Chapter Text
Guard Dog (woof woof)
It was the perfect arrangement, a fat duplex in Chicago, two rooms on each side, and accessible to each other by a shared basement. Will and Mike got one side; Jane, Lucas and Max got the other side. They could carpool to work, and campus was a twenty minute walk away. Will even got a volunteer job at a local cinema, though he was very cagey with the rest about the details.
Jane and Dustin's place wasn't far off either, and they could come over for movie night, or whenever they wanted to have a shindig. Mike was strangely cool with them getting together, when he's normally super weird and possessive. Will had to talk him down from going ballistic when he saw her first college boyfriend — to be fair, Mike was drunk as hell — but he spent that whole week moping on the sofa. Watching movies and practically demanding that Will would come over and keep him company.
But Jane and Dustin was fine for him, and it was kind if disappointing. Will wished that Mike would mope again, so they could cuddle on their new sofa watching reruns all day. Will was so unbelievably, pathetically, still head-over-heels. No matter how much repression and hookups helped.
So the duplex was perfect. Will could keep Mike close st home and then volunteer at the cinema; satisfy his heart and his body in turn. As long as the others didn't find out about his new job, and Mike didn't get a girlfriend. Because no one would be able to talk Will down from going ballistic.
The place was a miracle, a godsend, and probably wire-tapped to hell. Just like Jane's apartment was littered with little microphones and suspicious holes in the living room ceiling. But the rent was practically non-existent as long as Will and El kept 'donating blood' and doing some weird exercises. Bending spoons and whatever in El's case, and touching withered old samples from the Upside Down for Will.
Will's dorm room was all packed up and barren, his roommate Carlton was moving to Europe and Will was waiting for Mike. Mike had promised to help him move since he had a car, and Will wanted to ask if he could sleep over in Mike's bed the first night. Will was staring at a box of art supplies, debating whether to ask Mike to spoon him, or if that was weird. They hadn't slept in the same bed since they were kids, so it wasn't exactly routine.
The deep, philosophical debate was interrupted by Carlton sashaying into the room in nothing but a towel. Fresh from the communal shower, and leaning up against a box next to Will. He cocked one eyebrow and pointed at his crotch, but Will wasn't in the mood.
"Mike's coming over, no can do." Will patted Carlton's little 'Carlton' and then waved him away. Carlton chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, throwing the towel over one of his own boxes. Will caught an eyeful, a wistful look over the fuckbuddy he was losing. Accessible, eager, and Southern. Carlton would have made a great boyfriend if it weren't for his insane libido and daddy issues, he had run through, and been run through by, half of the campus by now. Will was his most stable relationship, and they barely knew each other's last name.
"Veal doo canoola?" Carlton said, from over his shoulder, he was jerking off while staring out the window again. "It's Swedish for 'wanna fuck?' All I need to learn, I think." It was Will's turn to laugh, not sure if Carlton was full of shit. Answer was probably yes.
"You better put that thing away when Mike comes." Will said, picking the art supplies up and putting them further from the door. Fragile stuff last, and these were his most cherished possessions. Not to mention vital to his education. Carlton walked over to where Will had just stood, still rubbing himself off as if on auto-pilot.
"What, and deny him this beautiful view?" He joked, picking his towel back up and preparing to put it over his rock hard situation. He was horny, not unreasonable. However, he also had shit timing. With one hand on his cock, the other on the towel, and eyes trained on Will. That is how Mike saw him for the first time.
"WHAT TH—"
"Mike! Shi— Towel on now!" Will shot up to push Mike out of the doorway. He traveled across the room with super-speed, grabbing Mike by the shirt and shoulder, then pushing him out with his own shoulder. They tumbled out, and Will let go of Mike's shoulder to shut the door behind him.
Will stood panting, forehead pressed against Mike's chest and hamfisting his shirt. Every breath smelt like Mike, the fucker hadn't showered today, so Will's nostrils were filled with the dark and peppery smell of Mike's sweat. It was mixed in with a stringent and hastily, recently, applied deodorant, doing its best to let Mike pretend like he was fresh.
They stood like that for a second, before Mike put his hands on Will's ribs, arresting Will's breath, and pushing him outward slowly. Will looked up, trying to look as innocent as possible. He wasn't exactly open with his status as a campus horndog, that was something only the other campus horndogs knew.
"Will."
"Mike."
Mike gulped at Will, and Will let his hand relax to rest it against Mike's chest. Hoping that Mike was too straight to ask any follow-up questions, that he still thought Will was the adorable and innocent kid from Hawkins. Mike's heart was playing heavy metal, and Will flashed a shy smile as he finally relaxed into Mike's hands.
"Will."
"Mike."
"Promise me you won't ever do that. I might die." Mike was completely tomato red, and Will felt a slight sting of rejection, but nodded. Mike finally flashed a smile, and let his hands drop to Will's belt loops, hooking one finger each into them. It allowed Will to lean back against his door, pulling Mike's fingers with him.
"I promise, that is just a Carlton thing." Will avoided the details of his engagements with Carlton, only Max and Jane got to know anything about that stuff. It's not like Mike would care or want to hear anyways. The reassuring response didn't help at all, and Mike's eyes widened in concern.
He gave the door a look that said 'Is that okay with you?' and Will shrugged and nodded. Mike's confusion only grew as he scrunched his face at Will, it was Will's turn to blush. He brought one hand to his face and giggled at Mike, he found that face so cute, and the whole situation absurd. Mike's arms flexed as if he was about to move them but decided against it.
