Work Text:
SO US
They had been shopping for… something , when it happened first
“Your hair is very pretty.” El told her, holding the red strands between her fingers.
“Thanks.” Max said, looking in the mirror of the fitting room of the store, El right behind her. They both looked incredible with the new outfits, El more than her, though. El always looked cool . Bitchin’, as she’d say.
“No,” El insisted, hand going for the back of Max’s scalp, fingers brushing the nape of her neck. Max immediately shivered; that always happened. Or, at least, almost always. “I mean. It looks like… fire.”
Max usually didn’t like that kind of comparison, but she knew her. She knew El, how she was with words. It was OK. “Thank you.” Max let her smile widen, to show the other girl that she understood. She got it.
But El didn’t take her hands from her hair. She kept brushing the strands through her hair, fingers softly scratching Max’s scalp, gripping it just a little at the nape of her neck, making her shiver constantly, with every touch.
Max knew she could say no, El always listened and was never angry about it. But she honestly didn’t want to. She felt relaxed underneath the other girl’s ministrations. But, honestly, it wasn’t only that; she felt good , warm , her heart beating stronger and her knees getting a little weaker. She felt like sitting down, holding onto El, she felt like-
“We should go.” She blurted, blushing furiously.
El’s hand stopped. “You haven’t tried your dress.” The girl pointed out innocently, pointing at the pink monstrosity Max chose to try on just for giggles.
“Doesn’t matter, I like this one.” She guaranteed.
They got out of the store with bags and smiles on their faces, and Max pushed through the doubts in her mind. They were friends. She liked El like a sister. It was probably just weird hormones, or something.
___________________________________________________________________________
The thing is, obviously, Billy, even in his most tender moments - and there were some - never made her feel like that. So it wasn’t exactly a sisterly feeling. Billy, when he was good and smiling and teasing her, made her feel warm and safe, and even when he was an asshole, she never feared him. He didn’t show it often, but he cared for her. It was getting better, though.
But then again… she also never felt anything like that with Lucas. She liked Lucas, he was cool and he looked at her like she hung the moon and the stars, like she was something to be admired. She liked that feeling, no doubt. He made her feel cool, pretty, always showering her with praises and compliments.
But she had read that boyfriends and kisses and touching were supposed to make her heart race, make her feel warm and it should be a little hard to think - at least that’s what her mom’s books - that she frequently stole, first for curiosity, then for answers to questions she was too embarrassed to formulate - said. The heroines were always flushed and feeling their hearts racing, lower bellies arm, sweating a little, when they saw their romantic pairings.
Lucas didn’t feel like that. Neither did nothing that Lucas did.
She needed answers .
____________________________________________________________________________
“When Steve talked to me, he said something about sexual electricity.” Dustin told her when she asked. He was the one who researched a lot of useless stuff; she thought he could help.
“What does that feel like, though?” She insisted, frustrated. “I mean, that description is very… vague. ”
Dustin shrugged. “Beats me. I never really understood it. He said I would, eventually.”
She rolled her eyes and stood up, going back for her game at the arcade. “Thanks for nothing, asshole.”
_______________________________________________________________________
Since Dustin was useless, she pondered on who to ask next.
The answer was… awkward.
“What are you boiling there in our freak mind, Mad Max?” Billy asked as he drove her to school one day. “You’ve been looking at me weird.”
She bit her lower lip, uncertain. Would Billy mock her? Would he yell? He could be an asshole. “I... “
“Come on, you’re freaking me out.” He put down his cigarette, actually looking at her. The roads were always empty, it was fine, she knew that. “Spill the beans. Did something happen?”
“No!” She guaranteed, nervous.
That only fed his suspicions. “Maxine…” He said in warning. “Was it Sinclair? Did he do something?”
She didn’t know how he knew Lucas’ name. “How do you know I’m dating him?” She wasn't anymore, but whatever. How did he know?
“You just told me.” He arched one eyebrow.
She groaned. “Great.”
