Misc RH OC Scraps

[REDSTONE] Useless What-If Scenario

"Hey... Do you ever wish we had met differently?"

Jules turned his head to look at Maxx, surprised by the question. The two were laying on a hill side by side late at night, stargazing. Maxx usually claimed he didn't like stargazing. Probably because it made him think of stupid things like that question. Jules had never really thought about it before, not being one to indulge what-if scenarios, but now he considered it. "No, not really," was his answer.

"What!? Don't you think we woulda gotten together months earlier if we'd gotten off on a better start?" Maxx adjusted himself to look at Jules better, supporting himself on his elbows. Jules looked up at him too, the stars forgotten for a moment.

"I don't think we would have gotten together at all." Laughing a bit at Maxx's confused glare, he elaborated, "you wouldn't have given me the time of day if you just met me in class like anyone else."

"Yes I would have," he huffed.

"Come on, you're always telling me I'm too intimidating. Even if you did notice me, you'd be too scared to make a move." He grinned. It was fun to tease his boyfriend. And it was a moot point anyway, since it was a made-up scenario. Maxx frowned and raised his eyebrows, tilting his head.

"As if you weren't too scared to make a move even after we got together..."

Jules got a little flustered and broke their eye contact. "I was not scared! It's called being a gentleman. A foreign concept to you, I know."

"Whatever. You're awful at what-if scenarios." Maxx resumed his previous position, laying on his back on the hill beside Jules and looking up at the sky. There was rustling as he pulled his headphones out and put them on, and soon his music could be heard softly, muffled. Jules was still thinking about the question. Slowly, he reached out, his fingers brushing the tips of the grass as they searched for and finally found Maxx's hand. He interlaced his fingers with Maxx's, who responded by giving his hand a gentle squeeze. There was a minute of silence, the night air cool and refreshing against Jules's suddenly warm face. He refused to turn his eyes next to him. The words that were stuck in his throat were hard to phrase, but if he didn't say them, he knew he would regret it. He absentmindedly rubbed Maxx's hand with his thumb while he thought.

"... I'm glad I saw your worst traits first."

Maxx pulled his headphones down around his neck. "Did you say something?"

"I'm glad that I first met you at your most annoying, entitled, and petty."

"Hey—" Maxx was about to indignantly object, but Jules kept talking, cutting him off.

"My dad really disappointed me." He gripped onto Maxx's hand like it was a lifeline. "I thought he was a really stand-up guy, you know, he was good to my mom and me, he taught me my morals, he encouraged me to pursue my art and he stays in touch... Then I suddenly find out he's got a whole other kid and a woman he abandoned... I never thought my dad would be capable of something so cruel."

Maxx stared at him. "Well, THAT took a weird turn. So, what, you like me 'cuz I'm not your dad? Low bar..."

Jules broke their hand-holding to elbow him in the ribs, making maxx sit up and burst out laughing. Jules continued, "obviously that's not it! There's just no way you could disappoint me, I already know what you're like. And I've decided I love you anyway." He sat up too, resting his folded arms on his knees, his long hair resettling. He didn't see what was so funny about this.

"Well, good to know that our relationship is built on your daddy issues! Guess I should thank Mr. Clayton," Maxx's laughing finally faded out and he caught his breath. "Anyway, I'm not hiding a daughter anywhere, so don't worry."

"I didn't think you were, idiot."

Maxx tilted his head and nudged Jules's shoulder with his own, making him look at him. "Hey, I'm not gonna disappoint you like that. You're right. It's not like I ever try to hurt you. Well, anymore, anyway. Um." He smiled awkwardly. "You get what I'm trying to say, right? This was way cooler in my head."

Jules hid his face, embarrassed about the whole situation, but he laughed. "Yeah, I get it. Thanks." Maxx may not have been the best with words, but he was trying to cheer Jules up in his own way, and that was kinda sweet. Jules might have been embarrassed in the moment, but this memory would probably carry him through a few petty fights in the future. He took the opportunity to make it sweeter. Jules leaned over so his head rested on Maxx's shoulder. He could feel how Maxx tensed up at first, then relaxed and wrapped a tentative arm around his waist, pulling him a little closer. They finally turned their attention back to the stars, glimmers of light in a sea of cold, black space. Jules supposed he was just a sucker for things like that.

Maxx picked up his phone to start playing his music again, but noticed that he had some notifications. "Oh my god, this chick cannot be serious," he mumbled. Jules glanced over; someone had left a negative comment on his TikTok, and now Maxx typed furiously to fight with them. Jules rolled his eyes.

"It's times like these that I look back fondly on breaking your phone when we met."

Maxx called him a hater for that, but they kept cuddling until curfew.