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LUCAS RAN HIS THUMB OVER CAROLINE'S hand, so deep in thought that it was like he was on another planet.
His vision had tunneled to the one place where his skin touched hers, his lips slightly parted. It was as though he were in a trace. One foot was curled beneath him as he sat on Will's bed, leaving him with the painful pins and needles sensation, but he couldn't bring himself to snap out of it.
Because when he did, he saw... things.
Blood. Open eyes staring into nothing. Limbs hanging loosely over stairwells. His girlfriend and best friend thrashing in their beds. Caroline's beautiful blue eyes turning a deep, dark brown, leaving him knowing that the girl he loved wasn't there anymore.
And right now... his mind simply couldn't handle it.
So instead, he focused instead on the familiar sensation of his hand on hers.
Because Caroline and him were very different, Lucas had decided.
It was like an analogy, watching his thumb rubbing over the dorsal side of her hand. A repetitive motion of black against white, a stark contrast that perfectly displayed their entire relationship.
Caroline's skin was the lightest shade of milky white, soft and perfectly untainted, aside from the few freckles that dotted her nose. Pale, cool skin that felt like cold water on a hot summer day. The smallest blemish made the biggest difference; once something tainted it, she could try as hard as she wanted, but it would never go away. It always stayed on the surface, easy to find if you knew her well enough.
Lucas' skin, on the other hand, was the darkest brown. It was warm and rough, calloused palms and fingernails with jagged edges that turned people away at first glance. It took a lot more to get under the surface with him; scrapes and bruises didn't show nearly as easily. Even though it hurt, it was easier to hide. People didn't notice his pain like they did with Caroline's, though she would easily argue that that was worse.
Because if you can't see it, it's not there.
...Right?
Something slammed against the wall right outside the twin's room, making Lucas snap out of his stupor. Images flashed in his mind of monsters running straight at him, at his friends, his family-
But when he heard Hopper's angry, strained voice from outside the door, he felt his shoulders relax slightly.
Jonathan suddenly appeared in the doorway. He saw Lucas and fumbled a little bit. "Oh. Sorry."
"No," Lucas said quickly. He stood and let go of Caroline's hand reluctantly before turning to her big brother. "You... probably want some time with them. Sorry."
"Don't be," Jonathan said easily. He messed with the sleeves of his flannel for a moment before looking Lucas directly in the eye. "Are you okay?"
Lucas was taken aback for a moment. He was the last priority right now; the twins were completely catatonic, Joyce had just watched Bob die, Olivia was locked in the bathroom was Olivia and Steve, her muffled sobs occasionally ringing through the house-
