Work Text:
Mike opens the apartment door extra quietly since it’s 2 am, careful not to wake up Will. He didn’t think he would be out so late in the college library, editing his novel, but here he was.
He heads inside and instinctively checks Will’s room to see if he’s okay. But there’s no one there.
“Will?” Mike calls out loud but Will doesn’t respond back.
Mike walks towards the bathroom where the door is open but lights are off. He then checks his own room but Will isn’t there either. He starts to worry now, his heart beat quickening.
Mike dials in Will’s number on his phone, worried that he isn’t okay and something is wrong.
Once the phone starts ringing, Will’s phone lying abandoned on the couch lights up, along with the ringtone Will put for Mike’s contact.
“Shit,” Mike mumbles to himself.
Mike jogs to the door, prepared to look around for Will.
Once he opens it, Will walks right into him.
They both back up.
“Oh my god, Mike. What the fuck?” Will screeches out.
“Will! There you are!” Mike yells out before hugging him tight. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did something happen?”
“There I am? What about you? Where did YOU go? It’s so late! I walked the whole campus looking for you!” Will says, sounding out of breath.
They part from the hug.
“I was just about to go look for you, I just came home now! I was in the library editing and didn’t realize it was so late.” Mike says, his chest heaving up and down.
“I was worried. You didn’t tell me,” Will says, his voice thin and a little sad.
Mike closes his eyes and breaths out. He opens them. He’s so unbelievably sorry. He didn’t mean to worry Will. “I’m sorry, Will. I should’ve called.”
Will exhales. There’s a long pause before he smiles.
It’s too contagious and Mike smiles too.
“You were gonna look for me?” Will asks happily.
“Yes! I came home and you weren’t here! You also left your phone here so I couldn’t reach you!”
Will looks at the couch where his phone is then he looks back at Mike. “Oh. Sorry. I left in a rush. I was so so worried, Mike.”
“I was worried about you too.”
Will closes the door behind him and walks past Mike. He turns to face him from a distance.
“Safe to say we both care about each other that much, huh?” Will says, grinning hard but avoiding eye contact.
“Yeah. We do. I will always and forever try to find you, no matter what.”
Will steps closer to Mike. Super close and it gives butterflies in his stomach.
Will stands on his tippy toes and kisses his cheek. Mike’s lips part and he feels like there’s no more air in his lungs
He steps back down, looking deep into Mike’s eyes.
“I know you would,” Will darts his eyes back and forth between Mike’s. “I would too.”
Mike smiles at that, a breath coming out from his nose.
“Well, I’m glad you’re back home. Goodnight, Mike.”
Will turns away. But Mike wants him close again.
“Will?” Mike asks him, causing Will to turn around.
“Yeah?” He asks back softly.
“It’s stupid but in those few minutes of you not being here and me not being able to find you reminded me of when-” Mike stops himself unable to say it. A tear rolls down his face. “Of when you went-”
Will hurries over to Mike, pulling him down into a hug. “Oh,” Will says gently. Mike pulls him in tighter. “It’s okay, you don’t have to say it if you can’t, I know what you mean.”
Mike drops his head to Will’s shoulder. Will starts threading his hands to the back of Mike’s hair. “Will?” Mike asks.
“Hm?”
“Can I-” his breath coming out unsteady. “Can we sleep in your room tonight?”
Will’s hand freezes at the back of his hair. He then drags it to Mike’s jaw, slightly pulling his head back so they’re face to face. “Yeah. Yeah- of course.”
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Mike gets ready for bed as he stands in the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror, knowing who’s waiting for him just a few steps away.
He feels guilty that because of him, Will walked the whole campus alone super late at night.
He was too caught up in his book, editing it, making sure every word was perfect because well, the story was about Will. No words would ever come close in describing just how perfect Will is, so Mike wanted to make sure every detail he put in it measured somewhat close enough to Will Byers.
Mike closes the light behind him and slowly walks towards Will’s room, hesitating.
He takes quiet steps, passing by his own dark room along the way, glad he isn’t spending tonight there. But yet, warm in Will’s bed with Will.
He gets to the door and watches Will, who is sitting up in bed, covers over his bent legs as he sketches in an open book.
Something about it being 2:30 am, watching Will being lit up by an orangey lamp, just living, makes Mike feel so complete.
