Chapter Text
Mike wakes up slowly, the Sunday morning light cutting in through his curtains. He groans, hearing his family already up and in the kitchen.
"What time is it?" he sighs, stretching his limbs, planting his feet on the floor. He yawns scratching the back of his damp curls. He stands, pulling on a t-shirt from his floor, and trudging through the door of his room down to the kitchen. As he reaches the base of the stairs, he freezes in his tracks.
"What the fuck?" he mumbles, eyes wide as a familiar face stares back at him: his own. He takes in the sight of a guy who looks exactly like him, standing in the kitchen. He looks on-edge, but his eyebrows furrow together, seeming to mirror Mike's own expression. This guy's hair is longer, half tied-up, and he's wearing some type of costume- the quality is great, though, he admits. It looks super real. Mike looks around, not a trace of his family. He checks the driveway, seeing the car out of the driveway. Right, he recalls it's Sunday morning. They're out at church.
He continues his descend, cautiously stepping into the kitchen.
"Who are you?" he mumbles weakly, eyes locked onto the figure.
"I am Sir Mike the Brave. And, you are?" he calls, his chin pointed up proudly.
"Oh, God." Mike thinks, wondering how he could have gotten into this situation- his Dungeons & Dragons persona had come to life, and was standing in his kitchen. He crosses his arms over himself.
"Um, I'm- regular Mike? Mike Wheeler."
The paladin-looking guy in his kitchen looks around as if that was obvious. "Well, yes, that makes sense. I'm sure, the question we're both thinking is, how do you look exactly like me?" he asks, to which Mike rolls his eyes. He already doesn't like this guy.
"Good question," Mike mumbles. He sighs, eyebrows shooting up as he quickly steps over to the phone, dialling in Will's number.
"Morning Ms. Byers, is Will home?" he asks into the phone, tapping his finger against the wall anxiously as he waits for Will to answer.
"Mike? What's up?" Will's sleepy voice comes through the receiver, and Mike perks up.
"Will, you need to come over ASAP. Don't tell the guys yet. Code red." Mike says, alarming Will. "Get here fast."
"Wh- what? Are you okay? What happened?" Will asks, concern clear in his voice.
"I'll explain when you're here," Mike finishing, hanging up the phone. He sighs, leaning against the wall, wondering what the hell he was gonna do.
He looks back over to the kitchen, seeing the paladin bump into things, his armour clanking awkwardly in the small kitchen area. He sighs.
Will's bike pulls into the driveway. He sees the front door swing open, Mike gesturing wildly for him to hurry into the house.
"I'm coming, I'm coming-" he mumbles, swinging his leg over his bike and jogging up to the door. "What's going on, Mike? I-"
Mike hushes him, pulling him into the living room. "Before I show you, just promise not to freak out. I don't want to scare him."
"I- scare who? Mike you're not making any sense." Will huffs, not understanding a single thing Mike was saying. Mike gives him a pointed look, and Will sighs, mumbling out, "Okay, okay, I won't freak out." Mike nods and starts to gently pull Will by the hand into the kitchen. "Now, will you please tell me what's going-"
Will's mouth hangs open as he comes into view with… Not Mike. He blinks a few times as the man looks up, recognition clear in his eyes.
"Oh, my Cleric, thank heavens!" he exclaims. "You're here too!" He gets up, crossing the kitchen to pull Will into a tight hug, armour nearly crushing him.
"Ow-" Will forces out, no air left in his lungs.
"Ah, apologies, my beloved. I didn't realize you're not wearing your-" he cuts himself off, eyeing Will up and down.
"My love, what are you wearing…?" he mumbles, eyebrows tilted up.
Will doesn't answer, heart beating quickly. He still has no idea what is happening. He looks between Mike and Not Mike, not able to find the words to reply. Mike does it for him.
"Whoa, wait, why are you-" his mouth pulls into a frown, confusion visible. "This isn't your cleric, this is Will." If will were paying more attention to Mike, he'd think he sounded pissed off.
The paladin chuckles lightly. "I think I may have a theory about what's happening here." He nods, pulling out a kitchen chair and sitting down. "Before I arrived here, I was investigating something. I'm not sure how much you're aware of, but where I am from, there's this entity we call the Mind Flayer." Will and Mike exchange looks, eyes widening- they'd already defeated the Mind Flayer. How could it be back? They watched it die.
