Chapter Text
This was it, one of the most important moments in anyone's life.
Student Orientation. Well, that, and graduation. But none of that shit mattered to Max.
The orientation took longer than Max would have liked, it was crowded and full of overly excited freshmen that kept shouting for some reason. It's college- a community college, nonetheless -why were they all so excited? Max never understood the hype, he just wanted to get this all over with as soon as possible so that he could just graduate and get the fuck out of there already. He was stuck in a dump of a community college for the next 3 years, so as you could imagine, he wasn't all that happy.
College was a bit overrated, it's just an optional extra couple years of stress, anxiety, and money wasted. Of course, if you didn't get those credits, you'd have tough shit finding a job later on. So like it or not, he had to deal with 3 years of two princes, all-nighters, drunken party, expensive years of college.
Max wore his usual scowl, he had a cup of coffee he got from the coffee shop around the corner in one hand and his phone in the other. Aside from signing up for the fall classes he needed to pass, he spent the origination in the corner, tapping away at his phone while he spread out his cup to last him the entire day.
He didn't care about meeting the other students, there was no way in hell he'd talk to any of them. To him, the students were no different from the campers he spent his summers with down in Camp Campbell.
God, that fucking camp. All of those summers wasted down by the lake, days filled with long and boring activities, terrible food, and occasional mayhem caused by him and his two friends. In all honesty, he lost touch with Neil and Nikki after middle school. He doesn't remember much of what happened, but they all managed to drift apart near 7th or 8th grade.
Every once in a while, the thought of what they could be doing crossed his mind, sometimes he'd allow himself to reminisce on the pleasant memories of their shared summers, other times he'd push away the thought. Over time, it hurt a little to think of them. He wouldn't admit it, but he really missed them. They made his summers better, sometimes he'd even forget he was dumped in that camp in the first place.
But that was years ago, now he's 18, free to do whatever the hell he wants. He went to take another sip of coffee before realizing he drained the cup already. “Shit” Well, he knows he wants to go get another cup of coffee, one cup wasn't going to last him the entire day.
He threw away the empty cup before he headed towards the exit to go buy another cup, but a familiar voice stopped him dead in his tracks.
“Oh my god, Max!? Is that you?”
Max whipped his head back, he was met with the familiar sea-foam green hair and the brightest smile he'd seen in years.
“Nikki?”
Max invited Nikki to the coffee shop with him. He figured while they were attending the same hell-hole for the next 3 years together that they may as well catch up.
“What a crazy coincidence that we're at the same college! I mean, what're the chances?” Nikki said with a chuckle as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Max sat back in his seat, he nodded through a sip of his usual black brew. He had one hand on the cup and the other on his phone.
She looked different from the last he saw her. Her sea-foam green hair that was usually kept in a ponytail, braids, or pigtails to keep it out of her face, was now let less into a collar length bob. It was slightly messy as if she were running around campus before running into him, and it had a subtle curl to it.
Her cheeks were nearly as rosy as her eyes were, he figured it was either from a sunburn she acquired before the semester started, or they could have naturally been rosy. She looked like she gained some muscle overtime, too.
She looked a bit put together, she wore an oversized striped shirt with bright red jeans and matching flats. It wasn't a very Nikki style, but to be fair, it had been years. Max often found himself looking over his outfit again to compare their differences, his average worn out hoodie, ripped jeans that he never bothered throwing into the wash, and sneakers that he'd kick off once he'd get home.
Despite her different appearance, she appeared to be the same old Nikki he knew from camp. Energetic, bubbly, wild, same old Nikki.
“So, you've gotten taller” Nikki noted, Max nodded. “Can't say the same for you?” He said with a snarky chuckle. Nikki scoffed sarcastically, “Max, how dare you!” He snorted, “Can't run from the truth, short stuff” He laughed again. Nikki's nose scrunched as she crossed her arms before she turned away from him. Max threw his head down to hide the fit of giggles he was breaking out into.
They looked back at each other before laughing again like little kids. “I guess that's karma. That's what I get for making fun of how I was taller than you in middle school” Nikki shrugged. Max laughed around another sip of coffee.
He drew the cup away from him, “So, what are you studying again?” He asked with a raised brow.
