Dustin held Carrie in the middle of Nancy's room.
They'd been in the process of finding things to donate to the people that lost their homes during Vecna's disaster. His pain from Eddie, and her pain from being taken, was visible to the other. Carrie felt horrible for not being there for him, letting him face that alone, and Dustin felt nothing but guilt for promising nothing would happen to her, yet the second he left her, it did.
"We're okay." he said it to reassure her, but also himself. They were rocking slightly, his hold on her gentle but tender. Hers was the same, her head laying right on where his collarbones should be. She had to laugh. "Did you just laugh?"
"I forgot you don't have collarbones." she pulled back, a little smile on her face. "It's not funny, but-"
"But it kinda is." he nodded, making her smile. "Wanna see the thing I do?"
She nodded, Dustin shook his arms before popping them, making Carrie cringe. Dustin smiled. "Kinda gross, huh?"
"So gross." she leaned in and kissed him right after. Dustin's eyes grew wide against her lips, panicking. After a couple seconds, just as she was about to lean away in embarrassment, he kissed her back.
"Oh, my bad." a voice rung, making them pull away and look to the door. "Didn't see the sock on the door."
Michael Fucking Wheeler.
"Where have you been?" Dustin asked him in disbelief, the pair hugged. "Where's everyone else?"
"Downstairs, I wanted to look for you guys first." Mike pulled away from their hug, giving Carrie an awkward wave. "Hey."
She stared at him, nodding her head just slightly. "Glad you're okay."
"Yeah, i'm glad you're okay too. Will and Jonathan really wanna see you...." he nodded, looking back at Dustin. "Is she..."
"She's in your room." Dustin nodded. "Mike?"
"Yeah." he looked down at him.
"I'm really glad you're okay." Dustin inhaled, making Mike give him a little grin.
"I'm glad you're okay too." he held his shoulder a moment, walking to the stairs and looking over, giving El a thumbs up. Carrie ran down the stairs, into Jonathan and Wills arms immediately as the Byers held onto each other, like their lives depended on it.
Mavis sat on Mikes floor, her attempt to find things he'd want to donate going terribly, because she wasn't Mike. But, it had been a good place to hide out. It was funny, because where she sat had been the same place she'd slept on multiple occasions. Her bandaged fingers, her left wrist broken from the fight on the hill, tore at her letter.
Dear Mav,
So, we're both pretty high on the kill list, huh? Guess that means it's gonna be one of us. I know you're probably gonna be the one to die, because you like to interfere and save people at the worst possible times. I'd know, because you did it to me the first day we met. I know you didn't know it, but the first day you spoke to me after Mr.Clarkes class, saved me at a horrible time. I was trying to hate you and your stalker friends, trying to be as unhappy as possible with having to move, but then you made that all go away with your stupid boob drawing on the side of Billys car.
You were my first best friend, I owe you my life for that.
-Love, Max
"Mav." a voice caught her attention, folding the paper and tucking it into her waist band. As she turned, Mavis had to sigh in relief. "Mav."
"El." she hurried into her arms, tucking her head into her neck as El held her, her hand pressing into the back of her head. Mav's hair was up in a clip, hurting El's hand to hold, but she didn't care. "Did you kick Vecna's ass?"
"Almost." El held her tighter. "Just glad you're okay."
Mavis pulled her toward Mikes bed, they sat down and joined hands. She smiled at her. "Your hair?"
"Yeah." El frowned as she touched her bald head.
Mavis leaned in some and squeezed her hand. "I like it that way."
El gave her a weird look, like she was speaking a different language. "You do?"
"Yeah." she smiled back. "That's how I met you, remember?"
El gave a little smile, flushed in the face. "Yeah, I remember."
"Shall I remind you anyways, for shits and giggles?" Mav suggested with a dramatic clear of her throat. "On the verge of going to jail, in a pink rain coat, freezing from the rain, and you scare the shit out of me, standing in the rain."
El grinned. "Then you taught me cool."
"So cool." Mav whispered dramatically, making an explosion with her hand.
"I think I loved you then, too." El moved in closer and laid her head down on her shoulder. "I didn't know it until Hops cabin, watching girl and boy get married on TV. I wished it was us, because of my drawing I did."
Mavis had to smile, kissing the top of her head. "I still have that drawing."
"I don't think I knew it, but I think I did love you before I knew what it was." El sat up and looked at her. "And when I heard you were infected, because of him, I got s-"
El froze, her voice cracked, her eyes got watery. Mav frowned as she placed a hand on her face, El exhaled as she gathered her feelings. "I got so scared, like i'd loose you. I never want to ever, ever, loose you. Ever."
"You're never gonna loose me." she promised her, cupping her face. "You couldn't, even if you wanted to."
