"only you my girl, only you babe..."
m!oc x max mayfield
s2- onwards
season 2: ✅
season 3:✅
season 4:✅
#4 in maxmayfield (12/03/22)
#5 nancywheeler (12/07/22)
#1 in strangerthings4 (12/18/22)
#5 in willbyers (3/10/23)
#6 in steveharrington (6/28/23)...
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☆★☆★→ ←☆★☆★
MAX HAD, surprisingly, been able to sleep a little that night. Unfortunately for Josh, he couldn't. Yet again, he felt paranoid, and after their encounter with him in Victor Creel's house, he wasn't sure he ever wanted to go back.
Every forty-six minutes, Josh would reach over and press replay, waiting with baited breaths for it to restart. Eventually, the minute and a half was up and the song continued playing. He was more reckless with his own Walkman, ignoring the fact that Max would be furious with him if she knew.
However, Josh couldn't say that Max was the only thing keeping him up. He hadn't slept since his first night back in Hawkins— another night fueled by horrible nightmares and screams. He'd woken up, sweating, while Dustin continued to snore loudly from his bed.
Maybe the nightmares were keeping Josh up, too. Maybe he was a coward that didn't want to face them again. He looked up to see Colby sitting up, his eyes wide with fear.
"Can't sleep?" whispered Josh, gaining Colby's shaken attention. It was the only time all night that his eyes had rested anywhere but on Max. The song was almost done again.
"I guess not." Colby laughed awkwardly, taking a seat beside Josh. "You?"
"I told them I'd take Max Watch for tonight." Josh shrugged in response. "I'm not tired."
"You sure?" Colby raised a brow. "I can watch her if you want to sleep for a little while."
Josh didn't want to sleep. He would sit up against that wall with his eyes trying to defy him forever if he had to— for one, he didn't want to take the chance of leaving Max alone, and he didn't want to take the chance of having to face his father again. Having to face Vecna again. He'd insisted that he would constantly be listening to his Walkman and that he'd be fine, although during the majority of the night, he could see Lucas' wide eyes peering at him through the darkness.
Josh wished his father was still alive. He wished he hadn't been killed by those Demo-dogs. If Josh had warned Dustin about keeping a strange creature in his home, maybe something would've changed and the Demo-dogs wouldn't have attacked him at all. He would still be alive and he'd be with them. And on the other hand, Josh wished it had been him instead. Who would've cared if some random middle schooler died? Joyce would still have a boyfriend. Josh wouldn't have sentenced anyone but himself to a slow, painful death.
"I'm good." sighed Josh, pulling his legs up to his chest and heaving out a sigh. "I feel so guilty. I should've been there for her. That's all she needed. She pushed me away, and I just took it. I should've pushed back."
