So this was originally going to be a Nerrison fic, but then I started thinking about Max and Neil, and then this story happened. Nax? I guess, is my second OTP in the show, so of course I had to write for them as well. Anyways, hope you enjoy!
Neil didn't know whether or not he should trust Nikki. She had told him that Max needed him in the closet inside the mess hall, for some random scheme he'd come up with or whatever. But now that he was in here, and Max wasn't, just made him really nervous.
"Oh, shit, what did I get myself into?"
"You're tellin' me." A voice said from behind him.
Neil spun around. "M-Max! What are you doing here? Nikki said - "
Max rolled his eyes. "So, Nikki told you the same shit as well, huh? Dunno what she's planning but if she thinks she's gonna get away with this just because we're friends, then - "
"Oh, you guys found the spot, didn't you? Well we should get onto the plan then!" Nikki said excitedly.
Neil spoke up, "uh Nikki... do you mind telling us why your plan needs to take place in a closet?"
Max joined in, "yeah, I don't know what the fuck we're doing in here, but you better not be - "
Nikki quickly cut Max off, as if she knew what he was about to say, "Oh, I don't need to be in here. But you guys do!" she grinned mischievously at the two boys. But before either of them could even say anything, Nikki quickly exited the closet and slammed the door shut, trapping them inside.
"What the fuck!" both boys said in unison.
Max was the first to realise the situation they were in. "Nikki! Fucking open this door right now! This isn't funny!" Max yelled and banged on the door with his fists.
"Sorry, Max, but Neil has something he needs to tell you, and this is the only way he's going to admit that he - " Nikki yelled back, but was cut off by Neil.
"Fuck you Nikki! Just open this goddamned door!"
Max continued to bang on the door, as if his life depended on getting out of the closet. "Nikki! I swear to god you'll be sorry for this if you don't open this door right now!"
"Now what's all this commotion over here?" an all too familiar voice appeared on the other side of the door. "Nikki, why are you guarding the closet?" David questioned the green haired girl with concern.
"Sorry, David, but I need to stand guard. It's important. It's for Max and Neil's own good."
"Nikki..." David started to say. "It's nice that you're concerned for your friends, but locking them in a closet isn't going to do anything for them."
"Oh, you don't know the truth, David..." Nikki stated.
"Nikki, David, anyone! Can someone just open this goddamned door already!" Max shouted from inside the closet.
"Step aside, Nikki."
Nikki moved aside so David could unlock the door.
"Ugh, finally!" Max sounded relieved as he heard the sound of the doorknob turning, which was weird to Neil, especially considering they'd only been in the closet for ten minutes.
"Guys? Everything okay out there?" Neil called hesitantly. The doorknob kept trying to turn, but there was no sign of the door being opened. Neil started to panic. "David? Nikki?"
"Uhhh... a slight problem might have occurred here, kids. Better get Gwen and see if she can help..." David sounded anxious.
Max did not like the sound of David's voice. "Nikki. What the fuck is happening? It should only take 1 second to open a fucking door!"
"Um, I think the door might be stuck... I swear it wasn't me! We unlocked the door with David's key but it won't budge!" Nikki replied.
"Fucking hell!" Max swore loudly, and kicked the door with his foot, which was evidently a mistake. "Fuck that hurt!"
"Max, calm down. T-they're going to get us out of here, just don't get yourself worked up or anything!" Neil tried to comfort his friend, for whatever reason, Max seemed extra pissed at the idea of being trapped in a closet for who knows how long.
"Okay, nobody panic - Gwen's here to help!" David's cheery optimism wasn't helping the situation either.
"Nikki, of all the things you've done, why'd you have to trap them in a fucking closet?" Gwen's agitated voice caught the attention of Max and Neil.
"Gwen! Fucking finally someone with sense. Hurry up and get us out of here!" Max yelled exasperatedly.
Gwen sighed and rolled her eyes. "Since when did I start taking orders from these shitty kids…?" she mumbled as David moved aside so she could try to free the boys.
"Uh…" she said as the doorknob refused to budge.
Max did not like this one bit. "Uh, what? Gwen, stop messing around! Fuck, is it hot in here, Neil, or is it just me?" Max started pacing around the small closet with his hands on his head.
Neil stared at him. What was wrong with Max?
"Shit, no luck, sorry, kids. Looks like you're gonna be stuck in there for a while – Quartermaster would be able to help but he's gone away for the weekend. He won't be back until morning." Gwen said through the door.
"How long is a while? We can't stay in here all fucking night!" Max yelled at her.
David could hear the panic in Max's voice, and quickly intervened. "Max, buddy, just calm down. You're getting yourself too worked up. We're going to see what we can do to get you two out of there, but in the meantime, hang in there."
David's words did not affect either of the boys.
"I swear, when we get out of this fucking closet, Nikki is going to pay." Max said darkly, as Neil gave him a worried look.
This clearly wasn't going to end well – things like these never did.
"I wonder what time it is."
"Do you see a fucking clock anywhere, dipshit?" Max snapped at his friend. It was no secret that he was in a foul mood. Though Max was always in a foul mood, Neil picked up on the extra attitude he was giving him for who knows what, Neil had never done anything today to irritate the other boy.
Neil sighed, and sat down in the corner opposite Max.
