Catastrophes seemed to have become part of Oscar's natural life cycle at this point. Things went okay for a little while, and then the moment he'd convinced himself that this time things would be different–be better–out of nowhere, it all blew up in his face. The worst part? He'd seen it all coming a mile away. He knew the moment that Max became Marcus Gallagher that this would eventually happen. He stuck his dick into the jaws of the crocodile, and it had gone about as well as you might have expected.

But what was most important was what came next. If he was going to survive this with what little family he still had, Oscar was going to have to make a hard choice.

He had a lot of time to think about that choice while he waited outside the bank. A bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos and half a pack of Ultra Lights later, the bank's sign came on, and Oscar pulled Max's check out of his jacket as he entered the bank lobby. A few minutes later, he exited a lot heavier than he'd entered, and hopped on his bike, making a few more stops before taking the Fifty-five out of town to a little suburb just outside of Kingsport.

The sun came up around him as he drove; the buildings falling away to hills, trees, and houses, all bathed in the warm golden sunrise. He'd gone past the point of being tired and had caught his second wind when he stopped to get gas and some coffee. He was taking his time. He didn't want to get to Nan's house too early, or she might catch on to the fact that something was wrong.

The less she knew, the better.

It was after ten when he finally pulled up outside the little house surrounded by western pines. Still early, but it would have to do. He turned off his bike and strode up the steps to the tiny front porch. The screen door creaked as it opened, and he gave the front door a few hard knocks before waiting...

The woman who answered was round and short with sweet eyes that came to life the moment she saw Oscar's face.

"Oh, Ozzy! It's a little early, Hun. Why are you here?"

"Surprise!" Oscar chimed. "Really, Nan? Ya not even going to ask me inside?" he wondered as he squeezed past her stout frame.

"Uh-huh... sure," she said skeptically following him in.

"Why have I never seen you wearing a saree, Elise? You'd look beautiful," Yameena asked, pulling the eyes of the rest of their friends at the little bistro table to the Gallagher.

Elise scrunched her nose at the text on her phone before looking up. "Hm? Oh. No." She shook her head. "I mean, it's not that I haven't wanted to. I'd love to! But...my mom is super touchy about..."

All three girls leaned in, but when Elise didn't finish her thought, Julia prodded. "...About?"

Elise sighed, and shook her head again, lifting the cloth napkin off her lap and placing it on the table. "I'm so sorry. Give me just a second," she said quickly before excusing herself to get a little space and dial her brother. "Marc? What's going on? Still no Oscar?"

"Oh, he's been busy this morning, but he's still not answering me. Try his number again."

"But I'm out at brunch with-"

"Please, El."

"Why does it sound like you're outside?" she wondered, suddenly looking around. "Where are you?"

"Elise-" Max growled.

"Okay! Okay."

"Call me back as soon as you get off the phone."

"I will. Promise." Elise spied her friends from where she stood off on her own amidst the empty garden tables. They were already back to eating and gossiping without her... "Kay. Love you. Bye."

"Naaan, it's just a surprise gift!" Oscar whined as he followed the stubborn woman into the kitchen. Christ, it was like they were related.

"You should've told me you had something planned."

"If I had told you, it wouldn't be a surprise!" he defended. Honestly, he'd not expected her to be this difficult to get out of town. It wasn't like she had a job, or husband, or anything stopping her.

He could feel his phone going off, and it had been ringing non stop all morning. He'd hoped that by now his grandmother would be in a cab, on her way to the airport, but nothing had been going according to plan. So, he finally relented and just answered the phone.

"Hey, it's Oscar, sorry for not calling you back..."

"Oscar! I...I didn't think you'd actually pick up," Elise replied. "Are you alright?"

"It's a strange time for a surprise, Ozzy, and I've asked you before to call first," his nan said as she made her way around the small counter to her coffee maker. "I wasn't ready for company. I'm not even dressed. I don't have my face on, and I—Oh.Are you on the phone already?"

"Yeah! Well, things have been—" Oscar slapped his hand over his phone and pulled it away from his face. "No! I'm just about to hang up," he assured, before putting the phone back to his face. "Yeah, not a great time still..."

His nan leaned in.

"Okay, but, could you please call my brother? He's really upset that you haven't answered him. He's worried."

"Is that a young lady? Calling you?" She turned away to pour a cup of coffee before adding, "That's unusual..."

Oscar mouthed the word, 'Stop' at his grandmother before replying. "I know, I will as soon as I can!" But he didn't know when that'd be...

"Oh, Christ in heaven, you haven't fathered a child, have you? That's not the surprise, is it?"

"Who's that?"

A sudden and solid knock on the front door startled Oscar's nan so badly that she swore, nearly flinging her coffee on him. Her light blue eyes cast a fearful look at her grandson. "Ozzy, you aren't in trouble again, are you?" she whispered, while timidly setting down her cup.

"Gotta go!" Oscar said as he ended the call, but not soon enough to avoid the blush starting to tint the bridge of his nose. "No! Nan, I told you, I don't do that stuff anymore. I got a real job now!" Oscar defended as he went to the door, but froze solid when he saw who was waiting on the other side.

Max stared at him for what felt like several solid seconds, still as a statue before finally speaking. "Hi."

