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It had been about a week since Will was added to the Max and Lucas unit. Not much had changed for the now throuple, Will and Lucas just started doing couple-y things. Will still went red in the face every time Lucas kissed him and Lucas still felt giddy every time Will held his hand. Max watched every instance with glee.
It was all so fresh and Will was anxious. He still sat in his same spot on the couch until Lucas dragged him to snuggle close to him like Max does, he worried when he initiated a kiss with Lucas for the first time, only to be lifted in the air and spun by the taller man, it just seemed like he wasn't sure about himself.
Lucas and Max were determined to fix that.
Lucas had previously made a habit that whenever he had practice he'd kiss Max on the forehead before he left. "For good luck." He said the first time he did it, Max rolled her eyes at it but never complained. Lucas quickly added Will to this ritual. One day he slung his bag on his shoulder, pressed a kiss on Max's forehead, walked over to Will on the couch, and planted a matching kiss on Will's cheek.
"What was that for?" Will asked, face flushed.
"Luck." Lucas answered simply, tapping his gym bag. Max gave snarky smile.
"He does that before every practice, better get used to it." She advised as she flipped the page of her book. "You should probably prepare for the 'good luck' make out sessions before games." She gestured air quotes besides the words 'good luck.'
Will blushed a bit harder. Lucas laughed, "Hey it works! Haven't lost a game yet." He threw a wink towards Will before walking out the door.
Will felt honored to be part of the tradition and couldn't stop grinning about it the rest of the day.
The next step the pair took to get Will to settle in was a cheesy one, suggested by Lucas of course. Lucas had bought packs of sticky notes. "What class is this for?" Max observed as she passed by Lucas scribbling on a yellow one at the table.
Lucas looked up from the paper and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "It's not for a class." He said sheepishly. "I thought it'd be fun to write little notes to Will and put them around his room."
"God, you're corny." Max chided and sat at the table, Lucas feigned an offended sound. "I remember when you put index cards in my locker like this." She fondly teased.
"Yeah, and you made fun of me for it, but I saw it hanging in your room a week later." Lucas reminisced and bumped his shoulder into Max's softly.
"Yeah, yeah." Max shook her head. "You gonna pass me some sticky notes or what?" She grabbed a sharpie and poked Lucas with the cap.
That night Will shambled into the apartment after work, dead on his feet. He had spent the day sanitizing tattoo guns, chairs, counters and checking in people over confident in their ability in getting jabbed with needles for hours on end. A particular customer came to mind, he bragged that he never flinched at anything. He was crying like a baby before ink even touched his skin.
Will was barely able to kick off his shoes before he was pulled by his need for sleep to his room. He flicked the light on and was surprised by a piece of paper hanging off the switch. He furrowed his brow and peeled the yellow scrap off. It read, "You light up my life!" Will laughed through his nose. He looked around his room and noticed little flashes of color all around, each a different mushy note.
One on his mirror that said, "Lookin' good!" with a winky face. Another on his camera, "I could 'picture' us together." On the easel, "You're 'easy' on the eyes." His charcoal pencils, "I'm 'drawn' to you." Each note sappier than the last and Will loved each one. Will had a stupid grin on his face and a stomach full of butterflies. His draining day was forgotten instantly.
Will gathered all the notes, held the stack close to his chest, and flopped backwards on the bed. He felt heat radiating off his cheeks. God, he loved them, and he knew exactly how to show it.
In the morning, Lucas and Max walked into the kitchen and were greeted by a big heart made up of sticky notes on the table, one off to the side. Lucas picked it up and smiled. It simply read,
"You made my day. - love, Will."
Another one of Lucas and Max's efforts came from the latter on a random night. "You should just sleep in our bed." She had told Will one night as he headed to sleep.
"And why's that?" He yawned out. He wore a band tee and a pair of flannel pajama pants.
"Because you're cute in your Clash shirt and I want to spoon my boyfriend." Lucas countered for Max.
Will scoffed a chuckle at the compliment. "I would but that bed is already too small for you two."
"How would you know that?" Max questioned through a yawn of her own.
Will gave her an incredulous look. "I know because of the amount of times Lucas complained about you pushing him out of it." He recalled with a smirk. Max gawked at Lucas and he rolled his eyes. "Good night, love you." Will called as he retreated to his room. Max and Lucas gave each other a scheming smile.
After classes the next day Will was lead through the apartment with Lucas covering his eyes while Max held his hands to steer him. "Is this really necessary?" Will giggled out.
"Oh, totally." Max tried to convince but her voice was laden with sarcasm. She pushed the door open to her and Lucas' room. " 'Kay, open them." She instructed.
Lucas removed his palms from Will's adjusting eyes. He was greeted by the sight of Max plopping down onto a huge bed. It was decorated with the old bed's blankets accompanied by Will's many thick quilts and patch work pillows. "You guys-?" He gasped.
Lucas grabbed Will's hand and dragged the both of them onto the bed next to Max. The three were able to spread out and still have room. They laid there for a moment, staring at the ceiling. Then a quiet sob was heard in the silent room. Both Lucas and Max immediately turned to the man between them who had a hand covering his mouth.
"Hey," Lucas shuffled to hug Will close. "You okay?" He swiped a tear from Will's cheek with his thumb.
Will nodded weakly. "Yeah, I just-" He choked up. "You two doing all this for me," He sniffed, Max moved to hold Will's hand. "I don't know, I got overwhelmed by how loved I felt." He chuckled lightly and brought his free hand to wipe his eyes, the other two laughed alongside him.
Lucas grasped the hand on Will's face and kissed his knuckles. "Get used to it Byers, we're gonna treat you like a prince from here on out." Lucas assured and got a lighthearted scoff from Will.
"You think we're joking, we're gonna be so sickeningly sweet to you, you're gonna end up with cavities." Max added as she scooted closer to Will, slinging an arm across him which ended up on Lucas' shoulder. "You're stuck with us now." Max sighed and Lucas hummed in agreement.
Will's chest felt so warm and light, he couldn't help the goofy smile that spread across his face. Soothed by Lucas' fingers smoothing over his cheek absentmindedly and Max's soft breathing, Will settled deeper into the new mattress, closed his eyes, and let the love wash over him.
Will's old room transformed into an art studio, hosting nothing more than canvases, paint, and a cold bed. Will was now warmed in the other room, in a tangle of limbs of blankets, and he wouldn't have it any other way.