Archive of Our Own

Will was experiencing his very own nightmare scenario.

Not Vecna, not the Upside Down, not the night terrors that haunted him throughout school or the crushing loneliness of Lenora or the crippling terror of coming out to the only people with the power to crumple his soul like a used tissue. 

Those were nightmares, as visceral and real as the hot decay of a demogorgon's breath, but this was like– a nightmare. Of the ‘no pants, naked at school, late to class and forgot all the words to your final presentation with your crush in the front row’ variety. Of the ‘red-faced, stuttering, embarrassment burning so hot it’ll haunt you in the shower until the day you die’ variety.

Or in this case, of the ‘running into the date you stood up (and then avoided) at the club with the roommate you stood him up for’ variety.

“Will?” Eric said, eyes narrowing as they locked in on him from a few feet away.

Shit. Shit shit shit. Will glanced around to see if there was anywhere he could hide. Despite the club being so full of people you could barely take a step without knocking into someone, there was nowhere he could run. He’d been spotted. He’d rolled a 7 on stealth and now he was completely fucked. 

He should have known this was a bad idea the second it came into his head. He should have taken Mike up on his offer to stay in and watch a movie like usual. He’d just– he’d thought it would be fun to get dressed up and leave the apartment for once. In the quiet, it was too easy to slip into memories and let the past rush in, too easy for regrets and what ifs and I-should-haves to grip you with a choking hold. What they needed, what Mike needed, was a distraction. Somewhere so loud and crowded and chaotic that neither of them couldn’t ruminate. They couldn’t even think. 

If Will had known Eric would be here, he never would have come. Fuck, he never should have accepted the date in the first place. He'd known he didn’t want to go, but it was so hard to reject someone to their face. He thought he could just go, be a nice date for the length of one dinner, and then gently let him down if Eric asked him out again. The thought of spending an evening like that made anxiety spike in his veins, but going on one unwanted date wasn’t the end of the world, he'd reminded himself.

Eric wasn’t a bad guy, he just… wasn’t the guy Will wanted. 

He’d come to terms with it his freshman year of college. Casual dating just wasn’t for him. All it took was three coffee dates for him to understand this about himself. All three of the dates were with different guys, and all three of them made Will feel like throwing up. He thought it was just first date jitters to begin with, but by date number three he knew it was something different. In theory, it sounded nice to chat with a cute guy over a pretty, decorative latte. In practice, it was hell. Dates were supposed to be fun, at least that’s what El told him, but Will wasn’t having fun.

Going out felt like walking to his execution, and that wasn’t even considering the kicked-puppy look on Mike’s face the one time Max let it slip over the phone that Will had a date coming up. To this day, he wasn’t convinced it wasn’t on purpose, though he couldn’t prove it. Mike emotionally pulled back hard that week, until Will had a panic attack halfway out the door. Mike told him to cancel, and Will wanted to so badly. Nothing was more tempting than their tiny, shitty little apartment with Mike’s clothes everywhere and Will’s art pinned to the walls and his roommate looking so touchable in his worn t-shirt and soft, slouchy pajama pants. In the end, he forced himself to go, but he was ashamed to admit he sabotaged the date by boring the guy with overly technical explanations about his current D&D campaign and faked a headache forty minutes in. He couldn’t regret it though, not when it led to Mike sitting next to him on his bed, shoulders pressed together, reading the next chapter of Will’s textbook aloud because he knew how hard it was for him to focus on long chunks of tiny text. 

That was the last date he went on. He knew in that moment that he had everything he could want right there beside him. Maybe that would change one day, and if it did he could readjust. But as it was, he didn’t need a boyfriend. He had Mike. He knew it was fucked up of him to make that comparison, but to be honest, sometimes Mike acted like his boyfriend. He walked with him to class when he could, and he used his meal credits to get them both dinner more often than not (even though Will protested), and he rested his arm behind Will’s shoulders every time they sat next to each other on the couch in the student center. Will knew it made them look like they were dating, and yeah, he probably should have said something to Mike about it, but it wasn’t like Mike was completely unaware. They’d gotten some dirty looks over the past two years and a couple slurs hurled at them, but Mike didn’t even flinch. He only flipped them off, then moved a few inches to actually hold Will under his arm. It should have annoyed him, but because Will’s brain was a confusing and twisted up place, he found it unbearably hot. 

