The Outsider

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If she was honest, Georgia didn't want Maxwell to come along to the apartment. She had nothing really against him. Sure, she had hardly socialised with him at the parties they attended together, but she also hadn't gone out of her way to talk bad about him in any way. She was more or less indifferent towards him, but his decision to pop along later did irritate her... even though she knew it was mostly her fault for inviting him. She had felt pressured to do so, but in reality, she wished she could be more brutal and just leave him out.

It was no surprise that she fancied Milo. She could have easily told her friends to head out later on so she had the place to herself, with just Milo for company. With Maxwell accepting her invitation, any hopes of that were quickly dashed.

"You could leave early, I... don't see why I have to do that-- we'll see how things go. If I'm enjoying myself with Georgia and her friends, I might want to stay for a while," began Milo, shooting the girl a smile before his attention flickered back to Maxwell. "I can look after myself. If you head back early, it doesn't mean I have to, does it?"
 
"It should," he grumbled in response, though made sure to keep his voice low enough to keep it just between him and Milo. "If we're going to this party, I need to grab a few things, you know? So... uh... yeah. I already know where Gloria lives, Ricky showed me once. It's no big deal - we'll meet up with you later tonight, right?"

Glancing over at the alien, he silently waited for a response as he took a sip of his soda. He wasn't really one to be in charge of a conversation, which was evident by his desperation for Milo to lead the whole thing. "... yeah, it's a plan. Just... we shouldn't stay out late, period, that includes you."
 
"What are you, his father? If he wants to stay the night at mine, he's free to. I mean, there'll be a lot of alcohol, I don't want him getting hurt on the way home if he's drunk, so he could crash at mine if he gets tipsy? It's not a problem, I have an air mattress in my bedroom," the girl interjected quickly, deciding to pounce on the fact Milo was clearly hesitant about going home from the party early, which she saw as a good thing. It meant, to her at least, that they were on the same page, and neither of them seemed to enjoy Maxwell's efforts at intervening, however unconscious those efforts were.

"I mean, I like him and I want to spend some time with him, so...I don't see why he needs to go early if he's enjoying himself later on."
 
"Because you don't know him, Georgia." He replied quickly, his tone different than usual. The times he hung out with Georgia, he often kept quiet and spoke softly - hell, he didn't even speak that loudly to Milo. His expression didn't change though, bar the flustered cheeks.

"You know what? Whatever. Stay however long you want, Milo. I don't care,@ he decided after a pause before getting up to toss some garbage out (and to get away, I'd only for a minute.)
 
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Staring cautiously after the other, Milo's first reaction was to trail quietly after him and stand awkwardly at his side, adjusting his weight from foot to foot before finally opting to say something. He didn't entirely know just what to say, but anything was better than the crushing silence he could barely deal with.

"I just want to spend time with her, I don't know why that's a problem. Maybe you can go and spend time with Ricky, if you insist on being friends with him. I'm sure he'll forget about what I did if it means getting close to you, he seems... determined. And I'd rather you stay away from him, but you clearly like him so... so why don't you head to his place tonight, and I can stay with Georgia? I think that's... fair."
 
"He doesn't want to talk to me anymore," he replied bitterly as he tossed his food out and started for the door. Sniffling subtly, he refused to look back at the other in fear of expressing just how upset he really was. After all, the last few days were embarrassing enough.

"Yeah, he texted me and said to not hang out anymore. That's what you wanted, right? Well, you got it. My... one chance at having another, Ah... friend, is gone. Now all I have is you and guess what? You want to spend more time with Georgia. So no, I can't go and hang out with Ricky because he wants nothing to do with me. Unfortunate for you I guess."
 
"He's a freak who was after you for sex, he basically said that himself. You could make lots of friends, easily. You can't whine about not having friends if you don't make the effort, Maxwell. I'm just being honest," he frowned, glancing back at a confused Georgia apologetically. His instinct was to follow Maxwell, but he didn't know how to get into contact with Georgia if he did leave her. Besides, that wasn't what he wanted to do at all. He wanted to talk to her, get to know her and maybe even spend the next few hours with her if that was an option.

