Max took a step towards Alec, anger clear on her face.
"We're not done yet" she told him. "you should have."
"Max" Alec muttered quietly, interrupting her. "I'm sorry. Okay. For putting you out, taking your bike, your bed, everything. Can we please not do this now?" each word was stressed, as if it was an effort.
Max stared at him. Alec apologising? That was strange. She looked closer at him. the sunglasses he was wearing hid so much. he seemed fine, just slightly pale, but the sound of his voice suggested otherwise. She decided that somehow, today, they would be assigned to the same sector. Alec was still facing in her direction, and she frantically scanned her memory. What had he said? Oh, it did require an answer. "Then we'll do it tomorrow" she told him, trying to act unconcerned about him. "But, I'm warning you, if I find a scratch on it."
Alec shrugged, and turned away.
"Max." OC spoke up.
"I know" she replied. "He's still sick. I'll stick with him today, see if I can figure out what's wrong"
"You could ask him" Cindy suggested, pulling on her bike gloves.
"You honestly think he'll tell me if he's feeling sick?"
"Good point"
three hours of biking all over the city, delivering packages and getting signatures, and Alec had said nothing. At all. Even when she had asked him a direct question, the most Max had gotten out of him was the odd grunt. Mostly, he had ignored her. "Hey" she shoved the pad back into her bag, delivery complete, and grabbed her bike off him. "Lunchtime. Meeting OC and Sketch at the park in sector 2?"
"Whatever" Alec replied, shrugging. "He speaks!" she responded sarcastically, trying to get a reaction out of him. she had always understood Alec better when they were fighting. It was comfortable for both of them, and she thought that he enjoyed it as much as she did. Apparently not today. "Get off my case" he told her, biking in the direction of the park. Max sighed, and followed him.
When they reached the park, OC was already there, sitting in the shade under a tree. Alec threw his bike to the ground, and stretched out beside her, closing his eyes and throwing his arm over his face, to try to block out as much light as possible. He was exhausted. He hadn't slept much the night before, and the physical activity of the day had drained him.
"Hey, Boo" Cindy rested her hand on his leg. He opened his eyes slightly and looked up at her. "Food?" she offered, holding something out to him.
Alec groaned, closing his eyes again.
Max watched the scene, and sighed. She got OC's attention, and pointed off to the side. Cindy could see Sketchy approaching, walking his bike, and she nodded, standing up to go meet Sketch, and head him off.
When they were alone, Max moved closer to Alec. "Cindy brought some milk. At least drink that" she spoke quietly
"I'm fine" he muttered.
"Prove it." She challenged.
"How am I supposed to do that?" he asked, turning towards her, and raising himself up off the ground, resting on one elbow. Max shrugged in reply.
Alec lay back down, closing his eyes. He remembered how he had felt at Jam Pony, unable to control his body, terrified that the convulsions just would not stop. And Max had been there. He had heard her talking, and had been able to concentrate on her voice. It had helped. He sighed, and shook his head. What he wouldn't give to have her arms around him now.
Max heard him sigh, and looked over at him. he looked a lot better, almost back to his old self, but the way he was lying, it seemed uncomfortable. Like he wasn't as relaxed as he would like other people to think he was. She moved closer to him, putting her hand on his arm. She felt him open his eyes and turn his head to look at her, could even feel the surprise radiating from him. She purposely looked away, watching OC and Sketchy talking in the distance, trying to convey the idea that her touching him was no big deal, and that it definitely wasn't a sign of pity.
Alec watched her for a moment, then closed his eyes again. He had been surprised when Max had touched him, but pleasantly so. He kept still, not wanting her to move, needing to feel her touch.
"Back at Manticore" he spoke, real quietly, so quietly that Max had to move closer to him to hear what he was saying. "must have been about seven, maybe younger. There was this kid, slept in the rack next to mine. He was the first of us to get the shakes." Alec stopped speaking, and Max moved her hand slightly up his arm.
"Alec?" she asked.
"He died." Alec said shortly, standing up and stepping away from Max. He moved several paces away towards a tree, and leant against it, staring across the park. Max followed him, moving to stand beside him, slipping an arm around his waist. Alec stiffened, but didn't pull away.
"I'm sorry," she told him. Alec shook his head, not looking at her. She moved her other hand up to touch his face, turning his head down to her. "Alec, I do understand. Maybe not exactly, but I lost friends too. And if you want to talk about it, I promise I'll listen." She held her breath, waiting for his response.
As Alec listened to her words, a sarcastic response came to his lips, but he didn't voice it. For some reason, it felt like everything was about to change. Like, whatever he did next, was going to change everything. He bit his lip.