"I'm, uh. Dressed. And sorry, very sorry. Not masturbating anymore, sorry." Carlton's voice came off distant and muffled from behind Will's door, and prompted a full-on belly laugh from Will. Mike chuckled incredulously as Will leaned his face into him and laughed, taking deep whiffs of Mike as he did. Will's arms both wrapped around Mike's neck and he was fully aware of how suspicious it looked.
They looked like they had been making out, and Mike had been bad enough at it to prompt Will to die laughing. Mike glanced around nervously, checking the empty corridor for an audience. Will's laughter eventually died down, and he let his elbows fall so that his hands wrapped around Mike's neck.
"Move first, questions later?" Will lifted his head, dizzy from laughing and being so close to Mike. He was also horribly hard, and his heart was racing. Will's fingers rubbed circles into the hairs on Mike's neck, and he kept his eyes trained on Mike's. Playing gay chicken with himself, seeing how far he could make it before he ripped Mike's clothes off right then and there.
Horndog Will Byers was dying to escape the innocent facade he played up around Mike, to keep their friendship intact and on the same terms as always. But it was hard — much like Will — when they were so close and Mike had Will hooked by the hem of his pants. Mike gulped again and nodded enthusiastically, then letting go of Will, but not escaping Will's own grasp.
Mike reached in behind Will to twist the knob, keeping eye contact with Will for an unprecedented amount of time, even as the door slid open and stopped when it made contact with one of the heavier boxes. Will chickened out, he was seriously compromised by now, forcing his hands off Mike's neck. It drew a small sound out of Mike, that smoothly transitioned into Mike clearing his throat. As if he wasn't about to moan.
"I'm Carlton by the way." Will glared back at Carlton, to shut him up. He took the hint and held his hands in the air, as Mike brushed past Will and wiped his sweaty hands on his legs. Mike held out a hand to Carlton, blocking Will's line of sight to his (ex-)friend with benefits. Will sighed, and went to pick up the first box, as Mike and Carlton shook hands.
Will caught Mike pulling Carlton closer, as if he was whispering something, then patting Carlton on the back and letting go. Will didn't care, Mike was probably just asking what the fuck the naked gallivanting was about. Fair question. Will took the box out of the room, smiling to himself as he replayed the whole thing in his mind.
"Jesus Will, red flag." Carlton said, power-walking past him and nodding his head toward Mike in the doorway of their old room. Will stopped and turned his head back, and Mike beamed innocently at him. Then Will looked at Carlton booking it down the hall. That had to be the first time Carlton got flustered over someone seeing him naked, he was usually a staunch nudist.
Will stood bewildered for a second, before he heard Mike grunting and picking something up. Will shook his head and continued walking out to the parking lot, thanking the heavens that he lived on the first floor. Seven boxes and a bag wasn't much, but it would still be a bitch to carry.
Mike kept moving the boxes over to the door, and Will carried them the rest of the way to the car. They worked like a well-oiled machine, nodding and smiling when they met by the door, but not needing to say much. Will really appreciated those moments the most, when the silence was warm and comfortable and they could just, be.
It felt like no time before Will had crammed the last box into Mike's car, dusting his hands off and placing them on his hips. He glanced over his shoulder to answer a wave from Mike, who was carrying the duffel bag of clothes that were going straight to the laundry. Mike jogged up and handed Will the bag to sit with in the front seat.
Will found it adorable how much Mike resembled a labrador in his behavior, moody, attentive, and loyal; almost like he was Will's guard dog, almost. Will blushed at the thought as he took the bag from Mike and slung it over his shoulder. Their eyes found each other again, when Will was already in Dreamland, and he felt like an open book. Like he would have to defuse the situation before he threw himself into Mike's arms.
"Good boy." He joked, adjusting and fiddling with the strap on his shoulder. Will had to do his best to distract himself, and soothe his rampaging heart. But Mike didn't laugh, he moaned.
What?
Mike turned around and walked around to the other side of the car wordlessly, just staring ahead of himself. Will wasn't sure how to react, or to think, so he just sat down in the passenger seat instead. He buckled his seatbelt as Mike got in, still completely silent. They both got comfortable, and then looked each other straight in the eye.
"Move first?" Mike's eyebrows beetled together and his eyes flicked between Will's, searching. Will buckled under those puppy dog eyes, begging him for permission. He smiled warmly, settling into his image of Will the Wise that he knew Mike preferred. The innocent, forgiving, kind Will.
"Questions later." Will assured him, conveniently suppressing the part of him that had been bucking against his zipper intermittently for the past half hour, making itself known as Mike smiled back. Will couldn't get the sound of Mike moaning at him out of his mind.
Mike started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, heading to their new place. their place, together, just them. Well, Lucas and Max lived right next door and could come over whenever, but otherwise it was just Mike and Will. What could go wrong?
Will turned his gaze to the road as the car began moving, leaning his head against the door. He told Mike that he'd been looking for a cheap bed in the papers, but Will had really only been buying papers to find hookups. Hookups he no longer could bring over, unfortunately. Carlton had been the perfect roommate for his first year of college, frequent action, respectful about boundaries, and willing to take a hike if Will got some action.
It went both ways of course, and Carlton tended to be the one tossing Will out, considering his larger potential dating pool. Will stuck to guys, while Carlton went for anyone with a pulse and frontal lobe. Apparently he'd banged a drag queen at some point, first time bottoming for a lady, not the last.
Will could never ask Mike to take a hike for some action, Mike didn't even know Will got any action. They both grew up in bumfuck noqueer, so Will was probably the only gay person Mike knew. Will glanced at Mike, wondering whether Mike would tell him if there were other gay guys that Mike knew. Will felt a strange sort of jealousy over other gays fiending for Mike. Mike was his straight forever-crush, not anyone else's.
