Figuring it out

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/36542662.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandoms: Sam & Max (Video Games), The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance
Police (Cartoon), Sam & Max (Comics)
Relationship: Max/Sam (Sam & Max)
Characters: Max (Sam & Max), Sam (Sam & Max)
Additional Tags: References to 305, post 305, Getting Together, First Kiss, Love
Confessions, Not Actually Unrequited Love, 305 spoilers, Mutual
Pining, Idiots in Love, idiots to usdiots, Emotional Hurt/Comfort,
Bisexual Sam, Gay Max, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-01-20 Completed: 2022-02-15 Words: 21,371 Chapters:
16/16
 Figuring it out
by submechanophobia

Summary

Its been a good few months since the "incident". But it's fine now. Max is back, they're
together again, and everything is perfectly back to normal.

Except for the fact it isn't.

Since Max has gotten back, Sam has had a realisation that he may or may not have feelings
for a specific rabbit. Max meanwhile is unaware his lifelong crush on his best friend is now
reciprocated.

They'll figure it out eventually.

Notes

First long form fic let's f*cking GOOOO.

 Old feelings, new timeline

Max sat in the office, the artificial glow of the old TV and the street lamps outside being the
only sources of light in the room.

He flicked through channels aimlessly old movies and crummy TV shows flashed on screen.

Eventually he admitted defeat, flicking to a channel showing a rerun of some old TV show.
He threw the remote across the cushions and lay down, resting his head on the arm of the
sofa with the television now sideways in his vision.

How long had Sam been gone now? It'd been a while at least. He'd left earlier that evening,
briefly ruffling the fur on Max's head and telling him not to wait up.

Leaving for his date.

Max was sick of Sam going on stupid goddamn dates.

Sam had gone on who knows how many dates recently, Max not bothering to keep count at
this point. Their frequency had only started ramping up however, with Sam already having
gone on three this month.

With Sam going on more dates, Max was being left alone more in the office, always ending
up missing Sam.

Could he really not handle a few nights by himself?

His dates always went the same, he'd disappear for an evening, telling Max not to wait up,
then reappear late, looking miserable. "They didn't click" "didn't feel right" etc. were the only
responses Sam had when pressed.

Honestly, an odd part of him wished that Sam would have a successful date and maybe even
get a girlfriend.

At least then he wouldn't have to go through the constant agony of seeing Sam go on date
after date, wondering if maybe he might want to go on one with-

Max cringed in internally as that last thought popped into his head.

Max curled up on the sofa, trying to think of anything but his jealously bubbling in his gut
right now.

He already knew the answer.

But it didn't make it sting any less.

Max turned to stare up at the ceiling of their old office as if it would hold something that
would distract him. All that he was met with however was bullet holes, water stains and that
one knife that'd gotten stuck up there a month ago and hadn't fallen down yet.

It didn't help that when Sam actually was around recently he always seemed so distant.

The television continued to hum in the background, the current show ending and the credits
rolling as Max's attempts to stop his mind from wandering failed.

He knew for a fact Sam didn't see him like that. And that was fine. Sam had every right to
date whoever he wanted to. That didn't stop Max from feeling jealously squirm through him
every time though.

Dealing with his feelings for Sam was nothing new. It'd been hovering around his thoughts
about Sam for as long as he could remember, the line between best friend and "crush"
blurring long ago.

He didn't even remember when it started, maybe he'd always felt that way. He'd always felt
something odd around Sam, it was probably around high school though when he'd finally put
it together.

Sam had just gotten his first girlfriend, what was her name. Susie? Susan? Max couldn't
recall, honestly the relationship didn't last that long anyway.

What he did recall was the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when Sam had told him,
and the realisation that'd dawned on him when he got home that night.

He was in love with his best friend.

He'd never said anything of course. As far as Max was concerned, having Sam in his life as
his best friend was worth more than the risk of admitting his feelings and potentially
changing his and Sam's relationship for the worse, or even losing him entirely.

Besides, Max attempted to reason to make himself feel better, Sam was too good for him.
Sam was smart for a start, unlike him he actually had at least two braincells to rub together.
He was kind, always looking out for people he cared about, including Max. Especially Max.
Not to mention a million other qualities Max couldn't be bothered to list or he'd be there until
he was eighty.

Also Sam was hot.

When it came to him however, while he considered himself a looker (he knew what he had)
in comparison Sam he was...well him. He was proud of his penchant for violence but he
knew he wasn't the easiest to get along with sometimes. He knew he could be loud, annoying,
reckless, stupid and all the other things Sam would always tell him off for saying about
himself if Sam thought he meant it.

𝘞𝘰𝘸, 𝘥𝘶𝘮𝘣 𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩. 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘺
𝘚𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶.

Max saw a cockroach skittering across the ceiling, reaching to grab his luger and shooting at
it to try and distract from his train of thought. Shots rang out throughout the room as he
added fresh bullet holes to the ceiling.

He huffed as the cockroach scuttled into one of the newly created holes before Max could
zero in on it, annoyed at both missing his shot and losing his distraction.

He'd tried a million ways to deal with it in the past. Denial, ignoring it, trying to find
someone else. A lot of trying to find someone else actually. He'd fucked some real assholes in
college. In the end though, his feelings for Sam always reined supreme, even after this long.

Max physically cringed at the realisation of just how long it'd been, covering his eyes with
his hands.

God he was pathetic.

In his defence, it was Sam's fault for being so gorgeous and kind and funny and handsome
and sweet and all the other things Max desperately tried not to think about.

And so, Max was stuck in the middle. He'd found the easiest way to deal with it was to
agknowledge his feelings and move on, simply being content with having Sam in his life at
all. And it worked. At least, usually.

Recently though everything had gotten worse.

Sam had been putting distance between them. Likely unnoticeable to anyone who wasn't
Max, but to him it was clear as crystal. The way Sam seemed less touchy, petted him less,
tolerated touch but never seemed to return it. He'd been spending less time with Max too,
going out to run errands or go on walks or whatever. Granted they still spent a lot of time
together, but in comparison to before, it definitely gave the impression that Sam was trying to
avoid him somewhat.

The lack of (platonic) affection could only be causing Max's feelings to go into overdrive he
theorised, more desperate to get close as Sam pushed him away.

That and...what had happened.

Suddenly Max's ears perked up to the sound of Sam's voice, surprised to hear it coming from
their television.

It was that episode of midtown cowboys.

Max blinked, staring at himself and Sam on the screen, memories all coming back at once.

That was just before the time split wasn't it.

Max's mind began to wander to a place that recently he'd had to try harder and harder to
avoid.

Max curled up tightly, tugging his ears down and trying to block out the sound of his and
Sam's voice on the TV. Too locked in his own thoughts to grab the remote and turn the
television off, he simply took the most immediate action to block it out.
He wasn't Sam's Max

He was the wrong Max.

Max pulled onto his ears tightly, trying to use the pain to ground him as his thoughts
continued to spiral.

He could still see Sam's giant silhouette against the sky lit up by crackling lightning.

He didn't belong here.

Sam thought he didn't belong here.

That's why Sam had been so distant.

Max was dragged from his thoughts by the sound of the office door unlocking.

Thank God.

Sam entered the office, leaning back against the door and hanging his hat on the wrack,
tiredly running his hand through the fur on his head.

"Hey!" Max greeted, possibly a little too brightly, though right now he couldn't care less. All
he cared about was that Sam was back and that he didn't have to be left alone with his
thoughts anymore.

Sam looked at him, soft smile forming on his lips as he laughed "Hey little pal".
 New feelings, old timeline
Chapter Summary

Pining idiot two: electric boogaloo.

Chapter Notes

It's done and I don't like scheduling things so I'm dumping this here now.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Sam stepped out of the restaurant, a small shiver running through him. Despite his thick fur,
the night air was still cold enough to feel like it was nipping at him.

His date stepped out behind him. He gave her a polite if slightly unfeeling goodbye as they
parted, walking in opposite directions as Sam walked toward the DeSoto. The black and
white car stuck out like a sore thumb against the others it was parked nearby.

Sam got into the car with a heavy sigh, slamming the car door shut behind him.

No luck.

Again.

Sam put his face in his hands, letting out a frustrated groan.

He was going to get rid of this problem if it killed him.

He dragged his hands down his face in frustration.

Max was probably up waiting for him after his date. Like he always did.

No point delaying the inevitable he supposed.

The DeSoto's engine came to life with a hum as the car took off. It was a little slower than its
usual breakneck speed.

Okay, maybe he could delay the inevitable a little.

Sam never thought he'd see the day when he'd dread seeing his partner. Without fail Max
always brought a smile to his face just by his mere presence.
Not that he didn't do that now. It's simply that now, along with a smile, Max brought a lot of
other things too.

Sam felt his stomach sink.

He was going to fix this problem.

He gripped the steering wheel tighter.

It'd started when Max had...gotten back, so to speak.

Everything had gone back to normal almost immediately. Max was back. They were together
again. Everything was perfect.

At least it would've been, if Sam hadn't begun to realise something was off with himself.

It started small at first. The way his stomach would flutter whenever Max would grab or
touch him. Not an uncommon ocurance mind you. Which just made it all the more obvious
whenever it happened.

Next, he'd caught himself staring. Max hadn't been doing anything especially noteworthy, just
scratching more carvings into his already heavily abused desk.

Sam started noticing small things as Max carved. The way his nose twitched slightly. The
way his tongue stuck out of his mouth adorably with concentration. The way he looked so
pretty in the mid afternoon light.

Wait.

Pretty?

Sam had turned away quickly, hoping his flush was hidden underneath his fur.

Where had that come from?

If Max noticed anything he gave no indication, happily continuing to carve his name into his
desk.

Streetlamps passed by steadily as Sam continued to drive, sinking feeling in his stomach only
getting worse.

It'd only been downhill from there.

The next main incident Sam remembered was when they'd been driving home after a case.
Max had cracked a joke. He couldn't even remember what about. He just remembered
laughing till his sides were sore.

Max was always able to do that. No matter what his mood, Max was always able to cheer
him up. He was always looking out for him like that.
Sam felt a pleasing warmth at that thought. The fact that Max cared about him that much.
That he could always make him laugh.

The warm feeling soon turned to shock as he realised the same fluttering from before was
back.

Once again Max remained oblivious to his distress, head sticking happily out the window as
the wind ruffled his fur in a way that made Sam want to stare.

What was happening.

The fluttering in his stomach had only gotten more frequent after that.

Small things started triggering it. Whenever Max laughed. When he sat grinning on Sam's
desk, dangling his legs too and fro. Max hovering around when he'd had an especially bad
day, making him coffee to try and cheer him up. It'd tasted awful, but it was the thought that
counted.

Hell, even Max going ham on a criminal somehow made his stomach flutter. Just how
impressively Max could wreak so much carnage in such a small time.

Okay, that last one was definetly being filed away and never looked at again.

Sam gave a small huff as he was stopped at yet another red light. He may have been trying to
make his way back to the office relatively slowly but he still loathed waiting at traffic lights.

It'd reached its crescendo one night. The two had been watching TV together into the wee
hours of the morning. Max had fallen asleep curled up into Sam's side. Sam had stared as the
rabbit's fur was lit up by the dull glow of the television, ears drooped and his chest slowly
rising and falling with a small smile on his face.

Sam felt like he could stare at him like that forever.

At least before he snapped to his senses.

Okay. One. Staring at your best friend as they slept would universally be considered to be, as
Max would put it, "fucking creepy".

Two. Something about the way he thought about Max had changed.

Wanting to avoid those thoughts as much as possible, he decided it was likely time to retire.
He flicked off the TV, scooping Max up like he had hundreds of times before to carry him to
bed.

Max let out a small sleepy noise, snuggling into the crook of Sam's neck.

Sam felt his face flush.

He quickly and quietly made his way to their small apartment across the hall from their
office, gently placing Max on the top bunk. Max had grabbed his arm, refusing to let go as
Sam attempted to slip from Max's tight koala like grasp. After multiple attempts and a
moment of seriously considering using a crowbar, Max let go with an annoyed grunt, rolling
over in his bed.

Sam slipped into his own bunk, hearing Max gently begin to snore above him.

Sleep didn't come to him that night.

A series of realisations were dawning on him and he didn't like them. Not one bit.

The odd feelings. The way new light he'd been seeing Max in. The fact that Sam had almost
wanted to not put Max in his own bunk. To instead curl up with him in his own, to gently
hold him as he drifted off himself.

He was in love with his partner.

Sam felt like he may pass out. He wished he had. At least then he would've gotten some
sleep.

Since that realisation, he'd been doing his best to put distance between him and Max, despite
the intense craving he had for the opposite. He'd still pet Max's head and the like, but overall
he'd been trying to be less touchy. He picked Max up less. He always shifted to the other end
of the couch on movie nights.

Somehow Max always ended up snuggled against him anyways. Part of him wanted it that
way.

He began to recognise the streets as he neared their office, noticing the same bent lampost
that they always passed on the way home.

He couldn't give in. No matter what, he couldn't give in. He needed to fix this problem.

He couldn't risk losing Max again.

He could only imagine Max's reaction if he told him.

From what he'd seen, Max wasn't one for long term relationships. Every relationship he'd had
in the past had been fleeting, mostly physical affairs. Sam recalled many a night when he'd
come back to his and Max's college dorm to find a sock on the door knob.

Not that that was a bad thing. Max was happy. But if his behaviour was any indicator, he
knew Max wasn't the type for a more long term relationship.

