Chapter Text
Mike read the message once and swore under his breath.
Get back to your dorm now.
Something is happening.
“Great,” he muttered.
He pushed off the rooftop anyway, ignoring the sharp protest in his ribs. Pain was background noise at this point. He swung low over the street, cutting corners he normally wouldn’t, because whatever was happening on campus sounded like it was about to spiral.
Below him, the campus looked mostly normal. Quiet, lights on in a few windows, security cars parked near the courtyard. That should have been reassuring, it wasn’t.
Will sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake.
He didn’t know what had woken him, just that his heart was beating way too fast for two in the morning. He checked the time and frowned. Mike’s bed was empty. That wasn’t unusual anymore, but tonight it made his stomach twist.
The room felt cramped, like the walls were a little closer than they should be. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his arms, trying to shake the feeling. Then he heard voices outside.
Not shouting, just talking, but serious enough that he got up and peeked through the blinds.
Two campus security vehicles were parked near the dorm entrance. A couple of officers stood nearby, radios in hand. One of them glanced up toward the building, and Will ducked back instinctively.
“Okay,” he whispered. “That’s not great.”
His phone buzzed. Unknown number, he hesitated, then opened it. The same unknown number that told him to stay home the day of the campus attack.
UNKNOWN:
Stay inside. Lock your door.
Only open it if it’s Mike. Trust me.
Will stared at the screen. Why Mike? Who is this person and how do they know what’s going on?
Before he could think it through, he locked the door and sat back on his bed, phone clutched tightly in his hand, silently obeying the stranger. If this person knew about the attack on campus and tried to save him, then he’s definitely not risking his life this time.
Chance’s phone rang while he was walking back across campus, and he jumped hard enough that someone nearby gave him a weird look.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?” Max asked.
“Uh, heading back to the dorm,” Chance said. “Why?”
“Don’t,” she said immediately. “Go somewhere else. Somewhere public.”
Chance stopped walking. “Max, what’s going on?”
She sighed. “Someone called campus security. Said they saw Spider-Man near the dorms.”
Chance’s stomach dropped. “That doesn’t make sense. Mike wasn’t even—”
“I know,” Max cut him off. “Which means either someone made it up, or someone noticed more than they should have.”
Chance swallowed. “Is Will okay?”
“I don’t know yet,” Max admitted. “That’s what worries me. You need to stay in a public area, if someone knows about Mike then they probably know about you too. Do not try to go check up on Will. Mikes there.”
Mike landed on the dorm roof and had to pause for a second to steady himself. His side burned, and his breathing was off, but he pushed through it and crouched low, listening. Sirens in the distance. Voices below.
He moved toward the stairwell door, then froze as light spilled out from underneath it. Footsteps.
“Fantastic,” he muttered.
He backed into the shadows just as two security officers stepped onto the roof, flashlights sweeping the area.
“This is where boss said he landed,” one of them said.
Mike pressed himself flat against the wall, heart pounding. ‘They’re not campus security.’
He checked his phone. One new message.
WILL:
Where are you?
Mike closed his eyes briefly, then typed as fast as he can.
Will was sitting on his bed when the door handle rattled. He froze. A soft knock followed.
“Will?” someone called. “Campus security.”
Will didn’t move. The knock came again, firmer this time. “We just need to ask you a few questions.”
Will’s phone buzzed in his hand.
MIKE:
Do not open the door.
Before Will could respond, there were three quick knocks. The exact rhythm Mike always used.
“Will,” Mike said quietly from the hallway. “It’s me.”
Will jumped up, hand going straight to the lock, relief flooding through him so fast it made his head spin. Then he heard more footsteps along with Mike. Someone talking, just out of range.
Mike lowered his voice. “Hey. Don’t open the door.”
Will’s hand hovered, shaking.
Across campus, Chance broke into a sprint. On the roof, Mike backed toward the edge, weighing his options way too fast. And inside the dorm room, Will stood inches from the door, heart racing, realizing that whatever Mike was dealing with was no longer just his problem.
