Work Text:
Mike Wheeler has been miserable and he’s not sure why.
Maybe it was because the supposed love of his life died almost exactly two years ago.
Maybe it was the fact that making friends in college is actually quite hard.
Maybe he was starting to get home sick.
Or maybe, it was the one other thing that’s changed in his life.
The first time it happened was three weeks ago.
Mike decided to ditch his creative writing class because screw that he already knows how to creatively write, thank you very much. And he only got four hours of sleep. So he wanted, no he needed a nap.
He trudged across campus to his dorm, ready to plop down on his bed and sleep until God knows when.
Mindlessly he tried the door, seeing if somehow it was miraculously unlocked. And it was.
Then he saw them.
A mound of person on Will’s bed.
To be specific, he saw a boy with curly dark hair straddled on top of Will. He could hear the light click of their lips as he stepped into the room.
They tried to separate as quickly as possible. But unfortunately for Mike, it wasn’t quick enough. He just stood there in the very small entryway staring. Staring at another boy on top of Will. And staring at how red Will was. And how puffy his lips were and it was too much.
“Shit!” Will called out, scrambling to compose himself. Mike just stood there, mouth agape like an idiot. The idiot he is.
Why was this so surprising? Of course this was going to happen one day. Will is an attractive guy of course he’d have someone over here. But why now?
Will took a deep breath, “Mike, this is Clayton.” Clayton raised his arm to give Mike a small wave. Mike did not reciprocate the gesture.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” Will asked, sending a pointed look towards Mike, completely ignoring this Clayton character.
“Yeah well uh-” Mike was walking on thin ice, “I did but I wanted to uh study instead so I was just grabbing some books. Yeah. So I’m gonna go to the library you two can,” he raised an eyebrow, “keep doing that.” He hurriedly grabbed a random text book from his desk and bolted the hell out of there.
This was totally not ok. Since when did Will have a- whatever! Since when did Will do that? Why didn’t he tell Mike?
All of these thoughts raced through his head as he essentially sprinted to the library, trying to cool down his warm face. Wait, why was his face hot?
A deep pit of dread built up inside his stomach. He could almost feel it. Like the bile in his stomach would start rising to his throat because the pit was so large. It was a feeling he couldn’t quite pin down.
This feeling only grew stronger through the coming weeks.
Mike tried to spend as little time in his dorm as possible, because anytime he looked over at Will's bed he saw them. He saw stupid Clayton and Will's red face panting below him. It made his stomach feel weird.
Will noticed. Of course he did. Because he’s sweet, kind, and attentive Will.
“Mike,” Will called out from the book he was reading. Mike hummed back a response. “Why are you avoiding me?” His heart dropped to the floor.
“What?” Mike asked, feigning ignorance. “Oh come on,” Will was clearly annoyed. Mike is not the best liar. “You’re totally ignoring me!” Will shut his book aggressively, now looking directly at Mike.
“Am not!” Mike replied, like he was 6 years old arguing with Nance. “Jesus Mike!” Now Will sounded actually mad. Shit. “I wanted to talk to you about Clay! And you just ignore me. Even when I say his name you make a face!”
“Did not!” He definitely did. And now he sounded even more like he was 6 years old and arguing with Nancy. God he sucks. “Sure, Mike,” his voice was full of venom.
“You know what,” Will jumped down from his bed and grabbed his backpack. “I’m done. Figure your shit out, Mike. I’m going to my boyfriend’s.” That word burned like acid. Mike could feel it sinking into his bones.
“Will, wait!” He called out to no avail. The door had already been slammed shut on him.
So yeah, maybe that’s why Mike Wheeler is miserable.
Will hasn’t spoken to him since he left two weeks ago. He’s been home, to grab clothes and do homework when he thought Mike would be gone.
If Mike wasn’t gone, Will would leave as soon as possible. It was hell on earth. He missed Will. But, he couldn’t figure out how to make this right. He barely even knew what he did wrong.
All he knew is that he hated this Clayton guy. This Clayton guy who was stealing Will from him, basically.
Desperate times called for desperate measures.
These desperate measures being calling his sister.
He went down to the phone booth outside his dorm, with all the change he could hold.
He dialed her number and the phone started to ring until a solid click and an answer. “Nance? Hello?”
“Mike?” Great. She sounded annoyed already.
“Nancy…” he couldn’t help it. The pit in his stomach kept growing and growing and the bike started to rise and the tears started to fall. “Hey, hey Mike what’s wrong?” She must’ve been able to hear the wavering in his voice and sniffles.
