Home Is Where The Past Is (DA)
Title: Home Is Where The Past Is
Rating: PG
Characters and/or pairings: Zack, Zack/Max, Max
Disclaimer
Spoilers: Up to and including 1x09 - 'Blah, Blah, Woof, Woof'
Summary: What if things had turned out differently at the cabin?
Authors note: My first Mack fic and was written for the very brilliant Shay at Raising Hell who asked for something lovey dovey between Zack and Max. And can I tell you how hard this was? The only thing I could think of was changing this scene because it is SO Mack it's not funny. I'm still Malec all the way though!!! :P
_______________________________________
She stood in front of the window and looked out at the dark night, her sharp eyes picking up the fat droplets of rain as they crashed to the earth. He watched as she gave a small sigh and leant her head against the cold glass of the window. After a few minutes she moved over to the couch and sat down, drawing her long legs up underneath her. He looked at the murky water he’d managed to find before reaching for the bottle of red on the counter.
“Thought you’d want to get moving - bang over the border into Canada before dawn.”
He shrugged as he came to sit beside her in front of the fire. “We’ve got a secure night’s lodgings. Might as well take advantage.”
He poured a glass for her and handed it to her, trying to ignore the soft touch of her skin as her fingers brushed his. He smiled up at her.
“Here’s to you finally doing the smart thing and getting out of Seattle.”
His half-hearted attempt at a joke didn’t have the required effect and he saw her face close off from him, her emotions pushed back allowing only the bitterness to seep through.
“Right.”
He knew that leaving Seattle would be hard. Out of their entire unit, she’d been the only one that he hadn’t been able to force to move. He’d kept her safe from a distance, allowing her to have the home he’d never been able to give her. And she’d flourished, more or less. She’d still had a far from perfect life but she hadn’t been as jaded as the rest. She still had hope.
“I remember the morning of the escape, getting into Cheyenne around seven am. The streets were just starting to fill with people. Not soldiers or doctors, just regular people on their way to work. It scared the hell out of me. As far as I was concerned, they were all the enemy, and I was completely outnumbered.”
“I know the feeling.”
“I climbed up onto the roof of an office building in downtown to lay low, just as the sun was coming up. It was my first morning as a free man. The whole world looked different.”
“It was like it was in color all of a sudden.”
He smiled at her, feeling the connection between them. They weren’t so different and the only difference was how fiercely he wanted to protect her. Taking her to Canada was to protect her, to keep her safe from Manticore and stop them from closing in and if forced to admit it, maybe just a little part of him wanted to keep her close. To selfishly have some of that happiness for himself.
“I know I’ve been hard on you, Max, but I’m just trying to keep you safe.”
She gave him a sad smile. “I know.”
She dipped her head under his gaze and he brushed a lock of hair back from her face. It was heartbreaking that she could care so much for someone who wasn’t worthy of her. Logan could never understand who or what she was - never understand her the way that he could.
“You’re going to miss him, aren’t you?”
She glanced sideways at him. “You think that’s stupid.”
“No. A part of me wants the same things. Friends... a place where I belong... someone to care about.”
“Thought it was a sentimental lie.”
He caught her gaze as he struggled to make her understand. “Even I have my moments of weakness.”
The light from the fire cast shadows on her face and he wasn’t sure whether or not the tiny curves at the end of her mouth were real. Her reached across and held her hand; a show of affection on his part but something that could be brushed off as solidarity.
“I think I will miss what he represented more. He was a way to forget about who I am... what I am.”
“Max...”
“It’s okay, I’ve had my whole life dealing with it - I’m used to it. But every now and then I wish I was just a ordinary girl.”
He reached up and cupped her face, bringing it up so that she was looking him in the eyes.
“You will never be ordinary. You will always be more than that.”
Her eyes shone with unshed tears and when she leaned forward, he instantly pulled her in and wrapped his arms around her, shielding her with a hug. It felt good to hug her, to have her in his arms. It felt right. He thought about how their life could be if they had each other and when she pulled back to look at him, he didn’t even stop to think as he captured her lips with his.
At first she was surprised and she stilled, enough so that he pulled back and thought of a million different things he could say to try and set things right. But as he opened his mouth with hopes of explaining, her look changed from one of confusion to something indecipherable. She leaned forward and kissed him and subsequent thought flew out the window as he pulled her flush against him and felt her hands slide up his chest to rest on his neck, the tips of her fingers lightly brushing over his barcode.
He didn’t know what was going on, what it all meant, but he knew that whatever it was he and Max had all the time in the world to figure it out and they could figure it out together.
