Sweaters & Cigarettes (31 page)

"You didn't fuck up,"
Theo says firmly, not lost on the way Max glances at him approvingly at his use
of the curse word, and not lost on how Max, shockingly, has genuinely
apologized twice in one conversation. "My dad was being a douche, and if
nothing else, they wanted to meet
you
. Not some censored, modest version
of you."

Max raises his eyebrows.

"Really?" he says,
sounding doubtful. "You sure they're ready for that?"

Theo considers that for a second.

"Probably not," he
decides, and Max emits a low, hushed groan. "But you're doing great, so
far. And like I said, I think my mom likes you, at least."

Max fiddles with his lip piercing,
using his tongue and his teeth, blue eyes locked on Theo's green ones. He seems
to be deliberating.

"You know I've got a
ridiculously high tolerance for embarrassment," he finally says,
matter-of-factly, "so I'm fine with going back in there. I just don't want
to make you uncomfortable."

Theo is never going to get used to
the reaction he gets when Max says something like that. Seriously, he's
never
going to get over how his heart does a double-take, and how his entire body
seems to get all warm and soft, at the mere thought of Max being so
considerate, and he lets out a small breath.

"I'll admit it's a bit
awkward," he confesses gently. "But it comes with the territory, I
guess."

Max just looks at him, as though
giving him a chance to get out of this, but Theo knows that's out of the question.
How would that look, anyway? Just bailing on this whole night, because his dad
doesn't like his boyfriend, which he was already fully aware of?

"Come on," he finally
says, tugging on Max's hand gently, and Max lets out a small sigh, before
cocking his head, giving in.

"You're the boss," he
says, and they make their way back to the dining room.

They finished eating, just before
the whole
incident
, and so when Theo and Max get back, Riley is in the
middle of clearing stuff off the table. He just gives them both a sympathetic
look, before making his way into the kitchen, and Amy soon emerges, starting
slightly as she spots them.

"Everything okay?" she
asks softly, but pointedly, and Theo nods.

"Yeah," he says, before
glancing around. "Where's dad?"

Amy almost rolls her eyes. Almost.

"He'll be back in a
minute," she says, clearly annoyed by his behavior at the table, earlier.
"There's dessert."

She starts stacking the used
plates, and Riley makes his way past her, going for the rest.

"The food was really good,"
Theo says after a moment, and Max nods, next to him.

"Yeah, it was great," he
agrees, sounding somehow softer than Theo is used to hearing.
"Thanks."

Amy gives them both a small,
appreciative smile, and as she reaches for a plate at the other end of the
table, Max surprises Theo by picking it up, himself.

"I got it," he says,
almost muttering, before somewhat pointedly adding the plate to the stack Amy
has started on, and she looks at him, surprised. The look only lasts for a moment,
though; she seems to know better than to make Max feel awkward about offering
his help.

"Thank you," she says,
instead, and Max just gives her a nod and an uncharacteristically subdued
smile, before proceeding to pick up another plate. Amy turns to Theo.

"Theo," she says,
"why don't you help me in the kitchen?"

Theo nods, and his mother makes her
way out of the dining room. He throws a glance at Max, who now has his back
turned to him, and instead catches a softly surprised look from Riley, who gives
him the smallest shrug, and Theo follows after his mother, into the kitchen.

Amy is in the process of getting
clean plates out, smaller ones, and she starts handing them to Theo, who just
looks at her expectantly, while obediently holding the plates in his hands.
Finally, she catches his eye, and she exhales quietly.

"He seems nice," she says
in a lowered voice. "Very well-behaved."

Theo resists the urge to snort at
the description of Max as
well-behaved
. Sure, he has been well-behaved
tonight, but it's pretty much the opposite behavior of any other occasion, and
Theo is caught between finding it amusing and endearing. Actually, it's
probably a mix of both.

"And I'm sorry about your
father," Amy continues pointedly, the annoyance at her husband's behavior
shining through, again. "That was completely uncalled-for."

Theo gives a small shrug, as Amy
adds the last plate to the stack in his hands.

"Yeah," he says, before
chewing his lip slightly, thinking. "So... You like him?"

Amy opens a drawer to get spoons,
and she looks up at Theo. She opens her mouth to answer, but doesn't get the
chance, before Riley makes his way into the kitchen, Max in tow.

"Almost done," Riley
proclaims, and Amy gives them both a small nod and a smile, as they put the
dirty dishes on the counter and make their way back into the dining room. Max
gives Theo the briefest glance, and then he's gone, leaving Theo alone with his
mother again.

Theo raises his eyebrows slightly
in encouragement, and Amy sighs.

"It's a bit early to
tell," she says. "But he seems like a good guy. Sweet, helpful."

Theo is glad, not to mention
surprised, that his mother seems to see through whatever hard exterior Max
generally projects, and it's relieving. But he still fidgets a bit.

"So―" he starts
hesitantly, but his mother cuts him off.

"Relax, Theo," she says,
getting some spoons and putting them on his stack of plates. "I only met
him about an hour ago, which isn't enough time to learn a person's entire
character."

She closes the drawer and looks at
her son pointedly, as Theo presses his lips together, resisting the urge to ask
again. And then, she gives the smallest hint of a slightly amused smile.

"But so far, so good,"
she says, voice low. "And I'd say you two have my blessing."

She gives him a peck on the cheek,
and Theo can't help but suddenly grin stupidly, just thoroughly happy at his
mother's words, and she narrows her eyes at him.

"Now, go," she says,
deliberately nudging him toward the dining room. "Set the table. We're
having pie."

The atmosphere is considerably
lighter, now, and when Theo makes his way into the dining room, he gets a small
smile from Riley, as he goes into the kitchen with the last of the dirty
dishes. Theo turns to Max, then, who slowly makes his way over to him, hands in
his pockets. Theo gives him a small, teasing smile.

