Speed Bump
By: muaaimoi
Max stares at the pink stripe on the pregnancy test and wills it to turn blue. Blue is good. Blue is safe, blue means she's not pregnant after all, and that she can forget this scare has ever happened. Forget all about the terror running through her veins. But this is the third pregnancy test she's tried and the strip refuses to turn blue. The pink of it mocks her.
Max has just ruined everything. She doesn't have it in herself to even be surprised. Max is a ruin-er of lives. Hers especially. Caroline's is just collateral this time around. She doesn't know where she went wrong. She always wears a condom. Well, almost always, she's pretty sure that she can't get preggo from anal anyway so it shouldn't even count. Except that clearly something went wrong somewhere because Max is pregnant.
Oh god, she's pregnant. She's ruined everything. Everything. Caroline is going to hate her forever. Hate her and her stupid vagina and her future spawn.
For a moment Max considers getting rid of it. She's always been pro-choice. It's her body, she can choose whether she wants to be pregnant or not. Except-except that while she doesn't want to be pregnant, not now of all times, she's always, secretly, wanted kids. Someone to share the misery of the world with. Someone who would love her just because she loved them. And she would be a cool mom. The coolest mom. Because she'd love her kid always, even if he or she decided they were more of an it, or decided to come out of her womb with tentacles and like twenty eyeballs instead of the regular human parts.
So how could she love them any less just because they picked the worst possible moment to exist? If anything it was probably just her genetics at work. Max had terrible timing. Case in point; the pink stripe.
She doesn't want to tell Caroline. If it were up to Max, she would have the baby secretly, keep it under the bed, figure out a way to pay for it without ever letting Caroline know. But she knows better. That's a plan that's not feasible in the least, so she has to man up, walk into the living room and admit that she's pregnant. Maybe Caroline won't hate her forever. Maybe it'll just be the next twenty years or something, the other girl might even be ready to talk to her while her spawn is off at college. If that's what her spawn wants anyway. She walks down the hallway like a woman walking towards the gallows.
Caroline takes one look at Max and knows somethings wrong. She's never seen the expression on her face before, but they have become very in-tune with each other over the years. She braces herself and gives Max her full attention.
Max takes a deep breath, it's not the end of the world, just possibly the end of the best friendship she's ever had. With the most amazing girl she's ever met, and the woman she might possibly... probably, okay definitely, is in love with. But hell, her life has never gone so right before, she's been waiting for it to implode for a a while now.
"I'm pregnant."Max announces.
Caroline stared at her incredulously,"Please tell me you're kidding."
She watches Max's face shut down, knows that she's perfectly serious. That Caroline has just said the worst possible thing.
"I'm so sorry," Max says in a rush."I've ruined everything, I don't expect you to stick aroun-"
"Max, you didn't ruin anything!" Caroline is quick to cut in. It's one hell of a curb ball, but life has been throwing her nothing but since she lost her fortune. "We're just going to have to rethink some things, adjust some plans-"
Max talks right over her,"You don't have to act like I didn't just fuck up. Fuck everything up, for both of us. You can hire someone els-"
Caroline kisses her. It's the most efficient way to get her point across.
Max can't believe it, freezes at the soft brush of lips.
"Well this way we won't have to argue over who has to carry our kid, right?" Caroline offers once she pulls back."I mean if one of us has to ruin our figure, I'm just glad it's not gonna be me."
"But you're straight." Max argues. She should not be arguing, she should be jumping up and down, crying in relief that Caroline doesn't hate her. That Caroline said 'our kid', over the moon that Caroline kissed her, that the other girl likes her back. But she doesn't understand. Caroline has no interest in girls, it's the only reason Max hasn't so much as hit on her since she moved in.
"Not since I walked in on you in the shower." Caroline admits with a blush."I wanted to keep our relationship professional. I didn't think it would be a good idea for us to get together in case any relationship drama got in the way of the business. But with this particular speed bump, it doesn't seem to matter as much. I love you Max, we're going to raise a child together. It just means we have to work harder to get the cupcake business up and running. We're going to have another mouth to feed."
She hadn't planned to make a move for a few more years. She hadn't thought they'd get around to having kids before they were financially stable. But none of that matters. Not as long as Max loves her back, not as long as they stay together. Life has taught her to roll with the punches, and this one, this one doesn't hurt at all. Not really. A child. They are going to have a child. There is nothing wrong with that. Now if only she can convince Max that that's the case.
"I love you too." Max says, because it's a relief to say it. She has been biting the words back for months, swallowing them down after every goodbye, good morning, and goodnight. She thinks about Caroline's words, she's no stranger to struggling. But it's not something she wants to put her kid through. Ever since Caroline moved in her life has been getting better, slowly, and by increments. But it has been getting better. Her hands cup her stomach. She's no where near showing, but there's life there now, a baby. The thought doesn't seem as terrifying anymore, not with Caroline there with her."This is one hell of a speed bump though."
"It's okay," Caroline wraps her arms around her and pulls her close "It's okay. We're going to be just fine."
"We always are." Max agrees, because they will be, together.
x
Anon prompted me on tumblr so this happened...