#bad kisser mike wheeler

[your-stranger-halfblood-things]

Will practicing kissing his hand or pillow or something and somehow still ends up being a better kisser than Mike

[bylerschapter]

ok this might be js me who thinks this but i feel like mike wheeler in modern time would love mccafferty’s music. like idk he just seems like he would listen to mccafferty oh! and tv girl (but that’s probably just because i love both that i feel that way bc bro is literally me)

I MEAN LOOK AT THIS MF‼️

[ash-the-wise]

I'll never get over the fact that this is how Mike looks at Will. NEVER.

[nicxxx5]

god i don't know which one i want will to be referring to more when he asks mike "why did you say it?"

when mike said "it's not my fault you don't like girls"

or "my life started the day i found you in the woods"

[sparks-olivarpente]

Uncompleted list of Fake Dating and Teaching How to Kiss byler fics

When I was making that previous list of byler fics I stumbled on many fake dating and fake kissing fics that didn't fit there, so here they are!

Fake Dating fics

Teenage Blues by @thornywords Mike's parents have an agenda for him, one he wants to avoid following. He doesn't want to go to college. He doesn't want to get a girlfriend or get married. Mike wants to sit in his room all day and play his guitar. That is until his mom forces him to bring a date to a family celebration, and he thinks of a brilliant plan to piss his parents off… Mike and Will start a fake relationship to piss off Mike's parents but they end up becoming more---

I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you by mogiah (@morganee) Mike comes to Will's rescue when a girl starts to flirt with him.

suddenly i had a valentine by RomeoWrites (@itsromeowrites) “We’re engaged,” Mike says casually to Will over their morning coffee. OR Mike and Will fake an engagement to get a Valentine's Day discount. Or so Will thinks.

winterland by hopperbyers Oh. She thinks he and Will are dating. And Mike knows it's wrong, he knows it is, but his mom is waging psychological warfare on him in the frozen food section at eight in the morning, and he hasn't even had coffee yet, and he really, really needs this. It would be vindicating. It would be his one chance at proving to his family that his thing for Tom Cruise wasn't a phase. And most importantly, it would be kind of hilarious.

Teaching How to Kiss fics

bad idea! by @wayward-sherlock Will asks Mike to teach him how to kiss. chaos ensues.

lousy kissers by borealisaurora Mike Wheeler has been told by girls multiple times that he’s a bad kisser, so his college roommate Will Byers offers to show him how to do it and give him some pointers. This experiment may or may not lead to Mike realizing some things about himself, including that he might not be such a bad kisser after all.

we could kiss (just like real people do) by @mikeslawyer “For practice. You’ve never kissed anyone and I haven’t kissed anyone in a long time, so - yeah. I can show you how to and then you’ll know, when you find a girl you like.” or Will is decidedly, obviously, definitely not flirting with Mike. (He is.) Mike can't deal with it.

[verashalurks]

So ever since I’ve joined Tumblr during the rise of Mikhailgate, I’ve been keeping track of true history of the tumblr tag in my notes. So this is what I’ve got so far:

2022:

8/5: scriptgate

8/26: mikhailgate

8/31: twilightgate 

9/2: lucas and max pass notes script lumax/breathgate 

9/3: lettergate

9/4: mike’s playlist

9/5: noah’s upenn safety concern/birthdaygate/videogate 

9/6: backgroundguygate/making fun of Milevens’ “proof”

9/7: poll day 

9/8: Queen Elizabeth death

9/9: jon & will talk script 

9/10: birthdaygate/whiterabbitgate 

9/11: descendantsgate

9/14: poll day

9/15: sad day. poll drama, script polls have turned bylers/elmax’s against each other :(

9/16: byler and elmax script dropped/librarygate/mjgate

9/18: #adorebylercore💕/hosegate/flickergate 

9/19: flickergate

9/20: THE FALL OF BYLER TUMBLR?!/only 694 recent posts/gridgate/whiteboardgate/pixelgate

9/23: gridgate/ THEYRE TEASING US W/ THE BLACK DOT/ Ted wheeler’s actor says byler canon

9/24: Tudum/byler bloopers/finn saying when blue meets yellow in the west

9/27: playlistgate/byler uquiz 

9/29: eightfifteengate

9/30: laundrygate/ terryivesgate/ eightfifteengate

10/5: harrypottergate/crazy shit that almost happened tweet

10/8: babygirlgate 

10/11: byler gift anon 

10/12: miwigate

10/13: Kool aid mike/Caleb’s birthday

(Somewhere around here: posessiongate)

10/18: mike-with-a-sword-gate

10/21: Midnights album & byler

10/23: phonegate

10/26: jonathonggate

10/27: nanathong/ 5 year anniversary of season 2

10/29: milk vs orange juice feud/milkgate/oranjejuicegate

10/30: Taylor swift liking a byler tiktok

10/30: halloween/ jimincookiegate/breaking bad halloween ask

11/3: Sexuality headcanon anon

11/6: Stranger things day

11/7: “midleven day”/ willel day/ st puzzle game

11/8: puzzle game

11/9: puzzle game

11/10: puzzle game/ Finn lousy kisser allegations

11/12: Will Byers day/ Will’s painting merch & poster

11/19: st costume designer said the clothes worn by the main boys at the snow ball clue to their future careers

