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Mike got a call around midnight. Max was calling him. His eyebrows raised— Max never called him unless it was to make fun of something stupid Mike did.
“Wheeler. Hey. You can see where Will is, right?”
“Uh. Yeah. Why?”
“Weeeell.. . Will is like— really drunk. Absolutely shitfaced. And he won’t let me or Lucas take him home. Can you come get him?”
Mike bit his nail. Will never drank. Not that he knew of, anyway, something about wanting to avoid being like Lonnie. Mike sighed but nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I can.”
Mike parks nearby and gets out of the car. He looks at his phone, watching as the dot representing wherever Will's phone was gets closer and closer. He looks up, seeing Will with his head in his hands as Max pats his back. Lucas saw him, jogging towards Mike. Mike was.. . unamused to say the least.
“Haha.. . Hey, Mike.” Mike just stared at Lucas, completely blank. Lucas cleared his throat. “Will threw up. Max got him outside but he doesn’t want to leave. Kept asking for you.”
Mike’s eyes flickered to look at Will, still hunched over. He sighed and shook his head. “Alright. Yeah. I got it. You and Max can leave if you need, I’ll text you.”
“Thanks Mike. Really.”
“Don’t mention it.” Mike walked past Lucas. Max saw him coming, patting Wills back once more before standing up. As soon as Max left to meet back up with Lucas, Mike sat down next to Will. Will glanced at Mike, just barely, still unmoving. Will's knees tucked up to his chest, arms crossed, face half buried in his arms. Mike hesitated. His hand hovered over Wills for a second before placing his own over Wills. Gently. Just there.
“.. . Fuck you,” Will spoke softly, tensing up just slightly at the swear. Like it was venom. It was meant to be— towards Mike, though, not himself. Mike didn’t look away, didn't even hesitate before scooting just a fraction closer.
“You ready to go home?” Mike rubbed small circles on the back of Will’s hand, letting his shoulder bump Will’s. His voice was softer. Mike had always been told he used a different voice for Will but he didn’t hear it until just now.
“I said fuck you,” Will spat, words slurring together. He tried to keep up the walls, tried to get Mike to just leave. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this.
“I know. That’s why I’m asking if you’re ready to leave.” Mike offered a smile, trying not to let any hurt show on his face. He knew Will didn't mean it. Knew Will was just hurting and drunk and probably tired.
Will let his head tilt down, covering his face completely in his arms. “.. .I don't wanna be here anymore. I feel sick,” Tears pricked at Will's eyes, burning more than normal. Crying over Mike was becoming a bit of a habit Will hated continuing.
“I know. You okay, Will?” Mike asked, squeezing Will's hand softly.
“.. . Fuck you,” Will burrowed in his arms, though, not pulling his hand away.
Mike huffed, trying not to laugh. A sad laugh, but still. “So you’ve said.” Mike bumped their shoulders again, trying to get Will out of his little cocoon.
Will moved to where just his eyes showed, covered almost completely by his hair. “.. . It doesn’t bother you?”
Mike wanted to look away. He hesitated for a second, moving his hand from Wills to Will's shoulder furthest from him. “It—.. . It bothers me but.. . I know you don’t mean it.” Mikes eyes flickered around Wills face before settling back on his eyes. Will made a noise that sounded like a reply, but when Mike leaned closer, staring with genuine interest, he didn't repeat it. Mike waited a beat, waited two, then leaned back away.
Will felt cold again, felt it seeping into his bones everywhere except his shoulder where Mike's hand was. “.. . I don’t—.. . I don’t mean it” Will mumbled, scooting a little closer to Mike. For warmth. Obviously. Just like they do in the army.
“I know you don’t, hon. I know. .. .We should go now.” Mike's voice softened even more, if possible. Will shook his head, voice watery with tears.
“I drank too much,”
“I know,”
A beat of silence.
Then—
“I don’t hate you,”
Mike paused, brows knitting together slightly. He pulled Will closer to his side, hand sliding down to run Will's arm gently. “You never said you did, but.. . I'm glad you don't hate me,”
Will sighed, eyes shutting as he leaned deeper into Mike. “‘M really drunk,”
“I know, it's okay,” Mike moved his hand to Will's head, carding his fingers through Will's hair.