“Will.” Mike’s voice was calm. Too calm. “Don’t open the door.”
Will stared at the lock, hand still hovering inches away. His heart was pounding so hard it made his ears ring. Behind the door, campus security shifted. Someone cleared their throat.
“Sir,” an officer called, “we just need a minute of your time.”
Will swallowed. Mike’s voice dropped, urgent now. “Please.”
Will made his choice, he stepped back from the door, shaking his head even though Mike couldn’t see him. “I’m not opening it,” he said, louder this time. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
There was a pause. Then, “Understood,” the officer said. “We’ll follow up later.”
Footsteps moved away down the hall. Will exhaled shakily and slid down the door until he was sitting on the floor, knees pulled to his chest.
On the other side, Mike sagged with relief, one hand braced against the wall as pain flared through his side.
“You okay?” Will asked quietly.
Mike forced a laugh. “Yeah. Just tired.” The lie sat between them, thin and fragile.
“Why did they want to talk to me?” Will asked.
Mike hesitated. Just for a second. “Someone reported…something weird near the building,” he said carefully. “It’s probably nothing.”
Will frowned. “You sound like you know more than you’re saying.”
And Will thought about it for a second. ‘Why would I only open the door for Mike? And why couldn’t I open it for the campus security? How did that stranger even know they were going to show up at my door? What don’t I know? What is everyone hiding from me? Why are they hiding it from me?’
Mike closed his eyes. “Will—” Footsteps echoed again. Faster this time. Mike stiffened.
From the stairwell came a familiar voice, breathless and panicked. “Will!”
Chance skidded into the hallway, eyes wide, hair a mess. He took in the scene instantly, Mike pressed against the door, Will, hopefully on the other side of the door.
“Oh,” Chance said weakly. “This is… bad.”
Mike shot him a look. “Why are you here.”
Chance laughed, high and nervous. “Funny story, Max told me not to come and I absolutely did not listen.”
Will pushed himself to his feet. “Chance, what’s going on?”
Chance froze. Mike shook his head sharply. Don’t.
Chance opened his mouth anyway. “They think Spider-Man was here.”
The silence that followed was devastating. Will’s eyes snapped back to the door. Then to Mike’s shadow beneath it.
“…Here,” Will repeated slowly.
Mike’s chest tightened. “Chance.”
“And,” Chance added, because he was already in too deep now, “security’s circling the building. Like, actually circling it.”
Will felt something click into place. Not the full picture. Not yet, but enough. He unlocked the door.
Mike spun. “Will, wait—”
Too late. The door swung open. Mike stood there, hoodie half unzipped, breathing uneven, knuckles scraped and red. His posture was wrong, like he was holding himself together by sheer willpower. Will’s gaze dropped. Took it all in.
“You said you were just tired,” Will said softly.
Mike opened his mouth. Nothing came out.
Chance winced. “I shouldn’t be here.”
Sirens grew louder outside. Security radios crackled down the hall. Mike moved steadily. He grabbed Will’s wrist and pulled him close, voice low and fast. “You trust me, right?”
Will didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.”
“Then don’t ask me questions right now,” Mike said. “Just—go back inside and lock the door.”
Will searched his face. Really looked at him.
“You’re hurt,” Will said.
Mike swallowed. “Not the point.”
“Mike.”
Footsteps rounded the corner. Chance backed up instinctively. “Guys. Now would be great.”
Mike squeezed Will’s wrist once. Hard. “I’ll explain,” he said. “I promise. Just… not tonight.”
He stepped back, already moving toward the stairwell, shoulders squaring like he was bracing for impact.
“Mike,” Will’s voice cracked. “Please stay safe.”
Mike paused. For just a second, something raw crossed his face. Fear. Not for himself. “For you,” he said quietly. “Always.”
Then he turned and ran. Chance stared after him, heart in his throat. Will stood frozen in the doorway, staring at the empty hallway, at the choice he’d made, at the questions that were no longer optional. Whatever Mikes secret is isn’t just his him anymore. Will realized he was now involved in something he didn’t understand.
