Sweaters & Cigarettes (17 page)

But it still makes Theo mad, uncomfortably
so. He's fine with being insulted, he can take that. He's
not
fine about
someone insulting Max, even though he's completely sure he can take care of
himself.

Michael looks a bit uncomfortable,
then, and he glances at Hannah and Ben, who both look equal parts concerned and
annoyed.

"Luc," Michael finally
says, grabbing Luc's arm gently. "Come on, man."

"Whoa, brother," Luc
says, with an edge to his voice that makes even Michael snap his jaw shut.
"I'm not done, here."

Theo swallows, hoping he doesn't
come off as too nervous. He can practically feel Cassie tense up behind him,
not to mention Max.

"I'm sorry if I said
anything," Theo says, carefully, even though he knows full well that he
hasn't
been saying bad things about Michael, or his friends. "I didn't mean
to―"

"That doesn't cut it,"
Luc says, cutting him off again, shrugging off Michael's hand as he takes
another step forward, and Theo tenses up properly, this time, suddenly worried
about what he might have gotten himself into. Luc isn't exactly above physical
violence, and he can definitely be described as slightly unstable, and pissing
him off really isn't a good idea. But Theo doesn't know what else to say, or
do. It seems that there is no right way of getting out of this, and he knows that
no one, not even Michael, is really keen on trying to make this guy back off.

It's when Luc makes the slightest
move to take another step closer, though, that someone actually does do
something, and Theo is probably more shocked than anyone, when it happens.

"Alright, we get it," Max
says tiredly, sounding bored, more than anything, as he steps forward,
practically putting himself between Theo and Luc. "You're a big, strong
man, and your dick is huge. Everyone here is perfectly aware of your insecure,
little compensation issues. So simmer down, there, okay?"

Theo can't help but widen his
slightly, looking at Max incredulously. If Max turned to him, he would see an
expression of warning, almost pleading shock, as Theo knows perfectly well how
terribly stupid it is to provoke Luc. It's so stupid, that he can't believe Max
is actually doing it.

No
, he thinks.
No, please don't.

Then again, Max isn't stupid. He
knows perfectly well how touchy Luc can be, everybody does, and that he's
really only making matters worse for himself. So why is he still doing it?

Theo turns back to Luc, when he
actually seems to puff himself up a bit, a stark contrast to the slim figure of
Max, who stays put, hands in his pockets.

"You're starting to piss me
off, faggot," Luc says, voice low, as he actually takes a step closer to
Max. But Max doesn't really flinch. Instead, he pulls back the slightest bit,
more like someone would shy away from something foul-smelling, rather than
scary. And he actually smirks.

"Wow," he says dryly.
"That's some impressive vocabulary you got, there."

It's an odd sight; Luc is both
bigger and taller than Max, who simply stands there, looking up at him, a
slightly cocky smirk on his face, almost like he knows something Luc doesn't.
And it's obvious that Luc notices that, too; he hates being made to look
stupid, which is ironic, seeing as how he isn't, Theo knows that. He's actually
pretty smart. He's just a giant, insecure asshole, most of the time, so it
doesn't show.

People around them seem to notice
Max's jab, too. The whole situation hasn't attracted that much attention, but
enough for a few stragglers to stop and observe, some of them actually giggling
or laughing at Max's words. Not Theo, though, nor Cassie, not even Michael and
the others. Theo would love to enjoy this, sure, but he's too busy worrying
about Max actually getting hurt. He knows how rash Luc can be.

"You need to shut up, right
now." Luc's voice is low, and laced with warning, enough to make Theo
tense up considerably. He turns to Max, who simply gives Luc a sarcastically
apologetic look, before lowering his voice to the same volume as his.

"Not gonna happen, I'm
afraid," he says, and Theo swallows, turning back to Luc.

Shit
.

For a split second, it almost looks
as though Luc considers maybe
not
punching Max in the face, but it's
rendered moot, when he actually does.

He's a big guy, that much is
obvious, and therefore, it doesn't take much to basically knock Max to the
ground.

