immediately hitting him and making him uneasy, and it gets to a point where he can't handle it anymore so he runs and falls and manages to severely injure his head and body, much to will's mortification for that was not his intention when he started curiously following mike from afar.

and will knows he should've left mike to recover on his own; make it back home and stop thinking about the unwanted visitor before the usual resolution (and the accompanying heartbreak) occurred... but he's much too kind for his own good and so, he takes the unconscious mike to his house and bandages his head —eyes included— and injuries, vowing to nurture mike back to health and then help him out of the forest before any incidents take place.

thus, for the next few weeks, will takes care of the confused-but-grateful mike, who's charming and hilarious and everything will's ever wanted in a friend. for the next few weeks, they bond and become close and will can feel the electricity between them, sparks making their way up their arms whenever their fingers brush against each other and heat warming up their cheeks whenever they somehow end up in close proximity to each other's bodies.

for the next few weeks, will allows himself to believe that this is something he can have; that one day he'll find someone who's able to love him like mike could if they had more time, and that one day his life won't be so empty anymore and he'll be able to enjoy his life at long last.

but then mike's injuries all heal up, and will can no longer pretend that there's something wrong with mike's eyes so he needs to let him go.

so they fight. bad. it's all a ruse on will's side to exit his house and only come back when mike's left in anger, but it still hurts a lot to make up fake problems and say horrible things to someone who's only ever been nice to him. someone who will wants to love.

but it's necessary and it all goes according to plan and the teary-eyed will barely manages to storm out of his house in time before mike angrily rips off his bandages and clumsily prepares to depart, his mind torn between the ire he feels and the utter confusion in his heart because he can't possibly understand why will got so angry at the mere mention of mike's family and his decision to leave them behind and never look back.

but what's done it's done and he's not in the mood for trying to make sense of will's sudden outburst so he leaves and angrily makes his way to the nearby town, drowning his sorrows in alcohol and spending several days feeling sorry for himself until, one night at the tavern, he overhears a bizarre conversation amongst some locals: a tale of a calypso character, a beautiful boy who lives in the forest and who drives everyone who gazes at him mad with a love they can't resist.

a fake, empty love, the idea of which will had complained about quite a few times during mike's stay with him.

it doesn't take him long to connect the dots and realise why will had insisted on caring for mike's eyes even if he never did feel anything wrong with them, nor does it take mike long to finally understand the fake nature of their fight and the true purpose behind will essentially throwing him out.

so he goes back to the forest and spends several weeks searching for will, disoriented since he only ever saw the woods at night and he was too angry when he left to pay attention to where he came from.

he searches and searches and never finds will or his home, but he loses no hope and starts leaving messages all over the place. starts yelling apologies and words of understanding even if he's not sure anyone is listening. starts singing and musing about how safe and happy he felt with will, how much he's still falling in love with him even now that they're apart, and begs for a chance to be with him even if he always has to have his eyes covered; even if he never gets to see the light again.

and will listens. even from the first day mike made it back into the woods, will was following him and listening to everything he had to say. laughing at his silliness. smiling at his endearing words and blushing at his more forward comments. with each passing day, will falls more and more in love with the idea of a life with mike, and based on what he can hear, mike is also pretty keen on the idea. granted, their time together was brief, but will knows a lot about fake connections and he knows for a fact that there was something very special about what he had with mike and so, he wants nothing more than to take his offers and make their dreams into a reality for them both.

but it can't be.

will knows this.

and mike knows this. he's smart enough to know that all it'll take is one casual glance or a particularly see-though piece of fabric to cover his eyes, and all of will's fears will become a reality. and he can't do that to him. he can't.

and so, mike does the only thing he knows will ensure that he never gets to see will and thus, the only thing that will forever ensure that their feelings for each other are genuine and pure.

he goes to the forest after taking care of all loose ends, and he tells his plan to will, knowing in his heart that his dear friend and lover is listening —has been listening all along—, then takes a knife to his left eye and swiftly shoves it inside the orbit, popping the globe out with haste and cutting off the muscles and nerves before will even has time to react.

naturally, the second eye is harder. the pain is undescribable and he can't really see well where his knife is going anymore and he's tired and it's all very overwhelming, but he knows he has to act quickly; he knows will enough to know that he will sacrifice their entire relationship, present and future, if he thinks he has a chance to run in front of mike and stop him from cutting off his other eye in time.

