ok so here’s how i think this whole situation went. El tells Mike about Will making a painting and about how she thinks it’s for a girl and then for some reasons they show us Mike’s reaction then at the airport there’s Mike’s weird reaction to Will trying to hug him (was it jealousy because he thinks Will likes a girl? idk) then he notices the painting and asks Will about it (hoping that it was actually for him?) and Will probably thought Mike didn’t care about the painting cuz he was acting weird so he just told him that it was just a painting acting like it was nothing important and Mike went back to thinking it was for a girl, at rink o mania Will thinks Mike wasn’t paying attention to him at all but it turns out Mike was paying attention to him and told him that he ruined the whole day cuz he was “being a douche to El” but Will calls him out and asks him if he was mad cuz he didn’t talk to Mike cuz he understood what that was really about and Will thinks that Mike only called him a couple times but it turns out Mike tried to call him many times but the line was always busy and kept complaining to Dustin about it(and probably wrote him letters but never sent them) and then Will asks him “and us?” (while talking about their friendship) and Mike (who thinks Will is straight and likes a girl) took it romantically and felt the need to clarify that they’re friends and then after Will says that they used to be best friends the camera pans back to Mike and he starts talking again (and in the closet starts playing after Mike starts talking again). now let’s take a look at this scene in the desert (from @mikeandwillel ) Mike relates to what Will is saying cuz he’s scared of hurting El with what he actually wants to say (he’s gay)

In the van Will gives him the painting and he went back to thinking it really was for him (yes it was) but then Will lied to him and told him that El commissioned it (no she didn’t) but then Will started talking about El’s feelings(his feelings) and since Mike already used El’s name as a way to disguise why he was mad at Will he understood what Will actually meant and that he loves him back so when they went to the Surfer Boy Pizza place he tried to break up with El and tell her what he was too afraid to tell her when they got into a fight but then Argyle interrupted them and then the topic totally changed so he thought it was best to tell her later. look at this parallel (from @mikeandwillel )

“i care for you.. so much”

Things got bad and he didn’t know what to do and then Will told him that he’s the heart and reminded him about what Will told him in the van and he probably thought that he was being stupid for hoping Will was talking about himself in the van and for hoping he felt the same way

 and now El was in danger and he had to act fast and so he told her what he thought she wanted to hear what he thought would save her (but El knows he lied). In an interview Millie said that El needs to find out who she is  without Mike and that at the end of s4 she found out she’s her own superhero(which is why i think she’s gonna be the one who breaks up with Mike) and remember how s4 ended?

with the 2 couples and the the future couple(?) together on the hill which parallels this scene oh and those are the same flowers Mike gave her at the beginning of s4 (the Duffers personally handpicked them to make sure of it)

*guttural screaming, before clearing my throat and sitting down."

LET US DISCUSS.

Mostly Mike Wheeler's body language, because he's the common denominator in both scenes.

First, let's talk about Mike's body language in his one-on-one with El at Surfer Boy's Pizza.

The scene starts out with Mike putting on the vision blocking glasses while making some corny ass jokes. El laughs at all of them, maintaining (one sided, because bro's literally wearing vision blocking glasses) eye contact with Mike. Then, the tone gets a little more serious with El saying Mike's name. She initiates hand holding, and Mike VISIBLY hesitates. She mentions that she misses him. He, again, hesitates. His eyes walk around the room, failing to keep eye contact with her. Especially during the part where he gets personal. Then, they are interrupted by Argyle serving up the pineapple pizza. It's also notable that Mike looks tense as FUCK. He is slouching, and has his shoulders tensed up. Plus, he kinda just sounds like he's rambling most of the conversation. His tone sounds shaky; he's just constantly saying words.

With that in mind, lets move on to the van scene.

It starts off with Mike confiding in Will about his worries in his relationship. He speaks somewhat more concise (all throughout the whole scene), he sounds a lot more sure with his words. Throughout the whole conversation, Mike keeps his eyes on Will. He'd look away a couple of times, but that's because he's either looking at the painting, or mimicking Will. It's also mainly eye contact, with a couple of... glances.. at Will's lips. Mike also seems a lot less tense here. Mike always slouches/bends down around Will. Most likely to be on the same eye-level (height gap stuff).

