Cat Max.

Chapter Seven.

"Is it a good idea to go out in public with Max, you know? Since the whole childhood trauma thing?" Seb asks Kimi and Lewis worried.

The kid in questioning is running after Daniel in the backyard, ever since the grid knows about his father. It has been getting better for Max, he didn't beed to hide his pain or his fears. Nightmares got dealt with with the adults, who would stay up with him until he would fall asleep or Seb and Kimi would allow him to sleep with them.

"I think so, he is happy at the moment. I think we can go scuba diving with him. He's not afraid of water, right?" Lewis asks unsure as he looks out of the window.

The kids and some older drivers had decided to go play a game of football on the beach. Max and Daniel had been put on opposite teams otherwise they would get distracted by one another and now they're super focused on winning.

Max kicks the ball away between Daniel's feet but trips, falling face forwards. Daniel is quick enough to grab Max by the waist and pull him flush against his chest. Protectively holding Max up who is laughing his ass off.

Lando and Carlos on accident been put on the same team and have been ever since talking and doing other things then playing football. Which had been poor planning and decision making on Valtteri's and Checo's part.

Pierre and Charles had been put on different teams too. In the goals otherwise they would still distract one another with their love sick gazing at each other and not notice the ball going passed them. They had been there and done that.

"Kids! Get ready! We're leaving in an hour!" Seb shouts into the backyard.

Which has most kids immediately forget about the football game and rush to their rooms to get ready for whatever they're gonna do. Max jumps onto Daniel's back and hugs him from behind. Daniel snickers but carries Max on his back to the room that Max and him had decided to share since Max doesn't sleep alone.

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It takes at least more then an hour for everyone to be back downstairs, Lando and Carlos don't do to long over their clothing, toothbrushing and fixing their hair before they sit on the couch.

Daniel had gotten dressed quickly too, Max however would put on a shirt and Daniel would either tell him it was too warm or Max would say that it showed too many scars on his arms before they got to brushing their teeth and going downstairs too. Daniel on the couch has to quickly fix Max's bed hair.

Pierre and Charles have to quickly shower and in quickly, one could say it is having a quick round of hot steaming shower sex before they take forever to get dressed but still manage to be down within the hour that they had been given.

Valtteri and Lewis had already been dressed and showered before they got down to breakfast. Sitting and checking on everything that they need, making sure that every kid has their swimming trunk with them.

Kimi and Seb are making sure that their kids are ready and dressed to come along to the beach where most will be scuba diving. The kids put up a fuzz with clothing as it takes them at least fifty minutes.

Yuki comes down singing and shouting to some song he had put on when showering and getting dressed forgetting that there are more people in the house then only him.

George and Alex take a while too with them arguing about George having to wear more then just shorts but the other brit refusing to put on a shirt before Alex gives up and George gets to leave the house shirtless. Like he had done all those times before.

Once everyone is done and ready, they filter in the cars and get split up with at least one responsible driver to get them safely there.

It takes only a couple of minutes before they get to the beach. Max and Lando are bouncing on their feet with excitement to start building more sandcastles and maybe go jet-skiing if they can find a couple.

Seb and Kimi soon tell the kids that they will be scuba diving. Which has Max immediately look away in fear and say he doesn't want to join. Lando backs out as well says he is afraid of the ocean but is quickly convinced by Carlos and his twitch friends to join them.

Max however doesn't explain why he doesn't want to join but looks a bit sad as well. But Nando quickly tells the kids that he and Kimi are coming along with them. Only Seb and Lewis will stay behind watching the real kids.

"I'm afraid of the water. I can swim but I'm afraid." Max quickly says as Pierre and Daniel drag him onto the pier towards the scuba stuff.

"So what. We'll keep you safe and you will have an oxygen tank with you." Daniel promises before Max allows the two to change his mind.

The drivers get hoisted into their gear and everything gets attached before they get the signal to jump into the water and have fun. That there is enough coral around for them to swim around and not need too much experience to dive.

Daniel takes Max by the hand before taking him into the water. Not letting the dutchman go as they go deeper into the sea. Looking at the beautiful fish and corals, but Daniel can feel the grip on his hand and how scared Max actually is.

The fish are beautiful, clownfishes and anemones. Many colours dance in the ocean as Max looms his eyes out. He can't help but look his eyes out at all the things that he can see.

Slowly but surely does Daniel drag Max deeper and further away from the pier. Looking at the colours in the ocean while Max makes weird moves and mimics a turtles when they see one.

It takes them little swimming before they sink down to the bottom and sit in the sand with a smile on their faces. Max pretends to be meditating before he does the thinker. The waves above the surface move underneath the surface too, a current slowly pulls them away and towards the deeper end.

It goes on for a long while, the two swimming a couple of times around the coral reef bay. While they watch the beautiful coral sway with the current and the fish go about their day like their own little civilisation but better, less complicated.

Max and Daniel at some point freeze in their spots when a big shark moves passed them. If Max had seen it correctly, it could have been a tiger shark or maybe a great white but it was big and really fast before it swam away.

For a moment they looked at the shark leaving, watching it go around but not seeming to notice that they're there and neither did they realise that they had been at the deep end either.

Daniel looks at the big shark swimming one more time but it seems to have found a school of fish to go after and Daniel immediately takes the scared and panicking dutchman with him. In this instance they want to be out of the water.

It takes them a while to get back to the coral reef and go straight on to the pier. Max climbs onto the pier, strips out of the diving gear and runs off. Only to leave Daniel alone to explain what had happened, stripping out of diving gear too and run after Max.

He can't keep up with Max, the dutchman seems to have found a sudden amount of speed. He drops in the sand, tears rolling down his cheeks, chest heaving with his rapid and choked breathing. Kimi and Seb look immediately up from what they were doing to wrap the panicking and anxious kids in their arms.

"What's wrong Max?" Seb asks the crying boy.

"We saw a shark! A huge shark!" Max cries out in fear.

Shaking violently in Seb's arms, Seb and Kimi can see and feel the terror coming from Max. Both know that Max had been the death of Sharks for as long as they had known him.

"It's alright, you're safe now." Seb promises the scared boy.

It takes a moment before Max pulls away and quickly looks around before shifting into his cat self. He goes to lay on Kimi's lap for some nice warmth and loving pets.

Max falls asleep rather quickly, enjoying the warmth and love from Kimi and occasionally getting some loving scratches from Seb while Daniel sits with them and looks over Max too. The dutchman purring loudly.