The week went by a lot faster than Max had originally thought it would. Most of the time in his room entailed reading and watching videos, considering there wasn't much else to do. Occasionally Celine would come visit- relaxed and unhappy with her quiet room, she brought headphones to sit and coexist with the boy- and Max found himself relishing in the fact that he had made a friend in a way, now that the days weren't so slow moving and lonely. It was a lot less monotone when someone was around to talk with. He had Chikae, somewhat, but he worked so he wasn't always open to chat. They didn't do much, most of the time Max still flipped through the pages when she opened the door and laid down on the bed. They knew very little about one another, but everyday they found out something else to add, like the fact that they were both in the process of being adopted. Celine had a family somewhere in state, an older brother named Toby, and two moms. Max joked briefly that he might end up with two dads, considering David's flamboyant attitude. That made her laugh, and they both sat in a comfortable quiet after that. Most of the time, she read stories on her phone, whatever Fanfiction she felt like, and Max stuck to his paper books.
Max laid awake for hours trying to remember the kid in his flash of a memory. He still had nothing, no idea who it could be. Flashes of old memories had begun flooding his dreams, leaving him with sudden wake ups and tossing and turning at night. He wanted to remember, because all he had right now was some distant feeling of anger, and fear. He didn't know if it came from his feelings towards the old bitch or towards the kid himself, but it drove Max to anger himself when he thought too hard on it. He didn't tell Chikae or David, deciding it was something small enough he could keep it to himself. Once he found out a name, he might take it to Chikae to look it up or something. Until then, Max stared at the wall as he struggled to sleep peacefully.
When lights out hit and he woke from a fit of restless sleep, Max got up and out of his room. Silent steps, no creaking doors, no issues. The first night he got back to the library, he went to that door for staff only, and it turns out there was a door upstairs that Max could get into. That cut a lot of time off his trip. He left a folded paper taped over the latch plate, keeping it from actually shutting. The heavy door stayed resting closed, though, which meant unless someone walked up to it, there was no chance of someone finding it out. That left Max the absolute freedom to go back and forth at night. He took as many books as he could the first night, hoping it would last for a while, until his next visit. After going through Cirque so quickly, he knew he would need a new book when he finished. He roamed around to find something new, that he hadn't read yet, to keep him busy. The title that caught his eye was none other than Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. The creepy girl on the front cover added interest. Something about an orphanage, and Max had seen previews for a movie of it a while back. Worth a shot at least.
A whole week gone by. A week of David visiting, a week of the surprisingly delicious cafeteria food, of his own room, of a new friend. Things were certainly different from the last time he'd stayed in a home in between 'permanent' housing. When Max thought of that, he wondered how permanent he'd be at David's. He wasn't sure if his worries were based off of the notion that this was objectively his last chance for a decent place, or that he was so worked up over… well, over David himself. David was the only guy to put in this much effort to see him. The social workers were supposed to have gone to his house once this week, and promised a second visit to check out his house and make sure Max had a room, it wasn't filthy, etc. They had also, according to Chikae been calling him at odd hours to check papers, calling references, etc. To put up with all the double checking, pestering, and questions that they were putting him through, David was serious about this. He wanted to take Max home, badly. That thought sat heavy in his stomach, even though Max ought to be happy about it. It put pressure on him, more than he had ever had when going to a new house. When would Max fuck this up? How long before David got sick of the cussing, the fights, the bullshit Max could cause? The process repeated itself over and over. Max tried his best to keep busy and avoid those intrusive, wandering thoughts with reading or talking to Celine.
Speaking of Celine, she had actually ended up finding the library on her own. Max told her not to tell anyone, even despite his worry that she would. He couldn't lose this place, he needed the wasted time reading. If he had something to do, maybe he could stop feeling his heart jump to his throat when he thought about living with David. Through the whole week, David had come over and either brought dinner with him or invited Max out to eat somewhere he liked. Lately, he'd begun to ask if Max would prefer quiet when he came for a visit. He double checked whether Max felt comfortable or not, looked after him in ways Max wasn't used to. He wasn't hitting him, and he was being fed even though David could have let the home take care of meals.. Max thought that covered the basics of child care, but David went further at every turn. Sometimes, Max even looked forward to leaving. David hadn't let him down, and he had a swelling, unabashed hope that he never would. Max was wary of that hope, of course, knowing how bad it felt to be let down, but he tried to leave his thoughts unchecked as much as he could.