11/22: Netflix article abt s5 pulling ideas from s2

11/28: sharedlooksgate

11/29: oceanfruit quit/ sexualization and purity discourse

12/1: byler #1 on tumblr ships

12/7: noah winning the people’s choice awards for best male tv star/ “popular fan theory”

12/9: jopper script/ scriptgate revival

12/10: Noah’s live

12/11: speaking out abt the sexualization of noah/ noah person choice awards reaction gif meme

12/12: gaybirdgate

12/22: antisantagate

12/23: stranger things anime

2023:

1/5: noah comes out as gay

1/6: fake s5 leak

5/12: signgate

5/18: which character would you kill for byler endgame

8/4: lesbyler/ lesbyler discourse

2024:

summer: churchgate

Tell me if I missed anything!

[kuumara]

Draw me a portrait of you

Will loved drawing, he could draw all the time. But lately he couldn't- last year of high school has a lot going on. He was busy.

But he's caught a cold now somehow. And he isn't complaining, he loves being sick. He doesn't have to do anything, except drink tea and stay in bed. He can draw again, now.

He's zoned out drawing, when he hears a knock on his already open bedroom door. It's Mike, smiling widely at him. Will smiles back.

"I brought you homework," he says and comes to sit on Will's bed. Will groans.

"I did it for you." Mike chuckles.

"What- really?" Will says, takes the papers and they really are all solved. Mike nods, smiles again.

"You didn't have to-"

"Oh! Save it. I was bored, that's all,"

"Who does homework when they're bored?"

"Me! Now what's this?"

Mike reaches out to Will's notebook, laying open but upside-down beside him.

"No, wait-!" Will grabs the book, but since he's sick he's not really strong, and Mike successfully takes it.

There we go, Will thinks. He's gonna think I'm a creep.

But Mike's expression goes from teasing, to shocked, to- angry, Will expects, but then Mike just looks up at Will with those big, adoring eyes and a soft smile.

Will doesn't know what to make of this- so he does nothing, nervously staring at Mike. He's coming closer, now. Leaning onto his arm, glancing at Will's lips- glancing at Will's lips?!

Will can feel his breath now, faintly. They're very close, and perhaps Will is subconsciously leaning towards Mike as well.

Mike's lips part, eyelids becoming heavy, the hand holding the notebook inching towards Will,

"I have to go pee." Will whispers.

Okay, laugh all you want, but he panicked- and blurted a dumb thing. Was he reading this wrong??? Even if Mike wanted to kiss him, what if he's a bad kisser! His mouth probably tastes like cough medicine! He doesn't want to get Mike sick!!

Mike blinks; once, twice, thrice. Coming out of his haze, eyes still glued to Will's lips.

"Huh?"

"I have to go pee." Will repeats, still whispering.

"Oh! Oh," Mike exclaims, un-caging Will with his arms. Finally looking away from his lips.

Will jumps out of bed and almost runs to the bathroom. Almost, he barely keeps himself under control.

In the bathroom he walked some circles, almost slipping on a towel several times. Then, he washed his face thoroughly, intentionally not looking himself in the mirror.

If he looked, he would see the mess Mike turned him into. And he didn't even kiss him. What would happen if Mike did kiss him?? Will cringes at the thought.

There's knocking again, on the bathroom door this time.

"Will, you alright? Are you feeling sick?" It's Mike. Of course it's Mike- he would care about him even if Will had just murdered his whole family. He would say 'I'll pack the bags, we're leaving the country. I heard Malta is nice'

"Yeah," Will replied.

"Can I- Can I come in?" He asked with a soft voice. Fuck Mike, he's gonna melt him. Cause of death, Mike Wheeler.

Like the idiot Will is, he opens the door to a concerned-looking Mike, but as soon as he sees Will he smiles wobbily.

"You- Uh-"

Mike couldn't say what he wanted to say, because Will grabbed his hand and dragged him back to his room, to the bed. He closed the door, not wanting to alarm his dear mother.

"It- the drawing- I'm sorry about it- I just, like, zone out when I draw- y'know- and, like, eighty percent of the time I don't even pay attention to it, I just do whatever- It's okay if you think it's, uh, weird, y'know,"

Will groaned and hid his face into his face. He's just digging himself into a deeper hole.

"Yeah- I like it," Mike quietly said, and Will looked up at him. He was still holding his sketchbook, Mike's own handsome face staring at him.

Will was daydreaming about him- again- and drew Mike. The soft expression is burned in Will's brain forever, especially since he's been blessed with it more and more since Joyce said it's possible they move to Lenora three years ago. Apparently that scared Mike, but thankfully the Byers' didn't move.

