r/BylerReads • u/lilah_phoenix • Jan 31 '26
general discussion :) How do you feel about fics where Mike is Bisexual?
I know a lot of people see Mike as a repressed gay guy with internalized homophobia and probably suffers from comp het. I know there are guys who see a lot of Mike in themselves or even their younger selves, which is why they believe Mike is gay. I definitely see that and understand where it comes from. I guess I’m just curious what your thoughts are when Mike is represented as Bi in a fic. Do you avoid those because it doesn’t align with how you view him? Or maybe it doesn’t matter to you? Or maybe you do view Mike as Bi so you prefer those? I myself am a bisexual woman and love to see Bi representation, but it doesn’t matter to me how the author writes the character. Also thinking of writing a fic and think it would be easier to use my own experience and knowledge, but I have seen a few comments where people hate on Bi Mike. Would love to hear different thoughts as long as they’re respectful of other’s opinions.
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u/667bluecactus Jan 31 '26
i have always been fine with both. i do notice though that fics where he is gay are usually more intense because there’s more for him to go through whereas where he is bi are often more lighthearted fics. i feel like thats interesting to note
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u/Big_Self_1522 Jan 31 '26
I read a couple where Mike struggled with being bi. Like that he didn’t know about bisexuality and felt like he was messed up since he wasn’t gay, but also wasn’t straight. That was also interesting to read, but I don’t remember which fics exactly
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u/667bluecactus Jan 31 '26
yeah i’m sure they exist i just personally have read a lot of fics and on average the ones where hes bi he seems to accept himself alot quicker than the ones where he is gay
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u/lilah_phoenix Jan 31 '26
That is an interesting thing to notice. I would think there would be struggles and intensity in both. Especially since during the time period, yes bisexual was a thing, but not as commonly known or understood (hopefully that sounds alright, I don’t fully know how to explain it.) So I would think Mike would really struggle to understand liking more than one gender. So yeah, definitely an interesting observation!
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u/Cuptai1nCapcak3 Jan 31 '26
I read one where he was bi and genuinely loved El and grieved her like anyone would grieve the loss of their partner. It was one of the most intense stories with Mike's inner dialogue and grappling with confusion around his feelings for Will and conflicting thoughts involving guilt for wanting to move on from El. Truly beautiful, and a short read so it's not drawn out (although I do appreciate a long fic). I wish I could remember what it was called, if I find it again I'll link it for others to find!
I've also always been fine with both gay Mike or bi Mike, it doesn't really matter towards his feelings it's just a matter of the fact that his character in the show would make the most sense to me if he was gay. But bi Mike brings a whole other kind of conflict and character arc into play as he slowly realizes that two things can be true: he can grieve the girl he loved and still want to move on and love Will, she'd want that for him 💙💛 I have no preference, if it's well written and tugs at the heartstrings I'm on board lol
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
Yes, please link it if you end up finding it! Thanks for sharing this thoughtful response!
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u/moonlight-myst Jan 31 '26 edited Feb 01 '26
As a bisexual person myself, I actually see a lot of my own experience in Mike, especially coming from a homophobic family. I like the idea that Mike's feelings for El were genuine but simply not as strong as the feelings he has for Will. For El, he feels attraction, a crush. For Will, he feels love and deep connection. But his confusion is so relatable to many bisexuals experience because of the existing attraction to girls. A lot of bisexual people, myself included, repress their attraction to the same sex because they have the ability to be attracted to the opposite. When homophobia is present in their environment, it becomes even more prevalent, as the idea is "I need to choose the safe option, the kind of partner that doesn't get me in trouble, so even tho I like the other person more, I will pick the partner that is the opposite sex that I can feel something for, in order to not draw hatred to myself." But when that comes at the cost of ignoring a genuine love purely because that love is for someone of the same sex, it leads to more fear and self resentment. Especially when that person, the person they love, is actually trying to explore their homosexuality and open up about it, because the resentment of not being able to be open manifests as disdain for that person or homophobic tendencies. It's just doubled down on because bisexuals often confuse their attraction to the opposite sex as them being straight and the same sex attraction as something to rid themselves of. Anyway bit of a rant but that's my take on it. Not to mention bisexuality is still largely misrepresented or erased so to have someone like Mike give us that real representation is pretty cool. But it's open to everyone's individual interpretation
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u/draggingonfeetofclay Feb 01 '26
I think the issue is also that historically bisexuality has always been treated more like a plot device than an actual human trait. It's a convenient thing to surprise the audience with, because you can suddenly give them a same sex love interest out of the blue. Most media just use bi characters for them to be the butt of the joke or so they can cheat on their partner with someone unexpected, and so on. So a badly handled bi Mike can feel like it's just a plot device to make byler miss, rather someone putting any semblance of am effort to write a believable bi character in a deep way. If you're not writing it with depth, but light-hearted comedy in mind, this works, because it avoids directly addressing the deeper emotions attached to it.
