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There weren’t a lot of things Lucy was truly certain of.
She’d learned early in life that things weren’t always what they seemed; she never thought she’d have to bid her mother goodbye in her childhood, but Lucy’s mom died when she was eight.
She thought her father loved her mother enough to never look for love again, yet he’d remarried.
She thought she’d never have her heart broken, but she got dumped a month and a half before high school prom.
Well, the third thing wasn’t nearly as bad as the first two. But still.
All in all, Lucy didn’t tend to have total, blind faith in things. She approached life with a breeze and easy energy and learned to adjust herself in front of the obstacles life presented to her, but she never relied on anything to carry her through.
However, there was one thing that over the years became almost like a universal law.
Lucy didn’t get sick.
Well, she probably did at some point in her life, but she couldn’t really remember the last time she had a cold.
It was practically an achievement of hers. When seasons changed, her brother Norm’s health system would go nuts– but Lucy was always fine.
He’d mutter at her with a stuffed nose and red eyes that one day he’d get his revenge on her, and Lucy would smile and jokingly taunt him that he sounded like Squidward.
However, in her third year of college, the balance of the universe had been disrupted.
Because two weeks before finals, her throat was getting itchy.
She felt it when she woke up on a Tuesday morning– there was an itchy, annoying feeling in the depths of her throat, drying it up so much that Lucy had to let out a hard cough before she even let out her usual first-groan-of-the-day that she’d let out when she fumbled to turn off her alarm.
She didn’t think much of it, though– it was normal for throats to get itchy, especially when the weather outside went wild and when she went to a concert a few days earlier and screamed on top of her lungs– so she got a cup of warm tea from the campus café, and went on to get her day started and meet her friends.
If only she knew how bad things were going to get.
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Maximus’ professor had a saying.
He’d always say; “Every photographer has his own special, favorite muse.”
He believed that photographers found their muses in many different ways, forms and places, believed that someone could turn a rock into a piece of art if they put their heart into it– but he’d always tell them that they each had a subject that no matter what, or how, or when they’d film that subject, it would have life and heart behind it.
Max’s muse, it’d appeared, might’ve been Lucy.
Ahead of submitting his final portfolio, Max was going over some of his latest works; he’d take pictures of many things, never really sticking to one subject area. Some photos he was proud of, and some he thought were so terrible he wanted to put them away forever.
But the pictures he’d take of Lucy were always flawless.
They’d just feel… right. Like he “captured the complete essence of the subject”, as his professor would put it.
He sorted through the photos, narrowing them to a couple he might put in the portfolio; there were a few from their trip to Mexico over winter break.
One of them was when he managed to catch a photo of Lucy as she got caught up in a street dance that broke out at their location. It was right as the dancer took her hand and spun her around, and he got the perfect shot of her that captured her face clearly– and her wide, bright smile.
There was another he took on one of their trips home, and Lucy joined his family for Thanksgiving; he showed her around his hometown, through the different locations and stores.
There, he managed to capture her as she went through the stores on the main street, and perked her head up to read all the different store signs. Her eyes were slightly widened and there was a soft smile on her lips– his professor literally squealed upon seeing the photo.
There were also a few from her birthday, his favorite one being as she held her two hands together, closed her eyes before the cake and silently made her wish. He managed to catch the very second her expression changed through the process of making that wish in her head, and her face softened so much that she looked like she might burst into tears.
And there were so many more– but Max couldn’t pick them all.
Either way, Lucy was his favorite subject to photograph.
His friends seemed to share his line of thought, but in a slightly different way.
“Notice how all of your favorite photos are of hers?” Thaddeus noted as they sat in the cafeteria together. Their other friend, Dane, sat in front of Max, while Max scrolled through the photos on his laptop next to Thaddeus.
“Yeah, well,” Max chuckled. “The camera loves her.”
Dane nodded while trying to hold back a grin.
“Right.” They said, their voice dripping with sarcasm. “The camera.”
Max gave Dane a look and rolled his eyes at Thaddeus’ smile, but chose to ignore them and keep scrolling through the photos.
Thaddeus and Dane would taunt him endlessly about his relationship with Lucy, and by that point Max was already used to the snarky remarks.
“I’ll have you know,” Max countered. “I have pictures of my parents here, too.”
Dane mock-gasped. “Oh, wow. For every five pictures of Lucy, you have one of your parents. What a son.”
“Okay, you know what?” Maximus said and closed his laptop. “Screw you both.”
Thaddeus’ smile only widened, and Dane nodded quickly.
“Amen to that.”
Max slid his laptop back to his bag and resumed drinking from his cup, before Dane frowned and added, “Speaking of Lucy, where is she? She’s usually here by now.”
“She wrote to me she’s grabbing a drink from the café before our class,” Thaddeus said, being the friend who also majored in education with her. “She should be here any moment.”
As if she’d been summoned, Lucy walked into the cafeteria.
Max’s eyes immediately went to her.