"Now, we've already defeated this entity." Mike and Will sigh in relief. "However, this creature brings utmost chaos to whatever world it enters, and while we killed this evil being, we didn't dispose of all its remnants. There are rumours about portals that are still open, connecting worlds together. The Mind Flayer used these to travel through universes, and when we defeated it, it didn't have time to close them. Making sense?" The paladin looks back and forth between Mike and Will.
Will nods. "Yeah- yeah, that makes sense. Sorry, this is so weird." he laughs dryly, sighing and also sitting down. "So- what do we do? How do we get you back home? I mean, it's obvious you can't stay here." he pulls at his sleeves nervously.
Mike nods. "Yeah, man, even if you could it might get a bit confusing."
The paladin nods. "Speaking of which- if they call you Mike, and they call me Mike, how should we differentiate the two of us? It's clear it might get difficult to separa-"
"Can you talk normal." Mike's face deadpans, cutting the paladin off. Will slaps him gently in the shoulder, mouth hanging open.
"What? It's freaking me out." Mike's hands raise defensively. He sighs and looks back to the paladin. "I guess, we'll just call you Paladin. That's what you are, right?" Not-Mike nods, smiling proudly.
Mike turns to Will.
"Okay- what do we do? I've never been in this situation before?" Mike starts, leaning against the kitchen counter.
"Honestly, we should get Dustin over here. He'd know better." Will replies, to which Mike groans.
"Yeah, okay."
The two get the paladin down to Mike's basement, as Mike calls the rest of the party over.
"So, let me get the straight.." Dustin starts. "You went through a portal? And just ended up here? That's it?"
Lucas and Max sit together quietly, Jane biting her nails and pacing, all trying to process what's happening.
The paladin nods.
"This guy clearly has no useful information, we have to come up with something." Mike shakes his head, getting a little frustrated with the situation.
"Okay, you guys clearly don't know the first thing about the multiverse," Dustin shakes his head. "Literally the first rule of multiverses is that you don't want to run into yourself. You guys need to separate, or, I don't know, this entire dimension is going to come crumbling down around us?"
Max speaks up, finally. "Okay. Am I the only one who's lost right now? How are you guys not freaking out? There's literally two Wheelers here. I can barely even deal with one. Plus, multiverses? Since when is that a thing?"
"The multiverse is infinite, we already knew that," Dustin elaborates. "We need to figure out how the hell to fix it, because it is very dangerous for these two to both be here right now. Seriously, if we don't fix this soon, we're all… dead."
Max sighs, sitting back, wondering what she's gotten herself into.
Will stands. "Wait. I have an idea."
"He came through a portal, right? Meaning, hypothetically, as long as we can locate the same portal he came through, we should be able to send him back safely.. right?" he looks around, seeing everyone's thinking faces.
Mike nods, "Yeah, but how are we supposed to know which portal is the right one? For all we know we'd be sending him straight into another universe, which would still be bad news."
"Yeah.. I didn't really think that far."
The party seems to be stuck, until Dustin speaks up again.
"Alright. Okay. Here's the plan- Will… You have to keep Not-Mike away from anybody. Seriously, even Mike. It could fuck the whole plan up. Mike, you two need to stay apart, otherwise-"
"The entire dimension will come crumbling down around us, I know." Mike finishes, his words having a slight bite to them.
"Exactly." Dustin continues. "Max and Jane, you two go to the library. Get every book you can find on multiverses, or alternate dimension, or alternate universes, or whatever. I'll- I'll write it down for you. Me and Lucas will go see Mr. Clarke, he has to know something."
Mike nods, thinking. "Okay, then what am I supposed to do?"
Dustin shrugs, "Figure something out? Go with Max and Jane?" he calls, shrugging as he heads up the stairs of Mike's basement. "Meet back here in 2 hours!" he yells, interrupting both Mike and Max's protests, Lucas following him as he heads out the front door.
"Seriously?" he mumbles, mostly to himself. He decides to head off with Max and Jane, knowing they probably wouldn't know what to look for anyway.