Will looked back at Mike, the same pretty expression looking back at him. He was faintly blushing.

"Oh. Alright, then," Will took a deep breath, collecting himself and sitting next to Mike. Keeping some distance, despite his whole being screaming for him. "You can keep it then. If you like it."

Mike giggled. Giggled. "No, you keep it. So you can... look at it every day," and he blushed again.

Will was blushing as well. A lot more than Mike. He nodded.

"But- if you ever make a self-portrait, and you don't wanna keep it, I'd gladly take it," he finished. "So we can match."

Will sucked in a breath, and Mike launched himself at him, both of them falling off Will's bed and to the floor.

Will groaned as Mike fell on top of him, but Mike just smiled into his chest, tightly hugging him. Will didn't complain anymore.

The boy on top of him slowly lifted his head to look Will straight in the eye, smiling nervously. He glanced at Will's lips, once again. Not taking his eyes off them, freezing Will in place.

Will gulped after a few seconds of this, eyes darting across Mike's face, trying to see if he wants what Will wants.

"Can I-"

"Kiss me." Mike whispered.

And Will sure did, all the concerns of getting Mike sick gone, his head instead being filled by the beautiful feeling of every Mike's kiss.

[transautisticmikewheeler]

I would love to hear about your stranger things pjo au!!! Love both stories, all the better to mix them

well, buckle the FUCK up! /lh

❗ Before we begin, i'd like to give some warnings for abuse (csa, physical, emotional), self-harm/suicide, scars, neglect/abandonment, religion (mention of camps), minor character death, mention of kidnapping, eating disorders❗

this has taken TWO DAYS and it's long and not even finished but i'm tired of looking at it so

🎸 First character: michael wheeler. 🎸

love the kid to death. proud kinnie and apologist.

but

he's a fucking menace in this au. a mini percy, if you will.

15, genderfluid, he/they/she, boy kisser.

from hawkins indiana, bullied very badly as a kid for being neurodivergent, abusive father that does not know what a boundary is especially when he's drunk.

(that's projection right there - at its finest)

hypersexual for obvious reasons.

convinces a not-aware-of-the-abuse nancy to run away at 12 and 15. leave without any parting words to anyone.

make it to camp half blood where they are quickly claimed and mike is the first to meet percy, who has become a social worker/therapist alongside an oc of mine, chase williams.

he's given the following diagnoses: adhd, dyslexia, autism, cptsd, bpd with severe dissociation, mdd, and gad with panic attacks .

has been on 2 quests in his 3 years at camp. both, he does not talk about.

will becomes his fp basically on sight (i know- i was there. mike told me himself)

so fucking stupid its a wonder they put him against the ares cabin bc his smart mouth is brutal.

visible self-harm scars and will get so pissed if you ask about any of his scars. will tell you to mind your business.

⭐ AND THAT BRINGS US TO WILL ⭐

15, trans guy, he/him, queer.

aphrodite bitch that loves looking like he lives in a conservative 80s small town horror movie but like,,, the amount of tan and neutral works somehow? with some golden yellow and rusty oranges that make his green eyes shimmer and pop.

big artist and has hecate's blessing and OH MY GOD will with powers???? illusions???? fuckin CHARMSPEAK????? he's in his magician era lmao /lh /j

from cali. bisexual icon joyce brought her boys to camp early so they're prepared. i say she's the sally of stranger things

has the included adhd and dyslexia but with added cptsd, schizophrenia, and autism. that should be interesting.

has been on 6 quests since age 10, some successful, some not.

i want will to have eyeliner. i want to see him with it so bad. and painted nails. usually pink, yellow, or black.

🎵 NOW. EDDIE FUCKING MUNSON 🎵

21, nonbinary man, he/she, queer as hell

willeddie siblings. trans aphrodite kids against the world.

has apollo's blessing. very much a partner in crime to percy, they bond over music taste.

adhd, dyscaulia, bipolar 1, and cptsd

such a chill fucking dude but will ramble for years and years and years if you don't stop him.

very powerful charmspeak and very good at seeing the ties between people. has a celestial bronze dagger essentially named "freak"

sucker for apollo cabin counselor steve harrington

��️ mr. steven harrington~ ☀️

19, trans man, he/him, bisexual

apollo kid, lover of pop, singer-songwriter.

very laidback, from TN surprisingly. has religious trauma, unsurprisingly, from being in a baptist christian family and being sent to summer camps until he was abandoned at age 16 by his mom and step dad.

adhd, dyslexia, hpd, cptsd, and unspecified dissociative disorder. hypersexual from a few instances of csa as a young child by someone at one of the summer camps he was sent to.

definitely has a knack for swinging blunt objects, of which he has a celestial bronze bat he carries everywhere along with a backup dagger.

thinks kids are fun to work with and teaches archery alongside chiron, which is unexpected but welcomed.

an okay healer. average. knows first aid, cpr, the basics

💜 the badass, nancy wheeler 💜

18, cis female, she/her, lesbian

athena kid through and fucking through. so smart but, like mike, oblivous and super dumb.

