Work Text:
New York City, 1993
Mike scanned the shelves of the art store looking for the acrylic paint Will needed. His eyes landed on the brand, a funny European-sounding name, and grabbed it. He turned the corner, spotting Will in his usual burnt orange jacket. “Found it,”
“Thanks, Mike.” He said, grabbing the tube from him, and placing it into the basket around his arm.
“How big of a canvas are we hauling on the train this time?” Every month it was the same routine for them. Will would get another art assignment for class around the second week, and they’d go shopping for supplies. Mike would always tag along, running a few errands of his own, then he would end up carrying a three-foot canvas through the New York subway system. It wasn’t always three feet; sometimes it was smaller, but no matter what, he always carried it. It’s what any good friend would do, and Mike was a good friend, the best of friends.
“Don’t worry, I’m only getting a twenty-four by thirty-six this time; this month's project isn't that big,” he responded, reaching down to grab the canvas of that measurement.
“Darn, I thought I was gonna get to carry half the Empire State Building back home.”
Will let out a laugh, “I never asked you to carry my canvases.”
“I wasn’t complaining.” He responded as they started to make their way to checkout. There was no line, so they were ringed up next. Mike followed close behind Will, helping him empty his basket on the counter.
The cashier smiled at them, scanning each item. “Okay, is that all for today?”
“Yup, that’s all.” Will cheerfully responded, he reached into his jacket pocket searching for his wallet.
$62.07 appeared on the screen, and Mike winced at the sight. That was practically two weeks' worth of Will’s shifts at the children's art studio. That was a ridiculous amount of money for a canvas, five tubes of paint, and new paint brushes. Why was art so expensive?
“Would you like me to add our discount for today?”
“Discount?” Mike asked.
“It’s our 30% off deal for couples out shopping on Valentine's Day; a few of the stores around the city are offering the same thing.”
“Oh no—” Will started.
“Yes, we’ll take it,” Mike said, cutting him off.
The cashier smiled at them, clicking the register. Mike saw the price drop to $43.45 and smiled. He looked at Will, who had an unreadable expression on his face; it could be a mix of shock and confusion.
After they checked out and walked out with bags, Will stopped around the end of the block. “What was that?”
“What was what?” Mike furrowed his eyebrows.
“The discount? Saying yes to it?”
“It was 30% off your supplies, you’d be crazy not to take the chance.” He said, confused why Will seemed so bothered by it. He continued walking.
“You lied to get it though,” he said, keeping step with him. “Now he thinks we're a couple.”
“I just saved you $18.62; the least I could get is a thank you,” he huffed.
“Thank you.”
They walked in silence for a minute more before Mike spotted a sign on a clothing store. It read 30% off purchase for couples wearing matching outfits. It sparked an idea in Mike's mind. He made a mental note of the store as they went down into the subway. He reached into his jeans pocket, taking out two tokens: one for him and one for Will. They inserted the token, turning the turnstile as the train pulled into the station, quickly hopping on.
❧
A few minutes later they got up, making their way out of the subway and to their apartment. They lived further than most students in their college because it was cheaper. The closer to campus you were, the more expensive the rent could be, not that it was coming out of their pocket directly. It was more that the tuition was already high enough each semester.
It was their second year living in this apartment, and it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. The heater rarely worked, and when it did it made a loud banging noise that challenged the construction taking place across the street. So most times they would just wear layers in the winter.
The five-floor walk-up was hell most days, but elevator building cost more. The key occasionally got stuck in the door, but sometimes it didn’t. Today was a good key day. Apartment 5D opened with ease, and they stepped in.
Their place was decent for this area of the city. They had an ugly orange-brown wood floor, and off-white colored walls. One wall used to be brick when they were first shown it, but the building management plastered over it. It was a two-bedroom, one bathroom, and open floor plan living room and kitchen. They even had two closets, which was impressive to find in a New York apartment. Especially one that they, as students, could afford.
“Ah, home sweet home,” Will said, kicking off his shoes. He carried his bags to his room, grabbing the bag with the canvas from Mike’s hand.