"Did you find a bed, by the way?" Mike kept his eyes on the road, and bit his jaw, the way he did whenever he had to muster courage. Will startled, doing his best to yank his mind back into reality. He spluttered and stammered for a second, playing with the strap on his bag.
"Yeah, no, not really, yeah." Mike scrunched his face, trying to decipher what the fuck that was. "No, No I have not." Will said pinching his nose, it was embarrassing how easily he got flustered like that around Mike. Friends for 12 years by the way, best friends.
Mike nodded, mouthing a 'cool' and tapping the wheel. Will said nothing, he was still cringing. His track record of talking to Mike in a car continued to be awful. At least it wasn't like last year when Mike tried to squeeze out what Will's type was. Trying to conjure anything but the man you love as you stared him dead in the eye was impossible. Max had ribbed Will for weeks about the world's most thinly veiled confession, and what an idiot Mike was for missing the point.
"I- yeah, uh can I ask you something?" Mike turned to Will as they pulled up to the final red light. Will nodded, still leaning his head against the door. "Do you just wanna share a bedroom? I kinda need a studio to write." Will's prayers were answered and he responded a bit too fast and forcefully.
"Yeah!" He cleared his throat. Mike beamed at the windshield, they both assumed that it meant 'one bed' not 'one bedroom'. They didn't say it, but they understood. It did bring Will back to the question of who spoons whom. He really wanted big spoon, but there was an impressive amount of inches that would make themselves very known if he did.
Will perked his head up as the duplex came into view, it looked like a New York townhouse, but crammed between modern buildings. It had two separate entrances, and Lucas and Max had already started moving in. So one entrance had lights coming out the window and curtains set up, while you could see the empty living room in Will and Mike's side.
"We're really gonna need to thrift some furniture." Will scoffed as they parked on the curb right by the house next door. Mike nodded, and they locked eyes as he out the car into park. Will felt that same rush as always, gazing into Mike as if his eyes contained the secret to life. In a way they did.
Mike looked amazing with the harsh sunlight shining on his face, he was like a living cubist painting. His strong brows and nose cast a diagonal shadow over his face, and his idle smile cut into that shadow perfectly. Will wished he had a camera on hand to capture the moment, so he could put it to canvas.
"Wow." Mike breathed, eyes dropping to Will's mouth for a second, then back up. Glinting in the sunlight, two loyal orbs with dilated pupils. Will tilted his head, and raised one eyebrow, trying to dispel the rising tension. It was pulling him apart to be so vulnerable with Mike, wanting everything.
Mike caught himself, blinking twice and shaking his head just a tiny bit, but staying in the moment. Will's eyes roamed just like Mike's and he clenched his fist in his lap, anything to prevent himself from leaning in. He breathed faster, shallow and excited breaths that betrayed his feelings.
"I can't believe we're really moving in together." Mike's right hand left the brake and landed on Will's shoulder, hitching his breath. Will bit his lip before he could think, and felt Mike's fingers flex in return. They were about to lean in, Will could feel it, Will absolutely feared it. He couldn't let Mike know how he felt, how much.
"Mike."
"Will."
There was a please, a confession resting on Will's tongue. He was ready to risk it all, the apartment, friendship, everything. Lay it all on the line for this one kiss, he gulped and leaned forward, feeling Mike pull him. Will had to say something.
"I'm glad we found each other. I love–" The moment. "Love being your best friend." It didn't feel like defeat, but it felt like another lie. It was the best Will could do, faced with the man of his dreams staring at him from so close. Will had to catch himself on the center console as they kept drifting toward each other.
Mike's eyes widened, a light bulb turning on behind his eyes, Will was too enchanted to understand why. Mike held up his finger, about to say something, his chapped red lips parting slowly. He whipped his finger down the street, pointing at something they couldn't see.
"They've got a couples' discount at the second-hand over there." Will followed Mike's pointer and his stomach flipped, Mike had to be a fucking idiot. Moving on so fast from something that had Will's heart in overdrive, yet staying so comically close to the subject.
"Mike, I don't think we will qualify for a couples discount. " Will said, fighting to keep his tone light and teasing. Mike didn't understand, and Will had to give him a moment to scrunch his face and remember the concept of homophobia. Will tilted his head slightly, he loved teasing that cute face out of Mike. It was even better from up close.
"No, like it's run by these two gay, uhh ladies. what do you call them?" Mike floundered, trying to find the words as if they were from another language. It pained Will to admit that the whole queer world was foreign to Mike, with all its bells and whistles. "Gay-ladies, Gaydies?"
"Lesbians, Mike." Will could barely keep his face straight, as Mike snapped his fingers in recognition and reiterated his point. Gay-friendly second-hand really did sound nice, especially with a discount. That they didn't qualify for.
"Mike, we're not a couple. They'll spot you as straight from a mile away." Will poked, inviting Mike to argue against him, it was like dangling a doggy treat to get a puppy to jump.
"No way! I can be gay." Mike limped his wrist and pouted his mouth to emphasize how 'gay' he could be, and Will dipped his head into Mike's shoulder. Will took the chance to laugh while breathing Mike in like perfume for the second time today.
"Mike that's–" Will had to catch his breath, pulling Mike with him into a fit of laughter that wracked the both of them. "So much worse!" Will felt Mike's hand slide up his arm as they broke away, keeping a line of contact between them even when they leaned apart.
