Chapter Text
“So, you both kidnapped a kid?” tapping his pen on the desk, Lewis asked. Eyebrows knitted together as he tried to make sense of the situation. A single light bulb buzzed overhead.
“No, Chief, we did not,” Carlos almost snapped in frustration. “He was already in the car when we came out of the store!”
“A locked car?” Lewis scoffed. He pinched his brow. "Max, if you knocked someone up before you left, just come clean. You’re of age, right? 25? 26?”
Carlos whispered, elbowing Max. “I told you that.”
“I’m 23,” Max said, flat and tired. “My dad would’ve killed me if I had, you know how fast words spread here.” He looked at the toddler. “You sure you’ve never seen this kid?”
Lewis squinted at the toddler on Max’s lap. “Papa?” Kimi whispered, tiny fingers clutching Max’s sleeve.
Lewis straightened, shaking his head. “Never seen him before.”
Carlos threw his hands up. “Great. So what now?”
It actually had started innocently enough.
Max told himself that he shouldn’t have let Carlos guilt-trip him into visiting his hometown just because they were on a work trip ‘nearby.’ He could’ve stayed back, ordered room service, and actually relaxed, or just hopped on the first train to go back to his place. Instead, he’d caved—hoping the town’s November breezes carrying old wood scent and the sound of the river might distract him from things he tried not to remember.
But then there he was, standing in a tiny parking lot behind a store, wondering who the hell had left a kid in his car. Even dealing with a nosy neighborhood would’ve been better than this.
“Are you sure you didn’t knock up anyone before you left for college?” Carlos accused, eyeing the car.
“The fuck you take me for?!”
“I’m just saying, the timeline adds up. You dipped out four years ago, never look back, and now there’s a three-year-old in your car calling you Papa. Don’t need Sherlock Holmes to solve a two plus two.”
“He looks a bit too small to be a three-year-old,” He couldn’t be more than two, maybe two and a half. Max pinched the bridge of his nose.
Carlos raised the paper bag like a white flag. “Well, then, who the hell is this kid?!”
“Papa!” The small, indignant voice piped up again from inside the car.
Was this some kind of townfolks' welcoming joke?
Twenty minutes earlier, they’d been inside grabbing snacks because Carlos refused to show up at Max’s parents’ empty-handed. They’d paid, walked out, and returned to the car to find… him. Wavy brownish hair, big teary brown eyes, clutching a worn-out blue bear plushie, staring at Max like he was the worst kind of deadbeat.
Then both Max and Carlos had been standing dumbfoundedly outside the car since. Staring at the kid like he was an exhibit at a museum.
The toddler’s lower lip started to wobble. Those big eyes filled with fresh tears, and he reached out one chubby hand toward the window.
“Papa… out?”
Max groaned, feeling like a monster for making a small kid look so dejected.
Carlos cleared his throat, suddenly serious. “Okay, new plan. We don’t panic. We…call someone? Check for a note? Lost child protocol?”
“There’s no note. I already looked.” He gestured helplessly at the kid. “Doors were locked. How the hell did he even get in there?”
There were a few beats of silence between them before Carlos suddenly grabbed Max’s arm. “Wait—the bear. Look, something around its neck.”
Max squinted. Tucked under the plushie’s ribbon was a thin silver chain with a small pendant glinting in the sunlight. Ignoring the boy who was still looking at him with a visible hurt of rejection in his damp eyes. “Is that a pendant?”
“Looks like it,” Carlos nudged him by the shoulder, “Go check it out.”
“Why not you?”
Carlos deliberately gestured to the small bag of groceries in his hand to make his point. “C’mon, Max, he won’t bite. And we couldn't let him inside the car like this longer or we’ll be on the news tomorrow. Geez, it’s getting chilly out here, man.”
Max exhaled sharply and yanked the door open.
The second he did, the toddler launched himself forward with a heartbroken wail. Though he wasn't even sure how to cradle a kid in his arms properly, he instinctively caught him as the kid buried his face in his shoulder.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, bud,” Max murmured, one hand awkwardly patting the boy’s trembling back while the other steadied him. Accidental kidnapping was officially in progress.