so he quickly pokes around his face quite a bit. hurts himself a bunch in the search for the right angle. then, finally, gets the knife in its proper location and manages to violently cut the eye out just as he catches sight of will's boots, the blinding pain sending him crumbling to the floor but he can't stop then; he needs to finish off the job lest will somehow manages to bring him back to health.

thus, he stabs. turns the remaining bits of ocular tissue to mush, then shakily attempts to cut off the nerve with his blunt knife but it's no use:

he can't see anything anymore.

can't do anything anymore.

and so, he passes out, and the panicked, horrified will is left with the choice to somehow try to heal mike from the horrible injuries he caused himself and —hopefully; somehow— restore the vision in his remaining eye... or finish what mike started, and finally have a romance like the ones from the books his mom used to read him before she herself succumbed to his curse and her affection turned artificial and overbearing.

a romance like the ones his many previous suitors had promised him, yet none of them had been able to deliver for not even them in their deranged determination had made as perfect promises as mike had in the past few weeks. not even them in their obsession had chosen to go as far as mike had with his devotion.

so really, the decision is a no-brainer at this point.

and thus, will takes the knife and claims his lover for himself, then takes him home and bandages his eyes once more with the same see-through dressings he'd accidentally used the last time mike had been there.

but he doesn't notice.

much less does mike.

and they live happily together in their little house in the woods, needing nothing other than each other for their love is genuine and pure.

- the end -

(anyone remembers that one "symmetry" creepypasta from like a decade ago ? that was my favourite horror story growing up ^-^ anyway, hope you like this weirdness ~! i left the setting somewhat unspecified so this could be cleradin or modern fantasy or whichever you prefer ~)

#🧸 #✨ #byler #byler fanfiction #byler fanfic #byler ficlet #will byers #mike wheeler #dark byler agenda #w // gore #w // eye horror #w // enucleation

[light-lanterne]

Not that I doubt your writing speed, but in the event that it takes you a while to get through your Bylerween stories to the point that they can't end up in the event... would it be possible to request a small summary of the things you'd planned?

hello ! thanks for the ask ~! there are all the reasons to doubt my writing speed, unfortunately, so by all means, a small summary is a perfectly reasonable request !! these are not the final synopses (maybe not even final titles), so please forgive how rushed and imperfect they are x.x

please be warned, though: out of the list with warnings for the event the @bylerween2023 mods posted, at least 90% of those themes are mentioned and alluded to in this post (let alone the stories themselves). proceed with caution.

an offering @boycattj, @byelerss, @catboy-cabin, @cosmobrain00, @dark-quill, @conanssummerchild, @fenixashes, @fluffyfangirl, @foodiewithdahoodie, @holyvirgilscriptures, @hyperfixationcentralsvoid, @rotisseries, @wheelersboy, @yearninginblue. forgive me for tagging you all in unfinished stories, but i thought maybe you'd find some of these concepts interesting >.<

- - - - - - - - ☽ day 1 — ghosts and hauntings ☾ - - - - - - - -

the old barn on cornwallis road

will's house is haunted. not by a ghost or a spectre, but by the cries and suffering of all the boys his father has kidnapped, tortured, and murdered over the past couple years. young as he is, there is nothing he can do but sit and watch as the boys perish, their resentful eyes following his every move as he performs his part in their abduction and killing, fantasies of escaping by himself nothing but a distant dream he'd be better off forgetting. that is, at least, until he meets his dad's latest victim. he's younger than the others, yet far more resilient and determined to escape. more importantly, however, he is kind and understanding with will and so, will's dreams of freedom slowly begin to include this boy. unfortunately, however, they remain dreams and will is instead forced to witness as mike's spirit and fight leave him as the days go by and the brutality lonnie enacts on him becomes worse and worse, his death an impending doom they cannot avoid,,, unless, of course, will manages to do something to save them both.

