#wanted to write about someone more unpopular than Gideon last year and Alan's character tag is gone from FFN so I think he fits the bill

[azikarue]

MayBlade 2023 : Day 18 : Unpopular Character

Alan, Max | FFN Rating: T | FFN Link ❖ Alan recognized his voice as soon as he ordered. It didn’t matter that he was the whole way in the back, hanging up his apron so no customers would bug him on his break, or that it had been years since they’d spoken – he’d know Max’s voice anywhere.

Somehow, it was still a shock to round the corner behind the counter and see him standing on the other side.

He could walk away. Head out the back to spend his break at the bodega like he always did. Max was staring down at his phone while he waited on his latte. He hadn’t seen Alan. If he walked away now, there was every possibility he’d never have to see him again or need to deal with the complex mix of emotions he felt in his presence.

“Screw it,” he thought and snagged Max’s cup off the counter before any of his coworkers could get to it.

His manager was out back on her third smoke break of the morning, so he didn’t have to worry about being scolded for working off the clock. He made Max’s drink to the specifications on the cup – vanilla latte, extra espresso shot – and set it down in the pickup area.

“Max,” he called.

Max’s head shot up.

“Alan?” His eyes widened and he looked Alan up and down, eyes catching on the tattoos spread sporadically over his hands and arms and the piercings in his ears; all old, but new since they’d seen each other last. Then he smiled and it felt like no time had passed at all. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

Alan came around the counter. Max clasped his hand and pulled him into a hug. He should’ve known that Max wouldn’t hold a grudge. Nevertheless, he felt some of his tension melt away with the embrace.

“I work weird shifts around my school schedule,” he said as they pulled apart. “What about you?” he asked, handing Max his latte since other orders were starting to pile up around it. “You can’t come by too often or we’d have run into each other by now.”

That, or word would have gotten back to him; between his coworkers and their regulars, somebody would have said something if Max Tate started coming in.

It was easy to forget that Max was actually kind of famous. All it took was the right combination of customers and conversation topics, and Alan could get a whole rundown on what was going on in his old friend’s life. According to the tabloids and gossip columnists anyway. Those little glimpses were more than enough for Alan, who still got the occasional pang in his chest when he heard Max’s name.

“I… uh…” Max trailed off, glancing over Alan’s shoulder.

Alan turned around to see a cluster of his fellow employees and one or two customers trying – and failing – to listen inconspicuously. He rolled his eyes and nodded to a table in the corner where they could talk with more privacy. Once they sat down and Max had a couple sips of his drink, the conversation picked up pretty much where it left off.

“I’m actually on my way to the airport to pick up my girlfriend,” he said. Alan didn’t miss the twinkle in his eye when he said it or the way he took another drink to hide the fact that he was blushing. “Her flight got delayed and I thought I’d stop for coffee to kill some time.”

“Mariam, right?”

Alan had taken their supposed relationship with a grain of salt the first time he’d seen their picture in the tabloids. Out of respect for Max or maybe, partly, because it always hurt to see just how out of touch they’d become since the whole mess with the rock.

When the pictures kept coming, he figured there was probably some truth to them.

“Yeah,” Max said with a faraway look in his eyes and a smile on his face.

“Must be some girl to have you looking like that,” Alan teased, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. Lucky girl, too; Max started opening doors for their female classmates in kindergarten and they used to liken him to Prince Charming when he was out of earshot. Alan remembered telling him once – he’d turned red as a tomato. There was no reason to believe he was any less of a gentleman now.

“I think so.”

Alan raised an eyebrow. “Why do I feel like that voice means there’s someone who doesn’t?”

Max hesitated, rolling his to-go cup back and forth between his hands, before answering, “My mom doesn’t really like her.”

Alan was taken aback by that. When they were growing up, Max was the kind of kid that took a liking to everyone. He was friendly to a fault and Alan couldn’t ever remember Judy being anything but encouraging. He guessed girlfriends must be different.

“Well, she liked me,” he said with a self-deprecating smirk. “Maybe she just isn’t the best judge of character.”

He’d meant it to be funny, but Max looked stricken. Alan mentally cursed; just when they’d been having a normal conversation that made it feel like they’d been friends all this time, he had to open his big mouth and call attention to the elephant in the room. Time to backtrack.

“How did you two meet?”

Max sighed, ignored the question, and said, “I forgave you a long time ago, Alan.” He had the same look on his face that he’d always get when his feelings were hurt and he had something serious to say about it – the one that made him look like a kicked puppy. For some reason, it mad Alan angry.

“Yeah, well, the fact that we haven’t talked since makes it feel like you didn’t,” he snapped, sitting back in his chair and glowering across the table. He immediately regretted it when Max’s shoulders slumped and the hurt flashed in his eyes.

Well, fuck.

“I’m sorry, Max,” he amended. His anger dissipated like air let out of a balloon, leaving him feeling just as flimsy and hollow. “That wasn’t fair. I could’ve reached out too, but… I didn’t.” He wasn’t meeting Max’s eyes now, too scared of what he might see.

“Why not?” Max’s voice was gentle. He didn’t deserve it.