“Physical Education Teaching and Coaching, I'm working to be a PE teacher” She explained before taking a sip of her iced coffee. It sent a chill down her spine, causing her to shiver in her seat. “I still don't understand how people can stand coffee, even the iced stuff is awful,” she said under her breath.
Max's brows rose in curiosity, “A PE teacher? How the fuck did you settle on that?” He asked before putting his phone down on the table and casually stuffing a hand in his pocket.
Nikki's eyes widened, probably out of the excitement of bragging opportunities or that Max actually seemed somewhat interested in something she had to say. She straightened up in her seat. “Well, I'm good at sports, and I loved coaching the kids at Camp Campbell last summer, so I figured it'd be the perfect job”
Max straightened up, too. “Wait, you worked at Camp Campbell?” Max asked. He was more invested in the conversation at this point. Nikki took notice, she gave him a warm, cheeky smile. “Yeah, I needed a summer job so Neil and I spent a few summers there as CITs. I came back as a counselor, and he comes back every once in a while when he's not busy with other jobs”
Max hummed before looking out the window and into the busy streets. “How's Neil doing, by the way? Is he still doing all that sciencey bullshit?”
Nikki's brows furrowed slightly. “Yeah, he has. You've been asking a lot of questions about us back home, where have you been? We thought that your parents took your phone away or something” She propped her head up with her hand as the other stirred her iced coffee with a straw.
Max looked back at her but found it hard to face her, so he resorted to looking back down at his coffee. “No, they didn't. I dunno, shit like this happens a lot. After your mom married Neil's dad, you've only needed each other and I guess I just drifted off after that”
A look of concern and guilt washed over Nikki's features. She looked down at her shoes. “Oh, yeah, I guess so...”
There was an awkward silence between the two, the only sound was from the traffic outside, the chatter of the shop customers, baristas calling out orders, the coffee machines hissing to make said orders, and the indie music that gently played in the background.
Nikki sighed to break the silence, “So, enough about me and all that other bullshit, what've you been up to?” She asked with a smile in an attempt to brighten the atmosphere. Max looked back out with a shrug, “Not much, I'm going into law school because my dad forced me to, but when I'm not dealing with my parents I'm either gaming or baking”
Nikki's eyes lit up at that last part. She smiled, “Baking? Seriously?” She stifled back a laugh. Max's brows furrowed, “Yeah? What's so funny about baking? Everyone fucking loves baked goods, don't act like you don't love a plate of brownies every once in a while”
Nikki's face fell, “Nonono, it's not that. It's just that, well, I never thought you of all people would be into baking” She admitted, somewhat nervously. Max rolled his eyes before taking another sip of coffee. “A lot can happen in 7 years, you'd be surprised at what else I like doing”
“Mm, yeah, I guess you got a point there” Nikki shrugged before dumping a sugar packet into her glass.
Max and Nikki walked down the streets into the shopping district of the town. “So, do you live nearby?” Nikki asked as she tried to skip to Max's slow pace. “Yeah,” He said with a nod, he didn't bother looking up from his phone. “I live down past Cherry Street, you might have passed some of the apartments on your way here”
“Ooh,” Nikki's eyes grew wide. “Yeah, I did. Do you have any roommates?” She then asked. Max shook his head blissfully. “Nope, I'll have to set out an ad, but until then, I'm enjoying living alone” He smiled for once, that left Nikki a little shocked.
“I'm guessing you're not too far from the campus, then?” He asked before stuffing both hands into his pocket. Nikki shrugged, “Yeah, you could say that” Max gave her a look, “What does that mean?” He asked. Nikki gave him a nervous chuckle. “Well, I do live close by. I just live in my van...” She admitted awkwardly. Max smacked his face before trailing his hand down it in a facepalm.
“So you're telling me you live in your van?” He asked, not sure if he should believe her or not. Knowing Nikki, it was probably true. “Yyyyyyyyeah, I tried giving van living a go but then I realized how much it sucked. Those indie vloggers make it look so easy!”
Max gave her a dumbfounded look, but he should have expected something like this to come from her sooner or later. He resorted to laughing. “God, you really haven't changed, have you?”
Max pulled out his keys from his back pocket, he switched between a few- cursing when he couldn't find the one he was searching for -before he found his apartment keys. After unlocking his door, Nikki ran in excitingly, a spring in her step was present.