So Sam could only imagine how horrified Max would be if the truth came out about his
feelings.

When it came to relationships, Sam was always a "hopeless sap" as Max put it. Affection,
physical and emotional, was always an essential element for him in relationships. He didn't
know how to do love unless there was something there, something he thought could last a
long time.
Sam always fell in love hard.

And he'd fallen hard for Max.

He couldn't risk making Max uncomfortable. Of...making him leave. Max would never want
that kind of relationship. And if he knew Sam felt that way about him...

The image of Max leaving forever clung to his mind like a vice. It'd already happened onc-

𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵.

And so, here he was. Desperately trying to fix the issue before it got out of hand.

Sam thought back to his date. It'd gone perfectly well. The food was nice. She'd been a sweet
girl. She was pretty and fun to talk to. They'd gotten on well together. She was a perfectly
nice woman.

But she wasn't Max.

Sam cursed under his breath.

Sam had tried pushing down the feelings at first. Only to find very quickly it was futile and in
fact seemed only to be making things worse. So, he tried the only other solution he could
think of: replacing Max.

He'd been on more dates than he could remember off the top of his head recently. Desperately
hoping something would click. That he'd fall for someone else and his feelings for Max
would dissapate. At the very least hoping he'd find someone to distract him.

But it ended the same way every time. A perfectly nice date, a polite goodbye, and the
knowledge that the entire time he'd been with on the date, he wished he'd been with Max.

Sam felt a small twinge of guilt as he realised it was rather callous going on dates just to
replace someone else.

Sam slowly pulled up to their building, pulling the handbrake and turning off the engine. He
made no move to get out of the car, simply resting his head on the steering wheel in
frustration.

He had to fix this. He was going to fix this. It'd be fine. He'd get over this before it became a
problem. Max wasn't going anywhere ever again. Not if he had anything to do with it.

He'd already been the cause of losing Max once. He wasn't going to do it again.

With a heavy sigh he opened the car door, slamming it behind him.

He made his way up the dirty concrete steps into the apartment building, a mix of dread and
relief at the thought of seeing Max again.
 He climbed the creaky wooden stairs of their apartment building until finally reaching their
office, hearing the muffled hum of their old TV on the other side of the door. The sound
became louder as he opened it and Max's head turned instantly toward him.

He stepped in, leaning his back against the door to close it. He took his hat off, running a
hand through his fur.

"Hey!" Max's familiar voice greeted him, the smile on Max's face making him feel that ever
more familiar mix of joy and dread.

He gave a small laugh. "Hey, little pal."

Chapter End Notes

I've got about 8 chapters planned so far so lets see if they stay on course or inevitably
veer in a completely different direction.
 Cheap imitation
Chapter Summary

Max wants to talk about Sam's date. Sam does not want to talk about Sam's date.

Chapter Notes

The girls are fightinngggg.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Sam sighed, flopping down on the other end of the couch from Max with a beer in his hand.
He wasn't one to drink but right now, he needed it.

He'd shed his tie and jacket by this point, resting an arm on the back of the couch. He knew
the question was coming. This time though, he really did want to delay the inevitable.

"So, anything good on while I was gone?" He asked airily, taking a drink as the TV hummed
on in the background.

"Nah" Max replied, sitting on the couches edge with his legs dangling as he stared at the TV.

"Mostly nothin but reruns. There was some old noir thing on though, looked like your kinda
shit so I recorded it for ya."

Max turned to him and gave him a grin. "I missed the first ten minutes, but I caught the rest
of it at least."

Sam felt the ever familiar fluttering in his stomach. Really? Just a smile and Max doing
something as simple as recording an old movie was enough to trigger it now? He really was
far gone.

Max's grin faltered slightly as he realised he'd been staring at Max for a good while now
without saying anything. He spoke quickly as if that could somehow make up for the
mistake. "Thanks little pal, that was sweet of ya"

"No worries ya big lug!" Max said, giving him a final smile before turning back to the TV.

The two sat it silence for a while, Sam thinking that maybe, just maybe, he'd escaped the
question.
He heard Max take in a breath. "Sooooooo..." He said in a questioning tone.

Never mind.

"How'd it go?" Max asked, turning to sit cross legged on the sofa while staring at Sam.

Annnd there it was.

"How'd what go?" He asked in a pathetic last ditch attempt to avoid the topic.

"Your colonoscopy. What do ya think ya idiot, your date!"

"Fine" he replied simply, taking another swig while staring at the blankly at the TV. He hoped
that it would be enough to assuage Max but knew for a fact that it wouldn't be.

"What'd'ya mean "fine". Give me the details!" Max scooted closer, causing Sam to grip his
beer slightly tighter.

"There really isn't much to report little pal. She was a nice gal, we had dinner and went our
separate ways."

Max stood up, crossing his arms. "Seriously? That's it?"

"Yup"

Max threw his arms in the air "Ugh, all your dates sound so boring!" Without warning Max
twirled and flopped backwards into Sam's lap, causing Sam to tense up.

Max lay on his back and gestured wildly in the air as he spoke. "No wild kidnappings! No
crazy ex's showing up! Hell, not even a single gunshot!" Maxs arms flopped by his sides,
turning his face to Sam. "Why do you even bother, it sounds so fucking boring!"

𝘐'𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘬𝘯𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥

"I'm doing it for me, knucklehead" Sam realised he'd practically crushed his beer can as he
finally loosened his grip. "What, I'm not allowed to try and settle down with someone nice?"
He gently pushed Max off his lap back onto the couch, feeling his heart rate lower now Max
was no longer touching him.

Max gave him an angry look, sitting beside him cross legged again.

"I'm just sayin' Sam. You always seem to come back miserable."

"Max, would ya just leave it?"

"Oh come on Sam, you know I'm right!" Max hopped onto his knee, standing so they were
face to face.

He was so close.
Too close.

"Hey! Maybe you should take me next time! Least then it might be interesting." He joked.

𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮.

"Max, just leave it would ya?"

"I just don't get it! You where never this interested in dating before!" Max leaned forward,
touching their noses together and giving Sam a scrutinizing look.

Sam felt his heart rate spike at the closeness, feeling Max's breath in his face. Desperate for
distance, he said the first thing that came to mind. "How would you know? The me you were
with for the last year wasn't even 𝘮𝘦!"

Max's eyes went wide, his face falling.

Sam didn't think he'd ever regretted saying anything so quickly.

"Max I -"

"Heh, true enough" Max pulled back and gave a small shrug, seeming to regain his
composure quickly. But Sam couldn't unsee that flash of hurt he'd seen.

"I didn't mean t'-"

"Calm down you idiot, it's fine" Max had his signature grin plastered on his face but he was
refusing to meet Sam's eye.

"I'm gonna head to bed, kay? I'm kinda beat after waiting up for ya" before Sam could
respond Max hopped off his knee, making his way to the door.

"Night Sam!" He said brightly, the office door closing with a click and a small rattle of the
blinds.

Sam stared at the door for a long moment.

Damnit.

Max managed to hold it together just long enough to make it across the hallway to their tiny
apartment.

He leaned his back against the door, balling his fists and willing the tears not to come.

He cursed as he felt hot tears trickle down his face.

Fuck.
He slid down the door, ending up on the floor, grabbing his knees and curling in on himself
as tears continued to flow.

It was rare he cried nowadays. Whenever he did though, there was never any stopping it. It's
just how it'd always been. If Max had an immediate strong emotion, it always came out
whether he wanted it to or not.

Normally, it was anger or a craving for violence. He liked those. They were easy to satiate.
Sadness though? Sadness was the worst.

Anger was active. It made you want to do things, to scream and yell and bite. Anger let you
do things. Sadness was the opposite. Sadness made you curl up and not want to do anything.
There was no stopping or getting rid of it, you just had to sit there like a lump until they were
gone.

He hated sadness.

Max hugged himself tightly.

He knew it.

He knew he was just a cheap imitation.

For Max, Sam was Sam. Didn't matter if he was from a different timeline, planet, what the
hell ever. His Sam was his Sam and he loved him all the same.

But Sam didn't feel the same way about him.

Max felt his claws unsheathe as he held himself tighter, willing himself to keep quiet as he let
out a quiet sob.

Max felt like everything was hitting him at once as words and visions replayed in his mind
against his will. Sam's silhouette lit up by lightning. The button in hand. All the moments of
Sam avoiding him now he was back. And finally, the words Sam had just said to him ringing
loudest of all.

He sat on the floor for a long while, quietly crying until his voice went hoarse and he felt like
he couldn't cry anymore. He finally uncurled, noticing small bruises where his claws hand
pricked into his arms.

He stood up weakly with a pathetic sniff, dragging himself over to his and Sam's bunk beds.
He climbed the ladder, flopping into his bunk and pulling the blankets over his head, curling
up tight.

He wasn't sure how long he lay like that when he heard the door to their apartment creak
open.

"Max, are you asleep little buddy?"

Max held his breath, choosing not to respond.

 He heard a heavy sigh and the closing of a door. Finally, thudding footsteps made their way
closer before the bunk beds shook as Sam flopped into the bottom bunk. Max breathed
lightly, hoping Sam couldn't hear him.

He stayed hidden under the blanket for a long time. He heard Sam's breathing slow over time
until he could hear snoring.

Finally Max let out a sigh of relief, body finally relaxing. He came out from under the
blanket, staring up at the ceiling as he heard Sam snoring below him. A sentence began to
loop over in his head against his will.

𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘱 𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

Chapter End Notes

I refuse to let this fic end when they get together btw. They're gonna talk trauma and
then hug and kiss and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it.
 Cracks and Scars
Chapter Summary

Sam makes an attempt to apologize for his actions the night before with...mixed results.

Chapter Notes

New chapter, woo! Honestly, I'm not entirely pleased with it but it's more important to
me that something is relatively functional and published rather than sitting in my drafts
forever until it's shiny and perfect so out into the world it goes.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Sam was woken up by a loud beeping.

He gave a groan, grasping around on the night stand beside his bunk to hit the snooze button
on his alarm clock. The beeping continued on however.

Sam gave another annoyed groan, sitting up to unplug the damn thing when he saw that it
wasn't his alarm clock but his mobile phone.

He picked it up, cursing as it nearly slipped out of his large hands.

He hit the green button, voice still heavy with sleep as he lifted the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Sam! Finally! I've been trying to get through to you all morning. You're still coming tonight
right?"

Sam recognised Sybil's voice on the line, responding to her question with a dignified "Huh?"

"Y'know, to mine and Abe's year and a half wedding anniversary party!" She said cheerfully
as if what had come out of her mouth wasn't complete gibberish.

"Huh?"

"Sam, are you okay?"

"What? Yeah yeah, o'course, sorry. Just woke up is all."

"Sam it's noon"

"Oh"

"So you and Max are coming?"

Seeing no alternative to exit the conversation Sam responded with a simple "yes"

"Perfect! See you guys tonight!" the call ended before he could say even say goodbye.

He huffed, dropping the phone back onto his nightstand. He hated the damn thing honestly,
but Sybil had insisted he caught up with the times ("Your only phone is your grandma's old
rotary phone? Really?"). Before he knew it, his birthday gift from Sybil had been a cheap
smartphone. At least the games kept Max entertained on long stakeouts.

Sam blinked awake suddenly, thoughts of Max reminding him of just what had happened last
night.

Guilt began to sink in his gut.

He lay back in his bunk, staring at the underside of the bed above him and hearing Max
snore.

Should he not bring it up? Should he apologize? Should he agknowledge it? Ignore it?

Sam thought back again to Max's face last night.

His guilt spiked.

Apologizing it was.

Couldn't apologise if the guy wasn't awake though.

He rolled out of bed, sitting on the edge with a stretch before standing up to wake Max.

"Max? Hey little pal, wake up! It's noon already."

Max didn't respond, snoring peacefully.

"Max?" He shook his shoulder, only to have Max grab his arm.

He froze as Max snuggled into his arm, holding on tight as he began purring

Oh Christ that was cute.

He froze, unsure of what to do as Max continued purring.

Part of him wanted to let Max stay like that. Hell, part of him wanted to go back to bed
himself. He could just curl back up in warmth of his bed, Max in his arms -

𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘪𝘵
Sam tried to pull his arm away, in doing so finally achieving his initial goal of waking Max.

Goddamnit.

"Um...hey"

Max blinked momentarily, seeming to come to his senses.

He quickly looked between Sam's face and his arm before letting go as if he'd been burned.

The action made his chest ache a little.

Max sat up quickly "Err, sorry. Didn't mean t-'

"How the fuck did-" the two stopped, interrupting each other.

The pair stared in silence before Max cut in "Look, forget about it, let's just eat breakfast."

Max brushed past him, hopping off the bed towards the kitchenette.

Sam followed awkwardly behind.

The two went about their usual routine, everything normal aside from the obvious glaring
silence that hung over them.

He couldn't help but notice Max seemed to be physically avoiding him in little ways.
Normally Max wasn't shy about using him as an impromptu step ladder to reach the cereal on
the top shelf. This morning however he instead hopped onto the counter, standing on his toes
to reach the high shelf.

The guilt twisted further in his gut.

He sat down at their tiny weathered kitchen table eating the toast he'd made, though he found
he had little appetite. Max chose to sit not beside him like normal but at an angle, staring out
the nearby window.

He found himself stealing glances at Max, noting the mundanity of it all. Max shoveled
cereal into his mouth absentmindedly.