"Mike, I'm gonna get him out of here. Your family will be home soon, and I don't want to be the one to have to explain… his. I'll take him to Castle Byers. Nobody will be there, so it's perfect." Will smiles at Mike, waving a quick goodbye as Mike takes off with the girls.
"We're visiting a castle?" the paladin asks, face lighting up at the thought.
"I- no, not exactly," Will laughs, grabbing his jacket. "Come on, you'll see."
As they approach the small wood-fort in the woods, the paladin actually looks kind of pleased.
"You know, this isn't quite what I was expecting when you mentioned a castle, but I've never seen something like this. What are these?" he asks, touching the edge of a photograph.
"Photos. You know, from a camera?" Will answers.
"A camera? What's that?" he tilts his head, pouting in the same way Mike usually does when he's confused.
'This is so weird,' Will thinks.
"Um- honestly, I couldn't even explain it to you if I tried. These are photos of me and the party. Here's some of me and myMike." he adds, pointing to some photos of himself and Mike when they were young.
The paladin smiles fondly, running fingers through his long hair. "Ah, childhood lovers. How beautiful. I didn't meet my cleric until later in life- it warms my heart to know what my love looked like in his youth."
Will flushes, "Um- no, we're not- me and Mike aren't lovers, or anything like that." He laughs nervously, averting his eyes.
The paladin looks like he's just been hit, thinking for a long moment. "What?" he finally asks.
"We're, um- we're just friends. Best friends." he awkwardly answers. This is so. Fucking. Weird.
"And… you're not in love? Are you sure?" he pries.
"Look- I know Mike doesn't feel that way. You couldn't know this, but in this world, being gay is against the rules. They used to kill people for it." Will spits out, clearly just wanting to change the subject.
"Being gay? What on earth is that?" the paladin asks.
"Loving another man." Will clarifies.
The paladin laughs, loudly. "Well, that's ridiculous. Where I'm from, there's no difference. Love is just love. Why should it matter who you choose to lie with? It has nothing to do with anybody else, that's absolutely preposterous!" he exclaims.
Will sighs, folding into himself, kicking at gravel with his loosely-tied shoes. "Yeah. I wish." he murmurs.
The paladin's voice softens. "So, then.. I guess that's you? Gay?" he asks.
Will knows he didn't mean to say anything wrong, but he flinches. He's not used to anybody being so direct about it. He came out to his friends and family last year, but it's still just.. weird for somebody to be asking about it so directly. He doesn't give him a verbal answer, just nods.
"What's the issue, then? You don't love Mike?" he pries again, Will finally seeming fed up with the conversation.
"Let's just talk about something else, okay? I don't think I can talk about this with you," he clears his throat. "It's like I'm talking to Mike, but.. not?"
The paladin nods. "Believe me, William, it's something for me to get used to, as well… I apologize ahead of time, you do look exactly like my lover from back home."
Will laughs, nodding. "So, tell me about him, then. How did- how did you guys…?" he trails off.
"Well, we always just knew. From the time we met, I swore to protect him, every day. And that I did. I suppose we never thought about it being any other way- it was always him."
Will's eyes prickled with tears, looking down at his feet. He nods, "That must be nice."
The paladin nods, concern growing on his face. He slowly pushes a piece of Will's messy hair out of his face.
"Do not fret, my William. I'm sure you'll find it, too. I'm almost sure it will be you for him, too. I can feel in my heart that we are intwined within each other's souls, across any universe. Just let nature run its course. Let time work its magic." he reassures him, his hand resting on his shoulder. Will's eyes snap up to his face, and he nods. This version of Mike looks older, slightly more worn. His freckles are clearer, his skin seemingly more worn. His eyes wander down to the paladin's lips. They almost look more plump than his Mike's. He recalls Mike's lips being chapped from Mike always biting at them. He smiles a little. He wonders what it'd be like to kiss Mike- a reoccurring thought in Will's mind- and he wonders if this version of Mike would let him.
His eyes lift up to the paladins. They're already looking back into Will's. His face is closer than it was a second ago.
'It's fine, right? This Mike wouldn't care, he already likes a version of me. Plus, it's not like it means anything. Just to see what it'd be like..' he tells himself, hoping this will get rid of the thought he has about his Mike. He hopes he can get it out of his system, in a way.