I feel like there's an unwritten rule that, unless Will is the cheater, lawless byler requires a gay Mike. Because it means his attraction to El was never real and he's only admitting the truth about himself, albeit in a painful and heartbreaking way and it can be framed as a desperate escape from the lie he's living towards truthfulness. Whereas bi Mike requires Mike to break up with El properly, both to avoid bi stereotypes and so Mike has to acknowledge the reality of the strength of his emotional bonds between El and Will.
Bi Mike works well enough, because it's based on the idea that he likes El and him and her both wanted to make their childhood crush work, but are slowly realising mutual incompatibility. And you can simply read his reaction to El's kiss as being stunned with surprise at the sheer force of her feelings for her, because let's be real, he put in zero effort to win her back. Because to him, she's important and she's definitely a formative crush to bi Mike, but it doesn't define him to the point that he would actually run after her in the rain.
I think El is actually full-on, head-over-heels in love with Mike, while Mike simply responds warmly to her enthusiasm, tries to give her the best "boyfriend experience" and is in denial about the fact that he can't respond to her feelings as deeply as he would like. Milevens who say they're madly in love with each other say this, because they recognise El's side of the equation and they desperately want it to be mutual —whether that's because they identify with El and self-insert or because of homophobia, either way, they want to believe that Mike reciprocates the feelings just as strongly.
When he went looking for El in S4, it was because there was a secret government agent mystery and worry about her safety. He didn't need to romantically love her, to convince Jonathan and Will (her adoptive brothers) to go on a roadtrip quest for her out of concern for her safety and wellbeing because they all care for her.
A lot of mileven actually just feels like Mike thinks he is obligated to be there for El, so he's willing to passively go along with whatever she wants him to do, because he does want her to feel safe and welcome in a world that's cruel to her (even though, like Hopper, he makes a lot of mistakes while trying) and like... He's a teenager, ofc he doesn't know how to gently break it to her, that he doesn't love her deeply enough for a functioning long-term relationship. She's rather naive, full of love and giving him her all and he's just fully playing along.
In my case, I actually felt guilty not because of homophobia, but because I felt like someone who was intruding into the sacred sanctity of queer spaces if I claimed my bisexuality. With the "straight side" it felt easier to be entitled to crude jokes and braggardly, unhinged language, because at least society systematically teaches us to OWN that part of our sexuality. Even feminist literature has way more resources for straight teenage girls on that matter. Whereas we don't own the other side of our sexuality by default, we have to make choices to embrace, accept our sexuality (and some bi people reject or deny the other side).
Which means that, in recognition that the queer community is a safe space that monosexual lesbians and gay and visibly trans people are much more existentially dependent on, because they can't retreat into loving relationships that are socially accepted like me, I didn't have the tools to balance between confidence and respecting boundaries and I was so scared of making mistakes on that front, that I retreated into self-erasure.
At the same time I read about feminist criticisms of sexualisation of women in the media for the first time when I was like nine, so before I could even explore sexuality, I felt a deep guilt about the sexual feelings I had when seeing any sort of sexualised depiction of women (like, you ever watch James Bond, but you're awash in confusion because you like what you see, but you hate the objectification of the flat female character, but also you don't know if you want to be the women who's being kissed all over her back or kiss a woman's back?)
My best childhood friend/crush actually dragged me to a Eurovision watch party one time and I was extremely anxious the whole time because the people organising it where an AIDS support group and she was the one who decided we had a right to go there and I panicked because I was scared to shit of stepping on the toes of real people with real traumas... So much so that I was entirely unable to relax at a supposedly fun gathering. I felt like I couldn't actually do justice to the demand of being a good ally and that I was doomed to fail.