spends a lot of time out of the house as a kid until she and mike run away.

works for the camp newspaper, freelance journalist as she attempts college classes.

not the one you want against you in capture the flag.

chooses the gun bc she briefly has "i'm not like other girls" syndrome but finds it actually fits her.

her and annabeth talk all the time. to the point percy complains to mike about it.

robin buckley- love at first sight

📼 ROBIN, MY MAIN GIRL 📼

18, nonbinary woman, she/they/neos, woman kisser

also a big music person but POETRY. she absolutely loves poetry and symbolism and all that shit.

romance and sci-fi nerd.

dresses like a gay drama professor or gives off young richie tozier vibes, no in-between.

can name each bone in your body as she breaks it. loves her independent gf nancy.

adhd, dyslexia, autism, ptsd, and severe auditory processing issues.

indie music seems like her style but scene queen owns her soul and she'd sell it for ashnikko

thought about being a film major

steve's platonic better half as they should be

comes from an emotionally abusive household

📷 jonny boy 📷

19, trans man, he/him, aceflux demigayromantic

dates a clear-sighted mortal (affectionate)

aphrodite's son that may not be "conventionally attractive", but he has a knack for matchmaking and fashion, which he then neglects because he opts for a camp shirt and jeans with tennis shoes.

mild adhd, dyslexia, AUTISM, cptsd, avpd, gad, generalized depression

so many sensory issues and needs, but tries to be independent, which can lead to bouts of anger, frustration, and, sometimes, crying.

was severely bullied in school and he was physically and emotionally abused by his step dad, who his mom was not married to for very long

works with nancy and takes photographs for the paper sometimes.

��� el my beloved 🌻

15, nonbinary, they/them, pan ace, poly

as a kid of demeter, el has always been a plant lover. discovered their powers early

bedroom pop lover and blessed by aphrodite.

would rather rely on their powers than a weapon but does have a small dagger on them at all times.

elmike duo my sweets,,,

adhd, dyslexia, autism, cptsd, system (no amnesia, 2 other alters; jane and 11, who is different from el)

by early i mean she was growing plants at a rapid rate by the time she was 5. the wrong person saw it and she was kidnapped and abused severely until she was ten, when she was rescued by local police chief jim hopper, who later adopted her bc her mortal parent had been in an accident not too long after she was taken and did not make it.

🌸 baby girl chrissy 🌸

19, demigirl, she/they, aroace

daughter of demeter, very sweet

very much a basic pastel stereotype but we love her anyway, she's amazing.

has the following: adhd, dyslexia, bullimia, cptsd, gad with panic attacks

her dad's very much a pushover and her stepmom's heavily emotionally and verbally abusive and makes comments about her weight all the time

she only spends a few weeks of the year at home and it's usually only for her dad.

[smoosnoom]

can’t believe that i finally decided to comment all ur works that i read before daily compliments.

“let me steal this moment from you” became my first victim. tbh i haven’t read it since november i think?? and part of my brain which is responsible for memory is too occupied by remembering facts about u so i don’t remember plot sorry. this one is gonna be like the first time 🙏🏻

“If anything, it’s a miracle any of them are still awake and functioning.” no fr. they spent like a week in that uncomfortable van and the first thing they did after returning to hawkins is cleaned the cabin?? not even shower.

“At least it would save the catastrophe of seeing Argyle and Ted Wheeler interact.” ohh, i’d like to see that

“It’s blue. He imagines painting a yellow sun on it.” 🥺🥺 bc he’s yellow and sunshine and lights up every room he walks in. sorry i love him so much

“He wonders if he's more of a monster than a mistake.” ok i had 10 minutes tears break after that 🧍🏻‍♀️ maybe i Am crybaby idk

“He’s pretty sure it’s the first time they’ve laughed together since they’ve arrived back in Hawkins.” poor boys haven’t laughed in Weeks :( i wish i could fix everything for them

will wants to make “smalltown boy” with mike so bad and i can’t blame him. my boy deserves be as far away from hawkins as possible.

“He doesn’t have any time for self-doubt when Mike turns his hand over in Will’s grasp, until their hands are properly entwined” it’s all them. best friends, each other reassurance and safe space, soulmates if u want. i just love them ughhh. that’s why they hits so hard.

“we aren’t kids anymore” omg how do u exactly know where to put references?

“And we got to bury Jonathan in a bunch of sand, which was pretty fun.” oh wait!! i remember ur Fantastic fan art! writer And artist how talented u are!!

“Night Seven” ofc its night seven. love that it could have been 5+1 but it’s byler so it’s seven instead.

