Chapter Text
Mike
Mike had been feeling under the weather for the past two days. His skin had been feverish, and he had constant stomach pains. It had been bearable but today it felt like whatever the bug he had caught was in full swing.
“You look pale, Wheeler,” Max said, swinging around in her chair and facing Mike.
They were interns working for the Z Magazine. Mike and Max were ‘journalists-in-training’ but they did every little thing their managers told them to do. It was a nice place with a decent pay so they tried not to complain about it too much.
“I am pale,”
“Yeah but you look like a fucking ghost today,” Max said, chewing the end of her pen.
Mike rolled his eyes.
Suddenly his stomach churned. He felt the hot acidic bile rise in the back of his throat. He pressed a hand to his mouth and ran towards the toilet with a sign of ‘ Ω ’ in a rush.
He grabbed the porcelain bowl, despite the extreme hygienic issues his brain recognised and emptied the contents of his stomach into the bowl.
What the fuck?
Was he sick?
He shivered as he felt another wave of nausea roll through him. He vomited for a second time, chest heaving with pressure.
His nose picked up a floral scent outside his cubicle. Max.
“Mike?” Max's voice sounded outside his cubicle.
“‘M good,” Mike slurred out, mouth thick with the incoming wave of nausea.
He heard Max push his unlocked cubicle door open and march inside. He couldn't stop but heave over the toilet bowl, his insides constricting to empty themselves.
Fuck it hurt.
“Goddamn Wheeler,” Max muttered under her breath as she stroked his back. Mike felt embarrassment rush through him as Max took in the situation he was in.
Mike heaved again, but this time there was nothing else to go.
“I'm good, I'm good,” he mumbled under his breath, as he shakily stood up, denying Max's help.
He heard Max flush the toilet behind him.
Fuck, it was embarrassing.
He rinsed his mouth a few times to get rid of the acrid taste. He looked in the mirror.
He did look like a ghost.
Behind him, Max stood staring at him with an unimpressed glare.
“Just staying home and resting for one day won't make you less of a hero,” she said.
Mike rolled his eyes.
“I said I'm fine,”
“Clearly,”
“No seriously, now that I've vomited it feels good,” Mike said, “I think I got rid of the bug,”
Max turned around and strolled out of the toilet muttering something that sounded like ‘stubborn fucking omega’ under her breath.
Huh, as if she wasn't the exact same.
Mike slapped some water on to his face feeling the cool liquid dribble down his feverish skin. He took a deep breath, his nose picking up various scents.
Maybe he needed a half day, after all.
He sighed and walked into the office.
The day went without any other special incidents. Until lunchtime.
The smell of greasy food was making Mike hurl again. Almost.
He managed to keep it down until Max slumped onto the chair next to him with a tuna sandwich. The smell of tuna made the acidic taste of bile present again in his throat. Fuck. He was going to be sick again.
He managed to get to the toilet exactly two seconds before he emptied the leftover bile and phlegm into the commode. His head hurt with the lack of food inside him. He sighed when he heard Max enter his cubicle for the second time of the day.
They should not make this a habit.
“That's it Wheeler. I'm calling your alpha,” Max said, flushing the toilet for him again.
Mike groaned and pressed.his throbbing forehead onto the toilet seat.
“He'll freak out,”
“He'll take you to the doctor,”
“I'm good. I don't need a doctor,” Mike whined.
“I'm telling your alpha before he bites my head off after you die in this toilet,” Max said, her voice distant as if she was focusing on something.
Like calling Will.
Shit.
“Max please, you know what Will's like. He'll get worried too much,” Mike said, finally standing holding the toilet bowl.
Max ignored him and pressed the phone against her ear.
Mike groaned, throwing his hands up.
“Hi Will,”
“Your omega is being an idiot again,”
“No we are not fighting, Will. Mike's sick. And he's refusing to take a leave and go see the doctor,”
“I don't fucking need a doctor,” Mike mumbled washing his face.
“Yeah. Just come and get him, please. He's being a pain in the ass,”
Mike rolled his eyes. At this point he didn't know why his eye balls were not permanently stuck in the back of his head after working with Max for nearly six months.
Max was kind of his rock, right after Will. Being the only omegas in the Party had made them grow exceptionally close despite their indifferences. People thought they hated each other when they bickered but in truth, Max was a second Nancy to him. Max was a good friend, someone who kept Mike in check by calling off his bullshit. She was a good listener as well. She knew basically everything about him now.
“Will said he'd be here in fifteen,” Max said, a smug smile on her face.
Despite feeling annoyed, Mike couldn't help but hold the blush spreading across his cheeks.
Fuck, Will had this effect on him always.