At the moment, Max was deciding which book to bring with him to the cafe for breakfast. He was going down to eat with Celine soon, they had both been up way too early and hung around his room until they got hungry.
Celine was sitting near the door, her back on the floor and her feet up on the wall, one was pushing the door back and forth to keep herself busy. Long blonde hair was messily braided and tied back, leaving pale, freckled skin uncovered. When Max first saw her, he didn't notice, but when he actually looked at her, it turned out she had two different colored eyes. Heterochromia, apparently. He tried not to stare, but it was cool to look at. One eye was a deep blue shade, and the other was a greenish grey. She said she used to wear contacts for it, because her last foster parents didn't like the imperfection. She raved about it, said one day she wanted to dye her hair two different colors to match. She was definitely a little wild like Nikki, but in a much more controlled way.
Finally deciding on a book, Max tugged the handle to free the door from her influence, walking out to the hall,"Coming, two tone?"
Celine blew a raspberry at his words, but in a few moments caught up to Max and walked with him down the hall. When they got out to the cafe and got whatever food they wanted, they both sat at a table close to the wall. Max ate and flipped pages in his book, enjoying the simplicity of the day so far. Today could be a good day, and thinking back, yesterday wasn't too bad either.
After tugging his hoodie back on after it came out of the wash, Max set to shoving his books into piles of Read or Unread, so he knew which part of the series he was on. Celine was waiting by the door to go downstairs, laying on the floor with her feet against the wall. He and Celine turned when the door pushed open, making the girl yank her foot back from the edge with a small sulk.
Chikae glanced down at her and to Max, a basket of muffins in his hands,"Hey, guys, you want a muffin?"
Max tilted his head at the guy, quietly noting his now pale yellow nails,"Where'd you get them from?" The basket looked somehow familiar.
Chikae grimaced a bit,"David dropped them off after I left, when he brought you back,"
Oh, right- Max had glanced to the backseat and saw the little basket under papers and David's coat when they left earlier; he must have brought them in right before he left for home,"What, did he burn them?"
Chikae shook his head,"No! No, not that, I'm pretty sure they're fine," He scratched the back of his neck,"It's awfully sweet but… I'm allergic to poppy seeds,"
Max snickered, picking up his book as he walked over to take one,"Figures," He hummed,"Can't you eat a different one?"
"I would but I don't wanna risk it. Cross contamination and all that," Chikae shrugged,"The other ones look good, but not good enough for a trip to the hospital,"
"What kinds are there?" Celine asked from the floor, tilting her head to look,"Other than the poppy things?"
Chikae dug into his pocket. A little card was produced, light green on one side with a hand-written Thank you! Chikae read from it.
"Uh.. blueberry, chocolate, or the lemon poppy seed," He replied.
Max took a chocolate one, tucked the book under his arm, and peeled the paper,"What's on the note?"
Chikae looked a bit uncomfortable,"He… said thanks for looking after you, the therapy and other things. It really was a sweet gesture," He said, shrugging again as if to say 'What can you do?"
Max's expression darkened a touch,"Yeah, David's sickly sweet," He bit into the muffin, grabbing a blueberry for Celine and handing it to her,"Sweet enough to put holes in your teeth,"
Chikae rolled his eyes,"Yeah, I get it. I'm just gonna put them in the break room, but I thought I'd ask you guys first,"
Celine, with a mouthful of her sugary snack, raised the muffin to him,"Many thanks!"
Chikae grinned,"No problem. David's coming back tomorrow?"
Max hummed around the mouthful he had, nodding.
"Alright," Chikae tipped his head and left the room, leaving Celine to catch the door with her foot again, swinging it back and forth as she ate.
David's feet scuffed the concreted heavily as he slumped up the stepping stones to his front door. His body ached, his head was throbbing from all the rushing around, and his feet were cold and wet. He did do his best to brighten his smile even as the shift got worse, but as soon as he got to the car, a shaking sigh passed his lips and he let the weight of the night finally sink his shoulders. He cursed the day he thought working at a movie theatre was an easy job. Not only that, but he had to run back to the camp on his way home as well to finally pick up the last of his things out of the cabin. He'd been too busy or forgot to for so long, tonight was the best chance he had.
