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...

( if there was anything max could do to help him, nathan gets the feeling that she'd do it. that she means it. that she'd really try.

there's nothing she can do for him, but the sentiment alone is foreign. no one ever offers him help. everyone asks what nathan can do for them, never what they can do for nathan.

he looks away, out the window, but it's clear that something about her words has breached him. )

...It feels easy to be happy around you.

( he's not a philosopher, but moments like these make him question what happiness even is. is he happy at vortex club parties, or is he just drunk? is he happy working with jefferson, or is he just being useful?

he hasn't had to ask that with max. not in a while, at least. as far as he can tell, she's being genuine.

then again, he's not great at picking up people's motives. )

Anyway, let's go.

[Audibly, her breath catches as Nathan says "it feels easy to be happy around you." That's just... instant butterflies, really. She's almost dizzy with the rush of affection and happiness. This feeling is... a lot. Almost more than she knows what to do with, or what name to put to it.

But she's very glad he feels that way. And she hopes it only ever continues to be true. He sort of did ask for her help when he told her to rewind and fix it. She'd still been hurting at the time so it hadn't felt good, but now... It feels good knowing that maybe he'll do that again. Not specifically with her powers or anything, but just ask her for her help in general when he feels he needs it.

Ducking her head with a soft smile on her face, she nods, then buckles her seatbelt so Nathan can start the car and get them on their way.

She pays attention to where they go, so she can give some vague sense of direction to Chloe.]

max
but you don't need to come
it would seriously be better if you didn't, I think
I promise I'll text you again when I get back to blackwell :3

[Hilariously, the only text she gets immediately in response:]

chloe
NO EMOJI

( he nods too, lets the moment pass, feels glad that max doesn't try and linger.

it's not until they're on the road that nathan speaks up. )

So... What's it like? Moving through time?

[It's a good question, though Max isn't sure she knows how to put words to it to form a good answer.

She gives it a little thought.]

It doesn't feel exactly like I'm moving through it... More like... I'm pushing it around me? I have to stand still in one place while I'm doing it, and I can see everything around me moving backward.

( and it's real. that's the biggest part. max hadn't touched his phone between their time at the dinner and the department store. she couldn't have known the state of his bank accounts unless she really did see a future wherein everything gets declined.

he also looks thoughtful. )

What about that future? The other future? Are we just, like, fucking stuck there?

( does the world cease to exist when max isn't in it? is there a world where he's perpetually frozen in his worst moment, yelling at a target clerk? )

[She sighs a little.]

I don't... I don't really know. There are different theories about it, regarding time travel, but I don't have a definite answer for stuff like that. I did a lot of reading on it, but it's basically all just theoretical...

[She sounds confused about it. Which is fair, right? She's not a theoretical physicist herself. Nope, just a time traveler who never really asked for this power.

Warren's really good with physics, isn't he? Maybe she should have told him about this already. Maybe she'd get more answers if she did.

Of course, now she also has to explain everything that's going on with her and Nathan too. What a conversation that's going to be.

"Yes I lost my virginity to the guy who beat you up in the parking lot when you defended me. Also hey what do you know about time travel because turns out I have superpowers?"]

( it feels strange to hear how little she knows about what she's capable of doing, but it's not like superpowers come with an instruction manual. the movies make it look easy; they montage through the hard parts, like figuring out how it all works. )

Yeah? Well, what about—

( he's interrupted by a shriek, and it takes a few seconds for it to become clear that it's one of delight. they're barely on the property, wheels just turning onto the gravel, and peels of raucous laughter batter the window of his truck.

nathan breathes out a sigh of relief. for a second, he thought someone was getting murdered ~~again~~. )

Guess we can talk about it later.

Yeah. Sounds like people are having fun? Weird. Seems impossible when we're the ones bringing stuff for s'mores.

[A joke, because you can't have a bonfire party without s'mores. She still can't believe Nathan hasn't had them before.

Max waits until they're fully stopped before she unbuckles, and carefully places the pot for Lisa on the seat as she gets down from the truck.

