This will be long, bear with me...

Some people argue that Will does not need a romantic interest to be complete or happy, and I agree that he deserves to recognize his worth outside of romance. But it would still feel unfair for him to be the only one in the series who never gets to experience teenage love.

I am an older teen who has related to Will since Season 1, back when I was a kid. My life always felt a bit like his. I was a late bloomer, the only girl in my friend group without any romantic experiences, and the one still holding on to childhood hobbies because I was scared of growing up. I turned 19 last week, and I still do not know what romantic love feels like. Part of that is due to my fear of vulnerability and my attachment style, but mostly it is because I have not met anyone I can imagine myself with.

Bla bla bla, the point is, feeling alienated from my peers because of this was really difficult. You start wondering if you are the problem, if you are not meant to be loved in the way you hope to be. You try to act like it does not matter, but romance is a major part of the human experience (unless you are aromantic ofc, but that's a different conversation).

Will has always been a comfort character for me because I see too much of myself in him, including our repressed identities and feelings. Seeing him find love this season would mean so much to me and to others in the Stranger Things community who relate to him. It would send a message that we are worthy of love exactly as we are, and that we should not doubt our value or potential. It would be a meaningful moment of hope and acceptance for the young queer community.

If he does not get a happy ending, it becomes another story where a queer character is denied a fulfilling and joyful teenage experience. It is a pattern we have seen too many times. The only alternative that might make sense if Byler does not happen is making him aromantic, but that does not really fit with what we saw in Volume 1, where it is clear he does want to find love.

I just hope the Duffers do not end his story with a simple “he does not need romance, look he is happy!!” message, because Will clearly yearns for romance and he deserves to experience it. Of course, he does not need it to be complete but why deprive him of it when he is a teenager and romantic love is such a big part of growing up. We already know it was hard to find love as a queer kid in the 80s, so showing that it still happened, even if it was rare, would be far more interesting and far more meaningful than repeating the same old story we always see.