Archive of Our Own

One thing Will Byers knew was that he could never, under any circumstances, tell anyone that he happened to have a blue and yellow themed spandex suit in the back of his closet. Of course, he never had the best luck for anything, really, so how he managed to keep it secret for so long was a miracle in itself.

College had been on his mind for years. It was a place where, in his fantasy, he'd be able to finally breathe and branch out and make new friends. Thankfully, he wouldn't be alone, as the entire Party decided to go to the same college as him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so happy seeing that he, Dustin, Lucas, and Mike's dorms were all in the same hallway. Come to think of it, that may have been where all his luck went. Jane and Max were holed up two floors below them, luckily able to have become roommates. 

In his fantasy, the expectations of a small town upon an outcasts’ shoulders would finally fall away. He could finally exist how he wanted to without anyone telling him otherwise. Conformity didn't exist on this campus (in his mind) and people didn't think that it was abnormal for a boy to look at another boy like that. Because upon one massive secret Will harbored in his closet, there lay another secret of the same magnitude in the exact same space. 

Will had been in love with his best friend for a while. Honestly, probably since they were 12 years old. 

He didn't realize it immediately, of course; it took time for him to realize that the tightness in his chest when looking at Mike wasn't anxiety but something more affectionate. He was lucky to have said yes to Mike that day in kindergarten. He was lucky his Mom somehow knew but never told him so and simply watched him grow with a smile. He was lucky Jonathan was his rock and loved his brother more than anything. 

In his fantasy, maybe there was a chance. A chance for Will to finally cross the line he'd been teetering over for years. Maybe he'd have a chance to finally talk to Mike and figure out what those unexplainable glances and lingering touches were for. 

But of course, when touring Oscorp labs for his required biology course, he just had to get bitten by a radioactive spider the other scientists didn't notice. He'd been a complete mess the next day when he woke up—sweating out of every pore, his eyes glossed from everything being too bright, his ears painfully ringing as he heard water turn on in the pipes, and of course there were the muscles. He'd somehow grown into a fit body overnight with decently visible muscles. He had a fucking four pack for crying out loud! He was an art student, not a bodybuilder!

And seeing the rest of the Party (Mike) the next day had been hell. He'd lied through his teeth, saying he was just cold even though it was late August and still in the high 70s. The looks he received only made him feel guiltier, especially when Mike looked so concerned and so worried that it nearly made Will implode. 

After all, Mike was there when he was kidnapped as a child. He was there to help piece Will back together after his childhood was shattered. Mike was constant in his reassurances, his soft voice he only used for Will because he knew how much Will hated raised voices. Mike cared, he had for years, and yet Will wouldn't be able to ease his furrowed brows this time. 

Because with great power comes great responsibility. And once he figured out what power that spider gave him, ideas started forming. Ideas of a masked vigilante who did nothing but his best to try and help the people of Queens and New York as a whole. College hadn’t become his only escape—so did a blue mask with white eyes like a spider. 

So, Will was Spider-Man. With a hyphen. The hyphen is important. Don't forget the hyphen. This secret and the… other one was nowhere but his mind and his dorm and that's how he liked it. He was a regular college student by day, painting in spare art rooms that were unoccupied when he could. By night (or near dinner time if he was lucky), he was clad in blue and yellow, swinging around the city.

Will had absolutely zero knowledge in hero work, and he learned the hard way. He wasn't as sneaky as he thought, because Dustin was the first to piece it together. 

Will had come back from patrol, climbing through his dorm windows after checking his surroundings. He'd left the lights off inside so he could take off his mask without anyone peeking through his window. That was when a specific knock came to the door. Three taps spaced out every two seconds. Will cursed and ran to his bathroom to quickly change, shouting over his shoulders, “coming!”

Once he was changed and made sure he didn’t look like he was just flying through the streets, he opened the door. Dustin stood in the entryway with his Star-Wars shirt on (he reserved it as a sleep shirt years ago) with matching tie-fighter pj pants and brown slippers. He had a worried tilt to his brow and questions swimming in his eyes. Then again, Dustin was always curious about something. The curiosity didn’t put him on edge. It was the lack of words spewing out of his mouth.

“Uhh, hey, sorry, I was getting ready for bed,” Will excused with a nervous hand scratching the back of his neck. Good, he thought. His voice didn't crack like he thought it would.

Dustin remained silent as he side-stepped Will to enter the room. The lights were still off, save for the restroom, which made his excuse more believable. It was when Dustin turned to face the restroom did Will's pulse raced. He hadn't put up the suit in a rush to answer the door. It was still very much sitting on the bathroom floor next to his trash can.

“S-so what's up? You're here kind of late,” Will tried. He not-so-subtly made his way to stand by the bathroom door as the front door swung closed behind him. 

Dustin's inquisitive gaze landed on him. He tried not to squirm under the intensity. “I was just… curious. Thought I saw something. Something interesting.”

He spoke as if Will knew exactly what he was talking about, and unfortunately for Will, he knew exactly what Dustin was talking about.

“Saw what?” 

“Oh, I dunno, just a uh… just a figure climbing through your window.” Dustin shrugged as if he didn't drop a bombshell in Will's room.

Of course. Dustin's dorm was right down the hall, maybe three doors down. He'd received a telescope from his mom as a birthday gift a while back and must've seen him swinging by. That, and if Dustin was on the fire escape, he had a very good view of Will’s dorm window. 

“What? There's no one in here other than me,” Will said, blatantly ignoring the blood rushing through his ears. Dustin's heartbeat, on the other hand, was steady. 

“Really? So there was no one that was just in here?” 

“Nope, just me.”

“Not even Mike?” 

Will rolled his eyes. “Come on, Dustin, it's like, ten o'clock. Mike's probably in bed right now and that's where I'd like to be, too.”

“Don't I know that already…” Dustin muttered. He must’ve said it as quietly as possible, but to Will, it was like a shout in the confinement of the dorm. The darkness was a great cover for his flushed face. Still, Dustin persisted. He gazed around the room until his shoulders relaxed with finality. “Okay, fine. Sorry to bother you this late. I'll leave you alone now.”

Will could feel his heartbeat attempting to calm down as Dustin made his way to the door. Then he paused, turning around to glance towards Will's desk. He furrowed his brows again before a gleam entered his eye, and Will knew there would be trouble. 

“Nice painting,” Dustin pointed out, gesturing to one of the bigger canvases Will was working on. 

Will looked at the canvas thoughtfully. It was arguably his biggest piece yet, something he'd been imagining for a while. It was tedious work with watercolor and soft pencil strokes, creating a grassy plain brightened by the sun's rays and dancing alongside the wind. He loved creating it, for it represented a place he dreamed of often. A place he thought college would be like—a place where he may stand a chance to love his best friend. Mike would be painted on the canvas eventually, with the blinding smile he rarely showed. 

“Oh, thank you–oof!”

Will was cut off when Dustin suddenly lunged, pushing him aside to rush into the bathroom. Will's heart leapt to his throat. He scrambled to his feet to try and catch his friend but to no avail. Dustin's eyes were glued on the suit.

“Oh my god,” he whispered.

Will's knees shook. God, he knew now. He knew. All that rang through Will's head was the possibility of danger, of Dustin's slip-ups that sometimes happened in front of the Party. He could see a mistake forming before it even happened and it made him nervous. He was practically on his knees grasping Dustin's sleeve.

“Dustin, I-I can explain—” Will heaved in panicked breaths “—it's n-not what you think, okay, I-I'm not—”

“You're Spider-Man,” Dustin muttered breathlessly. He finally turned to Will. He didn't know what he expected; anger, frustration, sadness, maybe, but not excitement. “You're him.”

“I—”

Dustin sobered seeing Will so distraught, practically melting into a puddle on the floor. Dustin lowered to his level with a steady hand on his shoulder. “Will, breathe man. I promise I'm not mad or anything! I swear! I thought I was going to find, like, lotion and tissues or Mike or something but not this.”

“Oh my god, dude,” Will groaned. “Seriously?”

“What you do on your own time is for you! I'm not judging!” Dustin exclaimed. “Look, I kinda already put it together. I just needed to confirm.”

“H-how do you—?” Will questioned. 

“You're so bad at hiding it. I honestly don't understand how the others don't know. For one, you are covered in bruises some days that disappear the next. Like, you’re an art student, where are the bruises coming from? Secondly, you run away when danger appears—which, rightfully so—and Spider-Man just so happens to show up right after you leave. Not to mention you literally just climbed through your dorm window. You're doing a pretty shit job at hiding your identity.”

A thought struck Will. A thought so horrible that it made Will's entire body freeze. He watched Dustin’s expression twist into concern at his sudden lack of movement.

“Too much?” Dustin said with a grimace.

“Do you think Mike knows?” Will whispered.

Dustin raised a brow. “That’s seriously what you're thinking about? Mike? Actually, when are you not thinking about him?”

Will ignored that comment to fester the idea. If Mike knew, it was bad news for Spider-Man. If Mike knew it was Will behind the mask, he would probably yell at him about his own safety until the sun came up. He would probably ask, no, demand he put the suit up for good and Will… he wouldn't be able to say no. But if he put up the mask knowing that he was the only person who could go out there and help when no one else could, it would kill him. Will loved Mike dearly. He loved being Spider-Man, too. Will was Spider-Man. He couldn’t just throw that away.

“I’m sure he doesn't know, Will. He’s completely oblivious whenever you're involved,” Dustin reassured with a toothy grin. “In fact, I’m positive he doesn't know. He’s too busy looking at you to look at Spider-Man.” 

“Shut up,” Will groaned again, flushing with embarrassment. “Promise me, Dustin, he cannot know about this. Or any of the others for that matter, just please don't tell anyone.”

“Woah, hold on, you mean even Jane doesn't know? She's your sister!”

“All the more reason to keep it from her. I was trying to keep it from all of you. To keep you safe. We’ve been through enough at home—I don't want anything else happening to any of you,” Will explained. 

Dustin chewed on the inside of his cheek, considering. “I appreciate the sentiment, but this is going to come out eventually. You can't protect us from the truth, Will. Not forever. Especially not with Mike. He’ll know something’s up with you and he’ll start asking. When it comes to you, he doesn't stop until he finds an answer. I promise not to tell anyone under one condition.”

In hindsight, Will could’ve chosen better words than, "yes, anything." Dustin could’ve verbally bound him to a contract of revealing even more secrets for Dustin’s well-being (as a long-suffering man). 

“I get to be your guy in the chair.”

Will sat back on his legs, raising a brow. “My what?”

“The guy in the chair! You know, like in all those movies the hero spy has his best buddy on comms and getting maps and hacking and all that stuff! I can totally do it!” Dustin exclaimed excitedly, eyes alight with joy. He grabbed the sleeve of the suit, inspecting Will’s shoddy web-shooters. “I can even make you new gadgets! No offense but these look like they're running on WD-40 and prayers.”

“Hey,” Will said incredulously.

“I said no offense!”

Will sighed, staring at his friend. He hadn't seen Dustin so giddy over something since Jane asked him out. He wouldn't shut up for weeks about their dates. Poor Will would hear it from both perspectives because Jane just couldn't resist coming up to his dorm to giggle and recount her movie date. He was just happy his sister was happy, even if he heard one story multiple times. 

That, and he needed help in the gadget department. Dustin was right—his work was shoddy. Will wasn't the physics major. 

“Okay, fine. You can do it.”

Dustin’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Really,” Will nodded. 

Dustin exploded into laughter, bringing Will into a bone-crushing hug. “You won't regret this! I’ll take some pics of these and get started!”

Thus began Dustin’s involvement with spider related things. He’d stayed true to his word and not said anything to anyone, and for a few weeks, everything was fine. Will had movie nights with Jane (and sometimes Max), played video games with Dustin, Lucas, and Mike, and managed to make Mike smile on Tuesday by complimenting his shirt that had a D&D reference. Dustin even upgraded his suit to have better, more durable web-shooters and webs, as well as a built in radio so he could tap into police scanners.

It was all good until one day, where a slip up changed everything.

Will sat on the rooftop of an apartment building with his mask halfway up, chewing on a granola bar. He watched over the street with his legs swinging back and forth without care. If he fell, he could catch himself no problem. 

The sky was partly cloudy, the moon shining bright overhead and stars twinkling. They reminded Will of windchimes in a way—they look kind of simple but have striking beauty hidden in plain sight. He shook the thought away with furrowed brows. It didn’t make any sense, and yet to him, he understood the terrible metaphor completely. 

Patrol was great. He loved swinging around the city, feeling the breeze ripple through him as he fell and brought himself back up. Was it painful on his wrists and arms? For sure, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world. It was the closest thing he’d get to flying. It was liberating after growing up in a town so closed-minded and counter-intuitive. He’d wanted to fly for years and now he had the opportunity, and he wasn’t trading that freedom. 

Will finished the granola bar and pulled his mask back down. A great thing about having Dustin tinkering with his suit meant more than technical upgrades. He somehow managed to make the suit more comfortable, and he’d even installed a zipper pocket on the left side of the suit where Will kept his cell phone. Will pulled the device out of the pocket and checked the time. 10:30. He should wrap it up soon. He was going to have a long day of class tomorrow and then movie night with the whole Party in Lucas’s dorm. 

Will startled when his phone started ringing, playing Never Ending Story as Dustin’s profile picture showed up. He snickered to himself. Dustin hated it whenever they brought up his long-distance ex-girlfriend and “their song.” 

“What’s up?” Will asked as he answered.

“Dude, I have some new upgrades for the webs! I’m talkin’ like, web bombs, electric webs—I even started making blueprints for a little spider drone! It’ll probably come with the next suit upgrade, but it’d be a nice addition, don’t you think?”

He loved Dustin. He really did, but sometimes he wondered if it was a good idea to let him be the guy in the chair. Will was primarily concerned he was focusing more on Will’s side-gig more than his own degree. The other part of him said that Dustin would be fine. All of his professors loved him and he always got A’s even if he claimed to struggle.

“Sounds cool, but what am I gonna use a drone for?” 

“I dunno. Finding lost kittens, maybe?”

“You act like I’m a spy instead of a vigilante.”

“Well, if you just talked to Captain America, I’m sure he’d love to have you on his team. Imagine it, Will—you helping the Avengers on their missions from the shadows with my wonderful technology.”

“Okay, now you’re just asking for an ego boost.” Will smiled under the mask, leaping to his feet and shaking off the sluggishness clinging to his bones. God, he was tired. Going out for six hours at a time as Spider-Man was tough enough, but with art deadlines and quizzes on top of it and no sleep, he wondered when he’d turn into a zombie. 

“Ugh, you offend me, Byers! I’m just trying to… you know… get my name out there.”

“I.E, use me as a walking advertisement.”

“Exactly! It’s genius!”

Will rolled his eyes fondly. Then, he paused. The base of his neck broke out with goosebumps that traveled down his spine. He quickly glanced around, ignoring Dustin’s proposal. He let his hand fall to his side and strained his ears. A few cars honked at each other blocks away, a re-run of Friends played in someone’s apartment, and—-

There. Sounds of a struggle; grunting, fabric scraping against brick, hastened breathing. The shing of a knife being drawn. Will’s frown deepened as adrenaline flooded his body. 

He knew that heartbeat. He probably knew what it sounded like before he even got powers.

“Mike.”

“Huh? What’d you say?”

Will raised the phone as he booked it across the rooftop. “Gotta go!”

“Oh, okay, just consider my offer, yeah—?”

Will hung up and stuffed his phone in the pocket, zipping it. His whole body thrummed with anxiety, with a primal fear he hasn’t felt in years. Mike was in trouble and he didn’t know if he could make it in time. 

No, he would make it in time no matter what. 

He followed the sounds of skin breaking skin and pained grunts until he was looming over a dark alleyway. Below, he could barely make out two outlines moving frantically. The lankier one, the one he was most familiar with, was being pressed into the brick wall by a strong arm, a knife glimmering in the moonlight menacingly. The blade pressed against Mike’s throat, barely digging into his skin.

“Just give me your phone and wallet, kid. Don’t make this worse than it needs to be,” the other figure said. Will guessed around the late thirties. 

Mike spat on the ground, swallowing. Will could hear his heartbeat trying to escape his chest and the way his muscles tensed with every move the robber made. “Don’t you have better things to do than to rob broke college students? Go rob the Avengers, or something, man—”

Will saw the man’s arm twist back. His body moved before his brain caught up.

He blinked, and he was suddenly standing in front of Mike and the robber had been flung into the brick wall opposite of them. The man let out a pained wheeze as he staggered to his feet. Now that Will was closer, he could see dark circles under his eyes, now lit aflame with anger. The man had to be in his mid-thirties, with a sharp jaw and stubble lining his skin. His hair was short but shaggy, and his bangs poked his eyes every couple of seconds.

“Woah, dude, not cool. You shouldn’t be using a knife like that,” Will quipped to quell his racing heart. He could hear Mike’s heartbeat stutter behind him. 

“Spider-Man,” the robber muttered, like he was Will’s arch nemesis. He gestured at Will with the knife. “You have terrible timing.”

“I think my timing’s perfect, actually. Once I’m done here, I’ll be able to catch a re-run of Friends before bedtime.”

The robber growled and lunged. Will’s senses spiked, allowing him to calculate the robber’s trajectory. He flipped into the air and shot out a web, catching the criminal’s arm and tugging him backwards. Will stuck to the brick wall and sent another punch to the man’s chest. He staggered back but recovered quickly. The robber roared in anger and lunged with the knife. 

“Watch out!” Mike called out.

But Will’s senses were on par, perhaps a little too much. He easily dodged the knife, though he felt part of his suit slice open near the elbow. The robber quickly turned around and swung the blade, but Will was faster. He sidestepped each swing with practiced ease. Common pick-pocketers had been great practice for Will to learn how to dodge, after a few rookie mistakes. A rule he learned the hard way—people fight dirty. 

Which was how he saw right through the robber’s plan: get Will to jump in the air to dodge only to stab him before his feet hit the ground. He could see the gleeful glint in the man’s eyes as the plan formed. Of course, Will was faster. He shot out a web that attached to the fire escape and pulled—moving out of the way last second before the blade swung where he just was. 

“Stop moving!” the robber growled angrily. 

“Well, that’s my signature. And now I think it’s time to get this wrapped up.” As he spoke, Will pressed on his web shooters until the robber was tightly wrapped in webbing. Will landed in front of him casually. “Get it? Wrapped up?”

“Shut up!”

“Jeez, okay, not a big fan, huh? Good thing it’s past your bedtime.”

Will punched the robber, letting his true strength shine through just a little bit. The man crumpled to the ground in a heap, the knife clattering beside him. 

“You need a haircut, dude. Maybe it’ll help you see better,” he said to the now unconscious man. 

Will quickly turned at the sound of Mike’s shoes shuffling against pavement. His friend was staring, eyes wide, mouth agape. Will’s stomach churned seeing blood dripping from Mike’s nostrils and the corner of his mouth. That was why he spat at the ground earlier. The robber hit him. 

Something ugly, angry, furious pooled in his gut. Mike had gotten hurt. He wasn’t fast enough. Will looked down at the robber, feeling the anger seep into his muscles and force his hands into fists. Suddenly, the amount of strength he put in his punch didn’t feel like enough.

“T-thanks,” Mike said shakily.

That was enough to bring Will back to the present. He caught Mike’s eye again, finding something akin to awe, or maybe intrigue. Mike had never had an encounter with Spider-Man before—Will made sure of that, even if it meant subtly following Mike on his way back home from his off-campus job back to the dorms, where Will would also retire from patrol. It made it easier to don the mask knowing he could keep his friends safe. Did he walk the others home? Not always, but Mike just so happened to cross with his patrol route. Sue him.

Will’s hands suddenly got clammy. Keep up the persona. You’re Spider-Man right now, not Will Byers. 

“No problem. Guys like him are why I’m out here at night,” Will said, glad to find the words slipping easily from his tongue with nonchalance. It was then he caught sight of Mike’s phone case on the ground. Will had picked it out for him and given it to him for his birthday a year ago. It was simple, a sea blue background with a cartoon walrus on it waving. For some reason, it made Will think of Mike’s smile. 

Will reached to pick up the phone, holding it out for Mike to take. “I guess this belongs to you?”

“Oh, shit, yeah. Thanks,” Mike said, taking the phone after patting his pockets. He checked the screen for damage.

“Nice case,” Will blurted, though thankfully it just sounded like typical Spider-Man banter. 

It could’ve been a trick of the dim lighting, but Mike’s cheeks looked flushed. A little pink. 

“My best friend got it for me,” Mike informed before shaking his head. “I should probably go. Thanks for the save, but I’ve got it from here.”

Something in Will’s gut churned at the idea of letting Mike go by himself. Maybe it was selfishness. He was always a bit selfish when it came to Mike’s attention and presence. The other part of him argued that it was just being courteous. Gentlemanly, even. And as Will looked further, he could see the slight tremble in Mike’s hands as he wiped his face. He saw the skittish look in his eye, like another robber would pop out of nowhere.

“Let me walk you home,” he rushed to say as Mike started towards the street. Mike turned with a skeptical brow. 

“And let you know where I live? No thanks,” Mike said. “I appreciate what you do but it doesn’t mean I trust you. Or like you, for that matter.”

Will balked. Everyone was entitled to their opinion, but Mike didn’t like Spider-Man? Really? He thought with all of their D&D campaigns over the years that he would be ecstatic to learn about a real life superhero swinging through the city. Was it the suit? Or the banter? Was he too cringy with the banter?

“What? Everyone likes me!” Will said, bounding after Mike. He thought he saw his signature eyeroll and snickered. “My charm is irresistible.”

