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Will could pinpoint the exact moment he noticed. Really, said moment wouldn't ever leave his mind, no matter how much he simultaneously wanted and didn't want it to.
After everything ended, everyone started to wonder where to go from there. Vecna was dead, the Upside Down forever sealed, this horrifying chapter of their lives finally coming to an end, leaving a sense of finality and tentative hope in its wake.
The month after the final battle, all of them were still wary. Plagued by nightmares and the memories of everything that happened, worried that Vecna may suddenly come back against all odds, or something else might attack and take them by surprise, this time destroying Hawkins for good and killing all their loved ones.
Will certainly was haunted by those thoughts, at least. He still couldn't fully believe everything was over. He couldn't feel Vecna over the hivemind anymore, couldn't feel the hivemind at all, but was scared that he'd suddenly feel a cold chill on the back of his neck one day, dread and terror filling him at the sensation.
He felt like a kid scared of the monsters that could be lurking inside the darkness underneath their bed, except unlike the innocent child with an overactive imagination, he acutely knew monsters were real, and he actually had once been a small kid getting hunted by a beast much, much bigger than him. He still often felt like that kid, even in the months following Vecna's defeat.
Still, as time went on as it always did, uncaring of their opinion, they slowly started to heal. The nightmares and trauma didn't disappear, of course not, but they started to think about the future again instead of constantly stewing in concern over whether they'd get to live another peaceful day with no monsters or gates to alternate dimensions or mysterious deaths popping up. The Party, specifically, started considering the matter of college.
Will had always loved art. So many times in the past, he had spent hours poring over the same drawing, hands getting stained with the pencil graphite or the paint he used, until his wrist started getting cramped, but it was all worth it because he loved doing this more than anything. He loved seeing his initial sketch slowly come together, the ideas swirling in his mind getting projected onto the paper and becoming more coherent. Thus, perhaps it was no surprise that he had chosen to pursue art in the end.
What had somewhat surprised Will, however, was Mike choosing to apply to the same college as him and both of them getting accepted, and them becoming roommates.
Mike had chosen to pursue creative writing, which Will thought was really fitting. Mike had always been interested in writing and telling stories, just as Will had always loved drawing. It had been a very long time since the days they played D&D in the Wheelers' basement, just four carefree kids having fun with eachother, unburdened by the horrors that existed in this world, but Will could still picture a young Mike excitedly gesturing as he dropped another bombshell on the Party during a campaign, reveling in the way their mouths dropped open in shock and wonder.
Will and Mike had lived together for 18 whole months after the Byers returned to Hawkins so maybe Will should have been used to the two of them sharing the same living space, but living together with only Mike and nobody else felt different, in a way.
Cooking enough for just the two of them and planning grocery runs together, waking up to the coffee Mike had made extra of for Will, getting to smell Mike's lovely omega scent Will felt addicted to as Mike drowsily smiled at him in greeting in the mornings, doing their assignments next to eachother in a relaxing silence even during the times they were both too busy to hang out, the occasional movie nights they had while sharing the same blanket, it all felt... intimate. Domestic. Which was bad for Will's heart that had still not gotten the memo that it should move on from being hopelessly in love with his best friend.
Mike presenting as an omega, much to the surprise of most people, during the period of time the Byers were staying with the Wheelers had truthfully made his feelings even worse. Will was staying in the basement, far away from Mike's room, anyway so the adults didn't send him, the only alpha in the house that wasn't related to Mike, off to one of their friends' house for a few days, but Will still felt dizzy with the knowledge that Mike was presenting as an omega upstairs, and opted to hang around outside or stay locked up in the basement during the entire duration of Mike's presentation heat.
Even after Will officially presented as an alpha while living in California, his instincts had never felt too strong. He never showed an overt interest in omegas, still feeling annoyed every time he saw an alpha student leering at a random omega in the hallways. He didn't suddenly get temperamental and territorial, nor did he start growling at other people; he was still the same Will, even if people at school seemed to look at him differently ever since his presentation, much to his consternation.
