mobster mash

At some point, Athena had cried herself to sleep while still in Max's arms. And apparently he had fallen asleep not long after, because he woke up holding her practically in his lap. He just looked down at her peacefully sleeping for a little bit. Then reality hit him in the face like a brick. He was holding Athena and she was still in that dress. He flinched a little and panicked, but he didn't want to wake her either.

He gently tried to move her so she was resting her head on the couch cushion instead of his shoulder, but her eyes fluttered open. He froze as she yawned and sat up.

"Did I fall asleep?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "It's morning."

"Yeah, we both did," he told her. "It was an exhausting night. Um, sorry."

"For what?"

"I don't know, I feel like I overstepped," he said awkwardly. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with like... the touching. Not that I touched you after you fell asleep or anything. God, that came out bad. I just mean-"

"Don't be sorry," she said, cracking an amused smile. "It was really comforting, actually. You're the only one who isn't trying to fuck me over in some way."

"If I do, you have every permission to use that gun on me," Max reassured her.

She looked down and blushed when she saw she was still wearing the revealing dress.

"Um, I'm going to take a shower," she said. "I feel like I still have Corrin on me. We can forget about going back to that club. Or any of them, really. I'm sure he told everyone that there's fake cryo dealers running around."

"I wouldn't say we're completely out of options," Max said. "I could always shave the side of my head and pretend I'm a DJ."

"I don't know about that," she said with a laugh, ruffling his dark hair. "The shaggy, borderline mullet look suits you. Do you use deep conditioner?"

"Don't tell the other Hounds, they'll never let me forget it."

"It's our secret then."

She lingered on the couch with Max for a moment, then suddenly got up and scurried to the bathroom. Max let out a deep exhale, realizing he was feeling a little weird. She was only in the shower, but he was sad to see her go.

He shook the thought from his mind and went to change his own clothes. He was trying to cook again when Athena came back out. She was wearing cozy sweats now and had her hair up in a towel. She peeked over at what he had in the pan.

"Scrambled eggs," she noted. "And you didn't burn it."

"There's still time for it to go wrong," he said.

"You really never cooked?" she asked. "How did you survive this whole time?"

"Diner food," he shrugged. "Frozen pizza. Whatever fits in the microwave. Craft beer."

"I guess Bobo wasn't going to cook for you."

"I'm probably better off," he chuckled. "It's okay, though. I know all the best spots."

"You'll have to take me sometime," she said.

"Yeah, definitely."

He paused for a moment, realizing he was implying he intended on still being around her after all this was over. Or maybe she had implied it? Maybe he was imagining it. He plated the eggs and toast and they ended up back on the couch together.

"Well, it seems like our best bet is going to be that race," Athena sighed. "This guy, Rudy... you think he can help us?"

"Yeah, I think so," Max said.

"Not the way Corrin wanted to help, right?"

"No, not at all," he chuckled. "Did you ever get to meet Rudy when you went to the races?"

"No, I guess not."

"Well, he's the guy who runs the whole show," Max explained. "I've known him since I was a kid. The guy looks like he's a hundred years old, but he started the game when he was a teenager. Now he keeps it funded through the gambling. I saw my first race when I was ten, and that's when I fell in love with cars. I told him I was going to enter someday and I guess he liked it, so he kept an eye on me and kept me out of trouble while I was growing up. He loaned me some money when I first got Valerie. She was really old and beat up at the time. Then I started racing, and the old guy's been a good friend ever since."

"So why are you avoiding him?" she asked. "If you're such good friends, don't you feel comfortable around him?"

"Around him, sure," he shrugged. "He pushes me to enter the races, and I guess I just haven't been in the mood for them recently. In the mood for the people around there. It's complicated. I'll go with you, though. Your dad is more important than me being a little petty and dramatic."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," he reassured her. "It's not like I have to race to talk to him. I'll introduce you, and I'm sure he can help us find Fletcher in some way. The old man can barely see or hear anything, yet somehow knows everything about everyone."

"Okay, if you're sure," she said. "I don't like taking a day off from finding my dad, but I guess we have nowhere else to go."

"A day off will do you some good," he said. "Get a little rest and we'll be on our A game when we meet Rudy."

She was reluctant, but they really were stuck. Truthfully, Max didn't mind a day off either. Dr. Winters was probably safe and unharmed, and they were no use to him running around aimlessly.

The next day Max could feel the nerves bubbling up as they got ready to head out. He was in his usual dark clothes and kept his hood up, but he froze up when Athena came out of her room dressed in a form fitting crop top and leather shorts. Her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail and she was tugging on heeled boots to finish the look off. Max supposed there was a certain look everyone had at the race track, but he still didn't expect to see Athena coming out like that. She noticed him staring and glanced down at her outfit.

"Is it too much?" she asked.

"No," Max said quickly. "You look really good. Is it... for the ex?"

She was the one who was embarassed this time.

"I guess I didn't think about it, but he'll probably be there too," she said. "I don't really care if he sees me."

"If he does, he'll see what he so foolishly gave up," Max told her. "You look good. Ready to go?"

"Oh," she said with a blush. "Thank you. Um, yeah. Let's go."

"Valerie awaits."