Max

Convincing Mr. Blackbourne

Even after the three of them agreed upon Max's identity as Kota's pet dog, Nathan still had absolutely no idea as to what to do about him. Yeah, the Academy taught them to always be prepared for anything and everything, but this predicament? There was no way in hell Nathan could have prepared anything for this.

Thankfully, Kota was a quick thinker and directed everyone into action before he got a check-in call from North. Sang went to the bedroom closet and picked out some clothes she thought could fit Max. Nathan and Luke found scissors and freed Max's hands. The pair had to hoist the new human up under his shoulders until he could manage to put his feet under him. Nathan didn't know how to sympathize with someone who was use to walking on four feet, and then suddenly forced to balance upon two.

"Will you be okay in there?" Nathan asked after they got Max situated in the bathroom with a clean set of clothes set on the sink counter.

"Yes," was the simple reply.

Nathan closed the door and let Sang know it was safe for her to come out of the closet again. Luke gathered up the bedsheet that had fallen to the floor and shoved it into the dirty laundry hamper, even if it was hardly used and could still be considered clean.

After Kota finished up his phone call with North, he informed them the next part of the game plan: they had to get Max out of the house before Erica came home from work. Kota's mom simply would not understand why the household dog was no longer present, nor why Kota was hosting a full grown man with no past in their home. Somehow, explaining things to grownups always seemed to be more difficult than getting one's peers to understand the situation and the motivation behind the decisions made concerning said situation.

"Once Max is dressed, we're going back to your house, Nathan," Kota said while dialing up Mr. B. "You three need to get dressed for the day too."

Based on the half of the conversation Nathan could hear, Mr. B did not believe Kota's explanation about Max at first. Mr. Blackbourne attributed it to be one of Luke's pranks until Kota expressed how he was being serious. The phone conversation was strangely quiet for several moments between the two.

Luke and Nathan were standing around in our own awkward silence until a crash came from the bathroom. Sang squeaked from where she was making Kota's bed.

Nathan rubbed his day's worth of whiskers with the palm of his hands as he rushed across the room to the bathroom. "We're idiots to assume he knows how to dress himself when he barely understands walking upright," he said mainly to himself before letting himself through the door to find a fully grown man sprawled on the patterned linoleum with nothing on but one arm through a pant leg.

Max blinked up to Nathan with huge, sparkling eyes. Sad puppy dog eyes. It made Nathan's heart melt.

"Max needs help," he whined in a sad voice.

"No kidding," Nathan answered as he closed the bathroom door again for privacy's sake and helped Max back up and settled him to sit on the closed toilet. A quick scan around the room showed nothing was broken, so he started gathering up the clothes.

"Why do people wear clothes?" Max asked innocently as he held up his hand in front of his face and wiggled his new opposable thumb back and forth.

"I don't know, man," Nathan answered. "We just do. Why do you lick your balls?"

Max blinked up at Nathan with an expression that clearly showed he did not understand.

Nathan cursed and chuckled at the same time. "I forgot you're neutered. From one guy to another, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."