-Max's POV-
I wake up around seven and immediately got out of bed and got dressed. I put on and tuck in my dad's old and slightly over sized band tee shirt into my jeans. After brushing my teeth and hair, I went ahead and made toast and scrambled eggs, which is like the only thing I know how to make on the stove other than noodles. My mom got up at seven thirty and I set breakfast down on the table.
"I thought you'd want something in your stomach before work", I say. Mom lets out a chuckle.
"So this has nothing to do with El staying?", she asks.
"I mean, maybe a little but-".
"Max".
"Yes?".
"She can stay on a few conditions", my mom starts. "Me and your father are paying for funeral fees. So paying for another kid is hard. Every Sunday and Saturday I want you girls to find something to do to make money, walking dogs, pet sitting, baby sitting, maybe yard work. That way you can pay for things you want. Also to help do chores around the house, and you can't wake me up before seven-thirty".
I nod. "Wait", I say. "Every, Saturday and Sunday? She can stay for more than a week?", I ask.
"Yes Maxine. I've decided, that if you girls are up for it. She can stay till the end of the summer. I already talked to Mrs. Byers about it. I wanted to help her out by letting El stay here and she agreed". I feel a big smile spread on my face. I know that part of the reason that my mom was up to the job was that she was young for a mother. She always did her best to be nice to my friends' moms and help them out if possible. "OH MY GOD THANK YOU!", I cheer squeezing the life out of my birth giver. I put on my shoes and race out of the door. I then forget that I made myself breakfast and turn around. I sit back down and snarf down my food and run out the door again. I grab my bike and start running it. I realize I can ride my bike about halfway to the Byers and hop on.
I make it to the Byers's completely out of breath and impressed with my own speed. I sit on their porch swing for a few minutes, remembering how the doctors told me no extreme exercise until my lungs heal from all the smoke (and thinking I should have listened to them) , until the door opens.
"Max?", says Ms. Byers. I wave weakly at her. "What are you doing here so early?", she asks.
"Here to see El", I answer, panting.
"So early? How do you even know she's up?".
"Because El wakes up at like six-forty-five".
Ms. Byers chuckles before pointing inside and heads to her car. I heave myself off the swing and head inside. El's sitting up on the couch and jumps up to give me a hug. "I heard her say your name!", El says before giving me a kiss. I still can't help but blush. "My mom says you can stay till the end of the summer", I blurt. El grins before doing the cute squeal-laugh thing she does when she's super happy. I haven't heard it since our shopping trip and before that since around the time that Will first came out.
"Thing is El, we have to make our own money if we want anything", I say.
El just beams at me. "I only want you", she says. This girl is going to drive me insane.
"What in the world is going on out here?", Will says, tiredly poking his head out of his room. "Jeez, it's like eight. Why are you guys up? Why are you here?".
"Sorry, we'll be quiet", I say.
"Wanna watch TV?", El asks me. I nod and she leads me back to her spot on the couch. I get under the blanket she was using and she climbs under as well before snuggling up close to me. We watched reruns of The Jetsons until around eleven when Will's door finally opened.
"Hey Will, wanna go-", I start, peeking out in the hallway.
"That's not Will", El observes. I nod in agreement
Mike waves at us tiredly before going in the bathroom. Me and El share a look before laughing and running into Will's room. Will's tiredly rubbing his eyes when I walk in. I look around the floor before sitting next to Will on his bed.
"Well I don't see a sleeping bag anywhere", I say. Will rolls his eyes.
"Mike hasn't slept on the floor since last year", he states.
"Sure", I say, grabbing Will's hand and nodding. "So did you guys hit a home run last night?".
Will looks at me as if he's trying to process what I said before his mouth hangs open and his eyes go wide. "MAX! Oh my God! NO! Like what is actually wrong with your brain? Are you mentally stable? Max I think you've gone actually crazy. Have you hit your head or something?".
I laugh. "Will, I'm just teasing. But seriously, if he hurts you, let me know okay? I'll take care of it".
"Maxin-", Will begins to scold me.
"Don't even finish that word".
Will throws his hands up like I've just pointed a fake gun at him and told him em "stick 'em up!" in a trashy cowboy accent. El giggles at this then stops abruptly. "What's a hit a home run?", she asks. Me and Will glance at each other, both of us turning red. Mike comes in with his hair looking less messy but him looking just as tired. "Mike", El starts. "What's a hit a home run?". "Something for a sport. Baseball", Mike answers. I really don't like him but he really just saved my ass from having to explain a sex term to El, although I'm mad at myself for not just saying it was related to baseball, since it was and not just used for sex jokes. I let out a sigh of relief. "We should go out for lunch", I say. "Like right now. I'm starving". El nods in agreement. She looks at me for a moment and kisses me. "What was that for?", I ask. El shrugs and I can hear Will and Mike's eye roll. "What if we did a picnic with the party?", Will suggests. "Like we all get takeout then go sit on a hill or something and hang out". I look to the short boy and grin. "Will, you are a genius", I say getting up. "You guys call the party. I'll meet you by Cerebro at twelve-thirty. Okay?". Mike tilts his head and Will nods. I grab El's hand and she grabs her empty backpack before we head out the door and on my bike.
