Baby Mike who rambles constantly and has long since gotten used to most people not really listening. It never bothers him that much, not until one day, when will casually brings up something Mike mentioned during one of his endless rants. +
will not paying for his cinema tickets in s3… will suggesting to cheat at a casino in s4… will stealing drugs in s5… he’s kinda the embodiment of “be gay, do crime”
will calling home to say hes gonna bring his bf for the holidays and hopper is so nervous because he wants to be the supportive dad this kid never had then winter break comes around and will walks hand in hand with mike james wheeler who says “SUP HOP” right before he daps him up
jane literally asked mike to explain to their friends her decision and he replied “i don’t understand”. he then proceeded to create a different ending for her, removing the agency she had in deciding it for herself, regardless of how much of a choice she had. he took it from her
In a better show, Mike defining so much about El despite those labels often being things she doesn't enjoy, down to choosing her DnD class for a character she doesn't even play, could provide some genuine feminist commentary but nah, "I believe."
Other than the nickname El, she usually contradicts these assignments, to no avail. "This isn’t like one of your campaigns. You don’t get to write the ending. Not this time" and then he writes a literal ending for her in one of his campaigns. Hellish.
It's a problem specific to their relationship, since El struggles so much with her sense of self and even language use, that Mike labelling her "El," "yoda," "mage," "superhero," "I choose to believe she escaped" comes off as too...presumptuous? Overbearing? Not his place?
⠀
⠀⠀“ you would be with me! I would have lost you - Mike! ”
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⠀⠀reaching out and touching his shoulder, alarmed.
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⠀⠀“ it I was truly dead - you needed to continue and make me proud of who you ended up becoming... ”
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{ he knows it's not funny. he knows that.
his eyes slide away, hands shoved in his pockets. }
i would've been with you. it just didn't seem like that big a deal. i wouldn't do it again, so you don't need to worry.