Chapter Text
Will perked up slightly when he heard the knock on his bedroom door.
"Come on in," he said, not looking from his latest drawing that was for work. He had been working on it ever since he got home and he had lost all track of time.
Somehow, he knew it was Mike who was coming into his room before he heard Mike speak. He couldn't explain how he knew it, but he always seemed to have a sixth sense where Mike was concerned. He knew it didn't have to do with his powers, since he never was able to sense anybody else, but he liked to think that Mike just had that effect on him.
"Hey Will," Mike said as he sat down on the spare chair that was next to Will's desk. "We ordered some pizza and I brought you a slice. Are you hungry?"
Finally, Will looked up from his drawing. He looked over at Mike, who was looking at him as intently as ever. Mike had a soft expression on his face, as if he knew that Will had been putting off eating in favor of completing his drawing for work. Mike was able to read him like a book, save for the secret of Will's superpowers and his identity as The Wizard.
Will had discovered his powers about four years earlier. He was out walking in the woods one day when a bear nearly killed him. Without meaning to, Will managed to conjure up a fireball that he threw at the bear. Will had been so shocked by the reveal of his powers that he almost fainted. Since that day, he had discovered he was largely invulnerable to attack, he was able to heal himself (and possibly others, though he hadn't tested that yet), he had some telekinesis ability and he had the ability to teleport.
Will had created a superhero identity in order to help others who were in need. He operated largely in secret and dressed the part of The Wizard, complete with purple robes and a mask that covered half of his face in order to protect his identity. He had also beefed up his physique, which had been easier than he thought it would be, a possible extension of his powers. Will mostly prevented small time criminals from carrying out their crimes, and he would quickly disappear from the scene of a crime once his work was finished.
Still, Will did not ever want any of his friends to be in danger because of who he was. So he had hid his secret from everyone, instead appearing mildly interested in The Wizard and his powers, just as the others were.
Mike, though, seemed to think highly of The Wizard. Mike told him that The Wizard was a real-life Will the Wise and Will had to chuckle at the irony of Mike's words. Mike's admiration of The Wizard is why Mike was assigned to cover any crimes that The Wizard foiled. Mike was a reporter for The Daily News, and he was always happy to cover a story involving The Wizard. Mike's wish was to someday be able to interview The Wizard, and he always expressed disappointment that he missed getting to talk to his hero.
It was endearing to Will to be Mike's hero, though it pained him not to tell his best friend. Still, Mike's safety was more important than anything else, which is why he kept his identity a secret, even though he hated lying to Mike and the rest of his friends. It wasn't easy to keep his secret, especially since The Party all lived together in the four bedroom apartment in Indianapolis. They were all worked in Indianapolis and decided to save money by renting an apartment together.
Lucas and Max shared a room as did Dustin and El since they were all in relationships. As the two single people of the bunch, Mike and Will both got rooms to themselves, though they would often spend time in each other's rooms working together on assignments for The Daily News. Will was the paper's editorial cartoonist, and would often sketch drawings to accompany Mike's stories. It was Will's favorite part of working at the paper.
Will had about five seconds to think about all of that before he spoke up, not wanting Mike to think he was just staring at him.
"Yeah, I'm feeling pretty hungry; thanks, Mikey," Will said, standing up and stretching his legs for a moment before he sat back down and Mike handed him a paper plate. He took the plate and grinned when he saw the pizza. "Ah, pineapple on it, I see."
"Hey, you're the one who told me not to knock it til I tried it," Mike said, taking a bite of his own pizza.
Will chuckled. "And I was right, wasn't I?" he said with an air of amusement.
"Yeah, yeah, you were right," Mike said, grinning sheepishly. "You don't have to rub it in every time we have pineapple on pizza."
"But it's so fun!"
Mike laughed while Will took some more bites of pizza. Mike finished his a little faster and wiped his hands on the paper towels he had brought with. He looked over at Will's desk and saw a drawing of a familiar hero on it.
"Is this your latest one?" Mike asked. Will nodded, his mouth full of pizza. "It's amazing, as always, Will. You really have a knack for bringing The Wizard to life.
Will had to stifle a snort. If only Mike knew. He swallowed the rest of his pizza and wiped his hands.