Mike didn’t stop running until his lungs burned and his vision blurred. He took the stairs two at a time, burst through a side exit, and vaulted the fence bordering the athletic field without thinking.
Pain flared hot and sharp through his ribs when he landed wrong, but he forced himself upright and kept moving. ‘Too close,’ his brain kept repeating. ‘You hesitated.’
He ducked into the narrow alley behind the science building and finally let himself lean against the brick wall, gasping. His hands were shaking. Not from the pain. From Will’s face when the door opened. Not fear, not suspicion….love. That was worse.
He dragged his hood lower and pressed his forehead to the cool brick. “I’m screwing this up,” he muttered. His phone buzzed.
MAX:
Where are you?
MIKE:
Just left the dorms.
A pause.
MAX:
Chance just called me.
What happened?
Mike closed his eyes.
MIKE:
I almost told him.
Three dots appeared instantly.
MAX:
Almost is not good enough.
MIKE:
I know.
You should’ve seen the way he looked at me.
I don't want to put him in danger.
Another pause, longer this time.
MAX:
He already is in danger.
Get somewhere safe.
We’ll deal with this after.
Mike stared at the screen, jaw tight.
MIKE:
There is no after if he figures it out on his own.
Will locked the door with shaking hands. Then he unlocked it again. Then he locked it, stepped back, and stared at it like it might answer him.
His heart hadn’t slowed down. If anything, it was racing harder now, pounding with a strange mix of fear and something else he didn’t want to name.
Mike ran. Not walked away. Not avoided the question. Ran.
Will dragged a hand through his hair and paced the room. Everything replayed in fragments, overlapping and messy.
Mike’s scraped knuckles.
The way he stood like he was holding himself together. Spider-Man turning his head toward him in the courtyard. The timing. Always the timing.
“You’re being ridiculous,” Will muttered.
Still, he grabbed his phone and opened the campus alert system. Nothing. He switched to social media. Scrolled. Faster. Slower. There it was.
A shaky video from earlier that evening, already circulating. Spider Man mid swing, campus buildings unmistakable in the background.
The timestamp made Will’s stomach drop. He looked at Mike’s empty bed again. Then the hoodie draped over the chair. Mike’s hoodie. Will hesitated only a second before picking it up. Something hard pressed against his fingers inside the pocket. He froze.
Slowly, carefully, he reached in and pulled it out. A cracked phone. Not Mike’s. Definitely not Mike’s.
Will stared at it, pulse roaring in his ears. “Okay,” he whispered. “Okay.” This isn’t nothing anymore.
Chance caught up to Max outside the student center, breathless and pale.
She fired off on him the second she saw his face. “What were you thinking,” she snapped.
“I was thinking Will was in trouble,” Chance shot back.
“And now you’ve made it worse.”
Chance laughed bitterly. “I didn’t mean to say anything. It just came out.”
Max crossed her arms. “You told Will about Spider-Man.”
“I told him security was looking,” Chance corrected. “That’s not the same thing.”
“It’s close enough,” Max said. “You don’t get how bad this already is.”
Chance’s voice dropped. “He ran.”
Max stiffened. “Who?”
“Mike,” Chance said quietly. “He didn’t even look back.”
Max closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, something had hardened behind them.
“This is why I told him to stop,” she said. “This is exactly why.”
Chance swallowed. “He’s going to get caught, isn’t he?”
“Maybe not tonight,” Max said. “But soon, if we don’t get ahead of it.”
Chance frowned. “Ahead of it, how?”
Max looked at him. “By controlling what Will sees.”
Chance’s stomach twisted. “That sounds…bad.”
Max didn’t deny it.
Mike crouched on another rooftop an hour later, city lights smeared by exhaustion. He pulled off his mask and sucked in a shaky breath. His phone buzzed again.
WILL:
Where did you go?
Mike stared at the message for a long time.
He typed. Deleted. Typed again.
MIKE:
I freaked out.
I’m sorry.
Three dots appeared.
WILL:
You ran because of me.
