reminder that mike and will never, ever had an argument until mike started dating el.
the only times they’ve actually gotten angry and upset at each other is because they weren’t paying enough attention to each other.
in 3x03, will was upset mike was so focused on el and excluding him, and when he revealed how he felt, mike got upset too because he never wanted to make will feel that way.
in 4x02, will was once again upset mike was so focused on el and excluding him. then we find out that mike was observing will and got upset because he was quiet, rolling his eyes and moping. they started arguing and admitted another reason they were both upset at each other was because neither of them contacted each other enough when they were apart. notice how this all goes back to mike and el’s relationship though and this wouldn’t have been an issue if they didn’t start dating?
BOTH times mike and will have argued, it’s always somehow about the negative effects of mike and el’s relationship and how it causes mike to completely change, become distracted and not be his true self. they had no issues with their own relationship before that (crazy contrast because mike and el’s arguments on the other hand are always about their own relationship + lying to each other).
it’s also important to note that mike and el excluding all their friends is not cute and romantic, it’s actually a sign their relationship is just unhealthy, and i absolutely hate seeing people defend their immature behaviour just because “they’re kids”. their friends are kids too. their friends have been through a lot too. lucas and max are the same age and started dating and never excluded their friends. they were able to balance their relationships. so no, there’s no excuse (and keep in mind this wasn’t just a tiny plot point in season 3 - if that was the case, fine. but it continued in season 4 when they excluded will at the roller rink. there was no growth!). mike and el ignoring people is selfish, immature and unhealthy, because anyone in a healthy relationship should be able to understand that you don’t just drop all your friends rudely to obsess over your partner and try to over-compensate with cheesy typical romantic things like making out and holding hands - they’re trying so hard to prove it to themselves and to others that they’re “so in love”, but their relationship lacks all the healthy things a relationship should have. if you can’t even be honest with each other and have genuine heart-to-heart conversations, i won’t take your relationship seriously lol. even THEIR OWN FRIENDS get annoyed with them and roll their eyes.
another crazy detail is that mike has had arguments with will AND el, but the only person he immediately apologises to and has a genuine, honest heart-to-heart conversation with is WILL. not el. in season 3, he rode his bike in a storm so he could immediately check on will and apologise. he didn’t do this with el. and in season 4, when he attempted to apologise to el, it resulted in the biggest fight between them where they both made other feel so much worse. when he apologised to will, they both ended up making each other feel better and they felt even closer than before.
the major difference between byler and m*leven has been on our screens since the very beginning. we can see which characters understand each other better and work so much better together romantically, but of course, no one takes it seriously with byler since they’re two boys and they just can’t comprehend the idea of them being more than friends because it makes them uncomfortable. if will was a girl though, i can guarantee you everyone would have very different opinions 🤷🏻♀️