She was wearing a campus hoodie, had her hair braided with her bangs slightly covering her face, and held a campus café cup in her hand.
Her eyes met his, and she gave him a soft, small smile. He immediately matched her with a wider smile– which made Dane grin, and Thaddeus groaned.
Only when she reached their table and finally spoke to them, Maximus realized something was off.
“Hi there,” She said, her voice slightly hoarse. “What’s up?”
Huh.
Max’s look lingered on her face, and he frowned. She looked a bit pale, and her nose was slightly red.
“Hi. Are you feeling okay?” He said to her, and she gave him a confused smile.
“Me?” Lucy asked, “Of course. Why?”
“Your voice sounds a little weak. Are you sick?”
She sniffled before chuckling. “I’m not sick. I don’t get sick.”
Right…
“It’s just a side effect of screaming at that live-concert we went to.”
“That was five days ago,” Dane countered.
“And I screamed louder than you,” Thaddeus added, “And my voice is okay.”
Max opened his mouth, to suggest maybe she’d take some medicine– but she got ahead of him and shook her head.
“I’m fine. You know me, I’m as healthy as a bull.”
“The saying is, ‘As healthy as a horse’.” Thaddeus corrected, earning a slap on his arm from her.
“Don’t be an asshole and get up, we’re going to be late for class.” She said, then touched Thaddeus’ back to urge him to get up, but he shook his body and hurried to stand.
“Don’t wipe all your germ-hands on me.”
Dane grinned as Thaddeus put his backpack on his shoulder, but Max’s look stayed on Lucy.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She opened her mouth, probably ready to repeat the same answer, but softened upon seeing his gaze.
“I’m sure.” Lucy then reassured him, her voice soft but still a bit hoarse. “I’d tell you if I wasn’t.”
Max’s eyes lingered on her for a few more moments before he nodded at her and dropped it.
But, in case she didn’t, he quietly made Thaddeus promise to keep an eye on her in class.
Over the following days, it seemed like Lucy’s state only worsened.
Thaddeus reported to him that Lucy nearly fell asleep in their class recently, and that he had to watch her from actually falling asleep so the professor wouldn’t notice.
When Max managed to meet up with her for breakfast, she spent most of their meet-up coughing.
As healthy as a horse his ass.
He tried talking to her, convincing her she should see a doctor, but she kept insisting she was fine even though she clearly wasn’t.
The next time Maximus managed to see her was under the guise of “helping her with studying”– which wasn’t a complete lie, since he did often help her with studying for chemistry, so much that he almost knew the material himself.
He waited for Lucy in his dorm room while the sun started to set, but Lucy was late.
Another indicator to her well-being, because Lucy was almost never late.
Maximus spent his time waiting for her by going through his photos again and trying to decide between a photo of his mother baking in the kitchen and laughing at something his father said, and a photo of his father in his little lab– when a soft knock was heard on his door.
Max jumped up to open the door, and the sight he was met with was even worse than the last one.
He didn’t think it was possible, but somehow Lucy looked even paler.
Her flushed cheeks were bright against her skin, her eyes looked exhausted and her nose was redder.
And her eyes were closed when he opened the door, like she tried to catch a nap while standing and waiting for him to open.
Jesus christ.
“Hi!” Lucy chirped, or at least tried, because it died down in her throat. She let out a small cough into her palm before looking over to him and holding up her backpack. “So, chemistry?”
He opened up the door for her and let her in, trying to wrap his head around her physical state.
It frustrated him so much.
Why was she so stubborn? Why didn’t she let him help?
When he first met her, Maximus struggled with Lucy’s inability to admit when she was struggling. Whether she was stressed about an upcoming test, bothered by a phone call she had with her dad, Lucy would shove it all down and make her way through with a breeze and an “okie-dokie!” kind of attitude.
Thaddeus joked she was like a cartoon character, but Max wondered what could happen when everything she bottled up would burst.
Slowly, he helped Lucy understand she could turn to him at time of need. Helped her learn to open up about her struggles, and speak up when she did need help. And over the last three years, she has made amazing progress.
So why was she acting like this?
He helped her over to his bed with his hand resting on her lower back– he felt a chill pass through her, another side-effect of her growing fever.
She flopped down on his bed with a chuckle, “You don’t need to help me sit.”
“I don’t know,” Max said, lowering himself to sit on his chair, his eyes remaining on her as she unpacked her bag. “You look like you’re going to pass out.”
“Gee, thanks.”
He let out a deep sigh and shook his head. “You know that’s not what I meant. Lucy, you can’t take finals like this. You need to talk to your professors.”
She shook her head immediately like it was pointless, and then she sniffled.
“My professor’s kind of an asshole, it’ll only give me a bigger headache. But really, I’m fine– It’s just a little side-effect from the weather, and I’ve been taking a pill. I’ll be fine.”
Max’s frown deepened. “Looks like that pill isn’t exactly working.”
“Maxxx,” she wailed, but it only sounded worse with her sore throat and was followed by a series of loud coughs. She hurried to bury her face in her arm while Max tried to look for a water bottle to give to her.