Carlos just watched, wide-eyed from his place.
After feeling comfortable, Max reached for the abandoned bear on the seat. “Just need to look at this for a second, okay?”
Max carefully took the bear and turned it over. The pendant was a simple silver oval. He angled it toward the remaining light that late November afternoon.
Carlos leaned in. “What’s it say?”
Inside, there was a line engraved: A. Kimi, 25 August 2025.
Carlos blinked. “So your name is Kimi?” he asked gently.
The toddler lifted his head just enough to nod weakly, curls tickling Max’s chin, then snuggled back in.
Max stared at the date, frustration boiling over. “This would make so much sense if it weren’t a date from the fucking future.”
Carlos frowned at the pendant. “2025? That’s like ten years from now. You think it’s a typo?”
“Don’t know, either someone is fucking with me,” Max shrugged, “Or he just came from the future.”
Carlos chuckled, a bit too irritating for Max’s liking. “Shit, you must’ve pissed people off if they’re already targeting you the second you set foot in this town.”
“Yeah, laugh all you want—now what the hell are we supposed to do?” Max glanced around. Familiar faces drifted past, people he hadn’t seen in years. A few shot them curious looks, whispering to each other as they went. The roads and seasons might change, but this town never really did.
He cradled the boy in his arms tighter, like it’d shield him away from the gazes.
Carlos noticed the town’s dynamic and sighed, “Man, we better not get in the news for a kidnapping tomorrow.”
Their first instinct was clear: get to the police before anyone else beat them to it.
So much for a quiet dinner at his parents’—now Max was back in the police station, where he used to nap after school or play pretend with his friends as police and burglar. Only this time, he was actually being interrogated for a potential crime he didn’t even commit.
Lewis leaned back in his creaky chair, arms crossed, eyes flicking between the two men and the toddler now half-asleep against Max’s chest.
The smell of old coffee and printer toner drifted in the air. Everything felt almost the same as the way it did, just felt smaller now around his body.
“Look,” Lewis finally said, voice low so it wouldn’t startle the kid. “I’ve known you since you were always getting nagged by your sister for terrorizing her pupils in the river, or scraping your knees bloody by the riverside, Max. You’re a lot of things, stubborn as hell, for one—but you’re not the type to leave a child in a locked car. Or steal one, for that matter.”
“Didn’t know you had a sister,” Carlos whispered, mostly to himself.
“Thanks,” Max exhaled, ignoring Carlos’s words.
“That said,” Lewis continued, “this doesn’t add up. No missing child reports. I mean, if there’s any, the town folks wouldn’t be this quiet. And no one in town matches his description. That pendant though…” He tapped the evidence bag on his desk, where the little silver oval now sat, sealed. “2025. Ten years from now. Either it’s the world’s strangest prank, or—”
“Or he’s from the future,” Carlos finished, deadpan.
Lewis gave him a long, flat stare. “I was going to say custom engraving error.”
“But he calls him ‘Papa’, and acts like he knew Max the whole time,” Carlos rebutted.
Kimi stirred at the sound of voices, lifting his head just enough to blink blearily at Lewis. His curls were a mess, one cheek red from being pressed against Max’s shirt. He tightened his grip on Max’s jacket collar like it was a lifeline.
“Papa,” he mumbled again, then tucked his face back into Max’s neck.
Max’s hand moved awkwardly to rub slow circles on the boy’s back.
Lewis watched the motion, and Carlos looked over at him like he had just made a point. “Yeah, kid’s attached to you like glue.”
“Well, what am I supposed to do? Leave him?” His question was mostly rhetorical. He glanced over the window; it was already getting darker. So yeah, he knew the answer.
“You cannot keep him forever,” Lewis said firmly. “But we also can’t have him in foster care before we figure out what’s going on. No ID, no records, no explanation how he got into a locked car,” he trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Social services are two hours away, and it’s almost Christmas. They’ll be swamped.”
