The Tubular Moments // Lucas and Max (Lumax)

A Tubular Make-up

It was definitely unlike any of their other breakups.

Normally, it would only take a day or two for them to get back together. One of them would apologise and they'd pick up where they left off. After all, they were Lucas and Max. If anything, their breakups were only to prove that they'd always find their way back to each other.

But this time, a lot of damage had been done.

Within two weeks, Lucas and Max had not spoken a single word to each other. Even if every part of them wanted to, they just couldn't do it.

Max had never felt more alone. She had kept her distance from the party. Knowing that Lucas had been in the party way longer than her, it only made sense for her to leave instead of him. Still, Dustin and Mike continued to be her friends, but there was an awkward feeling whenever they spoke.

Even with Max skipping the party's weekly trip to Cerebro, she spent a lot of time talking with Will and El on the phone. Max was ashamed to admit it, but the day after her and Lucas broke up, she had called El in tears, explaining everything that happened. Unsurprisingly, El was a great listener. Max just wished she was in Hawkins.

Other than going to school and talking on the phone, Max spent her time in her room. Sometimes when she got bored, she'd think about going to Lucas' house. But then she'd remember everything that happened and a fresh wave of heartbreak would hit her.

Max wanted to forgive Lucas, but she couldn't. All the things he said had hurt her, even if she knew they were true. But hearing them from him was like receiving a slap in the face. She thought she could trust him more than anybody else.

Max couldn't even forgive herself. Lucas only said those things because he felt bad for her. Max had so much baggage in her life, that she blamed herself for ever thinking that Lucas could handle that. That was unfair to him. She scared him away.

Lucas wasn't feeling any better than Max. The moment she walked away from him, Lucas had cursed himself over and over again for ever saying those mean things to her. How could he ever hurt her like that? She trusted him, and he was an idiot.

He went to Cerebro that night, hoping she would be there. But she wasn't.  (Of course she wasn't). When Mike asked him what was wrong, he explained to the entire party (including El and Will) how stupid he had been. He wasn't even mad when they all agreed he had been a jerk.

But even when he did see her at school on the following Monday, he couldn't speak to her. What was he going to say? Max had every right to be mad at him. Lucas hated himself for upsetting her.

That afternoon, he received a phone call from a very angry El. She had obviously spoken to Max, and for El to be this mad, Max must've have been extremely hurt.

"Mouthbreather!" El yelled into the phone before hanging up.

All Lucas could do was stare at the receiver and agree with her. However, for the first time, Lucas was glad El still didn't have her powers back. Or else... he'd be a goner.

As the week went on, somehow things only got harder. He'd seen Max around school a few times, but each time his heart ached even more.

To his surprise, Max came to the Friday night Cerebro. Despite not saying anything, her body language made it clear that she was only there to talk to Will and El.

About 30 minutes into the conversation, everything went to hell.

"So, things have been ok over here." Will's voice echoed through the radio "What about you guys? Are Lucas and Max back together again?"

There was an extremely awkward silence before Mike spoke. "Let's change the subject."

You could almost feel Will's embarrassment through the radio. "Oh. I don't realise. I'm sorry."