analogthis | open rp/inbox

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)

Right, yes. Got it.

[They are playing a dangerous and risky game here, so she lets him go after a final smooch to his cheek, hopping out of the truck inelegantly.

Max pulls her phone out of her bag as she walks leisurely towards the front door, taking a glance behind her to make sure Nathan and his truck are out of sight before she texts Chloe that she's there. She doesn't want Chloe to see him before she even tells her... all of what she has to tell her.

Chloe is surprised but relieved to see her, hugging her in the doorway before they go inside the house. Max immediately tries to tell her that she has something important they need to talk about, that they should probably sit down, but Chloe interrupts her. Multiple times, actually.

The first time she asks Max if she's interested in diner leftovers she couldn't finish. Max says okay because she is a little hungry, but only ends up picking at a grilled cheese because her stomach is in knots. She approaches the subject again, and this second time interrupting Chloe asks her if she thinks she'd still fit in the attic, that she wants to see if she can find some old CDs she hasn't seen in ages. Getting a little exasperated, Max says she doesn't know but they can do that later. Chloe then asks her if she wants to head to the junkyard, and it's finally at this point that Max has a sense of deja vu from years ago....

Chloe knows. She may not know precisely what it is Max wants to tell her, but it's something she knows is going to hurt them, and she's purposefully avoiding the subject, curtailing Max's attempts to broach it. Just like when she had to tell her she was moving away.

Her heart immediately hurts. She hugs her best friend, and Chloe laughs wildly, the sound clearly more of hysterics than amusement, and then finally mentions Max's clothes as she moves away from her.]

"They're Prescock's, aren't they? Did he drop you off here? There's no way the bus got you here that quickly after our phone convo, Max. Don't-- You know what? Maybe I don't wanna know! Maybe you just shouldn't tell me whatever the fuck it is you're so desperate to tell me. Maybe it's better for me if I just don't even fucking know--"

Don't you think that was probably Rachel's logic about Frank?

[And holy shit does that stop Chloe in her tracks, from moving around the living room touching and pushing things, to straight-up frozen. Before she turns to Max with fire in her eyes.]

"What. The fuck? Are you trying to justify your burning need to tell me out of guilt or Rachel's selfish desire to keep shit from me?"

I'm trying to show you that you're going to feel like a victim either way, Chloe! I'm-- I'm sorry, but you are. And I think you're going to find this out sooner or later, and it's going to be better for everyone if I tell you and explain things now, before that has a chance to happen.

[Chloe looks away from her, glares out the sliding glass doors to the backyard for a minute, and Max gives her that minute of silence, unsure if it's an invitation for Max to continue or not. She opens her mouth to continue though and Chloe immediately shoves past her and stomps up the stairs. Max groans, loudly, before quickly following her up.

This is going great. She hasn't even told her anything yet and they're already fighting. Perfect. Awesomesauce.]

Chloe. Please, come on. I care about you and your feelings, is that not obvious?

"Like you've been caring for the last five years?"

That's not fair, don't throw that back at me, I'm here now, and I'm sorry--

"Whatever. I don't even care about that. It's fine." [Max is pressing X to doubt.] "Max, if you're sleeping with him, just fucking tell me. Now."

I-- [She hesitates. This is so not how she would have preferred to broach the subject.]

"You are. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit, you're fucking him."

Look, when I got high with you at the party a week ago and you told me to go sleep it off. That's... That's when it happened. It wasn't planned, it just... It just happened.

"You had to have been more than high. He drugged you. He's still drugging you. Bullshit he's some good samaritan who just happened to be there to call an ambulance for you-- Wait... He wasn't. This started over a week ago? Were you with him last night after you ditched us?"

I didn't... [She kind of did, though. Even if it was instigated by Dana.] Yes. Chloe, I was... I was a virgin, before...

[She sits down on the edge of Chloe's bed, and to her surprise, her friend sits next to her, silently. Supportive, even when she doesn't want to be.]

