Apr 5, 2024 15:12:22 GMT
maverick hadn't been home since the drama had gone down with jace being taken from the home. he'd packed some clothes into a backpack when the arguing and fighting had died down a little and he took his father up on his offer to walk away. was it permanent? mav didn't know. he hadn't known that when he'd rocked up on theo's dorm doorstep. that's where he'd been since. theo's floor was a lot more comfortable than being at the house, knowing that his father was letting his brother walk all over them, even though keith hadn't been in their life in years. in mav's mind, his father was putting keith first, what he wanted above the rest of the family needed, which was to be together. they might not always get along, fight like cats and dogs and put decent sized dents into each others skulls, but their motto was that they stuck together. no breckah left behind had been the motto he'd been raised with. until that had been blown out of the water.
he'd come back to the house when he knew no one would be there. his younger brothers would be at school, his other brothers would be occupying themselves with work or their lives and he was certain that his father wasn't in the house. at least he'd checked the drive and garage before he'd gone into the house. the sight he was greeted with almost made him emotional. there was his pup, henry bounding down the hall to meet him, followed by the older danny. he crouched down to greet both dogs and he ruffled their ears. "hey boys." he said softly. he'd missed them, their company and henry keeping his feet warm at night but he hadn't thought stowing him into theo's dorm would make him a good house guest so he'd asked crev to look after danny for him. he seemed to be doing an okay job but man had mav missed the pup. "i wish i could stow you away with me.." he said as he straightened and headed up the stairs without checking if there was actually anyone in the house.
he needed new clothes, the ones he'd grabbed in the rush had run out and even though he was washing them, he was sick of wearing the same three items of clothing every day. he rubbed his hands over his face as he reached the landing and he stopped to catch his breath. the last few days he'd been feeling progressively like death and he was hoping it was just stress. with what was going on at home, sleeping on a dorm room floor, sitting with theo until all hours of the night while he was awake because mav didn't want him to be alone, skipping meals because it was easier than taking his lunch to work and cheaper than buying food every time he needed it. taking more than a few drinks every night to help himself relax so he could fall asleep and stop his mind racing with that could have been happening at home and it was all starting to take it's toll.
he was exhausted and he knew he looked it. of course he was telling people he was fine, he'd never admit weakness to anyone, it was how he was raised. he stretched a little as he reached around to rub his lower back, the strong ache he'd been feeling the last few days was getting worse and no amount of pain killers he took was touching it. he was more than a little sick of being less than healthy. before his accident he'd rarely gotten sick. he'd been healthy as a horse and almost literally as strong as an ox, but now he felt like what he only assumed a nineteen year old stuck in a ninety year old body would feel like. close to death but no where near the sweet relief of rest.
once he was in his room, he started grabbing the clothes from his cupboards and shoved what he needed into the backpack he'd brought and once it was full he dropped it at the end of the bed and sat down. he almost groaned with how comfortable it felt. he looked at his watch and thought it wouldn't hurt to just rest for a moment. he'd close his eyes for a second and then he'd get up and be gone before anyone even knew he was there. he forced himself to get up from the bed though so he could close the door, just in case someone came home and saw his door open and got curious. he dragged himself back to the bed and dropped onto it, fully clothed, reaching out to grab his pillow so he could stuff it under his head and he was asleep before he'd finished getting settled.
he had no idea how long he'd been asleep when he startled himself awake, his neck aching from the angle he had been sleeping on and the pain in his back so much worse than it had been this morning. he moaned a little as he rolled over, cringing a little as he felt the back of his shirt was sticky with sweat. "fuck.." he mumbled as he pressed his fingers into his eyes. it was then he caught a glimpse of the time as his watch lit up. what!? it was 2 am. how had he slept for nearly twelve hours. he'd only meant to take a nap. he sat up straight and while his eyes adjusted, he realised just how awful he actually felt. it only took a few seconds for him to register that he needed to move. he scrambled from his bed and ran as fast as he could to the door, clambering for the door handle he threw the door open before he could even think about being quite and he staggered down the hall to the bathroom.
as he reached the bathroom door, he lost his battle before he could even touch the handle, a mouthful of his stomach contents landing on the hallway floor with a loud retch. he coughed as he managed to get the door open, forcing it open with his shoulder as he dropped to his knees beside the toilet, bunching over it as he totally lost the battle to keep what he'd eaten that day in his system.
