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Max carefully opened the door to David’s room, trying to avoid it creaking as he cautiously kept an eye on the sleeping adult. He quietly slipped in, but hesitated on closing the door behind him. He stood there, listening to David’s even breaths as he fiddled with the doorknob.
He shouldn’t have been there. He should have gone back to bed, instead of bothering David because of some stupid cramps. It didn’t matter that it hurt like a bitch, and David told him to come to him with anything, especially pain. What if he was lying? What if he just said it to make himself feel better, to boost his own white ego about taking in the poor neglected Indian kid? What if he didn’t mean it, and this was when there would finally be the catch that Max was expecting all along.
The strong taste of blood in his mouth brought him back to reality, licking his raw lip as he quietly closed the door behind him.
Fuck it, he thought, He shouldn’t have fucking said it if he didn’t mean it.
Max carefully padded over to the queen-sized bed, slowly crawling under the covers so that he wouldn’t wake David up.
In his sleep-addled mind, however, he overlooked the fact that David was the lightest sleeper known to man, because the second Max accidentally bumped into his arm, he jolted awake. David gasped like he was dying, and scrambled up to look around in confusion, letting out a panicked, “Wha– what’s happening? Max?”
Max simply froze, propping himself up on his elbows as he held his hands up defensively and leaned away from the man. After a few seconds, David finally seemed to realize where he was, quickly relaxing as he let out a sigh and turned to Max.
He still looked frazzled, but significantly less so as he spoke softly, blinking down at the teen, “I’m sorry, Max, I didn’t mean to scare you, you okay? Did something happen?”
“… Didn't mean to scare me?” He scoffed as he slowly continued burrowing into David’s bed, “Did you just get fucking possessed or something? You acted like you were getting fucking killed.”
David shook his head loosely, “No, no, it’s– I’m just a light sleeper. But–“ He waved his hands, fully laying on his side to face Max as he brought a hand to cup his face, “Nevermind. Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare, or– or did something scare you?”
He hesitated, looking at a wall and noticing that David hung up his recent pieces in his drawing and painting class, and no fucking way he was going to tear up over some sappy shit like that. He shrugged as David’s thumb rubbed under his eye, “I dunno, I just got my period and I feel shitty.”
He was still staring at the wall with David’s shitty sappy decorations, so he couldn’t see the man’s expression, but he heard David sigh out, “Oh, honey. C’mere.”
Arms were around him, one hand rubbing his back while the other lightly scratched his scalp, and he broke. He buried his head in David’s shoulder as he sobbed, vaguely registering that the man was softly speaking to him but not listening to any of his words. It was only when his sobs died down into hiccups that he could actually pay attention to David’s talking, and the man seemed to realize that too.
“Oh, my poor baby,” In any other situation he would have laughed in David’s face, but this was so soft and fond and every other sappy word he could think of at the moment, so full of love that he let it pass, “I’m so sorry it hurts, honey. But it’ll get better,” he laughed at Max’s dramatic groan, “Don’t be like that. It always gets better. I know the first day’s always the worst with you, so I know that after tomorrow it won’t be so bad.”
He shifted so that his cheek rested against David’s shoulder, “I hate this. Remind me why I can’t just get a hysterectomy again?”
David chuckled, “Because you’re only fifteen, and you can’t get any surgery like that until it’s a medical emergency or you turn eighteen.”
“This is a fucking emergency, David, I’m bleeding. And you and I both know it’s because they just see me as a girl, so they think they can pull their shitty fuckin’ sexist ‘Oh, but what if you suddenly want kids in the future?’ bullshit. Or! They start saying shit like they need permission from the husband to do it!”
David sighs, patting his back, “Yes, that is true, but it still stands that you’re only fifteen.”
“It still stands that it’s bullshit.”
“Okay, let’s go to bed.”
“You’re just saying that to silence me.”
“I’m saying that because it is far too late to be awake talking about the injustices in American healthcare. Or… too early?” David tilted his head before resting his chin on the top of Max’s head, “Either way, no time for people to be awake. Sleepy time.”
“Fuck you.”
“Goodnight, Max.”
“...Night, David.”