Home ||~~Elax/Elmax~~||

A cool outing

It had been a few days since Max essentially moved in with the Wheeler's. Karen hadn't exactly been keen, but when Max explained what her mom had said to her, and also how her step-father and Billy had treated her in the past, she'd acquiesced pretty quickly, but not before laying down some strict rules. At night she slept in Nancy's room, who'd finally returned to college and was excelling, finally happy having dealt internally with the past. She was also near to Jonathan, just a bus-ride away, which suited their still awkward yet budding romance perfectly.

Karen had gone over to Max's house to talk with her mom and pave the way for some time for things to calm down a little. When she returned, she told Eleven and Max that she hadn't been pleased, at all, but barring storming over and dragging her out she could do nothing but agree.

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It was just after lunch, Eleven was in the lounge and Max was putting the dirty dishes in the kitchen. Eleven realized that Max had been gone for quite a while and went to find her. As she entered the kitchen she saw her stood by the counter, deep in thought and looking pretty sad.

"Max...what's wrong?"

She jumped slightly, not noticing that Eleven had entered the room. "Oh, it's, er, it's nothing."

"Max..." Eleven pushed.

Max sighed, "it's just...I thought when you came back, everything would be ok. I'd never felt so happy, to have you back, in my arms...of all the things I was scared of that could ruin it, I never thought it would be my mom."

Eleven said nothing for a few seconds, "I'm sorry I've brought you such pain in your life...you'd have been better never meeting me, I'm sorry." She held her head low, not wanting to look Max in the eye, truly believing what she was saying.

"Please don't" Max said softly. Eleven raised her head and looked up at her. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me, I wouldn't...I wouldn't change a thing." She cupped Eleven's cheeks, gently forcing her head up further in order to look her in the eyes properly, "please El, you need to stop saying sorry, its not your fault, none of it."

Eleven looked down for a few seconds, then up again at Max and nodded, giving her a small smile.

"Come on" Max said, standing up purposefully, "lets go somewhere, I'm sick of hiding in your house." Max held her hand out for Eleven to grab, and pulled her up too.

"Ok, where should we go?" asked Eleven nervously. She still hadn't been out much beyond Max's house, before she was essentially kicked out of course.

"How about we go into town" Max suggested. "I could treat you to an ice-cream, mayyybeeee..." she added upon seeing Eleven's nervous face, laughing as her eyes lit up.

"Chocolate?" Max nodded. "Cookie dough?" Max nodded again, this time with a smirk developing on her face. "...waffles?"

Max laughed, "anything you want! Come on, get ready."

Within 5 minutes they were walking out the door towards town. They didn't talk much, totally happy and comfortable in each other's silent company. Eleven took in the sights she hadn't seen or looked at properly for a long time, appreciating the views, the scenery, even the grey, slightly run-down shops they were currently passing. "I missed this place" she said with a small, yet satisfied smile.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

After a few more minutes of walking in silence, "Max?"

"Hmmm?" she hummed in reply.

"Can I hold your hand...I mean, here?"

Max stopped walking and looked at Eleven, "of course you can" she answered in surprise, "I kind of wanted to but, well...I don't know, I guess I was afraid to ask...that sounds really dumb now" she rambled, laughing at the end. She held out her hand and Eleven blushed slightly as she took it in her own. They smiled at each other and walked the last couple of blocks to the ice-cream parlor.

The little bell on the door rang as they entered, alerting the elderly owner behind the counter that he had customers. "Ah, welcome ladies, welcome" he said in a friendly tone, making them giggle slightly.

"Hello" they both replied in unison.

They approached the counter as he made his way over to serve them. "And what would you two delightful ladies want this fine day?" he asked in his friendly, almost sing-song voice. As he reached them Eleven saw a flicker of recognition cross his face, "you" he stated.

She immediately tensed up, squeezing Max's hand and receiving a squeeze back in support.

"Ohhh" Max said, "you're the gentleman from the graduation ceremony" she elaborated.

Eleven thought back briefly, an elderly man had been the first person to approach her from the unsure looking crowd and he had thanked her, thanked her for sacrificing herself for him, for his family, for everyone in Hawkins and beyond. "I remember you" she said, "thank you for what you said, I didn't say it at the time, I was so tired" she explained.

"No apology is necessary, Miss..." he looked at her expectantly, something which she didn't get at all.

"Eleven" Max filled in the gap for him.

"Eleven" he said thoughtfully. "Ok then, Miss Eleven, what will you have? It's on the house" he declared.

"Anything?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes, anything, for your girlfriend too."

Eleven and Max glanced at each other quickly, each seeing the other blushing like crazy and both smiling at his apparent acceptance of them.

Turning back, Eleven made her decision fast, "the mega waffle surprise, with cookie dough, chocolate, strawberry, and bubblegum scoops, please" she said with a satisfied smile. Max looked at her slightly open mouthed, "what?" she asked feeling suddenly self-conscious.

"Nothing" Max replied, eyebrows raised slightly and a smirk on her face, "it's just...I mean, don't hold back, are you sure you wouldn't like anything bigger? I'm sure he could cover it with whipped cream and chocolate sauce if you like."

"nksdin lsisnlim dlenil" is all Max heard.

"What?"

"It comes covered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce" Eleven said slightly louder, her face now red from embarrassment.

Max started laughing, "I don't know where you put it." Turning back to the gentleman she said, "I'll just have some chocolate strawberries and a scoop of toffee ripple please."

"You ladies sit and I'll bring them over" he replied with the same warm smile.

Looking around, they found a booth to sit in next to the window and sat next to each other, Eleven leaning against Max, watching the world of Hawkins pass by slowly.

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"How was it?" the gentleman asked as he collected their empty dishes.

"Amazingly perfect" Eleven replied with a smile, Max nodding in agreement. "Thank you so much, sir."

"Call me Wilbur, and it's the least I can do" he said.

Eleven looked down, feeling slightly embarrassed and not really knowing what to say. Max appeared to pick up on it quickly, "well, thanks again, Wilbur, it really was delicious, but we'd better be getting back as Eleven needs a lot of rest still."

"Of course. I hope to see you again."

They both nodded and made their way out into the sunshine. Holding hands all the way home, the silence was only broken at the very last when Eleven said "thank you, I really needed that."

"My absolute pleasure" Max replied, "especially as I didn't even need to pay" she added, earning a whack on the arm, as well as a laugh, from Eleven. "You know you love me" Max pouted.

Eleven pretended to think for a few seconds, then rolled her eyes and agreed.

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A/N sorry for the slightly filler-y chapter...the next will be much more interesting...