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“The sorceresses look at you with an expectant look. What do you do, Will the wise?”
Five sets of eyes are on Will.
“I, uhm-”
“You gotta cast protection, Will.” Dustin says.
“Absolutely not, he has to attack!” Lucas counters.
“Maybe we can find a way for him to escape?” El proposes.
“Even if he does escape, he wouldn’t be able to go far, there’s a pack of wolves in the woods,” Max points out.
“Yeah, thanks guys, I know I’m screwed,” Will says defeated.
“Clocks ticking, Cleric,” Mike says, wiggling his eyebrows and attempting a flirtatious tone, unsuccessfully. “What’s it gonna be?”
Will looks at him with a small smile, his eyes going soft. “I use my powers on the mages, distracting them long enough so that I can steal their moon stone and use it on the wolves outside. Then, I escape.”
The rest of the party lets out a series of ooohs and uuuuuhs, turning their heads to Mike.
“Roll your dice, then, Will. Let’s see if you’re able to defeat the mages.”
Will takes the d20 in his hand, looking at it.
It all comes to this roll.
He launches it on the table, everyone holding their breaths expectantly. It stops right in front of Mike, who takes it so fast that he hits Lucas’ figurine, letting it fall on the floor. “And… it’s…”
He grins.
“It’s a seven.”
“Noooooooo.”
“Fuck!”
“I can’t believe this, we were so close!”
“Oh, no.”
Will doesn’t even say anything, just moves his arms up in the air in annoyance.
“Unfortunately, your powers can do nothing against the two mages, who defend themselves from your attack by turning you into…” Mike looks at his notes, his eyebrows pinched together in focus. “They turn you into… uhm. A bunny?”
“A bunny?” El asks, curious.
“That’s what it says here.”
“‘That’s what it says here’” Max repeats in a mocking tone. “As if you didn’t write it!”
“Well, I wrote that the mages can turn anyone into an animal based on the number they roll with the dice, it’s not like I specifically-”
“Okay, okay. I think it’s enough D&D for today, guys,” El interrupts. “What if we end it here and just go to sleep?”
They all mumble a series of okay and yeah, moving the chairs away from the table to make space for their sleeping bags.
Mike and Will take place on the mattress of the pull out couch, getting under the blankets.
“Well, uhm. ‘Night, Will.”
“‘Night, Mike.”
/)/)
( . .)
( づ♡
Mike wakes up in the middle of night, a beam of light startling him.
“What the-”
“Mike! Mike, hel-” Will says, before being completely swallowed up by the colorful lights and into the D&D table.
“WILL-”
The rest of the party wakes up in a rush, everyone confused and worried.
“What’s going on?!” Lucas shouts.
“I don’t know, I don’t-” Mike says in a panic. “I woke up because of the noise, and then I saw Will disappearing in a myriad of lights and I don’t understand what the hell just happened-”
“Uhm. Guys?” Max says, while caressing something on the D&D board with her finger.
“What is it?” El asks.
“It’s… it’s a…” She starts, a big smile appearing on her face. “It’s a bunny.”
Mike approaches the table, looking at the board with furrowed brows.
A tiny bunny, the size of their characters' figurines, is looking back at him, with his tiny paws raised as if asking to be picked up.
“Is that Will?” Dustin asks, shooketh.
“Oh my god. That is Will! Look at him, he’s so… cute,” Lucas says, petting him on the head with his finger, just like Max did before him.
“Okay, enough with the petting now,” Mike grunts, annoyed. “What do we do? We can’t just… leave him like this!”
“I don’t even understand why and how something like this could happen, it makes no sense-”
“Let’s not even try to understand this. The point is, how are we gonna bring him back? He seems to literally be in the story Mike wrote…” Max says.
“Oh, no,” Dustin whispers, looking at the little fluffy animal. “What if he’s at the mages’ cabin, surrounded by wolves? We have to help him!”
Mike panics, moving to get his notes. “El, you gotta do something, NOW!”
“Shoot. Okay, okay, wait,” She blurts, fidgeting with her hands. “I have an idea. I can transport us into the story, too.”
“How are you gonna do that?”
