Authors Note: Max can be very dramatic sometimes, but he has such a caring soul that I love. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I am. Thank you for reading! If you see any grammar mistakes, be sure to leave me a comment and I'll fix it!
-Saturn
Max heard everything through the door to the infirmary. He was trying to give him some privacy, but he was too curious about him. Everything about Charlie seemed pleasant, but guarded. He seemed to calm down by looking at him, though. Max loved the idea that he might have the same effect on Charlie that the man had on him.
He could hear his heart race when he left the room, but his tone was as calm as ever. Max was immediately on edge as he waited to be let inside again. He didn't want to be away from his mate. Not now, not ever. They had only just met, yet he was already so in love with this man. And so worried about his health. His voice was so calm, it soothed Max. Until Dr. Button started talking to him about food.
Max remembered back to when he first saw him. He was so scrawny even from his wolf perspective. He tried to offer them jerky. It was the only thing he had to eat, and he offered it to wolves he thought were starving.
He wished he could have found him sooner. He would have treated him like royalty. It hurt Max just thinking about how much his mate must be suffering, and how long it might have been.
"I'm sorry," he heard him say, "I can't stay here."
It was a good thing his dad had to leave on some Alpha duties, because he would have been pissed to see Max burst through the doctor's door in the middle of a private discussion. He would have been pissed that he was listening in at all.
He didn't give a shit.
"What do you mean you can't stay here?" he asked the bewildered blond. Dr. Button was giving him the evil eye, but he avoided it. The silly little rules that the doctor tried to push on them all was no match for Max's anger. It might be for safety, but this wasn't exactly keeping Charlie safe if he was going to leave anyway, and work even though he could barely sit up!
"I'm sorry if I came off as rude," he apologized. Every other word out of his mouth seemed to be an apology. It was frustrating beyond belief. Max never knew these people existed beyond movies. Why did they apologize so much? It made Max feel like he was in the wrong just because he wanted his mate to not work himself to death!
"Charlie," Dr. Button seemed just as shocked as Max to hear the news. "I can't force you to stay, but your health is important. It should be taken seriously."
It broke his heart hearing that his mate wanted to leave already. He just barely convinced his dad to bring him here. He hadn't even really gotten to talk to him. He hardly knew the man. All Max had been wanting to do is get to know this mysterious man who came out of no where and dived right into his heart when he first saw him.
"I'm forever grateful for your hospitality. And I promise to work on getting my weight back up. But I don't really have the insurance to cover something like this as it is. I can't afford to stay here." Charlie looked embarrassed to say something like this. He looked like he was going to get laughed at. Max hated that look more than any other expression he had seen on his mate's face.
This...was about money. Was that why he didn't eat that much? Were they not paying him enough to live off of?
"Charlie, I'm not going to charge you for anything," Dr. Button said. Max could tell that Button was feeling the exact same way he was feeling about what he said. If this was about money, then they had plenty of it. Spending some on taking care of one person wasn't going to break them. It wasn't even going to put a dent in their wealth. "All I've done my whole life is this profession. And I've devoted my life to keeping people alive and well. I'm not going to let money get in the way of someone's health. That goes against all that I've known as a doctor."
Those green eyes grew wide for a second. Was he not used to this? Was he not used to getting help? Max had learned from his time at school that most guarded people were that way for a reason. But who broke him? Where could he find them? The very thought of anyone laying a finger on this man now infuriated him. He'd start with that Evon guy.
He was already being so protective of him, and he only just met him. That thought, alone, frightened him. Was this normal for mates to feel? He didn't want to be too forceful with the man. He didn't want Charlie to push him away because of it. He just wanted to protect him.
"I really don't know what to say," Charlie interrupted his thoughts. Every word that came out of his mouth was like sugar. "I don't know whether I can accept your offer though. The restaurant needs me."
And Max's heart sank again. Something deeper was stopping him from agreeing to this. It only took a second for Max's gaze to lock those green eyes in place. He needed to search those meadows for something. Some sort of answer.
He just couldn't understand where he was coming from. He took away the problem with paying for his treatment. What else could be wrong? All Charlie's eyes showed him was guilt and worry. It was so different that last night. At the restaurant, all those eyes showed him was concentration, and what Max had hoped to be at least some kind of interest for him. The spark was always there between them. He just hoped that Charlie could feel it too.
What was he so worried about? Max tried to put himself in his shoes. From what he knew, Charlie had bad health insurance and couldn't afford to stay here. But if they took that away, then what was left?