Mike’s chest tightened painfully.
MIKE:
No. Never.
WILL:
You ran because you didn’t want me to see something.
Mike closed his eyes. This was it. Not a full reveal. But not nothing either.
MIKE:
I’m trying to keep you safe.
The reply came almost immediately.
WILL:
From what?
Mike’s fingers hovered over the screen.
‘From me.
From the truth.
From what happens when I choose you every time.’
MIKE:
I’ll explain.
Only when the time is right.
Just…trust me a little longer. Please.
The dots appeared. Then disappeared. No reply. Mike lowered the phone slowly.
Far below, sirens echoed through the streets. Across campus, Will sat on his bed with a cracked phone in his hands, putting pieces together that no longer fit neatly apart. And between them, Chance and Max stood in the dark, realizing the same thing at the same time.
This wasn’t about keeping a secret anymore. It was about what would happen when it broke.
Will didn’t sleep. By morning, he’d gone from panic to denial to something colder and sharper. Logic.
Mike was gone. Spider Man showed up. Chance knew too much. Max was circling everything like she was trying to control damage. And Chance had been there.
Will stared across the cafe table at Chance, who was aggressively stirring a coffee he hadn’t touched.
“Okay,” Will said finally. “I need you to not freak out.”
Chance froze. “That sentence has never led to anything good.”
Will leaned forward, lowering his voice. “You’re Spider-Man, aren’t you?”
Silence.
Then Chance laughed. Like, actually laughed.
“Oh my god,” Chance said, wiping his eyes. “I knew this would happen eventually.”
Will frowned. “You’re…not denying it.”
“Because it’s objectively hilarious,” Chance said. “Me. Spider-Man. Do you know how bad my upper body strength is.”
“You literally disappeared during the attack,” Will said. “And you knew about security before anyone else,” he started listing off his suspicions, “And Mike knows too, doesn’t he? So does Max.” He eyes Chance’s reaction.
Chance nodded seriously. “Counterpoint, I disappear when I get anxious, Max texts like she’s running a spy agency. And they don’t ‘know’ anything because there’s nothing to know.”
Will hesitated. “Then explain why Spider Man keeps showing up around me.”
Chance opened his mouth. Closed it. Then sighed. “Okay. Hypothetically. If I were Spider-Man.”
Will perked up. “Which I’m not,” Chance added quickly, “I would be doing a very bad job protecting you, because you saw how I tripped over a trash can yesterday.”
Will snorted before he could stop himself. Chance grinned. “See. Not heroic.”
“So you’re saying,” Will said slowly, “you’re not secretly athletic, rich, and emotionally repressed.”
“Absolutely not,” Chance said. “I am openly repressed.”
Will leaned back, rubbing his face. “Great. Awesome. I’m losing it.”
Chance softened. “You’re not. You’re just…close to something big.”
Will looked up. “Like what?”
Chance smiled weakly as he rolled his eyes. “If I knew that, I’d be dead.”
They both laughed, tension easing just enough to hurt and confusion.
Then every phone in the cafe buzzed at once. A campus alert.
EMERGENCY: ACTIVE THREAT IN ENGINEERING HALL. EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.
Will’s blood ran cold. “That’s…” he said slowly, “That’s where Mike’s class is.”
Chance was already standing. “Yeah. That’s bad.”
Mike heard the explosion before he felt it. The concussive force rattled the building, alarms screaming as people shouted and ran. His Spider Tingle went haywire, pain slicing through his head like static.
“God,” he muttered. “Not here. Not now.”
He didn’t even make it outside before the second blast hit. Mike moved on instinct. Windows shattered. A support beam snapped loose, dropping straight toward a cluster of students frozen in shock.
Mike jumped. He caught it. Bare hands. No suit. No mask.
The weight slammed into him, pain detonating through his ribs, but he held it long enough for people to scatter.
Someone screamed, “No fucking way! That kid just lifted it!” Cameras were out. Phones everywhere.