“So that’s not it.” Billy concluded from her reaction. “I’ll only annoy you until you blurt it, weirdo. Speak .”
He could see that she was nervous, because he dropped the teasing act and actually kinda looked worried.
Max deflated. “Alright. I gotta make a question, but… you can’t laugh. Or tease me. Or freak out.” She looked at him seriously. “ Please .”
“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Billy’s jaw was working hard.
“No, asshole.” She rolled her eyes.
He relaxed a little. “Ask away, then.”
The girl took a deep breath. “I know you’ve been with some people. Like, kissing and… stuff.”
“OK. I know you’ve had sex ed already, so I’m not sure where you’re headed with this.” He looked suspicious again, but it was a little different.
“What I wanna know is… I mean, I know how it feels with myself .” She flushed, but as he didn’t say anything, she continued. “I know what that feels, but… but…”
Billy slowly stopped the car and looked at her seriously, waiting for her to speak. Giving her his full attention.
She flushed more. “I wanna know how it’s supposed to feel with somebody else. Like… not sex stuff, not that, but, you know… I’ve read my mom’s books,” His eyebrows shot up at that and she rolled her eyes. “Shut up, I know you have magazines and stuff too,” Once satisfied that he didn’t say anything, she continued. “But, those books, they… they describe stuff, feelings, like sweaty palms and rushed breath and racing heart, and I just…”
“Have you felt that?” Billy asked her directly.
Max got the deepest shade of red her face would go. “Yes.”
“With Sinclair?” He shot again.
She lowered her head. Then shook it, heart in her throat.
He whistled. “Alright. Okay, here’s what I know,” He moved his hands from the steering wheel. “Those things those books describe? They can all be true. But they aren’t always like that. Usually it takes being in love, or caring about the person, or having a huge crush on them, for that to feel like that.”
“Have you ever felt that?” She was curious by the way he spoke about it. It seemed like he did.
“I… twice.” He was flushing a bit too.
“Who?”
“Don’t push it, Maxine.” He warned her between his teeth. “The point is, it’s not always like that, especially when you’re still discovering things and doing things for the first time, like kissing and trying to decide where to put your hands, you know?” He said placidly. “It can be a little awkward, but it doesn’t mean it’s bad or wrong. But it is wrong if it feels wrong, you know? Then you gotta just get out of the situation, and they gotta stop when you say stop .” His eyes narrowed. “You hear me? If they don’t listen, you yell and fight like hell and run away. And then you tell me who the fuck didn’t listen, cause no matter what you say, I’m breaking his face.”
“Alright, jeez.” She felt a little better at that. But there was still something ringing in her ears.
“What?” He huffed, anger dissipating. “You’re looking weird again.”
“What if…” Damn, she was gonna say it. Would he hate her? Be disgusted? Fuck, fuck, fuck . “What if I didn’t feel that with… with a boy? ”
“What do you mean, you... oh .” Understanding dawned on his face. “ Oh . You mean… you mean you and another-”
“I like Lucas. I really do.” She felt anxious and a little bit like crying. “But, but I have this friends and… and she…” Her eyes welled up. “Please, Billy, you can’t tell this to anyone , please promise me -”
“Hey, it’s OK.” Weirdly enough, he looked like it was OK. Like it was actually fine. “It’s alright.”
She sniffed, wiping her tears with her hands, feeling stupid, and small, and sad, and tired. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He wasn’t looking at her anymore, but forward, like he was thinking really hard about something. “Will you tell me who it is?”
In for a penny, in for a pound. “It’s El - Jane. Mike’s girlfriend.” She sighed. “She… she touches my hair and I feel all warm and like my knees are going to give out, and I can’t focus on anything, and-”
“Yeah, you got it bad.” Billy agreed. “She’s dating the Wheeler, then?”
“Yes.” Max nodded.
It was Billy’s time to sigh. “Guess we both have the same reason to hate Wheelers, then.”
