Archive of Our Own

Soulmarks were special.

Movies liked to romanticize them, sure, but they were more than a mark. They were a symbol of a lifelong bond, of a closeness that many yearned to achieve. Married couples showed them off more than wedding rings if a pair of matching marks appeared, gloating to all that would listen.

The marks were sometimes identical, but other times matching as a pair. It would be something meaningful to the pair, typically, something that brought joy.

Mike and Will had their first matching ones appear when they were 6 years old.

What the movies don’t tell you is that when the marks formed it hurt like a bitch.

It had happened when Will had come back from being at Mike’s house all day. The sky was mostly dark, and Lonnie had unfortunately been the one to stomp into the living room when Will was sobbing, grasping his hand in pain. Jonathan was at a friend’s house, and his mother was working a night shift. Lonnie should’ve been at work too, but Will had suspected that his father had gotten fired last week.

“The hell’s wrong with you?” Lonnie scowled, before grabbing Will’s wrist to look. “Oh, hell.”

Will froze in shock, tears still running quietly down his cheeks.

A torch with a mix of blue and yellow flames danced on the top of his hand. It was no more than half an inch big, a tiny thing, really, but Lonnie knew.

Will didn’t get to sleep much that night, but when Mike proudly showed him his own matching mark the next day, Will let himself smile. Mike’s, strangely enough, was on the inside of his palm rather than the top of his hand like Will’s soulmark was.

Neither of them mentioned the mark in conversation, but Will knew it brought Mike comfort too. When they were sad, or scared, Mike would put his hand overtop of Will’s to let their marks match up. It was nothing short of divine. The euphoria that flowed when their marks brushed together was incomparable to anything else. It was their own pact, it was their story.

But that changed when they had their second set of marks appear in the middle of 4th grade biology. Will had fallen over, gasping in pain while clenching his stomach. Meanwhile, Mike was sobbing, trying to scratch at his back in vain as the overwhelming pain scoured across his back.

A giant fluffy cloud had appeared, the marks yet again fully matching. The very next day, their mothers took them to the doctor together. Will didn’t like doctor’s much, so Mike held his hand the entire time, even going as far as to drag their two seats together.

Will didn’t remember much except for the doctor’s frowning face as he said words like ‘abnormal’ and other strange terms. When the doctor suggested having their time together be limited in hopes that the marks would dissipate, Mike shot up.

“Fuck you! You’re just jealous that you don’t have a best friend like Will!” Mike shouted, still keeping his hand securely around Will’s.

“Sweetie…two marks is just a lot.” Mike’s mother tried to sooth him, “We’re just worried you might become…codependent.”

The word sounded bitter on her tongue, and Will shrunk into himself a bit.

Was codependent a bad thing…?

They didn’t have any marks appear for a while, after that. The next time was when Will was in California, many years older.

He had been drawing a painting, one that he was still debating on even giving, Mike hadn’t really called, anyways- But his thought process came to a halt when he felt a burning on his neck.

Fuck, was it-?

He dropped his paint brush, face going deathly pale.

No,

He couldn’t do this, couldn’t deal with the Upside Down.

Not again.

But…It felt…different, somehow.

The stab of pain made him fall over onto the floor with a thump, a loud sob wracking his body as he gripped the back of his neck.

Jane slammed his door open, rushing over.

“Will?” She sounded worried.

“Hurts-“ He gasped as another wave of pain hit.

She pried his hands away from his neck, before gasping in awe.

“A shield?” She mumbled, and Will’s shakes ceased as the pain died down.

“What…?” He croaked.

“It’s a mark. A shield, with a heart on it.” Jane whispered.

Fuck.

“I…”

“Do people typically have so many marks?” Jane questioned, and Will felt his heart drop into his stomach.

No, no they didn’t.

God, he was so fucked.

When Mike and Will (and Jane) finally got to meet in person on Will’s birthday, Will realized that Mike had grown his hair out, curls tumbling around his neck.

Mike’s mark wasn’t visible. At all.

He had only caught a glimpse of it when Mike was leaning forward, a small fleck of color.

And yeah, they could play off the one on their hands, but their neck?

Mike was ashamed of him.

While Will had like Mike was protecting him from Vecna, savoring the mark, finally not feeling afraid at a prickle on his neck, Mike was embarrassed.

Who wouldn’t be embarrassed at their gay best friend’s yearning smeared over their neck like a giant hickey? The only reason Jane wasn’t bothered was because she didn’t fully understand soulmarks. Mike had told her it was for people who were close, the best of friends, really. And while he wasn’t wrong- You didn’t have three soulmarks with someone who was just a best friend to you.