It was hard to believe things were so normal now. Eating breakfast (lunch?) together, sunlight
streaming into their dingy apartment. It was almost impossible to think that only a few
months ago Max had -

𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵.

His mantra was didn't seem to be working as well as it did last night.

Last night.

"Max..."
Max gave a small "yeah?" of agknowledgement, not moving his eyes from the window.

"About last night..."

He saw Max tense up, ears sticking up straighter and nose twitching slightly.

"I'm sorry about -"

"Just forget about it, kay?" Max looked down into his cereal, resting his hands on the table.

"It's fine" he said quietly, noticing Max was beginning to get up.

"No, Max wait." without thinking he grabbed Max's hand. This finally seemed to grab his
attention. Max's eyes darted between Sam's hand and his face.

"Max, I'm sorry" he squeezed Max's hand despite the fact his heart feeling like it was beating
out of his chest from the closeness. But he'd caused this. Fixing this mattered more than his
own feelings right now.

It felt like the rabbit had armour up sometimes.

Even before...everything, he knew the rabbit hated feeling like a burden. Unless it was
negative comments, nine out of ten times Sam's words never seemed to get through. Turns
out Max's thick head wasn't just for show.

Just often enough however, he was able to break through. To convince Max he cared about
him, that he wasn't a burden.

Lately however it felt like he wasn't able to do that anymore.

He couldn't say he was surprised about it. He'd been avoiding Max more than he'd like to
admit. Often the moments when Max seemed to actually accept what Sam said were during
quieter moments they spent together. Watching TV together. Driving together just for fun.
When Max let his walls down.

He'd been avoiding doing all of that lately. But it was for the best.

He needed to prioritise getting rid of his own emotions. Once his feelings for Max were gone
and the two or them were safe, Sam swore on his life he'd dig at Max until he found every
little thing wrong and fix every bit of it.

At least that's what he told himself.

Right now though, this was at the forefront. And he needed to apologise for it.

He ran his thumb over Max's hand in an awkward attempt at an intimate gesture. Honestly,
this was the closest Sam had allowed himself to be to Max in long while.

Max's eyes widened. Sam hoped he'd caught Max off guard, enough to cause a crack in Max's
armour. Hopefully it was big enough for his apology to slip in and truly get through to Max.
He continued running his thumb over the top of Max's hand. "I didn't mean to say it pal" he
looked down at Max's hand as he continued speaking " I only meant that- huh?" Sam
suddenly found himself distracted by a long pink line on the top of Max's hand. It looked big.

A scar?

He lifted Max's hand suddenly, getting a surprised response from the rabbit. "Hey, what ya
doin?"

"When did you manage to get this scar pal?"

"It was...y'know." Max seemed avoident to answer, pulling his hand from Sam's grasp and
hugging it close to his chest. The scar was hidden under Max's other hand.

"When pal?" He prompted, concerned Max had been hiding injuries from him. It'd happened
in the past. Max never did like asking for help.

"When I was with you, well y'know, back in time..." Max seemed to curl up into himself.

It suddenly clicked. "Oh! When you were with..."

"Yeah...then."

A silence hung between them.

"Anyway about..."

"Hey, don't worry about it" the smile came across Max's face was a little too wide to be real.
It was only now however that Sam realised just how much he'd been seeing that look. It was
more than he wanted to admit.

"Max, look I didn't mean -" Sam rapidly felt the moment slipping from his grasp.

"Geeze ya big lug, chill out" Max gave him a grin. Sam couldn't help but feel like the crack
had been sealed up tight.

"C'mon, it's our day off but what'd'ya say we go cruisin for crooks for fun?" Max hopped
down from his chair, already on his way to the door.

"I'll wait in the office for ya t' get dressed. Don't keep me waiting forever!" The door
slammed behind him as he left.

Sam put his hand out pathetically as I'd he could somehow stop Max from leaving through
sheer force of will alone.

Obviously, it didn't work.

Sam put his head in his hands with a groan.

Another thing to fix for the pile.

 As soon as his feelings were gone, he'd fix all of this. Including what he'd said last night. He
swore it.

Max sat on the sofa on their office, rubbing the scar on the back of his hand.

𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘱 𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

He clutched his hand to his chest and wished desperately the scar would dissapear.

Chapter End Notes

This story was supposed to be a fluffy romance with a funny hehe dog and rabbit but
here we are I guess.
 Maybe it's okay
Chapter Summary

Max needs to chill a little

Chapter Notes

Anxiety brain go brrrrrrr

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The wind was nice at least.

The two had been driving for a while now, unluckily with no perps to bust. As such, it was
just him and Sam in the car.

In deafening silence.

Max stuck his hand out the window. The pink skin of the scar on his hand contrasted against
his pale fur in the bright sunlight as he felt the wind whip through his fingers.

He'd been trying to avoid touching Sam since they got in the car. Honestly the craving for
Sam's affection was almost painful, but he resisted the urge to lean into Sam's side.

He was already on thin ice.

He'd been on high alert since last night. Or at least he'd been trying to be. The thoughts and
visions had continued to loop around his head, so much so that he was almost becoming
numb to them at this point.

It was important he remembered though. Every moment could be the straw that broke the
camel's back. He needed to stay awake, alert, and remember.

Max let out a long yawn.

It seemed his adrenaline might've finally been running out.

He'd had very little sleep last night. Probably 2 hours at most. As such, his body felt almost
like it was running on empty.

Max jumped as Sam broke the silence "Tired little pal?"

Max responded quickly to the suprise "What? Oh, y'know, just didn't get much sleep, that's
all."

He saw what he thought looked like guilt flash across Sam's face.

"If ya wanna take a nap that's fine, it's no trouble. Besides, we've got a while before we need
to go to Sybil's for-"

"No! I'm fine, honestly!" Max said a little to quickly.

He couldn't let Sam know anything was wrong. One wrong move and Sam would hate him.
One show of being an inconvenience and-

"Max, it's okay if you're tired y'know."

Max paused.

"Huh?"

Sam was giving him a concerned look as he drove. "I said it's okay if you're tired little
buddy."

"I...' Max failed to give a response, his tired brains logic and the scenario in front of him
crashing together.

Was it okay if he was tired? Wouldn't Sam be annoyed? He was am imitation. A fake. Why
would Sam care about him?

But there was nothing in Sam's voice that said he was lying. He seemed to genuinely care.

But what about what he'd said last night?

But he'd apologised this morning.

But what about...

His train of thought was cut off by Sam's voice.

"Maybe we should go home, pal. So you can rest properly?"

"Sam it's honestly fine! We don't have to go home just cause of me -"

"Max, you're tired and ya need rest. It's alright pal. Everything's fine"

Max wanted to argue back, but found his body was too tired to argue.

"Alright."

Sam gave a relived smile.

"Thank you pal"

"What for?"

"For letting me take care of ya."

Max didn't know how to respond.

The wind flowing in from the window stopped temporarily as the car slowed and Sam made
an (illegal) U-turn.

"Just rest little pal. You're okay" Sam said softly.

Max didn't want to believe it. His mind told him Sam was just doing this out of obligation.

But another quieter part of him said maybe Sam just...wanted to do this.

Max slumped back in his seat, looking tiredly out the window.

He knew this probably wasn't sustainable. Reminding himself was important. He needed to
remember what happened. Where he stood with Sam now. If he didn't, he might slip up.

But he was so tired.

"Sam...can I lie on your side?"

Sam paused for a moment, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Just as quickly however, he
seemed to relax.

"Of course you can pal."

Max shifted in the old leather seats, leaning on Sam's side. The fabric of his jacket felt soft
against his cheek and Sam smelled like typewriter ink.

For the first time in the last 12 hours, he felt his heart slow down.

He nuzzled into Sam's side without thought. His body had been completely sapped of energy
by now, and the visions and thoughts became quieter as he cuddled into Sam.

He began to purr.

Normally he'd be embarrassed, but as tiredness caught up with him he couldn't bring himself
to care. All he knew was he was lying on Sam, his mind was quiet and that he felt...okay.

The cool breeze of the window flew in comfortingly as he pulled his legs up, curling up
comfortably into Sam's side.

Sam took one hand of the steering wheel to change gears. Instead of putting both hands back
on the wheel, he draped one arm over Max, giving him a small squeeze.

He gripped onto Sam's jacket, vision blurring with drowsiness as the light pink scar on his
hand blended into his white fur before his eyes.
 Maybe it was okay he was tired.

Chapter End Notes

Editor? I hardly know her!

 Don't think about it
Chapter Summary

Sam's walls finally begin breaking down.

Chapter Notes

If updates seem rapid it's because I basically had all these chapters written out because I
wrote this story back to front like an idiot.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Max was fast asleep by the time they got home.

His heart rate had slowed down considerably since Max had first leaned onto his side. The
fluttering in his stomach was present as ever. But Max looked so peaceful, he don't think he
could've bared to move him from his side on the way home if he tried.

They arrived home and pulled the handbrake with a series of clicks. He looked down at Max,
wondering what do with him.

Little guy looked exhausted.

Deciding not to wake him for his sake he did something he hadn't done for a while now.

He scooped Max up in his arms.

They made their way inside, the warm air making him almost feel sleepy too. He his way up
the stairs of their old apartment building walking past slowly peeling green wallpaper. Sam
wondered if the building had ever looked new honestly.

Finally he came to their office and apartment.

He suddenly felt like he was at a crossroads.

He could put Max to bed. Let the little guy rest up in his bunk.

But a selfish part of him from this morning wanted to keep him in his arms.

He looked down at the rabbit. He'd curled into Sam's chest, ears drooped and small smile
resting on his face.
He was probably gonna regret this. But part of him didn't care.

He chose the office, plopping down on the couch and resting Max in his lap as he threw his
hat aside absentmindedly.

He meant to begin looking for the TV remote but upon sitting down he found a wave of
exhaustion hit him.

He found himself lying back onto the couch, wrapping his arms around Max absentmindedly.

At the feeling of being engulfed by Sam's arms Max began purring.

He found himself smiling.

It began to dawn on him just how much he'd missed this.

He hadn't even thought about it. He'd been so concerned with avoiding Max he'd almost
forgotten what it was like to have the little guy in his arms. Sam had always been the
physically affectionate type even with friends. As such Max cuddling into his side or him
wrapping an arm around the rabbit on movie nights wasn't an uncommon ocurance.

At least, it didn't used to be. Before -

𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵

He looked down at Max. His white fur seemed to glow slightly in the soft fading light of their
office.

He held Max slightly tighter.

The rabbit only responded by purring louder. He looked so peaceful.

For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was seeing past the armour.

He wished he could see Max like this more often.

Max was always the type to be on high alert, smile wide and ears perked. But even Max
needed to slow down sometimes. Recently however it'd felt like Max had some sort of guard
up at all times.

He wished Max would keep it down.

Max stirred slightly, making a small noise in his sleep.

Max seemed to move in an attempt to be more comfortable, grabbing onto Sam's jacket with
a small yawn before resting his head and purring again.

Sam looked down at Max, at the tiny hand grabbing onto his jacket. At the pink scar on his
hand.
Without thinking he put his hand over Max's as he felt a surge of protectiveness.

Poor little thing. How did he get an injury like that? Max was no stranger to injuries or
violence, something Sam knew all too well. He couldn't count the number of times he'd had
to patch Max up.

He wished he'd been there to stop that injury. He supposed he had been technically. He hadn't
been able to stop him getting this one though. He hadn't been able to stop a lot of things from
hurting Max. He hadn't been able to stop Max from -

𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵

He gripped Max's small hand tightly as he felt tears pricking in his eyes.

He was never going to let him get hurt again. He was never going to lose him again.

𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵

He held Max close.

Something about having Max in his arms just made it all feel so...real. He'd been trying to
stay detached. Put some distance between them. For his and Max's sake. So he could get
control of his feelings. So he could fix everything.

He was beginning to realise he honestly didn't think he could do it anymore.

Tears began flowing more freely.

He realised just how much he'd missed the little guy. Even though he'd been right here.

He was right. He was regretting his decision. But another part of him wasn't.

"I'm completely lost for you knucklehead, I swear." He whispered, resting his muzzle on the
top of Max's head. His fur felt soft and he smelled like Sam's shampoo. The little bugger
must've run out of his own and stolen his again. In spite of everything, he felt himself let out
little laugh.

He couldn't push Max away anymore. He knew it was for the best, but he just couldn't.

He was giving up.

No more dates. No more replacements. He couldn't bare keeping Max at arms length
anymore. Pretending the dates would fix any of this.

He'd just have to figure this out.

He petted Max's back, tiny hand still in his.

"I'll fix this. I'll fix my feelings, this problem, I promise." He couldn't tell if he was speaking
to Max or himself. Max didn't respond, still blissfully asleep.
 He couldn't keep pushing Max away. No matter how selfish it was, he needed Max. He
needed him here, to hold him, to talk to him. Even if he knew it'd only make the likelihood of
him slipping up more likely. Even if it made him more likely to lose him.

He couldn't bare keeping the distance anymore.

He needed him here. The precious little thing in his arms. His Max.

Chapter End Notes

What the dog doin?

Oh god it's crying

 Pinball and Pennies
Chapter Summary

Sam and Max are idiots and cannot keep track of time.

Chapter Notes

Sorry this chapters a bit boring per se? It's functional though and had too much I wanted
in it to cut so it stays.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Sam opened his eyes with a lazy yawn.

Huh. Must've drifted off.