David had spent the last week running between four or five places at all times. The first was the Camp. He still had hundreds of files and bills and debts to sort through with a financial advisor, trying his best to get things figured out and get a solid number on how much the camp owed after Campbell went under. He had no idea what he would do with that information once he got it, but at least he could help out and be involved enough that he could have a say.
The second was Max. he drove a solid two hours up to the home, both ways, which tore his day in half without even trying. He didn't tell Max that, of course, lest the boy worry he was bothering David or think it would be something to make him feel guilty. David would admit he didn't like the drive, but it was worth it if he got to see Max at the end of it.
The third was training. The adoption agency strongly advised him to take a training course before he took Max home. There were videos to watch, meetings he went to. It was a lot on how to handle a child who had been through bad homes. David went willingly, happy he could be helping Max even if the boy didn't know it. Sometimes, David felt sick thinking about the things Max had been through, and had to stop the videos for a bit to calm himself down, but he always picked them back up after a bit and kept going. Some things he even listened to while he picked through papers at the camp.
The fourth was his house. David nitpicked over the dusting, vacuuming, new sheets, washing all the bedding, keeping the TV wiped down, kitchen straightened. He worked over every room with a fine tooth comb. Normally, he was a very clean person. After camp was over, he came home and cleaned up a touch everyday. Now, whenever he was home he cleaned until he felt the incessant cry for sleep from his brain. He was told he had had only until tuesday before he had a home visit, and he couldn't stand the idea of them thinking he was unfit to take Max in because of his house. So, he scrubbed everything down and cleaned until his bones ached. It turns out, they had to cancel the visit and rescheduled until the weekend, which meant David went back over the things he had rushed and fretted over them endlessly.
His fifth place was part time training jobs. David had still not heard about his off season job, and that meant he needed somewhere else to work. He had gotten one for every night of the week except thursday, and he had been to every one of them. The only problem was that his days were so busy he only had time to train during third shift. He picked jobs with flexible schedules to make sure he had time for the camp until everything was picked up over there.
In short, David was absolutely exhausted. He slept whenever he got the chance. Right now, he only had about five hours to sleep before he needed to get up and leave to get to Gwen and drop off forms, and then to Max to take him to dinner at four.
David pulled the key from his pocket, blinking wearily as the sun shined against the windchimes on the front porch. Once the door was unlocked, he dropped his bag and keys next to the front door. Struggling to stay upright, he trudged the few steps to his couch and collapsed onto it, sloppily covering himself with the blanket that hung off the back of it. He nuzzled down against the soft fabric, eyes shutting with no hope of opening again until his alarm went off. He drifted off thinking of his week so far.
~~Monday~~
David sighed easily as he sat back on the floor, staring at the half-scrubbed grout between the kitchen tiles. He'd been here near an hour and still only got half the room done. He did need to leave soon for a shift at a diner in the city, which meant he'd need to pick this up when he got home or sometime tomorrow.
He'd taken Max to a movie earlier that day, a memory he grimaced at despite the lack of fighting. He had spent a whopping sixty dollars for both tickets and snacks, a price David nearly choked upon seeing. He shoved the receipt into his pocket before Max got any hint of it, following the boy to get a slushy before the show started.
David picked at the cuticle on his thumb, reminded bruntly that his financial situation was in a severe decline. One of these jobs had to stick, because it was really his only option if he had any hope of taking Max in. If he didn't find something, they'd laugh at his seasonal income and promptly tell him to fuck off. David shut his eyes and swallowed, feeling his chest begin a timid burn while stress clutched his heart again.
Knees sore and legs wobbly, he braced himself on the counter and stood up to retrieve a tums from the bathroom cupboard. If he didn't get the job soon, he'd have to ask for a bit of money from his parents. He wasn't ashamed of asking for help, far from it considering how much work he'd put in trying to help himself, he just distanced himself from his parents specifically.
