creds to: tvoyasashi on X for the cover art! Jane Hopper and Max Mayfield have been inseparable since seventh grade. Best friends. Partners in crime. The kind of friendship where you show up unannounced, steal each other's hoodies, and know exactly what the other person is thinking with just one look. They've grown up together.But sometimes... growing up makes things complicated. Now eighteen, they spend most of their days working across town. Max slinging ice cream at Scoops Ahoy with Mike Wheeler, and Jane making pizzas at Surfer Boy alongside her twin brother, Will. Late-night drives. Break room conversations. Pizza deliveries that turn into long hangouts. Sleepovers that last until sunrise. The lines between friendship and something more start to blur.Max has known something about herself for a long time now. She's a lesbian. The problem? No one else knows. And the bigger problem? She's had a crush on Jane for years. Jane, sweet and curious and completely unaware of the way Max's heart speeds up every time she smiles. As Max struggles to keep her feelings hidden, the group's dynamics only get messier. Mike keeps trying (and failing) to flirt with Max, while Will quietly navigates his own feelings for Mike. Through awkward moments, teasing banter, late-night movies, and heart-shaped pizzas made just for one person, friendships begin to shift into something deeper. Because sometimes your best friend is also the person you can't stop thinking about. And sometimes... the scariest thing in the world is realizing that the person you love has been right beside you the entire time. This story includes: • Best friends to lovers • Fluff • Light angst • Found family • Possibly some smut • Lots of pining Full AU: • Jane has no powers • The Upside Down doesn't exist • Jane was never called Eleven Main ships: • ElMax (Jane x Max) • Byler (Will x Mike) • Ronance(Robin x Nancy) Takes place in present year time

Jane and Max have been inseparable since seventh grade best friends, partners-in-crime, and roommates at NYU. They know each other better than anyone else ever could. But sometimes, knowing someone too well makes it impossible to ignore the little things the accidental touches, the lingering glances, the way your heart skips a beat when they laugh. As they navigate college life in New York City, from late-night dorm talks to crowded subway rides, their friendship is tested in ways neither of them expected. Max's impulsive charm clashes with Jane's quiet thoughtfulness, and every flirty joke or playful tease leaves them both wondering... could there be something more between them? This includes: fluff smut heated makeout sessions spice slight angst This is a full AU: -Jane has no powers -The bad men don't exist -The Upside Down doesn't exist -Jane was never called El -Jane is hopper and Joyce's bio child ALSO THIS IS NOT MY ART ON THE COVER creds to: tvoyasashi on X for the cover art!

[DISCONTINUED] "𝘐'𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥. 𝘔𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵'𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶." 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬. "𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺?" 𝘔𝘺 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦. "𝘖𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦, 𝘔𝘢𝘹. 𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮."

//no paranormal stuff. they are seniors in high school 18 years old// (Janes pov) {ELMAX} Jane Hopper is smart. Really smart. She uses big words that make no sense to anyone but her and it drives people crazy. No one understood a word she said, until someone did. Max Mayfield was the loud, popular, gorgeous, openly gay girl at Hawkins High. She didn't take shit from anyone and was a smart ass to everyone. Basically, she was a bitch no one dared to cross. So when Max requires a tutor and Jane is the best one for the job, an unlikely friendship blossoms and Jane realizes Max is a lot smarter than anyone would of guessed. But what happens when Jane realizes there relationship dynamic felt different than her dynamics with her other friends? What would Mike think? What would her family think? What would Hawkins think? Elmax storyline might be some tw not sure yet they'll be at the top of the chapter tho #2 in Max Mayfield 6/23/22 #1 in Still 7/5/22 #5 in Max Hargrove 7/24/22 #7 in Senior Year