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Mike had noticed it happening more often now that he and Will have moved in together. Whenever he got just a little too close, whether it was reaching for a glass while Will is washing dishes in the kitchen, their shoulders brushing, or if his knee knocks into Will’s while they’re watching a movie, something strange happens.
The lights always give a tiny flicker, barely there. Mike thought he was imagining things the first time it happened. It was a Tuesday in July after they defeated Vecna and the Mindflayer, and before they went off to college–the Party had all gone out to ice cream to celebrate something–Mike isn’t sure what as he was losing his mind over El leaving, and then continuing to lose it over the fact Will somehow still had his powers.
It was a scorcher, potentially the hottest day of the year, and of course, Will got a cone instead of a cup.
Watching it drip down his fingers had slowly driven Mike insane, and he had crushed the paper cup in his own hand under the pressure to just stay normal, to stay friends. But the smudge of chocolate on Will’s cheek was his undoing. It’s like his hand had a mind of its own, reaching out to wipe the smudge of fudge off the corner of Will’s lip.
Will had frozen, eyes widening at the feeling of Mike’s hands on his face, and that’s when it happened. The lights flickered overhead, and then the whirring of the ice cream parlor’s freezers ceased to exist for a few seconds before coming back to life.
“You had something on your face,” Mike had rushed to explain, sure his face was beet red, “I’m going to go throw this away.”
He had rushed as far as he could as fast as he could, but Mike couldn’t escape the feeling of Will’s eyes on him. They were ever present, and normally it would keep Mike grounded, but at that moment, it felt like Will maybe saw too much of him.
Mike had been sure to hide it ever since, but now it’s September, and Mike had noticed something else too. Carlton was a new development–Will got himself a boyfriend pretty much the first day they set foot onto campus, and honestly, Mike can’t blame Carlton for snatching Will up–Mike had probably missed his chance, and he could accept that if that’s what Will wanted.
Except Carlton couldn’t make the lights flicker like he could.
Mike had discovered this information after a late night study session at the library, arriving at their apartment style dorm a little after eleven. He hadn’t noticed anything amiss at first, tearing off his jacket and his shoes, wanting to get into a hot shower and then into bed as fast as possible.
Mike was in the living room when he heard it. The rhythmic banging of a headboard against the wall, and what sounded like Carlton’s voice calling out Will’s name. It was hard not to hear the absence of Will’s voice, and it was more difficult to not notice the lights.
They didn’t flicker once.
But the day before, the lights had flickered when Mike had simply smiled at Will from across the room. And that’s when a dangerous thought formed in Mike’s mind. Maybe there is hope, maybe Carlton isn’t the one Will wants.
Maybe it could be him making the headboard smash into the wall, making the lights flicker. Hell, maybe Will could cause a power surge, or cause the lights to go out. Mike bets he could do it, if Will would let him touch him the way Carlton does.
The first day, Mike starts out small–lingering a little longer in the doorway, scooting a little closer when there’s still room in the booth. If Will notices, he doesn’t say anything, and Mike is emboldened by the numbers going out on the stovetop, the light of the booth flickering above his head when his thigh presses up against Will’s, and the TV cutting out for just a moment when Mike gets too close.
The next day, Mike borrows one of Will’s band tees and steals his boxers straight out of the drawer. He slides the boxers over his thighs, noticing the way that they’re a little baggy on him. Mike rolls the band once, praying to god they don’t fall down until he’s accomplished his mission. Next, he slips on the band tee, and checks to see how he looks in the mirror.
Mike nods his head, happy with the way he looks. If a brush of their shoulders causes a flicker, then his legs being exposed like this might just make Will blow a fuse.
He knows for a fact Carlton is busy tonight, otherwise, Mike would have behaved a little better, played a little nicer. But tonight, Mike gets Will all to himself, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t capitalize on it. Mike settles on the couch, leaning against the arm, and letting his long legs stretch out along the length of the couch. He fiddles with the TV remote, waiting for Will to come out of the shower.
