No, not like this. Scuffles as a teenager had never done so much damage.
"They wouldn't. They- they wouldn't try to kill me." Right? They wouldn't go that far, would they? Then again, he hadn't thought that they'd do this to him either. He'd blithely continued like he was untouchable. It had been stupid of him.
He winces, just a little, when her fingers tighten in his hair, and then it's gone and he looks up at her. "I just... don't want to make things more difficult than they are right now."
"For you they won't be. I'm hiring you a bodyguard." No one from Bauldur's, of course, but she'll find someone. Someone she can trust with him. After another dep breath she resumes petting his hair and his hand, soft, soothing gestures. More for herself than for him, at this point. "Life should be made more difficult for them. They betrayed you. They do not deserve mercy."
"What? I don't need a bodyguard!" Someone following him around all day like he was incapable of taking care of himself. Which, okay he hadn't done a fabulous job of it this time but it seemed a bit extreme.
He relaxed a little when she started stroking his hair again, slumping back on the bed. Betrayed. It seemed like such a harsh word. But he knew that if it had happened to anyone else, he would have been up at arms to punish them. And Adele would do what she liked, even if Max didn't help. And that was before family heard about this and got involved.
"Alright. I'll give you their names but... but if we're gonna destroy them, let's make it worthwhile okay? Let's make it work for us."
"Yes you do. Until this is resolved? You do." She'll insist. She does insist. No one hurts who she's taken as hers, not now, not ever. She will not stand for this. Not when they should know better- times like this she wishes she could let him know exactly how badly they would be hurt for this. But he doesn't know that shade of her and she cannot tell.
"So I'm not to contact a very unpleasant person to break their kneecaps?" She'd love to do it on her own. "....However you wish to do this. But they do not walk away unscathed. We ruin them. We end them. And then we take you somewhere lovely for a massage."
There's a stubborn set to his jaw when she says that, but finally he nods. He'll pick his battles because if he fights this, everything that comes afterwards is going to be that much more of a struggle. He can deal with a bodyguard for a few days. Just while this blows over.
He smirks a little at that. "I'd love to say yes. But I'm thinking more... turning the whole of D1 against them? Or at least enough that the rest will take it up out of fear of looking bad. Does that sound reasonable?"
She's more familiar with this than he is, better at it, and he values her opinion.
"And the massage is one thing I'm not going to argue about."
"...I knew you learned something from me." She huffs a soft laugh, tension easing out just a bit. He can handle this his way and she, she'll support him as best she's able. She lifts his hand to her lips, kissing the back.
"That will work wonderfully. Set them to the wolves. After all no one cares whta you do so long as you do not get caught. When you are caught..."
"That's my boy." She murmurs, turning his hand to press another kiss to his skin. "I'll find you an appropriate guard. It'll be someone unobtrusive and very, very pretty. I promise."
He has to laugh at that, his cheeks colouring faintly at the kiss. She is one of the few people able to make him feel entirely inelegant and awkward. "Oh you do know what to say to persuade me," he replies. "Pretty people who could kick my arse."
"It's why you always loved watching the Militia boys train, mm?" And the occasional lady, but boys were so very pretty when they were sweating and grunting.
"You are welcome for all the erections, darling." She kisses his hand again, glad for him to be a little more himself and a little less- well. An injured man in trauma.
He laughs a little at that, and lets out a soft sigh. "Thanks Adele. For- for coming to see me. It means a lot. I don't have that many friends these days it seems."
"I think it's because I have good people watching over me." People who were sometimes willing to be less kind. It makes him a little sad honestly. "I just feel like I should have grown up."
"Being kind does not make you childish, Max." To hell with it. She slips out of her chair and curls up against him, arm looped loosely around his waist, cheek on top of his head. "It makes you kind. We need more of that under the dome."
He looks surprised when she climbs onto the bed next to him, but it makes it easier for him to relax, curled close against her. It's comforting. "I don't want to get anyone hurt because I was too naive to see the truth."
"The only person you've gotten hurt is you. And so long as I find you a proper guard, that won't be a problem." She'll find him the best. The quickest, the cleverest, the strongest. Her fingers smooth through his hair in soft, soothing passes. "I'll take care of it, max. Don't I always?"
"I have done that pretty spectacularly," he replies with a wry smile. It feels nice when she does that. A warm and friendly gesture. Nothing manipulative of expectant about it. "You do," he says, and maybe he's too trusting, but he's not been given any reason not to trust her. "You always take care of me."
"You're too pretty for me to ignore." The usual excuse and at one point? That had been all it was. But he's clever, is Max. Clever and kind and there's far, far too few people like that in her life. He grounds her. Reminds her that all the remaining world isn't like Monet. She sighs and tangles their legs, glad for the contact. For him. "I do not have so many friends that I would lose you gladly. I'm selfish that way."
Max snickers at that. He doesn't feel pretty right now, but it's a salve to his ego to hear it. "I am. I am absolutely the prettiest Onekid." Even with the bruises and cracked ribs.
He tilts his head, looks over at her. "That's not selfish, Adele. That's just being human. We need friends. We cling to them because they make us real."
"Shh." It hits a little too close to home, that. Enough to have her murmuring soft, sweet nothings as she strokes his cheek. "Rest. Mm? I'll be here when you wake up."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: Day 204, Action, Evening
"They wouldn't. They- they wouldn't try to kill me." Right? They wouldn't go that far, would they? Then again, he hadn't thought that they'd do this to him either. He'd blithely continued like he was untouchable. It had been stupid of him.
He winces, just a little, when her fingers tighten in his hair, and then it's gone and he looks up at her. "I just... don't want to make things more difficult than they are right now."
Re: Day 204, Action, Evening
Re: Day 204, Action, Evening
He relaxed a little when she started stroking his hair again, slumping back on the bed. Betrayed. It seemed like such a harsh word. But he knew that if it had happened to anyone else, he would have been up at arms to punish them. And Adele would do what she liked, even if Max didn't help. And that was before family heard about this and got involved.
"Alright. I'll give you their names but... but if we're gonna destroy them, let's make it worthwhile okay? Let's make it work for us."
Day 204, Action, Evening
"So I'm not to contact a very unpleasant person to break their kneecaps?" She'd love to do it on her own. "....However you wish to do this. But they do not walk away unscathed. We ruin them. We end them. And then we take you somewhere lovely for a massage."
Re: Day 204, Action, Evening
He smirks a little at that. "I'd love to say yes. But I'm thinking more... turning the whole of D1 against them? Or at least enough that the rest will take it up out of fear of looking bad. Does that sound reasonable?"
She's more familiar with this than he is, better at it, and he values her opinion.
"And the massage is one thing I'm not going to argue about."
Day 204, Action, Evening
"That will work wonderfully. Set them to the wolves. After all no one cares whta you do so long as you do not get caught. When you are caught..."
Day 204, Action, Evening
"When you're caught, it doesn't matter if you get out of it if everyone you know has already made up their mind about you."
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Re: Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Re: Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Re: Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Re: Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
He tilts his head, looks over at her. "That's not selfish, Adele. That's just being human. We need friends. We cling to them because they make us real."
Day 204, Action, Evening
Day 204, Action, Evening
Hs up against her, closing his eyes.