August 10th/ Uneasy/ PG-13/ Ended.

[Max]

Character(s): Max Kimori, and whoever else!
Time: Around sunset
Location: Train Station


Huddled under an awning on the platform -- which some idiot thought would be a good idea to put outside --, Max tapped his foot impatiently. The brunette had been waiting for almost five minutes now, and had sprinted to the station under the impression that he was going to miss the train altogether.

The wind blew past him again, nearly causing him to convulse. Max hadn't planned on being outside much that day, and had only pulled on the hoodie he had worn a few days ago -- mostly because it still smelled like the girl that had torn it off of him.

Max glanced around him, searching for the friendliest-looking person on the platform. There didn't seem to be anyone other than an elderly woman checking her watch every thirteen seconds. His eyes widened a bit, relating manga to his life again and honestly believing for a moment that, if she talked to him, he would be transported to some semi-alternate reality via a terrible train accident.

The boy decided staying put and waiting would be best, and resumed anxiously tapping his foot.

Nervousness pulled at him from every direction -- telling him to stay put, to go back, that he was stupid for leaving campus without Asuka or Sora or, hell, even Hanako next to him. Max wasn't safe off-campus, he was and could be a completely different person with the snap of his fingers and the scared him more than the thought of dying in that terrible accident.

Off-campus, anyone -- meaning Takashi, Satsuki, Sakura, anyone -- could approach him, say and do whatever the liked to him, and Max wouldn't be able to protect himself because, around them, Max was a six-year-old girl, frightened to move and took whatever was thrown at them because they loved the people that were hurting them -- "Mommy! Don't leave!" -- and they knew they'd be back to normal the next day.

He swallowed hard, digging in his pockets for the iPod he already knew he had left in his dorm room -- he had done this twice now. Alone, without something to keep him distracted -- considering his lack of a cellphone was the reason he had ventured off campus in the first place --, but, he had forgotten how big the city really was. Unfriendly faces -- for all he knew -- were just around the corner, on the train, working at the electronics store now and that caused him to panic even more.

More than he wanted to be warm in that instant, Max wanted someone to accompany him, keep him from snapping into that shitty person he hated being, or to keep him from being beaten unrecognizable by people that he only had a slight chance of encountering. He didn't care, but he was panicking -- THIS close to giving up and going back -- but, instead, focused intently on his feet and waited for the train.


(OOC: If you understand the two references I made, I may have to hug you.)

[andou]

The sun painted patterns of pink underneath his lids as it flooded through the window. There was this loud beeping in his ear. Blinking open his baby blues, he sat up groggily searching for the sound of this irritating beeping. His phone came into focus, a picture of a shaking alarm on it's screen. "Oh fuck." He hissed, disabling the alarm. How long had he been asleep? And where the fuck was Max?

He vaguely remembered something about going out to get something, but that memory was still stuck in his sleep. Some sort of startling truth hit Sora then, shaking him awake. Max was going off campus. Alone. That made Sora's stomach do a little turn. He was clearly worried, but there was nothing he could do. There was no valid reason for him to show up. 'Sorry for showing up! I thought you might get your ass kicked, or have a panic attack.' No, that wouldn't work.

As if the very thought summoned it, his ticket appeared in front of him. Max left his ipod. "Yes!" Sora yelled, leaping toward the ipod. He quickly showed his feet into his sneakers, threw a gray beanie on along with his black jacket and walked out the door. He looked down at his gray vest and rolled his eyes, before he broke into a sprint. He was way too over dressed.

When he finally reached the train station, where he hoped Max would be, he saw the young boy standing by himself and sighed. "Thank god." He whispered. Sora could only imagine the inner turmoil his friend was going through, so he jogged up to him, "Max! Hey!" He huffed, placing his hand on Max's shoulder, "You left your ipod, man." He smiled, out of breath. digging out the ipod he pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to the other.

"You okay?" He huffed, smiling.

-------------------------

he was wearing this with thisjacket

[Max]

From the corner of his mind, Max could vaguely hear someone calling his name. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing whoever it was to leave. The brunette wanted nothing more than to dissolve into the wall behind him -- a feeling he knew well, but hated -- and pretend that he wasn't there.

"Max! Hey!" The voice was closer this time, and a hand fell to Max's shoulder. The teen jumped nearly out of his skin, snapping his eyes open. He turned, bracing himself, to look in the direction of his possible assailant, only to find himself staring at his roommate. "You left your iPod, man." Sora smiled, huffing and digging through his pockets, producing what Max recognized as his own iPod.