So yeah, maybe he curled up closer to Mike’s side. And maybe he told him how good he smelled once or twice. And maybe he said he felt safe when Mike held him when he was drunk that one time. Who cared? Certainly not Mike, who preened when he said it and took the opportunity to wrap a secure arm around his waist every chance he got.

Will should have been freaking out way more about all of this, but he’d staunchly decided to Not Think About It. Mike’s attention made him feel good, and goddamnit he deserved to feel good. He deserved to get what he wanted once in his life, and what he wanted was for Mike to keep giving him the boyfriend treatment.

Maybe he’d feel differently about it if Mike was going on dates himself, but he wasn’t. He hadn’t gone on a single one since they started college. At first Will thought maybe he just wasn’t telling him when he went out, but no. The one time Will made a joke about it as a way to fish for information, Mike looked at him like he’d grown an extra head and confirmed Will’s secret hopes– that he hadn’t dated anyone in college at all and didn’t plan on it either. 

"Why would I go out with a stranger when I’ve got everything I need right here?"  He'd said, and the words nearly gave Will a heart attack.

"Oh, that's... nice. Good. I mean, not good but-" Yeah. It wasn't Will's proudest moment. But what do you even say to that?

"What about you?" Mike followed up in the casual way that meant it wasn’t casual at all.

"Oh," Will waved a hand around like this wasn’t a decision he laid awake thinking about for several sleepless weeks. "I don’t think casual dating is for me. I mean, you saw what happened last time. I’m much happier focusing on school and my friends."

Mike nodded, picking at a hangnail on his hand before looking up at Will from underneath his eyelashes, batting them wildly and looking more like he got an eyelash in his eye than a blushing maiden, or whatever it was that he was going for. "What I’m hearing is that I’m your number one priority now."

"Please," Will snorted, painfully endeared even though Mike looked completely ridiculous. "As if that hasn’t always been the case."

From the way Mike beamed, you’d have thought he got everything he ever wanted right there in their kitchen.

Sometimes Mike looked at him in a way that made Will wonder if Mike could grow to love him, over time. Their bond ran deep, down to the bone. It colored everything, like a filter attached to a camera lens. He couldn’t picture the world without it, even when he wanted to. There were times in high school he tossed and turned at night, wondering if Mike felt a fraction of what he did. If it mattered to him the same way, or even at all. There were times he felt like Mike was always going to move onwards and upwards, and he was always going to be the boy nipping at his heels, chasing a memory that didn’t even exist anymore. 

He hadn’t felt that way in a long time. Not since the night Mike crawled through his window after everything was over, crying and broken and clinging to him so tight. It hurt Will’s heart to feel the way Mike trembled, to hear the voice he loved- usually so confident- begging him not to leave him.

As if that was ever an option. As if he even needed to ask. It was then that he knew in some ways, what was inside of him was also inside of Mike. The strings that bound him also tied the two of them together, drew them back to each other even when they lost their way. Even if Mike didn’t want him the same way Will did, there was nothing lesser about his love. It wasn’t shallow or lacking or cheap, it was big and beautiful and boundless, stretching for miles and miles. Just because Will hadn’t always seen it didn’t mean it didn’t exist. It meant he’d only walked the shoreline, skimmed a hand along the surface of the waters Mike was flooded with. And now it wrapped around Will, as solid and safe as a physical embrace. 

If Mike didn’t want a romantic or sexual relationship, Will was okay with it. He’d come to terms with it. He loved Mike, and Mike loved him. Did anything else matter?

