Empathy (TMF FANFIC)

Maxwell and Mason (Third Person)

Maxwell got out of college and was about to drive home and take care of his family like he always did when he received a text on the way to his car.  He was a quick reader, so he scanned it and his heart stopped moving and the feeling that something awful happened hit him. He then got a call from Mason, and he knew exactly what it was about.

"Hello?"
M-Max...did you- s-see?
"Yes, I'm on my way there! Do you want me to come get you on my way?"
Y-Yeah, p-please hurry! I-I don't want him to die!
"It's gonna be okay, buddy! Brother bear's coming, okay?"
*sniffle* o-okay...!
"Alright, I just got in my car. I'll call you back once I get to your school. Love you, bye."
B-Bye...

Maxwell started the car and as soon as he was a sizable distance from his college, he slammed the gas as hard as he could without exceeding the speed limit.
A few minutes later, he showed up to Rosemeadow Junior High and called Mason.

M-Max...?
"I'm here bud. Get in and let's go."

Mason was quick to spot Maxwell's car and bolted to it. He swiftly buckled up and Maxwell drove the car out of the parking lot. By the time they got close to the highschool, they could see ambulances heading that way and they knew that they were far too late.

Maxwell didn't bother to park that car properly and he and Mason quickly got out of the car, without giving a shit in the slightest about a parking ticket when their brother was...No.  This cannot be true...please, God, don't let this be true...!  They ran towards the school, shouting Jake's name.

When they got close to the crowd of people, they all moved out of the way. The second they saw Jake's dead body, their whole world instantly shattered into a million pieces as they were forced against every last ounce of their wills to accept the bitter defeat of being too little, too late.

Mason fell to his knees and started to panic as self-blame began to consume him. Maxwell did his best to keep his composure as the older brother, but the sight had him doubled over, and his hands flew to his mouth. He didn't want to believe that he failed as an older brother, but the irrefutable evidence he had no choice, but to accept was right in front of his face.
To most of the crowd, Jake was just a normal, average, everyday person that didn't deserve to die so soon.
To the people who actually took the time to get well acquainted with Jake, he was a best friend that didn't deserve to die, period.
To Mason, Jake was one of his beloved heroes that was slain by the hands of those who bullied and betrayed him.
But to Maxwell, Jake was like his own son. Jake was the child that Max had willingly set his own childhood aside for- alongside Mason and Delilah when they had came into his life, only to have him brutally ripped away from him in the worst way possible, all because he had failed to protect the one who needed him the most.  In his mind, it was all his fault for not noticing it the day before. It was all his fault for not getting suspicious about Jake avoiding them for most of that evening. It was all his fault for buying that bullshit lie Jake told about forgetting to feed Oreo when he was giving him a suspicious amount of extra affection at the dinner table.

The paramedics rushed past the two and were quick to pronounce him dead. Mason screamed and cried louder and Maxwell's soul reeled in agony, grief and turmoil gave him a throbbing headache. Then they started to carry Jake's body away from the school.  Mason attempted to run after them, but Maxwell was quick to hold him back. The tears finally streamed down Max's face as Mason frantically struggled against him, screaming Jake's name, ugly crying, and reaching out towards the disappearing figures carrying his corpse in a body bag. When the ambulances left, Maxwell finally dropped to his knees as his composure finally crumbled, holding Mason suffocatingly tightly in his arms in a desperate attempt to find the seemingly distant will to tell himself that everything was going to turn out okay... eventually.  But he knew that this was a sense of comfort that he would never truly feel for a long time after a tragedy as detrimental as this one.

Not long after the ambulance drove off and the crowd dissipated (the only ones that remained were them, the Music Club, and the Jomies), a car pulled up and their stepfather, Thomas, rushed out towards them. Upon seeing the massive bloodstain, but no body, he stopped and made eye contact with the two boys, the unspoken question he silently asked was clear in his eyes. Maxwell bit his lip and his head hung low while Mason trembled as he shook his head. They didn't see Thomas's reaction to the devastating news, but they heard his footsteps approach them. Thomas got on both knees in front of them and pulled them into a tight hug.

Mason hugged back almost immediately, while Maxwell was reluctant. He never really liked Thomas, because he felt like he was trying to take his place as the father figure of the house, but he knew that he needed this hug more than anything else, so he took it without verbal or behavioral complaint.
"C'mon kids, I'll go get Delilah and you two can go home. You guys can even take temporary leave from school if you'd like." Thomas offered. Mason and Maxwell eventually stood up and Mason went with Max to his car and Thomas drove his car alone to pick up Delilah.

The rest of that evening was dead silent for the Sterling-Edwards'. Everybody was far too grief-stricken to even utter a whisper.
Dinner was barely touched, as the image of Jake's body hung heavy over Max and Mason's heads, the prospect of Jake being dead was scarring to Thomas, Delilah, and Haebaragi (Max, Jake, and Mason's mom; Delilah's stepmom).  Oreo tried to make things better, but it just wasn't working for anyone.

Mason had to sleep with Maxwell and Oreo because he had a horrific nightmare about Jake blaming him.  It wasn't like Max was sleeping anyways despite Oreo constantly pawing at his eyelids in an attempt to keep his eyes shut.

Things in the Sterling-Edwards family would never be the same again.