Work Text:
Goodbye, California.
Hawkins, I have returned.
It appears the choice to leave wasn’t wrong.
And I’m not afraid to say goodbye.
Because I’ve been in the right place all along.
Will sings to himself as he dusts the corners of his wall near his desk, pushing himself up with one hand to reach the stubborn cobweb that refuses to flee with the motions of the duster.
He carefully climbs on top of his desk and sits on his knees as he moves the duster along the top of the wall.
And if only you could understand-
The door opens abruptly and a loud voice rings through the room.
“WILL!”
Will screams and falls off his desk, dropping the duster in the process. He hits his head on his bed and bounces off, grunting as his back hits the floor.
He looks up at a pair of blue eyes looking down on him with eyebrows curved upwards.
“Max!” Will cries, pushing himself off the ground and stumbling to his feet. “What are you doing?! How did you get here?”
“I had a sleepover with El last night,” the redhead simply responds.
He blinks. “Oh.”
“What are you doing?” Max raises a brow at his disoriented figure, eyeing the duster he picks up from where it landed on the floor after bouncing off the table.
Will blushes. “Um, I’m just… cleaning.”
Max has an amused look on her face. “While singing?”
He licks his lips, hesitating. “It-” He sighs. “It makes it better. Actually worth doing.”
The redhead shrugs, humming. “I can’t argue with that.” She sits on his bed. “Listen, I have an idea to offer you.”
Will raises an eyebrow, pulling his chair back in front of his desk and sitting in it. “I’m listening.”
“You want Mike to notice you, right?”
He blinks at the straightforward question, stunned by her audacity. He takes a moment to respond.
“What?”
“Don’t act dumb, Will. Do you want Mike to notice you or not?”
“Notice what?”
“You, Will! You want him to notice you!”
Will’s face turns a little red, and she smirks, smug as ever.
“It’s completely obvious.”
He sighs. No point in hiding what’s already revealed.
“Yes,” he admits, drawing out a long breath. “Yeah, I do- want him to.”
Max nods. “So I have a proposition.”
Will raises a brow. “Ok? And?”
“You want Mike to notice you and give you the attention you’ve been longing for since forever, right? Well, I have a way for you to get his attention.” She pauses dramatically. Will’s about to tell her to go on before she continues. “I pretend to flirt with you in front of him.”
His eyes widen and his mouth drops open slightly. “Wh- what?”
Max nods, grinning cheekily. Will blinks twice.
“F- flirt with me?”
She nods again. “Yes. Flirt with you.”
“Why?”
“You want Mike’s attention. Plus, this way you won’t look desperate for it.”
Will blinks again. “But-”
“If he sees you being flirted with, especially by a girl, he’ll notice and get jealous. This is your chance to give him a taste of his own medicine.”
Will swallows. “But- but what if he gets really mad?”
Max shrugs. “That’s the point. You’re tired of being jealous of him and El. He’ll get mad that I’m flirting with you. He’ll start paying more attention to you, and I’ll be getting a kick out of his reaction. We all win.”
The boy stares at the girl in silence.
She smiles at him. “So? Are you in?”
Will continues looking at her for a moment, pondering her suggestion. It’s crazy, it’s absolutely crazy. But it just might work.
He wets his lips with his tongue. “O- ok.”
Max perks up a little and hops off his bed.
“Great!” She checks her watch. “We’re all meeting up at 12:00. So I’ll be flirting with you all day.”
Will purses his lips. “Great.” His eyes suddenly widen.
“What?”
“What- what about Lucas?”
Max shrugs. “What about him?”
Will licks his lips again. It’s a habit he started developing when he gets nervous.
“What- what is he gonna think? What if he gets mad? What if he yells at you? What if he hates me? What if he hates us? What if-”
“Woah, slow down,” Max interrupts, gesturing with her hands. “Lucas isn’t gonna yell or hate us. It’s simply a joke and to piss Mike off.”
“Yeah, but are we gonna tell them it’s just a joke?”
Max pauses, pondering his question. “We’ll tell them eventually.” She pauses again. “No, you know what? We’ll tell El and Dustin that it’s just pretend.”
Will blinks. “But we’re not telling Lucas?”
She shakes her head.
“But what if he gets mad?” Will hesitates. “I- I mean- if he doesn’t know that it’s just a prank, he might get mad. And- and what if he-”
“Will, relax,” Max interrupts again. Will closes his mouth. “Lucas isn’t gonna do anything. He’ll have to figure it out at some point. Plus, it’s not like he’s gonna hold a grudge against us either way.” She puts her hands on her hips. “We got a deal? Are you down?”
