little things; stranger things littlespace oneshots

♡ 22 - safe ♡

request from Mack3ron1 :)) thank you!! i'm sorry it took so long, i've been busy and catching up on other requests ㅠㅠ, but i hope this was okay <3

cg!nancy, robin
little!max (2)

Dark clouds flooded in overhead of the wasteland. Fierce lightning flashed through the red sky as thunder roared from all around. Boulders came crashing down from the sky, spilling debris everywhere. And Max ran as fast as her legs could take her. She ran along the smoke covered ground frantically as stone masses crashed down around her, trying to avoid them. Another boulder crashed down, Max falling to her knees into a puddle of god-knows-what. But that didn't stop her. She kept her momentum, quickly pushing herself onto her feet and sprinting for her life.

She looked up and saw the light. The opening to the real world. Her heart raced and adrenaline coursed through her veins. She was so close. She couldn't let Vecna take her yet. They made it this far, they couldn't give up now. She needed to get back. For her friends. She ran through the gate, almost smelling the fresh air. And suddenly, it was black. For a few seconds, it was only silence. Solace. Was she dead? Did she make it out? Her eyes shot wide open, feet off of the ground, her gaze pointed towards the sky. She fell to grass and collapsed, panting heavily. Her arms were shaking in shock as she fell back into Lucas's embrace.

Steve and Dustin gripped her frantically as they bombarded her with questions.

"Are you okay? What did you see? Do you think we can beat it?"

But Max couldn't answer. She was in shock over what she'd witnessed. Her worst fears and memories brought to life, strangled within the branches, trapped within her own mind. It cycled through her brain over again.
"Mama.." she began to cry. Steve looked at her with a confused expression.
"I'm sorry, did she just cry for her mommy?" Dustin remarked. Steve elbowed him, earning a soft "ow". Lucas brushed it off without hesitation because he cared for her too much.
"You- you can have your mama, we're just going to call B-Billy down here, okay? He'll take care of you." Lucas reassured her, visibly shaken. Max continued to cry.

Within ten or so minutes, Billy pulled up in his car. He got out immediately as Lucas brought a crying Max over. Lucas opened the door and sat her down in the back before turning to Billy.
"What's going on? Did you three have something to do with this?" Billy spat, eyeing Steve and Dustin in the back. Lucas, unsure how to tell him that she was possessed because her mind is inhabited by a malicious creature, tried to water it down to the best of his ability.
"Uhh, I guess you could say a monster. But- she's been crying for her 'mama'. Do you know what to do?" Lucas answered.
"Oh." Billy sighed, rubbing his forehead. He was semi-familiar with Max's littlespace. "Yeah, I can deal with it." Billy paused for a moment. "Thanks for taking care of her, kid." he added, resting a hand on Lucas' shoulder before getting into the car and driving off.

The car ride was quiet except for the occasional sniffle from Max, who stared out the window blankly. After some time, Billy broke the silence.
"Max. What happened?" Billy asked.
"You wouldn't understand, it's not-" Max began.
"Just spit it out. Maybe I would." he interjected. Max exhaled.
"It- this creature, it was like.. an alien. A-and he captured me. It looked like hell, and I- I saw things.." she trailed off. Billy's stomach dropped. He understood this evil far more than anyone knew, but that was for another time. He swallowed nervously, pushing down a feeling of dread.

"Alright." he exhaled, absorbing the information. "Are you okay?" he asked. Max sat in silence for a moment before responding.
"I wanna see mommy and mama.." she replied, her eyes watering.
"I know, kiddo. We're seeing them right now, don't worry." Billy replied as sympathetically as he could express. After a ride that felt like an eternity, Billy parked the car outside of a house. He unbuckled Max and led her to the door, ringing the door and waiting patiently.
"Billy, Max!" Nancy smiled as she saw them at the door. "Whoa, Max, what's wrong?" her voice laced with concern as she saw Max's tear-stained face.

"Uh, she wanted 'mommy' and 'mama'." Billy spoke for her. "Can she.. stay here for awhile?"
"Of course!" Nancy agreed immediately, bringing Max inside of the house.
"I'll pick her up later, a'right?" Billy confirmed.
"That's fine. Take care." Nancy smiled at him sadly.
"Thanks, and you too." Billy replied once more before heading off.

Once Billy had left, Nancy sat her down on the couch, where Robin also happened to be. Max immediately crawled into her arms, leaning her head on Robin's shoulder.
"Mama.."
"Aww, honey, why are you crying?" Robin asked, slightly upset.
"Monster.. Vecna." she tried to explain, though slipping into a younger headspace.
"Oh, Max.. you're so brave, you know that? Most people couldn't take on a monster like that, and like, especially not a kid." Robin said, hugging her firmly and rubbing her arm soothingly.
"Was scary.." Max pouted.

"I don't doubt it." Nancy sighed. "Max, I promise, you'll always be safe with us. We're gonna take down that monster for good and you're going to be okay."
"fanks.." she thanked them shyly, slightly bashful from their attention and support.
"Of course, peanut. We love you." Robin replied, planting a loving peck on Max's cheek and grinning. Nancy chuckled and Max cracked a smile and bit her lip, giggling at Robin's silliness. Max didn't know where she'd be without them, and she felt newly hopeful.

- 946 words