"Is it, though?" Max asks shrewdly. "In here?" he taps lightly at Raleigh's temple. Max has reason to think otherwise. Why would he be answering a call in the middle of the night like this otherwise?
"Or here?" He taps at Raleigh's chest too, over his heart.
"There's moving on and then there's... drinking to forget. Or, working long hours to stay distracted hoping you can. Believe me, I'm intimately familiar with that concept."
"No, he admits. Not for either, his heart or his head. But what do you do? How do you move on, when you feel all of these things, all the time? It's overwhelming, and sometimes it catches up to him.
"Yeah. I've done...all of those." On more than one occasion, here, and back home.
"No. It's not anyone's responsibility, but that doesn't mean there aren't some people who'd want to listen.
"Believe me, I've seen some heavy shit too. So, if you want to lay it on me, I'm here to listen. You need to lay the burden down some time or it's going to overwhelm you."
"I appreciate it." He does, honestly. No one's given a shit in like five years, and when someone finally does, he's pulled here away from her. It's hard.
Max puts an arm around him. "I'm sure you get the picture, but I'm not just saying it. I do mean it. I don't care if you call me the same time every night. There's nothing in this world I care more about than being here for the people I love. Raleigh, you're one of them."
Raleigh is safe here. Max's hand rubs lightly over his shoulder, keeping him tucked in close. If the man needs a literal shoulder to cry on, Max won't tell a single soul.
"You've got a lot of people who care about you. You're not alone. No matter how much you feel like it in the middle of the night. We're here."
Max waits in quiet for a moment, giving Raleigh a chance to process that and anything else he might need to say before he adds lightly. "If you're tired, I can stay with you?" They can cuddle together like they did that one night. Max will hold him until the dawn.
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(no subject)
Date: 2020-12-18 12:06 am (UTC)"Yeah. It's fine, it's over." Raleigh doesn't particularly want to go into detail - it was...traumatic. "Time to move on, right?"
(no subject)
Date: 2020-12-19 05:11 pm (UTC)"Or here?" He taps at Raleigh's chest too, over his heart.
"There's moving on and then there's... drinking to forget. Or, working long hours to stay distracted hoping you can. Believe me, I'm intimately familiar with that concept."
(no subject)
Date: 2020-12-21 02:24 pm (UTC)"Yeah. I've done...all of those." On more than one occasion, here, and back home.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-12-22 10:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-12-23 01:31 am (UTC)"I mean...what's to say? It's heavy shit that isn't anyone else's responsibility to bear, you know?"
(no subject)
Date: 2020-12-23 06:09 am (UTC)"Believe me, I've seen some heavy shit too. So, if you want to lay it on me, I'm here to listen. You need to lay the burden down some time or it's going to overwhelm you."
(no subject)
Date: 2020-12-23 05:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-12-23 05:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-12-28 01:05 pm (UTC)He instinctively leans into it, resting his head on Max's shoulder.
"That means a lot." Raleigh's a little emotional, and he's glad his head is on Max's shoulder so his face is hidden.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-01-02 04:23 pm (UTC)"You've got a lot of people who care about you. You're not alone. No matter how much you feel like it in the middle of the night. We're here."
Max waits in quiet for a moment, giving Raleigh a chance to process that and anything else he might need to say before he adds lightly. "If you're tired, I can stay with you?" They can cuddle together like they did that one night. Max will hold him until the dawn.