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look after you - mjf

mjf x gender neutral! cole! reader

word count: 2.9k

warnings: injury (concussion), mostly fluff, probably ooc for max idk i’m trying. for simplicity i’m using ring names, slightly nsfw at the end

summary: when you sustain a concussion during a match, someone has to watch over you. who better than your older brothers new bff?

your vision blurred as you were slammed onto the canvas, your head hitting it harder than it was supposed to. you were supposed to get up and move to do the next spot- supposed to kick out of the pin, but you couldn’t find the strength to move, instead you eyes fluttered closed as your chest rose and fell heavily with each breath.

it should’ve been like any other match- it was only a power bomb- a simple move that just went slightly wrong. you couldn’t even remember who your opponent had been, your head was spinning so fast. you heard the bell signalling that the match had been ended prematurely, but it sounded like it miles away.

officials rushed over to check on you, and you could feel their hands carefully lifting you onto a stretcher and taking you out of the ring to medical. you could tell people were talking around you, but couldn’t hear what they were saying as you drifted out of consciousness, and everything around you went black.

•••

when you woke up, you were in your hotel room, the bright lights had been turned off so that the only light in the room was lamp on the side table. your head was pounding, but you managed to sit up on your own, albeit slowly, and take a look around. to your surprise, you weren’t alone; none other than maxwell jacob friendman sat in the arm chair in the corner of the room, his head on his shoulder as he slept. max had become friends with your older brother adam in the last few months, and while you were still wary of max due to his reputation as a bit of a scumbag - how much of that was his character you weren’t sure- you had no personal issue with him. if you were correct, he was around your age, maybe a year or two older, and you had been a little surprised at how fast he and adam had become friends.

max seemed to notice that you were awake, as he stirred in his seat.

“hey- how’re you feeling?” he asked, walking over to the side of the bed to check on you.

“i have a headache but i’ll live,” you sighed. “don’t take this the wrong way but-“

“what am i doing here?” he laughed, and you nodded, regretting the decision instantly as pain shot through your head. max placed a hand gently on your shoulder, before seemingly realizing what he’d done and removing it.

“take it easy. the doctor said you need supervision for 48 hours, and your brother asked me if i could keep an eye on you since he’s at home with britt this weekend,” he explained. “but if you’re uncomfortable with it i’m sure we could find someone else to-“

“no not at all. i just didn’t expect to see you when i woke up you know? we’ve hardly talked,” you replied, and then realized that may have come across as rude. “but i am grateful, it’s nice of you to do this for adam.”

“we’re brochacos for life,” he smiled, and you couldn’t help but think that he looked cute when he had a genuine smile on his face instead of the usual cocky smirk.

“i’m assuming if i’m not in the hospital i can’t be hurt too bad,” you thought aloud, and max nodded, pointing to the end of the bed silently asking permission to sit. you pulled your feet up under you to sit cross legged and he took it as a yes.

“yeah, somehow just a minor concussion. you should be back to kicking ass in a few weeks. just gotta take it easy and avoid bright lights for a few days.”

“i can do that,” you sighed contently, relieved to hear it wasn’t a more serious injury.

“we were all really worried about you. that bump looked really fucking scary,” he admitted, and you felt even more grateful that you were in as good a condition as you were. a smile crossed your face.

“maybe it has something to do with the wonderful nurse i have,” you teased, gesturing to max, who mocked offence.

“please, you wish you could see me in one of those little nurse outfits- i would look fantastic,” he joked.

“i don’t think they really wear those anymore. or you just have a perverted idea of it.” you both laughed, and you found yourself enjoying his company more than you expected. you trusted you brothers judgment, and if he was friends with him you knew that max must have some redeeming qualities. it also helped that he was so handsome,

“you should get some sleep, it’s late,” max said, and you glanced over at the clock, seeing that it read 2:05 am. even though you had just slept for almost 4 hours, you were exhausted. your eyes landed on the uncomfortable looking arm chair in the corner of the room, and you felt bad thinking about max having to sleep in it. your room unfortunately didn’t have a couch or pull out bed but it was a king sized bed, so there was more than enough room for two people.

“you don’t have to sleep in that chair. it’s probably terrible for your back and i would feel bad making you sleep there after you’re being so nice and taking care of me,” you offered.

“it’s not a big deal; and i don’t know how much adam would appreciate-“

“adam doesn’t have to know. besides, it’s not like that,” you rolled your eyes, and max smiled.

