Please I love this secret softie so much 😩
Summary: Adam pairs the reader off with Max to get rid of him for the night. The reader finds it to be a nuisance at first. But she quickly learns that there is more to Max than what everyone sees on tv.
It's a typical Wednesday night for the AEW roster. Dynamite is about halfway through its broadcast and the team of MJF and Adam Cole have just picked up another win in the blind tag team elim tournament.
"Great work out there, Adam, good buddy." Max playfully hits Adam on the back of the shoulder with a hearty chuckle.
"Yeah, thanks." Adam nods stiffly, still not used to Max being this friendly.
The pair are returning to the locker rooms when Adam spots Roderick coming down the hall, and you're with him. He grits his teeth at the thought of dealing with another bout of Roderick and Max drama.
"Hey, Adam, buddy. Isn't that Roderick down the hall?" Max speaks up after a moment. "Woah! And who's the hottie that's with him?" He adds when he spots you next to Roderick.
"That's my sister," Adam replies dryly. "Y/N."
Max's eyes widen in surprise as you grow closer with Roderick in tow. The two of you are casually catching up since you haven't seen Roderick in a while. "Your sister?" Max repeats Adam. "I didn't know you had a sister."
"Well, I do." Adam nods. "Y/N, Roddy! What are you two doing here?" He asks when you finally get to his side.
"I'm here catching up with Roddy." You shrug. "And Roddy's just here to film some stuff for next week's show." You add. "Who's your buddy?"
Adam glances at Max who is essentially staring a hole into your head before he turns back to you and Roddy, a plan now implanted in his head. "This is Max, my tag partner for the tournament." He explains. "Hey, can I talk to you for a second, Y/N?" He asks you.
"Sure." You shrug and step away from Roderick and Max with Adam. "What do you want?" You ask your brother plainly. "And don't act like you don't want something, Adam. I can tell by the look on your face that you do."
"Guilty," Adam admits. "Listen can you do me a favor and please hang out with Max for the rest of the night?" He asks you.
Your jaw twitches in response to Adam's request. "Really?" You narrow your eyes at him. "Why me?"
"He thinks you're hot," Adam explains. "Please, Y/N? He's driving me insane." He pleads with you.
"So you want to drop him on me so he can bother me instead?" You reply.
"It's just for tonight, I promise." Adam doesn't let up. "Come on! Just take him out for drinks and make him buy." He suggests.
You close your eyes and let out a small sigh. "Fine." You grit your teeth. "But you owe me, Adam!" You poke his chest.
"I know." Adam nods. "Thank you."
"Yeah yeah." You sigh again. "Hey, Max!" You turn and walk back over to Max and Roderick. "We're all planning on heading out for drinks tonight, but I'm leaving right now. You want to come with me?" You ask him.
"Really?" Max replies. "Adam, you didn't mention that we were gonna get drinks after the show." He turns to Adam.
Adam shrugs and quickly makes up a lie to cover his ass. "Uh, yeah." He nods. "I was going to tell you when we got back to the locker room."
"Oh." Max nods. "Yeah, sure. I'm always doing for a little pre-gaming before the real fun begins. I'll see you in a bit then, buddy." He grins at Adam.
"Right." Adam flashes you a pleading look.
You get the hint and begrudgingly tap Max on the shoulder. "Come on, let's get out of here. Adam, We'll see you in a bit. Say hey to Britt for me." You dismiss yourself and Max.
The journey from the arena out to one of the bars nearby is mostly silent. It isn't until you and Max are settled at the end of the bar does he really speaks up.
"Get whatever you want. The first round is on me." Max offers with a smile.
"Thanks." You match his smile and order a drink from the bartender.
You and Max both get your drinks and fall into a casual conversation. "So, Adam didn't tell me that he had a sister," Max explains. "What do you do for a living? You in the business like Adam?" He asks you.
"I wrestle for ROH." You nod and take a sip from your drink. "Have been for about 10 years now." You add.
"Really?" Max replies with intrigue. "You must wrestle under a different name?"
You take another sip from your drink and scan the bar. As you look around a reasonably attractive guy catches your eye for a second. You smile at him before you turn back to Max. "Yeah, I didn't want to deal with the drama and piggyback of using the Cole name when Adam was already getting so popular."
"Right. You wanted to make your own name." Max nods.
"Exactly." You are a bit surprised by Max's understanding of your situation. "Anywho, what about you? How is tagging with Adam going? Weren't you two at one another's throats a few months ago?" You ask him.
Max nods and brings his drink to his lips. "Yeah, I guess we did kind of hate each other for a while there." He chuckles. "But I don't know. Adam kind of seems like he's willing to let the past be in the past you know? At least I hope he does. I've been having fun these past few weeks with him. He's a good friend."
"None of your other friends are jealous of Adam getting all your attention?" You joke with a small laugh.
"No, not really," Max replies quietly and you notice him fidgeting with his glass. "Truth be told, I don't really have many friends." He chuckles to himself. "Everyone is just kind of gone now. Not that I'm not the one that burned all those bridges." He explains.
Your eyes widen a little bit at Max's surprising heartfelt confession. "Oh." You reply quietly and finish off your drink. "Yeah, I kind of know what you mean." You let out a small sigh. "Sure, when you've been in the business long enough, you're bound to burn some bridges and make some enemies. But I'd like to think that I've burned just a few more than I should have."
"You too huh?" Max matches your self-deprecating laugh.
You and Max talk a little bit more about work and your habit of making enemies out of friends. And soon enough, you start to feel bad that you assumed that Friedman was a bad guy.
"Hey, can I tell you something, Max?" You ask after you've got a few drinks in you.
"Sure." Max nods. "What's up."
You play with your empty glass for a moment and try to get over your embarrassment. "Adam kind of asked me to take you out for drinks so he could get away for the night." You explain sheepishly. "He's not coming."
"...Oh," Max replies quietly and your heart breaks.
"I'm so sorry." You shake your head. "I've heard so many stories about how much of an egotistical dickhead you are. And I just assumed that all the stories were true. But we've been sitting here for like 3 hours now. And you're not! You really seem like a great guy! And I'm the one that's a total bitch here."
You finish your confession and study Max's face while you wait for a response. And you fully expect Max to either chew you out or simply just get up and ditch you right then and there. But he doesn't. Instead, you watch him compose himself and beckon the bartender over for another drink.
"It's alright." Max turns to you while the bartender is getting you and Max both another drink. "Trust me, I know how unbearable I can get at times." He chuckles. "Adam probably just wanted some time alone with Britt. I get it. And I get you thinking that way about me. Everyone believes it. Trust me." He adds.
"Do you want me to go?" You move to get out of your chair and leave.
Max shakes his head and hands you a fresh drink. "You can if you want." He assures you. "But I'd like to keep this night going if you do too. Personally, I think that it's time that both of us stop burning those bridges when things get tough."
"Yeah? Me too. Thanks, Max." You nod and sit back down in your seat.