She's a little nervous now that they're here. About who else will be here and what they're going to say. Victoria clearly hadn't been happy when Nathan told her they were dating.

Her nerves become clear as she rubs at her arms, holds herself a bit in a self-soothing manner. Though... it may also just look like she's cold.]

Where should we put the bags?

S'mores are really that great?

( because she's been making them sound pretty damn good. of all the things he'd been looking forward to experiencing at blackwell, away from the all-seeing eyes of his family, he's surprised to see that s'mores are now on that list.

max is doing that arm-thing that the does, and nathan pauses before climbing out of the truck. )

It'll be cool. No one's gonna bother you.

( since he imagines that's what's got her feeling nervous. the vortex club isn't especially known for being welcoming, but they'd already planned on this being a quick thing. no need to hang around if neither of them are feeling it.

he hops out of the driver's side door and gets met with an armful of victoria before has a chance to tell max that the best place for snacks is anywhere. )

"Nathan, what the fuck. Where have you been, gorgeous? Ugh, I can't stand you."

( she's earnest in her drunken bear hug, which makes her claims of hatred that much harder to believe. )

"I thought you'd never show up. You're so beautiful, I could die. God. Still, insane of you, really. There's fashionably late, and then there's... you're wearing Gucci? You didn't tell me we wearing Gucci for this. We don't match. Not even in the Emily Dickinson, slant rhyme sort of way."

Sorry, babe. It was date night.

( so preoccupied with lobbing compliments and half-hearted insults his way, victoria nearly misses the maxine in this equation.

she squints over nathan's shoulder, looking at max if she's seeing double. )

"You really brought her?"

Really, yeah. I told you I was gonna.

"And I thought that was you pulling a Jackass."

When have I ever pranked you? ...C'mon, Vic, she's cool.

( courtney and taylor are rarely far from victoria's shadow, and their eyes light up as they join the group at the side of Nathan's car and take in the sight of max. )

"Wow, Max," ( courtney begins. ) "Where'd you get that dress? The—"

( but even while less than sober, she's able to read a room. victoria looks disdainful, and nathan looks as if he's daring her to finish that line. )

"—Uh, Charlotte Russe? Because it's... super cute! Seriously, love it!"

[Immediately upon the arrival of Victoria, Max is trying to stand out of their way, like this isn't where she belongs. Her arms cross tighter, but at least her face doesn't betray any nerves. She looks very... neutral.

Until the appearance of Courtney and Taylor, because she actually gives Taylor a small smile and a wave. She's gone out of her way to talk to Taylor more recently, about her mom. She's probably on friendlier terms with her than anyone else at this party (aside from Nathan, obviously).

Taylor looks a little torn though, just because she can tell Victoria's not exactly on board with Max being here. Still, she offers a small wave in return before draping an arm around Courtney.

Courtney being magnetized to her fashion (or lack thereof) is predictable, and Max just gives her a shrug, but a friendly enough smile. And aims for her known weak spot: makeovers. (Thanks, time powers.)]

Thanks, Courtney. I know it's not the height of fashion. I'm still pretty behind in that area. If I'm going to be going on dates now though, maybe I'll need your expertise for picking out a new dress. Uh... We brought the munchies, by the way. And stuff for s'mores.

[She heads to the back of the truck to begin grabbing some of the sacks, glancing behind her to see if anyone's planning on helping.]

( courtney has the good sense to be warmed by max's kindness. even if her comment hadn't started off particularly nice [not because she has anything against max, but because sick burns tend to earn her brownie points with victoria], it got there eventually. she smiles at max's offer, which gets her a roll of the eyes from victoria.

...at least until the mention of s'mores. that gets vic's attention, and without her ire for once. )

"Like, the WHOLE s'more? Chocolate and everything?"

( she untangles herself from nathan to help them with the snacks, mostly to see what they brought along. there's a briefly unmasked delight at the sight of her favorite doughnuts, but being happy is lame, so she's quick to school her expression into one of indifference.

the bonfire itself is modest, comparatively. more than ten, but less than twenty. some of their classmates sit near the fire and laugh, but a others stand closer to the barn, smoking cigarettes and making their own fun. there's a cooler spilling over with drinks, and a picnic table where nathan sets down armfuls of junk food.

on the table, someone plays tame impala from a bluetooth speaker. )

Oh, it definitely wouldn't be real s'mores without chocolate.

