Reassuring Hubby Who: Jayne and Max What: Comfort When: 10.21 - Friday afternoon Where: Barrie School to start Warning: None
Max hadn't slept at all after his talk with Eli. So after a couple of hours, he got up, took a shower, the lounged on the bed watching TV with Binx curled up on him until it was time to get Jayne. Tonight at work was going to just suck on three hours of sleep and feeling like his heart had been ripped out and stomped on all over again. Still, he was glad it was time to get Jayne, he'd feel better when she smiled at him and stuff. Even for a little while before he had to go to work. He parked in his usual spot, actually dozing off as he waited for her to emerge from the building.
When Jayne reached the car, she knew something was wrong. Yes, Max got very little sleep nowadays, but this was the first time he was dozing in the car when she got through with school. She gently tapped on the glass to keep from startling him too much when she opened the car. When he roused, she pulled the door open and slipped inside. "What's wrong?" she questioned, eyes sliding over him, drinking every inch of him in as if that would give her some sort of clue. "You didn't sleep, did you?" she questioned. "Why?"
Max was glad she tapped on the glass first and waited until he woke up before getting in the car. With a fucking serial killer on the loose targeting supers, he carried his gun all the time when he went out and if she'd startled him awake, yeah. They never needed to repeat that scene again. Ever. "Hey baby," he greeted, giving her a tired smile. Max rubbed his hands down his face, shaking his head as if trying to clear out the cobwebs. "Yeah. I mean, no, no I didn't." He sighed. "You probably better drive. My head's not on straight right now." He got out of the car so she could slide over and take over the driver's seat. The cool air would hopefully wake him up some as well. Getting in the passenger side, he paused before putting on his seatbelt, leaning across to kiss her. "I love you," he murmured as he broke away.
She grew more concerned with every moment that passed. She slid over to the driver's side and watched him as he walked around to climb into the passenger side. Something wasn't right and she didn't like it. He'd been in a much better state that morning when she'd left him and Jayne wasn't so sure that just being tired was all there was to it. She'd seen Max tired before - a lot more as of late - and this wasn't just tired. She returned the kiss and managed a little smile. "I love you too," she told him. "Now tell me what happened before I have a little mini breakdown."
He sighed. "Sorry," he said. "Its' nothing. Eli was up when I got home from dropping you off. We were eating breakfast and-" He took a deep breath, looking out the window at the imposing structure that was her school. "He asked about Phee. If I'd heard from her." He let out another sigh. "And well, yeah. Couldn't sleep. Binx and I laid on the bed and watched AMC until it was time to come get you." Which was all the truth and pretty self-explanatory.
Jayne frowned, more concerned now that she knew the reason than she had been originally. Max wasn't taking Ophelia's leaving well. Not at all. It didn't help when she got brought up. She made a mental note to thwap Elias for being a jackass and mentioning the ice queen. "Oh, baby," she murmured, reaching over to gently brush her fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry." And she was. About the whole thing. About how much he still cared about his sister even after everything she'd put him through. "Will it help if I tell you how much I love you and how much I want to pop Elias upside his dumb head?"
Max leaned into her hand. No, he wasn't taking any of the shit with Phee well. She'd almost destroyed him when she'd stormed out, and he'd forced himself to put her out of his damned head as much as possible so he could move on. He knew Eli hadn't meant to upset him. He understood how his brother felt. It wasn't like he wasn't worried about Ophelia too. That was part of the problem. Even though she'd walked out on them, she was still family. "I love you too," he said with a soft smile. "But don't blame Eli. He was just saying out loud what we've all been trying not to think about. We're all worried about her." Even Josh. Hell, especially Josh, since protecting all of them was his self-appointed job.