Mike hears the water turn off, and his heart starts galloping away inside his chest. He crosses his legs, uncrosses the, crosses them again. Maybe this was a horrible, no, it was definitely a horrible idea, but the question keeps echoing around in his mind.
What if?
What if this is his chance?
What if it was possible and he never put in the effort, and Will just slipped away into obscurity?
Mike would no longer get to DM campaigns with his sorcerer. In fact, he’d have to create an entirely new character separate from the paladin just to keep himself separated from the fact that he lost the only person he was ever truly compatible with. El was once a wizard, now turned necromancer–at one point they were compatible, but now, it simply wasn’t possible.
But a paladin is always compatible with a sorcerer.
And even before El, it had always been Will Mike had imagined always being there by his side. Even if Mike had married El, there would have been a kernel of truth tucked in the back of Mike’s mind that it wasn’t correct, that he wasn’t being fully honest with himself or with El. And El deserved the purest kind of happiness, and Mike couldn’t give her that.
And if El had to be a necromancer to be truly happy, Mike would let her have that, even if it means they can no longer be together.
Mike can’t say the same thing about Will. He would never let Will turn to necromancy if he had anything to do with it.
Watching him and Carlton together was Mike’s own personal hell, and one day, he’ll have to thank Will for mostly going out of the apartment with Carlton. Mike doesn’t know how he would be able to handle it if Carlton and Will were one of those couples, the ones that never go out and are always on the couch fully making out for their roommates to see.
But Mike has seen and heard enough to know Will needs more than what Carlton can offer him.
Hence, Operation: Make the Lights Flicker.
Mike couldn’t let Carlton take Will away from him, and like the paladin he is, Mike is going to save him from the barbarian. He just needs to make Will see it his way, specifically, with his legs.
The bathroom door swings open and Mike’s eyes fly up to Will.
He doesn’t notice Mike on the couch right away, but when he does, Mike catches it. His eyes go wide and his face erupts into flames. Mike looks back at him, taking in the way the towel hangs low on his hips, and how there’s still water droplets clinging to his skin. Mike wets his lips as he thinks about licking the water off him, and Will’s lips fall to the movement.
The TV goes out and Mike has to turn it back on using the remote. He takes his eyes away from Will for one second, and he disappears into his bedroom to change. Mike smirks to himself, noticing the way Will looks like he’s trying to get away from him as fast as possible. It takes Will longer to change than it should, and Mike tries not to think about what that means or he’ll get hard in Will’s boxers.
Mike jumps when Will opens the door, and he tries to play it off, smiling up at Will like there’s nothing insanely absurd about what Mike is wearing.
“Hey,” Mike greets him softly, handing him the bowl of popcorn.
“Hey,” Will responds equally as softly, grabbing the bowl from Mike with a confused look on his crimson face, “Is that my shirt?”
Mike smirks up at him, “And if it is?”
Will sits down, giving him a flustered look, “Then you should keep it. Um, i--it looks good on you.”
Mike watches as he looks down at the bowl, the tips of his ears going red as his eyes linger on Mike’s legs for a second too long to be normal. The lamp on the side table fades and comes back, fades and comes back, and Mike wonders if it’s to the beat of Will’s heart.
He reaches for the remote, and presses play on the Star Wars movie he picked at random.
Mike responds quietly, “I’ll keep it.”
Will hums as he picks at the popcorn. Mike wonders if he noticed what else belonged to him, and he’s not talking about Will’s boxers. He dares to stretch out his legs, tucking his feet under Will’s thighs. Mike watches Will inhale slowly, hold it in for a second, and let it out just as slowly. The lamp next to him fades in and out with his breaths, and Mike wonders if Will even notices that it’s happening.
Mike almost wants to laugh, but he’s afraid Will will run if he does that.
“How was your day?” Mike breaks the silence, knowing both him and Will are not paying attention to the movie even if both of them are staring at the screen.
Will huffs out an amused breath, “It was good,” He pauses, and Mike watches as his eyes sweep up his legs, “How was yours?”
