Work Text:
“you're leaving early?” asked sam, as he watched his former coworker stand up from the table. the trio — sam, rob, and doug — every now and again have lunch together since they don't work with one another anymore.
“yeah, my cousin is supposed to be visiting today and i promised to spend the afternoon with him,” replied rob, as he took his garbage and tossed it in a nearby trash can. “he didn't tell me where to meet up, though.”
“wait- you mean your cousin maxon? the one that was your best friend growing up?” questioned doug, scaring him a bit on how well they remembered such a small detail in a random conversation years ago. he simply nodded to confirm, and watched the others begin to smile.
“so we get to meet the katy perry fanatic! no offense, rob, but he always sounded gay to me,” said sam, as he leaned back in his seat. he thought he was real clever for pulling that one out of his ass.
rob rolled his eyes and went to defend his cousin, though he heard someone from behind call his name.
ah, so his cousin found him. he turned around to face maxon, who was a few inches taller than him and always kept his goofy looking sunglasses and peip hat on. he was wearing a slightly over-large t-shirt with a band name written across it, this tucked into his odd work pants. he heard sam mutter something about his height to doug, then a snicker from doug.
“cuz! it's been way too long, i'm so happy we are able to hangout today, i have a lot of tea to catch up on with you! ooh, i might've gotten some of my peeps to stan the things i like, i think it's a real win-win situation we must get into!!” maxon spoke with enthusiasm, his rate of speech managed to withhold any stuttering or mispronouncing of words.
doug and sam had shocked expressions, they didn't even catch what he was talking about. rob found amusement whenever people who don't know maxon have to witness his behavior.
“it's great to see you, too, max. we can talk in the car, but first i want you to meet some of my friends,” said rob, as he gestured to the former coworkers. “let me see your fidget cube so you can shake their hands.”
“hello! you must be sam and doug, i've heard a lot about you two! this is exciting, i really gotta' chat about some of my favs one day!” exclaimed maxon, as he shook both of their hands with a grip neither expected to feel.
sam snatched his hand away after a second and rubbed his palm; “this should be considered assault of a cop.” he grumbled before getting nudged by doug.
“shut up. it's very nice to meet you, rob mentioned you a few times before.” they replied with a friendly smile in hopes he didn't notice what sam said. he didn't, in fact he seemed to be oblivious to the comment as he was given his cube back and clicked the many buttons on it.
“well, we only have a few hours– c'mon, i'm guessing you haven't eaten yet today?”
“oh cuz, you ask silly questions. but yes, i have not, i was just so thrilled to tell the colonel about seeing you i couldn't eat!” bounced maxon, his cartoony grin never falling. he was more animated than what the two observers thought, though doug liked it – the town didn't exactly have many characters that were always high-energy.
rob laughed slightly and offered a hand for him to hold; “i'll get you some fruit from the mall to snack on to hold you over 'til dinner, then.”
“heck yeah, today is gonna' slap so hard!” replied maxon, completely ignoring the offer as he skipped towards the exit. rob told his friends goodbye for both him and maxon, waving as he departed, and left the place alongside him.
an iconic duo, some might call it.
“honestly, i don't know what i expected. rob is naturally loud and maxon seems to be, as well.”
“dude, all i got from him was some weird slang and he didn't eat before visiting. at least rob knows when to stop speeding through his words,” said sam, annoyed with the interaction. doug stared at him for a moment before chuckling, hard to tell out of joy or not.
“you are such a fucking asshole, bro.”
-
lakeside mall, it was not all that impressive. this is the place the cousins would spend most of their day, walking around to the different stores and chatting about whatever came to mind – or, rather, maxon rambling about things that he thought of.
rob was used to his rants about his hyperfixations, either information that he already knew or recent updates, and is one to actually listen to said rants. he will ask questions, genuinely react, that sort of thing that encouraged him to keep talking.
does he ever get a chance to speak? obviously, there are moments when maxon notices something that will remind him of rob, and there will be a solid ten minute opportunity to bring up his hobbies. right now is a good example.