Will liked it that way, liked that his alpha instincts weren't too strong. His mom gently telling him while stroking his hair that he was presenting as an alpha when he frantically asked what was happening to him during his presentation rut — where he spent a week writhing in bed due to his newfound instincts and the feeling of his knot forming and the sheer want coursing through him, desperately making him hump the blankets even infront of his own mother, which was easily the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to him — had come as a huge shock to his system.
Due to a mixture of him internalizing comments made about him by other people, all the things bullies at school had said and his dad had sneered to him, and both his mom and brother being omegas, a large part of him had expected he'd present as an omega too. He was somewhat worried about it, knowing that omegas were the dynamic which were the most discriminated against, and he'd be presenting as a male omega no less, but it seemed inevitable.
And well, Will had grown up with two omegas. He knew information omegas needed to know like how to make a nest and how to recognize the signs of an upcoming heat just from that; things related to omegas and their instincts had never been something mysterious or shameful to him, it had just been normal facts about his mother and brother.
He had never assumed someone to be weak simply because they were an omega, his mom was one of the strongest people he knew after all. She had always taken good care of him and his brother, even after their dad left and she was left to fend for two teenage boys by herself. Will was still alive and not rotting in the Upside Down due to her never giving up on him.
He and Jonathan also had a great relationship. His brother had always been supportive of him, as well as protective over him. They were so close that Mike used to marvel at it when they were kids, unable to fathom the idea of having such a close relationship with an older sibling, considering his own dynamic with his older sister, Nancy. They had grown a bit more distant as they got older, but Will never had any doubt about Jonathan having his back.
So, he didn't necessarily mind the idea of being an omega. Two of some of the most important people in his life were omegas, and he'd be more than fine with following their example.
But then he'd presented as an alpha, just like Lonnie.
He hated it, hated the idea of being like Lonnie. For some people, being an alpha was all they wanted, but for Will, it was much worse than being an omega or a beta. He didn't ever want to be even remotely similar to his dad, didn't ever want to make an omega's scent sour in distress and fear the way Lonnie had done to his mother and brother, pushing them around, thinking he was deserving of respect and obedience purely because he was an alpha and alphas were the "superior dynamic."
When he told his worries to his mom in tears, her eyes welled up as well and she quickly reassured him that he would never turn out that way. His instincts being on the weaker side was a relief, since it pointed towards his mom's words being true.
But then Will saw Mike for the first time after his presentation heat came to an end and he officially became an omega. Mike slowly walked into the kitchen, hair messy and clothes rumpled, drowsily rubbing a hand over his eyes that had prominent eyebags under them, showing clearly just how rough his presentation had been. Will himself had felt like a huge mess during his presentation rut and he only grew a knot, he couldn't imagine what it was like for male omegas or female alphas who had to develop an entirely new reproductive system during their presentation.
Will would've winced in sympathy, asked whether Mike was okay like a good best friend would, if his alpha instincts hadn't suddenly flared in a way they had never done before at the sight of Mike. He had frozen, having been left speechless, as he couldn't help but inhale the way Mike smelled now, his scent having turned softer and sweeter in an utterly addicting way, the way omega scents always did after an omega's presentation heat was over.
Which brought him to his current problem.
After presenting, everyone's bodies slowly changed. It was normal. For betas, it wasn't a very obvious thing, they simply continued to mature into traits typical of their sexes as they grew up, their more neutral scents stabilizing. Alphas tended to grow taller, broader, gaining more sharp edges and their scent intensifying. Omegas, on the other hand, usually gained more curves and their body started to grow softer, as their scent also turned sweeter.
Having prominent curves was a very normal thing for omegas, something the vast majority of them grew into. Besides that, there was another trait that was usual for omegas: Having higher body weight on average than any of the other dynamics.
It was healthy for them, due to their bodies being made to be able to handle pregnancy and an omega in heat often not having the ability to properly feed themselves, losing weight as a result. The extra body fat being a sign of health and fertility, of a happy and cared for omega, made such a thing extremely desirable to alphas. Food was one of the first things alphas chose to gave to an omega when starting to court them, the sight of their omega eating the food they made making the alpha's instincts feel like they were successfully providing for the person they loved, and the omega in turn enjoying the feeling of being cared for.
