Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

For fucks sake.

Of course. Of course Mia would manage to be late on her first day at her new school.

It’s so typical for her she should have expected it.

Should being the key word in that sentence. Because she should have checked the batteries in her alarm clock. She should have been organised. And she should eat breakfast but she has 15 minutes before Lucas arrives to pick her up. 

Oh she’s so fucked. Lucas is not going to put up with another year of her being late for everything.

She’s already spent 5 minutes sprinting around her room figuring out what to wear, with her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. Shit.

And to add to the absolute shit-show that has been her morning she manages to slip over and land face first on the floor, almost ripping through her face with her toothbrush.

“Mia, Lucas is going to be here in 5 minutes. I hope you’re ready!”

Wow that screeched announcement from her mother would have been a lot more useful 40 minutes ago, but she’ll take what she can get.

 Pulling a red tank top on, while simultaneously trying to throw her feet into her converse is proving to be a hard feat. Especially while she’s also applying blush, but she’s always been good at multitasking. Coordination is where she’s lacking so she’s surprised she’s only fallen over once.

5 minutes. She still has 5 minutes.

Throwing herself into a chair she hastily applies her mascara and eyeliner, hoping not to get too much on her actual face. Last time that happened Lucas had asked her why she had paint on her face. She doesn’t even paint. 

She hopes spending the last 5 minutes of freedom she has doing her makeup is a good idea. Probably not considering the fact that her new school is in the middle of Hawkins. Which until three weeks ago, she had no idea was an actual place on earth. But she guesses it is. Well no shit, it has to be if she’s living there now.

The long beep of a car horn breaks her out of her internal spiel. Jumping out of her chair she grabs her jacket, shrugging it on and sprinting down the stairs, throwing a goodbye in the general direction of the kitchen.

Running down the path from her house to where Lucas’s car sits, she throws herself into the passenger seat, slightly surprised she doesn’t break anything considering the speed she was going.

“Hi?” He’s staring at her with a look she knows means either she’s about to get laughed at or he’s going to do something really stupid.

“Have you looked in a mirror this morning?”

What the fuck is he getting at? “Yes asshole I have.”

“I would check again.”

“I swear if this is your weird way of calling me ugly I’m going to lose my shit, I literally woke up 15 minutes ago.”

“No, no it’s not that. It’s just, have you checked your hair this morning?”

“My hair what’s wrong with my ha-”

Shit.

Pulling down the mirror, that sits inside the random flap that blocks the sun or whatever it does. She doesn’t know anything about cars, sue her.

Yeah and she can now see exactly why Lucas chose to comment on her appearance.

Her hair is still pulled into what essentially looks like a pineapple on the top of her head. She would never go outside like that, it’s just how she sleeps to protect her hair.

“You see what I was saying.”

“Just drive.”

“You look like -”

“If you don’t drive right now I will actually castrate you.”

That gets him to pull the car into the road, and start their drive to Hawkins HIgh.

After pulling her hair out of the bun that was perched on the top of her head, she starts messing with her curls until they look a bit more like hair and less like something an animal dies in. Her and Lucas sit in silence for most of the drive. She’s comfortable like this. She’s known Lucas since kindergarten and they’ve been friends since then. 

After their school closed down he moved to Hawkins, and her family followed. They’d lived next to each other for most of their lives. They weren’t about to change that just because of some asshole headmaster.

Before she knows it they’re pulling into the parking lot outside the school. It looks pretty normal. Students are spilling into the building, the smell of teenage angst and hormones wafts through the air mixed with the the smell of cigarettes and a light undercurrent of weed. So yeah, pretty typical.

She’s already half ready to die by the time they enter the building and immediately are forced into the school office for their tour or whatever they have to do. Why the hell do they have to be dragged through corridors by some AV nerd. To be honest she’s pretty sure she is that AV nerd but no one needs to know that. 

“Hi, this is Willow and Max, they’re here to show you around.”

Mia slowly pulls her gaze away from the floor to the two people standing in front of her fully expecting, well she doesn’t know what she was expecting them to look like.

“I’m Max.” 

Okay so she’s Max. 

Max has long red hair that reaches almost her mid back. It sort of looks like her head is on fire. It’s pretty cool. She’s carrying a skateboard under her arm, and the girl standing next to her must be -

“I’m Willow”

Holy shit.