The Byers boy hesitates, then sighs. “Ok, I- I guess. Let’s do it.”
Max smiles and puts her hand out for a handshake. Her smile grows as he takes her hand.
“You got a nice, firm handshake.”
Will licks his lips again. “Hey, I thought we had to wait until we were in front of everyone else.”
Max shakes her head. “Nope. It’s all day. Starting now.”
He blows air through his cheeks. “Fine. But if I start blushing, it’s your fault.”
She grins, squinting her eyes teasingly. “You’ve already started.”
Will fights the urge to bury his face in his hands. He groans quietly instead.
“God. This is already embarrassing.”
Max snorts softly, finally releasing his hand and putting them back on her hips.
“This is surprisingly easy.”
Will checks his watch. “Can we just go already? It’s almost 12:00.”
Max hums. “Someone’s eager to start this challenge, I see.”
He bites his lip. “No. I’m just ready to meet up with the others already.”
She shrugs. “If you say so.” She turns and starts leaving his room. He follows.
They walk to Eleven’s room and Max knocks.
“El, are you ready? We’re leaving now.”
Eleven opens her door and nods. “Yeah, I’m ready.” She slips her shoes on and grabs a jacket.
The three start walking to the front door.
“Do you wanna tell El now?” Max whispers. Will nods. “Hey, El?”
The brunette nods, turning her head to look at the redhead.
“So, Will and I are doing this thing. Essentially, I’m gonna be flirting with him all day in front of Mike to make him mad.”
Eleven’s eyebrows raise, clearly surprised.
“Wait, what?”
“I’m gonna be flirting with Will to make Mike jealous,” Max elaborates.
“But why?”
“Because Will wants his attention and this is the only way to get it.”
Eleven blinks, processing the words. After a second, she nods.
“You don’t mind, right?” Max asks. “I know you and Mike broke up, but would it bother you to see him trying to get Will’s attention?”
The other girl shakes her head. “No, it won’t bother me. I know Will likes Mike and I think Mike kind of likes him too. Plus we’re broken up so it doesn’t matter anymore.”
Will, unfortunately, finds himself walking between the two girls. His face heats up a tad when Eleven mentions that she knows he likes Mike and that Mike might like him a little bit too, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Was it your idea?” Eleven asks, eyes focused on the redhead. “Or was it Will’s?”
“It was my idea,” Max confirms, smiling proudly.
Eleven nods with a small hum.
“Well, we’ll see how it goes, I guess.”
Max nods back and the three continue walking in silence.
They walk to the park where they’re all meeting up. They arrive and see Mike, Lucas and Dustin already sitting and waiting at a table.
Max waves and gets two waves from Dustin and Lucas in return.
“Hey, guys,” she says brightly, unusually happier than she usually is.
Mike and Dustin exchange a look from this, but Lucas grins bigger.
“Hey, Max. Will. El.”
Will gives a small wave and Eleven beams.
“Hi!” She says.
The three newcomers invite themselves to sit at the table with the other three.
“What do you guys wanna do?” Lucas asks.
Dustin shrugs. “We could just hang out. Or go to the arcade, maybe?”
“The arcade sounds fun,” Max says. “Let’s go.” She hops off the table and starts walking in the direction of the arcade.
The others get up and follow. Max falls back to purposely walk beside Will. He thinks nothing of it, holding his breath for whenever she’s gonna start this game.
Max turns her head and looks at Will’s figure walking beside her. The sun is beaming down, casting a nice glow of Will’s hazel eyes. Even with his head facing forward and not at her, Max can see the mix of the light brown and green in his eyes.
“Wow, Will,” she says in a soft voice, loud enough for the others to hear. A tiny smile tugs on her face. “You have pretty eyes.”
Her comment gets noticed by Lucas and Dustin as they glance back, checking Will’s eyes out themselves, as if testing Max’s claim.
The Byers boy smiles a little at the redhead’s observation.
“Oh. Thanks.”
He turns his head and catches Mike’s eyes. Mike’s trying to catch his own glimpse of Will’s eyes, also testing Max’s comment. But he holds his gaze longer on Will than Lucas or Dustin did.
Will looks away but he can still feel Mike’s gaze on him until Mike finally looks away and focuses back on the ground in front of him as his long legs carry him in the direction of the arcade.
The group of six finally reach the arcade. As they walk inside and head in the direction of the games, Max grabs Dustin’s arm and holds him back. He furrows his brows and opens his mouth to protest, but she quickly interrupts.
Eleven lingers beside them as Mike, Will and Lucas walk ahead.
