Chapter Text
When all is said and done, it doesn't feel much like a victory. Michael stumbles through the bodies on the ground, ignoring the ache in his bones, the blood seeping from his side. He grips his sword tighter, the metallic silver a beacon in the morning light.
The battle, no, the war for that's what it was, has finally come to an end. Michael led the siege, his comrades at his side. The battle to end all battles, for if they did not succeed the world as they knew it would be over.
In the midst of it all, Michael had lost sight of his comrades. It was to be expected but it left him hollow in the ache of victory. He'd been in the forefront keeping Kas the Bloody-Handed at bay, alongside Dustin. It was a hard won battle considering Kas had once been their mentor, who'd betrayed them to join Vecna and the Mind flayer.
Somewhere else on the battlefield William was engaged in battle with the Mindflayer, Jane at his side against the lich, Vecna. As much as Michael wanted to be by his cleric's side he knew where he was needed.
In the end Kas fell to his sword. William must've won, the army of demodands had fallen. He'd been separated from Dustin in the chaos. He starts to make his way back to where William had been. Hoping to find him and his other comrades.
His heart begins to beat rapidly, from the blood loss or the fear, Michael does not know. Something isn't right, he can feel it deep in his bones. He stumbles past a tree, and sees a scrap of purple and runs, dropping to his knees pulling William into his lap.
"William!"
William blinks up, beautiful hazel eyes still glowing with the aftermath of his power. Michael frowns that only happens when William has used up most of his power. The blood in his veins turns to ice.
William gives him a smile, "You're hurt."
Michael gives a watery laugh, trust William to worry more about Michael than himself. "You've used up too much power, come we must find a boon to restore you."
"There's no more remember, Vecna took the last one."
Michael freezes, because if Vecna took the last one, then that means, William can't restore his powers and if he can't restore his powers, that means he'll die. Michael refuses to let that happen.
"No, William, there's another I'm sure!"
"Michael, even if there was." William's breath gets shallower the more he talks, "I wouldn't make it in time."
Michael stands up carrying William bridal style in his arms, ignoring the pool of blood growing from his side, the way his knees buckle.
"Michael you'll kill yourself."
"If that is what it takes for you to live so beat it. A world without you is no world worth living."
Michael continues forward, if he can just find Jane, have her heal him, or should he attempt to go back to the castle, surely Holly will be able to help. His arms strain and he shifts his hold on William in fear of dropping him,
"Michael please-"
"Shush William," Michael puts a hand on his cheek, William covers it with his own, "You'll be fine, I swear it."
There's a rustle of leaves behind him and Michael, turns around, one hand going to his sword, he loses his balance and falls, choosing to keep William in his arms and takes the impact of a tree to his back, jostling his wound more.
"Michael go, leave me be." William whispers, eyes fluttering.
Michael crumbles, he leans over William, tears blurring his vision as he grabs his cheeks, "William stay with me. You're going to be okay."
"Michael please if you're hurt, you could die."
"I'm already dying, my heart is entwined with yours, without you what do I have to live for?"
"You live for me. In memory."
"No-"
"Michael, look at me."
William weakly grabs his chin, "I love you so much, Sir Michael of Wheeler. I'll always love you."
Michael sniffled, "My cleric, asking me to live without you, you don't know what you're asking."
"But I do, and you'll do it, I know you will because you love me. And if want you to be happy, even if that means you find someone else-"
"Never, I want to be yours, no one else's. I'll love you until the ocean runs dry, and there's no longer grains of sand on the earth." Mike proclaims.
"You always did have a way with words, I don't think I can match that, so I'll just say this. It's been you since the day we met, it always has been and always will be." Will whispers.
"And you say you can't match it." Michael laughs shakily.
William smiles at him, eyes closing. Michael shakes him, clutching his face, "No don't close your eyes."
William's eyes open glassy, as Michael pulls him into a wet kiss, "Don't leave me. Please."
"Michael, please take care of yourself."
William's hands fall from his chin and Michael lets out a sob, grabbing on to it, placing it on his face, "Don't leave me please."
He sits there sobbing over William's body clutching it close to his chest, for hours, the skies grow dark with clouds, rain pouring over him. Michael doesn't know how long he sits there just that it's long enough for his fingers to go numb, his breathing to go shallow, he leans back against the tree, his side has gone numb, right he'd been bleeding out earlier, maybe that's why he's so dizzy now.
William would want him to live but William isn't here anymore and Michael doesn't see the point in living without him, a rustle is heard and Michael feebly draws his sword, like hell William he let someone desecrate his dead body.
"Michael."
"Jane." Michael gasped, dropping his sword "Jane!" He ran toward her, dragging her to William, "You have to help him, Jane please."
"William!" She shouted, leaning over his body, tears escaping her eyes.
"Please Jane, you have to save him."