Willow is not at all who she was expecting to turn up. She wasn't expecting tanned skin. She wasn’t expecting cropped brown hair. She wasn’t expecting to see the most beautiful pair of hazel eyes ever. She wasn’t expecting the horrifically gorgeous girl in front of her.

Okay cool. She’s pretty sure she’s in the same boat as Lucas, because when she turns towards him he’s practically drooling over Max. God she’s going to have fun teasing him about this. 

“Hey, um I’m guessing you’re Mia, I’m meant to be showing you around.” Willow's gentle voice breaks her out of her scheming.

“Oh okay cool, Lucas I’ll see you at lunch.”

“Mhm yeah see you then.” He’s still staring at Max, who’s looking right back at him a mixture of contempt covering her face. Mia thinks she might see a bit of humour behind her eyes before she starts snapping at him to ‘get off his ass and stop staring at her like a creep’. Maybe not.

“Is everything okay?” She turns to Willow, who’s now watching her basically giggle at Max and Lucas. Shit she must look like a creep.

“I’m just enjoying watching your friend Max yell at Lucas.”

“She’s definitely into him.”

“What.”

“That’s her way of telling people they’re hot.”

“And she didn’t say the same to me, I’m offended.”

“I wouldn’t be too offended, she looks like she’s about to rip him to shreds. Wonder what he said to her.”

“Probably something gross. I don’t know why I’m still friends with him.” That elicits a small laugh from Willow, which seems to float through the empty corridors, seemingly lighting them up. 

They continue down the corridors, winding through the school, moving from gyms to empty classrooms to auditoriums and back to the office where Willow grabs her schedule and deposits her at her classroom with a hurried ‘goodbye’ before she practically runs away from Mia.

Well that was weird.

She walks into the class that must be maths based on the fact that every student in the room looks like they want to die, her schedule also says it but she prefers her reason. She moves through the class muttering a ‘sorry I’m late’ to the teacher at the front of the class and dumps herself into the only free seat next to a guy with curly hair in what must be an attempt at a mullet.

“I’m Dustin.”

She turns towards the guy next to her, who’s peering at her with curiosity.

“Mia.”

“Nice to meet you Mia.”

“Do you have any idea what’s happening in this class?” She obviously knows what’s happening, it’s Algebra. She could do this with her eyes closed, but no one needs to know that.

“Yeah”

“Are you going to tell me?”

“Are you going to explain why you’re late?”

“Are you exploiting your help for the reason as to why I’m late?”

“Yes.”

She already likes this guy.

Lunch comes quicker than she thought it would. After sleeping through almost half of her classes, and spending the other half with Dustin talking to her, time seemed to fly by.

Dustin’s nice. He’s obviously a massive nerd, but he's like insanely smart. It’s terrifying. 

He walks with her to the dining hall, and she immediately spots Lucas sitting alone at a table. Of course he would choose to sit alone rather than wait for her. She hurries over to him, Dustin following her as she throws herself down opposite him.

“Dude, do you not have anyone else to sit with?” Yeah she sounds like a complete dick. But of course Dustin doesn’t care. Lucas does though.

He shoots her a look across the table that reads as ‘stop being an asshole’.

“Yeah I do, but they both have a club right now.”

“Cool.”

“Are you going to let me sit with you or am I going to stand here and watch you two like a creep.”

“Well you could go and stand somewhere else.”

“Dude.” She turns towards Lucas who is now verbally communicating with her instead of telepathically. Great, he decided to talk.

“Or you can sit with us.” She sighs reluctantly as she says it.

“Brilliant.”

“Yeah, must have to be lonely to immediately sit with the two knew kids.”

“Fuck you Wheeler.”

“Right back at you Henderson.”

She watches Dustin sit down and turns towards Lucas who’s wearing a look of horror.

“I made a new friend.”

This year might be more fun than she thought.

Chapter Text

She wants to go home.

It’s 8am on the first day of school.

School doesn’t start for 5 minutes and she already wants to go home.

She’s sat in the school office with Max waiting for the two new kids they have to tour around the school. Someone remind her why she agreed to this specific form of torture.

Actually fuck her.

El spent the entire morning laughing at her. There are times when her sister is the best person she knows, that was not one of those times.

All she wanted was sympathy for the horrific school year that’s about to come and all she had gotten was someone laughing in her face because apparently she looks like a ‘disgruntled grapefruit’.