“Listen,” Max whispers to Dustin, watching as the other three approach a game. “I’m gonna be flirting with Will today to see how Mike reacts. El already knows, but Mike and Lucas don’t. So don’t tell them.”
Dustin blinks, furrowing his brows further. “What?” He whispers back. “You’re… you’re flirting with Will? Why?”
She rolls her eyes. “I told you. To make Mike mad and jealous. We all know how he acts whenever someone tries to hit on Will.”
“Does Will know you’re doing this?”
“Yeah, I told him the plan. Eleven knows too. Now so do you. Just don’t tell the other two.”
“Why aren’t you telling Lucas?”
Max shrugs. “To see how he reacts, I guess. Maybe he’ll get mad too.”
Dustin blinks. “Um, ok. So… so we just have to watch you awkwardly flirt with Will and not say anything? All day?”
The redhead nods. “Exactly.”
The curly-haired boy sighs, shaking his head. “Alright, fine. It’s weird. But I won’t say anything.”
“If they ask you about it, either of you,” Max looks between him and Eleven. “Just pretend like you don’t know what’s going on.”
Dustin and Eleven nod and the three walk over to the boys at one of the arcade games.
Lucas groans as his character on the screen dies. He grumbles and gets up, then stands in Will’s spot as the latter sits in the chair.
The group stand around and watch as Will plays the game. He’s doing pretty well.
“You’re good at this game,” Max tells him.
Will bites his lip into a smile, feeling slightly embarrassed, but also staying focused on the game.
“Thanks, Max.”
The game starts getting a little harder. But Will handles it like a pro. Dodging enemies and swinging without missing. Everyone hums, impressed.
“Wow,” Max starts, eyes filled with awe as she watches. “You’re awesome at this, Will.”
He purses his lips into a smile and wills himself not to flinch when she puts her hand on his shoulder.
“Um, thanks, Max.”
“Yeah,” Mike starts, side-eyeing Max as she touches Will’s shoulder and ignoring the raw awe and admiration in her voice. “You’re pretty good.”
Will smiles a little, and he feels his chest get a little warm. “Thanks, Mike.”
They continue playing this game for a few minutes before they move onto another one. As they stand around Dustin playing the new game, Max brushes her arm against Will’s. He stiffens a little and his breath catches in his throat from the sudden contact. One thing that he’s learned about this challenge is that he’s constantly aware of his surroundings when Max is next to him, not knowing when she’s gonna do something.
The redhead looks up at him and giggles softly.
“You know, Will, I never realized how tall you are.”
He looks down at her and chuckles quietly.
“Yeah, I guess I’m kinda tall.” He shrugs, finding it in himself to tease her a little. “Well, you’re just short.”
Max grins, pleasantly surprised by his remark. She nudges him with her elbow, getting a nudge in return.
“I’m not that short,” she argues playfully. She looks at the boy in the game chair. “Dustin’s as tall as me.”
Will shrugs. “Then you’re both short.”
The curly-haired boy scoffs and rolls his eyes, turning in the chair. “Yeah, yeah, I’m short. I got it.” He gets up and glares at Will. “I miss the times when you were smaller than all of us.”
The latter chuckles. “Yeah, I remember. I don’t miss that.”
Lucas and Mike share a look as they follow the gang to another game.
“Do you think they’re…” Lucas looks at Will and Max for a second. “Acting weird?”
Mike nods. “Yeah. Why is Max acting like that? She seems happy. Like, happier than usual.”
Lucas nods. “Yeah. Will’s acting kind of weird too. Like almost embarrassed every time she talks.” He shrugs. “Whatever. They’re just weird, I guess.”
The Wheeler boy looks at the boy and girl in front of them. He decides to open his mouth and speak up.
“Hey, Will!”
The Byers boy stops in his tracks and turns to face him.
“Are you having fun?”
Will nods. “Yeah, I am.”
Mike nods back, a tiny smile on his face. “Feels like a while since we’ve been at the arcade, huh?”
Will nods again. “Yeah. I missed it. The arcade in California didn’t feel like the one in Hawkins.”
“We barely went to the arcade in California,” Eleven cuts in.
“Rink-O-Mania had an arcade,” Mike says, memory serving right.
“Yeah, but we mostly went to Rink-O-Mania for skating,” Eleven retorts.
Mike shrugs and Will chuckles softly.
“El’s got a point. We didn’t really play many games there, so I guess it’s not exactly fair to compare it with Hawkins.”
They approach another game. And then another. And another. And another. They keep playing until they start getting hungry. They decide to take a break and head to the concession stand. They order nachos, sodas, and some other snacks.
The Party keep up a casual conversation about whatever they can think of.
Max giggles a little as she watches Will.