It took her a minute to understand. “You mean… Steve?”
Billy’s laughter was bitter. “I have a weird way of showing it, I know.” He turned his eyes down, and then looked at her. “I suppose I wanted his attention on me, and that felt like the only way of getting it.”
She took a minute to let the information sink in. “Okay…” She nodded, understanding why he was giving her that piece of information. “Okay. You keep mine and I’ll keep yours.” Max offered him her pinky finger.
Billy rolled his eyes, but wrapped his own pinky around hers anyway. “No matter what people may say, Max, I don’t think the way we feel is any different than what any other person feels. It’s not… wrong, or dirty, or anything.”
She nodded again. “But how do I know if she likes me back?” The question was an anxious one, nervous. “Without anybody else knowing.”
“If she’s your friend, she can’t be a bad person.” Billy concluded. “So I guess… you gotta ask. And trust that she’ll be kind enough to keep your secret, even if her answer is no.”
Max nodded, relief washing over her. He was right. El would never diss her for that. El was good, and kind. And, well, she had the right to say ‘no, thank you, I’m staying with Mike’, but also, if she did diss Max for it, then did she actually deserve to be Max’s friend? She wasn’t sure she wanted friends who were disgusted by her, or by her brother, at that.
“Steve is a good person too, you know.” The girl pointed out, looking at Billy.
His smile got bitter again. “Yeah, he is. But it’s different, with guys.” He shrugged. “It’s more dangerous. A guy would beat another to death to prove that he’s tougher, imagine what they would do if another guy hit on them?”
“Not Steve.” Max guaranteed. “I’m sure of that. Not Steve.” Then she reached out and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back.
“Let’s go. We’ll be late.” He let go of her hand to get the car into gear again.
Weirdly enough, Billy made her feel a whole lot better. Maybe he wasn’t so bad, after all.
________________________________________________________________________________
They were in El’s room again, and the girl was once more scratching her smooth fingers through the strands of Max’s hair. She couldn’t stop shivering, or control how her breath shortened. Max felt like her whole body was on fire just from that touch, and the heat between her legs-
It was becoming unmanageable.
Max sat up, getting away from El’s fingers.
“Something wrong?” She asked, looking a little confused.
The redhead shook her head. “No, nothing. It’s just-”
“Don’t you want me to touch your hair?” El’s head was cocked, and she looked so much at loss.
And fuck. They had changed in front of each other, styled each other’s clothes and hair, they had had sleepovers. It felt like betrayal, to fall like that. Felt like she was perverting that friendship. But she couldn’t deny it, not anymore.
“No, it’s not that, it’s just… we could do something else.”
“But I like touching your hair.” The other girl insisted. “It smells nice. It feels nice, too.”
Damn if that didn’t do things with her inhards. Max bit her lip. “El-”
“What?” She knelt up on the bed, getting closer to Max once again, maddeningly closer. Then she brushed a strand of the red hair behind Max’s ear, making her visibly shudder.
“ Fuck .” The girl cursed, making El giggle.
“Bad word.”
“Yes, bad word.” She conceded. “Look, El, I… I gotta tell you somethin-” Max started to speak, but El’s hand was pulling her closer by the back of the girl’s neck.
Time stopped, slowed down, stretched to infinity, as El pulled Max closer, and closer, and closer, until their lips touched.
El’s lips were soft, and she knew how to kiss - El had kissed Mike, Max had kissed Lucas, they both kinda knew what they were doing - but it had never felt like this before, never like fireworks were exploding on her belly, like the whole world narrowed down to that moment, to each molecule of her body that was touching El’s.
Her heart raced, breath shortened, palms sweating, world turning; it felt exactly like the books said it should. It felt better , actually, as El pulled Max closer by the waist and their bodies were touching, warm and soft against each other’s.
Max placed her hands on El’s waist, giving in, timidly tasting the other girl’s tongue, tickling the roof of her mouth. Wishing that moment never stopped.