“I don’t feel anything,” Mike shrugged as they turned onto the street. “Like I said, I appreciate the save, but I don’t need an escort home. You can go now and… do whatever it is you do after saving people.”

“Typically, I make sure everyone gets home safe, which includes you. So, sorry, but you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Mike’s demeanor shifted slightly, if only less anxious. His shoulders relaxed a little as they walked. He didn’t look around as much. Will’s chest warmed with the sight. That was his goal as Spider-Man—to make people feel safe enough to walk home at night without flinching at every shadow. 

Ever since he was kidnapped, Will had an extreme fear of the dark. He feared the shadows and what monsters lay inside them. He still didn’t know what the man who kidnapped him wanted with him, and he guessed nobody else knew, but being locked in a pitch black basement with a psycho losing his mind upstairs did nothing for his psyche. After he was rescued, he couldn’t sleep with the lights off for months. At sleepovers at Mike’s, Mike didn’t care if the others complained about the bathroom light remaining on throughout the night as long as it made Will more comfortable. Just being around other people in the dark helped tremendously, but he still feared every moving shadow and sudden loud noise. 

He never really grew out of that fear. While it didn’t affect him as much as it did when he was little, he still slept with some sort of light on whether it be a TV or his poor laptop on his desk. Living in a city that never slept helped a lot, too. Having Jane and the rest of the party close did well to soothe his worries, too. 

But there were people out there just like him who were afraid of the dark, afraid to walk the streets even though the city lights remained on at all hours. If Will could help them overcome that fear, or at least be less affected by it, then he would. He had the power to do so. It was his responsibility. Once he puts on the mask, he’s bound to help the citizens of New York feel safer in their own streets. He loved this city as much as the next person who lived there and he would protect it no matter what. 

As Mike steered them towards the university, Will could sense Mike slowly getting more comfortable. Or at least less skittish. He may not like Spider-Man, but like he said, he appreciated him. 

“So I heard you’re a college student. What’s your major?” Will said to fill the silence. 

Mike slowed his pace to match Will’s casual one. “That’s a bit creepy. You heard that?”

“Enhanced senses. Can’t really control it.”

Mike sighed. “Creative writing.”

“Ooooh, that must be fun,” Will acted surprised. “So you like writing stories? What do you want to do with that degree?”

“I dunno.”

“You must be fun at parties.”

They turned the corner, the university just a few streetlights down.

“I don’t go to parties,” Mike said.

“Why not?”

“I have no reason to. Hanging out with my friends is better than drinking cheap liquor and accidentally walking in on couples making out.”

“Fair enough. Your friends must be cool to pass over partying for,” Will suggested. He knew what Mike thought of each of his friends, but he wondered what he’d say to a stranger. 

Mike’s eyes drooped, mirth swimming in them as a small smile formed. “Yeah, they’re really cool.”

The love he had in his voice, in his eyes and smile, made Will’s heart skip. That was one of the beautiful things about being alive, Will thought, being able to feel so deeply about something or someone that even the mere mention of them made you giddy.

Sooner than Will thought, they were standing in front of the campus entrance. Will stopped in front of the gate, staring up at it. Mike stepped through before stopping and facing him one more time. 

“This is me,” he said. Mike raised his hand in a half-wave accompanied by a tight-lipped smile. “Thanks for everything. I uh… yeah, thanks.”

“All in a day’s work,” Will said before blinking. That sounded inconsiderate, didn’t it? “I-I mean to say that it was no problem—I mean I uh…”

Mike snickered, eyes alight with humor. “You can take down bad guys but can’t form a sentence? What happened to Spider-Man from fifteen minutes ago that threw out jokes left and right?”

“Ha ha, I can talk, thank you very much. Don’t get into any more trouble, alright?” 

“Not planning on it.”

Will nodded, making a show of shooting his webs in the opposite direction of the campus. “Stay safe out there!”

He saw Mike’s smirk falter into a thin-lipped smile before Will swung out of sight. He made one more check of the street to make sure it was empty before making his way to the dorm building. He carefully climbed through his window, locking it with a sigh. His muscles ached deeply and called for a nice, hot shower. He closed the blinds and took off the mask, finally breathing in clean air. Albeit, air that is kind of stuffy with whatever the dorms smelled of. It was a mix of things he could never put a name to. 

Even though his encounter with Mike as Spider-Man was short, he couldn’t help but smile. Maybe he did some good in deterring Mike’s opinion of the masked hero, but he still had to be careful. Mike didn’t know of his nightly escapades, but Dustin was right. He would find out eventually, and Will had to be prepared to deal with that confrontation.

Though, for now, he stripped out of the suit and collected a night shirt and shorts. He heard footsteps coming down the hall, a key turning into a lock, and a door opening and shutting. Mike had made it back just fine, and Will’s worry could finally be put to rest. 

The heat of the shower was nice on his bumps and bruises. Will hurried to climb into bed, sighing deeply into the mattress. As he closed his eyes, his phone vibrated on the nightstand. He groaned and reached blindly for it, his fingers sticking to the device and bringing it to his face. The screen lit up with a message. 

Mike: still down for coffee tomorrow ?

Will smiled. He and Mike had planned on getting coffee at a local cafe to hopefully get some studying in, but they both knew it wouldn’t matter if they brought their backpacks or not because no schoolwork would get done. They’d talk about anything and everything for hours until the cafe closed. 

Will: ofc

The reply back was nearly instant.

Mike: see you tomorrow :)

Will: see ya :)

Will set up his alarm for the morning and put his phone back on the nightstand. He turned to face the wall, unable to stop the smile from forming on his face. Everything was going to be okay.

Will was late. That was becoming a recurring theme as of late.

It wasn’t his fault, in all honesty. He did everything exactly as he planned to: wake up on time, go to class, turn in a smaller sketch for one of his art classes, get ready, and then meet Mike for coffee at two o’clock. The art teacher held him up for a minute or two longer than he would’ve liked, but other than that, he was on track to making it perfectly on time. 

And then he heard the screaming, and then he was running towards danger with plans of smiles and coffee in the back of his head. 

He followed the sounds of the screaming, feeling his body slamming through walls of wind as he swung towards the unknown. He heard static come to life in his mask.

“All units be advised, apartment fire turned inferno near Shane’s Bodega. I repeat, apartment fire turned inferno near Shane’s Bodega on 5th and 10th.”

“Not Shane’s! He’s got the best sandwiches!”

Will shot both web-shooters out, gripping the corner of a building and using the momentum to propel himself forward. Under the mask, he smiled. It wasn’t just the saving people part of the job he loved the most, but the feeling of being unbound—the feeling of absolute freedom. He wasn’t shackled to anything or anyone anymore and it was a feeling he wouldn’t trade for the world.

Dispatch was correct in saying the word “inferno,” as he approached a plume of smoke coming from a building engulfed in flames. First responders were already on site with police clearing the scene and firefighters working to extinguish the flames. Ladders and hoses pointed at the building seemed to do no damage to the fire; it was like watching a toddler trying to use a bike with triangles for tires. It was an uphill battle, but Will had faith in the NYFD. In the meantime, Will would use his abilities to go where no one else could. 

First, he needed an assessment of the situation. Luckily, someone was eager to catch his attention. A firefighter on one of the raised ladders waved at him frantically. He made his way over, landing on the metal with a loud thunk!

“Spider-Man! We could really use some help!” the firefighter said. She nodded at the building. “Captain says there’s at least four people trapped in the higher levels. We’re trying to clear a path for our other engines to get up there, but it’s—”

Glass shattered and a boom sounded through the street as the top floor exploded in waves of fire. Adrenaline pumped through Will’s veins, his limbs aching to rush in and help, but he needed intel. 

“Fighting a losing battle,” Will offered.

“Exactly. We’re trying to contain the flames before they spread but we’re short on men. If you can get in there somehow—”

“On it! Just tell me where!”

The firefighter pointed. “Levels ten and thirteen! Be careful, Spider-Man! The building’s structure is compromised!”

Will nodded and immediately got to work. He swung in through the nearest window. The flames, obviously, were hot, but even more so on the inside. Heat licked at every surface, making it difficult for him to find somewhere to stand without burning himself. Breathing so quickly upon entry was a mistake, as he coughed into his elbow after taking in a lungful of smoke. 

“Hello? Is anyone here?” he called out.

Nothing. Will sprang further into the hall, where doors were opened and left in a panic. 

“Can anyone hear me? I’m here to help!” 

“D-down here!” a voice yelled. 

Fire was loud, destructive in every way, and yet Will pushed through the fire nipping at his suit and the smoke hazing on the ceiling. 

“Keep talking! Where are you?” Will shouted.

“Over here! Please, help!”

The second to last door. Will bounded to the door, trying the handle and pulling his hands back with a hiss. The metal was searing hot and nearly burned through his glove. The person on the other side pounded on the wood. 

“Please, it won’t open! Please help!” the woman cried.

“Okay, stand back! I’m going to break it down!” Will hollered. It was difficult to differentiate noise between the roaring flames and the sound of the building’s support being burnt to a crisp, but once he heard retreating footsteps, he spun and slammed his foot into the door. 

The wood burst into splinters where he kicked, while the entire door flew off its hinges and landed on the floor in a heap. Will coughed as a cloud of smoke entered the hall. The woman in the apartment couldn’t have been older than twenty-three or four, with soot covering her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. 

“Spider-Man! Oh, thank God, please help,” the woman said, reaching out for him to enter. “M-my Dad, a beam fell a-and he—oh My God, please help him!”

“It’s okay,” Will quickly reassured, taking the woman’s hand. “Bring me to him.”

She nodded and ran further into the apartment. In the living area, a large beam lay across the floor pinning a man under it. The man wasn’t moving, and from what Will could see, his chest wasn’t rising or falling, either. He wasn’t a medical professional, but he feared jostling the man around without knowing of potential spine or neck injuries wasn’t a good idea. 

“Please, help him, Spider-Man! I-I can’t lose him, too!”

Her words snapped him back into action. “I have a plan, but we’re going to have to leave, okay? The building’s not safe for you!”

“W-what? Are you crazy? I’m not leaving him here!”

“I don’t have time to explain!”

Will rushed, taking the woman and slinging her over his shoulder. Ignoring her pained cries for her father, Will ran out of the apartment and back out the way he entered. He landed on the ladder again, handing the woman over to the firefighter. The woman coughed as the firefighter held her up. 

“There's a man inside, but a beam fell on him. Do you have a backboard I can put him on?” Will asked quickly. 

“Yes! Down there, Engine 2 should have one!” the firefighter exclaimed.

Will nodded and jumped to the ground, rolling upon impact. Police were too occupied making sure reporters and citizens didn’t get too close, while firefighters ran around yelling different orders. He weaved between responders until he found the truck labeled with the number 2. A firefighter was messing with one of the built-in storage components.

“Hey, excuse me, man! Do you have a backboard I can borrow?” Will questioned.

The firefighter spun around. A man, probably in his forties with sharp eyes. “You got a spinal?”

“Possibly. I don’t want to jostle him in case he does.”

The man fished around the storage for a moment before producing an orange backboard. 

“Bring the person down here where we can quickly look over them!” the firefighter ordered.

“Sir!” Will replied before shooting back into the sky. 

He quickly made his way back to the woman’s father. He was still unconscious, and the building was beginning to groan. He still needed to find two other people two floors up. Urgency wracked his body. His hands worked quickly in lifting the beam off of the man and tossing it to the side, moving the man onto his back very carefully and strapping him into the board. Will lifted the board to rest on his shoulder and exited the building from the same window. He carefully used the windowsills as stairs and eventually landed in front of Engine 2. 

The same firefighter from before met him as he set the man down. 

“I’ve got two others to find. You got him?” 

“Yeah, thanks, Spider-Man,” the firefighter said, voice gruff but appreciative. 

Finding the other two proved to be easier than he thought, though getting to them was the trouble. Floor twelve was just below the one that exploded earlier, which made it even more structurally unstable. Pieces of flaming wood fell left and right, and heavy furniture from the floor above was starting to break through the floor. It was like watching the sky rain cars and buses and saying eh, I’ll still go to work. 

The other two people turned out to be two brothers. Will found them standing near an open window of their apartment with fear covering their every feature. They looked to be twins with how identical their face shape and eyes were. They clung to each other as the flames rolled closer with each second. Their cries alerted Will as to where they were, and he crawled along the ceiling to reach them. 

“Hey guys, I’m here to help!” Will said over the sounds of the floor groaning under new weight. 

“Spider-Man!” one of the boys said in awe. “Look, Spider-Man’s here to save us!”

“That’s right, kid. I’m gonna get you and your brother out of here, okay?” 

The twins were quick to latch on to him. He maneuvered to have one piggybacking and the other clinging to him like a koala, though he used one hand to support the child. Will broke into coughs. The mask didn’t have any sort of filter for situations like this, and the heat was making him sweat out of every orifice. He hadn’t even been out as Spider-Man before this, but he was suddenly overcome with exhaustion. He’d have to ask Dustin if it’d be possible to make the mask have some sort of… well, mask, to help with smoke inhalation. 

“Just hang on tight, okay? We’re gonna be fine!” he said cheerily.

“Okay!” the twin in front of him said nervously. 

He felt tiny hands cling to his suit as he rushed through the building. The flames were somehow growing stronger, more greedy in their pursuit of Spider-Man. Every step he took, something was falling or suddenly exploding. He evaded a falling bookshelf, hearing the twins inhale shakily and cough. 

He was three steps away from the window when the floor gave out from under him. Will held back a scream, though the twins voiced what he couldn’t. The sight below him had Will’s gut flipping upside down. Nearly every floor below him had some sort of massive hole in it, which happened to make a giant tunnel leading to the bottom floor, which he was currently falling through. Will quickly shot out a web, which stuck to a windowsill and stopped their fall. 

“Are you guys okay?” Will asked.

“Y-yeah,” the boy on his back stuttered.

Then, his web snapped. Will reached out at an incredible speed to grab the nearest windowsill. He watched the web dance towards the ground majestically. That, he’d definitely have to ask Dustin about. With new upgrades to the suit came new upgrades to the webs, but maybe they could be stronger. Or maybe fire-resistant somehow. 

Will heaved himself through the window, careful not to let the kids be struck by broken glass. He slowly descended the side of the building, coughing up a lung. He’d been in the building far too long for it to be healthy. It felt like his lungs were working against him—begging him for clean air only to be unable to take it once he made it outside. Coughing was like drowning, at that moment. He could only imagine how the kids were feeling being stuck inside for so long.

His feet finally hit the pavement, and he gently lowered the children from his shoulders. A few firefighters ran over to help, taking over. 

“Thank you, Spider-Man! You’re amazing!” one of the kids exclaimed as he was led away by a worried-looking firefighter. His twin waved at Will with a bright smile despite being covered in grime and soot. 

Will waved back before swaying, steadying himself with a hand on the nearest fire engine. 

“Hey, Spider-Man, you good?” 

Another firefighter bound up to him. He wasn’t wearing a mask or anything, which concerned Will since he was standing pretty close to the fire. 

“Yea—” Will’s voice gave out as he coughed again. His lungs rattled. “I’m good, thanks.”

“You don’t sound good. You need some oxygen. You were in there for too long.”

“Really, thanks, but—”

Perfect timing for his phone to ring in his pocket. Will brought out the device, surprised it was still functioning. “Excuse me for a second.”

The firefighter balked as Will answered the phone.

“Yo, Will, are you good, man?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Will asked. He cringed at the roughness of his voice.

“Well, you’re never really late for anything, and I’m getting spam calls from Mike asking where you are,” Lucas informed. He could practically hear the boy grinning on the other side. “He’s going crazy, dude, just call him.”

“Wait—” Will’s heart fell to his feet, “what time is it?”

“Uhh, hang on. It’s 2:11.”

“Holy shit I’m so late!” 

“Yeah, dude, that’s why I called. Mike’s being annoying about it as always.”

“Uhh… O-okay, thanks for calling, Lucas! You won’t have to worry about it anymore!”

“Good. I’m getting tired of all this dancing around. Good luck.”

Lucas hung up, leaving Will to deal with a mound of anxiety and stress. He’d never been late to catch up with Mike before. He’d never been late to anything, really. Will shoved his phone in his pocket and turned to the stunned firefighter. 

“So sorry, but I’ve gotta run! Everyone should be out of the building!”

“Wait, you need oxygen—”

“I’ll be okay! Stay safe!”

Will booked it back to his dorm, making sure to land on the roof this time and change using one of the spare bags he hid on the roof. He ran downstairs to his dorm to take in his appearance. Not very good. Even with the mask on, he’d somehow gotten soot in his hair and smeared across his cheeks. Will took a wet rag and quickly wiped his visible skin off before smelling his arms. God, he smelled like smoke, too. At that point, he should’ve hopped in the shower. 

Instead, he sprayed a bit of cologne and hoped it would be enough to mask the smell before running down the stairs of the dorm building. He managed to make it to the coffee shop across the street in record timing. He entered breathlessly, glancing around the room. Mike sat at their usual corner table, nestled between the far bookshelf and another row of tables. Mike had his laptop open on the table, typing away, probably an assignment he procrastinated for. 

He wore a white t-shirt under a worn black jacket, completing the look with his signature black jeans and black and white sneakers. Will wondered sometimes if Mike had any clothes with colors other than black and white. Mike’s hair was slightly longer, curling around his ears. His hair always seemed so soft, something he could easily run his fingers through and feel every twist and twirl that made up his head of hair. Will shook away the thought when he saw two cups on the table. Mike had ordered for him, like always. Will probably owed him over a hundred dollars at that point. 

“I-I’m so sorry I’m late,” he said as he slid into the chair across from Mike. 

Mike’s eyes were on him in an instant, worried. “It’s fine, I don’t mind waiting for you. Is everything okay?”

“Y-yeah, I just got caught up talking to my art professor. He wanted to say something about one of my works I turned in,” Will spoke, nervously smiling, though he felt horrible. Lying to Mike was never easy for his mental sake, but somehow it was becoming easier for his brain to slip something out to appease Mike. So far so good, just don’t fuck it up.

“Well, your art is amazing, Will. I don’t doubt it was all nice things he said, right?”

“Mostly.”

Mike scoffed with humor, pushing the other cup towards him. “White chocolate mocha, just the way you like it.”

“Thank you,” Will said, taking the cup. His pulse hammered in his veins as he took a sip. It was room temperature, as opposed to the intense heat Will preferred it to be at, but no one was to blame for that but him. 

He watched Mike set aside his computer when he noticed the bruise on Mike’s brow. It was large enough to cover part of his eye and most of his temple. It was slightly red while slowly turning blue. Will frowned, not realizing how hard the robber hit Mike. There were equal, tiny bruises near Mike’s mouth.

“Oh God, Mike, are you okay? What’s that bruise?” Will said worriedly. He reached towards the bruise only to move his hand away at the last second. Mike didn’t need him to point it out when he was well aware of the discoloration of his skin. “What happened to you?”

“O-oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,” Mike tried to deflect as he took a sip of his drink. Black coffee with unnecessary amounts of sugar. “How was your day?”

“Don’t do that,” Will pleaded. “What happened, Mike?”

Mike bit his bottom lip, sighing. He closed his laptop and leaned so his elbows rested on the table. “I was walking home from work last night and I… a guy came out of nowhere to rob me.”

“Jesus, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Spider-Man actually showed up, but the robber got a good hit or two on me before that.”

“You saw Spider-Man?” Will asked, trying his hardest to sound intrigued. It wasn’t too difficult, as he wanted to hear what Mike really thought about the encounter, but he feared his voice may betray him like it did all the time. 

“It was… kind of cool.” Mike put his cup in between his hands, his thumb fiddling with the brown cover wrapped around the middle with his name on it written in sharpie. His eyes were suddenly full of awe as he recounted the interaction. “You should’ve seen it, Will, he was like—flipping around and using these web thingies on his wrists. I mean, his jokes were kind of corny, but I’ve never seen something like that up close, you know? He took down that robber like it was nothing.”

“Well, I’m glad he was there to save you,” Will said earnestly. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if you…”

Mike’s smile faltered, like he was suddenly realizing the weight of his predicament that occurred the night before. If Will wasn’t Spider-Man and was learning about this for the first time, he would’ve been a bit more distraught, but seeing as Mike was alive and okay (thanks to him) he figured Mike didn’t need more on his plate considering the ordeal. Since Mike thought he wasn’t Spider-Man, though, Will wondered what he was thinking. Maybe something about how if Mike were gone, killed by a petty criminal in an alley, who would walk with Will to dinner? Who would come up with their campaigns? Who would Will turn to other than Jane when things were rough?

How would Will function in a place where his best friend was gone for good?

Will jostled as a hand enveloped his. Mike was reaching across the table, eyes wide and warm, reassuring. He always had this idea of exactly what Will needed to feel better or to cheer up, and Will never really understood how it worked, but he appreciated it nonetheless. Maybe it was formed out of over ten years of friendship—of practically being glued to each other since kindergarten. 

“I’m here, Will. Nothing bad happened to me,” Mike said softly. Will’s heart leapt to his throat when Mike squeezed his hand and smiled. His smile was charming—soft and showing parts of his teeth. The smile he reserved just for Will. “Besides, I wouldn’t let a robber take me out. I’ve got too much shit to do and I’ve gotta plan our next campaign.”

“That, you do,” Will managed a smile. 

It seemed to appease Mike, who leaned back and retracted his hand. The missing warmth sent goosebumps down Will’s arms. He missed the weight of his palm against his, the feeling of Mike’s skin pressing against his own. The comforting squeeze had nearly sent Will’s heart into overdrive. It was kind of funny how Mike was the thing to completely unravel his nerves when his nighttime gig involved jumping off of tall buildings and fighting people with (more often now) deadly weapons. 

