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“Max!”
Will was racing out the car before he even realised what he was doing. As soon as he got close enough, he threw his arms around her, unable to keep the beam off his face. He squeezed her tightly, as she laughed, before pulling back to really look at her.
“So, I leave you for a second and you turn into a sorcerer?” Were her first words to him. The first time they’d spoken since he’d left for Lenora.
Will smiled shyly, ducking his head in embarrassment, before looking back up at her. “It was a little more than a second and I’m not really a sorcerer.” It wasn’t the first time people had said it, but he still didn’t really believe it. He wasn’t a sorcerer. He was just…Will.
“Hmm, it sure seemed like it to me.”
The pair of them smiled, before Lucas asked Max is she’d be up for a tour. She nodded, smiling softly, even as she could feel the tears welling up.
God, the last time she’d seen Will, her brother had just died. Back then, he’d been this scrawny kid with a bowlcut, who had the biggest heart out of all of them. And look at him now. She barely recognised him. It wasn’t just the height, or the muscles or even the hair. It was the way he’d smiled at her. The way he moved. Like he’d become more confident in himself. Like he wasn’t nearly as afraid as she was, despite everything he’d been through.
After her conversation with Lucas about Holly, Max stayed quiet, just taking everything in. Around them, everyone seemed so focused, so sure of themselves. They moved with a purpose. She stared down at her hands, not even able to move them. How could she be of any help like this? As grateful as she was to be free, eternally so, she was petrified about the future. About Holly. About all of the kids.
“Max, you okay?”
It was Will who noticed first. As he made his way towards her and crouched down, brow furrowed in concern, she was taken back to the past. Back when he’d always been the first one to check how the others were doing. When he’d left, everything got worse. Not just because of Billy, but because Will and El were gone. She lost her best friend that day. But the Party lost something worse. The glue that kept them all together. Because out of all of them, Will was the one they all cared about the most. Especially Mike. Even if they’d never admit it.
“I will be. I think.” Will smiled at her. She stared. Unable to help herself, she asked “So are we gonna talk about what happened with you?”
Will blinked. “With me?”
“With all of this. I’m gesturing to all of you by the way.” God it sucked not being able to move.
Will cocked his head. Max glanced behind him, noticing Mike of all people had stopped working and was just staring at the pair of them. Or rather, she squinted, he wasn’t staring at her at all. He was staring at Will. She stared as his eyes seemed to drift lower and lower, before he suddenly seemed to realise what he was doing. His eyes widened then shot back up, widening even further as he noticed her stares. He quickly looked away, cheeks turning red.
‘You son of a bitch.’ Max thought to herself.
Oblivious, Will continued to stare at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Max’s attention snapped back to him and she sighed. The kind of sigh she gave when she wasn’t really annoyed, but she was pretending to be because that’s the kind of attitude everyone expected of her. “Dude, you got hot. Like, seriously hot.”
Will gaped at her, his own cheeks turning red. A nice match for Mike who’d still not returned to his normal colour. “I what? N-N-No I didn’t!”
Max laughed, genuinely laughed for what felt like the first time in a long time. “Wheeler! Back me up here. Didn’t Will become a total stud?”
Mike choked, instantly drawing everyone’s attention to him. Max smirked, unable to help herself. “Some help you are. Lucas!” Immediately Lucas joined her side, crouching down next to Will. “Do you think Will got hot?”
Lucas glanced at Will, then nodded without hesitation. “Sure.” No arguing, no thinking about it even. Like it was just another fact of life. “Totally hot, dude. I mean…you do remember the bowlcut, don’t you?”
Will groaned, before standing up. Behind them, Mike continued to stare, ignorant of the looks now being passed around behind him by some of the others.
“Seriously Lucas? You too?” Will whined.
It should have been annoying. Had Wheeler been the one whining in his place, Max would have been sure to give him hell for it. But with Will, she just felt a rush of fondness. A warmth filled her chest, forcing her to realise just how empty she’d felt since waking up.
“Well, it’s true, man. I mean, think about it from Max’s point of view. She hasn’t seen you for like two years. And back then you were kind of cute, but like super awkward and still trying to figure shit out. Now…well now you’ve figured it out.” Lucas shrugged, like this was a normal conversation for them to be having. “Plus, the new hair has been a big improvement.”
Around the room, the others nodded in agreement, not even pretending like they were no longer listening. “See?” Max smirked as Will let out another quiet groan.
“Come on guys, it was not that bad.” Will tried.
“Yes, it was.” Everyone chorused.
Will gaped at them, looking like he had no clue how to react. Unable to help herself, Max asked Will to hold her hand. He crouched down again, agreeing immediately with no hesitation. Max’s smile softened into something gentler. “Will, I say this as your friend. As someone who right now is probably your biggest fan. There are three facts I have about you. One, you are one of the nicest, kindest people I have ever met.”
Will blinked, eyes already welling with tears. Lucas kindly placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him steady.
“Two, if it wasn’t for you, I would be dead. You’re a hero. My hero. Our sorcerer.”
That was true. That was so, so true and yet it seemed like Will still wasn’t understanding just how much that meant to her.
Will pressed his lips together, clearly trying not to cry.
“And three?” She paused for dramatic effect, well aware that everyone’s eyes were now on them. With Mike’s remaining fixated on Will. “You are so fucking hot, it’s not even funny.”
At those words, Dustin cackled, quickly followed by the rest of the room. Breaking the tension that had been steadily building ever since they had arrived.
“Oh my god, you’re the worst!” Will was crying, but also laughing. He leaned forward to hug her again, even tighter this time.
“And you’re the best. Seriously. Don’t ever forget that.” She told him, quietly this time so the others wouldn’t overhear. Will sobbed, squeezing her one last time, before pulling away and releasing her hand. As he did, he wiped her cheek with a tissue. She was crying. She hadn’t even realised.
“Hey uh, you okay?” Lucas, the best thing that ever happened to her, smiled at her. Through tears, she grinned.
“Not yet. But I’m getting there.” She admitted. His gaze softened, as he took her hand in his. “Thank you. For everything.”
Lucas smiled, his own eyes watering.
“Here.” Will’s quiet voice interrupted them both, as he held out another tissue to Lucas. “I should probably get more.” With that, he left them to it, scrubbing at his cheeks as Mike immediately swooped in to comfort him.
Max stared at the two of them, frowning in confusion. “What’s his deal?”
Lucas snorted, wiping at his eyes, then hers until they were both somewhat presentable. “He and El broke up a while back. Before shit got too real. He’s back to being Will’s Mike again. Like when we were kids.”
“Will’s Mike?” She asked, unwilling to say anything more. She’d had her suspicions about Will. Now, she was starting to wonder about Mike too.
“Yeah. Gotta be honest, I think Mike’s gonna make a move soon.”
Max blinked, stunned. Had he just…? She turned back to the other two. Eyeing the way Mike kept his arm wrapped around Will, as the pair whispered amongst themselves. Finally, after an awkward silence, she found her voice again.
“Well damn. Sure, took him long enough.”
Lucas snorted.