Rating: PG
Characters and/or pairings: Zack, Zack/Max, Max
Disclaimer
Spoilers: Up to and including 1x09 - 'Blah, Blah, Woof, Woof'
Summary: What if things had turned out differently at the cabin?
Authors note: My first Mack fic and was written for the very brilliant Shay at Raising Hell who asked for something lovey dovey between Zack and Max. And can I tell you how hard this was? The only thing I could think of was changing this scene because it is SO Mack it's not funny. I'm still Malec all the way though!!! :P
_______________________________________
She stood in front of the window and looked out at the dark night, her sharp eyes picking up the fat droplets of rain as they crashed to the earth. He watched as she gave a small sigh and leant her head against the cold glass of the window. After a few minutes she moved over to the couch and sat down, drawing her long legs up underneath her. He looked at the murky water he’d managed to find before reaching for the bottle of red on the counter.
“Thought you’d want to get moving - bang over the border into Canada before dawn.”
He shrugged as he came to sit beside her in front of the fire. “We’ve got a secure night’s lodgings. Might as well take advantage.”
He poured a glass for her and handed it to her, trying to ignore the soft touch of her skin as her fingers brushed his. He smiled up at her.
“Here’s to you finally doing the smart thing and getting out of Seattle.”
His half-hearted attempt at a joke didn’t have the required effect and he saw her face close off from him, her emotions pushed back allowing only the bitterness to seep through.
“Right.”
He knew that leaving Seattle would be hard. Out of their entire unit, she’d been the only one that he hadn’t been able to force to move. He’d kept her safe from a distance, allowing her to have the home he’d never been able to give her. And she’d flourished, more or less. She’d still had a far from perfect life but she hadn’t been as jaded as the rest. She still had hope.
“I remember the morning of the escape, getting into Cheyenne around seven am. The streets were just starting to fill with people. Not soldiers or doctors, just regular people on their way to work. It scared the hell out of me. As far as I was concerned, they were all the enemy, and I was completely outnumbered.”
“I know the feeling.”
“I climbed up onto the roof of an office building in downtown to lay low, just as the sun was coming up. It was my first morning as a free man. The whole world looked different.”
“It was like it was in color all of a sudden.”
He smiled at her, feeling the connection between them. They weren’t so different and the only difference was how fiercely he wanted to protect her. Taking her to Canada was to protect her, to keep her safe from Manticore and stop them from closing in and if forced to admit it, maybe just a little part of him wanted to keep her close. To selfishly have some of that happiness for himself.
“I know I’ve been hard on you, Max, but I’m just trying to keep you safe.”
She gave him a sad smile. “I know.”
She dipped her head under his gaze and he brushed a lock of hair back from her face. It was heartbreaking that she could care so much for someone who wasn’t worthy of her. Logan could never understand who or what she was - never understand her the way that he could.
“You’re going to miss him, aren’t you?”
She glanced sideways at him. “You think that’s stupid.”
“No. A part of me wants the same things. Friends... a place where I belong... someone to care about.”
“Thought it was a sentimental lie.”
He caught her gaze as he struggled to make her understand. “Even I have my moments of weakness.”
The light from the fire cast shadows on her face and he wasn’t sure whether or not the tiny curves at the end of her mouth were real. Her reached across and held her hand; a show of affection on his part but something that could be brushed off as solidarity.
“I think I will miss what he represented more. He was a way to forget about who I am... what I am.”
“Max...”
“It’s okay, I’ve had my whole life dealing with it - I’m used to it. But every now and then I wish I was just a ordinary girl.”
He reached up and cupped her face, bringing it up so that she was looking him in the eyes.
“You will never be ordinary. You will always be more than that.”
Her eyes shone with unshed tears and when she leaned forward, he instantly pulled her in and wrapped his arms around her, shielding her with a hug. It felt good to hug her, to have her in his arms. It felt right. He thought about how their life could be if they had each other and when she pulled back to look at him, he didn’t even stop to think as he captured her lips with his.
At first she was surprised and she stilled, enough so that he pulled back and thought of a million different things he could say to try and set things right. But as he opened his mouth with hopes of explaining, her look changed from one of confusion to something indecipherable. She leaned forward and kissed him and subsequent thought flew out the window as he pulled her flush against him and felt her hands slide up his chest to rest on his neck, the tips of her fingers lightly brushing over his barcode.
He didn’t know what was going on, what it all meant, but he knew that whatever it was he and Max had all the time in the world to figure it out and they could figure it out together.