Mike’s breath is still in his chest, and he has to force himself to breathe. Will’s eyes are always intense, but when they’re focused fully on him like this, it’s almost too much for Mike.
“It was good,” Mike’s voice is quiet, “Was waiting for you to come home from class.”
Mike’s heart stops when Will smirks, “And you were probably thinking about stealing my shirt and boxers all day, weren’t you?”
Mike feels himself blushing but forces himself to nod.
Will sighs, setting the popcorn bowl on the coffee table and he runs a hand down his face, “Mike, what am I going to do with you?”
And Mike is already hard. He should not answer that question. Mike shifts around on the couch, trying to hide his problem, but he can feel Will’s eyes on him.
“Are you going to answer?” Will asks, “Or am I going to have to show you?”
Mike freezes, and meets Will’s eyes. His eyes are glued on Mike’s crotch, and Mike feels like he’s going to die. He hasn’t breathed in what feels like hours but was probably less than a minute, and his heart is beating hard in his chest. Everything is warm, and his dick is throbbing in Will’s boxers, and Mike wonders if this was a mistake.
But then Will’s eyes meet his and he leans back against the couch. Mike’s eyes fall to Will’s lap, and he gasps in a breath, taking in the way Will is hard in his sweats.
“You’re making this difficult for me on purpose, aren’t you,” Will asks, his voice rumbling in his chest.
“No–” Mike tries to deny it.
“If you wanted me, you should have just said something,” Will’s brows are furrowed, and he chuckles darkly, “I was trying so hard to get over you and the entire time, you wanted to wear my shit just to tease me. Typical.”
Will continues as Mike’s breathing comes fast, “I thought I was going crazy this week. You were getting so close to me, and I thought you just didn’t know what you were doing. But I forgot just how smart you are.”
Mike clears his throat, “You were going crazy? What about Carlton? You brought him to the apartment and fucked him while I was here, and I’m the tease?”
Will laughs, and Mike’s mouth drops as he says, “Me and Carlton aren’t even dating.”
“So, what?” Mike asks, gesturing around, “What was all of that for then? He didn’t even make you feel good.”
“I wanted to see your reaction,” Will admits as his eyes fall back to Mike’s legs, “And it was definitely worth it.”
“That’s mean,” Mike all but whines and huffs out in frustration, “Why didn’t you just say something to me?”
“I wanted you to say it, even if you didn’t have to because I already knew,” Will explains, “I wanted you to acknowledge you felt something for me without me having to wring it out of you.”
“Well, I’ve shown you just how I feel,” Mike meets Will’s eyes with a daring glare, “So, what are you going to do about it now?”
Will’s face splits on a slow smirk, and he says, “I’m going to break you apart.”
The air whooshes out of Mike’s chest, and he feels his body getting warm.
Will takes Mike by his bicep and drags him across the room. Mike tries to protest, but he’s got a funny feeling in his stomach and he kind of feels a little dizzy from the rough treatment as Will throws him on the bed, and turns to shut the door behind him.
Mike has enough of his brain left to gulp at the darkness in Will’s eyes, and Will smirks as his eyes track the movement of Mike’s throat.
“This is going to be fun,” Will drawls as he slowly walks towards Mike, his eyes falling to his hard on as he gets closer.
Mike holds his breath as Will holds a hand over him, finger hovering right over his tip as Will watches him with a hunger Mike has never seen from his best friend before. It’s kind of scary how much it turns him on when Will cocks his head at him in amusement.
It’s the way a villain would cock his head in amusement as his subject lay dying in front of him.
Mike’s dick twitches under Will’s gaze, reaching up to press against the tip of Will’s finger.
“You’re already wet, baby,” Will purrs as he finally wraps his hand around Mike’s cock through his boxers.
Mike whimpers at the words and the feeling of Will’s touch on him. He has to stop himself from bucking up into Will’s hand as he begins to move it over him.
“I’ve always loved your thighs, Mike,” Will murmurs, eyes roving over Mike’s body.
Mike’s eyes fly open at the use of his name, and he has to bite back a moan as Will’s eyes meet his.