Sam looked around their office, the room incredibly dim as evening had settled in. The only
real light was the orange glow from the street lamps intruding in through the window.

Wow, it was getting late. Sybil's party must've already starte-

Sybils party!

Sam stood up quickly only to be greeted by a very high pitched yelp.

He realised his mistake immediately as looked down to see Max begin to tumble off his knee.

He made a clumsy grab for the rabbit, falling back onto the couch with Max in his arms.

The rabbit took a minute to gather his bearings, still seeming dazed from his rude awakening.
He shook his head, ears perking up before he gave Sam a confused look.

"Err...mornin pal" he said with a crooked grin.

"Sam, why did you nearly launch me like a pinball across our office."

"Remember Sybils party?"

"Yeah"

"It's now"
"So the solution was to nearly throw me across the room like a t-shirt from faulty t-shirt
cannon?"

"I was standing up while you were on my knee bucket head"

Max paused for a moment, eyes going wide.

"I was on your knee?" He asked.

Despite not asking for an explanation, he found himself trying to give Max one "I...ya looked
so peaceful y'know? And you were clingin to my jacket and it would've been hard to move ya
so-"

"Sam, it's fine! I was just surprised, that's all" Max said gently with a small smile on his face.

God, that smile was gonna be the death of him, he knew it.

Before he could register what was happening he felt Max hugging him, briefly nuzzling into
the crook of his neck. He hoped his brown fur would be enough to hide the colour running to
his cheeks.

As quickly as it happened, it was over, and before he knew it Max was jumping of his knee
and grabbing him by the hand, pulling him off the couch.

"If we're already late then c'mon ya big lug, let's go"

It was beginning to dawn on Sam that if this continued, he was going to need to figure out
how something with his feelings and fast.

A smaller part of him was content to simply enjoy the fluttering in his stomach.

Max's ears flailed in the wind as he stuck his head out the window.

For the first time in a long time, he felt happy.

Not perfect mind you. He still felt the dread of everything hanging nearby. But right now, it
was at bay. He turned to grin at Sam, who'd also seemed to be in a brighter mood.

The windows were down and wind filled the car. Despite it being the evening, the air was
still quite hot.

Considering the cars AC had never worked on account of the car likely being older than the
two or them put together, the windows had been rolled down to allow cool air to hit them
both. Max preferred having the windows down to AC anyway. Sticking your head out a
window was way more fun that sticking it in front of a fan.

He felt Sam pet his head with a laugh. "Careful pal, I'd rather not peel scraped lagomorph off
tarmac if you fall out the window"
He felt his heart beating fast.

He'd woken up on Sam's knee. Just the fact that had happened had him buzzing. Sam had
been avoiding him for months and now here he was, waking up from a nap cuddled into his
chest on his knee.

Sam finally seemed to be well...normal again. He was still seemed a bit off. But after months
of Sam avoiding with him like the plague he was more than willing to ignore any oddities in
exchange for Sam finally seeming comfortable around him again. He didn't know how long it
would last but right now, he didn't care.

Max purred at the touch, hopefully something Sam didn't hear over the rush of the open
windows.

He knew Sam didn't feel the same way as him. That didn't mean he couldn't enjoy their close
moments though.

He turned to look at Sam. His fur was ruffled from the wind, his hat blown off his head a
while ago. He'd loosened his tie and seemed to be enjoying the breeze just as much as Max.

Yeah, tonight was going to be a good night.

Sam shut the car door with a slam, readjusting his hat and tie as they walked towards Sybil's
house.

"Sam?"

"Mhm?"

"What the hell even is a one year and a half anniversary party?"

Sam stuck his hands in his pockets. "Well ya see Max...I have no idea." he finished
confusedly. "Though to be honest, Sybils never been the conventional type. Makes sense
she'd want to throw a party for her wedding anniversary. Maybe she just wanted to celebrate
her wedding anniversary late?"

"Or early!" Max piped in. "Speaking of conventional, are we sure we're at the right place?"

The house in front of them looked remarkably... normal. Standard suburban affair, a front
lawn, picket fence, the whole 9 yards. If it weren't for the obvious noise coming from the
back yard of the house, Sam would've probably agreed with Max's assessment they were at
the wrong place.

"I guess all that money Syb got went towards this place huh" he said knocking on the door.
"You're right though, you'd think the place would have a bit more "Sybil flare" y'know?"

As Sam finished, the door opened swiftly as they were greeted by a stressed looking Sybil
"Abe, finally, where have you-" she froze mid sentence, realising exactly who was at the
door.
 "Um...hey" Sam gave an awkward wave. "Sorry we're late."

"Oh hi guys!" Sybil said with a smile that quite didn't reach her eyes. "Please, come in!" she
said quickly while ushering them into what could generously be called a hallway and not a
storage room.

Various knick-knacks were stuck to the brightly coloured flame painted walls, including but
not limited to tiki masks, multiple framed newspapers articles, a sign that appeared to have
been stolen from somewhere near Wyoming, a pair of skis, a map of Mexico, a stuffed moose
head, multiple framed diplomas and many, many pictures of Penny.

"Found the flare" Max chirped, earning a slap on the back of the head from Sam.

"Feel free hang up your jackets if you want to" she said, already making her way through the
hallway "Party's out back through the kitchen. Sorry for not speaking to you guys properly,
need to finish putting food out. Try not to make too much noise, Penny's asleep"

"Aww, she's asleep? I wanted to say hi to her!"

She gave Max a genuinely fond look just before moving through to the kitchen "Hey, maybe
next time I bring her to work you can say hi then, how's that?"

Max crossed his arms with a fake pout "Ugh, fiiiiine!"

She gave a final smile before she disappeared fully through the door.

"It's cute how much you like spending time with Penny pal" he said, hanging his hat on the
antlers of the (incredibly disturbing) stuffed moose head.

The two made their way through to the equally discordant, colour clashed and overly full
kitchen.

"What? Hangin out with Penny is fun! She's way sturdier than most babies!"

Was that a scuba tank next to the toaster? "Max, how do you know the sturdiness of a normal
baby to begin with?"

"None of your damn business, now c'mon, let's mingle!"

"Please god don't say mingle" he said patting Max on the head. Max gave him a grin that
made his heart leap a little.

Chapter End Notes

After I'm finished with them there's gonna be a two chapter dump so be prepped for that,
sorry in advance for double update spam.
 Trouble in Paradise
Chapter Summary

Sam may or may not have jumped to some conclusions about Max.

Chapter Notes

Formally socially awkward Sam, let's gooooo

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Max ended up doing most of the mingling.

Max always was more of the social butterfly of the two of them. Sam liked people just fine
but he was more often than not content to sit in a comfortable corner and people watch.
While true his habit of finding a quiet corner was originally born from nervousness,
especially in college, nowadays Sam was comfortable enough to enjoy parties at his own
pace without feeling anxious about not being completely plugged in.

It was a nice party, all things considered. Cute, it could almost be described as. Sybil seemed
to have gone to a lot of effort, snack table out, lights strung up etc. It looked nice.

Max flittered between people, happily chatting his way through the flowing groups of people
in the lit up backyard. From what Sam could tell it was a fair mix of Sybil's and Abe's
friends. Sybil's friends apparently came from her various brief stints through college and
work, at least from what he could tell from eavesdropping. Abe's friends mostly consisted of
suits from the White House.

He honestly couldn't tell who was who, bar Superball, and only then it was because Superball
had greeted them as they'd entered the back yard. Sam had been keeping an eye on him like a
ball under a cup at a shady vendor to make sure he actually remembered where he was. Sam
noted however there seemed to be a sever lack of Abe himself...

Sam was quickly pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Max laughing.

He'd always liked that sound, even before all of this fiasco. He felt a little tense at that
thought, but let it go for now. Figuring out what to do could wait one night surely. He was
going to relax tonight. And besides, Max seemed to be in bright spirits too.

It made him happy to see his pal back to more of his usual self considering he'd been so
withdrawn lately.
Max turned from his conversation and caught Sam's eye, giving him a smile and a wave. He
gave Max a brief wave back, expecting him to return to his conversation. He seemingly said
goodbye instead, bounding over to Sam before landing into the chair next to him.

"Hey pal, what's up?"

"Nothin, just thought I'd say hi." He dangled his legs off the seat with a grin. "Sure ya don't
wanna talk to some people too? Ya gotta be bored in this corner surely."

"Nah, I'm good pal. People watchin is fun anyway."

"Creep"

"Can it knucklehead." He said giving the fur on Max's head a ruffle. "Feel free to carry on
with your socialisin though, ya seem to be havin fun."

"Meh" Max said, waving a hand dismissively "Its fun, but you're more fun than all of em put
together." He gave Sam a genuine fond smile he swore could make him melt.

Tomorrow. He'd figure it out tomorrow.

"So, anythin fun you've noticed while you've been starin like a creep?"

"Less interestin more depressin. I'm noticing a severe lack of Abe about, poor Sybil looks
distraught."

"Looked, ya mean."

"Huh?"

Sam looked over to Sybil who was currently laughing and talking to...Superball?

The two appeared to be talking quite happily and while Superball's expressions where as
borderline stoic as usual, Sybil genuinely seemed to be enjoying herself.

They were standing pretty close too...

"Trouble in paradise soon, am I right?"

"Max!"

"What?! I'm just sayin'!" Max sat back on his seat, relaxing while putting his arms behind his
head.

"I'm sure they're just..." He looked at the two laughing and thought back to the many, many
times Sybil had come crying to their office recently over something Abe had done. She often
had Penny in tow much to Max's delight at least. He'd gotten surprisingly good at comforting
crying Sybils.

"Okay yeah their relationships not long for this world, but ya shouldn't say it out loud."
"Oh it's fiiiiiine, it's not like she can hear us! Honestly, I never knew what she saw in him
anyway."

Sam sat back in his chair, giving a thoughtful hum while genuinely struggling to think of
positive points. "Potential for long term stability maybe? Some people like that sort of thing.
Sybil doesn't seem like the type to date willy nilly."

"What, like you?"

"Hey!" Sam said, genuinely offended. "I was doin my best! I want a long term relationship"
𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 "with someone...y'know, eventually." He crossed his arms with a small huff.

"Geeze, calm down Sam, I'm just teasin!" He said, giving Sam a poke and a smile which
(irritatingly) made him immediately less annoyed.

God, he could only hope Max never unconsciously realised how easily he could wrap him
around his little finger.

"Oh buzz off ya little demon." He said rolling his eyes. " 'Sides, you wouldn't get it anyway"

"What'd'ya mean?" He asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Well pal, you've always been more of a bachelor, let's be honest. Nothin' wrong with it, just
sayin', ya probably have different tastes to someone who'd want somethin long term. Ya don't
seem to be into that, least from what I've seen. Ergo, ya wouldn't get it."

"Who said I'd never want somethin long term?"

Sam felt his heart stop.

He stared at Max like he'd just grown two heads.

"Huh?"

"What? Is it that crazy to think I'd wanna find someone?"

Sam was suddenly feeling a lot of feelings all at once.

"But you...in the past ya..."

"What, I'm not allowed to have fun while also keeping my options open?"

"I...I'm just...surprised, I guess."

Things were beginning to feel a lot more complicated all of a sudden.

"Why didn't ya then? I mean you were with plenty of guys." He said maybe a little to quickly.

Max gave him an odd look "Yeah, so? I didn't want them. I know what I want, and it wasn't
them" he said airily.
 "It'd have to be a really specific kind of guy obviously, but bit judgy to assume I didn't want
anything like that just cause I had fun in college Sam, geeze."

Sam suddenly felt like temperature of a room he was in had been turned up uncomfortably
high, unusual considering he was outside.

"Sam, are ya alright? Ya don't look good"

Seeing an out, he immediately jumped for it.

"You're right, I don't feel so good. I'm gonna head for the bathroom. Be back in a bit, don't
wait up!" He said, quickly rising his chair and heading for the house, despite not knowing
where the bathroom even was.

Max stared behind him looking very confused.

Sam splashed water on his face for what must've been the eighth time in a vain attempt and
calm himself down.

Max wasn't apposed to having a stable partner which meant...

He thought he may be sick.

So did this mean Max would potentially get a partner in the future? Would he have to sit by
and watch that? Would he leave Sam behind to be with someone else?

Would...he want something with him?

Sam took a deep breath, calming himself down. He suddenly felt like he was back in college
again, a terrified pudgy puppy who's voice was still cracking hiding from his crush in the
bathroom.

Some things never changed he supposed.

He let out a sigh, staring at his own face in the mirror.

𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘞𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸.

Chapter End Notes

Samuel in the bathroom?

Idk I've never even seen Be More Chill.

 Barbs and Bristles
Chapter Summary

Impromptu therapy session via Sybil.

Chapter Notes

Max likes kids, you can tear this headcanon from my cold dead hands.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Max sat in his chair as Sam left in a hurry.

He felt himself unconsciously rub the scar on his hand.

Had he said something wrong?

Not sure what to do, he simply curled up on the seat, suddenly feeling all his desire for
sociability drain out of him.

Honestly, he wasn't feeling that social anymore before anyway. Yeah, he'd been having fun,
but he'd honestly just wanted to spend time with Sam. That's why he'd come over here in the
first place.

He clutched his hand to his chest, looking out at the people and finding the noise of their
conversations had begun to blur together. It almost seemed like it was becoming louder. The
lights of the yard seemed a little too bright, the formally pretty stung up lights becoming
activley painful to even glance at.

He wished Sam was with him.

