hey uhh no pressure but when are you gonna release the betting that I'm better pt 2 😋
betting that i'm better (PT. 2) ── .✦
⋆˚࿔ summary: you've always hated your brother's best friend since childhood. now that he's uncovered your dirty little secret, you can't help but make a deal with him to prove that you've always been better.
⋆˚࿔ pairing: 3fs (max) x fem!reader
⋆˚࿔ warnings/content: slow burn, lots of plot, enemies to lovers, nothing crazy/suggestive, you're jacob's sister, use of y/n, love confession
⋆˚࿔ credits: @pixopix (dividers)
⋆˚࿔ a/n: hey everybody... long time no see. thank you for being so patient! here is the long awaited pt. 2!! love u guys
"I gotta use the bathroom," Max announced, standing up from Jacob's bed and making his way past your room and straight to the familiar bathroom.
After doing his business and gently washing his hands, he headed back to Jacob's room, but stopped upon hearing something strange coming from your room. He leaned against the door.
"Oh, come on!" you growled aggressively to yourself. "I'm so close to beating this level!"
His eyes widened as he heard the hums of gunshots coming from your TV. Your competitive yelps and squeals made his heart flutter. He could tell exactly what you were doing --- playing a shooter game.
Which you swore you hated on your entire life.
Max waited another moment before slamming the door open aggressively, making you scream hysterically and hide your baby pink controller under your pillow. You shut your TV off, but it was too late when Max made his way into your room and laughed in your face.
"Cut the crap, Y/N. I saw and heard you playing what? Playing video games? What you made fun of me for years about?!" he angrily said, standing at the side of your bed and looking down at you with arms folded.
You didn't say anything. You couldn't. You were so humiliated and getting caught in the web of lies just made matters worse.
At your silence, he bent down and pick you up, throwing you over his shoulder and holding onto your waist tightly with his muscular arm. You yelled and flailed, kicking your legs behind you. "MAX!" you yelled, nails digging in his back. "PUT ME DOWN!"
He reached under your pillow, examining the controller. " Your controller is pink, how cute," he mocked.
You frustratedly shriek, and Max takes it as a sign. He gently placed you down on the ground. You snatched your controller back, placing it on the bed.
"Wow, Y/N, I can't believe you are such a hypocrite!" he laughed aggressively, carding a hand through his hair.
"Do you ever shut up? Genuinely, what do you think I do all day? Sit in bed and do nothing?" you argued back, shoving him away with a hand. He stumbled back and huffed. "Of course I need something to keep me occupied. At least I keep it on the down low and don’t make a whole career out of it! At least I’m not an idiot, sitting down in a chair all day, videoing myself playing some stupid games."
"You don’t even have a job! And I’ll have you know that I have 900,000 followers on YouTube and I get paid for every video I make. So maybe I look stupid…" he said, stopping mid-sentence, leaning down and pinching your cheek softly. "Guess who's making the big bucks!"
Growing angry at his mocking tone, you slap his hand away. He yelps as he pulls it back. " Get the hell off of me! I bet if I made a stupid little YouTube channel like you, I would reach one million followers way faster than you."
Max stooped down to your level, face right up in yours. "I'd like to see you try."
"I'm sure you would," you barked back.
"Then do it. Don’t make promises you can’t keep."
"FINE! I’ll make a stupid YouTube channel right now to show you that I am better than you," you finalized, pushing him back once more. You flipped your hair, eyes rolling.
You rolled your eyes, sticking out your hand and looking up at him. His heart fluttered again at the way there was another emotion in your eyes while you looked at him --- one that wasn't pure hatred and annoyance.
"Let’s make a bet. If I get a million followers before you do, you have to quit and delete your whole account," you said, hand still confidently in place.
Max thought for a moment before letting out a small sigh. "Alright. And if I win? You have to stop being so mean to me all of the time. No more bullying, just leave me alone."
