are we gonna acknowledge that mike wheeler built the bo mb to destroy the upside down but there’s no discussion of why and how he knows how to make a bomb of that scale
another critique of st5 is why is mike wheeler just getting away scot free??? like he’s been on the front lines since the beginning and like nothing of circumstance has really happened to him?????
oh and if mike wasn’t supposed to cry at his parents attack, that’s literally not finns fault?? the actors job is to say what he’s told to say, act how he’s told to act. finn’s showing up to get his paycheck and go home, not act how you think he should as the professional actor
i feel like people are giving mike too much shit for not ‘reacting enough’ for his circumstances. we forget he’s 15 and has gone through mountains of trauma up to this point, and his minds probably on autopilot on fixing everything because let’s be real, everything he’s worked for up until this point has just blown up in his face and he can’t tackle everything at once. nancy wasn’t on her knees boohooing either, she was on her feet problem solving so why isn’t she getting the same shit? yall just hate mike smh
imagine mike fighting for his life trying to prove himself as a good boyfriend to will for jonathan like jonathan didn’t watch him grow up and knows exactly what kind of person he is
“mike you don’t have to try so hard, i know who you are and you know who i am so if you mess up you already know what’ll happen” -jonathan byers 1980something with the biggest smile on his face like he didn’t just indirectly threaten a child.
yearly season 2 rewatch turned into me rewatching season 3 and going on a full binge and i realized something.
in season 3 when el and the byers are leaving to california. el asks mike if his mom said yes to him coming for thanksgiving and mike excitedly says that he got the okay and that he'll be there, and that he was thinking el and the byers could come back to hawkins for christmas
in season 4, will yells at mike that it's been a year since they last talked, el has a book of letters from him and he's gotten maybe two phone calls from mike.
it's estimated the byers left hawkins around late august/early september, and the events of season 4 happen in march.
what happened to thanksgiving and christmas? why didn't mike go to cali for thanksgiving, and how come the byers didn't go to hawkins for christmas????
not bc of mike's sexuality or el's crave for independence or anything, which are both large potential factors.
but rather, i think that mileven is trauma-bonded and their relationship, romantic or platonic, is built on their shared trauma.
we know for a fact that el isn't interested in anything that mike is interested in (dnd, fantasy, sci-fi, etc etc) and that mike isn't too fond of anything that el is interested in (even tho el is still on a journey of finding out what is our there that she likes)
something they have in common is their trauma regarding to the upside down/alt dimension monsters. even though their trauma isn't on the same level, it is still trauma that they both went to
i think in s5 they'll go through experiences and they'll realize that "huh. maybe the only thing that i know about him/her is what she's/he's gone through and we shouldn't be togehter"
the external factors of mike's sexuality and el's crave for independence could play a part in that too, but all in all it's the realization of their trauma bond.
tldr; mileven is trauma bonded and they only reason they're still together/have been together so long is bc their shared trauma keeps coming back
will believes in half birthdays, and will proudly tell everyone that he's [age] and a half. mike thinks its adorable and gives him half desserts. like a legit half of a cupcake.
mike has the flavor palate of an elderly old man and REALLY likes flavors like butter pecan and rum raisin (i deeply apologise for anyone reading this who likes those flavors, i say this with love not angst) and will absolutely hates it but he tries and fails to put on a brave face for mike
when they were kids they would blow up the candles together bc mike's asthma wouldn't let him do it all of the candles by himself and will always wished for another year of friendship with mike and thought mike had to blow them out too for it to work. (it did)
will's love language is gift giving so his gifts are always really good and thoughtful and tear provoking that are always right on the nose of what mike would want, while mike's love language is quality time so he'd spend hours, days, weeks planning a really big and nice campaign for just the two of them that hits all of will's wants out of a campaign that he can't pull off in the party's campiagns.
happy birthday to me, another year of shipping byler lmao
will takes every opportunity he can to rub the fact that he's older than mike in his face. constantly abuses the "you'll know when you're older" joke and it makes mike so mad.
"will come on, i don't understand what this means."
"it's alright mike, you'll know when you're older"
"you're literally older than me by like two weeks"
"best two weeks of my life"
will confronts mike about his big 'i love you' speech and forces him to explain what he meant by half of it.
cw: vecna possession, manipulation, guilt-tripping, mentions of death, self hatred, bullying, references to stabbing
also available on ao3
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
while en route to hawkins, el and jonathan are fast asleep, as argyle toots his own horn and mumble sings to whatever is on the radio. mike and will are sat next to the other, pointedly ignoring each other when will takes a deep breathe and asks mike a question that's been burning in his throat.