Mike closed the door, turning the lock. He kicked off his shoes and shrugged off his jacket, tossing it on their couch, following Will to his room. “Sorry about the art store, I should have asked first before I spoke.”
Will turned around as he placed his supplies on his desk. “It’s okay, Mike, I appreciate it.”
“Cool,”
“Cool,”
He was about to turn and leave, but he stopped himself. “So what if we went and did it again?”
“What?”
“What if we just faked being a couple?” Mike asked. “Just for today, just for the discounts.”
Will sat at his desk chair. “Do you hear yourself, Mike?”
“Yes, I do,” He moved, sitting down on the corner of Will’s bed. “It's free discounts.”
“Michael,”
“William,”
“Why can’t you ask one of your other friends to play along with the fake dating for discounts? I’m pretty sure one of them would say yes.”
Mike was a bit confused as to why Will was so persistent on not participating. “Why would I do that when you’re right here?”
“I don’t know…maybe ‘cause it would be weird for you.”
“Weird for me?”
“Because I’m a guy, Mike.”
Oh, he forgot that detail. He forgot that he should probably feel weird; the idea of dating a guy, even if it’s fake. Most guys would, but not him, because it’s Will. The same Will he’s known for over sixteen years, his best friend.
That still doesn’t explain the funny feeling that stirred in his stomach when he thought about the idea more. “But it would be easier with you,”
Will looked more confused now. “How?”
“Well for one you’re my best friend, so like I know you a lot. And two, it would be so easy.”
“Easy?”
“Yeah, easy, like what if we're at checkout, and they ask us how we met? I could easily tell them how, and they’d love it. I mean who doesn’t love a good childhood friends-to-lovers, right?”
“Ew, don’t say lovers,” Will grimaced.
“Hey, I know what books you read, don’t act like if a couple told you that story that you wouldn't find it cute.” Mike pointed an accusing finger at him.
Will rolled his eyes.
“Just think of all the money we would save. We could get all our shopping for the month done today at any stores with the signs, and save money. You wouldn’t have to eat ramen every other day.”
Mike was practically begging at this point. He wanted to save money, yes, but a part of him deep down also liked that it was an excuse to be near Will. Not that he wasn’t near him enough; they literally live together, but they were always working or in class. They haven’t had a real hangout that didn’t involve them groaning over assignments on the living room floor in weeks.
“If I said yes, what would we have to do? You know, to really sell it.”
He hadn’t gotten that far in his thought process, but he came up with a few ideas on the spot: “Nothing crazy, just maybe wear matching outfits.”
“Matching outfits?”
“I saw a clothing store that had a sign in the window saying couples wearing matching outfits got a discount.”
“Oh, okay, I guess that makes sense.” Will answered, “But wouldn’t most people just assume that we were just friends? Anyone can wear matching outfits and it doesn’t have to mean anything.”
“True.” Mike had to think of another idea to really sell it. “We could hold hands?”
Will looked surprised at this. “I mean, yeah, that could work. Only if you’re okay with that.”
“I brought it up, of course I’d be okay with that.”
“I know that, but…”
“But what?” Mike asked, urging him to continue. “People just might give us dirty looks.”
Mike often forgot about the rest of the world when he was with Will. He was aware about the majority population's opinions on things he found normal. He was also aware that Will cared about what others thought most of the time. “We don’t have to do it while walking around; we can just hold hands when we're waiting in line.”
“Right, that way the cashiers know we're dating– fake dating.”
“Exactly, we don’t have to do anything, but look like we're in love, and save a crazy amount of money.”
“Alright then,” Will sighed.
“So deal?” Mike extended his hand for Will to shake.
“Deal.” Will reached forward, shaking his hand.
❧
They made a list of everything they were going to buy. The list had necessities like toilet paper, laundry detergent, toothpaste, and food. Along with stuff they wanted like a new hoodie, some shoes, another jacket, and a turntable.
“A new turntable, Mike? Really.”
He knew the last thing was a stretch, plus they already had one that he begged his parents for a few Christmases ago. “Yeah, sorry, that’s a stretch.”