-Time Skip to 12:30 Because I'm Lazy-
Me and El get to Cerebro first. We sit there making out and being all lovey-dovey for about five minutes before we're interrupted. "Hey cool it love birds!", Mike calls. "Just because you and Will are an awkward mess doesn't mean I have to be!", I shout back. Him and Will run the rest of the way up and pull diner take-out boxes out of Will's bag. Lucas, Julie, and Dustin show up not too long later and we all start feasting. We laugh and talk, as kids do, and I notice Mike and Will being extra distant. The closest they get is briefly touching their feet together. But they do make eye contact and turn red many times. I shrug it off. Will's a pretty awkward person and Mike apparently is too. Still I find their minor glances and blushes kind of adorable.
I glance at El, but she steals a peak at me at the same time. We giggle and I feel my cheeks turn red. I kiss her on the forehead and she goes red as well. "Jeez, you guys are worse than us", Julie says. I look at her and roll my eyes. She doesn't get it. Her and Lucas kind of just fit together. We all knew they're in it for the long run and have been since they started officially dating. Me and El were different, I thought I'd never be able to have this with any girl, much less her. And she liked me back, this beautiful young women, likes me. ME! As in a pure gay mess. Only God knows why. But Lucas and Julie can be themselves in public. I don't even know if El realizes it, but we can't. People would hurt us, people would hurt El. And she doesn't have her powers to defend herself. I hate it but I have to be safe for her sake. So all the lovey-doveyness, has to be in private, or with our circle. I was shocked when no one in the party or Johnathan, or Nancy had any negative opinions.
-Mike's POV-
Everyone was leaving and saying goodbye. El, Will, and Max headed off together and so did Lucas and Julie, leaving me and Dustin. "So uhh", Dustin says. I turn to him with my eyebrows raised, to signify that I was listening to him. "Since when is El and Max a thing?", he asks. I shrug my shoulders.
"I think some point after me and El broke up and they started hanging out again", I answer.
"And everyone's just chill with that?".
"Why wouldn't we be? We were chill when Will came out last year. Why would now be any different?".
"Okay yeah but that's Will. He's gay. But El was with you, then Max. How does that make sense? Like pick a gender woman! Am I right?".
I chuckle and nod awkwardly, hoping this unpleasant conversation would be over very soon. Yeah Mike, pick a gender!
"Like, we already have one gay person. That's enough! I didn't think they were so common. How could there be so many?! Aren't people rare or something? Maybe our group is cursed or some shit. OH MY GOD MIKE! Do you think they own sex magazines like Alex in 'The Truth About Alex'?" (A/N: I know it came out in 1986 but for the sake of this story we're going to pretend it came out early 1985).
My skin crawls and I feel myself growing very annoyed with my curly haired friend.
I quickly shake my head. "Max would never. Neither would Will. And neither would El", I state.
"I hope they don't act like that in public with us. We'd probably all get called f*gs when it's just those three".
"OH MY GOD DUSTIN!", I snap. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!".
Dustin stares at me like I'm crazy for a moment before saying "wow" under his breath.
"Dustin, El likes girls and boys. Will likes boys. Max likes girls. How is that so hard for your brain to comprehend? It's fine. It's normal. There's 'so many' of them because it's who they are! We're not unlucky! If anything we're lucky to have friends like Will who will always be there. We're lucky to have a friend like Max who always calls us on our bullshit. We're lucky to have a friend like El who cares so much about each of us. So Dustin stop acting like you're fucking slow and shut the hell up!". I don't know where it came from to be completely honest. Maybe him calling Will that word was enough, maybe it was him saying it at all, maybe mentioning that crappy after school special where a gay dude gets beat up was what got me going. I don't know. I start to walk away until Dustin opens his fat mouth again.
"Why are you defending them so hard?", Dustin asks, clearly offended. "Are you gay? Is that why you care?".
I turn to him. "No I'm not gay". I quickly storm away. I just can't with him. How could he say that about them? He liked Max at some point and El has saved our lives more than once. And Will's, he's Will. Our best friend, our cleric, my.... person that I really like that likes me back and we're sort of a thing but not officially and we haven't put a label on it yet. I wonder what Dustin and Julie and Lucas and would think if I told them that I liked boys, that I liked Will. Dustin would probably call me a f*g. I don't even know if Julie knows that Will is gay. Lucas would probably be shocked and might ignore me for a while. But he'd be likely to come around at some point. Unless he didn't.
I think back to me and Will's talk. I was the one who told him I didn't want the party to know yet. Obviously Max and El did because Max has a sixth sense for gay people apparently. But I know I'm not gay. But I know I'm not straight either. Maybe El just likes girls, and never really liked me, maybe I'm the freak of the party. It's ironic because that's the last person I'd thought I'd be.
A/N: 2239 words. Mike x ✨SEXUALITY ISSUES✨ is best ship✋😌. As always constructive criticism is always appreciated.
-Duces! ✌
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