Boys and Girls (SOAH/WAX ONESHOTS)

Christmas (Wax)

This is like a companion piece to 'Scene (Soah)' so it would be better if you read that first.
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The day has come. The day almost everybody loves and has been waiting for every year. The day that takes weeks or even months to prepare for. The day where joy is expected to be shared.

It's Christmas day.

And it is indeed for our heroes in Hawkins.

A lot has happened. Suffering from the loss of Billy Hargrove and Jim Hopper, it was a hard couple of months for the people they've left behind. Max was having a hard time feeding the lie about the way her brother died. They said he perished in the fire in an unfortunate incident at Starcourt Mall. She wanted to say he died a hero. He died good. He died saving them.

Then, there was the Byers moving along with El, who has no guardian left to care for her. Everyone's hearts were heavy with dread at the decision Joyce Byers made yet they know she's making the right choice. Who would even want to stay at the town which has horrors haunting you and putting your life in danger every time?

Max knew Will, El, and Jonathan didn't want to leave. How could they? They grew up here, made friends, and found love (in El and Jonathan's case).

Mike and Eleven had decided to always keep in touch through Cerebro. Jonathan and Nancy had agreed on meeting up once or twice a month.

They also had convinced Joyce and Karen to have a Thanksgiving dinner together.

And they waited. Oh, how painfully long was that. Max didn't feel the pain that much but she understood whenever she saw the Wheeler's oldest siblings. And, she felt the effect her two friends leaving left when her and Lucas's relationship become even more strained than it already was.

Then, the day came. They all had reconciled and had the best dinner in months. The kids felt so much discomfort on their faces when Mike and Eleven unashamedly kissed each other in front of them. They wouldn't stop teasing the two the whole day.

But, their joy was short-lived again. The demogorgon came back. And it brought others with it, the Russians.

The kids, teens, and Joyce would have given up if it weren't for Jim Hopper coming back and saving the day, having survived the explosion by slipping through the gate to the Upside Down and appearing on the Russian government's headquarters.

They had won again but they know it can't and won't last forever.

That didn't stop them from letting go and just being happy for once. The Byers kids had convinced their mom to stay in Hawkins for Christmas and New Year then go back again.

Suzie has also promised Dustin to come to dinner and meet the Party.

Lucas and Max broke up, for good. They were the only couple among the group to have finally ended their romance. But, they're still friends. Or at least, Max thought so.

The Byers temporarily stayed with the Hoppers in a house Jim bought. He and Joyce finally did something about their feelings and he started courting her.

On the first week of December, the kids decided to have a Secret Santa game. Max had trouble finding her chosen person a gift since he was the same one paired up with her to buy gifts, Will. She managed to buy it inconspicuously, spending almost all the money she had saved up from her school allowances with how expensive it was. She didn't know why she even decided to buy him that. A part of her must have wanted to, despite the price of the gift though she'd never tell him. They're not that close and she's not an open person.

So, Christmas. Max is feeling nervous and she doesn't know why. It's just Will, she told herself. Or is it?
The quiet boy had left quite an effect on her the day they all bought gifts and snuck in the cinema to watch Rocky IV together. Max didn't know why. They just had small talk then he smiled at her. Maybe, it's because he rarely smiles now. And they've never interacted much before for some reason so their conversation must have sparked an interest in her, to get to know him more and be his friend truly. But how? He's leaving soon. That thought had a different feel to her now compared to before.