The room calmed, and the only sound heard was Lewis's pen tapping against the table. Everyone knew the only practical answer. Carlos sighed, stretching out on the battered sofa, closing his eyes like he could will away the mess he’d helped create. He felt his phone buzzing again from a call from his mother, but ignored it. He still hadn’t figured out how to explain any of this.
After a long moment, Lewis broke the silence. “Honestly, Max, I thought you’d never come back to this town.”
Max thought that, too. Maybe he shouldn’t have.
“I had work nearby,” he said, voice brittle. “Figured I’d breathe the air again after years.”
“Something about electricity?”
“Yeah,” ignoring how Lewis knew what major he was in despite never talking to him all these years.
Lewis nodded. “Honestly, after what happened to your sister, I’d understand if you want nothing to do with this place anymore.” He paused, then added, “Still good to see you, man.”
“Yeah. Didn’t even realize I missed it until now,” Max said, though the words sounded hollow. “I wouldn’t know you’re a chief now if I hadn’t visited, right?” He joked, trying to melt the tension.
Lewis chuckled, putting down the cup of coffee he had just sipped, “Well, someone has to step up to keep the town going when the elder steps down.”
He nodded. He cleared his throat before asking, “People still swim in the river?” Uncertain what answer he wanted to hear.
Lewis chuckled again, this time though the sound was more wistful than amused. “Nothing’s much changed down there since you left.”
“Yeah,” Max said, scratching his neck, “figured.”
“You’re wondering about George?” Lewis asked suddenly.
Max stiffened at the name. “I’m not asking about him,” he muttered defensively.
Kimi stirred in his lap, brow furrowing in sleep. Max felt a pang of guilt; the boy looked exhausted, unable to settle.
“Do you know he took over his dad’s business?” Lewis said, cracking his neck. “I just ordered dinner from his place earlier. Want me to add yours?”
“Mom’s probably already cooking,” he said, then paused. Hesitated before finally asking, “What happened to his dad?”
Lewis’s eyebrows rose. “You haven’t heard about the accident?”
“Accident?”
Max froze. He’d left town, thinking cutting ties was the only way forward. He still called his parents and saw them once or twice a year. But everything else—the people, the places, the small daily stories, and what they had once had slipped away. Maybe it was selfish, but he’d forgotten the town would move on, too, without him.
Lewis hesitated. “Two years ago, he—”
The door swung open, cutting him off. George stood in the doorway, takeaway bag in hand.
“Lewis, we ran out of sweet pota—” The words died as his eyes landed on Max.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then Kimi stirred again and whispered, “Mama.”
“What?” Max muttered, not sure he heard right.
Kimi’s cries grew louder, his little body thrashing in Max’s arms as he reached for George. Max tried to hold him steady, terrified of hurting him, but the boy was frantic.
George stood rooted in the doorway, takeaway bag forgotten, face pale with shock.
“Mama! Mamaaa!”
Carlos shot up from the sofa, wide-eyed. “Mate, what’s going on?!”
Lewis stood, hands raised in a calming gesture. “Easy, everyone. I think the kid’s sleepy.”
But Kimi didn’t stop. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he twisted harder, nearly slipping from Max’s grasp. “Mama! Up! Please!”
Max’s panic mounted as Kimi shook in his arms. He shot George an apologetic look. “Sorry, I don’t know why he’s doing this.”
George approached, carefully setting the bag on the desk. His voice shook. “Hey… hey, little one. It’s okay.”
At George’s voice, Kimi’s wails peaked. He reached out desperately.
Max did the only thing he could: he loosened his grip and let George take the child. The moment George’s arms wrapped around him, Kimi quieted almost instantly, burying his face in George’s neck with shuddering breaths, tiny fists clutching George’s shirt.
“Mama,” Kimi mumbled, content at last.
Everyone stood frozen.
George cradled the boy instinctively, one hand steady on his back, the other hovering uncertainly. His wide eyes met Max’s over Kimi’s curls—confusion and shock mingling there.
“Holy shit.” Carlos spoke first, breaking the tension. “What does that even mean, mate?”
