Faking It
A/N: Written as a treat for Chocolate Box 2018 for shopfront, requesting Logan sending Max and Alec on an undercover couple mission because he thinks they already are a couple and they don't want to confess - 'layers in layers of fake dating'.
"Alec, knock it off," Max hissed.
At her words, the fidgety bouncing of Alec's leg finally came to a stop. Unfortunately, Max thought, his mouth just had to open at the same time. "C'mon, Max, you're killin' me here. I could be out doing something useful, or at least not this boring, if you could have an honest conversation with Logan for once in your life."
"Shut up!" This time her words are accompanied by a smack upside the back of his head, as sharp as her tone. The last thing Max wants to think about right now is Logan. She'd thought Alec was completely full of it, as usual, when he'd been going on about how there were more problems between her and Logan than the virus. Then she'd seen how Logan had reacted to her trying to break it off – the pages, the drinking and belligerence, the jumping to insane conclusions – it was a glimpse of an entirely different side to the man. One she really didn't care for. Distractedly, she twists the unfamiliar ring on her left ring finger around several times.
Alec, oblivious to her inner turmoil, gives an exaggerated sigh of disgust, rolling his entire head theatrically across the back of the love seat they're both sitting on to accompany the corresponding derisive movement of his eyes. "Remind me, why are we here again?"
Max doesn't try to stop the annoyance she feels with the whole world right now from leaking out in her voice. "Didn't you listen when Logan explained it all yesterday?"
"Nah, once he stopped glaring at me for your web of lies, he started going on and on. You know, really getting into his whole 'save the day' mode, like he does. Full points for enthusiasm, but I tuned out and figured you could fill me in on the important parts later."
"God, I hate you."
"Yeah, yeah. So you keep sayin'. Seriously, Max, I'm dying here. Is that Peterson guy ever coming back? I swear it's been, like, an hour! There are so many better things I could be doing right now. Hey, I could even be actually working. Remind me, please, why this is supposed to be worth my time?"
Max throttles down the sound of frustration that wants to escape from her throat, as well as the urge to hit her companion again. She explains mainly in the hope that maybe Alec will stop talking at least long enough to listen. "Supposedly this company has made a killing the last few years by selling engaged couples exclusive high end wedding and honeymoon packages. The catch is that not all of their profits can be traced back to their legit services. Logan found a contact on the inside who hinted that the business is partly legit, but also partly a cover to get access to the couple's homes, bank accounts, and other records. When he looked further into it, he found that a suspicious number of their clients suffer robberies and account errors within six months of dealing with them. Not enough to make it obvious, but -"
"Enough to draw Eyes Only's … eyes," Alec finishes lamely.
She ignores his interjection to continue explaining as if he hadn't spoken. Max generally finds it the best policy to avoid doing anything to encourage him. "Logan's contact says all the information on those illegal side ventures is locked up in the vault on the company's vacation property outside Seattle. Once a year they invite prospective clients out there for a week-long retreat slash sales pitch. Since it's such an exclusive company and the property is so isolated, they have a crazy amount of security around the property keeping everyone out – except the couples they invite."
"So because you told Logan we were a couple, he assumed we'd be perfect for this. Which, since you can't ever tell him no, once again means I have to suffer for it. I'd say at least it shouldn't involve being stuck a closet this time, but then that job actually paid in a decent amount of cash money."
Max snorts at the exaggeratedly forlorn expression on Alec's face. "Do you ever quit whining, Alec?"
Max is saved from whatever obnoxious remark is about follow the sudden smirk on his face by the door to the room opening. The man who bustles back into the room is the same one in the expensive suit and the brown comb-over that was fooling nobody who had ditched the two of them here in the first place, about forty-five minutes ago.
"Sorry, sorry, so very sorry about the wait. Unavoidable, I'm afraid. Had to arrange a last minute cancellation because of a broken engagement. Such a sad thing, but moving along, moving along! Am I to understand correctly that you wanted to book a slot at our retreat next week? Quite last minute yourselves, aren't you?"