Like what the actual fuck does that even mean.

Don’t get her wrong, she loves her sister. Just not when she’s comparing Willow to fruits.

“Where are they?”

“Late.”

She can already sense the sarcasm. “No shit Willow, I thought they’d been kidnapped by aliens or something.” 

“You asked, I don’t know what you were expecting.”

“Yeah fair enough. Why did we agree to this again?” Seems like Max doesn’t remember signing up to do this at the end of last year.

“I distinctly remember you telling me it would be a good idea to ‘expand our friend group’.”

“I have no recollection of this.”

“Mhm sure.”

“Also who are you dressing up for?”

“What?”

“You look good. Who are you trying to impress?”

“Literally no one. And you’re lying, I threw on the first shirt I saw.”

“Sure.” Max is still peering at her in curiosity. And yes maybe she did dress up a bit. But not that much, she just threw on her favorite jeans and rolled her shirt sleeves up to her elbows. She guesses for her it counts as dressing up. 

Their conversation’s cut short by the receptionist walking in to tell them the two new students are here. Brilliant, let’s get this over with as quick as possible.

She walks into the waiting area to see a girl and boy around her age obviously both lost in their own thoughts. Both staring at the floor, wearing almost identical expressions.

“Hi, this is Willow and Max, they’re here to show you around.” Great, how she loves being introduced by the school receptionist, who immediately runs off. God she wishes she was that woman right now.

“I’m Max.” 

She turns to Max who seems to be staring intently at the boy. She cannot for the life of her remember his name. Is it her turn to introduce herself?

“I’m Willow”

She brings her eyes towards the girl of the pair. And the breath is immediately knocked out of her.

Shit.

The girl in front of her is fucking gorgeous. Her black hair reaches her mid back, curls falling down onto porcelain skin. She’s adorned with silver, literally covering every spare inch of skin that isn’t covered with her clothes. She’s gorgeous. And then she looks up at her. 

She’s so going to die today.

Deep brown eyes find her, they’re rimmed with black, mascara coating her unfairly long eyelashes. She should probably say something instead of gawking at this girl.

“Hey, um I’m guessing you’re Mia, I’m meant to be showing you around.” Fuck she hope’s that’s her name.

“Oh okay cool, Lucas I’ll see you at lunch.”

Okay so the boy is called Lucas. Good to know

“Mhm yeah see you then.” Lucas is still staring intently right back at Max. And she’s looking right back at him, amusement flashing across her features. Willow thinks she might like him. She hears a faint comment coming from Max, snapping at Lucas. Oh she definitely likes him.

This is going to be so fun.

Mia seems to be going through the same thought process. Either that or she’s hallucinating and is just giggling at thin air.

“Is everything okay?” Mia’s eyes find her again, a light pink painting her cheeks. 

“I’m just enjoying watching your friend Max humble Lucas.”

“She’s definitely into him.” 

“What.” Mia looks so completely shocked at the thought. It’s hilarious.

“That’s her way of telling people they’re hot.”

“And she didn’t say the same to me, I’m offended.” Does Mia like Max? That would be okay. It would be fine. Of course it would be fine.

“I wouldn’t be too offended, she looks like she’s about to rip him to shreds. Wonder what he said to her.”

“Probably something gross. I don’t know why I’m still friends with him.” So they’re friends. That’s good to know. Nothing more.

Why is she thankful?

Why the hell is she happy that this girl she barely knows isn’t dating a guy she also doesn’t know. And why is she happy? Why the fuck is she happy? What is wrong with her?

She needs to get away from this girl. Get away from her before she can keep having these thoughts. Get away from her before she does or thinks something stupid. Just get away from her

She drags them through corridors, to the gym and the auditorium passing classroom after classroom until they arrive back at the office and Willow runs in to grab Mia’s schedule before leading her to her classroom and promptly running off.

Why the fuck is she genuinely sprinting from this girl.

It’s good, she’ll probably never see her again. It’s a big school. She won’t see her again.

But why does that thought make her sad?

Why does it disappoint her that she might not see this girl again. The only thing she knows about this girl is her name. She needs to stop.

It’s fine.

She’s fine.

She’s fine and she needs to get to class.

She sets off down the corridor. Leaving Mia and all the thoughts surrounding her behind. Maybe if she doesn't turn around she won’t have to confront them.