Max didn’t answer. How was he supposed to know?
Lewis voiced the question hanging over them, “Does he think you and George are his parents?”
George, rocking the child gently, glared at Lewis. “What?” he whispered.
Max groaned inwardly. Here we go again.
“What?!” George snapped after learning the situation. Winced when Kimi startled in his arms. “That doesn’t make sense,” he finished, voice softer.
Carlos shrugged, chewing on Lewis’s fries. “Well, that makes the four of us.”
George’s gaze flicked to Max, then back to the child now dozing against his shoulder. “You found him in the parking lot by the store near the bridge, right?”
“Yeah,” Max answered short.
“Then didn’t you at least check the lost-and-found at the community center?” George asked. “Or ask someone around there?”
Max and Carlos exchanged a glance. Carlos coughed before saying, “Yeah, well, we were kind of panicking about looking like criminals, so we came straight here.”
George exhaled through his nose, rocking Kimi in slow sways; the scene looked natural for him. “Right. Of course.”
Carlos bristled. “Try having a literal kid pop up out of nowhere on you, man, maybe you’d write a 101 on how to deal with the situation.”
Max could only sigh. “Let’s just calm down, okay?”
Lewis cleared his throat. “So how do we want to end this night, guys? I hate to break it to you but the police station isn’t a suitable place for a toddler especially in this cold.”
George shot him a glance, then looked at Lewis. “I still have to close up, Charles is still in the diner.”
“Right, then—”
“I’ll just try to handle him alone tonight, I mean I found him,” Max jumped in before Lewis finished his words. His hands were ready to take the boy back in his arms.
George stared at him a bit too long before handing the now sleeping Kimi to Max’s arms slowly.
Fuck. Max cursed below a whisper when their skin touched.
Not even a second after the boy was back in his cradle, he started to stir around. “M-Ma-Mama,” he whined before thrashing around, “No, Papa! Mama!”
“Oh, god,” George, in reflex, reached out for him again, and Max gently transferred him back to his arms.
“Guys, this is really creepy,” Carlos chimed in, “He genuinely thinks you both are his parents.”
Maybe the stress and the cold started to mess with Max’s head when he thought he saw George’s face flushed at Carlos’s words.
“Well,” Lewis said at last, “That settles it, then.”
“What? You want me to deal with him alone?” George spoke up.
“Or, you both could team up and take care of him together for the time being,” Carlos piped casually, back munching on the fries.
Lewis rubbed his temples, the fluorescent buzz overhead mixing with the crickets outside. "Carlos is right. The kid clearly needs both of you right now. Separating him is just gonna traumatize the poor thing more. And honestly? Until we figure out where he came from, keeping him stable is priority one."
George shifted Kimi's weight in his arms. His eyes flicked to Max, then back to Lewis, “Lewis, that’s—”
“I know it’s ridiculous," Max finished for him, his voice cracking slightly. At this point, Max didn’t care if he sounded desperate. The adrenaline was fading. “But look at him. He panics the second he’s not with you, and I'm not going to dump everything on you. It’d be too cruel to stress him up more after whatever he went through today.”
Max let the silence stretch. He hadn’t really expected George to say yes. They weren’t friends—they weren’t anything anymore. They hadn’t spoken in years. George didn’t owe him anything. Max knew that. He knew not to push.
So when he said, “Fine,” Max wasn’t sure how to react to it. At least when George continued with, “But we can’t let him spend a night without a new diaper,” Max knew where they were heading next.
And that was how they ended up in front of the store where the whole fiasco had started that day. George was still cradling a sleeping Kimi when he got out of the car. Leaving Max and Carlos alone.
“What?” Max asked, feeling Carlos’s weird gaze on him from the passenger seat.
“I don’t think not speaking at all would be a good way to reconnect, mate.”
“I have nothing to say,” Max said simply. “And he had a sleeping toddler in his arms, I didn’t wanna disturb him.”
“So many weird things are happening right now, but sure, nothing to talk about," Carlos said before stepping outside. Max just shrugged.