"We've wanted to come for ages, haven't we, dear?" Max replies, her voice syrupy-sweet. "Our good friends the Cales told us such wonderful things about your service and the retreat, but the scheduling just wasn't working out for us. My parents were going to make one of their rare visits back from Europe, you see. Then something critical came up with father's business at the last minute. When we realized we would be free, we had to try and get in if it was at all possible," Max finishes with a fake fond look towards Alec.
"Ah, quite understandable, quite. Well, you are in luck, Ms. Young! We've had two cancellations recently, so presuming you pass the checks, we'd love to have you and your fiancé join us. Speaking of which, there are just a few questions we need to get through with you and Mr. Smart first."
Just a few questions is a gross understatement, so far as Max is concerned. The only good part about it is that she'd been afraid she'd have to spend the whole time covering for Alec, but whether or not he'd been lying about paying attention to Logan explaining the mission earlier, he had clearly at least read up on their fake identities to answer his share of the questions. If she thinks that his sappy looks and affectionate touches between answers are way overplayed, at least their audience doesn't seem to notice. Finally the officious little man closes the file he's been making notes in and ushers them back out of his office, saying that he'll be in contact within the next few days.
To be entirely honest, and she'd never tell Alec this, she's kind of hoping they'll be rejected for the retreat. Max hadn't really wanted to do this mission for Logan right now, considering everything they really need to work on to try and set up decent conditions in Terminal City. She just hadn't known how to say no when Logan kept going on about how important it was every time he'd called in about more computer equipment and convinced someone to get her to talk to him.
So when she gets a call from Logan saying that he's gotten the acceptance packet at the mail drop they set up a few days later, she's not exactly thrilled. She's even less thrilled when she flips through the packet later that afternoon as she's getting ready to pack for the trip and sees some of the activities included in the retreat's schedule for the week. Things like icebreakers and couples' trivia make her want to break out in hives, but couples' massages and mud baths? There is no way in hell she's getting naked in the same room as Alec! She's on the verge of storming back to Logan's to complain when she's stopped cold by the realization she can't say anything without giving the ruse about her and Alec away. The one that's keeping Logan safe and giving her some needed space. It really sucks.
She's so worked up about the prospective activities they'll have to endure to blend in and all the ways Alec could screw it up or just terminally embarrass her, she doesn't think about some of the other obvious drawbacks of pretending to be a couple at a retreat. It's not until they're actually being lead into their assigned luxury cabin and having the various amenities pointed out by an overly obsequious staffer in a dark green uniform with the company's logo on the breast pocket that she realizes like Logan, the retreat assumes she's sleeping with Alec. There's only one big bed dominating the main room.
As soon as they've thanked the assistant and ushered the man out, Max turns on Alec. Before she can get a word out, he cuts across her, "Oh, please tell me you're not going to freak out over every little thing we have to do to maintain cover all week? Geez, Max, I'm not going to try anything. I mean, yeah, technically you're a girl, but really, you're more like the bitchy conscience I didn't ask for."
While she's still processing the feeling of outrage that statement causes – technically a girl?Alec continues on, not yet finished. "Just so we're clear, that bed is huge. You try to make me sleep on the floor and I'm leaving you here, Logan's mission be damned."
"I wasn't going to -"
"Yeah, right," Alec says dismissively, as he swings his bag on top of a low table on the left side of the room and proceeds to ignore her to rummage through it. Used to being the one making cranky ultimatums, and well aware that she was actually on the verge of demanding exactly what he suspected, Max decides to let it lie for the moment and deal with sorting out her own bag.
There's only one scheduled event for the day on their itinerary after the check in window, and that's an introductory formal dinner. She takes the less fancy of the two formal dresses she's brought along into the bathroom to change, hanging the other up in the closet before she goes. When she comes back out it's to find Alec in a suit, sat on the edge of the bed and looking impatient.
His eyes sweep quickly over her, but despite the elaborate curls she worked so hard on and the low cut neckline of the dress, he doesn't seem to react to her appearance at all. "So you're finally ready? Great, let's go."
Max finds herself weirdly disappointed. It's not that she really wants Alec's attention as a member of the feminine gender, but it still stings he doesn't even seem to notice the effort she made to get all pretty. She turns the strange feeling of disappointment into more acceptable sarcasm before giving it voice. "Oh, nice, Alec. You're going to be a great fiancé, when you can't even manage a single compliment!"
