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Lucas sighed, brushing a hand over his face and leaning against the elevator door. It was a long day at school; Dustin got into a fight with some jocks over Eddie again, and Lucas had to intervene. The bruise from Andy's fist was now purple and ugly on his cheekbone.
Dustin was clearly going through something, but he kept pushing them all away. Mike, Will, Lucas, even Steve Harrington. Lucas reminisces over a time when the four of them were inseparable, him and Dustin especially. Perhaps he was to blame for distancing Dustin, distancing Max.
Max
Lucas' dad once sat him down at the table when he first started going out with Max. Lucas assumed it was going to be the regular dad talk; don't do anything stupid, be safe, keep the door open at all times.
'Be the man whom she can always rely on'
Lucas chuckled dryly.
He pushed Max away. He did this to her. He prioritized that stupid basketball team over his grieving girlfriend. Billy died right in front of her, Lucas should have known that she would be traumatized.
He let Vecna get to her head.
He let Vecna take her away from him.
Sometimes Lucas lays awake at night, thinking about all those signs. How he could have noticed. How he should have noticed. Goddamn it, he could have just brought an extra Walkman when they were trying to lure Vecna. At least then, he could have done something instead of watching uselessly as Vecna snapped her bones in the air.
So this is Christmas
And what have you done
The elevator music snapped Lucas out of his trance.
It's Christmas next week. Not that Hawkins is feeling much 'holiday joy'. Between the town splitting in half and the military putting the town on lockdown, there isn't much to look forward to.
The doors opened and Lucas stepped out. These corridors are practically his home now. The nurse at the desk gave him a nod and a sympathetic smile. He smiles back, but deep down he knows he doesn't deserve the sympathy. Not after he could not protect the love of his life.
Lucas opened the door to the ward. In the bed lay Max, her hair, as fiery red as ever, tied in two braids by the nurse. It felt wrong, seeing her in the lifeless hospital gown. The smell of antiseptic and soap was suffocating him. Max would hate a room as clean as this, with no posters, no character, and this god-awful music.
So this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you had fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young
Lucas sat down next to the bed and took out her song. If Max could hear him, she would be begging him to stop playing the depressing Christmas songs. Like routine, Lucas put the cassette in and pressed play. The familiar beat filled the room. The nurses used to complain at first, but after seeing his desperation, stayed silent.
After a while, Kate Bush starts humming the first notes of the song. Lucas grabbed Max's hand and squeezed tight.
“Come back to me... please”, he choked out.
Lucas brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.
“Merry Christmas Max”