Dark Hearts

[sugakookie]

"People like me aren't 'good guys', Eli. We just put on a show to make ourselves feel better." Lucian takes a deep breath and rests his head back as the car drives off.

Matt nods and doesn't say anything more, feeling like he's overworked himself. He's talked more than usual about his feelings. He didn't like it. Matt loosely hugs Em back.

Theory's breathing slows to an even pace, signaling that he's fallen asleep.

Cloud doesn't bark and just runs down to Max and starts licking him. Max tries to angrily push Cloud away, but only gets as far as putting his hand on his chest before the stress catches up to him. Max breaks down into intense tears, feeling overwhelmed and stressed and upset that he missed two whole classes.

 

[Dragongal]

"B-but, no, no disrespect, sir, but I think you're overall a pretty good guy. You took in Jack, after all. And you're always concerned for your wife and you were really concerned about Beatrice at Christmas dinner." Eli didn't want to argue, but he also didn't want Lucian thinking he was actually a bad person.

Em smiled against his shoulder and said, "I think we are getting that bond. I can tell you're uncomfortable, having spoken like this. It's okay, love."

Orion looked at Theory, then huffed a quiet sigh. Of course his soul mate had to have parental restrictions.

Beatrice slowly follows Cloud downstairs. She finds Max on the ground crying. "Max! Oh my God!" She ran to his side and knelt down next to him. "Max, shh, it's okay love"

 

[sugakookie]

Lucian turns his head to look at Eli. He half smiles. "Thank you. I'm glad you and Mason are together. You're almost too nice."

"I don't think it is, though. I don't like the attention being on me... let's talk about something else."

After another short nap, Theory suddenly jolts away to the sound of a high pitched ringing in his ears. He starts whimpering. His parents were yelling at him telepathically, demanding he come home and forcing that annoying ringing into his head.

Max shakes his head but can't talk at all. His sobs alarm Cloud who starts licking him and trying to get him to stop.

 

[Dragongal]

"Okay, I may be a goody-two-shoes, but I'm not too nice," Eli laughed.

Emmalia kissed Matt's cheek and said, "Okay. We can talk about me keeping that cat in my apartment. Or, we can skip talking for a while and focus on different things." She kissed his cheek again to make it clear what she meant.

Orion jumped when Theory moved, and he shifted back to his human form, hugging Theory's head to his chest. "Theory?! What is it?"

Beatrice does the first thing that comes to mind and sits down next to Max to gently pull him into her lap and stroke his hair. "Shh... it's okay, love."

 

[sugakookie]

"I think you're both," Lucian chuckles. He's feeling a bit better now.

"I like the second idea better," Matt says, grimacing at the mention of the cat.

Theory goes back to his human form and telepathically yells back at his parents to stop. They do, and he's left trembling. "My parents are angry," Theory says in a horrified whisper. He's never heard them be that infuriated.

Max manages to get out a few words. "What... what did Levi do? W-why did he make me sleep s-so long?"

 

[Dragongal]

Em chuckled. "I figured you would."

Orion sat down and pulled Theory close, against his chest. "Is there any way to make them not angry? Will they punish you?"

"Probably because you needed sleep. I asked to speak to him and then you just dropped on the floor. When I woke him he was very grumpy and said he was upset because you weren't letting either of you get rest. Then the slept more." That was a short summary, but a summary nonetheless.

 

[sugakookie]

"Okay, so what does my schedule look like for the rest of the day?" Lucian asks when they get back to their company building.

"I'm not sure... I've never disobeyed them," Theory says, wishing he could just get rid of the telepathy. They were still scolding him. Well, it was mostly his demon father getting angry.

Max looks distraught. "You shouldn't have let him sleep! You should have made him bring me back."

 

[Dragongal]

Eli flipped through his scheduling book. "You gave another meeting later, around four, but besides that you're completely free."

"I mean if you go now then they won't get any more mad at you... but what if they ban you from coming here?" Orion couldn't stand the thought of losing Theory.

Beatrice said rather dourly, "Because it's that easy to keep him awake when you're that tired, of course." She sighed and said, "I know you don't like going to class any more."

 

[sugakookie]

"If you want to go home early, you can. I can do the other meeting by myself," Lucian says.

Theory looks up at Orion with sad eyes. "I don't want to go back at all. I like it here. They can't ban be from being here if I don't leave."

Max wipes his eyes, starting to calm down so he can speak better. "I do. I have to go to class, I need to graduate."

 

[Dragongal]

Eli looked at Lucian for a few seconds in confusion, then said, "No, it's okay, I'm your assistant. I should go with you."