Mike realized his mistake a second too late. Will and Chance arrived just in time to see it. Mike, on one knee, shaking, holding up something that should have crushed him. Will’s heart stopped.
Chance whispered, “Oh. Oh no.”
Mike dropped the beam and staggered back, clutching his side. Sirens wailed closer now. People shouted questions.
“Are you okay?”
“How did you do that?”
“Was that Spider Man?”
Mike backed up blindly. Will didn’t think. He ran. “Mike,” he shouted. Mike looked up. Their eyes locked. For one awful second, everything was exposed.
Then a red and gold blur dropped from the sky. Iron Man landed between them with a metallic thud that cracked pavement.
“Alright,” a familiar, gruff voice said over external speakers. “Show’s over.”
The helmet retracted. Jim Hopper, Mike’s boss at Hopper Industries, who also happens to be his adoptive dad.
Will does remember Mike telling him something about his adoptive dad being named Hopper but he realized he didn’t connect the dots until this moment.
Mike’s shoulders sagged in immediate relief. “You were supposed to stay out of it.”
Hopper turned on him. “You were supposed to not lift a building in public.”
“I didn’t lift the building.”
“You lifted part of the building,” Hopper snapped. “That counts.”
He turned back to the crowd. “Everyone clear out. This is now a federal situation.”
Security moved fast to clear the area. Will stared, stunned.
Chance leaned over and whispered, “Okay, that guy is definitely Spider-Man’s dad.”
Hopper stepped closer to Mike, lowering his voice. “Are you hurt?”
Mike shrugged. “I’m fine.” Hopper poked his ribs. Mike hissed. “Ow.”
“That’s not fine,” Hopper said. “I leave you alone for one week.”
“You left me alone for three days,” Mike said.
“Too many,” Hopper replied. Then, quieter, “You scared me.” Mike blinked. “Don’t do that,” Hopper added gruffly.
Mike nodded. “Okay.”
Hopper turned and finally noticed Will standing there, pale and shaking. “…Who’s this?” Hopper asked.
Mike froze. “Uh,” he said. “This is Will.” Giving him a stern look which said don’t say anything embarrassing.
Hopper studied him for a moment, then softened immediately. “So you’re the reason he keeps breaking my rules.”
Will swallowed. “I—uh. Probably?”
Hopper sighed. “Yeah. That tracks.”
He put a hand on Mike’s shoulder, steering him back. “We’re going home. And then you’re grounded.”
Mike blinked. “I’m twenty.”
“I’m Iron Man,” Hopper said. “Try me.”
As they walked away, Chance leaned toward Will. “So,” he said lightly, “still think it’s me?”
Will didn’t answer. He was watching Mike. Really watching him. And realizing that nothing was ever going to be simple again.
‘What. No, no, no, no, no it can’t be. Mike can’t be Spider-Man. This isn’t real. This is all a dream.
If Mikes Spider-Man…then that explains all of his disappearances…but there’s just no way my best friend is Spider-Man. There’s no way I didn’t know, there’s no way. There’s just no way. Does that mean Chance knows? And Max? They all know but me? Did he not feel like he could trust me?’
By the time Will got back to the dorm, his hands were still shaking. The campus had been evacuated, then slowly reopened, like nothing huge had happened. Like no one had just watched Mike lift a beam that should have crushed him.
Will sat on his bed and stared at the opposite wall, replaying it again and again. Mike. Hurt. Exposed. Standing there like he was bracing for something worse than sirens. Holding the beam up his bare hands.
Will let out a weak, disbelieving laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
His phone buzzed. A group chat notification.
CHANCE:
okay tell me I'm not hallucinating.
MAX:
you are not.
CHANCE:
cool cool cool because i distinctly remember Mike Wheeler bench pressing a building lmao.
Will typed slowly.
WILL:
So we’re all agreeing that happened.
MAX:
Yes.
CHANCE:
Great. Therapy forever.
Will stared at the screen.
WILL:
The internet says nothing happened.
Three dots appeared.
MAX:
Yeah. About that.
WILL:
You guys know, don’t you?
Three dots popped up. Then disappeared.
