Chapter Text
Jane, Max, and Will all sat in their shared living room, a bottle of wine and three glasses on the table in front of them. It was the end of finals week, and Jane had picked up the nicest bottle of wine she could afford as a broke college student– the three of them rejoiced, accepting that it was better than nothing at all, even if the wine was so acidic it burned their throats. The three of them sat on the same small three person couch, occasionally bumping elbows and feeling their thighs squished against someone else’s. Will was sitting in the middle, looking back and forth in between Jane and Max as if he was watching a tennis match on TV.
“Would it be bad if I wanted to gossip right now?” Max asks, taking a swig of her glass, “I just heard something funny earlier today.”
“Since when would we say no to that?” Jane asks, “Tell us.”
“Well, I heard there’s a rumor that Dustin kissed professor Ames for an extension on his calculus final,” Max says, stifling in a laugh, “I heard it from a pretty reputable source too.” Jane and Will burst out laughing, and Max can’t contain herself from joining, the idea of Dustin and his elderly professor kissing just being a bit too much to handle for them.
“I heard a rumor earlier today too,” Jane says leaned over, refilling her glass of wine, “It’s about Will.”
Will spits out his wine, watching tiny droplets splash all over his pants and the glass coffee table in front of him. Max can’t help but gasp and then laugh, watching Jane shake her head at their immaturity. Will starts coughing, and Jane rubs and pats his back for comfort, feeling only slightly guilty that she caused her brother to almost choke on cheap wine from the supermarket around the corner. What a sad way to go out.
“What rumor did you hear?” Will asks, clearing his throat. He wipes his lips with the shirt he has on and glares at Max, who’s still giggling beside him. Max couldn’t care less, even if she was completely sober this would still be funny to her.
“It’s just about you and Mike,” Jane says, taking a sip of her wine, “You’re going to need to clean the coffee table, by the way.”
“What do you mean 'just about me and Mike?' Are you used to there being rumors about us?” Will asks, blushing at even the mention of Mike’s name. Will can’t act like he’s surprised by there being rumors about him and Mike. They attended a small college so people keeping track of them was inevitable, even if they weren’t doing it intentionally. Will and Mike only hung out with each other or together in a group, and there had been rumors about Will being gay since he was in elementary school.
However, it was one thing to suspect that there were rumors, and another for it to be confirmed that they were out there. Whoever was spreading these rumors was so careless even Jane had heard them. Will felt shame in his chest, and his face got more red, the heat spreading all across his cheeks. He suddenly felt nauseous.
“How many rumors are there?” Will asks. He looks over to Max who’s still giggling, and she simply shrugs. He rolls his eyes and looks over to Jane, who’s peacefully sitting back, one leg thrown over the other, and a wine glass in hand. “Jane?”
“A couple. Don’t worry about it, you overthink everything,” Jane dismisses, and Will scoffs in response. If there were rumors circulating about Will, he deserved to know what they were.
“Jane, tell me,” Will says, his voice surprisingly stern. Jane can’t help but laugh a little in response, knowing Will wouldn’t hurt a fly. As kids, the meanest thing Will did to Jane was take one of her crayons without asking.
“Fine. I’ll tell you on one condition,” Jane smirks, looking between Will and Max, “You have to tell me if the rumors are true or not.”
“Fine,” Will says. On a regular day, the entire idea of spilling his secrets to his sister and roommate of all people would make him nauseous, but he’s had two glasses of wine and after all; they were his sister and roommate. The people he’s closest to in the entire world. If he could tell anyone it should be them. Plus, Mike and Will don’t have anything necessarily crazy going on. They’re just friends, right? “Now spill. Both of you.”
“Fuck yeah,” Jane says, “I have my bets on a few of them being true. Max, you wanna bet on them with me?”
“Sure. I’ll only tell Will the rumors I think are true, and if they’re false I’ll give you five bucks, and we can take turns doing that. Deal?” Max asks, tilting her head. She’s holding a wine glass in her hand and it’s nearing the end, a sign she was going to be filling it up again soon.