Max saw his hesitation, and reacted to it. She moved her hand to the back of his neck, and pulled his head towards her, hugging him lightly. She felt Alec stiffen, then slowly relax against her. One of his arms moved up against her, resting at the small of her back, hesitantly, as if he was worried about her reaction.
Sketch stopped talking to Cindy, and stared over at Max and Alec. They were holding each other, Alec's head bent, his face close to Max's neck. "Are they.?" he asked Cindy, unable to take his eyes off the scene. She looked over, and shrugged. "together?" she asked. "No idea. Better Alec than Logan, though, right?"
Sketch nodded in agreement, not taking his eyes off the scene in front of him.
"Can you get me some Tryptophan?" Alec asked her. Max pulled back slightly.
"You look okay to me" she commented.
"I. I got sick again last night" he told her.
"I'll get some" she told him, worried. Her episodes had been bad, but from her experience, and from what she had seen at Manticore, it wasn't common to have two attacks so soon in time.
"I'm sorry I took your bike" Max shrugged, pulling away from him. "It's okay" she told him. "I trust you with it, just tell me next time, okay"
"So, next time I want something from you, I have your permission to wake you up and tell you about it?" Alec grinned, suggestively. Max laughed out loud. That was more like it. If Alec was making a comment like that, he must be feeling better. She took his hand in hers, and led him back to their bikes.
"can we go over there now?" Sketchy asked, impatiently. "I'm hungry. We only have about half an hour of lunch left. Some of us need to eat."
Cindy sighed, then nodded, and the two of them walked over to join Max and Alec. Sketchy threw himself onto the ground and looked with interest at them, particularly their hands, which were still joined. Alec caught his gaze, and released his grip on her hand, allowing her to pull away. Instead, she tightened her hold on him. Sketchy's expression turned to one of amazement.
"So, uh, we going to Crash tonight?" he asked, stammering. "I'm in" Max nodded, smiling. Cindy nodded too. "Beer to drink, honeys to hook up wit'. Where else Original Cindy be?" Alec said nothing.
"Logan coming?" Sketch asked. Cindy hit him, and he glared at her. It was a reasonable question, wasn't it?
Alec pulled away from Max. Max glanced at him, then looked over to Sketchy. If looks could kill. "Not tonight" she replied.
"Max" Alec muttered quietly, interrupting her. "I'm sorry. Okay. For putting you out, taking your bike, your bed, everything. Can we please not do this now?" each word was stressed, as if it was an effort.
Max stared at him. Alec apologising? That was strange. She looked closer at him. the sunglasses he was wearing hid so much. he seemed fine, just slightly pale, but the sound of his voice suggested otherwise. She decided that somehow, today, they would be assigned to the same sector. Alec was still facing in her direction, and she frantically scanned her memory. What had he said? Oh, it did require an answer. "Then we'll do it tomorrow" she told him, trying to act unconcerned about him. "But, I'm warning you, if I find a scratch on it."
Alec shrugged, and turned away.
"Max." OC spoke up.
"I know" she replied. "He's still sick. I'll stick with him today, see if I can figure out what's wrong"
"You could ask him" Cindy suggested, pulling on her bike gloves.
"You honestly think he'll tell me if he's feeling sick?"
"Good point"
three hours of biking all over the city, delivering packages and getting signatures, and Alec had said nothing. At all. Even when she had asked him a direct question, the most Max had gotten out of him was the odd grunt. Mostly, he had ignored her. "Hey" she shoved the pad back into her bag, delivery complete, and grabbed her bike off him. "Lunchtime. Meeting OC and Sketch at the park in sector 2?"
"Whatever" Alec replied, shrugging. "He speaks!" she responded sarcastically, trying to get a reaction out of him. she had always understood Alec better when they were fighting. It was comfortable for both of them, and she thought that he enjoyed it as much as she did. Apparently not today. "Get off my case" he told her, biking in the direction of the park. Max sighed, and followed him.
When they reached the park, OC was already there, sitting in the shade under a tree. Alec threw his bike to the ground, and stretched out beside her, closing his eyes and throwing his arm over his face, to try to block out as much light as possible. He was exhausted. He hadn't slept much the night before, and the physical activity of the day had drained him.
"Hey, Boo" Cindy rested her hand on his leg. He opened his eyes slightly and looked up at her. "Food?" she offered, holding something out to him.
Alec groaned, closing his eyes again.
Max watched the scene, and sighed. She got OC's attention, and pointed off to the side. Cindy could see Sketchy approaching, walking his bike, and she nodded, standing up to go meet Sketch, and head him off.