- turntable
Mike went into his room and changed his outfit. He was now wearing something a bit more simple and fancy. He found a sweater that he knew would complement Will’s wardrobe. It was a deep navy blue knitted sweater that his mom got him for his birthday last year. It was one of the brightest pieces of clothing he currently had. He slipped on a pair of black denim jeans to go along with it.
He stepped out of his room at the same time Will did. In front of him, he was wearing a steel blue knitted sweater and dark blue jeans. The outfits complemented each other enough that even Mike thought they looked good standing next to each other.
“Really black jeans?” Will commented.
“You know I don’t have a lot of bright colored clothes.” He huffed.
“Just don’t wear your black Converse with it.”
“Then what do I wear?”
“Wait here,” Will disappeared back into his room, coming out a second later with a shoe box. “This was supposed to be one of your birthday gifts, but I think they should be used now.”
Mike grabbed the box as Will handed it to him. He unwrapped the shoes, tearing away the white paper around them, and revealed a fresh pair of royal blue Converse. They didn’t make this color converse, and they certainly didn’t come with the shield patch that was on the inside of it.
“I custom dyed this pair. You complained about only having black or white shoes, so I had an idea to buy white ones to dye them, and then I added a patch I made on them.”
“These are amazing, thank you.” Mike closed the distance between them, pulling Will into a quick hug.
Once they were both dressed in jackets and shoes on, it was time to leave. Mike locked the apartment as they left. By the time they got downstairs, Mike started to feel nervous. He caught the reflection of them in the lobby entrance. He’d be lying if he said Will didn’t look really good today. Instead of the burnt orange jacket he was wearing earlier, he was now wearing Mike’s black one. Their outfits complemented each other really well, but it wasn’t just that.
He shook his thoughts away quickly; right now wasn’t the time.
“You wanna walk back downtown or take the train?” Will asked, stopping at the corner of their block.
“Um, whichever is fine.”
“It’s not too cold to walk a few minutes; we could do that.”
“I’m good with that, maybe the supermarket a few blocks away is doing this couple's discount too,” Mike said as their light changed to let them walk.
“They are.” A man next to them responded. “Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the supermarket two blocks down has a 25% off deal for couples; my partner and I just went there this morning.”
“Oh, really? Thank you.” Will responded, smiling at the stranger.
“Thanks.” Mike also responded.
“No problem, happy to help another couple.” He smiled as he turned the opposite corner from them.
“Necessity first it is,” Will said, taking the lead, pulling Mike along.
He smiled.
❧
Well the guy was indeed telling the truth, because the supermarket was packed with couples. Mike could tell most of them were couples just by glance. They either were invading each other's personal space, wearing matching shirts, or even just straight up making out by the cereal aisle. Sometimes PDA was a little too much.
One thing he did notice is that every couple was touching in some sort of way. Some kept brushing shoulders, others linked their arms together, and others did the classic holding hands. So Mike did the latter; he grabbed Will’s hand in his own.
Will jumped. “Sorry, is this too much I can let—”
“No, no, it’s fine, I just wasn’t expecting it,” Will said, interrupting him.
“Okay,”
Mike followed Will as he pulled him in and out of aisles. They worked kind of as a team, Will would read out the list, and then pocket it and grab what they needed, putting it in the basket Mike held.
They worked together, going in and out of the aisle, checking off the list.
- honey oats
- frozen vegetables
- maple syrup
- alcohol
- green tea
- eggs
- steak
- milk
- juice
- ramen
- reeses pieces
“Which ramen box should we get this month?” Will asked, squeezing Mike’s hand to get his attention.
There were a few choices to pick; they had just tried the spicy ones last month, and neither of them was a fan, so not that one. The seafood shrimp flavour wasn’t Will’s favorite, so they wouldn’t get that. So they were left with the last box.
“Plain chicken,” Mike responded.
- ramen
Will hummed and reached, grabbing the last pack of plain chicken, putting it into their basket. “You think we need anything else before we go to check out?”
“I don’t think so, we got everything on the list already.”
“So to the check out line it is.”
