your lips on my red cheeks || i hate you, my love (the alternative ending)
words: 4,094
Previous Part
note: VOLUME 2 SPOILERS AHEAD. kind of... similar to the other ending, i changed it. so, this one’s the happy one since some asked for (no one dies, you get your cliché rom-com ending). enjoy :) also, do yk how weird writing a kiss is? i had to spend a decent moment just thinking of how things worked and constantly changing the previous words to make sure things made sense
tags: @milkiane @gojosrug @ifeeluncomfortableallthetime @simp4natasha @badwolf00593 @splatashadeadmanoff @astroponyo @alonezz @part-timetraveller @73vyn @sadiesgf69 @eunkooked @tsukishimawhore @frankoceanphobic @nyrovia @realeddiemunson
By any means, you weren’t a saint. Not in your parents’ eyes, not in your friends’ eyes, and, especially, not the town’s eyes. The only exception you could think of at the moment was El, who seemed to think of you fondly for some unknown reason. You understood why the others might think of you badly, but they have to give you a pat on the back because there were loads of times when you wanted to curse people, and you didn’t. For instance, you could’ve cussed out your parents for missing your award show, but you didn’t because you knew they wouldn’t think twice about punishing you. Another time was when you accidentally bumped into Billy, you could’ve said some nasty things, but you refrained from doing so because the fucker was twice your size. So, of course, you knew when to shut up; this scenario was one of them.
Your eyes darted between Jason’s blue eyes, which forced a shiver up your spine that urged you to move and stay in your spot at the same time, and the barrel of the gun in his hands. You understood what could happen: Jason could shoot and miss because of his shaky hands, he could shoot and actually hit you because of his trembling hands, or he could just not attack you. You were hoping for the last option, but you were willing to settle for the second. What was the likelihood that he’d hit a fatal spot? Very, but you couldn’t bring yourself to accept that.
As you stood there, the world seemed to slow down, and your vision finally became clearer to allow the others into your sight. Max sat there, her body rigid and unresponsive to anything around her. Gosh, why couldn’t any school year be normal? You wish you could say that you regretted befriending the others, but you didn’t. You just pretended to, annoying them with no end. This moment allowed you to remember those times during the summer between the school years when you criticized them for putting you in danger. It would’ve brought a smile to your face, but now, it only morphed your lips into a frown.
The buzzing of the blue-lit lanterns reached your ears in the silence that the attic offered, annoying you but also giving you a sense of clarity. The scene before you wasn’t what you expected to happen during your spring break. Especially when, not long before, Lucas was doing everything he could to kiss up to Jason. Your dearest friend had his arms wrapped around the older boy’s torso, carrying enough force to bring the both of them falling towards the hardwood floor of the attic. The gun tumbled out of the blonde’s hand and was heading downwards like its former owner.
When you watched Jason hit the floor, his face morphing to reflect the physical pain he felt, the world seemed to shift back into its normal pace. A loud bang reached your ears as you instinctively ducked in your spot, almost falling over towards the left. As you got back up, you didn’t feel any pain. But that may have been due to the distraction that fucking Andy brought when he arrived. Gosh, you hated the older boy. Both of them. Fucking stupid leather jacket wearers.
The curly-headed athlete had wrapped his arms around your waist from the back, pushing the two of you onto the floor. A string of curses left your mouth as you, messily, attempted to get up. Your attempts were futile because of Andy’s stature; you felt his hand grip your shoulder and force you onto your back.
You were met with a prideful look painting his face and... Was this dickhead wearing a hat still? It wasn’t important at that moment, but still. His expression made you open your mouth to shout, only to be silenced by a fist colliding with your nose. A cry of agony tumbled out of your lips instead, the pain making a ringing sound in your ears and messing up your thoughts. All you could clearly hear in your head was Max’s name, “idiot,” and a familiar feminine voice screaming your name. No fucking way... What the fuck?
Your moment of distraction only brought you more pain as Andy’s fist collided with your cheek this time. A groan left your lips as you instinctively brought up your hand to where you got hit. Gosh, why was Andy still here? You brushed away the thought and the pain exploding all over your body as you did the only thing you could think of that second: grab onto the athlete’s collar and headbutt him; and, fuck, did it hurt. Nonetheless, it allowed you the chance to roll out from underneath him and scramble onto your feet.
You were internally screaming in pain, but all you could do was stumble over yourself. A pain shot up your left leg as soon as you leaned on it for stability, forcing you to look down and observe it. In the dark room that was only illuminated by blue light, you could spot a stain forming on the front of your pants leg. The lighting didn’t matter because you knew it was blood considering the fact that you grew aware of the blood dripping out of your wound and down your leg.