“Will, you got some- something on your face.” She shakes her head and taps on the side of her lip when he tries and fails to wipe it off. “Here.”
Max reaches out and brushes her thumb against Will’s mouth, wiping off a small bit of queso on the side of his lip. Her nail lightly scrapes against his lip, eyes focused on the spot as she does so.
Will blushes a little. “Um, th- thanks.”
The redhead hums in response and wipes her fingers on the napkin beside her plate. She winks at him with a small smile.
He blushes a little more and licks his lips as he looks down at his plate.
The chat died down just a little at the brief interaction between them, but it quickly picks up again. The other four are getting lost in a topic neither Max or Will were paying much attention to.
Max decides to be a little bold and takes it a step further. She snakes her hand down the counter and rests it in her lap for a moment. Then she subtly sneaks her hand towards Will’s and grabs it, holding it under the counter so the others can’t see.
Will glances down at their hands and looks up at her. She gives him another smile, a little flirtier, clearly still keeping up her little act.
He swallows and looks away, trying to pay attention to the conversation around them. The minutes pass by, and Max is still holding his hand.
Will suddenly crosses his legs under the counter, tensing up a little. Max looks at him and grins a tiny bit at how nervous she’s making him now.
“Are you ok?” She asks, voice quiet and tinged with a hint of amusement and satisfaction.
Will hesitates, biting his lip and glancing over at her. His hand remains in hers.
“I have to pee,” he admits, albeit a little awkwardly and shyly.
Max hums. “Alright,” she simply says. “Go ahead.”
“But-”
“Go.”
Will licks his lips.
Max raises an eyebrow, a small, amused smile spreading on her face. “Can you make it?”
He nods. “Y- yeah, I think so.” He crosses his legs tighter and groans quietly.
She can’t help but laugh softly, speaking quietly so only he can hear, although the others are too wrapped up in their conversation anyway.
“Will, don’t piss yourself. Hurry up.”
Will takes a deep breath, trying to force himself to just hold it.
Max watches as he takes a deep breath and tries to steady himself. “Are you gonna make it?”
He nods, biting his lip. “Y- yeah.” His legs involuntarily cross tighter and he shivers a little. “Oh G- God.”
The redhead snorts softly, covering her mouth with one hand. The other still holds his. She finally lets go.
“Will, come on. Just go.”
He sighs and looks around. “Where even is it?”
Max raises an eyebrow. “You grew up with this arcade, and you don’t even know where the bathroom is? Seriously?”
Will’s face turns red. “I- I forgot. I haven’t been here in a while.”
The Mayfield girl snorts and points in the direction of the bathroom. “It’s down there.” She looks at Will’s slightly shaking figure. “Better hurry, or you’re not gonna make it.”
He sighs. “It- it’s all the way over there? I- I don’t know if I can make it.” He purses his lips and looks down.
“You don’t think you can make it?” She repeats.
He lifts his head and shakes it.
Max sighs. “Well, what do you wanna do?”
Will hesitates. He crosses his legs tighter and whimpers.
“Oh- oh God. Max, wh- what do I do?”
“How about you get up and try to make it?”
He bites his lip, feeling like an idiot. “R- right.” He slowly gets up, grimacing and resisting the urge to sit back down. “O- ok. I’ll be back.”
Max nods and Will starts walking away, steps slow and careful. He takes another deep breath and prays that he can just make it.
His body decides cooperate a little and he’s able to make it to the boy’s bathroom. But when he reaches the door, the urge gets stronger, and he practically throws the door open and launches himself inside.
Lucas looks over at the empty chair on the other side of Max. “Where’s Will?”
“Bathroom,” she responds casually. “He was about to wet himself.”
Lucas raises an eyebrow, nods, then turns back to the conversation amongst him, Mike, Dustin and Eleven. Max starts chiming in a little.
Meanwhile, Will throws the door of a stall open and closes it with more force than necessary, hands shaking as he attempts to lock it.
He turns to the toilet and unbuttons himself quickly. His eyes flutter closed and he sighs as he starts relieving himself. He lets out a small moan and curses himself for being so embarrassing and awkward.
Will blushes as he continues, not realizing how bad it was until this moment.
“Jesus…” he mutters to himself.
He finally finishes and sighs again. He opens the stall and goes to wash his hands. His eyes widen as he looks at his reflection. His face is very red.
Will curses under his breath and dries his hands with a dramatic amount of force.
He leaves the bathroom and heads back to the counter, where his friends continue their random conversation.
Max watches as he returns to the seat and smirks a little. “Did you make it?”
Will sighs, rolling his sleeves down. “Barely. It- it was so bad.”