Max wiped his face roughly and stepped out, double-checking the locks. The night couldn’t get any worse.
Breathed in the crisp cold air and tested the gravel under his shoes before entering the store. The ding, along with the ripples of the river that never stopped behind him, welcomed him.
Inside, George was already browsing the necessities he thought they’d need for the night. He followed close behind, a bit glad the night was rather slow and silent. He forgot how silent it could be around here.
He saw Carlos paying for a sandwich at the cashier, probably hungry because his dinner schedule had been ruined.
Then he arrived at the baby aisle to see George’s arms already full of a whole toddler and a pack of diapers. Max went to take a cart and then push it to George without saying anything.
George looked at the cart, then at him, “We’re not buying a lot of things, you know.”
“It’s okay, just buy everything you think he’d need, I’ll pay,” he insisted. “Here, let me hold him,” Max offered, his arms already reaching out. “He looks passed out already.”
“Can you?” George asked after putting the diaper into the cart.
Max snorted playfully. “Give me some credits.”
George rolled his eyes playfully before passing the toddler into Max’s arms. Kimi stirred a bit before sinking deeper into his embrace. He must’ve gotten used to holding him because it didn’t feel as awkward as it did.
“I asked Tom, the cashier, if anyone lost a kid around here today, he said he didn’t hear anything,” George informed as he walked.
“Yeah. Thanks for checking,” Max replied. He watched George reach for a pack of wipes. “And... sorry for dragging you into this disaster. I know you probably have a million better things to do than shop for diapers for a random kid.”
George’s hand lingered on the shelf for a second too long. “It was... a shock. I heard that you're visiting, but I didn't actually expect to see you,” he admitted, his gaze drifting to Kimi. “And I definitely didn't expect to see you with a baby.” George let out a short, dry breath—half-laugh. “Honestly, it would’ve made more sense if he was yours. At least then there’d be an explanation.”
Max chuckled airily, “Maybe in 10 years.”
Max followed George behind, watching him go back and forth the aisle with ease. George reached for a tin of toddler formula, checking the label before dropping it into the cart.
"He's probably too big for infant stuff, but this one's for twelve months plus. It’ll do for tonight." He said, glancing at Kimi with a soft smile, who was fully awake by now and blabbering things Max couldn’t understand.
"You sound like you know what you're doing," Max said quietly, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
“Sometimes I babysit Doriane’s little sister,” George replied, not looking up as he scanned the shelf for bottles.
Max nodded, his eyes fixed on the back of George's head. "Doriane has a sister? I can’t imagine that little cousin of yours being okay with not being the town’s only princess anymore."
“Probably a lot more things you didn’t imagine happened around here, Max,” George said. His tone was casual. It probably shouldn’t have hit Max as hard as it did.
They walked to the cashier when George said they got everything. “You know, you can just go back to the car and I’ll handle this if you don’t wanna talk with anyone,” George said when there were a few people in the queue before him.
“No, it’s okay,” he said. He saw a glimpse of the three of them together in the mirror in the back of an aisle and shuddered. He shook his head before joining George in the line.
“Maxie, is that you?” He heard someone call from behind, the voice was bright and recognizable, Mrs. Ellis, his old high-school English teacher. “Geez, I heard people talking about you coming back but I didn’t believe it!”
Max turned, forcing a smile. "Hey, Mrs. Ellis. Yeah, it's me."
Her eyes then landed on Kimi, who was playing with the zip of his jacket, “Oh my, is he yours?”
"It's not exactly—" Max started.
"Oh, don't be shy!" She cut his words. Then her hand played with Kimi’s little feet. She smiled at him warmly. “It’s good to see you living well, Maxie.”
“I— Yeah, thank you, Mrs. Ellis,” Max cut his response short.
"And George too!" Mrs. Ellis exclaimed, spotting him. "Oh, it’s good to see you, boys, back together like this. You boys have always been inseparable.”
Max felt his cheeks burn. Kimi, sensing the attention, reached out a chubby hand toward her, babbling "Hi!" in his toddler gibberish.
