Work Text:
Amanda Thomas had met Max Caulfield on a cold December afternoon, one of the few days when it hadn’t snowed endlessly and you could feel the biting breeze. With the windows fogged up and the doors tightly shut, Snapping Turtle was bustling with warmth, its customers bundled up to their necks, ordering coffee left and right, when she walked in.
For months, Amanda had heard Caledon students talking about a renowned photographer who would be giving them workshops for the rest of the semester and who'd be staying at the Hellerton house. Amanda had never imagined that this photographer would be so… beautiful. Max had slightly short, reddish-brown hair that was tousled by the beanie she was wearing. She was dressed in a simple burgundy long-sleeved T-shirt and black jeans; a black strap hung from her shoulder with a heavy digital camera resting on her hip. What had struck Amanda the most were those blue eyes. She had never seen such a beautiful color.
Max had walked slowly up to the bar, awkwardly brushing her hair back, acutely aware of how tired she looked. Up close, she had worryingly dark circles under her eyes and a distant look in her gaze.
Amanda didn’t miss the chance to approach her. As a beta, she can’t really sense anyone’s scent, but close to Max, she can smell her so clearly. She smells of coconut and vanilla with a hint of wood—so sweet and addictive that she doesn’t smell quite like an alpha but what gives her away are the strong pheromones she gives off, even if she doesn’t realize it.
"Hey" Max had greeted her with a wave, awkwardly dropping her hand almost immediately. "Um, a Cosmopolitan, please."
"Right away," Amanda had let her gaze linger a second too long before starting to make the drink. It wasn’t something she was often asked to do, so she was immediately intrigued by this woman. For some inexplicable reason, she wanted to impress her. That was her reason for deliberately adding a couple of extra ice cubes, choosing the most citrusy vodka they had, and taking great care with the garnish—but if anyone asked her, she would never admit it. Meanwhile, Max stared at her intently, without striking up any small talk. For a reason Amanda still can’t quite put her finger on, she felt a certain energy between them.
Max thanked her quietly when she handed her the drink, and she spent quite a while sipping it.
Every time Amanda looked at her, she noticed her distant gaze and an uncomfortable tension in her shoulders —which Amanda desperately wanted to ease, her fingers itching to touch her— as if she couldn’t calm down.
This woman’s mysterious air drew Amanda in dangerously.
And before she knew it, she mustered the courage to start flirting with Max, and surprisingly, Max flirted back—albeit awkwardly. It’s adorable. Too much for an alpha.
It takes Max a month to ask her out. It’s not like Amanda has been waiting anxiously every day, counting down the weeks, when she could have just asked her herself… not at all.
Sometimes the traditional approach is appealing. And seeing Max finally work up the courage to ask her out... yeah, it was worth the wait.
The date takes place at a quiet café in Lakeport and lasts until the early hours of the morning. Because they simply couldn’t stop talking, heading to a bar as night fell, and continuing a little longer while Max dropped her off at her house.
So it took Amanda a week to ask her to be her girlfriend. Max hadn't even bothered to answer her verbally; instead, she had cupped Amanda's face and kissed her for the first time.
That was about three months ago, and neither of them has had the guts to tell anyone in Caledon. For Max, it’s because she’s always been private about her personal life. As for Amanda, she really doesn't want the pressure that comes with telling people; she'd rather they figure it out on their own.
The thing is… Max is pretty reserved when it comes to physical affection, and, well, it's not like Amanda can exactly be affectionate when they spend most of their time at her bar. They both settle for the touch of their hands and meaningful glances.
Since Amanda is a beta, she doesn’t have a distinctive scent, and Max’s scent doesn’t cling to her—or vice versa—unless she’s wearing one of her T-shirts.
As a result, no one really suspects they’re together; rather, they think they’re just flirting, with nothing serious going on.
Amanda hadn’t planned to eavesdrop on purpose. It was a mere accident.
"So," she hears Safi say behind her, slurring her words, clearly drunk. "Of all the women—and, well, men—here..."
"Please don't ask me who I'd take to bed," Max interrupts, in her usual frustrated and embarrassed tone.
"Come on! You’re so boring!" Safi complains. "I still don’t believe you haven’t slept with anyone in all these years. Have you even flirted with any omegas?"