“like i said in the letter a few months ago, i became a gym trainer and a dance teacher. i'm working on a new choreograph number, maybe back at my place i can show you.”
“you always were busting groovy moves! remember when we used to vibe out to just dance on the wii? ooh, i hear hatsune miku is featured in the unlimited edition of the game! well, listed under k-pop, even if she is japanese–” he paused then apologized.
rob only laughed and waved him off; “yes, isn't that weird? who can even mix those two up? say, i think that fye store is selling an album for one of the singers i like… and for red velvet.” he grinned when he heard maxon gasp in shock after he finished his sentence. in a sudden burst of energy, he grabbed his arm then began to jog in the direction of their favorite store, rob letting him drag him.
thank god he got the k-pop band right, he wasn't sure if it was red velvet or stray kids, but it should have been obvious considering one is an all-female group and the other is an all-male group.
“the red! oh man, this one was their first full-length album! ‘dumb dumb’ has to be at the top of my favorite singles by them- no no, maybe not, all of their music is just flawless and underrated! my bias has to be wendy haha! what about you? which artist is that?” maxon stopped gushing over the object in his hand and pointed a finger at what rob was holding.
“ah, frank ocean, i never found this one sold anywhere and i don't trust online shopping. but here it is,” replied rob, as he held up the ‘channel orange’ album he didn't own yet. “i love his voice range, you might not like it, though.”
“awh, don't say that! we can listen to it on the way back!” he reassured before getting distracted by the other products in the store. rob was glad he seemed to be enjoying his time, he got out from seeing the same people every single day and was able to check the new stuff happening in town.
of course, nothing much goes on within hatchetfield, but at least the smaller changes are noticed – such as the types of keychains fye offered. maxon was investigating them oddly close, his lips puckered as he checked and fingers caressed his chin. too bad rob couldn't see his eyes, surely they we're squinted, but alas they were covered by his goofy shades.
“can we get matching keychains? look, you can have the rainbow bunny and i can have the pink deer! i mean, the rainbow aesthetic suits you best, doesn't it? you like men, after all!” he took the small plush keychains off the hooks and put them right in rob's face, causing him to jolt his head back so he didn't get smacked. the mention of his sexuality, which was very much hidden away in the closet, made him awkwardly chuckle.
“we can, just as long as we say i have the bunny because its my favorite animal,” said rob, as he accepted the idea and watched his grin grow wide – how much bigger could it possibly get?
maxon nodded excitedly at the one requirement and skipped to the counter, not interested in anything else that was shown off in the store. the duo paid for their items after slight confusion on who was paying then made their exit, both satisfied with their final purchases.
they planned to adventure the mall by doing a few laps around, but the fact that the only things maxon was running on consisted of a fruit bowl, water, and a small red bull caused the idea to be dropped. instead, they left lakeside and talked about what would be an appropriate dinner for the night as they did.
-
“really? you were used by everyone to annoy… everybody else?”
“yes! i was really mad about it, then i got really sad! the general tried to get our friends that used me to apologize, but i was having none of it- real sus of them to make it john's issue to handle!” complained maxon, as he picked apart his food to find the perfect bite that would be saved for the end of his meal. he always did this, when he wasn't busy yapping away and planned to actually eat the entire thing.
rob took a sip of his strawberry ramune; maxon insisted on buying the soda to top off their japanese dinner: kitsune udon noodles for rob, soba noodles for maxon, and a small tray of nigiri sushi for the both of them. this was one of the few options they usually eat when he visits, as he is a bit picky when it comes to foods with their textures and tastes.
“do you forgive them now?”