But Mike wouldn’t even hug him, let alone stare at him for more than five seconds. The only thing Mike did was ask him about the painting, and that was it.

And then, many months later as they climbed up a tower to save the world a final time, they shared a bottle of water while gently acknowledging the elephant in the room.

“Friends? No thanks…best friends.”

Will smiled, before flinching.

Mike winced at the same time, both of them grasping their chest at the same time.

“The universe agrees…best friends.” Will laughed so he wouldn’t cry, legs wobbling as he felt the telltale sign of a mark forming.

The universe granted him a small blessing of only feeling a moderate amount of pain while his soulmark formed. Maybe it recognized that the pain in his heart was enough.

“Guess we’ll get to check and see what it is after we save the world, huh?” Mike laughed awkwardly.

“Yeah.” Will nodded.

“You ready?”

“As much as I can be.”

And in the end, Jane was gone.

The world kept moving, unaware of the crater left in their hearts at the loss of someone monumental, someone they both adored in different ways. For Mike, he had lost his lover, his superhero. For Will, he had lost a sister, a friend.

It took two weeks before Will gathered the courage to look at his chest in the mirror after a shower, feeling a wave of guilt (grief?) as he realized what it was.

A binder. Mike’s DND binder, to be exact, except the mark had different details. The words Paladin shone on the top, a tiny Mike Paladin with a sword on the cover. It was eerily similar to a doodle he had done a few months ago, before he had hidden the page with a blush.

Fuck.

Okay, having his best friend physically overtop of his heart. Super platonic vibes. Thanks, universe.

Will traced it, unable to hide his delighted shiver.

And, for some god forsaken reason, Will felt a familiar stab of pain on the sides of his hips. His eyes became wider and wider as he watched new soulmarks actively appear over his hipbones, the ends of it lightly scraping over the older cloud soulmark on his stomach.

“In only two weeks?!” He stared at himself in the mirror with dread(?), mind boggled.

He watched a mix of colors appear, a mix of dark purple and blue, before he saw tips starting to form. The pain he felt turned into a soft buzz, like electricity was lightly zapping him. It felt…weird, made him shudder a bit.

The mark finally took shape by melding into handprints that had bloomed like bruises would on his skin, a very clear form of possessiveness apparent in their placement. The thumbs of both hands stretched out to touch the ends of the cloud soulmark on his stomach, and the other four fingers were wrapped around his hips.

Will turned around, startling when he realized there was specks of the blue color still forming across his back, colors warbling and dancing until they formed…individual fingerprints?

The fingerprints themself were smeared, like Mike had dipped his fingers into paint and was pressing his fingers into Will’s skin. They continued to spread, at least 30 or so fingerprints of different sizes pressed up his spine, spread out across his back in random spots. Some were half formed handprints, others full ones, and his entire back was covered in them. And, as if to mock him even more, he started to feel a tingle tracing downward, lower than his hips.

Fuck.

He pried his towel off, squeaking when he realized another set of handprints had formed right below his ass, squeezing into his thighs in the most obvious claim Will had ever seen. The thumbs were pressed right under the curve of Will’s ass, the other fingers splayed out across the back of his thighs. Like he was about to open Will up.

He could attempt to explain the torch on his hand, the cloud on his stomach, the shield on his neck, the tiny paladin Mike on his chest, but handprints? Will looked like he had been ravished.

“I can never go to the beach shirtless again.” Will whispered in horror.

The party knew that him and Mike had matching marks, but Mike had always explained it like it was the coolest thing best friends could have. Why are soulmarks always portrayed as romantic? They didn’t have to be, according to Mike.

This, though?

This was fucking possessive.

It was a claim.

Will paused, before a sudden thought came to mind.

“What does Mike’s mark look like?” He asked aloud.

Was his mark on Mike also handprints? Or was it something else?

Two days passed, no one hearing from Will. He had told his mom he wasn’t sleeping well, and that he felt too exhausted to even leave the house. Which, of course, wasn’t a lie.

His new fingerprint marks kept tingling, and it wasn’t painful…instead, it felt like Mike himself was touching him all over. It was a dazing pleasure that left him a breathless, whining mess whenever a flare up started. Will could feel it on his hips, down his back, on his thighs, and it was going to drive him fucking crazy.

Will’s current method was shoving his face into a pillow to muffle himself, but that only worked for so long before he made himself dizzy from lack of air. His flushed face made him appear like he had a fever and made it so that his mother only spent brief amounts of time in his room, which was the only upside of this entire situation.

Death would be easier than explaining to his mom he couldn’t stop orgasming from phantom touching. Will had a lot of thoughts over the course of the last two days. Mainly, he thought about Mike. After that, he thought about what the doctor had said when he was little, and remembered his mother’s comment about being worried about codependency.