By the time he grabbed her bottle, she stopped coughing. He gave her the bottle anyway.
“Thanks.” Lucy said quietly, taking the bottle and sipping from it slowly.
Max watched her, thinking. Worrying.
Worrying so much he thought he was going to explode.
“Can we just study?” She said eventually. “Please?”
Unfortunately for him– and fortunately for her– he could hardly resist her. So, he ended up deciding that if she’s already not going to rest, he might as well help her.
They studied for about an hour, and if anything it proved to Max how right he was.
Throughout their study session, Lucy would often mumble her answers instead of speaking them clearly, and she’d zone out, blink a lot, and was clearly very much in no condition for a study session.
Once they were done and Max turned to tidy his bed and desk, she laid back on his bed with a loud groan.
He softened when he saw her, and stood up from his chair to come and sit in the small space next to her on the bed.
Gently, he tugged a piece of her hair behind her ear and kept his hand on her face, lightly pressing his hand against her cheeks and forehead, which were burning.
“Jesus, Lucy,” he mumbled. “You’re burning up.”
Max moved her gently to rest her head in his lap and stroked her hair.
“Mmm,” she mumbled quietly. “You feel so nice.”
That made him smile. “Do I?”
“Aha.” She said, cuddling into him further.
He didn’t let go.
They must’ve sat like that for an hour or so, before Max actually stood up and took Lucy with him– she was well asleep by that point, so he scooped her into his arms and walked with her to her dorms.
All the way over there, he held onto her tight as if she was some precious treasure.
In a way, she was.
He always thought she was one of a kind– her endless optimism and her bright smile helped him pull through hard days, and helped him realize the kind of person he wanted to be. She made him feel comfortable, made him feel accepted, and he’d always be grateful to her for that.
Max couldn’t help but smile when he reached her dorm and lowered her to the bed. He put her backpack on the floor quietly, then slowly took off her shoes.
“Mmm.” He heard her sigh, and he leaned forward to look at her face.
“Good night, Lucy.” He said quietly, not sure whether she even heard him or not.
He fought the urge to plant a small kiss on her forehead, but fought against it. He ended up only tucking a portion of her hair behind her ear and stroking it for a few moments, which made her stir a little but luckily she didn’t wake up.
With a smile, and a silent promise to continue to be the person who takes care of her, Maximus stepped out of the room.
The following day, Maximus made his way over to Lucy’s room with Thaddeus and a container with his mother’s famous chicken noodle soup that he drove out to get from her before classes.
It was midday and both Max and Thaddeus finished their classes (which Lucy opted out of her shared class with Thaddeus, part of the reason they went to check on her). Thaddeus was in the midst of telling Maximus some childhood story.
“And then, my mother just shoved that spoon inside my mouth and– voila!” Thaddeus called, “I was cured. To this day I don’t know what she gave me.”
Max’s eyes followed the room numbers, tracking all the way to Lucy’s. “Maybe it was drugs.” He joked, and Thaddeus shrugged like it was an actual possibility.
“Maybe.”
Finally, her room.
He stepped forward quietly and brought his hand up to the door before knocking lightly.
“Lucy?” He called.
Nothing.
He tried knocking again, but there was still no response.
“Maybe she actually took herself to the doctor?” Thaddeus suggested.
But Max’s hand already found the handle, and he pushed it down lightly. It opened.
He exchanged glances with Thaddeus before stepping in, and was not prepared for what he entered.
The room was boiling.
And Lucy was laying flat on her stomach with a soaked shirt.
“Oh my god–” Max breathed out, hurrying to put down the bag with the soup and to kneel next to Lucy’s bed. Her eyes were slightly open, and she looked at him with a glassy look in her eyes.
“The AC is like, sauna temperatures.” Thaddeus said, checking the screen.
“Turn it off.” Maximus called urgently, and Thaddeus hurried to do so. He felt like he could exhale when Thaddeus opened up the window, and cold air came in.
When he finally breathed, Max noticed two things; one, Lucy was no longer in the clothes she wore the night before, but was wearing a simple white shirt which was now soaked with sweat.
And second, she had a chemistry textbook laying right next to her.
“I felt a little better,” he heard her groan. “And I tried to study, but then I started getting really cold and I must’ve turned the heater on–”
Thaddeus, who just took a look at the scene in front of him and the chemistry book, widened his eyes.
“Holy shit, Lucy. You look like your last words might actually be ‘mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell’.”
“That’s biology–” Max corrected, and then shook his head. “Nevermind. You know what, Thad? I got this.”
“Yeah?” His friend asked, and he nodded.
“Yeah. I’ll talk to you later.”
Thaddeus nodded and then looked over to Lucy, “Feel better, Goosey.”
He made his way over to the door, and then left the room.
Lucy looked up at Maximus, her big eyes widened and dark with exhaustion.
She looked bad.
“Oh, Lucy…” he sighed, running his hand over her damp hair.
