Chapter Text
Chapter One: The Break Up
Lucas and Max were at the arcade. Though they were 18, they still loved hanging there. They were playing a game of Air Hockey. The Arcade was quiet on that particular day, so the sound of their laughter occupied the space. Suddenly though, that laughter disappeared. The air lingered with gloom. Lucas looked over at Max, who had been smiling and laughing, and she is now looking down at her feet, before looking back at Lucas with a look of sadness.
Lucas was all too familiar with this. Ever since Max had woken up from the coma, she felt like she was at fault for what had happened on that fateful day. She felt like if she had died, El may have survived and no one else had to die. She opened up to Lucas about it and he comforted her, the way that Lucas Sinclair could, affection. But he knew that she still felt guilty, so when he saw her looking down, he knew what she was feeling.
He walked over to her, and they both sat on the edge of the air hockey table, looking down at their dangling legs, well Max’s dangling legs - Lucas could reach the ground. He doesn’t say anything in the moment and lets Max take a moment.
“You know we can’t do this anymore right?” Max asked - still looking down at the floor. Lucas looked taken a back by what she said.
“Keep doing what?” Lucas asked her.
“This… us.” Max looked up, but not at her boyfriend. She was just starting at the machine ahead of her.
“Why? What did I do wrong? I don’t understand we’ve been great this entire time?” Lucas felt himself ranting. He was angry, after everything he went through with Max and finally getting their happy ending, she wanted to break up? He felt like the world wanted to take everything away from him.
“You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s me, I’m holding you back in life. You know what you want from your life, you’ve kept yourself sane ever since that night, and you’ve been so strong for me, but I can’t put you through this anymore.” Max finally looked at Lucas, her eyes were tinted, they were filling up with tears but she wasn’t crying, not yet anyways.
“Max.. what I want from my life is to be with you, for the rest of time. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me. And you’re not holding me back, I’m strong for you because I can’t be weak as well, or our relationship wouldn’t last. I keep replaying that night over and over again in my head, it’s eating me alive. But you’ve been like this for 2 years, I needed to be strong for you - for us. You’re not putting me through anything, I do it all for you because I love you Max.” Lucas was welling up whilst he was talking. He didn’t want him and Max to be over. His first love, the girl that picked him out from all her options, he didn’t want to let go of her.
“Lucas I love you so much, but I can’t do it anymore. You will always be so special to me, more than you know and believe. Let me care for you, like really care for you - but not as your girlfriend.” Max was holding herself back from crying. She didn’t want to break down in front of him because she knew he would too and nothing would be resolved.
Lucas took a deep breath, his voice shook and his eyes closed. “If that’s what will make you happy Max, i’m happy. You’re so special to me too and your happiness means more to me than anything else. I will care for you until the end of time - you come to me before anyone else.. promise me?” His voice broke. He was so close to breaking down but he didn’t want to in front of Max.
“Always.” She gets up off the table and faces to look at Lucas. Their eyes meet and she gently rubs the side of his face with her thumb, brushing the side of his mouth.
“You were the best thing to happen to me when I was fifteen,” she says. “and sixteen, and seventeen, and eighteen. Don’t think i’m walking away from you because you’re not enough, you were more than enough Lucas Sinclair.” Lucas closes his eyes, a single tear rolls down his chin.
“I’m going to miss the fuck out of you Max Mayfield.” He says with a sad smile.
“And I’m going to miss the fuck out of you Lucas Sinclair.” She replied with a sad smile of her own. The two held their foreheads against each other for around 10 seconds before Max pulled away. She gives him a smile, a smile that says she’s going to be okay, eventually.
She turns away from him and starts walking further and further away. Lucas hears the arcade door open before shutting. He sits up off of the air hockey table and leans over it. The cries that follow are deep. He’s been holding that in for a long time. He makes his away out of the arcade and into the parking lot, tears strolling down his face and he gets into his car. He doesn’t know where he’s driving to. Partly because he can’t see from the tears in his eyes, but also because he doesn’t want to go home. Not yet anyway.