“I fucked up Nance, and I don’t know how to fix it,” he spit it out in one long breath, trying to catch it between the tears and gasps for air.
Mike isn’t a crier. He can count on his hands the amount of times he’s cried in the last five years. But for some reason, without Will he was a mess. A certifiable mess.
He didn’t even think about how he was such a mess. It’s only been two weeks without him. But saying it out loud, thathewas the one who messed up took a toll. This toll was crying to his sister in a phone booth where anyone could see him.
“Mike, Mike what do you mean?” Her voice became soothing, like when he used to be so scared of thunderstorms and she’d tell him it would be ok. He felt like a little kid again.
“He left,” he sniffled out. He was really giving Nancy nothing to work with. “I need you to take a deep breath and tell me what is actually going on.”
Mike tried to compose himself, to fight through the sobs and grief, but he just couldn’t. He stood there sobbing on the phone to his sister for five minutes before he could get a thought out. On the other line he could hear Nancy’s comforting words, trying to help this hopeless boy.
Finally, he could breathe. The tears subsiding for enough time for a few words to fly out of his mouth. “Will, he- he left he- I,” then the tears started again.
“Woah woah, Will left? Is he okay? What happened?” Her voice immediately sounded more serious, like something seriously bad had happened to Will.
Mike felt woozy from the amount he’s cried in the past ten minutes. He should probably drink more water.
He managed to compose himself, “we fought. He’s been with his boyfriend for the last two weeks,” boyfriend burning like acid on his tongue. “Mike. I need more information,” now she’s annoyed again.
“Well I walked in on him and this guy making out and then I don’t know he just freaked on me!” He could practically hear Nancy’s eyes rolling across the line, “Mike, I know Will. He definitely didn’t just freak for no reason. What actually happened?”
Was Mike really going to do this? Air out everything he’s ever felt to Nancy right now?
He guesses so. “Well, I couldn’t look at him after,” he raised an awkward arm to the back of his neck. “The way he looked when I found them I just couldn’t. And so I stayed out, I studied in the library. I was at the dorm just to sleep. I guess he noticed.” He could hear a faint hum from Nancy. Tears started to well back in his eyes. “And he tried to talk to me about it and I just,” he took a deep breath, “couldn’t.”
The line sat quiet for a moment. He could hear the pen tapping on Nancy’s desk, as she was thinking.
“Mike,” he could feel her gaze even though they were hundreds of miles apart. It was comforting with a hint of judgment.
“It sounds like you’re jealous.”Jealous. Why would he be jealous? “What? Why would I be jealous?” Anger rose in him. “I don’t know Mike, maybe it’s because of El? Seeing two people dating. It’s ok to miss her, you know,” her voice turning small at the mention of Eleven.
“No it’s not that…” Mike had to think long and hard if he was really about to say this. “I mean Will doesn’t even know this guy! He’s never talked about him before I found them making out in ourroom!” The anger bubbled up inside him at the thought of Will making out with someone else in their room.
Someone else?
Shit.
“Mike…” he could tell Nancy was trying to be gentle with this. He was fragile after all. “Are you jealous of Will's boyfriend?” That word keeps coming back. Keeps sending a shiver up his spine.
“Shit…” he whispered into the phone. Finally realizing. Shit, indeed. “Uh Nancy I gotta go,” he spat out quickly.
“Wait Mike-“ Click. He hung up on her. He is totally going to regret that.
Will. He has to find Will. How is he going to find Will? He doesn’t even know where this Clayton character lives. He could even live off campus.
Basically, Mike Wheeler's pathetic life is over. He’s never going to see Will again and he’ll be dating his stupid boyfriend forever and his life is so over.
He needed to make a plan.
Step one: Find Will.
Step two: apologize to Will.
Step three: try to break Will and Clayton up.
Step four: tell Will the truth.
The truth? That Mike is actually jealous of Clayton and wishes that he was the one on top of Will.
Holy shit.
He wishes he was the one on top of Will.
Holy fuck.
Mike needed to lay down. His head was spinning and the tiny walls of the phone booth were caving in.
He stumbled out of the phone booth, dropping about two dollars worth of change on the ground as he left.
His mind was running in between two things. How he was going to apologize to Will and all the times that he was not so subtly in love with him.
As he tripped up the stairs to his dorm he fumbled around his pocket grabbing his keys with shaky hands, almost dropping them down the stairs.
He didn’t even need them, he could hear quiet sobs from the other side of the door.
Through shaky hands he knocked on the door and called out, “Will? Through an even shakier breath.
