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In hindsight, Will isn’t entirely sure what he’d expected when his friends found out he was Spiderman.
Mike had taken it surprisingly well, honestly. He’d just stared at Will for a long second before saying, “I kinda had a feeling,” and grilling into Will about his powers and whether or not he’s being safe. Will didn’t have the heart to tell him that no, safety is not exactly part of the job.
Still, he’d been grateful for Mike’s reaction. Grateful that Mike— his boyfriend now, though they weren’t together then— hadn’t looked at him differently after the mask came off. If anything, Mike had only become more protective, which Will thought was funny considering he was the one with superpowers. He likes Mike’s protectiveness though. He spends all day protecting the city— sometimes it’s nice to have someone to protect him, too.
Max, Lucas, and Jane hadn’t reacted that badly either. There was that brief period of misunderstanding before the reveal, because, and Will still laughs about this, they’d initially assumed Mike had cheated on Will with Spiderman. Once they finally processed that the guy under the mask was Will, things settled down into a storm of rapid-fire questions and remarks about Will’s strength that he tried not to be offended over.
Dustin, however, is currently losing his shit.
To be fair, the way he’s finding out probably (definitely) isn’t helpful.
Will had been out on patrol, swinging between buildings while the city buzzed quietly beneath him. It had been a relatively peaceful night— until he’d been slammed into the side of a building by a giant mutant lizard.
The thing had claws like knives. One swipe across Will’s chest had torn straight through his suit and knocked the breath from his lungs so hard he thinks he nearly blacked out.
By the time he’d managed to escape, he was dizzy, bleeding, and one bad landing away from passing out entirely.
Their apartment was too far away. Mike was probably still at work. And Will only had enough strength left to make it to the nearest safe place he could think of. Unfortunately for him, that happened to be Dustin’s apartment in Manhattan.
Normally getting to Dustin’s window would’ve been easy. Tonight, though, every movement sent a sharp pain through his ribs.
Will barely managed to cling to the fire escape before knocking weakly against the glass with a quiet thud, thud, thud.
A few seconds later, Dustin yanked the window open and, much to Will’s dismay, immediately started shouting.
“What the— holy shit— Will?!”
Before Will could answer, Dustin was already hauling him inside, swearing like a sailor as he helped Will navigate onto the floor, slumped down and holding his ribs.
Which brings Will here— bleeding onto Dustin’s floor while Dustin paces back and forth the shoebox sized living room, gesturing wildly at Will.
“What the actual fuck, Will?!”
Under different circumstances, Will probably would’ve found this funny.
Unfortunately, he was starting to get lightheaded.
“Dustin,” Will interrupts, voice strained. “Listen, I’m sorry you found out like this, but I really need you to calm down right now.”
Dustin whips around to face him, eyes wide with panic.
“Right.” He says, voice shaking, “Right, okay—oh my God, you’re bleeding so much. What do I do?”
“Call Mike,” Will says, fighting to stay conscious. “And grab a first aid kit. Please tell me you have one.”
Dustin scrambles to do as he’s told while Will slides farther down the wall, a sharp gasp tearing from his throat as he clutches his chest tighter. He ends up slumped against the floor, legs stretched out in front of him, every breath shallow and uneven.
The pool of blood beneath him keeps spreading. Will forces his eyes away from it before nausea can fully set in. If the pain doesn’t make him pass out first, the sight of that much blood just might.
A moment later, Dustin comes barreling back into the room carrying a stack of towels and what appears to be a children’s first-aid kit.
Will nearly laughs. Dustin might be wicked smart, but apparently his medical knowledge begins and ends with Spiderman bandages. Of course they’re Spiderman themed. An incredulous laugh escapes Will, weak and breathless, and he instantly regrets it when a sharp bolt of pain slices through his ribs.
“Okay, Mike’s on his way, and—” Dustin drops to his knees beside him, fumbling with the supplies. “This is all I could find, so we’re gonna have to make it work until he gets here.”
Relief loosens something tight in Will’s chest at the mention of Mike. He loves Dustin, he does, but right now Mike is the person he needs.
“Help me get the suit off,” Will mutters.