You nodded, and with that he shook your hand.
Not long after your bet with Max, you started your channel. You specialized in video games but the soft kind opposed to Max. You also made makeup tutorials and get ready with me's.
A big number 0 was present on your screen as you pressed upload. Your first video was officially online.
You pressed the watch button, smiling to yourself as you saw your face appear on the screen. "Hii everybody! I’m Y/N and I decided to make this channel to show the things I love and I hope you enjoy all my videos!"
Your attention was drifted away from your own video to Max's new upload. His name was big and taunting --- "3FS".
"Hello fellas, you already know who it is. Today, we’re tryin’ out a new game I got," he said. You rolled your eyes, texting him immediately.
fellas? are we serious? that's so stupid. you sent.
Your follower count went up rapidly. Hundred. Thousands. Hundred Thousands. People loved you.
Max on the other hand, was going up slowly and shortly. He had been falling off and it hurt his heart.
Deep down, it hurt yours, too.
You would never tell him that though, so you texted him the next best thing.
i think we should collaborate. you sent, hoping he didn't leave you on read again from the last time you texted him.
r u joking?? he replied, and you rolled your eyes.
no. as much as i don’t want to, i think it would be good for the both of us if people know that we know each other. you corrected him.
friends?? i'd rather die.
Max came over your house that day, not for the usual intention of spending the day with Jacob. He was sort of excited to be hanging out with you instead.
You walked into your girly pink room, dragging your desk chair over to your vanity where you were sitting. You were planning on doing a makeup tutorial video today, but your plans were wrecked by the boy.
He sat down next to you, too close for comfort, but you remained seated. You at least wanted to seem friendly with each other.
You two began the recording, a big, fake smile on your face as you talked. The recording went on for an hour and a half, playing a Roblox game on your laptop. It made you jump into him after every jump scare. It pissed you off how you showed him to be so vulnerable, but you couldn't help it.
Max on the other hand was enjoying every moment of this. Every time something scary happened on the screen, your little yelps made his heart sore. The way you naturally curled into him made him feel protective over you which was odd because he can't even protect himself from you.
You ended it and after another hour of editing, you finally posted the video and sat up from your chair.
"Finally," you groaned, rolling your eyes in annoyance.
Max awkwardly got up, running a hand through his hair again. The realization that he was alone with you in your room really got to him.
"I'm.. I'm gonna go.." he said.
"Ok? You can stay overnight on the couch or something or with Jacob? I feel like it would be better to check the video in the morning with you," you suggested, looking up at him.
Heat rushed right to his cheeks, leaving him red in the face. "I- uh- I guess."
He did just that, getting himself comfortable on your couch. A soft glow of red still covered his cheeks as he attempted to cover himself with the minimalist amount of blankets you had on your living room couch. He probably should've just asked Jacob for something, but he drifted asleep before he could find the energy to do so.
Max woke up the next morning, finding condolence as he woke up in the amicable home. He was wrapped in a blanket --- a fuzzy, pink one that smelt like you.
He got up, the blush from the previous night coming back to him. He made his way up the stairs and softly knocked on your door. After a few moments, you groggily opened the door.
"What do you want, loser?" you grumbled up at him. Max couldn't help the smile that spread over his face. You looked so adorable with your hair all messy and makeup all off.
"Nothin'. I wanted to see how our video did. What people were saying," he said. You rolled your eyes and opened the door wider to let him inside your room.
You sat down at your vanity, rubbing your eyes. "I'm so tired. You woke me up." you said, opening your laptop onto YouTube.
He smirked, standing above you and leaning on the chair.
There were already 40,000 views of his and your fans alike, even though the video was only posted last night. You both gasped.
"Read the comments!" Max pushed, leaning down over you.
You obeyed, scrolling down and finding yourself in a wild predicament.
'OHH MY GOSH. Y/N AND 3FS?! TOGETHER?? THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVERR'
'I didn't know that collaborating would work so well!!'
