#MIKE WHEELER I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE

[kyle-txt]

Real

This is why he’s literally me

rip mike wheeler you would’ve loved consuming 5 different forms of media at once to prevent the chance of a thought occurring

[love-byers]

i think about el's flannel actually being will's every second of every fucking day

[bylerpining]

and heaven knows he's miserable now

[saonyx]

saw someone do this so i had to do byler x stuilly

[lilyevansirl]

oh she KNOWS

she's gonna clock his tea so fucking hard

[mike--queerler]

if mike and el were a couple on love island, they would be hated by the majority of the british public

[i-eat-homeless-people]

Claim your "I was a Byler before s5 came out" here

[kyle-txt]

oh my god!!!!!!!

You know MY biggest piece of Byler evidence?

It’s the fact that all Byler fics between 2016 and 2018 are written as Mike having a one sided crush. Mike was the reason people shipped Byler back then. He was the pining loser and WILL was the long shot.

[butter-bubbles]

The thing that absolutely gets to me in this scene is how Will doesn't even look upset when he sees El and Mike (totally platonically) reuniting.

The GA always argues that Will's included during their “romantic moment” to convey his sadness/unrequitedness/queer alienation, but like he's just happy to have his sister back in this moment. There’s not even a hint of sadness on his face. It's Mike who's acting strange here.

Bro looks like someone just electrocuted his cat, like who is this loser boykisser? Cringefail Mike Wheeler, never change.

[sara-yuna]

It's so funny (& sad at the same time for El🫠)

El is crying, nearly begging Mike to tell her that he loves her and he still doesn't do it but when Will tells him to do it he immediately does so 😂

Same with the letter, Mike throws it away when Will tells him staring at it won't change anything like: my man has spoken 😂😂

Will could ask Mike anything and that boy would get it done in seconds for him 😂

Will: Mike could you please....?

Mike: 🏃🏃🏃🏃

Will: Wait I haven't even finished my sentence 😳

In conclusion: Mike Wheeler is a simp for Will Byers 😂

[kyle-txt]

The way Mike looks at El 😻😻

You can tell he truly does love her and they are going to be together forever 🥰😻

[jsmncrscnt]

such beautiful frames

also... [gay pining intensifies]

[dearwillbyers]

relax mike queerler, nobody's taking him away from you

(happy new year guys!)

[love-byers]

I see byler. But it would make me feel so weird because Mike has liked a girl for four seasons and he has treated Will horribly, getting away from him because of a girl. I don't know, it would be pailful to rewatch the show and see all this ald later see byler being canon

i encourage you to rewatch the show because it is just flat out not true that mike "treated will horribly". if mike liking a girl for 4 seasons holds impact then so does the way mike has CANONICALLY treated will during those same seasons.

in s1 mike is determined to find will, believing he was alive even when dustin and lucas didn't. he defended will multiple times ("wait this is will's fault?" "i'm the only one acting normal here! I'm the only one that cares about will!", pushing troy down). he stayed awake in the hospital waiting room so he could go to will immediately when he woke up. he was the first one in will's hospital room and laid his head on will's chest. he breaks into a cheesy grin just watching will play dnd.

in s2 mike is extremely attentive and protective of will. he notices when will wanders outside the arcade and puts an arm around him to guide him back inside, he notices when will is being quieter than usual, he doesn't let anyone else touch will on halloween, he sees himself as will's protector, he comforts will by suggesting they'll lose their minds together, he jumps to will's defense over the dart stuff, he stands in front of will to protect him from dart, he is worked up over will missing school, he stares sadly at will's empty desk, he calls the byers house from a payphone because he's eaten up with worry, he goes to the byers house after school and bangs on the door calling for will, he holds will's hand and assures him all the terrible things he's going through are happening for a reason, he sleeps on will's floor to stay close to him, he sleeps in a chair next to wills hospital bed, he gets flustered when will remembers him despite having amnesia, he notices when something is wrong with will despite him not moving or changing his expression at all, he tearfully recounts the day he met will and describes it as the best thing he's ever done in his whole life.