But then- then she had to pull away. “El, this-”
“I know.” El said with a small smile, cupping Max’s face to peck her lips gently. “I know.”
Hopper came in then, and they had to go out for dinner. Then it was time for Max to go home. Still confused, still a little bit freaked out.
She couldn’t help but to keep licking her lips, though, trying to commit to memory what El tasted like. She would remember it, even if that would be their last kiss, because next time they met, Max surely had to explain to El what actually happened, and the other girl would say she preferred her boyfriend. Of course she did.
When she got home, she locked herself in her room and waited for everyone to go to sleep. Then she silently slipped into Billy’s room, laying beside him. It took a few minutes for the moron to wake up - stupid, who didn’t wake up with somebody else in their beds? - but when he did, he didn’t even look surprised.
“She kissed me.” Max blurted out.
“That’s good.” He frowned at her expression. “Isn’t it?”
“I don’t know.” She bit her lower lip. “I mean. She wasn’t really raised normally, so I’m not sure she understands what happened. I’m not sure she doesn’t think kissing is just something you do when you like someone.”
Billy hummed sleepily. “Does she kiss everybody else, too?”
He was, once again, right. “I never saw her kiss anybody but me and Mike. And she calls Mike her boyfriend, so…”
“See? There’s your answer. She likes you.” He shrugged.
“Maybe.” Max conceded. “But she didn’t break up with Mike. Not yet, at least. Not that I know of, anyway.”
He hummed. “Then you gotta talk to her, I guess. Say it’s you or him.” He shrugged.
“But what if… what if she chooses him?” She knew it was stupid, and that she was tearing up too fast, but fuck. Fuck . Just the thought of it made her feel like her whole world was breaking. El was perfect . She was soft, and kind, and gentle, and funny, and pretty. She was her best friend . And still, she wanted more. Needed more .
“Then we wait ‘til I’m eighteen.” Billy answered her. “And we ditch this garbage town and go back to Cali. I’m sure you can find a prettier, nicer girlfriend there. And in Cali people don’t look twice at people like us. Not saying they like us, but they don’t go on yelling at people that we’re going to hell, or anything.”
Max sighed, and Billy reached to hold her hand. She wasn’t alone. Billy was there for her, and she was willing to be there for him, however she could.
She fell asleep like that and woke up like that, since Neil wasn’t home to bother them. They both woke up to Susan watching them with a small smile on her face, standing by the room’s door. Her eyes were even filled with tears, her mom was so embarrassing .
“Mom-”
“No, don’t mind me.” Her voice was a bit clogged with tears. “I’m just happy you two are getting along.”
“Please don’t-” Billy started, but Susan interrupted him.
“I’m not telling Neil, don’t worry.” She went forward into the room and sat at the very corner of Billy’s bed, her hand tracing his face gently, and then cupping Max’s cheek, very motherly. “You know, when me and your father got together, he… he told me horror stories about you. As if you were some sort of uncontrollable monster that he had to handle firmly.”
Billy cast his eyes down, but Max squeezed his hand. This was important, she knew.
“But I see that he was wrong. You are a good boy. Maybe a little lost, after you lost your mother, and by no means I want to even try to replace her, it’s not my place, but-” Fuck, now she was properly crying. Damn it. “But you are good. You are good for Max, you are always good to me. Billy, look at me,” She made Billy face her fully. “I am planning on leaving Neil, and I’m not sure he told you, but he made me adopt you when we got married. But he couldn’t adopt Max, because her father is still alive.” She wiped her tears. “What I mean to say is that… I’m leaving him, and I want you to come with me.”
Max sniffed, and she saw Billy wipe his eyes as well. “I can’t- I-”
“I’m filing a formal complaint against him.” She held both Billy’s and Max’s hands. “This has been going on for too long. We’ll have to leave the house, so I was waiting, my boss told me I would be getting a promotion… and I got it. We don’t need to live with him, anymore.”