“I don't know how you still act like a love sick fool even after being with him for two years,”
“It's the Byers Effect, Maxine,”
“Do not call me Maxine. And no I only know the Lucas Sinclair Effect,”
Mike wiggled his eyebrows, “I think that’s the only time you’ve openly said something remotely close enough to showing affection to someone,”
Max shoved him, “Fuck off, Wheeler. Love is overrated anyways,”
“Hm, I guess so. Don’t say that to Will though,”
“Why not?”
“You know how he gets. He’ll go all wide-teary-eyed-bunny on me,”
“Mike!”
Mike and Max both whirled around, seeing Will Byers walking towards them in the hallway to their office space. He marched right over to Mike and wrapped him up in a hug, pressing his nose to the crook of his neck. The coffee and pine engulfed Mike as he sank into his boyfriend’s embrace.
Max wiggled his eyebrows at Mike over his shoulder. He flipped her off behind Will’s back.
“Right! I guess I’ll go now,” Max announced loudly.
Will broke off the hug and whirled around to face Max.
“Oh hey Max. I'm sorry, I was so worried about him,” Will said, pushing his hair from his forehead. His button up was rolled up to his forearms, making him look– well, delectable. Mike was a sucker for Will in linen button ups. Especially with rolled sleeves. It made him look even more handsome.
“He was sick twice today,”
“It’s really fine, Will. I think the bug’s gone now,” Mike said, looping his arm through Will’s.
Will frowned at him.
“Thanks Max. I’ll get him home,” he said, leading Mike down the hallway.
“Sure Will. I’ll tell the boss,” Max said, saluting at Will.
“No need. I already called him and told him that I’m coming to pick him up,” Mike felt his heart lurch at the statement. It felt oddly satisfying– how much Will cared about him.
Mike sighed and walked, leaning against Will.
–
The car ride back home was filled with Mike’s whining and Will’s reasoning.
“But Mike, I think it’s better if we see to a doctor for this–”
“Will! I told you, I’m feeling all right now. Just let me sleep this through now, please,”
“But–”
“Fine. We’ll go to a doctor tomorrow if I’m still sick, okay?” Mike said, exasperated.
Will being protective over him was a good thing, but sometimes it felt a little bit too overbearing. He knew Will meant good, but Mike was naturally an avoidant. He just needed his personal space sometimes.
Will sighed.
“Okay then. But promise me you’ll call me if something’s wrong?” Will asked, staring at Mike with wide, pleading eyes.
God, Mike was a goner for him.
“Okay Will,” he muttered, opening his car door to get out.
“Hey,” Will grabbed his wrist before he could hop out.
Mike whirled around to see Will leaning over the console to give him a kiss. Mike stopped him with his hands on his chest.
“Will no. I am sick, remember?”
Will pouted.
“Fine then. I’ll be back at five, yeah?”
Mike smiled and nodded as Will pressed a kiss to his forehead instead.
He didn’t know how he got so lucky with Will Byers. He was a loser in his whole life for one. And then he had managed to bag Will Byers, his best friend of fifteen years and the art prodigy that galleries chased after. He was handsome, smart and had a cool job, which made omegas flock around him making Mike seethe with jealousy. But in the end, Will had chosen Mike, his childhood best friend over all the other options he had. It was the best thing that’s ever happened to him in his whole life.
“Please take care, Mike. And call me if you need anything,” Will called out as Mike closed the door. He turned around, smiling at Will and flew a kiss to him. Will pretended to catch it and stick it in his front pocket. Mike giggled, shaking his head.
It was sweet.
Sweet was one way to describe his life with Will Byers. He loved every second he spent with him, the soft mornings, the nightly sex and everything in between. His life was blissful. Except for the time he spent at his job.
Mike sighed as he entered their apartment and locked the door behind him. Will was paranoid about locking doors and he made Mike lock his door every time he was alone at their apartment.
Locking the door after him was a default setting for Mike now.
Mike slumped on the sofa and switched on the TV. He still felt somewhat queasy but there was no need for the toilet. He tipped his head back onto the sofa and closed his eyes, listening to the voices on the TV.
He must have fallen asleep.
Mike woke up, drenched in sweat and stomach clenching with hunger. He needed to eat something.
He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. They had eaten Chinese last night and there were some leftovers. He knew Will wouldn’t approve of him eating leftovers right after having a stomach bug but he was too lazy to fix something healthier for him. He sighed and took the containers out, suddenly his appetite lost.
And then the smell hit him.
Fuck.
He felt sick again.
He pressed his hand against his mouth, eyes watering.
Was greasy food making him sick?
And suddenly, everything hit him all at once.