She snorts, and he blushes more.
“Sh- shut up. It’s not funny.”
Max raises her hands, as if surrendering. Then she places them back in her lap. She moves one hand out, then pauses.
“You washed your hands, right?”
Will nods. “Yeah, ‘course.”
Max shrugs and takes his hand again. He looks down at their intertwined fingers.
“Is this ok?” Max asks.
Will nods again. “Yeah, it- it’s fine.”
She grins, clearly enjoying what she’s seeing. “You’re red.”
He huffs a little and nods again. “Yeah. I’m so embarrassed.”
“Why?”
Will scoffs. “Why? Why? Because… because of this… whole situation. You flirting with me. In front of the others. My… bathroom fiasco. You name it.”
Max chuckles softly. “Come on. No one’s judging you.”
He shrugs, about to say something, but she cuts him off.
“Except me.”
Will turns red again and huffs, his hand involuntarily squeezing hers. “Shut up.”
She laughs softly and looks over. Mike is sending them daggers. Will freezes.
“Does he know we’re holding hands?” He gulps in a whisper.
Max shrugs. “Maybe. Isn’t that the point? To make him jealous?”
Will hesitates. “Y- yeah, it’s just…” He sighs. “The idea seemed amusing at first, but now that we’re actually doing it, it… it feels… wrong.”
The redhead tilts her head. “Wrong how?”
He licks his lips. “Like… it feels like something we shouldn’t be doing. Something illegal.”
Max scoffs. “So holding hands with someone of the opposite gender is illegal?”
“No, but it’s just…” Will hesitates again, considering his words. “I’ve never acted like this with anyone. Especially not a girl.”
“What about the girl you danced with at the Snowball?”
Will shakes his head. “That was nothing like this. This is more…” He wets his lips with his tongue again. “Intimate.”
Max tilts her head. “Is this bothering you?”
“I just- I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ve never been in a situation like this. With anyone. And…”
Max looks at him. Will shakes his head.
“I don’t know, I’m just… a little nervous.”
She snorts. “No shit.” Will blushes. “But you don’t need to be so freaked out, ok? It’s just me. I’m not gonna hurt you.”
“I know, but-”
“Hey, Will!” Mike’s voice rings.
Will snaps his head to look at him.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Will swallows and nods. Mike gets up and he follows him to a corner in the arcade.
Lucas scoots his chair closer to Max. “We need to talk too.”
Max looks at him, raising a brow. “About?”
“Why are you flirting with Will?”
The redhead raises her eyebrows at Lucas’s straightforward question.
“What? What do you mean?”
“You’re flirting with Will.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are!”
Meanwhile… in a corner
“Why is Max flirting with you?”
Will blinks, shaking his head. “I- I don’t know.”
Mike furrows his brows. “Does she have a crush on you, or something?”
“N- no! I- I don’t know.” Will sighs. “I- I like Max, she’s my friend. But I don’t know why she’s… talking to me like that. Acting like that towards me.”
“She’s flirting with you!” Mike exclaims.
Will swallows and looks away.
“Why is she flirting with you?!”
“I- I don’t know! She- she’s just…”
Mike storms away to the bathroom.
Will licks his lips and walks back to the counter.
“He’s getting suspicious,” he whispers.
Max looks at him. “What?”
“He’s getting suspicious about what we’re doing. What you’re doing.” Will looks around and furrows his brows. “Where’s Lucas?”
“He stormed off. Something about me ‘flirting with you.’”
Will swallows. “Max, I think we’re taking this too far.”
Max shakes her head. “They’re just being dramatic. They’re gonna feel so stupid when they find out it’s just a joke.”
“Yeah, but-” Max takes his hands and Will shuts up.
“They’re gonna find out sooner or later,” she tells him, pulling him back to the chair beside her.
Will sits down with a sigh. “I know, but…”
The redhead puts her finger on his lips. He closes his mouth and stares into her eyes. Max smirks a little. Will swallows nervously.
“We’ll tell them it’s just a joke. But first, I wanna do one more thing.”
“O- ok. And that is?”
Max hums. “Dustin, can you fetch Mike and Lucas, please?”
Dustin scoffs. “What are you, goddamn Princess Diana?”
Max gives him a sarcastic smile. “Yes, now fetch the peasants, you ungrateful slave!”
Dustin rolls his eyes. “Well, since you asked so nicely…” He gets up and goes to find them.
The Mayfield girl smirks in amusement and Will feels like slamming his head on the wall.
Eleven sits quietly, watching the whole scene unfold with an amused look on her face.
“So…” she starts after a moment. “What happens now?”