“So Lucas and Max want to hold a movie night on Saturday. They said we don’t appreciate musicals enough, which I find odd because I thought Max hated musicals, but whatever. We’re watching Hamilton and I don’t think I can sit through that by myself. You’re coming, right?” Mike said.

“Uh, y-yeah. Of course.” Will sipped on his now cold mocha. 

“Okay, I’m bringing Dr. Pepper, Lucas and Max are on popcorn but I don’t trust Lucas with the salt, and Dustin said he had sweets. One of us could bring chips.”

“I’ll get some.”

“I’m working pretty much all week so this’ll be fun to come home to. There’s a lot of deadlines for me to hit, which funnily enough involve Spider-Man.”

Will perked up at the mention of his alter-ego. “You’re assigned to cover Spider-Man?”

Mike shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee and grimacing. “Kind of. Our boss wants coverage on him and all that he’s doing for the city, so my partner’s on picture duty and I’m on ground work. It actually kind of works out that I got mugged last night ‘cause now I’ve got something to write about.”

“Mike,” he chided with a frown.

“Too soon? Sorry.” Mike had the decency to act somewhat ashamed before turning back to his computer. “But I’ve been writing all day about the mugging and the bank robbery that happened last week. The boss wants ten pages, I’ll give him fifteen.”

Will tapped the pads of his fingers on the table, questions and curiosity swirling through his head like a milkshake being blended. God, now he wanted a milkshake. “Y-you never really said what you think of Spider-Man. I figured you liked him because… well, we played D&D in your basement for like ten years. He’s a real life superhero.”

Mike scratched his chin thoughtfully, as if carefully considering his words. As if he’s withholding his true opinion from Will, even though Will knew that wasn’t the case. Mike just had a difficult time truly expressing his feelings in words—it’s why he was so good at writing. 

“I understand what he’s doing, not sure exactly why other than your generic superhero answer,” Mike started, meeting Will’s eye, “but I think he’s doing some good for this place. I mean, I experienced it firsthand last night. I don’t understand why someone would put their life on the line for strangers, but if he wasn’t there last night… I don’t know what would’ve happened. I think it made me understand the why part of it better.”

Mike turned the computer so Will could see the screen. The tab was open on a document with five pages, formatted to fit a newspaper. There was an enlarged image of Spider-Man swinging through the sky, the sun framed perfectly behind him. The headline?

Spider-Man: New York’s Friendly-Neighborhood Hero

The text delved into a description of Spider-Man’s personality and suit, and what you’d find him doing on a day-to-day basis. He included eye-witness accounts from the people Spider-Man has saved. What each one had in common was the aversion of tragedy thanks to a spandex-clad superhero. Will couldn’t read the full draft in time before Mike turned his computer back, but Will would definitely be buying the paper when it printed.

“He’s making the city better. He’s giving the people a reason to come together, to have community now more so than ever, especially with all this new alien tech going around. The people feel safe with him here and a lot of family-owned businesses are even making Spider-Man themed items to show their appreciation. He’s a hero. A true hero. I can say that for sure.”

Will smiled, but refrained from celebrating in turning Mike’s opinion. He seemed so standoffish to Spider-Man the night before, but now he was acting akin to a fanboy. Will wasn’t complaining, though. To his dismay, he held Mike’s opinion to a high standard about a lot of things—mainly things that Will liked, too. Will was nervous to learn what Mike thought of the masked hero, since they hadn’t had a lot of time to sit down and chat like they could at the coffee shop. Learning that Mike liked him, approved of him, made his chest warm and heart happy. 

Then, it hit him.

“Wait, did you say alien tech? What are you talking about?” Will asked, slightly panicked. He hadn’t heard about any alien tech going around. Sure, the alien invasion that happened in 2012 happened but he thought the Avengers helped clean up the city and dispose of anything dangerous leftover. 

Mike scratched his cheek, shaking his head. “N-nothing. Nothing bad, I promise.”

Will raised an incredulous brow. “Really? Alien tech being passed around in the streets is nothing?”

“Okay, it’s kinda bad, but the police are trying to cover it up and failing. How else are you supposed to explain a giant laser cutting through a bodega? And I know it’s not my section of the paper to write about, but I think I found something the other day walking home.”

Oh, God. Mike was getting into insanely dangerous territory. Curse his curious reporting nature—he had to know anything and everything regarding a topic before being able to write about it. How was Will going to keep Mike away from doing his job and keep him safe? Mike wouldn’t give up this topic so easily, especially if he found a source or something equivalent to it. 

Mike pulled out his phone and showed Will a picture. Another dark alley, one Will didn’t recognize. Two figures stood in the far end of the alley. One of the figures held something out between them, something metal and shaped like a weapon, glowing light blue. It was shady as hell and Will was positive that whatever weapon that was, it wasn’t supposed to exist.  At least, not in the hands of the common man. It seemed something the Avengers would have with all of their advanced tech. 

“I couldn’t hear anything they were saying, but look at that. It looks like a gun, does it not?” Mike said, gesturing at the weapon. 

“How did you find this?” Will asked, swallowing down the demands that wanted to come out. Demands for Mike to stop looking into it, to keep his eye on Spider-Man instead like his boss wanted him to. Yes, Will was a hypocrite through and through. 

“I have real bad luck walking home.”

That, you do…

Will internally sighed. Now, he’d have to trail behind Mike when he walks home. Will knew from reading dozens of comics and studying the Avengers how easy it can be for someone to get hurt from simply poking their nose somewhere it doesn’t belong. Mike was pushing it already, and Will feared the bubble would burst if he wasn’t there to help. He couldn’t bear to see his dearest friend hurt again knowing he could’ve done something to prevent it. 

“Will, I’m not going out looking for trouble, I promise. I have insanely bad luck, you know this. I’m careful on my way home. But if there’s something I can do to help stop these weapons from getting around, I have to do it. Nothing good comes out of deals like this,” Mike said. 

Will snickered. “You sound a lot like a hero right now. Big talk. You’re contradicting yourself.”

“What?”

“You say you don’t understand why Spider-Man or the Avengers do what they do, but you do understand. What you just said proved it. A hero does what they think is right to stop the spread of evil.” Will waited, watching as Mike’s eyes filled with realization. “You’re not so different from them in terms of mindset. You’ve always had the heart of a hero.”

Mike leaned back in the booth, his drink forgotten. “Shit.”

“Yeah. Just promise me something, please?”

“Hm?”

Will’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. Mike’s eyes followed his movement. “Promise me you won’t go looking for answers. Let the police handle the alien tech Focus on the stuff that’s not going to get you killed.”

He saw the subtle conflict in the way Mike tapped his pointer finger against the inside of his elbow. He was seriously considering going back out there for answers, and Will had a sinking feeling in his gut that no matter what Will said, he’d be on the street again poking his nose in other people’s business. They were so much alike in that way; Will with Spider-Man (though Mike didn’t know) and Mike with dangerous journalism. Will understood to a certain degree what Mike was going for, but the people could wait. He just didn’t want to lose his best friend. 

“Okay,” Mike whispered. He nodded firmly. “I won’t go out again. Not for that.”

“Good,” Will replied. A giant weight lifted off his chest and he finally felt like he could breathe. 

“Have you ever encountered Spider-Man?” Mike questioned suddenly, leaning forward with an inquisitive gaze. It made all kinds of emotions swirl in Will’s chest, but the nature of the question had him nervous. It felt like a trap. Mike was good at questioning that way. If Will said yes, he’d ask all sorts of details that Will didn’t have because technically, he hadn’t. But if Will said no, he feared he’d be subject to Mike’s scrutinizing brow that screamed “I don’t believe you.”

“Uh, luckily, no. I’ve only seen him swing around sometimes,” Will responded. 

He’d found it increasingly difficult to read Mike when he was in journalism-mode. It was something about the way he masked his emotions in favor of asking questions, in pursuit of the truth. He made it difficult to read his eyes and tap into their telepathic language they’ve developed since they were kids. It was a great skill to have for people who didn’t know Mike. Now, Will found it… intriguing. Mike didn’t really put on a journalistic front when talking to him. Why now? Probably to get more material for his paper. 

“Since you’ve already asked me, it’s only fair I ask you. What do you think of Spider-Man?” Mike questioned. His eyebrows were lowered, focused. His right hand held a black pen above a notepad. 

Will swallowed thickly. His heart hammered in his chest, not in the way it usually did whenever Mike looked at him, and it made him even more nervous. It was Mike for Christ’s sake. He wasn’t going to skin him alive for having an opinion. They talked things out. Always.

“Same as you, really. I like how much positivity he’s bringing to the people of the city.”

As he spoke, Mike jotted down notes, but he never looked away from Will. Will gripped his cup, though he couldn’t tell if it was because of his spider powers or his clammy palms that the cup stuck to him. 

“I think it’s had a positive effect on the people and their happiness. People love him. And he’s humble about it, from what I’ve heard, which is always a good quality. I appreciate his dedication to making the streets safer.”

“And what about his identity? Do you think it’d be a good thing if he took off the mask?”

“N-no. I don’t think it’d be a good idea.”

Mike raised a brow, his pen stilling. “Why not? People want to know who to thank for saving their loved ones day by day. Don’t you think they should be able to do that?”

“Well, they are. They’re thanking Spider-Man. His identity is irrelevant. What he does matters most. Plus, don’t you think it’d be bad for his identity to be known? Like, think about his family and friends. He’s human, too,” Will explained shakily. Internally, his brain was on overdrive. He couldn’t think properly. Thoughts jumbled and mixed and melted into goop. 

Mike sat silent, chewing on his lip. A habit he’d conceived in middle school when the bullying got worse. He never really grew out of it, like how Will never grew out of picking at his cuticles when he got nervous. Will definitely didn’t stare at the slight show of teeth, or the way his skin broke under his own command. The room felt hot all of a sudden, or maybe it was just him. It certainly wasn’t his cup, which was cold.

Mike scribbled something on his notepad. “Good point, Will. Not a lot of people think about it that way. Spider-Man is human, too.”

“You gonna credit me for that line?” 

“Of course not.” 

Will rolled his eyes as Mike flashed him a smile worthy of a million dollars. It wasn’t cocky, per se, but joking and happy knowing he could provoke a reaction out of Will with ease. Fire burned under Will’s skin, and he didn’t know how he managed to live like this for so long. Death by being stared at by Mike Wheeler didn’t seem like that bad of an option. 

Mike’s phone rang on the table. He rolled his eyes with a huff as he glanced at the contact. “Sorry, Will, gotta take this.”

“You’re good.”

“Hello?” Mike said, raising the phone to his ear.

See, Will didn’t want to eavesdrop. Truly, he didn’t, but his super-hearing had other plans, even going as far as to tuning out everything around them to focus on the receiving end. 

“Mike, we’ve got more eyewitness accounts on Spider-Man from an apartment fire this morning. Think you could come in for a few hours?”

“I mean… I’m already coming in today in, like, two hours.”

“Oh… you are?”

“Yeah.”

Will covered his mouth with his hand. Mike had ranted to Will a lot over the past few weeks about his boss, who was super nice and chill, but once he caught wind of a new lead, it was like a shark detecting blood in the water. You wouldn’t be able to shake him off your trail for a while. 

“Well, would you mind coming in early? Brenda’s going out to get pictures but I need you for interviews.”

“Can’t you do them?”

“It’s not my assignment, Mike.”

“I’m busy!” Mike replied earnestly. It reminded Will of a child begging his mother for just a few more minutes of play time on the Xbox. 

“Sorry. I need you in right now. You’ll be compensated for it, as always.”

“Make it a fifty dollar gift card to Bellini’s pizza and you’ve got a deal.”

“Twenty-five.”

“Thirty-five.”

“Ugh, fine, thirty. Take it or leave it.”

Mike sighed. “Fine. I’ll be there in a bit.”

“You’re a lifesaver! Oh, and could you finish your article by the end of the day? That apartment fire got some traction! Tomorrow morning’s headline will make us some cash.”

“Sure, sure, yeah. Whatever you need,” Mike said with an eyeroll. 

“See you in a bit.”

Mike hung up, letting his phone drop on the table. He ran his hand through his hair and looked at Will with an apologetic smile. 

“Sorry, gotta run. Maybe we could hang out later when I get off?” he suggested.

“What time would that be?”

“Around eight or nine. Depends. Might be later.” Mike started packing his stuff, being careful with his laptop. “I mean, you don’t have to—”

“Just send me a text when you’re on the way back. I’ll see if I can.”

“Okay.” Mike slid out from the booth and shrugged his backpack on. “What’re you gonna do for the rest of the day?”

“Oh, uh… I dunno. Probably paint. Maybe hang out with Jane for a little bit. I feel like I haven’t seen her in a bit—she’s been busy,” Will shrugged. “I dunno. I’ll find something to do.”

“Something” meaning going on patrol and making sure Mike made it home safe at the end of the night.

“Alright, be careful getting back to school,” Mike said, sending a warm smile his way along with a lingering hand on his shoulder that squeezed. “See ya.”

“S-see ya.”

He watched Mike leave the coffee shop, the spot where Mike’s hand was still warm. Will’s face flushed, his mind wandering to imagine what it would be like if Mike’s hands rested on his face or waist—

Nope. Nope, don’t go there. It was no secret to Dustin or Lucas that Will had been in love with Mike for years, but Mike couldn’t have been in love with him. There was no way. Mike liked girls, like a lot of normal men did. Will was lucky his friends were so accepting of him and still even loved him after he told them of his sexuality, but Mike wasn’t like him. He never would be.

Maybe that was him just being pessimistic, but sue him. Ted Wheeler was the epitome of suburban white dad with traditional beliefs. Mike was an outcast, sure, but he also had a man who voted for Regan in his household and telling him how to be a man. He knew how those beliefs influenced Mike growing up, often leading to a bit of sexism that luckily Max beat out of him.

Bottom line: Mike wasn’t like him and Will needed to get over it. But how could he when Mike made it so difficult to move on? It was so easy to love him that the thought of getting over him seemed impossible. 

Will drank the rest of his coffee and left, his chest light and spirits high. 

Only to hear sirens in the distance. Well, hanging out with Jane would have to wait. 

“How’d your coffee date go?”

“It wasn’t a date, Dustin.”

“It was you and Mike, alone, one denying his feelings and the other well aware of them. I’m pretty sure under any other circumstances, it wouldn’t have been a date.”

Will rolled his eyes, walking just a bit farther on the rooftops behind Mike. He ended up not hanging out with Jane at all, which he felt immensely guilty for, but the mask was calling him. That, and the sirens blasting through the city. Mike texted him near 8pm that he would be back at the dorms in around an hour, and Will took it as his cue to make his way over to their usual route. 

“Exactly. It would’ve been a date if he liked me, but he doesn’t.”

A long sigh from the other end of the phone. 

“Will, if only I could give you my eyes for a day to let you see just how wrong you are. How many times am I gonna have to tell you for it to get through your skull that Mike is totally obsessed with you? Do I need to list off some examples?”

Mike turned the corner, and Will made sure he spoke quietly to not draw attention to himself. He followed the raven-haired boy down the street, listening carefully to their surroundings for any danger. 

“No—”

“He keeps every drawing you’ve ever given him in a binder on his desk so he can look at them for inspiration,” Dustin started. Will could picture him raising a finger for every point. “He literally can’t stop talking about you to me and Lucas. He always stands beside you and no one else, and he always makes sure you sit directly beside him on movie nights, and he never lets you carry anything. That’s literal princess treatment, Byers. I’m gobsmacked that you’re so blind to it.”

“He’s just being a good friend, man. We’ve been best friends forever. He’s just being nice,” Will deflected, jumping as an alley cat knocked over a trash can.

“Oh my God, not this again. Will, I love you, man, but Mike is head over heels for you. Just think about it. He gets so jealous when he realizes you’ve been spending your time with someone else. He’s… like, I dunno, greedy about you.”

“Greedy…” Will said slowly. 

“Yeah, man! One of these days I’m gonna lock you two in a closet and make you get your heads out of your asses—”

“I’d rather not be locked back in there, thank you.” Will jumped across a larger alley gap. They were nearing the halfway point between Mike’s work and the dorms. He was growing tired of all the talk about his nonexistent love life and the ache that overtook his chest thinking about it too long. “How about your lunch date with Jane? I’m sure I’ll hear about it from her, but where’d you guys go?”

“Oh, she picked out this lovely pizza place by the convenience store on 5th. Service was okay, but the pizza… Will, it was sent from the gates above, I tell you. I don’t know what they make it with but holy shit it’s good enough to make my mouth water just talking about it.”

Below, Mike stopped, staring across the street at an alleyway. Will stopped and watched, barely listening to Dustin’s recount of his day. He watched Mike glance both ways before crossing the street in a low run, hand reaching for his phone in his pocket. Will stepped back, jumping across the street. He, luckily, landed silently on the roof and peeked over the edge. Mike had that look on his face again—the same one he had in the coffee shop.

He was investigating. That was enough to know that danger would be nearby.

Will watched him bring his phone camera to record something in the alley. Will reluctantly moved from his position above Mike to the adjacent end of the roof, glancing into the dark alley. Maybe he should ask Dustin to invest in night vision. Still, he squinted to try and pierce through the darkness coating the alley. 

In the darkness, he spotted two hooded figures. He strained his ears to hear. 

“...all in there? Everything?” a gruff, low voice.

“Of course, I’m no scammer,” responded another voice, thick with an accent Will couldn’t place and the ruggedness of someone who smoked. “Four thousand.”

He watched the figure closest to him huff before digging into the black bag hanging on his hip and producing a nice wad of cash. The other man chuckled lowly and took the cash, counting immediately. 

“You gonna count the whole damn stack? You don’t trust me that much?”

“Business is business, man. Gotta count my profit.”

“Well if you’re countin’ that, you wouldn’t mind if I look at the merchandise, would ya? You know, to make sure I”m gettin’ my profit?”

“Knock yourself dead.”

Will watched the man open a duffel bag on the ground. A multicolored glow illuminated the alley. Will quickly hung up on Dustin and opened his camera app, snapping a few pics of the weapons the man examined before putting his phone away. Maybe Dustin would have some insight as to how the weapons were made, or what they’re made of. Then again, Dustin wasn’t a weapon guy but a gadget guy. He might not know anything at all.

“...eight nine ten. Alright. Looks like we’ve got a deal,” the business man said, stuffing the cash in his hoodie pocket. “Pleasure doin’ business with ya.”

The man started towards the street before stopping, noticing the little box with an odd case pointed right at him. “Wait a minute. Did you set me up?”

“Set you up? Why the hell would I?” the other man asked incredulously, stuffing the weapons away. 

Will’s heart raced as he crouched and ran to the other side of the roof. He caught a glimpse of Mike quickly retracting his hand and stopping his recording, stuffing his phone in his pocket. 

Shit! Will thought. Just play it cool, Mike.

Mike quickly glanced around and decided to slowly walk back the way he came. The two men emerged from the alley and immediately set their sights on Mike, seeing as he was the only person on the street.

“Hey!” the business man shouted.

Just keep walking, Mike, don’t turn around—and he turned around. Great.

Mike faced the men with blatant confusion. “Uh, hey?”

“Where you walkin’ to this late, kid?” the man with the weapons asked. He, thankfully, didn’t have any brandished in his hand or anything, though Will didn’t doubt he had a fast trigger finger. 

“H-home?” Mike said. Sometimes Will wondered if Mike could’ve been an actor. He was sometimes so bad at lying that Will thought he was, and it just made things even more confusing. Right now, his truth-telling was doing the opposite effect. It just made the two men more suspicious.

“Yeah right, you was spying on us, weren’t you?” business man said, stalking forward with an accusing finger. “I saw a phone whip back around the corner. The only other person here is you. Who do you work for?”

“I-I work for no one,” Mike tried. Will could hear his heartbeat racing with sudden fight or flight adrenaline kicking in. He watched Mike’s hands shake by his sides. “Really, I’m just trying to get home.”

“He’s a goddamn liar. He’s probably working with the feds,” weapon guy said, wasting no time before reaching into his duffel bag to grab a silver and blue pistol. Will didn’t like the humming sound radiating from it.

Mike quickly raised his hands, eyes going wide. “Jesus Christ, man, I-I don’t work with the cops! I’m too young for that shit!”

“Then what are you?” 

Will dove in before Mike could spew out an answer, knocking out the business man with a heavy kick to the head since he was closest to Mike. Then, the weapon locked on to him. 

“Don’t you guys know that doing deals in shady alleyways are, like, beacons to get my attention?” Will quipped, standing with his hands on his hips like a disappointed father. “Or did you want to get my attention? If so, I’m all ears.”

“Spider-Man. Shit,” the weapon guy whispered. Up close, Will could see a black bandana covering the lower half of his face. His eyes were green, skin pale, and from the slight strands he could see, brown hair. His skin was slightly wrinkled with age. His eyes flickered from his dealer to Will. “Always stickin’ his nose where it don’t belong.”

“Actually, this is my city. I’m exactly where I belong.”

“Such a nuisance.”

Will barely had time to turn to Mike and say, “sorry about this,” before snaking his arm around Mike’s middle and jumping. He barely missed a bright blue blast shooting by where they just stood. Mike yelped in his ear, his hands scrambling to grip Will’s shoulders to stabilize himself. Will tried not to think about it too much as he landed on a nearby rooftop, letting Mike go. Mike’s touch left fire on his skin and tingles in his stomach.

“Duty calls!” Will said as he swung back into battle. 

