Work Text:
As it turned out, navigating a relationship where both people have the superpower that grants the ability to hear a person’s thoughts and feelings expressed through musical numbers was a bit…tricky. It certainly came with a unique set of challenges, but Zoey liked a challenge and somehow she and Max were finding a way to make it work. They had been making it work for six months now. It was chaotic and fun and more vibrant than anything Zoey had ever known.
Six months in, it felt like they had finally settled into a groove as they embraced the eccentricities of their relationship.
Until one day Zoey woke up with the realization that she loved Max.
Which, duh, of course she loved Max! He had been her best friend for over six years.
The problem was that she loved Max.
She wasn’t worried about Max not reciprocating her feelings because she knew how he felt about her, she had heard his heartsongs and he had admitted nearly as much immediately following the whole flash mob fiasco (“Zoey, I just told you that I loved you.”), but that moment never really felt like it counted as a true declaration of his heart.
And above all, more than any words or songs could convey, it was his actions that spoke volumes of his love, practically enough to fill an entire bookcase. Or even a small library.
So no, Zoey wasn’t afraid of telling Max she loved him. However, she was absolutely terrified by the very plausible reality that her feelings could burst out of her at any given moment in the form of a heartsong. And that’s not how she wanted Max to find out, she wanted to do it right, without the Universe stealing her thunder.
But since Zoey was a very reasonable person, she knew that there was only one logical solution—she had to avoid Max!
At least until she figured out a better way to deal with her little problem.
Zoey stood in the hallway, her gaze fixed straight ahead with her hands curled loosely at her sides. She sucked in a deep, calming breath and gave a little shimmy to shake out any excess nerves before she raised her fists and began pounding frantically on the red door.
The second it swung open, Zoey dropped her hands, tugging at the bottom hem of her sweater to smooth out any wrinkles in the fabric and then she casually breezed her way inside Mo's apartment. She headed straight into the kitchen before swiveling around to face Mo, who had his eyebrows lifted in expectation.
He gave her a quick once-over, a displeased hum sounded from his throat as he waved at her to get on with it. “What now, Red?” The words came out like a sigh.
Zoey shifted on her feet, her arms swinging at her sides before she clasped her hands together and held them up against her chest, shooting Mo a sheepish look. “So I may have realized something recently. And it may have something to do with Max. And it may involve…” she trailed off, her eyes zipping erratically around the space before landing back on Mo’s face, “three little words…uh, do you-do you catch my drift?”
Mo stared blankly at her. “Yes, you love Max. Anyone could have figured that out,” he deadpanned. “And Max loves you...so, what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that I haven’t told him yet and I’m afraid he’s going to hear me sing it before I can work up the nerve to say it.”
“Well then next time you see him, let that be the first thing that comes out of your mouth.”
Rearing her head back, Zoey threw Mo an incredulous look. “I can’t do that!” Zoey exclaimed like it was the most absurd suggestion she had ever heard. Then, she took a moment to consider it, tapping a finger to her lips as a thoughtful expression appeared on her face. “Can I do that?” she mused quietly to herself before she began shaking her head in a revived frenzy, wagging her finger back and forth. “I’m not going to do that.”
“Zoey, are you okay?”
“No! I can’t just blurt it out out of nowhere! It needs to be romantic and like, there should be a buildup to the big moment. I suppose I could recreate the first time we-” Zoey paused, her voice dipping to a whisper, “you know,” she explained with a suggestive raise of her eyebrows before she rambled on. “I’ll set out the champagne, the rose petals, the swan, luckily Daryl won’t be an issue-”
“Who is Daryl?”
“-and then boom!” Zoey clapped her hands together, a smile overtaking her face. “Hit him with the love bomb!” She brought out the finger guns and aimed them at Mo. “I'll just need to make sure my mind is on something else the entire time, but yeah!” Zoey bobbed her head up and down with enthusiasm, feeling satisfied with her plan. “This is a really great idea.”
Zoey was still nodding her head when a series of knocks sounded on the door.
She cast a fleeting glance at the door before her gaze settled on Mo. “Oh, is Perry coming over?”
“No, that’s Max,” Mo said matter-of-factly, waltzing over to the door.
Zoey felt her heart stop. “What?!” she shrieked, wincing at the shrillness of her voice, which wasn’t doing her any favors since she didn’t want Max to know she was there. “I can’t let him see me right now, what if I start singing? I'm not prepared! I’m a mess!”
“Oh honey, you’re always a mess,” Mo called out over his shoulder.
“Mo!” Zoey cried out in desperation, annoyed that he wasn't taking this more seriously. Honestly, would it kill him to at least pretend to be sympathetic to her plight?
He stopped, pivoting to face her, eyes rolling skyward as he muttered something under his breath that Zoey didn't catch. “Why don’t you just hide somewhere and sneak out once he gets inside?”
Vehemently, Zoey began shaking her head, throwing her hands up in the air. “No!” she protested. “Remember how I heard him singing at the airport with Rose and he had no idea I was there? If I'm in your apartment, he might still be able to hear me!”
Mo blew out an exhausted breath, planting a hand on his hip. “Well, what do you suggest I do then?”
“Just tell him to go away!” she whispered fiercely, using her hands to wildly gesticulate in a shooing motion.