He didn't know. When we were texting about it the next day, he freaked out when I told him I'd been a virgin. He was so desperate for me to know that it had all happened normally, he hadn't drugged me or anything, and I already knew that because I remembered all of it. The big picture, anyway, even if he did have to remind me of some of the details--

"Oh god, don't you dare ever tell me any of the details, do not even allude to any details--"

Okay, okay! But, Chloe... I saw his phone last night. He left it with me at the hospital when he went back to school to grab my bag from his truck. He's -- he's a lot more complex than I think most people even realize... Like, I know they say he's crazy, and I do think he has mental health issues, but nothing psych ward worthy. He does see doctors, and takes medicine, and... And his notes app was full of a lot of self-loathing. And regret about what he did to you...

[She glances at Chloe, who is silently staring at her hands for a moment.]

"I've kinda known him vaguely for years. He was at Blackhell while I was at Blackhell. With Rachel, and Dana and Justin too. He was in that play, that stupid Shakespeare thing that Dana was telling you about..."

The Tempest.

"Yeah, right. That one. And he's always been weird, and stuck-up, rich-asshole entitled. But he didn't always walk around like he actually owned that school..." [She stops, and scoffs, and shakes her head before standing up.] "But he still shot me! You said he killed me before you rewound--"

But that was also an accident! I think he'd just meant to intimidate you, not actually pull the trigger. And that was when my powers surfaced. It makes me think... Maybe it's not just you who I was meant to save, Chloe. Maybe these powers... What if I'm meant to help Nathan, too?

"Help him how, exactly? What the fuck does he need help with?"

This shit he's involved in, I'm not convinced he really wants to be involved in it. There's some reason for it... I don't know, I haven't gotten to the bottom of it, but I want to. And I think I'm supposed to.

"Leave it to Super Max, thinks she's even gotta save the rich prick."

[It's not said with any real malice, though. Maybe just exasperation.]

"I am super fucking uncomfortable with all of this, you do realize that, right?"

I know... And he told me... He said it was okay, if I had to choose you. But I don't want to have to choose, Chloe. Please don't make me do that. Let me at least try to get to the bottom of what's going on with him, okay? I mean, we were already trying to figure out how and if he connected to things, right? So this connection that I have with him can only help us.

"Yeah, or you'll let yourself get so vulnerable around him he'll drug you and--"

Chloe, he's already had the chance to do that. More than once! And he hasn't. What he's done, again and again, is show me that he cares about my feelings, and my well-being. I know that sounds absolutely crazy coming from your perspective of him, but it's true. And, come on... [She tilts her head, playful.] How good of an actor was he? In that play?

[Chloe snorts.] "Like, hella bad."

[Max grins at her, and pokes her in the side.] See? Not a good actor. So he's not playing me. He really does care about me.

[Chloe swats at her hand before picking up her cigarettes and lighting up, leaning back against her desk.]

"...Fine. We can try this thing your way for a while. But no romantic details, ever, seriously, I mean it. And you keep on your guard. Use your superpowers if you have to. Call me, and let me know if you're going someplace with him other than school. Seriously. I'm going to be fucking worrying my brains off about you enough as it is. Keep me in the loop. Capiche?"

Aye aye, captain. [Max is grinning so wide, but she can't help it. This had gone a million times better than she had expected it to. She visibly deflates, letting all her tension go and collapses backwards into Chloe's mattress.] Man, I was so stressed about this. Nathan had to reassure me that it was going to be okay.

"What, for real? Fucking wild. You must have thrown us all into an alternate dimension with your superpowers. I'm convinced."

[They spend the afternoon together, digging around in Chloe's attic like she'd brought up earlier and finding old boy band CDs and teenybopper magazines that they cringe at and laugh their asses off. Max shoots off a text to Nathan around 1pm, though:]

things are going pretty well on my end
no shotguns in sight!
I'll probably take the last bus back to Blackwell and should be there around 5pm
did you wanna do dinner or anything?