David's fingers picked at the label on the bottle as he thought about the reason. No, his father had not been over the line cruel, nor did his past compare even remotely to Max's, but he still couldn't find it in himself to trust his parents completely. His father was a man with a 'spare the rod and spoil the child' mindset, which meant very rarely did he ever spare the rod. Growing older and thinking back, David wondered passively if the extent of the discipline he'd face could have been labelled abusive. If not, the emotional manipulation was running rampant in his home.
Keeping true to his hate for the idea of 'spoiling' the child, David saw little to nothing of his parents. His father took his mother out to fancy dinners, on vacations, to fun parks. David may have gone to a handful, but they were spaced few and far between. His father explained that his mother deserved the world, and men had to work to give it to them. David was spoiled, David was a brat, David was ungrateful. All things that had been repeated throughout his time at home. His being 'spoiled' meant David would need to work to save up with allowance to go on trips with them, to get sweets, to get anything he wanted. Saving up five dollars a week would take years to get to a plane ticket. He'd only managed once, and that memory haunted him.
Shaking free from his past David dropped two antacids into his palm and lifted them to his lips. Keeping in mind things he'd learned this year with Max at camp, he was aware that yes, sometimes kids need to be hit. But David didn't know if he had it in himself to ever follow through with a physical punishment; especially with a kid like Max. To raise a hand to someone who had been abused and neglected for so long...No, David felt in his gut that he would not be able to. Something else, but never that.
Feeling cold at the reminder of past mistakes, David returned to the kitchen to dutifully scrub the floor again.
Max spent the day in his room as usual, with Celine on his bed upside down and her feet on the wall, not unlike most other days. Whatever this girl's deal was with her feet being higher than her head, Max wasn't about to question it. Mostly because it was pretty fucking funny when she dropped her phone on her face.
He was halfway through whatever part of the series he was on, focused more on the vampire war than anything else. He had to make a trip back to the library soon though, this was his last book besides Mrs. Peregrine. Maybe he would take Celine this time. She didn't read paper books very much, so he wondered if she would even want to go. Either way, Max had to go. He hoped she would keep her mouth shut like she said, at least.
He also had to figure out what he was gonna take with him to Dinner with David. Sometime around four he would be here, which left him plenty of time to decide.
"Max!"
Max paused and turned, seeing Celine hurrying towards him with a brightness in her eyes,"I have got to show you something,"
Max narrowed his eyes, hesitant to follow,"What is it?"
"Just come on, I promise you'll love it!" She grinned and waved to gesture him to follow.
Figuring he had nothing better to do, Max stepped up again and followed her down the hall at a casual pace. She had changed while she was up here, no longer wearing the dark blue sweater, but now donning a thick, yellow long-sleeve shirt and shorts. She had flip flops on, and Max wondered how she hadn't frozen in the AC.
Celine led him back towards his room, then a turn down a familiar hall. Max felt something adjacent to panic seize his stomach as he realized where she was going. She found it? No way. Max had no clue, and he had even found the other doors. How could she? It wasn't possible, that's how.
Max continued to think that until he found the soles of his shoes standing on the increasingly familiar carpet of the library. Something hard sunk in his gut, wondering how long it would be before something bad happened.
Celine could be followed by some snotty kids, she could accidentally tell someone, she could blackmail Max. If he pretended he didn't know about the library, she could just blabber about it anyways, but if he told her he knew, she could use it against him for whatever she wanted. Max would be screwed. What options did he have? What could he do?
"Max," Celine's voice cut in and he looked at her, a smile on her face,"How fucking cool is this?"
Max blanked for a reply.
"Does anyone even use this anymore?" She walked further into the room, brushing her fingers against the bookshelves gently,"Does anyone remember it?" She lifted her fingers to see dust.
Again, Max's voice failed him and he could say nothing. He still had no idea how to handle this, right now he just had to gauge her reaction.
Celine spun on her heel, eyed wide,"If this place is abandoned, couldn't we hang out here?" She glanced up and squinted at the sky light,"Unless it collapses. That would suck,"
Max eyed her warily, "You don't want to tell anyone?"
She turned to him again and shook her head,"Hell no! They wouldn't let us back in here, I bet. I mean, they shut it off for a reason, right?"
Max hummed, and said little else.
David wanted to scream and cry at the same time.