Max looks at her and smiles. “We’re gonna tell them it was just a joke and that they can stop acting like idiots.”
Eleven nods, humming quietly. “Cool.” She looks at her step-brother. “Will, are you ok?”
The boy lifts his head and nods faintly.
“He’s nervous,” Max explains. “Nervous and awkward.”
Will squints his eyes at her and resists the urge to kick her under the counter.
Max smiles at his small glare and squints her eyes back. Will tries to look annoyed but the smile on her face and the look in her eyes has him grinning subtly.
“Don’t think I can’t see your faint, weak little smile,” she tells him.
That gets Will blushing again and he looks away.
Max snorts. “Are you just gonna get embarrassed every time you’re around me from now on? You’re blushing like crazy.”
Will blushes more, looking away. “I might, only because I’ll probably be thinking about this day. It- it’s just… no one’s ever looked at me like that or treated me the way you have today.” He hesitates, looking back into her eyes, feeling embarrassed and vulnerable. “It… it makes me feel like someone actually cares about me, even though it’s all an act.”
Max’s expression softens, and a faint smile grows on her face. “Will.” She squeezes his hands. “I do care about you. Not just pretending to for this challenge.”
Will looks between her eyes, trying to read her and see if she’s telling the truth. “Really?”
She nods. “Really. I’m not usually a sappy, empathetic person, as you know, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care. And I’m telling you now that I do care about you. Just like I care about everyone else in this Party.”
He looks at her curiously. “Even Mike?”
Max snorts, rolling her eyes. “Even Mike. All of you.”
Will smiles a little and looks down for a split second.
The redhead squeezes his hands again. “But especially you.”
He looks up at her again, seeing a genuine and authentic look on her face and in her eyes.
“And you probably think that I’m just saying that to play my part of this plan,” Max starts. “But I mean it. I really do care about you, and I always will.”
Will stares at her, cheeks reddening a little.
“Can I do one more thing before we call it quits?” She asks.
The Byers boy nods. “Uh, sure.”
Dustin, Lucas and Mike return and sit in their seats. Mike and Lucas look annoyed and like they don’t want to be here, but they’re trying to hide it so they don’t ruin the fun. They fall back into a conversation.
Max looks at Will. “Ok. You ready?”
He licks his lips for the hundredth time. “What are you gonna do?”
“Just wait.”
Will feels nervous as Max smirks at him. She could be planning anything. He knows she wouldn’t seriously embarrass him in front of everyone, but he’s starting to doubt that she’s about to pay him any mercy. He’s already embarrassed enough.
Max waits for the right moment, looking at the group before looking back at Will. She seems to hesitate, and Will wonders what’s going through her head to make her confidence falter just a smidge.
Another minute goes by and then another. Will’s about to ask her what she’s scheming before she lets out a breath, seemingly preparing herself.
Will feels his heart speed up a little as she slowly starts leaning in, and it gets faster when she looks right into his eyes. He holds his breath, hoping and praying she’s not about to kiss him. On the lips. He doesn’t know what he would do if she actually did, but he doesn’t think he would shrug it off, even after revealing the whole thing was just a joke.
The Byers boy swallows nervously and he feels himself getting hot and his hands sweat a little as Max keeps leaning in. His mouth suddenly feels like dry sand paper and his breaths become short.
He licks his lips to moisten them, stuck in his new habit. “Max…” he whispers.
“Shh,” she whispers back, eyes locked on his.
She glances down at his lips, and Will feels like he might pass out. He feels himself starting to struggle to breathe. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.
Max steers her head to the side, but before Will can question her, a pair of warm, soft lips press onto his cheek.
Will freezes, body tensing and eyes widening at the sudden contact. He blushes even more and his breathing is labored. His hands clench and unclench anxiously and his palms feel damp with sweat. Max just kissed me. On the cheek.
Max slowly pulls back and looks at him, not fully leaning back in her chair. They still have some space between them, but their faces are still close.
Will feels his breath fall heavy and short as he stares back into her eyes. He opens his mouth to say something, but he doesn’t.
Her gaze follows his movements, and her eyes trail back up to his again when he closes his mouth.
“So…” she whispers.
“Wh-” He starts, voice barely audible. “What was that for?”
Max shrugs. “I kissed your cheek.”
Will nods, blinking dumbly. “Y- yeah. Why?”
“Because…” she takes his hands. “Because I’m flirting with you.”
Will looks down at their hands and back into her eyes. The redhead’s gaze fall to his lips again. He feels himself gulp nervously but his eyes refuse to leave hers.
“Max…” Will whispers.
Her eyes look into his again and she subtly nods.
“Is that too far?” She whispers.