While Will's brain hadn't made a connection between Mike starting to dress in baggier clothes and omegas starting to gain curves after their first heat until much later, he had noticed the increase in Mike's appetite after they started living together during college.
It was common for omegas to start to gain weight after presenting, their newfound instincts and body urging them to eat more, and it was definitely happening to Mike now. Will vaguely thought it was interesting how Mike's stomach would growl just an hour after they ate dinner, making him groan and get up to open their fridge, trying to find something to eat again.
It brought Will back to the hazy memories he had of the time Jonathan first presented, how he also suddenly began to eat more and feel more hungry. He recalled his brother feeling guilty about it, as they had never had a lot of money even back when they were a two income household, not to mention Lonnie being particularly hard on Jonathan at the time due to him presenting as an omega, but his mom always reassured his brother, telling him he needed the extra fuel for his health, never making him feel insecure or worried about it.
He felt like Jonathan wasn't eating as much as Mike currently was back when he first presented as an omega though. There had been multiple instances where Will woke up trembling in the middle of the night or had been unable to sleep, haunted by a nightmare or his own memories or both, and went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea, a habit he had gained after living with Karen Wheeler for more than a year, and found Mike eating something in the kitchen.
Will liked those nights, liked how they'd sit next to eachother in the silence and darkness, the hands Will had wrapped around his cup of tea slowly getting warmed as he and Mike conversed with eachother. Sometimes, neither of them would talk, instead they'd both just acknowledge the other with a tired nod and bask in one another's presence. Either way, spending time next to Mike always made the tension bleed out of Will's shoulders, making him able to fall asleep afterwards when he went to bed.
However, Mike looked a bit embarrassed and exasperated at himself each time Will found him like that. He seemed that way in general in regards to his newly increased appetite.
Will had noticed that after some time, Mike started to pay for any extra food he might eat from the money he got from his part-time job, immediately going to replace anything he took from the fridge or their shared snack cabinet, sometimes looking (or smelling) a bit ashamed as he did so. It was true that their budget was limited, but Will didn't think he needed to be that meticulous or overly conscious about it, really, he was okay with Mike eating a snack Will had bought for himself if the omega's instincts were craving it.
He liked the thought of Mike eating something he had bought, something he had made anyway. Whenever he saw Mike eating from a dish he had made, it made his alpha instincts flutter, happy to be providing for the omega they loved.
No, no, no, Will was not going to think about that.
Besides every omega simply being different, Will supposed it made sense that Mike was eating more than his brother had as his body pushed him to gain weight, since Mike had always been quite thin and gangly after all. It was one of the many things Will loved about him, actually.
Mike had been taller than him ever since they met on the swings on that fateful day, and was still noticeably taller. As they grew up and became teens, he had continued to shoot up vertically, though he had not broadened horizontally the way some of the other boys in their grade had.
Will liked it, liked his cheekbones that clearly stood out, as Mike had always been the most beautiful boy to him despite being nicknamed Frogface, liked his wiry elbows and bony knees that hurt a bit to be bumped with, liked all the sharp edges of his body.
Which was the reason Will could pinpoint the exact moment he came to the realization that that wasn't true anymore.
On that day, Will walked into the kitchen in a daze, rubbing his hands over his eyes. Last night had been... rough.
He hadn't been able to get much sleep, but didn't have the energy to get up from his bed either. He had tossed around restlessly all night. School recently had been hard, his assignments piling up and him frustratingly hitting somewhat of an art block, and the trauma he had related to Vecna and the Upside Down continued to haunt him. He sometimes wished he had the ability to freeze time for a while so he could just relax without any worry, not have to deal with life for some time. But Will had learned from a young age that such wishes were nothing but naive, too good to be true.
He heard some tinkering from the kitchen and drowsily looked up, only to see Mike. His best friend was standing infront of the counter, only halfway turned towards Will, as he prepared some coffee and breakfast for the two of them. For some reason, Will didn't say a greeting to make his presence known, instead just standing there as his gaze started to look over Mike's body, brain still feeling a little slow.
Will blinked.
Mike was wearing one of his older sweatpants, the grey colour and style of it recognizable to Will. It was something he had worn even back before he presented, and had always been somewhat baggy on his slim legs.
