Chapter Text
“Home, sweet home.”
It was the first thing Lucas said after parking the car.
He and Max got out, and Lucas walked over to the trunk to grab their suitcases.
“You okay?” he asked, noticing how quiet Max had become.
“Yeah, it's just...” She looked around. “It's weird coming back here after so long. And it feels like... nothing has changed.”
“Hawkins, huh?” Lucas chuckled, glancing at his watch. It read 11p.m. “At least we didn't get here too late. Luckily, the old folks are probably still awake.”
Lucas knocked on the front door. The person who answered wasn't who he had been hoping for. “Oh... figures.”
“Nice to see you too, jerk.” Erica rolled her eyes.
Without another word, Lucas pulled his little sister into a hug. “Missed you too, brat.”
“Well, good thing it's my turn to go to college now.” Erica grinned proudly.
Then she noticed Max. “Max!”
She wrapped her in a warm hug.
“Hey, you weren't nearly that excited to see me,” Lucas muttered, pretending to be offended.
“Unlike you, she's actually nice,” Erica shot back. “Honestly, Max deserves sainthood for putting up with you all these years.”
Lucas stared at her in mock disbelief.
“I missed you too, Erica,” Max replied with a soft laugh.
A moment later, Charles and Sue stepped into the living room.
“Oh my goodness, you're finally here!” Sue hurried over and threw her arms around her son.
“Hey, Mom...” Lucas hugged her tightly. “We just got here.”
“It's so good to have you home again.” She gently cupped his face before turning to Max. “Max, sweetheart.”
“Hi, Sue.” Max smiled as Sue took both of her hands.
“I keep telling you, Max's the favorite in this family,” Erica muttered.
“Erica,” Charles scolded, giving his daughter a look before pulling Lucas into a hug. “It's good to see you again, son. How have you been?”
“Busy,” Lucas admitted. “Graduation, job hunting... you know.”
Suddenly, Charles seemed to remember something. “Hey, could you give me a hand with something in the kitchen?”
Lucas blinked. “Actually, I—”
“It's okay, babe,” Max interrupted with a smile. “I'll take the luggage upstairs.”
“Don't worry,” Sue said before Erica could protest. “Erica and I will help you.”
Erica let out an exaggerated sigh.
A moment later, Lucas followed his father into the kitchen.
“So?” Charles asked, unable to hide the grin spreading across his face. “Did you buy it?”
Lucas's face lit up. “Yeah.” He smiled from ear to ear. “It's beautiful, Dad. Completely her. It's packed with my things.”
Charles' eyes widened. “Oh my God! What if she goes through your suitcase and finds it?”
“Relax, Dad.” Lucas laughed. “It's hidden with my college notes. Max never goes through those.”
Charles rubbed a hand over his face, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can't believe you're actually going to do this.” He paused before asking quietly, “Are you sure?”
Lucas smiled, completely lovestruck. “I've never been more sure.”
Lucas walked upstairs to his bedroom and found Max lying on his bed.
“That drive wore me out...” she murmured, stretching across the mattress. “But I've missed your bed.”
Lucas smiled as he looked around his room.
The wardrobe. The shelves lined with basketballs, trophies, D&D books, superhero posters.
Time hadn't touched this place.
A moment later, he lay down beside Max and gently pulled her closer until she was resting comfortably against him.
“So... what do we do now, Lucas?” Max whispered. “Now that we've graduated?”
“We'll look for jobs around here until something better comes along.” He smiled softly. “And... we'll build our life together.”
Max was quiet for a moment, simply smiling against his chest. “Lucas?”
“Hm?”
“Promise you'll never leave me?” she asked in a small voice. “Promise this is forever?”
Lucas froze. Why was she asking that now? Could she somehow suspect something?
Not wanting to give anything away with his words, he simply leaned down and kissed her.
As their lips moved together and his thumb gently stroked her cheek, Lucas silently hoped she'd understand what he couldn't tell her yet.
We are forever.
You'll find that out in a few days.