He sighed and mumbled “C’mere” before moving his hands down and under her armpits. Then, he pushed her up to sit.
Lucy let out a loud groan and immediately crashed against his chest, burying his face into his neck. He leaned his head back against hers before wrapping his arms around her.
“I feel awful,” She wailed. “I feel really, really bad.”
“I know.” Max said softly, his hand running up and down Lucy’s back. “How about we get you out of shirt first, huh?”
He felt her nod. “That’s a good idea.”
Slowly, Max moved his hands to the hem of her shirt and attempted to push it up. She moved away from his chest so he could actually take off her shirt, but her shoulders and arms were slumped.
“Arms up.” He commanded softly, and she groaned before moving her arms up slightly.
Max smiled at her. “Good girl.”
He eventually managed to slide the shirt off, leaving her only in her bra. Then, he turned over to her clothes, and started looking through them.
“Are you cold or warm right now?”
“Cold.” Lucy mumbled, hugging herself as cold air came through the window. Max nodded, quickly grabbing the first sweater he saw; an oversized campus sweater that he suspected might’ve been his, because it was awfully similar to the one he’d lost too and way too big for Lucy– but that wasn’t important at the moment.
“There,” he said, approaching her and rushing to put the sweater on her before more wind blew in. This time she was more cooperative, and he got it done faster.
“Look at you.” Max smiled when Lucy was finally dressed, and moved his hand to caress her cheek. “Good as new.”
She gave him a look. “Yeah, right. Look at me, I’m gross.”
“You’re sick, it’s okay.” He said, closing the window before coming to sit next to her. She shivered slightly and hugged her blanket around her.
“And,” he added. “You could never be gross.”
She let out a weak chuckle. “Even when I’m lying in my own sweat?”
“Even then.”
Lucy’s gaze stayed on him and softened before she let out a few loud coughs into her palm and tightened the blanket around her body.
“This is embarrassing.” She mumbled.
“Because you’re sick?” Max asked, and Lucy shook her head.
“You’ve never really seen me like this before.”
And he hasn’t; he’s seen her sad, anxious, happy, angry– but never so vulnerable.
“Well,” Max tried. “You’ve seen me like this. So now we’re even.”
“Yeah, I remember.” She mumbled before she stretched her lips into a weak smile, “You were adorable.”
He laughed. “You and I have very different definitions of adorable, then.”
Her weak smile lingered on for a few more moments before she coughed, and Max softened.
“That reminds me, I have a surprise for you.”
Lucy frowned as he leaned down and grabbed the container with the soup.
“All the way from my mom,” he said with a smile. “Chicken noodle soup.”
Something in Lucy shifted almost immediately. Her tired eyes gleamed.
“You know how much I love that soup.” Lucy breathed out, almost in disbelief. “You had her drive here for this?”
“Ah, not really– I drove there.” It was a drive of a little over an hour, so he got it done early in the morning before class and also managed to catch up with his parents.
Lucy didn’t move her eyes from him as he opened the container, which immediately flooded in a cloud of warmth. It made Lucy smile a little.
“You’re the best.” She said, reaching her shaky hands out for the soup, but Max shook his head.
“Nope. I’m spoon-feeding you.”
She glared. “You can’t be serious.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” He said, with an authoritative tone he wasn’t used to, but he was done compromising when it came to her health. “Open your mouth.”
Lucy kept glaring at him, but eventually she pouted, muttered ‘gosh, damn it’, and opened her mouth.
Max smiled victoriously as he scooped a bit of soup into the spoon and gently fed it to Lucy. She let out a weak satisfied groan as soon as it hit her mouth.
They continued to do this for a few more minutes; Max gently guiding the spoon to Lucy’s mouth, and Lucy eating the soup gleefully.
Then, she stopped for a moment and wiped her mouth.
“Norm can’t know about this. Ever.” She said, her voice slightly nasally the way her brother’s was when she taunted him about sounding like Squidward.
“Yeah,” Max chuckled. “He’d never let you live this down.”
Lucy gave him a tired smile before tightening the blanket around her as a shiver passed through her.
“Gosh, this sucks so much.” She mumbled, then sniffled. “I want to go home.”
Max instantly softened.
He knew Lucy’s home life was a bit complicated; her relationship with her dad had been rough when she decided she would not take over his business company and that she wanted to be a teacher, and it worsened when her dad remarried. Although at some point their relationship stabilized, Lucy still spent a lot of weekends at her dorms instead of going back home like Max did.
“You do?” He asked, and she nodded.
“Well, I want to go back to my bed the most. And I kind of miss my brother,” she said, and then added with the smallest of smiles, “But don’t tell him that.”
“I won’t.” Max chuckled.
Lucy’s smile lingered for a moment longer before she shuddered and closed her eyes, and Max shifted.
“More soup?” He asked, and Lucy kept her eyes closed for a few moments longer. Then, she nodded and he brought the soup back up.