"Thanks Mike," he said, blushing slightly. "I love drawing him; there's something so mysterious about him, you know?"
Mike nodded thoughtfully. "I just wished I knew who he was. Or at least that he would stick around after he helped stop a crime so I could interview him."
"What do you think he'd say?" Will asked.
"I don't know. I think he would just tell me about why he does what he does. And why he leaves each crime scene. It's like he doesn't even want to take credit for stopping the bad guys."
"Maybe he's not looking for credit," Will said, trying to sound thoughtful. In truth, he left crime scenes for that exact reason. He didn't want to take credit for his work. Instead, he usually moved on to protecting other people once he was finished stopping one set of criminals.
"Yeah, you might be right," Mike said. "Still, it would be fascinating to interview him one day. I bet he has a lot to say."
"Maybe he's just a regular guy, you know. Maybe he just does the superhero thing on the side and lives a normal life otherwise."
"That would make him even more fascinating to me," Mike said.
Will smiled at Mike, unable to completely hide how happy Mike's words made him. If only Mike knew.
"You're really amazing at drawing him, you know. Your drawings are so life-like."
"Thanks, Mike, you've said that before," Will said, sounding amused.
"I know, but there's something so special about all of your drawings, Will. I don't know what it is, but your drawings of everything have always meant a lot to me. Maybe it's because it's you, but I've always loved seeing what that brilliant mind of yours comes up with."
Will blushed at Mike's words.
"You're gonna make someone real happy one day, you know that, Mike Wheeler?"
Mike frowned at him.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, if you ever decided you do wanna date someone, you'll make them very happy. I know that."
Now it was Mike's turn to blush. He always got shy whenever Will or really anyone (but mostly Will) would compliment his romantic tendencies. Mike couldn't help it; he was a sap who wore his emotions on his sleeves. But he also didn't like to be the center of attention.
As if on cue, Mike cleared his throat to change the subject.
"Hey, the others are about to watch a movie. You wanna join them?"
"Yeah sure," Will said, standing up from his chair. Mike followed him out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where the rest of The Party was putting away the paper plates and the leftover pizza boxes.
"There you are, Will!" Dustin exclaimed when he saw the two of them.
"What were you doing?" Lucas asked. "You must've been working pretty hard in there."
"Yeah, I was working on a new sketch of The Wizard," Will said. "Our editor was hoping for something new, so I was working on that."
"It looks amazing," Mike said.
Will blushed at Mike's comment. He was pretty sure he saw El roll her eyes, so he flipped her off. El smirked at him.
"Of course it's amazing, it's Will," said Max. "Still, it's weird that The Wizard always takes off before his picture can get taken. It's almost like he's hidden in the shadows. I mean, has anyone besides the criminals he's stopped seen him?"
"Some friends from work say they've seen him," said El, not sounding convinced. "Personally I think people might have vivid imaginations. Course I'll probably eat my own words when I need rescuing from The Wizard.
Will grinned at his sister's comment. He so wished he could tell her and the others.
"Like Will was telling me, maybe he's just a regular guy," Mike said. "Maybe he doesn't want credit for what he does."
"That's an interesting possibility," Dustin said as they all started to make their way into the living room, where they would all sit on the sectional. "It makes him even more mysterious."
"Who knows? Maybe he'll show up tomorrow at the fair," Lucas said. "Maybe some super villain will show his face and The Wizard will have to rescue everyone."
The Party all laughed at Lucas' words. Will in particular was amused. Thought nobody else knew it, he was going to have on his Wizard costume the next day when they went to the fair, just in case. He never knew when he would be needed, so he figured it was for the best to always be prepared.
They all took their usual spots on the sectional. Max and Lucas sat on the left side facing recliner, where they would snuggle up during the movie. Dustin and El took the opposite recliner, which is where they would cuddle as well. This left the middle of the sectional for Mike and Will. Though they weren't a couple, they always sat on the sectional like they were. Mike and Will usually shared a blanket and would sit rather close to each other. None of the others commented on it, and for that, Will was privately grateful.
Once they were in their usual spots, Dustin fired up the TV and started bringing up the movie. Mike and Will pulled the blanket over each other and sat back. Will rested his head on Mike's shoulder, which Mike always said made him feel safe and warm. Will felt the same way. He smiled to himself as the movie began.