"Well of course you're gorgeous. We were all made that way." Alec rolls his eyes at her as he gets up from the bed and walks towards the door. "You're just attractive like an ice sculpture or an open flame or something. You know, look but don't touch?" After a pause as he takes in her expression, and his face softens. "Aw, crap, Max. I didn't mean it like that with the whole virus deal. I'm just saving the acting for our audience, is all. Are you really that rotated by this whole mission?"
As she usually does when she wants out of a conversation, Max dodges the subject. "Forget it. Lets just go."
Max almost jumps when Alec's arm slides around her waist just as they come into view of the building at the center of the complex where the dinner is being held. "Relax," he murmurs, "all we have to do is convince a bunch of ordinaries with no reason to be suspicious we don't completely hate each other. I know that'll be a bit of a challenge for you, but I think we're up to it."
"Alec, do you always have to be an idiot?" Max asks under her breath as they get close enough to the building to possibly be overheard.
"Of course, Maxie, it's why you love me!" he replies at normal volume. Max is pretty sure she's the only one that can hear the smirk in his voice, because the staffer manning the door smiles fondly at them. Oh, please.
The upside is that since this place is meant to cater to the rich and impress them to entice their further business, the food is excellent. The best she's had in, well, possibly ever. The downside is having to make small talk with a bunch of overexcited couples cooing at each other while constantly aware of Alec against her side trying to match them in saccharine nonsense.
Hours later, long after the meet-and-greet dinner is over, Max is still awake. Alec is sound asleep on his stomach on one half of the massive king size bed. He's dressed in a t-shirt and sweats he'd made a production of telling her he'd brought along just to protect her delicate sensibilities. He is actually staying to his side as promised, and the bed looks ridiculously comfortable and plenty big. Regardless, Max is instead sitting in a plush armchair across the room with her feet planted on the seat in front of her, arms braced on her elbows staring into the flames of the ridiculously extravagant gas fireplace, asking herself what is bothering her so much about the whole situation.
For one thing, she doesn't like that what Alec said at the start of the night reminds her of her last boyfriend before Logan, the one who said he cheated on her because she was like a fog bank. What was it about her that made her so untouchable? That's the other thing she's surprised by, just how constantly aware she was of every time Alec touched her as part of their act. Does she really shun contact that much? Sure, she can't touch Logan, but Alec is a friend. A pain in the ass friend she mostly wants to touch violently when he pisses her off, but still. Why did the play acting disconcert her so much? Max still has no answer by the time the sun has fully illuminated the room again, waking Alec up. She's unusually grateful for the distraction when he starts yapping away about how amazing the bed is and what it would take to steal it and haul it back to Seattle.
The itinerary for their second day starts off with breakfast, after which all the couples are gathered together in the main hall and forced to play ice breaker games. It's just as horrible as Max had been dreading it would be. Aside from one handsy idiot she has to avoid the urge to break the fingers of, the first game isn't too bad. One half of each couple is lead to a separate room and they're all given paper bags to put over their heads before being led back and instructed to find their partner by touch. She doesn't even need touch to find Alec. With her enhanced senses she recognizes him by scent as soon as they're in the same part of the room, and they immediately gravitate towards each other, winning the game. It's a little odd, because Max had no idea that was a thing she was that aware of about anyone, let alone Alec. It's a ridiculous exercise, but not particularly humiliating, so she relaxes just a little bit, thinking it could be worse.
Then, as if there was someone listening who existed to make her miserable, it promptly gets worse. The second game is meant to be a fun question game, based off of some old television show for newlyweds, where one half of a couple has to guess their partner's answers before they switch and repeat. The problem is that aside from questions which reference parts of their memorized fake biographies, Max doesn't get a single question about Alec right. Which would be fine, whatever, but then he goes and gets every single one of hers. Not only does her competitive side hate to lose anything to Alec, she's not unaware of some of the disdainful looks the other women give her for angrily declaring she doesn't care what Alec's favorite whatevers are, anyway.
Finally, after that humiliation ends with some other couple getting a gift certificate as a prize, they're released to lunch. Afterwards is a blessedly free period with no directive other than encouragement to avail themselves of the various activities on the grounds until dinner. Max honestly wants to go back to the cabin and sulk instead, but Alec talks her into going on a walk around the lake. They hold hands for show, which is completely awkward and makes her palms sweat.