“Here comes the airplane…” Max sing-songed as he moved the spoon towards her, and Lucy rolled her eyes– but took the bite nonetheless.
They did this for a few more minutes before Lucy shuddered again and moved away.
“I’m so cold,” she mumbled. “Jesus–”
“I’m sorry, Luce.” Maximus said quietly as he lowered the soup and put his hand on her knee.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, you’re already doing so much for me.” Lucy told him, and moved her hand to hold his. When she did, a chill went through him.
He wondered if it was because her touch was cold, or because of the fact that it was her touch.
“God…” she breathed out, her grip tightening around his hand, “You’re so warm…”
“Am I?” He said, and moved closer to her. “Is it helping?”
Before she could say anything, he moved from sitting in front of her to sitting beside her, pulling her to his side.
Now that she was closer, Max felt how cold she was even more.
Her upper body was trembling, and he could hear her closer to his ear as she let out small, shaky breaths.
At that point, Max didn’t care about convincing Lucy to let go of studying for finals– he cared that she’d be okay.
“There we go,” Max murmured, letting go of her hand to hug her closer and move his hand up and down her arm to give her more warmth. “I got you.”
“Ah, that’s… that’s good…” Lucy murmured, her shoulders relaxing as she leaned in.
“Let’s lay down, okay?” He said to her, his voice soft as he kicked off his shoes quietly, but then he felt Lucy shaking her head against him.
“You keep sitting with me like this and you’ll get sick. Just turn on the heating.”
“Body warmth is better,” Max replied, already moving to lie down and trying to pull her down with him. “And even if I do get sick, it’ll only kick in after finals, so I’ll be okay. Come on.”
She tried to resist, but she was too tired and sick to actually fight him off, and ended up sinking beside him on the mattress.
Max hugged her to him immediately, and they laid there while cuddling to one another.
It wasn’t anything unusual, they’d done this before– cuddling, laying next to each other on the same bed.
It never meant anything other than what it was, which was just two best friends cuddling to one another in a totally platonic way, but it still stirred a storm inside of Maximus the way it did every time they did it.
He felt her hair against his face– it was soft, and it smelled great, even though he wasn’t quite sure when Lucy last washed her hair due to the fever. It still felt nice.
“I guess being sick has its perks.” Lucy suddenly mumbled, and Max chuckled.
“Cuddling me makes being sick worth it?”
“It sure feels nice.” She said, turning her head to him slightly. Her eyes still looked very tired, but her lips tugged upwards.
When Max only smiled at her, she turned her head back and cuddled further onto him. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”
“Funny you say that,” Max said, his head leaning against hers. “Because I thought the same thing about you. From the day I first met you.”
He heard Lucy let out a small gasp, but that might’ve been just from the cold and struggling to breathe.
“Do you remember the day we first met?” She asked, and he chuckled.
“How could I not? I’ve never had someone talk to me so much upon first meeting.”
They met in their first year of college, at the freshman orientation. It was led by a few overly-enthusiastic people that insisted they were there to help the freshman and guide them through their first few days, but they honestly just kind of freaked Max out.
Then, they did the worst thing they possibly could by suggesting Maximus would come on up and introduce himself.
He remembered nerves taking all over him– introducing himself? He didn’t know any of these people and most likely wouldn’t stay in touch with most of them after the orientation.
But the girl next to him stood up and came to his rescue, offering to volunteer first while giving him a smile.
And that was his first impression of Lucy.
Afterwards, she approached him when they all walked away.
She’d asked him a few questions following his introduction (because after Lucy went up, he did introduce himself), like about his major, his hometown and a few more basic questions.
“You should have my number.” Lucy said when it was their time to depart. “If you feel like you need someone to volunteer in your place again, hit me up.”
From that day on they started getting to know each other, until they became inseparable.
Through Lucy he also met Thaddeus, who majored with her, and Dane, who she met at a party.
Needless to say, Max had no idea how his life would’ve looked had Lucy not entered them.
He didn’t want to know, either.
“Yeah,” he heard Lucy chuckle softly, which snapped him back to focus. “I just thought you seemed lost and wanted to help you out.”
“I was lost.” Max said, his lips hovering next to the top of Lucy’s head– and he thought he could burst from how much he wanted to do it sometime; to give her that forehead kiss. To kiss her at the top of her head.
She kissed him on the cheek sometimes, so it shouldn’t have been a big deal.
But he felt it was more of a boyfriend activity, and even if Max wanted to be, he’d probably never be Lucy’s boyfriend.
The friendship between them was too important, too pure to ever risk ruining it with a chance of romance. So whenever he thought of it, he tried pushing the thoughts away.
But sometimes they crept up on him, like in that moment, where they were cuddling up in her bed and Max held her as if it meant anything bigger.
“I’d be so lost without you,” Lucy mumbled, and then she yawned. Through her yawn, he heard her say, “You have no idea just how much.”
His chest clenched at that.
She’d say stuff like this to him from time to time, but this time it felt different. Like Lucy was too tired to fully hold herself back, and was going to say something she might regret.