When they finally pulled apart, Max wore a mischievous little smile as she reached for the hem of his hoodie.
“Hey...” Lucas laughed, leaning back slightly. “I thought you were exhausted from the trip.”
“There are some things I never get tired of...” she whispered shyly.
A crooked smile spread across Lucas's face. “You're trouble, Miss Mayfield.”
Without another complaint, he pulled his hoodie over his head before leaning in to kiss her again.
As the moment grew more intimate and they slowly shed a few layers, Max paused for just a second to look at him.
“Lucas...” she whispered. “I love you.”
Lucas smiled. “I love you too.”
The next morning, Lucas and Max had breakfast with the Sinclairs.
“So, Max...” Sue asked gently. “Are you going to see your mom?”
Max nearly choked on her coffee before answering. “Yeah... I plan to see her soon. I don't know exactly when, but... I will.”
Sue offered her a small, understanding smile. “Well... I see her every now and then. She misses you very much.”
Max gave a faint nod without replying. Her relationship with her mother was... complicated.
Of course she loved her. But she also remembered the years of neglect, the drinking, and everything that had happened before.
When she'd woken up from her coma, she'd hoped her mother had changed. Instead, the stress of caring for her and taking her to physical therapy seemed to have pulled her back into old habits.
Max knew her mother's life hadn't been easy. She'd raised her on her own, and caring for an injured daughter had only made things harder. But that still didn't excuse it.
So Max had leaned on Lucas and the Sinclairs instead. Then, when she and Lucas left for college, she spoke to her mother less and less, limiting their conversations to the occasional phone call.
Sometimes she wondered if, by now, they'd be strangers to each other.
“Well,” Charles said, brightening the mood, “what are you two doing today? The mall's been completely renovated.”
“Oh! We could go to the movies.” Max rested a hand on Lucas's shoulder, smiling. “I've missed our movie dates.”
Lucas nearly choked on his coffee.
Max frowned.
“So... today's not going to work.”
“Why not?”
“I'm meeting the guys for a D&D session in Mike's basement.”
The entire family stared at him.
“What?” Erica said in disbelief. “You're twenty-two years old and you still play Dungeons & Dragons?”
“No,” Lucas laughed. “I haven't played in years. But we're all back in town for graduation and summer break, so we thought it'd be fun to get together like the old days. Mike even put together a campaign for us.”
“Nerds,” Erica muttered, rolling her eyes.
“Oh, that's awesome!” Max said excitedly. “I can't wait to play Zoomer again. Hopefully Wheeler won't cheat just to kill my character this time.”
Lucas forced an awkward smile. “Actually... We were thinking of making this one just the guys.”
Max blinked. “What? Why?”
Lucas rubbed the back of his neck. “Well... we're probably going to do some guy stuff afterward. You know... talk about things we'd be more comfortable discussing without the girls around.”
“Lucas...” Max said slowly, suspicion creeping into her voice. “I'm not sure I like the sound of that.”
Lucas smiled and gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Relax. We're not doing anything wrong. Trust me.” He watched as some of the tension left her shoulders. “You could hang out with El while we're gone. She's not playing either.”
Max managed a small smile.
Even so...
Something still didn't feel right.
“I swear, El... I'm going to kill him,” Max grumbled as she rolled around on her skateboard. “Actually, all of them.”
“Calm down, Max.” El laughed at her best friend's reaction.
“I'm serious, El! And how are you so calm about this? They're obviously excluding us!”
“I think they just want some guy time.” El shrugged. “I remember that one time I spied on them and caught them burping and farting.” She grimaced. “Trust me, I don't need to witness that again. Besides, neither of us even likes D&D that much.”
“Oh, come on.” Max stopped and picked up her skateboard. “I actually think it's fun.” She sighed. “But that's not even what bothers me. It's Lucas.”
“What do you mean?” El asked, frowning.
Max sat down beside her. “I don't know... He's been acting weird lately.”
“Weird how?”