Jane wipes her face, "I can't, he's empty his soul is gone. I can't sense him." She sniffles.
"Jane."
"Michael, I'm sorry." Jane whispers, tears running down her face. She looks up at him and gasps, "You're hurt."
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine, let me heal you. William wouldn't -"
"He's gone, what does it matter?" Michael learns shallowly against the tree, breathing heavy.
Jane sighs, "You're not wrong, I don't think you'll be very happy here without William by your side. But you could go somewhere else."
Michael shrugs, tuning her out.
Jane bites her lip, "You rescued me from the Death Lab so many years ago and I've never been able to return to the favor until now. I can't bring William back, but I can send you somewhere else where William is still alive."
At that Michael snaps his head up, before he looks down at William and shakes his head. "If it's not this William then I -"
"But it will be that William, in a sense, a different body, same soul. Different experience maybe but still William underneath."
"I-"
"I don't want you to die Michael and staying here you'll surely die. I see it. You get reckless, uncaring."
"I don't care, I failed my duty, William is dead and I have nothing left to live for you."
"Always so stubborn Michael." Jane sighs standing up.
Michael scrambles back, drawing his sword. "Leave me be, Jane, I mean you no harm but keep your witchcraft-"
"Witchcraft now, but with William it's magic. Two days ago it was sorcery. There’s no need for insults. I won't do anything without your permission.” Jane frowns
“I’m sorry.”
"William made me promise to make sure you were taken care of, and yet you refuse my gift." Jane said, opening her hands and showing him a vision of William laughing.
"I-" Michael hesitated, looking down at William, he was cut off by the sound of thunder and looked up to see a bolt of lightning heading straight for Jane, he moved forward shoving her back, raising his sword up to the sky.
There was a flash of white and Michael covered his eyes, when he pulled his arm down, he blinked.
He was no longer in a clearing filled with the fallen bodies of his comrades, in fact William was gone as was Jane.
Michael took a step nearly collapsing, he clutched at his side, he'd assumed he was in the afterlife, but the pain in his side, and the lack of William, dissuaded him from that notion. Had Jane used her sorcery on him? She'd intended to do something but the lighting had taken precedence. An accident maybe?
Either way he needed to get moving. He was in an unrecognizable place, and while it wasn't as dark as where he'd just been, night would fall soon enough. He stalked through the forest, growing more concerned as he didn’t, he couldn't recognize anything. Maybe he had died after all was this purgatory. Then he heard it, Michael would recognize it anywhere, William's laugh.
Michael sheathed his sword and ran toward the sound, like a man possessed. He burst through the trees, arriving at a rundown building.
There he was alive and well, laughing with Dustin. Dustin was fine too. The clothes were different but Michael was suffering from blood loss, and brushed it off as a trick of the light. Or perhaps this was the afterlife. Michael didn't care the only thing that mattered was -
"William!"
Will turned to look at his call and his mouth dropped open. "Mike?"
Dustin blinked, "What are you wearing?"
Michael ignored him, closing the gap between himself and William, clutching William's face with his hands, tilting his face up, moving in close to scan him. Alive and well beautiful eyes staring into his own. William turned bright red letting out a little squeak, and Michael raised an eyebrow, William hadn't been this nervous since the first time they kissed. Though he supposed it was nice to know he still had an effect on the boy. It was endearing.
"Wha-"
Whatever William was going to say next was cut off, as Michael captured his lips in a kiss. William jumped a bit, hands going to his chest palms pressed against him, flexing and unflexing. William was frozen, surely almost dying had shocked him a bit. No matter. Michael pressed forward, sliding one hand around William's waist, the other to his throat and squeezed lightly. William gasped, and Michael took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. William let out a little whimper, fingers curling in his shirt.
"What the fuck!"
Upon hearing that William tore away from him, looking up at him in confusion, horror, and want. Michael looked up glaring at who dared to interrupt their reunion only to find himself staring at himself. A mirror?
"Mike!" William shouted, glancing between him and the mirror. "I don't-"
"William."
Michael frowned, was this a death vision, he touched a hand to his wound, holding up the bloody hand, real. It wasn't unheard of to hallucinate before death but William had felt so real in his arms, but if he was dying, it'd made sense he'd dream of William in his final moments.
His vision was getting blurry, he turned back to William thumbing his lips, "Till there's no grains of sand left on the earth."
He leaned in to kiss him again only to drop to his knees holding his side in pain. And here Michael thought dying would be painless.
“Mike!”
William leaned down to grab at him, helping him up right.
“Will that’s not me.” He said. No, not him. But it sounded like him.
His vision started to go blurry, he was seeing double, a mirror of him, glaring at his reflection. Michael would've much preferred to see double William, in his final moments.
He cupped William's face, “Beautiful,” he muttered, pressing another kiss to those soft lips, before darkness took him.