[She catches Victoria's initial response to the donuts, says nothing of it, but feels a small surge of affection for Nathan immediately as a smile lights her lips. He grabbed those. Clearly, he knew Victoria would love them. It feels nice, knowing he has a friend he cares about. She's pretty sure Victoria cares about him too. For that reason especially, she feels willing to be, at the very least, neutral with her.]

My dorky ass also talked Nathan into some color-changing marshmallows because I was too amused at the idea they might catch someone high enough off-guard.

[She just casually reveals this information. Making sure to let them all know that was entirely her idea, in case Nathan feels self-conscious about it or anything. While acknowledging that they probably scream "childish," but... If having fun with simple joys isn't "cool" then Max doesn't want to be "cool" anyway... Though, that is kind of true regardless. While she does like to be liked (who doesn't? especially at eighteen), she's never been willing to change who she is just to fit in.

For a moment, her ears tune into the music and the lyrics...

I know that you think, you sound
Silly when you call my name (my name)
But I hear it inside my head all day.
When I realize I'm just holding onto
The hope that maybe
Your feelings don't show...
She glances at Nathan as they set the food down, and the others are saying shit as they go through the bags, but all the other noise gets tuned out as she flashes her boyfriend a shy smile before ducking her head again, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

Butterflies. The nerves about what his friends will think ebb away in favor of a warmth that... She's here with Nathan. She'll be leaving with Nathan. This is new and not just out of her own comfort zone but in a way probably out of Nathan's, too.

She does wonder, being in the midst of all of these people he knows, how much of his feelings for her he'll let show. How much visible affection he'll allow.]

"Color me surprised. You never give your hipster shit a break, do you?"

( at least it's said with a little less venom than usual. she takes one of the green marshmallows and holds it out against the fire as nathan and max briefly make eye contact behind her back.

he must be stupid for thinking this could go well. for thinking he could have a normal night with his favorite people. victoria's walls are melting quickly, and taylor and courtney are already tag-teaming to make max a drink, something sweet and bubbly. the surprise at her appearance is short-lived, and that puts nathan on edge.

he doesn't want the other shoe to drop, but it always does. )

"Has the king of kings finally decided to grace us with his presence?"

( what might be insulting in another context is said with such a big grin, it's clear hayden doesn't mean anything by the greeting. )

"And Max Caulfield? What is this, some kind guest star appearance? Everyone knows that the freaks and the geeks don't mix. Glad to see you finally came to see how we Vortex kids get down firsthand. Here."

( he hands nathan a cup, a bright liquid that matches what he has in his own. )

"Call it 'Everything But The Kitchen Sink'. You've got some catching up to do, bro. I'd offer one to the lady, but this is a pretty nasty concoction. Some of my best work, if I do say so myself. But, if you think you can handle it..."

"As if Max wants your bong water bullshit." ( victoria to the rescue? on what planet? ) "Over here, Max. Let me touch-up your makeup by the fire."

( nathan glances between the two people vying for max's attention. god, the world has gotten strange. he takes a big sip of what tastes like sweetened rubbing alcohol, and then a bigger one. )

Looks like you're the shiny new toy.

Never. The "hipster shit" runs deep in my blood, Victoria.

[It's said with amusement and not hostility. Differences don't have to mean opposition, she's been realizing ever since she slept with Nathan. In fact, sometimes they can mean opportunity. Like introducing Nathan to things he hasn't had before. Sharing experiences.

But the sudden onslaught of attention does put her a little on edge, too. She's very much not used to this. She's an on-the-sidelines, world-through-her-viewfinder kind of girl. Still, she handles it well, all things considered.]

Hi, Hayden. And, pass, thanks. I'm definitely too much of a wimp for that. My thoughts go out to your livers, though.

