So this is love? ~ Elmax

Turn around

~ Eleven POV ~

For the first time I skateboarded a long distance and I didn't fall once! I was very proud of myself. I look next to me as I see Max gaze at me. "We are almost there. Just over this hill." I smile at her as I let myself roll over the pavement. " i'm curious where you are bringing me." Max says as she looks at me with a proud face. " You will see." I say as we skate off the hill carefully. Max her eyes grew as she heard some seagulls and the waves of the sea. "You brought me to the beach?" She asks with a smile. "Yes, I heard you talking about the beach a lot back at Hawkins. So I thought you might like it." I explain as I came to a stop. Max stopped next to me as she flips up her board. I pick up the board, making sure I didn't show the bottom of the skateboard. Holding it close to my body. Max grabs my hand as she interlocks out fingers. "I love it El. Thank you for bringing me here." She smiles as she looks at the waves. "Follow me, I found this spot a while ago and I come here to think and to escape people. I mostly thought about you here." I explain as I held Max her hand in one hand and the board in the other. "Stop, You're so cute." Max smiles as she gently squeezed my hand. I lead her up some rocks as it had the perfect view of the sea. It was far from other people so it was also very private. "This is it." I smile as I look around. "Wow, this is beautiful El." Max states as she looks around too. "It's so peaceful, I love it. I get why you'd come her a lot. It's quite and absolutely gorgeous." Max explains as she laid down her board in the grass as she sat on it. She taps the spot next to her for me to sit there. So I did. I put the other board down as my hands started to feel sweaty and I began to feel nervous.

"I come here a lot. At home and at school it's too busy to think. They are so mean at school and they all find me weird and when I'm at home I get reminded that I only have Will, Jonathan and Joyce to talk too. I am very thankful for it, but I miss my dad and I missed you, so much." I explain as I look at Max. She meets my eyes as she lays her head in my neck as she holds my hand as she lets me speak. "I miss Hawkins, I know a lot of bad happened there, but also a lot of good. Like meeting my friends, my family and you. I wasn't the weird kid there, because we were together and I didn't feel alone. But here it's different. I come her to think about those memories. Good memories. Bad memories. I let myself feel them here. I don't pretend to be okay, I just let it be." I continue as Max squeezed my hand slightly as she lift her head up.

"I think that's beautiful that you found a place were you can feel those things. I'm proud of you for doing so. I'm sorry that those people are so mean to you. I wish I could show every single one of them how awesome and special you are. How loving and sweet. Sadly, that's not possible. I know we fought literal monsters, but people are the real monsters. They tear you down and rip you apart from the inside. People are so cruel, that I sometimes wish I wasn't one." Max explains as she looks at the sea. I stare at her as I let her continue. "I've never told you the full story about my situation. Not because I didn't trust you, but because I'm just too embarrassed. I felt like I shouldn't feel bad about my whole situation if you literally were held hostage in a lab were they trained you and tested on you as a weapon. And I know I shouldn't compare, but I felt like I could just pretend to be okay, that's what I always did. Seeing and hearing what you have gone through, made me feel so bad for you, but also showed me how strong you are. You gave me strength to get through the roughest shit. I know it's so wrong to compare, but I couldn't help it. It helped me through stuff, but that also was the reason I never talked to you about my fucked up shit." Max explains as I saw all sorts of emotions on her face. "Max, it's okay. I understand." I softly say as I lay my head on her shoulder. " You can talk to me about anything. Your problems and struggles are worth talking about too. Every struggle and every feeling is valid on it's own way." I reply softly as she looks at me. "Were did you learn that type of language." She softly chuckles as there were tears in the corner of her eyes. "Joyce." I smile softly. "I fucking love Joyce." Max chuckles with a sniff as she regroups herself.

"You can tell me about your struggles Max. I will be here for you. I will not compare or judge. I'm going to help you and support you and make you feel worthy and beautiful, because you deserve the best." I explain as I gaze at her. "Okay you really have to stop or I will start crying and I'm way to tough to cry." Max chuckles as a joke as she wipes the corners of her eyes. I smile at her as I pull her into a hug. "It's okay not to be tough sometimes. You can let yourself feel anything when you're with me. I will always be there to protect you and help you. I will always think you are the strongest person I know, even if you don't feel like it." I say as I rub her back. A soft sniffing comes from Max as she was crying. I pull her closer as she started sobbing. Letting all the pain and cropped up feelings out for this first time in a long time. "It's okay. I got you. Always." I whisper as I softly rub her back. She sobs into my neck as she held onto me. "You're safe. You're okay." I whisper again as her sobs slow down.

After a little while Max stopped crying as she was trying to catch her breath from all the sobs. "It's okay. Take your time." I smile softly at her. "Oh god I must look disgusting right now." She chuckles softly as her words are still shaky. "You look beautiful." I simply say as it was true. It didn't matter what she wore or what she was doing. She was always so beautiful. "It had been a lot today. So I understand if you don't want to talk about your struggles right now. But when you do, know that I'll be here to listen and to try and help and support you." I explain as I hug her tight once more.

"Thank you El. I have no words to describe my feelings right now, but you are the best thing I could ever wish for. The way you make me feel is Undescribable. The way you give me strength and support me and- I can't thank you enhough, because you are the reason I'm still here. You're the reason I'm staying strong. You're the reason why I get up in the morning. I just- shit- I can't explain how you make me feel. You make me so happy and fuzzy and make me forget all the bad things in the world when you hold my hand. When I stare into your eyes, I'm in a whole nother planet. You keep amazing me with all the things you've learned and I'm just so unbelievably proud of you. For who you were. For who you are and for who you're becoming." Max gazes into my eyes as she holds my hand as my smile grew larger and tears form in my eyes. "I feel the same way Max." I snif as I look at her. She smiles brightly as she leans her forehead on mine. "I also can't explain how you make me feel. How happy and tingly. There are no words that can describe it, but-" I say as I turn around to grab the skateboard I won for Max that laid next to me. "I can try." I smile as I hand over the board to her. She smiles as she looks a little confused. "Turn around." I softly giggle as I burn up from the nerves. She looks at me and then back at the board as she turns it around.

'I love you madmax.' It says on the board in paint. Max her eyes shoot between me and the board. "You do?!" She asks with a smile on her face. "I really do." I smile as I look at her. She lays down the board as she attacks my lips with hers. Wrapping her arms around my neck as I feel her smile against my lips. "I love you too El." She says against my lips as she presses her forehead against mine and our eyes meet. "I always have."

//AN: TWO UPDATES HEHE. This might be my comfort chapter. I hope you liked it! Suggestions what you like to see next are always welcome! 🤍