- - - - - ☽ day 2 — slashers, gore and body horror ☾ - - - - -

a sun to his moon

goat fae will has a normal, quiet life in his small community. he spends his days playing with his friends, cloud gazing, foraging for delicious berries and, quite literally, looking for greener pastures. one day, as he is making his way back home, he gets caught by a strong storm which forces him to seek refuge in an old abandoned barn, the pitch black darkness and his runny nose effectively restricting his senses to the point that he can only hear. and hear he does, when he catches a noise by his side and realises that there is someone in there with him. mike, to be precise; another lost soul who got caught by the storm. they can't see each other, or smell each other, but simply by talking they decide they really enjoy their time together and thus, when the rain stops and they're able to leave, they arrange to meet the next day and have a proper conversation. so they go, then arrive at their meeting spot, then come to a halt as they realise that they'd both made the same mistake: they'd assumed the other to be the same species as themselves when, in fact, mike is a wolf fae, the likes of which are notorious for eating goat faes.

- - - - - ☽ day 3 — demons, devils and exorcisms ☾ - - - - -

blood for the blood moon

it is the 16th century and will is having a tough time. his birthday is a week away and that would normally be a reason to celebrate, but this time he can't bring himself to cheer up even though he knows he should. in one week, his twin sister, jane, will be accepted into the town's council as their high priestess, her magic bringing peace to the village and convincing even the most religious old people of her goodness and pure intent. him? he's not special like jane. he's just a nobody who doesn't quite belong, who doesn't get invited to these events, and who can't even get his crush's attention, no matter what he does. mike hasn't always been a part of his life —or anyone's—; in fact, will can't even remember when they met. all he knows is that he cares so much about mike and it's entirely unfair that everything he does for him goes unnoticed. just last week, will helped him find clean water (just a couple days after the town's well was deemed poisoned), saved mike from biting into a rotten apple (the entire harvest had turned out wrong), scared off that nasty wild goat that kept following them both (its big horns a massive danger), and even warded off that stupid girl who keeps bothering mike even though he's clearly not interested (her broken arm should serve as a reminder to stay away, right?) he does all these things for mike and all will gets is silent stares and teasing smiles and he loves those, but he wants so much more and he doesn't know what to do and it's all making him so angry that he's beginning to believe a demon might've gotten into him, or something. but surely that can't be. demons are not real and will won't change his mind on the matter; not even if jane keeps bugging him about mike's red eyes and his supposedly dark, evil aura.

- - - - - - - - ☽ day 4 — psychological horror ☾ - - - - - - - -

the secret in mike wheeler's basement

there is a secret mike keeps in his basement. it's something important, something he treasures more than anything in the world. but he won't show anyone. not even dustin, when he visits for his weekly check-ins on his childhood friend. not even lucas or max, who only get to come back to hawkins every other month and can't bear the sight of mike's current home. not even el, who's tried to peek into mike's brain more than once only to be met by absolute darkness. and to be entirely honest, mike's silence is quite frustrating. the fight against vecna left them all tired and scarred and moving on from it all has been really hard, but they all still want to keep in touch and thus, the fact that they all make an effort except mike has left them a bit bitter. it's as if everything he's ever needed is there, in the basement, and the party would love to know what's got their friend so enthralled he can't even make time for them anymore. maybe will knows what's in there. he did come back to town for a few weeks sometime last year, during the summer; back then, will had wanted to show his then-boyfriend around town and there had been a couple clashes with mike, but as far as the others knew, everything had smoothed over when the boyfriend left suddenly and mike had will all for himself again. maybe it was then that mike showed will what laid beneath the floorboards, and maybe will held the answer as to why mike's entire house smells of acetone and dry blood. but there's no way of knowing. no one's seen will in a year either so as far as the party's concerned, mike's probably just obsessed with one of the weird life-like dolls he started making once he moved into the old creel house.

- - - - - - - - - ☽ day 5 — came back wrong ☾ - - - - - - - - -

a deal with god

will's life hasn't been easy: poverty, shitty dad, shitty classmates, shitty town. it all used to get to him, back when he lived in hawkins, but now, in retrospective, none of that is as bad as what his life is now. it could be worse, though. being abandoned in a dark, cold, alternate dimension is truly a horrible experience to go through at the tender age of twelve, but at least he's alive, right? more importantly, he's found a way to survive and, quite frankly, thrive in this place his friends called "the upside down". and sure, the powers he developed are big part of why he's even made it this far, but he dares say he's assimilated rather well in the ecosystem and he's almost ready to call this place home. but not yet. first, he needs to help henry destroy the other world. the one where he's been forgotten by the entirety of the town, and where his name is only ever uttered in mockery by everyone he ever loved. not mike, though. mike's the only one who still cares for him and continues to search for him even now, five years after will was taken and everything changed for them all. mike's the only one who's asked about him now that the gates are open and the "upside down" has filtered into whatever's left of hawkins, and he's the only one who seems willing to go on their own to try to find will. mike still cares, and will loves him for it, and that's why he's not going to let him go with the rest. a singular human surviving should do nothing to disturb his and henry's plans and so, will's decided he's going to keep mike alive. even if he has to lie and manipulate mike into coming with him, and even if he has to ask for henry's help.