“Why don’t I like this plan already-”
“Everybody, shush!” Mike cuts in. “Will is in danger, we have to help him!”
Silence fills the room, everybody looking at Mike like he’s a crazy man.
“Okay, calm down, Wheeler,” Max mutters. “We’re gonna help him. El, do what you gotta do.”
El closes her eyes, blood immediately dripping from her nose. Another beam of lights, all purple and glittery, envelopes the party completely.
They get transported into the magical world in a matter of seconds.
/)/)
( . .)
( づ♡
“Will? Will, are you there?”
A squeal.
“There!” El shouts, pointing at something in the grass.
“Oh, thank God, he’s not surrounded by wolves nor in danger,” Lucas says beside her.
“Will!” Mike runs towards the sound, easily spotting the little, light brown bunny in the field. His little nose keeps moving, sniffing everything around him, chewing at some daisies. When he spots Mike, he stands on his tippy toes, raising his paws.
“Oh my God, Will. Look at you! You’re a bunny… a real life, honest- to- God bunny!” Mike says as he picks him up, using two hands to raise him to his own face. “You’re the cutest thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”
The bunny looks back at him with a soft stare, his little ears going up, as if to ask, Really?
“Yeah, really. Listen, we're gonna help you, okay? Just trust me.”
The bunny relaxes on Mike’s palms, letting out a little squeak.
Mike swears he could die of cuteness aggression.
He caresses the beige fur, unable to stop himself from petting Will.
The bunny.
From petting the bunny.
“You found him,” El says, approaching them.
“He’s so… small, and cute,” Max says as she raises her hand to pet his little head too.
Mike moves the bunny away from her reach, bringing him close to his chest, possessively.
“He’s not a toy.”
“I just wanted to pet him, Wheeler!”
“Well, he’s not yours to pet, Mayfield!”
“Wow. Even when he’s literally transformed into a bunny you’re crazy possessive of him!”
The bunny jumps away from Mike’s hands, freeing himself from his grip and letting out little annoyed squeals.
“Will, wait-” El says, going after him.
“Well done, Max. You made him angry!”
“Me?!”
“Let’s just follow the bunny and find a way to go home, guys, please,” Dustin groans.
“Fine.”
Mike finds Will in the field again, his tiny ears flat and his eyes closed- resting.
He sits on the grass, picking the bunny up and putting him on his lap.
“You’re not going anywhere, you little menace,” Mike whispers softly, tracing his thumb on Will’s little fluffy head. “I love having you like this, cute and tiny on my lap.”
The bunny lets out a tired exhale in response.
“Maybe the mages can help us. They transformed him once, they might be able to transform him back?” Lucas reflects out loud.
“Oh my God, you’re totally right. We just have to find their cabin,” Max agrees.
“We could ask if anyone knows how to find them at the village, it seems to not be too far from here anyway,” Dustin says, looking at the campaign map he took from Mike’s basement. “I think Mike said one of them was called Claire?” Dustin asks.
“Clarke! One was called Clarke! Why is it so difficult to remember the names I choose?! I put effort and time into my campaigns and-”
“Oh my God, Wheeler, shut the fuck up.” Max interrupts him.
He rolls his eyes as he gets up, gripping Will tightly and keeping him to his chest, petting him incessantly.
No one says anything else until they arrive at the village.
/)/)
( . .)
( づ♡
During their walk, Mike had to begrudgingly let El take the bunny so that he could help Dustin make sense of the map, leading everyone in the right direction.
He was not happy about it.
And he didn’t even try to hide it.
After what feels like hours of walking into the village, even though it was probably just a few minutes, he calls for her.
“El?”
She turns around, rolling her eyes at his voice. “Yes, Mike?”
“Can I, uhm,” He whispers, cheeks evidently flushed in embarrassment. “Can I hold him for a while?” he asks, motioning his head towards the bunny in her hands.
Her gaze goes soft at his words, a small smile forming on her lips.
“Yeah. Go on, take him.”
He delicately picks the bunny up from her hands, melting right the second he notices that he’s sleeping, again.
Will is sleeping in his hands.
Will is a bunny and he has his little eyes closed, because he’s exhausted, and his little heart is beating fast and Mike can feel it on his palm.
