A kitten counts, right? - Max Verstappen
A/N Part of the Marry Me Series!
WORDS:Â 1675
SUMMARY:Â Instead of going for the classic proposal with a ring, Max decides a kitten is the way better choice. Or is it? _____
Coming home in the pouring rain wasn't how I planned to end my day, but here I am drenched in clothes, shoes soaked and shivering even though the sun is still shining. When I enter Max's and my shared home, I am ready for a warm shower and some cuddles with Max. At first, I get rid of my shoes, but look up when footsteps approach me.
“You look like you're freezing.” Max says, looking at me and I huff. “Well, it's raining if you didn't notice.” I say maybe a bit harsher than I intended it to be, but Max doesn't seem to mind, he just says “Sorry.” When I want to step into our bedroom, Max stops me by holding out his hand.
“Don’t go in there.” He says and I look at him with an arched eyebrow, he'd better have a good reason to stop me from entering that room. “Max, I need to change.” I say, gesturing to my wet clothes, because I have absolutely no desire to stay in them for longer than necessary. “You can't. At least not in there.” Max states, shaking his head and he keeps glancing at the door, making me even more suspicious. What is he hiding?
“You are acting weird.” I inform him and he nods like it is the most usual thing for me to say. “I know.” He then agrees and I cross my arms in front of my chest. “I need to put on something dry.” I tell him again that I need to get out of these clothes if I don't want to freeze for the rest of the day and then probably get a cold because of it. Whatever his problem is, he'd better have a solution for me not being allowed in the bedroom.
“Give me a minute.” Max says, slipping into the room, opening the door not more than necessary and I try to listen closely if I hear anything, but there is no sound coming from the room while Max is getting something from it. When he opens the door, he quickly shuts it behind him, before holding out a pile of clothing and a towel into my direction. “Here.” He says with the sweetest smile, but I am still not sure what to think about it.
“Thank you, my suspicious acting boyfriend.” I say with a sweet smile and Max flinches at my words like he has been caught. His ears even get a little pink tint. “I swear it will make sense in a bit.” Max promises and looks at the bedroom door for another time, before adding. “Wait in the kitchen for me?” He asks and I squint at him before slowly starting to walk backwards to the kitchen, keeping my eyes on him. “Fine, but I am watching you Verstappen.” Max just grimaces before hiding away in the bedroom again.
I get rid of my wet clothes, towel down my body and hair, before getting dressed in the comfortable clothes Max has given me. His hoodie, which has been practically mine for two years already and some warm sweatpants. Then I put my hair up to prevent it from dripping, before my eyes went back to the hallway. Max comes back out of the bedroom, holding a box in his hand that's a little bigger than a shoe box, but that doesn't lessen my suspicion in the slightest.
“Explain.” I say and gesture to something in between him and that box he is holding in his hands, as it might explode. “Uhm…yeah.” Max stutters and it makes me sit up straighter, because he rarely stutters. Like almost never.
“You know how people usually…uhm…propose?” Max says more than a question and my heart drops. “Don’t joke about that.” I whisper because no way this is happening like this. In our kitchen, me looking like someone attacked me with a garden hose and Max acts like someone is standing behind him with a gun.
“I am not joking.” Max says, this time his voice is sounding firmly, and I tilt my head to the side, looking at him thinking. “Then why do you look like someone is forcing you to do it?” I ask Max, because it is what it looks like. Max acting like this isn't his own will, but that something bad will happen if he doesn't do it. “Because I am doing it wrong and now I freak out about it.” Max says with a deep sigh, letting his shoulders hang slightly.
“What do you mean?” I ask him, still finding that he acts weird, but feeling pity for him. Max carefully sets the big box down on the counter between us. “That’s to big for a ring.” I notice, eyes glancing from the box to Max and back. “Hm.” He just hums and looks deeply uncomfortable.
“Its not something alive, is it?” I ask with a laugh, meaning for it to be a joke but the silence from Max answers my questions not how I thought it would be answered. “Max!” I scold him and look at the box with widened eyes, just waiting for it to move. What was he thinking?
“Okay, okay. Before you open it I need to say something.” Max says, hands lifting in defence and I cross my arms in front of my chest, waiting for him to explain and it will better be something good. “I know this isn't traditional.” Max says and I am about to comment on it, because yes, this is more than not just traditional, this is chaos. “And I know you deserve the shiny and expensive ring thing and maybe I will do that as well but…” Max says and this time I really want to interrupt him saying “I don't…" trying to tell him I absolutely don't need anything expensive to show me that he wants me, but Max just keeps talking. “But I tried to keep thinking about us and that the perfect version of things never mattered to us.” My heart flutters and I can't argue with that. We never wanted perfection, we just wanted us. “We were always messy, impulsive and adapted to things together instead of just solving them.” Max keeps talking and I can't help but admire him during it. Our relationship was never picture perfect, but we made it work and that's what matters in the end.
“So, this isn't a ring, but kind of a promise that we still keep choosing each other and that we will build something together.” Max says, sliding the box closer to me and I eye it like something is going to jump out of it. “Go ahead.” He encourages me and I reach for the box, pulling it closer, but still not being able to figure out what's inside. There is something slightly heavy in it and it should be alive, at least that's what I know.
“Please don't let it be a snake.” I whisper more to myself, but Max laughs at it “It's not a snake.” He promises and I open up the box just to be met with the biggest eyes. A little ball of fur blinking at me and all I can mutter is “Oh my god.” Hands automatically reach for that tiny creature, fearing to break it, but it lifts its paws, meows softly and then in the next second I have it cradled against my chest.
“You got me a kitten?” I say, before realisation hits me. “You absolute idiot, this is cheating, I want that ring.” I try to sound stern, but that little purring kitten in my hands makes it hard to be mad at Max. And I absolutely don't want that ring instead. “I thought you might say that, but that kitten counts, right?” Max says a mixture of a smug grin and adoration on his face. “It's very effective.” I sigh, fingers brushing through the soft fur while the kitten seems to be unable to stop purring in my arms.
“And you're serious?” I ask Max just to be sure, even though I kind of know that he is. “Fully.” Max confirms and then something comes to my mind. Something that Max might have forgotten. “You didn't even ask.” I say and see all the colour drain from his face. “I…I forgot the most important sentence.” Max realises, hands covering his face, but I try to take it with humour. “Yep, crucial one.” I say with a grin, snuggling the kitten closer against my chest and Max peeks to me through his fingers, before taking a deep breath, standing up straight.
“Will you marry me?” Max asks, voice so soft I want to cry a bit. “You know we are not prepared to take care of a kitten?” I ask him back and there is another cute blush covering Max's cheeks. “Two actually, the other one was asleep.” He explains and my heart stumbles. Excuse me? “Two?” I say like I didn't hear him right, I did. "Surprise?" He says, this time smiling brightly and I groan, nuzzling my face against apparently just one of the kittens.
“This is the least responsible proposal in the history of proposal.” I tell him and Max just keeps grinning, like the stress has fallen off of him. “You know what you were up to with me.” He just shrugs his shoulders and I mutter a “Yeah.” And then I am silent for a moment, savouring the purrs of the kitten, while my mind has already decided what to answer Max.
“Okay.” I finally say, gently placing the kitten back into its box. “Okay?” Max asks, voice slightly panicking, before adding a confused “Was that a yes?” He looks unsure if he was successful or if this proposal was a total fail.
“Yes, that's a yes to you and your weird proposal.” I say and a heartbeat later, I am wrapped in a tight hug, now the mother of two kittens and the wife to be of Max Verstappen.