“I don't know... distant.” She stared at the skateboard resting across her knees. “It's not like he's stopped being affectionate or anything. But... something feels different. I brushed it off because he kept saying he was busy finishing his thesis. Now we've graduated, we're finally back in Hawkins... and the first thing he wants to do is disappear to play D&D with the guys.” She shook her head. “I think he's avoiding me.”
“I don't know, Max.” El's voice was as gentle as ever. “Maybe he's just processing everything. Graduation... moving back home... looking for a job. I really don't think it has anything to do with you.”
“I don't know, El...” Max's voice was barely above a whisper. “What if... What if he wants to break up with me?”
El's eyes went wide. “What? Max, no! Lucas is absolutely crazy about you. He would never leave you.”
“I don't know...” Max admitted quietly. “Sometimes I feel like I'm not enough for him. He's done so much for me. He stayed by my side while I was in a coma for over a year. He helped me through all my physical therapy.” She lowered her head. “I feel like... I've never been able to give him back everything he's given me.” A long silence settled between them. “I'm scared he'll get tired of me.”
“Oh, Max...” El smiled warmly. “You and Mike are unbelievable with these silly insecurities.” She let out a small laugh before gently taking Max's hand. “Love isn't measured by keeping score. It's built through companionship... supporting each other... trust... friendship. And you and Lucas have all of that. He knows it.”
Max managed a faint smile. “I do love him. With all my heart. Even if I'm not always good at showing it.” She looked down again. “I just... I don't want him to leave me. He's everything I have.”
“So, after hours of trekking through the Gray Mountains, you finally arrive at the entrance to the sorceress's fortress.” Mike grinned as his friends leaned in, completely invested. “There's just one problem. The passage ahead is pitch black. You can hear water dripping... and footsteps echoing through the corridor.” He looked around the table. “What do you do?”
“I want to check for traps,” Dustin declared.
“Roll a d20.”
Dustin tossed the die. “Nineteen.”
Mike nodded. “Three cages come crashing down from the ceiling, but none of them catch you.”
The table erupted in cheers.
“After making your way through the corridor, you reach a massive stone door. It has no keyhole, and no amount of human strength can push it open.” He looked around. “What do you do?”
“I'll try opening it with my powers,” Will suggested, rolling his die. He winced. “Crap... five.”
Mike turned toward Lucas. “What does our ranger suggest?”
Lucas didn't answer.
Dustin smacked him on the arm.
“Ow!” Lucas rubbed the spot, glaring at him. “What was that for?”
“To wake you up.” Dustin shrugged as if it were obvious. “You're the one who insisted we get together, and now you're sitting there looking like your mind's a million miles away.”
“You okay, Lucas?” Will asked. “You look... distracted.”
“Yeah.” Lucas smiled. “Better than ever, actually.” He took a slow breath. “The truth is... I wanted to get everyone together for another reason.” He reached into his pocket. “Take a look.”
Lucas opened a small velvet box. Inside was an engagement ring.
The room fell completely silent.
“Holy shit!” Dustin shouted, breaking into the biggest grin. “No way!”
“Oh my God...” Will's eyes lit up. “You guys are getting married.”
“Seriously?” Mike groaned dramatically. “You really had to ruin my campaign with that?” He shook his head with a smile. “That redhead doesn't deserve all this.”
“She deserves this...” Lucas said softly, smiling to himself. “And so much more. She is the love of my life.”
Will smiled. “When did you decide?”
“I always knew I wanted to ask her after we graduated.” Lucas looked down at the ring. “But I finally made up my mind a few months ago. My dad's the only one who knew. He even helped me pay for the ring.”
“I can't believe it.” Dustin laughed. “First Mike and El get engaged, and now you and Max. Everybody's abandoning the party.”
“Hey!” Mike protested. “Nothing's changing. Besides, the girls are part of the party too.”
Will leaned forward. “So... when are you going to propose?”
Lucas's face lit up with a smile. “In a few days. I've got a few ideas. But I'm going to need your help...”