The weapon man had made a run for it, but didn’t get too far. Will webbed him to a parked car, watching the duffel bag slip from his grip. Will stalked up, kicking the bag so the man couldn’t reach it no matter how hard he struggled. 

“Ah ah ah, didn’t your mom ever teach you it’s not nice to run away from your guests?” he said. Will crouched as the man grunted, struggling against his web-binds, to open the duffel bag. The hairs on his body raised with the amount of energy pulsing from the bag. “Woah, these are…”

“Didn’t your mom ever teach you it’s not nice to snoop?” the man spat. 

“Well, yeah, but these are some real fancy toys you’ve got here. Mind telling me where they came from?” 

The man scoffed. “As if I’d ever talk to you.”

“You are right now.”

“Not—you know what I mean!”

“How about I take this—” Will grabbed the duffel bag “—and put it somewhere safe, and call our lovely friends at the NYPD to come and pick you up. I hear they give out a beautiful bracelet if you ride with them.”

The man struggled harder against the webs, shouting in frustration. Will webbed the duffel bag to the front of the car and left a note before calling it in. He shot a few more webs onto the man for good measure before swinging back to the rooftop he left Mike on only to find it empty. Will’s heart dropped, mouth opening to call his name before he bit his tongue. Mike never gave him his name in their last encounter. Saying his name would be outing himself to the one person he couldn’t allow to know.

“Hello?” Will called instead. “Uhh, random citizen?”

Mike emerged from behind the rooftop access area. “I was wondering if you were going to come back. Can’t find a way down and the roof access is locked.”

“Of course I’d come back!” Will replied with a bit too much energy behind it. “Can’t leave someone up here, not when it’s supposed to get pretty cold tonight. Let’s get you back on the road.”

Mike didn’t protest when Will wrapped his arm back around his waist and jumped off the roof, letting Mike slowly touch his feet to the ground again. Will took to crouching on top of the streetlamp above as Mike followed his movements intently.

“You sure like getting into trouble, don’t you?” Will said, though the words left a bitter taste in his mouth. “That’s two nights in a row I’ve swung in to save you from a bad time. That’s a new record.”

Will watched Mike shift his weight from foot to foot, an embarrassed flush overtaking his cheeks. He shouldn’t have been having so much fun prodding Mike—teasing him—but the sight of him so sheepish made the words easier to say. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you like me.”

That sprung Mike back to life.

“Who said I liked you?” he bit back. “You just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Almost creepily so. The better question is: are you stalking me?”

“Stalking you? You really think I got time for that?”

“It would explain how you showed up so fast.”

“You ever think it’s because this is my neighborhood? You know, the one I like to keep safe?”

Mike scoffed and started walking again. “Well, now I’m going to be uber late to hanging out with my best friend, no thanks to you.”

Will jumped to the other streetlamp just up ahead, warmth blooming in his chest. Mike was thinking about getting home to hang out with him even after all of that?

“Well, it’s not my fault you went poking into a covert weapon deal and got caught. Should’ve thought about that if hanging out with your friend is more important.”

“It’s extremely important, but so is this.” Mike stopped, glancing up at him, squinting against the light. “You do know about all the weapons, right?”

Weapons? As in plural? Will figured there would be more than one alien weapon, but the way Mike said it made it seem as if there were multiple. Maybe even dozens. He thought back to the duffel bag. There had to be at least four or five weapons in that bag alone. How many other deals were going on at that very second? How many of those weapons were being used somehow?

“What kind of weapons?” Will questioned.

Mike continued walking, trusting that Will would follow. “High tech stuff just hit the market. From what I know, the police want it under wraps to not cause panic, but the people deserve to know. Who knows what kind of damage those things can do?”

“So you’re documenting evidence.”

“To publish. The people have a right to know what dangers lurk on the streets. Not everyone can be saved by Spider-Man, you know.”

“Don’t I know it,” Will muttered, though he saw Mike’s gaze flick up for a split second. “Which means you need to be more careful.”

“What are you, my mother?”

“I’m a concerned friend.”

Mike turned the corner, heading past a closed bodega. The smell of deli meat was pungent. “No, you’re not my friend.”

“I’ve saved your life two times now. I think that means we’re friends.”

“You must not know what a parasocial relationship is, then.”

Will laughed. “You’re kinda funny when you’re not being mean.”

“And your jokes are corny.”

“Wow, where have I heard that before?”

Mike sent him a disapproving glare. If Will didn’t know Mike past their initial two meetings as Spider-Man and civilian, he wouldn’t have known about the subtle enjoyment in his expression—where his muscles around his lips twitched to try and hide an oncoming smile. He was enjoying this as much as Will was enjoying teasing him. 

“You said you’re collecting evidence to publish. You’re a reporter,” Will deduced as if he wasn’t already well aware. 

“Nice work, detective,” Mike replied sarcastically. “Daily Bugle. Technically an intern, not a reporter.”

“But you do get credit for all of this, right? Your name gets slapped on the paper?”

“Hopefully on this next one.”

“About the weapons?”

Will grinned under the mask seeing Mike rub the back of his neck like he did whenever he was nervous about talking about something. 

“Uhh, no actually. I mean, it’s related to the weapons but not too much.”

Will jumped to the next streetlamp. His shadow danced on the street. “So what’s it really about?”

Mike was silent for a moment, moving to scratch the back of his head. “You…” he mumbled. If Will didn’t have enhancements, it would’ve been carried by the wind.

“Me? It’s about me? Ooohhhhh, now I see why you’re so keen on getting into trouble,” Will drawled. 

Mike flushed and upped his pace. “Just because I’m here for you doesn’t mean I want to talk to you.”

“What? But you’re writing about me! You have to get my perspective, right?” Will asked. He hopped to the ground, slightly startling Mike as they continued to walk.  

“No, it’s about how you’re doing good for the city. I don’t need a word from you to write that in the paper. The people you’ve saved have said enough for me to write a novella.”

“Oh…” 

“What, you don’t think about that?” Mike asked, voice lowering to something sober. Curious. He eyed Will with a sudden softness. He’d finally dropped the barrier he constructed. “About the people you save?”

“No, I do. I think about them every day. How can I not? I do this for them, for anyone who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and needs help. All I want to do is help,” Will admitted. “That’s all I’ve ever tried to do.”

“Is that enough for you at the end of the day?”

Will took a deep breath. The night was becoming slightly overcast with a light breeze blowing through. It made him question whether walking Mike home every night was better than ensuring other people were safe. Of course, he’d always worry about Mike and the rest of the Party whenever they were out and about late at night, but what about the people he wasn’t close to that needed his help? Realistically, he should’ve let Mike go on his way and call him on the swing back to the dorm to make sure he made it safe and run to save other people. Instead, he had to be greedy in his love for Mike. He couldn’t help but talk to him outside the mask and (now) inside the mask. 

“Yeah, it is. Most days,” Will said. He kicked a pebble and watched it roll into the street. “Other days… I can hear them. People screaming for help and not getting any. Do you know what that feels like—to know there’s someone out there who needs your help and not being able to run to them? It’s…”

“Agonizing.”

Will glanced over, surprised, to find a regretful look on Mike’s face. Thoughtful, but regretful. He had a feeling he knew exactly what Mike was thinking about. Mike never talked about Will’s abduction unless Will did, like he needed permission to talk about something that happened. He always let Will talk about how he was feeling, but Will never got to ask how Mike was holding up without something bringing their attention away from the topic. From what he heard from Dustin later, though, Will’s abduction nearly drove Mike crazy.

Dustin had told him one night, a few years after the kidnapping, when Mike was fast asleep mere feet over at their annual Saturday sleepovers, how Mike went crazy. How he shouted at his parents, who seemed to not care at all, that he was the only one who cared about Will. How Mike took Lucas and Dustin out into the woods to look for him, where they eventually found Jane lurking around instead. How Mike recognized his breathing from a radio when the others thought it was a baby monitor. If that’s not dedication, Will doesn’t know what is. 

But Mike never talked about how he felt to Will, possibly to save him from what he would call a “burden.” It didn’t make sense because Mike knew that Will didn’t consider anything he talked about or felt a burden. Mike knew since they were kids that Will loved hearing Mike talk—mostly because it filled silence Will couldn’t fill himself. Especially after the kidnapping. 

“Yeah,” Will breathed, “agonizing. Knowing you can do something… it’s a blessing and a curse.”

“Don’t I know it,” Mike said. He slowed his pace just as he did last time. Extending the length of their discussion. He glanced at Will before quickly averting his eyes. “My best friend, the one who’s gonna kill me for being late by the way, had a uh… he went missing when we were kids. It was only for a week but… to me, it felt like an eternity.”

“Oh… I’m sorry that happened.”

“Not your fault some sicko took him. But that entire time he was missing, all I could think about was how the police were just… they were being stupid! I mean they were interested in finding Will, obviously, because a missing kid makes a town go into an uproar, but it just felt like no one cared at all but me. No one was searching as hard as I was, no one knew Will better than me, except maybe his mom.”

Will swallowed his racing heartbeat. “Seems like you and Will are close.”

“We’ve been best friends since kindergarten.” The smile that Mike finally allowed was soft, full of affection. Will had seen it countless times directed at himself and the Party. “When he was kidnapped, it was like my world stopped. I spent every waking moment wondering where he was. Every minute that passed felt like years and I couldn’t stand the fact that no one else was outwardly worried like I was. I felt like I could help, you know? Some kids pay attention more than adults, and I knew something was up with the case, but no one believed me.”

“That must’ve been frustrating.”

“I wanted to punch something until my hand broke. It just felt like nobody was taking it seriously like I was. It was serious, but—”

“To a kid, the adults weren’t doing anything.”

“Exactly. Our police chief did find him eventually, and I was thankful, but I felt…” Mike stopped, looking up. The campus entrance was just across the street. “It’s selfish of me to wish it should’ve been me that found him, right? Like it’s bad because I was a kid and there wasn’t much I could’ve done to help, but at the same time, I knew Will. I should’ve been there for him and I wasn’t.”

Will didn’t know what to say, frankly. At least Mike was opening up to him, even though in Mike’s eye, it was a stranger under the mask. On the other hand, he didn’t know how to respond to that kind of confession. Will didn’t think it was selfish. If it were Mike who had been taken, Will would’ve done the exact same things and made a fuss about it until kingdom come. Will knew he would feel the same, too. 

“You’re here for him now. That’s all that matters,” Will settled on saying, facing Mike, whose shoulders slumped. “You’ve probably made up for the lost time by now. I’m sure he appreciates it, too. You sound like a great friend…?”

Mike opened his mouth before shifting on his feet. “Uh, Mike. Mike.”

“Mike.” 

Just saying his name with the mask on made his fingers tremble nervously. If Mike could recognize his breathing, he would surely recognize his voice. He was surprised Mike hadn’t brought it up at coffee, or at least said something about how Spider-Man seems familiar. Will didn’t feel like he was doing a good job at separating himself from the mask. 

Mike’s shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath, eyes wide but locked onto him, awaiting his next word.

“You sound like you’ve got a good thing going. Don’t forget that Will probably feels the same way, too. And stay out of trouble for his sake. I don’t think he’d like me if he knew his best friend got hurt because he went looking for me and got in trouble.”

“I think he’ll like you regardless,” Mike countered. “You basically have the same morals as him, and he loves heroes.”

“Well, why don’t you go tell him all about your wonderful walk home with said superhero, and tell him you’re sorry for making yourself late.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. Whatever,” he said before taking another long, calm glance at Spider-Man. “Hopefully don’t see you later, Spider-Man.”

“Don’t make me walk you home again!” Will said as he swung away. As always, he made sure to make a grand gesture of swinging far away before carefully circling back around. He made it back to the dorm in record time, climbing through his window and shutting the blinds as he took off the mask.

“Shit,” he cursed, hearing the elevator slowly making its way to their floor. 

Will quickly stripped out of the suit and shoved it in the box he kept above his dresser just as he heard the ding down the hall. He changed into pajamas and turned on his TV just as a knock sounded at his door. Will took a glance in his bathroom mirror, adjusting his hair to look less chaotic before answering the door. 

“Will, you’re not going to believe the night I’ve had,” Mike said as he walked into the room without invitation. He flopped into Will’s desk chair and picked up the TV remote, going to the National Geographic channel to put some sort of environmental video on in the background. 

Will shut his door and sat on his bed, legs crossed. “Okay,” he laughed slowly. “What happened?”

Mike swiveled in the chair with glowing eyes—the kind he gets when he has something exciting to talk about. “So I finished the paper on Spider-Man and turned it in, and when I was walking home I kinda maybe stumbled across a weapons deal.”

Will made a show of sighing dramatically. “Mike, don’t tell me—”

“I had to, Will! I had to get evidence! No one else is covering this right now, and people need to know!” Mike protested. He scooted to sit right beside Will, his hand dangerously close to Will’s leg. “And of course, you know my luck—”

“Of course—”

“And I just so happened to be spotted.”

“Mike!”

“Wait, before you say anything, Spider-Man showed up again to save the day doing all those flips and stuff.”

Will imagined this scenario, except he added the variable of Mike knowing of his alter-ego. Will would’ve been happy to bring up the fact that Mike shouted in his ear when he lifted him off the ground. He could imagine the embarrassment crawling up Mike’s neck.

“—took out the bad guys and came back to get me home. So yeah, I’ve been walked home by Spider-Man for the last two nights,” Mike finished with a twinge of awe.

“Sounds to me like you’re liking the company, otherwise why be so stupid as to catch the attention of criminals?” Will said.

Mike groaned. “Come on, Will! You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“I am, but dude, you can’t put yourself in danger for your internship. It’s not worth it.”

“People have the right to know these things, Will. They have to know about the danger lurking in the shadows. Who else is gonna get that information?” 

“I-I dunno. Maybe your friendly-neighborhood web-slinger can do some recon? Just not you.”

Mike sighed, tapping the mattress with his finger. “Sorry to worry you like that. I just thought you’d find it interesting.”

“That you made buddies with a superhero?” Will said incredulously, as if he weren’t partially to blame. But then again, it was Mike’s fault for getting into trouble. If he didn’t, Spider-Man and Mike Wheeler would’ve remained unaware of what it was like to converse with one another, and found that he actually wasn’t missing that kind of thrill in his life. Will definitely wasn’t trying to chase the feeling of his heart beating out of his chest. “It’s dangerous, Mike. You could end up on some criminal’s watch list or something! They’ll think you’re close to him and try and use you to get to him.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. The whole hero thing.” Mike leaned forward, resting his chin on his arms which rested on the edge of the bed. His bangs were getting long enough to brush his eyelashes. “I’m trying to be careful, Will.”

“You promised me you wouldn’t do anything stupid, and look what you go do not even seven hours later!” Will argued.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I… from now on, I won’t go looking for answers anymore. Not if it worries you so much,” Mike pledged, eyes serious and locked onto him. “I promise, Will.”

“Don’t break this one. Please.”

“I won’t.”

Will nodded. His dark room filled with blue light as the TV showed a coral reef. “Okay, now that that’s out of the way, what did you want to do?”

“I was actually hoping you’d look over the campaign—”

As Mike rambled about their upcoming campaign, Will found himself thankful that the spider bit him. As long as he could keep everyone he loved safe at the end of the day, that was all he could ask for. 

Before Will knew it, Saturday was upon him, and he was swinging to a general store a few blocks from campus to pick up chips. He walked in casually, earning a few surprised and unsurprised looks from the patrons and cashier alike. He browsed the chip aisle before shrugging and picking generic potato chips, making sure to grab a bag of Funyuns for Max.

“Bit of nighttime grub, Spider-Man?” the cashier asked good-naturedly as Will walked up to the counter. 

“You could say that.”

“Ten eighty seven, man.”

Will handed over eleven dollars and pocketed his wallet. “I don’t need change, thank you.”

“Uh wait—” the cashier said. “I just… I got a question.”

Will wouldn’t be late to movie night. He had a bit of time. “Sure.”

The man couldn’t be older than twenty-five, with stubble growing on his jaw. Will frowned seeing the skittishness in his eyes. 

“Somethin’s going on, man. I dunno what, but it’s nothin’ good. At least around here, I thought it’d be safe, but I been seein’ things late in the night. The other night, I was just walkin’ home and somethin’ shot out in front of me,” the man recounted with a shudder. 

“Something shot at you?” Will said seriously, leaning forward. “Like a bullet or…?”

“Nah, man, not a bullet. Like a light just—” the man made a woosh sound and used his hand to express how fast the light was “—and hit a buildin’ and man, you would’ve thought a bomb went off. Bricks flew, a big flash of light, and the corner of the buildin’ was on fire. Just… do you know anythin’ about it?”

Will opened his mouth to respond but sighed. Mike was right. People deserved to know. Every day citizens were going to find out eventually. He couldn’t hold the truth back for long, especially with multiple sightings of these weapons getting out and being used. 

“I-I don’t know much. I just know they exist, and I’m trying my best to learn more about them,” he said. 

“So you really don’t know anything?” the man asked with a tremor in his voice.

“I wish I could say more. Really. Just… try your best to stay safe, okay? I’ll hopefully know more soon, especially since they’re getting popular amongst the criminals.”

“You be careful, too. This city needs you.”

Will swallowed, chest heavy as he nodded in agreement. He exited the store into the cold night, taking off in a swing. His thoughts swirled, the man’s words echoing like a mantra in his head. Will first donned the mask because people needed help—his help, which couldn’t be replicated by the police (no offense). He thought so far, he’s done a good job, but now he thought about how much people depended on Spider-Man. 

He couldn’t be there for everyone at once, and that was something he’d have to accept. For now he needed to be there for the people who cared about him most. 

He made it back to his dorm without trouble, threw the suit in the bathtub for later cleaning, and picked out a simple pair of navy sweatpants and a loose fitting longsleeve t-shirt. Will put on his slippers, made sure his room key sat heavily in his pocket (with the panda keychain Lucas got for him on the keyring), and set off for Lucas’s dorm. 

He knocked on the door. He checked the plastic bag to make sure he had everything one more time before Max opened the door. 

“You got what I wanted?”

“When do I ever forget them?” Will countered, handing over the Funyuns. 

Max grinned as she stepped aside. She immediately dug into the bag of chips and returned to Lucas’s side on the bed. Dustin and Jane sat beside each other on the floor in front of the bed, pillows and blankets spread across their limbs as they giggled at each other. Mike waved at him from the futon pressed under Lucas’s window. 

He looked… what was the word for it? Was divine appropriate? No, that sounded more like when they would dress up for some fancy dinner over a very expensive glass of wine. He looked more… plush. His hair was big, as if he blow dried it, though it curled over his forehead and around his ears. His brown eyes looked deeper and darker in the dim lighting; the TV’s blue light illuminating him and his sharp jaw Will had to resist tracing his fingers over—

Aside from that, he wore a baggy grandpa sweater that hung low around his collarbones. He moved aside a stack of blankets for Will to sit down. Will settled into the spot, heat creeping up his neck when Mike’s knee touched his. 

“What you got, Byers? Lemme see,” Lucas said. He made a grabby motion at the bag.

“What I usually get for us,” he retorted with an eye-roll. 

“So something plain and boring,” Dustin remarked as he tossed an arm around Jane.

“I like plain chips,” Jane said. Her imploring eyes bore into Dustin with a bright smile. 

“Plain chips are cool, y-yeah, I like plain chips, too,” Dustin said.

Will rolled his eyes before Mike’s knee knocked his again, a telltale sign he wanted to say something. What he didn’t expect was looking over to see Mike’s eyes so close that he could see each eyelash. His heart did flips in his chest, like he was jumping off a building. 

“Saved these for you. Don’t tell Dustin,” Mike whispered. 

A light weight was placed in Will’s palm. He glanced down to see a packet of Skittles, his favorite candy. Will smiled bright at Mike, and Mike’s eyes grew bright with mirth. 

“Thank you,” he whispered back.

Mike nodded and leaned back to rest against the futon. “Are we gonna watch this movie or not?”

“It’s not a movie night without popcorn, Michael,” Max said. Will didn’t even see her move to put a few bags of popcorn in the microwave.

“Drop the Michael, it’s archaic.”

“Lucas, why are we watching a musical?” Jane asked. Her eyebrows were lowered seriously and eyes firm. “I thought Max hated musicals.”

“I do,” Max chided.

“A lot of people hate musicals but can agree that Hamilton is an absolute masterpiece in retelling American history through catchy music. Ten bucks you’re gonna be singing The Room Where it Happens by the end of tonight unprompted,” Lucas betted. 

“Make it twenty,” Mike said.

“Will, any bets?” Lucas prompted.

“Nah, I’m good. I know it's amazing.”

“A man of culture, I see.”

Mike rolled his eyes as the popcorn started popping in the microwave. 

“Next movie night, we should watch The Outsiders,” Jane suggested. Will remembered when his mom came home one day with a rental of the film for him and Jane to watch. Jane had loved the book after reading it (upon Will's recommendation) and once she found out about the movie, she was ecstatic. That was one of the best movie nights Will had with his family.

“I second that,” Dustin proclaimed.

“When do you not support everything she says?” Mike said.

“It's called being supportive, Mike. She wants to watch her favorite movie, then we watch.”

Jane's smile was soft and loving as she stared at Dustin, defending her honor though she always found it a bit ridiculous how far he takes it. Will loved seeing her so happy. Her childhood was anything but happy and full of abuse. It took her a while to open up to the Byers family but when she did, it was like the final puzzle piece was found. Mom had always talked about having a baby girl—not that Will and Jonathan weren't enough for her. There was a dreamy look in her eyes whenever she talked about going dress shopping or helping a daughter with makeup for prom.

