mileven oneshots [completed]

anger

au where they all grew up in a normal town. mike is an angry loner and max wants to change that. 

"mike, you don't need people to be afraid of you to respect you," 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"hey, how come that guy always sits by himself?" asked a curious max. she had just arrived in hawkins a week ago, started life at her new high school, and befriended will, lucas, and dustin. max figured that boys were more fun to hang out with because they were into star wars and video games. 

"that guy is mike wheeler," dustin said, "don't talk to him. he's more on the bad side of town. drugs. drinking. smoking. fights. not someone you really want to get involved with," 

max bit her lip, "well no duh, he's all alone," 

"he used to not be. i don't know what happened. he's been like this for like a month," dustin brushed it off, "just trust us, max," 

max chewed on her lip, frozen in place, staring at the dark haired boy. he didn't look like the kind of guy that dustin described. he seemed nice. just because someone wears a leather jacket doesn't mean that he does drugs. 

max found her feet taking them towards the boy. she could hear whispers, and most prominently, the three boy's voices behind her. she held her lunch tray tight and as she approached him, she took a deep breath. 

mike looked up from his chip bag, curious. 

"hi, im max," she said nervously. 

"ok," he said carelessley. 

"can i sit here?" she asked, releasing a breath, placing her tray on the table.  

"this seat it reserved," he said defensively, placing his hand on the spot in front of him. 

"no one was sitting here yesterday," she said, "i thought you could use the company," 

"i don't need company. i don't need anything," he said, "and i certainly don't need ginger bitches trying to kiss my ass" 

max's eyes widened and she heard the cafeteria chatter diminish. max bit her lip, eying the boy with dark hair who was shooting her a deathly, daring glare. 

max grabbed her tray, "you know, i was just trying to be nice. you don't have to be a huge dick about it," 

"i'm not being a dick," he said aggressively "i just telling you where you stand in this school," 

max turned away and muttered, "douchebag," 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

after that, mike kept running into the group of four on "accident". 

he would push their books out of their hands or push them into the locker and tried to make it seem like an accident. he would always pick on max and will and lucas and dustin. max was fed up. she hated him and the way that he went out of his way to pick on them. 

so one day, as he was about to shove her against a locker after school, she moved out of the way quickly, and he just ran himself into the locker. then she twisted his arms and pinned him against the lockers. 

a small crowd had gathered around the scene. 

mike couldn't move. and max started smiling, then said threateningly, "from here on out you don't ever pick on me or my friends again, do you understand?" 

she tried to listen for a response, but all she heard was heavy breathing, and a low, "screw you," 

she twisted his arm harder, and pushed him against the locker, "say it. say itQ" 

"i understand," he said quickly. 

then she released him and he fell to the ground and ran off. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

max's mom worked at the hospital, so max would go there after school to get some money from her mom for arcade coins. the hospital was small; too small. it only had about ten resting rooms and two surgery rooms. it was old, so she was sure they were going to expand it. 

she walked into the hospital that afternoon and saw her mom sitting behind the counter, as usual. 

"hey mom, any quarters?" she asked. 

her mom nodded, "i think i may have four or five," 

as her mom started to dig through her purse, a tall figure came out from behind her. 

"hi susan!" an enthusiastic male voice said. he walked right past max and the counter and went down the hallway.  as he walked down the hallway, max knew it was mike wheeler. max drew her eyebrows together and watched as he went into one of the rooms. 

"hey mom," max said, pretending to be clueless, "who's that?" 

max's mom handed max the quarters as she said, "oh that's mike. he's such a good kid. he comes here every day. do you know him?" 

max shook her head, and lied, "no. i've seen him around though," 

max slipped the quarters into her pocket and walked down the hall. she kept her eye on the room that mike went into and saw a nurse come out of it, smiling. she kept her eyebrows drawn closely together. 

what the hell would mike need to go to the hospital for? 

then max saw it. 

there was a girl lying in the hospital bed with tubes being fed through her body. she was awake and smiling. her hair was dark, long, and curly and it was bunched into a bun. there was a tube supplying her air through her nose, and she was holding a remote, having the bed help her sit up. 

she couldn't hear what they were saying, but max heard mike's soft voice and his reassuring tone. the girl was smiling softly and laughing. 

the name on the door to the room was el hopper. 

max watched through the glass, and then mid-laugh, mike caught a sight of max's eyes. max didn't move. she was usually intimidated by him, but she just stood there. mike dismissed himself and came outside, his usual angry face reappearing. 

"what are you doing here?" he barked. 

"my mom works here, chill," max said calmly, looking at the girl in the bed, then noddedher head towards her, "who's she?" 

"uhm..." he dragged on, getting nervous, "that's my girlfriend. el,"

"why is she here?" max asked. mike shifted uncomfortably. 

"she......she's not in the best state mentally. she tried.....she tried to kill herself because she was being bullied so much at school," he said softly. 

max's eyes softened, "i'm so sorry," 

mike shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground. he bit his lip and looked back over at his girlfriends, who gave him a reassuring smile through the window. 

max nodded, "that's why you're so mean to everyone," 

mike looked up shyly and nodded, saying softly, "i want them to know that if they mess with her, they mess with me," 

max reassured, "mike, you don't need people to be afraid of you to respect you," 

mike stared at the ground again, "i know. but it's easier this way," 

"why don't you sit with us at lunch tomorrow?" max asked, "it's easier when you're not alone," 

mike looked up at her, as if he was amazed and grateful that she even asked, and nodded, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. he then nodded his head in el's direction, "do you wanna meet her?" 

"who? el?" 

"yeah. she doesn't get out much. she'd love to meet someone new for once," mike said, placing his hand on the door handle. 

max smiled, "yeah. of course,"

this one wasn't really that interesting, but i did want to bring the point; everybody fighting their own battles regardless of whether or not you see them. even the worst of em. so be kind yall. friendship works. 

out.