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( at least, he thinks, it wasn't that bad. that's how he knows they're not good for each other. at least he hadn't harmed her. at least he hadn't drugged her. at least he hadn't killed someone (again).

it lends credence to her powers, the fact that all of this is something he knows he'd do. he knows it because he'd thought about it before, back when he's decided that isolation was better than looking max in the eye. he'd thought about contingency plans, what he'd say if this ever came to light. if max outted them, he'd call her crazy. he'd say she's obsessed. he'd say it was all a dare.

if victoria surprised them, he can easily see himself falling back on such an easy failsafe. not remembering it is what makes his head hurt. max sounds so certain, but nothing of the sort ever happened last night. he hadn't even gotten around to kissing her before fainted in the parking lot. )

Guess we both panicked. ( never mind that cool, emotionally stable guys don't panic. he hugs her, which feels like an out of body experience. as much as he wants to tell her to just get over it, he's getting tired of making max cry. ) ...Sorry.

[She eases into his hug, arms wrapped around his back, tucking her face into the curve of his neck. She manages to fight back the tears, at least.]

I just don't know how this is going to work if I'm always afraid that's going to happen again. And it's-- I don't really care if you tell Victoria or whoever that it was all a dare. I can always say the same.

[It's not like Nathan's well-liked by people outside the Vortex Club. To say Max was dared to do something with the crazy, entitled king of the school just for kicks isn't entirely off-base. They can all laugh that he was desperate enough to sleep with someone he hated, someone so below his social standing. (Max isn't sure she could actually laugh at it. But if she was forced to lie about it, she could probably do that much.)]

But Nathan, I need to know you're not going to throw my virginity into it. That's too much.

[It's more that than anything else. Because he was her first. And as much as she says she doesn't believe in the whole virginity thing, it was still an act of intimacy, and thus vulnerability. And to have it thrown in her face that she didn't wait to do that with someone she could actually trust with those things... That stings. It stings the most because him using it against her makes it true.]

Jesus, Max, I already said I was sorry.

( he said sorry, and she's still upset? what's the point in saying things if nothing changes? )

I didn't do any of that shit. ( there's his old friend, anger. unlike most times, it feels at least somewhat justified now. the story sounds like him, sure... but it isn't him. he barely saw victoria last night. he never kissed her.

he leans away. ) How are you gonna be pissed at me for something I didn't fucking do?

I'm not... [Is she mad at him? Not exactly... But, it probably does sound that way. It's really more fear than anger. She sighs softly, and kisses his cheek to help convey that she's not upset with him for something that he hasn't done. (And to be fair, he did need to remind her of that. She's living in realities that haven't happened. That's hard to keep straight sometimes.)]

I'm sorry. I just don't know what you are going to do, if any of your friends find out about us. And that's what's scaring me. That I don't know. I think we just... We need to talk about plans, okay?

[Especially since she's still planning on telling Chloe about all of this. And she does need to make Nathan aware of that.]

Edited 2026-03-19 02:08 (UTC)

( he's sorry. she's sorry. everything's cool. he's cool. it's all good. )

...What we need to do is get out of this fucking hospital. Where's your damn doctor? Can we leave or what?

( they're enough of a couple for nathan not to care about anyone who isn't her, at least not in a romantic way. hell, he'd gotten jealous over a nurse just that morning. if they're going to be an 'us,' it'd be stupid to try and hide it. )

If anyone asks, I'll tell them the truth. And if they have a problem with it... they won't.

Okay.

[And she's smiling at him again, she's about to give him a real kiss when the doctor does finally come in, a tall lady who looks slightly surprised that they're both up. And that Max is in guy clothes just ever so slightly too big for her.]

"Good morning. Alright, Ms. Caulfield. There wasn't anything too abnormal on your last blood test. Some of these numbers may indicate higher stress and activity level. Not enough sleep, perhaps? I can give you a note for your teachers if you want to take it a little easier next week. I would advise more rest."

[She spares a small glance to Nathan, but agrees, because she's not above getting out of some of those classes for a few days. Especially right now with everything else going on.]

