Chapter Text
“Didn't see you for ages
Didn't pick up your phone
Made it out of our cages
Never made it back home”
—Partners in Crime, FINNEAS
Maxine Hopper had life figured out. It took her twenty two years, but she finally did.
She always thought she wouldn’t be happy, what with her unusual childhood and all the trauma it left her, but as she laid on her boyfriend— scratch that, fiancée’s chest, she smiled in pure bliss.
They were both naked, laying in bed in their house—was it their house when it was just a rental? Max thought it was, but maybe it was because she had always had a need to belong. But she belonged to someone, to the man who was currently holding her close, their skins almost merging together with how close they were. Her fiery red hair was sticking to her back, and she sighed in relief when Lucas moved it out of the way so the cold autumn air could hit her skin.
“Holy shit,” she said. The hair on her arm stood on end as Lucas ran his hand through it.
“A little late, but I’ll take it,” Lucas said, laughing. He couldn’t seem to pull the smile out of his face the entire night, even while they kissed or made love, and Max pretended she didn’t find it adorable. What had she done to deserve a man like him?
“Shut up,” Max said, slapping him in the chest without any real bite to it. “It’s not that. Though you were amazing as always,” she couldn’t help but rise from her place on the bed, laying instead on top of Lucas’ torso so she could kiss him, only because she could. She appreciated the freedom, even if sometimes she felt like she was drowning in it. “It’s just, I realized we’re engaged.”
“Yeah, I know,” Lucas said, putting a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was there.”
Max laughed, rolling her eyes and giving him another kiss. When she pulled away, he was looking up at her with that look, the stare that Max pretended to hate because it always made her blush; a look of adoration and love, enough to melt the coldest corners of her heart. Their chests were pressed together, but Max thought selfishly that if she could, she would crave into his skin just to feel him closer. She wanted him closer, always closer no matter what.
“I love you,” Max said. She had always been closed up with her feelings, because she had learned that they could and would be used against her if the situation required it. Unlearning bad habits was hard, but Lucas somehow made it easier. He taught her actual love, and Max had been so startled by it that she had almost ran away again when she first felt it. But Lucas was as caring as he was headstrong, and somehow he had always found a way to bring her back.
Max had never believed in soulmates, wouldn’t be stupid enough to think they were real, but she had the naïve idea that maybe, maybe, Lucas and her were soulmates. Maybe he was the reward after all the pain. If it was so, she would go through it every time just to taste his lips again.
“I love you, too,” he said, running a hand through her hair. “Gosh, I love you so much,” he said. In a rapid move that proved Max exactly why he had managed a full basketball scholarship, he pushed her into the mattress and laid on top of her, kissing her neck.
“God, we’re so gross,” Max said, scratching his head as he focused on leaving a hickey; she was too happy to care. The memory of that night —of Lucas in a suit jacket taking her to the place they had their first date at and kneeling on the ground with a ring in a velvet box— made everything else insignificant.
“Mm,” Lucas said, pulling away to look at her. He had that stupid grin on his face that said he was either horny or extremely satisfied over something, and judging by the night she guessed it was both. “I don’t know, I think you’re rather sweet.”
“Of course I am,” Max said, rolling her eyes playfully. “I’m obviously perfect.”
“You are,” Lucas said, sounding completely serious. “Honestly, I don’t know how I managed to get you.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” Max said, putting her hands on his face. “And you’re starting to sound like Erica.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” he said, resting his head on her chest. Lucas was always warm, even during the winter. It contrasted perfectly with her body, which seemed to be cold no matter what temperature. She had wondered from time to time if maybe it had something to do with the experiments. “You want something to drink?” He asked, moving the get up. But Max pushed him towards her body, giving him a long kiss.
“How about a second round?” She asked. Lucas grabbed the hand that was on his hair and kissed the ring that was there. He looked up at her, and Max’s heart stopped. She had always thought it was stupid, how love seemed to make people do crazy things in the novels Hopper bought her. But she would do anything to ensure Lucas would stay by her side, no matter what. Maybe she was a little crazy, but it was okay because Lucas was worth it.
“Oh, that’s better,” he said, chuckling and moving to kiss her. “Much better,” he whispered against her mouth, and Max bit his lower lip.
“Jesus Christ,” Max said, groaning. She looked at her bedside table, where the clock was, and saw it was way past three a.m. “Fuck,” she said, removing Lucas’ arm from around her waist and sitting up. She put on his shirt that had been discarded earlier that night, and got up to get the phone that was in the living room. “Sinclair residence, who is this?”
There was a pause at the other side of the line. “Max?”
The redhead felt her heart stop for a moment. She swallowed. “Will? Will Byers?”
“Yes,” the man said. His voice sounded much different; deeper and more mature, but still had the same warmth as it always did. “It’s me. I— listen, I’m sorry for calling so out of the blue, but… things are not good here.”
