Alec was perplexed. No, more than that: truly and utterly horrified. Oh hell… What was he to do now?
A few minutes earlier...
"Alec! Stop it! How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to look out for me? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, alright? X5, remember? You're not the only one around here who's genetically enhanced… So: STOP PROTECTING ME!" Max shouted, fuming exasperatedly.
He merely grinned at her, though only half-heartedly. "Yeah, right. Like I'd try," he muttered, more to himself than to his fellow transgenic. But she had heard him nevertheless and suddenly stared at him wide-eyed. If this wasn't Max he'd almost think she looked a bit shocked…
Only a moment later, he saw her eyes take on that glassy look usually followed by tears, and, behold, no sooner had the thought crossed his mind, did the first tears run down her pretty face, down her cheeks all the way onto her jacket.
His eyes widened in horror. Max, crying? How had that happened? What the hell had he done?
Awkwardly, he took a few steps toward her, unsure of what to do. "Max…" he whispered, still not sure what to do about a crying Max.
Just do what you did last time, he ordered himself, the memory of the evening she had told him about killing her brother coming back to him now. He sighed. They were so much better at bantering. They were great at it, actually. But this? The all serious and somber touchy-feely thing?
This was so not good.
Where was that damn Logan when you needed him? He was great at stuff like this, dealing with teary-eyed girls, hysteric chicks, Max...
Or Joshua; he had a special connection with Max, too. Or – hell, anyone if just not him!
Max and he, they were so not like that, he thought, flinching at actually having used the infamous not-like-that expression for something other than Max's relationship – or whatever they wanted to call it – with the ordinary, even if only in his mind.
Max was still crying, although she was desperately trying to rein in her feelings and conceal her emotional breakdown from Alec. The first step had been to turn around and away from him to hide her tear-streaked face, the second, to walk off.
What was the matter with her? Why had she gone all teary right in front of him of all people? Again. For some reason his words had hit her out of left field; she felt so devastated by them… lost and alone and – and – and…
"Max."
She suddenly felt his hands on her shoulders, and she didn't have the energy to shrug them off. The light touch increased ever so slightly when he tried to turn her around, to make her face him. She didn't fight it.
Oh, this was so bad. She felt mortified, yet still couldn't quite stop the tears.
Zack was gone, Ben was gone, all her siblings were either dead or far away. Logan couldn't touch her, and his company alone sometimes just wasn't enough. She hungered for that little comfort of a touch, of skin on skin.
Her friends, Cindy, Sketch, Joshua, they were great friends, the greatest really, but… the responsibility for the whole of TC was nothing she could share with them, nothing she could dump on their shoulders. No, she had to protect them, too. It was her duty; she had to be strong for them, had to take care of them.
She remembered Manticore burning, yellow flames licking their way into her memory, over and over again.
Eventually, Alec simply pulled her close to him in a gentle but strong embrace and waited for the tension in her body to ease off. She let it happen, and as her face was pressed to his chest and she felt his arms protectively cradle her, she felt her terror leave.
She wasn't that alone after all. Not anymore…
"It's okay, Max. Whatever it is, it's okay, " Alec whispered, "I'm right here, alright? Right here with you. I'm not going anywhere." His voice was a breath in her hair as he cradled her tenderly in his arms.
So he did, after all: try.
Max wasn't alone in this. She had someone to share all the responsibility. She had someone who took care of her, too…
She had Alec.
thank you for dropping by...