"Alright, I'll get your discharge papers signed and they'll have the note for you at the front desk. Do you have any other questions?"

[She seems to address this last question to both of them, and there's something about Nathan being consulted on her health that makes her stomach sort of fluttery. Like it's... casually intimate, mildly domestic? Something like that. She shakes her head but glances at Nathan to see if he has anything he wants to ask, showing him that she doesn't mind if he does.]

( it's nice hearing that everything is normal. as up-and-down as the start to their relationship [???] has been, nathan doesn't want her to be hurt. from the sounds of it, the doctors haven't picked up any connect between her health and her time travel abilities. part of him wishes they did, just so there'd be concrete evidence beyond stories and magic tricks.

when he notices that they're both looking at him expectantly, he nearly curses. fuck, why would he have any questions? he's not the one passing out on the street? or— does this doctor thinks he's responsible somehow? no, that doesn't feel right. he's just on edge. no one is out to get him.

in the end, he shrugs, avoids eye contact as the doctor wraps things up and says her goodbyes. this kind of normalcy is out of his element, but he doesn't hate it. he liked being able to be there for someone, even if it meant just standing silently at someone's side. )

You, uh, ready?

( because he's so ready to bounce. he needs to get back to what he knows. )

Gawd, so ready.

[She gathers up her things, only noticing while she's doing so that there's a plastic bag on a shelf with the clothes she was brought in. She takes her shoes out of the bag to put them on, and glances at her phone the last thing and then. Freezes.]

Shit. Shit. I had it on Silent!

[She has. So many missed messages. From Dana, and Warren, but mainly? From Chloe. Including missed calls.]

I have to call her. I just have to call her. Um-- [She glances at Nathan with worry.] I've got like fifteen missed calls from Chloe...

( he's in the middle of pulling his backpack over his shoulder when max pipes up. he frowns. what had they said last night? max was the one who'd made up the cover story, something to give them some privacy...

it's still pretty early, though. no reason to call in the search party, at least not in his mind. )

Yeah? So call her. Say you overslept or some shit. ( he's in a rush to get back to campus, mostly to get back to his medications, but what's a five minute phone call going to change? ) Christ, she's freaking like she's your boyfriend...

( he plans on making himself scarce while she calls. while she talks, he can go get her checked out, handle the bill, maybe pull the truck around. more of that domestic, chivalrous shit. )

Sorry. I'll try to keep it short, and I'll tell her I'll see her later tonight.

[For a normal person without a buttload of abandonment issues, it probably would be too early to call in the search party. But it's Chloe. So Max shouldn't be surprised. She's not looking forward to this, because the moment Chloe is no longer panicking she might get petulant and mad. Which is gonna be a great starter to the conversation she already has to have with her.

Ugh, she'll save that conversation for later today. She still needs to inform Nathan that she's going to tell her.

She seems completely unperturbed by Nathan's commentary, by the way. She sits down on the bed and winces before hitting Chloe's contact. It picks up on the second ring.]

Hey-- No, I'm-- Yes, actually... the ambulance was for me. No... Nathan. [A distinctly louder voice coming through the phone. Max sighs heavily, and stands up to move into the bathroom regardless of whether Nathan is still there or not.] Yes, that Nathan-- [She shuts the door behind her.]

( whatever max is doing sounds like the opposite of saying she'd overslept, especially when his name comes up. he drags a hand over his face as chloe's voice grows louder.

fuck, guess they're doing this.

max disappears into the bathroom, and he texts victoria. )

dating max caulfield
so don't fuck with her

( understandably, he gets a slew of "??????" in response, but he doesn't reply. he sticks to the plan of paying, and readying the chariot, and picking up a plate so max has comfort food after what's sure to be one of the shittiest conversations of her life. hospital food isn't great, but it's impossible to fuck up muffins and coffee.

