After an entire winter break apart, and a spring break mourning Rachel Amber, it was decided that the girls would stick around Portland for their summer. Of course, Chloe had a job already, Kate signed up for anything and everything she could get her hands on – church, library, hospital – Victoria was naturally attempting to survive a sales job with a clothing store. Max had gone for the obvious choice and managed to snag a barista job with a cafe just a few blocks from their apartment. Slinging coffee to students on break and hipsters and tourists, listening to chill music, hanging around people who just wanted a quiet place to get a little reading done. This place basically felt like the perfect fit!
As it turned out, Max had more aptitude for the job than she expected. She was good at giving the perfect greeting smile and offering the small-talk, all while moving about with her hands deftly. Only a few days in and she already felt like she was getting a hand on things. It was too busy for her to be making the java so she was on register duty. She was getting into a groove when a shock of blue hair caught her eye and she grinned at the woman across the counter from her. "I see this place hasn't burned down yet. Gimme a large coffee, dark and sweet as sin. I've got a little break before my next client and I need a pick-me-up."
As she went to give the order to her co-worker, El, they offered her a little grin. "Mad Max, that girl with the blue hair was giving you major heart-eyes. You should give her your number!"
It took a second or so for the gears in Max's head to turn over. Dammit, if only she knew how to blush on command. Or at least how to be embarrassed purposefully. "Y-You think I should? Oh gosh, I've never really done that kinda thing before..."
El snickered, trying hard to play the wise older friend. It might have worked on someone who wasn't lying through her teeth. "It's super easy! You add your number to the cup. If they call, or come by again some time, then that's great! And if they don't come around as often, that's okay too. Just... you know, don't abuse the concept."
Max hurriedly scrawled Chloe's name, her own phone number, and a little heart on the steaming cardboard cup before handing it off. "Just play along," she said under her breath. "Thanks so much for coming by Chloe! I hope you have a wonderful afternoon!"
Chloe stared at the cup as she headed for her truck, slightly bewildered. "Gonna have a difficult time explaining this to the boss..."
"Tall no-whip half-caf java frapp..." God, this little game that her and Chloe had going was getting aggressive now. Victoria had been eager to play the bitch ever since she discarded that particular profession following everything at Blackwell. "Are you deaf? Get on it, wage slave. I haven't got forever..."
They both knew full well that Tori had her own wage slavery to get back to, but that didn't make her old voice any less grating.
Max couldn't fire back, so she just had to grin through it. "I'm so very sorry Ma'am, but you're thinking of an entirely different coffee house franchise. I would be more than happy to give you something equivalent." Victoria gave her that little 'oh so pleased with herself' smile, pursing her lips and smiling just so.
"I suppose that will have to do. Carry on..." Max made sure to label Victoria's cup in the same way she had done with Chloe's before. El gave her a little knowing smile as they blended the ice and syrup for the drink. Max just smiled right back at her as bashfully as she could manage without giving away what she was up to.
"What?" she said quietly. "I like 'em bossy..." Max turned back to her totally-not-girlfriend with the blended coffee drink. "And there you are, Miss. Tell you what, this one's on the house, as long as you promise to stop buying your caffeinated beverages from a certain other local legend?" As the blonde left the establishment, El bumped shoulders with Max and grinned.
"I take back everything. I think I'm gonna need you to teach me and not the other way around."
Max stepped into the bright sunlight and grinned at the sight of Kate, fresh from working with children at the hospital. Right on cue, she passed her the iced tea she'd promised her and curled up against her with a little sigh. "Long day?" Max asked.
"Long day..."
"Awesome, then we should get home imme-" Before she could even drag Kate away, her manager popped out of the coffee shop. The man had this amazing way of looking incredibly apologetic for taking your time, but also not leaving you any options to ignore him. "Um, okay, well then we'll get home immediately after... whatever this is!" Kate shrugged and settled into a nearby bench while she waited.
"Hey, you wanted to see me, Carl? Is everything okay?" Max was already on her way home, and now she was getting that Look from her boss. She was starting to worry that maybe something was actually wrong here.
He gestured to a chair across from his desk. "Please, sit down, Max. I've heard from El that you've been a little... playful with some of our customers lately..." Max froze, trying desperately to rearrange all the pieces in her mind so she could explain this to Carl without sounding like a total maniac. "It's alright, this isn't an HR thing. I noticed you talking with your girlfriend out front and... You're young. You're free to do whatever you wish. But I just wanted to tell you to think long and hard about being honest with that poor thing out there. Before you break her heart forever."
Max was fairly certain that there was an entire story here that she wasn't particularly interested hearing just yet. But more to the point... what? Was it normal for bosses to do this kind of thing? "There has been a massive misunderstanding. But I'm also not sure exactly how much to tell you. The girl you saw outside is Kate, my girlfriend. The other two that El has seen me flirting with are also my girlfriends. And Kate's. We live together, not far from here."
What had started as a silly little game that would allow Max to play around with her girlfriends had now turned into something of an existential crisis. Would this just be life forever now? Hopefully with Victoria and Kate, but with anyone really. Constantly explaining, always afraid of judgment and being shunned? Knowing that she might have serious legal issues and she would have to essentially choose 'just one wife' for the rest of her days.
"How many shifts did it take for El to tell you they were nonbinary?" The question snapped Max out of her thoughts.
"Uh, my first shift, like... within a few minutes? I guess?" Max wasn't certain where this was going.
Carl gave her a more normal smile for once. "They told me during the hiring process. Probably would have been smarter if they hadn't, since some places are less... open. And I hired them happily, because they are incredibly good at their job. And you're not too bad either. I think it's just lovely you have three girlfriends! Just, you know, be careful how you deal with that fact, I suppose?" He sighed and leaned back in his seat.
"I can't give you an official notice or a heads-up or anything. Basically this is just me talking, as a friend. You need to get good at owning it. You need to think about your elevator pitch, in case you end up with another job that isn't willing to overlook something they don't understand." His phone suddenly buzzed against the desk and interrupted him. He checked the screen, smirked, and nodded at Max. "Go on, get outta here. Have a good night. I think you're going to enjoy your evening..."
She barely made it out the cafe's front door before Kate launched at her squealing delightedly. "It's happening!"
Max lay in a delightful haze stretched across Kate, Chloe, and Victoria's laps. At some point, she had missed the Supreme Court's decision about same-sex marriage, and suddenly the world felt like it was just a little bit more amazing. They watched videos online of people flooding their courthouses and churches, all of them sobbing like babies.
Still... something about what Carl had said to her at work, obviously, stuck with her. She found herself sniffling softly for a very different reason. She had been pretty courageous in her life so far, but it seemed like maybe it was going to take even more from her than she'd been expecting.
"Do you guys wanna get married?"
[C/N: Don't get out the champagne just yet, I left this on a cliffhanger for a reason :3]