“and it seems to be the right move when Mike lets out an appreciative hum” my “naturally good kisser will” agenda never dies. he just knows what to do he didn’t need practice 🙏🏻

“He probably looks like a kissed-dumb idiot.” he is. good for him!

god, ilysm. ur so talented u have no idea. and u make me feel things.

i love that fic so bad and if u like it too u should thank moon for it!!

if it helps i dont even Remember most of "let me steal this moment", every time i click post it's like every associated memory just vanishes from my brain

im glad u get to experience it all over again i wish i could do the same with other fics </3

"the first thing they did after returning to hawkins is cleaned the cabin?? not even shower." U ARE SO RIGHT i thought abt that the first time i watched vol 2 like what do u mean u arent even going to change !!!! u have been in those close for Days !!!!

i almost did write a ted wheeler and argyle interaction . Almost

that is so real . will byers my sunshine sweetpie

HEOEOKPJY IM SO SOSRRY

so real and true ! i need these two far far away from hawkins and HAPPYYY

u get me !!!!!! theyve alwyas been best friends first and thats why they hit so different

oh god not the drawing 😭😭😭 can we pretend that Didn't happen . maybe . my artistry isnt grea t

IM SO HAPYPPYY U NOTICED !!!! night seven !!!! it was a seven !!!!!!!

will is just naturally good at it idk what to tell u . yes he has never kissed anyone Yes he is a loser yes hes also great as kissing . sorry

so honored to have made u feel things <3 alya my beloved it is Always the best day of my life whenever u decide to read something of mine :D

[andiwriteordie]

ANDI I'm reading this fic (I adore it and I love it ,bfndnd it's so good) and btw when Mike's ranting about being a bad kisser he says his own name instead of Will (trying to convince him he isn't a bad kisser lmao) and idk why I'm telling you through ask jm just real tired and reading this giggling to myself I love scheming Holly and how whipped Mike is aaaAAAAAAAAAA I'm sobbing

HAHAHAHA THANK YOU FOR POINTING THIS OUT TO ME OH MY GOD 🤦🏻‍♀️

see now this is why most people take more time to edit their fics and stuff, versus me who's like "ok quick spot check, fix the formatting, and here you go world!" i'm gonna crawl into a hole LMFAO.

(i'm glad if anyone had to point it out it's you bc ily toy)

anyways SCHEMING HOLLY IS MY FAVORITE I LITERALLY THINK SHE'S AN EVIL GENIUS. I WANT AN ENTIRE HOLLY WHEELER SPINOFF OKAY. THE WHEELER SIBLINGS ARE SO SMART, AND I JUST. I LOVE THEM.

[biglisbonnews]

Finn Wolfhard Reacts to Millie Bobby Brown Saying He's a Bad Kisser Finn Wolfhard isn't sweating Millie Bobby Brown's viral review of his kissing.Back in November, the Calpurnia frontman — who plays Mike Wheeler on Stranger Things — was the talk of Twitter after his co-star participated in Vanity Fair's infamous lie detector test, where she was asked about her on-screen love interest's smooching skills — specifically whether or not he was a "lousy kisser."“He is," Brown responded almost immediately, which the lie detector determined was true. However, we all know that an answer like that will always elicit a few follow-up questions, meaning that the interviewer went on to ask if "he hasn't gotten better." And her answer? A brief pause followed by a "not with me, no," before the actress behind Eleven admitted that she hasn't told Wolfhard about his subpar kissing.That said, Wolfhard has since responded to her brutal assessment during his own interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, where he was talked about his reaction to Brown's initial comments. "I'm fine with it," the actor told host Drew Barrymore in a clip taken from an upcoming episode, before explaining that it was his very first on-screen kiss.“But I didn’t know how to approach that in any way," Wolfhard said. "There was no just like, ‘You’re gonna do this thing, and at the end of the take, you’re gonna kiss her.'" And he also went on to admit that "the romantic way of putting it was that I head-butted her.""But I was 12," he quickly added. "So you know, I probably would have done the same thing if I was not on screen in front of the entire world.”You can watch Wolfhard react to Brown's kissing claims via The Drew Barrymore Show's Twitter account below.Finn Wolfhard reacts to his @Stranger_Things co-star Millie Bobby Brown calling him a "lousy kisser."Watch more next Thursday, January 19th! https://t.co/sM7OB9lLtM pic.twitter.com/sOjLSNsKDG— The Drew Barrymore Show (@DrewBarrymoreTV) January 12, 2023 Photos via Getty / Michael Loccisano & Matt Winkelmeyer / FilmMagic https://www.papermag.com/finn-wolfhard-millie-bobby-brown-2659277208.html

[your-stranger-halfblood-things]

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

[sophie0197]

s5 byler kiss and when they pull back Will has to make a joke or else he's just going to implode so he goes "yeah ur a terrible kisser" and mike just. stares at him.

