#maaaan

“You go over there!” Little Daniel had said and then he’d thrown a toy car across the room. Max had been shocked, Little Daniel had never done that before. 

Max had picked it up, “that isn’t very nice I think Daniel.” He’d scolded. Little Daniel had looked at him with a pout. 

“It wanted to fly!” Little Daniel screeched. Max frowned, unsure. 

“Are you sure?”

“It wanted to flllyyyy.” Little Daniel insisted, reaching for the toy in Max’s hand. Max shook his head, he wouldn't hand over the car for it to be catapulted across the room again. 

“No!!” Little Daniel screamed at Max with all his might. 

“Time for a nap I think”. Max had mumbled, realizing the time and that maybe Little Daniel had missed his afternoon nap time. He remembered how Lio would get cranky.

The following tantrum had been impossibly loud and fraught and Max honestly didn’t think he would have survived it.

“You’re ok.” Max kept chanting in a light voice. He watched Little Daniel’s face as his eyes fluttered a bit before opening again. Max rolled his eyes at how much fight Little Daniel had in him to ignore his sleeping. Something he took with him into adulthood. 

Max continued his swinging and rocking, thanking every deity for his training. Of course Brad and Rupert hadn’t quite expected him to be using his core or leg strength this way, but in any event they both had harped to Max about being ‘fit for life’. Max thought he finally figured out what that meant. 

It wasn’t long before Little Daniel went completely lax in Max’s arms and Max dropped his head backwards in a silent groan. He walked slowly to Little Daniel’s room and as softly as he could, deposited him into the bed. 

Max waited a beat, to see if Little Daniel would wake, when he didn’t Max began the tentative process of pulling his arm from beneath the weight of the little body. Without waking him. 

Max even took it a step further to tiptoe out of the room. He didn’t want to make any noise. 

Of course, that meant that he absolutely hit his knee on the edge of the bed and that it sounded like the loudest thing Max had ever heard. His strangled groan included. But Little Daniel thankfully didn’t rise. 

Max all but ran out of the room and collapsed on the couch. He felt like he ran a marathon. He only allowed himself a few moments before he got up, he had a call with Laurent in a few. 

Max took up the scattered toys, looking ruefully at the car that started it all before dropping them in the little toy bin that Little Daniel had accumulated. (Read: that Max had bought eagerly because it was the shape of a car)

Max took up his phone, looking through a few emails when he heard a sob from Little Daniel’s room and a sad “Maxshy?”

Max bolted into the room to see Little Daniel curled on his side. He looked up at seeing Max in the doorway, a smile breaking his frown. 

Max walked into the room and settled on the bed, Little Daniel still needed a nap and Max was not going to make the same mistake so quickly. He shuffled Little Daniel into his arms, head resting by Max’s heart and Little Daniel fell back asleep with a small sigh. 

Max sent a text to Laurent; he would be unavailable for at least the next hour. Leaning his head on the soft headboard, Max closed his eyes. Maybe he could get a quick nap in too.