Maxwell, however, was an issue possibly preventing that.

"...Do you want me to come home with you, or can I stay out for a bit with Georgia? I'm not going to... do anything stupid, Max."
 
"I want to go home so I can get stuff for this party," he replied with a grimace as he nervously wrung his hands, his lips pursed. "If you're going to hang out with Georgia, I'm not going to let you spend time with her alone. I don't trust her, I'm just being honest."

Impatiently waiting by the door, his eye immediately landed on Georgia only to glare harshly at her. Maxwell wasn't an inherently angry person - in fact, he preferred not to have a big reaction to most things - so for him to be so openly angry at the woman was enough proof to his simmering rage. "Just... come on. If she wants to invite me out of pity then I'm going to take that."
 
Awkwardly heading to the girl to apologise (again) and get her address for later on, it was only after leaving the building that he let a long sigh escape and a frown show. He was undeniably pissed, and the only thing that was stopping him from communicating that was the fact he had done some less than great things to Maxwell recently. In his eyes, they were at least equal, even though he was certain the tension wouldn't disappear quickly.

"...What if I wanted to kiss her again? You'd be okay with that, sitting in the same room as me kissing her?" He questioned after a few minutes, his brow raised in genuine curiosity. "Because I want to do that, I think that's what she wants as well."
 
"Does it really matter what I think?" He replied bitterly as he moved as quickly as possible, though it wasn't surprising that he stumbled a bit. He didn't even care if he fell on his face and get hurt, he just wanted to get as far away from the McDonald's as possible. "You're going to do it anyway, so whether or not I'm comfortable won't change what you do. You aren't getting rid of me - I'll let you go wherever but don't be surprised if I follow you wherever you go."

It wasn't until they were a good distance that he slowed down, exhaling hard. "It's just - it's not fair, okay? It's not fair, all of this. I becomes friends with someone and you chase him off while you selfishly show off that Georgia clearly wants to fuck you as if she doesn't have the exact same motive? This just - I just... I just feel like shit, okay?" He admitted, his rare swearing making an appearance as he desperately avoided the other's eyes.
 
"Is that what you're so upset about? That a girl wants to... have sex with me? You do realise that I have no idea about that, right? I've seen one movie with a sex scene, Max. I wouldn't know where to start," he mumbled after a second or two, his frown slowly pulling into a smile. He could go on to say that Maxwell should be thankful that Ricky was out of his life, but that wouldn't help things. Instead, he opted to try and cheer him up, rather than make him more upset with the truth.

"...If you wanted sex, you should just ask me. It doesn't mean anything, does it? I'm not great with... the meaning behind it, or anything. I just want to make you happy. I don't like it when you're this moody, it's not great for me, or for you. Georgia wouldn't mind if we did it, right? It's not like a major thing for humans, is it? I mean... I'm clueless, Max."
 
"N-No! No... I... I'm not gay," he quickly corrected, though his brief moments of loud shouting returning to its usually soft spoken and shy tone. Rubbing his arm, he kept his eyes locked on the sidewalk as his cheeks grew red. It was obviously a lie and the only reason he didn't search for a guy was either through mere obliviousness or fear of being made fun of. How Milo completely avoided the intense religious criticism his parents pounded into his brain wasn't very clear to him but he always felt guilty when he grew heated when he saw Milo.

"It's... I don't know, I don't want to talk about it," he whispered before rummaging through his pocket for the house key. "I don't... I just, uh... I don't know. It doesn't matter anyway, I'm not expecting anything like that any time soon from anyone anyway, even if I wanted it. You've got Georgia, yeah?"
 
"I haven't got Georgia, I barely even know her. Which is why I want to get to know her, and that's difficult to do if you're going to get upset about it. She makes me feel like I'm normal, and that's all I want. I don't think it's a lot to ask for," he sighed, trailing into the house after him. He wouldn't admit it, but he despised the house, and living in it was almost torturous at this point. As long as Maxwell was there, he wasn't going to leave, but if leaving was an option, he would take it as soon as he could. Having spent so many years trapped in the place, it wasn't exactly somewhere he associated with being happy... which was also the reason he was suddenly so intent on heading out so much; it was better than the alternative of staying in.

