Cyberpunk AU start: Max

[drfeelbad]

House didn't visit Input on a regular basis exactly, but often enough that his face was known there. The men and women he'd spent time with he'd seen more than once, and when he arrived tonight and sat down at the bar, the bartender pushed him a Jack Daniels without him having to ask, and mentioned that they were quite busy tonight but he'd seen Isaac recently if he'd like to have a drink with him. "Yes, please tell him I'm here," House had said before taking a sip.

Though before he'd even managed to take a second drink, he heard someone shouting for a doctor.

He almost ignored it. Almost. But instead, he said to the bartender, "I'll be right back," and then slid off the stool, grabbed his cane, and headed in the direction of the shouts.

Comments

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

"Okay," Max agreed, offering another rare smile.

After that he just did as House asked, getting on the table and settling in. It should have been frightening, he supposed, but Max wasn't afraid of the dark that came from going under for a little while. In a lot of ways it was freeing.

[drfeelbad]

A moment later, House came over to him and... actually looked down at him to offer a reassuring smile. "Count backwards from one hundred," he said, just before slapping a patch onto his arm.

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

Max nodded, holding House's gaze as long as he could as he counted backwards... He barely made it to 90. The world slipped away quickly, and soon he was out cold.

[drfeelbad]

House went to work, not wanting him under any longer than he needed to. The procedure went just fine, though House wasn't completely sure how much to trust the tech - so he was very relieved when the indicator light came on and it seemed to be working properly. And he managed to put it in nearly exactly he same spot, so there wouldn't even be a noticeable scar, and there were only a few stitches needed.

He was sitting by the bed when he heard the beeps of the monitor indicating that Max was waking up. He stood, and looked down at him.

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

The world came back slowly, like waking up after sleeping off a bad cold after taking some cough syrup. Hazy, foggy... Slow.

He smiled at the sight of House, a groggy little dopy curl of his lips.

"Hi," he said.

[drfeelbad]

"Hi," said House, and actually smiled at him.

"You did great," he said. "Well. I mean, I don't know if it works of course, but it booted up."

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

"Oh, right, I don't have anything to test it with yet..." Max admitted, slowly sitting up. "I feel the connection though. That's always a good sign... Can I have the old one? I've already sold it. ...It's how I bought this one."

[drfeelbad]

"Uh, yeah sure, it's yours," House said, and fished it off the counter and handed it to him.

"What do you need to test it? You should make sure it doesn't crash your system."

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

"It takes little cards with programs on it. I haven't ordered any yet though. ...I suppose I could try and download one. That's how I used to get bugs on the old one though," Max admitted.

"I'll test it as soon as I can, and I'll tell you if anything seems off," he promised. "For now though... How much do I owe you?" he asked nervously.

[drfeelbad]

House sighed. "I know you don't have any money. It's... fine, don't worry about it."

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

"It's not fine," Max replied. "I'm broke, not a begger. I'll pay in installments if I have to. Or... I dunno, pay you in trade?"

[drfeelbad]

House rubbed the back of his neck. He was tempted, but... "Damn. No, I actually kind of like you now."

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

"If you like me you'll be kind and not let me feel like I owe you a debt. ...Installments. ...Or I can help out here. I could do data entry or something. Or... I dunno. There's got to be something," Max insisted.

[drfeelbad]

"No, it's fine, you can pay me if you want to," House said with a snort. "I meant that's why I don't want to suggest you fuck me." It was the obvious solution, after all; House had been prepared to pay his coworker for sex just last night. "Installments then." He named a sum - a reasonable price minus about twenty percent.

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

"Deal," Max nodded, holding his hand out to offer the first transfer of credits.

He wasn't even dressed yet, it was obvious this really mattered to him.

[drfeelbad]

House didn't argue with him. "Great," he said.

Pause. "Really though, you should make sure you're safe when you try that thing out for the first time."

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

"I can go to the clinic when I test it, or if you want I'll come here. ...I don't want to take up your time though. You've already been so generous," Max said.

[drfeelbad]

"You can come here if you like - though mostly I just want to make sure you don't try it out for the first time and crash with some random asshole there," House said.

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

Max laughed a bit, pushing his hair back with one hand. "Would be just my luck, dying on some arsehole's kitchen floor after finally getting some new tech. If that's how my story ends, it honestly wouldn't shock me."

Finally getting up, he reached for his trousers and pulled out a now nearly empty pack of cigarettes. Sticking the last one between his lips, he tugged his ratty looking jeans on under his paper gown.

"Can I?" he asked, gesturing at the cigarette before zipping up his jeans.

[drfeelbad]

"Sure," House said. The ventilation in here was out of this world. And he certainly wasn't going to lecture him about his health.

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

Max shed the gown and lit up, pulling out his little pocket ashtray.

"I keep thinking I should quit, but... I'm not much of a drinker, never got deep into drugs. It's sort of my only real vice."

Well, that and lodging hammers into the skulls of terrible men, but he was fairly certain there wasn't a pill or patch for that.

[drfeelbad]

"I'm sure you're in better health than I am," House said with a snort. He picked up the hospital gown from the bed and tossed it into a bin.

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

"That's a frightening thought," Max said, hesitating a beat, then taking it as an opening to ask...

"What's with your leg?"

[drfeelbad]

“Accident,” said House. “And an incompetent medical bureaucracy.”

[511v3r_h4mm3r]

"Never thought about getting a metal one? I mean, people get them now just to have them. You at least need one," Max said.