“Make it ten,” Jane says with a mischievous smile, reaching out her hand for a handshake.
“You’re on,” Max says, reaching over Will and shaking Jane’s hand. The two of them drop their hands and start laughing, causing Will to groan. He didn’t like the idea of his friends making bets about which rumors were true or not, but he did find a small amount of joy in them betting. Besides, there was nothing else to do. If Will heard a rumor about Jane he’d probably also enjoy seeing her suffer, trying to find out what Will knows and where he heard it from.
Jane and Max shared a thoughtful look and thought to themselves for a couple of seconds, probably trying to find the right rumor to bring up. One they truly believed in.
“I’ll go first,” Max says excitedly, her face lighting up when she comes to the conclusion of the right rumor to ask about. “There’s a rumor that you and Mike used to sleep in the same bed when you guys shared a dorm during your freshmen year. Like, the entire time.”
“I heard that one too…” Jane says thoughtfully, trying to put a face to the rumor.
Will’s nose scrunches, trying to remember his freshmen year. He remembers his small dorm that he shared with Mike. The room was only big enough for two twin beds, a shared nightstand, two desks, and a closet they were forced to share. Will thought back to the nights in the winter when their heater malfunctioned, or there was a thunderstorm so intense that the thunder shook the floors and the strong winds caused the tree in front of their dorm building to sway back and forth, occasionally hitting their window and causing them to jump out of their skin.
***
The rumor was technically true. Technically.
It started one night when Will had a bad dream. The dream began with Will running from a long, tall shadowy figure, one that towered hundreds of feet over him and had six legs. The creature had a deep voice, echoing all throughout the universe Will had been cursed to find himself in. Before the nightmare, Will had been sleeping still in his narrow twin bed, only letting out a quiet snore every couple of seconds. As the dream progressed, Will started twitching in his sleep and furrowing his eyebrows. It didn’t take long before he was whimpering in his sleep and slightly thrashing his legs, the running in his dream reflecting in his real life.
Mike woke up almost the second he heard a whimper– sure he was worried about Will– but realistically, the room was too small and still to sleep through any noise. At first, the noise didn’t register to Mike as a fearful whimper. It almost sounded like a whine. Mike felt himself grow embarrassed at the idea of Will having a wet dream less than twenty feet away from him, and turned around to face the wall, closing his eyes immediately and trying to focus on falling asleep. A couple of seconds later, the whimpers became louder, echoing through the tiny room and causing Mike’s chest to tighten. Will was having a nightmare.
Mike got up from his bed and hurried over to Will, stumbling over dirty clothes they had thrown onto the floor before getting into bed. “Will, wake up,” Mike said in a slight whisper, trying to trace Will’s silhouette in the darkness. Will’s legs were still thrashing around, and the sounds of his legs getting tangled in the sheets was louder than Mike’s mere whisper. “Will, come on,” Mike says louder, putting two hands on Will’s arm and attempting to shake him awake. Will’s whimpering softens and he seems like he’s waking up, his legs stilling. Mike continues to shake him, kneeling onto the bed and feeling the cheap mattress sink underneath them. “You’re having a nightmare, wake up.”
“Mike?” Will says sleepily, his eyelids fluttering open. Mike stops shaking Will but stays kneeling over him, a worried expression covering his face. Mike only gets off of Will’s bed when the shaking completely stops and Will seems to be at least half awake. Will was on his back and looked up at Mike and tried to make out his face with the moonlight that was spilling into the room. Will was drenched with sweat, his long sleeved shirt sticking to his chest and back. Memories of Will sneaking into his mom’s bed as a kid and cuddling with her after having a nightmare flood into his brain and he can only come to one logical conclusion.
“Come here.”
“What? Like into your bed with you?” Mike asks, and Will can vaguely see him raise an eyebrow. Will nods, blinking sleepily, his eyelids feeling heavy. Mike didn’t sound insulted at all by the offer, and was more genuinely confused about Will’s imposition.
