PLEASE! BEGGING! el and lucas' bond is about more than their love for max.

it's a deep understanding of each other that can remain unspoken but because they've seen the darker parts of each other right off the bat they can trust its authenticity. it's el hearing "i'm sorry" for the first time in her life. it's lucas seeing more than the black and white rules of childhood.

it's an undercurrent of support. it's lucas going, "no, actually, just because el is powerful doesn't mean we can't do everything we can to fight alongside with her." it's him following through on that, proving to himself and to el that they're good by way of action. it's the implicit team work that comes out of that.

it's two kids, changing each other, shaping world views and having a dynamic that - though underexplored in the show - is soso integral to their characters.