Was he talking about leaving his parents just to be on earth? That was a big choice. "Theory... won't they be in your head? Why can't they understand that you want to be free?"

"Levi told me you're just trying to make your family happy," she said softly.

 

[sugakookie]

Lucian shrugs. "Suit yourself," he says.

"Well, yeah, but they'd never approve of me staying here." Theory sighs. He knows he'll have to go back.

Max furrows his eyebrows. "Levi doesn't know shit," Max says, sitting up and a bit annoyed.

 

[Dragongal]

"They can't possibly kept you there, can they?" Orion asked.

Beatrice said sternly, "Maybe he knows more than you."

 

[sugakookie]

Theory shifts a bit. "They can," he says simply and sadly.

"Says who? This isn't even his body. Or his life. He's in control of nothing," Max says.

 

[Dragongal]

Orion looks terribly crestfallen. "Oh.... I guess you better keep them happy, then...."

"I never said he was in control of anything. But maybe he pays a bit more attention to your own emotions than you do. He has nothing to hide or protect, but you do."

 

[sugakookie]

Theory buries his face in Orion's chest. "I hate this. I hate that I was born like this."

Max is quiet for a few moments then says, "I'm going to take a shower." He wipes his eyes and gets up, a bit shaky as he walks towards the stairs.

 

[Dragongal]

Orion looked down at Theory, then quietly said, "But if you weren't like this, I wouldn't have you."

Beatrice silently watched him walk away.

 

[sugakookie]

"But maybe you would somehow, and it would be easier than it is now," Theory says.

 

[Dragongal]

"I would never want to take that risk," Orion said softly before he gently kissed Theory.


About a month passed. Overall, relatively little had changed, except the Savage kids now knew of their mother's pregnancy, and Max had quit classes. Beatrice was starting to show some of the more typical pregnancy behaviors, like cravings and difficulty sleeping.

Beatrice wasn't the only one with difficulty sleeping, though. At one in the morning, Adira, very drunk, called Miles and waited impatiently for him to answer his phone.

 

[sugakookie]

Max is in the shower one morning, finally able to sleep a full 8 hours and not stress. He's more happy lately and his skin is brighter. He smiled more often and was playful with Be and his brothers. Max gets out of the shower and goes to shave his stubble, then leaves the bathroom with a towel around his waist.

Miles answers after a few rings. He tiredly says, "Hello?" His voice is thick with sleep.

 

[Dragongal]

Beatrice had just been lounging around on the bed. She was very happy to see Max happy and healthy again, it made her feel much better about having had that talk with him. Now, though, her focus is more on Max being healthy. "Hey there hot stuff," she chuckles as he walks into their bedroom.

"Miles?" Adira asked. There was the sound of loud music and loud, mostly male, voices behind her. "Sorry if you was sleepin, I ain't gonna sugar coat it, I kinda fucked up real bad, and I'm real drunk. I know ya don't like me bein drunk, but I got drunk anyway and please save my ass." She was drunk enough to have regressed into street talk she hadn't used in years.

 

[sugakookie]

Max laughs a little and flips his wet hair for effect. "Good morning gorgeous," he says, winking a bright hazel eye that looked particularly green that day. He walks to the closet and Cloud jogs up to greet him.

Miles sits up, becoming fully awake. "Where are you? I'll come get you," he says. He gets up and starts putting on clothes.

 

[Dragongal]

Beatrice looked Max over, then said, "You have anywhere to be soon?"

"Uh... O'Malley's on eleventh... or is it eighth? We met here last time. Yknow the place." On the other end of the line, Adira held the phone away so she could drink some more whiskey without him knowing, then brought the phone back to her ear.

 

[sugakookie]

Max shakes his head. "Not til 3. Why? Wanna grab lunch?" Max asks.

"Alright, I'll be there soon. Don't go anywhere and don't drink anything," he hangs up and rushes out of the apartment after putting clothes on, then drives to the bar to find Adira.

 

[Dragongal]

Beatrice stood up and walked closer to him to kiss him and wrap her arm around his waist. "Not quite what I had in mind..."

Adira directly disobeyed the order not to drink any more. After she finished her whiskey, she waited for him to arrive. The patrons of the bar had already learned to leave her alone.

 

[sugakookie]

Max chuckles and rests his hands on her forearms. He couldn't believe what came out of his mouth next. "Babe, not right now. I just showered," he says.

Miles comes into the bar and looks for Adira. He walks over to her. "Are you okay? Ready to go?"