Except... it looked tight now. Not uncomfortably so, but the outline of his thighs clearly showed through the fabric, making the curve of his hips and soft legs obvious. Mike turned his back to him for a moment to check whatever was cooking on the stove, and Will was met with the sight of his perfectly round ass.
Will's brain felt like soup. Or like a buffering TV, glitching out and making you increasingly frustrated until you smacked it on the head a few times to get it back to normal. Maybe Will should do that to his own head to snap himself out of his trance.
While Will's mind struggled to start functioning again, Mike turned his side to him once more, reaching to an upper cabinet to grab something, and Will saw his shirt slightly ride up, exposing the soft skin of his now chubby stomach. When Mike got what he was reaching for and afterwards leaned against the counter, hunching over a bit as he waited for the coffee, his stomach squished slightly, which was when Will's alpha instincts really started to go haywire.
Will was pretty sure he'd do literally anything if it meant Mike would let him grab him by the waist, touch the new cushioning around his stomach and kneel down to bury his face into it. Mike could tell him to drive back to Hawkins right now and open a new gate to the Upside Down to gain the permission to touch him, and Will would agree without an ounce of hesitation.
Then, as Will's gaze trailed upwards again, he noticed the way the thin fabric of Mike's shirt stretched across his chest, which had always been pretty unnoticeable even after Mike presented but had now grown bigger with the new weight, and Will choked on air. Or at least he thought he did. Maybe it was closer to a whimper. He couldn't tell, he was kind of distracted right now.
As Mike startled and turned to look at him, Will took a step forward, not sure what the hell he was about to do, and maybe somewhat due to not having gotten enough sleep last night, he promptly tripped on nothing and fell to the floor with a loud thud.
When he opened his eyes again, blinking up blearily, he saw Mike leaning over him like an angel coming to whisk him away to the afterlife, probably Hell, with a bewildered and concerned expression on his face. Unfortunately for Will, he had not died and had to continue living even after that shameful display.
The wound on his forehead which Mike had helped treat stayed there for some time, making his face redden and reminding him of what he felt safe to dub the second most embarrassing moment of his life every time he looked into his reflection.
After he noticed it that morning, he couldn't stop noticing it. The new changes to Mike's body, the ways it was different compared to his younger self's, how insanely attractive it was to Will.
Will's alpha instincts had never been too strong, nor had he ever been particularly attracted to typical omega characteristics. But now, he kept finding himself buying food he knew Mike liked to eat, purchasing replacements before Mike could because his instincts wanted to be the one to provide, cooking Mike's favourite dishes and trying to hide his lovesick expression as Mike ate something Will had given him. Will had given him that, had made him smile like that, had made his scent soften in happiness like that...
Will was going crazy, basically, and he feared he was going to be doing that on his own this time.
Will had always loved how gangly Mike was, how sharp his features were in their youth, but he also loved this grown up version of Mike who had matured into his omega traits. They had both changed over the years, in multiple ways — physically, mentally and emotionally, their relationship changing with it as well — but no matter what, Will still loved Mike. Painfully, beautifully and utterly.
Truthfully, Mike could probably transform into a worm one day and Will would continue to be hopelessly in love with him-
"When will you get to the point already?" Max interrupts, sipping on her drink as she leans into El, with Lucas' arm still wrapped around her.
The four Party members sitting across them are listening to Mike's story, enraptured expressions on their faces. Well, maybe that's true for only three party members currently, as Max is starting to express her impatience.
"I'm giving some background information." Mike protests, an annoyed look on his face. "It's important for the flow of the story." Will can't help but smile at that even as embarrassment continues to swirl inside him; Mike had always loved telling a proper story.
Before Max can open her mouth again, which would likely lead her and Mike to get into another one of their infamous bickering sessions, Dustin speaks up to prevent it from happening. "Okay, c'mon Mike, continue."
After all, Dustin had always loved to hear a proper story too. The story being about his two best friends who had (finally) recently gotten together, which also made one of them look very red in the face when it was brought up? Even better.