“Oh, my fucking... LUCAS, I GOT SHOT!” You screamed, your head spinning around to look at your friend, who gave you no reply. He dismissed you and repeatedly punched Jason, not yielding for even a second. It was as if it was his ultimate goal in life. Even with a single glance, you could spot the furious look in his eyes and the bruise beginning to form on his cheek. Where was Steve when you needed him? Hell, where was Nancy with her guns?
With gritted teeth to refrain yourself from crying out in pain once more, you turned back to your own athlete: Andy the Asshole. The older boy seemed to finally get a grip on himself, tolerating the pain that he may have felt. You watched him bring himself onto his feet, not understanding why you didn’t do shit. You wished you kicked him in the face when he began, but you couldn’t bring yourself to ignore the pain erupting throughout your body. So, you did what you thought was best: hobble around the fucking attic like a pirate while the older boy chased you.
“Can you not?!” You yelled, maneuvering around the boxes that surrounded Max. The jock seemed to enjoy your pain, not breaking into a run and tackling you again. He seemed to enjoy watching you limp around the room, simply walking with a menacing look. “You look like a bitch doing this.”
“And you look pathetic,” Andy replied. You spotted him rolling his eyes, causing you to quicken your pace. Fuck him. Well, was it best to insult someone who had the upper hand? No, but you had to. It was all you could think of, and it was the truth. You just felt numb... and hungry. You felt the blood staining your pants and lips due to the earlier punch. Gosh, when was the last time you ate?
There wasn’t much space to walk around and throw boxes down onto the floor in the small room. It was like you were some pathetic horror movie character. Could you excuse yourself? You wished, but you had to admit. Andy was fucking right. You felt pathetic as you limped around and swerved your head, searching for anything to use.
During your search, all you could hear was Andy’s quickening pace and the sound of fists colliding with a body from Lucas and Jason’s fight. When your eyes wandered to them, you could tell the former was tired and began to give up. Lucas’s punches held less force and became messy; they were slow enough to give Jason back the advantage. You watched as the blonde jock punched Lucas in the face, your friend yelling out in pain as he fell onto his back. Your pace quickened towards them, your eyes still surveying the scene before you. This time, you’d be the one doing the tackling. Despite the pain telling you to stop and give up, you ran, or at least did some form of it, towards the older boy. You brought the two of you onto the floor. Apparently, everyone in the room was going to fall in the attic of the Creel House at least once...
Following the sound of bodies hitting the surface, you heard wails of pain coming from underneath you and behind you that you craved to laugh at, but couldn’t, considering your own pain. Jason’s elbow jabbed into your abdomen, forcing you off of him and into a scramble onto your feet. You felt him push you back onto your stomach, similar to what Andy did earlier. Fucking asshole. The only difference was the blonde was laying beside you and in his puddle of pain that lulled him into a state of unconsciousness.
With a grateful sigh, you pushed yourself onto your knees and looked behind you. A mess of limbs was entangled with each other, with your friend at the bottom. You wished to laugh at the thought, but, given the situation, you had to help. Fuck, why couldn’t you be some theater kid and this whole shit show be some play?
Max was in a mixture of shock, relief, and... Vecna parts. It was understandable considering the last few minutes, which felt like hours. She recalled standing in the attic with Lucas behind her, screaming at a lantern like a lunatic. The redhead’s words tumbled out of her mouth like a rant to taunt Henry. Then, like a change of mood, she was transported onto the hill where she registered her feelings for you. A cheesy smile had formed on her face when she remembered it.
The girl had been kneeling in front of you while you sat on that bench and complained about skateboarding, teasing you about acting like a toddler. You had fallen off her board, scraped your knees, and pretended like it was some fatal wound.
“Kiss it better,” You playfully said as she put a bandaid on the wound, an almost quiet snicker leaving you. She didn’t understand why at that moment, but it made her face turn red more than before, her spine straighten, and her words paused and came out with a stutter. It soon became clear to her how whipped she was for you, practically willing to do anything to get your attention. It almost made her forget the mission...
Soon enough, she had been watching El and Henry battle each other. It was a mess that included sharpened sticks, swings, parts of the Earth, and even water fountains thrown at each other. Throughout the time Max spent constantly ducking to avoid being hit by a stray item, your name ran through her mind, and she swore she could hear your voice urging her to continue, despite being the one not doing anything.
Nevertheless, it urged her to keep trying to stay alive and dismiss the shock that would’ve kept her in her place. What should’ve been an open area was limited, and she knew that, so Max did what she could in it; relief pumping in her veins when she realized she didn’t have to move as much, Eleven ultimately getting the upper hand in the battle. It eventually turned into a mix of disgust and excitement when, well, Henry exploded, and parts of him splattered onto her clothes. Of course, she was glad, but for fucks' sake... The redhead’s legs pushed herself towards El, embracing her in her arms and cooing soft and congratulatory words into the tired girl’s ear. Max couldn’t help but let the pride seep into them, hugging her friend tighter. It had been so long since the last time she was near the girl with extraordinary powers...
