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Morning sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting a warm glow on nearly every inch of space. Comic books littered the bed, magazines laid haphazardly across the floor, and two girls shifted under the pale covers of the bed, drawing warmth from each other, a warmth that they certainly did not need at this time of year. Eleven found her fingers fidgeting, unknowingly carding through Max’s tangled, fiery hair in her sleep. Max, on the other hand, stayed completely still, head resting comfortably on Eleven’s chest and under the girl’s chin as she softly snored.
Eleven’s eyes opened, immediately squinting at the light pouring through the window in Max’s room. She silently prayed for the window to magically disappear as she grumbled out a slurred “Max.”
The room stayed silent, only the sound of Mrs. Hargrove moving around somewhere else in the house being heard. Eleven tried another few times to wake up her friend the best she could in her half-asleep state, but to no avail. She groaned in annoyance, loud enough to wake the girl sleeping on her chest, yet the weight on top of her didn’t budge.
“Just wake up,” El finally whined as she accepted defeat, beginning to slowly slide Max off of her so she could get out of the bed. She slipped her fingers out from their grip in Max’s hair and began to use her arms to push Max to the side.
Eleven paused when she heard a soft “Don’t move” a few feet from her face, turning her head down to see Max using her arms to try and push Eleven impossibly deeper into the bed. “I’m too comfortable.”
“I need to close the curtains,” Eleven whispered back, squinting her eyes even more for effect when she saw Max looking at her. “You know I would close them with my mind if I could.”
Max sighed, slowly pushing herself off of Eleven and tumbling out of her bed to yank the curtains closed. Eleven couldn’t help the soft whimper that left her mouth as her body grew colder without the redhead next to her. Max turned her head quickly to jokingly frown at her. “Stop using the fact that your powers aren’t back to get me to do mundane tasks for you.”
“Hm. I don’t think I will,” Eleven hummed, a smile falling on her face as Max crawled back into bed and took her place back on top of Eleven’s chest.
Eleven knew that Max didn’t mind doing little things for her. Ever since the Byers had first arrived back in Hawkins for summer vacation, Eleven had spent nearly every second with Max, both when the Party was all together and when they weren’t. Max had been confused at first, asking Eleven why she wasn’t spending all her time with Mike, to which the brunette just shrugged her shoulders and muttered “We broke up.” Max didn’t push her further on the subject, as much as she wanted to, and simply pulled her friend into a gentle, longing hug. It was something unspoken yet mutually known, just the need to enjoy their limited time together.
They spent every day together, their trips to the mall long, fingers sticky from ice cream, and giggles high in their throats. They spent every night together too, cuddled up close with limbs tangled, just to wake up every morning to soft groans and complaints of the sun shining too brightly through the window before Max got up to close the curtains. They both knew they could just shut the curtains before falling asleep, but something in the routine was so comforting in a way that neither of them fully understood.
Max snuggled further into Eleven’s chest, humming in content when she felt fingers card through her hair once again. She could feel Eleven’s soft shirt against her cheek, as well as the feeling of soft legs against her own and the slight dig of Eleven’s chin on the side of her head. Max grinned to her ears, an all too giddy sigh passing her lips. She couldn’t shy from the feeling of absolute bliss shining in her core, filling up her entire body until she swore she could feel happiness in her fingertips.
Max knew. She knew this feeling was akin to love, the ecstasy that flew through her body whenever Eleven was close. It was strange, really, because Max had never felt both so close and so far from Eleven in all their time knowing each other. The truth was that Max and Eleven never really talked about anything anymore. Max would call, and Eleven would call. Max would tell Eleven excitedly over the phone about how Troy got punched at school or about how Dustin won his hockey game, but she would never talk about how she had broken up with Lucas for the final time or how she was pretty sure Billy’s death had completely ruined her parents’ marriage. It wasn’t until Eleven showed up in Hawkins that she found out about these things, but she seemed to understand.
When the Byers had first called to announce their plans to stay in Hawkins for a few weeks during the summer, Max was nervous. She was scared, terrified even, of the sparkling, tender adoration she felt for someone so seemingly far away. The distance that had grown between them, however, all but vanished the second they were reunited. The two fell back into their rhythm quickly, memories of the past summer somehow fresh on their minds and blending with the memories being created. When they looked into each other’s shining eyes with blush-painted cheeks, it felt as if they had never been apart. The sun appeared to shine on them for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.
“I wanted to find you,” Eleven suddenly whispered, pausing her fingers in Max’s hair.
“What?” Max whispered back, eyebrows furrowed and head turning to rest her chin on Eleven’s chest and look her into her eyes.
“I wanted to find you in the void,” She smiled, a sad lilt in her voice. “When I was away, I tried actually. I sat on my floor with that blindfold on and wished for my powers to come back, so I could look for you.”
Max didn’t say anything, slightly watery eyes looking intently at Eleven’s. She could feel that same radiance in her core from moments before, now blazing and filling all her senses until she couldn’t even think of feeling anything else.
Eleven’s eyes cast down for a moment, pausing to find the perfectly formed words. “I just needed to be close to you, to see you, to see how you were doing.”
Max smiled, warm and inviting, lifting her hand to run her fingers lightly across Eleven’s cheek. “I’m right here. You found me.”
“You’re right here,” Eleven whispered back, voice barely heard, as she searched Max’s eyes.
Max smiled brightly at her. She could feel her heart glowing, bursting at the seams, as she hugged the girl close for a few minutes before beginning to leave the bed. “C’mon. Let’s stop being sappy and go brush our teeth.”
It was all so vivid and fond. It felt right, pulling Eleven out of the bed and saving her the second before she fell onto the floor entirely. Their feet trailed after one another’s as they stumbled into the bathroom, beaming from ear to ear. Max laughed hard as Eleven nearly jammed her toothbrush into her cheek in an uncoordinated mess. It purely felt like a breath of fresh air to be standing there, teeth freshly brushed, watching Eleven brush her teeth in the almost annoyingly slow way that she did.
Max couldn’t help but stare at the girl next to her. Eleven was more than just someone important in her life. She was a dream, understanding Max deeper than anyone else and consistently trying to make Max happier than before. She could be a vice, her short temper constantly getting the best of her, but she was always there after the blowups, apologizing and hugging those she loved close. She was brilliant. She was everything wonderful that Max never would have imagined finding so close. She was a light in the darkness.
Max couldn’t hold back anymore. The second that Eleven had wiped her mouth off with a towel and turned to Max, Max was grabbing the front of Eleven’s shirt and pulling their lips together.
The kiss was slow, languid, and careful. Their lips brushed before settling into one another as their eyelashes fluttered and hearts beat wildly. Eleven rested her hands on either side of Max’s face, pulling her ever so slightly closer. The kiss lingered for seconds, the smell of mint too sweet and spark of infatuation too enticing.
Max pulled back, keeping herself only a foot from Eleven’s face. Her whole body felt ablaze, senses heightened as she glanced adoringly at the girl mere inches away.
Eleven stood there, eyes closed, the daylight from the bathroom window behind her illuminating her in a halo of angelic light. A small smile took over her ever-so calm features as she breathed out, “Kiss me again.”
Max did.