Mike listens to him, and opens his mouth again to continue-
Regardless, no matter just how much Will loved Mike, he tried to control his instincts. He didn't want to make Mike uncomfortable in any way, didn't want to be one of those knothead alphas leering at omegas, and he definitely didn't want his feelings for Mike to mess up their relationship. Their friendship with eachother was too valuable to him for that.
Over the years, the two had grown apart for some time — as Mike pulled away from Will in order to hang out with El, his girlfriend at the time; as they went without any contact with eachother for months after Will moved to California; as Will tried to avoid Mike for a while during the time the Byers were staying with the Wheelers because his feelings towards Mike were too strong, too messy — but these past few months, especially after they started college together, they had gotten closer again.
They weren't the exact same way they used to be and they likely would never be, and Will had accepted that. He didn't necessarily think of it as a bad thing anymore. Both of them had gone through so much during their time in Hawkins and had inevitably grown up and changed, but Will liked their changed relationship and selves too.
It was nice to be close to Mike again. It was nice to converse lengthily with him about a book the both of them had recently read. It was nice to joke around and laugh with him again. It was nice how Mike bought him some of the more expensive flavours of tea he knew Will liked whenever the alpha got close to his rut, because he knew Will's ruts approaching tended to make him feel more agitated. It was nice to try going to a college party together, and even nicer to relax on the couch afterwards, pressed against eachother with the same blanket across their laps, falling asleep like that.
Will's traitorous heart still wanted more though, of course it did, even if Will was more confident than he used to be and his sense of self worth didn't depend on the other's actions anymore. He wanted to hold Mike's hand under said shared blanket, rubbing his thumb against his knuckles. He wanted to bury himself in Mike's scent gland, which emitted his favourite scent, and properly scent mark him. He wanted to slip his hands under Mike's clothes, wanted Mike to let him, wanted Mike to want him too, as he explored the soft curves of Mike's body until he knew all of Mike and Mike knew all of him.
But Will was content to let things stay the way they were, it was much preferable over the prospect of losing Mike completely. Will was more open with his sexuality now and Mike knew of it as Will had come out to his loved ones, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be put off by his best friend being in love with him. His best friend who was an alpha that he, an omega, was living with. No, he couldn't tell Mike. He still didn't have the courage to, not when the inevitable rejection would hurt so much.
So, he continued sitting right next to Mike on the couch during their occasional movie nights, a big blanket strewn across both of their laps, the omega so close to him that he could clearly smell his scent and feel his warmth, longing so badly to reach out and pull him closer but forcing himself to stay still and focus on the movie.
It was during one of their movie nights where Will was failing at doing just that, his gaze continuously flickering over to Mike every few seconds. The Mike who was hunched over in place, clearly also not really paying attention to the movie, his arms wrapped around his stomach. Mike did get bad cramps during his pre-heat sometimes which put him into a similar position, making Will's instincts stir in worry, but Will knew this wasn't about that.
Mike's stomach growled again, for the third time in the past hour or so. "Ugh." He said, sounding completely done with it.
"Mike," Will couldn't keep quiet anymore and asked, his eyebrows furrowed in worry, "Are you okay?"
Mike pursed his lips. "I'm fine, I'm just..." He trailed off as his stomach growled once more, the sound making an annoyed sigh leave his lips. "Hungry. Again."
Will stood up, perhaps a bit too overtly eager to provide for the omega. "I'll get you something from the kitchen." He said kindly, already moving to head towards their snack cabinet, when Mike waved his arms and stopped him.
"No! No, it's fine." He continued at Will's dubious look, "Seriously."
Will hesitantly sat back down, worriedly looking at Mike next to him. "But you're obviously hungry. You need to eat something."
"Well, I shouldn't need to!" Mike threw up his arms in his exasperation. "I literally ate a full meal barely over an hour ago, and now I want to eat another one! It's just- It's ridiculous!"
Will blinked at Mike, surprised, mind whirring. "Well, y'know, it's a normal thing for omegas, right?" He said, voice soft and still a bit tentative.
"It's bullshit, is what it is." Mike said, frustratedly putting his head in his hands, voice quietening afterwards. "I never had the desire to eat this much my whole life. I've always been practically a stick, but I'm not anymore. It's weird. I... feel like I look weird."
