Byler Headcanons | SEASON 4

Will's Realization

Will Byers has been bestfriends with Mike Wheeler since Kindergarten. He always loved and enjoyed Mike's company, but it stared to feel different around Fall of 1984. When Will was continuously having "visions" of the Mindflayer and the Upsidedown, he found great comfort in Mike. He would be stuck in a nightmare and then wakeup the reassuring voice of an angle. That's when he realized how much he wanted to be with Mike, and he was for most if that terrible year. At the Snowball Dance, a girl asked Will to dance but, he looked at Mike. Mike nudged him to go dance with her, but he didn't want to. He wanted to stay with Mike. He went to dance with her anyway but couldn't stop staring at Mike dancing with El. When they kissed his heart dropped. He stayed up that night staring at his ceiling wondering why he felt that way. He soon came to the conclusion that he was in love with Mike. Of course this scared him, but he couldn't block out Mike. Mike was all he thought about. So instead, he wanted to always be with Mike, but that was harder than he thought. When El came back, everything changed. Mike never spent time with Will and was always with his girlfriend. Summer of 1985, Mike would spend everyday making out with El. All Will wanted to do was play Dungeons and Dragons. He wanted it to be like old times when he was a kid, and the most time he gets to spend with mike. Mike was dumped by El, and Will found that was the perfect opportunity to spend time with him. Mike and Lucas didn't want to play D&D, so Will stormed off. He just wanted to be with Mike but couldn't understand why Mike didn't want to and would rather be with El. Mike followed him outside where they argued with saying "Your ruining our party! and for what? So you can swap spit with some stupid girl?" and Mike yelling back "It's not my fault you don't like girls!". Will later went to Castle Byers and thought about how stupid he was having feelings for Mike, being gay, and possibly thinking Mike could like him too. With this anger and outrage, he tore down half of castle byers in the pouring rain. Will moved to California in the fall of 1985 and said goodbye to Mike. While in California, he started to (sort of) accept himself for who he was when he learned their were others like him. He saw Alan Tuning as a remodel and hero for him, choosing him as his project. He found songs like "Boys Don't Cry by The Cure" very relatable to him. Knowing Mike was going to visit for Spring break, he decided to paint a painting for him. Spending all of his free time afterschool working on his painting. When he finally went to the airport to see Mike, he was overfilled with joy, holding the painting in his hands. Mike went to see El first. After, Will went in for a hug and Mike pushed him away and made the situation very awkward. The whole day (his birthday) he was treated like a third wheel. They got in an argument with Mike saying Will has been rude to El all day by rolling his eyes when El would talk. Will told Mike El has been Lying to him. Here is some of the argument (Not word for word): 

Will: "What about us?" 

Mike: "What?" 

Will: "You made it pretty clear you didn't want to have anything to do with me." 

Mike: "What are you talking about?" 

Will: "You called maybe a couple times. It's been a year, Mike. Meanwhile, El has a book of letters from you." 

Mike: "That's because El is my girlfriend!"

Will: "And us?"

Mike: "Were friends! Were friends."

Will: "Well, we used to be bestfriends!"

Mike: "Well, maybe you should have reached out more. I don't know! But, why is this on me? Why am I the bad guy?!?"

The next day Mike apologizes and states they should work together as bestfriends. Will brings his painting.