“Can I fuck them?” Will asks, and Mike sees a flicker of nerves behind his eyes.
Mike shakes his head, and Will lifts a brow in response, “No? Why not?”
Mike tries to find his voice, “I want you to fuck me into the mattress this time.”
Will hums in response, closing his eyes as Mike watches his dick twitch in his sweatpants. The lamp dims beside him, and Mike can’t help the small smirk that sneaks through.
“Who are you smirking at, honey?” Will asks, and Mike’s eyes widen, the smile falling from his face.
Will stops moving his hand as he waits for a response and Mike stutters out, “The light… It flickered.”
Will’s hand starts moving again, and Mike lets out the breath he was holding, “It will probably happen again.”
Mike looks at him, noticing the nerves in Will’s voice he’s trying to hide behind bravado and confidence.
“Is that a bad thing?” Mike grits out, trying to keep his hips against the bed as Will teases the tip.
Will meets his eyes, “When it comes to you, Mike, I don’t have a lot of control. I don’t know if I’ll be able to… hold back once I start. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Mike’s having a hard time breathing as his dick throbs hard in Will’s hand, “What do you mean?”
“I mean that things might break… I might unintentionally use my powers on you if I’m not careful.”
“Has that happened before?” Mike asks, reaching out to grab Will’s other hand.
“No,” Will shakes his head, “But he wanted me to.”
Of course Carlton had wanted Will to use his powers on him, Mike thinks, The prick probably made Will feel bad when he couldn’t even get the lights to flicker.
As if Will is the problem.
“Will, I trust you,” Mike tugs on Will’s hand, guiding him so he’s on top of Mike, nose to nose, “You won’t hurt me.”
Will doesn’t look so sure, but he nods in response, “Okay, I’ll try.”
Mike smiles and cups Will’s jaw, pulling him in for a kiss. Will sinks into him as their lips meet, and Mike giggles into the kiss. It soon turns heated as Will digs his teeth into his bottom lip, and Mike wonders what would happen if he drew blood. The thought makes him a little breathless, and he bucks his hips into Will’s thigh, trying to get any type of friction. The buzz of electricity isn’t just in his head, the lamp next to him growing brighter as Will meets his thrust with one of his own.
Will pulls away, panting, “I don’t think I can keep myself under control for long.”
Will opens his bedside drawer, grabbing a bottle of lube, and pulling back to settle in between Mike’s thighs.
“These need to come off, baby,” Will snaps the band of Mike’s boxers, and Mike rushes to get them down his legs.
Will’s hands are cold against his thighs as he spreads them farther apart, and he says, “Just relax, and this will hurt a little less.”
Mike melts against the mattress and Will coats his hand in lube, and he feels Will’s icy fingers resting against his cheek as he gives Mike a questioning look. Mike gives a small nod, and lets out a breath as Will presses his finger into him, trying to follow his instructions as Will invades his space.
It wouldn’t be the first time Mike has had fingers up his ass, but that hadn’t really mattered. This time, it makes his insides burn, and it sets off an inferno in his groin. With every swipe of Will’s fingers, his dick twitches even though the stretch hurts. Will inserts a second finger before Mike is ready, and his breath catches.
“You okay?” Will asks, and Mike nods, relaxing into Will’s touch as he sets a hand on his other thigh, “You’re doing so well, Mike.”
Mike nods as his head falls back against the pillow. He honestly can’t believe this is real, that this is his life. If he didn’t know better, he would say that it’s too good to be true.
But Will is here touching him open, splitting Mike open on his fingers, and hitting his prostate with every thrust.
“Will, I’m ready,” Mike’s voice is wrecked from holding back whimpers and little moans, and his fingers hurt from gripping Will’s sheets between his fingers.
This is the most real he’s ever felt, Mike thinks.
Will’s fingers slide out of him, and he moves to take off his sweatpants and boxers. Mike’s eyes are immediately drawn to his dick. Will watches as he gulps at the realization of his size, and he crowds into Mike’s space, cupping his jaw.
