27. feeling fireworks

FEELING FIREWORKS

✧･ﾟ: * Nora admires the fireworks blasting through the sky with a faint smile on her face.

She's leaning against the kitchen counter, looking out the window of Hopper's cabin while the others talk about a plan in the living room.

"Hey," Max comes up from behind, leaning next to her, also looking out the window.

"Hi," Nora replies, hoping her voice didn't shake.

We were about to kiss. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.

"D'you like fireworks?" Max asks turning her head to Nora.

". . . Yeah?" Nora also turns her head, not sure where she's going with this.

"Yeah," Max puts her hands together and demonstrates how a firework explodes. "They go, like, 'pewww.'" The redhead brings her freckled arm around Nora's shoulders and rests it there.

"Very smooth, Mayfield," Nora gives her an mock impressed look.

"I try, Harrington," Max grins and the girls laugh together.

"He said he was building something," El brings the two to their first priority, and they walk to the living room, Max's arm still around Nora. "That it was all for me."

"Building something. . ." Max trails off. "Is he talking about the flayed?"

"He must be," Nancy responds.

"Yeah, but he's not building his army to spread," Mike starts.

"He's building it to stop Eleven," Will finishes.

"Last year, El closed the gate on him. . . I have a feeling that really pissed him off."

"Like, royally," Lucas comments.

"He doesn't want that to happen again," Nora almost scoffs. Who knew monsters have superiority complexes?

"Exactly," Mike nods. "The Mind Flayer now knows that El is the only thing that can stop him. But if she's out of the way. . ."

"Game over."

"He also said he was gonna kill all of you," El adds, looking around.

"Yeah, well," Max huffs. "That's nice."

Nancy starts walking towards the window, "do you guys hear that?"

They all go quiet. There's no noise.

"It's just the fireworks," Jonathan dismisses.

"Billy. . ." Nancy spins around. "When he told you this, it was here, in this room?"

El nods slowly and everyone tries listening for a noise over the fireworks.

"He knows we're here," Will places a hand on the back of his neck.

The group flees from the cabin, Max now moving her arm to hold Nora's hand (easier to run that way). They run out to the woods, illuminated by the fireworks in the sky. Ahead of them, they see the Mind Flayer running at them at full speed.

It's ginormous. Bigger than any other monster they've fought with.

The group rushes back to the cabin where Nancy and Jonathan search for weapons and the kids board up the windows. They move furniture and random house items to cover the windows, and when Nancy and Jonathan come back with a shotgun and axe, they move the couch to barricade the door.

They stand in a circle, Nora and Max have found each others hands again. Everyone looks around the room, ready for the Mind Flayer to attack in any direction.

A rumbling noise comes from all around.

"It's close."

It takes footsteps, shaking the entire house. Tree branches scratch against the house and mugs and picture frames start falling off the the wall. It feels like an earthquake and Nora is terrified. She feels Max's grip on her hand tighten and she squeezes back.

It suddenly gets quiet. . . too quiet.

The calm before the storm.

The storm being the giant tentacle that just burst through the wall.

Everyone starts screaming as the kids run to one side of the room, Nancy and Jonathan to the other.

The tentacle goes straight for Eleven, and it almost grabs her until Jonathan runs forward and hacks it with the axe.

It doesn't do much harm, so he tries again, but the tentacle whips around and punches him in the stomach, sending him flying against the wall.

Nancy steps up, ready to shoot her shotgun.

The bullets don't seem to affect the Mind Flayer, and after a few shots, she's run out.

Nancy starts backing up, trying to avoid being attacked by the Mind Flayer. El steps forward and holds a hand out to stop the tentacle. The tentacles starts shaking and flying in random directions, and El brings her arm down, chopping off the tentacle in the process. It move backwards and back through the hole it came from.

"Holy shit," Max breathes, her and Nora being next to the opening.

A second later another arm crashes through from another angle, and El quickly puts a hand out to stop it. Another one comes directly opposite to her, but she manages to stop that one too.

She looks between the tentacles, clearly unsure what to do. Focusing her face in concentration, El whips both her arms down, cutting off the end of the tentacles in a swift motion.

It goes silent again, but not for long as the roof caves in, the monster creating a giant opening.

An arms reaches and grabs one of El's ankles, and it starts to pull her up. Everyone screams her name and tries to stop her from going up.

"Nancy, shoot it!" Jonathan yells.