"Never want to." El shook her head, launching herself forward into Mav's arms as they fell back slightly. Mavis held her, not realizing, genuinely, how insane El has been going ever since she found out Vecna had been targeting her.
"We're been calling you guys." Lucas stopped reading to Max, standing up to hug Mike and Will. Mavis kept her arms locked around El, hidden under a jacket.
"We know." Mike hugged him back. "We came as soon as we got the news."
They let each other go, Lucas saw El with Mavis. He sighed. "I heard what you did."
He hugged her. "Thank you."
"I'm sorry." El said back, because she did save Mavis, and she got Max back, but she didn't do nearly enough.
As Mavis looked around the room, she realized so many of them sacrificed themselves or others to protect her. It hit her suddenly and tugged on her heart so hard. She leaned into Will, he held onto her tightly as Mav kept her eyes on Max.
"Do they know...when she will wake?" El looked at Max in worry.
"No." Lucas frowned. "They don't know if she will."
"But she will." Mav spoke up, she'd been saying it to make herself feel better. "I mean...it's Max. Do any of you honestly think she's gonna let that jackass win?"
It made Lucas laugh slightly. "That's true."
"I mean, this is the same girl that harassed Mike about becoming our Zoomer." Mav found herself talking a bit louder, making Mike laugh. "The same girl who drugged Billy and nearly took his balls off with Steve's bat."
"What?" Will laughed, he hadn't been there. "She did that?"
"She did." Mav smiled, looking over at Max. "She's like a....like a superhero."
Mike and El shared a look, their shared words clearly making it onto a very similar duo.
"Her heart stopped. A little over a minute." Lucas explained it to El as she sat down. "She was dead. But then...she came back. They don't know how, said it's a miracle."
Mike and Will looked at El. Mav hugged Lucas a few minutes later. "I can stay."
"No, you should go wherever El goes." Lucas pulled back, Erica joined them suddenly with her arms locked around the two. "I don't think she's gonna let you out of her sight anyways."
El waited by the door, watching Mav.
"I just wanted to say.." Mav trialed off as she looked at Lucas again. "-i'm sorry."
He had no clue what her was apologizing for, but he accepted it with another hug. Mav watched Max over his shoulder, waiting until the trio pulled away to walk over to her. She touched the skin on her neck, feeling her weak pulse, because it helped. She was here. Mavis leaned down, keeping her voice low so it was just the two of them. "I know you're in there, Max."
She didn't move, but that was okay. Mavis rubbed her hair just slightly. "Try to come back to me so I can tell you that you saved me at a horrible time, too. Okay?"
Max didn't say okay back, but she didn't have to. As long as she heard her, and she had to have, Mav was okay. She leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm so sorry, Max. If I could, I'd get God to swap our places."
"So, you'll probably be around a while now, huh?" Mav smiled at El as she laid on her bed. "Wanna come to my next game?"
El smiled. "Get to finally watch you cheer?"
"Yeah." she sat up with an exhale. "A few of the girls have already asked who's gonna replace Chrissy..."
El walked over when she frowned, Mav shook her head. "I don't think I can bring myself to do it, though. Chrissy was....she was so good. She really protected me from the rest of the girls."
El put an arm around her. Mav shook her head. "Eddie too. I mean, he was the coolest person I think i've ever known. He would have liked you a lot."
El kissed her on the forehead as they sat on the bed together. "Mav?"
"Yeah?" she hummed.
"I don't think the world is better with one less Hinton." her words made Mavis sit up and stare at her. "I heard what he said to you, before I got him, I don't think it's true."
Mav gave her a sad smile. El took her hand quickly. "I'm being the truth. He's-hes such a mouth breather."
Mavis laughed. "It's i'm telling the truth, babe."
"What?" El frowned her eyebrows.
"I'm telling the truth, not i'm being the truth." she cupped her face with a smile. "But...i'm really glad you think that way."
"Always think that way." she held her hands, that were on her face. "Cool?"
Mav smiled. "Cool."
They leaned in, connecting at the lips with a grin. Mav held El's face tighter, the Hopper girls hands squeezing hers.
"What happened to three inches?" an unexpected voice broke the two apart, looking to the door.
"Hopper?" Mav's jaw dropped.
She realized this was a very important daughter and dad moment, excusing herself with pure shock in her eyes. As she emerged from the room, hearing El's cries, her eyes fell onto someone that was like her Hopper. Someone who was younger the she was, yet always managed to act like a parent to her because of her lack of.
Mike nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt arms lock around him from behind, sighing as he dropped a hand on her hand. "You scared the shit out of me."
Mavis circled his body to hug him better, staying still for a little bit. "I don't think we should ever be separated ever again."
