talk too much | max mayfield

*bonus chapter 1

HAVING THE "HOW DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE GAY" TALK

✧･ﾟ: * "-and so we broke up for a bit, and that's when I got with Annie Cunningham, and Lucas and I had the weird kiss that Dustin won't shut up about, but then she almost died so we said I love you- well- she kinda said it first and then I said it later, but we'd been holding hands and stuff before that and, like-"

"Nora."

"Yeah, Will?"

Nora raises her head from the boy's shoulders as the two lie slumped in Nora's hospital bed together, trying to kill time as everyone else goes off to do their own thing - dealing with inter-dimensional serial killers and whatnot.

"I have a secret," the boy avoids eye contact with Nora, staring at the drawing Max had put up earlier across Nora's bed - the stick figures sitting in the movie theater.

"Tell me," Nora sits up eagerly, wincing slightly at the ache in her abdomen, but ignoring the pain in favor of the gossip Will was about to give her.

"Okay, well, I don't really know actually," Will now turns his head down to Nora's, having a look vaguely resembling a lost puppy dog in his eyes. "How did you know you were into Max? Like, obviously you guys were friends-" he starts talking with his hands now. "And, y'know, her and Lucas had their thing, but none of you are on bad terms, but Lucas knows about you and her, like, he didn't get upset or anything? And who made the first move between you two- you and Max, I mean. Because, like, if you did it then, like, how? And if she did it then- then how? And how did you know you weren't ruining your friendship, and how did you know it was romantic love and not just like to best friends being best friends-"

"Where is this coming from?" Nora interrupts Will's rambling, more amused than anything else. "You have a crush on Max or something?"

"No! No, of course not!" Will immediately defends, sinking a bit lower in the bed. "I, um. I think I-. . . IthinkImayormaynothaveacrushonMikebutIdontknowwhattodobecausehimandelaresoinlovewitheachotherandIcantruinthatbutIhatethefactthatIcanttellhimhowIfeelbecauseitllruineverythingandhellneverlookatmethesamebutIlikehimsomuchandIdontknowwhattodo."

Nora stares blankly at Will.

"I like Mike. In, like, a more than a friend way."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Nora thinks about how desperately Mike fought for El to be safe in everything she did and how much time El spent talking about Mike and how much she liked him, but she also thinks about how the two totally blew off all their other friends whenever they were together and how-

"Please say something."

"Obviously I support you no matter what," Nora looks at Will as though he's an idiot. "I just don't have any advice for you," she then frowns apologetically. "D'you know if Mike is into guys? He probably is, you should see the way he acts around Eddie," Nora starts rambling in her own thoughts. "I have a theory he grew out his hair just to match the mullet look. And, y'know what? Just a week before school started, he told me how much he hated heavy metal songs, then, a month later, he's suddenly the number one Iron Maiden fan, I mean, how two faced-"

"Can we talk about me again?" Will interrupts Nora, rightfully so.

"Right, yeah, sorry, not helping," Nora goes back to the gay crisis at hand. "Um, I think our only option is to break El and Mike up, then, Mike will be so emotionally vulnerable that you'll have no choice but to go in and support your friend and your friend will have no choice but to seek solace in your arms-"

"I can't just do that, though. I can't just date Mike."

"Why not? Did you not hear what I said about the Iron Maiden thing?"

"It's more complicated than that, Nora," Will says, the only one good at bringing Nora back to planet logic.

"Okay, then, we'll drop subtle hints. Get a feel for how Mike is around gay people, I'll kiss Max in front of him, that'll do it, and then we'll go from there."

"What if he hates it? What if he never wants to be your friend again? What your guys' relationship is ruined because I'm a coward?"

"You're not a coward, Will," Nora reaches up both hands - despite how much it pains her injured arm - to place them on the sides of Will's face. "And, I've seen Mike pee his pants until the end of third grade, that forms some kind of bond between two people. I couldn't get rid of him even if I made a deal with the devil."

Will laughs at Nora's bluntness before moving to hug her - gently. "Thank you, Nora," and Nora doesn't miss the way he softly sniffles into her shoulder.

She returns the act as best she can, placing a cheesy kiss on his forehead.

"I'm serious about the kissing Max thing, by the way. Worst case scenario he's grossed out, and I still get the satisfaction of pissing off Mike - a favorite past time of mine."

a/n:
I'll do more bonus chapters I just need ideas I'm not creative enough for this 😪 anyway lmk what u think and let's all bond over how much we hate Mike and love will <33