She sighed a little and nodded. "Ophelia is fine," she told him. "She's a Lasko. She can make it on her own the same way that any of you could. If she wants to be found, she'll be found and if not, that sucks for her. She's missing out. On you. On your brothers. If she can't figure that out then I guess I'm just going to have to be the only smart Lasko girl around," she smiled. "Which is fine by me because I kind of hate most women anyway and it kind of sounds like a position of power and we all know how much I love to be in charge." It was mostly just bullshit to get him to smile a little but she meant what she was saying. Ophelia was the one missing out, not Max. If she was too stupid to figure that out, then good riddance.
Jayne was wrong, but Max wasn't in the mood to argue. The Laskos couldn't make it on their own. They were too programmed, too ingrained, to work and think and function as a unit. Max was the only one with any social skills at all. Phee didn't know how to do anything but kill. She'd been sheltered and taken care of by her brothers. Max and Eli had provided for the family, while Josh had drilled them all into killers. If anything, Ophelia was the Lasko who was least likely to make it on her own. She'd never had to fend for herself a day in her life. When she hadn't been in her brothers' care, she'd been living with Dante and he'd provided for her.
But none of that was the point. Max managed a smile, only because Jayne was trying so hard to cheer him up. "Let's just go home," he said. "I want to hold you a little while before I have to go to work." That would make him feel better at least.
"Okay, baby," she agreed, glad that he'd smiled but still feeling like she'd probably only made things worse. Leaning over, she caught his lips for one more little kiss before settling back into her seat and pulling her seat belt across her chest. She didn't talk much the ride home, figuring that maybe he'd get in a few winks between the school and their home. Once they reached the house she pulled into the drive and turned the car off, collecting her bag and looking over to Max. "Home sweet home," she murmured.
Max was uncharacteristically quiet the whole drive home. He just stared out the window at the city as it passed by. He didn't doze off again, just sort of zoned out. He unfastened his seat belt when they got there, getting out of the car. He nodded and gave Jayne a wry grin. "Yeah," he said, moving to wrap an arm around her shoulders as they started towards the house. "God, I really don't want to go to work tonight."
"Make Eli work in your place. Extract him from his nerdcave." Sounded like a pretty good plan to her. "Then you can curl up with me all night and get some sleep and mostly just curl up with me," she smiled, leading him up the walk and into the house. It would be nice to get to spend more than a few fleeting moments with her husband. And he could use the sleep. Even if she doubted he'd take to the idea like she wanted him to.
He chuckled softly. "I left my crowbar at work," he said. "It's Friday, baby. You know I can't do that, no matter how much I want to. As good at Katya is, I can't leave her alone to man the bar on a Friday night." Yeah, all he wanted to do was curl up in his wife's arms and sleep until Tuesday. But it wasn't happening. This was what people in the real world had to do. "Besides, Elias behind the bar? I thought we agreed we weren't punishing him for bringing up Phee?"
"I know," she said, heaving a little sigh. "Can't blame a girl for trying." Friday was too busy for anyone who worked in the restaurant business to take a night off unless they were dead or dying. She knew that. It didn't make it any less depressing. "Guess I'll have to curl up with Binx instead. We'll keep the bed warm for you," she murmured. "But you can definitely come snuggle with me for a little while now."
"I love you for trying," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her. "Don't talk about warm beds. I lay down now and I won't wake up until next year." Not only was he physically exhausted, he was emotionally wrung out as well. The last thing he wanted to was paste on a smile and pretend to give a damn about anyone else's troubles. But he had to. "Do not let me fall asleep," he requested of his wife as he shrugged out of his jacket. "I should have grabbed some coffee on my way over to get you." He sat down in his chair and immediately had Binx in his lap. Purring. "This is a conspiracy, right?"
Jayne smirked a little at Binx, snuggled into Max's lap like he belonged there. "He knows you're tired, Daddy," she grinned. "You don't have to be at work for a while now," she told him. "We could squeeze in a little nap for you. And if you want I can come help out tonight. You could probably use it. Especially if you're going to be passing out in your whiskey."
