Work Text:
november 1986
hawkins, in
The first time it happened, they were eight months post Vecna.
After coming out of a coma, Max was in the hospital for three months, relearning how to walk and adjusting to losing over seventy percent of her eyesight. Lucas stayed with her almost constantly, except for when they went to fight Vecna. When he finally did come back, Max was awake and she could hear the tears in his eyes when he whispered “The upside down is gone.”
It was made clear that she was no longer going to be living with Susan Mayfield after she was released from the hospital. Therefore, Claudia Henderson was granted legal guardianship of the young redhead.
It had been an adjustment, living with an actual brother. Sure, she’d had Billy, but he wasn’t good. He wasn’t a real brother.
But Dustin Henderson was the best brother she ever could’ve asked for.
They had begun to get closer, forming a pseudo-sibling relationship before Vecna attacked, but their relationship became much stronger when she moved in with the mother-son duo.
Which is why the mumbled question caught her off guard. Max had been listening to a Beatles record on the couch while Dustin was working on a project on the living room floor. Dustin’s voice was barely above a whisper, but the words cut through Paul McCartney’s voice as if they were being spoken through a megaphone.
“Do you love me?”
Max felt like the air had been knocked out of her. She knew he wasn’t talking about a romantic love, he was referring to a platonic love. Sure, he had a crush on her when they first met, but it went away after a few weeks.
The teen gathered her composure, taking a deep breath as she thought her next move carefully. “Of course I love you, Dustin,” she whispered back.
A few beats of silence passed before she heard a content hum, hearing Dustin continue working on his project. She kept waiting for him to say something else, or explain himself, but it never came. Max released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and went back to listening to her music.
—
The interaction stayed in the back of her mind for the next few days. She would catch herself lying in bed, wondering what prompted the curly-haired boy to ask such a thing, before ultimately pushing it out of her mind and falling asleep. It always returned the next morning.
It was officially mid-November, meaning that the snow had begun falling in Hawkins, Indiana. One thing that Max had learned over the past couple of years, was that Claudia Henderson always seemed to be the first one in town to put up her Christmas decorations.
Max had been helping as much as she could and was hanging a few ornaments on the tree when she heard the all-too-familiar tone, the one that had been playing on repeat in her head for the past two weeks.
Dustin was standing beside her this time, helping her with the ornaments and guiding her when she needed it. The amount of eyesight she lost seemed to be added to her hearing; therefore, she was able to hear when Dustin’s breaths seemed a bit more tense than usual.
She didn’t push it, allowing him to speak when ready. The redhead didn’t have to wait long, however, as the question came tumbling out only seconds later.
“Max, do… Do you love me?” He asked, voice trembling. It was spoken louder than it was the last time he asked, but the anxiety behind the statement seemed to be amplified.
Max stilled as she hung up the ornament in her hand. She thought out her answer yet again, not wanting to sound as concerned as she felt. Once she was sure that the ornament was in place on a branch, she removed her hand and placed it at her side. Max moved her arm slightly to the right, feeling around for Dustin’s arm. She soon found it and interlocked their fingers, squeezing tightly.
“Yes, bubba. I love you,” Max assured, a smile gracing her lips.
Dustin, once again, was silent for a few seconds before he squeezed her hand back, a content sigh leaving his lips.
Max was left twice as confused as before, but once again decided not to push the issue. She just kept her hold on her brother's hand as they decorated the tree together.
—
Once is Chance, twice is coincidence, third time's a pattern.
It was a quiet Saturday morning in the Henderson house. Claudia had left for work half an hour prior, leaving Max and Dustin sitting on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons.
Max was bundled in a blanket and drinking a cup of coffee while Dustin was sitting beside her on the couch. He knew how much she liked to be close to people, ever since Vecna happened, preferring to only be a few inches away. The thought made her smile.
They had plans for later that day, Max remembered. Steve was coming by to pick them up and take them to the Wheelers’ house. Eddie had planned a campaign meeting for today and both Dustin and Max were members of Hellfire. (Dustin and Lucas took turns telling her the number after she rolled.)