Now. Right off the bat, you can already tell the HUGE differences in Mike's body language in the two scenes. In one, he is tense and hesitates to open up. In the other, it LITERALLY starts with him opening up. PLUS the eye contact. This is so evident in a lot of Mike's more serious/personal scenes with El. He can only profess his "true feelings" when El is not looking, or not even in the room at all. When he is one-on-one with El, he hesitates with his both affection and his words. Most of the times, he ends up rambling.

With Will, on the other hand, he's a LOT more different. He's more composed. There's still the element of nervousness, of course. But, with Will, he seems a lot more *relaxed*. He's not constantly rambling, or anxiously looking around the room. He's calm with his words, and holds the eye contact incredibly well. ALSO?? NOT TO FORGET HIM ALWAYS LOOKING DOWN AT WILL'S LIPS. I have literally never seen him do that with El. At least in S4.

Anyways, that seems like the end of this small discussion. Feel free to like add more details I might've missed.

That part in Scott Street where it’s like “ouuuh ouh, oouuuh ouhh ouh ouuuhhh” is so Will Byers dying and confessing his love for mike wheeler just to realize mike loved him back all along coded.

I have a love hate relationship with mike wheeler because he's a chaotic little shit and suprisingly relatable but at the same time fuck him. I just wanna hold him and tell him "hey, you've seen stuff no one should ever have to see in their entire life and its okay to let it out, its okay to be scared." But then again I want to punt his ass into the stratosphere all the way to Earth 2 and tell him that "you should apologize, what you say hurts ya know!?!? Maybe think about it, solve your problems like an adult!" But then again he's not an adult, he's a teenage boy who makes mistakes and hurts other peoples feelings without even meaning to. However I want to drag him by the ear and tell him he's a terrible friend sometimes and needs to start realizing that he has to own up to his actions right quick or one day he will well and truly regret it.

However I'm a hypocrite

Mike might not die in season 5, but he's definitely gonna go through hell, whether that be from Vecna or himself

I feel as though there is a desire to completely dichotomize byler when they don’t need to be polar opposites in order to fit together. They are individuals, but it’s their differences AND their similarities that make their dynamic what it is

Mike's definition of normal went from this, caring for his best friend when he went missing (regardless of the reason people said he went missing) and willing to do anything to find him:

To this:

A.k.a., what Mike used to think was normal vs what society taught him 'normal' was.

Bonus:

before i fully realized i was bi, i used to say stuff like, “you know, in another life, i think i could’ve been bisexual!” 

and idk i feel like that’s the kind of dumb shit that mike wheeler would say that would cause like... lucas and max and literally everyone to turn and look at the camera as if they’re on the office 

there is no heterosexual explanation for this. only homo.

THIS ARTICLE YESS

I love the idea of robin and steve seeing will and mike interact in s5 and js side eyeing eachother

Stranger Things writing isn’t bad...

yet.

It’s either the best writing to ever grace Netflix’s platform, or another successful queerbait that used their gay couple to promote the straight one.

byler endgame > > > mileven and i will DIE on this hill.

I am both a Mike Hater and Mike Apologist because that tiny little mf has been through some serious stuff but that annoying shit has also caused other people too.

Mike tried to ignore the way his heart was still beating in his ears as he turned and opened the closet to fish out an extra pillow and a blanket. He spread them out on the floor once he located them, and then he sat down. When he looked back up, Will was still sitting on the bed, staring at him. Mike flushed under his gaze, unsticking his tongue from the roof of his mouth as he tried to work up the bravery to just get this over with, already, “What?” Will’s jaw trembled for a second, and then he said, “Are you mad at me?” And that was not even remotely in the wheelhouse of what he was expecting Will to say, “What?” 

I finally posted part 2 of this little ficlet I wrote last year, hope you enjoy!

i've been seeing some people (mostly on tiktok) talk about how will might come out to mike/tell him he has a crush on him, but mike most likely won't take it well and will be weird about it.

and like? completely ignoring the fact that he probably reciprocates, do you really think mike "i pushed over a bully in front of the entire school because he was being homophobic to my best friend" wheeler wouldn't support said best friend no matter what??