the next right thing

✧

Joyce said softly, a pink shirt in her hands. "Come on, Rue,"

Rue sat on her bed with a towel around her body. Her hair was dark and dripping, and water droplets still lingered on her soft skin. Joyce had helped her take a shower to clean up and take care of her.

Staring at the carpet, Rue lifted her arms, letting Joyce put the shirt on her as if she were a baby. Rue felt drained. She didn't have any energy in her to do the simplest things such as showering or getting dressed.

Joyce finished by adding pink, orange, and white socks as the final touch after helping Rue put on a pair of comfy pants. She stood up from kneeling and hesitated for a moment before walking towards one of her drawers, where she pulled out a large navy blue sweater.

She held it close for a moment, feeling the soft fabric before turning to Rue, who had her head down low, swinging her feet by the edge of the bed.

"Here," Joyce put the sweater over her head.

Rue stiffened for a moment, and her lips quivered as tears threatened to spill. "It still smells like him," she said in a tiny voice.

Joyce nodded, sitting next to her. She wrapped a blanket over their shoulders and then brought Rue under her motherly wing. "Yeah, it still does," she smiled, "He left it, and I guess I never gave it back."

Rue sniffed, pulling the sleeves of the large sweater over her hands before she wiped her eyes. They were puffy and bloodshot, and her nose was stained red. Her head ached from all the crying, but she couldn't seem to make it stop.

Joyce held Rue tighter, and she leaned her head on the woman's shoulder, trying to take everything in. It was too much. Not only was she trying to comprehend the fact she's lost her dad. But also everything Joyce told her while she helped her shower. Joyce said there was another world — The Upside Down, and that was where Will had disappeared a year ago. She explained about his episodes, the lab, the girl with the name of a number. Everything was happening too fast.

"You know," Joyce started, ignoring how shaky her voice came out. "I'm not surprised you did that."

Rue turned her head towards her, "What?" her voice was raspy from all the crying.

"That protection bubble you made," she explained, "with your mind."

"Oh,"

"Bob told me your mom could do things like that," Joyce tried to say with a smile, not to sadden the girl about talking of her dead parents. "The lab, they also had people like your mother. And did tests on them."

"That girl, Eleven?" Rue asked, her fingers playing with the warm sweater. "She has superpowers?"

"That's how she found Will in the Upside Down," Joyce nodded, pursing her lips when Rue whispered a simple ''okay. "Rue, you know you can talk to me," she added, then frowning as the girl under her wing started to tear up again.

"It — it hurts," she cried, "It hurts so much. And it doesn't seem like it'll ever go away, I just want the pain to go away."

Joyce frowned, pulling her closer.

"I've seen dark before, but not like this . . . this is cold, this is empty, this is numb. Anyone I've ever cared about was ripped out of my hands. I feel like I can't love anybody because somehow I'm going to lose them," Rue paused, taking a shaky breath. "I pretended that my mama's death didn't faze me, I acted like I was fine, and I never grieved for my mama, and that was horrible. I held all emotion back, bottling it all up, not thinking that I'll break eventually.

"But then again, everyone learns from their mistakes. . . . I was drowning, Joyce. I was falling into a black hole with no way out.

"And back in . . . back in Portland, s-something happened. I- I did something horrible and — I can never forgive myself. . . . There was this girl, Ava, and I really liked her, Joyce. We were gonna move to Italy," she let out a sad laugh, "And then, one day, we got jumped and — I didn't mean to," she sobbed, "I didn't know, I didn't want to hurt her. I never wanted to hurt her!"

"Rue — "

"I didn't mean to kill her!" Rue froze, "You probably think I'm a murder, I don't blame you, I think so too. It was my fault she died. And my mom, and dad, I could've saved them. I could — I had these powers, and I could've done something,"

"You didn't know — "

"But I should've done something!" Rue cried, "And there was this guy who crashed my mom and I car, I think I killed him too. I'm a murderer, Joyce."

Joyce pouted, kissing Rue's forehead. "No, you're not."

