Archive of Our Own ^beta

Recent bookmarks

1. Rec *

   What Do You Mean ‘He Can’t Talk’? by Talula4094

   Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)  

   • General Audiences
   • No Archive Warnings Apply
   • Gen, Other
   • Complete Work

   20 Jan 2026

   Tags

   • No Archive Warnings Apply
   • Will Byers & Mike Wheeler
   • Will Byers & Dustin Henderson & Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler
   • Jonathan Byers & Mike Wheeler
   • Will Byers
   • Mike Wheeler
   • Lucas Sinclair
   • Dustin Henderson
   • Jonathan Byers
   • Joyce Byers
   • miwi
   • Childhood Friends
   • Nonverbal Communication
   • Selectively Mute Will Byers
   • Pre-Canon
   • Found Family
   • Good Parent Joyce Byers
   • Good Sibling Jonathan Byers
   • Why can’t he talk?
   • No Romance
   • Comfort No Hurt
   • There is no Lonnie in Ba Sing Se
   • mike wheeler - Freeform
   • will byers - Freeform
   • byler
   • mike and will - Freeform

   Summary

   “How would I know his favorite color is yellow and his least favorite food is asparagus, especially when it’s all floppy. How would I know that if he didn’t tell me…”

   Mike Wheeler knows Will Byers so well that he doesn’t realize his friend is ‘nonverbal.’ Mike uses stories and playing pretend to get to know Will and is shocked to learn that he ‘can’t’ talk.

   Language:

   English

   Words:

   1,762

   Chapters:

   1/1

   Comments:

   85

   Kudos:

   947

   Bookmarks:

   111

   Hits:

   5,248

   Bookmarked by ConfusedAndDistressed

   11 Feb 2026