Pushing the door to her English classroom open she moves through the room, weaving through student's desks, moving past teenagers, a variety of expressions crossing their faces. She can spot boredom, irritation, tired, tired, tired. Yeah that seems about normal.

She only has three more lessons until lunch, when she and Max meet up to hang out.

Or in other words sneak off to skateboard for an hour. They either do that or walk through the woods behind the school.

It cannot come quick enough.

And yet every single lesson drags on. 

And on.

And on.

When does this day end?

Lunch finally comes, and the moment the bell rings she flies out of her seat. Literally. Flies from her seat and into the desk next to her. Well that hurt. Straightening up she moves out of the classroom not bothering to look at the people behind her, who are now most likely making fun of her. Whatever.

Moving through corridors, weaving around the people blocking the already narrow corridors. She’s already so done with school it’s crazy.

She finally reaches the exit and pushes open the double doors, stepping out into the fresh air. Well as fresh as air can be when it’s clogged with teenage despair and weed. Spotting a flash of fiery red hair out of the corner of her eye, she turns to where Max is standing, lent against the side of the building, a foot kicked against the wall.

“Stop trying to look cooler than you are and move.”

“How dare you, I am cool.”

“Sure.”

"When are you going to take off the flannel shirts?"

"Are you trying to get me to undress?"

"Maybe I am."

The thought of Max Mayfield, her best friend of over 4 years making a move on her is almost laughable.

"You're being dumb"

"Remember when you pierced -"

"No." No Willow does not remember that stupid decision she made last year.

"What you don't remember?"

"Please stop, I am begging you."

"Kinky."

Leave it to Max to make everything she says sound sexual.

"Shut the fuck up."

"You should bring it back, it was hot."

"It was a mistake."

"It was hot."

"Well if you think it's hot I have to bring it back, you know how much i value you're incredibly meaningful opinion."

"Asshole."

"If the boot fits."

"I'm going without you."

"Who's going to carry you back if you scrape your knee?"

"Die."

"But who's going to kiss it better for you?"

Max seems to be trying to hide a smile. It's not working. "Shut up."

Willow watches as Max pushes herself off the wall, walking besides her. They do this every Monday. Sneaking off into the woods, either to go to the skate park or just sit away from the school. Now they're seniors, they're even less worried about being caught. They've been doing it for three years and no one has noticed. She doesn't think anyone at this hellhole really cares what they do anyway.

Climbing over the fence, into the woods outside the school, they walk down the paths side by side, bickering over everything and nothing.

Reaching their spot they throw themselves down next to each other. It's still warm, being early September. She can feel fall looming over them, but they still have time.

"What do you think about Lucas."

Max looks nervous. She might be hallucinating.

"I don't know, he seems nice. Why?"

"No reason."

"You like him don't you."

"NO."

She's lying.

"Oh my God you do."

"Okay what about you literally eye-fucking May."

"Mia."

"Whatever."

"No don't change the subject. Admit it, you definitely have a thing for Lucas."

"Do not."

"Max, you literally cannot lie to me."

"Okay fine. Maybe. But if you tell anyone I will tell everyone about the time you fell into Lovers Lake and thought something was pulling you under, and you screamed like a little girl."

"Hey that was ages ago."

"Dude it was two weeks ago."

"Fuck off."

It's not her fault the water is fucking murky, and she couldn't see Dustin swimming underneath her. Sh got him back for it though. She's pretty sure he limped for a week after she kneed him.

"Okay fine, now I've admitted I might have a tiny thing for Lucas, admit you like Mia."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like her."

Why is there a bad taste in her mouth when she says it. Why does she feel like she's lying. She isn't. She isn't lying. Is she?

"Okay fine, I'll drop it for now."

They sit together for the rest of their lunch, basking in the sun. It's calm like that. She loves that this is their spot. Away from anyone else.

Their break passes quickly. But time always passes quicker away from school.

Pulling Max with her as they move from their spot on the floor, is a difficult feat. Considering the fact Max is trying her hardest to stay sat down, where she is. She knows the reluctant feeling well.

They slowly make their way back into school, arriving just before their next period starts.

Two more until the end of the day.

That's all she has to do.

Math passes. Not quickly, but then again when has a Math lesson ever gone quickly.

Then it's her last lesson.

Walking into her history classroom is a relief.