Mike Wheeler, time of death: unclear. Cause: cuteness aggression towards his best friend in bunny form.
He gently scratches Will’s head, his thumb caressing his fur and ears, and he’s so soft, and cute, and-
No.
Stop it right now, Michael.
“There! Look,” Dustin points at a tavern in front of them, a large sign that reads The Bear Claw in front of the door. “We could ask for directions to the cabin.”
They enter the tavern, an horrendous smell hitting them immediately.
“God. Don’t they have soap in Mike’s stupid world?”
“Ogres don’t use soap, Maxine-”
“You could write that they do.”
“And you could sh- OUCH!” Mike cuts himself off, looking at the bunny in his hands, a very clearly annoyed look displaying on his snout.
“Will?! Why did you bite me?”
The bunny looks up at him, his little teeth still biting at Mike’s pale skin. He sinks his teeth a bit more into the flesh, stomping his little feet on his hand.
“Ow, ow, ow- Okay! Okay, I’ll behave. I’m sorry.”
The bunny stops his gnawing at the words- nudging his little nose on the red marks left on Mike’s palm, looking like he’s leaving a peck to soothe the little wound.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt much, little bunny,” Mike whispers, seeming to not realise he just called his best friend little bunny.
If Mike didn’t know any better, he could have sworn the bunny looked like he was blushing.
“You’re unbelievably adorable,” he murmurs. “Are you hungry?”
The little bunny lifts his head, nodding slowly, moving his tiny paws up and down.
Mike looks around him, spotting a vegetables and fruits basket on one of the tables. He picks up a carrot, breaking a little piece and giving it to Will.
“There you go, little bunny. Eat,” he says softly.
Will takes the small piece of carrot with his paws, chewing it graciously, satisfied hums leaving his mouth.
Mike keeps caressing him, playing with his tiny tail, now twitching in happiness.
“Okay, I talked to the woman at the counter,” Dustin says as he approaches the group. “She says she doesn’t really know about this Clarke gal, but she knows about a cabin in the woods- not too far from here- where, and I quote, ‘two weirdly obsessed with cute and fluffy animals mages live’”
“Seriously, Mike, what the hell is this campaign,” Lucas groans, trying to contain a laugh.
/)/)
( . .)
( づ♡
The walk to the mages’ cabin is quiet, everybody being extremely silent and tired.
Mike keeps Will in his palm, petting his little head and caressing his fluffy hair as they walk.
He thinks that he could seriously spend his entire life doing nothing but just this, cuddling and gently stroking his best friend’s soft and warm fur. Answering all his demands.
You see, during the walk they found a way to communicate. Kinda.
When Will feels a bit overwhelmed by the situation- or scared, he gently nibbles at Mike’s skin.
When he’s annoyed, he stomps his little feet on his hand.
When he’s sleepy, he nudges his head towards his fingers, asking to be petted and cuddled.
That’s Mike’s favourite request.
He wishes he could spend every minute of his life snuggling with his best friend.
“There it is! That’s the cabin,” El shouts, pointing at a wooden shelter in front of them.
Mike ignores the flutters in his stomach as he looks at the little brown bunny in his hand, knowing that this is probably going to end soon.
“Why do I kinda want my best friend to remain a bunny?” He mumbles to himself.
Will’s little ears perk up, as if he heard him, a rose shade immediately tinting Mike’s cheeks.
“Ignore that,” he whispers to the bunny, who responds with a little squeal and a nudge of his nose.
Mike’s gaze goes soft as he looks at the bunny, at his sweet stare, his cute little feet- his funny looking ears- his pretty little nose.
He swallows, trying to ignore the way his heart skips a beat every time that he looks at Will.
The bunny seems to notice the change in Mike’s behavior, giving him a look that says “Everything okay?”, tilting his little beige head to the side.
“Yeah. Everything’s okay. I just…” Mike says, trying to find the right words without betraying his thoughts. “You’re so… you’re so cute like this, Will. I’m gonna miss your little bunny form.”
The bunny freezes for a second before moving his tiny paws to his snout, covering his eyes- embarrassed.
Oh. My. God.
