Work Text:
El was, by anyone’s standard’s a very well behaved girl. She did her schoolwork, mostly followed the rules, and was sweet to everyone she met.
So Hopper thought it was a fine idea to leave her and Max home alone, while he went to work. How much trouble could they get into anyways?
One was blind and the other still couldn’t ride a bike.
It was a nice summer day, about noon. The breeze was warm, and the girls were sitting on the front porch, eating some ice pops that were delightfully cold in the hot summer. El sucked in a heavy breath, that felt more heavy than air was meant to be.
This draws Max’s attention, her white eyes flitting towards the direction of the sound, studying the girl she couldn’t see.
“El, what’s got you down?”
El let out a low hum, that made her shoulders weigh heavier, sliding down on her chair till she was on the floor. “Hopper says I am not allowed to smoke. Even though everyone else does.”
The red head snickered, lowering herself to the floor next to El, shaking her head as she took another lick of her ice pop ( blue raspberry flavored, El always gave her that one )
“I don’t smoke- well I haven’t in awhile. Neither does Mike, or Will. Dustin and Lucas don’t either. Nancy hates the taste of em. So it’s like- definitely not everyone.”
“Eddie, Steve, Jonathan, and Robin.” El’s voice was a dead pan, as always. She frowned, pushing out her lips, watching the cherry red melt down onto her hands.
“It’s not a good habit, totally wreaks your lungs. Smells bad too.” Max grimaced, remembering the strong smell that used to permeate her house when Billy walked around letting it hang out of his mouth.
“You wouldn’t like it.”
Max listened as El shuffled around, sitting up now and ( if Max assumed correctly) was looking out at the woods and their lush green leaves.
“I would like to try. It swirls. Looks pretty.”
Max nodded, familiar with El’s short breathed sentences.
“Cool, let’s get some.”
Mac figured it couldn’t hurt, stomp out El’s curiosity. Let her try it in a controlled environment before she tried by herself and got hurt.
“Walking?”
“Nah. I bump into people and trip too much. And little kids yank on my stick. We’re biking”
El raised an eyebrow, looking at Max absurdly, with her wide brown eyes. Those brown eyes that Max remember so, so fucking well. Max knew that even if she could see again, that no eyes would ever compare to how El’s looked at her.
“I do not know how to bike.”
“Well, you’re learning. You better be good at it, so I don’t fall to the ground”
El swallowed, feeling the pressure. She nodded and stood up, lifting up both of her feet to check that they were still tied. There was a bike on the side of the house, with a basket and a place for someone to stand on the back.
It was Will’s, and he was usually the one peddling the bike, with his unofficial, official twin, clinging onto him from the back.
He was happy to go everywhere with El, it made him feel useful in a sense, to be trusted as El’s protector.
But this isn’t about Will and El.
Eleven frowned, pulling it out and testing the wheels out. It seemed wobbly. Max wasn’t going to allow for a practice round however, feeling around to jump on the back and push off.
So El couldn’t back out now, because if she stopped peddling they would fall over and get all scrapped up. They were going awfully and terribly fast.
Max was hugging El around the torso, feeling the wind in her face and face. That was absolutely delightful because the sweat had been causing her hair to cling to her skin. It was nice to ride on the back of a bike again.
El was in a panic. She was biting her bottom lip, breathing very heavily as the wheels bounded over sticks and tree roots in the path.
Oh she had tried riding a bike before. Always though she had bailed out, be more willing to throw herself to the ground than make the first turn.
But there was no bailing out now, no. Only thing left to do was take the risk and make the turn.
____________________
The bike ride went alright. As alright as it can go when they were zooming down the street, yelling apologies at all the poor people who had to jump away.
Max thought it was hysterical. El was closer to tears.
They left the bike outside the gas station, clutching a couple dollar bills.
The lady at the counter warmed them sweetly, leaning over.
“Jane sweetheart! Where’s your brother today?”
“He is at his friend’s house. So I am with Max right now.” El chirped, rocking back and forth on her heels, eyes always wandering around the store. Max stood beside her, leaning against the counter, rather bored.
“Your dad send you out for a pack again?” The lady inquired, already turning around to grab Hopper’s favorite pack. So now it was Max’s time to swing in, nodding and sliding the money across the tower.