[And then a few to Dana, Kate, and Warren, all rescheduling and figuring out times to do things with them the upcoming week.

Man, since when did Max end up with so many friends who all wanted to do things with her? At the start of the year it had really only been Warren. Then Kate a little bit. Then suddenly Chloe. Then Dana. And now even Nathan Prescott.

Maybe I did find my way into an alternate dimension.]

Edited 2026-03-20 07:50 (UTC)

( he pulls off knowing that she's in good hands. regardless of how this conversation goes, it's not like chloe [or even madsen] are going to let something bad happen to her while she's there. nathan is rarely proud of himself for anything, but he feels good about not completely falling apart back there. it would have been so easy to lose it, to let dark thoughts take hold until he's punching the steering wheel, or worse. but he'd held it together. for max. once he gets back to his dorm, he can rage out in relative peace.

he's only a minute or two out from blackwell when he decides, yeah, maybe he should reply to some of these texts from victoria. more have come pouring in. god, she lives on drama, doesn't she? )

Vic 💋💋💋
is she a good lay or somthing???
make it make sense babe
even mark thinks ur tots loco for this one

( it's that last message that chills him. )

you told mr. jefferson??

Vic 💋💋💋
thats wut gets ur attention????
lolololol
dont worry hes super cool
i bet he's a good lay 2

guess we're both in our hipster hookup era 😏

( he doesn't have time to reply to that, and victoria probably doesn't expect him to, knowing how sporadic he can be. nathan speeds the last mile to campus and parks like an asshole, barely between the lines. he needs to get to his dorm, down his pills, and then he can figure out how to handle this. jefferson was never supposed to know about him and max. in hindsight, it was stupid to think he could keep things from him, especially on a campus this small. eventually, it would have come out. he just thought he'd have more time... he always thinks he has more time.

it's still early enough on a post-party sunday that most people are too hungover to be milling around campus. it means he doesn't bump into anyone as he beelines to his room. the door's unlocked, which he doens't remember doing, but he'd been in such a rush last night getting max clothes, he could have forgotten to lock it behind himself.

or, apparently, jefferson had.

he sits on the couch against the wall, legs crossed, cell phone in one hand, steaming coffee in the other. even on his off day, he's dressed well: white, pressed collar, sleek, form-fitting jacket above it. he hardly looks up when nathan enters the room, which only adds to nathan's startle. )

Jesus, fuck! What're you doing here, man?

"Man"? I'm not one of your friends, Nathan. Stick to Mr. Jefferson, please.

( it's such a stupid thing to nitpick, nathan has to wonder if he's joking. he never knows with him.

like his own father, jefferson is an enigma. )

Uh, okay... Mr. Jefferson, what the fuck are you doing in my dorm? Someone could've seen you come in. ( he slowly lowers his bag to the ground, eases his way inside. it could be a hallucination. that's happened before, on particularly bad days. but he hasn't gone that long without his meds; a few hours off wouldn't cause him to trip out.

speaking of, he grabs the bottle from the nearby table and swallows this morning's dose down dry. since jefferson is in some pedantic teacher mode, he half expects him to bring up his use of foul language and drugs, but doesn't. )

No one saw anything. They never do. That's the beauty of these small towns; blind faith in one's community. ( if nathan had any attachment to this bullshit town, he might've taken offense to that. ) I had breakfast with Victoria this morning. At her insistence, naturally. Young girls these days, my God... she'd have sucked me off under the table if I let her.

( nathan really doesn't want to hear jefferson lusting over and/or admonishing victoria that way. maybe that's why he said it, to see the way nathan's mouth crinkles in displeasure. it's no secret that jefferson thinks she's an impure whore, or whatever, but it's not like nathan wants to discuss it. it makes him feel grosser than usual, like he's playing both sides. he's joking with vic about her teacher's crush one minute, and listening to jefferson bad-mouthing her the next.

nathan wishes he had some sense of what's off-limits, but nathan's a coward. if he speaks up, jefferson could leave him, and he won't be special to anyone anymore. )

Yeah? ...And?