“Okay, I am not going to do that because he’s here for a business meeting,” Mo enunciated like he was speaking to a child. “We have a conference call with Danny in like ten minutes about opening up a MaxiMo in Los Angeles.”
With that, Mo turned and went to answer the door, leaving Zoey to spin around in a panic as she searched for a suitable location to hide.
Dashing for the nearest open door, she escaped into the bathroom, yanking the door shut as quietly as she could manage with her trembling hands. Not even a second later, she heard Mo's muffled voice as he greeted Max.
Bracing her back against the door, she breathed heavily while her heart thudded uncontrollably inside her chest.
Zoey allowed herself a brief moment of relief before remembering that she still needed to find a way out of Mo's apartment without being detected by Max.
And there was still the pressing fear that she could spontaneously break out into song before she had the chance to flee the scene.
“Hey, I'm going to use the bathroom before we call Danny,” Max's disembodied voice floated through the air, drifting closer.
Oh no. Her heart rate skyrocketed as her mind raced to come up with a solution.
Maybe she could hide in the shower?
Her eyes darted in that direction, assessing the very see-through, very glass shower.
Well, that wasn’t an option.
She whipped her head back and forth, but time was running out because she heard footsteps approaching the door, the knob was turning, Zoey was getting wedged between the door and the wall.
Oh, this could work, she mused as the door pushed in on her, effectively hiding her from view. Of course, soon enough Max would undoubtedly close the door and then he would be greeted by the sight of Zoey flattened against the wall like some sort of crazy person.
“Hi, Max!” she blurted out.
Max soared toward the ceiling, hands clutching at his chest while some choice words flew out of his mouth as he wheeled around to face her.
A sharp breath left his mouth as his eyebrows knitted together in confusion, causing his forehead to crease. “Zoey? What are you doing in here?”
Shrugging as casually as she could muster with her heartbeat still pounding in her ears, she said, “Just hanging out with Mo. Like friends do.”
“Right…” Max said slowly, his bewildered eyes locked on her face. “But why are you hiding in the bathroom? Were you trying to hide from me?”
“No!” she shouted before lowering her voice to a more reasonable level. “Noooo. Of course not, why would I do that? It’s not like I’m keeping a secret from you or anything.” The words tumbled out in a slightly hysterical rush.
“…Okay…” Max said dubiously, concern evident in his expression.
Zoey attempted to collect her thoughts, but found herself getting distracted by the suit he was wearing, vaguely wondering why he was wearing a suit but mostly thinking about how good he looked in it and how much better he’d look out of it. Speaking of which, she really loved his body, just like she really loved him and—
Uh oh.
Something was happening.
Zoey felt her lungs begin to inflate, like they were gathering up the courage to make a confession! Was she about to start singing? There wasn't any music, as far as she could tell, but she had sang heartsongs plenty of times without being aware of it, only to be clued in after the fact by Max. It’s not like her powers were always predictable, but it definitely felt like something was about to force its way out of her and all she could think was no no no no, I don't want Max to find out like this!
“I love you!” The words exploded out of her mouth like fireworks.
She went completely still while Max's eyebrows jumped up and his mouth fell open. Several beats of silence passed where they just stared at one another.
“Are you…” Max reached for her, cupping his hands over her shoulders as he leaned in, narrowing his eyes as he swept them intently over her face. “Zoey, did you do drugs again?” he asked, his expression and voice completely serious.
Insulted, Zoey scoffed. “I just told you I love you and you ask me if I’m on drugs?” she whispered the last part, her eyes bulging in disbelief.
Max released her, taking a half step back and holding his hands up in a placating gesture. “Sorry,” he hastily muttered. “But to be fair, I think it's a valid question.”
Begrudgingly, Zoey conceded his point with a quick tilt of her head. She was acting a bit strange...er than usual. “Well, I promise that I'm not high right now.”
Another stretch a silence elapsed and Zoey took note of the precise moment her words sunk in, watching as Max’s eyes went soft and a grin crept onto his face. “So, you love me, huh?” he said teasingly, which earned him a playful punch to the arm while a matching smile slinked across her face.
“Well, yeah,” she began, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “Of course I love you,” she stated simply, somewhat surprised by how natural those words felt falling from her lips, but she meant it with unwavering certainty. Grabbing at Max's shirt, she twisted her hand into the fabric and slowly tugged him toward her.
“Yes, Danny, it would be nice of Max to join us!” Mo called out in a booming voice from the other side of the door.
Exchanging a quick look with Max, Zoey grinned and reached for the handle, jerking the door open. She seized Max’s hands, walking backwards as she dragged him out of the bathroom. “Okay, you go do your meeting and then maybe you could stop by my apartment after...” she trailed off, bringing them to a halt and slipping one of her hands free so she could rest her palm on Max's chest, “and I could show you just how much I love you...” she murmured breathlessly, her fingers performing a suggestive dance down his chest.
The corners of Max's mouth ticked up, his brown eyes glowing with amusement and affection. He breathed out a light laugh, placing his hand over hers and holding it against his chest. “I'll be there,” he promised, leaning down to press his lips softly against hers. Breaking away, he squeezed her hand as their eyes connected in a heartfelt gaze. “And for the record, I love you, too.”