[Fanfic] (Not So) Empty

[shuufleur93]

Title: (Not So) Empty
Fandom: Younger (TV)
Word Count: 300
Type: OS
Rating: General Audience
Relationships: Josh & Maggie Amato
Additional Tags: Melancholy, Comfort, Friendship
Summary: It can be tough to let someone go, but sometimes Josh needs to remember he's not alone in this.
Notes: Written for No True Pair 2026 Four-character mini-challenge: March 27 - 2 & 3 with the title "Empty"
Also fills the prompt Rainbow of my 100 Ships Challenge table.
AO3 Link: (Not So) Empty

Josh pushes the door open and pauses. It hasn’t changed much, visually. Maggie’s kitchen remains full of plates, both washed and used. In the living room now stands a big canvas with a worktable and several paint cans of various colors next to art contraptions. Josh can’t even make heads or tails of it.

Although not much has changed, Josh feels her absence. It’s not like Liza took up that much space. It was more about the small things; a book here and there, pens, notebooks full of paper clips, stranded sticky notes, coffee mugs with a finger of cold coffee left, manuscripts by the dozen, hair ties.

“Are you coming in or do you want to continue gazing at my wonderful apartment?”

Maggie has just come out of her bedroom wearing overalls.

“I hope you’ve brought a change of clothes,” she comments, pointing at Josh’s jeans and white shirt.

“Nah, I don’t like those clothes anyway.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”

Maggie sends him a knowing look. She gets it. Of course, she does.

“Come on, let’s make a big mess of this big, inviting, empty canvas.”

Josh closes the door behind him, dropping his bag on the ground, and joins her to look at that canvas. Maggie wraps her arm around his shoulders and squeezes slightly.

“It’s massive. Where did you find it? No, let me rephrase that,” Josh says when Maggie opens her mouth to reply, “how did you even get it in here?”

“I have my ways,” Maggie replies with a mysterious smile, “And might know someone who knows someone who knows someone…”

She then steps aside to grab a big brush from the worktable and hands it to him.

“Anyway, let’s make a big, colorful mess, Josh.”

Grabbing the brush, Josh grins.