Nathan, don't play stupid. You're not good at it. Tell me what you think you're doing with Max Caulfield. You're calling her your 'girlfriend' now?

( he says it like a slur. it's like a trick question or something. nathan doesn't know what he's doing at all. he thinks he likes her. he knows jefferson likes her. what is this, some conflict of interest? the horror movie version of two dudes crushing on the same chick? )

I don't know. She's cool, I guess. We just, like, hooked up, or whatever...

( he shrugs, something he hopes looks indifferent as jefferson gets to his feet. nathan's fucked up enough to hope for praise for getting laid, for managing to do something normal. in reality, jefferson is caught somewhere between pacing and leaning against the adjacent wall, unable to commit either action, starting and stopping between the two. nathan clocks the erraticism as the closest thing to 'freaking out' a put-together guy like jefferson does. he's angry, but he's too cautious to do a thing like yell. )

So, you did it. You defiled her. You corrupted her purity. The only source of purity in this hellhole of a town, and you go and ruin it. Like you ruin everything. I should've seen this coming... I thought you knew something of sacrity. Stupid of me, really. Stupid, stupid Mark, thinking you knew how to respect what isn't yours.

( it's easier to be exasperated. he wants to be hurt, and he is, but abject annoyance is much cleaner. he can cry when he's alone.

for now, he throws his hands in the air. )

Jesus Christ, did everyone know she was a virgin but me??

Fucking... You don't even know what you had. You're a blind child. ( because of course jefferson knew she was a virgin. he could spot her innocence from across the room. he's a trained eye, someone who specializes in the difference between the pure and the defiled. what is he supposed to do now, seeing maxine in his classroom? how different will she look? what's lost can never be found again. why couldn't he be the one to see that change first?

there's a chance that nathan took photos during that time, but jefferson doesn't want to see them. at worst, they'll be amateurish pornhub shots. at best, there's a chance that they'll be good, and this rage will boil all over again. )

She was mine to capture. There's nothing left. Can't you see that? ( a hushed intensity, perhaps worse than a yell. he thinks he can see nathan tremble. good. he should be afraid. ) I've given you an opportunity to be great. Do you know how many people would kill to be in your shoes? To be my apprentice? And this is how you repay me... by destroying my muse.

( so much of this avant-garde artistic bullshit falls on deaf ears because nathan doesn't conflate sexual purity with art the way jefferson does. try as he might to be evil, even at his lowest, nathan hasn't conceptualized whatever he has going on with max as anything beyond feelings, emotions, and hormones. he hadn't slept with her for the sake of 'corruption,' and he's not dating her to destroy her purity.

he just likes her. he likes the fact that she says 'wowzers' and sends her plant pictures at 2am. he likes that she called his dad an asshole, and drinks her coffee like it's candy.

he can't help the fact that he's shaking. )

I didn't know... ( while he knew jefferson had some weird obsession with max, he didn't know it went this far. and he didn't know she was a virgin, try as jefferson might to frame things otherwise. he's good at that, framing. if jefferson uses his camera to frame a fact, it must be true. ) It was an accident.

An accident? You tripped and landed with your dick inside of her? Don't bullshit me!

( rather than striking nathan [which hasn't happened before, but nathan's never seen him this angry before, either], he shoves a row of books free from his bookshelf. the force with which they go tumbling down yank a row of portriat lights with them. the florescents shatter when they hit the ground. everything is breaking. everything is ruined. and it's all because of him.

nathan is unmistakably crying by the time jefferson gets a hold of himself, considers where they are, considers the shattered pile of glass, portraits, and textbooks, and straightens his collar. so much for nathan waiting until he was alone. )

...All right, all right. Come here.

