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“Do we want ‘extra butter’ or ‘theater-style’?” Missy asked, looking between the two boxes of Pop-Secret.
Maxine hummed from the couch where she browsed through Netflix, “just do one of both, you know how Clem is with popcorn.” Missy nodded to herself in agreement, memories surfacing of past movie nights where the popcorn bowl would be half empty just 5 minutes into the film.
She popped a bag into the microwave and pulled out a mug for each of them.
“How do we feel about a horror movie?” Maxine asked, her curled lips lilting her voice mischievously. Missy snorted.
“We feel like you should pick something else. Clem would be pissed to find we’re watching the one type of movie she doesn't like.”
“I know but it's just so funny to see her face when she realizes!”
“If you want to sleep on the couch tonight that’s your issue-”
“Who’s sleeping on the couch?” Asked a voice from the stairs, british accent curling softly around the syllables. Missy looked up from pouring Clementine’s orange juice to find the girl wobbling her way down the steps with three giant blankets in her grasp. Her face was obscured by the big bundles of fabric, nothing but the top of her chocolate brown hair visible, and Missy rushed to grab some of the cargo so she wouldn't fall down the stairs. She shot Missy a grateful look, making her way to the couch to plop the soft bundles next to Max.
“Jesus Christ, Clem, it's just us three here, how many blankets do we need?” Maxine chuckled from her spot, subtly queuing up the movie and pausing on a blank screen so Clementine wouldn't see the title.
“It's good to be prepared,” she huffed, searching for their resident princess, Anya. The fluffy white cat was curled up on the cat tree, as usual, giving the brown-haired girl an uninterested look as she was scooped up.
“It's movie night, not Mt. Everest, Clem,” Missy piped in from the kitchen where she emptied a bag of popcorn into a bowl.
“I still don't know why you two insist on ganging up to antagonize me,” the brunette accused, though it held no real heat. She turned to the fluff ball in her arms, “You wouldn't bully me like that, would you? No, you wouldn't.”
Max scoffed. “Maybe if you weren't so short-” Clementine rolled her eyes so hard it hurt.
“I'm literally only 1 inch shorter than you.”
“And I will hold that against you for the rest of our lives,” came the smug reply. It probably wasn't meant to make Missy feel as warm inside as it did, but the promise of a life together rang true in Max’s words, curling around the blonde’s heart and settling snugly in her gut like a safe haze.
A fluffy little head butted against her ankle, rubbing against her leg before turning to bound up the steps to hide from the obnoxious humans. She looked up to find Clementine straddling Max, a challenging light in her amber eyes as she stared intensely into Max’s own chocolate browns.
“Well I’ve got something I could hold against you,” mumbled a low, accented voice, getting a soft ‘oh, yeah?’ in return. Missy rolled her eyes and cracked open the second popcorn bag, emptying it into a bowl with an amused smile. Grabbing both large bowls, she set one on the coffee table in front of the couch and one next to Max, whose phone laid dejectedly on the red cushion beside her, abandoned in favor of gently caressing up and down Clementine’s sides.
“Alright, horndogs, time to get situated.” The shortest had the decency to look sheepish, hopping off of Maxine’s lap while the ravenette flashed a smirk. “Thanks for the help with snacks by the way,” Missy deadpanned, handing Clementine her orange juice and the youngest her hot cocoa.
“It was your turn on snack duty,” Maxine shrugged, earning a scoff from the blonde.
“Then it's been my turn for the past three movie nights?” The ravenette gave another shrug.
“Sorry, Missy,” Clementine called into the kitchen, taking a large gulp of juice. Max scrunched her nose.
“Still can't believe you don't like chocolate.”
“Still can't believe you don't like oranges.” Maxine sputtered.
“I do like oranges! It's the processed orange flavor that tastes like shit! We’ve been over this, Clem. Tell her, M,” the youngest looked at the tall girl that had reappeared with her own mug of cocoa and a couple boxes of candy.
