TWIST OF FATE {stranger things • lumax}

𝕔𝕦𝕡𝕚𝕕'𝕤 𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕕

The day had finally come. Lucas circled it in red on his calendar, ritually crossing off each date that passed until arriving at his destination.

Today, Lucas would be asking Max to the Homecoming dance.

They'd been going steady for about two weeks now after their first date at the arcade and Benny's, and it felt like he was on top of the world. He thanked his lucky stars that Max's family had moved to his little hometown, although he imagines she had been pretty pissed about it. There was just no other girl like Max in Hawkins.

A couple days ago, Dustin had surprised the whole school by asking his project partner Suzie to the dance. He stood on top of a lunch table, belting a cheesy song from some musical she must've really liked. Although the delivery was... unsatisfactory by his taste, Lucas couldn't help but think... did he need to step up his game? Or would a stunt like that make Max reject him right there on the spot? Lucas had a feeling he already knew the answer, but she still deserved something to show for. They were still a new couple though, so while he knew it needed to be something fun and thoughtful, she would probably appreciate it being more on the personal side. Whatever it was, Lucas needed to think fast, because the dance was now coming upon them quickly.

At the end of a long day of school and practice, the idea finally came, taking him to the old junkyard on the outskirts of town. Lucas wasn't even sure if he'd be able to find what he was looking for, but if he could pull it off, he knew it would be perfect.

~

It had seemed like a normal day to Max, classes that dragged and projects to finish in time for midterm. Lunch period at least had become more interesting since she and Lucas started dating. Would he still sit with the football guys, join Max and his former friends, or would they just go off to be alone together? It had ended up being a mixture of all three, but thankfully they'd been present when Dustin burst out into song earlier in the week. Somehow, the performance was equally horrifying yet something she honestly wouldn't put past Dustin to do. He'd mentioned his "cute and wicked smart" partner Suzie here and there throughout the past few weeks, and it sounded like she was worth the social death that certainly had occurred.

And so Dustin and Suzie had become an item. Max herself loved the way she felt after her and Lucas' first date. She couldn't fall asleep for hours that night, staring up at the ceiling with a giddy smile, replaying through all the moments he looked at her with those shining eyes of his. Lucas was a good guy - she couldn't deny it if someone put a gun to her head. She knew Lucas would never hurt her, and maybe, just maybe, they could work things out for next year. But without thinking about it too hard, Max took the leap and called him her boyfriend.

She hesitated to tell El right away, anticipating a slew of strangling questions and surely some teasing. But of course, El was ten steps ahead and didn't need to wait for Max.

"I may be kind of an airhead, but I'm not that dumb, Max," she'd said. "I mean, come on! You, staying after school to do homework? And the way you look at Lucas... oh man, Max, it's obvious you've been down bad for weeks and you probably didn't even realize it!

"What are you even talking about, El—"

"I'm serious! You always have this gooey smile every time Lucas walks in the room! And the giggles, Max. Oh my gosh, I never thought in one million years I'd hear Max Mayfield giggle at a boy—"

"Bull!" Max scoffed.

But now, several weeks later, she blushed as El told how she'd heard Mike and Lucas whispering before class, stealing glances in the girls' direction.