George looked flustered. His hand started playing with his own ear, a habit he’d always had when he was nervous. "Mrs. Ellis, it's not—we didn't—it's complicated."
But she waved him off with a knowing smile. "Complicated is life, dear. I'm just glad to see you both happy together.” Then, quieter, almost to herself, “Still think about Sarah sometimes. Such a bright girl. Such a shame.”
Max’s smile froze.
“Um, it’s our turn, Mrs. Ellis. Hope you have a good night!” George pointed at the queue at the cashier, showing no one in front of them.
“Ah! I should get back to my shopping then,” she said, clapping her hands, “you boys take care. And happy holidays!”
By the time they finished paying with minimal interruption, they walked out to see Max’s mom already nagging at Carlos outside. Max’s steps slowed as he spotted Daniel leaning against his car, arms folded, that same easy posture.
“Is that your mother?” George asked.
“Maxie!” His mother’s voice cut through the parking lot, equal parts relief and scolding. She was bundled in her old red coat, arms crossed, standing next to Carlos, who looked like a kid caught stealing cookies.
“Mom,” Max said, the word coming out flatter than he intended as he walked closer to her. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” She marched forward. “You’re not answering your phone. Then Carlos texts me ‘emergency at the store’ with no explanation, and then the neighbor says you were at the police station with a kid you kidnapped! So I asked Daniel to take me here.”
Carlos raised both hands. “I said family emergency, not kidnapping. Big difference.”
Daniel walked closer to them, his steps steady. Nodding at Max and George. “Evening, guys. Heard things got interesting.”
His mom’s gaze dropped to Kimi, who had lifted his head at the new voices, blinking curiously before breaking into a gummy smile and reaching both arms toward her with an enthusiastic “Hi!”
The scolding melted off her face in an instant. “Oh my Lord,” she whispered, stepping closer, voice softening to that tone she reserved for babies and stray cats. “Hello, sweetheart.”
Kimi kicked his legs happily, babbling something that sounded suspiciously like “Gamma!”
She melted completely, eyes shining as she gently touched his cheek. Then—because she was still his mother—her gaze snapped up, sharp again, flicking between Max and George.
“Everyone,” she said firmly, “We’re gonna have a long night to do some explaining.”
George found himself back inside the store with his mother, who insisted she still hadn’t cooked enough for everyone. Outside, Max watched Kimi—now a whirlwind of energy—race around the parking lot with Daniel. Taking advantage of the brief lull, Max slipped out a cigarette for a quick drag. Carlos moved off to take a call, leaving Max to keep an eye on Kimi.
“Papa smoke! Mama mad!”
Max hadn’t noticed Kimi slip up beside him. At the sound of the toddler’s scolding, he quickly ground out the cigarette under his shoe.
“What?” Max crouched to meet Kimi at eye level. The night had turned colder, and he silently thanked George for picking out a jacket for the boy earlier.
“Smokes bad, Papa! Mama mad!” Kimi blabbed before Daniel scooped him up and playfully lifted him up, making him giggle.
Max laughed, “What does that even mean?”
“Who knows?” Daniel joked, bouncing the boy in his arms. “He’s also been pointing at the river a lot. Maybe he was some kind of fish that got cursed into a human? Would explain how he materialized in your car.”
“That makes no sense at all, mate,” Max said, chuckling. He watched Daniel’s easy movements for a quiet beat, then asked, “How’s the leg?”
Daniel shifted his weight, testing the limb. “I can’t ever swim as good, but it’s fine. I stopped checking up on it a long time ago. Doesn't ache much unless it rains.”
“Good,” Max said. “That’s… good.” A pause. The wind hushed everything around them. “Thanks for always taking care of my parents when I’m away.”
“Well, someone has to do it because their son chose to be a city folk,” Daniel joked. “And that’s probably what Sarah would want.”
Max gave some space before answering, “Yeah, I’m sure sis would thank you.” Then he added, voice low, “And… Sorry, I guess.”
“For what?”