They made their way to the front of the store, hoping on the line. Everyone in front of them was a couple. Mike felt his heart squeeze in his chest. They all looked happy and in love. Their smiles were genuine, and they seemed relaxed at the others' touch. He overheard an older couple's conversation about dinner plans; it was their fifteenth anniversary. He felt Will slightly pull away, leaning towards the older couple.
“Sorry to be nosey, but congratulations on fifteen years, that’s amazing,” Will said.
“Aw, thank you, sweetie,” The lady said
“No problem,”
“And you?” The man asked, stepping a foot towards them. “How long have you two kids been together?”
Will turned to Mike, but Mike was caught off guard. “Five years,” he responded.
“That’s longer than most couples your age even know each other, that's beautiful.” The woman said, giving them a gentle smile.
“We’ve actually known each other for almost sixteen years,” Will responded. “We met in kindergarten.”
“So did Michael and I.” She chirped, “He helped me after I fell off the slide.”
“Your name is Michael as well? What a small world.” Mike responded, surprised.
“It indeed is, and this here is my Winnie.” He said, wrapping an arm around her.
Will chuckled as he responded, “I’m Will.”
“Is it short for William?” Winnie asked.
“It is,” he responded.
“That was my father's name. I was supposed to be named after him when they thought I was supposed to be a girl. Then they changed it to Wilhelmina, but I’ve gone by Winnie since Michael couldn’t pronounce it when we were younger.”
“My Mike had the same problem,” He laughed. “He called me Wiw for the longest time.”
“Hey, my front teeth were still growing in.” He said, playfully nudging Will.
“We’ve asked a few couples about this, but how did you know he was the one?”
“Uhh, that’s um— that’s a complicated answer.” Will nervously answered.
Mike saw the sad look on the couple's face, and then he started speaking before he could think. “I think I always knew he was the one.” Will turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. He continued. “We’d been best friends for years, nobody understood me like he did. Then one day, something just clicked for me, and he did something I told him that was possible; it was amazing. Since then I think I always knew it would be him. That there wasn't anyone else for me.”
Will was looking at him, wide eyed.
“That’s beautiful,” Winne said.
“Next!” The cashier shouted in front of them.
“It was so nice meeting you too, have a happy Valentine’s,” Michael said, waving them bye.
They both waved back, saying bye to the older couple. Mike placed all their items on the counter, and Will let go of his hand as he crossed off the last thing they needed to buy
- reeses pieces
“Our couples discount today will be applied to your final purchase. Is that okay?” The cashier said, looking between them.
“Yup, that’s perfect,” Will said, turning to look at Mike next to him.
$15 was saved this time.
They started walking back to their apartment to drop off what they had already bought. It was easier than Mike thought– this whole couples thing. He should find out if other holidays also have discounts like this, so they could be a couple more often.
The coincidence of meeting a couple just like them though– down to the even similarities of their names, felt like the universe was trying to tell him something. Trying to tell him that maybe there isn’t anyone more perfect for him than Will, but that was crazy, right? Mike wasn’t into guys– at least as far as he knew. Except Will isn’t just any guy, he's Will, he’s his Will, just like Mike is his Mike.
❧
“Damn, those stairs were harder to go up this time,” Will said, trying to catch his breath as he placed their groceries on the table.
“Well, carrying heavy bags makes it harder.” Mike chuckled, also out of breath.
“No shit,” he responded.
Both of them flopped onto the couch after putting the groceries away. Looking at the clock, Mike noticed that it was already past three. “We should head back downtown in a few.”
“Yeah, sounds like a plan.”
“Near the art supply place is where I saw the couples in matching outfits get a discount,” Mike said, sitting up on the couch. “We should head there first, then check out anything around.”
“Okay,” Will stood up from the couch. “We should go now then before it gets late.”
They both put their jackets back on and headed out. They walked down the stairs again, and back out on the street to the train. Mike gave Will another token as they approached the turnstile again.
Once on the platform, they waited for the train. Will was looking at the schedule when Mike spotted something in the corner of his eyes. There was a lady attempting to push a cart of roses through the emergency exit door. Mike looked back at Will before going to quickly help. He held the door open with one arm as the lady pushed her cart in.