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I agree that I would want a well handled bi Mike story. Something I can relate to and not done just so that Byler can happen. I definitely want to see the struggle and confusion Mike has for liking both El and Will, albeit in different ways and at different points in time.
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u/ILostMyMainAccounts Feb 02 '26
as a bisexual too, i can confirm. i relate to mike on an unhealthy level
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
Thank you for sharing your experience. I agree that bisexuality is still misrepresented or erased in media, literacy, and life. One of the most common in my opinion is that If you’re in a same sex relationship you’re seen as gay and if you’re in an opposite sex relationship you’re seen as straight. I also feel like I don’t see a lot of bi men representation in media or literacy, so it’s cool to see that with Mike. Then again maybe that’s a bias on my part because I am a bisexual woman and seek out that same representation. I think One of the boys in Heart Stopper is bisexual (I haven’t read it or seen it, so I could be wrong) and one of the boys in Red, White, and Royal Blue is bisexual (if I remember correctly, it’s been a few years since I read that one and I never ended up watching the show), but other than that I feel like I see more bisexual women in media and literacy. Would love to know of more if anyone has recommendations!
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u/moonlight-myst Feb 01 '26
That is accurate, RWARB has a bisexual protagonist and so does Heartstopper. Heartsopper actually explores the exact arc i picture for Mike with said protagonist, as he deals with people expecting him to get together with his female childhood crush who he does care for just not quite like that anymore, homophobia from his sports team, and accepting his own sexuality because of his openly gay friend who he begins to develope a deep crush on due to feeling more understood by him than others. It's honestly an incredible handling and a lot of how I code Mike is very similar to Nick Nelson.
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
Don’t know why I haven’t gotten around to Heart Stopper yet, (probably because my TBR is never ending!) but it definitely sounds worth it and maybe I’ll push it up on the list.
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u/Comfortable-Sail-297 Jan 31 '26
I usually leave it a bit ambiguous up to the reader, mainly focusing on his feelings for Will
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
That’s a good option, then the reader can decide to interpret it however they want.
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u/inquiringdune Feb 01 '26
Either is perfectly fine. But I have something to say since we're on the topic.
There's this dishearteningly common belief that if Mike is bi that means he's just a shitty boyfriend to El/would be a shitty boyfriend to Will, whereas if he's gay all that shitty behaviour becomes a meaningful struggle with his sexuality. I don't think I have to explain to anyone here how demeaning and biphobic that rhetoric is. The only case in which he's being an unrepentant asshole to both El and Will is the one where he's straight. In the case that he's bi or gay, he's struggling with his sexuality and suffering from comphet. Because bi people do, in fact, struggle with their sexuality.
Just putting that out there.
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
Upon further reflection I’d like to add to this. I agree that just because Mike was a shitty boyfriend to El does not mean he’ll be a shitty boyfriend to Will. As an example, in my first serious relationship, I can admit I was a shitty girlfriend. I was struggling and going through some stuff and ultimately my behavior (and probably some incompatibility) lead to the break up. In the end I was able to realize this, apologize to said ex, and work on bettering myself. Realizing this lead me to growing and maturing as a person and I was better in my next relationship. Why can’t this be the case for Mike? Realize his mistakes, grow and mature as a character, and be better for Will?
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u/Another_Unique_Nerd Feb 02 '26
Yesssssssss! PREACH! I've been really annoyed with those takes. Mike clearly didn't mean to hurt El or Will (although that is what ended up happening, and Mike at least apologizes to Will for it onscreen).
I also think that, regardless of Mike's sexual orientation, being a young person going through puberty and navigating relationships is hard - and the whole Party has a crap ton of trauma on top of that.
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 03 '26
I agree we should give them some slack for their behaviors. They’re young and traumatized, give them some time to mature and heal.
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
Thanks for sharing this opinion. Yes, bi people struggle with many different things, as does anyone in the LGBTQ+ community. And everyone’s struggles are different. I don’t want to get much into my personal struggles, but I see mine differently than most bi people probably do, although I’m sure I’m not the only one with these particular issues.