[nnay-naee]

I tried and made some sort of photo album with these pics I drew

They're re-leafing through it some years later

[kaypeace21]

I don't get why people think that all the parallels between Mileven and Elliot/E.T. mean that they can't be romantic/endgame. E.T. is like the biggest inspiration for ST, of course they would parallel it, but not rewrite the same story! Here they could be switching the story up by having Elliot fall in love with "E.T.", who's a actually a (human) girl his age. It really doesn't prove anything about the future of the relationship that they made an hommage to E.T. scenes in S1.

lmao. you milevens are so in denial. I can’t. How many times must I repeat myself XD

El watches he-man in s1. In s2 Erica makes he-man and barbie kiss: “Hey , They’re in love!”Lucas (livid- and standing right next to a rainbow forcing them apart): “No, actually,  they’re not. they don’t even exist on the same planet.”  Mileven is not in love! Notice in s2 , that same season , Dustin also has he-man and et next to eachother as well (next to ghost buster toys).They said they made el dress like a ghost cause et did so- and then for the extra burn they made mike a ghost hunter/buster.

They’re as compatible as a ghost and a ghost hunter- a boy and an alien.

El and mike are compared to ET and Eliot -WHO AREN’T FROM THE SAME PLANET (by the Duffers in multiple interviews , in the pilot script, and illustrated in the show ) .Also when dustin in s1 says el is “like a wizard” (like Will.) Mike corrects dustin and says “more like yoda”. Really hammering down the alien references. And then there’s the  old euphemism of “girls come from Venus, and boys come from Mars”.  The Duffers saying mileven isn’t in love cause they’re not even from the same planet (aka the same gender) -is just them telling us Mike is gay so he can’t fall for El-who is a girl/diff species. They literally have Will say to Mike “welcome to my world” as a contrast. So El telling mike he should ‘stick with his own species’ (aka boys) is another gay hint. 

They showed Et/Barbie next to he-man, compared El to Et (who had a barbie-like makeover), had El watch he-man , so the next he-man ref of ‘not being in love’  cause they’re from different planets would connect in a more obvious way to mileven.  Same with Et next to the ghost trap and ghost busters sign (and El dressing as a ghost and Mike as a ghost buster-as an extra burn).And sorry ... who compares the girl they “crush on” with a green gross alien (yoda)?

- Mike thinking of El as alien-esque is hammered down again when they compare s1 mileven to s2 dart /dustin (a demo dog) , to further show how un-romantic it is. And how alien he sees her. Fin even said the duffers told him Mike saw el as a “puppy’ (right after s1).  Sharing sweets ( nougat vs eggos) for breakfast and saying they’ll have to wait for them to come home from school. saying they ‘promised’ to take care of them and that El/dart ‘trust’ them. Dart killing a cat and  El almost killing a cat.The crews thinking both El & Dart were bad guys and both end up running away because of that. Mike even admits in s1 he doesn’t like eggos and told El she doesn’t have to eat “like a dog” anymore. And mike annoyed, in s2 saying  “a bond? cause he likes nougat ?!” is dissing milevens who thought the ego thing was cute/romantic.  And all of those reasons is why El says in s3 angrily , “am I your pet?”

In s3,they even threw in Mike on the phone saying “EL? No not interested...telemarketers”  Flo in s1 says “only love makes you that crazy and that damn stupid.” El in s3: “more to life than stupid boys/ what makes you crazy? “ Then in s3 Dustin calls mileven “bullshit” aka just like stancy (Wheeler lying about being in love with partner, when secretly into a byers. Nancy verbally said “i love you” and kissed  Steve all the time- like mileven. That doesn’t equal love) . In s3, they even had steve say “Dustin was right . it’s bullshit.” She lied to her friends to kiss Mike, going against her “friends don’t lie “ mantra . And Mike never apologized for lying. And el never apologized for spying.  Mileven dances to a song about a stalking ex- El does so in s3. In s2 she watches a soap opera and mimics the character who does not end up with Mike Roy- and it ends with one of them stalking the other after the breakup and sabotaging their new romances. When El confesses to mike (and Mike doesn’t kiss her back or close his eyes) the ‘first i love you’ played- which was only played 1 other time: when steve got rejected by gay Robin. They even paralled mileven to Luke/leia. Finn in that same interview after s1 said Duffers told him mileven is like a “summer love” (aka ‘summer loves’ are flings that end in the summer). Like Max and Will said ‘ That doesn’t sound like a break/it’s not !” The list goes on and on

Move on ,you’re ship was never good. It’s a dumpster fire. The second she dumped him she started ogling  another boy in a magazine and had a dance party. Not like she has ever been in a normal social environment where there were more than 4 boys- to theoretically choose from  . Girl didn’t even know how to discern what (clothes) she liked or whether Mike was a good kisser (while already dating him for 6 months) . She didn’t even know what a state was at 14 years old (plus, literally didn’t know what Illinois was despite going there in s2). She only just learned how to tell time. She’s not ready for a boyfriend. 

Sorry mileven anon who keeps on spamming me . Enough is enough. Ship mileven if you want . But coming to my blog, spamming me -insulting my theories (didn’t share their other asks) just makes you look petty.

[the-angry-pixie]

Yo Pixie, so I was wondering. What do you think it would have been like if Mike and Theo became friends before Starman went down? Like what if they met in drama class and were kind of annoyed by each other but also got along well enough to start forming some inside jokes and then they discovered that they were both theater nerds enough to randomly spout references to each other and it was all over from there? What would it have looked like if they were already friends before Theo dated Will?