His mom said something back when they were fighting that stuck with him, even now. She’d told him that a friendship like the one they shared was a rare and special thing. That some people went their whole lives without ever finding something like it. Will tried to imagine a life where he’d never met Mike, and that was worse, so much worse than a temporary fight, no matter how awful it felt at the time. With Mike, he was seen and understood and loved regardless of his flaws and the fears that held him captive for so long. 

Will wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, not even a romantic relationship like the one he used to dream of. It was Mike or nothing for him, and even if the answer was nothing, he still had Mike. He still got to keep him. No matter what anyone else thought about it, he was so damn lucky.

Which is why he should have said no to Eric. 

It’s just so awkward to look someone in the eyes and say ‘actually I’m sort of obsessed with my best friend who knows me down to my soul and went with me to hell and back, but it’s nice you think I’m cute.’ He couldn’t say that!

But maybe that would have been better than awkwardly laughing and stuttering out an “Uh um well, I just… Okay?” Because now he was here and Eric was here and Eric looked pissed and Mike was also here too.

Great. Cool. Amazing.

Fuck. 

Eric crossed the floor, stride purposeful, and Will braced for impact.

“Will,” he smiled, eyes flashing and teeth curled into something that was definitely meant to be a smile but ended up looking more threatening than anything. “Funny seeing you here.”

Mike looked between the two of them, trying to piece together how they knew each other while subtly stepping a little closer to Will. 

“Eric!” Will’s voice was definitely way too high and strained. “It’s, uh… a small world.”

The skin around Eric’s eyes tightened, but he kept smiling. “I know. Who would have thought?”

Definitely not Will, because if he’d thought then he never would have come. And now Mike definitely knew something was wrong because he was acting super suspicious and weird. Great. 

Before Mike could ask how they know each other and make the whole situation ten times more awkward than it already was, Will grabbed his arm and gently tugged him closer. “Mike, could you get me a drink? I’m a little thirsty.”

Mike lit right up. “Of course! Margarita?”

“I’ll have a virgin strawberry daiquiri tonight. I just want something a little sweet, that’s all.”

“You have the worst sweet tooth of anyone I’ve ever met,” he snorted, eyes glittering when Will protested with a shove. “You’re lucky sweet is exactly how I like you.”

Before Will could respond or even process Mike’s words (Joking? Flirting? Teasing?), he slipped away through the crowd, leaving Will stranded with Eric. Even though it was what he wanted, he wanted to call Mike right back and hold his arm again so he couldn’t leave Will’s side.

“So that’s how it is, huh?” Eric asked, breaking Will’s trail of thoughts. He wrenched his eyes away from where Mike had disappeared, turning them back to Eric’s handsome face twisted into sneer. “Stood me up because you’ve got a little boy toy on the side?”

Will’s face flushed red at the implication of Mike as anyone’s boy toy, nonetheless Will’s. “It’s not like that!”

“Oh, so he’s your boyfriend? Does he know you’re cheating on him?” It would have been laughable if Eric’s face wasn’t quite so angry, if he wasn’t using his height to loom over Will. 

It would have been funny if Mike was here. Mike would make some joke about being a house husband, diffuse all the tension with a casual quip, and then tease Will about it all the way home. You need to start splitting your bookstore salary if you expect me to do the dishes and put out. It would have been painfully close to Will’s covert fantasies, but it would be easy because Mike would make it easy. He always made everything okay.

“No,” he stuttered. “We’re not like that, Mike’s not like that. He’s my roommate.” The word was a painful oversimplification, and even saying it to clear up a misconception felt wrong. “He’s my friend.”

Unfortunately, Eric caught the way Will’s voice wavered on the word. “You want him.”

“What?” Will’s voice rose, panic flooding his system. “No, I–”

“Oh my god, you do. You want him, that’s why you stood me up.”