The paladin cautiously leans in, tilting his head slightly, as he mumbles, "If this isn't alright, please, stop me.."
Their lips connect, and Will feels so warm. His heart beats into his throat and his hands tremble. All he can focus on is the shape of Mike's- no, the paladin's lips as they press against his own. He sighs through his nose, letting out a long, soft noise. The paladin pulls back slowly, eyebrows raised, voice low. "Sorry, I… I've never had to restrain myself like this before… If- if this isn't-" his voice trails off.
Will cuts him off by pushing his lips back against the paladins, eyes shut tight as he feels the warm hand cupping his cheek. He sighs, the paladin pulling him closer by his waist. Will thinks he might be in heaven. His hand snakes around the paladins shoulder, then his neck, reaching into his curly hair. His lips part, and the paladin takes this as a green light, just barely sliding his tongue through Will's lips. He licks at Will's mouth as if it's a question, and Will opens up further, as if it's an answer. Will's tongue slides against the paladins, a gasp coming out of his throat. Will's fingers tighten in his hair as the paladin leans over him, gripping onto the soft skin of his waist. The paladin groans quietly, pulling away to kiss against the corner of Will's open mouth, his cheek, his jaw, his neck- Will feels like he's being worshipped. Deep down, Will knows it's wrong to do this with a clone of your best friend, imagining it's him- but he also doesn't think he'll ever get an opportunity like this ever again. He turns his head, exposing his neck further.
The paladin's hands roam around Will's back, up his shirt, taking everything being presented to him. He groans, missing his Will, but thinking this is just as good. This version Will is softer, warmer than his own. He thinks he'd love every version of him, even this one. He feels Will's soft fingers in his hair, pulling slightly in the same way his beloved cleric does. He smiles softly, knowing this is the man he'd love in every universe. This confirms it to him.
Will's chokes out a gasp as the paladin slides a clothed knee between his legs- he thanks his earlier self for suggesting he take his armour off. He whines quietly, his free hand coming up to grip onto the paladins shoulder. His eyes are damp, tears threatening to spill over- not from his emotions, just from the pure stimulation of it all. His cheeks flush pink as he stares up at the paladin- no, at Mike. Although it's not his Mike, this is still Mike. His inhibitions release their grasp on his mind as he feels the paladin apply a light pressure between his thighs.
"Is this alright, sweet boy?" the paladin mumbles into his hair. Will shivers, feeling the warm breath against his ear. He can only nod, mouth still hung open. The paladin hums, smiling as his fingers slide down to the waistband of Will's shorts. Will's heartbeat picks up, his eyebrows raising. He briefly thinks he must be in a dream for this to be happening to him.
The paladins warm hands slides into his shorts and boxers, gripping around him with a little pressure. The noise that comes from Will's parted lips is something he's never heard himself make before. He swallows, shutting his eyes tightly as his kuckles turn white from the force oh his grip on the paladins shirt.
"Let me know if you want me to slow down. Let me take care of you," the paladin murmurs, and Will nods, taking a deep breath.
His hand starts stroking him gently, twisting at just the right time, moving at just the right speed. His stomach tightens quickly as he whines. The paladin moves to kiss him again, consuming the sweet sounds he's making. He pulls Will's shorts down further, giving him hand the room to move more freely. Between short kisses, he mumbles, "Good thing about already loving another version of you.." he presses his lips to Will's again, then pulls away. "I already know what you like," another kiss. "How you like it.. what feels good…" he smirks, enjoying the sight of the boy breaking beneath him. "Is this your first?" he asks quietly. Will nods, his chest heaving from the overwhelming feeling of pleasure. The paladin breaks into a smile. "Okay. Relax, my angel, it'll feel wonderful. Just breath, you're doing amazing." he praises, picking up the pace slightly and applying more pressure. Will thinks he's seeing stars. He goes to speak, but his voice can hardly catch up to his thoughts. "I-I might not- I don't think I'm gonna last-" he breathes out, thighs twitching softly.
"Shh, let go. It's okay, you deserve this, my angel. You deserve everything." the paladin whispers, and this sends Will over the edge. The muscle in his stomach tightens as he finishes, spurting warm liquid into the paladins hands and onto the front of his chest. The paladin rubs his chest soothingly, murmuring quiet praises to him, lazily stroking him until he softens.