A meek voice replied, “come in.” Yep. That was definitely Will and he was definitely sobbing his eyes out.
He opened the door to see Will curled up in his bed, with the reddest puffiest eyes he’s almost ever seen.
Mike immediately rushed over to his side. “Hey, hey,” he put on the signature Will voice, a voice that was soft and calm. “What happened?” He reached out to grab his shoulder, but Will shifted away.
“Hey, come on, man,” he tried to soften his voice even more, so it was barely above a whisper. “I’m fine, Mike.” The anger spewing out of his mouth.
Well, at least he already had step one completed.
“Will, please,” he was kneeling next to his bed, basically begging. He knew Will could never say no to him. It had never happened before.
Will sighed and turned over to look at Mike. Really look at him. Mike could see the bags under his eyes, the leftover tears that are springing up and the stains on his cheeks.
“Fine,” he sighed out. “Clay’s just an asshole. I- I don’t even know,” he could barely hear him through the sniffles.
Mike reached out again, hoping. Will accept his touch, leaning into hand on his shoulder.
“It’s ok, it’s ok,” Mike started rubbing circles into his shoulder with his thumb, trying to comfort Will. “What happened?”
Step three completed.
He only has two more steps to do and he didn’t even have to do anything.
He really is an asshole because he shouldn’t be focusing on that right now.
Will just continued to sob, no words coming out, no explanation, just tears.
Mike propped himself up onto Will’s bed and brought him into a hug. Will's warmth filled up his entire space, his scent, his tears, everything.
Will just sobbed into Mike’s shoulder. As he sobbed he convulsed, only being grounded by Mike’s touch.
“Hey, hey it’s ok,” he whispered softly into Wills hair. He was mustering up his courage.
“I’m sorry Will. I was being a total asshole. I just got so caught up in my own feelings I ignored yours. And I was so jealous of seeing him I just wish-” Wills sobs subsided as Mike was apologizing. He was so softly spoken, only audible because of the close proximity.
“I wish I understood earlier.” Will perked up, wiping his tears on his sweater, trying to compose himself. “Understood what?” He had a small smile on, just barely able to be seen.
“That I-” Will surged forward, connecting their lips. His warmth spread throughout Mike's body, feeling the electricity everywhere. The pit in his stomach went away. Will was kissing him. Not some random boy. Him.
Their lips and bodies fit together perfectly. A hand reached into Will's hair from the nape of his neck. Feeling its softness and tugging at it lightly. He let out a small groan.
Mike rearranged himself so Will was propped up against the wall, and he flung one leg over so he was on top of him fully. Will pulled him closer by his waist, sticking a finger under the hem of his sweater.
His cold hands sent a shiver down Mike's spine, but the pool of heat in his stomach got even hotter. Mike grabbed at his biceps, feeling the muscles under his skin.
He squeezed to affirm that this was real. This was happening. He then moved his hand up Will’s arm, then down his chest. Will let out an involuntary groan and bucked his hips up.
At the contact, Mike licked at his upper lips, asking for permission to enter. It was granted, and Mike let out a whine, wanting more somehow.
Will moved his hands up Mike's back, headed towards his hair to pull. Mike moved his hips down to rub against Will’s as he pulled, letting out soft noises into Will's mouth.
Eventually, they had to come back up for air. But this didn’t stop Mike from peppering Will's face with kisses, over every mole and freckle.
He then headed down towards his neck, licking and sucking and biting the sensitive skin. Will let out small giggles in between heavy groans.
He playfully shoved Mike off as he whined, wanting more. Inexplicably greedy.
He rolled off Will, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.
“Hi,” he said with a smile.
“Hi,” Will replied with the same smile.
Will couldn’t help but laugh. This laughter spread to them both.
“I wasn’t sure if you still liked me,” Mike smiled.
“It was touch and go there for a bit, you are an asshole most of the time,” Will's tone was playful, almost flirty. Something Mike has never seen before, “but its always been you.”
“It’s always been you too, I think,” Mike repeated back to him.
He planted a soft and tender kiss on Will's mouth. This one wasn’t full of desperation and hunger. It was full of love.
He looked over at Will and saw him red faced and puffy lipped. He did that. He made him look like that.
A single tear ran down Mike’s cheek. He was overwhelmed with love. Real love. Will delicately wiped it away.
“So, you’re not gonna make out with any more boys in the room, are you?” Mike laughed.
“Just you,” Will replied, sweetly.
Will planted a kiss on his forehead telling him it’ll all be ok.
Maybe Mike Wheeler wasn’t so miserable after all.