“Thank you, young man, here you go.” She said, handing him a single rose.
“Oh, thank you, and you’re welcome.” Mike smiled as he returned next to Will’s side, hiding the rose behind his back as the train entered the station.
They found two seats in the corner and took them. Will sat down first, Mike followed, before pulling the rose out from behind his back. “For you,”
Will looked surprised as he took the rose, “Where did you get this?”
“Nice lady on the platform,” He said, sitting down next to him.
“You didn’t have to get me one.”
“Don’t worry, it was free, plus I’d still get you one if it wasn’t.”
Will smiled, a light pink shade appearing across his cheeks. “Thanks, Mike, I love it.”
Mike felt his heart flutter in his chest. Is it normal to want to buy your best friend a hundred more roses just to see them smile again like that?
They got off the train and walked into the Flatiron District. This was one of the busiest areas of the city— apart from Times Square. Mike grabbed Will’s hand pulling him through the busy sidewalk, until it got emptier the next block.
He was gonna let go of Will’s hand when he grabbed it back. Mike felt the tip of his ears start to get warm. Will nudged him, tilting his head towards a churro cart that read one free churro for couples.
They walked towards the cart hand in hand. The man behind the cart greeted them with a smile. “One churro coming up.”
“Thank you,” both of them said.
Will took a bite first, “God, these are good, have some,” he said, holding the churro out for him to grab.
Mike instead clasped his other hand around Will’s, pulling the churro to his mouth to take a bite. “These are good.”
Will didn’t say anything for a second, “Yeah, yeah, there are,”
Oh god, that was weird, wasn’t it?
Mike definitely knew he was supposed to grab the whole churro, instead of whatever he did, because that seemed to freak Will out.
“Um, store, there.” Mike pointed out, walking towards it, still holding Will’s hand.
Will discarded the empty churro wrapper as they entered the store. Most people inside were closer to their age. It made sense since there were a few colleges surrounding this area.
“We should split up to find stuff quicker,” Will suggested. “The line looks like it’s getting longer by the minute.”
The line was getting longer the more they stood there, so Mike agreed. He released Will’s hand, and the two of them split up in the store.
Mike knew exactly what he was getting, so he made his way over to the jacket section. He looked through each rack until he found one he liked. It was similar to the black jacket he had on now, but it had a quilted inside that would help during the winter. He grabbed it with the hanger.
Next was maybe new t-shirts; he didn’t need any, but it never hurt to look. He switched aisles, now looking through the men's shirts.
“Hey,” a girl's voice called from next to him. He turned to look at her. She was around his age and had light brown hair and green eyes, kind of like Will’s, he thought. “Hi,” He responded.
“Are you looking for anything specific?” she asked.
“Uh, no, not really, just browsing.” He continued the search through the shirts before stopping at one. “Whoa, this is practically new.” It was a recent David Bowie concert shirt.
“Oh yeah, lots of people get rid of stuff that they’ve barely worn, or haven't at all. Sometimes you’ll find duplicates of things people drop off,” she said.
“I see that.” He grabbed the shirt, tucking it under his arm with the jacket.
“Are you visiting or do you live around here?” The girl said, stepping closer.
“Um, I live here for college.” Mike felt a bit uneasy now.
“Oh, nice, are you here shopping with anyone? Like a girlfriend or…”
“Yes, actually, I am.”
“Oh, okay,” The girl stepped back. “Well, um, that’s nice.”
“Yeah, he’s somewhere near the flannels probably.”
“Oh! Okay, well then, I’ll leave you to shop.” The girl walked away with a smile.
A sense of relief washed over him. Over the years living in the city he became aware of when people were flirting with him. Sometimes it was subtle and barely noticeable, then other times they were practically eye fucking him in the middle of a conversation. He would pretend whatever just happened didn’t.