"Jesus Christ," Will mumbles, voice hoarse. He swallows, blinking the few tears from the corners of his eyes. He takes a deep breath, assessing everything that just happened before he speaks. "That was- I've never-"
The paladin moves off of him, grabbing the corner of his cloak to wipe away the mess from Will's skin, cleaning his own hands off afterwards. "Was that alright? I'm sorry if I got a little carried away.. It's truly difficult to keep my hands to myself. I've never found myself in a situation quite like this one." he chuckles lightly, and Will just smiles. He laughs a bit, nodding as he lets the paladin clean him up.
"This is so weird," he says, but his lips tug into a smile. "I'm not gonna be able to tell anyone about this, I think" he mumbles.
The paladin nods, "Yes, it's best to keep it between us."
Will runs his hands through his slightly-sweaty hair, sighing with wide eyes. "I can't believe that just happened- especially because you're Mike but you're not Mike? Oh god," he hides his face in his hands, groaning, before breaking out into a small fit of laughter. "I do really wish it was my Mike, but that was amazing, honestly"
The paladin laughs along with him, sitting back.
"I think I have an idea of how you can start getting that type attention from your Mike, you know."
Will perks up, eyebrows shooting up. "How?" he asks, clearly very interested in the paladins suggestion.
"Well.. if he's anything like me, which he must be, he's likely very protective, yes?"
Will nods, unsure where this was leading. "Yes, he's one of the most protective people I know. Especially over me, come to think of it."
"Well, seeing that we're the same person at heart, he must also be very jealous." he continues, hoping Will picks up on the idea he was laying out for him.
"Are you saying I should make him jealous?" Will eyebrows raise in question.
"I think it'd work, don't you? Maybe it'll help him realize some things."
Will smiles, nodding. "Well, it can't hurt to try, right?"
The paladin smiles encouragingly, leaning in to add: "Plus, I have a sneaking suspicion that he's already not feeling very happy about the two of us being alone together."
Will laughs as they discuss further, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders.
"Where are they, seriously?" Mike huffs, everyone back at his house besides Will and the paladin. He checks out the window, seeing the two approach. "Fuck, finally." He rolls his eyes, wondering what took them so long to return. Seeing the empty driveway, Will enters the house, relieved that he wouldn't have to find a way to sneak the paladin past Mike's parents.
"Hey guys, sorry- we got a bit distracted. Did you guys figure anything out?" Will asks, dragging the paladin down to the basement by the wrist. Mike frowns, deciding not to make a big scene over it, but secretly feeling nosey about just what the pair could've been doing.
"Yeah- well, kind of. We have a plan, we're not one hundred percent sure if it'll work, but it can't hurt to try." Dustin says, to which Will and the paladin exchange a glance, as if to say 'haha, I just said that same thing- can't hurt to try.'
Will lets out a tiny giggle under his breath, nodding. "What's your plan, then?"
Dustin explains how he and Lucas talked to Mr. Clarke, who pretty much confirmed their earlier theory- they'd have to return him through the same portal as he entered through. The other group, Max, Jane and Mike, discovered a theory from a study they read at the library, which they could perfectly excecute due to Jane's abilities. Jane would have to become the portal- she'd go into the paladin's mind and return him home.
Will nods, letting the paladin sit down on the dingy couch. "So, are we doing it right now, then?"
Max nods. "Yes, please, Mike is being all weird with him here and I can't stand it."
Mike shoots her a glance, fire in his eyes. "Dude, shut up," he breathes out. Will's eyes narrow as he looks at Mike. Mike avoids eye contact with him, the tips of his ears turning a pinkish colour. The paladin laughs, seeming to connect the dots, too.
"Works out just fine for me." he shrugs, smiling at Mike. Will thinks he can see smoke coming out of his ears. 'I honestly don't think I have to try making him jealous.. Looks like he already is.' he thinks to himself, chuckling lightly.
Jane directs the paladin to lay down, explaining that his body is somewhere in his world, unconscious, and that when she brings him through the portal, his body in Hawkins wouldn't exist.
