Work Text:
They are sprawled out at opposite ends of the cramped sofa in their rented apartment. Their ankles occasionally brush against each other, but they barely pay any attention to one another, each busy with their own phone.
“I’m just pissed. He said this assignment wasn’t due until the end of the month,” Mike says without looking up from his screen.
“And how much time do you have now?”
“Two days.”
Will lowers his eyes to his phone.
Carlton: what are you doing?
He types quickly:
Will: sitting with Mike
Carlton: miss me?
Will sighs and starts typing a reply, but suddenly Mike’s voice comes from across the sofa.
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah.” He looks up and shifts his knees slightly to the side.
“What did I say?” Mike looks at him tiredly over the top of his phone.
“Something about the assignment.”
“I said he didn’t even send it to us.” Mike sighs, letting his head fall back against the pillow. “It’s just bullshit. He sent it to us only a week ago, and now he’s saying it was due last month.”
Will looks down again.
Carlton: we didn’t see each other today
Will: we saw each other this morning at college
Carlton: that doesn’t count
A faint smile tugs at his lips, and he lets out a quiet snort.
“What’s so funny?” Mike peeks out from behind his knees.
Byers quickly looks at him.
“Nothing. Carlton.”
Mike goes quiet for a second.
“Oh.” He runs his thumb over his dark screen without looking at Will. “Does he want something?”
“Dunno. He’s just texting.”
Will looks down again.
Carlton: are you gonna be home tonight?
Will: yeah
Carlton: what about Mike?
Will glances at his friend for a second.
Mike is reading something on his phone again, one leg tucked underneath him.
Will: don’t know, I’ll ask him later
“Well, I’m right, aren’t I? Why won’t he extend the deadline if he gave us the assignment late in the first place?” Mike keeps going from the other end of the sofa.
“Mike, you would’ve waited until the last day anyway,” Will mutters.
His phone vibrates again.
Carlton: baby, will you send me something?
Carlton: you know what I mean
Carlton: I wanna see you
Mike shifts around on the sofa.
“Yeah, but it’s still not fair!” He lets out a loud sigh. “Will, didn’t he give you guys that philosophy assignment? Pleeease, send me your answer. I’m sure he won’t even read it.”
“You want to copy the whole thing?”
“Yeah… Please?”
Will looks at the screen.
Carlton: will you send it?
Will: okay, yeah
“So, you’re gonna send it?” Mike echoes him, giving him a gentle nudge with his foot and looking at him with puppy-dog eyes.
“Hm?”
“The assignment?”
“Oh, yeah. Hang on.” Will taps the attachment icon and freezes awkwardly when his gallery opens.
The very first pictures are the ones he took that morning in the shower. His cheeks turn slightly pink, and he quickly scrolls down, going back a month to the pictures of his presentation.
A new notification appears at the top of the screen.
Carlton: baby, I miss seeing you like that
Will clenches his jaw and lets out an annoyed breath.
He quickly sends the presentation to Mike.
“Sent it.”
“I’ll look at it now. Thanks, you’re the best!”
Will immediately opens the pinned chat right next to it, taps the attachment icon, and brings the phone closer to his face—just in case Mike happens to see what he’s doing.
He opens his photos, glances around for a second to make sure there isn’t a mirror behind him, and hurriedly picks the last picture—the one he thinks came out best.
He sends it.
And immediately leaves the chat.
Will leaves his phone resting on his chest and stares up at the ceiling, feeling a little shaken. For a few seconds, he simply lies there, trying to shift his attention back to his conversation with Mike.
Then, as casually as he can, he asks,
“Mike, so? Is it the same for you guys?”
There is no answer.
Will lifts his head and looks at Mike. He is sitting at the other end of the sofa, his whole body frozen, staring blankly at something on his screen.
The phone on Will’s chest vibrates, and he quickly grabs it, seeing a notification from Carlton on the lock screen.
Carlton: Philosophy and Cultural Theory essay — not quite what I meant T_T
Will furrows his brows and, completely confused, immediately opens the chat.
The app loads quickly, and Will sees a photo of his essay.
His eyes move upward.
Carlton.
Something inside him drops.
Will immediately backs out of his chat with Carlton and opens the conversation next to it. His photo is glowing across the entire screen, with a tiny “read” in the corner.
Will stops breathing.
“Mike…”
Mike doesn’t look at him.
“Oh God, I mixed up the chats. I’m sorry. I… God, I sent it to the wrong person.”
“I know,” Mike answers quickly and quietly.
He places his phone face down on his chest and looks away.
Will is already holding his message down with his finger. A menu appears.
His eyes settle on the “Delete” button.
Obviously, he should do it immediately—just tap it and make the photo disappear from the chat with Mike forever.
But his hand freezes.
Will closes his eyes for a second.
Slowly, he slides lower down the sofa and pulls his knees up, hiding behind them. He doesn’t delete the photo. The menu disappears.
Taking a deep breath, Will quickly types with trembling hands:
Will: kill me
He hears Mike’s phone buzz.
Mike: it’s okay
Will squeezes his eyes shut, wishing he could sink through the sofa. Now he is painfully aware of Mike’s legs where they are touching his. Mike lies completely still, breathing unevenly, as if he is trying to collect himself too.
The mere realization of what just happened makes Will feel unbearably hot.
They lie there in complete silence for half a minute, until Mike is the first to move. He gets up from the sofa and immediately turns away.
“Um… I need to step away for a minute.”
He leaves the room at a quick pace, forgetting his phone on the sofa. A second later, Will hears the familiar creak from the hallway, followed by the loud slam of the bathroom door.
Will finally snaps out of his daze and looks at his phone. The chat with Mike is still open, the photo still there.
For some reason, he wants to leave it.
Jesus.
Will squints at it awkwardly, then immediately leaves the chat when he notices new messages from his boyfriend.
Carlton: where did you disappear to?
Will takes a nervous breath and lowers his eyes guiltily.
Will: sorry, I’m not really in the mood right now
Will: I won’t be able to see you tonight
He looks at the photo of the essay in their chat and remembers that Mike is still waiting. Will switches to his conversation with his friend, finds the right picture in his gallery, and sends it without a caption.
Five minutes later, Mike comes back. He silently sits down in his old spot, picks up his phone, and goes back to whatever he was doing as if nothing has happened.
Will stares at his screen, trying to do the same.
But when he notices the “read” status beneath the message with the essay, he suddenly realizes that Mike has opened their chat again.
For a few seconds, nothing happens.
Then a message appears.
Mike: I’m never asking you for homework again
Will lets out a nervous breath and replies:
Will: probably for the best
He stares at the message for a few seconds. Then, before he can change his mind, he adds:
Will: unless you need something else
At the other end of the sofa, Mike gives no sign of life for several seconds.
Will starts to think he is simply going to ignore the message.
But then his phone quietly vibrates.
Mike: maybe I will