Nancy cocks her gun and continuously shoots at the monster's mouth. Lucas jumps up and grabs the axe, and he starts trying to cut the tentacle off repeatedly.

Finally, the arm is severed, and El falls to the ground. She grabs onto Mike, looking heavily drained, and he quickly pulls off the piece off the tentacle that has stuck to her ankle, making El scream out in pain.

She slowly stands up, limping but standing tall. El looks up at the Mind Flayer, lifts her arms, and screams, tearing the monster's face in half. El then falls into Nora and Max in exhaustion, and the girls caught their best friend easily.

Nancy shouts how they have to leave, and they all rush out to the car, stepping over each other in their hurry.

"Drive!" Mike yells as soon as everyone's situated.

Nancy slams onto the gas and the car starts off, zooming down the headlight lit road.

—

✧･ﾟ: * After Nancy drives ten over the speed limit for a few minutes, the gang pulls up in front of a closed grocery store. The locked door problem is easily fixed with a rock and a glass door.

They file into the store and head straight for the first aid aisle.

"Okay," Nancy grabs a bandage and rubbing alcohol. "Get her down."

Mike gently places El against the shelves as Nancy rolls up El's pant leg.

"Oh," Nora looks like she's about to throw up.

Nancy starts opening up the gauze package and Max holds a hand out, "What- what- Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm cleaning the wound," Nancy explains, pouring the alcohol onto the gauze.

Max puts her hand on Nancy's arm to stop her. "No, first we need to stop the bleeding, then clean, then disinfect, then bandage." Everyone stares at her in surprise. "I skateboard, trust me."

Max grabs the gauze and it puts it over El's wound, "Mike, hold this." He puts his hand where Max said. "Keep the pressure on it. Nice and firm, okay?"

Max then looks to Nancy. "We're gonna need soap and water." Nancy and Jonathan nod before going off to find the necessary supplies.

Nora watches as Lucas beside her unzips his backpack and empties it onto the floor. Random wires and a piece of gum roll out, and Max looks over at the noise.

"Does any of this help?"

Max gives him an annoyed look. "No. Go get me a washcloth and a bowl."

"A bowl?" Lucas repeats.

"Lucas," Max glares.

Will pats Lucas' arm, gesturing for them to go. Will also shoots Nora a look that mostly says, "don't leave me alone with him." Nora sighs and gets up too, following after the boys.

"Are you sure it's with the cereal?" Will follows Lucas into the snack aisle and Nora frowns.

"Lucas, what are we doing?" Nora looks exasperated.

"We're getting a bowl," he says as if it's obvious. "What else do you use a bowl for if not cereal?"

". . . Was that a joke?"

"Why would that be a joke?" Lucas looks completely serious.

Nora walks away from the idiots and around the store, looking for a dishware sign. After going through five different aisles, she finally finds the towels and dishes and goes through the shelves.

"Oh, thank God you're actually looking," Max pops into the aisle as Nora picks up a plastic bowl. "Lucas and Will are looking at fireworks. As if that will stop the Mind Flayer? I mean with El on our side-"

Nora watches Max rant with awe in her eyes. The way the girl could so easily look so beautiful. The words tumble out, and Nora is stuck watching the way her mouth moves at every word. The full, pinkish colored lips forming their own shape with every sound. Her-

"Max," Nora suddenly interrupts the redhead from whatever she is talking about.

"Yeah?" Max looks at Nora to see her eyes gazing her lips.

"Um- I. . ." Okay. Here it goes. Oh, my God.

"Earth to Nor," Max tries and Nora shakes her head.

"I really like you," Oh, my God. "I have for awhile now, honestly." Oh, my God. "I just- I wasn't sure how to tell you, so I didn't, but then that thing at the hospital happened. It made me rethink. . . everything, and I just- I know this is kinda dumb, but, um. . . I thought there was a chance you could like me too- and, it's fine if you don't!" Oh, my God. "I know you talked about a girl you broke up with Lucas for, and I just- it's whatever. I don't wanna make anything awkward, I mean, we're best friends." Oh, my God. "Y'know what? Just. . . forget I said anything. It's dumb I-"

Nora freezes as Max's soft lips press against hers.

The girls press against each other as their eyes flutter closed, half-smiling into their kiss.

She looks at Max surprised as the two pull away and Max just smiles.

"You talk too much, Harrington."

". . . Sorry?"

a/n:

finally.