Grown (Lumax) COMPLETE

Calling Barbara

TW// mentions of sex and sexual abuse

That night Max sat in the bathroom, trying to call Barbara for the fifth time that day. She was only in the bathroom because she didn't want Lukas to know she was calling Barb. Max didn't want him to get worried about her.

"Hello?" Barb picked up, which caught Max off guard. "Hey, Max?" Barb spoke louder after Max didn't respond.

"Oh hey, sorry!" Max was distracted by looking at herself in the mirror. "I called a few times, where have you been?"

"Oh, busy." Barbara gave a vague reply. "You doing okay?"

Max let out a tired sigh to let Barb know she wasn't doing the best. "A little overwhelmed...school starts soon, and I need to look for a job. I feel bad that I'm the only one who hasn't been able to get a job yet."

"Don't worry, you'll get one." Barb reassured her. "Are you thinking of applying to any new places?"

"Yeah, I'm going to try to get a job at the coffee shop that hired Lukas. Originally we didn't want to work together to avoid distractions but... we'll probably be fine." Max wasn't as worried about the job as she was about the other topic she needed to mention to Barb. "Is Robin with you?"

Barbara could be heard shifting around in discomfort before replying, "No, why?"

"Just making sure, I want to talk about something...kind of scary." Max didn't like talking about personal stuff on the phone if Robin was in the room. She was paranoid Robin would overhear something.

"Sure, what's up?" For once Barbara didn't sound happy to listen. If anything she sounded tired. Yet, she did her best to put Max's feelings first.

Max took a deep breath and lowered her voice even more, she was already speaking quietly. "Me and Lukas took another step towards being intimate."

"Oh?" Barbara's tone changed. Instead of tiredness, anxiety laced her voice. "Okay, and was everything comfortable for you both?"

"Yeah, it was okay..." Max smiled nervously as she remembered what happened. "It wouldn't be a big deal to most people, we didn't even get undressed...but I'm happy that it happened and I didn't cry after."

"That's good, that's good." A slight smile could be heard in Barb's tone. "I'm glad that you're taking back that part of your life. You deserve to enjoy special moments with your boyfriend."

"The only problem is I do feel a little shameful now...like I can't explain it." Max sighed.

"You feel like if you enjoy sex, you're giving in to Neil's abuse?" Barbara explained for her.

"Yeah... how'd you guess?"

Barb let out a breathy sigh and responded softly, "Because I feel the same. If I enjoy sex, it's like Jonathan won."

"Jonathan?" Max gasped softly. Barb had never put a name to her attacker before. "What's his last name? I'll hunt him for sport if he's not in jail."

"I don't remember his last name..." Barb lied, just happy that it went over Max's head.

"Is he in jail?"

"Oh, yeah..." Barb cleared her throat and tried to find a way out of the conversation. "I really need some sleep. Think I could call you back in the morning?"

"Yeah, sure." Max agreed with a frown. "I love you Barb, talk to you tomorrow. I'm here for you."

"Aw, you're sweet. I love you too." Barbara hung up.

Max sighed and hung up, at least she got a little stress off her chest. Once she left the bathroom, Lukas approached her.

"Hey, your mom wants you in the kitchen." Lukas told her before walking to their bedroom to get changed for the night.

Max walked to the kitchen and groaned at her mom. "Is that coffee in your hand?"

Susan sipped on the coffee with guilty eyes. "No, it's water..." She lied, but it was obviously a lie.

"Mhm...you're not sleeping tonight." Max sat at the table with her and crossed her arms. "What's up?"

"Well..." Susan put down the coffee mug. "Just wanted to go ahead and ask...are you interested in taking birth control?"

Max went quiet and became flushed at the question. "What? No–"

"I'm just wondering..." Susan played with her mug, trying to ease the awkwardness. "You and Lukas will be in the same room every night. I won't always be home. You both seem to be getting closer and closer by the day. I feel it's only a matter of time before y'all start..." Susan made a gesture with her hands.

"MOM!" Max was horrified, but she ended up laughing. "oh my god...no, we're not doing that. Not yet, and probably not for a long time. I don't want birth control."

"Okay..." Susan nodded. "Just know you can come to me if you change your mind. I love you, I want you to be responsible."

"I will be, trust me. You're not having any grandbabies anytime soon. Unless Steve becomes even more of a whore and makes you a grandma."

"Maxine-!" Susan was also horrified but she laughed. "Good to know no one will be getting pregnant anytime soon." Susan said as Lukas came back into the kitchen.

"Pregnant?" Lukas tilted his head.

"Are you pregnant?" Max asked him jokingly.

"I dunno, my period hasn't shown up." Lukas joked and sat at the table. "Are you going to step up and be a father?"

Max shook her head. "Hell no, you're a single mom now."

Susan laughed and shook her head. "You kids are so weird, I love ya."

-

"I'm just saying, I think Trixie Mattel is the superior drag queen." Lukas pointed out while Max was watching a YouTube video on her phone. They decided not to get touchy tonight and for some reason the topic of drag queens came up.

"How do you even know her?" Max giggled.

"You watch her videos, I've watched some with you before." Lukas reminded her.

"Oh...well you're wrong. I'd argue that katya zamolodchikova is funnier." Max disagreed.

"Uh yeah, but Trixie Mattel is hilarious too. Plus, I like the outfits she puts together more." Lukas stuck to his opinion.

Max just rolled her eyes and smiled. Of course Lukas would be the kind of boyfriend to have opinions on drag queens. He tried to show interest in everything she liked. That included her YouTube habits. "Here, I want to show you this clip of Katya." Max searched for it and showed it to Lukas.

Lukas laughed and covered his mouth, trying not to wake Susan. "How did we ever get to this topic?"

"I have no idea." Max took her phone back once the clip was over. She loved these random moments together. Lukas wasn't just her boyfriend, he was her best friend.

"I need to get my ass to sleep." Lukas yawned and had a little stretch before cuddling into Max again. "I love you, you sure you're okay sleeping in the bed with me?"

"I dunno, you smell." Max teased him and laid against his chest. "Yeah, I'm okay here."

Lukas closed his eyes and gently played with her hair. "You're lucky you're cute, or you'd be sleeping on the couch." He said in regard to the teasing.

Max didn't pay attention to his weak threat. She just nuzzled into his chest and said, "Night." She slept peacefully, not knowing what the future would bring.