Once they're well out of earshot of any of the other couples or staff members, she asks, irritated, "How the hell did you know my favorite flower? I didn't even know I had a favorite flower until I had to make something up!"
Alec shrugs. "I heard you mention something about sunflowers to OC once."
"And you remembered it?" Max asks, incredulous.
"Uh, yeah. Everybody got the basic upgraded memory package, Maxie. Don't make a big deal out of it."
"Well considering how much of a dumbass you are most of the time, I thought maybe you were absent that day. After all, you can't even seem to remember I hate it when you call me Maxie!"
If it was just that one question, she could dismiss it as a fluke, but it wasn't. Why does Alec know her so well? It's not even useful stuff he knows, and Max is baffled and now aggravated because it's clear he won't give her a satisfactory answer as to why.
Alec just smirks at her and squeezes her hand, pulling her towards some kind of dock that ends in a gazebo several yards further along the shore. "C'mon. Let's go look out over the water. That'll look romantic, right? I wonder if there are any fish in this lake."
They meet up with another of the couples headed to the same destination, and Alec gets involved in telling them some elaborate story about fishing that Max is pretty sure is entirely made up. It's absurd and involves a lot of dramatic hand gestures, between which he keeps sending her gloating little smiles, which she can clearly read as, "look at them completely falling for this!" If her mouth tilts up at the corner where Alec can't see, well, he doesn't need to know. Max can only imagine he'd be completely insufferable if he ever realized that sometimes she does find his antics funny.
Again that night, Alec falls into an easy slumber once their day is done – they'd come to a joint conclusion to skip karaoke night without a word spoken between them. There's not a whole lot to do in the cabin, since the theme of the retreat is rustic and that rules out Alec's favorite pastime, the boob tube. Eventually Max gets bored watching him to see if he's going to creep across the invisible line she's mentally drawn down the center of the bed. So she gets up and locks the door to the bathroom before taking advantage of the oversize bathtub big enough for two, steaming hot running water, and complimentary bubble bath. She dozes off into disjointed dreams for what feels like only a few brief moments before she's woken to the light of early dawn and a tub of cold water by Alec banging on the door to use the facilities.
He threatens to pick the lock if she does that again, and she retorts she'll reenact the end of their cage match if he even thinks about it. Alec lets out an offended, "Hey!" and tries to play off the aborted move to cover himself as a stretch before pouting at her laughter. For a brief time after the exchange, everything is reassuringly normal between them again. It only lasts through breakfast and getting a look at the day's schedule, though. Day three is mostly marked as being free time again, with couples massages and the first of the sales pitch meetings with each couple about the company's wedding services staggered at various intervals throughout the day. She and Alec are meant to go for their spa appointment shortly after lunch and the sales pitch just before dinner.
Max wants to fake the stomach flu or something and just stay in their cabin, but Alec's obnoxious teasing about her being a drama queen who learned weird neuroses from too much time among ordinaries goads her into going anyway. Again, even stripped down to nothing but a towel that only barely covers from her breasts to the middle of her thighs, Alec barely glances at her before chatting up the masseuses as they're lead to adjoining massage tables. The part where she has to work to not stare at his chest only makes her more irritated that he's so indifferent. She doesn't want him to look, but she wants to know what the hell is wrong with her that he isn't looking. She says nothing, because even Max knows her reaction doesn't remotely make sense.
The sales meeting is boring. Partly because she's rarely thought about marriage, the idea of marriage to Alec is more than a little cracked, and even if she was contemplating either of those two things, she wouldn't be planning a giant event that would cost more than she could net in a year of wildly successful heists. She does her job and plays along though, and can tell Alec is just as relieved when they're finally allowed to go join the other couples for dinner as she is.
By that third night, she's exhausted and gives in to the inevitable, gingerly climbing into the other side of the bed from Alec. She waits, tense, for him to say or do something, but he lays down facing away from her and his breathing evens out in sleep shortly thereafter.
The next thing she knows, she's looking at Alec's face from only a few inches away. "We didn't check for cameras," he whispers.
