Chapter Text
It’s a little past 2 p.m. when Will finishes unpacking his suitcase, folding the last of his clothes into drawers that don’t feel like his yet. It’s their first day of college, and he should feel nervous, but mostly, he’s excited. Everyone is close. Close enough to visit, to check in, to pretend nothing has really changed.
Will is sharing his room with his new boyfriend, Carlton, whom he met during a campus tour last spring. They’ve been dating for about three months now, and Will has been very happy with him.
“Hey Will, you done unpacking?” Carlton asks, peeking his head out from behind the wall.
“Yeah,” Will says, smiling back at him. “I’m all done. You?”
“Yup. I’m hungry, wanna go grab some lunch?” he asks Will.
Will hesitates. “I would, but I promised my friends I’d meet them once I’m all unpacked and settled in,” he says softly. “You go ahead, we can meet later.”
“Okay, no worries. I’ll call you when I’m done,” he says with a smile. “And maybe tonight you could introduce me to them. I’d really love to get to know them better.”
“Of course. I’ll see if we can do a late hangout, if they’re not too tired,” Will says. “They’re really excited to get to know you better, too.”
Okay,” he says softly. “See you later, babe.”
“Yeah,” Will replies, smiling. “Later.”
—----------------------------------------------
Will ties his shoes quickly, grabs his coat, and locks the dorm door behind him, not bothering to double-check it. Carlton has his own keys.
He takes his time once he’s outside, walking slow despite the cold, knowing Mike’s, Lucas’s, and Dustin’s room is in the next building over, barely two minutes away. Close enough to feel ridiculous about being in a different dorm at all.
For some reason, Will is the only one who ended up separated. El and Max are in the same building as the boys, just on a different floor, and Will still hasn’t decided whether that makes it better or worse.
Will barely gets a chance to knock before the door swings open. Mike is already smiling.
“Hey, Will,” he says, and then he’s pulling him into a tight hug that lasts a second longer than necessary.
“Hey Mike, how was the ride? You guys all unpacked already?” Will asks, peering over Mike’s shoulder and noticing that everyone’s already there, including Max and El.
He slips past Mike and heads straight for them, pulling Max and El into quick hugs before greeting Lucas and Dustin too.
“Hey, Will, where’s your boyfriend?” Max asks teasingly. Will can feel his cheeks burning before he even opens his mouth. It’s still weird and exciting to actually say he has a boyfriend out loud.
“Yeah, where’s Carlton? I want to meet him already,” Jane complains. “You’ve been dating for three months, and you’ve been hiding him from us this whole time?”
Mike leans casually against the doorway, pretending not to care, but the mention of Carlton makes his chest tighten. He watches Will with an almost painful focus, the easy smiles Will gives everyone else twisting something in his gut. Will is happy right? So shouldn’t he be happy for him?
“I’m not hiding him, it’s just… never seemed like the right time,” Will says, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing at the group. “But tonight could work, if you guys are down. I was thinking a hangout later in the evening, after dinner.” He swallows, a small smile tugging at his lips. “He said he can’t wait to get to know you all better.”
“Sure, that sounds like fun. We can do it in this room since it’s the biggest one,” Lucas says.
“Yeah, and I’ve got some really cool board games if you guys are down,” Dustin adds.
“Okay, yeah, great! Should we bring, like, some snacks or something?” Will asks, already pulling his phone out of his pocket to text Carlton and ask him to go grocery shopping.
“Oh, you don’t have to. I can grab some snacks for you, Will,” Mike interrupts, his voice casual, but his eyes linger on Will for a moment longer than necessary.
“We’re already occupying your room. Let Carlton and me at least take care of the snacks. He’s already close to the store, I can just text him” Will says.
Mike rolls his eyes at the mention of Carlton. Like Carlton knows what snacks to buy, he thinks, mentally scoffing.
“C’mon, Will,” Mike says, a hint of insistence in his voice. “You know I’d do a better job. I know what snacks all of you like, and it would take me, like, five minutes.”
“What makes you think you’d do a better job than Carlton?” Max finally speaks up, having been quietly observing the conversation like the rest of the group.
“Uhm… maybe because I know Will better,” Mike argues, his voice a little too quick. “And all of you too, of course,” he adds immediately, realizing how weird that sounded for a second.
Will frowns, confused. Why is Mike so eager to get those snacks? It’s almost like he’s trying to prove something. Either way, Will knows Mike is probably right, he does know him better, and he’d pick out snacks everyone likes. With a small sigh, Will decides it’s not worth arguing.
“Okay, fine,” he says, rolling his eyes. “I trust you.”
Mike lets a brief smirk tug at the corner of his mouth, just enough that Will catches it if he’s paying attention. Nothing is said, but the small victory lingers in the air.
Max rubs her stomach and groans. “Ugh, I’m starving. Do you guys wanna go grab something to eat?” She changes the theme.
Lucas leans back in his chair, shaking his head. “Nah, lets just order. Too much effort to actually go out.”
Max narrows her eyes, smirking. “Lazy? Shocking. I thought you only got that way after sitting next to me all day.”
Lucas snorts. “Hey, that’s unfair.”
Max grins wickedly. “Unfair? No, it’s called facts. You can’t sit on this couch forever, Lucas.”
Lucas smirks. “As if you’re the most athletic person ever.”
Max jumps to her feet. “Excuse me? Did you just—?”
Lucas freezes, realizing he might have pushed it too far. “Okay, okay, sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Too far!” he stammers, holding his hands up defensively.
Max grins, shaking her head, and gives him a gentle smack on the top of his head. “That’s what I thought.”
Lucas winces, rubbing the spot, while Max plops back down onto the couch. “You never learn, do you?”
While Max and Lucas are lost in their little world, Will’s phone starts ringing. He pulls it out of his pocket and smiles when he sees Carlton’s name flashing across the screen. Carlton is probably done with lunch and wants to meet up. Mike, of course, is watching Will like always.
“Hey!” Will says, answering the phone with a smile.
“Hey, I’m done with lunch, babe. I was thinking…do you want to hang until it’s time to meet your friends?” Carlton says on the other end.
Will glances at his watch. 3:30 p.m. “Sure, we have time until like 8pm.”
“Okay, cool. Meet you at home in, like, five?”
“Sure, I’ll head home right now.”
Everyone else is deep in their own conversations, except Mike. He’s staring at Will, listening a little too intently to the phone call. Home, he thinks. He can’t help the tiny flare of annoyance at Carlton, even though he hasn’t met him yet. It feels like Carlton is stealing Will from him, even though Will has never been his. Mike shakes his head, muttering to himself, What the actual hell am I thinking right now?
Will hangs up the phone and looks back at his friends. “Okay, I’m gonna head out now.”
“Don’t be late,” Mike says, looking down at Will in a way that makes him swallow hard and shift on the spot.
Will nods and slings his backpack over his shoulder and waves at the group. “See you at eight!”
“Later,” Max calls out, still teasing Lucas, and Dustin and El wave without even glancing up from their conversation.