"Wait- let me say farewell, please?" he asks, sitting up slowly. The party all look at him, confused, as he stands, hugging Will tight. Will tries to hold back a laugh at the way Mike frowns. The paladins hand comes up to the back of Will's head, who whispers a quiet thank you.
The paladin pulls away, shooting him a wink as he gets back on the couch.
"Whatever that was.." Lucas adds, shaking his head in slight disbelief.
Mike looks like he's about to kill him. Will has to clear his throat in order to stop himself from cracking up at the sight.
As Jane goes into his mind, leading him home, Mike grabs Will's wrist, pulling him up the stairs.
"What the fuck was that about?" he asks, clearly upset over the interaction. Oh, this is perfect. Will thinks.
"What are you talking about, Mike?" he asks, feigning innocence.
"That guy, why'd he hug you? And not anyone else?" Mike gestures to the basement, acting as if Will had just killed a man.
"I don't know? What, am I not allowed to hug people, Mike?" A smirk threatens the corners of his lips as he questions him back. "Why are you so worked up about it, all he did was hug me?"
Mike sighs, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, whatever, I don't know. Just weird."
Will shrugs, heading back down to the basement. Mike stands there, wondering why Will was acting so weird. He stares down at the basement after him, just as Lucas comes up the stairs.
"What's your problem, man? Looks like you saw a ghost.
Mike groans, leaning against the wall. "Is Will acting weird to you?" he asks.
Lucas shakes his head, a little confused. "No? He's acting pretty normal to me. Why?"
"He is acting weird, I know he is just- I didn't like that guy."
Lucas chuckles lowly, perplexed. "Why? He didn't do anything, he was barely here for a full day."
"Yeah, but it was- it was.. I don't know, it's just weird, okay? He's here for half a day, and suddenly he has all the attention? It's stupid! He's literally me. In my house. He should at least-"
"Mike." Lucas takes pity on him, putting a hand up to stop him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're jealous."
Mike's eyebrows furrow as he sighs. "I- Maybe I am, okay? So what? I'm allowed to be, Will's my best friend, and I don't want him to be around people like that."
Will chuckles a bit. "Mike, you know.. he's you, right? And.. most people don't get jealous like this over their best friends, dude. I think you're the one acting weird, not him." Lucas gives him a knowing look as he walks past Mike to head to the kitchen.
Mike gulps, his eyes going to the floor.
"Just think about that." He finishes, grabbing a glass of water.
Mike huffs, needing a break. He heads back down to the basement, going to take his spot beside Will on the couch.
"Did it work?" he asks, the paladins body nowhere to be seen. Jane nods, a small drip of blood leaking onto her upper lip. "Yeah, he's gone."
"Yeah, you can breathe now, Wheeler," Max adds, standing up on the couch. "Now that that's over, I gotta take off. Me and Lucas were supposed to watch a movie tonight before this all happened, and I do not want to return it before we actually watch it." Lucas appears at the top of the staircase, nodding. "Yeah, sorry man, catch you guys later though."
Max and Lucas leave. With only four left, there's a bit of tension in the air. Dustin looks between a pissed-off Mike and an amused Will, and decides he should take his chance to leave before he's stuck breaking up one of their weird fights.
"Yeah, Dustin and I actually have plans, too" Jane adds, giving Dustin a pointed look. "We were going to, uh- watch a movie. As well." She smiles, the blatant lie obvious, but nobody really questions it. Will understands why they wouldn't want to be caught up in whatever the fuck was happening, and Mike doesn't seem to be paying attention at all.
"Sure, dude, see you guys." Mike mumbles, and Dustin frowns, not used to Mike having nothing sarcastic to comment.
The two of them get up and say their goodbyes, leaving just Mike and Will.
"So…" Will starts. Before he can finish his sentence, Mike turns to him quickly.
"What did you guys do while you were gone?" Mike asks quickly.
Okay, straight to the point, Will thinks.
"Um, we just hung out? A bit?" Will lies, knowing he'd end up telling Mike anyway.
"That's it? What took so long then?" Will laughs, shaking his head.
"We made out, Mike. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Mike opens his mouth to speak, then closes it. "What?" Will sighs, leaning back against the worn-out fabric of the couch.
