𝙿𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚎 *𝙻𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚡

*Sandwich*

*Requests : CATS_AreCoolxx asked for a one-shot where Max has opened up to Lucas about an eating disorder and he helps her get through it so I did that but more discreetly so it's not as triggering. It can still be so maybe don't read this if you have a history... but anyways enjoy!

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A few weeks ago, when Max got in the shower after staying at Lucas's house for a few days, he noticed that she had weirdly lost a large amount of weight. After seeing her like that once, Lucas just couldn't stop worrying. Every minute and every hour of the day he just couldn't help but worry about her as It was clear that Max was hiding something from him.

All the signs were showing it. She was being suspicious, not staying at his house as much, avoiding him, not eating around him and more. He could see that she wasn't being healthy to the point where she almost looked sick. He ended up talking to her about it letting her explain herself before he jumped to any conclusions like the good boyfriend he was. 

Max explained that she didn't want to look sick, just skinny. You see, Max shared with him that before Neil left her and her mom a few years ago, he would often make insults about her body and the food she ate, including how she would eat it. Even now with him gone, she struggled with her relationship with it. 

It was like she could still hear him when she looked at herself in the mirror. Lucas did his best to understand and spent hours researching so he could do everything in his power to help her get better. He wanted her to know that he thought she was perfect and that no amount of weight she gained or lost would change the way he saw her.

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Max sat in her living room talking to Lucas while he stood in the kitchen. He had gone over to help her study for the upcoming exams at the end of the week since he'd had good grades his whole life but Max, not so much. "That makes no sense! How is that the answer?" Max groaned confused kicking her book off the table. 

Anger issues and studying did not mix well together. She put her head in her hands on the verge of giving up. "Maybe you should just take a break," Lucas laughed from the kitchen. "Easy for you to say, you're a straight-A student!" She plopped on the couch with her hands in the air. "Curse my smart perfect boyfriend!" Lucas chuckled walking back to sit on the couch next to her. 

Lucas almost regretted it at first when she froze and looked at the sandwich he put on top of her books." I-I made you a snack." Max hesitated sitting up. Despite the fact that Neil was gone and had been gone for years, Max still often felt his lingering presence. "I-" She tried to speak but nothing came out. She could still hear him in her head, chastising every decision she took.

Especially when it was about food. She spent a little too long staring at the sandwich making Lucas wonder if he should take it away or something. Though Max was only trying to figure out what to do. She hadn't eaten in a while as it might've even been more than a day. No one had ever done this for her before, well, other than her mother when she was a little girl.

Taking a deep breath, Max began to feel a small pang of hunger in her stomach. Slowly and nervously she reached out for the sandwich, a small shake to her pail hands. It would be a very long time before Max would truly overcome her stepfather's torment. But before she could move past the horrors he'd inflicted on her, she had to take small steps like these.

Max and Lucas both stared silently at the food in her hand. Lucas waited for something to happen while Max still inspected it as if he poisoned the sandwich and wanted her dead. "Max, it won't bite," He finally spoke as she ignored his comment and continued inspecting it. "Do you know if there's sugar in this?" She whispered.

She knew she shouldn't care and that she should be able to eat whatever she wants without practically having a panic attack, but sadly, it wasn't that simple. Nothing was ever that simple for her. It would never be. "I don't know, I can check-" Lucas started beginning to get up when Max stopped him, clearing her throat. "No, it's fine. It's silly, really. I can do it." 

She gulped both her hands shaking. Max was afraid, but she knew that eventually, she needed to eat. Not just for herself but for her sweet boyfriend who made her this sandwich in the first place. Plus, one snack wouldn't do anything that drastic. However, she still couldn't get her stepfather's voice out of her head. Neil only kept pushing her towards the unhealthy option. 

The option Max found would make her prettier. The whole situation just made her afraid. She just needed to remind herself she didn't need to be. She had Lucas here to help her get through this. He didn't care how she looked, he just wanted her to get better. She huffed wiping the tears away from her eyes. 

She looked at Lucas taking a deep breath, "I can eat. I-I can eat whatever I want whenever I want to." Lucas nodded proud of her. "You can eat whatever you want Max, you are perfect to me no matter what. Nothing can change that." Max nodded at his words, finally taking a bite out of the sandwich. She swallowed her mouthful, taking a sip from the glass of water he passed her. 

She laughed a little, feeling like she exaggerated a little over the whole situation. "It's good," Lucas chuckled patting his back. He's the one who made this happen. He was the one helping her. "I should make sandwiches for you more often." God, if cooking for Max made her eat, he would become her own personal chef to help. 

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