He found a few more shirts he liked– along with some he thought Will would like. He walked towards the section of clothes where he thought he would find him. That’s when he hears his laugh; he knows that laugh anywhere. He turned the corner, and there was Will, smiling. A guy taller than Will— maybe his height was talking to him. He had dark hair and dark eyes, and was dressed like someone who could be in an alternative band.
Mike doesn’t know what came over him, but a spike of jealousy hit him. He took a few long strides until he was directly next to Will, and he looped an arm around him, resting on his shoulders. “Hey, babe,” he said, looking down at Will.
“Wha—” Was all Will said before the guy in front of him spoke again. “Shit, sorry, didn’t know.”
That was all it took for him to walk away, and Mike felt proud of himself. Who did that random guy think he was to flirt with his-
“What the hell was that, Mike?” Will said, turning away to face Mike— his arm falling from his shoulders.
“What? He was clearly flirting with you.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Mike’s brain froze. “You knew?”
“Yes, I knew and I didn’t mind it,” he answered sharply.
“But what about us?” Mike said, taken aback. How could Will already forget?
“But what about us? We’re friends.” He said, gesturing between them, and keeping his voice down.
Mike felt a pang in his heart. “I mean, yeah, but today we’re not.”
“But tomorrow we are.”
Right…because tomorrow isn’t Valentine’s Day anymore. There wouldn’t be a reason for them to be together. Mike didn’t answer.
“Whatever, let’s just go check out, and keep pretending you’re in love with me.”
Will’s words hit Mike hard. He got jealous, that’s what it was. He got jealous because his friend was being flirted with. He’s not allowed to be jealous of that.
They checked out and still got their discount. Mike managed to smile along at the cashier, complimenting how cute they looked together. Their matching outfits worked.
❧
Will gave him the silent treatment on their way home. Mike knew he deserved it, though. He knew acting the way he did was crossing a boundary.
Back inside the apartment, they each disappeared into their separate rooms. Mike tossed his new clothes in the laundry to wash later. He flopped on his bed, disappointed in himself. He should have known it was a bad idea when Will hesitated to agree earlier, but he still pushed.
He groaned, flipping over onto his stomach.
A knock came at the door.
“Come in.” He said, sitting up.
Will opened the door. “Just wanted to ask if you wanted Mac & Cheese for dinner.”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” He responded. Will closed the door after.
After a few minutes of self-groveling and changing into pajamas, Mike got up and made his way out of his room.
Will was in the kitchen scoping out their food from the pot on the stove.
“Thank you,” Mike said, grabbing the bowl Will had made for him.
“You’re welcome.”
They walked over to the couch and sat down. Will turned on their television, flipping through the channels. He stopped at a familiar movie, Mike remembered seeing it a few years ago in theaters with him. They ate in silence as the movie played, only chuckling at the funny parts.
“I still don’t see why Hopper thought Kim looked like my mom when they were younger.” Will spoke as the credits rolled.
“Yeah, I don’t see it either,” Mike responded, placing his empty bowl on the coffee table. “Plus, your mom is a brunette.”
“Exactly.”
“I forgot how good this movie was. I also think I could manage an Edward Scissorhands costume for Halloween this year.”
“Hmm,” Will said, scanning over his face. “I think you could pull it off.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I wonder what I should go as this year.”
“You could be Kim.”
“Uh-”
“Sorry, is that weird? ‘Cause it’s technically a couple's costume, and we’re not, you know.” Mike quickly said, regretting the idea immediately.
“It’s fine, that’s not a horrible idea.”
“Yeah, exactly.”
They settled back into a quiet coexistence. Will reached forward, grabbing a book he had been reading for this month. “I’m just gonna read for a few here.”
“Cool,” Mike reached under the coffee table, taking out a textbook. “I should study.”
“Okay.”
Mike got up, taking their bowls to the sink. “Do you want any music in the background?” He asked from the kitchen a few feet away.
“Uh, yeah, sure, your pick.” He answered.
Mike walked over to the turntable, looking under, and scanned for something to play. They accumulated a decent collection over the years living here. They had some stuff like The Smiths, Billy Idol, The Cure, and Queen. He settled for an old Frank Sinatra record, The World We Knew.