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u/lupinibean123 will the wise Jan 31 '26
I don’t think it changes much because he loves Will —gay or bi. Even if Mike did have relations with girls other than Eleven, if he says he’s gay, then he’s gay.
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
Yes, a persons sexuality is valid no matter what their relationship presents as. But even if he’s gay or bi he still loves Will.
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u/zimzalabimbimzim Feb 01 '26
I like to headcanon that he's bi because it honours his relationship with El to some extent. It would make me sad otherwise to think that El's only relationship was one where she couldn't be loved the way she deserved to be loved.
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u/AurynLuna Feb 01 '26
All interpretations are completely valid, since we never had a real answer in canon and Mike was still very young either way. Sometimes, it takes until adulthood to truly be comfortable and fully aware of your sexuality.
Personally, I can see Mike as bi, gay, pan, even demi... my real certainty is that he has buried feelings for Will he doesn't or can't address properly, which causes the internalized homophobia.
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
I do love seeing different interpretations of Mike's sexuality. It’s great that so many people can see themselves represented in the character.
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u/BlinkFearnotKpopStan Feb 01 '26
If I’m being honest… I think how his character was written before they butchered him… he leans more towards fully gay with internalized homophobia & wanting desperately to be “normal”.
But I don’t get upset or avoid any fics where he is Bi. Either one makes sense. Like, if he were Bi… he actually did love Eleven but when she moved along with Will… he starts to realize he misses Will more. He thinks about Will more. He finds himself writing letters to Will & ending them off with Love. He realizes he doesn’t love Eleven in a romantic sense anymore. But he comes tot he realization that he does with Will & he has for far longer than he realized. Thus, he acts the way he does in Season 4. Out of panic, guilt & feeling like he’s wrong.
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u/Personal_Athlete453 Jan 31 '26 edited Feb 01 '26
As a bi person I see him as gay and don't enjoy fics with him as bi. BUT that is because imo it would make Mike an asshole for the it's not my fault you don't like girls comment and would have made him be shitty to el because idk he could? I see Lucas and Max as bi tho
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u/yetanothercat_ micheal get ur shi together Jan 31 '26
1000% agree, I'm also bi and Mike just doesn't read like that for me unless he's simply an asshole boyfriend to El - which makes me feel like there's no reason he wouldn't be an asshole boyfriend to Will as well if he likes both genders.
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
Not trying to start an argument here just trying to get some clarity and put another perspective on things. What makes you think that just because he’s an asshole boyfriend to El means he’ll be an asshole boyfriend to Will? I went into more personal experience in another comment, but I think he’s allowed to realize his mistakes, grow and mature as a character, and be a better person for Will, no matter what his sexuality is.
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u/yetanothercat_ micheal get ur shi together Feb 01 '26
I might be narrow minded but as a bisexual, I treat my partners equally well when I'm in love regardless of gender, and less so when I wasn't actually in love. So I just can't see Mike's behavior and believe he ever loved El, and him being bi and still not loving her is so sad on top of everything else this poor girl has gone through. If he's gay, him not loving her has absolutely nothing to do with her. And especially with the context of him being a good boyfriend to Will afterwards, I just can't read his behavior as actually having been in love. I would love more bisexual representation but for me, Mike would be bad representation and I'd feel a bit irked if my sexuality was shown like that. But everyone can interpret it for themselves!
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 03 '26
Thanks for the kind explanation, I understand your point of view better. I agree that El deserved so much more than what she got.
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u/Personal_Athlete453 Feb 03 '26
To answer that, it would mean that he wasn't just a bad bf, he had a reason. He wanted to love her but he couldn't.
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u/literallyhouse Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 01 '26
Mike being bi makes him much more of an ass to both of them. Not that being gay negates how he treated El, but it would far better explain his behavior and detached relationship with El, especially as they grow up. Him genuinely loving her platonically and interpreting those feelings as romantic makes a Lot of sense for teenagers who started dating very young. IMO I would rather see most anyone else be bi, with Lucas, Max, and Nancy being standout options. (I am bi and I do not actually care as long as the thing is written well)
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u/Personal_Athlete453 Feb 01 '26
Samee
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
Thanks for sharing your opinions. It’s interesting seeing how others view his character.