“thanks,” he said softly. he stood up, pulling his hoodie over his head, leaving him in a black tank top, a good chain around his neck. he walked over to the other side of the bed, and sat down before switching off the lamp, leaving the room dark. you both laid down, the large bed leaving a comfortable amount of space between you as you found yourself drifting off to sleep with ease.

“goodnight, y/n,” you heard max softly say, but you were too tired to reply, already nearly asleep.

•••

sometime around 10 am, you began to stir awake, not yet conscious enough for your brain to register the feeling of arms around your waist. your head hurt significantly less than it had last night, and you shifted slightly, before you felt yourself being pulled closer to max, who you realized had at some point in the night, pulled your back against his chest and caged you safely in his arms. you knew you shouldn’t, but you found yourself enjoying it; he was so warm that you couldn’t help but turn over in his arms, curling into his chest as he hummed slightly, still asleep as he tucked you under his chin. you couldn’t have got up if you wanted to now, tightly in his embrace as he koala hugged you, and you felt yourself fall back to sleep.

max woke up about an hour later, and looked down to see you securely in his arms, and his heart sped up. this wasn’t supposed to happen- what would adam think if he saw this? of course nothing like that had happened, it was just sleeping; but would adam believe that? would anyone? the worst part is how much he enjoyed waking up next to you. while agreeing to watch over you had not been an elaborate attempt to get in your bed, but he would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it before. he knew it was wrong, your brother being his best and only friend after all, but he couldn’t stop himself from the growing attraction he had to you, and it was only getting worse the more time he spent with you. how the hell was he supposed to survive 24 more hours alone with you? max felt you move slightly in his arms, but rather than waking up, you nuzzled into his chest more, and at that moment he realized just how screwed he truly was.

max placed a soft kiss to your forehead, and this time you did wake up, and he was worried he had fucked up. but as your eyes opened and you looked up at him, he was relieved when you didn’t freak out. instead, you mumbled a soft ‘good morning’, and max let you out of his grip.

“how’s your head?” he asked, and you smiled before responding.

“i haven’t had any complaints,” you smirked, and it only took max a second to get the joke. he laughed, rolling his eyes as you sat up against the headboard.

“very funny.”

“i feel a lot better. i think sleeping definitely helped,” you gave a real answer now, and he smiled a genuine smile again as he looked up at you, still laying with his head on the pillow. “is the bed more comfortable than the chair?”

“definitely,” he scoffed. “it could have something to do with the cute teddy bear i had.” you felt your cheeks heat up, and you grabbed the pillow from behind you and whacked him with it. he laughed again, the pillow over his face before he moved it to his chest, and a comfortable silence fell over the room.

“adam…” you started.

“doesn’t need to know,” he finished the thought you were having. you nodded, thankful that it didn’t hurt your head this time.

“do you want to order breakfast?” you asked, carefully standing up for the first time since the match. max noticed you wobbling, and rushed out of bed to offer a shoulder to you. “i guess chivalry isn’t dead,” you teased.

“what can i say i’m a gentleman,” he smirked, helping you over to the chair in the corner.

“thank you,” you said, as he passed you the room service menu. “i was right - this chair is awful,” you laughed, confirming your suspicions having now actually sat in the rock hard piece of furniture.

“yeah, i think i might’ve lost years off my career if i slept in it,” max laughed, rubbing the side of his neck as if imagining the stiffness he would’ve felt. you continued reading the menu options until you found something you wanted, and then extended the paper to max.

“do you know what you want?”

“do i,” he mumbled. he was distracted looking at you and hadn’t meant to say it out loud. you looked at him funny, assuming you had just misheard him and honestly thinking nothing of it. “uh no i have to look at the menu.” he cleared his throat.

“here,” you smiled, and he took it from your hand before sitting on the end of the bed. as he looked over the food options, you couldn’t stop yourself from admiring him. how did he look so good first thing in the morning? his brown curls were slightly messy, and his sweatpants hung low on his hips. you were sure you looked horrible in comparison, and decided to try to walk on your own to the bathroom. max looked up at the movement in his peripheral vision, and offered to help again.

“i’m okay - i’m gonna have to figure out how to stand on my own at some point. unless you’re going to help me shower?” you joked, and max raised his eyebrows, and you swore his cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

“i mean if you NEEDED me to i-“ he teased, grin on his face. you had much better luck walking on your own this time, and managed to make it all the way to the bathroom door, grabbing a change of clothes from your suitcase on the way by.

“nice try, friedman,”

“just trying to be helpful,” he smiled, and you shook your head.

