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1. i'm not in love (it's just a silly phase i'm going through) by sumgirlwholovesbyler

   Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)  

   • Mature
   • Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
   • M/M
   • Work in Progress

   04 Jun 2026

   Tags

   • Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
   • Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
   • Will Byers
   • Mike Wheeler
   • Nikki Baxter
   • The Party (Stranger Things)
   • Karen Wheeler
   • Ted Wheeler (Stranger Things)
   • Maxine "Max" Mayfield
   • Lucas Sinclair
   • Dustin Henderson
   • Eleven | Jane Hopper
   • Joyce Byers
   • Jim "Chief" Hopper
   • Friends to Lovers
   • Slow Burn
   • First Kiss
   • Awkward Tension
   • Implied/Referenced Character Death
   • Grief/Mourning
   • Sharing a Bed
   • Sharing Clothes
   • Mutual Pining
   • Post-Stranger Things 5 Finale
   • Idiots in Love
   • Angst
   • Internalized Homophobia
   • Period-Typical Homophobia
   • Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler
   • Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers
   • Painting
   • Writing
   • Love Confessions
   • Depression
   • byler
   • High School
   • Boys In Love
   • Sexual Tension
   • Underage Smoking
   • Smoking
   • Will Byers Has Powers
   • Mike Wheeler is Bad at Feelings
   • Ted Wheeler Being Homophobic (Stranger Things)
   • Supportive Karen Wheeler
   • Eventual Smut
   • I promise

   Summary

   Will almost dies, Eleven does

   Mike and Will grieve together

   Mike sleeps on his floor every night, afraid to lose him too

   Will feels like he's replacing El, but he secretly loves the attention

   Depressed Mike Wheeler and desperate Will Byers

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Post-finale byler extremely slowburn full of grief, insomnia, 2am radios, shared silence, and Mike slowly realizing he’s in love with his best friend. Instead of just accepting season 5, this is in between El's death and graduation, and what happens next!

   Language:

   English

   Words:

   79,988

   Chapters:

   37/?

   Comments:

   97

   Kudos:

   53

   Bookmarks:

   12

   Hits:

   1,369