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Max says he has never had a Happy Meal, and Daniel nearly falls down the stairs of their trailer.
“What do you mean, you’ve never had a McDonald’s Happy Meal?” he’s well aware that he’s speaking at a volume that is absolutely not justified by the topic of conversation. Lando peaks out from the caravan, his curls a mess and sleep clearly still resting in his eyes. The other probably yells at him to shut up, Daniel is sure of it, he just doesn’t hear it over his absolute shock.
“Isn’t that, like, the absolute staple of everyone’s childhood? I didn’t know that it was even legal to raise a child and not have them experience the absolute delight that is a Happy Meal at least once a month.” Max is laughing at him, straight up laughing, as he holds Sassy to give the cat a kiss on her head before starting their workday. The tigress trapped in a small body barely hisses at him. “What did you even beg for while you were trapped on the backseat of the car during family road trips?”
Sometimes, he forgets that they had very different childhoods from one another. He watched as the suburbs flashed him by, while Max did stretching exercises sitting next to his dad in their truck. There probably never was any time to beg for a delicious yet disgusting meal when he was being herded from one city to the next to perform.
“Stop being dramatic about it, asshole.” Max is still laughing as he makes his way to the big top, the grass underneath his feet has turned to mud due to the ever-falling rain. Mud clings to his boots. Daniel thinks he looks adorable in his company-issued waterproof jacket. “It’s just a meal, a kids' meal, I think I ended up just fine, even without it.” Daniel looks as his boyfriend takes a few more steps across the rain soaked ground, he thinks Max ended up more than just fine, but that’s just his professional opinion.
“I just can’t believe it, you poor thing, growing up without all the classic toys. It’s ruined now, they no longer give you small weapons made from such hard plastic that you could easily bash another kid’s skull in with it.” he presses a hand to his heart as he catches up with the other, dramatically tipping his head back to feel the drops of rain against his cheeks. “At least tell me that you had a Furby growing up, to sooth my soul and put my mind at ease.”
Max doesn’t answer him, simply takes off his shoes as he enters the tent.
“ Not even a Furby?! Maxie, my beloved Maxie, how did you even make it to splendid adulthood without ever being traumatized by a Furby?” he’s starting a tirade about the valuable life lessons learned by a demon possessed Furby demanding food in the middle of the night when Pierre pushes past him with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Poor Max didn’t even have a Tamagotchi growing up.”
That’s it, Daniel is officially losing his faith in the human race all together.
He’s brooding when he watches the usual rehearsals, he’s supposed to give pointers to the team, take a leaf out of Lewis’ book and tell Lance to smile for once in his life. Instead, he’s looking at Max talking to Checo in the corner and thinking about how his boyfriend has probably never had a chicken nugget either.
Yuki jumps backwards through a hoop which Pierre has lit on fire, straight into the Frenchman’s arms without even burning a single hair on his head, and even that isn’t enough to get his mind focused on literally anything else.
“You’re distracted.” Christian sits down next to him, his arms crossed in the way they always are. A perpetual frown on his features. “Can’t have one of my two ringleaders being distracted, so, what’s up?” Daniel knows the other man is just trying to be nice, Christian moves through social interactions as stiffly as he moves through the ring. His mind is set to business, great with numbers and keeping everyone in line, but when it comes to genuine human interactions, Daniel suspects that the vinyl floors could probably do a better job.
There’s only one thing for him to do. He jokes and lies, tries to distract the man who pays his bills and keeps him fed. “Nothing, just wondering if I could get Max to wear a wedding dress when we tie the knot.” Christian groans, and Daniel knows he has won the battle but not the war.
*
Lewis tells them to have fun, just as he reminds them that Valtteri is in charge, right before he shuts the door of Daniel’s beat up truck.
There are three cars leaving the grounds, all of them stuffed to the brim with performers heading to town for the evening. Their show had been mediocre, the crowd dried up on their seventh performance at the same location. Daniel had taken the time to google until what time the local McDonald's had been opened, and with two more hours to spare, they had plenty of time to show Max exactly what he’d been missing.
Lando is singing along with Carlos to some Spanish song from the backseat of Valtteri’s car, Daniel can hear it through the cracked open windows before the rumbling of starting engines drowns it out. It makes him happy in a way that he can’t really describe. Max reaches out to touch his knee while he drives onto the highway towards their destination, it's all perfect for one evening.