He jumped slightly when he heard someone sit in the seat next to him.

"Hi Max. Where Sam?" A familiar voice said.

"I don't know Syb, where's your husband?" He shot back immediately as he bristled, his fur
puffing up slightly against his will. Sybil had a habit of cutting straight through to his
emotions that he didn't like.

"Not sure. I'd say Sam missing from your side is more unusual though, wouldn't you?" She
replied with a smile, the obvious attempt at a barbed remark bouncing off her almost
immediately.

Damnit, she was getting good.

"And considering you only tend to insult me like that when you want me to go away, I'd say
something's wrong." She said with a sweet but knowing smile.

Max stuck his tongue out at her.

"Do you want to talk about it? You always feel better when you do." Aaaaannnd there it was.
The good ol' therapist in her popping out once more.

She was right. He always did feel better when he talked about stuff. But the actual talking
about it always...hurt, for lack of a better word. So much so he avoided it at all costs. Yeah,
he felt better afterwards he guessed, but was it really worth the pain in the ass of talking
about it to begin with?

He tried one last line of avoidance to deflect Sybil. "Buzz off Syb, why would you care."

"Cause you're a friend, Max." She said with a sweet smile. "Besides, think of it as a thank
you for all those times you've taken care of Penny."

He softened at the mention of her. "Hey, don't talk about Penny like she's a chore for me,
y'know I like the kid."

"I know."

She stared at him expectently.

He huffed and crossed his arms, realising he probably wasn't going to be able to squirm out
of this one.

"Sam's been actin weird lately." He said, staring at the floor. "He keeps...I dunno, avoidin me
or whatever. I'm startin to wonder if yknow..." his voice went slightly quieter "he actually
wants me around."

He rubbed the back of his hand as he spoke. "I just...wanna know if I've done somethin
wrong, y'know. If...maybe there's something wrong with me."

Max began to realise this was probably the first time he'd actually spoken about this since
he'd gotten here. It felt like the words were forcing themselves out after being bottled up for
so long.

"Ever since I've gotten "back", as Sam says, he's been weird y'know? And I'm wondering if
maybe it's me? Cause y'know, I'm not the original am I? I'm the wrong one." He didn't even
know if he was coherent at this point. He swore he felt something hot running down his
cheeks. "And I have this scar which means I look different and..."he curled up into himself,
his mouth going dry when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Max" Sybil said severely "how long have you been feeling like this?"
"I don't know. Since I got here I guess." He said, looking at his hand.

"Oh Max" she squeezed his shoulder gently.

Max felt himself crying harder.

"Max, do you want a hug?"

In spite of himself, Max found himself nodding.

Sybil opened her arms and before he knew it, Max was sobbing into her shoulder.

It wasn't as nice as the hugs Sam gave. But it was nice.

People were probably starting at them. He didn't really care.

He cried for a while, his body taking a while to calm down. Sybil just hugged him until his
tears slowed down.

Sybil broke the silence between them. "Max, you need to speak to Sam about this."

"But-"

"No buts" she said firmly. "You guys need to talk about this. It seems like this is really eating
at you." He hated when she was right.

"Besides" she said, giving him a final squeeze before letting him go "I really don't think Sam
feels that way about you."

He hopped back into his own chair "Ya think?" He said hopefully.

"Max, I don't think Sam could feel that way about you if he activley tried" she said with a
smile.

Part of him thought maybe she was just saying it. But another part of him...believed it,
maybe. Even just a little.

"Thanks, Sybil. Really." He said softly, looking embarrassed at the floor.

"No problem little guy" she said with a small laugh as she went to stand up.

"And Sybil?"

She paused, sitting back down again briefly "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about what I said about Abe."

"It's alright."

"Seriously though, I think you could do better. You're way too nice for him." He said bluntly.
 Sybil looked surprised, but a smile formed on her face. "Thanks Max"

"Now go, shoo, enjoy your party or whatever. You've spent enough time looking after me,
go!" He said.

Sybil gave him one last look of concern, checking him up and down. He rolled his eyes,
gesturing for her to go. She gave one final smile before going, predictively, over to Superball.

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵.

Chapter End Notes

What the rabbit doin?

Oh god now the rabbit's crying as well.

 Anything at all
Chapter Summary

Sam and Max finally talk for more than five minutes featuring that garden table outside
you always seem to end up at if you stay late at a party.

Chapter Notes

Sybil, interfearing queen ftw.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Sam took another deep breath.

He could do this.

He was acting like a lovestruck teenager, he swore it.

It was just one evening. It'd be fine. Just don't think about it for tonight and have fun. That
was all he needed to do. He could figure out what to do tomorrow.

Besides. Before this he had actually been enjoying himself. Hell, Max had seemed more like
himself than he had in months.

Everything was fine.

He took one last breath before exiting the bathroom.

Before immediately bumping into Sybil.

"Oh, hi Sam! Sorry, I didn't know anyone was in the bathroom."

He hoped he looked calm by now. "No harm done." He said with a (hopefully) calm smile,
intending to step past her in the hallway and let her past.

"Oh, by the way Sam, since I've caught you..." She hesitated slightly. "It's not my place to
say, but I think you should check on Max at some point. I think he's a little upset about some
things. Not nessesarily tonight but -"

He felt his pulse spike

"Is he safe? Is he hurt? Is something wrong?!" He found himself holding Sybil by the
shoulders tightly.

"Woah hey hey!" He felt Sybil put a hand on his shoulder. "He's fine! Well, he's upset, but
he's okay. Honestly."

Sam felt himself calm down, letting out a shaky sigh of relief.

He quickly realised he was still gripping Sybils shoulders, letting go with an awkward clear
of his throat. "Err, sorry Sybil. Just been on edge about him ever since...y'know."

She gave him a sympathetic look.

"You know...I don't do therapy anymore but I know some people who do."

Sam immediately felt a very strong urge to leave this conversation.

"Sybil, I'm fine, honestly" he said, feeling a little like a liar.

"I know you are. But if you're ever not...don't be afraid to give me a call, okay?"

"Thanks Sybil" he said, unsure what else to say, appreciating the gesture at the very least.

"I do actually have to go to the bathroom though so.."

"Crud, sorry!" He shifted, allowing Sybil into the bathroom.

He sighed as the door closed.

It wasn't long after he'd stepped outside when he was nearly bowled over by a fluffy white
missile.

"There ya are Sam! I've been lookin for ya all over!" Max looked up at him with a wide
smile, clinging to his middle.

God he was cute.

"Hi little pal. What's up?"

Max let go, still smiling up at him. "C'mon, turns out some of the suits from the Whitehouse
are armed! Their guns are insane, ya gotta see!" Of course the little guy had been riled up by
weaponry.

"Sure pal"

Max grabbed his hand as he pulled him over.

One conversation turned into two. Then three. Then another person came into the mix. Then
another. Before he knew it, an hour had gone by
Trust the little hellspawn that was his partner to actually get him to be social at a party.

He'd be damned if he wasn't actually enjoying himself though.

Max stuck almost literally to his side the entire time they were invested in conversations.
Max would often pipe in as he leaned on Sam's side or clung to his jacket.

Part of him was nervous. Part of him liked it.

The rest of the night went by suprisingly fast. The two got swept into a conversation with
Sybil and Superball at some point. Max was right, they were standing very close.

Eh, good for her.

Abe made no appearance at any point. Sybil didn't seem to mind.

The night wore on until it was much later and colder. People began to move inside to the
kitchen slowly, some taking their leave entirely. Eventually, the few people left all moved
inside, taking Sam and Max with them.

After a good few hours, though he was enjoying himself, he decided a break was in order.

He politely exited his current conversation, patting Max on the head before exiting the back
door and stepping outside into the cool night air.

He sat down at a garden table, relaxing slightly and letting the refreshing chill of the air run
through him. Soft orange light came from the kitchen windows as the sound of muffled
talking and laughing drifted through into the backyard.

Sam's ears perked up at the sound of the party momentarily getting louder as the back door
opened, becoming muffled again as the door swung shut.

"Hey Max" he said with a smile.

Max paused midstep looking nervous, an unusual expression for him.

"I'm not interrupting am I? I can go back inside or -"

"Max, don't be silly" he said, gesturing his head toward the table to have Max sit with him.

Max hesitated still, but eventually hopped up onto the table in front of Sam. Sam patted his
head which immediately seemed to brighten the rabbit's mood. Little fella always was the
affectionate type. Well, the affectionate type with him at least.

"Sooo, did ya have fun after I actually got ya to join the party?" Max asked, swinging his
legs.

He rolled his eyes, knowing the response Max was looking for. "Yes Max, I had fun, you
were right. There, happy?" he said with a smile.
"Yep! I just wanted a told ya so!" Max stuck his tongue, though his expression quickly
changed as a cold chill blew past. He shivered, shark teeth chattering.

"Cold little pal?"

"Eh, I'm fine." He said dismissively, though Sam was already taking off his jacket.

"Sam what're ya -" he gently draped his jacket around Max's shoulders.

"There. Since someone refuses to wear clothes like a normal person, this should keep ya
warm."

Max looked surprised but accepted the gesture, pulling the sides of the jacket closer around
him. Why Max was so surprised he couldn't pin down, it's not like giving Max his jacket was
an unusual ocurance.

Max opened his mouth to say something but shut it again, leaving an awkward silence
hanging.

The two sat in it for a moment before Max quickly spoke up to change the topic.

"So..." Max continued on "think ya got your next date?"

"What?!" he choked.

"The lady from before! Duh." This damn rabbit was gonna be the death of him, he swore it.
"She was obviously flirting with ya. So, what'd'ya think, gonna make a move?" Max waggled
his eyebrows.

"Max, never do that with your eyebrows again."

"Ugh, killjoy"

Had someone been flirting with him? He honestly didn't remember. He supposed that woman
from before had been especially nice. Though honestly he'd been focused more on err...well,
Max. An embarrassing thought but not a surprising one.

"Honestly pal, I don't think I will. I'm sure she's a nice gal, but I'm good."

"What, finally got sick of dating?" He joked.

"Err...yeah kinda." He answered honestly, catching Max of guard.

"Wait really?"

He'd had his fill for a lifetime honestly. Besides, it wasn't gonna fix anything. "Yeah, really.
I'm honestly good."

Again, that surprised expression. Was something wrong?

Something wrong.
Sam's mind immediately snapped back to the conversation he'd had with Sybil.

He'd gotten so swept up in Max's good mood and the energy of the party he'd completely
forgotten about it.

He found himself taking Max's hand without thinking.

"Max...y'know if there's ever anything botherin' you that ya can talk to me, right?"

Max's eyes went wide "I..." He trailed off, looking at the floor.

"I mean it little pal." He said softly. "Anythin at all. Ya can always talk to me, kay? Always."
He gently ran his thumb over Max's hand. He swore the little guys face was turning pink.
Couldn't say it was surprising, he never had been good with talking about emotions and here
Sam baring them wholesale. Poor little guy probably felt awkward.

He looked down at Max's tiny paw in his, the pink scar obvious against his white fur. Funny,
now he got a closer look at it, it was an odd shape. One thin line with multiple little offshoots
and even more branching off of those. Looked like an elaborate lightening strike.

Max looked up at him silently, ears perked and eyes wide in the low light.

He knew it wasn't the time to think about it, but god did he look pretty.

Maybe it was the way Max was lit up by the dim light, maybe it was the fact that for the first
time in a long time Sam had allowed himself to be this physically close to Max, but Sam felt
like he couldn't stop himself from leaning in.

He felt his mind almost shutting off as the only thing he seemed to be able to focus on was
Max.

The two were so close now, Sam could feel Max's body heat and hear him breathing. In the
dim light, it almost seemed like...Max was leaning in.

He closed his eyes and leaned the rest of the way.

And felt Max's lips against his.

God this felt amazing. Everything else felt like it was melting away.

It just felt so right.

Max felt warm against him when compared to the cold chill of the air. Fireworks felt like
they were going off in Sam's mind.

Then, as quickly as his brain had shut off, it flicked back on again.

He'd just leaned in and kissed his best friend.

 Sam pulled back as if he had been shocked, letting go of Max's hand quickly, chair scraping
from the speed he'd moved back.

Max looked at him with an expression he couldn't quite decipher. It looked hurt.

Apologies began to pour out of his mouth but failed to take full form as he was unsure of
how to even apologise for something like this. "Max I...I can't...I don't..." guilt began to
squirm in Sam's gut as he realised just what he'd done.

He'd kissed Max. He'd let his feelings get the better of him. The one thing he said he wouldn't
do.

"I'm sorry Max"

"Just don't okay"

"What?"

"I said just don't Sam. Please. I don't wanna hear it. Let's just go home okay?"

Max hopped down, jacket still around him.

"I'm gonna say bye to Syb and wait in the car."

Max took off for the house, disappearing into the back door.

Sam just stood staring.

Shit.

Chapter End Notes

:D
 The Ride Home
Chapter Summary

Wow, talking about things is productive, who'd have thought.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

The car ride back was...awkward to say the least.

Max stared out the window, desperately trying to avoid any form of eye contact, keeping his
gaze locked on the passing scenery.

Max thought they were likely close to their building by now, though he couldn't really tell.
With what little attention he was paying combined with the darkness brought from the early
hours of the morning, streets blurred together with little distinction. Max wished they were
simply home already, so that he could curl up in his bunk beneath the sheets and pretend that
none of this had ever happened.