"Does your job offer you any paid time off?" Max asked. Dr. Button always refrained from asking questions that didn't involve one's health because he said it was prying into their personal lives. But Max wasn't afraid of anyone's scrutiny.
"We're a small business," he explained. He gave him that shy smile that he loved so much. "My boss doesn't exactly make enough money to give us many benefits."
Something about how popular that place seemed to be when he went there the night before, made Max suspicious about that statement. Something seemed fishy at that restaurant the more and more he thought about it. But he would dwell on that later. Right now, he had to figure out what lied underneath the surface of this man.
"I'll pay you," he said. Charlie looked like he couldn't believe his ears. Dr. Button looked at him with a quizzical expression. Max was going to have to think of some way to keep him unaware of the situation he was in with Charlie.
"W-what?"
"I'll pay you to stay here," he said. He wasn't going to just let his mate go without a fight. And it seemed like he was finally inching towards winning this battle.
"You really don't have to," the blond tried to reassure him. "I'll be fine."
Max was having none of it. He walked over to the small infirmary bed and leaned over him. The scent alone was so strong it could have made Max go mad if he wasn't already concentrated on one thing. Charlie's eyes went wide with the closeness that they now shared. Sparks seemed to travel through the air just by their staring alone. It took all Max's strength not to just hold him and kiss him right then and there. Instead, he focused on those beautiful emerald saucers that seemed so entranced by him.
"Your health is important."
Charlie looked almost breathless. He could feel the bond between them already strengthening just by their gazes. His body was tense under him. And Max had to fight off the temptation to wrap him in his arms again. He wanted to hold him forever. But he knew it would have to wait a while before he could even think of doing something like that.
"How much?" the blond finally caved. Relief flooded him as he realized he was finally cracking the man's stubborn resolve.
"$200 a day," he answered, leaning in closer to him. His scent was too amazing to tear himself away from. "For as long as you need to stay."
"Two hundred dollars?!" Charlie tried to avert his gaze. His heart was racing, but Max had a feeling it wasn't because he wasn't feeling well. Maybe he was just getting ahead of himself though. "Why would you pay me two hundred dollars just to stay here?!"
"Because it's the only way I know you're going to say yes," he whispered. Charlie squirmed under him. He wished that Button had left the room. He would have already held him in his arms if it weren't for that.
"That's too much," Charlie shook his head. "I'd be a crook if I took that much money from you by doing nothing."
"That's nothing, trust me," he whispered again. His face had gotten lower at this point. His mouth was almost to his lips. If only he could move them a little bit closer. He was dying to know just how they felt. They looked so soft. "Just take my offer. Please."
Every time Charlie moved his scent got just a little bit stronger. It was like a drug that Max had never known before. He had to keep sober though. Because if he went too far too fast then he could lose him forever. So, he stayed still above him awaiting an answer. He would get on his hands and knees and beg if he had to. There was no way he was going to give up.
"Alright," Charlie finally said. "I'll stay." He looked a little embarrassed that he had to agree, but Max could handle that.
Max finally got up from the bed and tried to gain a better sense of his surroundings. Charlie's scent was starting to put him in a trance being that close to him. He almost forgot that Dr. Button was there until he saw him giving him an all-knowing smile.
"Congratulations," he mind linked with him. "I'm glad you finally found your mate."
Fuck. Well, so much for trying to hide it. Hopefully Dr. Button wouldn't tell anyone for long enough so that Max could come up with a plan of what to say.
"Don't tell anyone," he commanded.
"That tone won't work on me boy, you should know that," he gave him a quick glare.
Max sighed. Button was always a challenge when it came to this sort of thing. He demanded respect, even with little things like this. His dad had told him that it was because of not getting any respect when he was younger. He had to work for it, so he demanded he get treated with it. Either way, it was rather frustrating when it came to the situation that Max was now in.
"Please, Doctor. If the rest found out now, they would freak out."
"I know that, boy. I owe you for convincing my patient to stay anyway. I'll let you tell everyone on your own time." His face had softened a bit at that.
"Thank you," he said. He should have known that the doctor was going to find out soon enough. Max should have been more careful about it, but he didn't think there was any other way to convince Charlie than by trying to use their mate bond.
"Don't worry about it, son. I'm just glad you brought him to me. It seems like we have an interesting case on our hands."
He couldn't deny that. Charlie seemed open yet secretive at the same time. He was great at reading people, but the blond showed very little of any bad emotions. There was just so much mystery to the man that he didn't seem open to sharing. Max wished he could open him up. Just what was he hiding?