The sickness, the nausea, and the feverishness. And his period was late as well.
Fuck.
There was no fucking way.
Breath, Mike. Will’s voice echoed in his head.
In, out. In, out.
That’s it.
Good omega.
Mike whirled around, shakily and walked towards the door. He needed to get to the drug store.
–
Mike stared at the test on his shaking hand. Tears blurred his vision as he kept staring at the two pink lines glaring at him.
No, it couldn’t be.
Mike shook as he took another and another and another.
Every time the result was the same.
The clock read 4.50 p.m..
Will would be here anytime.
Fuck. shit.
Why did Mike have to ruin everything every time?
He quickly grabbed the tests and hid them in the cabinet under the sink hastily. They rarely used them, so he would have a bit more time to hide them permanently from Will.
He whipped his head around as he heard Will’s car roll into their driveway.
Mike quickly slapped some water onto his face and hurried out to meet Will.
“Hey babe,” he whispered as he stepped forward and threw his arms around Will’s shoulders. Will hugged him back, wrapping his arms completely around Mike’s back and dipping his head into the crook of his neck breathing him in. They stayed like that for a while, swaying slightly as they enjoyed each other’s warmth. Mike let Will’s familiar scent engulf him completely, his omega preening with happiness.
“You smell so good, baby,” Will whispered into his hair.
“I smell gross. I didn’t even shower after I came back home,” Mike said. He was standing on his tiptoes as Will swayed them from side to side.
It was a miracle that Will had gotten taller than him after the growth spurt that hit him in his late teens, complementing his alpha status. Mike, on the other hand, had stopped growing after fourteen, when he presented omega. It had been so awkward between them at first, trying to navigate their friendship with their new found secondary genders. But eventually, they had found common ground between themselves.
And now they were in a relationship.
It was more than Mike could’ve imagined for himself.
And now he had to ruin it all by getting pregnant.
“You smell sweet,” Will breathed, his breath tickling Mike’s neck. He tightened his grip around Mike’s waist and lifted him off his feet and set him on the counter.
“Sweeter than ever,” Will sighed, his voice dreamy. He leaned in, pressing his mouth to Mike’s in a soft kiss, as he stepped between his legs.
“Will” Mike felt the hot rush of slick between his legs as Will continued to kiss him.
Fuck.
Mike’s toes curled inwards as he felt Will’s scent tenfold around him, releasing his alpha pheromones around him.
Will was so damn territorial.
The kitchen was silent save for the sound of their breathing and the hum of the refrigerator. Will’s hands were warm where they gripped Mike’s thighs, pulling him flush against his chest. The scent of pine and coffee grew heavy, thick with a protective, possessive edge that made Mike feel safe.
"Will," Mike gasped, his fingers tangling in the soft hair at the nape of Will’s neck. He wanted to disappear into the kiss, to let Will numb the frantic ticking of his brain.
Will pulled back just an inch, his eyes dark and searching. "You’re sure you’re okay? You still feel a little warm."
"I'm fine," Mike lied, the words tasting like copper in his mouth. He leaned forward, catching Will’s lower lip with his own, desperate to change the subject without speaking. "Just missed you."
Will made a low sound in his throat—a rumble of approval that vibrated through Mike’s entire frame.
Then suddenly he pulled back.
His eyes were on the food container next to Mike on the counter.
“Were you going to eat?”
“I–” Mike started sheepishly.
“You are not going to have leftovers while you are sick, Mike,” Will’s voice was stern.
Mike sighed and slumped against Will’s chest, pressing his ear onto his broad chest.
“Will,” he whined, “Stop yelling at me,”
Will sighed and stepped away from him.
“I’m going to make you some pasta,"
It was the end of discussion. He started preparing Mike’s favourite kind for him– pesto chicken pasta, while Mike sat on the counter where Will had left him. He sat there swinging his legs, as Will pressed an occasional kiss to his lips and fed him bites of carrot and cheese here and there.
Mike wondered how long he’ll be able to have these sweet moments in his life.
He knew Will won’t be mad at him for this, but he knew their relationship won’t be the same after this. Will was a star, a child prodigy turned great artist, doing show after show. His paintings sold one after another, millionaires buying them without a blink of an eye. He had an entire future ahead of him, a beautiful house and maybe a better omega for him. He was successful, with his whole life in front of him.
But Mike, on the other hand, was a fuckup. He was an intern at a shitty magazine, getting his manuscripts rejected from all the publishing companies he had contacted. He was not pretty either. He was not soft and gentle like other omegas. He was not the blueprint of an omega– he was loud and brash and whiny. He was moody as fuck, with a side of attitude that made his relatives raise their eyebrows at him. He was not sweet nor gentle. He was simply a mess.