Mike had an unreadable expression, or at least one that was new to Will. It was just like their more-than-normal eye contact that had hallmarked their more-than-normal friendship. But it seemed sadder, or more careful than normal, not as enraptured.
"Well, what if I'm in the closet?" Mike asked, and Will's heart stopped completely. Their little game suddenly became very real, and hit too close to home for Will. Somehow even more intimate than when he had almost confessed himself.
Will couldn't distinguish whether it had been a joke, and Mike's serious and dreamy gaze didn't help. Neither of them were smiling anymore, but Will felt like they were still supposed to be joking, the moment was still hanging in the air.
"But you're not, Mike." It was a question, disguised as an accusation. Will didn't want it to be, but it wasn't fair if Mike was playing with his feelings, especially since he didn't know what he was doing. Will couldn't blame him, but didn't want to entertain the idea either.
"I could be." Mike raised his eyebrows, Will said nothing. "With 20 percent off I could buy a closet to be in." Mike finished, and Will had to laugh. He covered his mouth and faked a silent chuckle, then bumped Mike's shoulder with his fist.
"Fuck you, Mike." Will meant it. "I'm telling Max you moaned at me." Will meant that as well, smiling mischievously and unbuckling his belt. He was up and out of the car before Mike could protest, running his hands through his hair as he closed the door behind him.
He walked over to the trunk, popped it open, and peeked around its edge to find Mike standing cross-armed and pouting at him. Will picked one of the boxes up and walked over to Mike with it, biting back a smile as he handed it over. Mike's eyes fell on Will's lips immediately, leering for a second before rolling.
"Furniture shopping tomorrow?" Mike took the box and raised his eyebrows at Will again. Will weighed his head before nodding, swallowing his feelings again as he patted the box. Mike took the hint and walked the few steps over to their door, looking back at Will from the stairs.
Will returned to the boxes, wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. He hoisted one of his lighter boxes on top of another one, killing two birds with one stone, and picked them up. Will was stronger than he used to be, the little nerd had grown up to be a bit of a jock. He wasn't a musclehead like Carlton or most of their gay friends, but he filled out his flannels in a way he hadn't before.
He'd started swimming, joining the college swim team had been the only thing keeping him sane aside from hanging with the Party. Art was the best thing he knew, but art school was fucking draining. So many lectures about stuff}. Art history, abstraction theory, contemporary analysis, analysis, gender studies, elective queer studies, so much stuff that wasn't making art. Will was a patient guy, but his time in lecture halls had almost run him into the wall.
So he found distractions, the various closeted guys from business, swimming club, and the cinema. He was a frequenter to the cinema whenever he didn't have assignments or works to submit, and it had its own little community. Other volunteers that Will had met and now worked with, mostly keeping the reels running and cleaning the rooms. It would have grossed him out two years ago, but Will had acclimated fast to the horndog-lifestyle.
He sidled into the door, pushing it open to reveal their new home. An open hall, leading to a bathroom on the left, and with two sets of doors on the right, leading to one room each. Will had claimed the further room, originally, but was happy with sleeping in Mike's room. The hall opened up into a kitchen and living room, only separated by a kitchen island, Mike had already moved a TV into the living room. The big old box from his basement, still with scratches and scribbles on the side. It was probably legally allowed to drive, but it was better than nothing.
The huge window next to the front door was going to be great during summers, and awfully expensive in the winter, they would need huge curtains for those. Will took his boxes into the open door to his own room, and realized why Mike had suggested they sleep together. Mike had moved all of his shit into Will's room. All of it. Will sighed and put his shit in there too, on the floor right next to the door.
Mike was waiting for him by the bathroom door, proud and with his hands on his hips. It felt like sophomore year again, when they'd lived together. Only now they were adults, and the awkward 'loves me loves me not' of their friendship back then was gone. Now they could just be domestic, and best friends with no ulterior motives or flirting. It would be heaven.
"What do you think? Isn't it perfect?" Mike surveyed his kingdom, walking out to the kitchen and back, while pointing out where he would put Will's paintings, and how often they would have movie nights. Will just watched him, watched Mike walk around without a care in the world. A part of Will was aware of the fact that they weren't romantic partners, but they were best friends until death, and that was better. They were practically married, except that Will could sleep around as much as he wanted, so win-win.
Will caught himself staring when he realized that Mike had been expecting him to answer something. Will blinked a few times and looked at Mike quizzically, he really hadn't heard a word over the din of his own thoughts. Mike closed the distance between them and shook Will slightly, and Will relaxed his neck so his head bobbed along.
"Will we're home. Home!" Mike beamed, as if Will hadn't already planned out the coming 45-60 years of their life in this duplex. Including the three dogs and maybe cats. "Let's get the last of our stuff, then we can go say hi to the others." Will nodded along, chest buzzing with excitement. Our stuff. Mike practically floated out of the hall and onto the street, while Will stayed behind for a second, basking in the afterglow of Mike's presence.
Lucas was waiting outside his door when Will came back with the next box. Lucas had gotten a beard lately, and he was seriously hunky. Playing in a Division 3 college basketball team meant a lot of exercise, and the two of them had been dubbed the 'meat-heads' of the group by now. Even if Mike was adamant that Will was too nice to be a meat-head, but Mike shot down any nick-name for Will that he didn't make up himself.
"You two need help?" Lucas asked, nodding at the car, where Mike was struggling to balance the duffel bag on top of what must be one of the heavier boxes. Will rarely saw Mike turn red outside of their conversations, but this was one of those times. Mike was practically doubled over backwards, and grunting with every other step as he approached.