...he doesn't know how max takes her coffee, he realizes. does she even drink coffee? is she a tea slut? )

what do you drink

[The immediate response is:]

gin & juice

[But give it a few seconds:]

kidding! ...sorta.
coffee is fine. french vanilla creamer if they've got it, otherwise black with sugar, and no such thing as too much sugar

[She lived in Seattle for five years, babe, of course she drinks coffee. Although, to be fair, she does also enjoy tea. This is absolutely a morning for coffee though if there ever was one.]

chloe heard about the ambulance last night
she wasn't sure it was for me but she worried
I just told her that you found me blacked out and called the ambulance
I'm going to tell her about us tonight tho

( if she wants gin and juice, he'd have found a way to get it to her. he's rich and he doesn't take no for an answer; he'd have gotten it. some intern around here has a stash of the good stuff, he knows it.

as it stands, nathan's left squinting at creamer containers for the frenchest of vanillas. all they have is off-brand. ew. )

no way she believes you

( with chloe, he'd drugged her and hadn't bothered with an ambulance. granted, jefferson always said there'd never be a need for medical intervention, but regardless. )

i'm in the car

yes and no
gimme a few minutes, meet you down there
♡

[Which is all he gets for about six more minutes, before Max waltzes out the hospital doors with her bag on her hip. Still in Nathan's clothes. Her facial expression looks serious, up until the point she meets Nathan's eyes. And then she's smiling. It's soft and sappy.

She climbs into the truck with a bit of a sigh though, before she reaches over for Nathan's hand to give it a soft squeeze. Honestly, for her own comfort.]

Coffee?

👍

( you know you're talking to a basic white dude when he thinks the thumbs up emoji is an acceptable form of communication. he means it in the most neutral, non-aggressive way possible, but someone should tell him.

when she's in the truck, he lifts the paper cup of coffee from the holder and hands it over to her before holding her hand. it's too sweet for his tastes, but she'd said she's into sugar. weirdo. )

Well? ( he's being irresponsible by looking over at her while he pulls off, but she's wearing his clothes and drinking his coffee. how can he not take her in? ) What'd she say? She wants me dead?

( max or no max, he doesn't think he and chloe will ever recover from what he's done. he's sure it's for the best, even if it puts max in a bad spot. )

[The first sip of coffee earns him a soft, appreciative noise as she settles back in the seat.]

You're a king among men, Nathan Prescott.

[Funny thing to say when she was just on the phone listening to Chloe remind her of all his red flags. But she hadn't needed the reminder. She'd snooped in his phone. She didn't tell Chloe that, or about what she'd found there... Yet. She probably will. Which isn't the nicest thing ever to do to Nathan. But then drugging Chloe wasn't the nicest thing ever for him to do, either.]

She's not your biggest fan, and I doubt she ever will be. [She can't exactly say she blames her, either. Even if Max is a fan now, she doesn't have the same traumatic experience that Chloe had coloring her view of him, eclipsing all else.] And you're right that she doesn't believe me. Sort of. She does believe that I believe you were being a good samaritan by calling the ambulance for me. But obviously she doesn't believe you actually were. Which is a little silly just because she was there when I got drunk and you were nowhere around. And she was there when I blacked out in the junkyard before. But I couldn't tell her the reason I went too hard on my powers last night. I just... told her I'd explain that later. So meanwhile she's gonna be pissed and worried.

Pfft. Tell that to my father.

( it's so natural, it's almost involuntary. he's used to badmouthing his family, but max usually sees him when he's gloating about them. )

So, what, you want me to drop you off over there? ( he wouldn't stay, naturally. nathan and chloe shouldn't be in the same room; it'd be like fire and gasoline. but if max wants to put this thing to rest... ) That'd be cool, if you want. I got my own fucking damage control to figure out.

( and he drops her hand in order to toss over his phone. his lock screen has filled with messages he can't be bothered to answer.

vic:
manic maxine??
snitch bitch maxine??
u kno we hate her rite
wat happnd @ that hospital???
she got dirt on u??
are u still drunk
hellooooo!!!
just bc u savd her life from some creep in the parkng lot doesnt mean u gotta be her new boytoy

if max feels like typing in his passcode, she'll see they go on like that - disbelief and reassurance that nathan has no obligation to go through with whatever sneaky, shady max is trying to put him up to. )

[She is a little caught off-guard by the comment about his dad, but... She also remembers the text convo with him she snooped on.]