"What the hell are you talking about, Alec?"
"We came here to investigate this company, but we didn't even check for cameras when we got into the cabin. Don't you think they're going to get suspicious we're never physically intimate?"
"I am not having sex with you to maintain our cover," she hisses angrily.
"C'mon, Maxie. I'm beginning to doubt your skill at undercover. We just need to make it look convincing for the cameras. You don't even have to do anything," he adds, smirking.
He leans in, and her eyes go wide, thinking he's going to kiss her, but he just tilts his head and keeps a few crucial inches between his lips and her own. She feels her breathing increase as he starts moving his body suggestively over hers, but he apparently knows exactly what he's doing, because he doesn't actually touch her at all. It's weirdly maddening. He's still smirking at her and it's driving her almost as crazy as having Alec this close but not quite touching is. She wants more than anything to make him feel as disconcerted as she is, so she lifts a leg to wrap around his hips and pulls him down on top of her. There's an oof as it knocks the breath out of both of them for a moment.
Gleefully, Max can now tell that he's definitely not as unaffected by her as he was been pretending. He braces his arms to lift his upper body away from hers, and she grins at his suddenly apprehensive expression. Something about the odd moment of vindication prompts the urge to kiss it off his face. In the moment, she can't remember any reason not to.
She simultaneously reaches up to tug down on his neck and leans up to bring his lips into reach. Alec's mouth is pliant against hers, and just as she finds herself wishing he'd be a little more aggressive, he takes control of the kiss. They break apart to take a few deep breaths and Max can't think why they haven't done this before.
"Max..." Alec's voice sounds weird. Soft and distant, and Max wonders if maybe he's as breathless and giddy as she feels.
"Oh, Maxie … Max …"
Then suddenly, his voice is much louder. "MAX! Seriously, get with the program. We're gonna miss breakfast!"
She wakes abruptly to see Alec standing over her at the side of the bed, fully dressed, looking slightly impatient. For one blinding and terrifying moment, she thinks she must be going into heat, but the fact that she wants to smack Alec for interrupting her dream (about Alec, oh god) rather than having any further thoughts about jumping him convinces her that her hormones are probably fine. It's just her brain playing some evil, messed up joke on her. Apparently this whole couples retreat gig is officially driving her around the bend.
"Man, you may not sleep much but when you do, you're out, huh?"
Max groans and pulls the pillow out from under her head to smash it back over her face, which she's sure is turning three different shades of red right now. "Just go without me."
When she doesn't hear him move, she adds in a much louder voice that promises imminent violence, "Alec. Go. Away."
Finally she hears his footsteps walking away from the bedside and she breathes a sigh of relief. At least until she freezes at hearing him mutter just before the outer door shuts behind him, "Must have been some dream she was having."
If it was possible to die of mortification, that was the morning Max would have figured out how. Eventually she gives up and realizes it's not going to happen, so she drags herself into the shower. Despite the luxury of having as much hot water as she could want on demand, she turns the water to as cold as she can stand it. She's really one hundred percent sure she's not in heat by the way she's still slightly cold by the time Alec returns. She's also one hundred percent sure that there aren't any cameras or listening devices in their cabin, which would be more of a relief if she hadn't been hoping her dream was trying to tell her something more innocuous than anything to do with Alec. At least if it had been heat or some kind of weird intuition she'd have an explanation, or rather, an excuse.
The scavenger hunt that day which leads them to walk a couple miles worth of trails winding around the property is unremarkable. She goes through most of it on autopilot, but feels like she's going to vibrate out of her skin every time Alec puts a hand at the small of her back or holds her hand to keep up their couple ruse in view of the other guests and staff. She'd thought she'd been hyper aware of him before, but that was nothing compared to the veritable electricity sparking along all her nerve endings now. Another set of meetings about their fake dream wedding plan does not help Max's equilibrium.
That night she's mentally exhausted, but she lies awake for several hours, trying to figure out if there's any possible way they can create their own distraction to break into the vault two days early. They've been counting on the big dance at the end of the week closing out the retreat as a distraction for their intended B&E. Unfortunately, there's good reason they have settled on that plan; it's the one time during the week that everyone from the staff to the security is going to be busy between serving the guests and shutting everything down and packing up.
