winthrop, a .
max is the best of the winthrops, somehow, despite everything. it seems completely impossible given his circumstances but he managed it anyway. the only beacon of light in their family. also the only reason she’s hauling a large brown paper bag filled with groceries out of a car. the whole street is a mess, people are sweeping shattered pieces of glass, setting out large trash bags with debris. maybe she’s glad max is forcing her into doing something to help this sorry sight. alina makes her way carefully to diversion, thankful she decided on white sneakers instead of heels. “yeah, yeah, no shit.” she manages, peering around the bag to find banks working on the ground. she sets it down at the front door, huffing slightly. god, max owes her so much for this. “before you ask, it was all max.” though it wouldn’t have taken a genius to guess that. alina crosses her arms and peers inside of the store. “oh, jesus, banks, have you never prepared for a hurricane or something?”
at most, he's expecting some morning runner . ( and really, he should have known better . ) the claw of the hammer skims off the final nail when, instead, alina’s voice slices through the relative calm of the morning . he winces when it instead finds purchase against the hand holding the board still . “ right . i’ll be sure to let you find out yourself next time, got it . ” hammer dangles loosely beyond his knee as attention flicks from the door, to the brown paper bag now at his side . there’s an uptick of his brow as attention shifts to alina . “ wasn’t gonna ask, already knew he was the generous one here . ” the quicksilver smile that pulls at the corners of his lips is as dry as his tone . “ really kickin’ the dog while it’s down, huh, alina ? ” with a final tug, the last board is freed and joins the rest . banks pushes to his feet, sorting through the store’s key ring until he finds the entry’s . “ but hey, be sure to tell max i really appreciate the thought . ” when he pushes the door open and steps inside, expression twists at the damage . he doesn’t need the audience to this . “ and that we might have to push his next class back a week . ”