Mike laughed. "That's probably the smartest idea i've ever heard."
"Wasn't the same this time." she admitted, leaning her head back on him. "I think we're a better team then what we get credit for."
"Duh." Mike rocked her slightly, like he always did. "I felt pretty lost in California without you. I kept turning to my right trying to get your opinion on something, but you weren't there."
"When Vecna had me the first time, as soon as I came back, I just wanted to be with you." Mavis admitted to him. "Guess I got a little too use to you comforting me, like, any time there was an inconvenience."
Mike smiled, kissing her forehead. "Well, that's never gonna end, so maybe it's a good thing you got use to it."
Mavis smiled, her eyes falling to someone outside of the window. She made a few more words with Mike before walking onto the front porch. "Hey there, Trouper."
Will looked up with a little grin. "Hey, Mav."
"What's shaking, bacon?" she sat down with a loud exhale, her knees coming up to rest her elbows on. "See what happens when you move away? My world goes to literal shit."
It made him laugh, leaning onto her a little. "I've been think about you a lot recently, I just didn't-I don't know how to ask you."
"Ask me what?" she bumped his shoulder. "Did you get your period?"
"Mav!" Will laughed, making her do the same. "No!"
"You could be the first man-boy with a cycle, i'm just checking in." she rose her hands in surrender. "What have you been thinking about me for? Thinking about dying your hair pink, too?"
"Ugh, no." he laughed a little bit again, going quiet, but she could see he was looking for a way to word what he was about to ask. "When you-did you-are-have y-"
"What language is this?" her eyes grew wide and shook her head. "Are you speaking Alien or Scottish?"
"Scottish isn't a language, it's an accent." he hid a smile. "See, I don't know how to ask."
"Okay." Mavis stood up and hurried inside, Will gave an odd look before she came running back out with a notebook and a pencil. "When in doubt...result to your original calling."
Will smiled, because he knew she'd be the one. Not just because who she was and who she liked, but because she understood and took him into consideration more then she ever had to.
Mavis sat, messing with her shoes, while Will drew. She wrote her name with a stick in the dirt, then played a mean game of smacking the porch until she heard a raccoon underneath. She was in the process of repetitively slapping the porch as Will pulled on her arm, making her sit up, passing the notebook her way.
Mavis stared down at the quick drawing of, what appeared to be, her and El, then him across the page, a question mark above his head. Mavis smiled, she'd always knew it was coming, but she wasn't gonna force or push anything onto Will until he was ready. She shut the notebook, placing it aside and facing him completely. Wills eyes filled up for a reason he wasn't totally aware of, Mav cupped his face and slowly shook her head. "I love you so much, Will. You don't ever have to be scared or confused with me, ever. Whatever you're feeling, whatever you want to talk about, I am here for you no matter what and am so prepared to answer anything you're curious about."
"When did you know?" he reached up and held her wrist. "How do you...tell people?"
"Lucas was the first person I told, someone I knew i'd feel safe with and that loved me no matter what." Mav nodded her head.
"I'm glad it was you then." Will admitted. "Did you always feel different or..?"
"Yeah, pretty much." she had to laugh. "All my friends were talking about girls and I felt the same way they were describing they did."
She booped his nose. "All my friends except one, and I was always okay with that."
Something about her always knowing comforted him on a level he never knew he could reach, tucking his head down and hugging her tightly. Mav hugged him back, kissing the top of his head as they stayed that way until everyone started to travel out of the cabin. It was nice seeing El and Joyce reunite, feeling a small hit on her shoulder.
"Excuse you." she threw Hopper a look of disbelief.
"Staying out of trouble?" he asked her, staring down.
"Egh." she shrugged. "It was better when you were watching out for me."
He laughed, placing a hand on her head. "I bet it was, kid."
Then, he hugged her, hugged her until drops of, what looked like, snow fell onto them. Mavis looked up, confusion on her face. "In the spring?"
"Mav." Mike caught her attention, they all walked behind the cabin to see half the field, and growing closer, completely gray. Everyone paused, El reached for Mav's hand as they walked together, right on the edge. The two stayed, hand in hand, looking at the colorless field and the burning explosions up hill.
Mavis inhaled deeply as her eyes doubled in size. "Oh fu-"
end of season four.
•
kylie speaks
my babies, my loves, my
favorite people, i'm so happy
yet very sad. it's hard to watch
her go but im reminded of the
love and supportive i've received. i feared this book was
going to flop in season four bc
of the lack of elvis content but
the fact that so many of you
stayed and continued to read
and support me and mavis means so much to me that it's
hard to put into words. i love you all, i love my best girl mav, and i'll see you all again in 2024 with the final chapters of one of my most comforting books.