foamy ✨

it's slightly recontextualized since we now know what's already occurred in the story: the white under his shirt is the bandaging from the massive gash the demogorgon left him in the tunnels. and now here he is, running from a demogorgon in a hospital—all while carrying his comatose girlfriend bridal style, bringing her stereo so he can bring her music along, and still recovering from a major injury himself.

do you remember.... ?

because it’s the only version of the story that actually completes everyone’s arc. el finally gets to grow into her own person instead of being defined by a relationship she outgrew. will finally gets a love story that isn’t just pain, silence, and self-erasure. and mike finally stops performing the role he thinks he’s supposed to play and starts being honest about what he actually feels.

the show keeps circling back to mike and will for a reason. their scenes aren’t framed like “just friends.” they’re shot with the same intimacy, tension, and emotional weight as every other romantic pairing in the series. even the story structure pushes them together. honestly, if byler wasn’t meant to be a real possibility, the writing wouldn’t be this ambiguous. they wouldn’t frame scenes in romantic language. they wouldn’t let it escalate in season 5. they wouldn’t risk queerbait accusations this late into the story.

Art by  白鈴

by ぴん太郎