Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

(4:30 pm, 6/12/2017)
Max had been on the bus for a hour, sitting alone in the back, going anywhere but home.

Then it finally stops.

He gets off at a rundown town, but he can still see the lights of the city in the distance. He was close, but far enough to breath.

He pulls his hood over his head, trying to make the black eye a bit less obvious. He begins to walk around town, hands in his pockets. The money’s still there, both tens.

He finds a convenience store, it’s still open. So he goes in. A lady is behind the counter, she’s got; red hair, light brown skin, green eyes, piercings. And she’s wearing; a green t-shirt, shirt pin reading ‘Gwen’, jean shorts, and boots over knee high socks. Her boots are on the counter as she leans back in a chair reading a probably trashy magazine.

Besides her, the store’s empty. He walks around, then bumps into someone. He looks down, a girl about his age with; wild green pigtails, pale skin, and pink eyes. Wearing; a yellow t-shirt, red overalls with pins and patches, mismatched socks, and green sneakers.

“Heeyy.” She says Turing a around. “What! Your the one sitting on the floor.” “I wasn’t just sitting, I was looking at ants!” She stands up. “The names niki.” “Uh, max.” He mutters.

She starts staring at his eye “did you fall out a tree?” “Huh?” “Did you fall out a tree, because your eyes bruised.” “Oh, no. Tripped on a sidewalk into a crossing pole.” “Ok.”

God, Niki was oblivious.

She follows him around the store, he grabs a candy bar from the counter. Niki’s holding a bag of chips and a bottle of soda, standing behind max.

That’s when another kid walks in. He’s got; curly brown hair, brown eyes, tan skin with freckles, worse eye bags then max. He’s wearing; a yellow sweater rolled up to the elbows, red jeans that bag up around his feet, and red sneakers. “Um, hello?” He walks up to the counter, pulling at his backpack strands and looks at the lady. She looks up from her magazine and sighs “yeah kid?” “Where am I?” “Campbell’s convince store, lake lilac.” The kid visibly tenses “I’m so far away from home, fuck.”

“Hey, you guys can just come to my house for the night!” Niki says, her and max buy there things then Niki grabs Neil’s hand and drags him out the door, max follows them.

They walk down the street, eventually Niki stops at a green house. “Here’s my house!” She runs up to the door and pushes it open. Then she runs inside.

“Well she’s fucking weird. Also, name?” Max looks at the house. “Uh-um Neil. My names Neil.” “Max. So are we actually going in?”

“And that’s my room and that’s my moms room, and that’s the closet I kept a raccoon in one time. And there’s where my friend nerris almost broke a vase trying a spell.” Niki’s rambles as the two boys follow her through her home. “I can’t believe we followed her in.” Neil mutters, max elbows him. “Exactly my thoughts.”

Niki runs into her room, lugging her precious snacks with her. Max and Neil follow her.

Nikis bed is on the left wall right by the door with a tv placed a few feet in front of it, she has a desk near the end of her bed against the far wall right under a window, some dressers with small animal enclosures lining the right wall, and a bunch of random stuff stack on shelf’s next to her desk.

Niki drops the snacks on her bed and plugs a old-looking video game console into the box tv near her bed. “So, um, what do we do now?” Neil says and sits down behind the girl on the floor, palfeimg his bag next to him. “Video games, obviously. But once my mom gets home I’ll need to tell her you guys are here.” Max sits against the bed frame next to Neil. “Ok.”

They all sit for a sec watching Niki, then Neil stares at max. “What the fuck do you want, dick.” “The fuck happened to your eye?” “Uh, tripped. On the sidewalk into a crossing pole.” Neil raises a eyebrow. “Like that’s believable.”
Max pulls his hood further onto his head. God bruises suck, but he especially hated when they were on his eyes, unable to be hidden.

Max slumps down more against the bed.

Niki gets the controllers working and hands one to Neil. He takes it and looks it over. “Can I take this apart once we’re done?” “What?” “Um, nothing.” Niki shrugs, “ok.”

Her and Neil get a video game set up, and max flops on to Nikis bed, laying on his stoumch. “What games this?” “Um, Niki?” “Smash bros.” “Ok.” If max had it be honest, he knew barley anything about video games, he barely played them anyway.

The three of them sit there swapping out turns and eating chips until something knocks at Nikis window. She hops up and sits on her desk to open the window. “Nerris! Hi.”