“Embarrassment? Guilt? Pick your poison,” he spat, not because he was angry with Max, but because he was angry with himself. “Max, I’m ashamed of what I did.” He felt it anew every time he saw Max’s face in the news or picked up Impulse. Hell, since everything had gone down, he’d hardly beybladed at all. “And when I didn’t hear from you, I assumed you didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“I tried to write, but my letters kept coming back. I thought I might have the wrong address,” Max explained. “I tried calling too, but nobody ever picked up.”

“We did move, at some point.” He was a little hazy on the timeline, but their move and the rock had happened within the same year. It made sense that Max had the wrong address; he might not have ever updated it with Judy before he got himself fired. And he knew Max would never lie. “Mom told me she had to stop answering calls when the reporters got our number.”

Max nodded in understanding. “She probably didn’t recognize my number.”

He would’ve been calling from out of the country at that point, Alan supposed. His mom would’ve definitely ignored it when his number flashed on the caller ID. Probably figured it was the Japanese branch of the BBA calling to give her a piece of their mind about her son’s antics.

“Probably not.”

Max took a minute to digest that information, then hesitantly said, “My mom told me that her boss pressed charges. I’m sorry.”

Alan remembered Judy’s crestfallen face when she found out she couldn’t drop the charges herself. Her boss had decided that they needed to make an example out of Alan – they had other minors training at the facility and couldn’t let him get away with trading stolen property for bitbeasts. They brought the hammer down hard. A year in juvenile detention, and that was them going easy because his lawyer was able to convince the jury he was coerced.

“Don’t be sorry. It was my own fault.” He made a shitty decision and had to live with the consequences. “I’m doing better now.” In the back of his mind, he knew it helped not having Max around to compare himself to, but he’d never tell him that. “I’m going to school to be an electrician.”

There were plenty of lights on at all times in The City That Never Sleeps – he wouldn't have any issue finding a job. Plus, trade school was faster and cheaper than a normal university. And they didn’t care about his stint in juvie as much as a board of admissions might have.

“Like your dad,” Max said, before closing his mouth with an audible click, eyes going wide. He knew that Alan’s relationship with his father was pretty much nonexistent. It had been one more thing for him to be jealous of Max for; even when they were on different continents, Max and his dad were close.

“Yeah,” Alan said, trying to sound blasé. He’d finished mourning what could have been a long time ago, but he still hated being reminded of it. “He wasn’t a great dad, but he never missed a child support payment, so I guess it pays good,” he joked.

Max got real quiet instead of laughing.

“He just got back from the Bahamas with wife number three.” Alan had never even been out of the country. And he didn’t know why he was still airing his grievances when Max was obviously getting uncomfortable. He didn’t want their reunion to turn into a pity party, so he changed the subject and asked, “Are you in school? No, wait – don’t tell me. I’m gonna guess you are and it’s for something science-y?”

“Pretty much,” Max answered, finally cracking a smile. “I got a late start because of beyblading, so I’m stuck taking all the random classes I won’t need this semester.”

“Sounds like a drag,” Alan said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “Honestly, how do you get through your days with zero risk of electrocution?”

“I wouldn’t say zero risk,” Max shot back, his grin suddenly mischievous. “I’m living in the dorms. It’s only a matter of time before someone takes their radio in the shower or something.” They both laughed and, just like that, any lingering weirdness was gone. They were two kids again, poking fun at each other.

“Guess it’s probably fair to say you’re looking forward to Mariam visiting?” Alan asked, raising an eyebrow and shooting Max a suggestive look.

“Uh…” Max blushed and took a drink of his latte. It had to be lukewarm by now and the cup did nothing to hide the fact that his friend was almost red enough to cover his freckles. “You could say that. She’s definitely better company than my classmates.”

“I bet,” Alan laughed. He hoped this was the start of a rekindled friendship with Max, if only so he had every opportunity possible to tease him about his girlfriend. “What time does her flight land?”

“Oh, shoot!” Max’s eyes widened and he took his phone out of his pocket. The website to track Mariam’s flight was still open when he unlocked it. Sap. “A little over an hour now.”

“You should get going,” Alan said, surprisingly reluctant to say goodbye when he’d been debating even saying hello in the first place. “It’s gonna take you a while to find a taxi during rush hour. I gotta get back to work anyway.” He stood up. “Give me your phone.”

Max looked puzzled, but held it out.

Alan took it and plugged his number in, then tossed it back. “There – now you don’t have any excuse not to stay in touch.” He could tell Max was about to protest, promise he hadn’t making excuses, until Alan winked at him. “Don’t be a stranger.”

Max smiled one of his all-too-familiar megawatt smiles. “I won’t.”

Alan gave him a lazy salute, before heading back towards the counter. The rest of his day was going to drag now – he wasn’t stupid enough to think Max would text him when his girlfriend had just arrived – but it had already managed to be one of the better days he’d had in a long time.

“Hey, Alan!”

He turned around. Max was smiling still, his expression telling Alan everything he needed to know: they were okay.

“Thanks for the coffee.”

He smiled back.

“Anytime.”

Hopefully sooner, rather than later.