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Carefully picking his way across the living room, Steve crept down the hall, taking a deep breath before peeking the bedroom door open. On the bed, Billy slept heavily, his soft snores the sign of safety that Steve had been seeking. He pulled the door closed again with the quietest click, then made his way down to Max's room.
Inside, Max was curled up in her blankets, quiet puffs of air leaving her parted lips.
"Max," Steve whispered, reaching to stroke her hair. "Max?"
A shuffle, then a pout, then Max's eyes barely opened with a raspy, "Steve?"
"C'mon, kiddo," Steve murmured, tucking Max's hair behind her ear. "Can you put your shoes on for me?"
Max didn't move for a moment, her scent turning slightly sour, then nodded and dragged herself upright.
Busying his hands, Steve scooped as much of Max's clothing as he could into her schoolbag as she sleepily pulled her shoes onto her feet. "Here." He helped slide her arms into her dressing gown, then slung her bag over his shoulder. "You can sleep in the car."
A bleary nod.
Taking Max's hand, Steve steeled himself and led her quietly down the hall and out of the house. He quickly helped her into the back seat of his car, stowing her bag by her feet, and sank down behind the wheel, eyes fixed ahead on the dark house.
This had to be it. No more.
Steve flexed his fingers around the steering wheel, then turned the key in the ignition, reversing from the drive and onto the road before flicking his headlights on to avoid illuminating the windows.
"Steve?"
Hands trembling, Steve just hummed his acknowledgement.
"What about your clothes?"
The corner of Steve's mouth tugged up in an emotionless smile that Max, thankfully, couldn't see. "In the trunk."
A heavy pause, then Max whispered, "This is it, isn't it?"
Dragging in a deep breath through his nose, Steve murmured, "Get some sleep. We'll talk more when we get there."
With a soft, "Okay..." Max settled in her seat, sagging with exhaustion.
Steve braced himself for the drive. Having exhausted the list of local cheap hotels, he would have to take them to the next city over, lest Billy find them. He couldn't repeat. They needed the unpredictability.
And so he drove. An hour passed, the lonely highway lit by his headlights, the full moon washing everything else in a silvery glow, equal parts haunting and beautiful. The same moon would be shining through the open curtains of the living room, glinting off the shattered glass littering the carpet, painting the scene of destruction in an eerie calm.
Steve kept driving.
Finally, he spotted a sign above an old building claiming vacancies and low rates for rooms, pulling into the parking lot and killing the engine. Without the rumble of the motor turning over, the silence of the small morning hours rang in Steve's ears, his breathing loud as it filled the space.
Quietly popping his door open, Steve climbed out and opened the passenger door. "Max," he called gently, brushing his thumb against her temple. "C'mon, kiddo, we'll get a bed."
A breathy grumble, Max's limbs moving like molasses as she unbuckled her seatbelt and dragged herself out of the car.
"I know, I'm sorry." Once he had Max tucked under one arm and her bag over his other shoulder, Steve led them in a sluggish shuffle towards the front door to the motel.
The man behind the reception desk sat up quickly, his huge dark eyes wide as they entered. "Evening," he nodded, blinking. "Or... morning, I guess."
"Morning," Steve said softly, bringing Max up to the desk. "You have a spare room for the night?"
A pause, then a firm nod. "Sure do." The man chewed his lip as he grabbed a pen and scrawled in the check-in book. "I'm Eddie, by the way."
Steve bobbed his head. "Steve."
Looking Steve over quickly, Eddie scribbled something else in his book, then pulled open a drawer. "Room 205. $40 a night."
Another slow nod of his head, then Steve produced his wallet from his pocket. With a wordless exchange of cash and keys, Steve and Max were soon on their way to the external stairs and Room 205. The elevation was a blessing; something about being at ground level made Steve's guts twist anxiously, as though Billy would be able to see them from the road.
But Billy wasn't here. They could breathe.
Soon, they pushed through the door to their room. Bathroom, small television, two beds, and a coffee machine.
Steve dropped Max's bag at the foot of a bed, then helped her onto it, kneeling to tug her shoes off. "Go back to sleep, Red," he murmured, sliding her arms out of her dressing gown. "We don't have anywhere to be."
With a sleepy hum, Max crawled under the covers and dropped to sleep.