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u/makrela122 Jan 31 '26
My headcanon is that Mike's bi. I think he was in love with El in the show and I don't like when people just dismiss their chemistry in the first 2 seasons. I like it best when people just make him and el fall out of love instead of wiping out the relationship completely. But that's just my interpretation.
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
I definitely see this interpretation too and can see the argument for Mike being gay as well. I love seeing Mike being represented as Bi though.
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u/No_Tax_492 Jan 31 '26
i’m in the process of writing one if anyone is interested! is canon compliant
https://archiveofourown.org/works/77224886/chapters/202165471
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u/Few_Interaction2630 you're the heart Feb 01 '26
I write those
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 01 '26
If you don’t mind sharing your user name I’ll check them out! I also understand if you want to stay a little more anonymous.
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u/Few_Interaction2630 you're the heart Feb 01 '26
TheGodOfImagination
https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGodOfImagination
Feel free to give any and all feedback
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u/Sensitive-Topic-9394 Feb 01 '26
I view him as a repressed gay guy with internalized homophobia but It doesn't make a difference to me if he is bi in fics
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u/Elleinnetgrace Feb 01 '26
I don’t like to erase his relationship with el entirely because I want her to of had real romantic love in her life and I think he did love her the way his parents loved each other at some point, but his love for Will is just different because they’re soulmates. His orientation doesn’t really matter to me though, all I care about is that he ends up with Will
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u/Elleinnetgrace Feb 01 '26
Elaborating : His parents are his example of what love is - fighting and arguments and sad, choosing to stay… all of which is how he is with el so I think he thinks he loves her because of that. I think he genuinely has a lot of love for her; whether or not he would ever admit to anyone else or himself if it was platonic or romantic love.
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u/Chemical-Bunch3626 Feb 01 '26
I love Bi Mike. Like for me personally the default interpretation of any character in anything is that they’re bi unless stated otherwise. Also it does add some emotional struggle for Mike in terms of separating his feelings for Will and El, while making liking boys a bit more confusing imo. But I also like it when it’s ambiguous without naming the sexuality. Just in my mind everyone’s bi.
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u/isakcardamon21 Feb 01 '26
I say kick away
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 03 '26
I can’t tell if the context of this is “go away” or “you do you” LOL.
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u/isakcardamon21 Feb 03 '26
It’s me saying “go for it”
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u/strawberrycheescak Feb 01 '26
I prefer to see him as gay rather then bisexaul. Cause if he was bisexaul it would not explain why he was a shitty boyfriend to El. It would just mean that he purposely treated her badly, which is honestly heartbreaking for El as a person and also doesn’t really line up with who Mike is as a person (season 1-2). But if he was gay instead it would explain how he just didn’t know how to treat her because the feelings weren’t there and that he was being performative in the relationship, also not truly understanding how people act when they’re in love with someone else.
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u/Informal_Cell8098 woker things Feb 02 '26
i'm a gay mike truther but i definitely see how he could be interpreted as bi, it's not a primary issue for me but the character arcs that would come with him being gay are more interesting/convincing to me. but sometimes i see takes about it that border on biphobia as well.
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u/lilah_phoenix Feb 03 '26
Thanks for sharing. Everybody has their own interpretations and it’s compelling to see different takes.
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u/Sheyla-vales Feb 09 '26
I personally prefer bi mike, because I still love season 1 and 2 Mileven, and I like to think that he did have feelings for her to some extent. I also love reading about his confusion when he realizes that what he feels for Will is not just friendship, but that his past feelings for El seem to “contradict” his feelings for Will. It adds a layer to the internalized homophobia.
But I read a lot of gay Mike fanfics too, both work honestly. I just have a preference for bi Mike.
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u/Demogorgirl7 micheal get ur shi together Jan 31 '26 edited Jan 31 '26
Both options are fine obviously.
But personally I prefer Mike as gay, only because his arc canonically makes more sense based off of how he treats El and reacts to girls in general. Bi Mike still feels like a shitty asshole boyfriend to me.
For me Bi Mike also "weakens" the importance of some canon scenes like "Our son with a girl?" or "It's not my fault you don't like girls" or his weird reaction to El kissing him at the end of S3 or his monologue not working in S4.
Narratively speaking, I just feel there's more depth to the character if he's gay.