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Lucas considers himself to be protective. It’s pretty much been engrained into his system since birth.
Growing up in a semi-rural small in the middle of Indiana in the 80s led its way to a lot of prejudices. Basically, the Sinclair’s were one of only about 12 black families in town.
This, of course, led to racism.
When his mom got fired from her day job so that a pretty young white girl could take her place, Lucas was upset. How could someone fire his mom? She was sweet and friendly and powerful and smarter than anyone else Lucas knew.
His mom made quiet comments to his dad about how the girl was majorly under-qualified for the position. How she was worried about not being able to find another job.
So Lucas, only 8 years old, rode his bike to the tax collectors office, and demanded to speak to the boss. The receptionist snickered at him at told him to get lost. Lucas pushed his way through the door, and weaved through desks until he entered the boss’s office.
“Why’d you fire my mom?” Lucas demanded.
The white middle aged man just raised an eyebrow at Lucas, and tapped his cigarette on the ashtray in front of him.
“How’d you get back here son?” the boss grunted.
“That don’t matter. I wanna know why you fired my mom. She’s smart and a hard-worker, so it’s not fair,” Lucas replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
He hoped the man would talk it out with him. Maybe come to an agreement. Maybe see that he was wrong and change his mind.
But people get stuck in their own biases.
“Because, you little shit, I make the rules around here. I can fire whoever the fuck I want. Here’s a little advice for you, kid: the world is fuckin unfair. Ain’t nobody gonna listen to some little thug like you,” the man scoffed.
Before Lucas could respond (and oh how he wanted to respond), the receptionist came bursting through the door.
“There you are you little punk! I told you that you weren’t allowed out here! Get out before I call the police on you!” she yelled.
Lucas knew when it was best to fight and best to run. So he ran.
*****
This, of course, was only one act of injustice Lucas saw. It ranged from small things, like the server at a diner visiting his family much less often than the tables full of white families, or the ways that his friends got picked on in school.
When he was 11, his younger sister Erica got put into a class with some really mean girls. And they taunted and teased her on the daily. But Erica was a prideful little girl and she kept quiet about it.
That was, until one girl in particular took it too far.
Erica came home one afternoon crying, her eyes swollen and face wet. Their parents weren’t home from work yet, but Lucas was.
“Erica! What happened? Are you okay?” Lucas rushed out, going to her side immediately. She halfheartedly pushed him away but eventually gave in and let him hug her.
“It’s-it’s stupid. It’s nothing,” she mumbled into his shoulder. He rubbed at her back and waited.
“It’s just... Amber is so mean. And-and I didn’t care for a while because I’m strong and it’s whatever. But today she... she cut off my hair Lucas! My hair! And mom spent so long braiding it this weekend and I just feel so bad...”
She trailed off into a whine and started crying again. Lucas comforted her and led them to the couch.
“Alright, lemme take a look,” he said softly, reaching to turn her hair.
Sure enough, she had one braid trailing down the right side of her head, and a small tuft of hair on the left where another was supposed to be. Anger flared in Lucas’s chest.
“I’m sorry Erica. That’s awful. People shouldn’t treat you that way. I’m sure mom will be able to fix it at least,” Lucas reassured.
And of course, since his mom was brilliant, she was able to. Their parents contacted the school, but it wasn’t enough for Lucas. So after school on Friday, he waited around the side of the elementary school building for Amber to walk out.
When she did, he grabbed her arm, and pulled her over to where he had hidden.
“What the heck! Let go of me weirdo,” she snapped.
“Listen to me. You need to stop messing with my sister. She doesn’t deserve to be treated the way you treat her. Cutting her hair went way too far.”
“Why should I care what you say? Get off me creep,” she hissed.
“Because I know your secret Amber. And I have no problem telling the whole school about it.”
Lucas, of course, had no dirt on her. It was a completely empty threat. But a girl who acted the way she did was sure to have secrets. And by the way her eyes widened, she did.
“Alright, okay, whatever. What do you want?”
“Leave Erica alone. Apologize to her for cutting her hair. And stop treating people like shit.”
“Fine. Can I go now?”
So Lucas saved the day. Erica started smiling more at home, and rocked her new hairstyle. And although he never told anyone what he had done, he still felt proud that he had protected his sister.
(Erica rolled her eyes whenever Lucas got that proud look on his face. She, being the genius she is, knew what Lucas did. Secretly, she was extremely thankful for him.)