As she closed her eyes, it was like some fantasy movie; the air around her changed, and your voice filled her ears. Her eyes shot open, observing the sight before her. The harsh blue light invaded it, not accustomed to the vastly different brightness of the environment. The feeling of the Creel House changed, offering consolation instead of the eeriness it formerly held. That’s how she knew it wasn’t some trick done by Henry again, her head swerving to where she heard voices.
“Stop doing that!” You screeched, inching away from Erica’s prodding finger and closer to the other Sinclair. It was a weird sight to see, but it brought her comfort. All she wanted to do now was kiss you like a cliché person in a rom-com.
“Erica!” Lucas berated, slapping his sister’s hands away from your leg.
“I just wanted to see!” Erica scoffed, hitting him back. It was definitely a sight to see, enough for a laugh to escape the redhead’s lips as she got up from the floor. The sound gathered all three of your attention, making Lucas shoot up from his spot and your eyes widen. As Lucas bolted towards her and wrapped her in an embrace, you had his sister’s undivided attention.
“You’re okay...” She heard him whisper into her ear, Lucas’s arms tightening around her waist.
Max grinned, “Had any doubt, Sinclair?”
“Ew...” You heard Erica mutter as she took a brief glance at Max and Lucas, returning to inspect your face. Your eyes wandered the attic ceiling, briefly making contact with Erica’s. “You’ll be fine.”
“I’m in pain,” You rebutted, dramatically bringing your hand to your forehead. You laid on the hard floor as you had been for the past few minutes, and an ache began forming on your back. The Sinclairs had surrounded you, neither doing much to aid the pain. One had no clue what to do and panicked, while the other carelessly ripped off a piece of cloth from Andy’s unconscious body to wrap it around the wound.
“Physical or emotional?” Erica interrogated with a raised eyebrow, poking the cheek where a bruise began forming from Andy’s punch. You grimaced at the touch, trying to avoid her finger with zero success. Leave it to a middle schooler to put you in your place...
“Oh, fuck off. Isn’t it your bedtime?” You retorted. The younger girl only stuck her tongue out at you, and you reacted accordingly: raising your hand to flip her off.
“Don’t have to be so cranky ’cause we passed yours...” She replied, rolling her eyes. You ignored the comment, opting to prop yourself up on your elbows to look at the approaching duo. Your eyes caught Max’s as she looked at you with amusement, kneeling beside you. You felt her eyes drifting across your body, possibly to look at your injuries. But the reason didn’t matter because her eyes practically made you melt, reminding you of the difference between her and Jason’s eyes. Her look gave you warmth, while Jason’s made you feel cold in a hot room. She distracted you from everything else, evident from your later surprise when you didn’t spot the Sinclairs anywhere in the room.
“Hi,” You murmured, sitting up in your spot, your right hand supporting you. It brought you a bit of pain that you hoped didn’t reflect on your face. It probably did, but it’s possible that Max didn’t show herself noticing. You brought your left hand to gently cup her face, similar to what she did before, and caressed her cheek with your thumb. You felt her lean into your touch, a smile gracing her face as she whispered back a greeting.
“Had the easiest job and still got injured...” She teased, bringing her hand up to hold the one on her face. You watched as the redhead brought the hand down, planting a delicate kiss on your palm. The simple act made you internally swoon, subconsciously making your lips part, and a warmth spread all over your face. Was it from the pain? Possibly, but you decided it’d be because of the girl in front of you. She was like a drug, and you were an addict that craved more of it. You would love any version of this girl you could get and yearn for any drop of attention she could give. Yet, Maxine didn’t give you that. She gave you more.
Her lips captured your bottom lip, gently tugging on it. Fuck, this girl had you wrapped around her finger, and you’d practically obey anything she would say. You felt her hand drift down your arm, gently gliding down your side to grip onto your hips, the other hand of Maxine moving to your hip as well. The touch wasn’t harsh, but it had enough pressure to make your lips stutter against hers, cursing yourself out loud when you felt your right arm buckle.
It only amused the redhead more, letting out a laugh you felt on your lips. As it died down, her eyes met yours and held a look that made you feel like you were her everything. A warmth, that you were sure was because of her, exploded in your stomach, growing when she initiated another kiss. You could tell there was something different in this one. It was messy and desperate as if she yearned for more of you. She seemingly pushed her lips further against yours in a way you didn’t understand, but who were you to stop her?
The universe and Nancy seemed to be the ones to do so, a gasp coming from the journalist that forced the two of you apart. The older Wheeler stood in the doorway with wide eyes, dirt stains covering her all over, and what seemed to be a first aid kit in her hands. The older girl’s mouth opened and closed with no words leaving it, making you and Max look at one another and laugh.