Maybe she was right.

Because, despite jerking off like crazy the last two days, he felt anything but satisfied.

Will stared up into the ceiling after the latest pulses had slowed, dully noting it was probably close to 4pm and that his mom would be home in a few hours. He had just cleaned his sheets and pants recently, and really was hoping that the soulmarks would give him a break. He elected to ignore the fact that he had already soaked his shirt in sweat already.

Tap, Tap, Tap. TapTapTap.

“Wh-“ Will looked over blearily, sitting up quickly as he realized that Mike was outside, and was definitely pulling up his window and crawling into his room like it was a normal occurrence.

Mike plopped his backpack down on the floor, shucking his jacket off casually and tossing it on Will’s floor. Mike was wearing an unusually high collared shirt, almost a turtleneck really, but Will was too out of it to think deeper.

“Mike, what the fuck.” He groaned, sitting up blearily in bed.

“We need to t- Woah, you look like shit.” Mike stopped mid sentence as he looked up, “Are you actually sick?”

A beat.

Will just glared at him.

Mike went from confused, to concerned, to slightly fearful.

“Why do you look irritated?” Mike frowned.

“Because it’s your fault.” Will snapped.

And yeah, maybe this type of irritation was out of character for him, but anyone would feel frustrated and horny when they had been tortured by their soulmarks for the last two days.

“I-“ Mike paused, “I mean, if you’re referring to the new marks, they have been kinda ticklish for me, but…Are yours painful? Painful enough to make you sick?”

Will put his head in his hands instead of responding, slouched over on his bed. His sheets were at the end of the bed, having been carelessly thrown, and he regretted how exposed he was. He only had on a pair of black boxers and some old band shirt that had probably belonged to Jonathan once, which was currently wet with sweat.

In short, it was not his ideal outfit to have a serious conversation in.

Of course it was just him who was suffering the last two days.

“Will?” Mike’s voice was closer, and the bed jostled as Mike sat next to Will’s thighs. “Hey, Will, look at me.”

Will let his hands drop, before looking up to meet Mike’s eyes. He was hit with the classic Mike puppy face, the one where his eyes could hypnotize you with their concern, before he broke eye contact again.

“Will.” Mike reached out a hand toward’s Will’s back, and he could feel the buzz pick up again.

“Don’t touch me!” Will snapped, flinching away on the bed until his back hit the wall, legs curled up protectively.

Mike looked like he had been slapped.

“Jesus Mike, it’s driving me crazy, I can’t take it anymore…” Will half sobbed, eyes watering.

Mike made a motion to reach out to him, before freezing, his hand with their soulmark cautiously reaching up to meet with Will’s, letting the marks match up. Will shuddered at the contact, an embarrassing whine slipping out.

Their first marks matching up were usually a way to comfort each other, but right now? Right now it made the thrum of pleasure spike.

“The marks haven’t been painful Mike, they’ve been…” Will choked, “God, it feels like you’ve claimed me all over- and I can’t stop feeling your touch, your hands, and if you think for one second that it’s a platonic mark then you need to leave so I can jerk off in peace because it’s going to drive me insane.”

A beat.

Mike looked remarkably flustered, but he wasn’t the one who had to deal with this shit for days, Will was.

Will carelessly yanked his shirt off, finally free from the damp and oversized article of clothing. And if Mike had been red before, that was nothing compared to the tomato that was sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Holy shit.” Mike whispered, taking in the handprints on Will’s hips, and the Paladin mark on his chest from two weeks ago.

Mike’s eyes looked like moons with how blown they were, and if Will wasn’t sure about mutual feelings before, he sure as hell was now. His marks pulsed with pleasure, the blue and purple coloring swirling around angrily within the constraints of the handprints.

“Mike…” Will breathed out.

He lowered his legs, hands reaching out to gently pull Mike fully onto the bed before slowly pushing his back down until he laid flat. Will cautiously climbed onto him, letting his ass press right onto Mike’s clothed dick, He couldn’t feel much through Mike’s jeans, and he whined.

“Mike, bend your leg up a bit.” Will commanded, shivering when Mike quietly did as he asked, eyes looking at Will in wonder.

Will shuffled down a few inches until Mike’s leg was pressed up into his thighs, right against his cock. And then, he rolled his hips.

The feeling was heavenly, and the moan he let out should’ve embarrassed him, but it didn’t. He kept rolling his hips, needy noises leaving his lips as he continued humping Mike’s thigh. His hands were splayed over Mike’s chest, hands clenching the fabric of his black top like it was a lifeline.

It felt so much more intense with Mike than it did when he was alone. It finally felt good, but he still needed more.