He woke up from his 'brief' nap to banging on the door. Instantly, he scrambled to tear his phone from the charger and check the time. His world crumbled- it was 6. Two hours late to pick up Max, and, by the time he actually got there, it would be four hours late. He had missed a call and two texts from Max, a call from Chikae, and four messages from Gwen about papers he was supposed to drop off when he left. He was frozen, until another knock slammed against the door.
"David," Gwen's voice sounded angry,"Open the goddamn door!"
Davey felt some familiarity in those words, and a flash of a recollection took him by surprise.
David jumped in his seat as his father slammed his fist against the door.
"Open this damn door, David!"
Breathing hard at the sudden recollection of his father's voice, Davey shook himself free of the fear clutching his chest. Jumping to life, David struggled against the blankets clinging to his feet and nearly tripped over them. Once he managed to kicked away from them, the door was unlatched and he tugged it free from the frame. Gwen scowled at him, hands on her hips.
"Where the fuck have you been? What happened to two?" She snapped.
David covered his face, the many things he had yet to do washing over him,"I overslept! I'm so sorry, I just-," He shook his head and braced himself,"The papers are in my office, I need to go get Max!"
Gwen rolled her eyes and walked around the couch to the door leading to his office. David tore off, up the stairs to his bedroom, pulling a button down out of the closet and nearly breaking the hangar in his rush. He tossed it on the bed, then knelt down beside it to retrieve his shoes from under the box spring
Oh, how could he have overslept? He set an alarm for one, he had only gone to bed at six! He should have been okay to wake up even if the alarm didn't go off! Had he really done that much last night?
David tried to put his watch on his wrist but his fingers slipped; his hands were starting to shake. Happy thoughts, David, the red haired man reminded himself as he tried again, just think of how things will change when Max moved in!
His fingers kept slipping on the tiny pieces of his watch, why won't it just go through? Why won't it just work like it's supposed to? Just, it's so simple and he knew what what he was doing but it's still just not working!
The thin strings that held the man's mind together were suddenly pulled tight, too tight for anything to handle. That small voice slipped through and started to whisper again, words festering and rotting any happy thoughts the man had. Tinkering and tinkering with the tiny knots on the watch, the eruption of doubt exploded in tune to the sound of the watch slipping from his grasp and hitting the floor.
Oh god, what if he couldn't do this? He could barely hold his life together right now. Debt piling up that wasn't even his, half asleep at all times, no work planned outside of camp, and his goddamn shaking hands barely stable enough to put on a simple watch. Such a tiny thing, so delicate and yet it lay on the ground in front of him, the glass cracked across the middle. Delicate, and destroyed. How could he be a parent or at least a role model when he couldn't handle this stress of even preparing a kid? Couldn't keep a watch from breaking, and he expected to protect a human life? A child? A kid- no, Max.
His vision started to blur, which only served to make the situation worse as now he really couldn't do anything. Thoughts began to dig in, rooting themselves deep enough that all David could hear were the hateful burrowing thoughts. What was he doing? He had no idea about parenting, Max hated him most of the time. David was never sure what was the right or the wrong thing to say was, he just spoke and prayed Max didn't look at him with that seething scowl. Gwen said it was stupid, why didn't he listen? Idiot, idiot!
"David?"
David blinked a few times, clearing his vision as he looked up.
Gwen was a frowning at him, a tilted head looking him over,"You're crying,"
David lifted a hand to his face, touching fingers to his cheeks; she was right,"O-oh,"
He lifted both hands, counting slowly in his head as he wiped his face clean. He didn't have the time to feel sorry for himself. Max was waiting, and he at least deserved an explanation for why David was gone. He finished buttoning his shirt with one hand, stepping around Gwen as he tugged his phone out of his pocket to text Max.
Max; 4:46 pm; What the fuck?
Max; 5:47 pm; My phone's at 3%, asshole. Get here now, so I can kick your ass.
David winced at the messages, biting his lip as he replied.
David; 6:04 pm; I'm so sorry!
David pressed enter on the phone and started a second message to let him know he was on the way, but his phone screen blinked a few times and then showed a 0% charge icon, blacking out. David whimpered quietly, feeling worry crawl up his throat. He pushed his phone back in his pocket, grabbed his keys, and bolted out the door.
The memory of his father haunted him despite his attempts to think of anything else.
"Open this damn door, David!"
