#fatebinds

"hurry up, you're being evicted," ari declared as he opened up the door of the cell. no matter what max was picked up for or by whom, it seemed like nothing ever managed to stick to him. which really wasn't any of ari's business and he wouldn't have cared about max sitting in a cell, except his shift ended in about ten minutes and he wanted a beer. he wasn't being nice, he wasn't lowering himself to do the works of other people, he was acting completely in his own self interest. plus, he always thought it was funny to have an excuse to shove max in the back of a car and threaten him with handcuffs - it truly was the little things in life that mattered. "five, four, three…"

"Well hello hello there! Any chance you can help me?" Gimothy said so enthusiastically that it didn't come out as much of a question, but a thanks for the help they were going to give even if they didn't know it yet. "I got turned around in this maze, but I'm looking for the nurse's station - or at least one nurse. Don't worry, I'm fine and dandy, I'm just looking for someone. I'll give you a..." Digging through the bag on his arm and pulling out multiple colored tupperwares, he frowned. "Well, not quite sure what's in these, but it's edible."

"Alan, what do you think about karma?" Jen questioned out of nowhere as she leaned back and crossed her legs, sipping at her iced coffee through a straw and living lipstick marks on the plastic. "Do you think it's real? And if it is, do you think it's dispensed by the universe, or by other people?" Either way, Jen thought she should have scored some karma points by bringing Alan lunch.

"Hey, don't be a dick. I didn't come here to do the whole therapy with the bartender thing, so I'm not going to whine about my life, thanks." Nic said with a roll of his eyes, downing his glass of whiskey faster than he should have. "Just get me another one, okay?"

"you're always so good at getting yourself into trouble, aren't you?" gen murmured as she snapped a pair of plastic gloves onto her hands, her jewelry all neatly discarded in a pile in her bedroom so that nothing would snag. "it sounds like you've really been making people work to keep up with you, it's impressive." and time consuming, but it wasn't her time being wasted. instead hers was being spared, because if max was such a naturally talented pest, there wasn't any reason not to make use of him and gen's delight at how he seemed to be brimming with stories wasn't false. everyone knew that the hair salon was the place for gossip and it seemed only right that max should be able to spill his guts to her about his achievements while getting his hair touched up, the bleach and developer mixed in a glass bowl easily within reach as gen started her work. "they never see you coming, do they?"

I should have been there, I should - God, what was I thinking? It doesn't matter who his dad is, I still should have been there. I should have done it for Michael and Belinda and instead here we are, I'm a goddamn stranger to my own firstborn. And to think I swore, I'd never be like my own father.