Taking a slow, deep breath, Steve moved back to the door, making sure to lock it tight once he was outside. He hurried back to his car to grab his own bag of clothes and the blanket he kept in his trunk. For a moment, he allowed himself to lean against the beemer, breathing steady and emptying his head.
Another night. Another cheap hotel. Another location to add to the list of places he could never return.
"Get back to Max," he whispered to himself, pushing off the car and trekking back to the room.
Pulling some comfy clothes from his bag, Steve shuffled into the tiny bathroom to ready himself for bed. He winced at the glimpse he caught of his reflection, brushing his fingertips over the purple smear across his left cheekbone.
No wonder Eddie had given him that look.
Hopefully, he could be up and about before Max in the morning, give himself time to cover it with concealer.
Ready for sleep, he grabbed his blanket, clutching it to his chest as he sank onto the edge of his bed. His eyes drifted to Max, shifting in her sleep, too young to be dealing with this sort of thing.
Dropping his gaze to his blanket, Steve watched his fingers curl into the fabric.
"Steve?"
When he looked up, Steve found Max sitting up in her bed. "What's up?"
Max opened and closed her mouth a few times, then her eyes went round. "Can we nest?" she whispered.
Steve's heart broke. "Sure we can," he nodded, tears gathering at the speed with which Max scrambled out of her bed.
Together, they dragged the blessedly unscented blankets and pillows off both beds and used them to form the base of their nest. Steve wove his clothes from the day and Max's dressing gown into the sides, settling both of them in the cradle of their little nest before throwing his own blanket over the top of them.
Nuzzling into Steve's chest, Max mumbled, "M'really glad you didn't leave me with him."
"Max..." Wrapping both arms around his adopted pup, Steve buried his face in her hair. "I would never," he promised. "Never ever."
Quiet for a moment, Max whispered, "Do we have to go back?"
Steve's tears fell silently into Max's hair. "He's my alpha."
"But you don't love him."
Shaking his head, Steve admitted, "I never loved him. But I couldn't leave you alone with him."
A sniffle, then a whimpered, "It's my fault."
"No, sweetheart, never," Steve said firmly, kissing the top of her head. "It's not your fault and it's..." He steeled himself with a breath. "It's not mine, either. It's Billy's, okay?"
Max's fingers curled tightly into Steve's sleep shirt. "He hit you."
Dammit.
"Better than him hitting you," Steve whispered, tucking his chin over Max's head. "Get some sleep, Little Red. I'll be here when you wake up."
Fingers on his face woke Steve the next morning, blinking blearily to find Max tracing his cheekbone, her scent deep and bitter.
"I'm okay," Steve mumbled, voice still waking.
"I know..." Letting her hand fall to the bed, Max offered, "I could make you coffee?"
Steve's throat squeezed. "Thank you." He pulled her in close, scenting each other thoroughly before Max clambered out of the nest and wandered over to the single two-foot-long counter and bar fridge that comprised the kitchen.
Stretching his shoulders, Steve rolled onto his back, staring at the stucco ceiling. The sunlight creeping in around the curtains threw spiky shadows along the textured surface, random patterns that Steve's eyes followed absently. He briefly wondered how many people had stared up at this same ceiling, almost snorting at himself when he considered just how many of those people were being railed at the time.
At least the sheets were clean.
"Here." Max stood by the bed with both hands around a branded mug, watching Steve carefully.
"Thanks." Hauling himself up to sit, Steve accepted with mug with one hand, patting the bed with the other. "C'mon."
So Max crawled back into the nest, cuddling into Steve's side as he slowly sipped his coffee; cheap stuff, but Max had clearly added enough sugar to mostly bury the bitterness.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Max asked, "What are we gonna do today?"
"Not sure," Steve murmured. Smirking slightly when Max's stomach rumbled, he added, "We'll find some food, first."
"There's a flyer for a diner on the counter."
Steve hummed. "I'll take a look in a minute." As he sipped his coffee, his eyes caught in the branding on his mug.
Benny's Roadhouse and Diner
Swallowing the last if his drink, Steve gave Max a pat on the hip. "You go get dressed. I'll see about food."
With Max taking a change of clothes into the bathroom, Steve dragged himself out of their nest and shuffled over to the kitchen counter, turning the laminated sheet of paper resting there to read it properly.
Benny's Roadhouse and Diner
All day breakfast
Best burgers in town
Friendly service
JUST NEXT DOOR!