*****
So Lucas grew more protective. If he was able to stand up for his friends, or for his mom, or for his sister, then he could sometimes make a difference. He could do his best to keep them safe and happy.
This played a oscillating role in his friend group.
Will didn’t like to be babied. This was something hard to balance. He needed the support from his friends, which they were happy to provide, but it could easily feel like too much attention on him. Lucas wanted to protect him all the time, but he needed to step back often to avoid being overbearing.
Dustin liked being coddled a bit. It probably came from his overbearing mother, but he didn’t mind being directed and watched over. It’s why Lucas and him worked so well together. Sure, they bickered a lot, but it was never very serious. Dustin knew that Lucas was just trying to keep them safe. He got it.
However, Mike was very controlling. Lucas learned this very early on. Mike liked to take the position of leader. And honestly, it suited him and the Party. Having someone to provide direction was helpful.
But of course, Lucas’s protective streak tended to clash with this. So when big decisions needed to be made or when people’s emotional or physical health were on the line, Mike and Lucas fought. Mike wanted to choose and Lucas needed to have input based on what kept his friends the safest and happiest.
It didn’t happen often, but when it did, it lead to some big arguments.
Two boys, too stubborn to give in to compromise. But Dustin and Will usually helped be mediators.
And so they functioned.
*****
Things got messy as soon as Will went missing and they found Eleven in the woods.
Suddenly, Mike was making a lot of Very Big Decisions with a lot of Very Big Impacts for the whole group. And that raised every red flag in Lucas’s mind.
They didn’t know who Eleven was. Or what she could do. Or who was looking after her. Or how she found the Party. Or why she stayed with them.
She could be dangerous. She could hurt them. They people who were looking for her could hurt them. They could kill Lucas and his friends.
Lucas didn’t want her in the equation. He wanted her out.
But Mike made the executive decision to let her stay. And to send their lives in a spiral trying to help her.
It didn’t help that Will was gone. Possibly dead. Lucas berated himself for not biking Will home to keep him safe that night. He beat himself up about it a lot.
He failed Will. He couldn’t keep Will safe.
And so he wanted to keep the rest of his friends safe.
Eleven needed to go in order for that to work.
So Lucas fought with Mike. He argued and pushed and pushed, even though he could understand Mike’s reasoning. But it wasn’t safe. Lucas wanted to make the choices.
But at the end of the day, Mike was their leader.
*****
Trusting Eleven ending up being the right thing to do. It led them to rescuing Will and uncovering an evil secret organization that tested on kids and opened a very dangerous gate.
Lucas still felt wary about Eleven. He wasn’t entirely sure that she wasn’t going to cause more havoc in their lives.
But he had to trust in her. She was apart of the Party, whether he liked it or not.
And when she stood in their classroom with wobbly legs, unsteady, weak, and beaten, and faced the Demogorgan, his opinion changed further.
Here was this girl he had barely known for a few weeks. And she was singlehandedly facing down a monster from hell in order to protect him and his friends.
Lucas gained respect for her unlike respect he had for anyone else. It was an act he could only dream of being brave enough to do.
And when she disappeared into the flickering lights, he felt the disappointment in himself rise for not giving her more of a chance to prove herself before.
*****
He tried to keep this mindset when the new girl Max showed up. (It helped that she was ridiculously pretty and badass).
Instead of raising his guard, he actively sought her out as a friend. Every time he got a bit nervous about her hostility or apathy, he reminded himself of the lost Eleven. Lucas hadn’t given Eleven enough of a chance. He owed it to her to be more open with others from then on.
So even as Max ignored him, and warned him about her asshole brother, and walked away in disbelief when he told their story, he still reached out to her. An olive branch stuck out with a shaky hand.
And this time, he made the right choice. Max was helpful in their fight against the Demodogs and the emergence of the Mind Flayer. She offered a new perspective. She kept them on their toes.
Max jabbed her psycho step-brother with drugs, swung a nail filled bat between his legs, and yelled at him until he agreed to leave them alone. Lucas couldn’t deny that his eyes were heart-shaped.
Because Max was like him. She was protective, almost to a fault. Once she had decided to stick with the Party, she would do anything for them. Including threaten her dangerous brother, speed a car through the night, and traipse into the underground Demodog lair. Just to keep his friends safe.