“Will-“ Mike’s voice was a mix of a whisper and a whine, clearly at an impasse of what to do.

Finally, after a pause he leaned in and pulled Will into a tentative kiss, hands gently landing on his shoulders as his childhood best friend kept rutting into his thigh.

“Jesus Christ, Will.” He panted into the other’s mouth, “What’s gotten into you?”

“Mike, Mike, your hands, please, put them-“ Will begged, so so close to release.

Mike reached up, placing his hands perfectly into the handprints branding Will’s hips, and that was all Will needed to finally find release.

Will shuddered before plopping down into Mike’s chest as his orgasm hit him, unable to hold himself up as his hips kept rolling down into Mike’s perfect thigh.

His face was tucked into Mike’s chest as he heaved for breath, and crap, they really should’ve talked before Will jumped him. That might’ve concerned Will more if he didn’t feel Mike’s hard cock pressing through his jeans into Will’s stomach. Unfortunately, with that being the case, his brain was not calling the shots and his dick was fully in control.

Will lifted his head, voice still scratchy after orgasming. “That’s not the only place there’s hand marks, y’know.”

Mike froze, hands squeezing harder into Will’s hips.

“What do you mean?” Mike asked, voice still a whisper.

Will sat up, sitting next to Mike as he wiggled out of his messy boxers. Will had no shame in his body. He knew what he looked like, and that he had filled out over the years, especially in his ass. He turned away from Mike, letting his soulmate see his freshly marked up back. If this is what it took for Mike to finally act on this tension that had been present for years, he’d push through any amount of embarrassment he felt.

He heard Mike suck in a breath of air, before he felt the bed move. Mike’s hands were splaying across his back, tracing over each of the handprints and fingerprints cascaded all over, from the top of his spine back down to his hips. But Will wanted them somewhere else.

He adjusted himself, using his arms to cushion his head as he lowered his face down, keeping his knees pressed into the bed as he arched to let his ass take the main view.

Sue him, he knew he had a nice ass. He was going to utilize that.

“I fingered myself earlier today, you could probably just-hhhn-“ Will choked.

Mike had pressed his hands into the handprints on his thighs, and if the ones on his hips made him see stars, this felt like seeing a whole ass galaxy. Mike gently squeezed, and Will was fucking putty. It was unfair how Mike was playing him like a fiddle, really, but he couldn’t find it in himself to mind.

“There’s lube in the nightstand.” Will remarked, enjoying Mike’s attention but wanting to get to the main event.

Will barely stopped himself from whining as he felt the hands slip away, the bed lifting a bit as Mike got off. He glanced over to see Mike rummaging hastily through his backpack.

“What’re you doing?” He asked.

“Condoms.” Mike looked remarkably flushed still, his jeans half undone to relieve his dick of some pressure.

“Why would we need those?” Will petulantly asked, “Not like anyone else is gonna fuck me.”

“I-“ Mike floundered, “Yeah, you have a good point.”

Mike dropped his backpack, before walking over to the nightstand and pulling out lube.

Fucking finally.

Will sat up, heels tucking under his thighs. He reached forward, pulling Mike by the jean loop until his face was inches away from Mike’s clothed dick. He shuffled Mike’s jeans down to his thighs, giggling when he saw Mike was wearing white briefs.

“Cute underwear.” He cooed, before he openly mouthed at Mike’s dick through his briefs.

“Fuck.” Mike moaned, “Thought you were wanting me to fuck you.”

“You’re going to, just not my ass first.” Will sweetly smiled, before pulling down the other’s briefs down to his thighs.

And oh, Mike’s cock was pretty, and it was fucking big. Definitely longer than Will’s, but he wasn’t complaining one bit. Surprisingly, that wasn’t the only thing that caught his eye.

There were dark red lip marks pressed over Mike’s V line, some smeared like Will’s soul marks. They were a claim, a way that ensured no one else would be able to look at Mike’s cock without knowing that he was taken. Will whined, pressing a light kiss to Mike’s cock before he dug his hands into the meat of Mike’s ass, pulling him forward to kiss directly on one of the kiss marks.

Mike’s legs almost buckled, and Will chuckled at the sound that came out of him until Mike reached towards him too. Will was still kissing everywhere except Mike’s cock, mouth trailing over all of the soulmarks branded on Mike’s skin. He was distracted, humming when Mike let one hand brush through his hair.

Will froze as the other hand closed over the back of his neck, completely encasing the shield soulmark that had been there for years. The sound he let out was needy, and Mike yanked his head back.

“I’d like to fuck your ass first, if that’s okay.” Mike’s eyes were dilated, his chest heaving quietly.

“Yeah, yeah that’s fine.” Will shivered, “How do you want to…?”