And apart from that, and the
collective gasp that follows from the small group of people around them, Theo
doesn't remember much. He doesn't remember much between then, and suddenly
connecting his own fist to Luc's jaw, and it seems that the only thing that
actually snaps him out of it is the sudden, intense pain in his hand.

"Theo!" Cassie's voice is
equal parts shocked and worried, and while Theo blinks, disoriented, he feels
her hands grip his arm and pull at him slightly, while someone else apparently
intervenes and pulls Luc away, so that they're out of each other's reach.

Theo looks up and sees Cassie's
face, hazel eyes wide and concerned, before he looks over and sees Max, sitting
up on the floor. They catch each other's eye for a split second, before a
teacher comes along and makes the group of students disperse, breaking up the
confused, drastically altered atmosphere.

And as Theo cradles his hand, head somehow spinning,
he can't help but think that this was probably a terrible idea.

Chapter 13

Consequences

Theo isn't usually one for swearing. He doesn't really
mind it, it's just that he has never really gotten into the habit of doing it,
himself, so it feels a bit odd.

But right now, all he can think of
is a steady stream of curse words, bursting to come out.

He and Max got in trouble. Pretty
big trouble. Luc got the most of it, though, getting suspended for what feels
like the millionth time (he must be used to it, by now). And Theo, seeing as
how he actually hit someone, regardless of the reason, is in a bit of a tight
spot.

Both he, Max and Luc were brought
to the principal's office within minutes after the
incident
, and while
Luc was dealt with pretty quickly, Theo barely had time to think about the
whole thing. He just managed to exchange looks with Max, who was brought in
before him, and wait with Cassie outside, until she had to go to class, and
left. It didn't take long before Max was sent back out, and Theo went inside
the principal's office, to receive his punishment.

"Mr. Davis," the
principal says, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. "Please, have
a seat."

Theo hesitantly sits down, eyeing
the block on the principal's desk; it has
Henry Milton
stamped on it, in
brass letters, and Theo shifts uncomfortably.

The principal, Mr. Milton, has his
light blue eyes fixed on Theo for a moment, his expression serious. It somehow
suits his middle-aged appearance; he's balding, with light gray hair, and with
a face that looks made for smiling either kindly or snidely. Theo doesn't
really know which would be more accurate; he has only ever spoken to this guy
once or twice. He's a stickler for rules, though, and can be a bit of a
hardass. Unless everyone does their job, that is, and does as they're
told―then he can be downright cuddly.

Theo is really hoping for some
leniency, here. Hopefully, Mr. Milton will see his side, and take into
consideration that no real harm was done, that the guilty party is pretty
obvious, and that that certainly isn't Theo.

"You had an altercation this
afternoon," the principal says, lacing his fingers together and placing
his entwined hands on the desk in front of him. "Tell me about it."

Theo swallows.

"Uh," he says,
eloquently, trying to ignore the way his hand still hurts. "Luc came up to
me, and started accusing me of spreading rumors, or something."

"Rumors about what?" Mr.
Milton keeps a completely straight, neutral face.

"About his brother," Theo
says. "Michael."

"And have you?" Mr.
Milton asks. "Spread rumors about him?"

Theo frowns.

"No," he says. "I
wouldn't. I don't even know what rumors he was talking about."

Mr. Milton nods. He seems to
believe him.

"Then, what happened?"

Theo hesitated, deliberating.

"Michael tried calming him
down," he says. "But it didn't help. And then..."

He swallows, thinking about it, and
Mr. Milton looks at him pointedly.

"Then?" he says, and Theo
replies.

"Then, Max stepped in,"
he says, and he's not lost on the way his voice suddenly sounds so much softer,
as he says it. The gratitude and affection he feels for Max is definitely shining
through, right now, and he's almost certain that Mr. Milton can tell. "He
stepped in, and Luc punched him. So I punched him back."

Mr. Milton just looks at him for a
moment, before his expression softens. Clearly, he can tell what Max means to
Theo, just from the way he talks about him, and he sighs. It seems that Theo
might actually be getting the rare leniency he's hoping for.