It wasn’t even true. He stood Eric up because Mike was sick, throwing up terribly and so pitiful Will couldn’t leave him. He would have called, but he didn’t have Eric’s number or his address. He only had a location and a time written down on a piece of paper. And though he knew it was wrong to leave someone waiting, looking at the door and hoping for the right person to walk in, Mike was hurting. Mike needed him, and Will couldn’t watch him suffer if there was anything he could do about it. He couldn’t bring himself to regret it when Mike rested his head on Will’s lap after another round of retching, sweat sticking his hair to his forehead as Will brushed his bangs with his fingertips.  

But he didn’t know how to say all of that, overwhelmed by the strobe lights and the heavy music and the confrontation unfolding, the victorious look on Eric’s face. 

All Will could think to say to refute him was a helpless two words. “He’s straight.”

Eric’s face clouded with dark satisfaction. “We’ll see about that.”

“What?”

He was going to- he was going to tell Mike about Will’s feelings? His breath came faster and faster in his chest as he tried to stave off an anxiety attack. Even if he did, Mike was his friend. He’d believe him over Eric for sure, especially when Will told him he was just bitter he’d been stood up and was looking for revenge. It would suck, and he knew himself well enough to know he’d feel exposed and vulnerable for the next couple of days, but Mike wouldn’t leave him over it. He wouldn’t even be angry, probably. He’d just call Eric a douchebag and say Will’s better off.

“He is pretty, isn’t he?” Eric mused, looking towards Mike leaning on the bar, waiting for their drinks. “Long legs, nice mouth. I bet he’s tight. I bet he’s a screamer.”

It hit Will like a truck, nearly bowling him over with what Eric meant. We’ll see about that.

Oh god. 

“Leave him alone!” The words burst out of him in a flurry, even though he felt like he couldn’t breathe. “Don’t talk about him that way. If you have a problem, take it up with me. Don’t mess with him.” 

“I’m not messing. He really is a dime. No straight guy has blowjob lips like that. I bet he’d look so good sucking me off, with those big eyes and pouty–”

Will shoved him.

He didn’t mean to. He’d never gotten into any physical altercations outside of life or death situations situations. But he just couldn’t help it. He needed Eric to stop talking about Mike, to stop thinking about him like– like that. An image flashed in Will’s mind of Mike on his knees, his beautiful mouth wrapped around Eric as he smirked down at him, gripping his hair in a tight fist. It made him feel sick. He wouldn’t be kind to Mike, wouldn’t be sweet. He wouldn’t treat him with the reverence and worship he deserved. He’d use him and drop him and wouldn’t even know the treasure he held in his hands.

Eric straightened up from where he stumbled when Will pushed him, but before he could step forward and make Will regret it, Mike returned with the drinks.

“I got your– woah. What happened here?” He took note of the distance between them, of Will’s heaving chest and the wild look in both of their eyes.

Will needed to pull it together. He needed to tell Mike they needed to go, drag him away if he had to.

Eric recovered first. 

“Hey gorgeous, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. You’re Will’s roommate, right?”

Mike glanced behind him like Eric might have been talking to someone else, then he blinked in confusion. “Um, yeah. Anyway,” he turned back to Will. “The line was so long, oh my god–”

“You single?” Eric interrupted.

Now Mike’s brow furrowed in irritation, but he didn’t snap at him, most likely out of consideration for Will (who was still frozen, trying to convince his mouth to move). “Does it matter?”

“If a hot little thing like you is free and available for a night of fun? I’d say it does,” Eric purred, sliding closer and placing a hand indecently low on Mike’s waist.

“Okay,” Mike glared, ripping his hand away. “What the hell is going on here?”

Something eased in Will’s chest at the sight of Mike stepping closer to him, looking at Eric like he was gum on the bottom of his shoe. He knew Mike wouldn’t ditch him, of course he wouldn’t, but a part of him wondered if maybe Mike might be… curious. If maybe he’d appreciate an attractive stranger picking him up at the club and giving him the attention he deserved, the honesty Will couldn’t bring forth in himself.