“Really?” Max said to her with a quiet voice. “Tell me, then.”
He was met with complete silence, and leaned over to check on Lucy.
Her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open as she pressed her head to the mattress– she was out.
Max hesitated for a few moments, debating whether he should, before he leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head.
He’d never have the real thing with her, but her friendship was enough.
He just wished sometimes it could be more.
══════════════
Over the last few days, Lucy felt like the world came crashing down on her.
It was as if all the years she’d managed to not get a cold caught up to her, because it hit her like a train– she wondered if Norm had finally managed to get his revenge on her and put a curse on her for all her taunts and jokes over the years, or maybe the universe was just straight up cruel.
And it was ahead of finals week - which made it even worse.
Her light through all the darkness, however, was of course Max.
Her fever reached its peak when he found her half-conscious, sweating out of every part of her body and barely able to move.
She thought Max would be grossed out– because even though she had seen him sick, and he’s seen her in similar situations, like the times he’d help her when she woke up hungover from a party, it was still gross– but Max didn’t care.
He didn’t care so much that he ended up cuddling her.
Ever since that day, he wouldn’t leave her side. He continued to take care of her, check-up on her during the day, bring her warm stuff to eat and get her medicine.
Simultaneously, he also helped Lucy prepare for her chemistry final as soon as her health stabilized. He must’ve realized she was still going to push through and take the finals, and sat with her for whole days to help her study.
Lucy would’ve been so unbelievably screwed without him.
It was now two days before finals, and Lucy made her way to education class. She was mostly strong in anything related to her major, so she wasn’t too concerned about the upcoming test.
She entered the classroom where everyone was mostly seated, and took her usual place next to Thaddeus, who immediately lit up.
“Yo, Lightning Maclean,” Thaddeus called out, and Lucy couldn’t help but laugh.
“What?”
“I’m trying a new nickname. Anyway, it’s good to see you in class.” Her friend smiled at her, “Or should I say– to see you in class when you’re not in a zombie-like state.”
“Yeah, it’s good to be back.” She told him, leaning back in her seat.
The professor walked in and started talking, and after a few minutes Thaddeus leaned in to her and whispered, “So, you’re ready for finals week?”
“Sure am.” Lucy chirped, and then added with a smile, “Though none of it would have been possible without Max.”
Thaddeus chuckled. “Yeah, he told me he’s been sitting with you for days.”
“He’s been amazing– and he didn’t have to do all of that, you know? He’s got his own major stuff.”
“Indeed he does.” Her friend nodded, “Is he done with his portfolio yet?”
Lucy frowned; Max told her that his portfolio, part of his final project for Photography class, was already done and set up.
She knew how long that usually takes him, how much thought he puts into putting the portfolio together. She even asked him about it as he helped her study, but…
“But… but he told me he had it covered,” Lucy stammered. “I thought it meant he was finished with it–”
Unfortunately, Thaddeus shook his head. “Last I checked, he was still working on it. Maybe he told me that as a lie.”
“Why would he lie to you about it?” She whispered, “It’s more likely he’d lie to me about it being done–”
Max lied to her about finishing his work so she’d let him help.
He prioritized her own studying over his.
It made her chest clench.
“Maclean.” The professor called out, and everyone turned to look. She immediately felt her cheeks heat up and sank a little in her seat.
“Sorry, professor.”
She spent the rest of the class half-listening to the professor, half-thinking about Maximus.
When class was done, she texted him– he replied that he was in his room, and Lucy immediately took off.
“Don’t go too hard on him!” Thaddeus called out after her, “He only wanted to help!”
But she wasn’t angry.
As she made her way to Max’s room, Lucy felt her head reeling.
She’d known Maximus for three years, and they’ve been close friends for almost the entire time. She’d often hear people talk about “friendships between men and women”, the likelihood of a relationship developing.
And Lucy didn’t try lying to herself– from the beginning, she thought Max was attractive.
She even thought of hooking up with him before they ever became friends. But, as their friendship developed and grew stronger, Lucy started noticing things.
The way he’d hug her, and she’d suddenly feel all wobbly and weak.
The way she’d sit next to him and smell his cologne, and her stomach would do somersaults.
The way he’d smile, or laugh, or even the way he looked when he was taking pictures with his camera - and Lucy would feel like she could stare at him forever.
But she never paid any mind to any of those things or feelings, because she figured it was only physical.
She thought that because she used to think of hooking up with him, that’s all it was. A physical attraction sitting in the back of her mind and raising its head in those moments.
But then she thought about the past week; Max looking after her, Max helping her study, Max taking care of her, Max cuddling her, Max never leaving her side as her health stabilized.
He did all those things for her, all while neglecting himself in her favor.
No one’s ever done this for her.
And now, as she thought of all of those things, her stomach flipped and twisted, Lucy felt no sexual urges towards him for it.
She just wanted him.
And there it was, hitting her like a train.
She liked Max.
She wanted the cuddling, wanted for them to be able to look out and care for each other even more.
