Work Text:
“What are you doing?”
El giggled in an ardent manner as Max hastily bounced around their hideout (a word that grants it more credit than it deserves). Specifically, it was a square cluster of dense trees and decaying wood (roughly half a mile from the cabin) that was sporadically shoved together with wire much stronger than it looked. Tarps of contrasting shades covered exposed spots to battle the elements and the nosy.
For months, they hid in their place of solitude and just existed together. Hours of talking, kissing, innocent touch, and the development of something that neither one expected to happen. The end of their relationships allowed for them to discover something that was hidden in plain sight. From the moment it sparked, they knew they’d have to hide it.
What better place than the woods?
It was a messy structure so obviously created by impatient, distracted minds, but its appearance had no significance. The only time it was occupied was at night, when darkness shrouded it all, and during those moments, what occurred within its walls took precedence over the outside world. Their time together, in their minds, should have been considered an eighth wonder of the world. Who cares about buildings? This was the real shit.
Unapologetically beautiful, irregardless of what concealed it.
Max dramatically sighed and straightened her back, enhancing her portrayal of frustration by slamming her hands on her hips. “I made something for you and now I can’t find it because, apparently, I couldn’t keep track of shit if my life depended on it,” she spat out. El repositioned and sat on her heels as she scanned the room. The plastic that lined the ground crinkled under her weight. Her face narrowed shortly after.
“Why bring it here?”
Max stiffened and shielded her face. “I didn’t…I didn’t want anyone to find it because, well, that’d be embarrassing. Not because it’s for you, but because then someone would know I actually have a heart. We can’t have that,” she said, half-jokingly. El smiled and watched as Max’s fuck you demeanor shrank inside itself, which happened every time they were together.
Hardened glares became indecisive glances.
Bold movements fizzled into jittery hesitation.
Max's wall crumbled into indiscernible puzzle pieces that could only reunite when El wasn’t around.
In short, she was a disaster.
It made El feel terrible for causing this discomfort even after all their time together, but in actuality, Max had the same effect on her. A rare moment where El was thankful for her lack of emotional expression- she could hide her nerves better. She quietly exhaled and reached for Max's hand, gently sliding her fingers over the palm of her hand and gripping so the entanglement loosely resembled a handshake. Max stiffened her wrist and slowly looked down. A smile she couldn’t fight won and manifested. El mirrored the expression and tugged on her arm twice, hinting Max to sit beside her. She sank to the floor and tucked her legs close to her own body.
“Since you can’t find it, can I know what it is?” El inquired. A soft wind rustled the canvas loud enough to startle them both, as if they weren’t on edge already.
Max rolled her eyes at herself.
“I wanted it to be a surprise. I was going to pair it with an unnecessarily corny speech about how…strongly… I feel…” she paused and humorlessly chuckled, “…actually, I’m kidding myself at this point. I can barely breathe around you, much less…” Max had separated her mind from her rant until now, suddenly becoming too aware of it all: the proximity, the look El was giving her, their locked hands- her breath hitched and she failed at willing herself to complete the thought.
“S-see.”
“It’s okay. I just want you. I don’t need anything else.”
“You have me. All of me, it’s just…” Max took a deep breath and convinced herself to relax. “You’re all I think about. I can’t talk about you with anyone else so I just sit alone with that isolating knowledge until the next time I see you and it makes me want to explode, El, because I-“ she paused and felt a lump form in her throat when a flash of disappointment presented itself in El’s eyes. Max pursed her lips and looked away.
El blushed and hesitantly leaned over, despite feigning confidence, and planted a quick kiss on Max’s cheek. A wave of redness settled under the cold skin of their faces. The developing wind drowned out the thrashing of Max’s heart, for which she was thankful for.
“You don’t have to tell me.” El said, with all the sincerity she could muster. “I know. I feel it, too.”
El turned her body to where she was facing Max and preoccupied herself with the subtle callouses across Max’s upper palm.
Looking at her now would send her over the edge.
She ran her thumb over them as if her touch could wash them away. El slightly jolted in surprise when her gaze was guided upward by Max’s free hand. Their eyes met, and, suddenly, the tension was gone. The same level of intensity existed without the panicked atmosphere. It was entirely different from previous moments of intimacy. They sat, inches apart, and both knew- in this moment- that they would never want to be anywhere else ever again. El parted her lips slightly and looked at Max, glancing up and down, as if she was a mystery incapable of being solved. Max looked at her with a seriousness that made her nervous.
“No. I do have to tell you. I love you, El.”
They both paused, momentarily powerless, until El grabbed Max by the collar of her shirt and crashed their lips together.
Everything else was a blur.
Instinct guided movement.
Max settled on top of El, deepening what they’ve started, each touch like fire compared to the cold night air outside…
…until El felt something poking her back.
“Wait, wait-“ she said, panting as she reached under her and pulled out a rectangular piece of plastic. It had a translucent cover with masking tape in the center that read “El,” with a small heart by it. Max’s jaw dropped and she shot up.
“Dude!” she snatched the tape out of her hand and scoffed. “Has this been under you the whole time?”
El stifled a laugh and covered her mouth, feeling both bad and amused simultaneously. The look on Max’s face put amusement in the lead.
“No wonder the ground felt different.”
Max collapsed beside her, both girls erupting in laughter. Max covered her face in embarrassment (over what, she wasn’t sure) and refused to remove them when El tried to force her hands down. A muffled “I hate you,” escaped from behind them.
“No, you don’t.” El smiled and turned to her side, resting her arm over Max’s stomach. She could hear light rain bounce off the canvas as Max sighed.
“You’re right,” Max turned her head to look at El. She had that scary, serious look again. “I-“
“I love you, too.”
Max raised an eyebrow. “What? I was gonna say I really hate you,” she said, adding strong emphasis. She playfully rolled her eyes and wiped off a stray drop that had leaked through the tarps.
“Oh, really?” El sat up a bit more so that she was hovering over her. “A mix-tape?” El retorted.
“S-shut up…”
-
An eighth wonder, indeed.