Bound By Shadows 3 | Will Byers x Reader (Fem)

~ 2 ~

The sky outside my window was sliding into that hazy orange stage of evening — the kind that made the whole neighbourhood glow like it had been dipped in peach tea. My curtains swayed with the breeze, brushing against the dresser in a lazy rhythm.

Max was flat on her back across from my bed, arms flung out like she'd just been sacrificed to boredom. One sock halfway falling off, one leg dangling over the edge.

"Can you please do the cat again," she said, tilting her head toward me without moving her body. "But like, the pissed-off gremlin one. The one with the snaggle tooth."

I was cross-legged on the floor, back against the wall, a bag of jellybeans balanced between my knees. I gave her a look "You only like that one because it looks like Mike."

Max's lips twitched. "I mean... if the tail fits."

I rolled my eyes, but shut them anyway.

The air tightened around me — like a rubber band pulling, snapping against my skin. Then came the familiar ripple: bones compressing, muscles folding in on themselves, skin rippling like liquid as fur burst outward in patches. A shiver tore through me — then it was gone.

I blinked, and fur brushed the floor. My paws pressed into the carpet, claws twitching. My jaw shifted as teeth pressed too far forward, leaving one crooked fang sticking awkwardly from my mouth.

I opened it and let out a garbled, warbled noise: somewhere between a 'meow' and a cartoon demon being strangled.

"Meow bitch,"

Max choked.

She rolled sideways, clutching my pillow as she dissolved into laughter. "OH MY GOD— your voice— I forgot it does that! That's actually horrifying."

I shook out my fur, tail flicking, and padded a few steps closer before shifting back. The fur rippled like ink in water, vanishing into skin, bones stretching and reshaping under the surface. My paws unfurled into hands, claws retreating into fingers. By the time I blinked again, I was sitting cross-legged on the floor, human once more, brushing a strand of hair out of my face.

"Okay," I said, panting slightly. "but imagine that face at your window at 2 a.m, Tell me you wouldn't cry."

Max wiped her eyes, still laughing. "I did cry. Last time you turned into Hopper and screamed at me about curfew."

"That was iconic."

"That was traumatic."

I smirked and flicked my hand over the jellybeans. A few floated upward, humming faintly with red light around the edges of my eyes, before zipping toward her one by one like bullets.

"HEY!" She yelped, batting them away

"You told me to practice!" I reminder her, grinning.

She caught one in her mouth, chewed, and pointed at me like she'd just won a prize. "Skills."

"You're welcome."

The fan hummed in the corner, blades chopping through the warm air. For a second the room quieted. Max finally pushed herself upright, curling her legs beneath her with hair sticking out in every direction. Her face softened.

"You ever... get tired of it?" She asked suddenly.

I raised a brow, glancing up. "Tired of what?"

She tilted her head toward me. "All of it. The powers. The monsters. Pretending like we're not completely screwed up after everything?"

My chest pulled tight. I flopped backward on the carpet, arms spread out, staring at the ceiling. "Every day"

Her shoulders eased, like that answer was what she'd been waiting for.