He knocks at the door and Will looks up, eyes meeting. Making Mike’s heart clench.
“You don’t have to knock,” Will says softly.
Mike doesn’t know why he even did, maybe he’s just kinda nervous.
“Oh, sorry,” he apologizes, walking to the empty side of the bed.
Mike hesitantly sits down, not knowing what to do, as if he’s never gotten into a bed before.
He gets under the covers, lays down, his head resting on two pillows stacked on top of each other, giving him enough leverage to get a good view at Will’s drawing.
But before he can make out what it is, Will closes his book and sets it aside.
He lays down and turns towards Mike, causing them to be face to face.
“You’re an idiot, you know?” Will laughs.
Mike gasps sarcastically, “Me?”
Will reaches out and pokes Mike’s cheek softly. “Yeah, you.”
Will takes his hand back down, but still close to Mike's head. It’s really comforting having any part of Will close to him.
Mike blushes and tries to contain his smile. He clears his throat. “I’m sorry, Will. Really.”
“It’s okay. You didn’t mean to,” Will says, his face looking super forgiving.
“How long did you spend looking around campus?”
Will chuckles and scrunches his face up. “Um. An hour?”
Mike parts his lips in shock. His stomach drops. “What?”
“Yeah…” Will says, looking away, almost like he’s embarrassed.
“Did you call me before you left the house?”
“Yeah but it didn’t go through.”
Mike mumbles to himself, “Stupid library signal.”
Will lifts up his hand, bringing it over to Mike's cheek. He cups his face, drawing circles into his soft skin.
It makes Mike feel sleepy. Mike looks down, not making eye contact with Will because it burns, he doesn’t know what, but just looking at Will makes him feel things so intense.
“Mike,” Will says firmly.
Mike continues to stare down.
Will’s voice gets a tiny bit louder but still soft. “Mike.”
Mike looks up, watching a pair of green eyes meet his. “Hm?”
“Don’t feel guilty. It’s okay.” Will moves his hand to Mike’s scalp and starts rubbing his fingers delicately through his curls. Mike could cry at it all. Being here with Will. “But I made you worry-”
“Mike. Stop. I’m okay, you’re here now, okay? And I am too, we’re both okay. It’s okay.”
Hearing Will’s comforting words does it for him, and tears fall.
“Hey,” Will whispers.
Will scoots closer, draping a hand over his back and dragging Mike in.
Mike drops his head to Will’s collarbone and places his hand on Will's waist.
He knows why he’s crying, because of the guilt of making Will worry, because he was scared Will was hurt and now because he’s in Will's arm and it’s the best feeling in the world.
Mike allows himself to feel the comfort. And soon enough his tears go away and it turns into a laughter.
Will pulls away to look at his face. “What?” he says smiling but a little glimpse of worry.
“You know my book?” Mike smiles, knowing it’s a mutual inside joke now.
Will chuckles. “Mhm, I might know of it”, he jokes.
“It wasn’t just because I got lost in it…um…I did lose track of time but-” he breathes out, his heartbeat beating fast because he doesn’t know how to admit it, but he knows he has to say it.
Mike continues, “I’m writing about you. And I kept trying to make you sound perfect but- But I couldn’t because no matter what I said, it didn’t feel right.”
Will stares at him blankly.
Mike stares up at him, looking at his beautiful face, ones that word can’t describe.
“No words could ever describe you, Will. None.”
Will looks like he’s forgotten how to breathe. “Mike-” is all that comes out of him.
A tear falls from Will's face.
And before Mike can register, Will puts both of his hands on Mike's face and pulls him in, their noses touching. “You’re such an idiot,” Will says giggling.
Mike’s heart races, the urge coming over him and he closes the gap and kisses Will hard.
They pull each other in closer, hands flying around their waist, hair, backs and whatever feels natural. Deepening the kiss, as it gets interrupted here and there by giggles and sniffs from crying.
Once they stop, their foreheads touch.
Mike doesn’t know what time it is, and he doesn’t care. He wants Will in his arms forever.
“Goodnight, Mike,” Will says, kissing his nose, causing Mike to blush.
“Mhm. Goodnight, Will,” Mike responds, kissing his temple.
And it might feel like a dream and completely unreal, but knowing Will is okay, and in his arms, he doesn’t think anything could scare him anymore as long as Will is this close.