At the bottom of the page was a map of the motel, the building beside it circled in red. Steve hummed to himself, then set his mug beside the coffee machine.
Max soon returned from the bathroom, then Steve took his turn, trying his best to make himself as presentable as possible without any of his products. He dabbed a little of the concealer that he kept in his escape bag along the discolouration of his cheek, though it did little to save it.
"Did you look at the flyer?" Max asked, tugging her shoes on as Steve wandered back into the room stretching his back.
"Yeah, looks like it's just next door, opposite side from reception," Steve nodded, tucking their sleep clothes into the nest. "How's bacon sound?"
Max pressed her lips together for a moment, considering, then snorted like a pig twice and flashed Steve a grin. "Like that."
Breathing a laugh, Steve was hit by a wave of fondness. "Yeah, sure," he chuckled, grabbing his jacket and pulling Max into a sideways hug with his free hand. "C'mon, piggy, let's eat."
Just as the flyer said, they found the diner right next door to the motel, all bright red paint and black and white tiles. The smell of coffee and bacon wafted through the door as Steve pushed it open, his shoulders relaxing. He ushered Max into a booth, glancing the clock behind the counter; 11am, no wonder there was no one else here.
"Hello, hello," came a rumbling voice, an older man with greying hair and scruff across his chin appearing beside their table. "How are we this morning?"
Despite everything, Steve glanced across the table to Max eyeing the menu eagerly and couldn't help but smile. "We're alright, thank you. Yourself?"
The man grinned, the scent of easygoing alpha drifting around him; dark coffee and hot bread. "I'm very well. You've picked a good time, y'know. My Benny hates to rush."
Steve watched Max considering her choices, tracing her finger down the laminated menu before she looked up at their server. "Can I have bacon and toast, please?" She flicked her gaze to Steve. "And a strawberry milkshake?"
"Sure," Steve chuckled, glancing down at his menu. "And, uh... I'll just have some eggs, if I can? Scrambled?"
"Certainly can."
"Thanks..." Squinting to read the name on the server's chest, Steve murmured, "Thanks, Wayne."
"You're welcome, son," Wayne hummed, giving Steve a warm pat on the shoulder before heading for the kitchen.
"He's nice," Max commented, eyes narrowed. "Why?"
Breathing a sigh through his nose, Steve pointed out, "Some people are just nice."
Max's suspicion only grew. "But he's an alpha."
Steve reached across the table and took Max's hand. "Not all alphas are like Billy. In fact, most alphas protect their families."
Staring at their hands, Max whispered, "So, why doesn't Billy?"
Hundreds of words filled Steve's mouth, none of which he could allow Max to hear in all good conscience. "I couldn't tell you," he said instead, glancing out the window beside their booth. Activity outside was minimal, the occasional car passing along the road between the diner and a small grocery store.
Soon enough, Wayne presented them with their breakfast, making a show of adding a little blue cocktail umbrella to Max's milkshake and lighting her face up with glee. As he watched Wayne retreat to the counter, Steve noticed another man, rounder in the belly with a greying beard, wander out of the kitchen. He handed Wayne a fluffy chocolate muffin, nuzzling at his neck quickly and earning a sweet kiss over the bite on his mating gland before he flashed Wayne a grin and disappeared into the kitchen again.
Steve dropped his gaze to his eggs, picking at them with his fork as his free hand thumbed over his own mating bite. The raised scarring was barely there anymore, easier to see than feel, and even its red colouring had almost faded into obscurity.
The diner filled with the ringing of the bell above the door, followed by Wayne's voice. "Ah, Ed, boy! Glad to see you remember food is important."
Peeking over his shoulder, Steve spotted Eddie from reception grinning as he took a seat at the counter, reclining with an elbow on the red laminate surface. "Can't turn down Benny's burgers, can I?"
"Is that my nephew?" came a muffled voice from the kitchen.
"The only thing my little brother put into this world that's worth a damn," Wayne called back, already turning to the coffee machine. "Good shift?"
With a non-committal hum, Eddie opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when his eyes landed on Steve and Max. "Oh! Morning. Again."
"Morning," Steve nodded, ducking his head a little as he scooped a forkful of eggs into his mouth.
"You guys sleep alright?" Eddie asked carefully, his eyes flitting over both Steve and Max. "You got in pretty early this morning."
With a bob of his head, Steve murmured, "The room is nice. Cozy."