I’m so screwed, Mike thinks to himself.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” Max says, knocking at the cabin’s door.
No one answers.
“Hellooo?”
“Well, we tried! I think it’s best we wait a little mor-”
El interrupts Mike by raising her hand and opening the door with her powers.
“We’re not keeping Will in bunny form, Mike,” she states firmly, wiping the blood from her nose.
“I didn’t say that!”
“You’re so pathetic, Wheeler,” Max says, passing him by to enter the shelter, Lucas and Dustin following suit.
“Hello? Uhm, sorry to disturb-”
“You always do this, Clarke!” They hear a woman shout.
Sounds of broken glasses fill the room, shouts and screams following suit.
Dustin dodges an ampoule right at the last second, watching as it splatters in a thousand pieces hitting the wall.
“You can’t just leave when you don’t like what’s being said!”
“You drew my favorite book character with a scraped knee. That’s so fucked up, Lexi, you need to die!” The taller mage shouts, motioning her head towards the kitchen cabinet, which flies open in a heartbeat, plates being thrown at the other sorceress.
“You are so mean to me! Telling me to kill myself, commit suicide-”
“HELLO!” Lucas shouts, interrupting their lovers’ quarrel.
“Oh. Hello?” The shorter mage greets with a peculiar accent.
“Sorry to interrupt your…” Dustin stops trying to find the right words. “Uhm. Whatever the hell that was, but we need help.”
“We have a little situation with our friend here. You see, he’s…” Max can’t even finish her sentence that the two mages run towards the little fluffy animal in Mike’s hands.
“LITTLE BUNNY HOW ARE YOU SO SMALL EVEN-”
“Oh my God, look at him. He’s so precious. We all need to die.”
“What is it with you and dying, Clarke!”
“I don’t know, just felt like something I’d say,” the other mage responds.
Dustin starts to explain. “This isn’t an actual bunny, I mean, technically he is, but-”
“This is our friend, Will. We need you guys to transform him back,” Mike cuts him off.
“Why would you want him to go back to being a man? LOOK AT HIM!” Lexi shouts insanely.
“A MAN? EEEEEEEEEEW,” Clarke adds.
The little bunny looks a bit annoyed at the mages' reactions, furrowing his eyebrows- attempting an angry look.
Mike just finds it absolutely endearing.
“Why do I feel like we’re not gonna get our Will back any time soon,” El says, defeated.
“There’s no ‘our’ Will,” Mike says through gritted teeth, glaring at her and keeping the bunny close to his chest.
“Geez, Wheeler, no one’s gonna stea-”
“I am not letting these two freaks anywhere near my bunny!” he erupts like a mad man.
Every single head turns towards Mike, looking utterly flabbergasted by his outburst.
“Mike, it’s okay,” Lucas whispers calmly, raising his hands and slowly moving towards him. “They’re just gonna help us get Will back, okay? No one’s gonna do him any harm.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Just… give us the bunny, Mike,” El agrees, slowly approaching him too.
Mike’s heart starts beating frantically, terrified of the idea of losing bunny Will, and his sweet little paws, his soft fur…
Woah. He seriously needs to unpack where this obsession with cute bunnies came from.
Will starts to panic in his hands, moving incredibly fast and stomping his tiny feet. He frees himself from Mike’s grip, jumping away and hopping towards the door, running into the woods.
“Will! Wait-” Max shouts.
They all run behind him, following through the high grass.
“CLARKE, DO SOMETHING!” Lexi the sorceress exclaims.
The mage moves her hands in circular movements, mumbling a series of incantations under her breath. “Matadormatadormatador…”
“Look!” Dustin shouts, pointing at the sky. “He’s… flying?”
Mike is entranced by the view of bunny Will levitating towards the sky, his tiny ears perked up and his little paws moving in the air.
The bunny stops mid-air, a soft squeaky sound escaping him, looking down at the field under him.
“And… RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
A beam of blue and yellow lights envelopes the bunny completely. Everyone brings their arms to their faces, trying to protect their eyes from the translucent and powerful light.
“Uhm… hello?!” a familiar voice screams.