"It's not weird." Will said, voice stronger. He didn't think Mike thought that way about something that was so normal for omegas, and he didn't want him to think that way at all. Didn't want Mike's sweet scent to sour like that.
Instinctively, he angled himself towards Mike and grabbed one of his hands. "And you look- you look good. Really." He looked way too good, in fact. Will wanted him so bad.
Saying that the way he did and abruptly grabbing Mike's hand made Will want to smack himself over the head again, or suddenly trip and fall to the ground like he did last time. But instead of looking at Will like he was making a fool of himself, Mike uncertainly looked up at him, expression vulnerable. "...Really?"
Will didn't see Mike look this unsure or vulnerable often. The unusual sight made him desperately want to reassure Mike, and the hold he had on Mike's hand tightened. "Yeah." He said softly.
Mike's look of disbelief stayed and Will's heart clenched. Mike looked away again, his free hand playing absentmindedly with a loose thread on the blanket that was on top of them. "You've been looking at me strangely lately. At first I thought it was because I hurt you in some way without meaning to again, but then I thought you might be weirded out by... all of this." He vaguely waved a hand towards himself.
Will felt complete shock fill him, and then guilt crashed into him like a wave at having made his best friend, the person he loved, feel insecure and uncomfortable, the feeling growing stronger as Mike's expression turned more and more uncertain the longer Will stayed silent. He quickly tried to rectify it.
"No, no! I'm definitely not put off by you or anything, Mike. I'm- I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I was just-" At Mike's continued look of doubt, and his scent still not smelling content which Will felt his instincts pushing him to fix, which he would've done without their urging anyway, Will's need to reassure him only grew. It grew bigger and bigger, the desperation in him strengthening, which was perhaps why he chose that time to be fully honest and blurted out: "I just really want you to sit on my face. Seriously, I can't stop staring at you and fantasizing about your thighs wrapped around my head."
They stared at eachother in silence for a few moments.
Mike did a double take, mouth dropped open in complete shock. "What?"
Will's brain finally caught up to what he said and he jolted, panic immediately filling him. Fuck, that was so creepy. WHY did he say that? He was the one to bury his head in his hands this time, face reddening and quickly starting to feel like it was overheating. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry- Sorry, I didn't mean- I mean, I just meant to say that-"
All the members who are listening to the story are audibly laughing now, the thought of anyone, but especially Will Byers of all people, blurting that out being absolutely hilarious. Dustin and Lucas are guffawing, Max is snickering, while El laughs into her hand, giggles growing in volume.
Mike is also laughing hard at the memory, and even though Will feels his own chest fill with the beginnings of laughter, he has to interject. "Okay, you're telling the story from my perspective but not mentioning what you said in response after that-"
"-Well, I did mean it, ever since we were children I thought you were the most attractive person I'd ever met, but I didn't mean it in a weird way-"
Mike snapped out of his suprised daze as Will continued to ramble — he had been talking to Robin on the phone way too much lately — and blurted out something of his own. "Well, I... wouldn't be opposed to doing that."
It was Will's turn to do a double take.
Will's mouth opened and closed multiple times in shock, unable to stop himself from wondering whether he was suddenly dropped into an alternate dimension or something. "...Really?" He asked, once he finally found his voice.
Mike looked as shocked and reddened as Will felt when he opened his mouth to say, "Yeah."
They stared at eachother for several moments again, before Will felt the sides of mouth twitch up into a smile, happiness and wonder and utter befuddlement filling him. "Cool." He said.
"Cool." Mike echoed, face slowly lighting up in a grin that Will loved so much.
Now, all of them are laughing at both Will and Mike, including the two men themselves. Max's laughter sounds louder, probably because she's laughing at Mike this time too. Everyone is in hysterics.
Will and Mike exchange a sideway glance as they chuckle, both of their faces flushed in embarrassment. Crazy together, indeed. Though in this situation, it's probably more accurate to say "Idiots together."
(When telling this story, they never talk about what happened that day right after they had that conversation though. Neither of them particularly want to recount to other people how exactly Mike had immediately done just the thing Will wanted him to afterwards, and nobody would want to hear that as a story over dinner time anyway.)