It's her favorite class, considering the fact it's actually interesting and her teacher actually cares about the subject that he teaches. That helps a bit.

And she freezes.

She fucking freezes. Because of course Mia's in her class.

Shit.

And of course the only seat free is the one next to her.

Okay. Whatever it's fine. She only has history a couple of times a week.

The lesson drags along, listening to her teacher go on about the Russian Revolution until finally there's only 5 minutes left.

Five minutes until freedom.

"Okay. So for your project this year you will have to create a presentation, it can be based on any aspect of anything we have learnt. I will send an email with all the topics we have covered for students who haven't been in my class before, and for the outlines of how the projects should be. You will be doing this in pairs."

She should have guessed. People are now turning to each other, eye contact reading 'we have to be together', as she stares at the front of the class, waiting for the person who doesn't have a partner to approach her.

"I will be assigning partners."

The classroom erupts in disappointed groans. People immediately rolling their eyes and slumping into their chairs.

She listens as her teacher reads pairs off a list until she hears her name.

"Willow Byers and Mia Wheeler."

What. The. Fuck.

Mia turns to her, a small smile playing across her face.

"So i guess we're partners."

"Mhm."

"How do you want to do this?"

"I don't really mind."

"Okay, um why don't we meet after school tomorrow and get started?"

"Okay sure, I have to go, sorry."

And at that she promptly sprints out of the classroom.

Great.

Just great. God why is this affecting her so much. It's just some random girl. She just has to do this project. It's fine. She needs to breathe.

Actually she needs to go home.

She has never been more happy to see Max in her life.

Grabbing the girl by the arm, she drags them out of the building, El and Chrissy following behind them.

Throwing herself into her car, she waits for them to climb into the back. Max already sitting beside her.

"What the fuck was that?"

"Yeah Willow, what's wrong?" She turns around to face Chrissy, who's wearing an expression of worry.

"Nothing, don't worry. I just really want to get home."

"Fair enough."

She listens to the others chatter around her while she loses herself in her thoughts.

Definitely not thinking about the girl with dark hair.

Definitely not.

Chapter Text

She spends lunch with Dustin and Lucas, time passing too fast for it to feel real. Watching the pair chatter away as she scans the cafeteria. She doesn't know who or what she's looking for. Actually that's a lie. She knows exactly who she's looking for. Willow. She doesn't understand why she feels the need to see the girl who led her around the school. The girl with tanned skin that seems to literally shine. The girl with hazel eyes, the green underneath them glinting in the sun. The girl with the short hair she just wants to run her hands through and -

No.

Nope.

The bell signaling the end of lunch rings around them, cutting off the boys conversation and pulling her out of her thoughts, snapping her back into the present. She pulls herself up from her seat, immediately feeling light headed at the speed at which she stood up. Gently swaying and gripping onto the table for support as she blinks the black spots out of her vision, opening her eyes to see Dustin holding her books and waiting for her, a concerned look crossing his face. She sends him a tight smile.

"Stood up to fast."

"Oh okay."

Her and Dustin both have Biology together, so they wave their goodbyes to Lucas who's been cursed with Math as his second to last lesson, and head down the corridors together.

She spends the entirety of Biology listening to Dustin attempt to educate her on sedimentary and igneous rocks and how they're formed, as she picks at her nail beds, trying not to completely fall asleep as the teacher drones on. And on. And on. She learnt about rock types when she was 11, and she could name at least 10 different types of igneous rocks off the top of her head. But she won't. She'll act uninterested and bored and like she doesn't know what's happening. Not because she wants to be seen as dumb, because she doesn't want to deal with the comments. The comments that followed her at her last school. The snipes and jabs about how much of a nerd she was, or how frigid she was. They changed as she grew up. So she keeps her head down in lessons, lets Dustin explain it to her and nods along to his stream of information.

The lessons ends after what feels like eternity and she wanders out of the room, parting ways with Dustin and heading to her History classroom. Pushing the door open, she wanders into the stuffy room, sitting down in one of the only free seats left, slumping as low as she can and getting ready to listen to the teacher at the front of the room give them a lecture on whatever it is they're learning. And just as the lesson's about to start that door at the front of the room swings open and someone steps in.

Someone she knows.

Willow walks into the classroom. Textbooks clutched to her chest, eyes scanning the room, landing on the only remaining seat. The only remaining seat being the one next to Mia. Her entire face seems to drop in an expression Mia can't pinpoint. It seems to be a mix of guilt and irritation. Weird.