Dustin stares at him like he’s lost his mind. “Are you insane?” he blurts. “Absolutely not— you cannot move right now!”
Will doesn’t have the energy to argue. He pushes himself upright with a strained groan, hands shaking as he reaches for the suit. Dustin immediately moves to steady him before he can fall sideways.
Every movement rips another pained grunt from Will, his breathing ragged and uneven. Afterward, they sit in silence, Dustin pressing the towels firmly against Will’s side while they wait for Mike to arrive.
There's a rapid knock at the door and before Dustin can even stand, the door flies open, hard, and Mike rushes inside.
He stops in his tracks at the sight of Will on the floor. For half a second, the room goes still except for Mike’s sharp inhale of breath. Then, with a shake of his head, he’s moving again, dropping to his knees beside Will.
“Will—oh my God. What happened?”
The words slip away from Will when he opens his mouth to answer.
Before Mike got here, Will had still been holding himself together. He’d still been Spiderman— still the protector.
But now Mike is here, and the fragile structure that was keeping him upright just… gives way.
Will feels his eyes start to droop.
Mike’s hands finally land, hovering. One at Will’s shoulder, the other unsure where to go, like he can’t decide what’s safe to touch.
“Hey,” Mike says again, voice breaking at the edges. “Hey, look at me. Can you—can you stay with me for a second?”
Will lifts his head weakly, meeting Mike’s eyes and manages a faint, exhausted smile.
“Hi,” he whispers.
Mike lets out a shaky breath. “Don’t—don’t do that,” he says, but there’s no real bite in it. Will can hear the fear within his voice.
Will’s eyes flutter. The room tilts at the edges.
He hears Dustin say his name—far away, distorted— but nothing feels close enough to reach.
“No, no—Will, stay with me. Hey. Hey,” Mike leans closer, gently shaking Will in an attempt to keep him awake.
But Will’s body is already giving up.
His last coherent thought is how unfair it is that Mike looks like that. Will registers, distantly, that this is probably not the time to be thinking about it.
But Mike still looks so good— hair all fluffy and curling at the ends, sleeves rolled up in the way that drives Will crazy.
Wow. Will must really be down bad if this is what his brain is fixating on while he’s practically dying.
Will exhales once, slow and tired, his head tipping forward just slightly. Mike catches him immediately.
“You’re cute,” Will whispers, soft and weak.
And then he’s out.
When he wakes again, Mike and Dustin are arguing nearby. Mike’s voice is sharp as he lectures Dustin, but his hands where they rest on Will are impossibly gentle. It doesn’t take long for the pain to return, reminding Will why he’s in this position in the first place.
Will’s eyes flutter open, and he hisses through his teeth at the burning sensation coming from his side. Glancing down, he sees Mike carefully— or as carefully as he can manage— stitching the wound closed.
Mike looks up at the sound, immediately noticing he’s awake.
“Will, hey, baby,” he says softly. “I’m almost done, okay? Just a couple more stitches.”
Will tries to answer, but only a strained groan escapes him.
When Mike pushes the needle through again, pain tears through him so violently his back arches off the wall. He cries out and grabs for Mike’s wrist, trying weakly to shove him away.
Mike, who has become far too practiced at this over the past few months, keeps steady.
“I know, Will. I know, baby. I’m almost done,” he murmurs, voice low and soothing as he keeps working.
“Holy Jesus,” Will chokes out as Mike ties off the final stitch.
For a few seconds, all Will can do is breathe through the pain as Mike runs a steady, comforting, hand up and down his arm. Slowly, he starts to collect himself. With the wound finally closed, the pain will fade soon enough, and his body will supernaturally heal the rest.
With one last shaky breath, Will opens his eyes fully and takes in the room around him.
Mike is kneeling directly in front of him, his bloodstained hands resting over Will’s. Worry lingers in his expression, his eyes sweeping over Will again and again as though he’s still not convinced Will is okay.
A few feet behind him sits Dustin, his elbows on his knees and his head buried in his hands as he watches the scene unfold.
“Sorry, Dustin,” Will says quietly.