“I’m a faggot.” Billy was still looking down. As if that would change anything, as if it would make Susan give up on him and be disgusted, leave him with his father.
Max immediately felt anger flare inside of her at that. She looked defiantly at her mother. It wasn’t the ideal setting for that conversation, but oh well. “Me too. I mean-” She took a breath. “I’m a lesbian.”
“Max, you don’t gotta-”
“Yes, I do.” She held Billy’s hand firmly. She wasn’t letting go. Her throat was clogging up, but she managed to say it again, clearer. “Mom. I’m a lesbian.” Her tears fell from her face, fear and bravery mixing up in her chest in a scary cocktail.
Susan looked surprised for a second. But then her hands were cupping their faces again, wiping their tears gently. “You are both good children, the best I could ever ask for. We… we have to talk about it, but only because I want to understand , but this-” She looked like she was searching for the right words, and that? That already meant the world. “This changes nothing. Who you love, or, or what you do. As long as you’re not hurting anybody, not even yourselves, I’m-” She decided. “I may not be the best mother, but I do love you both. And you being… gay, changes nothing. Neither of you.”
Billy was nodding, wiping his tears again. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She was smiling, but then looked like she remembered something and jumped from the bed. “Damn it, I came here to tell you that you were late for school. Now you’ll both be late!” Susan was hurrying. “I’ll write a note to the school, say it’s my fault and that it won’t happen again.”
“Don’t worry, Susie Q.” Billy was smiling, and Max was giggling, because that was so mom , she couldn’t even.
She looked at Billy again, then, smiling brightly at him. “So.”
“So.” He replied, grinning like he couldn’t stop. “Your hair looks insane .”
“Shut up!” She punched his arm and laughed. “I don’t understand, though. I mean, I know Neil’s an asshole, but why-?”
“We’re talking this in another time, Max.” Billy suddenly sobered up and jumped from his bed, going straight to his closet. “Go get ready or we’ll be too late to catch first period.”
Max sighed and nodded, she was not giving up on that, though.
“And fix that hair!” He yelled. “Don’t let Wheeler see you like that or he’ll convince El he’s got better genes or some shit.”
Max flushed and checked herself out in Billy’s mirror, groaning. “Asshole!” She yelled back, but ran to her bedroom to fix what looked like a mane over her head.
But she could hear Susan laughing from the kitchen, and it was okay. Her mom knew, her brother - fuck you, Billy - knew, and it was okay. They were okay with that. And if they were okay with her being a lesbian, then she could learn to be fine with it, too, despite it freaking her out a little.
She just still had to talk to El. Damn it.
____________________________________________________________________________
She had broken up with Lucas right after the mall thing with Eleven. The boy had been waiting for her to turn around on her decision, like she always did, but she didn’t, not this time. Despite that, the boys seemed to be alright with her still hanging around them - even Lucas, surprisingly. Maybe he felt the same way she did - not that he was gay, but that they weren’t really good for each other.
Max had been nibbling on her apple when she caught something on the conversation, attention grabbed by Dustin’s voice.
“-since El broke up with Mike three weeks ago-”
“What?” She asked, maybe a little too loudly. “Three weeks?” That was right after the mall thing. Fuck .
“Yeah.” Dustin frowned. “Haven’t you been listening to anything we said? Mike has been whining about this nonstop-”
“I have not- ” Mike protested, but he shrugged. “But yeah. You didn’t notice?”
“No!” Max knew she sounded like a crazy person, but she couldn’t stop herself. “So you’re not dating anymore?”
Mike flushed. “N-no… I mean…not El , anyway.” He shrugged meekly.
“Wait, you’re dating somebody already?” Dustin screeched. “And you didn’t tell us? Man, what the hell?”
“I-” The boy looked scared. He and Will exchanged a look .
Max did the math quickly, and bit her lip. “Dustin, leave it.”
“ Leave it? I’m not gonna leave it! We’re friends , how are they dating anybody without telling us?” He protested.
