Still wide awake. Felt the need to write.
Captain America hesitated before entering the hospital room. It was rare that he was at a loss for something to say.
But if anyone was going to give me one, he thought, it’d be Max.
It wasn’t often a person could surprise him, let alone do it on such a regular basis. However, when Max sent Kara away when he regained consciousness....
Max never sent Kara away. In fact, usually she was the first person he wanted to see whenever he woke up in a hospital. Cap never truly understood the bond between the two, but for Max to turn her away, something had to be terribly wrong.
Finally, the Captain took a breath and entered the room. "Maxwell Thunder," he said crisply. "Report."
Max was perfectly still for what seemed like an eternity. Cap was about to repeat himself, when the blue-haired young man finally spoke.
"Everyone I know," he said softly, "fears death."
Cap said nothing. He simply waited.
"Everyone," Max continued. "Even those who’ve been there and done it. I can understand not wanting to leave behind those you love...I’m in no hurry for that aspect...but I think you all misunderstand.
"Death isn’t something to be feared. It’s...peace. It’s getting to clock out and go home after a long hard day at your job. It’s...it’s the thing I looked forward to most in this world."
Cap was visibly shaken by this.
"I carry so much," Max continued, oblivious to his team leader. "I have done unspeakable things in my past, I have so much responsibility here and now, and my foreseeable future is to be spent serving the man I hate most in the universe. I am forever at his beck and call.
"But I could endure it. I could do it all, some of it even happily...because I knew, eventually, I would get to rest. I would be able to close my eyes, and never have to worry about opening them again."
Cap swallowed, and then finally asked "Max, how did you defeat the Beast?"
"I’d been working on an artificial heart," Max said. "And then there was those DNA samples from Logan and Laura. Made a deal or two with some things that no being should even make small talk with..."
"Max."
"The Beast could only be defeated by another immortal," Max said darkly, finally looking at Cap with a glare that actually make the older soldier take a step back. "Something else that simply could not die. The Major and Kara were close, but they couldn’t cut it. It would have pealed Logan from his precious shinny bones. Even if we could have found any version of the Doctor, it would have obliterated him 13 times without blinking. And we were simply out of time."
"So you..."
"I did what had to be done," Max said, tears starting to pour from his eyes. "What no one else could. And in return for my heroic deed, I’ll never get my rest."
Captain America just stood in shocked silence.
"And you know the real kicker?" Max sniffed as he tried to get his emotions back under control. "That hammer of mine has never been fucking lighter."
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Another one that's been in the back of my mind for a while. No idea why it decided to fight its way to forefront now.