Could you maybe write a post (short or long) to prove that Mike likes Will? Because my friend says that they're just friends...
Hell. Yes. This is gonna be another long one. I think most of this has been said before, but I think it helps to see it all together in a structured argument!
The Mike Has Feelings for Will Breakdown
1. Will and Mike have a closer and different relationship from the others in the party.
From the very opening scene, we are meant to see that Mike and Will have a closer relationship than the others, when Will tells Mike about the bad roll after Lucas told him not to. Will lingers back after the other leaves and tells Mike the truth.
Beyond just foreshadowing Will being taken, it shows two things: first, Will is honest and has integrity; second, that Will trusts mike more than the others.
Mike is the most worried about Will out of any of the party in season 1--exclaiming that he is "the only one who cares about Will," and putting finding Will above everything else, even Eleven. He keeps and looks through dozens of Will's drawings. When the bullies torment him and his friends, he mostly accepts it, but almost always fights back when Will is brought up.
He's also shown to be the most impacted by Will's disappearance and his "death" when they find the fake body. In addition to seeing Mike crying to his mom--one of the rare scenes where he finds comfort in his parents--they also filmed a scene of Mike crying while biking home that Finn apparently loved.
These shots are intentional, and they are meant to show us how deeply Mike cares for Will, and how that love is stronger and different from the love between the other party members.
In season 2, we see Mike caring for Will differently from the rest of the party in an even more overt way. He sticks with Will for almost the whole season and is shown being the one to notice and got to Will when he isn't doing good.
In the movie theater in 3x01, he immediately notices when Will has some Upside-Down-spidey-senses. He asks if he's okay, insists, are you sure? and looks him over.
In case that wasn't obvious enough to show Mike caring deeply for Will and being there for him in a way the others aren't, they show us not one but two more scenes of Mike being the one to help Will. (Two of which are just in the first freaking episode of season 2, aka the first season we are really getting to see their dynamic together.)
Outside the arcade, Mike is the one to notice he's gone and come out looking for him, and he guides him inside with a protective arm around the shoulder.
Then, while Trick or Treating, once Will has his episode, Mike is again the one to notice something is wrong with Will, he goes to him, and again tucks him protectively under his arm to take him home.
Why would we be shown not once, not twice, but three times, just in season 2's first act, Mike being protective over Will, the one to notice when things are wrong, the one to comfort, if we're not meant to notice that pattern? Notice how they are there for each other in a way the others aren't?
Throughout season 2, we see Mike being there for Will while he's struggling with the Mind Flayer. We see Mike stick with him for the majority of the season for support. We get the "crazy together" scene. We get Mike touching Will's hand to still the shaking. We see Mike sleeping in a chair next to Will's hospital bed, not moving from his side.
We also see him as the only person who isn't family speaking to Will in the cabin when trying to reach him through the Mind Flayer's possession. The iconic scene:
He tells him the story of their first meeting with a tear running down his cheek--"It was the best thing I've ever done" and Will, even through his possession, looks a bit like that's everything he's ever wanted to hear.
We don't get this kind of backstory for any of the other's friendships or first meetings, and I truly think it's because the writers are emphasizing the significance of Mike and Will specifically. More importantly though, we see how this memory, and his friendship with Will overall, is so important to Mike.
In season 4, we even get the difference in their relationship more explicitly: Mike tells Will how Hawkins isn't the same without him, saying the other's names as if to imply they're not you. The message is that their relationships are different, and the others don't fill the void of Will's leaving.
2. Will and Mike have a closer and different relationship from Mike and Eleven.
Beyond just the differences between Mike and Will's relationships and their relationships with the rest of the party, their relationship is also shown to be very different from Mike's relationship with Eleven. They are very obviously contrasted in season 3 with the Mileven breakup and the Byler fight. This has probably been analyzed to death so I'll keep it to the main points.
The Mileven breakup is such a different vibe than the Byler fight. The argument itself is played off for laughs ("I dump your ass") and their reactions are humorous. Mike's face, Max's face, Max and Eleven laughing in the bus afterward. Even Mike seems more annoyed than hurt afterward, saying the girls are "conspiring" against him.
Compare this to the stark seriousness of the Byler fight, which is just dramatically different. All grey and dull, in the pouring rain, different lighting. And afterward, instead of laughter and vibrant colors, we get Will destroying Castle Byers, showing the deep impact this has on the characters versus the shallow impact of the Mileven breakup.
