#switched between murray & mike’s pov bc idc there are no rules

[hawkinsp0st]

i present to you: byler getting murray’d but gently, quietly, urgently, at the end of the world.

it’s practically the apocalypse and the gang is spending long nights at murray’s planning their final attack on 001. mike and will don’t leave each other’s side, and murray finds them several times at 4am, still sitting at his kitchen table, sneaking glances at each other or brushing fingers while they draw up blueprints for their plan, crumpling papers of failed ideas and tossing them at each other playfully, brushing knees, speaking in hushed tones, clinging to each other for hope.

murray goes into the kitchen for a glass of water late one night and he overhears mike, to will: “i’d do anything to keep you safe. no, will, don’t argue with me. anything. i’m not letting you go out there.” murray tries his best not to eavesdrop but he can feel the pangs in mike’s heart from several feet away. murray peeks his head around. the two boys’ hands are interlocked on top of the table—more specifically, both of mike’s hands are over one of will’s as will uses his other hand to sketch out a plan, presumably the one mike is arguing against, one that puts will at the center of the action.

as mike speaks, murray sees how will holds onto every word. how, when mike speaks, will hears. he gets through to him. and the way will’s eyes glisten… god, has murray seen that look before.

will yawns and finally leaves the table to go to bed—they’ve all been crashing on various pieces of murray’s furniture in the depths of pure exhaustion—nodding to murray on his way out, and mike just sits there, taking a sip of water, exhausted, but leg bouncing, nervous energy thrumming. he feels a hand touch his shoulder and jumps.

“wha—murray! shit, you scared me.”

“yeah. and you’re scaring me.”

“hmm?” mike blinks.

“look. this isn’t going to be easy to hear. hawkins is a closed-minded place. but this?” murray gestures to the red lightning flashing outside his window. they’re used to this now, in hawkins. “this is bigger than hawkins.”

“yeah, i—“ mike furrows his brow slightly. “murray, i know that. this could be the end of life as we know it.” mike’s eyes are fixed on the chair across from him now, where will had been sitting.

“you don’t get it, wheeler. what you two have?” murray points between mike and will’s empty chair. “it’s our only hope.”

mike looks up at him now, wordless. because what else could mike possibly say?

murray sits next to mike. “whatever you do… whatever happens, mike? don’t ever let him go. not for a second.”

mike nods somberly. “i know. i’ve made that mistake before.”

murray shakes his head. “no, no. this is different. you know what i’m trying to say.”

mike blinks. “i’m not sure i do.”

murray sighs, hand back on mike’s shoulder, firm, because this really is life-or-death: “when you tell that boy that you love him, how you love him, he’ll be our most powerful asset. with your love, he won’t be contained.”

mike gulps.

“listen. mike. we all know how special he is. but when you’re with him, he believes it.”

mike’s eyes start to water.

“and that look in his eyes, mike? when he looks at you? when i see that, i start to believe, for the first time in two years, that we’re actually going to make it out of. this. thing. alive.”

mike looks terrified, disheartened. “i don’t want him in danger.”

“i know. me neither. and you’re the only one who can really protect him. he will listen to you, wheeler, in a way he won’t listen to his other friends or even his mother.”

another red flash of lighting outside, then a loaded crash of thunder.

“mike… you might not be the smartest person i know—“

“hey!”

“—but i know you’re not stupid. you know what you have to do. don’t do it for me. do it for him.” murray points toward the room where will went to sleep, and gets up with his glass of water. “he needs you. goodnight, mike.”

mike sits up higher, and his leg stops bouncing. he does know.

•••

and if the next morning, mike leads the gang into a secluded area of the woods, everyone following behind him except there’s will at his side, the two boys hand in hand, and announces, “here’s how we’re going to kill 001,” and he sees a glimmer of hope in everyone’s eyes for the first time in ages, he’ll know it was the right thing to do, telling will he’s in love at 5am under the crimson sky on murray’s fucking back porch, of all places.

the paladin and the cleric, heroes again, march into battle.

#switched between murray & mike’s pov bc idc there are no rules #murray’d #byler #byler ficlet #byler fanfic #apocalypse byler >>>