“Your roommate thinks you’re straight,” Eric pointed his thumb at Will, whose face burned with humiliation. Now Mike was going to think they’d been talking about him or something, that maybe Will was trying to set them up… The nauseous feeling was back. “I figured the right cock could convert you.”

Impossibly, Mike laughed, sharp and mean. “And you think the right cock is yours? Jesus christ, you’re full of yourself.” Eric’s face flushed with anger, but Mike wasn’t done. “First of all, no one can turn me gay. I’m already gay. Second of all, I am going home with someone, and that someone’s Will. I don’t how you saw him standing here and thought I’d ever leave with you. I mean, look at him and look at you. It isn’t even a competition. And third of all, you’ve obviously said something to make him uncomfortable and you’ve also pissed me off, so kindly fuck off before this very sticky daiquiri makes its acquaintance with your very ugly face. Got it?”

Before Eric could respond, Mike was grabbing Will’s wrist and dragging him back through the club to the entrance. Will stared at the point of connection, Mike’s fingers wrapped around him tight enough not to lose him but not so tight as to hurt him. He should have been watching where he was going, but he could only stare at Mike’s hand, his words ringing over and over again in Will’s head.

I’m already gay. 

I am going home with someone, and that someone’s Will. 

It isn’t even a competition. 

Maybe he was just saying it to get Eric off their back. But even as Will thought it, he knew it was wrong. That just wasn’t Mike. Mike didn’t need to lie to take an asshole down a peg. When he was angry, he tended to get more honest, not less.

I’m already gay.

I’m already gay.

I’m already gay.

Once they ducked out of the club, Mike kept a hold on him until they walked a few feet past the front of the club, away from the music and chatter spilling out the door. Then he stopped and faced him, dropping Will’s wrist like it burned him.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, searching Will’s face. “I should have asked before just dragging you out like that. I just– I got so mad, and you looked overwhelmed and I couldn’t help it. We can go back in if you want, I’m sure he won’t bother us anymore. We can still have a nice night.”

“No.” The word came out like a croak, Will’s voice rusty like he hadn’t spoken all night, or maybe like he’d been screaming. “Let’s just go home.”

Mike nodded, brow still furrowed, but he didn’t argue. “Are you okay?” He asked softly. “Did he… Did he say something to you? Did he do something to you? Cause if he did–”

“No,” Will cut him off before he could work himself into a state. “Well, I mean yes. He was kind of a dick, but nothing worse than that, I promise.” 

Mike’s shoulders lost some of the tension he’d been carrying. “Okay, good.”

They headed back towards their apartment without any more conversation, both instinctively knowing they’d talk when they got there. Will was glad it wasn’t a long walk. He didn’t think he could stand to sit in the backseat of a cab with Mike while the driver talked their ear off, at least not tonight. He needed the silence the walk brought to clear his disjointed, muddled thoughts. Moving helped, and so did the cool night air.

Still, as they neared their building, he didn’t feel nearly settled enough for the conversation they were about to have. 

I’m already gay. 

I am going home with someone, and that someone’s Will. 

It isn’t even a competition. 

“So…” Mike said awkwardly, shutting and locking the door behind them. “I guess we should talk?”

A small but insistent part of Will wanted to say everything was totally fine, no problem at all, then retreat to his room. But he knew this– whatever it was– needed to happen.

“Yeah.” He sat down on the couch, rubbing his sweaty hands on his pants. “We probably should.”

Mike sat down on the other side of the couch. It was less than two feet away, but it felt like miles. They usually squished up next to each other, shoulder to hip. 

“Okay!” Mike released a deep breath, shaking his shoulders out like he did before an important roll in D&D. “We should probably talk about what I said to that douchebag in there–”

“Eric,” Will interjected.

“Like I said, that douchebag. When I said I’m, uh. Gay.” He stared at Will like he was waiting for him to yell or maybe hit him. Like he was bracing for a blow. It sent Will right back to his own coming out, how absolutely mind-numbingly terrified he’d been. Even if it had been under better circumstances, Will didn’t imagine it was ever easy. Even now, he felt a jolt of fear when disclosing his preferences to somebody new. 