“oh yes, i do! water under the bridge now, i spent the entire next day to myself and even had a little notepad to draw out whatever i was thinking when i could. ya'know, smol teto's here and there with her baguette. i wonder why no one likes teto, she is so cute and fun! yeah, maybe she has a bit of anger towards miku, but no cap it is bothersome.”
he thought for a moment on which vocaloid was teto, then after a brief second, he remembered. “i liked her in that one music video with miku and neru. triple baka, i believe it was called.”
“oh! oh, yes!! you like that one? here let me play it then!” said maxon, as he took his phone out of his pocket then scrolled through his music app. he was swiping fast, rob watching the screen reflection in his shades, noticing all the songs downloaded.
there must be way more than i imagined, he thought as the tune began to play.
after dinner, and a session of jamming to a couple of songs from maxon's playlist, rob was setting up his bluetooth speaker so he could show him what he has been working on. before he began, however, he turned from the short entertainment stand to face his cousin, who was sitting on the couch with his leg bouncing away.
“quick question, what other music do you have saved to your phone, max? you know, besides k-pop, vocaloid, big time rush, and katy perry.” he asked out of curiosity, wanting to know if he got into anything else as months passed by.
“hmm, most of them are things you like. whenever i'm feeling uneasy or want to flip out, i put on my headphones and listen to a quick few songs that remind me of you! you help remind me to keep my chin up, since i know you believe in and are proud of me,” responded maxon honestly. he didn't stop his leg bounce or pause his hands from messing with his fidget cube; “i should add the album you just got today on there, too!”
rob wasn't one to get emotional, but god damn he didn't know his endless support and kindness would have a positive impact on his cousin. it does feel good when someone validates your interests, and the little ‘reminds me of you’ phrase did make him smile.
“that's really neat, i'm glad i can be there for you even through a song. all right-” he turned back and pressed the play button to the bop he crafted the dance to. as he started, maxon kept his attention on him and watched his body move to the right counts and beats; he was surprised his cousin got into this passion so late in the game, but then again, he sort of understood why.
soon enough, the little rehearsal was over, and he gave a loud round of applause to the routine - he adored choreography thanks to both rob, and the endless videos of his favorite groups rehearsing.
“one day we should learn the ‘peek-a-boo’ routine! i bet you’d be fire at it, you are just as advanced as those girls!” exclaimed maxon, as he smiled over at his now sweaty cousin. his tiny house never got cold, it was a shame.
“i’m not used to their style, though i’ll get onto learning it in my free time for you. then when you get back, we can completely ‘vibe’ to it together,” said rob, as he disconnected his phone from his speaker. speaking of which, it was nearing when he had to leave, rob having to check the time on his screen to confirm - closing off the evening just right.
gathering all the new goodies he had, maxon gave rob a big hug, lasting for a few seconds to really set in stone this would be the last one for a while. it was sometimes scary for rob to say goodbye, even if he knew nothing bad would happen; yet there will always be the lurking ‘what if’ question in the back of his mind.
“well, cuz, i’ll send you a postcard when i know the next time i’ll be visiting!” he announced before pulling away and tilted his cap slightly. “goodnight, rob.”
“goodnight, max, don’t forget to eat breakfast tomorrow. the colonel definitely wants to hear about today, but she wants you to get the nutrients much more.”
there was an exchange of laughs between them, some other comments, then finally he was gone. rob cleaned up around the living room and stepped to his bedroom, seeing the frank ocean album and bunny keychain sitting on his bed. oh, this will be a fun story for all his peip friends to listen to, especially with the keychains.
he clipped it onto his lanyard that was patterned with silhouettes of dogs, similar to maxon’s work lanyard, the bunny right next to a house and car key, and another keychain that had ‘nasa’ written on it. he’d have to hide it from sam, he knows he’d be teased for it; doug would only find it cute, fortunately.
he’ll just have to show the two his new cd tomorrow, then, and that wasn’t an issue to him at all. maybe rob can finally get them to appreciate frank’s range and sick tunes that they don’t seem to appreciate at all, just maybe.