“Should’ve said something. Anything. Instead of just… vanishing.”
Daniel shrugged, expression mild. “You did say something to me, at least. Might not be a proper good bye, but that was enough. There’s someone else who got nothing.” He nodded toward the brightly lit store windows.
Inside, George pushed a cart while Max’s mom gestured animatedly at shelves of canned tomatoes. George laughed, at something she said, the sound carrying faintly through the glass.
Max’s gaze lingered there, throat tight. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I know.”
“Shit, Max, we’ve got a problem,” Carlos panted, ignoring the heavy atmosphere. “The office just called. Something went sideways with the grid at the site—the transformer we were supposed to inspect is blowing circuits, there will be a blackout first thing in the morning. They need us back there by tomorrow night, or the whole contract is toast.”
“We’re gonna have to do something quick about the situation. I can’t just leave—” again. But he didn’t say it out loud. Max glanced at his phone, it was already 8p.m. “Fuck,” he breathed. Kimi suddenly reached out to him from Daniel’s arms.
“Kiddo sensed his father’s anxiety,” Daniel joked once Kimi all cuddled again in Max’s arms.
Before Max could respond, George came rushing out of the store, his face pale. “Max, the diner,” he said, catching his breath. “Charles just called. There was a fire at the main socket.”
The news then split the group. Once his mother finished shopping, she and Daniel went straight home while the trio and Kimi headed to George’s diner.
When they arrived, Charles was waiting on the sidewalk, apron streaked with soot, face pale under the streetlight. He looked almost the same as he had back when Max and George used to come to his place when he was sick from swimming too much.
George was out first, striding toward him. “Charles, you okay? How bad?”
“I’m fine, it's contained,” Charles said quickly. “No flames after the initial flash. I flipped the main, opened the doors for smoke.”
They filed inside. The air still carried that sharp, acrid bite of burnt plastic.
Carlos squinted at the blackened outlet, his phone flashlight beam steady on the damage. “Hold up.” He crouched down after tossing Kimi to Max. “See this pattern? Arcing from a loose connection, but the breaker didn’t trip fast enough. And the smell—ozone, burnt insulation. Classic overload symptom.”
“You’re saying it’s the same issue as our site?”
“Pretty damn close,” Carlos said, standing. “Grid surge, maybe. Or someone’s pulling too much power downstream. Either way, this town’s electricity is throwing a tantrum tonight.” He glanced over at Charles, who was still hovering near the door looking guilty. “You the one who flipped the main?”
Charles nodded, wiping his hands on his apron again. “Yeah. Soon as I saw sparks. Thought I’d kill the place.”
Carlos flashed his phone to Charles. Startled a little when his face made it into his vision, quickly saved himself by saying, “You probably saved it,” Carlos said. “Quick thinking. Most people would’ve frozen.”
“So it’s all good then?” George asked, and finally sounded like he could breathe again.
“I should take a look at the panel, log the damage type. Might help us cross-reference with the transformer data tomorrow.” He glanced at Max. “You mind?”
Max raised an eyebrow.
George exhaled, running a hand through his hair again. “Actually… that works. But I need to check on my mom first and tell her I’d be home late.”
“Then let’s split up, to maximize the time we have, you want to leave before tomorrow night, right?” Carlos suggested. “Charles and I can go check the panel, you and George go to his house. We'll meet you back at your place later. I’m sure it’d be a huge help for George.”
Then, for the first time of the night, Max had to be alone with George. Well, for the first time in years, to be exact.
“Mama!” and also with Kimi. Eyes glinting at George with adoration like he really was his whole life.
The town was quiet, unsurprisingly so. But even amidst the empty road or the rattling leaves, things are still heard by the town folks. And if anything would stay the same in this town, it would be this one.
“Aren’t you hungry?” George asked Kimi, who nodded then babbled, ‘hungy!’ He rummaged through the bag in the back seat, “In which bag was his snack?”
“Smaller one,” Max answered, keeping his focus on the road he hadn’t seen for years but still somehow familiar.