[She directs that playfully to Hayden and Nathan both, since Nathan is apparently drinking it. That further pushes on her nerves, though, truth be told. If he gets drunk, that takes away her quick escape route. She's not getting into a car with him at the wheel if he's got "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" in his system.

The glance she gives to Nathan says "help," even as she responds aloud:]

And very gracious of you to share your shiny new toy.

[But she directs a smile to Victoria anyway and acquiesces to her offer.]

Sure. But I do have plans on forcing a s'more on Nathan. It's been revealed to me he's never had one before. So, what do we think, colorful or plain?

[She gestures to the different bags of marshmallows. Hopefully Nathan doesn't interpret this as her throwing him under the bus, but she'd like to take the focus off of herself a little.]

( max's plea gets met with a smile from behind the rim of his cup paired with a helpless raise of his eyebrows. sorry, girl. this is how it feels to be popular.

thankfully, being called out for never having s'mores feels pretty insignificant. in his defense, nathan has had a marshmallow, a bite of chocolate, and graham crackers at various points in his life. so, he's basically had a s'more!! )

"Never?? Babe, you didn't tell me that."

( if nathan is telling max these kinds of deep, dark secrets, then it must be real. )

They're just marshmallows. It never came up.

"Yeah, a marshmallow you've never eaten!"

( god, chicks are crazy about their s'mores. when it comes to picking which kind (flavor?) of marshmallow, he finds that he's not brave enough for anything fancy. he sticks with the plain, cracks open the bag while he grips his cup with his teeth like an animal.

he knows enough about thermodynamics to know they aren't going to toast themselves. )

We're gonna need sticks and shit, yeah? ( civilized once more, he only speaks once the cup is back in his hand where it belongs. a more proactive group might have gathered up roasting sticks ahead of time, but these s'mores weren't on the agenda.

thanks, max. ) Come out to the woods with me to look?

[S'mores feel like a very tame thing for Max to bring to the party, and she's kind of glad for it. Maybe this means she can even avoid drinking herself. Maybe.

She also appreciates that Victoria is apparently on her side on this whole s'mores thing.

...And then she can't help but wonder just how much her level of smitten is showing, after that smile and raised eyebrows look Nathan gives her. Because oddly she's finding him very hot in his element here? Even with a cup of alcohol held between his teeth. Who even is she?

There's warmth in her belly as he asks her to come with him out into the woods. Funny how a week and a half ago that would have been cause for alarm, and now it feels a little like being rescued. Also, a little sexy?

She nods, and her cheeks are dusted pink, as she moves from the table over to Nathan so she can follow him. Somehow, Nathan has (probably even unintentionally) totally ignited her hormones. It's a bit of a shock to her, honestly.

Meanwhile, Taylor and Courtney have settled on a drink for Max, without having so much as asked for her preferences, but Taylor stops Courtney before she goes to hand the cup to her and raises her eyebrows at her friend in surprise and delight, like she's discovered there's something very juicy going on here. So, clearly, at least one person has picked up on that tension. Then again, Max's blush might not be very subtle.]

( taking a girl to the woods could mean any number of things. the implications don't have to be salacious in nature. 'looking for sticks' could be something innocent.

victoria narrowly stiffles the urge to call something cheeky after them, something about the phallic nature of sticks, but embarrassing nathan could turn this into a bad night. there's a delicate line between his joy and his humiliation. and victoria likes him, so she won't be toeing it.

courtney and taylor don't verbally say anything, but their exchanged glance is enough. )

"Ever hear of discretion? God. You're such gossips."

( pot, kettle, but they're an easy outlet.

-

stepping through the path at the edge of the property, nathan drains what's left of his cup before tossing it into the trees. it's dark, but the moon is bright. he doesn't think to use a flashlight. )

Damn, they're like obsessed with you. It's crazy. ( in a way, they've always been obsessed with her. the new girl, the kind girl, the analog dork who they loved to hate on. ) I haven't seen them so hype since... well, whatever. I got to you first. They can suck it.

Edited 2026-04-15 01:19 (UTC)

[It could have been perfectly innocent. It may still be perfectly innocent, in fact, because the littering is kind of a turn-off. (Even though she doesn't bother to go and pick up the discarded cup, so she's maybe a little bit of a hypocrite there.)