“What if I have ‘nother nightmare?” Will asks, his sleepy brain trying to put the puzzle pieces together. If Mike was sleeping in his bed with him, he’d be a lot less likely to have a nightmare. It was just like when he used to cuddle with his mom, right? Will reaches out his arms towards Mike and makes a grabbing gesture with his hands, and Mike melts in the spot he’s standing in.
“Scooch,” Mike says gently, and Will gives Mike a sleepy smile, making room for Mike by shifting over and pressing his back against the wall. Mike gets into his bed slowly, and lays on his back, feeling Will’s stare on him the entire time. Mike turns his head and makes eye contact with him, and there was something so beautiful about seeing Will that way. He had slight undereye bags and there was a bit of dried drool dripping from the corner of his lip. His hair looked perfectly unkempt, sticking out in a million different directions.
They had to share a pillow. They also had to share a comforter, one Will brought from home. The twin bed was so small that their bodies were pressed up against each other, and although the sleeping setup wasn’t optimal, Mike had never felt so comfortable. He wasn’t sure what position to lay in, and when he heard a slight snore from Will, he laid still, scared to wake him up. Since Will fell asleep, should Mike go back to his own bed for the rest of the night? He wasn’t sure.
Mike didn’t have a lot of time to think about it before Will threw his arm over Mike’s chest and pulled him slightly closer, nuzzling his nose into Mike’s shoulder. Mike’s breath hitched slightly, feeling the warmth of Will’s direct skin against his.
Mike was worried that sleeping in Will’s bed would feel a bit strange, but it felt comforting. Will’s sheets were smooth and smelt just like him; a mix of clothes detergent from the dollar store, green apple shampoo, and a subtle hint of the vanilla cologne he wore daily. There was no awkwardness or stress involved in the situation. Mike fell asleep to the noises of Will’s gentle snores, his heart skipping a beat in his chest whenever he felt Will’s grip tighten around his chest.
It happened again the next day.
Will and Mike had gotten home drunk from the bar, all of their words slurring together and the room spinning intensely. They could hardly walk in a straight line, and it took Mike close to five minutes to get the dorm key into the door and open it. Once they stumbled into their dorm, Will hung his jacket up on the coat rack hanging on the wall while Mike threw his jacket on the floor.
“Mike,” Will groaned, dragging out his name, “Every time I clean this room you make it into a mess again.” Even drunk it made Will upset, and he shook his head while picking up Mike’s jacket and sloppily hanging it next to his own. Mike rolled his eyes in response, reaching underneath his sweatshirt and pulling it off, feeling cold air hit his bare chest. The radiator in the dorm always emitted a slight hum when it was working, and it slightly shook as well. Mike shuddered and looked down at the radiator next to his bed, feeling defeated by seeing the radiator lay completely still, silent in the cold room.
“Fucking piece of shit radiator,” Mike grumbles, stepping over to the radiator and kneeling down to turn the knob. It was completely dead, not even making a clanking noise to signify it trying to start up. Mike groaned, standing up and turning around to see Will completely unphased, undressing and throwing his dirty clothes from the bar into his laundry hamper. “It’s going to be freezing all night.”
“We can talk to maintenance tomorrow, just put an extra blanket on for tonight,” Will said, huddling under his comforter and dragging it up to his chin, “Don’t be such a baby.”
Mike didn’t even bother responding. He undressed quickly, throwing his clothes onto the floor and not even noticing when a ball of his socks rolled under the bed. He turned the tableside lamp off and got under his own sheets. They were nothing like Will’s. They didn’t have that scent of home on them; they were thinner and way less soft. Mike felt the cold sheets all around his body and felt goosebumps crawling up his back. Whenever Mike closed his eyes and felt himself drifting to sleep, his body wouldn't let him. He had only slept in Will’s bed once before, and now his own mattress felt so empty and large, despite it being twin sized.
“Will, are you asleep right now?” Mike asks, using a soft voice he has reserved only for Will.
“I’m trying to sleep right now.”
“But you can’t because it’s so cold, right? I can’t sleep either.”
