Story's on archive so you can read here (chapters)

redamancy

The pack house feels oddly empty without anyone else moved in yet.

Mike walks from open doorway to open doorway, his footsteps nearly silently on the hardwood flooring as he takes in each curtained window, each neatly-made bed, each space that lacks the scent of the inhabitants who used to live here. Even the alphas' scents have faded from their spaces, which only makes his nose wrinkle in distaste as he shakes his head. It's just a matter of time before everyone else moves back in, and then everything will be right with the world.

Well, they need to do some room shuffling. He isn't exactly sure what's going on with Eleven and Max given that Mike has already reclaimed the room he used to share with El, and he has no intentions of giving that up to anyone.

Eddie's room is right next door. That means Will's room is right next door.

That would be a good thing to think about. A positive thing. The fact that his best friend in the entire world has someone who loves him and dotes on him, and that someone in question is someone that Mike knows he can trust explicitly. When it came right down to it, Eddie has never let him down, not one time. Not even when the Demobats nearly killed him a second time.

Everything he did was important, and he was never afraid to sacrifice himself for the pack, for Will. So he's a perfect fit. Who better to stand by Will's side than the one person who quite literally, nearly died just to save him?

So then why does it fucking bother me so much that he's with Eddie now?

An irritated, huff of a growl leaves Mike's lips as he heads downstairs, following the distinct scent of fresh-brewed coffee. Robin and Vickie are supposed to move in this afternoon, which means Argyle will be coming with them; he's supposed to take up the room that Nancy and Jonathan are leaving behind. It doesn't surprise Mike that they aren't moving back in, given... Everything that's happened and is going on. It's better for them to be with Joyce.

Better for Jonathan, and the pup. Better for Nancy, too, even if she did say she made up with Steve. Better for all of them if there's no more arguing.

Steve is standing at the kitchen counter when Mike creeps into the room. "Hey."

"Hi." Mike nods toward the coffee pot, and Steve arches an eyebrow at him, hands wrapped around his own steaming mug. "You make enough to share?"

"Always do. When did you start drinking coffee, though?" Steve sets his mug down and retrieves another from the cabinet before Mike can do it himself. He sets it down next to the pot but knows better enough to let Mike pour his own. "Creamer's in the refrigerator. You have a rough night last night?"

Mike debates answering him as he darts to the fridge, picking through the couple containers of creamer to find the one he wants. "I'm just worried about Will. I know he's fine. He's with Eddie. But I'm still worried about him."

"Mm. I was wondering." Steve's body tenses up just slightly, and he picks up his coffee and takes a sip. Notably, he doesn't ask what Mike is worried about.

Will is a difficult subject between the two of them, and he has been for the last year. The moment Steve voted no for the first time, he and Mike stopped seeing eye to eye on most things. Rationalizing decisions as what was best for the pack was often just the right thing to do in most cases, but Mike struggled to really just be okay with his pack alpha telling him they couldn't go save Will.

Even as the days passed. Even as the months ticked by. Even as Mike became more and more sure they were wasting time, he had to respect the pack's decision until the very end, and he really regrets bothering with that.

"It's just rut," Mike says. He knows Steve is uncomfortable and honestly does not give a shit. Not right now. He needs to get this out of his system before he does something stupid like ride his bike to Eddie's trailer to demand to see Will. "And I'm sure Eddie is treating him well. Like, it's Eddie, you know?"