MARLEY // Max Mayfield

Red-Tinted Sight

Listening to the buzz of the boys bicker and piece their information together in the background, Marley held her head in her heads, eyes closed as the noise grew louder and louder in her mind until - "Marley?"

She looked up, meeting Max's concerned gaze, "Red..."

"Come on..." Max smiled, bringing the girl into a hug, "You're ok."

"Yeah...yeah, I'm ok," Marley breathed, pulling away from the embrace to instead lay in the girl's lap, Max smiled and stroked through Marley's hair, twirling the little strands at her forehead around her finger absentmindedly, "Hey...Red?"

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you freak out? When...when I said about the Demogorgon?" Max chuckled and looked down at her, running her thumb across her cheekbone idly.

"Would you rather I did?" 

"No, I just want to know why you didn't like recoil in disgust or something," Marley shrugged, reaching up and placing her hand against the back of Max's.

"I heard you tell Hopper," Max admitted, her thumb stopping, "before I came out and met you on the porch."

"Oh."

"Marley," Max sighed and Marley looked at her, "I don't think of you any different you know. I just...we already talked about it that night but you can talk to me if something's bothering you."

"Yeah..." Marley murmured quietly and then bit her lip, "I do have something on my mind right now."

"Besides me?" Max smiled and Marley huffed, rolling her eyes playfully, "what is it?"

"It's about the theatre...when I went to the bathroom and you noticed I took a while..." Max nodded urging for her to continue, "There was a moment in there...I uh...I saw myself...in the mirror but I was different...my veins were black and my eyes void...It just, it freaked me out. I was gonna tell you but then I thought maybe you'd...it's stupid..."

"No, it's not," Max pressed and Marley's lips tightened into a frown, suddenly feeling the urge to look away from her girlfriends curious and cautious eyes.

"I thought you'd maybe...think I wasn't worth the hassle...I don't know," she heaved a sigh, "think I had too much baggage or whatever...and you'd break up with me...I mean at that point I already didn't talk to you as much, I danced around topics, made it awkward whenever you accidentally hit a sore spot, probably made you feel like shit too--"

"Marley," Max interrupted softly.

"Yeah...?"

"You have irrevocably stolen my heart, in fact, nothing you could do could change my feelings for you, I'm sure of it," Marley made a face and Max laughed, "Ok so maybe if you killed a puppy or something."

"I would never," Marley stated seriously, gasping dramatically at the notion. She smiled after a moment and wrapped her arms around the back of Max's neck, pulling her down into a kiss and grinning all the while. A cough sounded from behind them and both girls looked to the sound, seeing Mike with his hands on his hips, Lucas and Will looking around the room awkwardly and Eleven just smiling her little head off.

"Are you done?"

"No," Marley stated, hugging Max closer. Max laughed, her cheek squished against Marley's bicep. "Can't you go somewhere else?"

"This is my house!" Mike retorted.

"Your mom likes me more," Marley grinned wolfishly, the deadpan look on Mike's face made the girl sigh and she subsequently let go of Max, deciding to sit up and instead rest her head against her shoulder. "Fine, fine, what is it?"