“Yup. Can we also get a pack of gum and those Wax Soda candies?” She flashed a smile, looking blankly at the woman. Max knew El had terrible skills for lying, and they weren’t going to get caught after coming this far.
The woman smiled and nodded, ringing them up and handing them a receipt and their things in a bag.
Max felt around a moment, grabbing El’s hand at they decided to walk the bike this time. For El’s poor sanity.
El smiled, rubbing her thumb. She liked holding Max’s hand. It was nice, it made her feel fuzzy. But in the nice sort of way, the way her heart beat to quickly.
She brought up the idea of falling ill to Will, in a quiet whisper as they watched TV late at night. He had laughed, shaking his head.
El still thought she might be getting sick. Because now her face felt terribly, awfully hot. She pulled her hand away, even though it made her heart sink. El hated being sick, she didn’t want to spend a day in bed throwing up in the trash.
Max felt disappointed, feeling El’s hand leave her’s. It was very soft, with a sweet floral scent. She knew that Lucas had bought her a lovely perfume, lotion, body wash set for Christmas. She knew that because she had been the one helping him go shopping for the group.
Max knew she liked El. She was sure of that fact, she couldn’t not like El. There was something about her the swept Max in, tangled her like a net in a storm. Her voice, the way she always handled everything so delicately. Especially when she cupped Max’s face applying mascara to her eyes.
Or when she leaned against Max, falling asleep.
Back when El had sobbed into Max’s arms, about Mike breaking up with her.
Max could think on and on about all those little moments that she knew for a fact that she liked El, or Jane Hopper.
But there was no point in dwelling on it, because Max knew that it wasn’t fated in the stars. She knew that eventually she would have to resign herself to a man that she wasn’t sure she could ever love as much as El.
—————————————
They were back at the cabin soon enough, riffling through the drawers for a lighter.
El got once, sitting down on the couch right next to Max, who felt the cushion dip next to her.
“Okay. Light the white end, and put the brown end in your mouth” Max instructed, leaning back, listening to the clicking of the lighter.
El huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face and attempting to light the stick. She gasped in quiet delight as if lit, looking at Max as if waiting for approval.
She liked Max’s face. It was pretty.
She tentatively place it in her mouth, taking a long inhale aaaaaand- proceeding to cough and sputter.
Max was right, it didn’t taste good. Speak of Max, she was giggling, covering her mouth in a poor attempt to be polite to El’s current blight.
“Oh El-“ Max shook her head, gently sliding her hand up El’s arm to her hand, taking the cigarette from her.
She did notice the way El shivered, even though the cabin was warm.
An idea planted itself in Max’s mind at that moment, a terrible, horribly delightful idea.
El watched, confused, pouting slightly at it being taken from her when she had hardly even been allowed to try it.
“Here let me…show you.” Max murmured, sticking the cigarette in her mouth, inhaling some of the bitter smoke to hold in her mouth.
With her other hand she reached out, tracing El’s jaw line with her finger.
El felt very warm again, that feverish feeling coming back, despite shivering. It confused her, but she didn’t hate it at the same time.
Max’s face was pretty. Really pretty. El liked how her freckles decorated her face, and the soft white of her eyes, that she swore, honest to god, looked like opals, with a crystal blue lining.
Her hair slightly curled, framing her face. Like the girls in magazines, showing off make ups and hair-dos.
El thought Max was prettier than them though.
Max felt her breathing quicken, as she slowly reached her palm over El’s cheek.
El’s face is an echo in Max’s mind, a haunting beautiful portrait in the halls of her dreams.
She can recall in clearly, clearer than anyone else’s. At night she dreams of being in a long hall, with paintings all blacked out, splashed with paint.
But El’s is always clear. She has an idea of what if means.
Without anymore hesitation, she leans in to kiss El, opening her lips to let the smoke drift in.
El knew Max was going to kiss her. She didn’t stop her. She thinks she kisses back, despite the way her back tenses, and her face burns like it was just held next to a fire.
As they separate, the smoke floats up between them, and El smiles.
“I liked that.”
“Me too.”
The door swings open, leading to two teenage boys walking in, and Mike asking
“What the hell are you two doing?”