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Mike Wheeler is sat on the bed in his and Will's hotel room, journal open right in front of him as he tries desperately to write a new song. He told the band that he'd work on it, because they're all tired of playing the same ten songs at every show. Their fans must be tired of it as well.
A few hours ago, he finally finished writing the actual music, after a week of trying. Now, he just needs to write the lyrics, but he just can't seem to think of any.
At least, he can't think of lyrics that aren't about the boy laying on the bed right next to his.
He's tried to get Will out of his head, okay? It's just hard to stop thinking of someone you've known all your life. Especially when everything you do reminds you of them.
Mike tried writing something about his mom, but even that ended up circling back to Will. Don't ask him how, because he genuinely doesn't know.
The only thing on his mind is WillWillWill, no matter what he does. Somehow, it's not torture. It's just annoying when he's trying to do something important– like writing a song, for instance– and he can only think about Will.
"How's the new song coming along?" Will asks, looking up from the book he's been reading.
Mike erases the lyrics that he has previously written down. There's no way that he'd ever let Will see the words he had written. "Wonderfully," Mike answers– sarcastically, because obviously Will can see that it's going horribly wrong.
"Can't think of any lyrics?"
Mike shakes his head, leaning back against the headboard. He hears shuffling, then the mattress dips beside him.
"Maybe you just need a topic first." Will suggests, sitting crossed legged beside Mike.
Mike sighs, sitting back up properly. "I can't think of one."
Will thinks for a moment, humming as he does so. "Um, not to sound, like... self-centered or anything, but you could write a song about me. You know, since we've been best friends for so long."
Mike groans and rolls over to bury his face in the stiff hotel pillows. He kicks his feet, frustrated.
"Oh," Will says, sounding a bit sad. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I–"
Mike moves his hand to rest it on Will's knee. He turns his head to look at him. "You didn't do anything wrong," He tells him quickly. "It's just... I– I can't write anything that's not about you."
Will looks down at him, surprised.
"I can't get you out of my head, Will."
After a moment of silence, Will just simply says, "Oh."
Mike sits back up, mirroring Will. The two are so close that their knees bump against eachother. "Please don't be mad at me," Mike begs. He can't bear the thought of upsetting Will.
Will looks genuinely confused. "What? Why would I be mad at you?"
Mike furrows his eyebrows, confused about why Will's confused. "Because that– it's not normal?"
Still, Will doesn't seem to quite get it.
"I–" Mike sighs, no longer meeting Will's eyes. Instead, he looks down at their matching pajama pants. "I don't think of you in the way that someone would normally think about their best friend. You know you've always been special to me, but I don't think you understand just how special you are."
He pauses, collecting his thoughts. As he does so, Will says, "You're special to me, too, Mike. I– I don't understand what you're trying to say?"
"I think of you in a way that most people would not approve of," Mike answers. "I– I think about living with you, sharing a house... sharing a room. I think about... kissing you, going on dates, and just– just everything that I shouldn't be thinking about."
Another moment of silence. Worried, Mike looks back up at Will, expecting anger, expecting hatred. Instead, he gets: "Can I kiss you?"
"Wh– what?" He questions, then it registers. "I– oh. Yeah. Yes. Please."
Will lunges forward, wrapping his arms around Mike's neck and settling in his lap. Neither of them has ever kissed anyone, so it's a bit awkward, but still amazing nonetheless.
Mike's hands land on Will's waist, keeping him steady. Everything about this just feels so right. It's all he's ever wanted and more. Their lips slot together, the kiss getting hastier and hungrier. They fit together so perfectly that it's almost like they were made for eachother, two halves of a whole.
"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that," Will admits, pulling away to catch his breath. "Maybe not those words exactly, but still."
Almost immediately, Mike pulls him back in. "I love you," he says against Will's lips. They kiss for a little longer, then pull away, Will still sitting in Mike's lap. "Will you be my boyfriend?"