in s3, yes mike is not a great friend to will all of the time, but it wasn't specifically targeted at will. he and el were being bad friends to the whole group over the summer. and despite that, mike is still attentive to will, noticing when something was wrong in the theater despite the fact that he's supposed to be paying attention to the movie like everyone else. he double checks that will is okay. he immediately back tracks and tries to keep playing dnd when will gets upset, even forcing lucas to backtrack as well. he follows after will when he storms off. he doesn't want will to bike home in the rain. he continues to apologize even though will is ignoring him. he compliments will's campaign and assured him he doesn't think its bad. he's extremely regretful after snapping and saying something hurtful to will. he calls after will, begging him not to leave. he bikes to wills house in a rainstorm and bangs on his door, apologizing and begging will to come outside and talk to him. he doesn't just accept that will doesn't want to talk to him and instead searches through the forest in the dark rain for him. he jumps to defend will and encourages the rest of the group to believe him about the mindflayer. he sticks close to will during the sauna test. he worries about will leaving him behind when he moves to california. he is delighted when will assures him thats its impossible. he tearfully hugs will goodbye. im not gonna go into the byler coding in hop's letter because some would say it's speculative, but yeah. mike was fucking devastated at losing will.

between s3 and 4 mike is eaten up by the idea of will not reaching out and making new friends. he feels like he lost will. he openly complains about joyce's job holding up the line because he wants to talk to will. he mopes in his basement and plays nintendo because he misses will. to him everything feels weird because will isn't there. hawkins no longer feels like home because will isn't there. he loves his other friends but finds that there's something different about what he feels towards will.

then in s4 mike does start out being a dick towards will. or at least it looks that way. it seems like mike doesn't want anything to do with will, but later on he flat out admits that that wasn't the case at all. he was still being highly attentive to will, analyzing his facial expressions and demeanor and hoping will to talk to him. will didn't ruin mikes day by being too involved in his date with his girlfriend, he ruined it by not being involved. he stays close to will after el hits angela, literally shoulder to shoulder with him. he seeks will out to apologize to him and let him know he didn't deserve the way he'd been treated, and goes on to tell him how much he'd missed him and how he was afraid he'd lost him. he wants them to be best friends again. he wants he and will to be a team through whatever happens next. he is overjoyed when he thinks will made a painting for him. he assures will that they will kill vecna together and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder (despite the fact that he was too s scared to hug will 5 days earlier). he stays at will's side when the world is ending right before their eyes.

i truly truly do not understand why people say will deserves better than mike because the entire fucking point of their dynamic is that he handles will with much more care than he does others. im sorry but it really just sounds like an excuse to say byler bad without sounding problematic because the truth is that you just don't want mike to be queer. mike is very tender and caring with will and trusts him above anyone else. will is the same way towards mike. and he is devastatingly in love with mike. mike who has done everything stated above for him. why would they not be a good match? why does will not deserve the person he feels understands him better than anyone else, the person who makes him feel loved and special in a word turned against him? bffr

and about mike getting away from will because of a girl, this is a very common trope in childhood friends to lovers stories. that is what deepens the relationship between the two friends. the jealousy, the pining, the emotionally charged arguments. one of the friends usually doesn't realize what they have until they are faced with losing it. hello, s3 epilogue! the love triangle dynamic has already been used multiple times in stranger things. nancy genuinely did have romantic feelings for steve even when she got with jonathan. joyce had genuine romantic feelings for bob despite the fact that she was clearly in love with hopper. the writers have clearly shown that love is something entirely separate from attraction, and that it's easy to get lost along the path to it and get those feelings mixed up. why would it be any different for mike? especially if he's queer and in love with a boy? that makes everything 100x more confusing. especially if he's bisexual because the world back then conditioned people to think there was only homosexuals and 'normal' people. it would be so difficult for mike to figure everything out if his romantic feelings towards el are very much real, because he doesn't think he can have both. he feels caught between two slides, as one might say.

so yeah rewatch the show with an open mind and i promise you it will not make you feel weird, it will actually make a whole lot more sense. and if it does make you feel weird then i think you need to address an underlying attitude towards gay people. im not flat out calling you homophobic, it's very easy to be biased and not even know it when the world is as heteronormative as it is. just try to have an open mind

[lovisus]

I’ve been kinda into them lately.

Shoutout to @smoonsnoom (moonsooms) on Ao3 for providing me with the most delish and fluffy Byler bedtime stories. You’re the real mvp🩵

[saonyx]

Mike Wheeler x female reader headcanons‼️‼️

1. he leaves you for a man