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Eleven and Max were alone in the Wheeler basement again, just appreciating one another's company. They would sometimes share stories of the things that would happen when they weren't around each other- Eleven would share what was happening in the outside world and Max would complain about some shit Mike said or note something new she learned about her disabilities- But, at this particular moment, they were silent.
It was eventually Max who broke the silence.
"Are you gonna grow to hate me?" she asked quietly. Eleven's head snapped over to her in alarm, confused out of her mind. What on Earth could make her hate Max?
"What do you mean?" El asked in bewilderment.
"Come on, El" Max said, sounding almost annoyed but only at herself, not at Eleven. Never at Eleven. "You have a girlfriend who can barely walk and can't even fucking see you" she said plainly. "Sure, it's fine now, but... Eventually, isn't it gonna get to you?"
"Max" Eleven said in a more firm tone than the ginger had heard in a while. That made Max shut up real quick. "I love you" Eleven told her, meaning it more than she knew she'd be capable of. She never could find herself in love with Mike, as much as she knew she was supposed to, back when they were dating. She figured that's just what love was- Hollow and empty. Boy, how wrong was she?
"I love you too, but-"
"It doesn't make a big difference to me that you are in a wheelchair and cannot see" Eleven continued, choosing her words carefully because she could tell Max was in a sensitive state and she didn't want to make it worse. "Of course, I would like to do what I can to help you with stuff, but it is not a bad thing to me" she continued. "Because I love you for your personality, not what you can or cannot do. Does that make sense?"
Max nodded timidly, silent for a moment. "Yeah" she eventually said breathlessly. "I'm sorry for doubting you"
"It's okay"
"No" Max shook her head. "I'm sorry. I just get in my head about this stuff. I just want you to know you're not, like, trapped with me or anything"
"I don't feel trapped" Eleven told her immediately. "I feel more free than I have in my whole life" she added, and it was true. She wasn't just a test subject anymore. She wasn't stuck in an unhappy relationship. She was free, and she loved Max. "Can I kiss you?"
"You don't need to ask"
"I don't want to startle you, especially since you're already upset"
"Yes, you can kiss me, El"
"Yay"