He wrapped Sam's blazer tighter around his shoulders like an oversized blanket, still wearing
it from when they'd been sitting outside together. It smelled strongly of Sam, like typewriter
ink and coffee, which somehow made things both better and worse at the same time.

He'd been rejected, through and through. He'd been the one to close the gap. He'd kissed Sam
and the worst had happened.

Sams words echoed through his mind against his will

"I cant...I'm don't..."

I can't see you like that.

I don't feel the same.

"I'm sorry Max"

He felt pathetic

How quick Sam had pulled back had been the worst part.

He ran a thumb over his scar.

Max dared to sneak a glance at Sam, noticing that he had seemingly also decided on a similar
plan of avoidance.
His eyes were locked straight ahead as he sat stiffly in the drivers seat, hands gripping the
steering wheel tightly. His hat and tie had been thrown into the back of the car carelessly
when they'd got in, the fur on his head evidently ruffled from where he'd nervously been
running his hand through it.

The silence was probably the worst part in Max's opinion. Car rides between them were very
rarely quiet, with the two often nattering back and forth, commenting on everything and
nothing. Now however the car was quiet as graveyard with an ambiance to match, as had
been the case more over the last few days than he'd liked.

Max found himself regretting shooting out the radio in last month. At least it would've been
something to fill the empty space.

He'd just had to fucking do it, hadn't he. He just had to kiss Sam and make everything like
this. He knew for a fact Sam would never feel that way about him, especially about this him,
but he dove in headfirst anyway, just like he always did.

Please just let them get home, both go to bed and never speak about what happened again.
Please just let the most embarrassing and depressing night of his life end.

What had he been thinking? Even if Sam had any form of feeling towards him, it wouldn't be
toward 𝘩𝘪𝘮. He was the wrong one. He was the wrong Max and he'd just kissed Sam.

Max began to physically curl in on himself, clutching his hand to his chest.

He'd kept his stupid feelings in check this long. Why tonight? Why had it suddenly reared its
head? Best case scenario this would permanently hang between them and at worst Sam would
never wanna be around him anymore and he was gonna have to move out of their apartment
and -

Max's ears perked up at the familiar sound of the handbrake being pulled.

They were home.

Thank fuck.

Max immediately reached for the door handle intending to leap out of the car at high velocity
when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Max, can we talk for a minute?"

Despite every thought in his mind screaming at him to just jump out the car and run into their
apartment, Max pulled his hand back from door handle and turned to Sam, putting on as
convincing a grin as possible.

So much for not talking about it

"Sure, whats up?" he said as lightly as his tone would allow, insides already churning from
the oncoming rejection.
"So um, about, ya know, before" Sam managed to stutter out, refusing to meet Max's eye as
he continued to speak. "I just wanted t', ya know. Apologise. For what I did."

Wait

What?

Any platitudes about just forgetting about tonights events that Max had previously prepared
died on his tongue. Sam was apologising? To him? Why? What for? Max was the one who'd
closed the gap.

Max was suddenly snapped back to reality as he realised he'd been staring at Sam blankly for
the last fifteen seconds.

Sam continued to avoid Max's gaze, fiddling with his hands in his lap and looking more
anxious than Max thought he'd ever seen him.

"What?" Max blurted out.

Sam looked up at the sudden response, making eye contact with Max before immediately
looking away again.

"What the hell are ya talking about?"

As eloquent as always, Max cringed inward to himself.

"Well I was kind of the one who, ya know, er, initiated an' all that" Sam scratched the back of
his neck, turning away from Max and facing forward again, looking out onto the street. "I just
wanted to apologise and let ya know that i'll be keeping my feelings...in check, from now on,
so to speak" Sam finished, staring gloomily ahead.

Sam continued talking "I understand if ya don't wanna be around..." Max couldn't hear him.

He thought his brain was going to short circuit.

Sam had just...and he was in...and they'd both...and he was...

Max scrambled across the seats at a speed he didn't even think he could move at, clumsily
falling into Sam's lap.

"Max?! What the - " Sam lifted his arms up away from Max in suprise and Max struggled to
get upright, getting tangled in the jacket still on his shoulders before finally standing on
Sam's lap and grabbing him by the shirt collar.

"You have feelings for me?!" he practically yelled, face to face with Sam as he clung onto his
shirt collar for dear life.

"Max what on earth?!" Sam said, arms still raised "Yes! Isn't that why you were so upset
before when - mph!"
Sam's eyes widened as he felt Max's lips on his.

Sam froze in place, arms still hovering and suddenly unsure of what to do.

Max was undeterred however, pressing harder into the kiss. He released Sam's collar, his
hands moved up to hold Sam's cheeks, letting out a small sigh against his lips.

At the sigh he felt Sam relax slightly, his brain seemingly slowly catching up to the situation
at hand. Sam's eyes began to shut and he lowered his arms until his hands were resting on
Max's back, letting out a small noise into the kiss.

Max could hear Sam's tail begin to thunk against the car seats rapidly, making him laugh
slightly into the kiss.

Their lips moved in sync and the kiss gradually became deeper, Max tilting his head into the
kiss more. Sam gently pulled Max even closer, one of his hands leaving Max's back to rest on
the back of his head.

Max would think for sure he was dreaming if it weren't for the overwhelming physical
sensation of it all, the feeling of Sam's hands on him, the softness of the fur on his cheeks, his
warm lips against his own.

Sam began to lean his body forwards into the kiss, to which Max happily responded by
letting himself be leaned gently backwards, Sam's hands supporting him.

Leaning him straight back into the center of the steering wheel.

The sound was instantaneous as the horn honked, causing the two to break out of their trance
and jump apart in surprise, Max yelping.

For a second there was silence, before the two locked eyes and Max noticed a smirk
beginning to form on Sam's mouth.

Max began to smile in response and before the two knew it they were laughing until they
were crying. Max felt the tension from the last few days begin to melt away as they laughed,
things finally, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 feeling...like they could be okay again. Hell, like things could be good
again.

Eventually the two's laughter died down into chuckles, Max slowly resting his head on Sam's
chest as the last of the laugher fell out of him.

Sam responded by wrapping his arms around him and resting his own head on top of Max's.

The two remained in comfortable silence for a short while before Sam began speaking.

"So, is it safe to we may've misinterpreted each other's responses back there little pal?"

Max laughed, nuzzling into Sam's shirt and wrapping his arms as much as he could around
Sam's chest. "Ya know, I think we might've" he responded "No clue how ya could've possibly
figured that out"
"Quiet Bonehead"

The two continued to hug, Max listening to Sam's heartbeat and beginning to let out a low
purr.

"God you're adorable"

"Heh, I know"

"So...when ya said you'd maybe want a relationship with a specific type of guy...was I within
the archetype, so to speak?"

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢.

He pulled Sam down into a firm but brief kiss, letting go with a grin "What the hell do ya
think, dumbass?"

He heard Sam's tail thwacking against the seats even faster.

What a dork.

Sam hugged him tight.

His dork.

The two stayed like that for a long while. Max knew everything wasn't nessesarily fixed now.
There was still things hanging over his head. But right now, as he lay on Sam's chest, he
honestly couldn't say he cared in the slightest.

After what seemed like both forever and nowhere near long enough to Max, the two pulled
back from their hug to face each other, Sam gently cradling Max's face.

"So, this is a thing now huh?" he smiled at Max fondly while stroking the fur on his cheek
with his thumb.

"Guess so" Max responded, placing his own hand on top of Sam's and leaning more into the
touch, purring all the while.

"As much fun as its been confessing our affections to each other in our car" Sam stated,
punctuating the start of his next sentence with a kiss to Max's forehead causing him to giggle
"Whatdya say we take this inside?" he finished, gently scooping up Max, blazer and all and
holding him close.

Max looks up, placing a gentle kiss on Sam's jaw from underneath.

"I think I'd like that"

The cold air hit Max as Sam opened he car door and stepped out. He cuddled closely into
Sam's warm chest, fully enveloped in his arms.
 He closed his eyes and sighed contentedly as Sam carried them into the building, the door
closing behind them.

Chapter End Notes

Important note.

There is an optional nsfw fluff piece set directly after this chapter entitled "I'm Sure".
Again, it's entirely optional and contains no important plot details for any upcoming
chapters (if you can call what's going on a plot). This work was always intended to be
sfw and will remain so, so no worries there, it simply exists if you want it.

Anyway, on with the show.

 Good Morning
Chapter Summary

Time to actually talk about feelings for once

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Max was woken up by the light coming in from their apartment window.

That was odd, Sam never forgot to close their curtains before they went to bed.

Whatever.

Intending to return back to sleep, Max snuggled back under the heavy covers and into his
warm furry pillow.

Wait. His pillow wasn't furry.

Max's eyes opened to find he was lying on Sam's chest, Sam's arm draped over him.

The events of last night began to flood back to him.

The party, the car, the oh...

A grin began to spread across his face as it all came back.

Sam felt the same way as him.

He felt warm butterflies form in his stomach all over again as he remembered everything,
smile spreading even further on his face as he cuddled into Sam's chest, holding him tightly.

Max had never been one for quiet, always preferring things to be as loud and chaotic as a
situation would allow for.

Right now though? He thought about how he'd give anything to stay in Sam's arms forever.

God, he was going soft.

Trust Sam to make him go completely mushy. He was going to need to shoot at least 6 perps
to balance all this mushyness currently flowing though his brain.

Max's thoughts were interrupted as Sam shifted, wrapping his arms completely around Max
and pulling him into a bear hug, a small smile on his face as he mumbled Max's name in his
sleep.

Okay, maybe the mushyness wasn't so bad.

Max began to purr as Sam cuddled him like he were a shark toothed teddy bear, nuzzling into
the crook of Sam's neck.

The purring and nuzzling was apparently enough to stir Sam, as he shifted and let out a large
yawn, his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he did so.

The mushy thoughts suddenly became even stronger.

Finishing yawning, Sam took stock of his surroundings before realising Max was in his arms.
Max felt the canine's chest vibrate as Sam chuckled and moved in the bed so he was lying
face to face with Max, their noses nearly touching.

"Mornin' sweetheart" he said, looking tiredly but affectionately at Max.

The mushyness floodgates opened.

"Oh, so I'm sweetheart now?" Max said smirking

"Fine, chucklehead it is then"

"Hey, I didn't say I didn't like it"

"Whatever you say, bunny" Sam replied, placing a small kiss on Max's nose and making him
laugh.

All that time was worth the wait.

The mushy thoughts about Sam reached their peak as Max gently grabbed Sam's face and
pressed his lips to his own, and he gave up any form of rebellion against them flooding his
mind.

Sam sighed happily, putting his hand on Max's cheek before they pulled apart, Max shifting
forward to nuzzle into Sam's neck and placing small kisses wherever he could reach.

The two rested for a while in comfortable silence, their arms wrapped around each other as
Max's purring filled the room.

Max was still struggling to believe any of this was real.

Sam began to trace circles mindlessly into Max's back, eyes closed and small smile on his
face.

Sam felt the same as him

It didn't sound real no matter how many times he thought it.

As he looked at Sam laying peacefully he began to wonder what good deed he could've
possibly performed to get this turn of events.

He wondered if he and Sam could just lay here all day. Though knowing Sam recently he'd
have paperwork to chip at or a date or-

Hang on, that wasn't a problem anymore.

Right?

Insecurity wriggled in Max's stomach

"Hey, Sammy?"

He earned a hum of agknowlegemnt in response

"So are we like...a thing now?' Max asked nervously.

There was a beat of silence before Sam responded. "A thing?"

"Yeah ya know...like, a thing, a...yknow..." Max finished, suddenly feeling like an idiot and
hiding his face further in the crook of Sam's neck.

"Ya mean a couple?" Sam said bemusedly.

"Yes! Look you know I'm not good with talking and shit."

"Max" Sam grabbed Max and shifted him in the bed until they were again face to face, Max
noticing Sam looked like he was holding back laughter.

"Of course we're a couple".

At hearing confirmation Max felt both a rush of affection and embarrassment, and he wasn't
sure which was stronger.

Max looked away from Sam, a difficult task considering how close their faces were "look, I
just, wanted to check y'know, in case -hey, stop laughing!"

Sam did not stop laughing.

"What's so funny?!"

Sam covered his mouth with one hand, failing to stifle the laughter. "I'm sorry Max, I just
don't think I've ever seen ya this flustered over anything before, it's adorable".

"Yeah, well...you...gah, fuck you!" Max yelled, covering his face with his hands and cursing
inwardly as he felt his cheeks flushing involuntary.

He heard Sam laughing before he felt two large hands grab his own, lowering them from his
face before he felt a series of small kisses all over his face.
Max giggled in spite of the embarrassment still coursing through him as Sam pulled back,
cupping his face. "I'm sorry darlin', you're just too fun to tease"

"Fuck you" Max responded, but he was smiling widely.

"Since I'm on a roll for asking questions"

"Asking one question is being on a roll?"

"Shut up. Since I'm on a roll for asking questions, and considering what happened last night."

Max resumed his position lower down the bed, laying on Sam's chest and mindlessly playing
with his fur.

"It seems like you've been feeling the same as me for at least a little while, so what was with
all those dates recently?"

Sam's expression changed from amused to suddenly embarrassed. Max noticed the air in the
room shift slightly.

Max gave himself some credit, he wasn't as good as Sam at putting two and two together, but
that didn't mean he was completely oblivious either.

"Ah, I thought you were gonna bring that up as some point" Sam said nervously "Do you
wanna know the truth? Ya gotta promise not to laugh".

