Work Text:
His mind was filled with fleeting thoughts that morning as he walked to the girl’s dormitory. The Newberg drive-in was having a Planet of the Apes showing this week and he had already bought two tickets. His only issue was inviting the person he bought the second ticket for: Max. He wanted to ask her in the parking lot on Monday when she brought him his flash drive, but then that asshole Nathan Prescott entered the scene and tried threatening Max, giving him a black eye in the process. It didn’t seem like the right time to ask her then, but now he wanted to catch her early before anymore crazy shit happened.
Warren had fallen for her almost immediately when she arrived at Blackwell just a few weeks ago. Sure, there were a lot of girls at school who were cool or smart enough, and there was Brooke too (who he suspected might have a crush on him). But they paled in comparison to Max Caulfield. She was not only beautiful and talented, she was also kind, funny and had great taste in music and movies. She had surprised him when she mentioned that she had enjoyed watching Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, one of Warren’s favorite selections from his flash drive. She was the first person he thought of when the drive-in announced the showing of the Apes movie.
As she walked down the steps of the dorm entrance, he tried his best to play it cool, fidgeting with his phone. Her footsteps neared him and he looked up to meet her eyes.
“Warren! What’re you doing here?” She asked
“Oh, nothing-waiting. For a call? I mean, I already took the call..” Real smooth, idiot, he thought to himself. “Anyway, I wanted to rap about that action yesterday.”
“By the way, thank you for stepping in. You were pretty badass, Warren. I owe you”
“Oh yes, you do. I got knocked on my ass by that dick. I’m some personal superhero”
They continued to talk about Chloe and how she rescued Max from the chaos in the parking lot, leaving Warren to take the blow from Nathan. He was curious about the connection between Nathan and Max, but she was hesitant to disclose the reason for Prescott’s aggression, only that it wasn’t safe for Warren to get involved. The irony of the statement throbbed in Warren’s right eye.
“Weird fucking week. Like that bizarro snowfall yesterday. Speaking of dystopia, that drive-in is having a 70’s ‘Planet of the Apes’ marathon. Let’s ’Go Ape’!” He waited in anticipation for her response. Part of him was expectant of her turning the offer down given the situation in the parking lot and any other chaos that ensued from that interaction. The other part of him was hoping she would say yes, especially since he bought the tickets with her in mind.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I need. I love those old-school ape films” her answer eliciting his eyebrows to arch in excitement.
“Well, that was easier than I thought. Cool. I’ll text you the info” the words came out smoother than he had anticipated.
As she waved goodbye, he beamed with joy. He was excited at the prospect of being alone with her at the drive in. Would this be considered a date?
___________________________________________
The days before their outing went on as usual, classes beginning and ending, only now he had the excitement of going to the drive-in with Max. Right before science class on Thursday started, Max walked in and briefly talked to Ms. Grant about signing her surveillance petition. He admired the way she took the time to try and make a difference for others. She walked over to Warren’s lab table and he moved his things to make room for her.
“Hey Dr. Graham, did I miss anything?” He looked up in admiration at her beautiful freckled cheeks.
“Not a thing, just me and my bromies. Get it? We’re using Bromine today” his toothy grin shining up at her. They shared a laugh and started preparing materials for the lesson.
As Ms. Grant went on about electron configuration, Warren couldn’t help but give quick glances at his lab partner, taking note of how she bit her lip when she concentrated on the worksheet that was in front of her.
“So, for this problem, you just have to know the atomic mass and number of the element and subtract them” he moved his stool closer to her, nearly touching her hand while he wrote numbers on her paper. From the corner of his eye he could see the beginning of a blush spread across her face. He smiled in return and they continued listening to Ms. Grant, not wavering from their close proximity to each other. When class ended, he asked “Are we still on for tomorrow?”
“Of course, I’m still all in to go ape with you” her smile widening.
“Did you, erm, wanna have dinner before we get to the drive-in?” I should’ve waited to ask that, I’m so stu- , his thoughts interrupted
“Sure! But only if we can get some cheeseburgers. I’ve been wanting some since I saw someone order it at the Two Whales last week.”
“Your wish is my command, fair maiden. We should probably leave around 4 tomorrow if we wanna have enough time for dinner and to find a decent spot” audible excitement oozing from his words.
“I’ll be ready by then. It’s a date!” At the sound of her last sentence, Warren’s body froze, ignoring her wave as she left to her next class.
