Chapter Text
A few months after Vecna had been defeated, Will found himself wandering the woods around his old house, trying to remind himself that it really was safe again.
He kept trying to take his mind off Mike Wheeler, but found it impossible no matter how hard he tried. Will knew Mike didn't like him back and that he should forget all about it, but the thought kept circling his mind like it was trying to torture him with that fact and he kept trying to convince himself that it's hopeless and he should just move on.
In the distance Will thought he could hear a voice calling out for him, thinking he finally lost his mind. He slowly started walking toward the sound, Curiosity getting the better of him, hearing rustling and now also a voice very clearly calling out his name in distress, still unable to make out who or what it was coming from.
"William! Where have you gone, are you here my love?"
Will could almost convince himself that it was Mike's voice, and he decided that he might really have gone crazy, walked further toward it as the rustling came close, finally close enough for Will to be able to spot a silhouette behind the trees.
Finally showing themselves, a person in full-body armor appeared from behind a tree just a few meters from where Will was, making him freeze.
The figure seemed to have spotted Will as well, nearing him with haste as Will took a few cautious steps back, observing the armored individual who seemed to notice the caution in Will's movements, stopping in his tracks just a few feet away from where Will stood with a confused and slightly scared look on his face.
"My love" the person spoke again, finally removing his helmet to reveal the face underneath "It's me, it's Michael"
Will can't seem to get a single word out as he stared with huge eyes and his mouth slightly agape at the man before him. The man who had no other face than the one belonging to a certain Mike Wheeler, with a few differences of course. For one this guy was more tan, had long curly hair and a scar across his face, but nevertheless, looked like an exact copy of Mike. A copy of mike who had just called him his love.
Noticing the pause in Will's action, the Mike lookalike took just another step forward and kneeled before Will, placing his helmet on the ground as he gently held Will's left hand in both of his as he looked up into his eyes with a mixture of worry and adoration.
"I have looked all over for you, William, ever since I woke up in this strange realm I have not stopped, I have sought for you every waking second and at last here you are"
The confusion on Will's face only grew bigger, he started wondering if Vecna really was completely gone or if this was another weird mind trick being used against him.
"What?" is all he managed to get out in a low, almost panicked voice. Looking down at his hand that was still being held and then back at the face of Mike, who wasn't really Mike as he stayed quiet for a few more seconds until he couldn't take it anymore.
"I'm sorry, but who and what are you exactly? I mean you look just like my friend Mike, just.. different?" Right his friend, however this 'Mike' had called him his love just a few minutes ago, which got Will thinking that maybe this was all just one big hallucination, a fantasy created by his own mind and fucked up desires.
To that, the fake Mike stood up, still holding onto Will's hand, staring at his face with worry. "Do you not remember, my love? Perhaps you have been placed under a spell by the enemy, but allow me to help refresh your memory until it wears off, dear" he said as he raised one hand to cup Will's cheek as the other still held onto his hand.
Will blushed at the pet name and the sudden contact, almost pulling away from the feeling of the cold metal on his face, but unable to do anything other than stare at not-Mike's beautifully freckled and tan face in admiration, giving him no more than a small nod as a reply.
Not removing either of his hands from their placements as he stared deeply into Will's eyes, letting out a small huff in amusement to just how flustered Will was getting over such a simple touch, the knight continued.
"I of course am sir Michael, Michael the brave, paladin of the kingdom of Hawkins and sworn protector of you my beloved cleric, William the wise, whom I am betrothed to and forever bound to by soul, and right now we seem to have ended up in a strange realm not of our own"
The whole thing is spoken with such sincerity, such admiration for Will, who stood before him, a Will who most certainly wasn't his own.
Will could feel his heart pounding, and his face heating up so much that he felt like it would explode any second now. "Okay" Will replied, as he was trying hard to wrap his head around that information, the paladin giving him a small nod, signaling him to continue without breaking their eye contact for even a second.
The pieces were starting to come together for him, seemingly this was not his Mike, it was somehow an alternate medieval version of him, from a whole other world? He had mentioned this world being a strange realm, and of course it would be if he truly was from a different world.
But this wasn't just medieval Mike, no both this Mike, sir Michael, and this Will the wise he was talking about were exact copies of the real Will and Mike's dnd characters. Except for the obvious difference in the fact that the paladin seemed to mention that the two were seemingly engaged and soul bound?
Oh how he wished to live in the world where Mike actually loved him back. Instead he got this one where being gay was the biggest shame one could ever think of and where Mike wouldn't ever be more than just his best friend.
Will finally spoke up, now avoiding meeting sir Michael's gaze like his life depended on it. "I- I don't think I'm your will, I'm certainly not will the wise, I mean not really, only in a game we play but that doesn't matter. I think you somehow got sent to this world by mistake, but I'm from here and we have our own Michael, or we just call him Mike, but me and him are definitely not betrothed as you call it, I mean he doesn't even like me like that, and uhm, well you're definitely not my Mike, so yeah, sorry about that"
He still couldn't get himself to meet Michael's gaze, staring down into the ground and then onto their hands, as he only just realised that Michael no longer held his cheek and instead held onto his left hand once again with both of his, observing it quietly.