When they were alone, Max moved closer to Alec. "Cindy brought some milk. At least drink that" she spoke quietly
"I'm fine" he muttered.
"Prove it." She challenged.
"How am I supposed to do that?" he asked, turning towards her, and raising himself up off the ground, resting on one elbow. Max shrugged in reply.
Alec lay back down, closing his eyes. He remembered how he had felt at Jam Pony, unable to control his body, terrified that the convulsions just would not stop. And Max had been there. He had heard her talking, and had been able to concentrate on her voice. It had helped. He sighed, and shook his head. What he wouldn't give to have her arms around him now.
Max heard him sigh, and looked over at him. he looked a lot better, almost back to his old self, but the way he was lying, it seemed uncomfortable. Like he wasn't as relaxed as he would like other people to think he was. She moved closer to him, putting her hand on his arm. She felt him open his eyes and turn his head to look at her, could even feel the surprise radiating from him. She purposely looked away, watching OC and Sketchy talking in the distance, trying to convey the idea that her touching him was no big deal, and that it definitely wasn't a sign of pity.
Alec watched her for a moment, then closed his eyes again. He had been surprised when Max had touched him, but pleasantly so. He kept still, not wanting her to move, needing to feel her touch.
"Back at Manticore" he spoke, real quietly, so quietly that Max had to move closer to him to hear what he was saying. "must have been about seven, maybe younger. There was this kid, slept in the rack next to mine. He was the first of us to get the shakes." Alec stopped speaking, and Max moved her hand slightly up his arm.
"Alec?" she asked.
"He died." Alec said shortly, standing up and stepping away from Max. He moved several paces away towards a tree, and leant against it, staring across the park. Max followed him, moving to stand beside him, slipping an arm around his waist. Alec stiffened, but didn't pull away.
"I'm sorry," she told him. Alec shook his head, not looking at her. She moved her other hand up to touch his face, turning his head down to her. "Alec, I do understand. Maybe not exactly, but I lost friends too. And if you want to talk about it, I promise I'll listen." She held her breath, waiting for his response.
As Alec listened to her words, a sarcastic response came to his lips, but he didn't voice it. For some reason, it felt like everything was about to change. Like, whatever he did next, was going to change everything. He bit his lip.
Max saw his hesitation, and reacted to it. She moved her hand to the back of his neck, and pulled his head towards her, hugging him lightly. She felt Alec stiffen, then slowly relax against her. One of his arms moved up against her, resting at the small of her back, hesitantly, as if he was worried about her reaction.
Sketch stopped talking to Cindy, and stared over at Max and Alec. They were holding each other, Alec's head bent, his face close to Max's neck. "Are they.?" he asked Cindy, unable to take his eyes off the scene. She looked over, and shrugged. "together?" she asked. "No idea. Better Alec than Logan, though, right?"
Sketch nodded in agreement, not taking his eyes off the scene in front of him.
"Can you get me some Tryptophan?" Alec asked her. Max pulled back slightly.
"You look okay to me" she commented.
"I. I got sick again last night" he told her.
"I'll get some" she told him, worried. Her episodes had been bad, but from her experience, and from what she had seen at Manticore, it wasn't common to have two attacks so soon in time.
"I'm sorry I took your bike" Max shrugged, pulling away from him. "It's okay" she told him. "I trust you with it, just tell me next time, okay"
"So, next time I want something from you, I have your permission to wake you up and tell you about it?" Alec grinned, suggestively. Max laughed out loud. That was more like it. If Alec was making a comment like that, he must be feeling better. She took his hand in hers, and led him back to their bikes.
"can we go over there now?" Sketchy asked, impatiently. "I'm hungry. We only have about half an hour of lunch left. Some of us need to eat."
Cindy sighed, then nodded, and the two of them walked over to join Max and Alec. Sketchy threw himself onto the ground and looked with interest at them, particularly their hands, which were still joined. Alec caught his gaze, and released his grip on her hand, allowing her to pull away. Instead, she tightened her hold on him. Sketchy's expression turned to one of amazement.
"So, uh, we going to Crash tonight?" he asked, stammering. "I'm in" Max nodded, smiling. Cindy nodded too. "Beer to drink, honeys to hook up wit'. Where else Original Cindy be?" Alec said nothing.
"Logan coming?" Sketch asked. Cindy hit him, and he glared at her. It was a reasonable question, wasn't it?
Alec pulled away from Max. Max glanced at him, then looked over to Sketchy. If looks could kill. "Not tonight" she replied.