She got her wish, and it was one of the best things to happen to the Byers family.

Max took the microwaved popcorn bags and distributed one to each of the groups. “Dustin, you better not smack when chewing this time.”

“Oh, you mean like this—”

“Ew, dude, stop!” Lucas exclaimed. Dustin smiled mischievously and turned to look at the boy, exaggerating chewing the popcorn. By his side, Jane laughed heartily.

Will hid a laugh behind his hand as Max snagged the remote from Lucas and started the movie. For the first couple of minutes, Will let Mike eat as much popcorn as he wanted until the thought of the snack was too much to repress. Will braved the storm and reached, his hand brushing Mike's as he grabbed a fist-full of popcorn to toss in his mouth.

Mike, ever observant, turned the bag so he could access it easier before turning back to the movie. As if he didn't just send shockwaves of affection through Will's veins. He was effortless in that endeavor, constantly making Will feel like he was going insane driving himself in circles; questioning those moments that were both explainable but not, that had them teetering the line they've had established for years. It was moments like that where things Lucas and Dustin say just click and make sense—things he desperately wants to believe but knows they couldn't possibly be true.

He's done this before. He's just being the best friend you've known for your whole life.

Truthfully, yes. Mike was always observing him, always asking him with his eyes and verbally if he was alright. He had always prioritized Will over himself, standing up to bullies whenever Will couldn't or comforting him whenever he had a nightmare at a sleepover. Mike has always cared for him in a way that rivaled Joyce Byers, and that was saying something.

Will wondered when he began thinking about Mike's gestures in a different light. Maybe it was after he was kidnapped, and all he wanted to do was stay in Mike's basement instead of his own bedroom. Maybe it had always been there, deep in his heart where he didn't fully understand anything yet. 

Either way, Mike was making it incredibly difficult for Will to focus on the movie.

Will would get invested in the music and drama, and then Mike had to go and do something like lean back against the futon and allow his body to lean into Will. They were tactile friends, sure, but the motion had Will questioning everything. It didn’t help seeing Dustin making suggestive eyebrow raises in his peripheral vision. 

They get to Helpless, and Mike doesn't say anything and instead takes one of the blankets from the pile on the floor and drapes it over their laps. Sharing a blanket with Mike was not on his list of events for the night, and it was enough to send Will's heart into summer salts and make his skin feel hot. 

During Wait For It, he hands Will the popcorn bag and whispers in his ear, “you can have the rest.”

Will nodded, swallowing thickly. The ghost of Mike's breath hitting his skin fresh on his mind seemed inappropriate considering their surroundings. He couldn't help it. Mike was never really this close to Will where he could feel his breath brushing his ear. 

Thankfully, Will made it to the intermission without imploding, and Max paused the film with a stretch.

“Bathroom break,” she said before getting up. 

“Me, too,” Jane said before following behind. 

“So, like, I thought Hamilton and Burr were buddies?” Dustin started.

“They weren't ever really close. They're rivals,” Lucas said.

Before Dustin could talk again, Mike interrupted, “they're both politicians. How are they supposed to be buddies when they're opposing each other?”

“I don't know,” Dustin shrugged. He looked at Will, who was still trying to keep his breathing under control, and grinned. “So, Mike, I heard you were the one responsible for yesterday's headline about Spider-Man.”

Will's eyes widened a fraction before he schooled his expression. He sent a vague glare Dustin's way. Now was not the time to talk about Will's biggest secret, especially not with four other people in the room. It was movie night, not let's talk masked vigilantes night.

“Yeah, so?” Mike replied. His side pressed flush against Will's.

“So, congrats. That's a big deal, and I've been seeing a lot of people on campus actually reading a physical newspaper,” Lucas said. 

“Thanks, I guess.”

“Did you interview Spider-Man?” Dustin asked eagerly with a shit-eating grin. He ignored Will's pointed look. 

“Um… kinda?” 

“Wait wait wait, you met Spider-Man?” Lucas asked. He shoved his arms out, nearly hitting Dustin. “Since when?”

“Since Wednesday,” Mike said nonchalantly.

“You’ve been sitting on this information for three days? What was he like? Where do his webs come from?” 

“Ew, Lucas,” Will chided.

“I’m just saying! Where do they come from?”

Mike raised a hand and shook his head as if trying to shake the image from his mind. “I barely interviewed him. I interviewed the people he saved. But to answer your question, he was… cool. Couldn’t be older than maybe 24. He was very lighthearted and joking, but humble.”

“And….?” Dustin prodded. 

Outside, Will could hear Max and Jane coming back from down the hall. He didn’t even hear them leave the floor. 

“And what? What else is there to say?” 

“Maybe that I saw him walk you home twice?” 

Lucas’s eyes widened comically. “Two times?” he exclaimed.

Will snickered as Mike rolled his eyes.

“It’s not that big of a deal, guys, he does the same thing with other people,” Mike defended.

No, I don’t, Will thought, but decided ultimately it would be a good idea to keep it to himself. 

“I highly doubt that, but go on. What happened to where he walked you home two nights in a row?” Dustin questioned. He pointedly ignored Will’s steaming glare yet again. 

“Well, the first night, like I told you guys, was when I got robbed—”

“You got robbed?” Max asked with her brows raised in disbelief. Her and Jane walked through the door with confused but amused expressions. 

“Yes, get with the program, I’m not repeating it again. Anyway, I got robbed and Spider-Man took care of the criminal and made sure I got back okay. The next night… I was doing some investigation outside of work and was nearly vaporized by an alien gun, but Spider-Man, no pun intended, swung in to save me again. He just… made sure I was safe on my walk back.”

Max and Jane returned to their original seating arrangements, though Max brought her legs under her as she turned to Mike, the movie suddenly forgotten. 

“Sounds like you want him to walk you home. Does Michael have a crush?” Max teased with a bright smile. Mischievous.

Will nearly choked on his drink. He forced it down before turning to Mike, who was suddenly speechless and stuttering out a weak response that had the rest of the Party hogging him even more. Mike, have a crush on a masked vigilante? He wasn’t outright denying it, but defending Spider-Man’s actions to keep a citizen safe. 

Mike has a crush. 

On Spider-Man.

Not Will. 

The realization broke him. Of course Mike liked the more confident, more powerful version of Will that he didn’t know about. He liked a stranger over his own best friend. But did Will even have the right to be upset when he couldn’t even bring himself to talk to Mike about his feelings? Will waited too long to finally have the guts to say three stupid words, and Mike had moved on. 

Had Mike even been in the same position as him in the first place—crushing on his best friend for years? Or was Will delusional?

Either way, Will blinked away the sudden onslaught of tears that threatened to fall and tried, and failed, to ignore the way his heart shattered in his chest. No amount of poker face could cover the expression he wore. Mike, too busy defending Spider-Man’s honor, didn’t notice, but Lucas and Dustin did. Dustin’s expression was concerned and confused, while Lucas’s was just flat out pity. Will didn’t want or need pity when he threw that party for himself every day. 

Spider-Man and Will Byers were starkly different people. Spider-Man was strong, capable, dependable, and had a witty joke on his tongue for any type of encounter. He could jab and flirt without blinking. He was the picture perfect hero with good morals and high morale. Will Byers was quiet, shy, loyal to those close to him. He wasn’t as strong as Spider-Man and never would be. It was why he tried to separate himself from the persona of the mask, but it worked too well, apparently. 

And Mike would never know about Spider-Man’s real identity. 

All Will could do would be to watch in silence as Mike pined after a stranger. 

“It’s not a crush!” Mike protested, though his cheeks were flushed.

“You’re blushing,” Jane pointed out.

“Because I’m embarrassed! I can’t have one normal discussion with you people!”

Lucas kept his eyes on Will, who was currently trying to silently piece himself back together, asking imploringly with his eyes. Are you okay?

Will gave a pathetic smile, and Lucas turned to Mike.

“But he’s a stranger under a mask. You can’t like someone if you don’t really know them. Identity included,” Lucas argued.

It was times like these where Will’s appreciation for Lucas was off the charts. He was genuinely one of the greatest people in the world. 

“Exactly!” Mike said, pointing at Lucas. “I don’t like Spider-Man like that! Just because I wrote an article on him doesn’t mean I’m infatuated with him!”

Max rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Doesn’t sound like it to me.”

“He’s a good source of information on the dangerous stuff running the underground markets right now. If he knows, then the people need to know, too. What if it was you who nearly got obliterated by a laser and not a corner cafe?” Mike asked. He spun to look at Will. “Will, what do you think?”

All eyes found him, and he shrunk under the pressure. He was 100% biased in his feelings for Mike, which wasn’t a secret to the rest of the Party, but to Mike, he was the best friend who was supposed to take his side. Will didn’t want to take his side in this argument for a multitude of reasons.

“I-I don’t…” Will tried, but faltered.

“Please, Will?” Mike pleaded. 

He let out a breath. “Uh, I-I don’t like any of this.”

“Me neither,” Jane said.

Will gazed into Mike’s eyes, finding a fire in them. He was intense in a way that had Will’s heart hammering again, though it was held together by duct tape and a dream.

“I already told you how I felt,” Will whispered in the slim space between them. 

Mike’s eyes, still alight, wandered. They flickered to Will’s ear, the strands of hair that lay across his forehead, the mole by his lips. Searching, but for what? 

“I know, but don’t you agree that what I’m doing is important? Getting that information?” Mike replied, voice low, barely a whisper. 

“Of course it’s important, but like I told you, let Spider-Man handle the dangerous stuff. Stop chasing the danger.”

He could feel the prying eyes of the others on them, sticking like bugs to a trap. The energy in the room shifted. What started as a light-hearted night and friendly conversation led to an argument yet again. Was this going to be a new norm for Will and Mike? If so, he wanted to return it. 

“But who else is going to?” Mike hummed. “I can’t let this go, Will. I know I promised but I can’t. People are going to die.”

“You should drop it. You need to, Mike, because this isn’t good at all. Your intentions are, but…” Will shook his head. The room was suddenly too small, the blanket on his lap (and Mike’s) trapping him. The eyes of his friends peering into a conversation he and Mike had in private was too much. His hearing picked up everyone’s heartbeats, the nervousness of them all witnessing their exchange. “I don’t want to wake up one day and see your face on the news talking about your death.”

“I’m not gonna die—”

“You could! You totally could! You said it yourself five minutes ago you nearly did!”

Will didn’t mean for his voice to rise like that, but he couldn’t help it. The thought of Mike being gone forever was enough to make him crazy. And Mike just… sometimes he didn’t get things right away. He may say he understands what Will is saying, but he doesn’t until later. 

“Well—” Mike started, but Will couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t take seeing Mike so adamant about throwing his life in the line of fire. 

“What if Spider-Man wasn’t there to pull you out of the line of fire? You’d be a pile of ashes blowing across the street and we wouldn’t even know about it! That’s the thing, Mike, you never think!” Will exclaimed. He watched Mike open and close his mouth, searching for something to combat Will, but ultimately came up empty as Will continued. “You’re so concerned about this that you’re not even thinking about us! We’re your friends and we care about you, a-and this is all ridiculous to be arguing about but we’re arguing because we’re trying to get you to understand that Spider-Man walking you home two nights in a row isn’t a good thing.”

“Will,” Mike said in that soft tone he usually uses, but Will didn’t feel anything but frustration.  “I understand what you’re saying—”

“Clearly not! You promised me, and you never break promises,” Will said bitterly. He shied away when Mike’s hand reached out even though it broke his heart even more. He tossed the blanket off his lap and stood, ignoring the four other pairs of eyes on them. “You’re so careless with your own life like you think… you think you’re expendable. You have people who love you, Mike. That’s worth so much more than information.”

Will couldn’t fight the frustrated tears anymore and quickly left Lucas’s dorm despite Mike calling his name. He ran down the hall, digging the key into his door and flinging it open. He made sure to lock it behind him.

Sobs wracked his chest as he slid against the door, his knees hitting his chest. He hates arguing with Mike. He hardly ever does, but when it happens, it’s like a rift forms between them that grows larger every minute they’re apart. They always work quickly to bridge a gap and ensure anything that was awry is set to rest, but Will wasn’t so sure about this. Each breath he took hurt like it hadn’t in a while. 

Mike always had a strong-will when it came to journalism, even to the point where when he made the promise, Will knew he would break it. Mike couldn’t know that because Mike didn’t know he was Spider-Man and oh my god why is everything so complicated now? Why couldn’t Will just… not be chosen by the spider? Why did he have to put the mask on? 

How come Mike didn’t think his life meant something? 

Will thought he was getting into trouble to talk to Spider-Man, at least partially, but it was all for the job. But Mike was often stupid in his endeavor for the truth in a multitude of ways. Will understood the urgent need that possessed him to try and get the info to the public as soon as possible, but it wasn’t worth dying over. Will could follow the leads now that Mike gave him a headstart. He could take the hits and shots. Mike couldn’t.

That was what Mike wouldn’t understand. He wasn’t supposed to know Will’s secret identity, so he couldn’t know that he could just walk down the hall and talk to Will. He wouldn’t know about Will’s enhanced healing factor or his new muscles. Mike would keep putting himself in danger and Will would keep getting frustrated, and Mike’s actions could land him dead in a ditch or worse, in the hands of an enemy. 

Will wiped his face with his sleeve. He couldn’t let Mike get hurt, but he couldn’t tell him about his identity. 

But he couldn’t do this alone. Not anymore.

A knock on the door woke him up. Will rolled over groggily, his ears straining to work in the early morning. By early, he means 9 AM. 

Another set of knocks. Not Dustin and his silly coded knocks. Will sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he made his way to the door. He peeked through the peephole to see Lucas and Max standing outside. Max looked like how Will felt—exhausted.

Will huffed. “This better be good.”

He opened the door just as Lucas raised his fist to knock again. Lucas was already dressed in a long sleeve graphic t-shirt with faded text on it along with a pair of baggy jeans he styled with a big belt. Max’s hair was large, frizzy, untamed, but her state of dress implied Lucas dragged her out of bed with a bit of resistance from her. She still wore a black tank top and shorts he’d seen her wear the night before. Movie night.

“Heeey, Will! How’s my favorite artist?” Lucas started with a bright smile. 

Will’s heart jumped as Lucas tried to enter. Where’s the suit where’s the suit—

You put it away last night after washing it, idiot.

He stepped aside to let the couple in. “Why are you here so early? Don’t you have a 9AM?”

“Professor cancelled today for some reason,” Max said sleepily. She flopped onto his desk chair and slumped, eyes barely open.

Lucas nudged her softly with a certain look in his eyes, but she didn’t budge. He sighed. 

“Look, not that I don’t want to see you, but what’s this about?” Will asked. 

“We’re not allowed to wake you up?” Max said.

“Uh, sure you are, but this doesn’t happen unless something bad or urgent happens. What happened?”

Lucas cleared his throat pointedly. “So, uh… last night—”

Will couldn’t hold back a groan, running his hands down his face. “Last night was—”

“Last night,” he repeated, “you and Mike fought and that almost never happens. We just wanted to come and check on you. We know how difficult it is for you guys when this happens. It’s like the world ends.”

He could say that again, Will thought. Truth be told, waking up, the first thought on his mind was a mix of “who the hell is knocking this early” and the gut-punching realization that he and Mike had a fight the night before. Mike and Will fighting wasn’t completely unheard of but it was rare enough to have Lucas and Max worried about him at nine in the morning. Did Will feel like his world was collapsing around him? Yes, but for plenty of reasons that happened to include the argument that occurred. 

“We don’t like seeing you shut yourself away like that,” Max said. She looked fully awake now that the conversation was flowing. “Mike was annoying about it as always when it comes to you, but we managed to get him to leave you alone for the night. But that’s not why we’re here. We’re here because of what you were arguing about.”

“You knew he encountered Spider-Man two nights in a row, which doesn’t surprise me because of course he’d tell you first,” Lucas started, “but you had a disagreement about his encounter before?”

Will sighed, one hand resting on his hip and the other cradling his head. God, he was tired. “Yeah. Uh… the second night Spider-Man walked him home, he told me all about it. I told him to stop throwing himself into danger for answers and he promised me he’d stop.”

“So he went out again?”

“I-I don’t know. I just had this feeling… you know how he is. He’s not gonna stop until he’s satisfied with the answers he gets.”

“Right, right,” Max said, raising a hand as if trying to subdue a wild animal. Come to think of it, her expression was softer than usual. Will thought it was because she was rudely awoken by Lucas’s need to talk to him, but now he wasn’t so sure. They were onto something, and it sent chills down his arms. “And we know you care about him more than anyone else, but the way you talked about it… it was personal.” 

Will forced himself to remain neutral. It wouldn’t do him any good to reveal his nighttime vigilantism to two more people. Then, the thoughts from the night before came flooding back in, how desperate he was to stop the crumbling of his life around him. They were his best friends in the whole world. They deserved to know, but then he’d picture them dead on the pavement because he wasn’t fast enough to save them from a criminal keen on getting to Spider-Man. 

And the building continued to crumble with him inside.

“Personal…” Will repeated. “I mean, yeah. Mike’s my best friend. I care about him. Why wouldn’t it be personal?”

Lucas jumped into the chaos. “What we mean is that you talked like you knew something we didn’t. Like you knew something even Mike didn’t know. Will, we… we care about you, too. And after taking a night to think about it, you’ve been different lately.”

“Different.”

“Yeah. You’ve had this, like, slump in your posture like the whole world rests on your shoulders. A-and you’ve been really busy outside of school but you don’t have a job, and sometimes I swear I see a bruise on your arm one day and the next it’s gone.”

“Not to mention the elephant in the room,” Max added. “Whatever’s going on, it’s straining your relationship with Mike. Like, a lot. It’s why you argued last night, right? But what gets me is that the argument included Spider-Man, and yes, you have been acting really weird these past few months and I think I know why.”

Will swallowed nervously. He barely had time to remove his fingers from fiddling with the hem of his shirt before he felt the sticky grip activate. Of course he had to malfunction under pressure. 

Lucas and Max shared a look when he didn’t respond, and nodded. 

“Will, are you—” Lucas started.

He was rudely interrupted when a loud boom sounded from outside. Lucas instinctively covered Max with his body as the building shook with tremors. Will reached his arms out to steady himself, straining his hearing to listen for the danger. Once the tremors subsided, he rushed to the window to look.

Outside, there seemed to be an all out war going on. Police cars lined the streets in front of the university with officers firing at people with glowing weapons. Alien tech. There had to be fifteen to twenty people firing back at the officers, all with various bandanas or masks covering their faces, but wielding weapons of the same caliber. There was one person who stood out, though, further back down the street. A man stood atop an armored car, a duffel bag on the roof. He was throwing things at the officers which exploded in a heap of light.

Will’s heart hammered in his chest, adrenaline pumping through him, the ever addictive drug. “Where are the Avengers?”

“Probably dealing with something else,” Max said, looking over Lucas’s shoulder.

He was staring at his phone, live footage playing. More people using alien weapons in the streets. In the footage, Will saw Iron Man swoop in to take out a few. The Avengers had their hands full in whatever part of town that was. Now, staring out his bedroom window, Will’s bones itched with the urgency, the call to the mask. 

“It’s not safe here. We’ve gotta get out of here,” Will said.

“And go where? We don’t have anywhere else,” Lucas replied, fear reflective in his eyes.

Will wracked his mind for a place to go. Definitely not the coffee shop across the street. They didn’t have any family that lived in the city that they could take shelter with. He doubted the police station would have room for them. Think, think, think! There was literally nowhere they could go and stay away from the weapons. Besides, who knew where else the cops were having shootouts? It seemed to be happening all over the city.

Wait, Mike’s working this morning. He should be at work already. 

“The Daily Bugle! We can hide out there,” Will suggested.

“This isn’t the time to go visit your crush—” Max started incredulously.

“No, he’s right,” Lucas interrupted. “It’s farther away from here and they’ll definitely take us in. They’ll want our statements from the front lines. You're a genius, Will.”

“Go grab everyone else! I’ll meet you guys in the hall!” Will said, rushing to pack a bag.

Lucas and Max retreated into the hall while Will fluttered about his room, shoving his suit on and then tossing a sweatshirt and baggy pants over it. He hid the mask in his backpack and rolled the collar of the suit down so the sweatshirt hid it. Then, he grabbed his keys and wallet, shoved them in his backpack, and rushed into the hall. 

It was chaos. Students flung open their doors, moving in and out, grabbing valuables. He spotted Max’s flaming hair amongst the crowd and pushed through to join them. Dustin stood beside Lucas, fear and confusion etched in his eyes. He spotted Will and sagged with relief.

“Come on, let’s get out of here!” Lucas said, holding Max’s hand. 

“Where’s Jane?” Will asked fearfully. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if something happened to her because he wasn’t paying attention. 

“She’s meeting us there! She had class this morning but I guess it’s cancelled now,” Dustin said. He held Will’s arm and lagged behind Lucas and Max, though he didn’t stray too far. He leaned in close. “What the hell is happening right now?”

“Weapons. I’ll drop you guys with Mike and get to work. Can you cover?” 

“I can try, but I don’t know. Trying to tell them you got lost on the way to the Bugle isn’t gonna work. You know the way by heart.”

Will was shoved by a student rushing down the stairs, nearly tripping in the process. Dustin steadied him and they continued their descent. “Just come up with something!”

They made it outside, the gunfire like fireworks being let off in front of their feet. It was so loud it nearly made Will drop to his knees. Dustin wrapped one arm around his waist and the other held Will’s arm. Will took a moment to adjust before Lucas and Max were in front of them, each of them holding some part of the other. 

