After the Fall

Surprise! (Fluff)

The cool breeze feels amazing against Max's skin as she lays in Lucas's arms, her eyes closing in content wonder as Lucas reads one of her favorite stories to her.

It has been three years, three years since Max has woken up from coma. Her bones have finally healed and are now back in place so she is able to walk again which is a blessing. She is happy she gets to at least do most of what she used to, her sight has not come back but she is still happy, she is still able to get around, she is not immobile like she used to be.

It is the last day of senior year, and Lucas decided to skip the school day while Mike and Dustin went on and attended due to the big shout out of D&D the school was going to be giving at the end of school. Max decided three years back that she would just finish school at home, not wanting to attend school publicity again while she was immobile and blind. Her bones healed around summer break going into senior year but she still wanted to take school from home. Tutors came to Joyce house to tutor her, but more so it was Lucas, and sometimes Mike and Dustin would join him.

After one year of Max being awake, their junior year Mike, Dustin and Lucas saved up enough money to lease a nice three bedroom house for themselves. They made a pact, that no matter where they go the party follows and they will not separate. They also made another pact to save in Hawkins, to stay in the city that Will gave his life for to save. They are glad that everyday they can go to his monument, they are glad that everyone recognizes that him and Eleven both saved their city. Now Dustin, Mike and Lucas live together along with Max and Eleven.

At first Hopper was not fond of the idea, in fact he was more scared that might would get Eleven 'pregnant' but Eleven assured softly that she was of age to move out if she wanted to. They are all eighteen years old, so they all decided to live together in this house.

Since today was not like most summer days and it was actually a cool breeze outside Lucas decided that he would spend the day with Max outside along the grass, a blanket under them with food while Lucas reads to her. Max of course argued letting Lucas now he doesn't have to skip school to be with her but Lucas insisted, and soon enough Max gladly accepted.

So now Lucas reads to her while holding her, the back of her head on Lucas chest while she leans into him, her eyes closed. Max decided on wearing her hair down today, she likes the way the wind blows into her curly red locks, plus the wind is blowing in her direction so no hair is getting in her face, it is actually pushing it away. Of course because of the hot weather max settled on a yellow stripe crop top and yellow shorts. The wind, plus Lucas voice reading the words off the book deeply relaxes Max and sends her dozing off.

"Lucas?" Max says after some time, her eyes still closed.

"Yeah?"

"How does it look today?" Max questions. A few months after getting out of the hospital every day after that Max always questioned how it looked outside to her that way she could imagine it. She always enjoyed going outside her trailer at night to look at the stars, and since she can't do that now she still is able to hear it from someone else's perspective.

Lucas looks up, his chin resting on Max's head. "The sun is radiant, bright, beautiful, yellow. Just like you." Lucas playfully jokes.

Max slaps him lightly on the arm. "Shut up."

Lucas chuckles. "The sky, it is dotted with a little clouds, but mostly blue like the ocean. So imagine California, the way the ocean always looked when you went out to the lake before going to skateboard at the park. That is the same color the sky is."

Max smiles, already imagining it in her head, she can feel the sun warming her up, she can almost see the deep blue sky of endlessness.

"The grass is as green as ever, there are yellow, blue and purple flowers around us, they are growing nicely thanks to Eleven."