Healing ||mileven||

Friends

"Spell of protection...spell of protection!" shouted Lucas.

"Please, 9 or higher" Dustin whispered to the die in his hands, throwing it high in the air over the table.

"Dustin!" everyone cried. El giggled from the fort in Mike's basement, watching the guys friendly bickering. She didn't really understand the game very well, but she enjoyed listening to Mike and getting lost in the story. She'd never been exposed to any form of fiction or imaginative play, it not being useful or necessary in the lab, so she found it totally captivating, amazed at the ease at which Mike could conjure up the adventures. She loved watching the banter between them, hearing how their conversation ebbed and flowed, seeing how Mike's face lit up in the moment.

"El?" said Max, waving her hand in front of El's face.

"Yes?" she replied, breaking her gaze from the group.

"Do you wanna do something else? This is a bit boring". Max didn't really participate often in the D&D sessions, finding them too long winded most of the time, instead dipping in and out or supporting them, mainly Dustin El had noticed, in their questing. El shrugged, which Max decided to take as a yes. "Cool, well we could go for a walk, head over to the park? Hey, I could teach you to skateboard" she said, her face lighting up.

"Ok" said El, smiling.

"Hey, guys? Hello!?" Max said, trying to tear their attention from the quest for one minute. "Me and El are going to the park, we'll see you later".

Mike looked conflicted, "do you want me to come, El?". He was obviously totally willing to give up on the game if she said yes, much to Will, Dustin, and Lucas' annoyance as they all rolled their eyes in unison.

"Mike, I got your girl, you don't have to worry" answered Max before El could, knowing full well she'd probably say yes to a now blushing Mike.

"She's not my girl" he muttered ruefully to himself, quietly enough so that no one else could hear.

She winked at the rest of the guys, who were silently thanking her, and led El outside. "We don't get to spend much time together just the two of us" said Max, breaking the comfortable silence, "I miss the walks we used to take in the woods. I mean, you weren't exactly a great conversationalist...", she noticed a shy smile on El's face and continued, "but...well...I don't have many girl friends, it was nice". They were almost at the park when El slowed down and stopped walking, Max didn't notice for a few seconds and ended up a few meters further away. "El?"

"I'm sorry, Max".

"Erm..." said Max, shaking her head, not understanding, "what for?"

"I never said thank you". Max opened her mouth to say something, but El, fiddling nervously with her hands, continued "thank you for saving me, for...for bringing me home...to Mike".

Max walked back to her and embraced her tightly, "hey, that's what's friends do, right?" she said softly. Letting go she looked El right in the eye "right...race you!"

"Hey!" laughed El, running after her.

...........................