"You wish," you muttered under your breath. Max rolled his eyes.
'they're definitely together'
You stopped short, reading over the speculation.
'aw, such a cute couple.'
The two of you continued scrolling through the comments, most of the comments talking about how adorable the two of you are. You slammed your computer shut, standing up.
"Me? Your girlfriend?" you spat out. "This is RIDICULOUS!"
"It's not that bad, Y/N, relax," Max said, shrugging slightly.
"Not that bad?! Why would I wanna be seen with a loser like you?!" you whined, running your hands through your messy hair and pacing the floor.
"Are you kidding me? Y/N, this was your idea to collaborate. This was your idea to make your channel even after you made fun of me for years. And it hurts, Y/N, it hurts," he cried, folding his arms into his chest.
"What hurts? The fact that you’re gonna quit your stupid little job because I’m about to beat you?" you mocked, getting right in his face.
"NO!" Max said, his voice louder than he intended it to be. It cracked, breaking as he spoke. "The fact that all these years you’ve been a lying hypocrite right to my face! Making me feel awful about myself when you’ve been doing the same exact thing. The fact that I’m in love with you and all you do is harass me every single darn day."
You went silent, face falling as you took a few steps away from him and you seemed to have shrunken in shyness. "Y-You really mean that?"
Max backed away, nodding and shaking his head at one time. "Forget it. I'm sorry."
Before he reached your bedroom door, you grabbed him tightly by the wrist. He looked back at you, noticing the soft expression in your eyes.
"You can’t just say something like that and leave!" she said, going silent for another moment before your voice began to break as well. "Please don't leave me.."
Max closed in on you, standing in front of you. Your grip never left his wrist. He shook his head, vulnerable and embarrassed. "I’ve tried so hard to pretend I didn’t feel this way about you, but I just can’t hide it anymore.. I just need you to know."
"I-I don’t… I don’t know what to say," you muttered out.
"Maybe you can start with telling me why you’ve hated me so much over the years," he began, tilting his head with tears in his eyes.
Your grip loosened as you looked down at the floor. "When I first met you, I thought you were just another loser like my brother. You were over my house every damn day and at first I couldn’t stand you. But.. b-but.." you started, voice beginning to waver.
He was patient. "But what?"
"Then I started to know you better. And I was so used to having you be so annoying as a kid. So that when you grew older, I started to like you more. I-I started to admire you. Your confidence and your passion for things.. I really started to like you and I hated that."
Max laughed, and you looked up at him with wide eyes. You begin to awkwardly laugh too over seeing how light-hearted he was about your years of torture despite his glossy eyes.
"A-Anyway.. I really started to get angry at myself. I mean, how could I like you? We’re total opposites, I’m cool and you’re not. You played video games and I didn’t. But I wanted to. I wanted to see why you liked them so much, so I bought a few. It’s been a few years and that’s when you caught me a few weeks ago." you ended the story, looking up at him.
"So you never hated me?" he asked.
"Now that you say it, no. All these years, I thought pushing you away would make it stop, but it never did. I was scared, Max," you said, voice cracking. You hated how you were acting like this. You were red in the face, humiliated. "I think bullying you was easier than admitting that.. T-that.."
You paused, tears rapidly streaming down your face in embarrassment. The words lodged in your throat.
"Take your time, I'm not going anywhere," he quietly promised, putting a hand on your shoulder and letting the other gently smooth your hair.
You both went unresponsive, quietly standing and looking at each other in disbelief. The only sound in the pin-drop quiet room was the rapid hammering of both of your hearts. His hands stilled on your hair. Your sobbing stopped.
Eventually, Max let out a shaky sigh. "You have no idea what it’s been like, Y/N. Loving you while you pretend not to care about me. All I could do was hope and pray to find out what I ever did wrong to you. I-I wasn’t the problem…? You were just scared to feel something?!" He was loud, and you shrunk. Your sobbing resumed as the realization of what you've done to him sank in.