It’s a date. She said that it’s a date. I have to make sure everything is perfect for tomorrow. His thoughts scrambled as he gathered his belongings from the table, accidentally walking into the wrong class.
When he arrived to his room later that day, he noticed some new writing on his slate. He figured it was Nathan or Zachary writing something offensive and was pulling his sleeve down in preparation to erase it. To his surprise, it said “Are you made of Copper and Tellurium? Because you’re CuTe” written in the familiar handwriting that he looked at in Science class. A wide grin spread across his face as he pulled his phone out and entered his room.
Thanks for the writing on my slate, I’m never erasing it.
You can’t, it’s in permanent marker.
Kek :p Wanna meet in the parking lot tomorrow at 4?
Sounds good! ^_^ see you then xomaxo
___________________________________________
Friday morning came quick and since he didn’t have class until 11, Warren stayed in his dorm and finished all of his assignments for the day. He wanted as much time as possible to get ready for their date. He laid his outfit on his desk chair and looked for the directions to the cheeseburger joint near the drive-in.
4 o’clock rolled around and he pulled his phone out:
Hey Dr. Ape, I’m walking over to your new wheels in the parking lot. Be there in 5. xomaxo
My chariot awaits you, madam.
He leaned up against his blue coupe and watched as she approached across the lot. She was sporting a black t-shirt with a grey butterfly across the front paired with her usual denim.
“You look sharp, Warren G.!” She said, glancing at his 3D chicken t-shirt and jeans.
“Speak for yourself, Supermax! You look..great!” His voice slightly quaking. She always looked great in his eyes.
He opened her door and waited until she was inside before closing it. On their way, they talked about school, their families, and other movies and shows to add on Warren’s flash drive including the first season of Twin Peaks.
They pulled up to the restaurant and ordered before taking a seat at the booth.
“So..” he began
“So…are you excited for the showing?” she asked as she folded her hands on the table.
“Oh yeah! It’s a classic. The special effects makeup isn’t as impressive as it is in newer films, but it’s still way ahead of its time.”
“Let me guess, you’re a big Romero fan?”
“You have me pegged. He’s made some classics besides the Dawn of the Dead. We really should have a marathon in my room-“ he stopped himself. The implication of Max being in his room alone with him made him suddenly blush, on full display for her to witness.
They exchanged a long glance, neither stirring their fixed stare.
“I’m really glad you invited me to come with you Warren. I really needed to get out, but I also.. I want to spend more time with you.” Her words caused him to sit straight in his seat.
“You do?”
“Yeah, I really do. I owe you for saving me when Nathan tried attacking me. Sorry again for the eye.”
“As your personal bodyguard, it’s my job after all!” He said with his hands on his hips in superhero form.
They both laughed, and then he stared more intently before asking “But I do I have to ask you Max. Did you agree to come because you felt bad? Or because you wanted to spend time with me?” His heart was racing so fast in his chest, he could hear its beat in his eardrums. The question was risky. It’s what he wondered since she’d agreed to go with him earlier in the week.
“Warren, I-“ her words were interrupted by the waitress bringing their food. They paused their conversation to eat. When they were done, he stood to pay the bill. She interjected, trying to hand him money for her share.
“You said this was a date, so dinner’s on me” he said.
“I did say it was a date” recalling her own words. They walked to the car where they continued their previous conversation
“So as I was saying” she continued “I agreed to come tonight because I feel the same way you do”
He understood what she meant, but couldn’t believe it himself.
“You do?” He fought back a smile just in case she was mistaken.
“I..sort of, really like you Warren. That’s why I said yes, and why I wrote that note on your slate” now she was the one blushing.
“Wowzers Max, I guess I’m pretty dense. I didn’t know for sure how you felt, but I’m glad now we both know.”
As they started driving away, she placed her left hand into his right, locking fingers the rest of the way to the drive-in.
After gathering snacks from the concession stand, they moved their seats back and settled in for the movie. Warren tuned the car stereo to the radio station for the audio of the movie.
When the movie started, their hands found each other again. He could feel her eyes on him as she snuck glances in the dark. He met her gaze and smiled. Before he could process what to say, their faces inched closer and before long, the space between them was closed by their lips meeting. Their kiss was hesitant and gentle. They paused to look into each other’s eyes before their lips met again, this time achieving a deeper kiss.
The rest of the night consisted of periods of watching the film, gentle kisses, and caressing hands.