"Did you just help clear the
table?" he asks pointedly, with a tone that matches his smile.

Max nods slowly.

"Yeah," he says with a
small smile, and with an expression that says
I know, right?
"I may
be a dick, most of the time, but even I have my moments."

Theo chuckles, putting down his
small stack of plates on the table.

"I'm very impressed," he
says, and Max raises his eyebrows, jokingly offended.

"You should be," he says,
moving in closer so that he stands right next to Theo. "I'm not exactly in
my element."

Theo glances up at him then, and
straightens as Max hooks his finger through one of the belt loops of his jeans,
gently pulling him closer.

"So," he says, voice low
and conspiring, "do we have a verdict?"

Theo glances toward the kitchen.

"Yeah," he says, dropping
his voice to the same tone as Max's. "I think you passed."

Max smiles, almost smugly, and Theo
swears he looks just a little bit more relaxed.

"Good to know," he says.
Then he just looks at Theo, keeps his eyes on his, with a slightly adoring
expression on his face, and Theo is once again struck by how amazing it feels
to be looked at like that, especially by Max.

Theo is half-surprised when Max
leans in and kisses him. He does it softly, in a slow, chaste touch of lips,
and it's enough to make Theo close his eyes for a moment. Mostly, he's just a
bit surprised that Max is doing it here, right now, when Theo's whole family is
around, but he appreciates it, nonetheless. It grounds him, it makes all those
butterflies kick in again, and he feels his shoulders relax a bit.

When Max pulls away, he doesn't say
anything. Instead, he just gives Theo a small smirk, before pointedly picking
up half the stack of plates and proceeding to set the table. And Theo can't
help but smile.

By the time they're done, Theo's
father returns. Theo isn't sure if anyone else would be able to tell, but he
looks downright uncomfortable, like he would much rather not be there, and
perhaps he even feels bad about what he said, earlier. Either way, he gives
both Theo and Max a nod, as he sits down at the table, and Theo exchanges a
glance with Max, before they sit down, as well. Riley emerges from the kitchen
a moment later, carrying the pie, and pretty soon, they're all sitting down for
dessert.

It's weird, but the atmosphere is
now somehow more relaxed and more tense, all at the same time, and Theo notices
how Max is just a tiny bit more comfortable, at this point. It's true, this
isn't exactly his element, and Theo can tell how uncharacteristically off he
is. But he's making an effort, which is all Theo is asking for.

Amy seems genuinely interested in
Max and what he's like, which Theo appreciates. Then again, he still has the
feeling that she would have preferred this approach, from the start, rather
than keeping Max away. Eric stays silent, seemingly resisting the urge to say
anything bad or judgmental, and therefore opting to keep quiet, altogether.
Theo supposes that that's better than repeating what happened, before.

After a while, Riley starts asking
Max about his piercings. He seems intrigued by them, and Theo remembers him
asking about them the first time he met Max. Theo honestly can't blame his
interest; he really likes them, himself, after all.

"Did they hurt?" Riley
asks, and Theo catches a glimpse of a slightly worried look on his mother's
face, like she's afraid Max might take offense at a question like that.
However, Max doesn't seem bothered, in the slightest, and she relaxes.

Max cocks his head.

"A bit," he says.
"Just for a little while, though. They heal pretty quick. The tattoos are
worse, they itch like crazy."

He says it conversationally, but
Theo isn't lost on the straight-up shocked expressions on everyone's faces.
They range from Amy's honest surprise, Riley's intrigued surprise, and the
downright pissed surprise with Eric, who thankfully doesn't voice it. Maybe
it's the pointed look from his wife that does it, but he keeps his mouth shut.

Theo looks around the table,
remembering how no one here probably is aware of Max's tattoos, seeing as how
it hasn't really come up, when Theo has told them about him. He suspects that
they weren't really ready for it; the piercings are enough, especially for
someone so young, but tattoos are worse. They're permanent. At least, that's
what his parents would vehemently point out, and Theo would probably agree with
them, if it concerned anyone else. With Max, he can't imagine him without
tattoos, despite his young age. It's like they're part of his skin, like
they're gradually revealed, as time passes, rather than added on.

"Tattoos?" Riley finally
asks, pausing with a bite of pie halfway to his mouth, and Max glances around
the table. He doesn't look so much uncomfortable, as a bit stunned at the
reactions, and he settles down after only a moment.

"Yeah," he says slowly,
almost hesitantly, as though expecting someone to yell at him. "I have a
few."

Riley nods, absently eyeing Max up
and down, as though trying to see said tattoos. Amy and Eric still haven't said
anything, and Theo just sits there, trying not to be uncomfortable about the
whole thing.

"Where?" Riley asks, and
Max half-shrugs.

"Arms, mostly," he says.
"And my back."

"Small ones?"

Max almost looks a bit sheepish,
for a moment.

"Not exactly," he says,
and Riley's eyebrows go up a bit, along with Amy's. Eric is still silent,
seemingly grinding his teeth, by now.

"Can I see them?" Riley
asks, actually sounding very interested, and Max frowns, glancing around the
table. Spontaneously, he would probably have no problem whatsoever with showing
his tattoos, right now, even though that would involve taking his shirt off,
but he seems to read the situation well enough to know that it wouldn't exactly
be appropriate.

"Maybe some other time,"
he finally says, looking back at Riley, and it seems to take Riley a moment to
get it. He then glances at his parents, and nods, looking a bit sheepish.

"Sure," he says, taking a
bite of his pie, and Max hesitantly mimics him, glancing around the table.
Amy's expression is still somewhat shocked, but she seems to be doing her best
to not make a huge deal out of it. Eric is, as well, by simply not saying
anything; Theo knows he would be all over it, if he could.