Dropping it into the brunette's hand, Sora looked up at him again, "You okay?"

Though it took Max a long moment to realize that the boy in front of him wasn't going to hit or stab him -- blinking at the blonde like an idiot -- and, after depositing his iPod in his pocket, the boy launched himself off of the wall at Sora, wrapping his arms around his roommate -- his chin resting on the blonde boy's shoulder.

Max hugged him for what felt like an eternity, but he really didn't want to let go. Without even knowing what he had done, Sora had shown up -- bringing me me iPod, if nothing else -- and saved Max from a completely terrifying outing alone. To Max, that was one of the best, one of the nicest, things anyone could do for him, whether they did it intentionally or not.

Pulling away from the blonde -- his cheeks turning pink in embarrassment from his sudden pounce on Sora -- Max looked to the ground, his arms back at his sides again. "Heh, sorry about that, it's just..." Max swallowed against the lump in his throat, not knowing how to thank the boy in front of him. Sora barely knew him, he barely knew Sora, but, Max was already incredibly grateful to have the blonde as a friend, roommate, what have you. "Uh, I just really didn't want to be alone today. And yeah, I'm okay." Max lied, he hadn't been okay -- on the verge of a nervous breakdown, actually -- until Sora showed up.

The brunette wanted to thank Sora properly... but, then again, Max had no idea if Sora would even understand what he was thanking him for. Max also couldn't being to think of a way to explain it to the other boy if he asked -- a way that didn't bring on the water works like Max felt it would. Sighing quietly to himself, all traces of his blush gone now, Max looked up from the ground, smiling softly a his friend. "So, uh, what brought you all the way out here? I mean, you didn't sprint down here just to bring me my iPod, right? I mean... I hope not." he babbled, still pondering the correct way to word his thanks, and hoping to rid Sora's memory of the terribly invasive hug.

Max should have felt bad about that, but he couldn't bring himself to.

[andou]

Sora's hand was nearly sent flying when Max jerked at his touch. Blue eyes widened with hurt and shock at the violent reaction from the other boy. He hated the fear in Max's eyes, and the fact that it was aimed toward him was disheartening. Just as he expected, Max was freaking out.

One second he was staring into Max's chocolate eyes, the next Max was embracing him. Sora stood completely still for a moment, trying to process what exactly had just happened. He had handed Max his iPod and now Max was hugging him, and now Sora was...happy. This fluttering wasn't normal, Sora pushed away the thought and focused of the trembling boy clutching him. Just as his arms moved to return the embrace, Max pulled away, and Sora placed his hands right back to his sides--where they belong.

"Heh, sorry about that, it's just. uh, I just really didn't want to be alone today. And yeah, I'm okay." Max apologized, a blush spreading across his face. Sora couldn't help but to mentally comment on how adorable it was on the boy.

"Idiot." Sora laughed, pushing Max lightly. "If you didn't want to go alone, you should have asked me to come. I would have come." He wasn't lying, he would have come in a heartbeat. Truth is, Sora would have probably spent his night pacing around the dorm room worried sick until his roommate returned.

The taller boy didn't know if he should tell Max that the iPod was just an excuse to come down here and see if he was okay or not. If he ended up saying that it was all for the iPod, Max might expect him to leave, and that was the last thing he wanted to do right now. "Well," The blonde chuckled nervously, "I actually was kinda worried. I know you were kind of freaking out about the whole leaving campus thing.... and then those dickwads, what if you were by yourself you know?" His words were coming out too fast now, just a string of syllables being passed off as words.

[Max]

"Idiot." the blonde laughed, nudging Max and causing a lot of the tension to leave him. "If you didn't want to go alone, you should have asked me to come. I would have come." The sincerity in Sora's voice was a bit shocking to Max, he hadn't expected something like that to come from Sora -- ever the joker, as far as Max knew -- and, when the words finally registered in his mind -- why am I so slow today? -- Max relaxed considerably, leaning back against the wall again, his feet crossed in front of him. The brunette's gaze slipped away from Sora and landed on the train tracks, his mind a million miles away.