“Lay stomach down.”

Oh, Mike talking in that type of voice was dangerous.

“Okay.”

He flipped himself around as asked, but still startled when he felt Mike’s hands on his hips. Mike’s hands didn’t properly align with his soulmark when he was facing away, but the overlap alone had his body going pliant. Mike tugged him, pulling his lower body off the bed until his feet were almost touching the ground, letting his chest still rest on the bed. He was bent over like a whore, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

“Don’t move.” Mike’s voice was firm as he leaned away, and Will swore his marks pulsed from Mike’s command.

He heard a hop, likely shoes coming off, then heard a thump that was Mike’s jeans hitting the floor. Will longed to see his own marks on Mike, but Mike had told him to not move.

But Will really wanted to see, and couldn’t resist a peak.

As he glanced back, he got to catch the perfect moment of Mike pulling off his black long-sleeved top, and holy shit. The red lip marks were scattered across Mike’s stomach too, up his chest surrounding the matching chest soulmark they shared. A small Will the Wizard soulmark was on his chest, but Will barely noticed that over the clear soulmarks that had changed from kisses into red, messy bite marks all over Mike’s chest. They littered over his chest, his collarbone, his shoulder, and even the sides of his neck. If he didn’t know they were soulmarks, he would think they were fresh marks from a lengthy fucking session.

Jesus Christ, he was just as possessive as Mike was, wasn’t he?

“Pretty.” Will murmured, Mike’s eyes flashing as their gazes met.

Oh, Mike’s shirt was on the floor already. Had he been staring for too long?

Mike just gave him an unamused look.

“Do you know how difficult it’s going to be to hide this during the summer time? You can wear a tank top and shorts still, meanwhile I look like I was mauled by a bear.”

“Sorry.” Will said in the least sorry voice possible.

“Yeah, you sure look sorry.” Mike raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe you should pound some sense into me.” Will wiggled his ass, giggling as Mike groaned from the porno line.

Mike grabbed the lube again, slicking up his dick, and while Will was glad he had fingered himself a while ago, a part of him was fantasizing about how Mike’s fingers would feel. They looked beautiful wrapped around Mike’s cock, after all.

Mike quickly grabbed a tissue, wiping his messy hands off with a grimace.

“Mike, come on.” Will groaned.

“Well, I could’ve touched you with my lubed up slick hands, but I’m a gentleman, Will.”

“A true gentleman would’ve fucked me already.” Will groaned. “I’m gonna die from old age before your dick is inside me.”

Mike blinked, then threw the tissue away before walking up behind Will.

“Needy.” He laughed, before finally lining his cock up and starting to push in.

And oh, that’s exactly what Will needed. His toes curled as Mike’s hands held his hips, pushing in slowly but steadily. Will went quiet, slack, relaxing as much as he could at the intrusion.

In a switch of roles, Mike started to fill the silence.

“How much had you been fucking yourself with your fingers for me to be able to just-“ Mike moaned, hands squeezing Will’s hips, “Just slide in…?”

Will whined in response, unable to think anything except full, full, full.

“You feel so good.” Mike panted, still pushing in.

“Mike it’s too much, are- are you almost fully in?” Will gasped out, hands clenching into the bedding.

Mike throbbed inside him.

“I’m only halfway.”

Fuuuuuuuuuck.

He thought his fingers would’ve been enough, but the stretch was too much, too big. Will could only lay there and take it. Mikes grip holding his hips was the only thing keeping them up, Will scrambling to keep any sense of sanity as Mike’s hands were touching his hips, his mark.

“You’re doing good, Will.” Mike spoke softly, and Will could hear in his voice how much he was holding back from just shoving fully inside.

Will moaned, eyes watering. Fuck, fuck it hurt.

“Mike, shit, can you just pause, it-“

Mike stopped, and Will hiccuped, tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Will?” Mike sounded worried.

“Sorry, you’re just so big, just-“ Will was crying like a baby, how embarrassing, “It’s just overwhelming. Ngh, okay, I think you can start to move again.”

Mike was quiet behind him, before Will felt Mike’s lips brush up against the back of his neck, gently kissing his shield soulmark again, and Will felt his body seize before going completely pliant.

“Fuccck.” He slurred.

Mike touching his marks felt addictive. It felt like his nerves had all turned into pleasure points that only Mike could touch, that he needed, needed for Mike to claim him, to breed him-

Mike was still pushing in, and on his fucking life, Will swore he felt the tip press right into his stomach. And that giant cloud soulmark on his stomach suddenly made sense, because Mike’s dick made him have his head in the clouds. Mike was still somehow pressing further in, kissing his neck, and his dick was pressing into his stomach’s mark from inside. Will sobbed as a sudden orgasm was ripped from him. He clenched around Mike helplessly, three different marks still being lit on fire from Mike’s touch.