Willow drops herself into the seat next to her, immediately zoning into what the teacher's talking about, she hears the words 'Lenin' and 'October', so she guesses they're talking about the Russian Revolution. She can only guess, because she isn't paying attention to the man standing in front of the whiteboard. She can't seem to drag her eyes away from the girl sitting mere inches from her. Forearms resting against her wooden desk, long fingers intertwined as she rests her chin on her hands. Strands of brunette hair falling across her face, creating shadows like brush strokes. She looks like a renaissance painting. God this girl is like a work of art. And in her creepy staring she guesses she doesn't notice Willow turning her head to stare right back at her, an inquisitive expression playing on her face.

Shit.

Snapping her eyes back to the front of the classroom, she feels her cheeks start to turn red as she buries her face in her hands. Closing her eyes, breathing through her nose she lifts her head up, turning back to Willow who's no longer looking at her. Thank God. Okay she needs to focus on something other than the girl next to her.

She can practically hear the entire classroom getting more restless as the minutes tick slowly by, until there's only five minutes remaining. Five short minutes until she can go home, well she hopes they'll be short. Her teachers stops his spiel to start talking about a group project. Great, and apparently they'll be working in pairs. The classroom explodes in murmurs and looks between people. And of course just as she's about to turn to Willow - who's staring intently at the wall in front of her - the teacher interrupts it all by announcing that he'll be choosing the partners.

Well there goes her plan. She listens as he lists of partners, the name blurring into the cacophony of groans and giggles until she hears Willows name being called.

"Willow Byers and Mia Wheeler."

What the hell. Is the universe granting her wishes now? Not that she was wishing to be partners with Willow. Definitely not. She just wants to get to know the girl better. She seems cool and she wants to know her better. And she just got the chance of a fucking lifetime.

"So I guess we're partners." She's not trying to hide the grin spreading across her face, and she doesn't have it in her to care what Willow thinks about it.

"Mhm."

"How do you want to do this?"

"I don't really mind."

"Okay, um why don't we meet after school tomorrow and get started?" Has she upset Willow. She's being so vague, what could she have done. Shit if she said something without speaking again she's so screwed. She really doesn't want this girl to hate her.

"Okay sure, I have to go, sorry."

And at that she watches Willow practically fly out of the classroom. Weird. It shouldn't upset her. Maybe she had a long day? At least she agreed to meet up that's a bonus. She lift herself out of her chair, more slowly this time and wanders into the corridors. She catches a flash of red hair flying out of the door, a blonde and brunette girl in tow. Could that be Max. Is it too creepy to run after her? God she's pathetic.

She ends up finding Lucas at her locker and they head out of school together, him going on about how his lessons were, and nice Dustin seems and how much he hates this and that and everything in between.

"And Max was saying that -"

"Max, she was the one who showed you around right?"

"Yeah Mia I've been talking about her for the past five minutes."

"Sorry I'm just thinking."

"About who?"

"And why would you assume I'm thinking about someone." God Lucas can see right through her.

"You have that look on your face, is it Willow?"

And at the mere mention of her name she starts choking on thin air. "And why would you think that?" She strangles out in between coughs.

"Because the moment you saw her you got that look on your face you always do."

"Did not."

"I've known you almost my whole life, you're not fooling me."

"Oh how great we're at my house."

"And you think I'm not coming in, you're going to tell me what's got you so wound up and then we're going to watch a film and you're going to let me talk about Max."

"Okay."

"Okay."

They walk into the house together, stopping by the kitchen to grab a snack before wandering down to the basement and throwing themselves onto the couch that spreads across the room. Lucas taking up one end, legs extended as Mia curls up on the other.

"Okay now tell me what' up."

And she does. She tell Lucas about everything. As if there's much to tell, she's only known the girl for one day. And yet she's completely obsessed with her. Over-analyzing every twitch of her lips, every raise of an eyebrow, every time she looked up at her with her practically sinful eyes. And he lets her. He lets her overthink about Willow running away from her. Twice. Lets her rant about how she got caught staring and how she feels like a complete idiot. And when she's done, when she's finally done he pulls her into a hug, tells her it will be okay, and puts a film on.

And she could not for the life of her tell you what film. Because she can still not pull her thoughts away from Willow.