"Unfortunately I believe you are right, dear. You do not bear the ring of our betrothment and although you appear in the form of my William, you too are different from him, however our soul bond bears no borders and does not deviate between worlds, therefore I will do my best to assure that you in this realm as well will be the happiest and safest under my protection and care, as you share a soul with my dearest. That is of course if you will allow me”
The words are spoken so caringly that Will thought he might just melt right then and there. He finally slowly raised his gaze to meet Michael's, getting met with a huge warm smile that made Will's heart skip a beat.
"I- yeah, I mean of course that's uh, if that's what you wanna do then of course that's fine" Will couldn't help but feel embarrased about how it came out, but how could he think straight when Mike's exact copy stood right before him, stating his devotion to Will and looking at him with such loving eyes as if that was all he could ever wish for.
Michael chuckled at Will's attempt of keeping his composure, observing the way Will's blush got darker every time their gaze met and how his eyes kept darting back down to where Michael's hands were still holding onto his.
The paladin did however finally let go as he placed one hand over his own heart and the other over his sword as he spoke. "It is final then, I shall stay by your side until I find a way back to my own realm, surely my own dear William is already working hard to create a spell that can find me here and transport me back, I have no doubt, but as long as I am here I swear to protect you, my dear, from any dangers that may come your way"
Will can't help but smile, letting out a single small laugh as he turned his gaze to the ground, smiling like an idiot at the absurd situation "Yeah that sounds great" he finally got himself to admit.
"Wonderful" Michael said as he tilted his head slightly to the side, watching with a smile as Will still avoided his gaze.
He straightened his head back up and took just one small step closer to Will, suddenly standing only a few inches from him as Will turned his head to the side, still looking down because he simply couldn't handle any more of Michael's smiles without melting on the spot.
The paladin raised his armoured hand, this time grabbing Will's chin ever so gently, guiding his head back up to meet his gaze once more, Will only stared in anticipation, lips slightly parted and breath wavering as he stood frozen.
Michael only smiled wider at the reaction, seeming to enjoy it a little too much.
"I remember back when my William still got just as flustered. Is this too much for you, love?" He said in teasing tone, his hands starting to move up to hold both sides of Will's head, gently stroking his cheek with his thumb.
Letting out a shaky breath, Will mustered up the courage to speak again, a nervous smile forming on his face "Uhm well, I haven't exactly uh- I'm not really used to, y'know, all this"
"That is quite alright my love, perhaps this world's Michael has yet to confess his undying love? Although you mentioned before that you do not think that he loves you, I know that to be false, it is simply not possible as our souls and very fate are intertwined, not to worry, your Michael will come to his senses before long"
Michael speaks with such certainty that Will almost felt like he believed it for a second before reality hit him like a truck, the fact that this Mike did infact not love him and would never be able to, because his Mike liked girls.
The sadness seeping into Will's expression made Michael immediately react "What pains you my dear? Was it something I said?" He tried meeting Will's gaze but the boy was avoiding it at all costs, trying to hide the tears welling up in his eyes as he shook his head.
Of course he couldn't exactly hide anything from Michael seeing as there was only a few inches between their faces and the fact that Michael could apparently read him like an open book, noticing every little twitch in Will's expression and the way his shoulders tensed up.
Without hesitation, Michael took Will in his arms and pulled him in close, one hand around his back and one gently stroking the back of his hair as Will slowly leaned in, resting the side of his head on the cold steel breastplate as he let himself cry, instinctively wrapping his own arms around Michael, seeking the comfort of his touch.
"Everything will be alright my dear, I am by your side, whatever is troubling you, I will not rest until the problem is erased, simply say the word and I will do everything in my power. Anything for you, love"
Will only shook his head once again, speaking so low it was practically a whisper "It's not something that be fixed"
"Nonsense, for you I could carry the world and stars, no task is impossible if it is for you" With that, Michael pressed a kiss on the top of Will's head.
Shocked at the action, Will tilted his head up to look at Michael's face, being met with that same look from earlier, the one with such obvious admiration, making Will smile again and to Michael, that was the most beautiful thing in the world.
"I wish that was actually true"
"Well it is and I am certain of that, as long as I am here, you need not worry about a single thing"
To that, Will just nodded, not trusting his voice not to break if he spoke.
They stood like that for a while longer, Will embracing the comfort of close contact that he didn't know he needed before he realised how much he had been deprived from it.
After a while Will slowly pulled back and spoke "I don't think we can stay out here much longer, it's gonna get dark soon and the others will probably get worried if I'm not home soon"
"Well of course, lead the way and I will follow" sir Michael said with yet another smile.
"Right, uh, just so you know, I sort of live with my version of Mike right now and mine and his families, so there are quite a lot of people, we should probably hide you just for now because I'm not sure how the others would react to seeing another Mike in their home.. I mean we're gonna have to tell Mike of course and maybe Jonathan and Nancy too, but we'll just have to see what happens"
"I trust your judgement, my love, whatever you deem is the right choice, I am in full support of that"
Will looked away shyly "You're gonna have to stop calling me that. Come we have to go this way" he pointed in the direction of the Wheeler house and Michael nodded and quickly grabbed his helmet he had placed on the ground earlier and went to follow Will, the two of them going back home to the Wheeler's house together.