#but idk maybe thts jus me maybe im built different 🧐

[bylertruther]

some people don't want mike to tell will that he loves him next season and i get that because it certainly isn't necessary at all but on the contrary i think it Would be the best thing ever if it did happen tbh.

for two seasons now we've seen mike not be able to tell or even show eleven that he loves her seriously and genuinely Like That in the way that she wants to be loved. for two seasons we've seen other people have to guide and push mike to fix his relationship with her because he can't do it by himself and he can't be real with her (or anyone else, suspiciously enough) about why.

in season four we got a real glimpse into what mike and eleven's relationship is REALLY like when they're off hiding from everyone else. we saw how they feel about each other, how they make each other feel about themselves, and how they handle (or don't handle) hardships.

and THEN we saw will confess to mike and show him the exact kind of love that he needs and has been searching for since forever and how giddy that made mike even after the moment had long passed. and THEN we saw mike tell eleven that he loves her finally BUT he did it because will prompted him to and his entire monologue was based off of and a response to WILL'S confession from before. (also, she's literally dying so this is canonically their last ditch effort to help her lol). it isn't what eleven wants to hear, but what WILL would've wanted to hear, and mike would know that if he'd prioritized his memories and experiences with her as well as his own judgement over what will tells him.

not only that, but he professes his love in a way that's just like before: they don't know for sure that she can hear him, she's unable to respond, and she cannot participate in this one-sided "conversation". so, he STILL isn't able to tell her that he loves her like that when it's just the two of them and when they're BOTH able to actually PARTICIPATE in the moment. they STILL have not been able to have a serious conversation with each other. he's made no progress and they're still right where they started even after everything. we're at two entire seasons of this now with nothing to show for it (in this specific regard).

so, if in season five mike says i love you i think it would be groundbreaking and really show that his issue isn't and never has been that he can't say the words. it's that he doesn't want to say them if they're not true. it would show again as previous seasons have that mike doesn't need any outside help or guidance when it comes to his relationship with will. he knows, trusts, and loves will enough to say it and mean it not because he's been forced to or lied to or pressured to, but just because he WANTS to say it. it's his choice this time and he wants will to know the truth. his truth, because he feels safe enough to share it with him, and he wants will to hear it, believe it, and feel it just as he does.

and tbh i think that would be meaningful for both of them to have that validation and be able to speak their truths in a way that is safe and entirely of their own volition.