“Hold my backpack! These crowds are crazy!” Lucas exclaimed over the noise. 

They formed a conga line of sorts. Max was directly behind Lucas, and Dustin held on to Max’s fanny pack wrapped over her shoulder, and Will barely held on to Dustin’s jacket. He used the opportunity to survey the scene. Multiple officers were down, sirens blaring, lights flashing, and lasers continued to pelt the NYPD’s forces. Citizens ran every which way to avoid the conflict, often shoving each other to get away.

The college kids were the worst. Will was being jostled around like he was in a blender at high speed. Thankfully, his sticky fingers naturally clung to Dustin’s jacket so he didn't get lost in the crowd. 

Someone screamed.

Will got goosebumps across his neck.

“Duck!” he shouted instinctively, tugging Dustin down.

Just as Lucas and Max fell, a whir of purple light whizzed overhead, knocking into one of the buildings and exploding. It sent dust and debris over the crowd and had Will coughing into his sleeve. 

Dustin nodded with his limbs trembling. “Keep going!”

They pushed with the crowd, accepting the tide, and eventually came to an open part of the sidewalk that wasn't occupied by crazed citizens or criminals. They slowed down, which allowed Will to finally breathe and gather his bearings. They were around a ten to fifteen minute walk from the Bugle. 

He took the chance as they jogged to whip out his phone and dial Jane's number. She picked up within two rings.

“Will! Are you hurt?” Jane asked worriedly.

“No, no, I'm okay. A-are you hurt? Where are you?” he replied. He swallowed the tremors in his tone.

“Going to the Bugle, like Dustin said. I'm not hurt, either. What the hell is happening?” 

She sounded so scared. Will hated it so much. Jane had already been through a lot; she didn't need to be attacked by alien weapons on her track list. He contemplated telling her right then and there—saying "I'm Spider-Man” and ripping the bandaid off—but she didn’t need that, either. She just needed Will right now, not a superhero.

“I-I don't know. Just get to the Daily Bugle, okay? M-Maybe we can find out more there.”

“Get there safe, Will. I love you.”

He resisted the urge to throw on his web shooters to go and find her. “I love you too. See you in a minute.”

She hung up and they kept running. When Dustin or Max started lagging behind, Will was there to help keep them moving. Distantly, Will could hear the sounds of gunfire and alien tech exploding buildings (and hopefully not people). No matter how much he wanted to rip off his sweatshirt and hop into battle, he needed to make sure his friends were safe first. 

Eventually, they made it to the door of the Bugle, which was spinning frantically with people moving in and out. Lucas made it through first, with Max and Dustin following, though Will got stuck outside for a moment. He considered it, then, taking his chance and running. Dustin’s words came back to mind, though. There would be no point in running now. He needed a good excuse for an escape.

Will made it inside only to be dragged by his friends to the elevator. He pressed the button to the correct floor, and let out a huff of relief as the doors closed. Will was distrustful of elevators before he got his powers, because how could you read an article about someone’s gruesome death in a moving metal box and willingly get in one? Instead, he preferred a more… non-traditional way of climbing a building. He could hear the machinery working as intended and though it wasn’t the scariest thing he could encounter, he was still terrified up until the doors opened.

They let Will take the lead, as he’d visited Mike at work a few times before than the rest of them. He pushed open the double glass doors. The dozens of journalists at their desks were frantically typing, or looking through stacks of paper, or holding their phone between their ear and shoulder while running around with files in hand. It was a busy day for the Bugle, and not because Mike’s paper did great the other day. 

He spotted a coworker of Mike’s he’d met before, Robin, frantically flipping through papers on her desk. “You guys go look for Mike. I’ll go see what’s going on.”

Dustin sent him a pointed look before following Lucas and Max further into the office. Will approached Robin slowly, as if trying not to startle a wild animal. She was so locked on her papers she didn’t acknowledge him at all.

“Robin?” he said slowly.

She jumped like he’d shocked her, eyes comically wide and hair strewn in different directions. “Oh! Will, right? Mike’s best friend?” 

“Y-yeah. I was hoping you knew what was going on outside?” 

She stood after looking over her stacks of paper. She nodded for him to follow as she rushed through the maze of desks and stressed journalists. “Unfortunately, I don’t know anything at all. I’m learning as we go along. All we know is people are scared, cops are dropping like flies, and we have no idea what these weapons are.”

Then, Robin stopped abruptly, nearly causing Will to run into her back. She whirled around with sparkling eyes—curious and intrigued. 

“You were there, weren’t you? When the attacks started?” she asked.

“The one in front of campus, sure,” he replied. 

“Then you saw the weapons?”

“I-I mean, no? I was not about to get close to them and be vaporized from existence.”

“But you saw—”

“What I saw was a bunch of cops out of their league and no heroes around to help. The lasers exploded things and—and maybe people, but I don’t know, I didn’t stick around to find out because I didn’t want to die.”

Robin sighed. “So we don’t have anything to assure the public?”

Will shook his head.

“Well, what about Spider-Man? Did you see him?”

He swallowed his heart that leapt to his throat. “N-no.”

At that moment, Lucas, Max, and Dustin bounded up to them. 

“No sign of Mike,” Max informed. 

No sign of Mike? Did he hear that correctly? Will blinked, trying to clear his head. Maybe he was just in the restroom or something. Or meeting with his boss, or his partner. His mind was slightly assured at the suggestion, but in his heart he knew something was wrong. 

“Y-yeah, he went out with Stein to try and get some pictures, m-maybe some statements,” Robin said quickly, practically tumbling over her words. 

Yeah, nope, Will’s heart definitely needed a defibrillator. Mike was outside actively looking for the danger yet again? Good god, did Will’s word mean nothing to him? Or was no one else as brave as him for going and doing the job? Either way, Will’s heart raced in his chest as he thought about the night before. He didn’t say anything to Mike he regretted, per se, but if his last words to Mike were made with negative or sad connotations… 

No, no. He promised himself. No one was going to die.

Dustin looked at him with wide eyes. He nodded subtly, glancing at their two friends. I’ll cover. Go.

Will licked his lips nervously. “I-I’m gonna go look for Jane. She should be here by now.”

“We’ll stay here and look out for Mike,” Lucas said. 

Will broke out into a run for the doors, adrenaline flooding his veins. He hadn’t gotten another text from Jane yet, but she had to have made it by then. He took the elevator to the ground floor again despite everything in him telling him not to, and stood in the lobby watching the door swing. He perked up every time he saw someone with medium length, wavy brown hair and bangs. 

Until he saw a familiar white, creme, and brown colored flannel enter the building like a whirlwind. She had her hair in a low ponytail today. Her skin was covered in a layer of dirt or dust, and her flannel had a few pebbles stuck onto it. Otherwise, she seemed unharmed.

“Jane,” he said.

Jane’s eyes softened with relief, and she rushed forward, taking him into her arms and squeezing tight. He hugged her back just as tight, and for a moment, everything felt correct. He could pretend it was just him reuniting with his sister and making sure she was safe. Instead, the weight of the world came crashing down again. 

Spider-Man

Weapons

Danger

Jane

Mike

It swirled in his head until he felt dizzy, until he felt Jane’s hands moving to his shoulders to stabilize him as she pulled away. His mouth opened and closed, his teeth biting his tongue because Jane couldn’t know. He didn’t have the right to put her in that kind of danger again like when they were children. 

“Are you okay?” she asked, running her hands along his face, searching for harm.

Will always loved her eyes. She was so expressive without meaning to be, and it was one of the things he loved dearly about her. She was so openly concerned and had the same look in her eyes that their Mom did whenever she was worried. It was a mix of fear and a dire need to understand what was happening. He let Jane cup his face, though the action made his vision go blurry. 

His heart pounded in his chest. Why was this so difficult? He never had any issues speaking with Jane before, at least, not about his other secret. But talking about being in love didn’t put someone in mortal danger. That was the difference, he guessed.

Jane’s fingers brushed away his hair. Her eyes bore into him, desperate for an answer but not pushing, never pushing. “Will?”

“I-I’m fine. I’m just so happy to see you.”

The smile she sent was worth everything. Will’s breath stuttered when her hand reached to fix the strings on his sweatshirt. He saw the way she paused, the way her lips parted and eyes widened slightly in surprise. The deep blue fabric wasn’t that hard to notice, a big contrast against his pale skin that he hoped the hoodie would hide. When she finally looked up, he averted his gaze, eyes glazed over. 

Why didn’t he try and fight her? Why didn’t he try and pry her hands away, her caring hands, and keep his secret hidden?

“Will.”

“I—”

A warm hand cupped his cheek. Caring. Still, he squeezed his eyes shut, listening to the sounds of the public outside running, screaming in the face of danger. 

“Look at me, Will.”

“I can’t.”

Jane pried one of his eyes open. He flinched away before blinking, allowing his gaze to lock onto her. Where he expected disappointment, perhaps anger, he found no traces of it. Instead, he found his sister, Jane, looking at him like he hung the moon and the stars. Her eyes were sparkling, lips turned upward in a gentle smile that never failed to make him feel at home. Will let go of the breath he was holding shakily. 

Jane tugged at his backpack, helping him shrug it off. He didn’t move as she opened the main zipper where he “hid” the mask. She glanced around, noticing the full lobby, and zipped the backpack up before shoving it into his chest. 

“Jane, I can explain—”

“There’s no time. People need you,” she whispered. She rested her hands over his, gripping tight. “Go. I’ll be okay. We all will.”

An involuntary tear slipped from his eye that Jane was quick to wipe away. Will ignored the backpack resting between them and brought her in for a quick, tight embrace that he hoped conveyed everything he couldn’t say out loud at the moment.

“I’ll tell you everything. I promise,” Will sniffled.

“You better. I’ll be waiting. Now go!”

Will didn’t waste any time before glancing around the lobby, finding the door to the stairwell. He gave Jane’s hands one last squeeze before booking it, the metal door flinging open easily under his adrenaline-fueled strength. Once the door shut, he opened his backpack and slipped on the mask before ripping off his sweatshirt and pants. He stuffed them in the backpack and shrugged it back over his shoulders. He stood in the center of the stairwell and shot out a web as high as it would go. 

He was on the roof in seconds, webbing his backpack to the roof access door and standing on the edge. Below, the streets were still chaotic, with people running every which way and weapons still firing in the distance. 

Mike was out there somewhere, caught in the middle of all of this. 

As much as Will loved and cared about Mike, it wasn’t all about him. There were other people who needed Spider-Man, too. And he would help anyone along the way. 

For now, the search for Mike began. 

As Will swung through the streets, saving everyone he came across who needed him, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took a moment to stop on a rooftop and answer.

“Will, we might have some intel as to where Mike is!” Dustin’s hopeful voice came through. 

“Talk to me.”

“Robin says that he and uh, whoever else he was with, were told by the boss to go to Avengers Tower. Maybe if you make your way over there, you’d be able to find him.”

“There’s no way of knowing if he even made it there. The streets are crazy!”

“I know, but you know Mike,” Dustin said. “He’s resourceful. He’ll be okay.”

Will took a deep breath and allowed his hyperactive brain to entertain the idea. Mike was resourceful and could take care of himself, but Will was more worried about his entanglement in the weapons in the first place. Mike was the one who told Will, who went looking for answers in the middle of the night. Who knew if Mike accidentally put a target on his back?

“Send me a picture of his partner if you can find one. If I can find him, I can find Mike.”

“Roger roger. Be careful, Will. We’ll take care of things from here.”

“I’m always careful.”

“Not when it comes to Mike.”

With that, Dustin hung up, and a moment later a text came through. The man who went with Mike, Stein, if he remembered right, seemed to be in his early thirties. He was bald with a goatee, skin tan and a pair of silver glasses resting on his face. Will memorized the picture before swinging in the direction of Avengers Tower. 

He had no clue when Mike and Stein left the Bugle, but Avengers Tower wasn’t too far, maybe a half-hour walk. For him, it’d be a ten minute swing. 

Will swung low to the ground to search the crowd. He passed street corners and flung through the stretches of road, eyes coming up empty for Mike and Stein. He had half a mind to check every alleyway between the Bugle and Avengers Tower, but he didn’t have that kind of time, and if Mike was on assignment, he needed to be where the danger was. Or at least in the general vicinity of the danger. Either way, Will didn’t like it. 

A few minutes later, Will came across another scene of cops vs. robbers, with lasers flinging all over the place and dust and debris falling into the streets. He swung into action. As the robbers advanced, Will rushed down to web up a few of them while dodging projectiles. He didn’t have the heart to say typical Spider-Man quips, not when people were in grave danger. He dodged a mean swing from a muscular man and sent a punch back, allowing a tiny bit of his true strength to shine through. 

As Will worked alongside the police to subdue the criminals, something caught his eye on the ground near an alley. It was shining in the afternoon sun. Will webbed the last few criminals to the ground, kicking their weapons away before jogging over to the mysterious object. At first, from a distance, he thought it was another weapon that was discarded during the battle. 

Though, as he grew closer, the item was more square, more flimsy. Will picked it up. A card on a lanyard. He flipped it around, and his world stopped. 

Mike’s picture smiled back at him, his name and the Bugle’s logo on the bottom of the badge. The badge wasn’t ripped or damaged at all, but the badge was a good and bad sign. Good because Mike had been there; bad because Mike was nowhere in his vision. All sorts of bad ideas flung into Will’s mind, from finding Mike motionless in the alleyway to blood to finding nothing but his company-issued phone to use for interviews on the ground, no Mike in sight. 

Will stiffened as he heard something from the alley. He put the badge around his neck for safekeeping and crept into the alley. The sounds of ragged breathing grew louder and louder until Will spotted a shoe sticking out from behind a dumpster. Will rushed over, the worst thoughts occupying his mind, to find a man slumped against the brick wall. Bald, broken glasses sitting sideways on his face, and blood leaking from his nose and chest. 

“Stein?” Will asked urgently. 

The man slowly lifted his head, blinking sluggishly. His eyes, once so tired and hopeless, lit aflame. “Spi–” his body wracked with violent coughs.

“What… what happened to you?” Will questioned softly. He assessed the man, finding his clothes rumpled and covered in dust. A few tears in his jacket, a few burns on his shirt, with one gaping hole steadily oozing blood from his chest. Forget getting close to the line of fire, this guy looked like he ran through an active war zone. 

“A-ambush—” Stein tried, his voice breaking and hoarse. “T-tried to get ba-back to the Bugle. Couldn’t g-get past the fighting. M-me and Mike…”

“Got caught in the crossfire,” Will supplied, earning a nod from the man as he coughed again. Blood stained his lips. “O-okay, I’m gonna get you some help. You’ll be patched up in no time.”

As Will stood to go and alert the police, Stein’s hand reached out with surprising speed, gripping his arm and holding him in place. The man’s eyes were skittish, alert. Worried.

“That badge…” he whispered. “C-couldn’t save… Mike…”

Will’s gut twisted as he crouched before Stein again. “Couldn’t save him? What do you mean?”

A violent cough ripped from Stein’s throat, staining his lips with more blood. He was desperate, though, and managed to push the words out. 

“T-they targeted us. Don—don’t know why. There w-was a fight, I-I couldn’t—”

His blood ran cold. Everything he thought wouldn’t happen was happening and he didn’t know what to do. 

“H-help him, Spider-Man,” Stein begged. Will could hear his lungs stuttering with every breath. If he didn’t get in an ambulance soon… “M-Mike’s just a-a kid. They took him.”

They took him.

They took him.

Oxygen seemed like a foreign concept. No matter how much his chest heaved with panic, he couldn’t fill his greedy lungs. His hands trembled as they reached for Stein, his brain repeating the man’s words over and over in his head like a mantra. Chastising. 

This is all your fault. He wouldn’t have been taken if it wasn’t for you.

“I-I’ll find him. I promise,” Will said firmly. He took the badge from his neck and gave it to the man. “Keep this safe for him. He’ll want it back.”

“Thank you,” the man breathed. He sat up with a pained grunt. “I-I think they went that way. There’s a bunch of abandoned buildings a few blocks away. B-be careful, Spider-Man.”

Will nodded and ran to the police, finding a younger officer chatting on his radio. “Officer! There’s a man who needs medical attention in that alley! He needs a hospital quickly!”

The officer whirled at his voice, intense worry clouding his eyes. “Ambulances are on their way but they’re stretched thin. We’ll do our best to keep him alive.”

“That’s all I can ask for. Thank you,” Will said, swinging away as a few officers entered the alley. 

He swung in the direction Stein pointed him in. He stopped along the way to save a person from nearly being desecrated by a laser, and web up a few criminals lingering about. After a few more minutes of swinging and dodging rogue lasers (thank you, Spidey sense), he settled on a nearby apartment building, reaching for his phone and dialing Dustin. 

“Dustin, I might have a location but I need some help.”

“I’ll try my best with what I’ve go—hey!” 

Will scrunched his brows as a scuffle happened on the other end of the line. He thought he heard a few expletives from Dustin and someone else. 

“Who is this? Why do you need our info?” 

Robin. Will held back a frustrated sigh. He didn’t need this right now, he needed answers. 

“Gimme back my phone! It’s none of your business!” Dustin said in the background.

“If you’re accessing my computers, I need to know why! I’m not losing my job for you guys just ‘cause you’re Mike’s friends—”

“I have no time for this, please put him back on the phone,” Will pleaded. “It’s urgent business.”

“New York is literally under attack again and you say you have urgent business? Is it related to this? Who are you? What do you know?”

Will rolled his eyes. “It’s Spider-Man. I’ve found clues as to your friend’s whereabouts, including his phone, which I’m using to call you right now. Or, his friend. Please put him back on the line.”

“It’s Sp—” Robin cut herself off. There was another scuffle and Will had to resist the urge to roll his eyes again. He feared if he did, they’d be stuck in a permanent state of rolling. 

“Sorry. What do you need?” Dustin asked.

“There’s a bunch of abandoned buildings I’m looking at, maybe two or three miles away from the Tower. I need intel, any sort of reports of activity in any of them.”

“One moment please,” Dustin said in a mock customer-service tone. 

Will bit his tongue that was certainly about to spew a mix of profanity and something like “hurry up!”

“Shit. I can’t really narrow it down. There’s a lot of reports from that area, not just one specific building.”

Will could feel his sanity slipping with every second that passed by. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, what about weapons? Any mention of alien tech or Avengers involvement in one of the buildings?”

“Hold.” There was intense typing on the other end. “There were three instances where Hawkeye and Black Widow were spotted, all within a block of each other. Your best bet would be the address I’m sending you right now. I’ll keep looking while you search.”

Will took a measured breath. Finally, he had a lead. “Thank you.”

“Go get him.”

Dustin hung up and Will opened the message, plugging the address into his maps. The route highlighted in blue, a five minute swing. He could see the building from the rooftop. It was a bit taller than the others, but shared the same decrepit look. He pocketed his phone and jumped. 

The swing went by faster than he thought, probably because all that was on his mind was his best friend. Especially what happened the night before. The more Will thought about it, the more he understood Mike’s perspective. If people knew about the weapons earlier, maybe the dangers and hurt that occurred today could’ve been prevented. Will interfered with Mike’s ability to do his job. What would’ve happened if he didn’t, though? 

Will landed silently on the building’s creaky rooftop. He made a game plan; he would scour the building from the top to the bottom, utilizing stealth as opposed to what he actually wanted to do—go in guns blazing. He approached a large, gaping hole in the middle of the roof. He carefully peered inside. Dust and piles of brick lay where the hole opened. 

Will stuck to the building and crawled inside, keeping to the ceiling as he surveyed the floor. Open floor plan, with broken windows and glass shards littered everywhere. He spotted a few piles of old clothes by the corner, but other than that, the floor had nothing to offer him. 

He dropped down to the floor silently. Near the far corner, he spotted a slightly warped metal door. He approached it cautiously, opening it. Inside was a dark stairwell. No windows, no light pushing through aside from the door he held open. Will kept the door open and stuck a web to the ceiling. It would be easier to search the floors by hearing as opposed to climbing around each ceiling. It would save him so much time. 

Will gripped the web to hold his body weight and began slowly slinking down. He flinched when his vision suddenly turned green, and he could see the stairwell clearly. Night vision. Dustin gave him night vision. Why didn’t that kick in sooner? And what other upgrades did Dustin hide?

Will continued his descent, keeping his breathing calm and forcing his body to relax. It almost felt like he was getting ready to go to bed, letting his brain’s control over his muscles relent to the point where it almost feels like he’s outside of his body. He kept his grip on the web, but otherwise, it felt as if he were an observer of his body, listening to the creaks and groans of the building. 

He made it near the middle of the building, perhaps around floor five or six, when he heard commotion. Muscles tensing, he continued until he was face to face with the door he heard noise from. Footsteps. Erratic and back and forth. Pacing. Not just one set but two, one heftier than the other. Will closed his eyes and breathed.

Focus.

How many people are there?

A picture formed in his mind of the open floor plan, each footstep taken sending ripples through the image until it cleared. Two sets of footsteps, three heartbeats. Two hearts beating faster than the one—

Familiar. Slightly elevated but regular otherwise.

Mike.

Will climbed back up one floor and entered, cringing as the door squeaked on its hinges. He let it swing open behind him, only stopping it when the knob nearly hit the wall. He tiptoed, searching for an opening. There were many damp, dark spots on the floor alongside small holes, but not large enough for him to slip through without making noise. He searched quickly, though there were no openings to the floor below. 

Damn it, what now?

Will looked around. No holes in the floor. A breeze whipped through the building. A lightbulb went off in his head. 

