#he's so careful how he talks to him--because the truth isn't kind but jonathan can be

[throttlegainwell]

Thinking about that fine line Jonathan walks re: Lonnie's impact on Will. Wanting to insulate Will from Lonnie's rejection and soften that blow as much as he's able, but not wanting to give him false hope and feed a dangerous fantasy where Lonnie has a place in his life.

Because who wants to look into those big, sad eyes and tell their little brother that Dad doesn't love him? That he will never care, and that Will is nothing to him. But he also wants Will to be prepared, and he doesn't want to lie to him. He respects this kid and he wants to impress that upon him--the world may not, but Jonathan will always respect his intelligence and ability to think for himself, and he will nurture that, would never hamper it even supposedly for Will's own good.

So he makes it about conformity. There's a life lesson in that. It's not just that Dad doesn't give a shit--it's that Will should be true to himself because fuck everyone who doesn't see it that way.

#jonathan byers #will byers #stranger things #i dunno jonathan knows that lonnie sucks and i think it's hard for him to see will pining for this horrible person #(or more like the idea of him maybe--the chalk outline of fatherhood that he represents) #who's damaged jonathan so deeply but more importantly (to him) hurt everyone he cares about and left so much wreckage in his wake #so there's a part of him that wants to prepare will & build up that armor the way that jonathan has for himself #and that's gotta be a tough instinct to supress (because lonnie has instilled so deeply in jonathan that the world is a dangerous place) #but he never ever *ever* wants to strip will of his innocence and hope so he knows he can't #and that's the narrow set of parameters he's working with #don't tell will that dad doesn't give a shit about him (but if he figures it out on his own then be there for him and don't deny it) #don't tell him dad's a piece of shit & not worth it--just redirect until will realizes that he doesn't have to care #all the while he's thinking #'no he doesn't love you but so many people do and so many will' #wishing with all his heart that that would be enough #he's so careful how he talks to him--because the truth isn't kind but jonathan can be #child abandonment tw

[bylertruther]

hi! what are your sexuality headcanons? for byler and any other characters! :) feel free to go into depth if you'd like 💛

hello!

cracks my knuckles. i got u, brother 🫡

will: gay! he loves boys and wants to kiss them and marry them and make his own place in the world with one. he has always known this and has never had the privilege of not knowing this. he is Very Gay and the love he feels for one boy in particular makes him feel like he isn't a mistake at all.

mike: gay gay homosexual gay of the homotron 6000 variety. "whether you love what you love or live in divided ceaseless revolt against it, what you love is your fate" sums it up perfectly. he can't escape his heart and the truths it holds, no matter how hard he tries sometimes. following it is instinctive and the best thing he's ever done, yes, but it can also be very hard to adjust your eyes to the light after living in the dark for so long.

el: i don't think she's too keen on labels. she's sure of her attraction to women, feels safer with them and has always thought they were pretty, but she isn't totally sure of her attraction to men. sometimes she thinks she does like them, sometimes she thinks maybe she just expects herself to or wants them to like her (which isn't the same thing). it all just depends on the person. she doesn't want to rule anyone out. show her love and maybe she'll show you some in return, too. i also hc that max was her sapphic awakening hehe. she made her feel so loved, so seen and cherished, that she wondered for the first time if she could love a woman like that. her answer to that of course was, well... why not?

dustin: this post. overly enthusiastic straight ally friend that vows not to get married until everyone can get married. would 100% wingman for you unprompted. tries to set everyone around him up and talks about their love lives with the same ease that he talks about his own. love is love and all that shit, you know.

lucas: "straight" but with a hint of unearthed bisexuality in him. he assumes everyone thinks people of any gender can be handsome and pretty. he's a devoted, kind, and attentive person, so his platonic and romantic crushes aren't too distinct; and as such, he's just never caught on and no one's ever assumed anything either. mike gushes to him about will and lucas is just like "??? and this is a big deal, because...? 🤨 we all have eyes, mike." mike gets so caught up in lucas thinking will is attractive + his resulting slightly possessive outburst that he forgets to focus on the "lucas thinks men are attractive, too" part. i mean, he grew up around mike and will, fell for a tomboy, and erica jokingly calls jason his boyfriend. that boy has bi potential, but is living in blissful ignorance. (max sometimes wants to burst his bubble, but decides he'll get there on his own someday. ...eventually, maybe.)