- - - - - - - - ☽ day 6 — supernatural creatures ☾ - - - - - - - -

cruelty and the beast

(just going to link the original post i'd already made for this one >.<)

- - - ☽ day 7 — witches, wizards and necromancers ☾ - - -

the lost eden funeral home and crematorium

mike has always been fascinated by death. ever since he was a little child, he'd freak his sister out by bringing home carcasses he'd find in the forest, or by showing her the remnants of whatever poor critter he'd had to dissect during biology class. it is then no surprise that he'd end up working at a mortuary, embalming the bodies of the deceased every night and coming home with the smell of formaldehyde well ingrained in his brain. most nights, his time at the mortuary is filled with boring paperwork and the occasional facial reconstruction he has to slave over for the entirety of his shift. every once in a while, he is tasked with dealing with the result of a massive accident and struggles to catch his breath as he prepares up to a dozen bodies for their funeral. however his night goes, he tries to enjoy his job as much as he can, and he likes to think he's really good at it and can handle anything the world throws at him. ,,,that is, of course, until the night when he accidentally reads a passage out of his boss' necromancy manual and brings back to life the body of a young man who passed away under very violent circumstances. who, despite looking (and smelling) like a rotten zombie, seems to be a sweet and lovely dude who died far too soon. so, and because he is nothing but fascinated by the entire situation, mike decides to go a little further and try to bring the man fully back, no matter what it takes.

and that's it ! all the stories i was supposed to write for bylerween and which i'll slowly chip away over the course of the year x.x hopefully you found some of these entertaining ~!

#🎃 #✨ #🧸 #byler #byler fanfic #byler fanfiction #byler ficlet #will byers #mike wheeler #dark byler agenda #bylerween2023

[light-lanterne]

Hi! Idk if you're into it, but can I request some Byler and vivisection please? Look it up if you don't know what it is, I get the feeling it's right up your alley

hello ! thanks for the ask ~! a lovely mutual (rori) has been sharing stuff about it here and there so i know what it is, don't worry :]

anyway, you'll forgive the uninspiring scenario and the massive departure from your prompt, but i'm a little dry on creativity these past couple days so this is the only thing i could come up with. i hope it's enough:

tw // abundant, vivid, semi-anatomically-correct descriptions of gore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ☽ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a short offering @boycattj, @byelerss, @catboy-cabin, @cosmobrain00, @dark-quill, @conanssummerchild, @fenixashes, @fluffyfangirl, @foodiewithdahoodie, @holyvirgilscriptures, @hyperfixationcentralsvoid, @rotisseries, @wheelersboy, @yearninginblue.

s5 scenario where byler are trapped by themselves in the upside down. they are lost, tired, they've been fighting quite a lot and they just want to find somewhere safe to spend the night and recover a little bit of their strength.

luck, however, isn't on their side and they get mauled by a pack of demogorgons. they manage to outrun most of them via trickery and deception; they even manage to kill a couple.

but it's not enough and, just when they think they're finally safe, a lone beast follows their tracks and finds their hiding spot, attacking and ripping to shreds the belly of one of them before the other is able to do anything and neutralise the threat via bashing them in the head with a bat.

so, the demogorgon is dead and the one who killed it (could be either mike or will) takes a moment to recover his breath, then turns around and notices just how bad the other is doing so he rushes to his side. kneels by him. of course, he quickly realises the blood loss is almost too much and starts to crack under the pressure of what's happening, but he keeps trying and even manages to stop most of the bleeding with one hand...