“Will!” Mike shouts as he runs towards Will, still levitating up in the air. “I’m down here, I’ll catch you!”
“Oh my God, he’s so baby even in human form,” Clarke says, looking at him with lovey dovey eyes. “I need to bite my arms off and swing them around. LOOK AT HIM!”
Will is still flying in the air, suspended over the party and the crazy mages.
“Excuse me?! Can I please go back down now? Please-” he doesn’t even finish his sentence that he starts falling to the ground.
Mike is right under him, ready to catch him- not really understanding that he’s definitely not strong enough to catch Will in his arms graciously.
Hence why, when Will falls on him, they just collapse to the ground- Mike cushioning his fall. Will sits on him, perfectly looking and without even a scrape of his knee.
“Oh my God, Mike, are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m okay,” Mike dismisses.
“I mean, you did say you liked having me on your lap…”
Mike blushes. “Will!”
Will giggles, helping him up and placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. “You’re so cute when you’re flustered.”
“I’m gonna barf.”
“Max!”
“Okay, well. You guys are not funny anymore,” Lexi interrupts. “‘Cmon Clarke, we need to go to Julie’s. She’s so gonna kill us if we’re late to jam toast Tuesday.”
“Egads! You’re right Lexi, we must go. She also promised she’d show us her new blender!” Clarke says, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Thank you for your help,” El smiles.
“Of course. We will always be here to protect cute little bunnies,” Clarke says, moving towards Will to hug him. “Take care of yourself. You seem like a special person,” she whispers in his ear.
He remains a bit surprised by her affection, but hugs her back nonetheless.
“Uhm, yeah. Thanks.”
Lexi takes a step towards Mike, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Stop being afraid of your feelings, cunt,” she says, pointing her finger at him. Her tone is soft despite the insult, and Mike can’t help but smile in return.
“Okay. Ready to go home, guys?”
They all nod frantically, exhausted.
El closes her eyes, blood already dripping from her nose.
After what feels like a second, they’re back in the Wheeler’s basement.
/)/)
( . .)
( づ♡
Everything looks exactly like they left it. The board still on the table, Lucas‘ figurine still on the floor, and their sleeping bags messily thrown together under a fort of blankets.
“Oh my God,” Max says, launching herself on one of the small mattresses. “I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted.”
“Absolutely. I think we all need a big fat night of sleep after the day we just had,” Lucas agrees.
“Wait a damn minute,” Dustin says slowly, stopping in his tracks. “Eleven.”
El slowly turns her head towards him, swallowing non-existent saliva and looking guilty. “Yeah?”
“If you had the power to bring us into Mike’s story and out… how come you didn’t transform Will back yourself?”
“Uhm… I, uhm…”
“EL?!”
“I’m sorry! He looked so cute, and his little tail was so fluffy, and-”
“You left him in bunny form for a whole day, making us walk for hours just because his tail was fluffy?!”
“Okay, that’s not the whole reason,” she says, chewing at her lower lip. “I guess I also wanted Mike to finally acknowledge his feelings! I thought that-” she cuts herself off, disbelief displaying on her face.
“His what?” Will asks, dumbfounded.
“Oh God. Oh no, I’m sorry, oh God, ignore that Will, I’m-”
“No.” Mike interrupts her.
“I don’t want you to ignore that, Will,” he says, taking his hand and intertwining their fingers. “She’s right. Not only El, but the crazy mage, too.”
“I’m so fucking confused,” Lucas groans.
“Shut up! I have something to say,” Mike erupts, looking right into Will’s eyes. “Will, my beautiful Cleric, I’ve been in love with you since the day I met you on the swings. I don’t ever wanna let you go. So, if you’ll let me, I’d like to love you for the rest of my life.”
Will remains speechless, his mouth hanging open. A million thoughts race through his mind, unable to form a single coherent sentence.
Everyone is looking at him expectantly, breath hitching.
“I…” he starts, a huffed laugh escaping him. “I love you too, Mike, my brave Paladin. I’ll let you love me every day, for the rest of our lives.” he whispers, finally.
Mike closes the distance, giving Will a chaste kiss on the lips, his hands going to his face.
He swears to himself that he’s never letting Will go.