Your dad's an asshole.

[Hopefully he won't get mad at her for that response, but it's true. For so many reasons.

She catches his phone easily and unlocks it without a second thought, too curious what he means when he says damage control.]

Yeah, I had plans with Dana today but I should probably talk to Chloe face to face sooner rather than later, so...

[She trails off as she goes through Victoria's messages, and gives a short, incredulous laugh, barely more than an amused exhale, before she looks back up at Nathan with a smile and tilted head. It's pretty flirty, actually. Teasing.]

Are you my boytoy, Nate? Because I'd been getting more the impression you were my sugar daddy.

[These are both clearly a joke. She's amused but she's also touched that he's already told Victoria. Splinter? What splinter? There's proof right here, and it's healing.]

Yeah. He is.

( she may or may not know the extent of it, but at least she's not trying to convince him otherwise. he hates when people do that. he's family; you gotta love your family. bull-fucking-shit.

fortunately, thoughts of his father aren't enough to sour his mood. max is laughing beside him, flirting, and he can't help but laugh, too. )

You ain't seen nothing yet. Wait 'til I take you on a real date. At a real place. It's about time all this money did some good. ( spoiling someone other than himself, it's a novel thought. the people he surrounds himself with are similarly wealthy; he doesn't know the last time he's spent money on someone who didn't already have it.

maybe never. )

Tell me where to turn, Sugar Baby. It's not like I know where your psycho friend lives.

( but as another message from victoria pops onto his screen [sounds fake.... still gonna eff w/ her til ur fb official], he considers that they might both have psycho friends. )

[What? Like a real date? The thought is almost surreal, given everything else going on in her life. But... it's also giving her genuine butterflies, and not the kind that herald new powers.

The use of "sugar baby" is actually kind of cute, she hates to admit, so long as it's in a private setting. Although...]

You don't actually have to spend a bunch of money on me. I do want you to know that.

[She does help direct him to Chloe's place, though she also frowns at him for calling her a psycho. She's not psycho, not any moreso than Nathan is. She has issues. And she's far too reckless. But she can also be funny and sweet, and probably Max's biggest cheerleader. She doesn't say this, because it feels a little useless. Nathan and Chloe will likely never be on good terms. It's unfortunate, but probably something she'll just have to deal with.

Before they arrive at the Price(/Madsen, ugh) household, she wants to make sure:]

Can I see you tonight? Maybe we can hang out in my dorm or yours?

[Suddenly the flirtiness is toned down because she sounds a little more shy. But to be fair, even just asking him this feels bold to her.]

Don't tell me what I do and don't have to do, Max. I'm gonna spend my money on whatever I want, including you.

( —possibly the most threatening way to tell someone you want them to have nice things, but go off, king.

when she asks about their next meeting, he also finds himself losing some of that previous confidence. nerves are stupid, but he finds himself reaching for nonchalance all the same. )

I mean, it's whatever. If you want. I don't care.

( he cares. he cares a lot. he cares about what he's going to wear, and what he's going to say when he sees her next. he cares whether this interaction with chloe will change things, and if he'll feel as lightheaded around her as he does now once he takes him morning medication. )

...You gonna tell her about us now?

Yeah... I have to. The longer I wait, the worse it's going to be. She might give me the silent treatment for a day or two, or, I don't know...

[She's hoping it doesn't just ruin the friendship they've only just managed to patch entirely. If she explains it all exactly how she's thought about it, though, about how it seems like his involvement in everything hasn't been entirely voluntary, or at least that he seems to regret it, about the self-loathing... If she points out the fact that Nathan and Chloe were both involved in her powers surfacing, how it feels to her like there's a connection there that's important...

Well, all she can do is explain. And short of Chloe going after Nathan with a loaded gun, she's not rewinding. She can't rely on that all the time, especially not for trivial things. The blackouts and nosebleeds are enough evidence of that.]

It's gonna royally suck no matter what. I don't really want to be alone afterward, so...