max: bisexual! she doesn't mention it, but if you somehow assume she's straight then tbh that's on you at this point. (tomboy gnc max from s2 you will always be famous.)

jonathan: jonathan talks a lot about bowie, likes his music, is way too passionate about being a "freak", doesn't care to be normal and isn't, gets called queer, and has always encouraged will to be true to himself. he's either the best straight guy on planet earth + best honorary member of the lgbt community + the best straight gay icon or he's pansexual but quiet about it because it's not exactly like he's a hot commodity so he mostly just doesn't really focus on it. he has bigger fish to fry anyway.

argyle: mr "try before you deny" with his rainbow socks that humbled mike immediately after he broke will's heart is undoubtedly pansexual, too. why do you think him and jonathan bonded so fast? birds of a feather flock together, man.

nancy: sorry, but she's straight.

steve: also straight. i have eyes, okay? joe is not leaning in to the fruitiness of his male scene partners lol.

robin: lesbian dyke lesbian lesbian lesbian dyke lesbian lesbo lord 9000. she loves women, she wants to kiss women, she wants to date women, and she also likes boobies. a lesbianic lesbian of the lesbo variety of lesbians.

vickie: bisexual!

murray: i feel like he's Above it all. you have to be THAT bitch for him to even think about thinking about you like that. you have to be on his Level. you have to be Built Different. you gotta have real eyes that realize real lies. he's a malewife girlboss self-sustaining icon. he doesn't Need u. he has to Want u. you have to bring something to the table that he hasn't already set out. so, like... already, his options are very limited, because he's operating on an entirely different level, playing a whole other game. so, like, technically... bisexual, i guess. but he just hasn't found anyone that does something for him that he can't do himself. so, like. .. no-sexual... ? bye-sexual...? he doesn't care—about your gender, you, or playing games. bring the heat or stay out of the kitchen tbh.

#asks #mine #byler #<- for shits n gigs

[purpleshadow-star]

I never really believed this whole memory alteration thing until this post here by @chirpsythismorning (check it out, along with the other post linked there). Now I'm starting to think it might have some weight, but there are a few inconsistencies, for example, Will's birthday passed in between S2 and S3, so if they forgot for a second year in a row, then I feel like Will would probably say something at that point.

So, what if Vecna delayed his erasing of the memories. What if he was waiting and building his strength, so it wasn't until after Will's 14th birthday that he erased those moments from Joyce, Jonathan and Mike's memories? This would make sense with the fact that Mike and Jonathan were acting distant from Will in S3.

Obviously Jonathan was working, but there was still a lot less focus on Jonathan and Will's relationship than in previous seasons, where it was made obvious how much Jonathan cares for Will. As for Mike, well, obviously he had been pushing Will to the side all summer.

The reasons for these actions could very well be because Mike and Jonathan simply don't remember some of their best memories (clearly important memories since they used them to try to get through to Will in S2) with Will.

I also mentioned in this post that Will mentions it being a year that Mike hasn't been calling him, despite it only being about 6 months, and the fact that it could allude to the fact that Mike has been acting weird for a year. This could, in part, be because of his missing memories.

During Mike and Will’s second heart to heart, Mike says "listen the truth is, the last year, has been weird." Later on, Jonathan also says "this past year, I know I've been distant" during his and Will's talk in the pizza place.

It's weird that the three of them say it's been a year. For Will, he's probably referring to the fact that Mike was acting strange for a year, but Mike and Jonathan also say it's been a year when, again, it's only been 6 months.

Maybe, instinctively, they can feel that something has been... off. They can tell that something isn't right, they just don't know what. A year ago would be Will’s 14th birthday, so if Vecna did take their memories shortly after this, it would make sense for them to think that things have been strange and different for a year.

I don't know how much I believe in this theory, if I'm being honest, but it kind of does make sense.

#still not sure how much i believe this theory but it's growing on me #it's a cool concept #do i think it's canon? tbd #birthdaygate #stranger things #will byers #mike wheeler #byler #jonathan byers #stranger things 5 #stranger things theory #stranger things analysis

[stormypasta88]

unfolded truths and consequences

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

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??!"

"MIKE!"

#byler #mike wheeler #stranger things #byler is endgame #will byers #to byler and beyond #michael wheeler #byler is real #stormypasta88 #byler is canon #byler angst #angst #fanfic #lol #i had to do it to em #i hope this is good #if this is trash please lmk lol