Though, if Max were being honest with himself, he would have consciously known that he leaned back like that to keep himself from hugging Sora again. His arms folded over her chest, itching to reach for the blonde, but Max stopped them, pulling hard against something that could have been considered natural instinct. Sora had just told him that he would have given up half of his night to come with Max -- actually, that's exactly what he was doing now -- who wouldn't want to hug someone for that?

Sora chuckled, a nervousness in his tone that Max couldn't quite place a reason on. "I actually was kinda worried. I know you were kind of freaking out about the whole leaving campus thing.... and then those dickwads, what if you were by yourself you know?" The words were slightly jumbled together, but Max caught the gist.

His fingers -- hidden from view -- twitched again. Max had never felt such... gratitude? toward another person before. Sora wasn't purely selfish like everyone else Max had known in his life. Sora had used bringing Max his iPod to create an excuse to make sure he was alright alone -- which I'm not, please don't leave -- and then, had mentioned Max's "friends."

What if you were by yourself you know?

Once again, Max had no idea. If he had been alone and run in to them, it would be another round of bruises and another round of false explanations to everyone. Everyone but Sora, at least. The brunette didn't know how he felt about his roommate acting as his protector -- of course, he was actually elated that someone cared enough to risk themselves to protect him, but he couldn't let himself feel something like that. Max needed to grow up, to quit being a baby and protect himself, though, when he glanced up at Sora -- winded and smiling at Max, choosing to protect this boy that he barely knew -- that was all he felt. He wanted to be protected, what was wrong with that?

Slowly, Max's eyes swung back up to meet that blonde's. He was trying hard to keep from looking away again, to keep from mumbling and sounding like a moron, but his words were tumbling out of his mouth at a ferocious speed. "Thank you, Sora," Max said, attempting to sound vaguely genuine if he could, but Max thought he sounded like a scolded child. "I don't really know what to say or do to actually thank you, y'know, other than saying 'thank you,' so uh," -- this was the hard part -- "if you want to stick around, I'll get us dinner or something...?"

The boy hadn't meant for that to come out as a question, but, looking at Sora, he felt some sort of nervousness bubble up inside him. The lazy, easy smile that had been on the blonde boy's face when he'd showed up was freshly painted in Max's mind, and it was causing his stomach to do funny little flips. He wanted to chalk it all up to being hungry, but Max knew it all meant something else entirely.

[andou]

"Thank you, Sora," Max thanked him, Sora went to open his mouth but closed it, watching as Max's lips began to move again. He leaned his shoulder onto the wall behind them, and watched the brunette speak, "I don't really know what to say or do to actually thank you, y'know, other than saying 'thank you,' so uh, if you want to stick around, I'll get us dinner or something...?"

Sora's eyes widened, and the smirk rose back to his face, "Ah, so we're finally having that brodate?" He asked excitedly, pushing himself off of the wall. Adjusting his beanie, the blonde stuffed his hands in his jean pockets, "You don't have to do that though," He scuffed his shoe against the concrete, focusing on anything but his friend in front of him, "You wanted to go out for a reason right? Save your money for that. Thank me by letting me come along." He looked up at Max from the corner of his eye, the usual charming grin on his face.

A gust of wind ripped through the train station as the train screeched into place. It was frigid and bitter, the scent of winter mixed with the fragrance of falling leaves to make this October gust. That was the first time Sora took notice of what the brunette was wearing, a thin sweatshirt was the only thing hanging over Max's shoulders. Again, the protective urge washed over the taller boy, "God damnit Max," he hissed, shrugging off his jacket. With a flick of his wrist, he draped it over the other boy's shoulders, "Put it on, and don't you dare try and give it back." Sora ordered, pulling the hood over Max's eyes and letting go.

"Let's get on." He said, pulling on the sleeve of his own jacket, which fit Max loosely --he looks really cute. The train was crowded today, the would have to squish.

[Max]

The blonde boy smirked at him, his eyes lighting up. "Ah, so we're finally having that brodate?" Sora moved himself off of the wall, adjusting his had before shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "You don't have to do that though. You wanted to go out for a reason right? Save your money for that. Thank me by letting me come along." Sora looked up at the brunette out of the corner of his eye, grinning now.

"I was planning on getting a new phone, since mine... um, broke." he chuckled, shrugging. "But I'd rather go get something to eat, so you can tag along for that and eat my fries." Max joked, nudging the boy with his foot and smiling cheekily. He really had no desire to continue his previous plans now that Sora had shown up. The brunette would much rather hang out with him.