Are you kidding me Anon? That is some serious butterfly effect shit right there. It would have changed everything! Basically the events of Starman wouldn’t have happened at all. Theo and Will never would have dated. But don’t worry I plan to illustrate what brings me to that conclusion…

… through the medium of interpretive dance…

… just kidding. Here are my notes of what would happen in response to your delicious prompt (not proofread at all so I apologise for the shoddy writing).

- Ok first of all we need to establish that Mike in this universe is not a drama nerd. Its a popular headcanon I know but in the Starman universe, its Dustin who is more into drama. He’s the one in Drama Club, not Mike.

- But that doesn’t mean Mike and Theo couldn’t meet another way.

- I’m imagining some sort of collaborative effort between the “Writers Club” and the “Drama Club”

- the writers in Writers Club have set themselves a project to try their hands at script writing (just one scene, but the prompt is “tension”, so they gotta be bloody good scenes), and the best ones will be handed over to the Drama club to actually be performed for real

- You guessed it, Theo reads Mike’s scene and instantly absolutely adores it and hoards it all for himself – he’s kind of the King of Drama Club so he can get away with shit like that.

- Its this gritty interrogation scene where the Investigator and the man being interrogated do not realise that they are dopplegangers that look almost identical – a bleak character study that examines narcissism, masculinity, corruption and, and… subtle homoerotic undertones??

- Theo has to know if he’s interpreting these characters right – in his mind he’s already going to be playing both characters himself and filming it instead of performing it live to the club like they’re meant to – like I said, the King of Drama Club can get away with shit like that

- Mike Wheeler is the name on the front of the script – and so Mike Wheeler is who Theo sets out to find.

- its easy enough. Theo is the guy who gets along with everybody. He’s spent years orchestrating it so. He’s got an in with most social circles. And so he quickly works out that the mystery Mike Wheeler is a sophomore?? Holy fuck! So young!

- So talented!

- So handsome (when Theo finally gets a chance to clap his eyes on him)!

- and so Theo approaches Mike

- Mike is very flattered and a little embarrassed that this reasonably popular junior has approached him and seems to like his writing so much and wants to get together with him to discuss character motivations and everything. His little nerdy author’s heart is skipping for joy really!

- and so they meet up and go to a diner or something after school and sit talking for hours about what Mike’s ideas were behind writing the characters the way he did

- Theo is delighted when Mike is not immediately repelled at his suggestion that there is sexual tension in the scene.

- “Well yeah, the corrupt cop is in love with himself, there is definitely an attraction there” - Mike blushes and takes a long drawn out sip of his milkshake while Theo smirks.

- “Very ‘Strangers on a Train’...” Theo murmurs.

- Mike recovers quickly from his embarrassment with a cute excited smile “You’ve read Strangers on a Train??”

- Theo quirks his eyebrows, “Read? No, no darling watched! Hitchcock doofus!”

- And it all snowballs from there. Sure they seem to disagree more than they agree about most things - predominantly which is better, the book or the movie adaptation (they go through several versions of this argument and things almost get physical when The Shining comes up)

- But they appreciate each others moxie and so a respect and an admiration blossoms.

- they leave their diner date as tentative friends. The kind that smile and wave hello to each other in the school hallways. The kind who call each other on their home phone because Theo has more nerdy questions to ask about how he should play the scene – it also helps that Mike is in AV Club and has good knowledge of filming equipment and suggestions about scene blocking.

- it all comes to a head when Theo insists that Mike come and help him rehearse cause “Its not like I can be my own scene mate! And who better than you?”

- the afternoon spent in Theo’s nice house drinking his Mom’s nice mulled wine – Mike is startlingly at ease as they sit in Theo’s room

- We all know Mike has a dramatic flair and Theo is further delighted to discover that Mike makes a great scene partner. This kid should totally join Drama Club!

- We know from Starman that Theo thought Mike was attractive. So sue him for maybe enjoying getting all up in Mike’s business a little bit too much. The scene calls for it he swears!

- So they run the scene several times and keep work-shopping it

- “No I think you should grab my collar here”

- “Nah we can’t start out yelling at each other. If we start too big we’ll have nowhere to go. We gotta let the scene grow and the tension to build.”

- etc etc.

- then one time they are nearing the scene’s climax and they are both really in the zone - Mike’s Suspect is sitting petulantly in Theo’s desk chair while Theo’s Cop stalks around him, zeroing in. It’s Cat & Mouse, but Mike’s character is keeping step easily with Theo’s in this intense dance as their voices rise and their smirks deepen and suddenly Theo’s hands are on Mike’s shoulders and he is kissing him!

- it is brief and thorough and Theo pulls back panting to gauge Mike’s stunned expression. That was stupid of him. Now he’s gotta do damage control. Stupid Theo – why you gotta always be thinking with your stupid gay dick??

