"Well... I was HOPING you hadn't decided to hock it or anything..." He said with an obviously playful tone, trying to hide his obvious relief. Max was definitely not the most emotionally outgoing person, and while jokes and sarcasm tended to be more Michael's thing... sometimes Max resorted to it as well.
God knew they'd been through enough together to deserve this new start. From Liz being shot, to having to win over Sheriff Valenti, to Alex's death, to Tess and later Kivar... they'd been through more turmoil and angst in a mere coupld of years than most couples go through over decades.