"But — "

"No. Don't say that. Don't blame yourself over something that's not your fault."

Joyce gave the girl a broken smile, holding her small face in her hands and wiped away her tears. "I am so sorry you went through all that," she tucked Rue's hair behind her ears.

"Please. I don't want you to hide anything anymore. I want you to feel like you can trust us, and tell us things before they get worse. And I want you to be who you are. No matter who says what. You will always have people who love you. I will always love you, Ruth."

"Thank you." Rue smiled softly, "My mom used to sing to me, 'You are lost, hope gone, but you must go on, and do the next right thing.' I tried to do the next right thing, I really tried."

"I bet your mother is watching down on you, so proud of you trying to save your dad, so proud."

"But I didn't — "

" — You said it yourself. You tried, and you gave it your all. You can say you at least did something."

Rue nodded, leaning her cheek on Joyce's warm hand, tears slipped from her eyes, and a sad smile grew on her face. "I miss them."

Joyce moved her hands from Rue's face, "Come 'ere," she pulled Rue into a hug, the two of them sitting quietly, hearing the slight mumbles of everyone talking outside. Rue tightens her grip around Joyce, afraid if she let go, Joyce would disappear too.

It wasn't long until Jim walked into the room. He didn't say anything as he sat down next to Rue. The girl sat between the two adults. Hopper didn't need to say anything, just having him take his time to sit with them was reassuring and brought comfort to the room.

Hopper hesitated for a moment, looking down at Rue's swinging feet before he wrapped an arm around her and Joyce, bringing them both into a hug. He froze when he felt Rue leaning on his chest but relaxed as a smile formed under his mustache.

（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）

Soft knocking pulled them away from their hug, and after Jim said, "come in," the door to Joyce's room slowly opened, and Rue brightened at the sight of Max Mayfield's ginger head peeking in from the door.

"Jonathan said Rue was here? And — Mike, Dustin and Lucas want to talk to you, Hopper."

The man rolled his eyes, "Don't they understand the meaning of wait?" he scoffed but got up anyway, going to see what those annoying boys wanted from him.

Max still stood by the door with her hands behind her back. She flashed Rue a tender smile, which she returned, and Joyce, who noticed the two girl's actions, slowly stood from the bed, wiping the tears from her eyes.

The two girls silently watched as the woman held the blanket around her shoulders tighter before she looked at the two with a smile and walked to where Hopper left. But before leaving, she leaned down and whispered in Max's ear, causing the ginger's cheeks to glow red as Joyce went, closing the door behind her.

"Um," Max started, flustered by Joyce's words. She slowly inched towards the bed, where Rue welcomed her with a small pat on the spot where Joyce sat.

Max's heart almost broke at the sight of Rue, where tear tracks highlighted her freckled cheeks and her nose stained red. She has never seen someone so broken before, Rue of all people. Max sat close to her, their legs pressed against each other.

Rue smiled softly, feeling the warmth Max radiated. And slowly, she leaned her head on her shoulder, where Max stiffened before pressing her cheek on Rue's head, wrapping her arm around her waist. "I probably sound fucking stupid for asking," she puffed, "But, are you okay?"

Rue chuckled, "Honestly?" she asked.

"Yeah, honestly. No more lies."

"I feel like shit."

Max held her tighter, and Rue melted in her arms as the girl whispered sweet nothings in her ear. A part of Rue didn't want Max to be there. She didn't want Max to be dealing with those same monsters that killed her dad. But she was so relieved to see her, and a part of her just needed Max.

Rue's head rested on the crook of her neck, and she smiled at the familiar scent of strawberries and peach. And Max couldn't help but blush at the aroma Rue held of cinnamon and chocolate.

"You know, I'm not gonna say I understand — because — I don't. But I am going to say I'll be here for you, whenever you need me. 'Till the end"

"'Till the end."

（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）

it's the frozen 2 reference for me

yes rue knows about her powers,

yes she is very oblivious.

she won't use them much for

the rest of the season.