Will didn’t usually come this quick, but he couldn’t even find it in himself to muster up an excuse to Mike.

Mike stilled, but Will could feel him throbbing. God, his soulmate was a patient man.

“Miiiike,” He whined, “You’re touching all the way to my stomach, I can- I can feel you-“

Mike swore as he thrust the rest of the way in, and Will seized up.

He was pressing into his cloud soulmark even more, and Will thanked every god up there that Mike hadn’t worn a condom. He felt so hot inside of Will, so overwhelming, so big. Will was oversensitive from his orgasm, but he knew Mike was at his limit.

“Mike, hah, try to go slow-“ Will begged.

“I don’t- I’ll, hnn, I’ll try.” Mike panted, before pulling out then thrusting sharply in, then in and out again, immediately failing, “Shit, fuck, you feel so-good-“

Will just laid there and took it, body still zapping with pleasure. Mike licked down the back of Will’s neck apologetically, and Will squeezed tighter around him in response.

It was too much, but he felt so good. His soulmarks were pulsing with pleasure, and in a sudden clear thought wondered if he would even be able to walk tomorrow.

Fuck, he hoped he wouldn’t be able to.

“Will, I’m close.” Mike panted into his ear, his thrusting turning into a slower but much deeper move.

“Inside, inside-“ Was all Will could say.

Mike licked his neck again, and right as Mike came, he bit down.

Will…couldn’t remember what happened after that. He thinks he came again, but by the time his brain had come back around, he had had his lower half wiped down, and had been gently laid on the bed

Mike was next to him, staring at him with a worried face as he gnawed on his bottom lip.

Will’s eyes blinked as the cloudiness left.

“Mike?” His voice was raspy from screaming.

“Are-Are you okay?” Mike looked near tears, “You were out of it for like, almost 20 minutes.”

“Me being okay is dependent on whether or not you try to explain away the sex we just had.”

“Will.” Mike groaned.

“Mike. I’ve had to listen to you, for years, by the way, try to say our marks are platonic to everyone. You just fucked my brains out, so your stance better have changed on that.”

“You were the one that asked me to fuck you!” Mike squawked.

“Yeah, Mike, because I’m obviously in love with you and these marks are clearly pissed that I’m not acting on it enough!”

Mike’s face dropped, and Will froze at Mike’s clear shock.

“…What?”

“Is it not insanely obvious? Mike, you have kiss marks all over you, we have multiple matching marks, we hold hands all the time for comfort, I made you a painting that has a fucking heart on your shield-“

“But you said that was commissioned by-“

“I lied, Mike! I fucking lied.” Will’s voice went from a yell to a whisper, “I was terrified that you’d see through me, that if I said it was from me that it wouldn’t be as meaningful.”

Will’s eyes watered, Mike reaching for his hand. Their hand marks aligned, and Will felt himself instantly relax.

“Will…”

“The second that tiny torch appeared on my hand, you were it for me, Mike. It’s only ever been you. I want to be around you all the time, to have breakfast together every morning, to get to whisper to you in bed about a new story idea. I want our lives to be so intertwined that our hearts beat as one.”

Mike’s face fell, before his eyes watered.

“Mike…?”

“The way you describe your love is- it’s different from mine.” Mike stuttered out.

Will felt his heart clench painfully, but let Mike continue.

“I-“ Mike groaned, face scrunching up, “Fuck, I-“

“Hey, it’s okay.” Will frowned, “Mike, take your time. I’m listening, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Mike took a deep breath, “I think if you heard the thoughts I have, you’d run away and never come back.”

Will’s face went blank, “Like, you have weird kinks or something?”

“Can you stop thinking with your dick for five seconds-” Mike snapped, “It’s- god I wish it was just that.”

“Well? Either I’ll be horny, scared, or both. Spit it out Mike.”

“Whenever I’m not around you, I’m thinking about you, what you’re doing. Like, if anyone else is near you, if someone else thinks it’s okay to touch you…I feel like I’m going insane. Like they’re planning on taking you away from me…I wish I could just mark you up so much that no one else even thought about touching you, knew that you were mine-“

“Your super platonic best friend, you mean?” Will snarked, already knowing Mike was possessive about his close friends.

“My soulmate.” Mike’s eyes darkened, “I don’t think you realize how obsessed with you I am, Will.”

Will was still wondering why Mike thought he’d be scared, like Mike admitting this wasn’t the hottest thing possible.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dreamed about fucking you so much that you can’t ever walk again. I’d keep you in bed forever-“

Oh.