"I think Mike's spine would appreciate a hand." Will chuckled, and Lucas shook his head as Will walked inside. Lucas was always the reasonable person in the party, the backbone to their antics even when he was smashed out of his mind. Will practically never went to any keg parties if he didn't have Lucas as back-up, and the whole Party felt the same.
Will put the box next to the bathroom door, and opened it, taking his toiletries out. They were stored in a couple of tupperware boxes, one for his toothbrush and hygiene stuff, and another for his soaps. Will was a solid soap-type of guy, he picked it up from his mom since they were cheaper and lasted longer. She had even taught him how to make his own soap in a pinch, and he had put that lesson to good use a few times on his student budget.
Will saw his douche lying on top of a bottle of lube, packed neatly under the rest of his bathroom stuff, and froze for a second. Where the fuck would he store that? Would Mike even know what it was for? Will took a look back outside, but he hadn't gotten any company yet. Will had to bet on Mike being oblivious, a fair bet overall. So he stacked the tupperware in one hand, and took his douche in the other, slipping into the bathroom and putting them all in the sink.
Will's douche stared at him from the sink bowl, and he did his best to avoid eye contact with himself in the mirror as he did his best to reach the top of the cabinet to hide the douche. He felt like a dumb teenager trying to hide a beer stash or a porn magazine, completely ridiculous. He swore under his breath and cursed whoever had decorated their bathroom.
"Need help?" Mike's smug face greeted Will as he looked to the bathroom door he'd left open. Mike had let Lucas take the heavy box, and was wearing the duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Will felt like a deer in headlights, he didn't want Mike to know about the douche in the first place, and now he had to ask Mike for help to hide it. If there even was a point in trying to hide it at all.
Mike sauntered over and made the decision for Will, opening the mirror cabinet and putting the douche on one of the shelves, then doing the same with the lube. Will avoided Mike's gaze and handed him the box with his toothbrush in as well, and then took the other box over to their shower at the end of the room. Really not more than a box with a water spout inside, barely big enough for two people to fit if they tried. He had to remind himself that the two of them wouldn't have to worry about that.
"I didn't think you'd be cool with the, uh." Will turned around after he had deposited the soap, scratching his neck. Mike dropped the smug act for a second and fiddled with the empty tupperware box in his hands, and the conversation ended up being just as awkward as Will had feared it would be.
"I'm cool with butt stuff Will."
"Phrasing, Mike, Jesus." Will chuckled and closed the distance between them, pushing a blushing Mike playfully before exiting the room. Will caught Mike staring at the douche for a second before he closed the cabinet and joined Will in the hall. He had already hoisted his box up and was ready to go, ready to forget that Mike ever touched Will's douche let alone saw it.
"Come on Will, I'm serious." Mike followed Will into the other room, hovering outside the door to Will's room as another box was placed on the floor. Will didn't say anything, just gave Mike a look. "We can't pretend like you don't have sex." Mike was sweet for trying, but Will couldn't have disagreed more. Will came out and leaned on the door frame, crossing his arms and raised his eyebrows.
"We still have four boxes left, Mike." Will held his hand out, and Mike took the duffel bag off, handing it over with a pout. Mike had turned his chin inward, just a little bit, so that he was looking at Will through his eyelashes. "Go fetch." Will joked, pointing to the door with his thumb.
Mike's eyes widened, and his pupils dilated visibly as he nodded. There wasn't a single thought behind the nod, it was entirely instinctive. Mike's hand shot up to his neck, scratching it as he caught himself staring again, the way he would stare that had Will convinced Mike loved him long ago. Will had learned to enjoy those moments again, it gave him space to stare back, and the hope that led to disappointment was familiar.
Lucas finally came into the hall, huffing and puffing as if he was pushing weights, and trudging right on through Mike and Will's moment. Will moved out of the way as soon as he saw Lucas beeline toward him, choosing to stand behind Mike. Will placed one hand on the small of Mike's back, his thumb gently tracing the bumps of Mike's spine where they jutted out. Mike cleared his throat and adjusted his jeans before breaking away.
Mike patted Lucas on the way as he passed, earning a grateful hum on the way. Lucas was laser-focused, and Will hoisted the duffel bag up on his shoulder. Lucas put the box outside the room, it was starting to fill up completely. Will had only brought stuff from the dorm, but Mike had brought a bunch of stuff from Hawkins as well, most of their stuff would be Mike's. But it would become theirs, so it didn't matter much.
"Are you guys coming over for pizza tonight?" Lucas dusted his hands off, and Will had to take a second to recall Mike's rant from earlier, and guess at what he had said. He had said so much stuff about the future, and Will had been so spellbound anyways, but he could guess that a Star Wars marathon would have been mentioned. Will ended up shrugging at Lucas, making the selfish choice.
"We'll see, I think Mike wants me for himself tonight." Will said, not caring about how it sounded, Lucas was used to that kind of phrasing by now. Lucas sighed an 'of course' and held his hands up, as if to show that he at least tried. Will appreciated it, Mike would have bottled Will up and kept him on him at all times if they didn't have the Party.
"Of course he does, call us if you change your minds. Or just come over I guess." Lucas shot finger guns at Will, and backed up slowly. "Club on Saturday with the Party though, campaign." The Party had stopped playing DND a long time ago, but every now and then they still had 'campaigns', nights where they all had to attend and would get absolutely shitfaced. Like a dungeon, they even had character sheets with code names and goals for the night.
Will loved campaigns, they were Max' brainchild after Mike had moped about the Party not doing anything fun during their first year in college. So, Max invented a way for the Party to be nerdy and slutty at the same time. Getting to do one the same week as Will moved in with Mike sounded like pre-gaming in the basement and then going crazy at night. Magical.