“That's literally my point Max. Get over it-”
“Girls, dear lord,” Missy giggled, half-picking up Max to move her so she could wiggle her way into the middle, “can you try not arguing for 5 minutes? 5 minutes.”
“Impossible,” Clementine commented, earning yet another eye roll. Missy leaned over the youngest to grab one of the fuzzy throws and spread it over their laps.
“Hey, why do you get to be in the middle,” Maxine pouted, quickly being silenced when a box of milk duds was placed in her hands. A gasp of delight from her right made Missy’s heart flutter as she handed the girl on her left a box of sour skittles. Clementine thanked her with a peck on the cheek.
The blonde grabbed the remote from the coffee table and handed it to Max while Clementine reached for the popcorn bowl. She gave the youngest a pointed look when she took the remote, earning a stuck-out tongue.
“Mature,” Missy snorted. Maxine pressed play and snuggled into the taller’s side, throwing her legs over Missy’s to rest her feet in Clementine’s lap. Missy pulled the shortest, who was rather focused on the popcorn, closer and relaxed, watching the movie introduction.
It took Clementine all of 3 minutes to realize what kind of movie Maxine had picked, and she wasn't quiet about it.
“No,” she shot up, glaring into the eyes of the guilty bundle on the other side of the couch, “No.”
“Come on, Clem,” the girl was shaking her head before Maxine could even finish her sentence.
“Absolutely not-”
“Please, Clem! M said you could sit in the middle if you get too scared-”
“I did not say that, actually, I quite like my spot-”
“Still no! I remember what happened last time we watched a scary movie with me in the middle, I’m not falling for that again.”
She had a valid point. The last time they watched a horror she had sat in the middle, the prime receiver of comfort. It didn't last long, though, with Max getting up to use the bathroom, exposing the scared girl to the dark dining space and shadowed hallway to the right of the television.
She’d taken too long to get back, and when Clementine started hearing odd thumps from the stairs, she got paranoid. She’d burrowed into Missy like her life depended on them morphing together, and when she turned her half attention back to the screen, a poorly-timed jumpscare had Missy temporarily deaf in one ear.
Unfortunately for both, the torture wasn't over yet, as when Maxine came back, she decided to make it very sudden and loud. The ravenette was sentenced to two nights on the couch, but her red face and contagious core-shaking laughter softened it to one night and a movie swap.
“Please, Clem. If it's really bad we can change it but we never get to watch scary movies.”
Fatally, Clementine looked into dark pouty eyes, and her argument dried on her tongue.
“I-” she hesitated. “Ugh, fine.” The youngest’s face lit up, her pleased grin eliciting a sigh from the defeated girl as she settled back into her spot. “Your face is so stupid,” she mumbled, face tinting at the soft giggle and softer reply.
“You’re cute too, baby.”
The movie continued uninterrupted. This movie was objectively worse than the last one, Missy noted. Where the one they watched before was all cheap jumpscares and cheesy lines, this one was better produced, the eerie atmosphere settling easily over the three. Nothing really had happened yet in the movie, but you could just feel that that wouldn't be the case for long. She stole a glance at the girl buried into her right side. She looked so pretty focused on the movie. Pretty dark eyes flitting around the screen as it moved, her long dark waves and pale skin lighting up when the camera angle would show a lighter scene. Her brows were permanently furrowed in concentration while she worried her bottom lip between her teeth, the flesh now red with agitation. Missy nudged her a bit, knowing that even though the girl insisted she was fine, scary movies didn't have zero effect on her.
“Hey,” she whispered, feeling a little breathless when charcoal eyes peered up at her innocently, “you good?” Red lips parted in contemplation, the question taking a second to process.
“Yeah,” Maxine nodded, burrowing back into her warm spot, looking less on-edge at the recollection of the taller’s presence. Reassured, Missy turned to her left.