The windows. The most obvious holes in the building but too many to look at once. If he could find a broken window to slip through, he could easily get in. Will’s suit may be a contrast to the light colors of the building, but if there’s one thing he’s learned about people is that most of the time, they won’t look up unless something causes them to. He just needed to be careful moving around the criminals and not draw attention to himself.

Will carefully climbed through the nearest window, making sure not to get nicked by the shards still stuck to the frame, and descended. It was gut-flipping—seeing the city upside down. He didn’t think the feeling would ever go away. It almost made him think the world literally flipped on its head, and now the metric million tons of weight that was NYC was barreling towards him. 

He crawled until he was slightly above the windows of the floor below. He peeked his head over. Adrenaline pumped through him after spotting the two criminals pacing, and a person sitting in a chair in the center of the room. He swallowed thickly and got to work. He moved around the building, keeping his eyes on the criminals while searching for a viable entry point. 

Sound escaped from an empty frame a few yards away.

“...is ridiculous! Did you even have a plan here?” a low, growling voice bit out. 

“Of course I did!” a weaselly voice replied, thick with an accent. 

Will found the window, void of glass surrounding the frame, and slowly entered. He stuck to the ceiling and crawled. He paused when the shorter criminal moved, scratching the back of his head feverishly like he had lice. 

“Then why are we still here?” the larger criminal questioned. “Why aren’t we out there with them, huh?”

“Because it’s a distraction, dumbass. The whole thing is! Those goons out there shoot at some feds while the important people—” the man gestured between him and the other criminal “—do important things!”

“How is kidnapping some random kid important? He’s puny and not strong-looking.”

“Hey,” Mike chided, though he didn’t sound offended at all. Will just wished he’d shut up for once, for his own safety. 

“Because you’re not thinkin’ of the bigger picture,” the man with the accent spat, getting in the other man’s face by standing on his tip-toes. “While the cops and the Avengers focus on them, and the others focus on the Raft, we… we get rid of a pesky nuisance.”

“Like what?”

Will stilled, seeing the smaller criminal in the light. The accent, the stature, the mannerisms. No wonder the guy looked familiar. The other night, the second night he walked Mike home, when he walked in on a weapon deal. The dealer. 

He bit his tongue, cursing himself over and over in his head. He was so focused on the man with the bag of weapons that after knocking the dealer out, he paid no attention to him. The dealer must’ve gotten up as Will was walking Mike home.

“Spider-Man,” the dealer said gravelly. 

“Spider-Man? Spider-Man? You’re kiddin’ me,” the buff criminal said. “How is this—”

“Spider-Man was the one who lost me four thousand dollars in merchandise!” the dealer yelled. Mike flinched at the volume, and the man focused in on it. Will tensed, ready to jump into action as the man reached, gripping the fabric of Mike’s shirt on his shoulder as Mike leaned away from him. “And this kid was there for it! Spider-Man saved his ass and cost me money!”

“So this is personal? You’re taking us out of the fight to attend to a personal problem?” the buff man said incredulously. 

“Yeah, not a great idea, dude,” Mike said, squirming under the dealer’s grip.

“Oh, what, why are you talkin’, huh?” the dealer said. “You ain’t supposed to be talkin’, kid, not when I can put a bullet in your skull without blinking.” 

“I just had a question,” Mike said without traces of fear.

“A question? Oh, well, why not, while we wait for your knight in blue spandex.”

Mike faced the man with the face that told Will something was going to be said that the dealer wouldn’t like. Will prepared himself, letting one hand come off the ceiling to prepare for a fight. 

“Do you even own a toothbrush?” Mike asked with full seriousness.

If Will could sigh without giving away his position, he would. 

“You think you’re so funny, huh?” the dealer asked, face red with anger. “How funny would it be for Spider-Man to find you dead in that chair?”

The man lunged, but before Will could jump, the buff man stopped him. 

“Stop it! If we’re doin’ this, then we’re not throwing away our bargaining chip. If you would stop and think for once, maybe you’d be able to make a coherent plan and execute it!” the buff guy said. “What use is dead leverage against Spider-Man? And how do you even know Spider-Man will be here?”

“Oh, he’ll come. We’ve got his boy toy,” the dealer said, moving to the window opposite of Will to gaze at the skyline. 

“Do you always talk like that?” Mike asked. “Annoyingly, I mean.”

“Unfortunately,” the buff man shook his head. The dealer ignored them.

Will watched as Mike’s mask slipped into journalism mode. His eyes narrowed and posture straightened as he focused on the buff man, arguably the more reasonable of the two criminals. 

“Why attack now? You mentioned the Raft, the prison. You’re breaking people out, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Nice try, kid. I ain’t talkin’ to a journalist.”

“But you already are. I mean, your partner is an annoying piece of shit that looks similar to a rat. I’d like to think I’m better company.”

The buff man crossed his arms. Tattoos littered his skin. From dragons to obscure symbols Will didn’t recognize. “Still not answering your questions.”

“But why now? You could’ve broken into the Raft at any point. What changed?”

The buff man shrugged, averting his gaze to the window. 

“You’ve got people in there you care about, then,” Mike stated. “This is personal. You needed outside help to get in and you’re mad you can’t be there for when they get out.”

“We’ve all got people we care about,” the man said gruffly. “So what if mine are in jail? They’re my brothers. I made a promise. What about you and Spider-Man? Why’s he care about you so much?”

“He doesn’t. He cares about all citizens. I’m not special like your buddy thinks I am.”

If only you knew…

“The one person I do care about… well, I broke a promise I made to him and he rightfully yelled at me for it,” Mike said gloomily. 

The buff man stared at Mike for a moment, and in his eyes Will could see recognition. Drawing conclusions between himself and Mike’s scenarios. He could see the moment the stars aligned in his head, when his eyes changed from calculating to understanding. 

“I don’t know why I said that. It’s not important right now,” Mike said, adjusting in his seat against the rope holding him to the chair.

“Sometimes, in moments of need and desperation, mostly when our lives are on the line, we think about the weirdest things that probably have nothing to do with our current situation,” the man said, softer. If it was even possible with his deep voice. “It must’ve affected you a lot if you’re thinkin’ about it now.”

“It did. I can’t stop thinking about it. He’s… we’ve been friends forever. I don’t remember a time without him,” Mike admitted before shaking his head. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I’m a hostage right now for someone I don’t even know.”

“Family is… probably the one thing everyone has in common regardless of their lives. Whether we choose our family or stick by blood relatives, we’re all the same in that matter. I think this person you broke your promise to knows that, too. If you’re honest with him, maybe he won’t be mad at you anymore.”

Mike considered the man for a moment before sending a single nod. “You should be a therapist instead of a criminal. You’d make a lot of money.”

Will watched the scene unfold silently, the aching Mike-shaped hole in his chest throbbing, almost blinding. He was right there, talking about Will, about how he felt, to a stranger he found a familiarity in. And yet he couldn’t be honest with Will face-to-face. He had to go behind his back and have Spider-Man save him from danger. In a way, he felt… jealous and hurt that he chose to speak to a criminal about this, but on the other hand, he understood Mike was probably thinking he wouldn’t get to talk to Will again if Spider-Man didn’t show up. He was probably thinking that the criminal wouldn’t remember, anyways. 

Before the buff man could reply to Mike, the dealer groaned angrily from the window. 

“Where the hell is he?” 

“I told you I barely know the guy. He doesn’t know me,” Mike said.

The dealer moved, brows lowered and anger etched in his eyes. “Wrong! Then why was he walking you home the other night? Why did he talk to you like he knew you?”

“Stalking college kids is weird, man, but he was just doing his job. Keeping people safe.”

Time slowed as the dealer’s hand raised into a fist, barreling straight towards Mike. Will had had enough. He pushed himself off the ceiling and let his knee slam into the dealer’s head. The man staggered back and the buff man tensed. 

“Spider-Man,” the big man said, almost bored.

“Damn you!” the dealer said. “How long have you been there?” 

“No comment,” Will said. “Why don’t we talk with our hands instead? I’m much better at that.”

The dealer shouted in anger and lunged. Will dodged easily and sent the man flying with a single kick to the middle. The buff man charged, though he didn’t seem to put much effort into his swing. Will dodged, but the man was faster than Will gave him credit for. The man’s fist slammed into Will’s side, knocking the air out of his lungs and sending him scrambling across the floor. The buff man stomped forward and Will could feel the building’s fragile integrity shake with it. 

“Woah, watch your step, bro, or else this building’s going down,” Will said, stretching his hand out in a “stop” motion. He nervously glanced at Mike, thankful that his mask covered his eyes. Mike seemed perfectly fine. He was staring at Will with relief, his posture slumping. The rope around his torso looked mildly uncomfortable, if not a little tight. If Will looked a little closer, he could see something in Mike’s hand.

“Wouldn’t that be such a shame? Maybe the building will take you with it!” the dealer screamed as he charged again.

Fighting off two people at once usually wasn’t a problem for Will. Except for when one was small enough to escape his vision and the other big enough to cover the other one. Will focused on the buff man first. If he could incapacitate the man to get rid of his fast-throwing punches, he would be able to deal with the other man without issue. 

He managed to stick to the man’s back, causing the man’s arms to flail in an attempt to shake him off. Will continued to stick before an idea struck him. He crawled over the man, making sure to leave a web trail. The man flailed harder than before but Will persisted. He continued until the man was wrapped in a thin layer of webbing. Only then did Will hop onto the ceiling and fire more webs into the man, knocking him to the floor. Immobile. 

“Stop right there, Spider-Man.”

Will fell back to the floor to find the dealer pointing a large weapon at Mike’s head. Only then did Mike look fearful. He gazed at Spider-Man with wide eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. The weapon seemed to resemble a revolver with the sleek design of the alien tech. A clear part on top of the weapon allowed him to see a pulsing blue light. 

Will cautiously raised his hands in surrender. “You don’t have to point a gun at him. Let’s just talk, yeah?”

“There’s no talking here! You’ve ruined my career! I don’t have money to get more weapons to sell ‘cause you busted my last deal!” 

Each word that was spoken, the weapon dangled too close to Mike’s head for his liking. The dealer’s hands trembled, his finger near the trigger. Mike nervously glanced between him and the gun. 

“Maybe selling weapons isn’t your best profession. Have you ever tried something else? Flowers, maybe? You seem to have a good eye for color.”

“Shut up! I don’t care about flowers!” the man shouted, his voice reverberating in the somewhat hollow floors and walls. Will was beginning to question the integrity of the building, especially with the commotion not too far away. The dealer leveled his gaze at Will, smug and joyous. “You took from me. I take from you!”

Mike instinctively flinched away, squeezing his eyes shut. Will, with his heart in his throat, forced his body to move. His wrist flung out, a web latching onto the weapon, and he tugged. The weapon’s line of fire moved from Mike to the far wall. A beam of blue light exploded from the barrel, hitting the brick wall with a deafening noise. Dust clouded the room. 

Will heard the charging hmmm of the weapon readying another shot. He landed on the man’s shoulders, tugging his arm like he was riding a mechanical bull. Another beam of light whizzed out of the gun, embedding itself in the ceiling. The dealer roared in frustration as Will managed to direct two more shots into the building’s walls and ceilings instead of his intended target. 

“You’re a parasite, Spider-Man! You ruin everything!”

“I think that’s subjective!” Will replied.

Finally, Will managed to web the gun and pull it from the man’s hand. He tossed the weapon, watching it clatter to the floor a few feet away. He webbed the gun to the floor and jumped from the man’s shoulders. The dust began to settle, and the dealer’s furious face came back into view. 

“I’ll find out everything about you, and you will be nothing! Nothing!” he spat. He stalked forward, but Will didn’t move. “I’ll find your real name, your face, anything and everything you love, and I will ruin you—”

The man suddenly groaned, stilling, before falling face first onto the floor. Will watched the dealer fall with confusion before looking up again. There stood a bewildered Mike, like he was wondering what the hell he just did, holding a brick with a bloodstain on it. Mike found his gaze and he coughed, clearing his throat.

“Sorry, he talked too much,” Mike said. 

“I appreciate it,” Will replied. “How did you…”

“Escape? Not that hard to hide a pen in your jacket sleeve.” Mike showed the inside of his sleeve, where his pen was held. “That rope he used was ancient and easy to break.”

For a moment, everything was nice. Mike was out of danger, Will was out of danger, and Mike was smiling at him with mirth and relief. Everything felt right again. 

Of course, that was when the building decided to rumble like an earthquake. The floor vibrated underneath them, and both Mike and Will reached their arms out to steady themselves. Dust and pebbles fell from the floor above, coating them in a thick layer of filth. 

“The building must be getting ready to come down. It’s taken too many hits,” Mike supplied. “We’ve gotta get out of here.”

Will glanced at the two criminals. “I’ll get them out. Stay here!” 

Before Mike could say anything, Will put the dealer over his shoulder and shot a few webs into the still squirming buff man before jumping out of the nearest window. Wind billowed past his figure as he free fell. He ran alongside the building until he reached the same height as a nearby abandoned building. He jumped, landing in a less graceful roll that flung the dealer off of his shoulder. The buff man landed in a heap next to the dealer, unmoving. Will could hear his heartbeat, so he wasn’t dead. He probably passed out when they were free falling. 

Will ran back to Mike, all the while listening to brick crumbling and steel beams rattling. He hopped through the window to find Mike standing right where he left him, fiddling with his phone. 

“Dumbasses didn’t even take it…” he heard Mike mutter.

“Mike, let’s get out of here!” Will called over the noise. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he agreed, tapping at the screen before shoving it in his pocket. Mike whirled around. “H-how exactly are we—”

Behind Mike, the roof started to cave. 

“Mike!”

The boy froze in fear, watching the tons and tons of brick and foundation crumbling before him. The debris was falling too fast, there was no time to swing away. Will rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Mike’s waist and covering him with his body. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced for impact.

For a moment, his vision went blank. 

Pain erupted in his back and skull. 

Something warm trickled down the back of his head. 

It was so loud. Things were falling. 

Screaming.

Rattling. 

Distant.

“Spider-Man!”

Will blinked, a groan escaping his lips as he took account of his body. Hurt, hurt, definitely hurt. Bleeding, maybe. Broken bones he could feel his healing factor already trying to fix. And yet his arms remained wrapped around Mike protectively, like his senses knew he had to keep him safe. Will blinked again, this time taking into account the gaping hole above them that was once a sound, firm floor. Around them, giant hunks of concrete and brick piled as high as Will’s knees. 

In front of him, Mike’s hair was covered in a layer of dust, with pebbles of concrete sitting in the curls. Will could hear his erratic heartbeat, could feel the way his limbs trembled alongside the building. 

“Spider-Man?” Mike said, unsure. 

“Y-yeah, I’m here,” Will wheezed. 

Mike twisted around in his arms to look at him. He’d only seen Mike so worried a few times before; back when Will came home from the police station and when Will brought up the idea of college to the group. He didn’t know what to make of the look Mike was giving him now, perhaps because he maybe had a concussion. Or brain damage. That concrete hit him hard.

“T-the floor’s gonna give. We’ve gotta go,” Mike said shakily. 

The floor. Right. They were in a crumbling building. 

“Gotta go,” Will repeated, feeling more awake now. He tugged Mike closer until their noses brushed. Mike was always cold, but Will swore he could feel heat radiating from him like a heater. “Hang on—”

Will should’ve moved earlier. 

The weight of the debris on top of the already unstable floor was too much. One second, Mike was in front of him, covered in dust and a slight cut on his cheek but fine otherwise, and the next, he was falling through the floor.

Will didn’t have time to scream. He pushed off the remaining floor before it crumbled, sailing towards Mike.

Time seemed to slow just for him, to taunt him by allowing him time to gaze into Mike’s horrified eyes. To memorize the way he reached out for Will, a scream erupting from his lips. To memorize the way the wind blew his hair in his face, framing dark against pale. The curvature of his nose. The life in his eyes.

Will couldn’t speak. He couldn’t breathe. His chest constricted with dire fear, refusing him precious oxygen because it wasn’t the most precious thing to him. 

He could see the ground approaching below Mike. 

He wasn’t going to be fast enough.

Debris fell around them. The evening sunlight streamed through the broken windows, casting them both in a golden glow. He always thought moonlight was meant for Mike, but even still, sunlight highlighted his beauty in ways Will wouldn’t be able to describe.

Mike would never know how he felt. How much he loved him.

Will watched as his arm slowly reached out in this pocket of time, his fingers pressing on his web-shooter. A web sprung from the device, hurtling towards Mike. He followed the web as it hit Mike directly in the chest. 

Will pulled.

He collided with Mike’s body, instinctively wrapping his arm around him and using the other to shoot out a web. Mike’s chest heaved against his, his hands digging into Will’s waist and back as he clung to the spandex suit. Will held him tighter, twisting them midair so that Will was closest to the ground. 

Then, they stopped.

The deafening sound of debris slamming into the ground echoed in the vast emptiness of the corrupt building, making Mike flinch and cling onto Will impossibly tighter. Mike’s jagged breaths brushed Will’s ear. Will could feel every muscle in Mike’s body tense as they hung suspended ten feet above what would’ve been their death.

But Will kept his promise. Mike would not die. 

Will pressed his hand into the small of Mike’s back. “A-are you okay?”

Mike took a few deep, shaky breaths before giggling. Mike didn’t giggle. It immediately put Will on edge. Did Will miss a rogue piece of rebar? Was Mike hurt?

“Mike—” Will tried seriously.

Mike burst into laughter, the sound like music to Will’s ears even if his heart thrummed rapidly with fear. The sound echoed off the walls. The sun’s rays made a beautiful picture of the abandoned building, streaming in through the windows. 

“I-I’m fine, I guess,” Mike said once his laughter subsided. “This is just… not where I thought I’d end up today. Tied up, being saved by you again—”

“Is that such a bad thing?” Will asked once he found his tongue. 

Mike pulled his face away from where he was tucked into Will’s shoulder. He studied the mask as if he could get a read on Will’s face. “My best friend says so. I should listen to him more often.”

“That, you probably should.”

Mike’s breath fanned his face from where it escaped his parted lips. Not the thing Will should be focusing on. He should be focused on how Mike nearly died two times again in the past half-hour, and how they were still suspended in the air by a single string of web. But now that Will had Mike back, he didn’t want to let go. His senses didn’t even want to let him go. He tried unsticking his hand from Mike’s jacket, but it didn’t work. 

Calm down, Byers. Calm down.

“We should probably get out of here before the whole building comes down on us,” Mike whispered in the space between them. 

The world came crashing back into Will. 

“O-oh, yeah, of course.” 

He moved quickly this time, dropping to the ground and finally letting Mike gather his footing on solid land. Once Mike started towards the door, Will followed. They stepped outside, temporarily blinded by the sun, to a city where sirens always blared in the distance. Mike took his phone out again. 

“You should probably call the cops. Tell them where you are, about the two criminals on the roof of that building—” Will pointed at the building across from them. 

“I’m getting there.” Mike typed away on his phone. 

Will took the opportunity to turn away from Mike and bring out his own device, seeing multiple missed texts from Dustin, Jane, Lucas, and Max. Mostly from Dustin and Jane, but still. He opened his text thread with Jane. 

Jane: Where are you? Are you okay? 

Jane: Answer me, Will, please

Jane: I’m worried

Jane: You still need to talk to me. Don’t think I’m ever forgetting about this

Will read the messages with a small smile even as a pit formed in his gut at the idea of talking to Jane about Spider-Man. 

Will: I’m okay, just a little bruised. Found Mike, he’s okay, too

The response came within thirty seconds.

Jane: oh my god, Will, don’t do that to me again

Will: are you still at the Bugle?

Jane: We went back to the dorms. Dustin ordered us takeout. He got you two pizzas he put in your room and one for your public appearance in Lucas’s dorm. Please get back soon.

Will: I’ll be on my way in a minute

Jane: I love you

Will: Love you, too

Will pocketed his phone as he heard sirens approaching. He turned around to see Mike staring at the building they were just in. He seemed deep in thought if his faraway look was anything to go by. 

“You sure you’re feeling okay?” Will asked. He stumbled as he approached Mike, a hand reaching for his head.

Mike jumped slightly at the intrusion but leaned forward to stabilize him. “I should be asking you that. A ton of bricks fell on you.”

“I’ll be fine. Just make it home safe, okay? I-I’ve gotta run.”

Mike’s eyes raked his frame. Will tried not to squirm under the attention. “O-okay. You stay safe, too.”

Will nodded even though it caused a throb behind his eyes. He reluctantly stepped away, missing the warmth and weight Mike’s touch provided immediately. “Don’t make me walk you home again!”

Mike scoffed heartily, smiling at him as he backed away. “Wouldn’t dream of it!”

Will waved once more before swinging away just as the first police cruiser turned the corner. He stayed to watch the police talk to Mike and the criminals be taken away, but after that, he swung back to the dorm. He made sure to run back to the Bugle for his backpack. Can’t forget the backpack.

He made it back to his dorm as the moon rose above the horizon. He hadn’t realized how exhausted he was until he smelled the pizza Dustin left for him on his desk. Will closed and locked the window behind him, throwing his backpack in the vicinity of his bed, and stumbled towards his desk. He was like a caveman being given access to food. He ripped the first box open and devoured four slices before his stomach told him to slow down lest he throw up. 

Once he finished the pizza (and sent a quick text to Dustin to say thanks), he staggered to the bathroom and peeled off the rest of the suit. 

Mike wasn’t lying. A ton of bricks did fall on him, but he looked the part. Bruises were forming across his torso, with giant rock-sized bruises forming on his back. Being back in a safe space suddenly made him feel every single injury he acquired. Definitely bruised, maybe broken, ribs, a concussion, and a bone-deep exhaustion that made his limbs feel like lead. He could’ve fallen asleep standing up if he didn’t get in the shower a few moments later. He washed the grime from his face and hair, eventually laying the suit in the bath to wash.