"Will the Wise will be there." Will waved Lucas off as he headed out, biting his lip and waiting to see that black mop of hair come back. Will knew he should have been down in the basement already, putting his clothes away for laundry, but he wanted to tell Mike about the campaign. So he leaned back against the doorframe instead, idly looking around the empty hall. Will tapped his finger on the strap of his duffel bag, looking down and fixing the zipper, it had been left open.
Mike came skipping up the stairs with one of the lighter boxes momentarily, whistling to himself and nodding a wave at Will when he came in. Mike didn't say anything about Will just standing there, and Will let the silence sit while Mike put the box away. Mike came back out of Will's room and put his hand on the door frame above Will's head, bracketing Will and playing with the strap on the duffel bag with his other hand. His fingers brushed against Will's chest almost intentionally.
"Campaign on Saturday." Will said, and Mike nodded. He'd probably already been told about it. "Star Wars tonight? Or do you wanna hang with Lucas and Max for pizza?" Will held Mike's gaze captive, fishing for the look of admiration he was so used to. Mike scoffed, as if there was only one real answer, and let his hand rest flat on Will's chest. Will prayed that Mike couldn't feel the furious drumbeat of Will's heart, Mike's fingers rested dead center on Will's sternum, and his thumb was dangerously close to Will's nipple.
"Good." Will smiled, Mike hadn't said anything, but he didn't need to. They were going to settle in for some sci-fi tonight. Will's confidence spilled over into mischief. "Good boy." He hoped to get a rise out of Mike again, and got exactly what he wanted. Mike bit his lip and whined a tiny 'uh huh', small enough that Will thought he had imagined it at first.
Moan once, that's a weird coincidence, moan twice, that's a weird pattern. Will furrowed his brow for a second, searching Mike's face for any trace of shame, but found nothing. Was Mike getting off on being treated like — there was no way, Mike was straight, and was probably just being weirder than usual. Will poked him in the chest, and Mike's head dipped just a little toward Will, leaning into him.
"Mike, the boxes." Will said, chuckling nervously, and breaking Mike out of whatever weird head-space he was in. Mike's eyes widened, in embarrassment, and he opened his mouth to say something, but then swallowed the thought. Will smiled, coaxing it back out of Mike's mouth.
"Fetch?" Mike asked with the weakest sarcasm Will had ever heard, but the delivery on the joke was so vulnerable and wanting. It didn't sound like the textbook Wheeler sass, it sounded like Mike was asking a question and expected a 'No'. But Will was already drunk on confidence, and Mike's tiny whine from earlier, so he indulged Mike.
"Go fetch, Mike." Against both of their better judgments, but to their shared delight. Mike bit his lip and nodded excitedly. He jogged out of the room, leaving Will so incredibly confused but confident, this was new and exciting. Will finally got to doing what he was supposed to, and headed to the basement. The basement door was around the corner in the living room, and the stairs were nearly vertical. The short walk barely registered in Will's mind, he was just thinking about Mike.
Before he knew it, Will was unloading his dirty laundry into a hamper Max had put out for them, shirts and pants flying out of the duffel bag one by one. He opened the zipper that was left open earlier to take out his underwear, and noted that he was missing a pair. More specifically, he was missing one of his jockstraps, and guessed that he must have mixed it up in Carlton's laundry.
Will took a moment, just to gather himself, and sat down crouching. He stared down at his crotch, his underwear were soaked with precum by now, and his balls were bluer than the ocean. He considered running upstairs and rubbing one out in the bathroom, just to have it over and done with. He might actually die of blood loss otherwise, considering how much his cock had demanded of his circulation so far.
He heard someone come down the other set of stairs, and stood up to see Max, wearing a frown and clearly ready to roast Mike over an open fire. As far as she knew, her plans for the night were ruined because of Mike being possessive, and not Will being horny and delusional.
She lit up when she saw Will instead of Mike, and closed the distance to give him a hug. Will chuckled and embraced her for a good, long while, thankful to have her there with him. She grabbed him by his shoulders and held him at arm's length, studying his face protectively.
"Blink twice if he's keeping you hostage." She looked so serious, and Will was happy to have someone in the situation ready to help a hostage. Will wasn't sure who was in danger of whom though, the way Mike was behaving was definitely drawing out another side of Will. One that he had kept safely hidden from Mike for both their sakes.
"Mike is just being Mike, you know how he gets when we haven't hung out for a while." Will excused, it had been the justification for a lot of weird behaviors throughout the years. From both their sides, wistful gazes, unnecessary touches and playing footsies during movie nights. All the things that Robin tried convincing Will would be signs of something more, but had turned out to just be a very affectionate friendship.
"Well, I'm calling dibs on you for tomorrow, we gotta catch up before the campaign on Saturday." She crossed her arms, and Will bumped her shoulder with his fist. The two of them were practically gossip buddies, and Mike had the casual frenemy-ship with her since they worked at the same coffee shop. Max had been joking that Will and Mike had moved in for her more than each other, and that had been true for a while. Until the idea of being domestic with Mike sunk in, they would practically be everything but a couple.
"I'm so glad that my friends treat me like a toy they can dibs on constantly." Will shot back, earning an amused look and tilt of the head from Max. She leaned ass-first on the washing machine and kept her defensive stance. "But we really gotta unpack all the shit Mike has been doing today, ASAP."