“I can’t sleep because you’re keeping me up Mike,” Will says in a frustrated tone. Mike isn’t even slightly phased by the attitude; he had a goal and wouldn’t stop prodding Will until he accomplished it.
“Last night in your bed… it was really warm with the both of us in it. You have really soft sheets,” Mike says, “They smell good too. I bet your comforter is enough to keep you warm right now, not like my sheets. They’re so thin–”
“Shut up and come here already,” Will interrupts, repeating his routine from last night and pressing his back up against the wall. Mike smiled to himself and jumped out of bed, abandoning his cold mattress for Will’s warm one. Will felt his bed dip while Mike got under the covers quickly, both of their bare legs and chests creating a warm environment for the both of them. Mike was facing Will and grinning at him, satisfied with the invitation. “Turn around, Mike.”
Mike’s face dropped slightly. He nodded slightly, turning around and feeling his heart in his chest drop. He thought Will was being mean as a joke; he didn’t think it was that big of a deal for them to share a bed. Maybe Will wanted space?
While Mike was getting comfortable on his side and over thinking, the heat on the bed giving him more anxiety than providing him comfort, Will slid an arm around Mike’s waist, pulling him closer and entangling his legs with Mike’s. Mike’s stomach twists. Will didn’t want space.
He wanted to spoon.
“Night Mike,” Will says in a slight whisper, the combination of holding Mike and still having the spins from drinking lulling him to sleep.
“Goodnight Will,” Mike whispers back, throwing an arm around Will’s and interlacing their fingers.
The next day, they didn’t even need to discuss what the sleeping arrangements were going to be. The both of them were studying late into the night at their respective desks, the only noise in the entire room being a staticky radio that was quietly playing jazz music. If the radio was put down by two notches, you wouldn’t be able to hear even the trace of a song.
“My eyes are fucking with me, I have to get ready for bed,” Will decides, scooting his wooden chair out from his desk and rubbing his eyes. His voice slightly startles Mike, who was planning on pulling an all-nighter to prepare for a French final he had in the morning. It was his last final, and afterwards winter break started. “I’m going to go brush my teeth, I’d kind of prefer if I could turn off the lights when I get back.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Mike says, waving Will off and putting a bookmark in his textbook before slamming it closed. He could realistically get another hour or two of studying in if he wanted to go to the library across campus, but it was snowing outside and he couldn’t truly be bothered. His French final couldn’t be that hard. Mike hears the dorm door close behind Will, and he gets up and stretches, taking in how messy the cramped room was. The dorm room has been messy before but this was ridiculous. Dirty clothes were everywhere, the garbage was overflowing with balled up pieces of paper and empty cans of beer, and both of their desks were littered with crap. While Mike is taking in the state of the messy room he glances at Will’s bed; the only neat thing in the room.
Will did his bed every morning, without any exceptions. He would fluff his cheap dorm pillows, tuck in his duvet corners, and smooth down his comforter. It was the first thing he did after opening his eyes. Mike tried hard to come up with an excuse to sleep in Will’s bed tonight; but nothing he came up with felt good enough. The only solution he came up with was getting undressed, slipping under Will’s covers, and wait for him to get back from the bathroom.
Will’s bed smelt just as good, felt just as soft, and Mike found himself drifting away, his plan to wait for Will already going wrong. A couple of minutes later the door opened and Will walked in, dressed in pajamas and unfazed by Mike laying in his bed. Mike sleepily smirked at Will, who didn’t have any reaction. It would’ve been nice for Will to smile at the thought of Mike already curled up in his bed, waiting for him, but he took the lack of reaction as a good thing; he wasn’t getting kicked out of his immediately. He had a chance of staying there the whole night, and if he was lucky, Will would crawl into bed with zero hesitation.
“I just bumped into Lucas outside,” Will says simply, kicking his sandals off and sitting on Mike’s bed. Mike furrowed his eyebrows at Will, prompting him to continue. “He said tomorrow night he and some of his friends are going skiing for a couple of days, and they invited me. Someone probably backed out at the last second or something…”
“Yeah, and?” Mike asks, his main concern being why Will wasn’t in bed. Couldn’t they discuss this while cuddling? “Are you going with them?”