Mike sat in the back of Hopper’s car, staring out the window as the city blurred past. Neither of them spoke for a long minute.
Then Hopper broke the silence. “You want to explain why I had to deploy a full containment protocol on a college campus.”
Mike sighed. “I didn’t plan it.”
“That’s never the defense you think it is,” Hopper said. “You lifted structural steel in front of at least forty people.”
“They were going to get crushed.”
“I know,” Hopper snapped. Then, quieter, “That’s why I’m not yelling.”
Mike glanced at him. “You are yelling.”
“Because you’re hurt,” Hopper said. “Again.”
Mike shifted uncomfortably. “It’s not that bad.”
Hopper shot him a look that said don’t lie to me.
“Sit up,” Hopper ordered. Mike did.
Hopper’s eyes narrowed immediately. “You’re favoring your left side.”
Mike groaned. “You always notice that.”
“That’s my job,” Hopper said. “Which brings me to my next question.”
He pulled onto a side street and parked. “Who’s Will?”
Mike flinched. “Um—some guy from…school?”
Hopper didn’t buy it for a second. “Try again.”
Mike stared at his hands. “He’s...” He tried to hide his smile, “He’s just..my roommate.”
Hopper exhaled slowly. “Oh yeah? What does he think about your night-time activities?”
“He doesn’t—he doesn’t know,” Mike said quickly. “Or at least I don’t think he does. Please don’t—”
“I’m not stupid,” Hopper interrupted. “I saw the way you looked at him. And the way he ran toward you. You like him, don’t you?”
Mike swallowed. “Yeah. Yes I do and I always will.”
“That’s what scares me,” Hopper said gently. “You don’t hesitate with him.”
Mike looked up, eyes sharp. “I wouldn’t stop loving him even if I could.”
Hopper studied him for a long moment. Then he nodded. “Okay.”
Mike blinked. “Okay?”
“Okay,” Hopper repeated. “But that means rules.”
Mike groaned. “Of course it does.”
“One,” Hopper said, holding up a finger. “You do not operate near him without backup.” Mike opened his mouth. “Two,” Hopper continued, “you do not lie to him if it puts him at risk.” Mike hesitated. Hopper’s voice softened. “You can keep secrets. You can’t make him unsafe.”
Mike nodded slowly. “…Okay.”
“And three,” Hopper added, starting the car again, “you are staying off campus for the rest of the week.”
Mike winced. “He’s going to notice.”
Hopper smirked. “I noticed.”
The next morning, Will woke up to a campus that felt wrong. No trending videos. No news coverage. No posts. Just vague complaints.
“Did anyone else think something happened last night?”
“I swear there was an explosion.”
“My phone glitched, did anyone record it?”
Will scrolled faster, heart pounding. Nothing, he opened the group chat.
WILL:
So…did Hopper erase the internet.
MAX:
Selective scrub.
CHANCE:
people are arguing with themselves in the comments lol.
MAX:
Anything posted got auto-flagged, removed, or corrupted.
WILL:
But ours?
MAX:
He didn’t mess with our stuff.
Will stared at that.
WILL:
Why?
A pause.
MAX:
Because Mike didn’t want him to.
Will’s chest tightened.
That night, Will sat alone in the dorm, Mike’s bed still empty. His phone buzzed.
MIKE:
I’m okay.
I’ll explain soon.
Will typed, erased, then typed again.
WILL:
You don’t have to explain anything.
I know.
Just don’t disappear on me.
The reply came almost immediately.
MIKE:
I won’t.
Mike’s fingers move without thinking
I love you|
He almost—almost sent it.
Will set the phone down and lay back, staring at the ceiling. Iron Man had erased the proof. The world had decided nothing happened. But Will remembered. Chance remembered. Max remembered. And so did Mike.
Mike. The one person Will felt like himself with. The person he didn’t realize he loved more than a friend.
Will was now replaying every interaction they’ve ever had and giggling to himself about it. He finally realized just how much Mike cared about him after finding out he’s Spider-Man.