Small brown arms pull themself up into frame and the two boys look at them. “Neil, max. This is nerris. They live across the street and Thier my best friend.” Nerris gives the boys a look and sighs. “I thought me, you and dolf were gonna hang out today.” Niki blinks and smacks her forehead. “I forgot, but I found these guys and had to take them home. Can we do it tomorrow?”

Nerris sighs again and looks over Neil and max once more. “Ok, I’ll tell dolf. But we can only wait till tomorrow, we can only keep the bees contained for so long.” “Ok, and tell dolf I say hi.” “Alright, bye.” “Bye!” Niki waves then hops back off the desk.

Neil blinks and max narrows his eyes. “The fuck was that?” “Oh, I forgot I had plans.” Max’s stares at her. “No I mean. Ah forget it.”
Nikis smiles and joins max on her bed. “Did you eat all the chips?” “Oh, um yeah.” Max stares at the bed. He kinda felt sick. “Ok, well we can just go back to the store. You coming Neil?” “Yeah. Let go.” Neil tells her standing up.

Chapter Text

(7:30 pm, 6/12/2017)

Neil and max follow Niki back down the side walk. And max starts to wish he could take off his hoddie, it was hot despite the breeze.

Niki rambles to the two about some of her many animal adventures as they walk.

“Oh, and I think I saw a platapus in the woods the other day. Almost caught it.” Neil fidgets with his hands. “You, you know those things have venom right?” “No! But that’s even cooler! I’ll have to go back after it tomorrow.” Neil’s eyes widen. “I- ok.”

Then they stop in front of the store. Max pulls open the door, welcoming the breeze of the freezer section and few fans ontop of shelves.

Niki starts to scan the shelves and grab things while Neil walks behind her. Max decides to look at candy again, for the love of whoever’s up there, he needed sugar.

The trio meet back up at the register, that when they realize that’s the grumpy girl from befores gone, In her place is a red head.

Same shirt as her, but with a brown vest over it and pale, freckled skin. Green eyes look down at the kids. His shirt pin reads David.

“Niki. Please tell me you didn’t break any shelves today.” “Nah, I was to busy looking for these.” She plops multiple bags of chips in the counter. David blinks. “Moms not home yet?” “Nope!”

Max and Neil give eachother a look. Those two know eachother. “And who’s this?” David looks at the two.

“This is Neil and that’s max, I found them here three hours ago.” David’s smiles falters and he looks at the boys. Neil’s clears his throat. “I live on the opposite side of town, I took the wrong bus home from my mom’s. She lives in a different city. And I ended up in this side of town.” David nods and focuses on max. Max stares at the floor, his black eye almost burning.

“Max?” Max risks a look upward. David eyes widen. “Hey kids. Can you go over to the ice cream section for a sec, I’ll let you get one for free.” Nikis smiles and drags Neil over to the section.

David walks out from behind the counter and sits infront if max. “What happened to your eye?” Max shoves his hands further in his pocket. He knows he can’t lie, not to this guy, this guy could tell. “M-my dad. Him and mom were pissed. I actually took a bus from the city to here to get away from them.” David frowns. “I’m gonna have to call social

services.” Max looks at David’s eyes. “Bud, it’s for your well being. Your safe, ok?” “I- ok whatever. Dick.” “Hey.” “Whatever.”

Niki runs back over with Neil and plops somthing down on the counter. A carton of chocolate ice cream. “Ok David. Ring me up!” David sights and gets back behind the counter. He puts in everything for the chips and throws a five in the register for the ice cream. Niki hands him a ten and grabs her chips. Then they all leave.

Max can feel a pit in his stoumch. As he goes to walk out the door someone touches his shoulder. He quick turns around and sees David. “I called them. Look, you can go to Nikis, but they’ll pick you up from there. Ok?” “Yeah whatever.” Max sighs. David smiles and walks back inside.

Then max runs down the side walk to catch up to the other two.

They all spend the next few hours playing video games, and eating ice cream with three spoons still in the container. Nikis mom gets back around nine and barely even notices the two other children in her house.

“New friends nicolet?” “Yeah mom, I found them at the store.” Her mom nods and goes into her room. Max thinks this clearly isn’t Nikis first time bringing random people home.