“Is- is what too far?”
“If I…” her eyes fall down again, and Will’s starting to wonder if she just wants to kiss him. He internally shivers at the thought. He’s never been kissed on the lips before, but is Max the first person he wants to experience that with?
Will’s breathing starts getting heavy and quick. He opens his mouth to speak, but only slurred and nervous sounds come out.
“I don’t have to,” Max starts, voice gentle and quiet, making sure he’s the only one that can hear. “If you’re not comfortable.” She looks at the others, who are somehow not noticing the scene. She looks back at him. “They didn’t notice. C- can I do it again?”
Will licks his lips. Crap, I need water so badly.
“Y- you want to do it again?”
“Would you be ok with that?”
He hesitates. “Y- yeah. Sure.”
“You sure? I- I don’t have to. It’s just…” she purses her lips. “They didn’t notice.”
Will nods. “O- ok. Go ahead.”
Max licks her lips and slowly leans in. Even though he allowed this one, and he’s expecting it, Will still feels nervous. He feels his face heat up the closer she gets and she turns her head slightly.
Her lips meet his cheek in another warm, soft and gentle kiss. Will sighs a little at the contact, almost liking it. It’s unlike anything he’s felt before. Yeah, he’s gotten kissed on his cheek by his mom and family before, but to have it from someone else… it feels nice. Although he wouldn’t admit that.
Will mentally slaps himself when he finds himself slightly missing the feeling of being kissed on the cheek. He glances at the others.
“They still didn’t notice.” He looks at Max and licks his lips. “D- do it again.”
Max looks a little surprised. “Really?”
Will nods. “J- just d- do it.”
He closes his eyes this time when Max goes back in and places another gentle kiss on his cheek.
Will moans a tiny bit and immediately blushes, opening his eyes wide as he realizes what he just did.
Max can’t help but snicker softly. “Do you…” her voice is still quiet. “Do you like it?”
He blushes and bites his lip. “Uh…”
“You literally just moaned,” she retorts, a hint of amusement in her voice.
Will blushes more and slowly nods. “Y- yeah. I- I guess I kind of like it.”
Max hums, testing the waters. Although she tested them long ago. “Can I do it again? Or just do it until they notice?”
He blinks twice. “U- uh, s- sure.”
“If you’re still comfortable with it. If not, I can stop-”
“No!” He catches himself, closing his eyes and pursing his lips. “N- no, it’s ok. I- I don’t mind.” He opens his eyes, biting his lips. “I- I kinda like it.”
Max looks pleasantly surprised. She tilts her head. “Really?”
Will nods, albeit a little embarrassed. Well, not just a little, very embarrassed. But he feels a sort of warm, fuzzy feeling, and his stomach fills with a bit of butterflies.
“P- please…” he finds himself saying before he can stop. “D- do it again.”
The redhead is clearly surprised that Will is actually enjoying what she’s doing, but she doesn’t argue. She simply shrugs and leans back in. She feels proud of herself for bringing out such a vulnerable side of Will. Mike’s the only one who’s ever really been able to do that. Speaking of Mike, hopefully he’s watching this time…
Another kiss is pressed upon the boy’s face. Max holds it for a few seconds longer, giving a chance for the others to notice.
Will lets out another moan and his brain punches itself for allowing the sound to come out. His eyes flutter and he slowly relaxes, seemingly getting used to the touch of her lips on his cheek.
He can’t help it. He releases another quiet moan and opens his eyes. Max is smirking at him, teasing yet comforting.
“You actually like that?” She asks quietly.
Will nods, pursing his lips. “I- I do. I didn’t think I’d like it so much. It- it just-” He sighs softly. “It feels so good.”
Max raises an eyebrow, smiling in amusement. “I didn’t know you were so soft.”
He blushes and shakes his head to clear his thoughts, but they linger. “Shut up.”
She giggles. They both turn their heads and see the others looking at them. Dustin and Eleven look surprised. Mike and Lucas look surprised and a little angry.
“Oh- oh God,” Will whispers. His hands squeeze Max’s. He’d forgotten they’re still holding hands. He’s been distracted with… something else.
“It’s ok,” Max whispers. “Just act casual. We’ll tell them.”
The redhead looks at them, focusing on Lucas and Mike. She pretends to look alarmed. “What?”
“What the hell are you doing?” Mike asks bitterly.
Before she can respond, Lucas adds in. “Y- you- you just kissed Will!”
Will blushes at the truth and Max raises an eyebrow.
“Huh?” She says, playing dumb.
“Don’t play dumb,” Mike snaps. “You know what you did.”
Max shrugs, feigning innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You kissed Will!” Mike exclaims. “On the cheek! Why did you do that?!”