"so the day i left was the best day of your life?" he asks quietly, continuing to stare at the ground as if he hadn't asked.
"what?" mike asks, looking up at will in confusion. he heard will loud and clear, but he isn't sure if he's hallucinating from all of the panic and stress he's undergone in the past week.
"you told el. that the best day of your life, was the day that i got taken by the demogorgon." he repeats, more sternly and looking up to meet mike's eyes. hurt and pain liter his features in the dim streetlights that are passing through the van's windows. "what does that mean? were you happy that i was gone? that i was dead?"
a single tear falls down mike's cheek before he quickly wipes it away. "that..that's not what i meant at all." he stammers, taken aback by the accusation.
the week will went missing was without a doubt the worst week of mike's life. it wasn't very subtle, everyone around him knew it. his parents, nancy, even baby holly knew that mike wasn't the happiest during that week. all of the important people in his life knew that that week without will was the actual worst.
except will.
will didn't know the absolute torture he went through when he was gone.
they had vowed not to talk about it unless they absolutely needed to. they had acknowledged then that it was too much grief and trauma to sift through at 12 years old, so they left it to be a fight for another day.
"so then what did you mean mike? you meant that i shouldn't have ever gotten rescued? that i should've stayed in the upside down and died?" will asks, accusing mike of the absolute worst thing to ever be. mike just stares at him in shock. how could his very best friend even think of him so lowly?
mike knew he wasn't the perfect best friend over the last six months when will was in california, but being away from his best friend for the longest time they've ever been apart for was hard for him and he didn't know how to react.
"the week without you was the absolute worst. i spent every night looking for you and praying i could find you. when they pulled that fake body out the-" mike cuts himself off.
the memories and the tears start slamming back into him. he hasn't talked about the night after will's government funded body was pulled out the quarry to anyone. no one knew what happened that night except for him and his mom, who swore not to tell anyone ever.
"after your body was pulled, i ran off and biked home. but i was crying so hard so that i couldn't see. i ran into a pole on my bike and didn't even get up. i just laid there and cried. my best friend was dead. and i didn't know to do."
mike can feel a sob trying to climb his its way out of his throat but he'd rather die than wake up el or jonathan with his crying.
will stares on at mike, expression slowly softening as he takes in his words. if he was being honest, will knew he was being kind of a jerk about the situation. but at the same time, it felt as though mike had found the absolute sharpest object that ever existed and drove it through will's chest without a care in the world.
"i got home and just collapsed again. i had slept in my parents bed like i was a toddler because i was just crying so hard. didn't go to school the next day or anything, i was just sad. it hurt so bad, you know? seeing you dead. well not really dead clearly, but i didn't know that then. i was 12, and my best friend was dead. i had to keep imaging how i was gonna move on. how was i going to plan future campaigns knowing i was missing a player? i was gonna have to finish middle school and graduate high school without you by my side. i was going to grow up and write but i wouldn't have your awesome drawings alongside my writing. i couldn't do anything without you, and i still can't. i always want you by my side, will. i'm sorry i haven't been acting like it but truly i don't know what to do without you."
mike allowed a few tears to make their way down his cheeks and droplets stain his jeans as he just sat there, not looking at will for a reaction. he had just poured his heart out for the first time since he was 12 and it was just starting to register in his head.
"aw mike, why didn't you tell me?" will started, his tone sympathetic. he sounded gentle, like he was talking to a baby. "why didn't you tell me you were so pathetic?"
startled, mike whipped his head over to look at will. at least, a version of will. instead of the beautiful brown and green eyes that will had, they were entirely white and foggy. as if he were in a trance of some kind.
"you let me be your friends for almost 10 years and you kept it a secret how much a pathetic wannabe you are? you're disgusting, really. crying and sobbing your heart out over me? it's like you're obsessed with me. you are, aren't you? i bet you're even in love with me. what a freak" will continued.
mike didn't know what to say. will's words finally processing in his mind, "freak" and "pathetic" whirling around in his head like they were on the spin cycle. will had seemed to take the dagger that mike put through his chest, rip it out and stabbed it repeatedly into mike's own.
mike opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, trying to make his mind work and respond but there was nothing.