Maybe it’s the leftover glitter that still clings to their cheeks, or maybe it’s the way that Yuki simply had to do a backflip when they walked into the restaurant, but they’re quickly spotted as circus performers. There’s a group of families sitting at the tables in the front, Daniel recognizes the light up toys that some kids are holding as the ones they sell. They are hailed as heroes into the fast food chain, a mother comes up with her toddler, asking if Pierre is willing to take a picture with the little girl.
It’s a small miracle they’re not being tossed out by the, probably overworked and underpaid, crew members working in the kitchen when Esteban starts crawling across the floor upside down. Then again, it probably saves them time mopping if the few smudges on the contortionist’s back are anything to go on.
“ - and one Happy Meal with chicken nuggets.” Daniel ends his ridiculously long order in style, smiling at the girl behind the counter as if a flash of teeth would somehow make it any less weird that a group of grown adults had just infiltrated their workspace, only to order a Happy Meal to top it all off. “It’s for my boyfriend, he’s never had one before.”
The girl simply blinks, seemingly unimpressed with whatever the hell is going on in her restaurant. Daniel imagines that she’s close to getting off for the night, anyway. “Enchanté.” her voice sounds flat, clearly not enchanted by anything Daniel has just said. “That’ll be sixty-four euros and nineteen cents.” Daniel pays without another word.
They claim the large table in the back, grab random chairs to pull them up so they can all sit together. Lando refuses, simply sits down on Carlos’ lap, feeding the other man soggy fries dipped in his vanilla milkshake. Max shudders next to him, but tries it all the same. Valtteri doesn’t tell them to tone it down, far too delighted to relish in the chaos, even when he eats his burger in silence.
“And?” he’s looking at Max, nudging his shoulder with a beaming smile. “Isn’t it groundbreaking? Earth-shattering? Come on, Maxie, light of my life, just tell me that this is, in fact, the best thing you’ve ever eaten.”
Max makes eye contact with him for a moment, shoving another fry into his mouth. Daniel can see the salt lacing his fingertips.
“It’s very okay.”
Valtteri, who had taken the seat on the opposite side of Daniel, reaches out to cover his mouth without even looking into his direction. Apparently, all the Finn needed in order to know that there was a rant coming on was a sharp intake of breath. Daniel has to admit, it was smart of Lewis to put Val in charge, rather than anyone else, in his absence. Max laughs so loudly, one worker comes to check up on them.
“Fine, Daniel. This is more than okay, it’s good. Happy now?” Daniel isn’t. Not really, but Max reaches out with his salt-stained fingers to cup his cheek before kissing him with lips that taste more like chicken nuggets and chocolate milkshake than anything else, and perhaps Daniel can make an exception to his firm rule of McDonald’s superiority .
*
Sebastian and Lewis are waiting for them as they drive back onto the grounds, like parents watching their children flock back home, with their arms crossed and matching pleased smiles plastered on their features. That’s a mental image that Daniel would much rather forget, but it’s there now, and it won’t leave his brain.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Max leans closer to him, whispering in his ear as he kills the engine after a spectacular parking job that only takes up a space and a half. “That Seb and Lewis looked like a couple of parents? I know, weird, right?” Max groans and punches his arm playfully. “No, you idiot. I was actually thinking about how that meal was far too many calories for me, I have a schedule to stick to, mate, so now I have to find a creative way to burn them off again to stick to it.”
Max has an eyebrow raised, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. Daniel’s brain comes to a screeching halt for a second there, trapped between the implications of that statement.
Oh.
Oh.
“Well - ” he does his best impression of a flirt, leans across the shift and the handbrake to kiss Max, one hand coming to end on the other’s knee. “ - I’m sure we can think of some fun things to do to make up for this obvious cheat meal. Checo won’t even notice when he lifts you tomorrow, pinky promise.”
Max is out of the car before he can even stop him, leaving him with nothing more than a memory of laughter. “Great, I’ll meet you in the ring, you can help me run a set or three to get warmed up.” the door closes, and his love is gone, dashing through the night towards the big top without a care in the world. Daniel’s forehead hits the horn of his car as he lets out a groan.
Some things never change, and Max is still a little shit, no matter how much he loves him (but perhaps he loves him even more for it.)
*
Daniel gets his revenge a few weeks later, when he plants a cursed Furby like a bomb underneath their bed. A purple, fuzz covered, thing of nightmares that demands food loudly at 2am. He also gifts a Tamagotchi to Yuki and Lando, knowing damn well that those two will put Max in charge of caring for their pets when they’re off performing or doing their jobs.
One way or another, he’ll help Max catch up on all the things he’s missed.