Strawberries and Cigarettes // Max Mayfield x girl OC

Chapter Five: The Nina Project

After the incident at the cemetery, Steve made the executive decision to head back to the Wheeler house to rest up and reconvene with Robin and Nancy. Luckily for him, everyone was in agreement, especially Chris, who was very adamant that Max needed to get some sleep.

The drive back to Chris' house was fairly silent, except for the occasional sniffling from the two girls. Max had her head resting on Chris' shoulder while the latter absent-mindedly drew patterns onto the back of Max's hand.

Steve pulled into the driveway just as Nancy and Robin got out of their car. There was some confusion as Nancy and Robin caught sight of the other group; Max's and Chris' eyes were red and blotchy, and they all looked like they had just witnessed a murder. In all fairness, they were a mere seconds away from that outcome.

Nancy led them down to the basement, where each group began to explain what had happened while they were apart.

Steve was the one to explain what happened with Max and the cemetery. Chris was relieved that she wasn't the one telling it. She wasn't in the mood to talk, and she didn't want to recount almost losing her girlfriend. While Steve spoke, Chris chose to tune him out as she sat with Max, quietly humming in her ear.

After Steve finished sharing, Nancy and Robin shared what they learned from Victor Creel. They explained how music was the one thing that could save someone from Vecna by creating a sort of anchor to reality.

Chris wondered how that looked from Max's perspective, but the redhead wasn't up for sharing, which was completely understandable. Everyone respected that, figuring she'd tell them when she was ready.

After everyone had caught up and filled each other in, they settled in for the night, figuring they'd make their next plan in the morning. Chris took an old scarf and tied one end to her wrist before tying the other to Max's. Max was under strict order to keep her headphones on all night, but Chris still wanted to make sure nothing happened, and she figured that if Max started floating again, it'd tug on the scarf and alert her.

The two girlfriends plopped down on the couch, and within a few minutes, Chris was asleep, Dustin and Lucas letting her rest while they kept an eye on Max. Chris didn't necessarily want to sleep, but she hadn't gotten a proper night's rest in a few days, and it was hard to resist slumber.

•••

Chris woke up the next morning to the sound of Dustin's snoring coming from across the room. She was half out of it, but as soon as she felt a slight tugging at the scarf around her wrist, she was wide awake and looking toward Max. To her relief, Max was fine.

"Jesus, Max," Chris sighed quietly. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," Max said sheepishly. "I was just getting bored and a little hungry."

Chris offered Max a weak smile as the two of them got up and made their way upstairs for breakfast. Chris knew she probably should've told someone where they were going, but they all looked so peaceful when they were asleep, and to be honest, Chris wanted a little break. She wanted to be able to spend time with her girlfriend without the others getting in the way.

When Chris and Max entered the kitchen, they found that Holly and Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler were already there. Holly was at the table while Mrs. Wheeler made waffles, and Mr. Wheeler sat at the counter reading his newspaper.

"Good morning," Mrs. Wheeler greeted them.

"Morning, mom," Chris replied at the same time Max said, "Good morning, Mrs. Wheeler."

"You guys want some breakfast?" Mrs. Wheeler asked.

Chris nodded and went to go join Holly at the table. She sat on one side of the young child while Max sat on the other side, grabbing some of the papers and crayons Holly had in front of her. Holly didn't mind Max using her stuff, seeing as she was too preoccupied with her Lite Bright.