Once Nikis mom comes back out, Neil stands up. “Um, miss?” “You can Jsut call me candy.” He Nods. “Ok, can I use your phone to call my dad? Mine died.” She smiles and pulls out a phone. “Sure things hun.”

Neil grabs the phone and waits for someone to answer. Eventually he gets something and after a few minutes of talking he hands the phone back to candy. She speaks to Neil’s dad for a bit and then hangs up.

“He’ll be here for ya in twenty minutes. Y’all Just sit tight till then.” Then she walks bakc towards the kitchen. Neil sits back down. “You got a ride max.” The pit opens deeper in his stoumch. “You could say that.” “Ok.”

“Nicolet! Your friends dads here!” Niki hops up and the boys and her go into the kitchen. A guy who looks like Neil but older, is sitting with Nikis mom.

The two talk for a bit, exchange numbers, and then Neil goes to the door. “So well be back over for dinner Saturday?” Neil’s dad tells candy. She smiles. “Yeah.” Then the two guys levae.

Candy turns to max. “Now, what about you?” “Uh, well. Cps should be here for me soon.” Max didn’t want to share much, but she’d find out soon enough anyway. Her eyes widen.

“Ok. Hey Niki. Can you go get the trash from your room?” “Sure mom.”

Niki runs back down the hall. Candy gets off the couch and crouches infront of max. She pulls of his hood and looks over his eye. “So, cps?” “Yeah.” She nods. “Not like it’s the first time they’d be coming to this address.” “What?” “Custody’s and stuff. Cause of Nikis dad, we’re divorced.” “Ok.”

Niki comes back out with a wad of plastic bags and shoved them in a trash can. Then she grabs Max’s hand. “Come on, we can hang in my room and I can show you my frogs before you go.” “Frogs?” Max asks. “You got more?” “Found more in the woods mom.” Candy nods. “Ok.”

Chapter Text

(10:30 pm 6/12/17)

“Hey Niki, can you bring your friend here?” Niki stands up and runs down the hall, max shoves his hands in the pockets of his hoddie and walks after her. Niki freezes once she sees someone dressed in a professional outfit.

“Mooom? Why is Brenda here? Did you and dad go to court again?” “No, their here for your friend. Max?” Max stands next to Niki.

“Oh.” Niki turns to him. “Yep.” He responds. “Well, are you still gonna live around here?” “I don’t fucking know.” Niki smiles. “Ok. Well, I guess I’ll see you around. Bye max.” She hugs him and he flinches. Then he pats her shoulder. “Yeah bye Niki.” She let’s go and waves at the other people. “Bye Brenda.” The person sighs. “Bye Niki.” Then Niki runs back to her room.

After a few minutes of questions max slumps harder on Niki’s couch. “Ok, candy, can you leave the room for a minute.” “Yeah, sure.”

She tells Brenda and walks to her room.

“Ok, max can you take off your hoddie?” Max’s eyes widen. Fuck. He doesn’t want to do that, he can’t. But he kinda does.

He huffs and pulls of the fabric. He drops it at his feet and stares at the ground, skinny scarred and bruised arms dangle at his sides.

Brenda sighs. “Ok. Max I’m gonna need to take you back to a center, and after we’re done going through all the legal stuff I’ll place you in a foster home, ok?” Max nods. “You can put your hoddie back on now. But it’s hot. So maybe you-“ “I’m fucking putting it back on.” “Ok. That’s fine.” Brenda walks back to the door. Max follows her.

They get to a car infront of the house and Brenda opens a door for max. He climbs in and they close the door then get in the driver seat.

“So max. Once we get there I’ll need you to give us some phone numbers, some addresses, and you’ll need to answer some personal questions, ok? This is all for your safety though and we won’t tell anyone about it. Alright?” “Yeah whatever.” Max mutters and slumps against the seat. Brenda starts the car and pulls down the road.

“Alright. We’re here. Come on.” Brenda tells max after opening his door. Max just stares at the floor. Fuck, he’s actually doing this. “Max.” “Ok ok. I’m getting out.”

Max unbuckles and hops out of the car. Then he follows Brenda inside.

The next two hours consisted of max being asked a lot of questions. He answered what his parents numbers were, where he use to live, his old school, and all that stuff. But he was also asked stuff like, how long have your parents been like this, how often did they feed you, were you able to wander alone offten, and how long had he been left alone. Max anwsered all of them. But Brenda and the other people seemed disappointed.