Max was perfect for him.
*****
Their relationship wasn’t perfect though. Max was hotheaded and still trying to find ways to deal with her anger at the world. Lucas was stubborn and stupid when it came to girls. Especially Max.
Everything that movies and books had taught him about girls didn’t apply to Max. She was strong, independent, smart, stubborn, fiery, and unafraid to speak her mind. She was special. Lucas loved that about her.
It just meant that he struggled to say the right things sometimes. And Max struggled to be vulnerable at times: in the habit of keeping things to herself due to her shitty stepdad.
They broke up multiple times over dumb things, but they always came back together. Lucas wasn’t sure if it was just a young kid thing like his parents thought or just how Max and him worked. Either way, he cared about her and he knew she cared about him.
Of course, transferring this advice to Mike wasn’t as useful.
He thought he was being helpful in explaining girls to Mike and how to keep them happy. Eventually he realized that Mike and El’s relationship was much different than his own with Max. They didn’t function by fighting then apologizing. It was smoother for them.
It made him doubt himself for a moment, until he caught glimpse of a look Max gave him. She really did adore him even though she acted nonplussed most of the time. They had shared midnight whispers of fears and secrets morning spent in the stillness of the forest, watching as the sun rose. Lucas knew Max cared.
*****
When Lucas saw Erica walking through the mall with a bloody Steve, an excited Dustin, and some random girl, his mental alarm started to blare.
Erica was supposed to be safe from all of this. She wasn’t supposed to be mixed up in the monsters. It was dangerous. She wasn’t safe.
As things got further explained, he felt more lightheaded. His little sister had climbed through air vents and fought off deadly Russian soldiers and walked in close quarters with a giant laser opening another gate to the Upside Down.
And she had kicked ass.
He really couldn’t protect everyone, huh?
Or maybe they just didn’t need him all the time.
*****
Lucas wanted things to go well. His fireworks worked, but it wasn’t enough. It didn’t buy them enough time.
And suddenly, he watched from the second floor as Billy faced the monster. And as the monster tore through him before collapsing.
His fingers went numb as he watched Max fall over Billy’s body. He could hear her begging for him to wake up from the top floor.
Before he knew it, his body was moving, speeding down the stairs and over to Max. El had pulled her into her arms, but Lucas could see how weak she was.
Lucas slid on his knees towards them, and pulled Max into his own arms. Max latched to him immediately and began to sob into his chest, arms pulled in tight against her own chest. He held Max steady, and offered her comfort in the ways he knew worked best for her.
Pressing his cheek to the top of her head always made her feel safe, having his hand rub over her back soothed her, and soft reassurances that she would be okay prevented her from spiraling.
Lucas did all of these and did his best to stay strong himself. It wasn’t easy seeing her in so much pain. He could see El collapse into shivers in Mike’s arms beside them.
Then suddenly, military men stormed through the doors, and bright lights were in their eyes.
*****
The aftermath of the Battle of Starcourt was messy. El was grieving the loss of Hopper (as were all of them), Will grew skittish again, Mike was uncharacteristically quiet, Dustin hung out with Steve more, and Max was... a lot of things.
Some days she was silent and depressed, needing to just lay in the quiet. Lucas would lay with her and hold her close. Though the moments were solemn in nature, Lucas loved them. He loved being there for Max and being able to offer her some comfort.
Sometimes she’d whisper to him. She’d tell stories of when her and Billy got along, or when Neil would hurt them. Billy always protected her from Neil, even if he ended up lashing out at Max himself.
Other days, Max was full of angry energy. It was important for them to guide her outside during these episodes. Her hotheadedness amplified, and she got so angry and mad and hurt at the loss of Billy.
She’d scream and throw sticks and rocks into the forest. Max would curse at the wind and the gods and anyone who would listen, until she finally collapsed into tears. Then they’d package her up, take her inside for cuddles, and help her piece herself back together.
Max would always look at Lucas straight in the eyes, and whisper a heartfelt ‘thank you’ after the episodes.
And so it was worth it to him to stick around.
*****
So yes, Lucas is protective. To a fault, at times, because he gets stubborn and defensive and a bit controlling.
But he’s proud of that trait. Because it’s a necessary thing to have in the otherworldly terrifying situations he’s been in. And it means that he has people to care about.
And he wouldn’t change for anything or anyone.