Melted: A MaxTul AU story

Seventy: Watching

"Me?" Tul asked. "She can go to hell."

Prin whistled. Tor cheered. Max watched.

Prin was relieved that Tul finally seemed to be ready to take his life back from his mother. He knew that she was powerful and had enough influence to crush her enemies. He'd seen it multiple times. However, he also knew that this wasn't really the reason why Tul didn't go against her. Prin had heard Tul rage against his family often over the years, but he also knew that the rage really stemmed from loneliness and hurt.

Tor knew that hurt place, and it was the thing that angered him the most about what Tul's family did to his best friend. Tor had one friend growing up, Lek from the orphanage who died after getting hit by a car. Tor became a focused loner after that—determined to work harder to never be poor again after watching how long it took them to get medical care to his friend. He had been put in a group with Tul in university, and that's how they met. They ended up bonding over being two of the three people in a large team project who did all the work. '

He had learned that Tul was a loner, too; however, Tul always seemed to crave warmth. Tor would never forget the first time he'd seen Tul drunk after a party, where Tul cried because Tor was an orphan and Tul merely felt like one. Now Tor was just thankful that Tul was finally straight up angry and not just wounded.

"Soooo, what's the revenge, plan," Tor asked with a gleeful coldness. He was ready to bankroll whatever Tul asked for.

"Tor!" Prin remonstrated, frowning at him.

"What?" Tor said innocently. "You can't tell me that you aren't excited. Tul is finally sounding like the badass that we know he's capable of being. His stepmother and Plustor need to know who they are dealing with. This isn't the Tul from before . . ." he stopped because he was almost going to say 'before Max' but realized it would be awkward with Max sitting right there.

Tor glanced over at Max; Max was still just watching Tul. He didn't look excited or relieved or anything. He just sat there patiently watching Tul with an extremely neutral expression. Tor wanted to know Max's opinion, especially since he believed that Max was the reason that Tul was able to embrace this new world that he was in. A new world that gave him a new family—the team2crew—and the ability to see him and Prin as brothers in the real sense of the word. He and Prin had been offering this off and on for years, but Tul was unable to see that. Someday, Tor thought, he'd try to thank Max properly. Max had come and helped Tul heal.

"We've never heard Tul say this about his stepmother even when we all knew she deserved it," Tor continued more calmly.

Tul was still sitting quietly at his desk. He hadn't said anything else not because he had surprised himself at the level of anger that had come out of his mouth, but he was surprised at how quickly it had faded. It had hit him in a flash, flared up, and come down just as fast. His anger wasn't gone, but it just wasn't the same anymore. It was just at a simmer. 

He felt as though his family continuously hurt him and betrayed what a family was—people who cared just because. But he had that now. He had a family that he had chosen and who had chosen him. Now, he even had his mother. And, at least in this moment, Shilapath was also at his feet. He didn't need nor want to be consumed by that anger anymore. He was really tired of it. He suddenly felt exhausted by all the energy it took.

Prin asked quietly. "What do you want us to do, Tul? How can we help you?"

"I don't know," he responded simply.

Max had sat there watching the different emotions move through Tul's face. He was quiet because he knew they all needed some time to digest Tul's response. It wasn't just Tul here. Max knew that Prin and Tor had felt the pain of watching their friend suffer alone even when they were by his side.