She wanted his support, and wanted to support him back.
To make him laugh, to make him smile, to make him feel loved.
She wanted to be with him.
And so, by the time Lucy made it to Max’s room, she felt so many emotions that they ended up exploding in the form of her swinging the door open.
Max was sitting in his chair, his legs up on his desk and his laptop propped up on his knees as he twirled a pen between his fingers. At Lucy’s entrance, he jumped.
“Jesus–” he breathed out, holding his laptop with one arm as it slipped and hurrying to put it back on the desk with a chuckle. “You scared the crap out of me, Luce.”
Lucy grimaced. “Sorry. Can we talk?”
“Of course.” Max said immediately, closing his laptop. “What’s wrong?”
It was right there, on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t say it just yet.
Instead, she said, “Is your portfolio actually done?”
His mouth dropped slightly and he stared at her, realizing he’d been caught.
“I– yes, I told you it was.”
“Yeah, you told me,” she said, her voice slightly shaking, “Because you knew I wouldn’t let you help me if I knew you didn’t finish your own work. Why would you do that?”
“You were sick and I wanted to help you– and you’re my friend” he frowned, not realizing where it was all coming from. “Lucy–”
“Thaddeus is my friend, Dane is my friend. I don’t know if either of them would have basically sacrificed their own final project for my sake.” Lucy countered. “Max, do you like me?”
Max stared at her, his big, brown eyes softening in a way that always made Lucy feel a little weak. Now she knew why.
And then, before he could say anything else– and before she’d ever regret it, she blurted out;
“Because I think I like you. I think I really, really like you.”
Silence.
He kept staring at her, and his eyes widened even more. His mouth slightly dropped, and he didn’t say anything.
Which was horrible.
Horrifying.
Lucy felt her heart thumping in her ears as she held her breath, with each moment that went by where Max was silent, she felt her heart beating faster and faster.
Eventually, after a silence that felt like forever, Lucy just waved off her hand;
“Nevermind, forget I said anything–”
Just as she turned to walk away, she finally heard him speak.
“Lucy, of course I like you.”
Oh.
His eyes were now soft, a small smile tugging at his lips as he looked at her.
“I mean, are you kidding?” He chuckled, still smiling. “I’ve liked you for three years.”
At his smile, Lucy felt herself calm down. Her shoulders relaxed, and she managed to give him a small smile of her own.
“You have?”
“Yeah.” Max said, and then laughed, “And now I’m really angry with you, because I’ve been tortured for so long now, and now you come in and say this–”
Lucy’s smile widened. “Well, not everyone processes their emotions like you! Mister my-family-is-emotionally-stable and–”
But she didn’t get to finish the sentence, because soon enough - Max pressed his lips against hers.
The words died in her throat as she softened against his lips and kissed him back.
He lifted his hand up to hold her cheek while his fingers slipped into her hair, resting on the back of her head.
Lucy pushed herself into him, kissing him harder, wanting him more than ever. She couldn’t believe she’d been missing out on the perfect person for her, who was right there all along.
And who was a pretty damn good kisser, too.
They continued to kiss deeper and harder, with Max’s hand laying on her waist as hers rested on his neck, and Lucy wasn’t sure for how long they’d been kissing– but it felt really, really good.
Eventually, Max broke off the kiss, tilting his head backward slightly as he leaned his forehead against hers and smiled.
“Thank you,” he said to her quietly. “I thought I was going to wait out here forever.”
She stepped back and gave him a punch to the shoulder, which made him laugh harder. Then, she rolled her eyes and gave him a kiss on his cheek before nudging him towards the chair.
“We can kiss later all you want, but now we need to choose photos for your portfolio. Sit.”
He sat down obediently, and before Lucy could do anything, he grabbed her by the waist and moved her to sit down in his lap.
“Hmm, someone’s brave today.” Lucy murmured, smiling at him. He smiled right back at her.
“What can I say? I’ve got what I wanted.”
They continued to kiss for much longer before actually working on his portfolio.
“You are a piece of shit!”
“Oh, yeah? I’m not the one who just cheated!”
“You know what? I’m done. I’m leaving, and I’m taking Dane with me.”
Dane pushed against Lucy who reached out to drag him, and forced her to sit back down. “I think we got a little carried away with Monopoly.”
Thaddeus laughed as Maximus smiled and slid over to Lucy a fake Monopoly bill with a sigh.
“Here, there you go.” He said, defeated. “I hope you’re happy.”
“That’s my man.” Lucy said with a smirk as she took the bill and put it on her stack, “And don’t forget, I’m always right.”
Maximus sipped from his wine and smirked at her as the game went on.
It was now weeks after finals, and they were all on their break.
As for their actual finals? The results for the tests weren’t late to arrive, and they weren’t all that surprising, either.
Lucy aced both of her final tests– and of course made sure to give some credit to Maximus, who dedicated himself to help her study for chemistry.
