stranger things (elmax) oneshots

pain

TW for Max's trauma - physical abuse, verbal abuse, violence, suicidal thoughts, talks of suicide. Very angsty chapter.

Max laid in bed, tears streaking down her face. Billy had just stormed into the house after being gone all day, clearly high, and yelled at her for no coherent reason, before hitting her across the face. Her mom and Neil were arguing again and she couldn't make out why it was this time. She moved to her drawer and placed her headphones over her ears, drowning out all of the yelling and quietning the the thoughts clouding her mind.

She observed the fresh black eye given to her by her brother in the mirror. It was cut, and she had blood spilling down her face, but she didn't really care, deciding it would be better for her if she just let the music drown out any pain she was feeling.

That didn't last long. The yelling continued, now louder than her music on full blast, and she decided she'd had enough. She was going to El's.

Normally she would avoid El after these kinds of situations. Her dad was a sheriff, and even if he wasn't, El was very emotional. She didn't want to bother her, or get her family in trouble. But right now her thoughts were all over the place and she couldn't form any kind of rational thought right now, she just knew she wanted to leave, and she wanted to be with her best friend.

Truthfully, Max was falling in love with El. She wouldn't admit that, but she was addicted to her, like Billy was to his drugs or her mom was to alcohol. But that didn't put her off going over now.

She packed a bag of essentials, underwear and clothes for the next couple of days in anticipation for not wanting to go home, her toothbrush and hairbrush, some of her favourite snacks that she hid under her bed so Billy wouldn't take them, and all of her tapes. Last time she ran away Billy smashed them all, and she was NOT risking that again.

She laced up her red vans and ran downstairs, backpack on her back and skateboard in hand.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Neil's voice called from the kitchen, where her mom stood too, downing a bottle of vodka straight.

"El's house." She replied bluntly. She'd done this a million times, she knew not to cry or look scared.

"Nasty cut on your cheek. Better clean that up." Neil threw back at her.

"I'm good." She replied, ignoring the scene around her.

"Did Billy do that? If Billy did that I'll teach him a lesson- HOW MANY GODDAMN TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL HIM TO RESPECT HIS LITTLE SISTER, HUH?" Max flinched as her stepfather began to get angry this time. She hated when he did this, because then he'd hit Billy, and she'd feel like it was all her fault for telling on him. And for some reason, some bizzare feeling inside her made her feel guilty for that.

"It wasn't Billy. Some kid at the skatepark jumped me." She said instinctively.

"Are you sure?" The tall man questioned, breathing heavily and bright red with anger.

"Yeah. Can I go now-" Max was cut off by Billy swearing very loudly upstairs, and as that caught her stepfathers attention, she ran out of the door without even being noticed, skating to Eleven and Hopper's cabin.

As she approached, she took a deep breath. The blood from her face was now mixed with the light rain that had poured over her on her journey, and had spilled all over her white shirt. She knocked cautiously, hoping El would open and not Hopper.

Lucky for her, the brunette girl opened, stood in an oversized jumper and shorts, a towel around her shoulders that she had been using to dry her freshly washed hair. She smiled, happy to see her best friend again, and then her face dropped as she saw the bruise-cut combo that lined the redheads eye socket.

"Max- what happened?"

"Is your dad home?" Max asked, sounding scared.

"Uh, no. He is at work. What happened?" The girl asked again.

"Can I come in?"

"Yes. Of course." El stepped aside so Max could enter. She made her way to the brunette's bedroom and flopped onto her bed, unable to control her emotions anymore as tears began spilling uncontrollably from her eyes.

"Hey hey Max." El held her friend, now very worried. "What is wrong? Please talk to me."

"I can't do this anymore El, I can't." Max whined, crying into El's shirt.

"Do what?" El asked softly, but with a hint of confusion.

"Life. El, I want to die." Max said, suddenly stopping crying at the freeing thought of suicide.

"Oh." El said, in shock. She stared at the redhead. "Stay there." The superpowered girl said as she got up and pulled out a box.

"A box?" Max asked, confused, as she watched her friend open it. Inside were pictures of the two, ice cream tubs from their infinite trips to scoops ahoy, a rock from their first picnic at the park, one of Max's old skateboard bearings that El had kept when watching her change them, a wristband from the festival the two attended last summer, and a locket with a picture of the two inside it.

"El..." Max choked out.

"Please don't die." El whispered. "Please."

"El I- It's not you. It's Billy, it's Neil, it's my mom, it's-"

"Then live with me. Live with me and-and Hopper. Or you could live with Mike! In his basement! Or Will... his mom is nice. Or-" Suddenly, El found herself silenced by Max's lips crashing into hers. She kissed back immediately.

"I love you." El mumbled against Max's lips.

"God I love you too."