David hurried off his bed, leaving clothes he was packing strewn across the sheets. He unlocked the door and swung it open, looking up at his father's rage timidly. The man scowled at him, then the bed cluttered with clothes.
"Your mother tells me you saved up enough money for a trip?" He asked, voice deceivingly calm.
Unsure, David nodded,"Yes sir," He admits quietly.
"You saved up for a plane ticket?"
"Yes sir,"
His father's expression twisted immediately,"And what about food, hm? Going to Paris, you really think I'm going to pay for you to have a meal in a five star restaurant? Hm?"
David felt something cut through his chest, like he'd just realized what he was saying. He had forgotten about any extra money, he only saved up for the one ticket, nothing else.
"No, sir, I-" David began to stammer, hoping he hadn't riled his father up too much.
"Don't interrupt me!" He barked incredulously, despite David's respect,"What about gas? I have to cart you around in my car, you ought to pay for getting place to place! And the stupid souvenirs you're gonna want, and the hotel! You ought to be ashamed, getting your mother's hopes up!"
"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't-" David tried to quietly apologize, fearing the repercussions when the man thought his mother had been disrespected.
"I said don't interrupt me!" His father stepped into the room then, and David gasped as he jumped away-
David shook his head, jumping on the brake a little too fast at the red light as he scrubbed his hands through his hair, forcing himself to focus. The events that ensued after that was nothing good, and David didn't need it in his head. He needed to pay attention to his current issues, not the ones in the past.
He held the wheel again, clammy hands slick against the leather.
How to fix this, how to fix this...
The room was dark. Downstairs, whooping screams and illiterate cackling trickled through the drywall to Max's ears. He sat still, body heavy and unable to move. He was in his room? Yeah. The grimey blankets were cold under his hands, but Max felt fatigued just considering moving them. He stared at the door, something twisting his stomach. Something was about to happen. What was happening?
And then- Bang.
The door flew open, revealing the enraged man that Max hated with every fiber of his soul. Still unable to move, Max felt his heartbeat pick up in fear.
He blinked, and his eyes struggled to focus on the dark boy on the bed as he slurred,"W...where is-s is that lil' c-c-unt?"
A voiceless Max stared on, wanting desperately to run but still stuck fast to the bed.
"That little f-faggot," He snarled,"The brown haired b-bitch,"
The kid? The kid.
He had gotten away?
"What?" He spat,"Don't wa… wanna snitch? F-fine," His hand dropped the bottle of whatever was in his hands, and he stumbled forward,"C'mere…"
Max's heart beat until he felt it would jump from his chest, terror paralysing every inch of his skin. Just as the guy raised his hand back, everything disappeared.
Max's head jerked forward off the wall, panic seizing his body as he tore away from his dream. He took a breath, adrenaline prickling at his fingers, realizing where he was. He'd fallen asleep in the lobby while he was waiting for David. Was he still not here? What time was it? What was that fucking dream?
Max still felt rocked by what the dream portrayed. It was fuzzy, but he had a feeling it was that god damn kid again. Brown haired kid. Whoever it was, Max wanted him to get out of his head.
To his left, Celine had curled up on the chair with her jacket and passed out as well. Max reached over and plucked her phone from her hands, knowing his upstairs and charging before he went out. If he went out.
Double tapping the screen, Max hated the feeling that washed over him upon seeing it was eight. David was four hours late, Max didn't have a text, and he'd wasted four hours just sitting here and waiting. Max set the phone back on Celine's lap, Not sure if he should wake her up to leave or just go to his room by himself. Either way, he was sick of waiting around. He ultimately left her in the lobby, wanting a little while to himself before he had to deal with anyone.
Max's shoes made the wooden hallway creak as he walked. A part of him wanted to cringe and find somewhere quiet, another knew it wouldn't matter anyways. He was alone in the quiet hall. He hands warmed the fabric of his sweatshirt pocket, fingers picking at one another as he thought worriedly. What could have happened? Did David just forget? Wasn't it a daily thing? Max knew they had no set schedule, but still. Maybe he crashed? Max shook that one away quickly, feeling cold at the idea. Continuing down, he slowed. Some part of him didn't want to go back to the lobby to just sit and wait to be disappointed. He knew it was either there or his room, or the cafe if he got down there before they cleaned up. At least he had some options.