“Yeah. It’s just for three days, I figured I’d go since I’m not flying out to be with family this year,” Will says shyly, a hint of guilt in his tone. Did he feel bad over not being able to spend time with Mike? There was a possibility of Will feeling guilty that Mike didn’t also get invited, but it didn’t seem likely. Mike wasn’t the type to spend multiple days outside of his comfort zone, even if that meant staying in his shitty dorm. Will knew that.
“I hope you have fun,” Mike says, and although it wasn’t intentional his tone was bitter, the words dripping with sarcasm.
“I just wanted to let you know, okay? Now get up please,” Will says gently, standing up from Mike’s bed. Mike’s heart dropped; not only was Will going away for multiple days, he also seemed exhausted from sharing a bed with Mike. Mike felt crushed but he tried to understand. These were small beds after all. “I sleep on the side next to the wall, remember? Get up so I can get in.”
Mike smiled in response, getting out of Will’s bed and missing the fabric of the sheets immediately. Will crawled into bed and pressed up against the wall, watching Mike slowly follow him, the both of them feeling goosebumps when their legs brushed against each other.
It all felt so normal. The skin to skin, intimacy that was still new and exciting, the blanket hogging. Mike and Will had sleepovers together growing up, Will practically lived at Mike’s house all throughout their schooling years. This felt more grown up and personal.
The next morning their college campus was snowy and bustling, with students running around campus in the winter jackets and getting ready for their finals. Will had a philosophy final and it went better than he thought; he never worried much about his results after he finished. There was nothing else he could do but hope for the best. After finishing his last question he sprinted towards his dorm room, eager to start packing and meet up with Lucas for the skiing trip they had coming up. When Will opened the door he saw Mike reading and sitting on his own bed for once; the sight causing his heart to drop in his chest. The room was messy and dark, the sun already threatening to set at 4 PM.
“How was the French final?” Will asks, hanging his backpack on the chair that’s sitting in front of his desk. He takes a second to look at the state of his desk, pencils scattered across the entire thing and a textbook for his math class was still open, sloppy attempts at highlighting certain senses sprinkled through the pages. Will grabs an old duffel bag from the corner of the shared closet and throws it on his bed, his back facing Mike and contemplating what clothes to bring with him.
“Not that good,” Mike mumbles, his eyes fixated on the book in front of him. Will usually gets upset when Mike acts like a brat, but this was different. Usually Mike wanted to sleep in Will’s comfortable bed, or ask to borrow Will’s meal card after Mike had used all of his points buying junk food from the on campus convenience store. But Mike was being a brat now because he wants Will. Not his comforter, not his notes from their only shared class. Just Will.
Will sighs and abandons his packing plan, choosing to sit on Mike’s bed right next to him, playfully flipping over the cover of Mike’s book so it closes. “Are you mad at me for going on a trip? It’s just three days.”
“Who said I was mad?” Mike asks, keeping his eyes on the closed book in his lap.
“You sound mad,” Will says calmly, putting his fingers under Mike’s chin and tilting his head in Will’s direction. Mike’s initial reaction was shock but it quickly turned into anger again, swatting Will’s hand away and deciding to stare straight ahead of him. “I’m going to finish packing and I’m meeting Lucas outside of the Brownstone building afterwards. I’ll call you tonight when I get to the cabin, okay? Maybe we can talk every night, at least for a little bit.”
“Don’t know if I’ll answer,” Mike says, his voice cold. He opens his book back up and tries to focus on reading. Will sighed before standing up, accepting the defeat of Mike being upset with him. He went straight for the closet and pulled out random sweatshirts and thick pants, shoving them into his duffel bag and hurriedly zipping it closed.
“See you in three days Mike,” Will says sadly, throwing the duffel bag over his shoulder and taking a moment to longingly look at Mike. Mike doesn’t bother looking up from his book, just nodding in response and mumbling ‘stay safe.’