Mike moved to hover over top of him, grinding his naked hips down onto Will’s flaccid cock, making Will shiver from oversensitivity, “I don’t want any name other than mine to come out of your lips.”

It occurred to Will that Mike had only come once, thus far.

“I wish I could brand my name on your skin where everyone could see.”

How did Will still feel so horny despite coming so many times?

Mike leaned his hips away respectively, starting to kiss up his stomach, biting down and suckling hickeys all over. He kept going up his stomach, before biting down on Will’s chest.

“Mike-“ Will shuddered.

Jesus Christ, did he want to have sex again? He felt sore, but his hole was somehow aching for a fill again, like Mike’s feelings were overflowing right into his brain. He didn’t even think his dick could get hard, but oh, he still wanted Mike to fuck him.

“Mike, get inside me right now.” He gasped.

And Mike didn’t even think twice. He gripped Will’s hips and slid right back into him like it was where Mike was meant to be, like his purpose in life was to keep filling Will up.

“Fuck, I think I already won’t be able to walk tomorrow, Mike.” Will gasped, the new angle hitting a different spot inside him.

Mike thrust slowly, taking his time. He lifted up Will’s legs, hooking them over his shoulders. And Will was flexible, but good god that angle was a different type of stretch.

“Mikeeee-“ He babbled, body overwhelmed.

Will’s dick was somehow coming back to life little by little, inflating each thrust.

“Keep saying my name.”

And Will obliged.

After the second round, they found themselves intertwined in a comfortable cuddle, their legs mixed together as Will rested his head on Mike’s bony chest. Okay, somewhat comfortable cuddle, but he still loved his bony skeleton of a soulmate anyways.

“Heh.” Will giggled to himself.

“What?” Mike groggily asked, halfway asleep.

“Well, I-“

Zap!

Both Mike and Will froze, faces snapping up to look at each other.

“No fucking way.” They both spoke at the same time.

Their wrists both lit up with a glow, and Will let out a disbelieving laugh when he realized it was forming letters.

On his wrist, in a scrawled handwriting that he immediately recognized was the name Mike Byers…And on Mike’s wrist, in turn, was Will Byers.

“Why do you have my last name?” Will blinked.

“Well, no way we’d take my old man’s last name, right?” Mike scoffed.

Will made a humming sound, before pressing their new marks together thoughtlessly.

Will was swarmed with images of himself in a suit, with an expression so loving and beautiful that it took his breath away.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

But it wasn’t his thought.

Mike pulled back with a gasp.

“Was that-“

“Did you just-“

Did they just see into each other’s minds?

“Uh, I think we’ll need our pants on for this convo.” Mike muttered.

Before Will could respond, he heard the front door unlock.

“Will, sweetie, I’m home!” Joyce called out from the front door. “Is Mike over? I saw his bike outside.”

Will’s head snapped back to Mike with a glare, the other startling.

“Hey, I wasn’t originally planning on sneaking in! I planned for a serious conversation, not for us to fuck like rabbits!” Mike whisper yelled.

Mike got up, quickly moving to lock Will’s door before grabbing their dirty clothing and shoving it into the laundry basket. He casually opened Will’s clothing drawers before yanking on some pajama pants that were at least 5 inches too short, and a shirt that was comedically loose on his twig body.

“Will come on, at least get something on before she comes in.” He whispered.

“I- ugh, coming!” Will whispered back, sliding his legs over the side of his bed before going to stand.

His legs immediately buckled and he fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Shit.

“Will?” They could hear Joyce’s voice on the other side of the door, “Are you okay?”

Will was dazed, so Mike did what he did best.

He gave a bullshit excuse.

“Hey Mrs. Byers!” He called through the door, “Will was super sweaty from his fever so I helped him get to the bathroom to shower earlier, but he’s still kinda shaky and not able to stand well. He can hardly stand, really. I think it’ll be much, uh, less embarrassing if I help him get dressed, rather than you. If you can warm up some soup, I’ll come out in a few minutes and bring it to him!”

A pause.

“He can’t stand?” Joyce sounded more worried.

Nailed it.

“I’m fine, Mom.” Will’s voice sounded scratchy as shit from how much he had been crying earlier, “My legs are just wobbly. Mike may be scrawny, but he’ll be able to help me. Probably.”

“Hey!” Mike scowled.

“Alright, I’ll leave you boys to it.” Joyce responded, sounding less worried and more amused.

They waited until her footsteps faded before arguing.

“So what’s your plan to explain why you’re wearing my clothes, Mike?” Will raised an eyebrow.

“You almost fell in the shower, and my clothes got wet from me jumping in to stop you from hitting your head.”