He couldn't bring himself to stop walking, though. It was something to do. No, he wasn't anxious, he was pissed off. Pissed off because he was hungry, and his phone was upstairs charging, and he couldn't focus enough to read. Definitely not nervous.
Where was he? David didn't seem the type to randomly cancel, but Max sullenly admitted he may have been wrong. How much else was he wrong about? If he wasn't here soon, Max would just have to find Chikae before he went upstairs to get some food. Until then, whenever that might be, Max waited. Pissed off, not reading, and thinking hateful things.
No text. No text. Stuck in Max's head, he couldn't help but work himself up all over again. He hadn't gotten a text when his parents moved either. He didn't get a warning, a call, a 'hey, just to let you know-'. He just showed up at home and felt utterly and desperately alone. He had no place to go, and until David showed up he would have been stuck in a home anyways.
Well, where was he now? At a home, with David gone, ignoring him. Maybe David got wise of how awful he was and bolted. Or found something better to do. It wasn't that hard to back out of adoption, was it? He thought someone would have told him, but then again where was his warning last time? Where was the fucking wake up call that told him his whole life would be a shit show? Couldn't he win just once? Be happy and have somewhere stable to sleep and eat. It wasn't that much to ask.
Max's anger had tripled by then. He felt a lump in his throat, and that made him even more frustrated. Why would he want to cry? Why couldn't he just stop feeling all this bullshit and get out of his own head. He wanted to leave, go on his own, and stop letting people fuck him up like this. If he had to be honest, his stomach was twisted with fear because of the things he had stuck in his head. Everything he felt aside from blind rage was just another thing to piss him off, because he didn't want to feel like that. He didn't wanna be seventeen and come back to some orphanage with another busted lip and broken ribs. He just wanted people to stop being so shitty.
Low and behold, Max swung around and slammed his fist against the wall. The impact was a dull thud that sent a jolt of tingling pain up Max's arm. Max wanted to scream at something. He didn't care what, he just wanted to yell and get rid of this stupid fucking feeling in his chest.
Why did this always happen?
Why did people keep fucking leaving?
Despite the aching pain in his knuckles, Max reeled back and threw his hand against the wall again. This time, Max got the hint. The pain tripled, tingling in his fingers an obvious indication he was done hitting things. Yet, his anger still flared.
Where was he?
David tried to keep it together. He really, really did.
Halfway to Max, David's car sputtered and began the unsteady drift off the road. His gaslight burned brightly all of a sudden, and David wondered how the hell he had missed it when he first got in the car. Either way, he was out of gas, out of charge, and out of time. It was almost eight now, Max had probably given up on him hours ago.
David put his head in his hands, a shaky sigh passing his lips. He leaned forward, trying to calm his breathing and think clearly. He needed to figure this out, whether is was getting home or getting to Max, he needed some way out of the middle of nowhere. He leaned on the wheel, and a sharp Bruuuuhn! sounded from the horn, making the man's heart jump into his throat all over again. He grabbed the leather wheel, a frown set heavy on his face. In the same moment as he worked over a way out, he wondered how long before he would miss showing up for training at eight tomorrow morning, and how he was supposed to make it home before the visit at six. Oh, the visit. David had been worrying all week about cleaning he forgot why he had been furiously scrubbing away the grime of a summer's-worth of neglect. They'd bring Max over, and someone to analyze if the home was fit for a child, ask him about all kinds of things he didn't have an answer to. Above all else, where was his income?
David blinked a few more times to clear his blurry eyes, feeling panic creep up on him. He wanted this so bad. He wanted to make Max happy, to keep him safe and give him something stable. How was he supposed to manage a stable home for him if he couldn't keep his own life together? He had always wanted kids, he knew that, and he knew that Gwen didn't like the idea of one right now, nor would his parents, but David felt like it was a sign. Max needed someone, and David needed Max. It fit. It fit so well, but David felt like every puzzle piece had to be shoved into place. When was his life going to fall into step again? If it ever did, that is.
David's next breath caught in his throat and he shut his eyes, feeling the burn of tears behind them. He thought he had taken steps with Max, and bonded, but after this he wondered how long it would take to fix again. If Max even wanted to speak with him in the first place.