She hears Max let out a deep sigh. Amanda knows, purely by chance, that Max has never had any luck with omegas, and for a long time now, she’s only had eyes for betas.
“It really doesn’t matter, Safi.”
“See!” Safi clicks her tongue. “We’ve got to fix this.” That sounds like trouble.
“What?”
“Loosen up and take someone to bed tonight,” Safi suggests. “I’ll pick the candidates myself.”
Amanda freezes.
After spending so much time together, Amanda’s sense of smell has become more acute around Max, allowing her to detect her pheromones. So, from where she stands, she can smell the panic radiating from Max.
“What?” Max repeats, this time somewhere between horrified and startled.
"Max, please. Your thing with Amanda doesn’t seem serious; it’s not like you’re going to cheat on her or anything."
She’s wrong.
For a moment, Amanda thinks Max might set the record straight, but of course she doesn’t.
Instead, she says foolishly, "You’re drunk."
"And you're celibate. Come on, let me pick out an omega for you."
"We've had enough to drink. Let's go."
Amanda glances over her shoulder. Max is holding onto a staggering Safi, who's complaining as she's dragged toward the entrance. Max's face is red, and she's staring at the floor.
Max doesn’t text her that night.
But she shows up first thing the next morning and promises to meet up with her over an espresso. Amanda agrees, because she genuinely enjoys spending time with her, even though she senses a palpable tension between them.
It’s not that Amanda is angry, far from it. She found it so funny that Safi called Max a celibate that she’ll probably keep laughing about it for the rest of the month. Or even the year.
She senses that this tension has something to do with their unspoken decision to keep their relationship a secret.
The tension breaks as they enter Max’s house, their lips locked and their hands wandering. They stumble toward the couch; Max falls backward with a gasp, and Amanda clings to her waist as they fall, then positions herself on top of her.
They both share a little laugh, and Max wraps her arms around her waist, smiling. It’s amazing how her usually somber face, weighed down by so much emotional baggage, lights up when she smiles. It makes her look younger, more full of life. So beautiful.
"You really are a sight to behold, you know that?"
"And what does that make you?" Max raises an eyebrow, though her cheeks are slightly flushed.
"Someone who enjoys the sight, of course," Amanda says, puffing out her chest playfully and winking at her.
"Oh, so a fan," Max winks back.
"That too, yeah. I mean, have you seen your photos?"
As always when photography comes up, Max’s eyes light up. Amanda has already learned that this means Max is about to switch into nerd mode.
"Oh, you're definitely going to love my next portfolio," she says, her hands absentmindedly caressing Amanda's back. "I want to show the beauty of lonely, forgotten objects in abandoned places. I'm finishing up the editing, but I think it's my favorite so far. I’m still thinking about the name.”
“Now you have to show it to me,” Amanda leans against her collarbone, happily breathing in the musky scent of her body mixed with her perfume.
"Whenever you want," Max concedes, as always. Amanda is surprised by how quickly Max usually agrees to any request she makes. "I welcome any constructive criticism."
"As if your work needs any criticism," Amanda snorts, shaking her head slightly. She’s had the pleasure of watching Max work her magic on several occasions, and she’s seen her finishing up the editing on some photos. Besides, she’s seen the trophy on Max’s dresser, and how the alpha straightens her back proudly when she catches her looking at it.
Max laughs, kissing her on the top of her head and pulling her impossibly close. Amanda shifts slightly, resting her head near her neck, reveling in Max’s shivers.
“Don’t you want to go to bed?” Amanda murmurs against her skin, her hand slowly caressing Max’s side, causing her breath to catch. She’s always so responsive.
"To sleep?" Max jokes, letting her hands slide under the beta’s T-shirt. "Of course."
Amanda stays there a moment longer, savoring Max’s gentle, slow touch as she explores the bare skin of her back, tracing every muscle as if for the first time, before remembering her frustration from the night before.
Why hasn’t Max even told Safi, her best friend, that they’re together?
She pulls her hands away from Max’s body and sits up briefly, causing the alpha to gasp in surprise.
“Is something wrong?” she asks immediately, stopping her caresses and staring at her.
“Did you tell Moses and Safi that we’re together?”
Max falls silent and blushes with embarrassment as she pulls her hands completely away from Amanda. That’s answer enough.