Almost on queue, the door to Mike and Will's side opened, and Mike bounded half-way down the stairs to see Will and Max. He and Max exchanged waves, and then Mike turned to Will, red-faced and barely containing his excitement. He looked to Max again for a second, he knew that she was going to have opinions about whatever he was thinking.
"I finished fetching, Will." He said, looking at Will with bated breath. He was not close enough to see his eyes, but Will swore that his irises were completely missing. Will had no idea what Mike wanted him to say, at first. Then it dawned on him, like a cold shower that covered Will and became a boiling arousal. Mike wanted Will to say it again.
"Good boy, Mike. I'll make dinner if you get the TV setup." Mike's expression could only be described as release. Like he had finished just then, just from hearing those two words from Will's mouth, and it prompted a visceral physical reaction from Will as well. Mike nodded, and cleared his throat before taking off up the stairs.
Max' expression was priceless. Price. Less.
Her jaw was hinged open, and her face contorted several times; ping-ponging rapidly between confusion, realization, amusement, and horror. Will was waiting for her to come to, wearing an expression that said 'Right?', and she met it with a concerned nod. She was about to say something, some truth was clawing its way out of her, and she was desperately holding her mouth shut. She drew her lips into her mouth, literally biting back whatever roast she was about to unleash.
Will started laughing, and they both ended up doubling over next to the laundry machine, Will was so relieved that someone else understood how absolutely strange his day had been so far. First dealing with Carlton's awful introduction to Mike, and now whatever the fuck was going on with Mike and the phrase 'Good boy'.
At least Will had found a surefire way to make Mike do chores, might come in handy on a hungover Sunday or when he had too much to study. He just had to get over the entire sexually charged part of it, or perhaps he didn't have to. He could just enjoy teasing Mike more and more, Will was curious how much Mike could take. Will sighed as the laughter died down and excused himself to Max, ensuring that he would keep her updated on the situation.
Will trudged up the stairs, buzzing inside, movie night was always his favorite. They always ended up snuggled onto opposite sides of the sofa, stealing glances as the movie played and Will tucking his feet in under Mike's thighs. Never cuddling — look don't touch — and missing half the movie in the process.
He came up to the sound of the shower running, and stretched, walking over to the freezer and taking out a pair of TV-dinners. They both loved cooking, but had no ingredients to make anything at all. So a sad TV-Dinner and some chips for the movie would have to do until they had bought groceries.
He opened the packages, put one in the microwave and watched the frozen pasta spin lazily. His thoughts naturally went from groceries to shopping, to couples discounts. If Will and Mike really were going to sell being gay to a pair of lesbians, they would have to act as a couple for real. The question was, how different would they really have to act, could they get away with it by just being Mike and Will? What did that say, really?
Would Will ever want to go back to being just best friends? The ding of the microwave knocked Will out of his spiral for just a moment. He regained his functions for long enough to take a fork out of one of their new drawers, using it to move the pasta around in its plastic dish. But stirring the half-cooked pasta, preparing it for round two, only led him back down the same road. Mike and Will had held hands before, even in public, but Will had no idea where they would draw the line. Will wanted more than Mike could ever know, ever be allowed to know.
The distant hiss from the shower stopped, but Will was stuck in a staring match with the microwave window. Completely lost in thoughts, of how to convince Mike to kiss him, and how immoral that was. Another ding, and Will put the next TV-Dinner in, on auto-pilot. Hoping Mike would let Will hold him by the waist, leaning his head on Mike as they shopped.
"Maybe pizza would have been a better idea, huh." Mike said, reaching past Will to grab the steaming dinner on the counter. His wet curls filled Will's vision for a second, and Mike put one hand on Will's arm to steady himself. Will didn't startle or jump, just leaned back slightly to give Mike an easier time picking the dinner up. Will blushed, as he lost sight of Dream-Mike and came face-to-face with the real Mike.
Mike was half naked, wearing just a shirt and a pair of baggy boxers, that would have hidden more, if they were dry. Instead the moisture had both the shirt and boxers clinging to any skin they came in contact, and Will couldn't help but explore every inch with his eyes as Mike picked the chips off a shelf, the sole inhabitant of its cabinet. The boxers stuck to Mike's cheeks like plaster, and Will could see how low the waistband was riding when Mike stretched. The top of Mike's ass was straining the elastic, and the small of his back peeked out above it.
The microwave craved Will's attention, and this time he didn't even look as he stirred the pasta, he kept stealing glances at Mike's body as he turned the microwave back on. Mike put his dinner down and adjusted his boxers, and accidentally stuffed a bit of his shirt in the front, revealing the half-mast he was flying. Will's eyes shot over to the TV as soon as he saw it, the outline of Mike's cock that he had memorized since forever. Thick base, tapering to a smaller tip, like a spear-tip. Pointed upwards and to the right, but hanging heavy when Mike was half-hard like this. It was embarrassing how well Will could imagine it, he had drawn it countless times.
Will scratched his neck to force his hand to do anything but reach for Mike's crotch, and Mike bumped him with his shoulder in response. Will scoffed and boxed Mike's chest, catching Mike's gaze and buckling under it. Mike took a step closer, and pushed Will again, but Will didn't step back. Will had no idea what to do, so he ruffled Mike's hair, and they both laughed. Mike kept fake-boxing Will and leaning his head into Will's hands that were in his hair. Soon Mike's head made contact with Will's chest, forcing his hands to rest behind Mike's ears, where Will kept scratching.