"Hmmm, no guarantees" Max said with a sarcastic smile.

"Gee thanks" Sam replied looking unamused

"Calm down ya big lug, I'm joking, no laughing I promise, now tell me!"

"Alright, geeze. If you really wanna know..." Sam paused, scratching his cheek nervously "I
was trying to get over you."

"Wait" Max paused, unthinkingly gripping Sam's fur tightly "Thats why you were going on
all those dates recently?"

From the position of Sam's chest Max could see Sam's face was turning red under his fur.

"Wait is...is the feelings thing why you've been avoiding me? Why you've been avoiding
being close to me?"

"You've noticed that?"

"Of course I noticed Sam! It was kind of hard not to!"

Max hadn't meant to yell that.

Sam cringed at the raising of Max's voice.

"So it was all because you had feelings for me? And not because of..."

Thoughts that'd been kept at bay of being the "other Max" intruded into Max's mind.

Max felt a tidal wave of emotion hit him as everything he'd been feeling recently came back
all at once.

So did that mean he wasn't just the other Max? And Sam wasn't avoiding him because he
hated him and...

Max covered his face with his hands in an unsuccessful attempt to hide the tears beginning to
fall down his face.

"Max? What's wrong?"

Max let out an involuntary sob.

"Oh, bunny no!" Max felt Sam's arms around him, scooping him up as Sam sat up cross
legged in the bed, holding Max in his lap.

All the closeness after Sam avoiding him suddenly made the reality even more stark, and he
found himself clinging to Sam's chest as everything began to pour out.

He'd missed him so much.

Sam just held him tightly, gently stroking his back and whispering reassurances as Max let
out choked sobs.

"Shhh, it's okay darlin', let it out, I'm here Max".

Sam always knew what to do.

Max clung to Sam as tightly as he possibly could.

The two stayed that way for a while, Max losing track of time as he held onto Sam, all the
emotion going from a sharp stab to a dull ache as he cried himself out.

After he finally felt more composed, Max pulled himself away from Sam's chest to wipe his
eyes with his arm.

Sam looked down at him with pure concern.

Max looked up with a wavering grin

"I'm fine now"

Sam looked unconvinced

"You're...not gonna let me get away without talking about this are ya?"

Sam shook his head.

 "Heh, fair enough..."

Max lay tiredly against Sam's chest.

Guess this was going to come up eventually.

Chapter End Notes

Wow, getting a boyfriend doesn't fix your trauma, who'd have known.
 Explanation
Chapter Summary

Feeeeeliiiings

Chapter Notes

Chapter unlucky number 13, woop.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Max cuddled closely into Sam's chest, hiding his face.

"You've seriously been avoiding me because you had feelings for me? That's it? Sammy, I've
been dealing with that for years!"

Though he continued to listen, Sam felt a pang in his chest the word "years".

How long had Max...

"Do you have any idea what it felt like when you were avoiding me? I'd just seen ya die!"

Max buried his face further in Sam's chest.

"And when I finally make it back to ya and it seemed like everything is gonna be okay
again..."

He felt Max's small hands grip his fur desperately.

"You started avoiding me!"

Oh.

Oh god.

Max continued talking, words seeming to tumble out of his mouth without stopping.

"I thought that maybe you thought I wasn't good enough, or that I was just some, I dunno,
bad replacement for....your Max"

Oh dear lord.
"And that you were avoiding me because I'd never be him and he'd never be me and ya felt
weird around me now."

He could hear the tears in Max's voice.

"I thought ya hated me and ya were gonna leave me and I was gonna lose ya all over again!"

And now Sam was crying too.

Oh god.

Sam hugged Max so tightly he was worried he was going to crush him.

Max didn't seem to care, returning the gesture as much as his small arms would allow.

Tears continued to stream down Sam's face as he held Max as close as possible.

"Oh god Max I never...I didn't..."

"Oh darlin, I meant for any of this"

"Max, where did all this come from? I had no idea!" If he'd just have been paying attention he
could've...

No. No more ifs or buts or whens. Max was here now. That was all that mattereed.

Sam finally pulled back, coaxing Max to look at him while holding Max's small hand in his.

"Max, there is no 'original max' and 'not my max'"

He petted Max's hand. He could feel the scar.

"Listen to me when I say this alright? Because I know you, and unless I tell you to listen it
won't go into that thick head of yours."

He flicked Max's forehead, earning a small giggle despite the circumstances.

"There is no "other Max." No matter what timeline or universe or galaxy or whatever you
come from. A few years in a different time steam means nothing. You're my Max, through
and through."

He kissed the scar on Max's hand.

"I mean it."

For the first time in a while, Max smiled. A genuine wide smile that reached his eyes.

Sam leaned down, gently kissing Max. Max reciprocated, holding Sam's face in his hands.

The two pulled away smiling, before Sam held Max to his chest again, a more somber
expression returning.
"I'm so sorry sweetheart. I was avoiding you because I didn't want to scare you off."

Max's voice was muffled slightly by Sam's fur.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I...you'd just gotten back, and we'd both been through a lot. After you were...gone, I realised
exactly how I felt about ya"

Sam shifted slightly, holding Max close.

"And then ya came back, and things were returning to normal except I had these new feelings
that I didn't know what to do with."

"I was worried that if I was around ya too much before I either got them under control or got
rid of them you'd notice and be so uncomfortable around me you'd just leave."

"I didn't want to...I just..."

Sam felt a sob build up.

"I couldn't lose you again"

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea what I was doing to ya sweetheart."

Sam felt Max shift on his lap so he was standing up, face to face with Sam.

He felt Max's hands on his face, encouraging him to look at Max.

Max still had tears on his face but was smiling.

"You're a fucking idiot, you know that?"

Sam paused, confused.

"What?"

"You heard me! You're a fucking idiot."

Max let out a laugh.

"You really think even if I didn't feel the same way I'd just leave? Sam, we've been together
since we were literal infants. I jumped through time and space just to be with you again, do
ya really think I'd just up and leave because ya had feelings for me?"

Even though tears were streaming down his face, Sam smiled in response, letting out a small
laugh of his own.

"I suppose you're right."

"Course I am!" Max replied, kissing his nose.

"You're one to talk though"

"Huh?"

"You really think I'd just chuck ya out at the slightest inconvenience?" He was laughing now,
hand on Max's cheek.

Max gave him an annoyed look.

"Look it made sense! I wasn't the original, I'd just showed up outta nowhere and expected ya
to deal with it..."

He pulled Max into a kiss, cutting him off. "Hey now, none of that." He said gently running
his thumb through the fur on Max's cheek. The rabbits expression softened as he leaned into
the touch "I'd still argue you were stupider" he said under his breath."

"Wow, thanks"

"I adore ya Sammy but for someone so smart you sure are dumb"

"Gee, don't shower me with too many compliments"

"Also you have dog breath'

"Okay you, that's it" Sam laughed, grabbing Max's wrists and pushing him down onto the bed
as he licked his face.

"Ah! Sam, gross! Stop licking me you overgrown furball!" Max laughed while trying and
failing to squirm away.

Sam eventually began to pepper kisses into the licks, before eventually switching to simply
placing kisses all over Max's face. Max stopped squirming and instead simply enjoyed the
attention.

Sam loosened his grip on Max's wrists and slipped his hands up, holding Max's hands as he
began to kiss down Max's face to his neck.

Max let out out a sigh of pure bliss before Sam pulled away.

"Aww, why'd ya stop?"

"Because little pal, as much as I'd love to stay in bed with you all day"

Sam kissed Max's forehead.

"All that emotion sharing business really built up my appetite."

Max's stomach suddenly growled at the mention of food.

"Heh, okay, maybe food is a good idea"

 "Thanks, I'm full of them"

"Like avoiding your partner for months on end for a stupid reason and making him think that
you hate him?"

"Max?"

"Yessss?"

"Shut the hell up"

Chapter End Notes

Kinda hungry rn myself actually.

 The New Normal
Chapter Summary

Max finally talks.

Chapter Notes

We're back! Sorry this took so long for anyone reading, my life kind of descended into
chaos recently and I'm finally wrangling it back on track.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Things were different now.

Sam found himself liking it.

He'd changed into an old t-shirt and loose pants by now, the slight chill of the morning in
their poorly insulated apartment making him regret sleeping in his underwear.

From the outside everything probably appeared like it normally would as they went about
their morning routine. Sam couldn't help but notice however Max seemed to be standing
closer to him as he retrieved a bowl.

He scrambled up Sam's back as usual to get his artery clogging cereal from the top shelf.
Instead of immediately jumping off Sam's shoulders however, he gave his head a small
nuzzle before leaping off him.

Sam could get used to this.

It was apparently a nice day as warm morning light streamed in through their windows as
appose to the consistent gray sky they often saw.

Sam sat down, hearing an unexpected scraping of a chair as Max pushed his own chair closer.

"Carry on like this little pal and I might think ya have a crush on me"

Max clambered onto the chair, giving Sam an unamused look at the joke but nonetheless
scooting on his chair so he was as close to Sam as possible.

The two ate in a silence that for the first time in a while finally felt comfortable again rather
than tense.
The two finished relatively quickly, Max leaning into Sam's side as Sam gently wrapped an
arm around him.

Yeah, he could definetly get used to this.

Sam took a moment to bask in the domesticity of it all. It almost felt normal.

Was this their new normal?

He thought back to their conversation this morning.

Maybe things were never going to be normal again.

Maybe that was okay.

"Hey Max?"

Max gave a small "mhm" in response.

"I...just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Max looked up at him with a confused expression.

"I...I was so focused on tryin' to get things back to normal I didn't wanna think about what
had happened to me. Hell, what had happened to you. I just kept pushin it down. And I was
so desperate to keep things normal that I completely didn't even realise how you were hurti -
OUCH"

Sam quickly pulled his arm away in pain, bite mark obvious.

"What the hell Max?!"

"It was the quickest way to get you to shut the fuck up."

"Jesus, I was just tryin to apologi-"

"Don't apologise damnit!"

Max stood from his chair, hopping onto the table and standing so they were face to face. "I
fucking know you. You have this goddamn complex where you always think ya have to take
care of me! Well ya don't, alright?"

Sam felt his brow furrow. "I have to be able to notice Max! Ya never speak up when you're
upset, it's the only way I can ever take care of ya!"

"My feelings aren't your responsibility!"

"I want them to be!" He yelled.

Max looked taken aback.

He cupped Max's cheek.

"Darlin', ya never tell me anythin." He spoke softly. "Even before all of this, getting anything
out of ya was like squeezing blood from a stone."

"Because I don't wanna be a burden Sam." His firsts were curled at his side. "Ya always take
on to much. Including all my stuff. You were hurting too! It seems like ya keep forgetting
that."

"But I was so desperate to get things back to normal that I kept pushing everything down!"

"Yeah, and I was so wrapped up in thinking ya hated me that I didn't do anything to help ya!
Just like I always do!" He could see tears beginning to form in Max's eyes.

"I couldn't help ya when ya needed it most!" He clutched his hand to his chest. "The one time
ya needed me and I couldn't fuckin save ya!"

A hush fell between them.

This was the first time since they'd reunited that Max had mentioned anything that'd
happened, even in passing.

"Darlin', what happened?"

Max looked down at the table beneath his feet, seeming to think his answer over. He looked
so small.

Sam gently opened his arms. Max dived into his chest, holding him tight.

"You...your electricmagnetic powers got the better of ya. They were like some weird
supernatural thing? I don't remember."

Max buried his face in Sam's chest. "Ya transformed cause ya...tried to protect me."

"Before I knew it you were...giant. I...tried everything to shrink ya back down. To get ya back
to normal! But..."

Max started shaking slightly. Sam held him tight.

"I was so fuckin useless."

"I couldn't come up with anything. Hell, I was a more of a problem to the people actually
doin stuff if anything. In the end, everyone was tellin me to just...kill ya."

"I pushed back but..." He started crying harder. Sam sat in silence, holding him tight in a way
that was hopefully encouraging Max to carry on.

"Before the blast I...I was on a building. I still remember ya stupid dumb face as ya turned
towards me. I touched ya face one last time, felt a shock and then...you were gone."
"It's how I got this stupid thing" he pulled back, brandishing his hand. "The shock from you
or your powers or whatever I think it...gave me the scar or whatever."

He sat in Sam's lap, rubbing the back of his hand. "I...I don't think I hate it. It's my last
reminder. But it told me how I failed. And how I wasn't yknow...your Max. And how badly I
fucked up and..."

The rabbit began crying again.

He buried his face in Sam's chest. He swore he could hear "I'm sorry" and "All my fault"
being repeated over and over.

"Hey hey now, shh" he pet the rabbit's back.

"Its alright little pal. Ya did the best ya could."

"But I didn't! I couldn't take care of ya the one fucking time..."

"The same could be said for me, little pal."

Max paused, pulling back as he tilted his head. The action would've been cute if not for the
tears streaming down his face. "Huh?"

"I couldn't save you either, sweetheart." He said with a sad smile.

"Do ya blame me for not being able to save you?"

Max's ears spiked up as he grabbed Sam's face. "What?! No! Of course not!"

"Then why the hell would I ever think it was your fault?"

The rabbit looked down, trying to form a response. "But I...it was me who -"

"It was me who failed as well pal"

"But ya didn't fail! Ya did everything you could! And...and..."

"So did you."

A quietness hung between them for a moment.

He took Max's hand gently in his.