It is also the only way they can inconspicuously leave immediately after finishing up with the vault. If they go earlier in the week, they either have to make themselves painfully conspicuous by leaving early or stick around hoping nobody gets suspicious and discovers their intrusion before the week is up. A dangerous proposition when they need to be able to leave the compound with physical files to take back to Logan.
So all in all, it's a terrible idea. Yet Max just isn't sure she can take three more days of this. Eventually she falls asleep and she's that much more annoyed to wake up wrapped around Alec – on his side of the bed, dammit, so she can't even get mad at him. She manages to slide out of his hold without waking him up, but that's little comfort. It's especially irritating that it's the most relaxing sleep she can remember having in years.
Day five is split between horseback rides in groups of two couples each and another day at the spa, this time the mud bath and wrap treatment. This particularly had sounded in the brochure like something Original Cindy would try to inflict on her as part of a beauty regime. Even the potential amusement she'd originally expected to get out of teasing Alec over losing his macho cred by being wrapped in seaweed and plastic is ruined by whatever the hell is up with her brain in regards to Alec right now. The teasing she could see him giving her if he caught her peeking and how she'd have to murder him in mortification doesn't bear thinking about, and after last night, she doesn't trust herself not to look. Okay, honestly, she might have been tempted anyway, but before she'd have been confident in her ability to laugh it off or turn it back on him somehow. Now it feels dangerous.
She'd been annoyed during their first spa day when he'd paid more attention to the attendants than her. This time, she'd have welcomed his inattention as on edge as she feels - so of course he's goofily flirting with her all through their scheduled session. It just wouldn't be Alec if he didn't do the last thing she expects; he's always been annoyingly good at getting under her skin like that. Despite her worries, Alec's ridiculous complaints about the mud and the wraps and his over-the-top flirting actually do lighten her mood. Probably because it's so clear he's being theatrical on purpose to try and cheer her up. Even if she hasn't said anything, after she'd grumbled her way through breakfast and even snarled at one of the other guests over the last muffin, it has to be pretty obvious she isn't in a great mood.
If she thinks she catches him trying to see her reflection in one of the mirrors while she's getting into the tub of viscous mud, she figures it's only fair she watches through her lashes as mud sluices off the long line of his bare back when he's getting out. Dinner that night is a particularly good chicken dish, and she goes to bed more content than she's been since they came to this retreat. If she wakes up in Alec's arms again and he's already awake this time, even that's not enough to spoil her mood – especially when he offers up the ready excuse that it's perfectly normal to seek out body heat in the slightly chilly morning air.
On day six, lunch is different than usual, with the couples being told to go to the door of the kitchens to get a blanket and picnic basket to take out on the grounds. It's probably supposed to be romantic or whatever, but Max really isn't in the mood. Apparently Alec isn't either, because as soon as they're back outside, he asks, "How about we just take this back to the cabin?"
Of course once they're there, he spreads the blanket on the floor with a theatrical flourish and starts presenting all the items in the basket to Max with a silly fake French accent. After about three things, she smacks him in the arm to get him to knock it off, but she doesn't try to hide the fact she's smiling. They spend the rest of the meal going over their plans for the heist tomorrow night that they're actually here to pull off one last time. After lunch, the couples get rounded up and organized into groups to spend time paddling around the lake in two person canoes.
"It was an accident, Alec, seriously," Max insists. Though she thinks perhaps Alec would doubt her sincerity less if she could contain her chuckle at the picture the algae in his hair and the water dripping pathetically off the end of his nose make.
"Oh sure, an accident. No more than a minute after you complain you don't want to spend the afternoon paddling in circles you just happen to 'accidentally' knock me off balance so I fall into the lake!"
"Yes," Max says, biting her lip to keep from smiling. He looks like a drowned rat. A pouting drowned rat. She doesn't even feel weird about thinking it's kind of adorable.
"Maaax," Alec whines, and she can't help it, she laughs all the way back to their cabin while he stomps into the bathroom to shower and change. It strikes her suddenly out of nowhere she can't remember the last time she laughed this hard or felt this free of one worry or another dragging her down. She knows a lot of that is still waiting for her back in Seattle once this job is over, but it's a harsh realization that she's forgotten what it feels like to be so unencumbered, even for a moment.