...but then shock sets in and the heart stops, and the one still awake —who again, only has one hand available since they're still trying to stop the bleeding with the other— is forced to take a rather unorthodox approach towards saving the other's life.

if it's mike, it's because of his unyielding determination and stubborn resolution to not let vecna win after everything that's happened. if it's will, it's because of his love for mike and maybe because he's lost a little bit of sanity throughout the last few months of their struggle, with the constant nightmares and taunting vecna's been subjecting him to non-stop.

whoever it is, he's a little deranged over the situation and thus, he doesn't hesitate to stick his hand inside the tear —careful not to be too forceful in an effort to keep the guts intact—, then slides it under the sternum and pushes past the liver, stomach and diaphragm and reaches towards the heart, erratic spasms from the lungs a clear indicator of how quickly the other's condition is deteriorating and how urgent the situation is.

so he keeps going. and at first, the fingertips barely touch the muscle, the blood is slippery and makes it so the heart keeps moving further into the ribcage, and it's a rather awkward angle so he has to consistently rearrange the position of his hand. but then he figures it out, pushes a little bit deeper —closer—, and finally manages to get a firm hold onto the heart and squeezes.

gently, softly. he has no idea what he's doing but he's determined and he's already in so deep (literally) so he's not going to stop.

thus, he massages the heart and tries to make the blood flow from one chamber into the other —just like mr. clarke showed them in biology class—, then maybe even moves their position a little so he can attempt to give some rather-ineffective mouth-to-mouth, barely any air making it past the throat due to the atrocious angle, yet enough air entering the lungs to inflate them a little and pushing them closer to the hand that's still in there.

little by little, for several minutes, he keeps struggling to reanimate the heart and get it back in working order until, finally, the demogorgon's poor victim takes a deep, tortured breath and the heart beats a couple times on its own, its rhythm slow and uneven but at least it's there.

moreover, there are yells in the distance and they've been there for a while, but the boys were a little busy to notice and it is only now that they realise it's their party and thus, help is on the way and everything is going to be fine and it is! the others arrive promptly and help the unfortunate teenagers through their conundrum, then a few weeks go past and the upside down is out of their lives so everything should go back to normal soon.

and for the most part, that's exactly what happens. life is not quite what it used to be before the gates opened —much less before will was even taken—, but slowly, the anxiety and nightmares the entire party now suffers start decreasing as time goes by and it's probably only going to be a couple years before they can all feel a sense of peace and calm at long last.

but during the quiet nights, when they're completely alone in their bedrooms with nothing but their own thoughts as companions, mike and will keep thinking back to that moment. to when one of them had to do something so odd to save his life.

for the receiver, it's a little confusing since it's all a blur, the strange, phantom sensation of having a hand around his cardiac muscle somehow entwining with the endorphin rush produced by the delusional daydreams he was having at that moment, on the brink of death, when the pain of what his body was going through was no longer being registered in his tired brain, and thus, the pressure of a foreign object in his chest somehow being logged in his mind as something that felt nice.

for the giver, however, it's all much clearer. much more vivid. if he focusses enough, he can still feel the warmth of the blood and smooth innards against his palm, all over his skin and under his nails; the pressure of the viscera pushing against his fingers, the space tight and clearly not meant to house any more mass, yet squishy and malleable and able to make enough room for the slim hand; the blood inside the heart moving from one side to the other, the sensation not too different from that of playing around with a water balloon...

...the bizarre feeling of the lungs expanding and breathing in life at the very end, his hand suddenly trapped and unable to move by the increased volume, almost as if the inside of his loved one's body was trying to hold him and keep him there, unmoving for just a little bit longer, nestled between some of the most important organs in the entire human body (the very organs he'd just reanimated and essentially returned life to with his very breath and gentle force).

so he lays in bed, hand extended towards the ceiling, the light from outside his window illuminating his fingers, and he pictures how they looked back when he finally pulled out to give room for the others to finish saving the other's life.

he pictures his hand covered in crimson blood, the likes of which was too quick to get cold upon being in contact with the air, then sighs in melancholy as he chases after the memory of the wonderful heat and pressure he'll unfortunately never get to feel again.