Uncomfortable silence threaded amongst them, and fuck it. She wasn’t gonna let that be aired like that, by Dustin’s protests.
“I-” She took a breath. “I’m sorry, Lucas.” She said quickly, and then turned to the other boys. “I think I’m a lesbian.”
More silence before Dustin screamed. “What?”
“Dustin, buddy, lower your voice .” Lucas asked, and Max smiled at him thankfully. He smiled back, and, for a moment, it seemed like it was OK. Like they would be OK again, as friends, at least.
“How did we miss that?” He was still agitated, but he did lower his voice.
Max just shrugged. “I didn’t know, either. Lucas was my first boyfriend, and he was a good one, too.” The praise made him puff his chest out a bit, preen a little. It was cute. “But I didn’t feel like I should.”
“And how is that?” Will asked her, curious.
“I mean, I talked to Billy, read some books.” She shrugged, and thought of El, thought of her lips against her own, the feeling of falling from a rollercoaster that touching her brought. “It feels like…”
“Sexual electricity?” Dustin tried, and she rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, but I was going to say it feels like… like you’re falling from a rollercoaster. That moment right between the climb and the fall, when you’re suspended on air, and your whole body feels like it’s flying, and you can’t breathe properly but it’s fine because it’s exciting and-”
“So you’re dating someone.” Dustin concluded. “To know all that, you gotta experience it. Come on, Max! Spill the beans!”
She flushed bright red. “Well, I mean. I’m not dating anybody. I just have… a crush, I think.” Max lowered her eyes. “Like. Like I may be a little bit in love, but it’s no big deal.”
“NO BIG DEAL?” Dustin suffered through the chorus of “shhh!” around him. “What is happening to the world?” He sighed dramatically.
She snuck a glance at Mike, sitting beside Will, and winked. They both flushed. Slowly, but surely, Will reached for Mike’s hand, and Mike squeezed it back.
Max smiled, Lucas noticed it. The last one to realize was Dustin, who put his hand over his forehead dramatically. “Oh my God!”
“ That’s why you were so angry he was dating El, then.” Lucas was grinning smugly. “Not because you wanted to play D&D.”
“I wanna play D&D!” Will defended himself, but he had a small, shy smile on his face that said it all. “And I do like El. It’s just… she’s not Mike.” He bit his lower lip.
“Aaaaw, that’s so cute!” Lucas said, half mocking, half honest, just teasing them.
“Adorable.” Max laughed back.
“You two are disgustingly cute and Susie’s not here for me to kiss her so I’m officially jealous.” Dustin crossed his arms over his chest, pouting. Then his lines softened a little. “I’m happy for you, though.”
Will was smiling, Mike was flushing. He looked around to see if anybody else was looking before quickly pecking Will on the lips, making him flush too, and the others coo over them even more.
“Hey,” She called out for Lucas once the bell rang, feeling uncertain about this all. But he deserved it. “Thank you for being so cool about this. And… I’m sorry we didn’t work out.”
“Hey, it’s okay.” He assured her, shrugging. “I had fun with you. You’re cool, and I still like to hang out with you. And I believe you when you say you didn’t know.” Lucas smiled at her, sincere.
“Thank you.” She was one hundred percent honest. “For being such a great guy.”
“You’re welcome.” He was grinning. “But I want two things in return.”
Damn it. “What’s that?”
“First,” He put one finger up. “I want to know all about that crush of yours.”
Max blushed bright red. “Lucas…”
“Won’t hurt me, I promise. I’m cool with it.” He guaranteed her.
She looked doubtful, but had to trust him on it. No options left. “Alright. What’s the second thing?”
“You’re going to be my wingwoman from time to time. You have any idea how bad Dustin is at that?” He looked torn. “Also, you can infiltrate girl groups to talk about me.”
She rolled her eyes, but spit on her palm and offered it to him. “Deal.”
He did the same, smiling brightly. “Pleasure doing business with you, Mayfield.”