And he didn’t dare drag Will into that mess with him by giving him a baby to deal with at twenty.
He might be a selfish bitch, but not enough to drag Will down with him.
Will had had enough. After all the drama with the Upside Down and Vecna, he really deserved this life. He deserved to be happy, to be successful.
“Earth to Mike,” Will said, handing Mike a plate of steaming pasta. Mike’s mouth watered in an instant. Maybe it was the effect of his alpha giving him food and their baby liking it– God. Their baby. He was going to grow a whole ass baby inside him.
He was going to grow a human being—a tiny, half-Will, half-Mike person—inside his own body.
Mike choked on his own spit and started coughing.
“Whoa, hey,” Will was there in a second, his hand broad and warm against Mike’s back. He rubbed gentle, rhythmic circles between Mike’s shoulder blades, his brow furrowed. “Easy, Mike. I haven't even fed you yet and you're already choking?”
Mike looked up, blinking back the moisture in his eyes. Will was smiling—that small, tender tilt of the lips he reserved only for Mike. He looked so happy just to be standing in their kitchen, taking care of him.
“You okay? Want me to feed you?” Will asked, his voice dropping into that low, soothing register that always made Mike’s knees go weak.
Mike looked at Will, watching the gentle smile on his face.
The thing was, Will loved feeding Mike. It made his alpha happy– feeding their omega with the food they made. It gave him a sense of providing, a primary alpha instinct that Mike kind of liked.
And he let him.
Will blew on a forkful of pasta gently before bringing it to Mike’s lips. Mike opened his mouth, the flavors exploding on his tongue, but his eyes never left Will’s. He watched the way Will’s expression shifted—intense, focused, his pupils slightly blown as he watched Mike chew and swallow. Will didn't even pick up a fork for himself; he was entirely consumed by the task of nourishing Mike.
Mike swallowed the bite, the warmth of the food settling in his stomach, right where that tiny, secret life was beginning to take hold. He leaned his forehead against Will’s shoulder for a second, hiding his face.
Mike sighed, thinking how long his luck will last.
–
Will
Will was acting strange.
He could feel it.
His alpha was acting weirder than ever.
He hummed low in his throat as he pulled Mike closer to him by his thighs, dipping his fingers into the soft flesh through the fabric of his pants. Mike had gotten thicker on the thighs, and softer on the hips recently. He was still the slip of an omega who looked like the wind might blow him away anytime, but there were these small changes Will had noticed. He noticed because he touched him everyday like this. He was obsessed with Mike, his body being the temple he worshipped everyday.
He slipped his hands under Mike’s sweater, gripping the tender flesh underneath. He loved the added softness on him.
Mike moaned as Will kissed his neck, inhaling the sweet smell of honeysuckle and sandalwood. He smelled extra sweet today, making his alpha go crazy the moment he entered the apartment.
He picked Mike off the counter, making him wrap his legs around him and walked into their bathroom with him. He suddenly felt Mike go tense against him.
“Something wrong?” he whispered to the air between them.
“N–no,”
“I’m just going to wash you. Is that okay?” he asked, setting Mike gently down on the marble sink. Mike nodded, smiling softly, his curls flopping forward his face.
And just like that, the sudden tension between them disappeared. Will brushed Mike’s curls away from his face, feeling the softness of his hair. Mike had grown it out, right after they moved into New York City. It now reached his shoulders, soft ringlets framing his face like an angel’s halo. He was beautiful in every sense of way and Will was the luckiest alpha on planet Earth to call him his.
He moved forward and tugged Mike’s sweater off his head, messing his curls. Mike let out a soft giggle in response as he hopped down from the sink and tugged off his pants, along with his boxers. He stood in front of Will in his naked glory.
Mike looked the prettiest like this, his alpha brain supplied.
Will rushed forward and captured his lips in a kiss that made Mike whimper. His hands grasped Mike’s hips, feeling the soft fleshiness of him.
Mike had grown.
Not vertically though.
He had grown in places– hips wider, chest softer and more filling, not like a woman’s but it was more softer than the hard pecs of an alpha. Will loved his sensitive nipples, which turned red every time he sucked and nibbled at them. He loved Mike’s soft stomach, burying his face every time anytime he got the chance.
Perhaps, maybe one day he would see it round, filled with pups, Will’s pups–
Fuck, he didn’t need to go there today. His alpha was weird enough today. He didn’t want to make it weirder for Mike.
Mike pressed his hands on his shoulders and tugged at his shirt.