Max’s portfolio– which was eventually assembled in time, in collaboration with Lucy– was well-received by his professor, with the highest grade in class.
And now they both could relax, until their upcoming trip to Japan in a week.
Which was also their first trip as a couple.
Lucy still couldn’t quite believe it; her parents would invite them to dinner, and his mother would gush over her being the perfect girlfriend for Max and how happy she was that finally Max gathered some courage to make a move.
He’d stay overnight with her at her father’s place, and they’d lay together in her bedroom and kiss each other until Lucy could feel nothing but his lips.
He took her on dates, drove around with her, held her, and treated her better than any man ever would.
She couldn’t be happier.
Suddenly, at some point through their game, additional footsteps were heard walking down the stairs, followed by a loud sniffling.
“Norm!” Thaddeus called out, “What’s up man?”
Lucy’s brother was walking down the stairs with a piece of tissue in his hand and his other hand holding the blanket closer to him. “What do you think?”
“Dude, how are you getting sick so much?” Dane asked, and Norm sighed.
“Seasonal allergies.” He said in a nasaly voice, and then blew his nose into the tissue as he made his way into the kitchen. “Lucy, where are the teabags?”
She almost teased him like she always would when he was sick, but Max gave her a look and she sighed.
“I’ll make you a cup, go back to your room.” Lucy said as she put down her wine glass and stood up, making her way into the kitchen.
Norm nodded and turned back. “Thanks.”
Soon he was back in his room, and Lucy was already making him his tea when Max stepped up behind her. His arms hugged her waist as he buried his face in her shoulder.
“Stop,” she laughed. “You’re distracting me.”
“From the arts of making a cup of tea?”
“Yes. It’s very demanding.”
Lucy turned around to give him a glare, but his smile only widened.
“What?” She said, smirking. “What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing.” He said, giving her a kiss on the lips before taking a step back. “I just can’t wait for next week.”
“Max!!” Thaddeus called out from the living room, “If you don’t come soon, I’m buying all your houses.”
“Shit–” Max’s eyes widened in horror, and Lucy giggled as he turned and walked away.
Once she was done with Norm’s tea, she made her way upstairs and entered his room.
“There,” she said softly, and put the mug down on his desk.
Norm managed to give her a little smile. “Thanks, Luce.”
“Of course.”
He stopped with the mug half-way to his mouth and frowned at her. “What’s wrong? You’re usually way meaner when I’m sick.”
Well. “Maybe I’ve decided to be nicer.”
“Sure.”
Lucy giggled, and then leaned against the doorframe before giving him a smile. “Either way, cheer up, Normie. Sometimes there could be great outcomes from being sick.”
Not that he’d ever know about Lucy’s– she wasn’t planning on telling him just how bad it was for her any time soon.
“...Okay, this is worse than when you’re mean, now you’re just mocking me. Get out.”
She lingered by the doorway for a few more moments before giving him a soft smile, “Okay. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks.”
She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her, then made her way downstairs to join her friends.
“Is he okay?” Max asked, wrapping his arm around her as soon as she sat down.
“He will be,” Lucy said, pursing her lips. “I guess I got lucky– I would’ve never imagined getting sick would’ve led me to you.”
Max’s smile widened and he pressed his lips against hers, which made their two friends immediately groan loudly.
“Just play already.” Thaddeus called.
They continued to play, and eventually Max did move his arm away from Lucy, but they stayed close to each other– and didn’t skip on smiling at each other and cheering for one another when they won.
Later that night, when they all had too much to drink– except for Max, who was the designated sober driver– Lucy watched as Max helped Thaddeus and Dane to his car.
“You’re going to be okay with these two?” She said, making her way towards him when closed the back door.
“Ah, I just hope Thaddeus won’t throw up in my backseat again,” Max chuckled. “Took me ages to clean that up last time.”
Lucy smiled. “You’re a good person.”
She put her hands on his shoulders and moved her head to kiss him again, though this time their kiss lingered on for a bit too long.
Lucy never imagined she could be so in love.
“Guys!” Thaddeus called out from the backseat, “I feel the alcohol stirring in my stomach, and it might not stay there for much longer!”
Max moved his lips away from Lucy’s, but didn’t move away. He leaned his forehead against Lucy’s and sighed. “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck, my love.”
His lips stretched out to a wide smile and his eyes lit up. “‘My love’? That’s new.”
Lucy smirked. “Do you like it? I’m trying out something new.”
“I love everything that comes out of your mouth.”
God.
“Okay, you keep talking like that, and I’ll have to keep you here for the rest of the night. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay,” he smiled, giving her one last kiss before he walked away and opened the driver’s door of his car. “Good night, Luce.”
“Good night, Max.”
She watched as he turned on the engine and started driving away, and stayed out until his car slowly disappeared out of her sight into the right corner of the street.
When she entered the house, she closed the door and then leaned back against it, her lips stretched out into a smile in a way she never thought they would.
Lucy wasn’t sure how she got so lucky - but she sure as hell wasn’t going to complain.
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