“You can take it, Mike,” Will whispers against his lips in between kisses, “I’m going to make you feel so good.”
Mike nods, panting into Will’s open mouth. His breath is cold against Mike’s cheek as he lines himself up to Mike’s entrance, and Mike braces himself as he feels Will slowly push into him.
He whimpers at the stretch, “It’s so much.”
Will kisses him again, his lips distracting him from the way his walls flutter around the intrusion. Mike breathes, letting himself relax again, and as soon as he does, Will is able to push in further. The stretch feels like heaven and hell at the same time, and he wonders if this is what it’s like for Will to use his powers.
Euphoria from having the ability to save others, but despair because it takes so much energy, and it might not be enough.
Will moans in his ear, and Mike opens his eyes to see the lamp flickering beside him. Will is gripping his hip tightly, fingers digging into his skin so hard Mike knows it will leave a bruise as he bottoms out.
Mike can barely breathe, he feels so full of him that he doesn’t even know what to do. With every breath, Will’s tip grazes his prostate, and he already feels on the edge of a certain type of bliss he wasn’t even aware he could attain.
“I have to move, Mike,” Will grits out, “Please tell me it’s okay.”
Mike nods, face tucked into the crook of Will’s next, “Please, it’s more than okay, Will.”
In fact, this is all he ever wanted.
Will groans as he drags himself out of Mike, and he loves the way the lamp beside him dims, the way Will’s finger tips dig into his skin, and the way Will looks at him like he hung the fucking moon in the sky.
And then the lamp buzzes loudly, glowing bright almost out of the blue as Will slams home inside of him, setting off fireworks in Mike’s mind. He never knew that kissing was supposed to feel like this, that sex was supposed to be this good.
That loving someone wasn’t supposed to hurt all the time.
Mike’s jaw drops as Will pulls out again, and slams into him. He builds up a rhythm that causes Mike to call out into the open air, and his hands wrap around Will’s torso in attempt to find something to hold onto.
Mike knows he’s leaving his mark on Will, leaving long, red scratches down his back, but he can’t help it. He feels like he’s going to explode. The long drag of Will’s dick inside of him, the way his dick brushes against his stomach with every thrust is all too much.
“Will, I–”
“I know, baby,” Will grunts into his ear, “Let it all out.”
The lamp is going crazy now, and the air around Mike feels cold compared to the heat raging inside him.
“I love you,” Mike breathes against Will’s lips as he keeps climbing higher and higher.
Will pulls back and responds, “I love you too.”
Mike can’t help but smile, despite the fact Will’s eyes have gone completely white, and he wonders if Will was right, if he really will snap and break and hurt.
But Mike doesn’t think he would mind as he reaches his high, the string drawn so tight it fractures inside of him as he cums harder than he ever has in his life. Will fucks him through it, quietening his broken moans with open mouthed kisses as he chases his own relief.
Will follows Mike only moments later, and when he does, the light bulb in the lamp whines so loud right before a loud pop can be heard right before total darkness overtakes Will’s bedroom.
“Sorry,” Will moans as he twitches inside Mike, “I tried to stop it.”
A yellow moon can be seen peeking out through the blinds, and Mike reaches behind him, pulling open the shade. His eyes adjust to the lack of light, and he can see the whites of Will’s eyes looking at him as he pulls out of him.
Will grabs his sweatpants from the floor and wipes Mike and himself down before sliding under the covers. His arm pulls Mike against him, and he sinks into Will.
“Thank you,” Mike murmurs into Will’s chest as he pulls him closer, his arm like the vice of a vine.
“No, thank you, Mike,” Will murmurs into his ear, “I wouldn’t be able to do this without you.”
Mike doesn’t know what he’s referring to, and quite frankly, he doesn’t really care. He’s just happy to be in Will’s arms, that they finally had the guts to say what they wanted to to each other.
He’s glad he stole Will’s boxers and decided to be a menace. It made all the pining and sleepless nights worth it.
Mike drifts off to sleep against Will’s chest, and if he didn’t know better, he would swear Heroes was playing faintly in the apartment next door.