The beta sighs, closing her eyes. “I’m not angry,” she begins, sensing the fear emanating from Max. “I’m just wondering why. I thought at least they would know.”
“It’s… it’s hard for me to tell people…” the alpha shakes her head, sighing. “I don’t know, I didn’t see the need—it’s too obvious that we’re together.”
"I agree," Amanda says, relaxing again. Max already knows this; she’s heard plenty of complaints about how fast rumors spread in Caledon. "But maybe… they need you to tell them."
Max considers it.
Amanda had recently introduced her to her friends in Lakeport, speaking with great pride about her and her work. It had been refreshing to simply be in each other’s company without pressure, letting things unfold naturally.
Since arriving in Caledon, after so many years of loneliness, she’s surrounded by people again and has friends once more. But even with her old friends, she never really talked about her love life.
Maybe Amanda is right, and she should take that first step, let her friends know about them.
Max smiles flirtatiously at her. “Have I ever told you that you’re smart?”
Amanda bites her lip. “I don’t think so. Would you mind reminding me?”
Max pulls her toward her to kiss her.
- -
Later that evening, when Max walks into Snapping Turtle to order her Cosmopolitan, she’s accompanied by Moses, who orders a beer.
They both stay at the bar, and Amanda can only shake her head in amusement as she overhears snippets of their conversation, which is pretty nerdy. Moses explains some astrology concepts that interest Max, and they exchange facts.
"So, before the scientific revolution, astrology and astronomy were intertwined," she hears Max repeat cautiously, followed by Moses’s humming in response. "And as science advanced, astronomy gradually separated from astrology."
Luckily, a customer approaches the bar, giving her a chance to step away from the conversation, because if she hears Max spouting more scientific facts, she won’t be able to hold back.
It’s pretty unfair that she’s so damn attractive just by talking.
"Where did you say Safi was?" Max asks, after finishing her second drink. Amanda can barely hear them, even though she’s straining to listen.
She just wants to make sure Max has really thought about what she told her.
"To be honest, I don’t know either," Moses sighs. "But between the two of us, I’m glad she didn’t come," he confesses, resignedly.
That’s new. Everyone knows Moses and Safi are an inseparable pair.
"Huh?" Max exclaims, caught off guard. "Are you two... fighting?"
"Sort of," the omega sighs again. "She's been pretty worried about your love life, and I've been trying to convince her to drop it."
Amanda nearly drops the glass she's holding in disbelief.
Max lets out a surprised gasp. “Really? That—that’s weird coming from her.”
“I think she senses you’re about to go into rut or something and wants to help you.”
Amanda raises an eyebrow at that.
"Oh," Max licks her lips, shifting slightly uneasily in her seat. "Well, it's sweet of her to worry about me, but I'll be fine."
"If you say so," Moses shrugs.
A few seconds pass in silence until Max sighs. "You know I'm not single, right?" she asks, and Moses nearly chokes on his drink.
Bingo.
Amanda smiles triumphantly, handing the drink to the customer.
"Huh?"
"I—well, I've been dating Amanda," Max gestures, "for a while now."
"I knew it!" Moses jumps up from his stool, pumping his fist in triumph. "Thanks, Max! Now I've got fifty bucks to spend."
"Fifty—? What the fuck? Did you guys bet on my love life?"
"In my defense, it was Safi's idea!"
"I don't believe it!"
They continue to bicker playfully for a few moments. Max threatens to throw her drink on Moses’s clothes, and Moses raises his hands, trying to swear his innocence.
At one point, Amanda tosses a fifty-dollar bill to Moses, and she and Max laugh at his surprised expression.
"What—?"
"Evening the odds," she winks at him. "And next time, let me know."
"Next time?" Max asks, offended.
"What? It's funny," Amanda leans against the bar, a teasing smile on her face. "Unless you want to mark your territory, Caulfield."
Max blinks, a little taken aback, before giving her a sidelong smile. "Who would've thought you'd want me to mark you?"
Amanda opens her mouth in surprise, blushing. Maybe… maybe she had thought about it a couple of times.
Moses groans from the side. “Is this the punishment I get for betting?”
“Oh, omega boy, what’s in store for you and Safi is worse. Trust me.”
Moses shudders.