As he’s driving, he thinks of someone who might just be able to help him get over today. He’ll never get over Max but he doesn’t want to be down all day. As he pulls up to the house, he gets out of his car, wiping the tears away from his eyes before approaching the front door. He lightly knocks on the door, as he waits he looks through the window and sees that the TV is on. That means he’s in, that’s good, Lucas thinks to himself. The door unlocks and Joyce is surprised to find Lucas standing in front of her.
“Hey Lucas, nice to see you! Come on in.” She ushered him inside. Lucas slowly walks in and takes his shoes off. He looks around the house to see that Hopper and Joyce redecorated.
“The house looks great.” Lucas smiles as he looks over at Joyce.
“Aw thanks Lucas, I’m glad you like it. I assume you’re here for Will?” Joyce asks, smiling.
“Yeah, is he here?” Lucas asks, looking around for him.
“He’s in his room, down to hall, second room to your right.” Joyce says as she gives Lucas a glass of water.
“Thank you Mrs Byers, see you later!” He takes the water and makes his way down the hall. He knocks on Will’s door. “Come in” Will says through the door. Lucas pushes the door open with his free hand and finds Will sat at his desk, sketching.
Will turns around, surprised to see Lucas had just walked into his room.
“Lucas? What are you doing here, aren’t you meant to be with Max today?” Will asked. He obviously had no idea what had happened between Lucas and Max so his surprise had only grew when Lucas broke down crying in the middle of his room. Will shot up from his seat and made his way to his door and slammed it shut. He the turned to find Lucas curled up crying on his bed. Will sat next to him before speaking.
“Hey what happened?” Will asked. Lucas looked up at him and sat up, he was trying to wipe his tears away but to no good. He didn’t say anything, he just stared at Will’s paintings and cried.
“Lucas, If you don’t want to talk about it it’s okay, take all the time you need. I’m here though, so if you just tell me and I can try help.” Will put his arm around Lucas and Lucas leaned into Will, still crying but he felt the comfort he needed.
“T-thanks Will,” Lucas muttered between tears. “I need to talk about it to make sense of it but it hurts so fucking much man.” Will pulled his arm away before staring at Lucas in the eyes and holding the top of his hand.
“I understand what yo-“ Before he could finish that sentence, Lucas snapped back at him. “You have no idea what I feel right now.. you’ve never been in a relationship! You’ve never had the person who you loved in the entire world break up with you in an arcade.” Lucas stopped himself. He looked back at Will who had taken a step back from him and was looking at him, stunned.
“Oh shit, Will i’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to get angry and lash out at you. It’s not your fault, it was a mistake coming here i’m s-sorry.” Lucas quickly got up to leave but Will grabbed his arm.
“Wait Lucas don’t go, it’s okay, I know you were just lashing out, and I totally get why, please let’s just talk about it.” Lucas tuned to look at Will, who shot him a small smile. He turned to sit on Will’s bed.
“You and Max broke up?” Will asked, softly as to not make Lucas upset.
“Yeah. She said that she was holding me back in life. Because I know what I want to do with my life but she doesn’t. That she’s too emotionally broken after El’s death. There was a lot of reasons.” Lucas started explaining with tears in his eyes and down his cheeks.
“Man, i’m so fucking sorry. I loved you two together, you were perfect for each other. I guess I didn’t know how much Max was impacted by everything, I need to tell her she’s not only one.” Will said as he got up to give Lucas a hug. Lucas needed that. It wasn’t a long hug, but it meant so much to him. He knew how much Will cared about him and vice versa, which is why he wanted to talk to him about Max first.
“Thank you Will, you’re amazing, thank you for not kicking me out and letting me talk about everything.” Lucas shot him a smile.
“It’s okay Lucas, thank you for coming to me, let me know how you’re doing after a couple of days, okay?” Will smiled back at him and Lucas nodded. He opened Will’s bedroom door before shutting it behind him. He made his way past Joyce in the kitchen and waved her goodbye before shutting the front door behind him. Lucas got back into his car and drove the short distance back to his house.
He opened the front door and walked towards his bedroom. He closed the door and flopped onto his bed. He turned to see a frame of him and Max, at graduation. They were kissing in the picture. Great he thought, as he grabbed the frame and cried to himself.
Lucas put the frame face down on his bedside table before shutting his eyes. He was that exhausted from crying all day that he fell asleep right there.