Neither of them says anything about it when Max wakes up on Alec's side of the bed again at the dawn of their last day. After breakfast, they're put through one last sales pitch, but mercifully this one is directed to all of the couples at the retreat as a whole, so Max tunes most of it out. She makes a mental note to have Logan throw away the packet they're going to send with all the details of her and Alec's fake dream wedding without opening it.
There's an elaborate luncheon before everyone is dismissed to go and get ready for the big dance that evening. When they'd dressed up for the opening Max hadn't even noticed anything more about what Alec was wearing than that it was a formal suit. Now she can't help but take in the way it emphasizes the broadness of his shoulders.
She's a little surprised Alec's reaction is also notably changed from the one at the beginning of the week. Instead of nonchalance, he gives her a long, lingering look and compliments her appearance. Of course he does it in a very Alec way. "Wow, Max, very hot."
"What happened to 'you know you're gorgeous'," she teases, wondering what he'll say.
"Hey, I didn't want to get it wrong twice."
Max should let it go. They have a job to get to, which makes this really not the time, and she's not entirely sure she really wants to understand. This week has left her unaccountably unsettled where Alec is concerned, though, and it comes out anyway, "So I guess I'm more than technically a girl?"
Alec looks uncomfortable and scratches at the back of his neck nervously, before pulling his suit jacket back down into place. "Still mad about that one, huh? Sorry, Max, I was just trying to tell you want you wanted to hear," when her expression darkens, he raises his hands defensively and rushes to add, "obviously not something I'm any good at!"
"Why on earth would you think that would be something I'd want to hear?" Max really does not understand how Alec's brain works – or doesn't - sometimes.
"I didn't mean it like - I know this deep cover couple thing was freaking you out, okay? We're friends and occasional partners in crime, I just - you should know I wouldn't ever try to cross the boundaries you set and make it awkward. I might joke around and be an ass sometimes, but I wouldn't put you in a position to have to make that choice to cut me out, not for real. I was overcompensating or something. Won't happen again." He ostentatiously glances at his watch before adding, "Speaking of real, we really should get going." That said, he walks over to the door and opens it without looking back at her.
It doesn't escape Max's attention that Alec's words put their relationship at a friendship level specifically because of her, nor how desperate he is to get out of the conversation once the words are hanging in the room between them. The heist is waiting though, they can't take more time for this now, whatever this is. Or maybe she's just a coward taking the easy way out. Either way, Max follows Alec out the door of their cabin to head to the main building for the dance.
They stay for the opening speech and make sure they're seen as being present at the dance before slipping away to finally have their crack at the vault. They only run afoul of one guard they have to knock out and leave tied up in said vault on their way out.
Unfortunately, they find absolutely no evidence of any kind of wrongdoing by the company inside. Even after they search every nook, cranny, and potentially suspicious panel in the whole thing twice. Whether Logan's informant had been a dud or someone got tipped off and moved all the dirt, the whole caper turns out to have been for nothing. The two of them are fairly quiet on the drive back to Seattle, aside from Max asking Alec to let her borrow his phone halfway there to call Logan and tell him about their lack of success. Soon enough Alec is dropping her at the front of her apartment building, and as Max watches him drive away, she feels an odd sense of loss.
Do things go back to normal now? Does she want them to? Obviously Alec is leaving that entirely up to her. As is so often the case with Alec, she isn't sure how she feels – grateful or angry, maybe both. She has questions and there are so many potential complications to consider, and don't they drive each other crazy more than half the time?
It takes her five days. Five days of Alec standing too far away. Five days of stopping herself from sitting so close they touch, not grabbing for his hand, and trying not to think about how much she loves seeing his smile. Five days of worrying about just how guilty she's supposed to feel for actually wanting to have fun sometimes rather than feeling the weight of the world all the time. Five days of being unable to sleep in her own too empty bed before she creeps into Alec's apartment in the middle of the night to share his.
He simply rolls over, blinking at her sleepily and says, "About time."
As she slides under the covers and into his arms, she thinks that really, it is. There's no reason they can't sort out all the rest later.