“What do you mean?” Max asked. She gripped the phone tighter, petrifying fear making it hard for her to breath. “Is everyone okay?”
“Yes,” Will said. Max sighed in relief. “But the town is not. Somehow— I don’t fucking know, not even Dustin can figure out what’s happening— but the portal had opened again, and… People are getting hurt. There’s monsters all over town.”
“Shit,” Max said. She held onto the shirt, finding some comfort in the feeling of it against her skin.
“Max,” Will said, as serious as she had ever heard him. “We need you back.”
The air completely left her lungs at that, a ringing in her ears starting to make her dizzy. She had put it all behind, she had just stepped into a new chapter in her life, where she would be happier; the ring on her hand shone as she moved her hand, almost as if it was mocking her. Maybe it was. Maybe she had been foolish for thinking she could forget that part of her life, for believing she could leave it all behind. No matter how hard she ran, it would all catch up to her. The Lab… it all came back.
Always. Always.
“Max?” She turned to see Lucas, leaning over the door frame of their bedroom. He had put on his boxers, and was looking at her through tired eyes with concern.
“Will… I— I’ll call you back,” Max said, and before she knew it, she had hung up the phone and was falling into Lucas’ arms. She shook as she cried, and he stood there, holding her and waiting for her to calm down.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” He asked, caressing her back. “Something happened?” Max gasped when Lucas picked her up bride style, carrying her to the bed.
“Someone called…” Max thought of leaving him, then. She could say it was a prank call, get back in bed, and leave as soon as he had fallen asleep. But she couldn’t, she realized as she melted into his touch. She couldn’t live without him. Not after she had gotten a taste of what a life with him would be like. “My brother called.”
“You never said you had a brother.”
“He’s not really my brother,” she said. They were sitting on the side of the bed, facing each other, but Max’s face was lowered. “He’s always felt like one, but he’s not biologically.”
Lucas moved his hands and dried her tears. He put a hand on her chin and made her look at him. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
But Max wanted to. She so desperately wanted to. She had said yes to a future with him, and deep down she knew it meant telling him about her past. She just wasn’t expecting it to be soon; she thought she had more time.
“I know,” she whispered, caressing his cheek. “I know, baby,” she kissed him, just in case it was the last time she could. “But I want to.”
“Okay,” Lucas said, kissing the side of her face. “Take your time.”
“I haven’t been quite honest with you,” Max said. “My childhood wasn’t… normal.”
“Is it about your mother? Why I’ve never met her?” Lucas asked.
“In a way, yes. But it’s more than that,” Max said, sighing. “I never knew my biological mother. She— when she was pregnant with me, she was… experimented on.”
“What?” Lucas said, eyes blown open.
“Yeah,” Max nodded, reaching out to grab his hand. “Experiments supervised by the government. When I was born, they took me away from her. She…” Max took a deep breath, stopping the memories from coming back. “My mom killed herself shortly after. She couldn’t live with the pain of losing me. She wrote a letter to me, in case I could ever read it. A kind man reached out to me, his name was Dr. Owens.”
“He gave it to you?” Lucas asked. He moved closer to her, trying to provide some comfort.
“Yes. A few years later, when I said I wanted to leave town,” Max shook her head, pushing away the memory of her mother’s uneven handwriting as she told her she loved her. It was the only scrab of her mother she had left, a piece of paper she foolishly carried with her everywhere. “I grew up in a lab, with other kids. They were like me.”
“Their mothers were also experimented on?” Lucas asked, kindly. He was rubbing her leg, and Max sighed before nodding.
The redhead sat down on his lap, raising her left arm so he could look at the ink on it. “We were numbered. I was number twelve.”
“So you didn’t get this on a drunk dare,” Lucas said, grabbing her hand and running his thumb over the three digits.
“No,” Max said. “I’ve always had it. I thought of getting it removed or covered, but it felt weird.”
“You can’t erase your past,” Lucas said softly.
“No. But I’ve tried.”
“Hey,” Lucas said, still caressing the ink on her skin. “That wasn’t your fault, okay? None of it.”
“I’ve done bad things,” Max said, not daring to look at him. “There was this man, who raised us. He called himself ‘papa’, and he… he made us do things.”
“God, Max,” Lucas said. “That must have been awful.”
“I’ve killed people,” Max said, unable to stop herself. The ginger needed him to know, in case he decided she was too much for his perfectly normal life. That way he could leave her and she wouldn’t feel bad about going back and putting her life in danger. “I— He wanted weapons, and that’s what we were. I’ve— killed.”
“You didn’t want to,” Lucas said, kissing her cheek. “I know you, Max. You’re kind and wouldn’t hurt anyone unless it was for a good reason. You were forced to do those things.”