"will, i.." mike started. suddenly his mouth felt dry and his brain was too big for his skull to hold and mike couldn't feel.
he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around his head in attempts to conceal the pain and make it stop but it didn't help.
memories of him and will as kids flashed in front of his eyes. all in gray, gone were the days from elementary school of running around castle byers, beginner dnd campaigns that they were so bad at but they didn't care.
they grew taller, teeth fell out and pimples grew and suddenly they were 13 years old and mike was yelling at him in his garage. "It's not my fault you don't like girls!". suddenly, mike was the worst best friend in the planet.
the scene changed again and mike was looking at himself, huddled into an awkward ball in the back of a surfer boy pizza boy. faint sobbing and whimpery apologies tumble from his lips.
"what kind of monster would talk to will like that? what is wrong with you?" he hears. in his own voice. mike looks around confused, he didn't speak. he looks over at the mike sitting on the seat in the van, who's staring at him with glazed over white eyes.
the eyeless mike continues to stare at him, menacingly. "who do you think you are? some freak who wants will all to himself? you can't treat him the way he deserves and yet you want him for yourself? you want to hold him and your arms forever and protect him?? what are you protecting him from, yourself?"
eyeless mike changes into a younger version, from when he was 12. chubby cheeks and awkward bowl cut stare back at him. "we're supposed to protect will, what are you doing? i'd never treat will like that, he's my best friend. what is wrong with you?"
the high pitched and squeaky, "what is wrong with you", plays over and over in his head, growing in volume. stuck like a record, over and over.
what is wrong with you?
until it stops. its just black, as if mike's eyes are just closed like he's about to go to bed. then he's in a field. it's a bright and sunny day. the wind is blowing and the flowers are in full bloom. it's a wonderful sight. mike looks around and will appears.
will.
as beautiful as he always is. hazel and green eyes shine brightly in the sunlight, brown hair so beautifully shiny. the wind blows and he laughs. the most beautiful laugh mike's ever heard.
he steps forward towards will, reaching out for his hand. he reaches will, and holds his hand. will looks over and smiles at him, squeezing his hand gently.
"crazy together, right?" will whispers.
before mike can even open his mouth to respond, the sky turns red and will's hand isn't will's hand anymore. it's cold and clammy, scaly and gross to hold. mike looks over to see will's body, but not his face. a grotesque skinned face looks back at him.
"how pathetic michael..really. you were fun to play with, but the fun's over." the face says, in a disgusting voice. hearing it puts a grind on mike's eardrums. the voice sounds so dry, but so wet and thick and he hates it. he goes to push his hands over his ears but the gross hand is holding his tightly, and won't let him go.
"don't fight it michael. they don't want you anyways. you won't be a pathetic freak anymore with me."
tears well in mike's eyes as he stares. he doesn't want to drag anyone behind anymore. he's the paladin, he's supposed to fix everything.
a teardrop falls before mike pitifully nods his head.
back in the van, in the real world. there's a bright yellow van parked haphazardly on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
jonathan's pacing outside of the van, running his hand through his hair wildly as he tries to figure out what to do. argyle sits with will and mike on the floor trying to snap mike out of whatever happened to him. el sits outside of the van, blindfold over eyes trying to link her mind to someone, anyone to that can help them.
and will.
crying like he's never cried before, shaking and begging mike to snap out of it and to come back because he can't lose mike. he refuses to lose him.
"mike come on!! mike! snap out of it, please! mike, don't do this to me please i need you" he screams, voice raw around the edges and he tries to scream through his tears.
mike and will go see barbie again for the second time just by themselves because they were bored. secretly, mike did want to see it again to truly see if he was just being dramatic or if the movie actually did have an effect on him.
when it's just him and will, mike feels more. he's always thought he's been more emotional and expressive when he's around will. he feels everything around. he could feel this ache in his chest, but he couldn't tell if something bad was about to happen to him or if he was overthinking something he said earlier.
mike lets out a few quiet tears during the movie but nothing compared to what happened after.
the second the movie ends and ice spice is done and "what was i made for" starts to play, mike lets out the nastiest and ugliest sob everyone in the theatre has ever heard.
will, starstruck because oh my god that noise was not human, just sits and holds mike awkwardly in the movie theatre chair and mike just sobs.
is will crying too? a bit, but he's not sure why he's even crying because he shed his tears the first time around.
the lights turn on and the boys make their exit only for the movie to slam into mike's chest once again and he turns into the wall and cries again like he's been put in timeout.
eventually, mike calms down enough to get to the car where they just sit there. until mike gets out his phone to text his mom and nancy.
"i love you, mommy."
"you're the best big sister i could've asked for."
will smiles softly at him, pets his unruly curls back and presses a soft kiss to his forehead.
"you'll always be kenough to me, mike"
..
"will why the hell would you say that, oh my god" mike says before they burst into laughter.
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