Will's eyes widened as he felt it, a wet something poking his leg as Mike kept leaning into the head scratches. Will didn't stop, and Mike pretended like he wasn't resting his precum-soaked tip on Will's thigh. Will's breaths suddenly became shallow and heavy, only stopping when Mike looked up at him. It was as if the sight of Mike's adoring, freckled face stopped Will's entire parasympathetic system, his heart and lungs stopped working entirely. He had to get out of this situation or die of a heart attack.
"Sit, Mike." He blurted out, and Mike nodded, putting his hands on Will's waist and getting on his knees right in front of him. Awful time for a joke like that, and Will made a terrified little noise. "On the sofa! Oh my God." Will burst out, and Mike broke down laughing at his reaction. Fucking asshole. Mike buried his head between Will's knees, before pulling himself up by bracing against Will's belt. Will yelped, holding on to the waistband of his pants as if he would die if they dropped. He definitely would have wanted to.
"Are we restarting the second movie or just picking up from where I fell asleep?" Mike asked as if nothing had happened, reaching past Will again, bucking his hard cock into Will's. Will reached out a hand to push Mike back, but put no force into it at all, just bit his lip as hard as he could. The pressure was almost too much for his sensitive tip, he'd been edged the entire day, and having Mike unintentionally frot him sent waves of sensation through Will. Mike just picked up the fork and dinner and took a bite like nothing was wrong.
He leaned off Will's cock and raised his eyebrows, head nodding backwards at the TV awkwardly as he kept eye contact for as long as possible. Will affirmed him with a nod of his own, bringing a hand up to wipe the blood from his lip. He had bit himself so hard that he was bleeding on the inside of his lip. Will took a fork, put it in his pasta, and brought it to the sofa table along with the bag of chips.
Mike had slumped into his regular seat, with his cock still visible despite resting against one of his legs. Will decided that surviving this in jeans would be impossible, so he unbuckled his jeans, and discarded them. He marched into his room in his crowded tighty whities, and could feel Mike's eyes on him as he strutted over to dig through a box for some pants.
"You can borrow some of mine if you want. I'm starting the tape." Mike called back, but Will could hear that Mike was facing him the entire time. Will dug aimlessly through the box to clear his head for a second. He had to convince himself that nothing weird or flirty was going on before he could face Mike. Otherwise he might end up with Mike's legs on his shoulders soon. Will was still working on a reason why he wouldn't want that to happen.
He picked out a pair of gray sweatpants, classic. He stared at them, and then down to his soaked underwear. He could tough the rest of the night out in filthy drawers, or take a few minutes to look for new ones. But he didn't want to miss too much of the movie, or the chips that Mike was surely wolfing down already. So there was a secret, third option available.
Will came back out, shamelessly tenting his sweatpants and hurrying over to the couch to sit down. There really was no other way, and Mike would have to blame himself if it made him uncomfortable to see Will hard. Will sat down, and ignored the way Mike kept looking at his crotch, it clearly made him feel weird, since he couldn't stop looking.
The movie went past like always, the mutual situation in their pants died down eventually, so Will took the chance to play some footsies and bother Mike during the film. Eventually Will even laid on his back, poking Mike's butt while Luke dicked around on Dagobah. Mike kept swiping at Will's feet, and eventually caught one and started tickling him.
The hours passed quickly, and soon the final credits rolled across their ancient CRT TV. Mike yawned widely, and stretched his limbs. He turned over to his back and looked at Will expectantly, as if he was awaiting permission for something. Will shrugged and sat up, his pubic hairs peeking out of his pants as he did. Mike's legs drew up into a V, and he rested his arms on his knees, biting his lip idly as he waited for Will's next move.
The move was to get up and go brush his teeth, keeping Mike on edge. Will rubbed at his eyes as he lumbered over to the bathroom, hearing excited pats across the floor behind him. He opened the cabinet, and found Mike in the mirror standing next to him when he closed it again. Mike put his head on Will's shoulder as Will washed his toothbrush. It was impossible to know what Mike wanted from him in this moment.
"I'm taking the spot next to the wall." Will said to Mike, who had his eyes plastered somewhere near the sink. Mike looked up and scrunched his face at Will. Will might as well have insulted Mike's entire ancestry judging by the way he stared daggers at Will's reflection in the cabinet.
"You're already going to bed? It's only like ten." Mike took his head off Will's shoulder to bracket him at arm's length, staring into Will's soul. Will just shrugged and kept brushing his teeth, pulling his sweatpants up a bit, they were slipping. Mike's arms sagged, and Will took the chance to spit the toothpaste out.
"Sure, we got a lot of shit to do tomorrow, plus I have art history first thing." Will clicked his tongue, and scratched Mike behind the ear again, turning him into putty. Mike was easily led aside as Will scratched his weak spot. Will walked past Mike, who whined disapprovingly, literally whined. Will stopped in the doorway, and waved Mike to come along to the bedroom. Mike pointed at the cabinet and pouted, so Will would have to wait in bed.
Trudging on over the hall, Will didn't even turn off the lights before crashing into bed. He crawled into the covers, completely spent after a long, confusing day. His mind instantly flooded itself with reminders of Mike's horny behavior, and excuses to boot. He refused to sleep until Mike was there to hold him, and was blessed to hear Mike jog on over. The overhead lights turned off as Mike slipped into bed behind Will.
"G'night." Will muttered, feeling Mike pull his torso closer, but not their bottoms. Mike buried his face in the crown of Will's head, and Will hummed in satisfaction. Mike muttered something more than just goodnight, but Will couldn't hear it, just the shaky, shallow breaths Mike took. He took Mike's hands and rubbed circles into them until both their breaths became calm and deep. Finally, Will had found home, and it was a tall nerd with freckles and a praise kink.