This time, there was no warning. There was no tense inhale or change of tone. Dustin simply asked the question like it was the most normal thing in the world.
“Maxie, you still love me, right?” He asked before taking another sip of his hot chocolate. The question caught Max off guard more than usual this time, mainly because there was just no warning . Things were fine leading up to the moment that the words came spilling out.
Max moved her hand, placing it on top of Dustin’s head as she ruffled his hair. “I still love you, bubba. Always will.”
Dustin laughed in reply this time, something that had never happened before. “Dude, leave my hair alone,” he whined.
Max giggled and ruffled it again, ignoring the protests coming from the other boy. “You still have to do your whole Steve Harrington Hair Care Routine , so it’s fine,” she smirked. A few beats of silence passed before Dustin spoke up again.
“You can’t see it, but I’m flipping you off right now.”
Max couldn’t help the laughter that erupted from her.
However, the question still lingered in the back of her mind.
—
It was officially December, meaning that the temperatures were somehow colder and the snow was somehow taller. It also meant that Claudia was finally going to start Christmas shopping. She had announced to her kids that they were going to the mall today, so she could begin buying presents.
“Hey bubba, can you braid my hair?” Max asked as she tapped the boy’s bedroom door with her cane.
That was another thing Dustin had gotten good at- doing Max’s hair. She couldn’t do it by herself anymore, unless it was a simple ponytail, so Dustin had asked Nancy to teach him how to do it. It had taken him a few weeks, but Max would never forget the excitement in his voice the first time he had successfully completed a braid.
“Of course I can. You come get on my bed, I’ll go run and grab your brush and some ponytail holders,” he announced as Max walked into his room. “Be right back!” He yelled.
Max shook her head as she smiled before sitting with her legs crossed on the twin size bed.
True to his word, Dustin returned a few seconds later with all of the supplies that he needed. Max felt the bed dip behind her as the boy sat down. “One braid or two?” He asked, tone soft.
“Hm… Two,” Max replied with a nod. Soon enough, she felt the brush glide through her hair as he got to work. Max learned into the touch slightly, always taking comfort in physical contact.
It was quiet, save for the Christmas album playing on Dustin’s record player. “Hey, bubba?” Max whispered quietly.
“Mhm?”
“Have you changed your room since the last time I saw it?” She asked, her voice quiet, yet loud enough for the two of them to hear.
“I did, actually,” he replied as he continued to work his fingers through her hair. “Want me to tell you about it?” Max nodded in reply, feeling her throat tighten as though she was about to cry.
“Well, while you were in the hospital, I painted over the wallpaper. It’s white now! We kept my blue walls, though. I got a new desk, it was Mr. Harrington’s old one, so it’s really big,” he began explaining. Max allowed her eyes to close as she listened.
“I also moved my bed to the corner of the room instead of under the window. And I don’t have Yurtle anymore, so I got rid of his tank. It reminded me too much of Dart, anyway. I cleaned out a bunch of junk that I didn’t use anymore, especially on the shelves above my desk. Now I keep my books and records on the bottom shelf and my action figures on the top shelf,
“I got a bunch of new posters, too. I have a Star Wars one above my bed, a Metallica one beside my desk, a Bowie one beside my closet, and some random ones from the record store. I also have a wall dedicated to my polaroids. I think that’s my favorite part,” He finished explaining. Max wiped away a few tears that had made their way down her face. If Dustin noticed, he didn’t point it out, which Max was thankful for.
However, she should’ve known that the question was coming. He was tying off the second braid when the words came out of his mouth yet again.
“Do you still love me?” He asked.
Max sighed. “I still love you, bubba.”
Dustin finished the braid and placed it over the girl’s shoulder before he replied. “Okay,” he whispered. And as usual, they didn’t talk about it.
—
Max jerked awake, the sound of screaming immediately filling her ears. She had no idea what time it was, but she threw her covers off and reached for her cane, quickly climbing out of her bed and following the sound.
“Please, no… Max! Lucas!” She heard, and it was coming from Dustin’s room. She immediately pieced together that he was having a nightmare and rushed into the room. She threw the door open carelessly and walked over to his bed, his cries and whimpers still filling the room.