“Off,” he breathed against his mouth, their hot breaths mingling. Will did as he was told, slipping his shirt off his shoulders and unbuckling his belt and dropping down his pants, along with his boxers.
They stared at each other, naked and intense.
Will could see the reflection of Mike’s back from the bathroom mirror. He stared at the curve of his ass, the round glutes that made him want to press and squeeze, the back dimples that made him go crazy.
“Fuck, c’mere,” he whispered, as he grabbed Mike and kissed him, open mouthed and hot, want searing inside him.
His head felt thick with want, to have Mike writhing under him, begging for his knot.
He felt Mike’s scent tenfold in the bathroom, giving him the sign he was producing slick.
Fucking hell.
He walked them to the shower stall, and pressed Mike against the wall, turning on the shower behind him.
He felt the initial cold water hit his back, as he shielded Mike from the sudden splash. Mike whimpered against his lips, hands wrapped around his neck as he tried to twist them around. Will adjusted the temperature blindly until it was perfect for them– for his omega, a feat he had loads of practice with, and then only he let Mike feel the water splash on him.
He broke off the kiss and stroked Mike’s body, his sides and his arms, his waist and his arse, and helped him get soaked enough. He then reached for the body wash on the rack, and squeezed a generous amount onto his palm.
Will then started lathering it all over Mike’s body, starting from his shoulders to arms, from his chest to belly, rubbing his hands in soothing motion. Mike was uncharacteristically quiet, soft breaths falling as he shampooed his own hair.
"You're so quiet, baby," Will murmured, his thumb tracing the line of Mike’s jaw before tilting his head up. Mike looked up at him, his brown eyes carrying weight.
"Tired?"
Mike nodded mutely.
He looked so vulnerable at that moment, soap suds streaming down his body with water, his huge eyes framed with thick lashes clumped with water, and lips swollen with their previous kissing.
Will had the sudden urge to protect.
It was stupid, because Mike didn’t exactly need his protection–
Wrong. He needs protection.
Will stared at Mike, as he quietly washed off the remaining shampoo and soap.
His skin looked ivory under the white light of their bathroom, standing out against the dark marble tiles.
Suddenly Will didn’t want him to go to the office the next day. He wanted to keep Mike on his bed, well-fed and rested. And filled with his–
What the fuck was wrong with him today?
He shook his head as he watched Mike grab the body wash himself and lather Will’s body himself. He was quick and efficient. His soft hands didn’t linger on his chest like the last time they did this, and they did their job.
It was clear that Mike was sick and tired and needed to be in bed quickly.
And his alpha was being stupid.
Will snapped out of his trance and quickly scrubbed himself free of soap. He turned off the shower and pulled Mike outside and grabbed a clean towel from the shelf. He wrapped it around Mike’s shoulders and grabbed a one for himself, wrapping it tightly around his waist.
Mike made a weak attempt to shuffle toward the door, his legs feeling like lead, but he didn't even reach the threshold before Will was there. In one fluid, possessive motion, Will swept him up. Mike let out a tiny, startled huff of air, his arms instinctively hooking around Will’s neck as he was carried down the short hallway.
Maybe his alpha was being extra protective because Mike is sick.
It had never happened before, but it was the only explanation Will could have. He set Mike on the fluffy rug in their bedroom and scouted the room for clothes. He found an old t-shirt of his for Mike and slipped it over his head. The t-shirt was large on him, falling to his thighs and the stretched neckline revealing the pale, elegant curve of his collarbones.
Will stepped back, and the breath left his lungs.
Mike looked soft.
It was like Mike had walked out from the textbook about omegas, looking soft and fluffy with the sweetest scent. Will could see his soft thighs peeking underneath his shirt, and his slender arms hanging from his sides.
He was the most beautiful person Will had the fortune to lay his eyes upon.
The sweetest and the prettiest omega.
Will advanced on him and pulled Mike against himself, his heart lurching in his chest, feeling his alpha rumble with approval. He pressed his face into Mike’s wet curls, inhaling the sweet scent, now mixed with Will’s after the shower. It felt too good to be true.
He placed Mike gently on the bed and hurriedly put on his boxers, getting ready to sleep with him.
Well, not with him.
Tonight, everything felt soft and Mike was tired and sick. He didn’t want to exhaust his omega even more.
He climbed on to the bed beside Mike and pulled him against him, pressing his back against Will’s chest. He placed a hand on Mike’s stomach, watching the way it splayed over his abdomen, almost covering it. Mike let out a soft whimper, as he placed his own hand over Will’s, slender and delicate. Everything about Mike screamed delicate, almost as if he would break if Will squeezed him harder.
Will sighed as he pressed his lips to Mike’s shoulder in a sweet kiss.
–