Snowflakes and Sweethearts

❅ and as we trim the tree

Max Mayfield thoughtfully sighed to herself as she stood in front of her empty Christmas tree meticulously observing it. The tree was a seven-foot tall balsam fir. It was lofty, dense, and smelled fresh and woodsy. She had picked it out on her own, it was the only tree that stood out the most to her next to all the other evergreens. With the help of Steve Harrington, Max had purchased it, and brought it back to her home to decorate.

Behind her, Lucas sat on the Mayfield's couch mindlessly rummaging through a plastic storage container filled with a variety of Christmas tree decorations. Ornaments clinked and clattered as they knocked together, bells let out single rings, and tinsel tangled as Lucas went through everything. Max and her family had more than enough decorations for the towering tree. He wasn't sure where they would start, but when everyone came over, they'd figure it out together.

"Maybe this is a dumb idea." Max frowned, her brows pulling together in frustration while her gaze remained on the tree.

"We're decorating your tree, it's not a dumb idea." Lucas chuckled, stumbling upon a christmas bulb that didn't look like the others. It was flat and round with flecks of red and green glitter on the inside. On the bottom on the ornament, a layer of cotton served as fake snow. The centerpiece to it all was a baby picture. The baby in the photo laid nude on her belly under a red velvet blanket; her beaming blue eyes stared directly into the camera, her mouth softly ajar as if in surprise, showing off two small teeth. There were strands of red hair curled atop her head. It took less than a second for Lucas to know he was looking at infant Max Mayfield. "Well, well, well... what's this? Who's this little cutie?"

Max whipped her head around to look at Lucas sitting on the sofa. There was a familiar looking ornament dangling in his hand as he held it up and Max could feel heat on her face immediately. Her cheeks likely looked even rosier than the ones on her baby picture.

"You know that's me, now put it away." Max crossed her arms and frowned. Lucas discovering her baby ornament was the smallest drop in an ocean of anxiety right now.

"Can't I just look at it?" Lucas asked, setting the bulb in his lap. He studied the object in pure adoration.

Max let out an exasperated sigh, walking away from the tree and moving towards Lucas, "Look at something else."

"Okay," Lucas grinned, placing the ornament back into the storage container. As soon as Max was close enough, he latched onto her and pulled her into his lap. "Fine, I'll look at you then." He wrapped her in his arms and instantly started planting kisses on her cheeks.

She squirmed in his embrace, trying her hardest to pretend she didn't like being enveloped in his arms. And it wasn't like she didn't like it, it was more like, it was something that could wait until after her anxiety subsided, if it ever would. "Lucas, please! I'm going through a crisis!"

The smile slowly faded from Lucas' face and a somber expression took over shortly after. "Tell me what's wrong. I'm listening."

Max shrugged Lucas' arms off of her, though she didn't move out of his lap. "Is this pathetic? All of you have loving families that actually wanna do things with you. I asked my family if they wanted to decorate the tree with me and they basically rejected me. It's embarrassing that if I want to do any bonding it has to be with my friends and not my quote unquote adoring family."

Max thought about yesterday evening when she, her parents, and her step-brother were at the dinner table and she asked if they could decorate the tree together as a family. Billy, her step-brother, declined the idea within seconds. Her stepdad also rejected the idea, stating that he wasn't in the holiday mood and her mother agreed with him; though they had spent every year before their marriage decorating the entire inside and outside of the house together. That was enough to let Max know that things within her family had changed and Max didn't like change and Max's family was always changing.

"For as long as I can remember, decorating the tree with my family has been one of my favorite things to do and you deserve to experience that same feeling. And guess what? Max, you are decorating the tree with your family. I know none of us are related by blood, but it doesn't make any of us less than a family. You and Mike argue like brother and sister. Dustin annoys you like any little brother. And El and Will cherish you almost as much as I do." Lucas' arms wrapped around Max's body once again, he squeezed her gently, "Emphasis on almost. I don't think anyone comes close to me."

Max rolled her eyes, a smile gracing her lips as she listened to the last part of Lucas' statement.

Lucas rested his head on Max's back and closed his eyes, he hoped what he was saying was making sense. It was the holidays, there were lots of people who didn't have families at all or people like Max who were lucky enough to have found their families a bit later in life without needing to have the same DNA. Family, looked different to everyone. "And I hope that while we're decorating the tree and listening to cheesy Christmas music you feel everyone's love for you and see how much of a family we really are."

"I will," Max said, she felt her anxiety slowly creeping away. "Lucas..."

"Yeah?" Lucas opened his eyes, his head lifting to look at her.

Without thinking about it, Max once again wiggled out of his arms, slipping out of his embrace was easier this time. She stood up and pulled Lucas up from the couch and into a tight hug.

The moment she felt their hearts beating against each other while they were entwined, she decided she wouldn't be letting go of him anytime soon. It would probably take one of their friends knocking on the front door for her to pull herself away from him. Probably.

"What's this?" Lucas chuckled, his face buried in her fiery locks, "is THE Maxine Mayfield hugging me first? Is this actually happening? Dare I say, this is a Christmas miracle!"

Max playfully groaned at Lucas' dramatic behavior. She could've broken the hug, especially since he had referred to her as Maxine instead of Max. She dismissed the idea when she felt Lucas gingerly kiss the top of her head. She could let the Maxine slide...

Only for the holidays.