Will nods. "Yes, of course." They smile at eachother, then he adds, "And I love you, too."
Mike feels so giddy that he can't do anything but bury his face in the crook of Will's neck. He wraps his arms around Will's waist, hugging him. Nervously, he asks, "Can we cuddle?"
"Yeah," Will breathes out, shuffling out of Mike's grasp and underneath the covers. Mike pushes his notebook and pencils off of the bed, then reaches over to turn the lights off. Finally he gets to settle in next to his now-boyfriend, pulling the comforter up to their shoulders.
The light hotel comforter doesn't do much to warm them, especially with the air conditioner running. So they snuggle closer together, wrapping their arms around eachother in a hug, huddling for warmth. Mike moves one leg over both of Will's, keeping him in place.
"Don't you need to finish writing that song?" Will questions, reminding Mike of how they even got here in the first place.
Mike just shrugs. "In the morning."
Will doesn't argue with that. They share a few kisses, and are close to falling asleep, when a knock comes pounding on the door.
Mike groans, wishing it would just go away so that he can enjoy this moment.
"Mike!" Lucas calls from outside the door. "You better be done with that new song!"
Neither Mike or Will answer the door, probably angering those who wait outside it.
"Michael James Wheeler." Dustin scolds, and Mike starts to feel like he's in trouble.
Then, the door opens, making Mike turn around in fear. "How–"
"Will gave me a key," Max says smugly, holding it up as she walks into the room with the other band members. "Want to explain what exactly you're doing?"
"Is the song almost ready?" Jane asks.
Mike groans, turning back to face Will instead of their friends. "I'll finish it tomorrow."
"Our next show is tomorrow," Lucas reminds him.
"I'll get it done!" Mike argues.
"You said that last week!" Dustin scoffs.
Will sits up, clearly tired of all this arguing. "I'll make sure he gets it done, okay?"
"As long as we have a new song by tomorrow night," Dustin grumbles.
He walks out of the room with the others, but Max suddenly stops and looks back. "Wait, you guys still haven't explained what's going on here."
Will and Mike share a look.
"We're cuddling?" They say at the same time, thinking it's obvious.
Max chokes on her spit, as if realizing that she was very wrong about something. "Oh! I just thought that since, you know, you're shirtless and in the same bed..."
Mike's jaw drops in realization. "And you stayed in here?!"
Max just shrugs.
"Oh my god, get out," Will groans, laying back against the pillows and burying his face in his hands.
She laughs and walks out, shutting the door behind her.
"I actually hate her," Mike says, laying his head on Will's chest.
Mike eventually gets the song written, and it's much easier now that he doesn't feel guilty that it's about Will.
The band spends a couple hours practicing at the bar they're performing at tonight, and they eventually get it down. No one questions what the lyrics are about– or rather, who they're about.
Finally, the time for the show arrives, and the bar gets flooded with people. Dustin tweaks the lighting a bit, and they start with a song that they've played multiple times before– the first song that Mike wrote for them.
The show goes on as normal, however, at the end of the setlist, they add the new song. Mike announces it by stepping up to the microphone and saying, "I know we usually end it here, but these assholes pushed me to write a new song, and I finally finished it. It's called, All I've Ever Known."
It starts with a bit of guitar, then Max slowly adds in some bass lines. Jane starts backing vocals, and Lucas drums to the beat. Finally, Mike starts the lyrics.
The crowd goes wild, cheering and clapping before the song has hardly even started. Between singing, and strumming on his guitar, Mike looks out at the crowd, smiling at them all. They all love it.
Then, his eyes find one very specific person.
Standing there, right front and center is Will. He's cheering Mike on just like he has since the day they met. From that one fateful day in kindergarten, he's always been Mike's biggest supporter, even back when Mike started writing super trashy songs in middle school. So much has changed, but they're still those same kids. Mike and Will, Will and Mike.
Forever.