"Better than some of the other places we've been," Max commented, munching on her bacon. "Doesn't smell like alpha."
Eddie smirked. "Yeah, we can stink a bit, huh?" He grinned at Max's emphatic nod.
Eyes narrowing slightly, Max muttered, "You're an alpha?"
"I know I don't look it," Eddie chuckled, waving a hand at himself, "but yeah. Shocked the hell outta Uncle Wayne, here, when I presented."
Rolling his eyes as he pushed a mug of coffee across the counter, Wayne sighed, "You shocked me 'cause you nearly broke that guitar of yours when you got frustrated."
"Shaking hands aren't conducive to guitar-playing," Eddie shrugged, wrapping both hands around his mug. "And I wouldn't've broken her, she's too precious."
Another eye-roll, then Wayne glanced to Steve. "You two on holiday?" he asked casually, wiping down the countertop.
Stomach clenching, Steve shook his head. "We, uh... No, just..." His eyes flicked up to Max when she glared at Wayne with a puppy growl. "C'mon, Red, he's just being nice."
Max bit her lips together, but kept her gaze fixed firmly on a mildly concerned Wayne.
"Just needed to get away for a bit," Steve told Wayne, poking at his eggs with his fork.
A moment of silence, then Eddie piped up, "Well, that room's free for the foreseeable, so stay as long as you want."
"Thanks." Resting the tines of his fork against his lip, Steve glanced out the window again. That road would need to see his car soon. Perhaps not today, but if they weren't home by tomorrow, Billy would call the police. The last thing Steve needed was an arrest for abandoning his alpha and kidnapping the pup under his care.
Something tapped Steve's leg under the table, and Max silently pushed her milkshake towards him when he looked to her.
"Thanks, pup," he whispered with a wobbly smile, blinking tears back as he sucked a mouthful of milkshake through the straw.
With a soft whine, Max jumped from her side of the booth and scrambled in by Steve's side, burrowing under his arm.
"I know, I'm sorry," Steve sniffled, wrapping both arms around his pup and pressing his nose to her hair, closing his eyes as a few uncontrollable tears fell. "I'm sorry, Little Red."
Who knew taking on responsibility for this poor kid would hurt them both so much?
"Hey," Eddie said softly, eyes careful. "Do we need to call the police?"
Steve's breath caught, clutching Max closer.
"Just... Whoever gave you that bruise, Steve... I'm not sure you should go back to them."
"I can't leave," Steve mumbled. "He's my alpha, it's not allowed-" Sucking his lower lip into his mouth to keep himself silent, Steve kept his gaze down.
"If your alpha hit you, that's domestic abuse," Wayne pointed out gently. "You don't have to go back to that."
The lump forming in Steve's throat blocked any response.
"Hey..." A tentative hand settled on Steve's shoulder, a green, woodsy scent filling his nose. "If I call them, they won't take you back," Eddie murmured, his thumb pressing gently into the meat of Steve's shoulder. "That's not what they do. I've called them for runaway omegas before."
When Steve lifted his eyes, he found Eddie gazing back, all dark eyes and understanding.
"Too many alphas think they can do what they want to someone wearing their bite," Eddie continued, crouching beside the booth to put himself lower than Steve. "But you don't have to put up with it. Your safety, your pup's safety... that's more important." Tilting his head slightly, he added, "And that bite's almost gone now. So faded it's hard to tell you're mated at all."
With a wet sniffle, Steve glanced to Wayne, then back down to Eddie. "They won't make us go back?" he whispered.
"Not like this," Eddie assured him.
Steve shuddered through his next breath, exhaling slowly, keeping Max pressed close. Carefully, he tipped his head to rest against Eddie's hand on his shoulder, breathing the deep green of his scent and allowing it to settle his panicked inner omega. "Okay," he said softly.
A nod, Eddie's scent spreading warm and fresh around them. "I'll call them, okay? You're gonna be okay." Sliding his hand from Steve's shoulder, Eddie paused a moment, then swept his wrist gently along Steve's jaw, the corner of his mouth tugging into a smile before he climbed to his feet and headed quickly out the back of the diner.
Max shifted a little, sitting up enough to press her nose against Steve's jaw and sniff at Eddie's scent mark. "I like him," she admitted so quietly Steve almost missed it.
"Me too, Red," Steve murmured, petting Max's hair. "Me too."