( it's a pretty effective tool for getting nathan to do what he needs. get him to the point where he's sobbing out sorries, and then offer him a hug. jefferson wouldn't manipulate nathan in this way if nathan didn't make it so easy to do. his anger is genuine, but he knows the guilt it evokes in nathan will be excellent for his bottom line. even if he does have to start all over. even if his special muse isn't that special anymore.

goddamn it.

with a wince, he realizes nathan's getting fucking snot on his good, clean shirt. god, he hates teenagers. )

You don't want me to find someone else, do you? Because I will. I don't want to, Nathan, but I will. Yes, yes, I know you're sorry. But I can't have a partner who keeps betraying me like this... I helped you out with your Amber fuck-up, didn't I? And who got you the gun so you could take care of Chloe? Hm? Aren't I always helping you?

( he needs nathan like this, riddled with sorrow and guilt. the minute nathan realizes he has all the power, it's over.

there will never be another max for jefferson to shoot. no one will ever be as precocious, and thoughtful, and kind, and pure. nathan ruined that for him forever. and for that indelible sin, he'll have to die.

jefferson is cautious, but this will be simple enough. between the overpartying and the active suicide risk energy that nathan exudes, staging his death will be exceptionally easy. it'll look like an accident, or it won't, it doesn't matter. no will suspect foul play. nathan always makes things so easy.

but... in the meantime, nathan can keep max close. he can learn what she's figured out and report it back to him. and, when the time comes, she can be killed alongside him for knowing too much, for being the one that got away, because if jefferson couldn't have her corruption first, no one can ever have her again. a classic stroy: bad influence nathan pulled young, bright max into a life of drugs and crime. it'll be easy, so easy, to stage her death.

and that's the most unforgivable part.
nathan made his bright, beautiful maxine easy.
another common whore, no better than victoria.

yes, death is the only recourse. )

So, Nathan... How are you going to make this right?

-

( in the end, he doesn't answer max's request for dinner. )

Edited 2026-03-20 19:31 (UTC)

[For the first two hours she doesn't hear anything back, she doesn't think much of it. Around 3:15, during a viewing of Blade Runner, Max checks her phone and starts to worry... He's not ignoring her again, is he? There's no way, right? He's been so considerate since her blackout.

She doesn't mention the worry to Chloe, too afraid to push it when she barely approves of her being with him, and mostly only for the sake of investigation.

By 4pm, she makes alternative plans. Dana is busy with Trevor, so she asks Warren if he has plans for dinner.

Warren
yo, maxwell silver hammer!
missed wowing with you last night
did you go to that vortex club party again?

Max
I did, kinda got wasted with Chloe and Dana and Trevor
it was a little wild
next weekend maybe I will just warcraft
did you have any plans tonight?

Warren
dude you know my schedule's always wide open for you
you have something in mind?

[They make plans to meet at the parking lot at 5 so Warren can take them for fast food. Max convinces him she's paying since he's doing the driving, in an attempt to hopefully curtail any idea he might have that this is a date.

While she's on the bus, she decides to call Nathan since he hasn't answered her texts.]

( once jefferson leave, nathan sleeps. it's exhausting, being responsible for so much all the time. he's supposed to date max and, like, spy on her and some shit, but nathan doesn't think he wants to. jefferson had been a breath of fresh air at one point, but he's beginning to feel like one more person telling him what to do.

...that's a little unfair. jefferson's done more for him than anyone else ever had.

max has a choice between him and chloe, and now it feels like he has to choose between jefferson and max. something like that feels impossible. no wonder he slept his day away, not wanting to think about it.

he does, at least, feel better once he wakes up. waking up to a call from max sends a spike of anxiety through him, but he still answers. )

Hey. Was it... You're good?