"Well," Mr. Milton says,
shifting a bit, as though slightly uncomfortable. "That does corroborate
what Mr. Collins said. Although, he was a bit more...
colorful
, in his
description."

Theo quirks a small smile at that,
he can't help it. Of course Max would have been more colorful about it, as the
principal puts it. He can only imagine just how
colorful
he must have
been; he does have a way with words, after all.

"Yeah, he does that."
Theo can't help the words escaping his mouth, in a low murmur, and he wonders
if Mr. Milton caught them. If he did, he doesn't really show it.

"And according to other
students present," he says instead, sounding a bit tired, "that is
what happened, as well. It seems that there is a unanimous agreement that Luc
Cohen is the one to blame, so to speak."

Theo tenses up a bit. He senses a
catch.

"But―"
There it
is.
"You
did
hit a student. You were, however briefly, involved
in a fight, on school grounds. Which makes this a problem."

Theo feels his heart beat a bit
faster, anxiously. He tightens his right hand into a loose fist, but winces as
he feels his knuckles throb. Seriously, it hurts way more than he thought it
would.

"Okay," he says, feebly,
and Mr. Milton looks at him for a few moments.

"Mr. Cohen has been
suspended," he says, with genuine sympathy on his face. "And
normally, I would have you suspended, as well."

Theo tenses up, suddenly very worried,
and the principal sighs again, looking tired.

"But this is a first for
you," he says. "And you're a good student, you never get into
trouble. And from what I can tell, you had a very good reason for doing what
you did."

He says that last part with a
pointed look at Theo, who feels oddly, emotionally, exposed, as though Mr.
Milton can easily see just how much he cares about Max, and that he only wanted
to protect him. Which is all entirely true, of course.

"So I'm going to let you off
with a warning," Mr. Milton concludes. "And a week's detention.
Okay?"

Theo swallows, as his entire body
seems to relax with relief. He nods.

"Okay," he says, and the
principal nods.

"Alright, then," he says.
"I've called your parents, and someone will pick you up. School's pretty
much over for the day, anyway, so I'm sending you home."

Theo nods, and Mr. Milton makes a
gesture that he interprets as a sign to leave, but as he gets up from the chair
and reaches the door, he stops.

"Mr. Davis," the
principal says, and Theo turns around to face him. He looks sympathetic, and
surprisingly understanding. "Stay out of trouble, okay?"

Theo hesitates for a moment, before
he nods, and leaves the office.

He's honestly a bit surprised to
find Max waiting for him, sitting on a stuffed bench right outside the office.
It's kind of like a waiting room, and Theo slowly makes his way over to Max,
whose face lights up a bit as he sees him.

"Hey," he says, holding
out his hand, and Theo takes it, as he sits down on the bench, next to him.
"How'd it go?"

Theo sighs tiredly, as though a
whole bunch of tension is being lifted off of him.

"Fine," he says.
"Detention for a week, and a warning. You?"

Max shrugs.

"Nothing," he says.
"I didn't really do anything, so they can't really punish me."

"Then, why are you still
here?" Theo asks, frowning, and Max raises a pierced eyebrow at him. Theo
looks down, realizing it was a stupid question.

Neither of them speaks for a few
moments, and then Theo shakes his head.

"That was so stupid," he
mutters, and Max must know he's referring to the fight. But still, he simply
shrugs, looking unbothered. And then, Theo realizes something.

"You knew he was gonna do
that, didn't you?" he says, looking up. "You knew he was gonna hit
you."

Max looks at him sheepishly, the
tiniest hint of a smirk on his face, as though he's torn between smugness and
slight shame.

"Maybe," he admits, and
when Theo shakes his head and looks away, he sighs softly. "You weren't
supposed to hit
him
, though. That wasn't part of the plan."

Theo frowns, turning to him.

"What did you think was gonna
happen?" he asks, and Max half-shrugs, suddenly looking a bit nervous, in
that uncharacteristic way of his. The way he sometimes looks, when approaching
territory that is too emotional, or just too unfamiliar.

