Chapter Text
The wedding breakfast had been held in the Wheeler’s house. It was full of chatter not too long ago.
Sadly most of the people usually chats with during events weren’t invited. Will recognized mostly everyone, but he isn’t close enough to just start talking like nothing.
Mike seems to have no trouble with that, since he is just having so much fun talking to the only people Will doesn’t really know.
A redhead being one of them. Probably a friend of Nancy’s that Will never got to properly meet. Her and Mike look deep in conversation, and Will cannot stop thinking about Mike’s father comment.
Why shouldn’t Mike just marry a woman? Why would Mike marry him?
To distract himself, Will got to talk to some people he hadn’t seen in a while. Agryle, a friend of Johnathan’s from Scotland being one of them.
The better part of the event went away in that conversation, and guests started leaving after what seemed like a long conversation that Will wasn’t really paying much attention to.
Everyone had left after some time that the couple had gone their way.
Now the only remaining people were the couple’s families.
Mike hadn’t spoken to Will at all, and Will wanted to change that. It’s unusual for Mike to not speak to him, even when angry he always spoke to him.
This time it was different, Will had been sitting by right next to him for hours and not one word was directed at him.
Yet, Mike still made it clear that though mad, he still somehow cared for Will.
Will couldn’t understand it, even after their argument, even with the things he said, Mike still made space for him. He also noticed just how much closer Mike and him had grown, now that Mike was the one putting space between them, Will felt hollow everywhere he went.
Will can see Mike staring at his garden from one of the many balconies the room offered. before he could overthink it, Will decides to head over.
When he opens the window door to where Mike is standing, Mike turns around at the sound.
Will studies Mike’s face, that is unreadable form where he stands.
“Can we talk?” Will manages to say, his voice quiet.
Will can see Mike bite his lip from the inside, but he continues after Mike nods, “I miss you.”
Will knows he didn’t say anything too important, or too deep. Out of the two, Will had never been good with words.
“I know I’m that isn’t much, but I’m sorry.” Will steps closer, Mike doesn’t move.
“What I want to know is why you would think I could ever leave you?” Mike finally speaks up, and Will hadn’t noticed until now how much he wanted to hear Mike again.
“I thought maybe you could have a better life.” Will admits, looking off to the side, “I see now that I should t just assume what you think, that I should believe in you more.”
When Will looks back at Mike, he seems to be studying Will’s face, “I love you, and I’m sorry I tried to choose for you. Can you please forgive me?”
“Of course I do.” Mike says, yet looks elsewhere, “I’m just, I don’t know, frustrated that you would think I can just replace you.”
Will stands guiltily, “Mike, you have everything ahead of you, you’re a Duke, you have so much to look forward to. I just thought that maybe being with me could ruin that.”
“I don’t care about any of that.” Mike says quickly, “You know I’ve never cared about any of that.”
“Why?”
“Because all that means nothing without you.” Mike takes Will’s hand on his own, “Will, being a Duke, will not bring me happiness.”
Mike explains when Will doesn’t answer, “My parents have everything, but they aren’t happy. If I were to marry someone I don’t love, I would end up like them. Why do you think I couldn’t bring myself to marry last year?”
“Just- maybe you could.” Will says, not really trusting his own voice, “I mean, you heard your father, you should be next to marry, you can’t do that with me.”
Mike pulls his hand away, “Will, just- whatever”
Will takes a step forward, but Mike moves away, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
He tries to make eye contact but Mike looks away, so he continues, “Can we just, start over.”
“It wouldn’t matter anyway.” Mike looks sharply at Will, “It seems anything I say just goes over your head.”
“Mike, please-“
But Will stops, because he isn’t sure of what he wants to ask. What? To please understand that Will gets in on his head and doesn’t think he deserves Mike? To please just stand by as he figures out his own feelings?
Mike’s jaw clenched, and with a look Will can tell that Mike isn’t really mad. He isn’t even a tad angry, he understands, but he doesn’t want to. If anything Mike looks a bit sad, or even disappointed, but not angry.
Before Will can say anything else, Mike walks past him.
“You said that?” Robin asks incredulously.
It has been more common for the both of them to get together to just chat, since it’s so easy for them to not stand out. Will has come over at least twice a week as of lately.
He used to get very nervous before, like maybe he shouldn’t annoy her with all his troubles. But Robin seems to enjoy it quite a lot, and she has opened up with him as well.
“I shouldn’t have.” Will admits, shifting uncomfortably where he sits, “I know, but it is true, he was going to marry.”
“Yet he didn’t.” Robin states, taking a sip of her tea, “Will, I’ve never seen that man look at anyone the way he looks at you.”
Will tilts his head, confused. Robin notices so she explains, “He looks at you as if you were water in the middle of the desert.”
Now he gets a little more confused at the analogy, but he chuckles at the comparison.
“So Mike looks… thirsty?”
Robin laughs fully at that, “That’s not what I meant.”
Will is still smiling at the fact, but Robin explains once she calms down, “Not at all, just he stares at you like you’re his lifeline, and you’re the only one who can make him like that.”
Will likes the thought of that, but his smile falters, “Well, it doesn’t matter anymore, we’re not speaking.”
“You will.”
“You don’t know that.”
Robin squints her eyes, “Trust me, he can’t stay away from you.”
“I don’t know,” Will shifts, “he seemed pretty upset.”
“Look, in two days you both will be here hunting with the men, maybe there you can just talk things over. If anything goes wrong I’ll be here.”
“Thank you.”
Their conversation shifts after that, but Will still feels out of place. Insecure on what could happen next.
He knows it’s only been a day since he last spoke to Mike, but he truly can’t get this feeling off his chest. Will really doesn’t know why he can’t just let himself be loved by Mike.