He took it out of its sleeve and placed it on the turntable– moving the needle slowly over and starting it. The song played softly in the background, not enough to be distracting, but enough that he could hear the lyrics if he paid attention.
Mike sat back down next to a focused Will. He picked up his glasses from the table and placed the textbook in his lap. Being an English major sucks, he thought to himself, looking at the text in front of him.
❧
About twenty minutes later, Mike is regretting the record he picked. His brain knew that it was gonna have romantic songs on it, but not this many. Anytime he caught a lyric by accident, he somehow thought of Will every single time.
Love
This is my song
Here is a song, a serenade to you
The world
Cannot be wrong
If in this world
There is you
Mike stopped studying, and instead started listening to the music.
I care not what the world may say
Without your love there is no day
So love
This is my song
Here is a song, a serenade to you
Mike tried focusing back on his textbook, but then he felt a weight drop to his shoulders. It was Will; his book had fallen in his lap, and he was fast asleep, using his shoulder as a pillow.
The universe hates me.
Of course during a love song, Will would be asleep on his shoulder. He tried to ignore it, focusing back on his textbook.
Will started to stir in his sleep, sliding down and falling to Mike’s lap. Will was now asleep on Mike’s lap, on top of his textbook. Great, Mike thought. He slowly slipped the textbook from under Will’s head and moved in on the empty spot next to him.
He looked down, and Will was sleeping peacefully. Mike brushed a strand away from his forehead. This was nice, just having him here. He looked pretty in his sleep– he looked pretty awake too, but Mike doesn’t say that out loud. Despite today going a little sour at the end, it was still nice. Walking around like a couple made Mike happy, and it seemed to make Will happy too.
Mike wanted it to happen again– he wanted this every day. He loved going out shopping with Will for groceries; he liked the stupid banter they had when deciding which toilet paper to buy. He loved how they related so much to the older couple they met. He loved being closer to Will than they normally were. He loved Will.
Oh, he loved Will. Mike never let go of his hand, because he didn’t want to. He got jealous over the guy flirting at the clothes store, because he wanted to be the only one to make Will laugh like that. He wanted to be the reason Will was smiling, he wanted to be the reason why he blushed, he wanted to—
He wanted to kiss Will.
Suddenly the room felt very warm. He felt his heart speed up in his chest. Then, to make matters worse, Will was shifting again in his lap. It was too much.
“Will,” He whispered, combing his fingers through his hair to softly wake up. “Will, wake up.”
“Hmm,” He hummed against his lap. Mike had to pretend that it didn't affect him, especially from where he was laying.
“You fell asleep, maybe go to your bed.” He suggested trying to sound calm.
The music in the background changed again.
“Mm,” Will hummed, getting up slowly. “Sorry,”
“It’s fine, just didn’t want you to wake up with neck pains or anything.”
“Yeah,” He responded in a groggy voice. “Oh, I love this song,”
“Huh?” Mike responded, a bit distracted with his own thoughts.
“Some Enchanted Evening,” Will responded, looking at the turntable, then back to Mike.
The light from across the street reflected off Will’s face. It was a warm glow–one you usually would only get in the morning, but the construction light gave off the same glow. It was distracting how perfect Will looked. Distracting enough that Mike was still staring at him.
“Mike?”
“Yeah?” He said, still staring.
“I’m sorry about being mad at you earlier.”
Mike came back to reality to respond. “It’s okay, you had every right to be.”
“I mean yeah, but still I was rude,” he shifted on the couch.“I know you were just trying to sell the fake couple act more.”
“Right, yeah.”
Will got up from the couch, taking his book and cup with him. Mike put his textbook back on the table, grabbing his empty cup as well. He followed Will into the kitchen, grabbing water as well. They moved around each other in silence, the sound of rain starting to patter outside.
“Hey, um, Mike?”
“Yeah,” He turned to look at Will, a few feet away from him.
“The story you told the older couple, what was it about?”
Oh, he was hoping Will wouldn’t ask about that. He felt his face get warm again, “It was nothing– just something to give them, you know.”