[She gives a small shrug. Her first pick will be Nathan, and then Dana if he's busy, and then Warren if she's busy. At this point she'll likely tell him most of the truth too, though maybe not about the time-travelling yet. She fully trusts him to keep her secret, but she doesn't need another person requiring a demonstration from her. Not when the doctors told her to take it easy.

Max looks up at the house she practically grew up in, the partial paint job, Chloe's junker truck in the driveway... She feels her chest tighten. She really does love Chloe. That's never going to not be true. But Nathan has a part of her that no one else ever will, and that means something to her. They both are going to have to accept the fact that each of them play an important role in her life now. For her sake. They have to.

...Right?]

Then, yeah, we can chill later.

( very cool, very casual, even as he slows to a stop in front of chloe's home. this is david madsen's house [he knows this because he knows to avoid him; the stupid mall cop takes his job way too seriously], but that's definitely chloe's dumb, hick truck parked out front. he hadn't known that madsen was her dad, had he? blackwell is small, he must've heard it somewhere. or maybe nathan only concerns himself with things that relate to him and willfully ignores everything else. what, is he supposed to know the story of every punk bitch drop-out?

but that's not all chloe is. she'd been nice to him, before he knew how to do this. he hadn't needed her to stand up for him, or talk back to his father, but it's cool that someone did.

christ, it's all so fucked up. all of their lives, all intertwined like this. chloe, who was cool with rachel. rachel, who'd encouraged him before he fell in with victoria. victoria, who's practically his sister these days. he likes victoria. he liked rachel. he'd liked chloe, too. liked her enough to shoot her.

you can't take a good shot without love, jefferson once said.

he doesn't realize how much he's tapping his foot against the floor of his car until the noise makes its way to his ears. he's willing himself to say something. max should tell chloe that he's sorry. he should tell chloe that he's sorry. he appreciated the way he stood up for him when they were sophmores, so he drugged her half to death as thanks. this is how artists show their love.

he can't let himself crash out now. not here. )

—Okay. ( max hadn't asked him anything, but he answers as if she had, pulled out of his reprieve. okay, he's going to make this right. okay, things are going to work out. he swallows. It's gonna be good. It's gonna be fucked for a while, but it's gonna be good. With her, I mean. Chloe. Regardless. And... and if you gotta choose her instead, it's cool.

[It's fine. She'd been deep in thought while he'd been deep in thought, though she does gradually notice his tapping foot. Anxiety? Probably. Wait, he takes meds from his doctors. Shit, had he missed them this morning because of her? She needs to let him get back to the dorms so he can take them. But--

But first he says that, and she gives him the softest look she's given him yet. Because... god. He's not just allowing it, he's telling her he understands, if she has to choose Chloe. And she doesn't want to have to choose, she will fight tooth and nail not to have to choose, but that he understands...

She takes his face in both her hands and kisses him full on the lips. She's not planning on lingering, they shouldn't, but she does kiss him a few times in quick succession before she hugs him and whispers to him.]

Thank you. Seriously. I don't want to have to choose. I like what we're doing together, and I want more of it. And I am willing to fight for that. So, just, please believe me when I say that. And... and I'll text you when I'm on my way back to school.

( an outburst of affection was not how nathan had expected max to react. it must mean he'd done a good job of keeping his crazy on the inside, because max seems oblivious to his near-spiral. he'd said the right thing, somehow. he'd meant it, too. between her lifelong friend and him, it's an easy choice. he wants her to choose chloe. he'd be mad if she didn't.

she kisses feeling back into his skin, hugs warmth into the spots threatened by the cold of darkness. nathan surprises himself by hugging back. she wants to fight for him. she wants to want him. )

Max... ( she's going to kill him at this rate. ) I think I hear your girl racking a shotgun. Go handle that.

( before he pulls her in and really starts to kiss her. making out with max in front of chloe's house, a fucking insane flex. if he'd been feeling more vindictive and less sappy, he might've gone for it. )

Edited 2026-03-20 05:50 (UTC)

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not me crying about how much I love them

they're doing amazing c':