His apartment was small and hardly lived in. Max had only spent a few weeks in it, so there were only the essentials (Aside from a few luxuries he either brought from home or bought after moving in) Despite being small, the apartment did have large windows that provided a beautiful view above the lively city. Nikki went straight to it to take a look outside.
“Whoa! You live here?” She asked as her rosy eyes lit up. Max rolled his eyes, “Yeah, it's kinda small, I don't get why you're so excited about it” He took off his jacket before throwing it onto the coat rack.
Nikki let out a sarcastic scoff, “Come on! You got this whole place to yourself! You don't have to deal with any annoying roommates or any of the kids back in the dorms!” She spun around as she continued to explore the living room.
Max gave her a small chuckle, “Yeah, I guess that's true. I still have to deal with next-door neighbors.” He admitted. Max turned into his kitchen before opening his fridge to search for a snack. “Hey, are you hungry? I think I got some leftover ice cream in the freezer”
Nikki whipped her head, “Ooh! Yes please!” She bounced over to the kitchen with a bubbly smile spread wide on her face. When Max's eyes peered over to her, he had to hold back a smile himself.
It was kind of strange, she just had to radiating, bubbling, happy energy to her. It's been so long since they've been together that he had forgotten all about it.
Weeks later, Nikki ended up becoming his roommate. She found out the hard way that van living wasn't ideal once her van broke down due to her leaving the AC on all night.
Having Nikki as a roommate was overall okay, it was just a bit weird living with a woman his age. Max kept reminding him that this was just like camp, except they're 18, and Neil's not here, and there aren't any activities.
Nikki found out about Max's secret hobby the hard way. The Saturday started off fairly normal, aside from the fact that Nikki woke up early to use the restroom (-Again. Seriously, how much does this girl drink that causes her to pee this much?)
Nikki stretched her arms over her head, that caused the bones in her spine, shoulders, and arms to crackle and pop in a somewhat satisfying manner. The apartment was usually quiet at this hour- at least, she thought it was -but she heard music playing outside from the living/kitchen area. Nikki's brow rose as her head tilted in a puppy-like manner, she hopped out of bed to investigate the music.
However, she wasn't prepared to see Max jamming out- yes, jamming out to music- in his pajama bottoms. Only, his pajama bottoms.
Oddly enough, she couldn't stop herself from staring. It was weird, he was smiling, singing, and dancing to the song that played from his phone. It was some old classic rock song, one that she recognized quickly.
“-So come on and let me knooo-ooow; Should I cool it, or should I blow?” He sang with a bobbing head as he flipped breakfast. Nikki took a whiff of the air to see what he was cooking, he was making bacon and pancakes. Delicious.
Nikki couldn't tell if she should join, or laugh.
Apparently, she chose the latter.
A small giggle escaped her lips, resulting in her slapping a hand over her mouth. Oops.
“Wha- NIKKI?!” Max shouted through his flushing face. He hid behind the wall to hide his bare chest. Nikki slapped her hands over her eyes. “SORRYSORRYSORRYI'MGOINGI'MGOING” She shouted before fleeing to the bathroom.
One awkward trip to the bathroom and one shirt later, Max and Nikki sat at their tiny dining table. Their faces were flushed out of embarrassment, and they refused to make eye contact. A few minutes passed before either of them exchanged a word.
“So, you like classic rock, I take it?”
They had to make some adjustments to the apartment to fit Nikki's personal needs. Apparently she was still nature-deprived.
There were some days where she'd get pale and nauseous, that resulted in a trip to the local plant nursery to buy a shit ton of house plants.
On the plus side, it added some personality to the apartment. The downside, they had a shit ton of daily plant watering to do.
“Waitwaitwait, that's still going on?” Max asked with his brows knitted together in concern. His blood ran cold at the sight of Nikki curled up against the toilet. She was left trembling as she used one hand (Or well, her entire arm) for balance and the other to pull her hair back.
“Y-yeah. I guess I should have warned you ahead of time” She said through a stuffy nose. She hacked out some crud, causing Max to step back. He scuffed his heel on the bathroom linoleum as his hands were stuffed in the pockets of his pajama bottoms. “Do you uh… Do you want some help with that?” He asked uncertainly, not really sure of how to handle the situation.
“Open the window and pull my hair back, that's how you can help” She stated. Max was kind of surprised she managed to sound serious and strict through a stuffed nose. He nodded before opening the large windows in the living room, then he ran back to the bathroom to pull her hair back.