Will opened his eyes barely, looking up at Mike through eyelashes, “You promise?”
“I promise.” Will nodded, eyes watery. Mike turned towards Will, letting him burrow into him instead. One of Mike's hands tangled in Will's hair while the other rubbed up and down Will's spine. “.. .You ready to go now? My car’s close.” Mike felt Will nod, but he made no effort to move. “Hon, you have to let me go so we can stand up.”
Will burrowed into Mike's jumper, ear pressed hard against where Mike's heart beat steadily under it. His hands tightened in Mike's jumper, not letting Mike stand. “Don’t wanna,”
Mike hummed, pressing his face into Will’s hair in a mock kiss. “How ‘bout this— We get in my car, I get you to my flat instead of yours, and we can cuddle for as long as you want.”
“Promise?” Will mumbled, words even more muffled from the alcohol and Will hiding his face.
“Promise. All you have to do is let me stand up. Once we get to the car, you can take a nap til we get there. Then you don't have to think about anything else,” Mike smiled against Will's hair, feeling Will's grip loosen just slightly. “You ready to stand, hon?” Will nodded.
Mike stood, hand reaching out to steady Will. He needed it, of course, balance completely wrecked. Mike huffed, a fond smile tugging at his face. Will clung to his arm the entire way to the car, partly due to not being able to stand but mostly due to wanting to be near Mike.
Mike opened the car door for Will, buckling him up as Will started to doze as soon as he was in the seat. Mike got in the driver’s seat, starting the car as quietly as he could. “uugh.. . Mikey?” Will murmured, eyes opening just a week to see Mike. Mike hummed a response, keeping his eyes on the road. Will just paused for a second, taking in Mike's beauty. His dark curls had grown out slightly, covering his ears and threatening to cover his neck at the longest points. Freckles dotted his skin, nose sloped perfectly. Will wanted to kiss every freckle, every mole, every inch of skin Will could see. “.. .You’re really pretty.” Will blurted.
Mike flushed, Will thought that was a nice colour, before clearing his throat. “.. .Thank you, Will. I—.. . I think you're pretty too,” Mike smiled, reaching one hand over to hold Will’s. Will's head lolled to the side, eyes shut. He groaned, headache forming. “I know. I'm sorry, Will. It’s just a little longer,” Mike squeezed his hand.
It took ten more minutes to get to Mike's flat. Once there, Will groaned again. “I know,” Mike spoke softly, getting out of the car to walk around. He opened Wills, unbuckling Wills seatbelt. Mike just stood there waiting for Will to be ready to move again, thumb smoothing circles on Wills knuckles. “Ready to move?”
Will mumbled something, eyes peeking open. “Mmhm.”
His moves were sluggish, uncoordinated as he leaned his full weight on Mike. Mike walked with him slowly as steadily as he could. Will’s arms looped around Mike’s, stumbling as they got to the apartment door. Mike grabbed his keys with his unoccupied hand and fumbled with the lock for a second. Mike shut the door behind him, flicking on a lamp nearby.
“Almost,” Mike whispered softly, hand on Will's back as he led the other man to his room. Once in there, Will practically collapsed on the bed. Mike huffed a laugh. “You still have to change, hon.”
“Mmn.. . Can you?” Will mumbled, head burrowed in Mike's pillow.
“Can I.. . Change? I mean, I can but I'm not the one who needs to.”
“no.. .” Will’s hand clutched Mike's shirt, pulling him down towards him. “uuuugh.. .” He groaned, hand moving to Mikes.
“Hey. You need to change into comfortable clothes, Will,” Mike leaned down to kiss Will's head softly. His heart dropped slightly. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous about that. It was just a kiss on the head. Something he had done thousands of times as a kid when Will got hurt. This wasn’t any different. Mike grabbed Will's shoulder softly, pulling him to sit up. Will didn’t protest but swayed slightly. Mike grabbed a pair of pajama pants and a random shirt. He crouched down near the bed so he was shorter than Will. “Can you put these on for me while I get you some water?”