"Besides, she's cute and I... fancy her, I suppose. You might be pissed off at me, but at least let me try and get somewhere with her. I don't want to start sneaking out behind your back, Max, but I'm going to have to do that if you don't, like, be more supportive about this. If you met someone you liked, I'd be your biggest supporter."
 
"Yeah, supportive enough to scare... him off," he replied with a murmur as he searched his closet. If he was going to a party, he wanted to be the most handsome person there - Well, at least, to the best of his ability. Unsurprisingly, the outfit would include a black turtleneck sweater and a necklace his mother had given him years ago. While he wasn't the most confident, he definitely was feeling himself once properly dressed.

"It doesn't matter, Milo. She wants to be around you more, just be happy with that. I told you I don't care who you like, I'm just being honest when I say I'm not going to leave you alone. If you want to go out, I'm going out with you."
 
"...Not forever though, right? I like hanging out with you, but I want to do some things myself, Max. I want to pop to the shops myself or... or go for a walk to clear my head, maybe. I don't need you to do that for me, I don't know why you're so... intent on being at my side. You're either too protective or you don't trust me. Or maybe you just love me so much and can't bear to be away from me, hm? I think that's cute, if that's the reason," he cooed playfully, hoping to inject some humour into the situation once feeling the typical tension start to creep in.

"You go out a lot without me," he challenged after a moment, absently testing out the deodorant nearby with a faint grimace. "I think it's only fair I go out without you sometimes-- god, I'm not going to massacre a city like in sci-fi movies about aliens, Maxwell. I'm not going to suddenly decide I hate humankind and lose my shit in the mall. I'm... not stupid. Do you think I'm stupid, is that it?"
 
"You act as if I go out to galas and just constantly surround myself with people. I go, like, three places consistently and two of them are through necessity," he countered before taking a seat to at least balance himself out a tad. Getting worked up only made him dizzier thanusual as was evident from him gripping his head with a grimace. The past few parties he had gone to with Ricky, the man had been surprisingly accommodating and often insisted Maxwell relax on the couch... preferably with him, snuggling. Georgia, on the other hand, could just force him to his feet the whole time.

As for the love comment, the human replied with a nervous snort only to get to his feet once feeling a bit better. "I'll let you come with me wherever, isn't that what you wanted? I think it's fair..."
 
Even though he didn't think it was at all fair, the alien forced himself to smile and nod along. He wanted to be able to take Georgia out, potentially on a date or two, without Maxwell demanding that he join along, but communicating that would inevitably cause more tension and make him lose the privileges he was being granted. He didn't want to be locked back in the house again after having his first real taste of life outside it, and if he had to agree to Maxwell coming along with him every time he headed out, it was worth it... even if he didn't particularly enjoy that prospect.

For the first few weeks, every meeting with Georgia (and the friends he met through her) took place with Maxwell at his side. At large gatherings or parties, he was perfectly fine with that, often encouraging Maxwell into coming along with him. However, when he wanted to go on a date with the girl, things became less enjoyable when he had his best friend joining him too. Inevitably, it led to him sneaking out to meet her or, as the weeks drew on, simply staying over at her apartment and refusing to come home. Each time, he was always convinced to return home, but there was never any resolution. Instead, he would sneak out again and stay at Georgia's home until Maxwell convinced him otherwise - it was just a cycle that never seemed to come to an end.

As expected, Georgia did very little to intervene whenever Milo refused to leave her home. She (obviously) didn't understand why Maxwell was often so intent to keep an eye on Milo, seeing him instead as a jealous man desperate to intervene in their relationship, probably to break them up. She had started off liking Maxwell, but that potential friendship had only deteriorated as time passed by, and eventually, there was little to no contact between the two, especially when Milo arrived at her apartment, declaring that he was moving in and had no intention leaving. There was no reason to even contact Maxwell again... but a solid two weeks after Milo moved in, Georgia turned up on Maxwell's doostep, knocking urgently on the door.