Also? Somewhat surreal to hear Victoria chiding her groupies for being gossips, considering that certain timeline Max abandoned before. But still somehow not that surprising. Because Victoria being snide with Courtney and Taylor is pretty much just another day that ends in "y."

Once they're out of immediate line of sight (and the cover of darkness is a help there, at least, even if it might hinder the search for perfect marshmallow-roasting sticks), Max takes Nathan's hand in her own.]

I'm definitely not here for them, anyway. I'm here for you. And thanks for rescuing me. Just between you and me, I wasn't entirely convinced of Victoria's good intentions with my make-up. Though she is being pretty nice, especially for her.

( nathan, unaware of the horrors of make-up, shrugs. )

What's the worst she could do? Make-up washes off. ( and seeing as how the make-up isn't really the issue here, he flexes his fingers against her. ) She only hates you a little bit. It's cool.

Honestly? I'm pretty okay with it. I think you both genuinely care about each other and... I like that for you.

[She punctuates that with a kiss.

...But don't think she's given up on hunting for sticks for s'mores. The s'mores thing is definitely going to happen.]

( unfortunately for her, his lips tastes like gummy bears and everclear thanks to hayden's wicked jungle juice. he kisses into her mouth all the same. weird that she likes that about him — that he has friends, that he's capable of getting people to care about him. she only means that she's happy he has a person in his corner, but now he has two people.

he finds that he likes kissing her against things — against his mattress, against the seat of his truck, and now against the trunk of a coniferous tree. he's had lots of kisses in these woods [drunken vortex club girls, a dude (once), rachel], but this feels different. in a way, he's kissing the place where universes converge. max is the most powerful person in the galaxy, and she still takes the time to hold his hand like it matters. )

[She should have expected the alcohol taste, but jesus. She does, in fact, wrinkle her nose briefly at that... And wonders for a second if she can get contact-drunk just from kissing him. The idea of that is entirely far-fetched but also kind of funny? He's already sort of making her feel high just by kissing her up against a tree, though.

Taste be damned, if he gets his tongue in her mouth, she is going to chase it, entirely eager even with absolutely nothing in her own system. And she wants it that way. She's kissed him when high and when drunk already.

Pulling off long enough to ask, with a touch of concern in her voice:]

Is it just me or is it actually kind of hot that all your friends are just a few feet away, though? Does thinking that make me freaky?

( she pulls away, and he continues to presses his lips to her skin as she speaks. he kisses her cheek, below her ear, down her neck. against his will, he finds himself laughing a little at the shape of her words reverberating beneath his teeth. )

Yeah, you're super fucked. ( max ate a marshmallow before they paid for it, and now this. the life of crime truly is a slippery slope into depravity. ) Makes me kinda fucked too, then. I ever tell you I have a thing for skirts? And dresses?

( what's not to love about a hot chick in a hot outfit? )

[She sort of giggles at his words, bringing a hand up to his neck so she can cradle the back of his head, her touch gentle and sweet, as he works a trail along her skin with his mouth.

When she speaks, it's dropped to a whisper.]

You do, huh? It wouldn't have anything to do with easier access, would it?

[Feeling a little bold, Max drags the hand she's holding up the back of her dress, and presses his palm to the bare skin at the back of her thighs, right beneath the curve of her ass.]

Could have something to do with it, yeah.

( even now, it's difficult to gauge what's talk and what isn't. clearly, max isn't about to put out within earshot of his friends. she's not that freaky.

but then she drags his hand up her thigh, and nathan feels himself melt against her. he's been wrong before. her skin is softer than he remembers, and he trails higher to feel her ass for himself. no one's going to come to look for them; they know better. leave it to nathan to arrive late to a party, show up long enough to have a drink, and then disappear again. the prescott special.

he toys with the edge of her panties. )

We could do something...

( maybe not sex, but something close to it. )

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analogthis - 2026-04-15 06:06 (UTC) - Expand

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took liberties with what song is playing, lmk if you had something else in mind

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