George then gave Kimi his snack, to which he accepted enthusiastically. The poor boy must've been starving. For a few minutes, the only sound was Kimi’s happy babbling as he pointed at things outside the window, to which George responded with a gentle, patient murmur. Once or twice wiping the crumbs on Kimi’s face.
Eventually, the toddler settled, and a heavy silence reclaimed them.
“Don’t worry about the diner,” Max said, the words felt loud in the quiet car. “Carlos knows what he’s doing.”
“Yeah. I know,” George replied, his gaze lingering on the window as the first few drops of rain began to smear against the glass. “I was just… scared out of my mind for a minute. That diner is the only thing I have left of my dad.”
He watched the wipers clear the windshield, the rhythm matching the frantic thrumming in his chest.
“What happened,” Max inhaled before continuing, “to your father?”
“Dead,” the word left George’s tongue as if he’d been preparing for it long ago. He chuckled, more irony than humor. “Got into an accident when he was picking up my mom from the clinic.”
“I’m sorry,” and the words left Max’s lips shamelessly knowing it wouldn’t even cover a small cut. His knuckles white on the steering wheel. He wasn't sure where his audacity came surging from, probably the sound of raindrops over his head or the cold biting his bone, he asked. “Why—Why didn’t you tell me?”
George finally turned his head. His blue eyes glinted under the street lamp, but they were dim. “I didn’t think you’d want to know.”
“Why did you think so? That’s… unfair.”
“Unfair?” George’s voice was low, but it had a serrated edge. “Weren’t you the one who wanted nothing to do with this town anymore? You cut ties with everyone. You changed your number. You didn’t even show up for graduation—you just vanished like you’d never existed here.”
“But it’s you!” Max almost snapped, the frustration finally boiling over.
“What’s so different about me than anyone else in this town, Max?” George asked. Both knew the answer already. But none of them named it. “If I’m so different, then—” George stopped, his arms tightened around Kimi’s small body.
The boy noticed the tension. “Mama, no cry,” he murmured, his voice acting like a familiar tether. His small hand reached up, his fingers finding George’s ear and tugging at it gently.
“Why did you leave me just like you left everyone?” George finally finished, his voice cracking. He leaned down, hiding his face in the crook of Kimi’s neck, his shoulders trembling.
The rest of the road, only Kimi’s shushing blabber filled the space. And his buried guilt creeping under Max’s skin.
It was almost 9p.m. when they finally arrived at George’s place. He rushed inside, leaving Kimi with Max in the car. And Max might be feeling a little too on edge because he really did think Kimi was sulking at him the way he just sat in the passenger seat with his little chubby arms barely crossed on his chest.
“What’s wrong?”
“Papa, mean!” The boy pointed at him. “Papa, bad! Make Mama cries!”
“What?” Instead of responding, Kimi just huffed and looked away. Max chuckled. “You think I’m bad?” Kimi nodded, lips jutted out. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Say sorry,” Kimi instructed solemnly.
Max let out a wet laugh he hadn’t expected. “Yeah. I will.”
Kimi suddenly pointed outside, “Home.” Max was too tired to respond so he just handed him his snack for him to munch.
It was already 9.30pm when George stepped out. A girl watched as he stepped onto the rain and slipped inside the car. Kimi, now playing with the steering wheel on Max’s lap, saw the girl and squeaked. “Ane! Ane!”
“That’s Doriane?” Max asked, letting Kimi crawl onto George’s lap.
“Yeah,” George nodded, welcoming Kimi back onto his lap with a bottle of warm milk in his hand. Kimi accepted it eagerly, curling into George’s lap with a contented sigh. “I asked her to keep an eye on my mom tonight.”
Max pulled away from the curb. In the rearview mirror, he caught Doriane still standing in the doorway. Kimi twisted to look back, pressing his free palm to the cool glass.
“Ane, bye-bye,” he murmured.
Neither Max nor George spoke for the rest of the short drive. Between them sat the same old elephant. The big, impossible, and stubbornly ignored one since the moment Kimi had tumbled into their lives just a few hours ago. Or even longer since.