"I don't know," he says.
"But the whole point was for you not to get hurt."

Theo just stares at him for a
moment, blinks.

"So, you stepped in,
knowing
that he would hurt you, instead?" he asks, shocked at how odd that
sounds, at how ridiculous the notion is. But still, to his surprise, Max
half-shrugs again, in confirmation. And Theo exhales slowly, as though suddenly
overwhelmed by a kind of affection and gratitude he has never really felt
before.

And stupidly, he doesn't know what
to say. Instead, he just looks down at his lap, stunned.

Max doesn't seem to mind, though.
What are you supposed to answer to something like that, anyway?

"You ever done that,
before?" Max asks after a little while, and Theo looks up at him. He knows
Max's referring to the whole punching-thing, and he thinks about it.

Truth is, he hasn't done that
before. The closest he has ever gotten is punching pads and huge sandbags, in
the gym. But he has never actually done it to another person, before.

Theo shakes his head and looks down
at his lap again.

"No," he says, before
glancing back up. "You?"

Max pauses for a moment, then cocks
his head.

"I know how to take a
beating," he says, the slightest trace of bitterness in his voice, and
Theo blinks. He doesn't ask about it, though. Now is not the time.

Instead, he lets his eyes fall on
the small cut just below Max's cheekbone. It's not much, although there will
probably be a bruise there tomorrow, and it could have been so much worse. But
seeing it is somehow painful, and it makes Theo angry.

He's not used to feeling angry, not
like this. Not like he did when he somehow thought it was a good idea to attack
Luc, a guy who is bigger than him, and not to mention clearly more experienced
with causing physical pain in others. They're lucky the whole thing was
interrupted, or things could have gotten so much worse.

Neither of them speaks for a few
seconds, as Theo absently rubs his right hand, which is still throbbing. Max
looks down at it.

"Does is hurt?" he asks,
and Theo hesitates for a moment, before nodding. It's kind of embarrassing, but
come on―who knew a jawbone could be so damn painful to ram your fist
into?

Max holds out his hand, and Theo
hesitantly extends his own, letting Max gently take it. He looks down, watches
as Max softly runs his fingers over his knuckles. They're not bruised or
anything, but they still hurt more than Theo would like to admit.

Max chuckles softly, and Theo looks
up at him.

"What?" he asks, and Max
keeps his eyes on Theo's hurt hand. He's smiling.

"You punched a guy in the
face," he says, and Theo pauses for a moment, before sighing softly.

"Yeah," he says, looking
down again.

"You defended my honor."
There's something jokingly serious in Max's voice, and Theo looks up at him again.
Those blue eyes are on him, this time, and Max's expression is equal parts
smug, teasing and serious. It seems he can't really say something like that
without having to downplay it, but Theo appreciates the attempt, nonetheless.

He scoffs, looking back down at his
hand.

"Yeah, well," he says
evenly. "You defended mine, first."

Max doesn't respond right away, but
after a few moments, he brings Theo's injured hand up to his face and kisses
it, very softly.

"And I'd do it again," he
says, and Theo looks up at him. For once, Max sounds and looks completely
sincere, and Theo can't help but smile slightly.

"Me, too," he says, and
Max quirks a small smile in return. And for a few seconds, they just stare at
each other, somehow completely at ease, Theo aware of only Max's touch, rather
than the pain in his hand. And he leans in and kisses him, softly, like he's
precious. Because he really is. Theo hasn't really been able to grasp that,
before, but it's true.

It's after only a second or so of
bliss, that the door to the waiting room suddenly opens, and the two of them
pull apart, Theo turning around to look. And just like that, the bliss is
replaced by something like worry, as he sees who it is.

"Theo," Eric says, and
Theo automatically tenses up.

"Dad." The one word is
surprisingly tense. His father looks concerned rather than angry, but there is
definitely anger there, too.

"You okay?" he says,
voice tight, a little bit rushed, and Theo nods, swallowing.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he
says. "I just―"