Dustin’s head snaps up. “Why are you apologizing?” he demands. “You’re the one who got stabbed.”
“Technically,” Will replies, lifting a finger toward him, “it was the claws of a giant lizard.”
“I still don’t know where that thing even came from,” Will mutters under his breath, earning incredulous looks from both Dustin and Mike.
“Right. A giant lizard. As if that'sany better,” Dustin says dryly.
“Seriously, man. I’m glad you’re okay.”
Will smiles faintly. “Thanks, Dustin.”
Beside him, Mike gathers the bloodied gauze into a pile before tossing it into the trash. He reaches for a clean piece and carefully presses it over Will’s stitches. His brows are furrowed in concentration, the tip of his tongue pushing against the inside of his cheek.
“You don’t have to do that, y’know,” Will says softly.
They’ve been here enough times for Mike to know this. He knows that by morning, the wound would be nearly gone, healed to nothing more than a scratch.
Mike looks up at Will, his gaze steady.
“I want to.”
Heat creeps into Will’s face. He holds Mike’s eye contact, already feeling a teasing reply forming on his tongue. He opens his mouth—
“Am I seriously the third wheel in my own house right now?”
Will blinks.
Right. Dustin.
If he was being honest, he’d completely forgotten Dustin was still there. He’d also forgotten he was still half-dressed in his suit. Now that the adrenaline was fading, the discomfort was finally beginning to settle in.
He asks Dustin for a change of clothes, and Dustin, thankfully, gives them some privacy while Mike helps him change. Not that Will really needs the help anymore, but he wasn’t exactly about to tell Mike to stop.
By the time he’d traded the suit for loose sweatpants that wouldn’t press against the bandage and an oversized hoodie, he already felt better.
When they step out of the bathroom, Dustin is waiting at the kitchen counter. He hands each of them a mug of tea before leaning his elbows against the surface.
“So,” Dustin begins slowly, “I’m trying to be chill about this, but…” He gestured vaguely between them.
Will doesn’t need him to elaborate to know what he was talking about.
“It’s okay,” he says. “You can ask.”
Dustin’s shoulders drop with visible relief.
“Thank God,” he breathes. “I seriously can’t believe it. You’re Spiderman. Like—actually Spiderman. Will, do you realize how incredible that is?”
“I wouldn’t call Will bleeding out on the floor incredible,” Mike cut in immediately. He slides an arm around Will’s waist, careful to avoid putting pressure near the wound.
“No, obviously not that,” Dustin says quickly. “That part was horrifying. I mean the superhero part.”
Will shrugs against Mike’s side. “I guess.”
Dustin leans forward, eyes bright. Will swears he can see Dustin’s eyes twinkle. “Okay, so how do the webs work?”
Will blinks at him. “I don’t know. They just… come out of me.”
“Awesome. Wait—do they only come out of your wrists?”
Mike snorts into his tea
Will stares at him. “What kind of question is that?”
“What’s the coolest villain you’ve fought?”
“I don’t think I’d describe any of them as cool.”
“How do you—”
“Dustin,” Mike interrupts, laughing despite himself, “I know you’re excited, but Will needs to rest.”
“Right. Yeah. Okay.” Dustin straights, visibly forcing himself to stop. Will can practically see the rest of the questions threatening to spill out.
They say their goodbyes and Will apologizes about a billion more times before they’re out the door and on their way home.
When Mike and Will return to their apartment, Mike immediately escorts Will into the bathroom. He turns on the shower and adjusts the temperature to exactly how Will likes it.
Silently, he helps Will out of his clothes before stripping down himself and guiding him carefully into the tub.
It’s only when Will watches the red-stained water fall down the drain that the reality of the situation truly settles over him. He doesn’t know what happened while he was passed out, but he’s sure it wasn’t pretty.
He’s really going to have his work cut out for him with this lizard— if Mike ever lets him leave the apartment as spiderman again.
Mike’s touch is gentle as he washes the dirt and blood from Will’s skin, but there’s something protective beneath it too. Like he’s afraid of letting go.
Mike helps him dress once they’re finished, choosing the softest pajamas he owns. One of Mike’s sweaters hangs loose over Will’s frame, and Will can’t help smiling at the quietly possessive gesture.