Even ignoring the Eyewitness parallel, this scene is huge for Mike and Will's relationship, and specifically for how Mike views Will. It is treated with such seriousness compared to the Mileven breakup.
Afterward, Mike bikes through the rain to go to Will's house to apologize, and when he doesn't find him there, continues through the rain to Castle Byers. He immediately wants to fix things and apologize, whereas with El, he didn't even see those things as options. He can handle Eleven being mad at him, but he can't stand to leave things in a bad place with Will.
We are shown these two fights in the same episode but in drastically different treatments for a reason, and that is to show how Mike prioritizes his relationships, valuing his friendship with Will more than his relationship with Eleven.
Then there's the end of season 3. The iconic eyes-wide-open kiss where Mike is framed in front of an open closet. Where Eleven walks away and Mike looks completely confused and conflicted in a way that makes no sense if he really loves her.
Again, comparing this scene to Byler's goodbye scene, where Mike is engaged and open. Where Mike wonders if Will would join another party and he says "not possible" and Mike looks at him so softly.
I personally believe this is the moment he starts to realize his feelings for Will, and that's why he acts strangely with Eleven's confession and kiss. Even if you don't believe that, these scenes are important because they show how Mike is responding to saying goodbye to two of the most important people in his life.
And of course, in season 4, we see Mike being unable to tell El he loves her, but being able to express to Will that he's missed him.
I don't think the difference in how he treats them is accidental--they are intentionally showing his value of Will's friendship and comparing it to his conflicting feelings around his relationship with El. They've compared the relationships too many times and too directly for it to be coincidence: they want us to see the difference in these two relationships.
3. Mike has feelings for Will by season 4.
Mike's actions truly don't make sense unless we assume he's queer and repressing himself, pulling away from Will and focusing on El to avoid acknowledging the truth of his sexuality.
After we are shown so consistently how he prioritizes Will, we're meant to notice the stark difference of how Mike treats Will at the airport. First, he rebuffs his hug for an awkward shoulder pat, then, with a carefully blank expression, asks about the painting and dismisses it. We're talking about the kid who used to tuck Will under his arm whenever he was scared in season 2, the kid who kept all of Will's drawings and looked through them when he missed him in season 1.
Then, there's the roller skating rink scenes. Mike is allegedly ignoring Will all night, yet when they fight, he lists off Will's behavior as if he has actually been paying close attention: Will was "moping around, rolling eyes," etc. Meaning that, while Mike wasn't acting on it, he is still noticing Will's signs of not being okay, just like he consistently did in season 2. He can't help but pay close attention to his best friend and notice the signs of him being off, even if he wants to focus on his girlfriend.
Yet again, we see Mike putting his relationship with Will first by immediately apologizing and admitting fault in a way that he doesn't do often. Where he typically deflects blame (Max "conspiring" in season 3, the "who said I didn't?" in his fight with El in season 4), with Will he realizes he's done wrong and apologizes. His priority is making sure his relationship with Will is okay.
This is another stark change considering how he acted toward Will in the beginning of the season, and it is marked by the absence of El--the departure of the expectations of being a perfect, straight boyfriend. Suddenly, we see Mike able to open up and express himself again. We see him soft and gentle in the way he really only is with Will.
Then there's this scene which is just. So sweet. So much Byler.
But there's a specific section of it that I can't find gif'd that I love, and I want to break it down. It's surrounding the line "I have no idea what's going to happen next." You can watch the clip here but I will break down the microexpressions:
Mike looks down, mouth open like he wants to say something, but he hesitates, blinks a few times, thinking, and seems to get up the courage to say it. "I have no idea what's going to happen next." Looks away. Swallows hard. Looks back. Cut to Will, who swallows hard too. "But whatever it is, I think it'll be easier if we work together. If we're a team."
He's so nervous when he says he has no idea what's next. He means it. He's scared. He doesn't know what's next, not just with Eleven and the Upside Down, but with his relationships, with both Eleven and with Will. Yet through that fear and that not knowing, the one thing he puts ahead of everything else is making sure that he and Will are good, that they are a team, friends, best friends.
Welp, I made myself emotional about Byler again.
Anyway, hope this helps change some folks minds including anon's friends :)
**edited for wrong episode numbers