______________________________________________________________________________
They started sneaking their things out of the house while Neil was at work. The big move came on a Sunday when he was called in for an emergency in another town. He’d only be back on a Wednesday, and until then, the complaint had been filed, Hopper was plenty aware of everything, and Susan had a restraining order against Neil.
They didn’t have all that much stuff, so the move was quick. The house was a rental, but it was in a good area. Smaller than before, but neither of them seemed to mind it much.
Billy had been unpacking his stuff in his room when Max entered it and plopped herself on his new bed.
He looked at her, eyebrow cocked. “What?”
“Haven’t you heard?” She was smiling smugly, she knew it, head propped on her hands like one of those stupid movie girls.
“Clearly I haven’t.” Billy rolled his eyes. “What’s it?”
“Nancy and Steve broke up.” She announced.
Billy rolled his eyes. “So?”
“So, Dustin told me that Steve told him he thinks he might be bi.”
“Bi what?” Billy apparently wasn’t registering what she was saying.
So she pulled him by the arm and cupped his face with her smaller hands, making him really look at her, because this was serious . “Billy. Steve told Dustin he is bisexual. ” She announced clearly.
Billy’s eyes turned hopeful, and then he pushed it all down, like always. “So what? It’s not like he’s going to give me the time of day anyway.”
“Do I really need to say it?” She was losing her patience with that dumbass. “You gotta try. Even if Steve says no, he’ll never tell.” She sat back on the bed. “Especially because I told them I’m a lesbian, and Mike and Will are dating, so. I don’t think he would ever be an asshole about that.”
Billy smirked. “Wheeler and Byers are dating?”
She nodded her head.
“So El’s free?”
Max flushed. “She broke up with him, apparently. Same week I broke up with Lucas.”
Billy hummed. “I don’t understand.”
“What?” She felt sort of ashamed, sort of angry. She wasn’t sure why.
“Why you’re here and not there.” He pouted his lips disgustingly. “Kissing her.”
“Stop!” Max flushed again, damn it. Billy was always so amused by that, the fucker. “She hasn’t called me again to invite me over. I think she’s given up.”
“Or she was waiting, figuring things out for herself.” He suggested as he folded his shirts - she wasn’t sure why he had them in the first place, if he was never going to use them. “Or she was waiting for you to call. And now we moved, so she doesn’t have your number.”
Max’s eyes widened. “Shit!”
Billy just laughed and dropped his clothes on his bed. “Want me to drive you over? We live close to the Chief now.” He wiggled his eyebrows, but she shook he heard.
“No. I’ll just bike over there.” She decided. “I gotta… prepare. In my mind, what I’m going to say and…” She sounded stupid, but Billy just smiled, so she felt a little less like a ridiculous child.
“Good luck, Max.” He told her and she scrambled to get into her bike and run there.
She didn’t even fix her hair, she didn’t think of it -- she just biked here real quick. She had been so inside her own mind that she barely noticed time passing, and suddenly she was there. In front of El’s house. The Chief had moved back into his old place once El’s adoption was officialized, so the girl was there, waiting for her, no tripwires or anything.
“Hi.” El was smiling as she opened the door for Max to enter.
Max felt like a ball of anxiety, but she did step into the house. “Hi.”
A moment passed between them. “Come.” El grabbed Max’s hand and guided her to her bedroom, shutting the door.
Hopper wasn’t home, and Max was so nervous. But El was looking at her and smiling as if she knew.
Max to make sure, though.
“Look, I’m… I’m sorry I didn’t call. I was… scared.”
“I know.” El was still smiling.
“You probably know, but I gotta say, too. For both of us.” She took a deep breath as if that could fill her up with courage. “When I was with Lucas, I didn’t know… I didn’t know that I was a lesbian. And when I figured it out, I didn’t know if you even knew what that was, what it meant, and I didn’t know that you had broken up with Mike,”
“I did.” El interrupted her softly, touching her hand. “I didn’t like him like I should anymore.”