Max scoffed softly, reaching out to scratch the little black cat behind his ears. "You sicced your familiar on me," he teased. "I see how you are, you wicked witch." He sighed. "Yeah, let me call and tell Josh I'll be in later tonight. He can pass the word along. If we're there by seven, it should be good. You'll just have to help me close up." He texted his older brother, who he knew would pass the message on to Katya. "Okay, furball," he said to Binx as he shooed the kitten off his lap so he could untie his boots and slip them off. "You know you'd rather nap in her lap anyway. I'd rather sleep on her than anyone else and I'm not a cute little fluffy kitten."
"Good," she said, satisfied that he'd at least be getting some sleep. He needed it or he'd never make it through the night. "I'll help," she assured him, bending down to pick up Binx now that he'd been shooed. "You might not be a cute little fluffy kitten, but you are pretty cute," she smiled. Cute didn't really cover it, but it would do for now.
"You bending over in that teeny schoolgirl skirt is always helpful," Max teased. Yeah, he was tired. Not dead. He could still appreciate the view. "Don't tease, princess. Even if I could get it up, I'd fall asleep before you got me undressed." Hauling himself out of his chair, he headed for the bed and flopped down. "Come cuddle me. You promised."
Jayne couldn't help but grin a little at his teasing. Putting Binx down on the bed, she sat her backpack aside and got rid of her shoes and socks. The uniform went to, but she pulled on an oversized t-shirt and crawled into bed with her husband, curling up against him only to be immediately used as a kitty perch for Binx who settled into a fuzzy, curled up ball against her hip. "Sometimes I wonder if he wants to just attach himself to me," she smirked. "Shows how well you know me. Even managed to pick the perfect kitty."
Well, that was the least satisfying strip show ever. "Slowly, it's too nice a job to rush," he directed lightly. Yeah, Max was getting his sense of humor back at least. He chuckled when Jayne curled up against him and immediately got Binx curled up on her. "Yes," he said. "I do too, but I'm too tired right now." He chuckled. "He picked me really. He kind of toddled out like 'GET ME OUT OF THIS PLACE!' Because there were like three or four girl kittens in the pen with him and he was being estrogened to death. So yeah, I had to bring him home."
She was glad he was getting his sense of humor back. Maybe in a day or two he'd push Ophelia to the back of his mind again and fun loving Max would return full force. "Don't worry, baby, you've got me for the rest of forever so there's plenty of time for you to ravish me." She chuckled at the recollection of how Max had come to choose the cute little black kitten. "Now he just misses all that estrogen," she smirked. "And I'm surrounded by testosterone instead."
He would. He'd do it on purpose, so he didn't drag his brothers down with him. Only Jayne got to see him like this. If it'd been his brothers, he'd have sucked it up and put on a brave face and forced the jokes and smiles for their sake. Laugh, clown, laugh and all that. "Is that a rain check?" he asked. "Because I am totally holding you to that. Especially if it can be a literal rain check. You know what the rain does to me." He chuckled at her. "Too much of a good thing. On both accounts, I'm sure." It had to be a bit much, living with him and his brothers all the time. Jayne was dealing with it like a trooper.
"Definitely a rain check," she smiled. "Especially if it can be a literal rain check," she smirked. "It's been rainy and blah all day. Which has been spectacular. Might have to snatch you for a little quicky somewhere in the bar," she teased. Not that she wouldn't do just that if given half the chance. "Well, I can never get too much of you, no matter how much of a good thing you are."
"Flattery will get you everywhere, Mrs. Lasko," he teased sleepily. "Wake me up at like six. We'll have a quickie before work. Get the blood pumping." That sounded like a plan. "Never get enough of you either, princess. Love you."
She grinned broadly at those words. "I'm never going to get tired of being 'Mrs. Lasko' either," she smiled, leaning over to gently kiss his lips. She pulled back long enough to set an alarm for six then curled back against him. "I love you too," she told him. "Now get some sleep. You're going to need it for that quickie."