“No, yeah, of course,” He turned away. “I just wanted to know what you thought about.”
“I thought about you getting your powers,” He answered quietly. “I thought about the conversation we had when I told you it was possible.”
“You know most couples would have given a simple answer.”
“Yeah,” Mike said. “I know.”
“Why didn’t you?” Will said, turning to face him.
Why didn’t I?
Mike could have easily said anything else. He could have lied and made up something. He could have said the classic at first sight crap, but he didn’t. Instead, he told the truth– the truth he thought he had buried down.
“I didn’t want to lie.”
“What?”
He looked up to find a shocked Will. “I didn’t want to lie.”
“No, I know I heard you, but what do you mean?”
Mike took a deep breath, and he stared at the floor as he spoke. “I didn’t want to lie anymore. I thought today would be fine, and I wouldn’t be weird about anything, but I messed up. I got jealous over a guy flirting with you. I have no right to be jealous, because you aren’t mine. We’re friends and I know that, I’m sorry. I thought whatever this feeling was platonic, but it’s not– and I knew it wasn’t. I just thought that if I ignored it for long enough, it would stop, but it didn’t I-”
Two hands were cupping his jaw, and he was being brought down. It was Will, he was looking at him, then his lips, and back up to his eyes. Mike froze. This didn’t feel real, but then Will was pulling him closer, and he closed his eyes.
It was just the press of lips first. Then Mike tilted his head and– Oh.
His hand came up to rest on Will’s hips– grabbing the fabric and pulling him closer. Will gasped into his mouth, and that only deepened the kiss. There was nothing rushed about it; it was sweet, soft, warm, and tasted a bit like cheese. It made Mike’s heart soar, the butterflies flap, and his mind go blank. This is exactly what was missing today.
They pulled apart and rested their heads against each other, breathing in and out slowly. Mike’s eyes fluttered open, meeting Will’s blown pupils.
“I love you, Mike.” He whispered. “I don’t think I ever stopped loving you,”
I don’t think I ever stopped loving you.
It echoed in his mind, “What,”
“I’ve loved you for half my life, and I never thought I would get to tell you. I didn’t think I’d get to have something so good in my life.”
“So this whole time…” Mike couldn’t believe the words that he was hearing.
“Yeah, the whole time.”
Mike considered himself the luckiest man in the world. “I love you, Will.”
They kissed again, just for a second, before Mike pulled away. “Oh my god, then today— today was hell for you.”
“Just a bit,” Will laughed into his shoulder, “I had to pretend I wasn’t internally screaming for most of it.”
“I’m sorry,”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, you didn’t know.”
“I know,” he sighed. “Also sorry about the churro.”
“Huh?”
“Uh— nothing. I bought you a shirt today.”
“You did?”
“Yeahh, it’s the bag in my room, come.” Mike took Will’s hand in his and led him to his room. He let go as he grabbed the bag next to his bed and took out the shirt. “Ta-da”
“Wait here,” Will said, turning and disappearing to his room. He came back with the same bag Mike had. He shook off what was inside on the bed, lifting it up to show him.
It was the same exact David Bowie tour shirt he got for him. “You’re kidding me.”
“I bought it for you,” He chuckled.
“Of course you did.”
They gave each other the shirts, laughing about it a little more. Mike should have noticed at checkout, but he was busy being upset at himself.
“So does this mean we’re an actual couple now?” Mike asked. He felt a little silly asking that after everything, but he needed a clear answer.
“Was that not clear?” Will said, moving closer to him. “Or do you need a discount to help you?”
Will was flirting with Mike, and his brain short-circuited. “Nope nope, just need you, that’s all.” He said, flustered.
“Good, ‘cause I’d like to have you as my boyfriend, past midnight.”
“I would love that.” Mike smiled.
“Yeah?”
“Yes,” he responded, “And I would like to try and take you out on a proper date.”
“I would love that,” Will said, leaning in for another kiss, and Mike did not hesitate.
The clock on Mike’s nightstand turned to midnight. Valentine’s Day was over, and they had saved $50 in total. In the end, neither of them were faking anything anymore.