“Heath, dear, Raven merely questioned whether you and I are indeed related, seeing as how I exude a certain bearing while your lexicon is often woven of a different cloth.”
“The fuck you insulting me for?Are you abducting Raven right now before we could even—before we could…uh.I mean, I have his jacket.What if he gets cold?”
In the seat next to him, Raven was growing uncomfortable even though they were joining traffic now, and heading in the general direction of New Amsterdam University.
“Raven said he has one already, and the weather is nice out.He’ll be fine for a trip to his dormitory room.”
“Satan’s fucking ball sack.Fine.Raven, you there?”
Raven leaned forward.Maxim noticed the way he let his hands vanish into the sleeves of that hoodie, a piece of clothing Maxim had never fully understood until that moment.
“Yeah.”
“Great.I sent the old bat your address.If he’s being weird, you tell his weird old ass to cut it out.I’m getting you a phone too, so once you have that, you can also call me and get me to tell him, on your behalf, to cut it out.”
“Hmm.”
“He’s mostly tame, okay?And don’t think you’re going to become weird and ill-adapted just because he is.The Forum has a bunch of vampire mentors who are super normal.I’ll get you a list.”
“O-okay?”
Maxim sighed.“Heath, darling.I’m hanging up on you now.Take care.”
“You li—”
Maxim hit the end button on the steering wheel.“There.That’s better.Did I mention already that he means well, truly?”
“Sure.”Raven’s gaze was on the streets around them.He was squinting against the sun—normal so soon after.He’s very calm.That is not normal, though it’s rare to have a fledge made with old blood such as my own.And the other one’s.
“He really is my son though.”
“Huh?”Raven turned and looked at Maxim with big eyes.
“You asked if Heath was really my son.He is, but he does not get out much, I’m afraid.”
“Sure.Not enough parasols?”
Maxim chuckled, though he felt more like crying with relief.He might have asked me for death as soon as he woke from the turn, and I would’ve had to grant his wish, yet here he is, making light.“He’s an addict.Work, his computers.The outdoors are not to his liking, I’m afraid, parasol or not.”
Raven fidgeted with the overlong sleeves of his hoodie, eyes focused on the bunched fabric there, though Maxim would have bet one of his nicer swords the hoodie wasn’t what Raven was seeing at all.
“We went camping a lot.I didn’t like it.I could’ve gotten all kinds of diseases.My parents didn’t believe in vaccines.Or antibiotics.”
Maxim clicked his tongue while checking the address Heath had sent him.“Then I’m doubly glad you made it through those adventures, Raven.”
“Yeah?Dunno.Could’ve died then, and none of this would’ve happened.”
Maxim tapped the steering wheel, forcing himself to do that rather than dig his nails into it.“You’re right.”
It grew quiet between them, quiet and tense, and Maxim felt Raven’s attention shift from the hoodie to him.
“That’s all you have for me?A bottle of blood and the admission that I’d have been better off already dead?”
“I brought you the blood to nourish you and comfort you.I distinctly did not say that you would have been better off dead.You’d just be dead.”
“Th-they wouldn’t have raped me!”Raven was crying—explosive, erratic—emotions he had no handle on seeking their way out.
“They wouldn’t have.I’m not going to argue cause and effect with you, Raven.You’re too smart for that.”