[Relief rushes through her, and she finds herself smiling. Thankfully there's only like two other people here on the bus, and they're busy canoodling in the back row. Get a room, guys.]

Hey! Yeah, it went... surprisingly well? She's still not your biggest fan, unfortunately, but I think you're safe from any shotguns for now.

Yeah? Just means we won't be going on any double dates soon, that's all.

( if/when chloe gets a boyfriend of her own. does she even like anyone? she's so far outside the blackwell ecosystem, nathan wouldn't know.

he rubs his eyes and sits up. )

You're back now?

Well, almost. Bus.

I figured maybe you were busy when I didn't get any texts back from you. Is everything okay?

[She watches the scenery go by outside her window, the sun already pushing lower on the horizon. Beautiful lighting for pictures, she thinks.]

Yeah. ( he's ruined everything [again] and his mentor hates him, but he's okay. he's fine. ) Just... tired. Feels like being a roller coaster, this thing with you.

[She sighs softly, cradling her phone closer to her ear.]

Yeah. I know what you mean. My life has gotten so damn dramatic since... Well, you know. The Time Warp.

I, um, made plans with Warren since I couldn't get ahold of you, but I can tell him we'll hang out another time if you want do dinner or something?

[Wouldn't be the first time she's blown him off for doing something else... Ugh, bad choice of words.]

Whatever you want... ( he's not even sure if he wants to see her. seeing her means being obliged to know what she knows. he could always lie to jefferson, make something up, but mark always has a way of seeing through him. )

Do you think you're different now? Since we fucked?

( devoid of innocence, shackled by corruption, etc. )

[Max's feelings on the matter, however, are uncomplicated: she does want to see him. She shoots a quick text to Warren telling him she's getting too tired, too much partying last night, and thus almost misses what Nathan says.

It comes through her speaker and she's immediately reddening, putting her phone back to her ear with brows furrowed.]

What? No. Different how?

[She'd already told him she didn't believe in that whole "having a dick in you fundamentally changes you as a person" thing that virginity often implies. But... it is true that she's been thinking about sex way more often than she did before they hooked up. Sex with him, specifically. Did that mean she's changed?]

I don't know. ( and it's true; he doesn't. if max had seemed different to him lately, it's only because he's beginning to get to know her better. maybe there's some darkness to her eyes, but if there is, he hadn't seen it. he doesn't have the trained gaze of a practiced photographer. he's a rookie, an amateur. )

Different like... bad.

( or maybe jefferson is just a puritan. )

[If he hadn't gone with "do you feel bad now" she might have assumed he was trying to initiate more phone sex. Just talking about it had started getting her a little heated, but that dissipates, leaving her feeling confused.]

No. Are you worried because I had trouble remembering all of it? Because I remember enough, and I liked it. I'm...

[She glances back at the distracted couple in the corner, takes note how she's only a few minutes out from Blackwell now.

Her voice is softer, quieter, whispered into the phone:]

I'm glad it was you. Roller coaster and all... I'm glad it was you, Nathan.

[No, she hadn't always felt that way. But she does now. She's telling him the truth.]

( he's not worried about anything regarding the sex itself anymore. in the immediate aftermath, he'd panicked, but he feels like that's all been cleared up.

he's asking because he wants to see what jefferson sees, because he feels like an idiot for being blind to it. max doesn't seem 'ruined' to him, so maybe he just isn't looking hard enough. )

...Really?

( it's all so confusing. maybe it's a good thing that her first time was awkward and filled with pirate puns instead of in an underground bunker surrounded by cameras. but that would mean there's something seriously fucked up about jefferson's philosophy, and nathan isn't able to see how that's true. )

Do you have any dresses?

[Max still isn't sure about his line of questioning here or why, so the low-level confusion and mild concern remains.

There's some noise as the bus stops and Max gets up to step off of it.]

Yes, really. And... yeah? I mean I don't like to wear them every day but I have two for special occasions.