When Will was finally in fresh clothes and lying in bed, he sent a text to Mike. 

Will: Are you okay?

He watched the screen for a moment. It was nearing 11PM, a time where Mike usually thrived because some story idea wouldn’t let him sleep. Instead, Will was met with silence. No indicator that Mike even read the text. Will frowned, sending a text to Dustin to ask if he’d seen Mike.

Dustin: yeah, he went to bed a few minutes ago. He was asking about you but I told him you were already in bed. You’ve gotta talk to him at some point.

Will: I know. After today, I need to talk to him asap. 

Dustin: you finally gonna shoot your shot?

Will: ….

Dustin: okay, bad time, sorry

Will: I’ll talk to him, don’t worry. And Jane

Dustin: Wait, she knows, too ???? When did this happen ????

Will: Today

Dustin: Oh shit bro

Will: I’ll handle it. Thanks for everything, man

Dustin: of course. You’re my bro, bro

Will rolled his eyes fondly, set his alarm for ten AM, and tucked himself under the covers. He would talk to Mike as soon as he woke up. 

That did not happen.

Mike had been avoiding Will for three days after the attack on New York. How does Will know Mike is avoiding him instead of just being busy like a normal person? 

Mike never answered his phone. 

He was always glued to the device in some regard, whether it be typing up a part of a story he came up with on the spot or doomscrolling social media, he was always with his phone. Will had honestly begun to think of it as an extension of Mike’s creative mind. But despite Mike’s hands being glued to his phone, he wasn’t answering. 

Will had sent probably thirty or forty texts, all varying between “are you okay” to “can we talk” to “please Mike, I’m sorry, I’m sorry for yelling at you please talk to me.” None of it worked. And whenever he saw Mike in person, he would spot Will and quite literally run. It terrified Will because Mike and running didn’t go hand in hand, so why was he running from Will? His best friend?

On night three of Mike avoiding him, Will decided to not-stalk Mike on his way home from the Bugle. He simply observed from the rooftops as Mike walked home, clutching something in his hand. Will wondered what it was, but wasn’t willing to get too close to see. Mike seemed more… tense than usual, like something was weighing on his mind, but what? He wondered if Lucas or Dustin knew. 

Thunder boomed nearby, a few miles away. Will looked up. Where stars once twinkled was an overcast sky, with some of the clouds low enough to be seen speeding by the thirty story buildings. He wondered what it would be like to touch the clouds. They were condensed water vapor, but did it leave his hand wet?

That was a stupid question, wasn’t it?

The first droplet hit Will’s shoulder. The next, his foot. Then, a light shower rolled through the streets. Below, Mike raised his arms but dropped them in defeat when he realized it wouldn’t do anything against the elements. Will chuckled to himself watching Mike walk home like a soaked puppy, kicking at loose pebbles and following as they rolled into the street. 

A harsh wind rippled through the street. Now this wouldn’t do. Mike would definitely get sick since he had twenty more minutes to walk and nothing to fight off the rain. Will debated internally for a moment. On the one hand, Mike wasn’t speaking to him and probably didn’t want to for some reason; Will would be impeding on his privacy. On the other hand, he wasn’t Will Byers right now, was he? 

Mike wasn’t speaking to him. No one said anything about Spider-Man. 

As Mike turned the corner, Will webbed himself to a streetlamp a few feet ahead and dangled from it upside down.

“It’s comin’ down pretty bad, huh?” Will said as a shitty ice-breaker. 

Mike jumped and definitely did not yelp, glancing up at Will and sighing. “Didn’t you say don’t make me walk you home again? What happened to that?”

Will gestured to their surroundings. “Well, I’d say this weather is an exception. You’ll get sick if you stay out here too long.”

“You’re awfully caring of one citizen. What about the other people who need to get home?” Mike asked.

“Most people are smart enough to look at the forecast and bring umbrellas or ponchos. Where does that put you on the IQ scale?”

“Ha ha, very funny. I don’t look at it one day and it rains.” Mike looked around. Skittish. Looking for an outing. Why was he acting so weird? “Thanks for the offer, but I’m good. I’ll make it back in no time.”

“I insist,” Will blurted, stopping Mike in his tracks. “I’d feel bad. Are you so cruel to make someone so nice so sad?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, geez. Heart made of ice, I see.”

“Not really,” Mike sighed, “I just… I’ve got a lot to think about. The long walk is good.”

“Thinking? About what?”

“None of your business.”

Mike started forward, and Will hopped to another streetlamp. 

“Come on! Pretend I’m your therapist. What’s bothering you, Mike?”

Mike shoved his hands in his pockets. His hair fell over his eyes with a particularly strong gust. He huffed and brushed it out of the way again. “Surprisingly, you.”

Will didn’t know what to make of that. Spider-Man was the problem? So then why was he ignoring Will? 

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“What about me? I thought we were friends!”

“That’s the thing.” Mike moved his hair again. Droplets clung to his eye lashes and tips of his curls. “You’re… I dunno how to explain this. I’ve been thinking the last couple of days, and there are some things I can’t explain that make sense, and I don’t want them to make sense because if they made sense, then… I’m a horrible friend.”

“Horrible friend? I don’t understand.”

Mike stopped. He glanced around the empty street and motioned for Will to follow him. Mike walked into a narrow alley, and Will followed from above, landing on the fire escape of one of the buildings. He watched Mike start pacing about five feet below. 

“Talk to me like I am a friend?” Will offered, curiosity burning his tongue.

It took Mike a moment of pacing, chewing his bottom lip, and muttering to himself incoherently before he finally looked up at Will.

“I’ve been noticing something about my best friend lately, and… I didn’t know what to think at first,” he started. The single light bulb in the alley lit his dark eyes, made them look like inky crystals. “I thought he was being weird, and I thought maybe I did something to make him act that way, but I couldn’t figure it out. It wasn’t me, though. The more I paid attention to him, the more I saw that I couldn’t unsee.”

Will swallowed. “He was acting strange? How so?”

Mike gestured haphazardly. Thunder roared overhead. Rain continued to fall, though the alley provided limited cover. “I don’t know. He started… I don’t want to say avoid me but it felt like it. He started leaving hangouts early, he started dishing out excuses for why he was gone, and worst of all, his sister told me he was lying to her, too. Will hardly lies! Not to mention the bruises he thought I couldn’t see.”

“Bruises…” Will repeated quietly. He didn’t like where this was going. He was violently reminded of the night Dustin found out about the man behind the mask, and what he said to Will.

You can't protect us from the truth, Will. Not forever. Especially not with Mike. He’ll know something’s up with you and he’ll start asking. When it comes to you, he doesn't stop until he finds an answer.

He severely underestimated his ability to keep his identity secret. Dustin was right. He was always right. Now, it was going to blow up in his face. Mike was so close to putting the dots together, if he hadn’t already, and Will didn’t know what to do.

“He’d have them one day and I’d see none the next.”

“That sounds… odd,” Will said, clearing his throat.

Mike kept his gaze on Spider-Man, unwavering. “You know, I wondered why I was so intrigued by you after our first meeting. I thought it was just because I was writing the article about you, and I needed to know more, but after the last time I saw you… I finally know why.” 

The way his voice sounded, so sure and right, goading, even, it made Will want to run away. Talking with Jane all night last night about Spider-Man was one thing, because she was his sister and she deserved to know what kind of dangers he put himself in especially after lying to her. Talking with Mike about Spider-Man was, he thought, off the table. Because Mike couldn’t know he was throwing himself in front of knives and guns for random civilians. Mike could kill him for even thinking about putting himself in danger. 

And yet here they were. Will could sense the metaphorical bomb about to drop, and here he was staring in the face of metaphorical death, unable to move. Maybe he was being dramatic with the whole metaphorical death thing, but still. It felt like Mike was going to lock him in his dorm for the rest of eternity if it meant keeping him out of the suit.

Will put a web on the bottom of the fire escape and descended upside down until he was face to face with Mike. A brave front for how scared he currently felt. The rain pelted the ground at an angle, coming in waves now. Seeing Mike so close, he could see the way his soaking wet face glistened under the bright light above him. He could see droplets of rain run down his throat and down to the space between his collarbones, where if Will reached out, he would definitely feel a pulse.

“You wanna know why?” Mike asked softly.

“Why?” Will replied, his voice suddenly scratchy and hoarse.

“You were familiar to me in more ways than one. I just didn’t know how the puzzle pieces fit together. I know now.”

“Know what?”

Mike took a brave step forward, though Will could see him swallow nervously. Their noses were inches apart. “I know now why your voice sounded so familiar; why my name coming from you made me feel… breathless and crazy at the same time. Not to mention your hands. It sounds weird, but I could recognize you by touch alone. It was the gloves that threw me off.”

Will tried to even his breathing as Mike stepped even closer. His tongue darted out to wet his lips. Another loud boom sounded across the city, this time accompanied by a quick flash of blue light. 

“You can recognize people by touch? Some superpower you have,” Will murmured, but Mike was close enough to hear him even over the thunderstorm. He willed his body to stay still as Mike grew close enough to where Will could hear his heartbeat loud and clear over the storm.

“You don’t have to hide from me behind a mask,” Mike said, almost pleading. Will thought he was going to have a heart attack after looking Mike in the eyes, seeing nothing but care and affection there. “I-I know that I keep throwing myself into danger, and most of the time I don’t mean to, but you understand why I had to. You do it yourself every day, you hypocrite.”

His words, probably meant to bite and sting, didn’t. They couldn’t, not when Mike’s tone was so soft and somber. Will probably should’ve felt a crack form in his heart for lying to Mike for so long and for making him feel bad for doing something Will had no problem doing on the daily. In fact, he should’ve felt ashamed for chastising Mike for doing the same thing Will did. 

But sue him, Will was just scared of losing Mike forever. Be it to death or a huge fight they couldn’t come back from, Will preferred him alive either way, and if he had to make Mike hate him in order to keep his heart beating, he had to do it. He was just trying to keep his best friend safe, and in doing so, made him feel like he was going crazy. Some best friend Will was.

“Mike—” Will said.

Under the light, it seemed as if Mike’s eyes grew bigger. 

“Say it again,” he blurted.

“What?”

“My name. Say it again.”

Will inhaled shakily, heart pounding as if he jumped off a building. He supposed that would’ve been a better fate than facing the accumulation of months of lying to Mike. 

“Mike,” he complied.

“Again.”

“Mike.”

“Again.”

“Mike. What are you getting at here?”

Mike was close enough that the tips of their noses brushed. He reached forward, then paused, glancing at him with questioning. Asking. It didn’t take a genius to understand what Mike was asking, and yet Will didn’t know if he could give it to him. Still, he managed a stiff nod, and Mike’s fingers brushed the middle of his neck. 

Will shuddered, releasing a shaky breath as he felt Mike’s fingertips grip the mask. Mike gazed at him intently as he brought the fabric slowly down. The cool night air and rain pelted his skin, making him even colder. His throat was exposed, then his jaw, then his mouth, and Mike stopped just before his nose. 

The air between them felt like an overfilled bottle. It threatened to burst after being contained for so long, for years. Mike’s fingertips sent electricity through Will, the touch welcome but confusing to Will. He thought Mike would scream at him, yell, ask what the hell he was thinking putting on the mask, not slowly take it off. Not act like it was just any other day where he intimately rolled up Will’s mask. 

Will watched as Mike’s eyes grew wide, then settled with understanding. His thumb brushed against the mole Will had just an inch or two beside his lips. Will had thought he caught Mike starting at it a few times before, but he always brushed it off as something else. Now, there was no denying it. There were no excuses. Just bare bones and secrets finally spilled. 

“I thought…” Mike whispered, his thumb continuing to stroke Will’s cheek. “There’s no way my best friend is a superhero. But then again, it’s you, of course you’d be a real life superhero.”

“Mike—”

“I’d been acting weird, too, I know. I was grappling with a lot of thoughts, a lot of revelations, and I’m sorry about that. I just realized after the other day that… i-if I were to have fallen to my death that day, I wouldn’t have been able to look you in the eyes and tell you how I feel. I know I’m bad with my feelings, but I’ve been thinking about it, and I know what it all means now.”

Will stayed silent, giving Mike the opening he’d needed for so long. He wasn’t good at voicing his emotions at the moment. Of course, that’s why he had been avoiding Will. He was trying to come up with a way to confront Will about Spider-Man, and maybe how he found it so easy to get into Will’s personal space and cup his face without batting an eye.

Will didn’t want to get his hopes up, but he couldn’t help but think that Mike was sending a billion signals his way (no shit, dude).

“I didn’t piece it together until three days ago, when you saved me again. I checked my phone and there weren’t any texts from you, but from everyone else. A-and it was probably a stupid final piece of the puzzle to fit together, but why else wouldn’t you have texted me unless you were the one currently saving my ass? That, and everything else put together, it just made so much sense that I couldn’t ignore it anymore.”

Mike effectively trapped Will in place by cupping his face with both hands. Will could feel the heat radiating from his palms soaking into his damp skin. Will opened and closed his mouth, a million thoughts fighting for the right to come out, to be spoken into reality.

“Mike, I’m…” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” 

“Lying to you. I never wanted to, but it was the only way to keep you safe.”

“I know.” 

“I… I couldn’t lose you. Not you.”

Mike smiled softly. “I can’t lose you either, Will.”

Hearing his name come from Mike’s lips while he was still in Spider-Man garb was earth-shattering. It was like he’d been pulled from The Matrix. Everything suddenly seemed so clear—from the puddles forming on the ground to Mike’s hands continuing to cradle his face. It was overwhelming and relieving all at once, and for the first time in months, the weight of the world lessened off his shoulders. 

“S-since we’re here, can I say something?” Will started.

Mike snickered. “Only if I can say something in return.”

“Deal.” Will inhaled.

Just tell him how you feel. It’s not as bad as fighting criminals.

“Mike, I… I’ve been in love with you for years,” he finally confessed. Finally, his lungs took in a full breath, and boy did it feel like heaven. “M-maybe since we were kids, I dunno. I-I just love… everything. Your smile, your hair, your humor, your genius, your heart. I love you so much it hurts. A-and after the other day, I need you to know that. Those people I talked about, the ones I said that loved you? Sure, it was about the others, but it was about me, too. I love you, Mike.”

He blinked away the tears forming, instead taking in Mike’s various expressions: surprise, shock, happiness, acceptance. 

“How’d you read my mind? Is that another one of your powers?” Mike asked as a bright smile overtook his features. Thunder rumbled. “In case it isn’t clear enough, I love you, too.”

“Y-you do?” 

“Was I not obvious enough?”

“I think I’m just stupid.”

“No. Never,” Mike said gently, still smiling, and if Will could somehow ensure Mike continued smiling at him like that, he’d be the happiest man alive. “Will, I think you were the first and only person I’ve loved… like romantically. No one else ever had my attention but you. It's like there’s a magnet in me that’s always searching for you and it won’t stop until you’re with me again. I miss you every second you’re gone and I go crazy if I don’t see you every day. God, I owe Lucas and Dustin thousands in therapy bills for how much I tormented them.”

Will laughed, genuinely laughed, which in turn got Mike to let out a few lighthearted chuckles. So Dustin wasn’t overexaggerating when he said Mike was crazy about Will. For Will to consider himself a great listener, he should’ve taken Dustin and Lucas’s jabs at him and Mike’s teetering relationship more seriously. It would’ve saved him a whole lot of trouble.

“We’re gonna talk about this. Preferably not in the freezing rain, but… we will,” Mike said. His finger twirled a strand of hair at the nape of Will’s neck, sending another wave of shivers down Will’s spine. “Right now, I think I need to tell you something else.”

“Another secret?” Will quipped with a coy smile.

“Yes. The one that’s been driving me even more crazy.” Mike’s face inched closer until Will could feel his breath on his lips. “I’ve been wondering for a while now what it’d be like to do this.”

He moved slowly, giving Will plenty of time to pull away. Will never did, and he never would. 

It was awkward for a first kiss to be upside down. The angle was slightly off, and Will’s inexperience in the kissing department definitely showed, but it was chaste and simple and so them that he didn’t care. Mike tugged him closer, greedy, and pressed his lips harder onto Will’s.

Kissing Mike was like coming home after the worst day at work or school. It was warm, his lips soft though a bit rugged from being chewed on, and they fit eerily well together as if they were made for each other. Will pushed harder, too, wishing he could let his hands go to touch Mike’s hair, or his jacket, or his jaw, just something. Mike’s touch left fire across his skin that made his heart do flips in his chest. 

Mike parted his lips, surging forward with fervor and slipping his tongue into Will’s mouth. Will (embarrassingly) mewled at the sudden change, though it was most definitely welcome. Their lips slid together, their tongues meeting and exploring and driving Will insane. Despite being soaking wet due to the rain, there was something languid about the kiss, something wet that would’ve had Will blushing like a tomato if they were in a place quieter than a storm. He didn’t want to move. He didn’t want to pull away. If he didn’t need oxygen, he could kiss Mike forever. 

It was a conversation, it was a promise, and it was a dream come true. Literally. Never did he think tonight would end like this. 

Eventually, to Will’s dismay, the kiss had to end for them to breathe. They parted, a string of saliva still connecting them in the inch of space they gave each other. Their breaths mingled, chests heaving. 

“S-so? Was it everything you were wondering about?” Will said once he gathered his erratic thoughts.

Mike’s smile was blinding. Happy. “That, and more.”

With that, Mike brought him in for another kiss. Simpler, slower, something that conveyed the I love you part of the confession instead of the I desperately wanted you for years. When they parted again, Will saw Mike’s body shaking. 

“Let me swing you back. You’re shivering.”

Mike looked down at himself then back at Will. “Fine. Only if I get one more.”

“Jeez, since when are you so bossy?” 

“Since I found out you were a danger magnet.”

Will smiled into the next kiss, and the kiss after that. 

And when he swung them home, he made sure to drop Mike off first before doing his usual circle back around. 

And when he got inside, all showered and warm, ready to flop into bed, a knock came at the door. He smiled, already knowing who the heartbeat belonged to. Mike stood at the door, smiling like an idiot as he entered Will’s room without permission. Will closed the door, and before he could get a word in, Mike was kissing him senseless, pressing him against the door.

“I’ve always wanted to do that,” Mike grinned.

“Oh really?”

“Yeah.”

Making out wasn’t how he thought he’d end the day, but he wasn’t complaining at all. 

“Will! Come on, man, open up!”

Will let out a muffled groan, his head buried in his pillow. Or, what should’ve been his pillow, but was instead a firm chest. His eyes widened as the night before flooded back in his memory. Mike came over, they were making out, then they got tired and watched some National Geographic documentary as they cuddled before falling asleep on each other. Mike had meant to go back to his room before the morning but he was fast asleep below Will.

Another set of knocks. 

“Will? Are you up?” 

Jane. Shit!

“Will!” Dustin yelled. No wonder their dorm neighbors hated them. “I have a spare key! I can come in! You better be decent!”

“Fuck! Mike! Get up!” Will hissed, shoving Mike.

“Wha—ow! Will!” Mike hissed back, glaring angrily with wild hair. His curls were unruly, and Will wished he had more time to appreciate the sight of Mike’s bed head before Dustin and Jane barged in, but he didn’t have time. 

“Go hide in the bathroom!”

“What? Hide?”

“We’re coming in, Will!” Jane exclaimed.

Mike’s eyes widened as they flitted from the door to Will. “Shit!” 

The two scrambled out of the bed. Will tried to make the covers look like they hadn’t just woken up together and sat on top of it, quickly grabbing his sketch book from his nightstand and opening to a blank page. Mike tip-toed to Will’s desk, sitting in the chair and opening Will’s laptop. Of course Mike knew the password even if Will didn’t tell him.

Just in time, too, as the door creaked open. Jane and Dustin stood in the doorway wearing equal expressions of confusion. Will looked up, offering a smile and brief wave.

“Hey, guys. Sorry, we were listening to music,” Will excused.

“Then why didn’t we hear anything…” Dustin murmured, though Will could hear it just fine. He knew his face looked as red as a tomato so he looked away. 

“What brings you guys here so early?” Mike questioned as if he owned the place.

“Why are you here so early?” Jane replied. She glanced between the two men, confused as all hell. 

Then, Dustin clapped, loud enough to scare Will and make Mike jump. Dustin started laughing uncontrollably, gripping his sides and falling to the floor in a heap of laughter and tears. The three others in the room shared a look. 

“Uh, Dustin? What’s so funny?” Jane asked. 

Dustin continued to laugh until no noise came out of his mouth, just the occasional breath. Will would’ve laughed, too, if he knew what Dustin was laughing about. 

Eventually, Dustin came to his senses and sat up off the floor. He wiped his eyes as he caught his breath. He met Will’s curious eye, and Will instantly knew. 

Shit.

“What you got on your neck, Byers?” he giggled.

Will’s hand reached up to rub his neck. Jane studied him, searching, until her eyes widened.

“Oh,” she said, looking at Mike. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh! This is amazing, oh my God, I have to tell Lucas—” Dustin said as he staggered to his feet “—that son of a bitch owes me money! Lucas!”

Will slammed his sketchbook shut and ran after Dustin. “No! Dustin! Shut up!”

“Lucas! I was right!”

Even though the entire floor of the dorm hated them, Will wouldn’t have traded his friends for the world. And, looking at Mike from his doorway, with his hair rumpled and a shrug accompanying him, Will didn’t care how loud Dustin was being. 

Everything was right in his world, and he was stronger because of it.