A/N: I have Things To Do this weekend, so here's another update today since I can't guarantee I'll have time for one in the next few days.

Day 26 | Max/Mariam | Rated: K

Monochrome

The world was gray when Mariam wasn't around.

Max came to that metaphorical realization when she left after her first proper visit, one that wasn't part of any World Championship or Saint Shields Mission. He missed her instantly and achingly, more than he could even tell her without seeming like a weirdo. Things were too new.

Instead he went about his days as normal as he could, trying to ignore the hollow spot in his chest. Most days he did okay, but there were others where he operated under a heavy layer of fog that he couldn't shake no matter how hard he tried to smile through it. He was pretty sure he shouldn't be so attached already.

He knew it was pathetic, but life just wasn't as exciting knowing she wasn't watching him from the next rooftop.

After lots of thought and more unsent letters than he could count, he came to the conclusion that it was just because of the nebulous nature of their relationship. There was a tugging in his heart telling him how he felt, but Mariam was reluctant to force a label too soon. It was possible she'd find an excuse not to come back, and knowing what he could have had would be even worse than having never been with her at all.

So he lived life in shades of pewter and slate until she returned and pushed his fears to the wayside.

Soon there was more structure; they had a definition and all the promises that came with it. Max could hold her hand and kiss her and act a little lovesick, all while knowing that there was fondness lingering behind each roll of her eyes.

It was a technicolor time, full of new feelings and experiences. Max could safely say that no one had ever loved him like Mariam loved him, even if that wasn't the word she used yet. The more he learned about her, the more vibrant his life became; every moment with her was brighter than the last, standing out like neon lights in his memory.

The weeks without her were still dull, seemingly even more colorless than before from the new levels of contrast. Luckily they were punctuated with broad strokes of color when he received confirmation of her next visit or a midnight phone call. The novelty of every interaction livened things up while he missed her.

As the years passed and their rendezvous switched continents, things changed for both the better and the worse.

Mariam would come back to him, he knew for sure. He could tell by the way she kissed him when she arrived and by the pieces of her that stayed at his place when she left. There was a permanence now that came from years spent learning one another and growing close.

But when permanent things were removed, they hurt more than the temporary ones. Same as when they started, Max lived day to day seeking distraction. With his last year of school breathing down his neck and plans for his future becoming tangible, there was plenty to occupy his mind.

Still, Mariam wormed her way in. All it took was finding one long, blue hair while he was folding laundry to knock the wind out of him and let the gray creep back in. He tried giving himself grace, letting himself feel and cry and miss her in monochrome when he needed to.

Other times, he'd take the long jog around town he usually skipped when staying warm in bed with Mariam was an option. Running under the gray sky with the faceless gray skyscrapers flanking his route and his sneakers pounding against the gray concrete made his washed-out mood feel like a natural part of the landscape.

Max had thought he knew what it was to miss somebody, but missing Mariam was something entirely different.

The next time he picked her up at the airport, he watched the color punch back into the world right in front of his eyes at the sight of that familiar, electric blue ponytail in the distance.

When she was close enough that he could catch her eye and watch the green light up anew when she caught his back, he knew the gray was gone for now. And maybe, he thought, feeling the telltale weight of a square box in his pocket, soon it would be gone forever.

A/N: This is another fill that I've had bits and pieces of hiding in my notes forever. Specifically, Max finding Mariam's hair and missing her. The weirdest things can act as inspiration, I suppose lol

Thanks for reading! :)