"You-- You have to come help, there's something w-wrong with-- you have to come, Max, there's something wrong with Milo," she began weakly once the door opened. She was the picture of panic, nervously biting her nails with wide glances around. "I... I can't go to the hospital, he's... he's scaring me, he's really s-sick and... and his skin is a weird colour a-and I don't know w-what to fucking do, Max, you need to come help, a-alright?"
 
Of course, Maxwell was utterly devastated. The only person he had in his life permanently anymore had left and nothing scared him more than being home alone. It led to inevitable injuries and just general depression. He was always quiet and nervous but he was never depressed enough to hold a knife to his throat to contemplate ending his own life.

He managed to calm down eventually, though all his forced interaction was cut. He would only ever be seen in class or the grocery store, preferring to stay inside. It wasn't like he had anyone to really worry about him - at least, not that he knew of. The plus side of the whole situation was that he was excelling in his classes... the downside was his clear health.

With his one arm in a sling, dressed in his comfiest pajamas, Maxwell opened the door to Georgia with a flat expression. It didn't change when the mention of Milo came up, though he did nervously scan the sight.

"Bring him in and leave, I know what to do," he reassured the girl flatly. "Where... is he, exactly? Fucking - you know, I shouldn't even help you two. Ugh... " he grumbled to himself though stepped out of the doorway expectantly.
 
"You can stop with the thinly veiled bitchiness, I... I haven't got the time or energy to be dealing with your bullshit right now. I came because my boyfriend is spewing up black stuff, and won't go to the hospital, so you're the only person I can go to. Trust me, if I had other options, I'd go to them. He's at the apartment, just-- just shut up and get in the car, a-alright? He could be dying, Max, I don't know," she spat angrily, though it was mostly out of fear for Milo and general shock than anything else. Everything had been going brilliantly until a few days ago when Milo started to act weirdly, and then come down with some sort of illness, or what she perceived as an illness at least. Only when the symptoms became as severe as they were did she head out to find Maxwell, not knowing where else to turn to after Milo screamed at her not to call for an ambulance.

Just stepping a foot inside Georgia's apartment indicated that something was wrong, with parts of the floor and walls being drowned in the 'black stuff' Milo had thrown up. The sight of it only made her grimace, as did the loud groans and pained cusses from the living room, that only grew louder as Milo, hearing the door open, pushed himself from the couch to meet the two. Georgia hadn't been exaggerating when she said there was something wrong, and her fear was apparently well-founded, considering she had no idea of her boyfriend's inhumanity. His skin had turned greyish, his eyes were almost, if not entirely, black, and his lips and chin were stained black by the blood he seemed to constantly throw up. What was possibly most noticeable was the fact he'd grown several inches in the space of a few hours. It was nothing new for him, having grown and matured at an inhuman pace just several months ago, but he had assumed that was over. To grow again, and have that combined with the current pain he was going through, was worrying, though he wouldn't admit to it. For all he knew, this process was perfectly normal for his species, and he wanted to believe in that, rather than assume he was dying from an illness his body couldn't fight off as well as a human one could.

"...Why is he here? I don't fucking want him here," he grunted under his breath, his eyes glaring down at Maxwell irritably. "I'm fine, I'm... good. This is normal for me, Max, I... this is perfectly f-fine for me, I can handle this, so you can leave now."
 
"This isn't normal, shut up." He sternly replied. It was different than how Maxwell often was, what with his quiet and timid personality. Hell, even trying to enforce the rules with Milo clearly failed. This was different, though. He knew Milo was hurt and, as children, he would often take command in trying to help heal the alien, though was often told to stay out of it. He still would sleep next to Milo every night that he was ill, just like how Milo would do the same whenever he was hurt.

"Just come with me, Milo. You can go pretending like everything is normal but you need to come home and get better. I'm not going to force you with anything else ever again, just fucking listen to me this last time and you can do whatever you want once you get better."
 
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