“But—”
“You know when I realized I wanted to marry you?” He interrupted her, because he knew how she could get when she was so obfuscated on something. “It was a year ago, after our two year anniversary lunch,” Max looked at him, the memory of that day taking over the bad ones. “We were walking by the park to get to your apartment so you could change, and you saw a kid crying. You didn’t even think about it, you just went to her and helped her find her mother,” Lucas smiled dorkly, remembering that moment. “You were so calm and serene, holding her until she stopped crying. You didn’t let go until the mother was there.”
“I remember,” Max whispered, thinking of the little kid. She had been terrified, and Max had been momentarily brought back to the Lab, to all those little kids that were always so afraid… she hadn’t been able to help herself.
“I don’t care what you were forced to do in that lab,” Lucas said. “You did what you had to do to survive, and thanks to that I have you in my life,” he wrapped his arms around her, and Max laid her head on his shoulder. “That day, seeing how you treated that kid… it made me realize I wanted that with you, in the future. And nothing could ever change that.”
Max put her head against his neck, crying silently. She had spent the last almost four years she had known Lucas loving him, and being scared of him running off when she told him the truth. And there they were, holding each other.
“I’ve done bad things,” Max repeated, because she wanted to make sure he had heard her right.
“You were just a kid, Max,” he said softly. That could never change the way I see you. I know you’re kind, and even if you might have done bad things, you’re not a bad person.”
“I was twelve,” Max said. “That was my name, and it was also the age at which I ran away from the Lab. I did it with my friend— my sister. Her name is Jane. She was number eleven.”
“You never talked about her,” Lucas said. “Is she…?”
“No,” Max said, because even though it’s been years since she last saw Jane, the brunette screaming at her and calling her a coward, the thought of her being hurt was painful. “No. She’s safe. But…”
“She needs you,” Lucas concluded.
“Yes,” Max said. “My fami— my old friends. They need me.”
“And you’re going back.”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” Lucas said. “I will need to call my mom to tell her we won’t be there on Friday for dinner, and push back the job interview on Monday—”
“What?” Max said, moving away from his neck to look at him. In the dim light, he looked so handsome and so vulnerable, Max wanted to scream at him about putting himself in danger. “No.”
“Yes,” Lucas said, easily moving her away from his lap to get up. He opened the closet and pulled a bag from it, dropping it on the bed. “There’s no way in hell you’re going alone.”
“Well,” Max said, getting up from the bed. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go with me. It’s too dangerous!”
“Exactly because it’s too dangerous is why I’m going,” he began pulling out their clothes and neatly putting them inside the bag. “I’m not leaving you alone.”
“Lucas—”
“I’m not letting you go alone,” he said, walking to her. He wrapped his around her waist and kissed her forehead. “I proposed to you because I’m in love with you and want to spend the rest of my life next to you, and that includes going wherever you go. I would never forgive myself if I let you go alone and you end up getting hurt.”
“Okay,” Max said after looking into his eyes for a moment. She put her hand on his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin and his heart beating fast, as if it was greeting her. “Okay. I’ll call Will to let him know I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
“Great,” Lucas said, smiling like a little kid. “Road-trip!”
He moved to keep on with the baggage, and Max went to the living room to contact Will with the phone he had previously called on, which was still on the phone register. She only hoped it wasn’t from a phone booth. It would be harder to reach out to him then.
“Hello?” Said the same voice after a few rings.
“Will,” Max said, twisting the phone cord in her hands. “I’m leaving in half an hour at least. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
Will sighed in relief, and Max couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, Max. We really need your help.”
“Don’t worry about it, Will.”
“I’ll go tell the others. Drive safe. Love you!”
“Love you too,” Max said, and hung up the phone. She turned to see Lucas in the bedroom, grabbing their IDs and some money they had saved up. She wondered yet again if maybe she was making a mistake, but there was no turning back.
“All ready, honey,” Lucas said when she walked inside. He was already dressed in a white shirt and some jeans, and he looked delicious enough that Max questioned herself how much she could justify her tardiness because of her libido.
Better not risk it, she decided.
“I’ll go get changed. Thank you for doing this,” Max said, standing on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.
“No need to thank me,” he pulled a map out of his jeans pocket and Max couldn’t help but laugh.
“Do you always keep that in your pants or are you just happy to see me?”
“Shut up,” he said, moving the bag away so he could put the map on the bed. “Where to?”
“Hawkins, Indiana,” she said, unbuttoning the shirt to put on a clean shirt. They would shower once they were on the road and had to stop to sleep in a hotel. She needed to move fast and leave California behind before she started to think about the whole situation and got cold feet.
“That’s roughly thirty four hours. If we make a stop every fourteen hours or so… I’ll give it two days. Maybe three if the weather is bad.”
“Great,” Max looked at him fondly, until she realized something. “Oh,” she said, moving towards him once she was dressed. “I almost forgot. I can move things with my mind.”
Lucas stood in place, looking at her as she grabbed her wallet and sunglasses.
“What?”