Chapter Text
The Creel house is dark, illuminated only by the faint blue light of the lamp that was discarded through the panic of Vecna’s attack on Max. Blood pools in her waterline, running down her cheeks as her pupils dilate and her eyes roll back into her head.
“Max- Max, stay with me! Max!” Lucas pats her cheek with his hand, trying to rouse her from her paralyzed state, “Erica! Help me! Erica!”
The despair in Lucas’ voice is apparent as he holds Max to his chest. Her breaths are ragged, unstable gasps for air as if she just can’t seem to get enough oxygen. “I-I can’t feel anything— Lucas… It’s so dark.” It’s barely a whisper, hardly audible over the ringing in Lucas’ ears.
His cries for help fall on deaf ears, Erica too far to hear him calling her name. Max is limp in his arms now, her breathing even more shallow than before. His hands cradle her face, searching desperately for some sign of life from within the darkness. The reality dawns on him; Max is dying. “You son of a bitch!” He calls into the dark, echoing off the walls of the attic. Lucas wails, holding Max tight, “Erica!”
Lean On Me ♥︎
⇄ ◁◁ I I ▷▷ ↻
⁰⁰ ²⁵ ━━●━━━━━━━━ ⁰² 5⁸
The beeping of the heart monitor fills the quaint hospital room, a boombox radio on the bedside table playing “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” by Kate Bush quietly on loop. Lucas sits in the chair next to the bed, running his thumb over the small part of Max’s fingers that are not bound in casts.
“C’mon Max, you gotta wake up… It doesn’t have to be now, but- God, I would really like it if it was soon.” He rests his head against the plaster of her cast, the sterile smell making the inside of his nostrils burn.
Lucas ends up falling asleep like that, only waking up when a nurse enters the room to check vitals, “Visiting hours end in 15 minutes, honey. It’s about time you get going,”
“Y-Yeah- Okay, yeah.” Lucas stands up from the chair, planting a soft, lingering kiss to Max’s forehead and adjusting her blankets before grabbing his jacket. He leaves that hospital, and is hit in the face with the cool Hawkins air. He unchains his bike from the bike rack outside, and rides off home.
Lean On Me ♥︎
⇄ ◁◁ I I ▷▷ ↻
⁰⁰ ²⁵ ━━●━━━━━━━━ ⁰² 5⁸
The time that passes with Max in a coma leaves Lucas in a state of constant despair. Having someone to have and hold for as long as he had Max— only for her to get ripped away by Vecna— has left Lucas feeling alone. More so than ever; despite being surrounded by all of his closest friends.
He visits everyday that he can, sitting in that same chair, listening to that same song over and over. Lucas stays from the time that visiting hours begin, to the time that they end. On the days that he can’t visit, which don’t come very often, he usually spends them at the Wheeler’s, not trusting himself to be alone with his thoughts for too long. Even then, all he can think about is Max. Max, laying alone in that bare, sterile hospital room. No D&D campaign can take his mind off of the fact that Max is not here with them.
“Lucas-!” Will shouts to get his attention as Lucas walks down the front path. Lucas turns to see Will holding a cassette. “I uh.. figured you are starting to go a little crazy hearing Kate Bush every time you go to the hospital, so I got you this. It's Bill Withers. Lean On Me? I dunno if you know who he is, he was pretty popular in the 70s and- uhm, sorry- this is weird..” Will shoves the cassette into his hands, and turns to walk back into the house.
“Will- it's alright. Thank you.” He holds the cassette up, waving it back and forth between his fingers, “This might just save my sanity,”
Will flashes him a smile, and goes back inside.
Lean On Me ♥︎
⇄ ◁◁ I I ▷▷ ↻
⁰⁰ ²⁵ ━━●━━━━━━━━ ⁰² 5⁸
The tape definitely saves his sanity. Lucas flips between the two tapes during his time with Max, still prioritizing Kate, but for his sake, playing some Withers once in a while. He knows both tapes front to back, forewards, backwards, upside down– er- inside out. He knows them well.
Both songs trigger moments of reflection within himself. Thinking about him and Max, thinking about everything that has happened since that summer of ‘83.
”Lean on me… When you’re not strong… I’ll help you carry on… for it won't be long… till I’m gunna need somebody to lean on…”
Lean on me. Max can lean on him. Always. He plans on being there for her 100% of the way through her recovery. He will be by her side no matter what.