The fluttering back in his stomach. His heartbeat picked up a bit, and, at the same time, a gust of wind blew through the station. Shivering slightly, and inhaling the fresh scent of fall and outdoors, Max watched the train pull forward, people scrambling to be first and second.

"God damnit Max," he heard the blonde say quietly, an almost inaudible hiss, his eyes snapping back to him. Sora pulled his jacket off, wrapping it around Max's shoulders quickly. As Max tried to object, Sora said, "Put it on, and don't you dare try and give it back." He pulled the hood up over Max's head, and, with a gentle tug, dropped his hands to his sides again.

The boy's cheek's burned. He dropped his head and eyes back to the floor, feeling ridiculous. Sora's jacket smelled like him, like the way their dorm room smelled. Max never wore cologne, so the smell of Sora was always lingering in the room. Max had no idea that he had noticed that, but, thinking about it, he realized he liked it. A lot.

A ding sounded through the station, followed by the sound of the train doors pulling open. Max looked up to Sora again as he spoke.

"Let's get on." The blonde said, tugging at the sleeve of his jacket. The urge to offer it back to him hit Max again, but the words wouldn't leave him. Don't you dare try and give it back.

Pushing himself off of the wall again, Max sidled up next to Sora, slowly making his way toward the train. He turned to the boy mid-step, blinking for a moment at the surprisingly thoughtful expression on Sora's face, "You walk slow, c'mon!" They were two of the last ones on, pressed together tightly as they tried to fit both of them in one seat. Max rolled his eyes to himself, only an idiot would choose to leave during rush hour. Max didn't mind, however, being that close to his roommate. Their hands in their laps, Max could have reached over and squeezed Sora's had -- another gesture of thanks, maybe more -- but quieted fleeting the want quickly.

Max believed he would never be able to thank Sora enough for showing up, not even if he tried to every day from now until... whenever the last day they saw each other would be. He would try though. Because the twisting feeling in his stomach was proof enough that Sora meant something more to Max than just a friend. A best friend, maybe, Max couldn't really place it.

[andou]

"I was planning on getting a new phone, since mine... um, broke. But I'd rather go get something to eat, so you can tag along for that and eat my fries."

The playful nudge of the other's foot, made him laugh, almost a bit too giddily. Sora, pull it together... you are not some stupid school girl. Max is your friend. He scolded himself, but he couldn't will himself to stop grinning. It hadn't even occurred to Sora that Max didn't have a phone. Well, that sure would have been convenient. He thought again. In fact, Max getting a phone would make everything a little easier -- plus being the first person to get his number would be nice. Sora could just shoot him a text asking if he was okay, instead of just running halfway across campus to meet him at the train station.

"How about this. You buy your phone, and I'll buy us dinner?" Sora smiled, ruffling Max's hair. "Actually... that wasn't really a question. I'll buy us dinner, and if you don't take the offer... you'll be insulting me." Sora laughed, trying to avoid Max's pooling brown eyes.

There was definitely something happening behind the scenes of Sora's mind, but he couldn't really finger what it was. There was this odd fluttering feeling in the pit of his stomach, at first he believed it was his nervousness. He thought he might miss Max's train, or find him beaten to a pulp or something... but now that Max was safe and sound next to him, the fluttering didn't stop. He tried to push away the strong feeling, but it ate away at him as the scenery flew by around them. Sora isn't naive, but he also isn't going to jump to conclusions over a simple fluttery feeling.

Max was the type of person Sora liked to be around. The brunette was cute, a little bratty, childish, and he needs protecting. What was wrong about wanting to be someone protector? He wanted to keep Max safe, out of harms way, and if things stayed just like this... he would be fine with it. If... Max wanted it that way of course. He didn't want to be a pest to the other boy.

"Excuse me?" A woman's voice said to him, ripping him out of his thoughts. Sora looked up at her with his natural alluring smile. The woman was horribly pregnant, and cramped against a bunch of people. He needed to see no more.

"Don't even ask." He smiled, waving off the question he saw forming at her lips, "Here you go." Sora pushed himself up and helped the woman into his seat. Pushing his knee between the girl's leg and Max's he placed a protective arm out on the window, his other hand holding on to the bar next to Max, shielding him from the mass of people that had entered at the next stop. Sora did a good job at making it natural as the people bumped him in the back, getting through. He flashed Max a smile, "One more stop!"

/end