Will just nodded, taking the clothes from Mike. Mike stood, hesitating before pressing another kiss to Will’s head. He walked out of the room, grabbing a glass and filling it up with water. He figured Will wouldn’t drink that much but it was better to have it. He knocked softly, opening his bedroom door with the water in hand. Will was back lying down, clutching a pillow to his chest.
“Hey, Will,” Mike said, placing the water down on the nightstand. He sat on the edge of the bed, reaching behind him to card his fingers through Will’s hair. Will mumbled something unintelligible. “You feeling any better?” Mike leaned down, pressing his forehead to Will's head.
“mmm,” Will groaned, shaking his head. “I drank too much,”
“I know. D'you want some water?” Will shook his head, arm releasing the grip on the pillow to grip onto Mike. He pulled Mike closer, the pillow keeping them separated. Mike huffed a laugh, moving the pillow off to the side and lying down next to Will. He stared at Will, trying to imprint this into his memory. Will looked so peaceful. Mike reached out one hand, cupping Will's face. His thumb ran over Will's undereye.
Mike pulled the blanket up over both of them, letting Will scoot closer and closer to him till they were chest to chest. Will's arms wrapped around Mike's waist, burrowing his head into Mike's chest. “.. . hi,” Will mumbled, leaning more of his weight into Mike.
“Hi, Will,” Mike said back, pressing a soft kiss to Will's head. Mike figured he’d get all the affection out of his system now while Will (hopefully) wouldn’t remember it. Will's eyes opened slightly before shutting again. Will took one deep breath, then two, then fell asleep.
Mike laid as still as possible for an hour, afraid to move like that would sober up Will and ruin the moment. Once he was sure Will was asleep, Mike grabbed his phone. He saw text after text from Max and Lucas, a mix of apologies and requests to know if Will was ok. Mike sighed, texting in a chat with them both that Will was indeed ok and asleep.
Mike hesitated before opening his camera app. He sighed, camera clicking softly as he took a picture of the back of Will's head pressed hard into Mike's chest. Mike didn’t know why he took the picture. Just wanted to be sure this was real. Wanted to know for sure that no matter what he did, even if he fucked up, there was a time where Will felt this comfortable with him.
Will stirred, the brightness of the sun harsh on his brain. He felt a headache already forming. Will groaned, burrowing his head into whatever he was latched onto. Will sighed as he felt a warm hand cover his hair, fingers running through it softly.
“Morning, sorcerer. Feel any better?” Will flinched, wanting to pull away as soon as he recognized the voice speaking to him. Then, Will melted back into the embrace. It was everything he had wanted since he was 13. It sucked bad but felt so so good too. The way Mike spoke to him was familiar; quiet, soft, like Will was something worth protecting.
Will took a deep breath in, then let it out shakily. “I feel like shit,” Mike laughed softly, squeezing Will a little tighter, holy shit when did Mike get so close to him, before letting his grip loosen again.
“I figured, you looked like shit.” Will made an offended noise, not bothering to lift his head. Mike ignored it, continuing with, "Speaking of which, do you.. . remember anything from last night?”
Will groaned, letting his head thunk against Mike’s shoulder. “.. .Only little flashes. Why? Did I do something embarrassing?”
Mike pushed Will's hair back from his forehead. “Nah. You just said ‘fuck you’ a lot.”
Will flushed at the smirk on Mikes face. He usually loved it. Loved the way the corners of Mike's mouth quirked up unevenly. It made him want to sit Mike down and draw him for hours and hours. Usually. Now, Will wanted to punch it in. Will groaned again. “‘M sorry.”
“Its alright.” Mike said, tucking his head down some so he was eye level.
“Promise?” Will asked, hardly able to breathe. Mike was so close. So close Will could feel the heat radiating off of Mike. Will swallowed nervously, mouth feeling very dry suddenly. Will flushed a pretty shade of red as Mike leaned in ever so slightly, noses brushing together.
“Promise.” Mike whispered, closing the gap between them.
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