Max can even slightly remember his parents getting called. He couldn’t make our much of it, but he’s pretty sure he heard that ‘you can keep him for all we care.’ And Brenda telling him that he be going to court in a few weeks for legal stuff.

At the end of it max was back in the lobby. A clock by the front desk read ‘12:07’. But breanda was on the phone at the desk calling a foster home anyway.

“Thank you so much, yeah I’ll bring him over right now.... no he doesn’t have anything... ok Thanks d. Bye.” They hang up the phone and places it back on the stand. Then they turn and walk to max. “Ok, we’re gonam go now. Is that ok?” Max nods.

Him and Brenda take a road back to the center of town and they park next to a apartment building practically across from the convinces store. They get out of the car and max followes them, hands in his pockets and hood over his hair best it can.

The two walk inside and that’s when max sees the red head from the convince store.

Chapter Text

(12:18 am) 6/13/17

Brenda walks up to him. “Oh my fucking god. You, it’s fucking you.” “Max, no cursing.” Max huffs and stands next to breanda.

“Thank you for doing this on such short notice David.” “Oh it’s all my pleasure. And it’s seems fit that I get him after calling you guys in the first place.” Breanda chuckles. “I suppose so. Now I just need you to sign these and then I’ll give them to you to read later.” David smiles and takes a pen from the person and signs a few documents. Then they give him another one. “This is his file. And since he’s fairly new, your his first foster home, but this does cover some of his bio home life, and anything else we could get on him.”

Max had to stop himself from smiling at the he’s and hims. He was gald Brenda respected him after seeing his doctors stuff.

David smiles and holds the document under his arm. Brenda smiles back and puts their documents back in the bag. “Now I’ll leave you two alone. And I’ll be back in a few weeks. Bye boys.” “Bye Brenda.” Max gives her a small wave.

“Well max, if you want to come with me-“ “I don’t wanna fucking go with you.” “Now Max.“ “ok whatever.” Max’s grumbles and follows David to a elevator at the end of the room.

They get off of the elevator a four floors up, then David walks to a apartment down the right wall. He pulls out a set of keys and pushes it into the handle. He turns the keeps and pushes the door open. Max walks a bit closer and then follows David inside.

“Harrison? Your still up?” Max looks at the couch, a kid in yellow pjs in sitting on it, knees bundled to his chest. He nods. “Still not talking?” Harris’s bawls his fist and nods it. Then he bows his head and rubs a closed fist on his chest “its alright, no need to say sorry.” David walks further into the house and max stops at the couch.

“Harrison, this is max. Max, this is Harrison.” Harrison waves at max and max frowns. “Why the fuck isn’t he taking?” “Harrisons autistic and selectively mute, so sometimes he doesn’t talk.” “Werid.” Harrison looks at the ground. “Max.” “Ok ok, I’m sorry.”

Harrison looks up at him and shrugs. Then he gets up and walks to a kitchen right behind him. He grabs a water bottle and then walks back to the couch. Then he taps David and points at max. “Right. You guys are gonna share a room. Also Brenda said you don’t have anything so I grabbed a few things, their on the bed. And the door at the end of the wall closest to the front door is the bathroom, my rooms right next to the kitchen. And I’ll be going there right now. Harrison, can you show max your room?” Harrison nods and walks towards said room. “Perfect, night kiddo.” David ruffles Harrison hair and walks to his own room.

Max follows Harrison. Harrison flicks on a switch and max has to blink a few times to adjust. “So,” max starts looking around the room.

Bunk bed against the left wall, two dressers against the right, and a desk pushed right under the window on the wall across from the door.

Max looks around, the bottom bunk is covered in random posters and stickers, along with stuff tapped to the wall and a few magic items hug on the bed posts. “David left stuff in here for me, on the top I’m guessing?” Harrison nods and diggs around in a box he had pulled out from under the bed, sitting on the floor.

Max climbs up the ladder and looks at the small pile of stuff on the bed, some folded clothes, a blanket and pillow, a toothbrush and a hair brush, and a backpack.

Max hops back onto the floor and Harrison jumps. “So is David your dad or something.” Harrison looks up and blinks at max, then he looks down at a note pad and writes.

No, he’s my foster dad. My bio parents couldn’t keep me.