Mike shouldn’t have to be afraid, not about this, not from Will.

“Thank you for telling me,” he said with a soft smile. “I’m really happy for you, that you were able to discover that about yourself. The journey can suck, but it’s really brave to be honest with yourself. I’m proud of you.”

His carefully chosen words seemed to have the opposite effect on Mike. Instead of smiling or relaxing, he tensed up further, his mouth twisting downwards into an irritated scowl.

“That’s just the thing– I wasn’t brave. I didn’t tell you, I yelled it at some asshole in the middle of a club. I should have told you first, I know you wouldn’t have judged me for it. God, of course you wouldn’t have. And you, you came out to an entire group of all our friends and family under extreme pressure and blackmailing. Now that was brave. And I couldn’t even say it to my– to my… to you.” 

“Mike,” Will scooted closer, his heart pulsing painfully as he watched Mike talk down on himself. “Everyone is different, there’s no right or wrong way to come out. You’re brave just for being you.” Without allowing himself to overthink it, he picked up Mike’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Mike stared down at it like Will had handed him the world. “Besides,” he added. “You yelled at that douchebag at the club. That was pretty damn brave.”

“Eric,” Mike corrected, and Will laughed. “God, what a dick.” He didn’t know the half of it. Some of that must have shown on Will’s face, because Mike then asked the question he’d been dreading the whole walk home. “Care to tell me what was up with him?”

No, Will did not, but Mike had been so open and honest with him. The least Will could do was extend that same honesty back.

He sighed and ran his free hand down his face, smearing the glitter that Mike carefully applied on his eyelids just an hour earlier. “He was angry because I didn’t show up to our date.”

“Oh.” Mike’s expression shuttered, and he pulled his hand back from Will’s. 

“But,” Will rushed to explain, missing Mike’s warmth like a lost limb, “I only agreed because I didn’t know how to say no. I didn’t want to go on the date, but then he was giving me a piece of paper with the information on it and I was gonna be late to my next class so I panicked!”

“Oh my god,” Mike cracked a smile, and Will’s whole body let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t mad. “Only you would agree to a date because you’re too polite to say no.”

“It was soooo awkward,” he groaned, and now Mike laughed, full and bright. Will would commit a million social faux pas to hear Mike laugh like that again.

“So you just… stood him up? That doesn’t sound like you.”

Will fidgeted, staring at the new stain on his pants that he must have gotten while being tugged through the crowd on his way out of the club. “Not exactly. I was planning on going, I figured I could let him down gently afterwards, but then… um… you got sick.” He said the last three words in one fast rush, like if he said it quickly enough Mike wouldn’t hear him.

Mike definitely heard him. “You– what?” He stared at him with wide eyes.

“That was the day you got sick, and I just couldn’t leave you there! You needed me, so I…”

He trailed off, and Mike’s voice turned all soft and sweet in that way that always turned Will’s bones to liquid. “You missed your date to take care of me?”

“I didn’t even want to go,” Will whispered. “I just wanted to be with you.”

Mike’s chin lifted in a determined tilt, and he scooted closer until their legs were touching, knee to hip. “That’s good, cause I…” The words died, but then he pushed through it, always leading them somewhere better, somewhere Will was terrified to take them on his own. “I kind of thought that maybe you stopped going on dates because you and I were- were maybe getting… closer. Like maybe we were moving towards something. You know?”

He searched Will’s face, eyes desperate and afraid, but he didn’t take any of it back.

“Are we?” Will asked, equally as scared but so hopeful he could barely breathe. “Is that what you want?”