- the end -

(now that this is done, i must ask,,, is vivisection a weird kink ? >.< not shaming in the slightest (and this isn't technically vivisection so it's not even right), but i was writing the last couple paragraphs when it hit me that not everyone is an aroace ex-med student like yours truly so i was just going with the vibes while it is entirely possible that anon had a different angle when sending their request x.x oh well, it's done. thanks for the ask, for reading, and for letting me write weird stuff !! have a lovely day / night ~)

#🫀 #✨ #🧸 #byler #byler fanfic #byler fanfiction #byler ficlet #will byers #mike wheeler #dark byler agenda #w // gore #w // graphic depictions of violence #(ish)

[light-lanterne]

random idea i just had:

a small offering @boycattj, @byelerss, @catboy-cabin, @conanssummerchild, @cosmobrain00, @dark-quill, @fenixashes, @fluffyfangirl, @holyvirgilscriptures, @foodiewithdahoodie, @hyperfixationcentralsvoid, @karenchildress @runninguplenorahills, @rotisseries, @saffirez, @willow-lark, @yearninginblue.

au where the party, nerds as they are, spend their afternoons in the school library reading novels and scientific journals, and playing a game of "who can find the weirdest trivia fact of the week". one day, as they are doing this, mike comes across a very unassuming notebook hidden amidst the oldest books in the library, the cover for which has three simple words written sloppily on its cover which read:

"do you dare?"

intrigued, mike opens the notebook and discovers a series of riddles and clues that has him running around the library and unveiling obscure novels and forgotten poetry books, each of them bringing him closer to crack the hidden code until, just in time before the library closes, he manages to uncover a rather confusing message:

"welcome to the hellfire club. you will find your first task inside your locker, first thing in the morning."

needless to say, he immediately discards it as absolute bullshit and goes on with his evening, saying goodbye to his friends and quickly forgetting about the affair as he heads home and busies himself with his homework.

however, he is immediately reminded of it all when he arrives at school the next morning, early for once, and finds a little note folded neatly atop his messy school books, the same handwriting as in the notebook staring him right in the face and he almost freaks out, for no one has his lock combination nor did he see anyone in the library other than his friends so there's no way anyone would've seen him figure out the code.

and yet there it is, and he kind of wants to scream, but he has to keep his composure lest he scares his arriving friends and gets in trouble with them for playing weird games without telling them about it.

thus, he hides the paper and decides to burn it as soon as he gets home, then opens it in the restroom during lunch for he is curious by nature and it certainly wouldn't hurt to just see what it has to say, right? it's only a piece of paper and he's completely and utterly alone here, so whoever's behind it can't possibly know if he read it or not,,, right ?

so he opens it, holds his breath for a moment, then reads it and sighs in relief as he notices it's nothing but a simple challenge:

"graffiti the bathroom stall."

a silly prank indeed. nothing mike hasn't done by himself quite a few times in the past, in fact, nor anything to freak out about considering it's a simple, harmless request.

so,,, mike decides to play along, if only so he can maybe figure out who is behind this and ask how they knew he'd cracked the code, how they figured out his locker combination, or what even is the hellfire club.

and at first, the challenges are rather innocuous: hide mrs. click's textbook before class, "misplace" the basketball's team storage key, put some roses in (will's) a classmate's locker without being spotted, free his neighbour's neglected dog and take it to a loving home, lock troy walsh's bike to a tree without him finding out.

then, they get a little more complicated: spend an entire day inside the cinema without paying a dime or getting kicked out, steal the chief of police's pen from his pocket, walk into a store's fitting room to try something then exit without paying while wearing the garment, make out sloppy with his male best friend in a broom closet during homecoming, take some of his parent's money and donate it to a cause they wouldn't support.

(make out with his best friend again during sunday's morning service at church, then escalate it a little more for extra points, if he dares)

little by little, mike gets lost in the game and soon he stops questioning the origin of the notes, or the increasing amorality of the requests, or how the one behind them always knows when he's succeeded. all he knows is that the notes have promised him a big reward should he complete fifty tasks successfully, and he's not about to give up now that he's come so far.

so he plays, and he becomes obsessed with winning, and it only occurs to him that something's terribly wrong when he reaches the fiftieth challenge and the note for his last task is left on his bedroom's desk, the black ink with which they'd all been written suddenly gone and replaced by red words.

"kill someone,"

his last challenge reads, and mike's much too involved to resist.

- the end -

(pretty sure this type of concept has a name, but i can't really remember it rn and i think the ending for that thing is far darker so let's leave it at this x.x also, feel free to imagine the type of funky business mike gets up to throughout the game; anything that would be "amoral" goes i suppose ~)

#✨ #🧸 #byler #byler fanfic #byler fanfiction #byler ficlet #will byers #mike wheeler #dark byler agenda