Oscar's wide-eyed state of shock reflected very little of the emotions running through him, beneath the surface, at seeing Max standing there in front of him. Settling on frustration, he pushed Max back out onto the porch and shut the door behind them.

"What are you doing here!?" Oscar hissed, clearly trying to keep the volume low enough to not draw his grandmother's attention.

Max grabbed Oscar by the shirt, and jerked him to him, bringing them so close that their noses nearly collided. The little air between them was charged with the kind of silent tension that preceded a hurricane. Tide peeled back; exposing a bare and defenseless shore—surge imminent.

"If you seriously think there's a single person breathing in Kingsport that I don't know or can't find, you're fucking mistaken," Max snapped. "Now, what in the hell is going on?"

Suddenly, Oscar felt like he'd swallowed his own tongue. He'd never actually been afraid of Max before, but at that moment, he could hear his own pulse in his ears. "L-look, I'll explain everything later. Right now, you can't be here!" Oscar pleaded.

"Why?" Something had changed in Max's voice and in his eyes... His lips and brow were still locked in a firm, intimidating scowl, but there was almost a desperation there too. "I've trusted you with literally being in my parent's home, Oz! You've met my siblings! What are you trying to hide from me?"

While the punk struggled to find words, the front door cracked open, and Oscar's nan peered out. "...Ozzy? Who's he? ...Should I call the police?" She blinked at Max, looking him up and down. "Is he the police?"

Understanding flashed across Max's face along with flaming embarrassment. He released Oz, and straightened his own shirt.

Family. For whatever reason, and Max could already assume a few of them, Oz hadn't wanted him to know that he had family this close to the city...

"No, Nan, it's fine! It's fine!" Oscar said, adjusting his own shirt, which honestly wasn't as nice as Max's, nor in need of any adjusting. "He's just a friend."

"Then why are you making your friend stand out here on the porch?" Nan replied, clearly not convinced.

"Because I overstepped," Max provided, his intense, dark eyes finding Oscar's. His gaze traveled down to Oz's lips, to his neck, and stopped pointedly on his chest...over Oscar's heart...before flicking back up. "...Right, Oz?" He licked his lips and shoved his hands in his pockets, feigning aloofness while waiting for a response.

Oscar's heart was still pumping enough adrenaline and caffeine through him to kill a horse, and maybe that was why he found the look in Max's eyes so unforgivably attractive.

Though the more likely reason was probably that Max appealed to his worst nature; the side that loved danger, the side that always got him into trouble, but that he could never escape.

He could have kissed him right then and there, but having your grandmother around, questioning everything, really was a mood killer, and he shoved the thoughts aside as he exhaled.

"He's not staying because you're not staying. You're gonna get ready, and pack your stuff so you can be ready when the taxi gets here!" Oscar insisted.

"Taxi?!" she balked. "Now quit it, Ozzy! Dammit, I'm too old for your surprises. If you're in trouble, just say so!"

"Naaan! I'm not in trouble! Why won't you just accept a nice cruise? Old people love cruises!"

"A cruise?! How in the world would you afford such a thing unless you've been dippin' your fingers in jars you shouldn't be anywhere near?"

"I'm funding it," Max said, prompting Oscar's grandmother to open the door further and step out of the house to peer skeptically at him. "And just who are you exactly?"

"Elise's brother."

"Elise? Who's that?" Nan looked at Oscar, but Max's tongue was working far quicker than Oscar's reeling head.

"Oscar...left quite an impression on my family when he met them, and especially on my little sister. I'm-um-well...I'm pretty protective of her, and I wasn't very polite to Oscar. I promised my sister I'd mend things between us and make it up to him."

Nan's mouth was literally hanging open as Max spun his story. "...Is that so?" she finally said, blinking.

"Yes, Ma'am. And since I'm not always the best at apologizing, I tend to reach into my pockets instead..." Max leaned forward slightly. "And frankly, I have some deep pockets. So, if Oscar wants to spend some of my apology on someone who's clearly very important to him, I'd appreciate seeing him do so."

"O-oh..." Nan said, turning to face Oscar with a look on her dear wrinkled face like she'd just caught a glimpse of Jesus himself on a Sunday. "...Is that really true, Ozzy?"

"You'll know when the Taxi gets here unless you're not ready!" Oscar exclaimed, looking at his phone again. "Come on, I'll help you pack," he said, ushering her back inside.

"I want to hear more about this nice young lady that likes you, later," his Nan insisted as she went.

Oscar took a moment to pause and glance back at Max briefly, giving him a nod of thanks before following her.

The next few minutes Oscar felt like he was on some sort of extreme cardio workout as he ran around trying to find this or that for his grandmother, and get it all into her tiny luggage bag, which had so much dust on it that it was probably a health hazard. With a little luck and Max stalling the Taxi driver well past their departure time, Oscar was finally able to catch his breath a few minutes later, after she'd left, as he sat down on the steps of the porch.

"...Thanks."

Max's knuckles grazed Oscar's cheek so lightly that it could've just as easily been the touch of a ghost. "Yeah... Still wanna take you out for some real sushi."

"Deal."

 Who's ready for a steamy evening in Japan~!? 👀✋🔥✈️

Shout out to Kpop4hybrids ! Thanks so much for your support!!