You didn’t understand the amount of stuff that could happen during a school break. It was strange; it was as if the stories in action-packed films about high schoolers were true. In a few days, you were brought into a hunt for your brother-like figure and ended up with a certain redhead as your girlfriend. The girl that you’d been pining for a few years was finally going to take you out on a date tomorrow, and it brought a smile to your face. Despite your false attempts to keep it off your face, your smile only grew as you surveyed the redhead at the foot of the bed.
You had been leaning against the wall of El’s old room, with the one and only sitting beside you. Only moments before, she was embracing you and glaring, which held no malice, as you teased her about her new haircut. It was like you were back to a few years ago, finding a baldheaded girl in the middle of the woods as rain poured down on her and the group. Instead, all of you were now traumatized high schoolers, with another teen to look over you, and had more words in the vocabulary list. You recalled leaving Eddie awkwardly situated between Will and Mike, the latter stammering over his words as he tried to explain who Eddie was.
“I can’t believe you’re making me do this...” Max muttered, narrowing her eyes at the two of you. Upon hearing that Max wrote a letter for you, Eleven urged her to read it aloud and used those eyes she knew no one could resist. The ginger had read most of it by now, but you could tell that the last part would be the most embarrassing one for her. She was trying to stall, her eyes scanning the sheet, when she stopped.
“I think it is sweet you wrote something for [Y/N],” El declared with a hint of sadness in her tone, mindlessly playing with her fingers like Max did when she was nervous. You supposed El took on some of your girlfriend’s habits, so you patted the baldheaded girl on the arm and offered her a smile. You could tell she needed a distraction, turning towards the other girl.
“I agree with the bald girl. I think it’s very sweet,” You stated, teasing the two of them while a red tint painted your face.
“Fine. I better get one back after this,” She huffed. “I’m so desperately in love with you that, if I were to live, I’d spend every second building one of those cheesy homes with you. You could pick out where and decorate it while I’d judge you every second. I hate goodbyes, and you know that (you know almost everything about me, I really wish I had time to tell you the rest), but it seems that this may be one, so... I love you, always. Love the redhead you stalked since day one, Maxine Mayfield.” Max’s eyes flickered back to you, a nervous look evident on her face as you sat up. Her grip on the flimsy paper faltering, soon grabbed by El to look at further.
Beside you, you heard El’s squeals that she tried to silence as she watched you lean towards Max. You murmured a “love you too” back to your girlfriend, not caring if it was too early because you had already fallen for her so long ago. You captured her lips with yours, giving her a sweet but short kiss that made a gleeful expression grace your and her face. How could you not be when she wrote that letter for you? But you knew you shouldn’t have been so happy because it didn’t stay for long, a humbling question coming from El, “Is [Y/N] a good kisser?”
Your jaw dropped while the corner of Max’s lips tugged upwards. With zero hesitation, her eyes maintaining contact with yours, your girlfriend replied, “No.”
“I so am. I’ve literally known you longer,” You defended quickly, whipping your head towards El. “The real question is if Max is a good kisser.”
“You!” She retorted, gently pushing you backward.
“I have literally never said that,” You defended, narrowing your eyes at the girl.
“Well, you don’t have to. Your...” The girl began to dispute, her words slowing down as the sound of a car approaching leaked into the room. It came to a stop and dropped the formerly happy mood into a grave one. For fucks’ sake, what could it be now? Max’s face turned serious, her hand reaching to grip yours tightly. Her eyes scanned your bruised face, drifting to where El now stood. The letter was long forgotten as she slowly approached the door, her hand stretched in front of her.
You watched as the door creaked open, revealing a familiar bowl cut: Will. It seemed that the boy could tell there was a sense of weariness in the room, urging him to calm everyone in it down. “It’s okay! Mom’s here...” He trailed off, smiling at the three of you. You watched as his gaze lingered on El, a look of sadness and excitement in his eyes, “And Hopper.”
That was all your bald friend needed to push past him, Will trailing behind, making you roll over on the bed in hopes of seeing the little family reunion. A thud was heard in the room, vibrating out to the main room and catching Eddie’s attention through the wide-open door. You listened to your girlfriend laugh at you, snapping your head towards her to jokingly glare, feeling Eddie’s eyes boring into the side of your face.
“I hate you,” You stated in a serious tone, your eyes flickering back to Eddie. In that simple and quick look, you could see the concern disappear from his face once he realized your movements were intentional... Fuck, you were glad everything was alright. A certain weight had been lifted off your shoulders when you were reunited with the metalhead.
“No, you don’t, my love,” Max replied, crouching beside your sitting form and capturing your lips with hers. Gosh, you loved spring break... Everything was okay, and you finally got a girlfriend. Not only did you get one, but it was also freaking Maxine Mayfield. You melted against her lips, enjoying the warmth it gave you. All you knew was that you’d do anything to build that home with her, one where you could hang out with all your friends and simply be with the redhead.
