You And I: Expanded Edition (A Helluva Boss Fanfiction)

Chapter 9

Hell.

Loona loved seeing how dedicated Maxine was when she was cooking. And Maxine loved having someone who appreciated her for her talents.

Loona sat patiently, waiting at the dinner table in Maxine's apartment.

Maxine piled two plates with food. She snuck in a kiss as she placed Loona's plate in front of her before sitting down with her own dinner.

Smiling, Loona leaned over and returned Maxine's kiss.

Loona had already filed these dinners with Maxine as some of her favorite moments to have. For one, she got to have a decent meal for once that wasn't some shitty takeout that Blitzo ordered or a likely inedible substance that she had created while trying to make food herself.

For another, Loona got to see the woman she loved passionate about what she was making.

Love.

Loona considered this word as their lips touched.

Love really isn't as bad as I originally thought it might be.

———

"Loona, can you clean those dishes?" Maxine called from across the kitchen, putting the dinner ingredients away.

"Of course," Loona replied, picking up the empty dishes from the table and walking over to the sink.

Loona set the stack of dishes next to the sink and got a sponge ready with soap and water.

Without thinking at all about it, Loona rolled up her right sleeve just as Maxine approached her from behind to grab a paper towel from a roll that sat above the sink.

Loona's sleeve rolled up, she did a double take and realized what she had uncovered. But before she could unroll her sleeve fast enough, Maxine had already seen the scars.

"L-Loona?" Maxine whispered, her voice quivering.

Loona felt panic rising in her chest.

She saw. She saw.

"It's nothing," Loona mumbled, her face heating up.

"Was that-?"

"Nothing," Loona repeated, her voice losing confidence.

Loona felt two hands grab her shoulders and turn her around. Loona came face to face with Maxine, and she could see the beginnings of tears in Maxine's eyes.

"Loona," Maxine said, "please. Don't lie to me now."

Loona opened her mouth to tell Maxine not to worry, that it was nothing, but she closed it. As much as she hated to realize it, she wanted to say this to Maxine. This was something she hadn't opened up about to anyone. She hadn't even talked about it to Blitzo.

"Let's sit down," Loona said quietly.

They sat back down at the table, where mere minutes before they were pleasantly taking and savoring each and every moment they had together.

"When I learned that you were gone," Loona started, "I just felt... used. In my mind, I had concluded that you were in a boring engagement and saw me as just someone to hook up with. And that hurt because... because... I fell in love with you."

Maxine's heart skipped a beat. She knew how Loona had felt about her from the letter, but hearing it said out loud was something different entirely.

Tears began to fall from Loona's eyes. "And after that... I... I started to hate myself... in my mind... if I had been a better girlfriend, you would have wanted to stay with me instead of getting married... but this was before I knew the truth about it all."

Maxine reached out a hand and squeezed Loona's, not knowing how else to support her. It hurt Maxine, seeing how much pain the woman she loved was clearly in.

Loona smiled, comforted by the feeling of Maxine's hand in her own. She wiped away her tears and continued.

"That night... I tried to..." Loona stopped, not able to bring herself to say it. "Blitzo caught me. If he hadn't decided to check on me, then I would have done it."

Fresh tears began to fall as Loona remembered the look in Blitzo's eyes when he opened the door and saw the noose around her neck.

"After that, I didn't try again... but I kept doing... this." She pointed to her wrists. "I felt like... like I deserved it. Like it deserved this because I wasn't good enough for you..."

Loona finished, looking down and wiping away the new tears. There was silence before Loona felt a hand gently cup her chin and lead her face to look up.

Maxine's eyes were red from crying.

"Loona," Maxine began, "I hate that you went through that. I hate that you felt like you deserved to be hurting. Because you don't."

Maxine wiped away tears of her own before continuing. "You don't deserve to be in pain. You deserve to be happy. Never once was I dissatisfied with not. Not once. During the engagement... you gave me everything I wanted and more. You gave me hope that everything would be okay, that I wouldn't be stuck with him and instead, I would be stuck with you."

Both women laughed slightly. Maxine pressed her forehead to Loona's.

"And I hate that you thought that I didn't love you. That I thought that you were just an easy lay. Because I love you too, Loona. I love you. You're everything to me."

Now it was Loona's heart's turn to skip a beat.

"I know," Loona whispered.

"Huh?"

Loona smiled. "You talk in your sleep."

Maxine's face burst with a blush, and Loona couldn't help but laugh and give her a quick kiss on the lips.

She's just so perfect.

"I love you, Maxine." Loona reminded her, still smiling.

Maxine returned the smile. "I love you, Loona."

They kissed again, and everything was perfect.

A little while later, after the kiss had been broken, Loona spoke.

"I'm going to kill him," Loona said.

"Huh?"

"Lucas," Loona said, a chill running up her spine at having to say the revolting word. "He did this to us. He hurt you. And he deserves to die. Tomorrow. I'm going to go to the human world tomorrow. And I'm going to kill him. And I want you to be there with me."

Maxine looked down, thinking. A moment later, she gave her answer.

"I'm sorry. I can't. I just... I can't be there again. I can't see him again. I just can't. But you're right..."

Maxine looked up into Loona's eyes.

"He deserves to die, so please..."

Maxine gripped Loona's hand.

"Make him suffer for me."

Chapter 9: End.