“Yes.” And there it was. Definitive, clear, honest. Mike couldn’t take it back now, couldn’t lie. But he didn’t want to. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to say it. I’ve been working up to it, but I guess there’s no time like the present. I don’t know who I am without you, Will. I don’t want to know who I am without you. You’re my favorite person in the whole world, and I’ve always felt like if we were together, then we would be okay. I would be okay. You’re funny and smart and caring to a fault, and I definitely don’t deserve you, but I don’t care about that anymore. I want to be with you in whatever way you’re comfortable with. If you want to be friends, then I’ll be the best friend you’ll ever have. If you want to be more, then I’ll- I’ll love you and cherish you every day of your life, I swear. I might have to figure a few things out along the way, but I’ll love you better than anyone else, I promise I will.”

At this point, they’d leaned so close together that their foreheads were touching. Mike’s hand rose to cup his cheek, wiping the tears from underneath his eye.

“Are these happy tears?” He asked, and Will laughed, wet and disbelieving. 

“Of course they are. Mike.” He said his name just to say it, reverent and tender the way it always reverberated in his mind. He spoke Mike’s name the same way he drew his face, the same way he dreamed about him.

Mike was smiling, but he still looked a little uncertain, his knee bouncing up and down against Will’s. “So is that–”

“Yes,” Will threw himself on him, wrapping him up in a hug. “”I can’t believe you even had to ask. Yes, a hundred times yes. I want all of the things you said, I want everything with you.”

It was so strange, sitting in the apartment they picked out together on the couch they rescued from the side of a curb, holding Mike in his arms. It was strange how familiar it was, how natural it felt. Like, of course he was holding Mike. Of course Mike’s hands encircled his waist, of course his shampoo flooded Will’s senses as his hair ticked his face. Hadn’t they always been like this?

“So you, um,” Mike stammered after they pulled away, wiping his own tears on the shoulder of his shirt. “I take it you like me too. Like that?”

It was almost comedic, Mike’s uncertainty. As if Will’s world hadn’t always revolved around him. He wanted to make a joke about it, but he knew they weren’t there yet. He didn’t want Mike to ever feel unwanted.

“So much it’s probably embarrassing. Actually, I’ve been told it is embarrassing.” 

“By who?” Mike said indignantly, like he was ready to go to blows for the second time that night. It shouldn’t have been endearing. It was so endearing.

“Jonathan, and stop looking like you want to fight him, I promise you’d lose.”

“You don’t want me to defend your honor?”

“You don’t have to defend my honor against Johnathan. Besides, I’d be the one patching you up again, and you know I don’t like it when you’re hurt.”

He smoothed a loose curl away from Mike’s forehead and Mike melted into the touch, all the fight instantly draining from his body. “Okay,” he murmured, his eyes liquid and hazy, and Will knew he’d never recover from this, not ever. “I’ve been kind of embarrassing too, I know. When you went on that date last year, I thought I might die.” 

God. If Will had known there was even a chance… 

“It sucked, and I didn’t want to be there, and we didn’t even kiss. It was just a really awkward conversation over coffee. I was so much happier when I got home that day and you planned a whole movie marathon for us.”

Mike snuggled closer to him, resting his head on his shoulder with a contented sigh. 

“Wait…” he said after a moment, then his head sprung back up. “If Enrique asked you on a date, why was he coming onto me?”

“Eric,” Will corrected, mostly to try and avoid answering. Mike just waved his hand, and Will knew he wouldn’t get out of it without telling the whole story.

“He, er…” he grimaced. God, this was awkward. “He was mad at me for standing him up, and he could tell I was crazy about you, so he tried to…”

“Make you jealous?”

“Fuck you.” They both spoke at the same time.

“Oh.” Mike blinked. “Well that’s stupid.” But he must have seen something in Will’s face that gave him away. “Isn’t it? You know I never would have gone with him, right?”

Will shrugged. “I- I don’t know. I didn’t think so, but I was just so… overwhelmed, I guess. I kind of- shoved him?” He winced as the memory flooded back with all its horrifying details. 

“You shoved him? Holy shit, I wished I’d gotten to see that!” Like always, Mike’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Will let out a little laugh. 