He knelt down to her level with his knees to his chest as he balanced on the balls of his socked feet. He gently grabbed as much hair as he could get with one hand and pulled back (Gently, because he knows from experience how much hair tugging hurts)
“So, l-like this?” He asked, his voice croaked and cracked anxiously. “Yes, perfect” Nikki nodded and gave him a thumbs up before returning to the bowl.
Max sighed. He used his free hand to pat her back in some sort of comforting sense. Something told him this was going to be a regular occurrence.
Months had passed before Max found himself asking, “Wait, has she always been this adorable?”
Of course, he didn't ask it out loud, he kept that question to himself. He wasn't sure if he even wanted the answer to that.
After turning on the shower, he had to wait for the water to heat up, so he took the time to lean on the bathroom door.
He ran a hand through his curly hair and down his tired face. What was wrong with him? She's your best friend, God damn it. All that happened was that she somehow made a bag of flour explode and it got all over the two of you. Somehow, despite the mistake she made, she still laughed through it.
God, that fucking laugh of hers. There was something about it that made his ice cold heart melt. Maybe it was the way her rosy cheek hued redder, or maybe it was how cutely her nose scrunched. Or was it the way she found no way to keep her eyes open?
Max threw his head back with a grunt on annoyance. Romance was never is specialty, honestly, he'd avoid getting into serious relationships. He never wanted to get attached to anyone, that way, heart ache would hardly be a problem. It's not like he never wanted to settle down with someone, or to be in a committed relationship, it was just hard.
“It doesn't matter” he thought to himself as he stepped into the shower. “It never will, there's no way in hell she feels the same way. You're too edgy and fucked up for her” All of this was just a case of wishful thinking, just get over it, it's not happening.
Yeah, if he could convince himself it'd never happen, maybe he'd drop the whole thing.
Right?
Wrong.
Weeks passed, usually, he's over any crushes by now, but this time was different. Christmas was around the corner, so most of the shit on TV were just holiday rom-coms and cheesy love stories revolving the cold season. That wasn't helping his case at all.
That was one of the many reasons Max hated the holidays. One of the other reasons was the fact that people spent the holidays with their families, and Max wasn't having any of that. He had luckily convinced his parents that school kept him busy, so he wouldn't be able to come home for the holidays. Nikki, on the other hand, was excited for the holidays.
She was going on and on about how exciting the holidays were at home, Max couldn't find himself relating, but he tried to sound interested. When he told her about staying home alone in the apartment for winter break, Nikki immediately protested against it.
“But Max, it's Christmas! Why don't you stay over with my parents? I'm sure they'd love to have you over, and Neal will be there, too!” Nikki suggested hopefully as she folded laundry into her luggage.
Max shrugged through a drink of root beer, “Nah, maybe another year. I'd rather spend the week at home in my pajamas” Nikki scoffed, that one sounded legitimate. “Max! I don't want you being alone for the holidays, that's not what they were meant for!”
Max glared up at her. Her concerned (and slightly offended) expression met his. It was alien to see a negative emotion on her face, especially directed towards him. He looked away from her, her gaze almost felt like it was burning him from the inside. He sighed. “Look, the holidays are kind of a hard time for me, Nik. As I said, maybe next year”
Nikki sighed herself. She pinched the bridge of her nose before she dropped what she was doing. Max raised a brow at her. “...What?” Nikki didn't say anything, she just took her half full luggage and put it in her room. Then, she came back into the living room and plopped onto the couch next to Max.
“Fine, if you want to stay home, then so do I”
“Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say~”
“Rudolph with your nose so bright! Won't you guiiiiiiide my sleigh toniiiiiiight!” Nikki shouted around a sip of spiked eggnog. Max stifled a laugh as he tried to drink some of his own.
Nikki did, in fact, stay home for the holidays. She excused herself for being 'sick' with a cold, so her step-dad ended up sending over some soup and the presents they had for her. When Neil heard about Nikki being Max's roommate, he sent some gifts (and some handwritten letters) over for him.
Their week was spent alone in their apartment, mainly just them binging Christmas movies while eating brownies in their pajamas. They both opted to get out at some point to do something fun, but they hardly got out for more than dinner.