Well that kinda explained the flinching “Why couldn’t they keep you?” Harrison huffs and scribbels some more.

They didn’t like me. I’m not saying anything else for now.

“Ok got it.” Max mutters and sits down. Harrison taps his leg with the pen. Max looks up and Harrison holds out his note pad.

You?

Max sights. “I ran away and my parents don’t want me.” Harrison blinks. He takes a sip from his water bottle and jots something down.

That sucks

“Totally.” Max responds. “Look, since You already kinda get it, can I take off my hoddie, it’s so fucking hot.” Harrison nods and max sighs. This time from relief. He quickly pulls of the fabric and lays it in his lap.

Harrison starres at him. Max isn’t surprised. His skins battered and he’s way to skinny. Not to mention his chest. “Look I-“ Harrison taps him wiht the note pad.

Your trans?

Max sighs and nods. Harrison smiles. He starts writing again.

So is David, he’s also pan. I’m bi.

Max blinks. Oh, he’s found his people, not that they’ll ever know though.

“Really?” Harrison nods, then he stand up and points to a yellow backpack on the end of his bed. A little pink purple and blue striped pin hanging on the front. “Cool.” Harrison sits back down and looks at him.

His eyes gravitate to Max’s badly bruised wrists, then his scrapped elbows, then back to his wrist. “You don’t have to be rude, dumbass.”

He Sighs and rubs a closed fist on his chest. Earlier when he did that David told him not to apologize, so that must mean sorry. Max shrugs and balls his jacket into his lap.

“What happened, t-to your arms?” Max looks up. “And he speaks!” Harrison’s eyebrows arch in the middle of his face. He mutters a few words in what max is guessing is Spanish, due to his accent, and looks at him. “Fuck you.” Max snorts. “Welp, at lest your not a wimp.” Harrison laughs.

“Ok but for real, what happened?” “My dad.” Max spits out. Harrison nods and pull up the sleeve of his pjs, a small blistering bruise is on his wrist around a few small welt like scars and a few while lines. “My mom n’ dad. Punishment. Belt.” Harrison mutters out. “The one looks newer. Did D-“ Harrison grabs maxes hand. He flinches and looks over the kid. “I’ve only been wiht David for a month. That was the last mark from my dad.” Max blinks and runs a hand down the back of his neck. “I’m guessing that got you taken away, like my eye.”

Harrison sighs and nods. “The black eye is obviously a punch t’ the eye brusie.” “Why didn’t you ask then?” “It was obvious.” Max sighs “got it. So, um.” “Yeah I’m bored to. Dose anything hurt?” Max nods. “Alright.”
Harrison turns around and digs underneath his bed again and pulls out a box. He turns and places the box in his lap. “Is anything bleeding or just bruised?” Max squeezes his hoddie. “I don’t know, I think I have a cut on my hip, but it’s mainly bruises. I might have sprained my wrist.”

Harrison nods, digging around the box- how many boxes dose this kid have under his bed- while blowing hair out his face. “Ok,” he starts, pulling a roll of ace bandages out. “We can put this on your wrist if it’s a sprain, I can put this cream on the bruises to help wiht it, and I can give you a bandied for the cut. You’ll probably need Tylenol too, but I’m out and David has some in his room, so I’ll have to go ask for his.” “We don’t need to ask David for anything.”

Harrison looks at max with a raised eyebrow, “your scared of him.” “Am not.” “It’s almost obvious that you are, that’s why you didn’t tell him your injured, you don’t trust him either.” Max fold his arms into his chest, he’s not wrong.

“Look, I get it. But he’s different.” Harrison exsplains. “I’ll fix you up for now then get the Tylenol, you don’t need to come with.”

Max sighs and tilts his head back, “fine.” “Ok, do can I see your wrist?” “Sure.” Max sits up straight and puts his wrist in Harrison’s outstretched hand.

He pokes at it a bit, max winces. “Definitely sprained, I can feel that it’s swallowen plus it’s red and your wincing.” Max nods and hairs raped a ace banged around his hand tightly, securing it in place wiht a safety pin. “Don’t use it to much.” Max nods again and Harrison hands him bandies.

Chapter Text

I am sorry to say that this work will forever be on Hiatus

My writing had matured and I can’t get myself to finish this, if someone else would like to, go for it ^^

I’ll make another Harrison and max as foster siblings fic, so look out for that