She pulled Max closer, making their chests touch. Max’s heartbeat turned into a hummingbird, and she felt hot all over, and fuck , now she understood every stupid song ever written about this. She felt like writing one as well.
“I liked you instead.” El put Max’s hair behind her ear again, making the girl shiver. Her other hand wrapped around Max’s waist. “My sister’s friend explained to me. What is a lesbian, and why people think it’s bad. But it’s not bad.”
“N-no.” Max agreed, blushing. “It’s not.”
El smiled, and sealed their lips, quickly and sweetly. “I don’t care.” She said firmly. “People are stupid. We almost died too many times. We deserve to do whatever we want.”
Max couldn’t fault that logic. She wouldn’t dare.
She cupped El’s face with her hands and kissed her, really kissed her like she wanted to - slow, and deep, and a little dirty, but so fucking good , she felt the urge to curl her toes inside her sneakers.
They slowly made her way to the bed, but kept sitting, despite the desire coursing through Max’s veins. She felt like she was on fire , and also like she wasn’t exactly ready for much else other than kissing and… honestly, maybe some touching . Because El looked amazing there, next to her, all soft curves and smooth skin, smiles and plump lips that she couldn’t stop kissing .
“So,” Once the flames dialed down a little and they were laying on the bed, beside each other, holding hands to Madonna’s Crazy for You , Max felt like speaking again.
El turned to her, smiling, but frowning a little, in questioning. “So what?”
“So.” Max turned around to face her, smiling. “Should we go on a date?”
El smiled. “Yes. Yes we should.”
Hopper got home then, making noise about dinner, and they went out to help put the table and eat. And he didn’t seem surprised to see Max there at first… right until he saw how they were holding hands and smiling at each other.
“Jim,” El started, biting her lower lip. For the first time Max saw her look a little nervous. “ Dad .”
Hopper rubbed his face with his hands and sighed. “ Three inches , kid. Leave the door open three inches, or I swear to God -”
El opened a bright smile and threw herself in his arms, kissing his cheek. Hopper just oof ’ed, and then ended up opening a smile, too, even though it looked like he didn’t really want to be so wrapped up around that girl’s finger.
“And you-” He turned to Max, looking like he was going to threaten her. And she could understand, that, too - so she just stood there, looking properly respectful.
That made him soften immediately. “I should threaten you, but I won’t.” He sighed. “Just… take care of her, okay? She… she’s been through a lot.”
Max opened a small smile. “I promise, sir.”
And, once dinner was done and Hopper settled on his armchair with a beer to watch TV, both of them finished washing up and tried to sneak into El’s room again, just to hear it from the living room “ THREE INCHES! ”.
They both giggled and sat on El’s bed until it died down. The door did stay open three inches, and they did nothing but kiss and smile and talk to each other, and it was perfect. It felt incredible .
Not to mention she got a girlfriend before Billy. She couldn’t wait to rub it all over his face.
Suck it, Billy.
“El,” She was holding the girl’s hand. “How do you feel about snooping for a good cause?”
The girl smiled deviously, and something lurched in Max’s belly. “Tell me.”
“You’re going to love it ,” She smiled back at El. “We’re finding Billy a boyfriend.”
El giggled. “Okay. Where do I start?”
Max knew exactly where to start. “Tell me what Steve thinks about Billy, and we’ll go from there.”
El leaned and kissed Max again, and Max was still in wonder that they were allowed to do that. “Sure.” She sat up. “But I want something. In return.”
“What?” Max was confused. She had no money, what-
-El pulled Max to her and kissed her, pressing their bodies incredibly closed, and oh yeah . She had no problem paying like that. She’d make that a lifelong debt if she could.
“Me too.” El said suddenly, pecking her lips, and Max knew she was snooping, but it was perfectly okay, just as long as she didn’t stop kissing her. And then the radio got a little louder as El did something with her tongue that made Max moan a little, and the door moved a little bit more closed, and fucking hell.
She had the best girlfriend ever.