[Probably not fancy enough for any Prescott-class special occasions, but. They are indeed dresses.]

Also... I'm back at Blackwell now.

[Just walking across campus to the dorms, still dressed in Nathan's clothes. Braless. Gawd, it's a good thing she cancelled with Warren, actually. She should change clothes.]

What do they look like? Like, evening dresses?

( prescott-class check. also, only two dresses? max must really be slumming it... )

I'll come over and see. Gimme 20 minutes.

Not exactly...? [Not at all.] Alright. Deal. See you soon, then.

[This gives her at least enough time to change into a regular outfit: jeans, t-shirt, a different hoodie since her usual one still has nose-blood on it...

Then she pulls her two dresses from her closet to lay them out on the bed, feeling curious why Nathan wants to see them but also having the suspicious feeling it's about taking her out on a formal date. Which is exciting and nerve-wracking in equal measure. "Formal" is totally out of her comfort zone.]

( twenty minutes feels like enough time, at least in boy world, to get cleaned up and dressed. he showers, and brushes, and flosses. he uses cologne that costs more than this dormitory. he uses the hair products he only breaks out on special occasions.

when it comes to his outfit, he chooses one of those old-money displays of wealth, like his father taught him. an expensive maroon button-down and pressed slacks shows class way more effectively than gold chains. rolexes are fine, though. that's a reasonable, appropriate showing of $40,000.

it's afternoon time by now, so there's no hope of crossing into the girls' dorms unnoticed. he guesses there's no reason to be subtle now, anyway. everyone that matters already knows, so he knocks on max's door with only the mildest hint of embarrassment. )

[Max is really about to be smacked in the face with the reality of dating a Prescott. First, she also decides to shower, after like a second of sitting on her bed and feeling like she has a Hospital aura about her. Yeah, she has time to wash that off. She brushed her teeth and washed her face at Chloe's already, but still.

She's returning to her dorm in her normal clothes and her shower caddy on her arm, hair still damp around her face and cheeks a little red from the heat of the shower, when she sees Nathan knocking on her door. She gives him a small smile before letting them both into her room.

The dresses on her bed are pretty simple affairs. One is a casual blue sundress and the other is slightly more formal, but plain and black. They're classier than Walmart, but definitely not any kind of expensive label here.]

Judging by what you're wearing, I'm gonna take a wild guess that these aren't up to snuff for whatever you have planned.

[He does clean up really nice. Handsome and classy. Not that Max is knowledgeable enough about how to tell if things are expensive, or to tell how expensive they are. She'd probably be gobsmacked to be told the price of the watch alone.]

( the building agitation dissipates when she appears behind him. he relaxes, and doesn't seem to remember when he'd started to tense up. maybe this whole dating the hipster thing is making him more nervous than he'd realized.

once inside the privacy of her room, he feels better. between the two dresses, he opts for the black one. he flips it around, searching for the designer's tag. )

Is this an a-line or a basque?

( he holds it up in front of her, doing his best to imagine her in it. its style, it's like a strange, knock-off amalgamation of both shapes. )

It'll do. It's just dinner. Not like you're meeting my parents or anything.

[She laughs a little, sounding a bit self-conscious with one arm holding her other.]

You're definitely asking the wrong person.

[The term "a-line" sounds familiar, but she's never heard the other word before at all.

Her eyes widen at even the implication she could theoretically in the future be meeting his parents. God, no thank you. His sister? Sure! Parents? Check, please!

She puts her shower caddy away and takes her hairbrush from her dresser to run it through her hair a few times.]

Okay... So where are we going?

( he sets the dress down and can't help but laugh a little at her expression. meeting his parents is the last thing he'd do to her. over his dead body.

in a way, sean prescott and martha prescott are just two more people for him to protect her from. )

Where? Uh... Two Whales Diner.

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not me crying about how much I love them

they're doing amazing c':

I had to write a novel to work things out for myself SORRY????

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