Bitten
Been in a major Batman Beyond mood lately, so I figured I'd give it a shot to write up a story of my favorite couple, TerryxMax. Some characters may be ooc, please take note that OOCness IS NECESSARY FOR THIS FIC TO WORK. If you can't handle the characters being out of character I suggest you pic another story to read. If you can handle it, welcome and Enjoy~
The halls of Hamilton Hill High School had been decorated festively and frilly in celebration of what is perhaps known as the most complex holiday of the year. Most would agree the day of valentine's is a complicated one. It is a day of beauty, passion, and warmth, but most importantly love. It is a day where one show's their significant other they are cared for, thought of and loved.
February fourteenth seems to be a day filled with joy and happiness. But alas it is also a day of sadness and sorrow, heartache, pain, anger and regret. A day where one tends to feel alone and unloved more than the average day. It is a day particularly hard for those who have no significant other. And for those who have no one momentous, this joyous day is considered emotional torture.
In the case of Max Gibson, for her, there was no such luck for a joyful day. It had been a quite an uneventful, sad but long day that was fortunately reaching its end, school wise. School would be over in a matter of minutes. The lonely teenager had survived the gushiness of Valentine's Day and the pink haired girl wanted nothing more than to go home grab a bowl of ice cream, curl up in bed with her cat Keller, and watch some good action packed films.
"Max!"
At the call of her name, Max stopped her process of placing her books in her locker and turned. She groaned inwardly as dread and heartache flowed through her in a massive wave, filling her stomach with unease, leaving her with an upset stomach. Why now? She'd done well to avoid falling in shambles all day. Why the misfortune now?
Looking away for a split second, she gave a deep sigh. Best to keep this simple and stay focused. Prepping herself, the teen looked up once again. Terry McGinnis and Dana Tan were fast approaching, fingers intertwined.
Max had grown accustomed to the sight, but today and only because of today it was essentially harder to endure. She swallowed the lump in her throat as the couple stopped in their tracks before her. "Hey" she greeted in an unenthusiastic manner, her voice filled with false cheer. "Hey" Terry and Dana both greeted. "We missed you today" Terry added soon after.
Max gave a simple shrug, "Yeah, been busy." Her eyes shifted aside. Why could she not be left alone? Was it too much to ask for? She gasped as she was suddenly pulled into a hug. "Happy Valentine's Day!" Dana cried in a cheerful tone. Humph, there was nothing happy about this dreadful day.
Max grunted as she forced a smile, "Ditto." She stepped back as Dana released her, looking up as Terry stepped forward. She stirred as he pulled her close into a tight embrace, "Happy Valentine's Day Max." His velvet voice sent shivers down her back. Instinctively she returned the hug, loving every second she had him close to her. His body was warm and firm. Through the fabric of the black shirt, she could feel his rounded shoulders and muscular chest. Pressed up against him, she could feel his abs, chiseled no doubt.
If only to be able to stay in his arms, never having to fear losing the feel of safety, comfort, and love. Sadly, it wasn't so. Realizing the seconds ticking by, Max concluded she had lingered in his hold for too long. Feigning a chuckle, she removed herself from his grasp and stepped back. "Thanks Ter, same to you." Averting her eyes, she forced back the blush threatening to form on her cheeks.
"So" she cleared her throat as she glanced around in attempts to distract herself, catching sight of Chelsea and Nelson standing at the other side of the hall. Terry narrowed his eyes as he took notice of her odd distant behavior. "So" he said. What was wrong? It wasn't like Max to leave them in awkward silence. Feeling his intense gaze on her, Max kept hers astray. He mustn't see. He mustn't' know. But under his scrutinizing eyes it was hard to hide.
"Chelsea!" Dana shouted. Max was startled but for once she was thankful for the girl's presence. "Hey guys, I'll be right back" Dana said walking away soon after. Max gulped. Slag it! This was exactly what she wanted to avoid, being alone with Terry!
The teen took an inaudible breath. Remain calm, she told herself. Just be your normal cool casual self. It's just Terry, your best friend. No big deal. Oh but it was. The man was not only her best friend; he was her infatuation, her forbidden fruit. He was just the man she dreamt of but couldn't have.
"Max, are you okay?" Terry's voice echoed. Flack, he noticed! The teen cleared her throat again, nodding. "Fine" she spoke quickly, a little too quickly much to her liking. Slag it!
Terry raised a brow in doubt. She was lying. He knew her too well. She was hiding something and he didn't seem to like it one bit. He placed a hand on her shoulder, his tactic to show he was serious. "Max, you're my best friend. I know you better than anyone. I know when you're lying. Tell me what's wrong."
Butterflies fluttered about in the pink haired teen's stomach from just his mere touch, leaving her flustered. Forcing it all down, she retracted his hand. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine." She forced another smile, this one small, never truly reaching her lips. Terry wasn't having it. He leaned in close. "Max…"
In response Max stepped back, her heart rate picking up, "Really Terry. I'm fine. Stop it already." Why was she lying? This was really not like her. Footsteps having caught his attention, Terry looked up to see Dana returning. Giving a defeated sigh he stepped back. Max followed his gaze. Relief filled her; Saved by the princess herself; Impeccable timing on her part.
"What did I miss?" Dana questioned with a smile. "Nothing much" Terry replied, his gaze falling back on his best friend. Max still refused to meet his gaze. Instead she kept her eyes on Dana, cringing inwardly as she saw Dana's arm coil around Terry's waist. Clearing her throat yet again, she turned toward her locker; she had yet to finish with her books.
On autopilot, Max reached down into her book bag. "So Max," Dana began. "Terry and I were wondering if you'd join us for some chili to celebrate Valentine's Day. Or we could even go for some pizza, what do you say?"
Oh what joy it would be to be the burdensome third wheel. To watch the two express their fondness of each other as she merely sat there wishing a bolt of lightning would strike her and hopefully kill her sounded so great. Max scoffed at the thought. Sticking her hand inside a jar filled with acid and barbed wire seemed less painful.
Retrieving her books and placing them into the locker, Max replied without much thought. "No thanks, I wouldn't want to be the third wheel." As soon as the words left her mouth, the teen realized her mistake and instantly regretted replying at all. Her eyes widened in horror. Had she really- shit!
She turned to them, catching their shocked expressions. "Uh-" she stuttered. "I mean I wouldn't want to intrude on your private time." Ugh, just go! Her mind screamed at her to run away, which is exactly what she did. Slamming her locker closed, Max rushed off.
Howard Groote gave a grunt as the rushing girl bumped him rather harshly on her retreat. What the flack? He turned expecting Max to stop, growing confused as she disappeared down a corner. "Max?" He then turned toward Terry and Dana. "What's wrong with Max?"
The still confused Dana shook her head slowly. "I don't know." She sighed, growing slightly angry. Yes, she and Max were friends, but the pink haired teen's response had been uncalled for. She had only invited her on Terry's request. She was only trying to be nice. If Max preferred to be pessimistic then so be it. Good riddance.
Noticing her boyfriend's silence, she looked to him, catching the worried look on his face. Without a word, Terry moved to follow her but stopped as a hand held him back. "Where are you going?" Dana questioned. Terry looked to her. "I have to go see if Max is okay. She's acting really strange." Dana raised a brow. "You're just going to leave me?" Terry furrowed his brows. "Dana, she's my best friend. I have to know if she's okay."
"I'm your girlfriend Terry."
Wanting to avoid another fight, Terry simply sighed. It seems he'll have to check on Max during his patrol.
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