“you can go ahead and order the food; i’ll just have whatever you’re having. they should just charge it to my room but if they don’t my card is in my wallet,” you pointed to your bag on the dresser, before stepping into the bathroom.

“just yell if you need anything,” max offered, before grabbing the phone to order the room service. he heard the water turn on, and after he had ordered gave his credit card number - no way in hell he was using yours.

after he hung up, max flopped dramatically onto the bed, landing on his stomach with his face in the pillow. he noticed it smelled slightly of your body spray, and groaned softly. get it together, he thought to himself, but the thought of you in the shower was doing nothing to help his brain from thinking all too much.

•••

you turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, feeling a lot better after letting the hot water relax your muscles. you wrapped a towels around your body and dried off before putting on your clean clothes, a simple t shirt and some shorts since you would be staying in the hotel room all day. deciding in the mirror that your appearance was acceptable, you walked out of the bathroom to find max laying face down in the bed.

“what are you doing,” you asked, laughing slightly.

“i’m relaxing- what does it look like i’m doing?” he replied, and you walked over to the side of the bed next to him. he rolled over so he was looking up at you, and sat up with his back against the headboard. “the food should be here soon.”

“awesome. want to find a movie to watch? you can pick since you’re stuck here with me,” you offered.

“you feel up to staring at a tv screen for 2 hours?” he asked, and you realized you hadn’t really thought about that.

“good point. i think i’m fine, if my head starts to hurt i’ll close my eyes,” you promised. max looked at you unsure, but sighed.

“fine, but don’t push yourself. come here,” he said, gesturing for you to sit next to him, and you resisted the urge to curl into his side. what had gotten into you, you thought.

•••

the food had arrived and been eaten, a movie playing on tv that you weren’t really paying attention to. it wasn’t really bothering your head thankfully, but the constant thought of how close max was to you was plaguing your mind, the scent of his expensive cologne driving you crazy. you decided to make the most of the opportunity, and rested your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes. he looked down at you, immediately wrapping his arm around your back to hold you close.

“you okay? is it bothering your head?” he asked. “i’ll turn it off.”

“it’s okay, can you just turn it down a little? i’m just gonna close my eyes for a minute,” you mumbled, and max turned the sound nearly to mute, before you felt him pull you into his lap, your legs over his sideways. you were a little surprised, but nuzzled your face into the crook of his neck, a without thinking, placed a gentle kiss below his jaw. you both froze, and you pulled back to read his expression. you began to apologize, when his finger reached forward to gently hold your chin. you nodded softly, before max leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours. he tasted sweet, a hint of maple syrup on his tongue from breakfast, and you felt your heart skip a beat. he kissed you so gently, like you were made of glass, and when you finally separated, you both stared at each other, catching your breath.

“i-“

“i’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” max admitted, his cheeks flushed, and you were sure yours matched.

“really?” you asked, surprised.

“uh, yeah?” he said, like it was obvious. “god, adam would kill me if he could read minds.” you laughed, leaning forward to kiss him again, gently nibbling at his bottom lip. his hands landed on your hips and adjusted your position to straddle his lap, the blanket gathering around your waist.

“adam’s not here,” you pointed out. max screwed his eyes shut.

“i’m starting to think that you’re a very bad influence,” he groaned, his voice a little deeper than usual.

“how can i be a bad influence on someone who calls themselves the devil?” you asked. his fingertips dig into your sides,

“i’m trying really hard to behave myself right now, but you’re not making it easy….” he trailed off, looking up at you as he breathed heavily.

“i don’t know what you’re-“ you played dumb before he interrupted you with another kiss, rougher than the previous ones. his teeth tugged at your bottom lip, before his tongue slipped past and explored your mouth. you moaned into the kiss, and max bucked his hips upwards slightly at the sound. he pulled away, breathing heavily as he apologized.

“i’m sorry- i don’t think we should do this right now. i really don’t want to hurt you.” he admitted, and you could tell that it pained him to say it. you kissed him one more time, gently again, as if to say you understood.

“you’re probably right. i’m sorry.”

“it’s okay. don’t think i don’t want to,” he assured you, and you nodded. curling into his side again, you rested your head back on his shoulder, kissing him on the cheek quickly before you closed your eyes.

“thank you for taking care of me,” you mumbled, feeling sleepy again. max pressed a kiss to your forehead, and you hummed softly.

“anytime. although, maybe next time you don’t have to get a concussion to convince me to spend time with you,” he teased, and you playfully punched his ribs. “okay, okay, sorry.” his hand rested on your thigh, his fingertips drawing little shapes and patterns on your bare skin.

“deal.”

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