It's not like they cared much about what they could have been missing, they were too busy actually enjoying the holidays. Nikki took a quick sip of eggnog before shouting some drunken bullshit, and Max laughed, a legitimately, at that. He laughed so hard his cheeks were rosy and burning with happiness. It felt nice, it was unfamiliar to him, but he loved it. Now he could understand why Nikki and David smiled so much, it felt amazing.
He tried to settle down to speak, “This is… Haha… This is the most fun I've ever had during Christmas, thanks for staying with me” Max admitted as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
Nikki chuckled herself, but hers was softer and more subtle than his was. “It's no problem, but Fuuuck, I've never seen you laugh that hard, are you okay?” She asked around a giggle.
Max took a deep breath- which was invaded by another fit of laughter -he nodded at her. “I'm great” He admitted happily. 'I'm great' felt weird to say, it was a rare occasion when he could admit he was happy, but in the moment, he wouldn't have it any other way.
Hours later, Max and Nikki switched their spiked eggnog out for water to sober up, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for a some Christmas rom-com to settle them down.
Nikki was curled up on one end of the sofa, a blanket was draped over her to keep her warm (which was a huge issue for her, because she's already 'borrowed' Max's hoodie in an attempt to warm up)
Max was at the other end, his head was being held up by his hand due to the fact that he was tired slowly fading in and out at some quiet scenes. Of course, Nikki would wake him up when something funny came up on TV.
Overall, Christmas Eve ended quietly.
After the movie ended, Max turned in for the night, Nikki did the same. If it weren't from the sudden and restless intrusive thoughts that he had, Max would have been fast asleep by now. He tried tossing and turning, anything to shake the thought of how much he… Well, was love really the word? It was never a word he could find himself throwing around. He hardly even used the word in his previous short-lived relationships.
He reached for his phones and earbuds, figuring music would block out the intrusive thoughts. He scrolled through a few songs, purposely avoiding any loud and crazy songs that would keep him up. He just needed something light and simple to lull him to sleep, not too much, not too little.
After picking a song, Max laid back as he stared at the ceiling. What would even happen if he were to tell her how he felt? She'd probably reject him on the spot, or hate him forever. Maybe things would be so awkward that she had to move out, or worse, drop out to go to another school.
What if she did accept his feelings, even went as far as dating him? But what if that were a trick, some sort of ruse during the semester to fuck with his feelings. No, no she wouldn't do that. She was too nice to do something that rotten.
But what if she already had someone waiting for her at home? He never asked if she was single or not. Well, of course he didn't, that'd be weird. Besides, there probably was someone waiting. I mean, come on, she was…
...
Beautiful…
Max's stomach turned, he threw a pillow over his head out of fear that he'd scream out of frustration. He's never had it this bad, just the thought of her caused those butterflies in his stomach to rant and rave. He groaned into his pillow, because screaming would have woken her up.
He threw the pillow off of his head before turning off the music. Since he obviously wasn't going to fall asleep yet, so he figured he'd get up to watch the snow fall over the city. There was always something about watching the snowfall that relaxed him.
He stepped out into the living room, he navigated around the couch (which was hard to do in the dark) before pulling the ottoman up to the window. He propped his arms up on the window sill (keeping mind of the planter of lavender that was right next to him) and held his head up. He was close enough to the window that his breath fogged it up. He used a finger to draw little stick figures in the fog (and maybe some cartoonish dicks, that got a little laugh out of him)
A good 20 minutes passed before he heard Nikki's door click open. When he caught her eyes, she tensed up.
“Hey,” He said.
“...Hey,” She said.
“I uh, I didn't think you'd be awake” She admitted as she rubbed her arm awkwardly. Max merely stared at her. She had her blanket draped over her shoulders, and telling by the slight shivering, she was cold. “What are you doing out here?” He asked with a raised brow before he glanced back outside.
“I um… My room has a window... And it's letting cold air seep in” Nikki explained, she looked away from Max and onto the floor to avoid eye contact.
“Tragic,” Max said blankly with a hum, “You'll have to remind me to buy you a space heater once the holidays die down, then” Nikki nodded before giving him half-assed finger guns. Max chuckled lazily at her attempt. It was obvious that they were both tired.
There was a quiet minute exchanged between the two, Max stared out the window at the snow, and Nikki stared at him. Part of him knew she was staring, but he didn't really care. Occasionally, the silence would be interrupted by the heater buzzing to life, or by Max scratching the scruff on his jawline.
