92- For Real this Time?
Summary: After Max dumps Lucas out of the blue, Mike and Dustin help him out. Set before Season 4.
Requested by: kartinfarmersdaughter
Lucas slowly walks out of the gym, into the cold, bitter January winter.
Did that just happen?
He was finishing up with practice, when Max came by. She waited until everyone left, then went up to him.
And dumped him.
It'd been a good six months since he'd last been dumped by her, ever since the week of the 4th. They'd made up and started dating again, though the past few months they've been growing farther and farther apart. Lucas just thought it was the stress of high school, but apparently not.
They'd been fine over winter break, in fact they'd been great. The two went on two dates, and got each other really nice gifts for Christmas. Lucas had hopes for their future, maybe they could go to the Valentines Dance together.
But then, Max breaks up with him?
Maybe she realized they wouldn't work in high school.
Maybe she realized that Lucas tried to hard.
Maybe she realized that things changed between the two.
Maybe she realized they were too busy. Probably not, since all Lucas had was basketball and DND, and he didn't now what Max was apart of now.
Maybe...
"Lucas!"
Lucas turned, and saw Dustin and Mike approaching him. He wrapped his jacket tighter around him. It was really cold out, he realized.
"Yeah?" he was really glad he wasn't crying right now because a) he didn't want his friends seeing that and b) the tears would probably freeze to his face.
The two friends got closer and as they did, they could see the distressed look on Lucas's face.
"What's the matter?" Dustin asked.
"Yeah, you look like Mrs. Henderson when Dart ate Mews." Mike observed, ignoring Dustin's glare.
Lucas shrugged, "Nothing, I'm good."
Dustin squinted. "You sure?"
"Yeah, it's just really cold out here." Lucas kept lying, what else was he supposed to do? Tell them about Max? How they broke up? Nothing new about that, Max had dumped him basically every week last summer. They'd just say to get over it, that Max would come back.
But it really didn't seem like that this time. It felt, permanent.
"Let's go to the video store and warm up." Mike suggested. Lucas nodded, even though he really didn't want to go anywhere but home right then.
The three friends started walking to the video store, two of them glancing at the one every so often.
Yeah, Lucas was lying.
Mike and Dustin had a silent conversation, they were good at those, and decided they would find out what was bothering Lucas.
No matter what it took.
Of course, Steve mommed them the moment they walked into the store.
They were styling flushed cheeks and running noses. "I could have picked you up!" Steve kept telling them until he had a customer.
He hesitantly looked at the three freshman and then went to help the customer. All three freshman were relieved. No more 'mama bear Steve' as they liked to call it. It was nice when he used it on other people, but when he did it to them? Let's just say, they try not to do stupid things anymore.
Lucas started to pick up a movie, planning on 'reading' the back so he didn't have to talk to his friends.
It didn't work.
The movie was snatched from his hands, and before he could even protest, Mike and Dustin were dragging him to the back room. Quickly shutting the door, the two of them guarded it, arms crossed over their chests.
There was no way out of this one.
"We're not letting you out of here until you tell us what's wrong." Dustin told him.
Lucas looked at the floor, the ceiling, his hands, anywhere but his friends.
"Lucas? What. Is. Wrong." Mike asked.
Lucas bit his tongue, still not saying anything.
"Please." Dustin begged.
Sighing, he knew he had to tell them. "Max broke up with me." he muttered. He braced himself, ready for them to laugh, to scoff, to say 'that's it?'
But it didn't happen.
"Really? But you guys were getting along so well during winter break." Dustin said.
Lucas looked up in surprise, they noticed?
"Yeah, why would she break up with you?" Mike asked.
"I don't know, I was at practice and she just came up and dumped me." Lucas explained.
"But it's been, what? A good 5-6 months since she last did this." Dustin replied.
Mike thought for a moment. "Should we be concerned?"
"Definitely." Dustin nodded. "We'll look out for her and stuff. But for now..."
Lucas stiffened as Dustin wrapped his arms around him, Mike following. But after a moment, Lucas hugged back.
"It felt like it was for real this time." he whispered.
"We're sorry, dude." Mike told him.
Dustin nodded.
The three pulled out of the hug.
Dustin shook his hands out. "Okay, enough with the sappy stuff, movie marathon? Lucas you can choose."
They all laughed at the sudden change. Lucas nodded and they all went back to the store, where they found Steve with a new customer, trying to flirt with her. They quickly going to the back isles to not watch the train wreck.
"Star Wars?" Mike asked hopefully.
Lucas studied the cases and came to a decision. "Indiana Jones."
"Really!?"
Lucas chuckled and helped his friends find the series, as well as some other movies. He kept smiling, this was fun. It'd been a while.
He watched two of his best friends fight over which movie to get and decided something.
Lucas really did have the greatest friends in the world.
AN: Hope you liked it, katrinfarmersdaughter! Requests are open everyone!