You don't say anything. You can't. You just wail, chest heaving as you sobbed hysterically. You knew you were being immature. You can't seem to care. You're a terrible person.
Despite his anger, he hugged you tightly and held you to his chest. He rocked back and forth and began to rub your hair again. "Y/N! Don’t cry. I-I’m not mad at you, I promise."
You looked up at Max's beautiful face, looking so ethereal under the pink hue of lights in your room. Through your tears, you still noticed every freckle and birthmark on his face.
"T-Thank God," you huffed out, lips curving up into a smile. "I thought y-you hated me now."
"Hate you because now I know the truth?" Max sweetly chuckled, gently wiping away your thick tears with his thumbs. "Not at all, Y/N. If anything, I think I love you even more."
Your heart fluttered in your chest as you giggled at his sweet words. He gently grabbed your face and leaned down to your level. He pressed his lips against yours softly, rubbing his thumb on your cheek.
There you were. Standing in the middle of your bedroom kissing the boy you swore you hated since elementary school.
You both gently peeled away, looking at each other with big smiles. Your crying had subsided, and you were finally happy. No amount of subscribers could ever compare with the now admitted love you have for Max.
You looked over at your computer which had now gone black due to the passing time. You grabbed his hand, walking over to your laptop and turning it on to check your subscriber count.
"Max..." you whispered, hand covering your mouth as you looked up at him. "I won!"
His smile was wide. "You won!"
Contrast to his proudness of you, you looked distraught. "Our bet.."
His smile faltered, but he just shrugged. "It’s alright, Y/N. A deal’s a deal. I’ll go delete my channel right now."
You grab him by the shirt sleeve as he goes to walk away, shaking your head aggressively.
"I'm not letting you do that! Please, forget that stupid deal we made in the first place. You're so close to a million.." you said, grip tight.
He turned to fully face you. "But I don’t back down from a handshake bet."
"Don’t say that! Please don’t say that, Max!" you begged, hugging him again tightly. Naturally, his arms found you again. You’ve been dreaming of this moment since I knew you. You were 8! Eight and filled with so much passion for what you do. It’s been ten years and you’ve finally done it, please don’t give up now. You’ve come so far."
You dug your face into his chest, still a little embarrassed about all the nice things you're saying about him. As much as you hated it, it's just been all of your inner thoughts since you were young.
"Y/N... are you sure?" he asked, truly passionate about your bet.
Here it comes again, you thought to yourself. The foreign compliments to Max that you can't help but spew out loud.
"More than positive. Your eagerness and enthusiasm is why I fell in love with you in the first place. I was being immature and petty, please don’t take me seriously. I wasn’t in the right mindset. Please don’t throw it all away. This has been your dream since you were just a little kid, please don’t stop because of my stupidity!"
Max teared up a little bit at that, but quickly wiped them away and nodded his head down at you with a huge smile on his face. "Then the bet’s off. I won’t delete my channel."
You happily squealed, and he picked you up and span you around. Upon putting you down, you stumbled over to your computer to check on his profile.
"MAX!" you yelped, grabbing onto his arm. His jaw slightly dropped as he looked at the number under his name.
He had made it to a million also.
He laughed loudly, picking you up in celebration and twirling around again. Not only had he achieved his life long dream of becoming a famous YouTuber, but he had also achieved his life long dream of being with you.
It could only get better from here.
He pressed another kiss to your lips, smiling into it as you ran your fingers in his hair. He slightly pulled away, lips still lingering so close to yours that you could feel them. "I guess we both won," he whispered, kissing you again upon hearing the giggle that he hopes to hear for the rest of his life.
Between all 1 million of his subscribers and you, there's no betting that you'll always be better.
⋆˚࿔ taglist: @blazerkaiser , @nikksnicksstuff , @spilledbullets.