Once they’re both dressed, Mike guides him toward the bedroom.
Will practically collapses onto the mattress, the exhaustion from the day finally catching up to him.
Mike props a pillow behind Will, making sure he is comfortable before slipping out of the room. He’s gone only a few minutes before he returns carrying a tray filled with all of Will’s favorite snacks.
Reese’s Pieces, grapes, those weird orange-flavored chips that Will insists are good, but Mike hates, and a glass of water are laid out neatly across the tray.
Will smiles up at him fondly as Mike sets it down on the bedside table. “You know, you don’t have to do all this for me. I’m okay.”
“And you know I’m gonna do it anyway,” Mike replies.
He settles beside Will and replaces the pillow at Will’s back with himself instead. Will leans comfortably against his chest, tilting his head back to press a soft kiss to Mike’s lips as a silent thank you.
“Besides,” Mike says quietly, “I’ve never seen you pass out like that before. You really scared me.”
“I was okay, Mike.”
Mike sits up slightly, body tensing against Will’s. “You weren’t waking up, Will. Do you understand how terrifying that was for us? For me?”
“M’sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s just…” Mike exhales shakily. “I don’t know what I’d do if one day you didn’t make it back.”
Will melts further into him, bringing Mike’s head down for another kiss. They part only slightly, foreheads nearly touching.
“I’ll always do everything I can to come home to you,” Will whispers.
His eyes stay closed as he rests his forehead against Mike’s.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” he continues softly. “But I knew I could rely on my paladin to protect me.”
Mike scoffs, but the frustration in his eyes falls away. “You should not have found yourself in such danger, my sorcerer.”
Will giggles. “Well then, I guess I’ll just have to make it up to you.”
He leans in again, shifting in Mike’s lap for better access. Mike grins against his mouth and cups Will’s chin, deepening the kiss until Will feels a warmth pass through him.
They stay like that for a long while, tangled together in the quiet calm of their bedroom.
In the distance, Will can still hear the constant bustle of the city outside, but he pays it no attention. Right now, all he needs is Mike. The warmth of his body pressed against Will’s. The softness of his lips. His gentle hands resting at Will’s waist and along his jaw.
When they finally pull apart, Will keeps his gaze fixed on Mike’s.
“I love you,” he whispers.
Mike smiles immediately. “I love you too.”
“But don’t ever make me find you like that again.” Mike frowns, but his eyes give away his fondness.
Will laughs and presses a kiss to Mike’s cheek.
“Well, I wasn’t about to let Dustin stitch me up. Did you see he had Spiderman Band-Aids?”
Mike blinks. “What?”
“Yeah. I don’t think I’ll ever hear the end of not telling him. I wonder if Spiderman will still be his favorite superhero now.”
“Spiderman is my favorite superhero,” Mike says.
Will rolls his eyes fondly. “Yeah, well, I think you’re biased.”
“Maybe.” Mike nudges his nose against Will’s. He brushes Will’s hair back and out of his eyes. “But you love that I’m biased.”
Will smiles, warm and soft. “Yeah. I guess I do.”
Silence settles over the room, broken only by the distant hum of the cars passing by outside. Will tilts his head to Mike’s chest, listening to the steady rhythm of Mike’s heart. He feels his eyelids growing heavier with every passing second, exhaustion pulling at him now that the adrenaline has finally worn off.
Mike’s hands continue their absent movements against his waist, his thumb drawing patterns against Will’s skin. It’s comforting, Will thinks, but he suspects he’s doing it more for himself than for Will.
Will shifts slightly closer, earning a quiet huff of amusement from Mike.
“Tired?” Mike murmurs.
Will hums in response, too exhausted to form a proper answer.
Mike presses a lingering kiss to his temple, and Will melts further into the warmth of him. Just before sleep takes him, he feels Mike tighten his arms around him ever so slightly.
“Sleep,” Mike whispers softly into his hair. “I’ll be right here.”
Will smiles faintly, eyes already closed.
Finally, safe and snuggled up in his favorite place with his favorite person, he lets sleep pull him under.