Chapter Text
Mike
To say that he was quite surprised when he discovered that this man was, in fact, Will would be a massive understatement.
He gapes at him and Will gapes right back, anxious eyes searching his face for any resentment or bitterness. Mike finds slight shock, which morphs in a pleasant smile, miles away from Will’s usual one. But he can't really tell, can he? It has been so many years since he has last seen his best friend's face.
He snaps out of it when Will says hello, Mike. The words barely register, the detachment of his tone sending a stake through his heart. He replies with a strained smile.
“Hey Will, how's it going?” Oh god, this is awkward. Painfully awkward.
“Pretty well,” Will says, in the way Mike's mother used to talk with the aunts she hated. “What about you?”
“Fine.” Mike responds curtly. “Pretty uhh… good studio you have there. People like your art?” What kind of a weirdo asks that question? Of course they like his art! Mike wants to bang his head against the counter.
A small smile- a genuine one touches Will’s lips, and Mike is pretty grateful for that. “Yeah. They like it. People reading your books?”
Mike nods. “Been a long time since we last talked”
Will's face sours at that. “And whose fault is that?”
Mike cringes at the tone. He knows that it is his fault, entirely, but does he need to be called out so brutally at that? The guilt chews him up on a daily basis already. He doesn't need to be reminded.
He clears his throat. “I.. I was busy. With college! And stuff.” The explanations falls flat to his own ears. He examines the floor. “Look, man. I'm really sorry about that, okay? I wasn't trying to be a douchebag. I guess I just… forgot.”
Liar.
Will scoffs. “Forgot? Mike, I've been- I was your friend for half of my life! Best friends.” His voice cracks on ‘best’, Mike conveniently ignores it. “You can't just forget about me because of a what?- a stupid college schedule?”
“Will, please. I'm sorry. Really sorry. I missed you. A lot.”
Will sniffles. “Well, you should've wrote or something. I thought you hated me.”
Mike's brain kind of lags behind. “Why would I hate you?”
“Well, I don’t know, for being a fag or something.” Will says. As if Mike could ever hate him for something he himself is. The thought is purely ridiculous to him. He groans.
“Will- I could never hate you for that! Speaking of which, how's your boyfriend?” He asks curiously. Even though he never met him, he hated that boyfriend- Carlton?? What kind of a stupid name was that anyway- with his heart.
He shouldn't. Will is finally happy. He should be happy. But Mike has always been a slightly jealous guy. His… coldness at the airport in that one spring break is proof enough.
“Oh!” Will shrugs, avoiding Mike's eyes. “I broke up with him. We weren't working out, you know? He wasn't-” Will pauses, as if holding something back- “He wasn't really the committed type.”
“Ah,” Mike nods, as if he isn't whooping inside. He immediately feels bad, though. “Good for you, I guess. O-or not good for you!” He stutters. Said the wrong thing. “I mean, I'm sorry for the break-up.”
Will grins, “Nah, it's fine. He's dating some girl called Jennifer Hayes now.”
“Wait- Jennifer Hayes?!” Mike says, grinning back. “Hey, that's the girl who was crying at your funeral! Small world, huh?”
Will’s eyes light up with recognition. “Oh, so that's her. I knew it was someone I knew, just couldn't place it.”
Mike shrugs. They both stay in comfortable silence for some minutes, Mike taking in the studio. It's full of… drawings, obviously. They're intricately made, Mike notes. Will was always a delicate artist.
Will eyes him, expectant. “So? How's it?”
“It's beautiful, Will. How'd you get this good?”
Will chuckles. “Art school'll do that to you.”
It is then Mike decides to do something slightly brave. He decides to actually listen to himself, once in his life.
“There's a cool coffee place downtown, wanna grab a bite later?” He asks tentatively. “It's like- cool music, nerdy wall art, that kinda stuff. It also makes that God awful black coffee you like pretty good” Mike gushes.
Will nods slowly. “Sure. Friday?”
“Friday works.”
There is silence, definitely awkward now. Will clears his throat. Mike fidgets with his fingers, unsure of what to say.
Will is the first to break the silence. “Mike?”
“Yeah?”
“I missed you.”
The quiet admission sends a flood of warmth through Mike's system. Will missed him. He didn't forget about Mike.
“Me too.” He replies.
Will walks over and puts his chin over Mike's shoulder, wrapping his arms around Mike. Mike tenses up first, unused to this but relaxes into his touch, dropping his chin to rest on Will’s back. He could stay here forever.
Will still stands on his tiptoes to reach Mike. Cute.
They break away from the hug.
Mike smiles. “So, uh- I have to go. You know, long day and stuff. I gotta get home. It's a mess.” He laughs awkwardly.
“Come on, I'll walk with you.”
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After Will closes down the studio, they walk together in silence. Mike keeps walking, and Will keeps walking in the… same direction.
Huh.
They turn the same corner, walk around the same roundabout and onto the same avenue. Will eventually stops in front of an apartment, two buildings away from Mike's.
“Well that'll be me, I guess.” Will fishes out his keys from his pocket.
“That's your apartment.” Mike says, dumbstruck. All that time apart, and they were living literally two buildings apart- closer than they ever had been as kids.
“Yeah.” He nods. “Why?”
“You're literally living two buildings away from me! How come I've never seen you?” Maybe Mike wasn't hallucinating. Maybe the stranger he saw on the street was really Will, not a face made out of his wild imagination. The thought is too unbelievable to bear.
Will just sighs. “Go home, Mike. We'll talk. Friday, remember?”
“Fine,” he rolls his eyes, walking to his apartment. He can never not listen to Will. “I'll go.”
Mike manages to get into his apartment, collapsing into the couch from sheer giddiness. He is going for coffee with Will. Tomorrow.
And he cannot wait.