Eventually, Nikki silently sat on the floor next to Max. The lights of the city, stars, and moon blanketed over the two of them as they sat next to the window. Max glanced over at her, that might have been a mistake, her hair always had that beautiful shimmer to it in the moonlight that made his heart jump. He looked away from her to hide his subtly flushed cheeks. “Do you want me to scoot over? I think there's room for two on here and I'm positive the floor is cold as shit”
Nikki's brows rose at the suggestion. “Oh, okay. Thanks” Max scooted over to the edge of the ottoman, making sure to leave as much room as he could for her. Nikki sat up next to him before she draped half of the blanket over his shoulders.
They went silent for another moment before Nikki tried to spark up a conversation again.
“Were you having trouble falling asleep?” She asked, she didn't bother looking away from the window, but she did catch his nod from the corner of her eye. “Yeah, I guess so”
Truth be told, Nikki being right next to him wasn't helping his case at all. Nikki hummed but she didn't continue the conversation, so that allowed Max to retreat to his thoughts to push pass the situation he allowed himself into. What was going through his head right now, you may ask? He was either thinking of kissing her, or thinking of a song that mocked the situation.
“You always want what you can't have, but I've got to try. I'm gonna muster every ounce of confidence I have, for you I will”
The familiar lyrics of Teddy Geiger buzzed in his head. Well, it was better than feeding off of the idea of kissing your roommate and best friend, at least. He'd pick that over the torture any day. He laid his chin in his hand with his elbow propped on his knee for support, he sighed and closed his eyes.
Nikki peeked over, she noticed his restless expression. “Hey, are you alright? It looks like something's bothering you big time” Max's eyes shot open. Shit, what do you say?
“I- um...” He trailed off as he tried to think of a quick remark. Nikki cocked a brow at him. “Well, um-” shitshitshit, just try and dance around the truth, that'll work. “Yeah, you see, there's this girl I like, and-” “A girl? That explains so much, who's the lucky lady?” Nikki asked with excitement, as if she all of a sudden wasn't totally exhausted.
Max coughed nervously, but he tried to cover it up as if he were clearing his throat. “U-um, this-this girl. This girl in the desk next to mine” He lied, Nikki furrowed her brows at the uncertainty in his voice, but she kept that to herself. She gestured for him to continue with the story.
Max fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “A-and, she's really pretty- Beautiful, actually. And she's really nice, just an all around gem to be with, you feel?” Nikki raised a brow. “Oh yeah, what's her name? And how come I'm just hearing of this girl, huh?”
Max fumbled with a few more words, “Her name is, um, Brandy. And, w-well, I figured… I figured you'd, um, you'd make fun of me or something” He stuttered out. His stomach twisted anxiously into knots as a lump formed in his throat, there was no way he was getting out of this mess.
Nikki huffed before sitting up, causing the blanket to droop onto the floor behind them. “Max, I'm not an idiot. That sounds like a bunch of made up bullshit. Just tell me the truth, I want to help you with whatever you're dealing with. I won't make fun of you, honest”
The knots in his stomach loosened at the reassurance. His chest puffed up with a large breath before he released the last of the tension that had built up inside.
“You're right, I-i'm sorry, Nik. That… That was kinda shitty of me” He apologized as he ran a hand through his curls. 'Crushes aren't that big of a deal, lots of people get them' He thought to himself to motivate himself.
“Honestly, I-i've kinda really liked.. you…” He explained sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. He was turned away from her, so he couldn't see the awkward thin line her lips formed. “Oh, um… Not what I was expecting, heh” Nikki turned away from him, a blush tinting her already rosy cheeks redder.
“Yeah...” Max sighed out. “It's just that, I dunno, we've known each other for years and when we all grew apart, it just felt like I was missing something. I really missed you, and I didn't know I much I needed you with me until you were gone.” He explained, a small smile finally crept its way back onto his face.
“And I just...” He sighs before he finally looked back at her, expecting to be met with some sort of disappointed expression. But instead, to his surprise, he was met with a flush smile. He smiled back at her, “I really care about you. You're just so nice, and fun, and kindareallyprettybUTIMEAN”
Nikki stifled a laugh behind her hands, Max gave her a scowl, but it was light as if he didn't mean it. “You said you wouldn't laugh” he pointed out. Her brows rose, “Nonono, I'm not laughing at you. Well, I am, but it's not like that” She laughed out a sigh. “I just didn't believe you were someone that would actually care that much about these things, that's all” She admitted with a shrug.
