Byler combines the best qualities of the OTHER best ships on the show
Jopper...
...goes back years and years, and they've earned each others' trust by leaning on each other in moments of crisis
The same is true for Byler. Will trusts Mike more than anyone and they both feel comfortable showing vulnerability in each others' presence, because they've grown up together.
Jancy...
...works because both Nancy and Jonathan have similar interests and goals in life. They both oppose the idea of settling down and creating a nuclear family, and their interests make it so that they naturally work well together.
Byler is the same way. They've been best friends for years because they're interested in the same stuff. They're both nerds, and even in a group of outcasts, they're different. Mike is into writing and Will is into drawing, and both love D&D where they can make their stories come to life.
And my favorite...
Lumax...
...is there for each other, even when things get rough. In season 4, even when Max is making every effort to push Lucas away, he doesn't give up on trying to talk to her, and that literally saves her life. Then he stays by her side as she offers herself up as bait and when she's in the hospital later. Even Lucas's line about Max having dumped him five times, which is played as a joke, tells us that even when they have conflict, they always end up back together.
Byler is the same way. When Will was missing, Mike never stopped looking for him. When Will was possessed and possibly dangerous, Mike never left his side. Their relationship started with Mike seeing Will all by himself on the swings and showing him kindness.
And it's not one sided, either. In seasons 3 and 4, when Mike isn't acting like himself, Will never gives up on him. He tells him harsh truths during their rain fight, trying to get his old friend back. When they have barely spoken for 6 months after Will moved away, he still makes the painting for him, probably in another effort to remind Mike of who he is and get him to come to his senses. The one time Will lies to him, it's a moment of sacrifice, where Will sees Mike's insecurities and tries to help him, thinking that even if Mike won't be his protector anymore, at least he'll be someone's, and he'll be happy. Even after that, Will still loves Mike, because he knows that the person he fell in love with is still in there somewhere.
They literally have all the healthiest and most positive aspects of all the other relationships on the show rolled into one. AND Mileven has ZERO of these aspects.
We spend so much time defending Byler against homophobic losers that we forget to talk about how healthy they actually are together.
