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Martha's Vineyard, July 17, 2004
the Byers-Wheeler Wedding
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Mike's best woman, Max Mayfield
"When Will called — it was back in June 2002 — and told me that Mike was spending the summer at his place, these were my very first words: Oh no, Will. Not that idiot Wheeler again!"
The whole room bursts into laughter.
Sitting right next to Max, Will cheers: "yep, that's true"
Mike shakes his head and smiles fondly, then he remembers he's supposed to act offended and starts booing.
"As I was saying", Max reprises, "after watching my good friend Will pine for Mike's oblivious ass for longer than it's considered acceptable, I wasn't exactly thrilled to hear that he had once again fallen victim to Wheeler's evil deeds"
"Hey! You're supposed to be my best woman", Mike protests jokingly
Max waves him off
"But", she sighs and tilts her head, side eyeing Mike, "as much as it pains me to admit it, he really did his best to prove me wrong and easily became the most perfect boyfriend (and then fiancé) Will could ever dream of. It's the Mike Wheeler experience: at first you think he's an asshole, then you're sure he's an asshole and somehow, in the end, he still finds the way to your heart. Because, yeah, he may be an asshole, but he's also an amazing person and an even more amazing friend"
A few awwws reverberate through the venue
"Don't tell him I said that, though", she laughs, but her eyes are already watery.
"We lost touch for a few years, because life is a bitch and we'd all been through a lot. But I always knew we'd found each other again, especially these two"
She turns to the grooms and they smile at her tenderly, hands intertwined.
"I mean, there was really no other option. They were basically attached at the hip through all of our teenage years, to the point that sometimes Lucas and I felt like we were the ones third wheeling them — right, husband?"
"Yep, they were insufferable", Lucas chuckles
"I can confirm it. Jane and I were basically the fifth and sixth wheel. And Jane was Mike's girlfriend, so you can imagine!", Dustin's voice joins in, a few tables over. Everybody laughs, Hopper included.
Mentioning El is no longer taboo, nor as painful as it used to be just a few years ago. On the contrary, both the Party and their families have eventually realized that it's way more comforting, and fair to El herself, to talk, joke and reminisce about her life than brood about her death. She wouldn't want to be remembered like the "thing" that broke them, Max said one day after Mike and Will got together, and they've tried to stand by that principle ever since.
"Mike even had a special Will voice he only used around him, all calm and sweet and caring, while he always yelled at us or called us names without a second thought. The only name he called Will was a pet one. Sorcerer, remember? What a nerd. And the stares? THE STARES! Seriously, he wasn't subtle at all"
"Ok, ok", Mike says, cheeks tomato-red, "we get it"
Will pulls him into a quick, sweet kiss.
"Anyway", Max continues, "what I'm trying to say is that Mike not only loves Will, but he really adores him. He adores him so much that he would literally kiss the ground he walks on, like, not as a figure of speech, for real. He'd seriously do it, Will just needs to ask. So please ask, Will, I need to see it"
Everybody laughs, Mike facepalms.
"Also, I'm so sure he'll treat Will right that if I had to bet on which marriage would last longer I'd choose theirs over my own. No offense, Lucas"
"None taken, I agree"
Another loud burst of laughter fills the room
"So", Max says, a flute of champagne in her hand, "let's all raise a glass. To Mike and Will, who finally pulled their heads out of…the sand and stopped pretending they hadn't been in love with each other for 20, exhausting, years. Congratulations!"
Will's best man, Jonathan Byers
"I've never been good with words, so don't expect much from this toast, please"
Will shakes his head, but Jonathan doesn't see him. His eyes are down, as they usually are when he's uncomfortable (which is most of the time, honestly).
"Life hasn't exactly been kind with my brother. He's been through enough to last ten lifetimes, and yet he's always found the strength to go on. That's because he's special, of course…"
Both brothers start tearing up
"…but I'd be lying if I didn't say that Mike has been a big part of it. They've always had each other, saved each other, no matter what. Sure, Mike took his sweet time to realize what was really going on there, and at times I wanted to seriously strangle him…"
Mike shrugs
"Can't argue with that"
"…but the truth is that we've never needed a piece of paper to prove he's part of the family"
Despite his embarrassment, Jonathan turns towards Mike and addresses him directly
"You've always been my brother, even before the law made it official"
Karen and Joyce take each other's hands, and Mike gets immediately misty-eyed.
"And Will", he turns towards him, "you deserve all of the love in the world and I'm so happy you found it. Enjoy the rest of your lives together!"
Jonathan raises his glass and then sits back as quickly as possible. Will nods, a lopsided smile on his lips.
The mother of the groom,
Karen Childress
"Just like Jonathan said before me, I've never been very good with words. All of my kids are, though, so I asked my journalist daughter Nancy and my teacher daughter Holly to help me with this toast, which means this is basically a group effort"
Nancy, Holly and Mike chuckle from their respective seats.
"Ever since they were kids, Mike and Will have been inseparable. They used to spend an ungodly amount of time locked in our basement, making up stories about wizards, kings and dragons in faraway lands. I pretended to be annoyed by it so that Mike would come up and do his homework, but, secretly, I loved to see them writing and drawing together for hours on end. Sometimes I would literally spy on them from the door up the stairs, with a stupid, proud grin on my face"
Another wave of awwws fills the room
"At one point, the whole basement was covered in Will's drawings: there was literally no room left on our walls, can you believe it? Mike's always refused to take them down, even after he moved away for college"
Mike hides his face in embarrassment and Joyce promptly interjects, explaining how Will too used to keep Mike's short stories and birthday cards in a special binder.
"And now, more than 20 years later, we're still here: the writer and the artist, the childhood best friends, working together again. As husbands, this time, like they were always meant to be"
The couple, still a bit awkward, shares a kiss. Karen's voice almost breaks.
"Throughout the years, they've been a team in more than one way, overcoming real and metaphorical monsters with unparalleled courage. That's why I'm not worried about the future: when they have each other, nothing can stop them. My son and my son-in-law — it's still weird to say it, uh? — are both very special, very brave people, and I couldn't be more proud of them. Congratulations my boys, happy rest of your life!"
The father of the groom,
Jim Hopper
"When my wife begged me to take her place and make this toast on her behalf — thank you Joyce — I was a bit worried, not only because the Byers-Hopper family is, most evidently, not cut out for the spotlight, but also because I came into Will's life when he was already a young man and… you know how these things work, don't make me say it"
Will scrunches his eyebrows in a soft expression of fondness, head slightly tilted.
"The circumstances that brought us together weren't the best, but I tried to make the most of it, in my own way. It wasn't hard on my part, because Will has always been the sweetest, kindest kid, and I feel very lucky to be here to celebrate his wedding. His choice of husband might have been better, but…"
The room erupts into laughter, and Mike scoffs playfully.
"Alright, alright, I'm just joshing. Mike sure wasn't as sweet as Will as a kid, but he's always been sensitive, I'd say to a fault, and ready to go to war for his friends, not only for Will but for my Jane too. I think she'd be so happy to see you together… she loved Will very much and…"
Hopper gets a bit emotional here, as expected, and so does Mike.
"But", he tries to regain composure, sniffing the sadness away, "enough with the sap. Let's all raise a glass to the fact I will never get rid of Mike Wheeler!"
Joyce slaps him on his arm, but her face betrays her: she's laughing, just like everybody else.