David patted his hands against the wheel with another shaken breath, huffing an exhale as if to wipe the thoughts away. No, he thought, I need to take this one step at a time.
His phone. It needed charging, he was out of gas, and his battery life was questionable. The normal car charger had been busted for months now anyways, so it was a long shot to begin with. What else did he have? He had a few of the extra battery packs lying around his house and one in the glove box, but he was almost certain it was dead by now. What else...
David gasped, recalling the crank-charger Gwen had given him for his birthday. He popped the trunk, and ran out to figure out of he still had it hidden away under the duffel bag of emergency things. Of course, he hadn't counted running out of gas as an emergency, or else he could be out of here within the hour. He promised himself to pack that once he got home, snagging the charger and returning to the front seat.
If he charged his phone, he would have to charge for at least an hour to get anything close to thirty. It was meant to charge phones, but it was awfully slow doing it. On the other hand, if he charged the battery, it could take him less time and get more charge. Then, his phone could charge while he slept. He tugged the dusty item from the glovebox and plugged it in, starting to turn the crank. The whir of the little machine filled the silence of the car.
Once he charged the battery up, he could plug in his phone and sleep until he called Gwen. Hoping she would pick up, he could get a ride or gas to get to his second shift at the diner. He had a good feeling about the place, and his hopes ran high again as he thought about really getting the job there. If he managed that, he could feel a little more secure at the meeting tomorrow. That would be really nice.
David allowed himself a calming breath, and looked out the window at the stars. Sometimes, things were gonna be hard, but they weren't all bad, right?
David fought tears many times through the night, forcing the negative thoughts to the back of his mind.
David; 6:04 pm; I'm so sorry!
After finally managing to turn his phone back on, Max stared at the message with mixed feelings. David had texted him at six, and nothing since then. It was nine now, no other chime came from his phone. He shut off the screen only to turn it on a few minutes later to check again, as if a message would randomly appear.
Finally, Max turned the phone on for the fiftieth time within the hour- to nothing, again- and he gave a frustrated shout as he slammed the thing against the mattress one, two, three times. After that, he put his head in his hands and slumped over into the safety of the covers. His knuckles still ached angrily in protest from hitting the wall.
He hated the waiting. The worrying, the overthinking. I'm so sorry! Sorry for what? For being late? For not showing up? Max hated this feeling, the disappointment and sadness mingled with anger in his belly. He knew he should have kept his head out of the clouds. If he had, he wouldn't have gotten hurt. He could have been passed out by now, with food in his stomach and his book finished. Instead, he'd sat reading the same three pages again and again while checking his phone and forcing the rumbling hunger away. Chikae had left too soon, and Celine ran off without him for dinner, since Max had still believed David would actually show up. Mostly, he was still just tired. He wanted to sleep but feared what he would see.
He fought himself hard on it, he knew he wouldn't see any message, but he eventually gave in and picked up his phone from the covers and checked again. His eyes stung as he saw a blank screen again.
Sorry for what, David?
For leaving me?
Max's thoughts turned hateful as his fingers gripped the phone hard.
What if this was it? David was really sick of him, he wouldn't come back for Max. What home was he gonna go to next? It could be nice, he supposed, but there were too many variables. Would they be too strict? Not care at all? Helicopter parents? Max had no way to know, after the initial visits and background checks, anything could happen to deteriorate the life quality. And now, probably the worst part, is Max wouldn't have David anymore. No backup plan, no chance of going back David had made the choice for him, and Max was just gonna have to life with it.
Max's expression twisted and he once again raise his hands to his face and fought against his emotions. David didn't get to do this shit to him. Max wouldn't let him, it wasn't fair. If David could drop him so easily, then Max could too. Fuck the summer, fuck camp, fuck David. Max was so sick of this shit, he was just done.
He snatched his phone off the sheets again, tapped a few buttons and got to David's Contact.
Block Contact?Confirm/Cancel Confirm
Number Blocked
Max jumped to David's messages then and deleted the whole conversation, leaving no trace of him on his messages.
Max could move on too, and he always would.
He flipped over and tried to ignore the hunger in his stomach as he struggled to sleep.
His life was a nightmare, how bad could dreams be?