“You’re really that immature?” Will asks, letting his anger get the best of him, “You’re so upset with me that you can’t wish me a proper goodbye? Just because I’d rather take a trip to enjoy my spring break instead of staying in this shitty cramped dorm room so we can lay in the same bed together? Get over yourself, Mike.”
“You were the one pulling me into bed with you after having a nightmare. I didn’t start this,” Mike snaps, finally looking up from his bed. They were making eye contact for the first time today, and Will could only focus on the dark eyes that were staring him down, giving him a pit of anxiety in his stomach. “And I have no interest in continuing it. Just go.”
“Fuck you Mike,” Will barks, his words sharp and full of aggression. Will readjusts the duffel bag on his shoulder and storms out, slamming the door behind him. His anger was so strong that he couldn’t regret his words– not yet.
The next three nights were long. The days flew by, with Will learning to ski and getting associated with the rest of Lucas’s friends. He found himself laughing while the sun was out and getting along with everyone; even if he wasn’t close to them, he loved the company and learnt that he actually liked participating in some sports.
But each night was a battle.
Each night started out with Will making hot chocolate, getting in his pajamas, and watching the news on the couch in the living room of the cabin until he got drowsy enough to move to his bed. Each night ended with him crying himself to sleep. The short yet pungent argument between him and Mike left a bitter taste in his mouth, causing him to have issues sleeping. Every time he closed his eyes he pictured Mike, alone and cold in his small bed, staring at Will’s bed sadly. Will tried to call Mike all four nights and all three days; but Mike wouldn’t answer. The phone rang the entire time, so there was a possibility Mike wasn’t home, but it was a higher possibility that Mike was ignoring him.
Will’s twin bed in the cabin felt wrong. He tried to put on a comforter in his bed and he even washed the sheets with his cheap dollar store detergent he was so fond of, but the comfort didn’t come. It wasn’t the bed that was bothering him; it was the absence. When Will got back to his dorm on the fourth and final day, duffel bag in hand, he opened the door and realized two things immediately: First, the room was clean. All the dirty clothes on the floor had either been cleaned and put away, both of their desks were organized with neat stacks of paper and textbooks, and all the garbage had been thrown out. Second, Mike was sleeping in Will’s bed, all by himself.
Mike was on his side, facing the wall Will usually pressed his back against. Will’s comforter was draped around Mike’s waist, his bare chest on display as he slept calmly. Mike was holding Will’s pillow in his arms, his grasp on it tight. Will’s pillow didn’t have its usual white cover on, and instead had one of Will’s gym shirts from high school draped around it. Will smiled slightly at the view in front of him, his eyes welling up.
“Will?” Mike asks in a sleepy voice, blinking rapidly and trying to adjust his eyes to the light in the dorm, “I forgot you were coming back today…” The pillow was still in his arms, and he didn’t even seem embarrassed by it. Will threw his duffel bag onto the floor and took his jacket off, throwing it onto Mike’s empty bed. Mike turned over, pillow still in arms like a child with their favorite stuffed animal. The idea of separating the two was out of the question.
“You cleaned up,” Will notes, standing over Mike. Mike's eyes were glossy and bloodshot, staring right up at Will as if he hung all the stars in the sky, “Is that my T-shirt on my pillow?”
“Maybe…” Mike says shyly, averting Will’s gaze to look at the pillow next to him.
“I’m sorry, Mike. I shouldn’t have gotten upset with you,” Will says, sitting down on his bed next to Mike. “I… I really missed you while I was away those couple of days.”
“I missed you more,” Mike says sincerely, looking deep into Will’s dark eyes.
“Clearly,” Will chuckled, vaguely gesturing at the pillow. The idea of Mike cuddling with a Will-reminiscent pillow was sweet, but also funny when you thought about it. “Do you want to sleep in my bed tonight? With me, obviously.”
“Yeah, I’d love that,” Mike says, his eyes brightening up at the idea. Mike releases his grip on the pillow and sneaks a hand over Will’s, smiling widely when Will interlaces their fingers.
“I’d love for you to sleep in it every night with me,” Will says, using his other hand to cup Mike’s cheek.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”