The silence between them was awkward and filled with tension. Neil tried to make conversation with Max, but failed miserably as his friend was evidently not in the mood to talk about anything at all, other than saying the occasional "fuck you" to shut him up. What Neil ever saw in Max to end up having feelings for him was slowly fading from their time spent together in the closet.
You're so pathetic, Neil! Why would you ever think Max would like you back? Why couldn't you have fucking fallen for Nikki instead?!
Neil glanced over at Max. He was reading one of the few books that were on the bottom shelf of the closet, which was mostly just filled with random junk that nobody used anymore. Neil tried getting into one of them as well, but they were fiction books that often fell far below his level of intelligence.
Max, however, seemed to be enjoying whatever it was that he was reading. He had managed to crack a smile a couple of times in the past few hours – not that Neil had noticed, of course. "What're you reading, Max?" he was on thin ice, but he decided to give this conversation thing another shot anyway. It's not like he had anything to lose.
Max stopped reading and looked at Neil. "A book."
"Don't you ever say anything other than your usual shitty one-word responses?" Neil asked, with just the right amount of snark in his voice.
Max seemed to pick up on this. "You asked a question, I gave you a fucking answer. What more do you want me to say?"
Neil glared at him. "Well, any normal person would've given a brief summary of the book and said whether or not they were liking it so far."
"Well, we're not all fucking nerds like you are, asshole. At least I don't go around rubbing it in people's faces saying how much smarter I am than they are."
"What the – you fucking piece of shit! I don't show off my intelligence like that and you damn well know it!" Neil yelled.
"Ohhhh, I hit a nerve, didn't I?" Max smirked as he stood up. Neil did the same. The only advantage he had was his height.
"Look, why don't you just – " Neil started.
"Just what?"
" – Just, fuck off, you piece of shit. I've only ever been trying to talk to you for the past few hours and all you've done is be your annoying shitty, cynical self that nobody likes! Why do you have to make things so goddamned difficult all the fucking time, Max? Even Nikki gets sick of you sometimes – she told me that herself!" Neil had snapped, he couldn't take whatever Max threw at him anymore.
"… Fuck you." Max said, before retreating back to his side of the closet, as far away from Neil as he could possibly get.
Neil watched as Max hid his face behind his book.
He then realised what he'd just said. Did he really just say those things to Max? With a pang of guilt, Neil sat down with his back turned on the other boy.
"Max, I…" Neil started to say, but then faltered.
There was no point, he knew it wasn't worth it.
With Max, it never was.
He had no recollection of falling asleep.
Neil woke feeling sore and tired from sleeping on the floor. He felt the same panicky feeling rise up inside of him whenever he didn't have access to the time. It was a thing he'd had since he was very young. "Max," he said, as he sat up and looked at the small form on the opposite side curled against the wall. Neil rubbed his neck to try and relieve some of the pain.
"Max!" Neil gently prodded the other boy. Max grunted and rolled over slightly so he was facing Neil. "MAX!"
His friend jolted awake, "I'm sorry! I'm awake! It won't happen again!" Max said quickly. Neil raised an eyebrow. That was definitely an odd reaction that he will surely not forget about anytime soon.
"Max…"
"Oh, you're still here? Piss off."
"I just wanted to say – "
"Whatever it is, I don't care."
"Max, will you just fucking listen to me for once, god damnit!"
Max didn't seem to have anything witty to say back, so he stayed silent.
"Look, I know what I said earlier was pretty shitty of me. Honestly, I didn't mean to say it at all…" Neil said.
"If you didn't mean it, then why did you say it?" Max replied.
"I was just pissed off at Nikki. This would never have happened if she didn't fucking lock us in here in the first place, all she ever wanted me to do was to confess – " Neil stopped.
Oh shit.
"Confess what?" Max said, almost as if it were a dare.
Neil knew he was stuck. "She wanted me to confess that I…" he took a deep breath. Come on, Neil. Now's your chance, you can do this!
"That I…" he continued, "I…"
All of a sudden, there was a loud noise outside the door. "Max! Neil! Quartermaster's here! He can finally let you out!" Nikki shouted on the other side. "Stand back!"
Max and Neil backed away from the door. A loud crash from the sound of the doorknob being broken off the wood, and finally, the door opened to reveal everyone waiting for them to be free.
"Fucking finally!" Max said gleefully as he walked out of the closet, this was the first time he was actually glad to see everyone at camp. "It feels so good to be free."
"Glad to see you two are okay!" David said cheerfully.
Neil stood where he was. He was so close, and Max had the audacity to just walk away. Neil's blood boiled at the sight of his friend, his feelings overcoming him as he marched right up to the other boy. "Max!"
"I wasn't fucking finished talking to you, you know!" Neil shouted. Max looked surprised. Neil was never one to show any kind of authority, especially over Max.
The rest of the campers looked on, having no idea what was about to happen.
"Well then, what did you have to say?" Max said, with an eyebrow raised.
The smug little bastard.
"I think it'd be easier done than said."
And before Max had time to react, Neil kissed him, in front of everyone.
After a few moments, they broke apart.
Max looked at Neil.
He smirked, "took you long enough, asshole."
Neil grinned. He guessed it really was worth it in the end, after all.
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading! :)