- What he’s not expecting is for Mike to laugh and wipe at his mouth with an “Easy there big guy, that’s a bit on the nose don’t you think?”

- And its ok Theo thinks, Mike’s choosing to believe it was all part of the drama, part of the act – so he laughs too and agrees with a sheepish apology

- He notes the flush on Mike’s pretty face though – he’s embarrassed sure, but maybe not as much as he should be…? Interesting.

- And so when they come to that same moment again Theo takes another risk and kisses Mike again – its different this time, because they were playing the scene different – more slow, calm - like a wave slowly building and building and then finally, finally crashing

- This is of course reflected in the kiss which again Mike doesn’t pull away from

- in Mike’s mind he feels like maybe he should but they’re just acting right? Its not real? They’re just following the natural trajectory of these two characters right? It’s fine.

- And besides, Theo’s a good kisser – whoops did he just say that out loud?

- Theo laughs reaching over to ruffle Mike’s hair and put forward that he’s “not so bad yourself. Should I be thanking your bathroom mirror or the crook of your elbow?”

- and that cheeky remark sets a fire burning in Mike’s stomach, slowly stoked and fuelled through the buildup of erratic energy in the scene as they run it again - Mike is on edge and suddenly its like he has no choice but to grasp fingers around Theo’s annoyingly well-sculted jaw and pull him in for the kiss this time.

- Its much more passionate. This time lips are parted and tongues are involved. Wet, hot tongues and Mike sighs as Theo settles himself across Mike’s lap and feels arms around his neck.

- its lasts... quite awhile. Mike’s eyes are closed and his senses are on fire.

- but its not long before Mike’s brain begins to catch up with him and start protesting vehemently against this turn of events – no matter how pleasantly stimulating they might be

- so he pulls back. He can’t look at Theo. All he can offer is a mumbled “Sorry man. Got a bit carried away”

- “I’ll say” is Theo’s smartass response.

- Mike wiggles uncomfortably at the implication in those words “But its just acting right? No harm done. I’m not… I’m not yanno like that.”

- He’s still looking down. He doesn’t have many other places to look as Theo is still sitting in his lap. So close its almost claustrophobic. He doesn’t see the slow, calculating look the older boy is giving him.

- “Yeah. Me neither” he finally says dismissively as he stands up. He’s not about to push Mike. That’s a shitty thing to do before someone is ready.

- Mike looks up at him with big brown pleading eyes. What they are pleading of him he does not quite know. “Can we just like, forget this ever happened? Otherwise I’m never going to be able to look you in the face again.” Mike chuckles nervously. Theo could see the merit in that. Theo wants to be able to too look Mike in the face too. He quite likes looking at Mike’s face. He doesn’t want to lose that just yet.

- “Sure man. Shall we... take it from the top?”

- And so they forget it. And they still remain tentative friends. Good enough friends to wave and say ‘hello’ to each other in the school hallway and sometimes even stop and chat out near the bike racks after school.

- And ALL OF THIS happens before the end of Theo’s Junior year when the production of Hamlet becomes a thing.

- And he gets to know a certain young Will Byers.

- Yes he still is very attracted to him and yes he is still almost sure that Will bats for his team but there is one big difference!

- Theo knows Mike. He is friends with Mike! And these two adorable chaps are apparently best friends!

- In Starman Mike and Theo were kept very separate until after the Halloween party, but here, there would be no reason for them not to all be interacting especially once they all learn of Mike and Theo’s previous connection with each other

- And so Theo gets to observe Mike and Will around each other a lot earlier than he did in the Starman universe. And don’t forget Dustin is there too. So Theo has an immediate comparison to the difference chemistry among the friends. And Theo’s a master of reading chemistry.

- And with this new dynamic it is all very clear to him. As much as he may like Will, he doesn’t have a chance. These two, Mike and Will, they’re going to be together. Sooner or later they will sort their shit out. Theo is sure of it.

- And so he backs off and just enjoys their company platonically. Though he does like to embarrass Mike through sly use of innuendo and suggestive eyebrow wiggles now and then.

- He truly does cherish those blushes that Mike gifts him – that kid is incapable of being subtle about anything. Every emotion so plainly shown and shared. Its charming really.

- And ya know what, there is another huge difference in this timeline – Mike starts down the path of his bisexual awakening much earlier.

- Cause although he says he wants to forget the kisses he shared with Theo, its not as easy in practice.

- He enjoyed them. He knows himself well enough to know that for sure. So what does that mean? And why when he catches himself daydreaming about it now and then does he also find himself sometimes replacing Theo with Will in the fantasy?

- Mike has a long time to contemplate these things and get thoroughly inside his own head - as he is want to do - but there is no urgency like there was in Starman. No catalyst or drive to do anything but tuck it away in the back of his mind for now.

- until Will dressed as Ziggy Stardust struts into his life, that is.

- given everything that has happened before and everything he has been contemplating these last few months - would Mike hesitate in following his strong urge to kiss dear William on Halloween night this time around… I like to think not. ;)