“Dustin. Hey, bubba. It’s okay, you’re okay,” Max coaxed as she stood beside his bed, knowing not to touch him while he was still asleep. “I’m here. Please wake up, it’s just a nightmare,” she continued.
Dustin must have heard her voice, as he sat up in his bed only seconds later. “Max?” He cried.
“I’m here, bubba. Can I sit with you?” She asked, not wanting to overwhelm him. He reached out and grabbed her hand, guiding her to sit beside him as he buried his head in her shoulder and cried.
“‘M so sorry. I couldn’ save you. Max, I’m so sorry, please forgive me,” he whispered through hiccups. Max rubbed her hand up and down his back while she embraced him with the other.
“I’m right here, bubba. I’m okay. You’re okay. Just breathe for me, alright?” Max coaxed, letting him cry and feel. She began to sing Landslide by Fleetwood Mac, knowing that song always brought him comfort.
It was a few minutes before the boy’s breathing was under control, the tears having stopped just moments prior. “‘M sorry for waking you,” he mumbled.
“Nope. You don’t get to apologize for that,” Max began. However, she was interrupted when the well-known question came tumbling from between Dustin’s lips.
“Do you still love me?”
Max tensed slightly, though she never stopped her movements on his back. “Of course I still love you. Why do you keep asking me that?” She whispered back, not knowing if she was prepared for the answer.
“What are you talking about?” Dustin asked genuinely as he pulled away from the hug.
Max knew that she had a look of confusion across her face and hated that she couldn’t see her brother. “That’s like, the fifth time you’ve asked me that,” Max explained.
“No it’s not… I usually think about asking, but I’ve, um, I’ve never actually done it until now?” Dustin replied, his statement sounding more like a question.
“Actually, I think every time you’ve thought about asking me, you’ve actually ended up asking me,” Max sighed sadly, feeling the boy tense beside her.
“Oh my god. No, that’s- ‘m so sorry, Max,” Dustin rambled, panic filling his voice. Max reached out and grabbed his hands, after a couple of seconds of trying to find them.
“No, please don’t apologize, bubba. I’m not mad, and I don’t think it’s weird, I just wanna understand,” Max assured him, tears filling her own eyes. “And you don’t have to tell me, please don’t think I’m forcing you,” she added.
However, the words began tumbling out of Dustin’s mouth anyway. “I’ve never been, um, the favorite in the party,” he sniffed. “Mike and Will have always been close, and Lucas and I were close, but the three of them were closer. They, uh, usually see me as um, the brain, I guess? And I don’t think they really see me as anything more than that. But… but now the, the upside down! It’s gone! I’m not needed anymore, Maxie,” he cried, tears falling yet again.
“Oh, bubba…” Max sighed, her own tears falling down her cheeks.
“So now I just… need the, uh, reassurance, because I don’t feel needed, and I just want someone to need me,” Dustin mumbled.
“Dustin Henderson. I need you. You are my brother, and you are the best fucking brother I ever could have asked for. You have done so much for me since Vecna, since I became blind. You learned how to do my hair because I can’t anymore, you were there every day while I was relearning how to walk, you have let me hold your hand in public when I didn’t wanna take my cane, you do the most basic , casual things for me and I feel so loved. We bond over our disabilities and being disabled in this shitty town and it makes me feel so much less alone. I love you, bubba,” Max rambled, her hands holding onto Dustin’s firmly.
“Max…” Dustin whispered.
“No, it’s true. You deserve the world, Dustin,” Max interrupted.
They sat together in silence for a few moments before Dustin spoke up. “I love you so much, Maxie,” he whispered. Max pulled him into a hug and squeezed him tightly.
“Want me to sleep in here?” Max asked, She felt the boy nod against her shoulder.
They rearranged themselves on the small bed, Dustin laying on Max’s left. “Thank you for everything. You’re the best sister I could’ve asked for,” he whispered. Max hummed in reply, knowing that she didn’t need to reply.
Soon enough, she could hear the soft snores coming from beside her and finally allowed herself to fall into a peaceful sleep.
And, well, if Claudia found her kids snuggled together the next morning, that was for her to know.