At some point, the smallest had curled into a ball under her arm, using the skinny appendage as a sort of teddy bear to squeeze. She looked a little less composed than Max had, bright irises nearly undetectable with her face locked in a grimace, pink lips pressed tightly together. Even a little pale in the face, she was breathtaking.
Missy took care to make no sudden movements, but a whisper of “Clem” still made the girl jolt. When amber met grey, Missy could see that even though her focus was pulled from the screen, the grimace in her face hadn't completely faded.
“Huh?”
“Are you okay? You look like you’re gonna be sick, love.” The brunette’s mouth twisted and she looked to the side, clearly getting ready to lie. Missy sat up before she could, the motion jostling Max into an upright position. “I think we should watch something else, what do you guys think?”
Maxine glanced at Clementine and nodded, Missy noting how her shoulders relaxed into something suspiciously similar to relief at the decision made.
The blonde reached for the remote on the coffee table and paused the nearly half-watched movie. She clicked around until Adventure Time was queued up- a mutual favorite of the trio. Maxine grabbed their empty mugs and made the short trip to put them by the kitchen sink.
“Want more popcorn, honey?” Missy asked Clementine, peering into the nearly-empty bowl. The girl shook her head and snuggled back up to the blonde, still looking shaken but luckily the color was returning to her face. She handed the bowls to Maxine who promptly deposited them in the sink and took her spot on the couch.
“Press play, pretty girl,” she said, getting situated under the blanket again. She poked the subtle pink that appeared on the blonde’s cheek in amusement, laughing softly when it deepened in color.
They were a little more than 10 minutes into the episode when Missy felt a warm hand brush her leg. She glanced questioningly at the ravenette to her right, the girl looking innocently focused on the show. A little too innocently. After a few seconds of nothing happening, she turned her attention back to the screen, classifying the touch as a mere accident. Not 60 seconds later, though, she felt it again, and this time the hand stayed. Looking back at the youngest, nothing had changed about her stature, though her lips were quirked suspiciously up.
“Max,” Missy hissed, hoping to get some answers on the questionable placement of her hand. She didn't get any, fixed with a gaze a little too knowing and a smile that promised no help before chocolate eyes focused back on the tv.
She huffed in disbelief and refocused as well, though the burning heat on her thigh had her thoughts slipping. It took her a minute to realize that the hand was traveling upward, but when she did her head snapped to the right to find a smug gaze already on her.
“Max,” she breathed, “stop being horny and watch the show”
She heard a snort from her left which descended into full-on giggles upon eye contact.
“What's so funny, huh,” Missy asked, fighting her own chuckles.
“Sto- stop being horny-” her words were cut off by lips on her own, face warming on instinct. When Missy pulled away she ducked her head to hide her red cheeks, muttering, “A bit of a warning next time, geez.”
“Hey, where’s mine,” whined Max. Missy smiled at her and leaned in, but pulled back last second.
When Maxine saw the playful glint in the blonde’s eyes, her own narrowed challengingly. “You little brat,” she snorted, making Missy laugh.
She set a gentle hand on the taller’s cheek, stifling her laughter with confusion at the tender treatment. All at once, the ravenette threw her leg over Missy’s lap and yanked hard at the golden hair at the base of her neck, receiving a gasp that turned into a pretty whimper. Hands found her shoulders when the pressure didn't let up, and she pressed a wet kiss to the exposed throat. “Don't tease me, Brat,” she said dangerously, nosing along the unmarked expanse of skin. A rocky attempt at a nod made her smirk.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Well that was hot,” Clementine commented, two pairs of eyes, one amused and one lidded meeting her hungry gaze. She licked her lips, “Don't stop on my account, this is getting interesting.”
Dark eyes fluttered with a challenge, pulling the brunette in by the shoulder to smash their lips together in a heated kiss.
Watching her partners try to devour each other, competitive dynamic not faltering despite the situation, Missy considered letting Max pick their movies from now on, hoping it would end like this more often.