"I don't expect me sayin this to fix everything. But I hope one day ya believe me when I say I
don't blame you."

Max looked down at his hand in Sam's.

"Do you...blame yourself for not bein able to save me as well?"

"Of course I do."

 "But ya didn't..."

Max paused, before wrapping his arms around Sam's neck.

"I'm not good with words but...you did everythin ya could. I know ya did. You're you. You'd
never not do everything ya could."

Sam wrapped his arms around Max, burying his face in his shoulder. "Thank you darlin'"

The two stayed like that for a while, simply holding each other.

Sam held Max tight, trying to ground himself in the fact Max was here in his arms. He was
here and he was never letting him go again.

Sam shifted, resting his snout of the top of Max's head. "We really picked a fun situation to
have a blossomin romance in huh?"

"Really? That's what ya choose to break the silence with?"

He kissed Maxs nose "Yup"

"Dumbass" Max said as he pressed his face into the crook of Sam's neck.

"Maybe Sybil was right, maybe we should...y'know, get some help."

He heard a muffled groan. "Do we have to? I hate...feelings."

Sam chuckled " 'Ya don't have to if ya don't want to. But I think it might...help us both
maybe, y'know?"

"...maybe"

He gave Max a squeeze. "That's a worry for another day though. For today, let's take a day
off and relax, yeah?"

He gave Max's forehead a kiss " 'Sides, we have a lot of trash TV to catch up on."

He felt Max nuzzle into his neck as he let out a small laugh. "Yeah, we do."

Chapter End Notes

I've got about 2 more chapters planned till this is all wrapped up. They hopefully won't
take too long to get out, no matter what though this thing will be finished no matter what
lol.
 Sweet and Saccharine
Chapter Summary

The two finally rest.

Chapter Notes

This is a pretty sugary sweet one but I feel like they deserve it.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The two curled up onto the couch together.

It wasn't nessesarily the first time they'd spent an afternoon like this. Though for some reason
it just felt more intimate now.

The way Sam had his arm around him. The way he occasionally pet Max's neck, pulling out
an unexpected purr that made Sam laugh. In spite of all the stress of the last few days still
floating nearby, he honestly couldn't bring himself to care.

Sam was warm. And incredibly soft. He teased Sam about his build but honestly, he adored
the way Sam looked. And felt for that matter. He leaned into Sam's plush side. Hell, he was
comfier than the actual couch.

He felt Sam scoop him up, making no protest as Sam moved him into his lap, still staring at
the TV. Sam's arms wrapped around him as he rested his snout on the top of Max's head.

God could he get used to this.

It was probably impossible for things to go back to the way things were before. Originally,
Max had thought it was a bad thing. He was starting to think maybe it had a silver lining.

He felt Sam shift slightly, moving to kiss the top of his head before returning his attention to
the slightly staticy movie.

He'd never liked quiet and soft. Sam was both. He found himself suddenly liking quiet and
soft a lot more.

The movie drifted on in the background, though Max found himself paying little attention as
Sam moved and began nuzzling sweetly into his shoulder.
He knew Sam was a huge softie, especially in relationships, at least from what he'd seen
when Sam had interacted with past partners. Experiencing it first hand though?

He heard Sam's tail thumping against the old couch cushions as he continued to nuzzle into
Max's neck and shoulder.

He was going to die from all this sweetness, he swore it. He was going to die in the arms of a
stupid fluffy oversized dog who's tail was going faster than a fucking airplane propeller. He
could see his obituary now, "Maxwell, taken from us too early (or maybe not early enough
depending on who you ask) by Samuel being so fucking saccharine it killed him outright. He
passed peacefully in the arms of said idiot partner."

Sam placed a small kiss on his neck.

It'd be a good fucking way to die.

"So..." Sam said, punctuating the next part of his sentence with a kiss to Max's neck "How
long 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 you had feelings for me little pal."

Max felt himself tensing up.

"W...why do ya ask?" He said, trying to sound nonchalant. He wasn't nessesarily ashamed of

how long he'd had feelings for Sam. It was a fact of life for him, always had been. If Sam
found out about it however...

Ugh, Jesus Christ, he'd never hear the end of the teasing.

Sam continued to nuzzle his neck, teasing tone obvious as he continued. "Well, I told ya
when I caught feelings. It's only fair ya tell me."

"Fuck off" he crossed his arms, shifting away from Sam's nuzzling snout as his face burned.

Okay, maybe he was a little embarrassed by how long he'd had a crush on him.

Sam just chuckled, pulling him back again and kissing Max's cheek. His face continued to
burn.

"You're enjoying this, aren't ya?"

"Maybe" Sam said with an amused inflection. "D'ya know how rare it is to see ya
embarressed Max? I can never get this reaction outta ya. D'you really expect me not to milk it
for all it's worth while I still can?" He peppered Max's cheek with small kisses.

"You're not gonna stop askin till I tell you, are ya?"

"Nope."

"You're just gonna keep showering me with random affection to wear me down, aren't ya?"

"Seems like it's workin, so yup."

"Can't I just tell ya more deep dark sad things and ya leave me alone?"

"Nope. Besides, we agreed no more crying for today if we can help it."

"Damnit. Worth a shot."

He turned on Sam's knee, looking up at him as Sam gave him an amused and expectant look.

"I hate you"

"I know." He lifted up Max's chin, kissing him gently before he pulled back.

"Ugh, fiiiiiinnnneeeeee!"

"I've...had a crush on you since we were kids." He mumbled borderline unhearably.

"What?"

"I've had a crush on you since we were kids." He said slightly louder, avoiding Sam's gaze.

He felt Sam's hand cup his cheek, coaxing him to look upward.

"You've...that long? Really?"

"Yeah, kinda...Don't know when it started. Just kinda a thing I knew, y'know?"

"Did it...was it on and off or..."

"Nope! Been head over heels for ya the whole time, suprise!" Max said with an embarressed
laugh, spreading his hands in a 'ta-dah!' like gesture and hoping his fur was hiding his flush.
He severely doubted it.

"Even in college? Not that I doubt ya, just...I assumed you weren't the type to have feelings
like that, y'know? Considerin you..."

"Lived up to my reputation of bein a rabbit?" Max replied with a laugh, making Sam look
away shyly.

"I don't regret anythin I did in college. I did honestly have fun, but I can't say it also wasn't
also a mildly shitty coping tactic. That's on me though"

Sam stayed silent, eyes wide.

"I did try to start a couple relationships but embarrassin as it is...they weren't you, y'know?"

"I...you were too good for me? Especially in college. Heh, I was a mess." He leaned into
Sam's hand.

"Honestly, after college I thought we were gonna go our separate ways. You were doin well
and I was flunkin...yeah I was a catch in some ways but you were actual relationship
material, y'know?"
 Max nuzzled into Sam's hand as the bittersweet memories continued to flow back to him.

"I thought you'd find a nice gal honestly. Or, um, guy I guess, judging by the fact ya like me.
Still a little surprised on that one." He let out a small laugh.

"I really did think you'd settle down though, have a normal life, all that crap y'know." He said
with a sad smile. "I wouldn't have blamed ya if it'd gone that way y'know? I was kinda a
mess, and ya deserved a good life y'know so-mph!"

Max was dragged swiftly back to the present by the feeling of Sam's hands tightly gripping
his shoulders, pulling him into a harsh kiss. Max was surprised but quickly relaxed into it,
small purr being released from him.

As they pulled apart Max couldn't help but notice Sam seemed...sad?

Sam's hands slipped down his arms until they came to rest on his hands, holding them tightly.

"Max, why didn't ya ever say anything?"

"It...wasn't your problem. 'Sides, it turned out alright didn't it?"

'I guess, but you were hurtin pal!" Sam sounded genuinely distraught. "Even if ya didn't
wanna tell me about your feelings, I wished you'd told me what you were thinkin about."

"That would never have happened. I can't imagine my life without you darlin'. I couldn't back
then either, honestly. I just wish I could've told ya that back then."

God fucking damnit, he was crying again. Why was he even crying? Was he happy? Sad?

Sam kissed him.

Happy. Yeah, he was happy.

He buried his face in the crook of Sam's neck.

"If this carries on I'm gonna go as soft as you."

"Surely there are worse fates."

He kissed Sam's neck. "Yeah. Yeah, there are."

Chapter End Notes

We're on the home stretch lads.

 We'll figure it out
Chapter Summary

The two finally get out of their own heads.

Chapter Notes

Final chapter lads.

I wanted to post this on valentine's Day but didn't finish it on time lol.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The rest of the day passed by in a comfortable haze.

The two stayed close to each other the whole day. Even when Sam got up to make a snack
Max was close behind, leaning on his side or holding his hand. He was glad for the close
contact.

Sam settled back onto the couch with a blanket, wrapping him and Max up together. Max's
fur felt soft as he pet him. He used it to ground himself.

Sam had said they wouldn't speak about it for the rest of the day. Didn't mean his mind wasn't
drifting back to it though.

He was beginning to realise he'd been pushing everything down. Not just his feelings about
Max. Everything. He'd buried it all as deep as he could in an attempt to feel normal again.
Instead all that'd happened was it had began to make itself known against his will. Burying
his feelings had only seemed to make them fester.

It'd been more frequent recently. In his attempt to keep such a tight grip it felt like things had
simply began slipping through his fingers, intruding into his mind against his will.

In short, it'd just made everything worse.

He'd give Sybil a call tomorrow.

Right now though, it was just him and Max.

The warm glow of the daylight began to gently fade from their office. The various knick-
knacks and memories of their office blurred together in the lower light. He really aught to
hang up some new photos of the two of them.

He heard a small high pitched yawn from the rabbit perched on the edge of his knee on top of
the blanket. He leaned down, giving Max's neck an affectionate lick before nuzzling the same
spot.

Max just laughed. "Gross Sam! If you keep doing that I'm gonna look like a toilet brush!""

"Ya say that like ya already don't pal."

"Hey, it's your shampoos fault I look so poofy recently."

"So ya have been stealing my shampoo"

Max turned around on his lap, sticking his tongue out.

He kissed his cheek "You're a very pretty toilet brush."

Things were changing. Wasn't all bad though.

He felt like there should've been some adjustment period with his relationship with Max.
There always was right? The awkward phase of discovering what each other wanted, what
kind of affection the other desired. Or as more often was the case with him, to see what they'd
put up with. He'd been told in the past by girlfriends he could be a bit overly cuddly.

With Max however, things simply seemed to...slip into place.

He grabbed Max's hand, giving the scar a on it a gentle kiss.

"Kinda pretty in an odd way, ain't it?"

"Only you would try to compliment my scar, ya weirdo."

The rabbit shifted on his knee, sliding back to lay on his chest. Max grabbed Sam's arm
gently, manoeuvring it around himself as he sighed contentedly. He heard Max purring, a
sound that was rapidly rising through the ranks to become one of his favourite alongside
gunshots.

He supposed it made sense things would fall in to place so easily. The two had already known
each other for so long. Why wouldn't they?

He heard Max's breathing slow as his small partner began to drift off, purring never ceasing
as his eyes closed with a shark toothed smile on his face.

He really hoped Max never realised just how much Max had him wrapped around his little
finger. God knows what trouble the little guy would manage to drag him into.

Sam moved his arm from around Max to grab the remote, intending to turn down the volume
so as not to wake the sleeping rabbit in his lap. Max made an annoyed groan, grabbing his
arm tightly to prevent it from moving. Sam let out a soft laugh.
"Alright little pal, you win." Sam awkwardly grabbed the remote with his other arm, deciding
to simply flick the TV off.

"We should probably head to bed anyway." He rose from the couch, Max cradled in his arms
as he made their way to their bedroom.

Sam collapsed in his own bunk, Max cradled in his arms.

He drifted off to the sound of Max's purring.

Max woke up in a cold sweat.

Electricity. Sparks. Pain. Explosions...

His eyes snapped open as he took in his surroundings.

He felt something...fluffy?

Sam.

He turned to see Sam's snout directly is front of him.

He looked ridiculous from this angle.

Despite himself, Max let out a laugh.

He gave Sam's nose a small kiss before squirming out from Sam's grip.

He slipped onto the floor, feeling the weathered wood beneath him as he leaned his back
against the bedframe.

His heart beat quickly but the familiar feeling of the worn wood beneath him and the sound
of Sam's breathing helped calm his nerves.

Thoughts continued to flood through his head however.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 need 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺
𝘚𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 -

Sam let out a snore.

Sam.

His partner.

Who cared about him.

Max looked at the scar on his hand.

Maybe Sam was right. Maybe talking about stuff would help.
 Max was dragged from his thoughts from a distinct pup like whine.

He turned around from his spot on the floor as he heard another, seeing an upset look on
Sam's still sleeping face.

Sam's arm reached out, patting across the bed in search as he let out another whine.

Max stood up from his place on the floor, crawling into the bed.

Sam's searching arm soon found him and he was swiftly pulled into a clumsy bearhug by the
still sleeping Sam.

He instinctually began to purr at the close contact, Sam holding him closer to his chest with a
sleepy smile on his face.

He found himself drifting off at the fluffy warmth of Sam surrounding him.

The was still stuff they needed to talk and a hell of a lot they needed to do, but hey. They had
each other. They'd figure it out.

Chapter End Notes

Phew, we're done.

I must now grapple with the fact that my longest work ever is the poorly written
emotional equivalent of me smushing two figurines together and going "NOW
KIIIIISSSSS" but that's my problem.

See ya!
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