"Yeah. I guess, he missed his- uh, boyfriend? I think? And I look exactly like him, so it makes sense. And, um.. I don't know. I kind of wanted to see what it would've been like." Will continues, half-expecting Mike to get angry with him for it.
"You wanted to see what it would be like to.. kiss someone?" He sounds almost shocked.
"I.." Will swallows the saliva welling up in his mouth, looking down at his hands.
"I wanted to see what it would be like.. to kiss you. I just wanted to kiss you, Mike." He nearly whispers the last part, nodding slowly.
The world seems to stop for the few seconds Mike takes to answer.
"Oh," he says.
It's quiet. Will's heart beats fast, and he thinks he just made it awkward between them. 'Why did I say that? Oh God..' he thinks, wondering where that confidence he had earlier went.
"I'm sorry Mike, I shouldn't have-"
"Stop, just-" Mike closes his eyes, sighing. "Just let me think for a second."
Will thinks he might cry, nodding. After a few more very long seconds, Mike looks at him again.
"Why wouldn't you just kiss me, then? Why'd it have to be that guy?" he questions, almost seeming insulted by the information he'd just heard.
"Well.. I didn't have to, I guess? He just kind of gave me the opportunity, so I took it. Didn't think I'd get the chance again." Will mumbles back.
"You have the chance," Mike says. Will's head snaps to the side, looking away from his hands.
"What?" he asks, staring at Mike to see if he'd heard him correctly.
"You have the chance now." Mike gulps, looking just as nervous as Will was.
"Mike… are you saying-" Mike doesn't let him finish, quickly leaning in to press a hard kiss to Will's mouth before he can change his mind. It's a little awkward, too much, but Will doesn't care. He thanks his lucky stars that it had actually worked, making Mike jealous.
Mike pulls away, eyes wide. His nose and cheeks were agressively red, and he couldn't seem to keep his eyes on Will. He cleared his throat, "Sorry, I didn't-" Will chuckled, recalling his earlier encounter with the paladin. He really is the same, across every universe. Will pulls him back in, much like he'd done with the paladin, and kisses him again, properly this time. Mike's hands find Will's waist, almost instinctively, and Will's hand finds the back of Mike's head. His hands take their place in his hair. Mike groans into the kiss, letting himself go. If Will thought the paladin was hungry for Will, Mike must've been starving. One of his hands slide across Will's back, his waist, his hips, anywhere he could reach. He grips Will's jaw as if he's scared he might pull away.
He grips onto Will's shirt, pulling him against himself, pressing their bodies together.
"He-" Mike starts, pulling away, panting. "I don't want anyone else to have you like this." he mumbles with a stern look across his face. Will pants, looking between both of Mike's eyes. "The thought of you kissing someone else, it made me so- I don't know, mad? I didn't even realize why until, like, 10 minutes ago I just-" Mike sighs and Will just nods, letting him speak his mind.
"I think I love you, Will." he whispers as if he's scared to say it out loud.
Will smiles, nodding. His chest warms, and he lets his hands come up to cup Mike's face. "I think I love you too, Mike."
Mike nearly sobs, kissing Will again, slower this time. He finds a steady rhythm, holding onto Will as if he's the dearest thing to him. He pulls back, kissing Will's forehead. It's tender, and it almost makes Will feel guilty for everything that happened. Almost.
Will hums, playing with Mike's hair. "You know," Will starts. "I only did it because it was you. I thought that- maybe I'd never know what your lips would feel like, or something, I don't know. It's stupid," he mumbles.
"Was it the same? As kissing me?" Mike asks, clearly still feeling jealous over the paladin.
"Not at all." Will smiles. "I don't love that version of you, Mike, I love this one.. how could it be the same?"
Mike smiles back, kissing Will one more time, for good measure. "I'm sorry, Will. I don't know how I didn't realize. I can't believe it took that happening for me to realize. God, I'm an idiot, right? I didn't even know you guys made out, and look how crazy I got." Mike laughs at himself, shaking his head.
"Yeah, you are kind of an idiot for that.. I'm happy, though. I'm glad you came to your senses." Will hums.
Made out… Will thinks. He decides he'll save the rest of the story for.. another time. For now, Mike doesn't need to know.