“I didn’t even mean to, he was just saying all this stuff and then I just–” He held his hands in front of him and pantomimed a push.

But Mike wasn’t paying attention. His eyes narrowed as he took in what Will had said. “What kind of stuff was he saying?”

Will flushed, shame and disgust twisting up somewhere beneath his ribs. “I don’t really want to repeat it. It was some really degrading things about what he wanted to do. With you.”

“Was it really filthy?” Mike grinned, but it only made Will frown harder. “Sorry, it’s obviously bothering you, I shouldn’t joke about it.” 

Will picked at the couch as he struggled to find the words. “It wasn’t right, the way he was talking about you. He didn’t see who you are at all, he just saw you as someone to use.” The last word came out pained and choked. Mike pulled him back into his chest, but he let Will keep talking. “You deserve so much better than that. You deserve to be…” Treasured. Cherished. Worshiped. Loved.

“With someone like you?” Mike filled in, his voice a caress underneath Will’s ear.

“Yeah,” he said back, emboldened with Mike’s arms around him, soft and solid and so perfectly familiar. “Someone like me.”

Mike pulled back just enough to look at him, his hands big and warm on the sides of Will’s face. “Will,” he whispered, scanning his eyes like he was looking for permission. “Can I–”

“Yes.”

The space between them closed slowly as Mike leaned forward and Will tilted his chin up to meet him. It was just a press at first, soft and feather light, until Will tilted his head slightly to the side and their lips connected fully, firmly. He could feel Mike’s shaky exhale against his skin, his fingers trembling gently on his cheek. It was so intimate, being this close to Mike, legs tangled up and mouths slotted together as they learned how to feel each other in a new way for the first time. Mike pulled back just enough to readjust, catching Will’s lips in another kiss. It was just as new, just as dizzying as the first. Will let his hands slide up Mike’s arms, up his neck, up into his hair. He’d always loved Mike’s curls, loved the way Mike let him stroke his hands through it for hours at a time, his eyes fluttering shut and mind calming at the touch of Will’s hands. This time, he let out a small sound that Will felt against his own lips. Mike moved their mouths open and shut just a little, and it made something hot and molten stir in Will’s stomach. God. 

Almost in unison, they let the kiss end. Half of Will didn’t want to let go, the other half was a little overwhelmed. He would have pressed forward again if this was a one time deal, but from the flush on Mike’s cheeks and the look in his eyes, content and wanting all at once, he knew this was just the beginning for them. They had time to kiss, time to learn how to touch each other, time to explore all the things they’ve always wanted to try. There was no rush, because there was no fear. It was the two of them together, like it always had been, like it always would be. 

“Can we do that again later?” Will asked, and Mike laughed until tears of something like relief welled in his eyes. 

“I sure fucking hope so.”

Smug and content, Will pulled Mike’s arm over his shoulder and snuggled into his side. “Cool.”

“Cool? No declaration of love, just cool?”

Will slid one of his hands up Mike’s shirt just so he could feel his breath hitch and his heart rate spike. “Yup. Cool.”

“Right,” Mike said breathlessly. “Very cool.”

“Here’s what we’re gonna do.” He rubbed small circles on Mike’s bare hip, enjoying this newfound power of his. It wouldn’t be long before Mike realized he had equal if not more power to fluster Will, so he had to take advantage of it while it lasted. “We’re gonna put on a movie on, have a nice night in, and you’re going to sleep in my room tonight. If you’re lucky, I’ll let you kiss me again before bed.” 

“Is that so?” Mike asked, amusement coloring his voice.

“Yup. That’s so.”

He must have agreed with the plan though, because he relaxed further into Will’s side. “I think you’ll let me kiss you,” he murmured into Will’s hair.

“Presumptuous.”

“No,” Mike said, unable to hide the smile in his voice. “You said I’d get a kiss if I’m lucky. I’m here with you, so I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

It was cheesy. So, so cheesy, but Will didn’t even care because he was in love. So, so in love.