Max pouted at her before he puffed up his chest with in inhale. Quickly, he cupped her face before kissing her lips. The squeaked out in surprise before she melted into it. When he pulled back, her face hued into a beet red as she panted from shock.
“Believe me now?”
The entire process took 8 hours, 8 long hours. Every once in a while Max would go in and out to give updates to everyone in the waiting room. Candy, David, Neil, and Nerris came but were told to wait outside. Max would have waited, too, but he didn't want to leave Nikki alone in there. David and Candy were both anxious and excited, same went with Max. Neil and Nerris occasionally would support them (they went through the same process about a year ago with Nancy, so Max had some comfort with that)
After 8 long hours waiting, eventually, the time came to meet her.
Nikki laid in the bed as Max stood by her side. Nikki held Max's hand through the final parts. Half of it was out of pain and stress, while the other half was out of fear and need of comfort. “It's a girl!” The doctor announced before handing the bundle to Nikki for a minute skin-to-skin contact before they'd have to clean her up. Max and Nikki both smiled tiredly, Gretchen cried, wailed, in squeaked, but that relieved them to know she was at least breathing.
Gretchen was small and frail, but the doctor's didn't seem to worried about it so neither did they. Her hair was a dark seafoam, and her eyes (which were hard to see due to her squeezing them shut constantly as she cried) appeared to resemble Max's piercing green ones.
“H-hey there, sweetie… It's me, it's mommy” Nikki said breathlessly as she gently bounced Gretchen. Max stroked her head as tears of his own bit at the corners of his eyes. “Hey there, kiddo. It's daddy” Max said to Gretchen. Nikki turned Gretchen so she'd face Max, he smiled widely at her.
“She has your eyes,” Nikki commented. Max chuckled softy, “And your nose” He added. As they listed who's traits she got, Nikki held Gretchen against her chest as Max rubbed her back.
They all stayed there for a moment, mainly just to take it all in. Eventually, they handed her over to be cleaned, weighed, and named to finish off her birth certificate.
Nikki sighed deeply with a quivering lip as she wiped at the tears that welled in the corners of her eyes. “It's… Finally… Over...” She breathed out as her head flopped back onto the pillow. Max laid a kiss on her forehead as he held onto her hand. “You did amazingly back there, I'm so proud of you” he admitted against her forehead.
Nikki smiled before looking out the window at the February snowfall. Max caught her glance, he looked out too. “Do yemember that night in our apartment, the one where you first kissed me?” Nikki asked weakly. Max nodded, “Yeah. It was snowing that night too, huh?”
“Mhmm,” She hummed before sniffling. Max glared down at her. “It was so hard,” She said before tears began streaming down her face. “And I didn't wanna cry,” She admitted. Max faintly gasped before he cupped her face.
“Heyheyhey, it's okay. It's okay to cry, I can only imagine what you had to go through to do this. But it's all over, all of that hard shit's done” he reminded before hugging her from her neck. “As I said before, you did so good, Nik” “Yeah,” Nikki nodded, “I guess so” She sobbed out. Max patted her head as she cried into his shirt, he'd occasionally coo comforting words to help her.
When she was given back, the entire gang came around to meet Gretchen. Candy was the first allowed to see her (her being her first grandchild and all), they swore they saw her cry as she held onto her grandbaby for the first time.
David was next, he definitely cried. He kept listing off all of the fun activities he'd do with her once she was old enough (teaching her how to play guitar, hiking, and almost everything on his camp song).
Neil and Nerris got to see her last. They both awed at her and made little jokes about how she naturally had a scowl like her daddy does (earning them that said scowl directed towards them)
That's how the rest of the night was spent, with everyone getting to meet Gretchen. As her grandparents and aunt and uncle got to gush over her, Max and Nikki relaxed.
“If you could take all of this back, and go on to live alone like you had planned when you started college, would you?” Nikki asked, Max stared at her slightly dumbfounded.
He looked at her, then at Gretchen, then at their rings before he looked at her again.
“Nah,” He said as he shook his head “I like this we've got laid out” He admitted as her laid back. Nikki sighed with a smile as she leaned against his shoulder.
“Good, I am too”