“So a fake story that has you as the hero and me as the damsel. Great.”

“I’ll have you know, I’m a Paladin-”

“Well, if a certain Paladin could help me get my ass off the floor, that would be great.”

Mike paused.

“Wait, can you really not stand?”

“No, actually, I’m just sitting on the floor for fun.” Will snarked.

“Okay, jeez, testy.”

He went to lift Will up, and holy shit, Will was fucking heavy when he was dead weight.

“What does your mom feed you?” He wheezed.

“Don’t be salty that I’ve got bigger muscles than you, Michael.”

“Yeah, well, my dick is bigger, so take that, William.”

“I did take that. Twice, actually.” Will looked quite proud of himself, looking down to Mike’s groin.

“Oh my god, shut up.” Mike groaned, before they both managed to yank him back up onto the bed, legs still hanging off the end as he sat slouched over.

“You’re still naked.” Mike noted.

“Astute observation.”

Mike gave him a look, before going back to the clothing drawer.

“Any preferences?” Mike asked.

“Definitely a long sleeve.” Will sighed.

Mike found something suitable, a nice blue long sleeve that had a higher neckline. He found a pair of plaid pajama pants that felt soft to the touch, and grabbed those too. Will didn’t need underwear. Mike would be pulling his pants off later, anyways.

“Here.” He threw Will the shirt, pouting slightly as he saw Will’s marks get covered.

“And now, for the difficult part.” Mike narrated.

He leaned down, lifting up Will’s foot as he gently pulled it through the leg hole and up to the knee. He was about to repeat the process with the other leg, before pausing.

“What?” Will frowned.

“I didn’t leave any hickeys on your thighs.” Mike frowned.

This was a grave offense to mankind, apparently.

“Now who’s thinking with their dick?”

“What else would I think with?” Mike blinked innocently.

“Hm, dunno, maybe your brain.”

“Eeeeeh.”

Mike leaned in, spreading Will’s thighs obscenely. Seeing a small pool of cum leaking out made his dick twitch.

“Mike, seriously, my mom is home right now.” Will whispered.

“Not gonna fuck you, just gonna mark you up.” Mike shrugged, “Just keep quiet and you’ll be fine, baby.”

A sudden knock at the door spooked the hell out of both of them.

“Mike, soup is ready!” Joyce called.

“One second!”

Will looked down at him with apprehension, and the both of them got Will’s naked legs swung onto the bed in record time, Mike tossing the pajama pants up next to his legs. He yanked the discarded sheet practically up to Will’s chin, before calmly walking over and opening the door.

“Hey, Mrs. Byers!” He cheerfully greeted,
going for casual but definitely failing.

“Hey Mike…” Joyce raised an eyebrow, her bullshit indicator going off but politely not calling him out. “Here.”

Mike politely took the tray of food from her, looking to see a small bowl of soup with a few crackers next to it. There was some sort of protein bar as well, but not a brand Mike recognized. He glanced up, stopping in his tracks when he realized her eyes had not left his wrist.

Specifically, she was staring at his wrist that now had a soulmark with Will’s name on it.

“Thank you, Mrs. Byers!” Mike robotically spoke, before turning around and shutting the door with his hip.

FuckFuckFuck.

Their moms had freaked out when they had two matching marks when they were little, but this? Oh god, they were going to figure out Mike and Will had even more matching marks. This was going to go really south, really quick.

Will looked at him weirdly as he shuffled up and plopped the tray down with a panicked look.

“Hey, so, remember the new and super obvious soulmark with your name on it? Your mom definitely saw it just now.” Mike whispered.

“Oh god.” Will groaned.

Will’s bedroom door slammed open, a concerningly bright Joyce Byers at the other end.

“Hey honey!” She greeted, slightly manic, “I think we should all have a chat.”

Mike distantly heard the front door open again.

“Joyce, have you seen my grey coat?” Hopper called from the front door, “Think I left it somewhere.”

Ah, so this is how Mike was going to die.

“I’d like roses on my gravestone, Will.” Mike stared into the abyss.

“Don’t be dramatic, Mike.” Will groaned.

Joyce stared at Mike with genuine concern, before she pointed at his neck. “…You kids really ought to know how to hide hickeys better.”

Never mind, both Mike and Will were dead.

“I think I’d like tulips on my gravestone.” Will conceded, nodding his head sagely.

“Good choice.”

“Well, it’s been a good run, Mike.”

“Sure has.”

“Kicked a lot of demo ass, ate good food, you know?”

“Sure did.”

His footsteps got closer.

“Joyce?” Hopper’s voice called out, “You alright?”

Mike closed his eyes and prayed.

At least he got to spend his last moments with his soulmate at his side.