“It looks like he liked it,” Eleven cuts in.
Everyone looks at Will. He swallows.
“Did you…?” Mike asks, his expression softening just barely.
Will licks his lips a little. “Y- yeah… I kinda did.”
“Y- you liked Max kissing you on the cheek?” Lucas asks, blinking.
“He seems to have really liked it,” Dustin shrugs.
Will wants to crawl into a box and hide forever.
Max shrugs. “See?” She looks at Mike. “Why are you so pissed off?”
The Wheeler boy hesitates, stammering. “B- because! B- because…”
“Because that was random!” Lucas exclaims. “Random as hell! Crazy!” His eyes trail down. “And look!” He points. “You guys are holding hands!”
Will leans in closer to Max. “Please tell them now.”
Max nods at him and looks at Mike and Lucas.
“It’s just a joke.”
“How is that a joke?!” Mike exclaims.
“Because.” Max lets go of Will’s hand. “I was just flirting with Will to see how you and Lucas would react.”
Mike and Lucas sit quietly, blinking. Mike furrows his brows and squints his eyes.
“What?”
The redhead shrugs. “It was all a scheme. A joke. A prank, you might say. Just to see how you two idiots would react.”
Lucas blinks multiple times. “So this was all just a joke? Some… some prank?”
Max nods. “Yeah. Exactly.”
“It was her idea,” Will says, pointing at her.
Max shrugs again. “It was my idea.”
Lucas scoffs. Mike huffs.
“Never do that again!” The Wheeler boy snaps.
The Mayfield girl shrugs. “We’ll see.”
Lucas gives her a bewildered look. She can’t help but snort.
“Ok, message received. We’re done.”
Dustin raises an eyebrow at Will. “Did you actually enjoy it? Like, actually?”
Will turns red. “U- uh- uh-”
“Of course he enjoyed it,” Max starts. “Did you see him blushing?”
The Byers boy nibbles his lip. “Max…” he whispers.
Max shrugs. “You did good,” she whispers back. “Pretending to like it.”
“Uh- thanks, but uh…” He hesitates. “I wasn’t pretending.”
She raises her brows. “You actually liked it? Your moaning wasn’t just part of the act?”
Will blushes more. “N- no.”
Max hums, nodding. “Well. Guess I succeeded.” She smirks.
The boy huffs in embarrassment. “Yeah, I- I guess you did.”
She leans towards him a little. “Have I ever said that you’re pretty cute?”
He somehow blushes even more. “U- uh- uh no?”
The Mayfield girl shrugs. “Well, I’m saying it now.”
Will just might explode with how embarrassed he’s feeling. How flattered. How vulnerable.
“Y- you can stop flirting with me now,” he mutters. “They know it’s just a joke.”
Max shrugs again. “Yeah, I know. But…” she bites her lip as he looks at her. “I’m not just saying that. You’re cute.”
The boy swallows. There’s no way she means it.
“Th- thanks, M- M- Max.”
She snorts softly. “Don’t become this stuttering mess on me now. It just makes you cuter.”
Will buries his face in his hands. “S- stop.”
Max smirks, amused. “Nervous, are you?”
“Y- yeah, I- I am. S- stop teasing me.”
She says nothing for a moment, so Will lifts his head. As soon as he does, Max leans in and places another kiss on his cheek.
Will’s eyes widen. “M- Max!”
She giggles. He turns redder.
“St- stop! I- I’m gonna-”
“I can’t help teasing you,” Max admits. “It’s funny and cute to see you so embarrassed and vulnerable like this. You know… I uh…” she leans in close. “Got a secret thing for you.”
Will purses his lips, but when Max goes back in, he moans softly. He covers his mouth, cheeks burning up.
The redhead smirks. “Oh, you like it.”
He nods, still keeping his mouth covered.
She giggles. “Stop covering your mouth.”
He shakes his head, voice muffled from his hand. “N- no. I- I don’t wanna do that again.”
Max decides to tease him and she pulls his hand away from his mouth. Before he can say or do anything, she kisses his cheek again.
Will tenses up and lets out another sound. He glares at her.
“You’re teasing me. Stop.”
She smiles. “Ok, ok, I’m done. I promise.” Max turns away and starts up a conversation.
The others seemed to except that it’s just a joke, and now they’re finding a bit of amusement in Will’s reactions, even Mike and Lucas.
Will, though, wants nothing more than to smash his head against a metal pole.
He steals one more glance at Max and looks away with a sigh. Some of the things she said fill his mind, and he has no idea if she was just saying it or if she meant it.
Got a secret thing for you.