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1. why, won't you ever know (that i'm in love with you) by beowulfelia

   Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)  

   • Not Rated
   • No Archive Warnings Apply
   • M/M
   • Complete Work

   29 Dec 2025

   Tags

   • No Archive Warnings Apply
   • Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
   • Will Byers
   • Mike Wheeler
   • Robin Buckley
   • Nancy Wheeler
   • Dustin Henderson
   • Lucas Sinclair
   • Jonathan Byers
   • Eleven | Jane Hopper
   • Jim "Chief" Hopper
   • Post-Stranger Things 5 Vol. 2
   • Post-Episode: s05e07 The Bridge (Stranger Things)
   • Post-Canon
   • Stranger Things 5
   • Miscommunication
   • Talking
   • Talking About Feelings
   • just a lot of talking
   • seriously they needed it
   • Robin Buckley & Will Byers Friendship
   • The Upside Down (Stranger Things)
   • Will Byers in the Upside Down
   • Mike Wheeler in the Upside Down
   • POV Will Byers
   • Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler
   • Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers
   • Internalized Homophobia
   • Fix-It
   • Kind Of
   • Canon Continuation
   • Angst
   • Fluff
   • Angst with a Happy Ending
   • Past Trauma
   • First Kiss
   • Gay Will Byers
   • Will Byers Comes Out
   • Will Byers's Painting
   • Mike Wheeler Finds Out About Will Byers's Painting

   Summary

   "It was like I got so wrapped up in the whole idea of being a boyfriend that I didn’t stop to think about if I actually liked any of it. Maybe I just wanted to be really focused on it so I didn’t have to think about how empty and surface-level it all felt.”
   “It?” Will asks quietly.
   “You know, all of it. The fights, our conversations, the things we had in common.” Mike finally pauses, hesitating. “Or, maybe I wanted to be really focused on it,” Mike says, slowly now, “so I didn’t have to think about how none of it ever felt empty or surface-level with…”
   “With who?”
   “With… with you.”

   While everyone waits around for the world to end, Mike and Will finally have a long-overdue conversation.

   Language:

   English

   Words:

   13,535

   Chapters:

   1/1

   Comments:

   16

   Kudos:

   297

   Bookmarks:

   64

   Hits:

   1,720