Empathy (TMF FANFIC)

Maxwell and Sean (Third Person)

Timeline: 1 week after Jake's suicide.

Maxwell was making lunch for everyone despite Thomas insisting on doing so, especially after all the stress he released two days before.
There was an unexpected knock at the door, at least, it was unexpected to him.  "WAS ANYBODY EXPECTING GUESTS?"  Maxwell called.
When everybody else replied with a "NO!", he set a pan to the side and turned the stove off before he opened the door and saw a kid that he quickly recognized from the photos that Jake would show him of the Music Club.

"Hello, is this the Sterling's residence?"  Sean asked.
"You're from that Music Club.  Sean, right?"  Maxwell answered with a half-glare.
"O-Oh, Jake talked about us then?"  Maxwell nodded, wanting nothing more than to slam the door in Sean's face.  The only barrier in his way from doing so, was the unshakable feeling that Jake wouldn't want him to do that.
"Are you here for a reason, or is it just for shits and giggles?"  Maxwell asked, his glare got harder.
"Err, you know what?  You clearly don't want me here, I can just-!"
"Wait."  Maxwell interrupted, to which Sean blinked, but signaled that he was listening.  Maxwell sighed, but spoke, "You're right.  I don't want you here right now.  But I don't think Jake would want me to turn you down, so just come inside.  I'm making lunch anyways."  Maxwell begrudgingly stepped aside, and Sean came in.
"Nice place you have here."  Sean complimented.
"Yeah, it's pretty decent, I guess."  Maxwell replied halfheartedly, going back into the kitchen.

"So...what's your reason for being here?"  Maxwell cut straight to the chase.
"Well...I was going to come to you about this two days before, but it sounded like you guys were arguing, so I decided that I'd talk to you about it when things settled over."
"Yeah, mom and I had an argument, but could you get to the point or get out?"
Sean pursed his lips for a moment before piping up again.  "Well...I'm the music club's producer, and I have some recordings of songs that Jake had written.  We recorded these songs at school and at my house."  Sean got his computer out and started playing "My Gaming Life".

Day by day,
Desperate fight,
My fears are waiting for me at the outside...

When Jake's voice hit Maxwell's ears, he froze as a lump quickly formed in his throat.

Overwhelmed,
Feeling low,
I'm the star in this depressing one-man show,
Wish I would be able,
To flee, but not stable,
Wouldn't stand a chance, it's just too much to handle,

Jake...!  He thought as the tears fell.

I need an inspiration, another world I have to see,
I travel with my portal station to a place of fantasy,
Whatever I wanna be,
Nothing blocks me,
I'm free,
Gonna beat my enemies...

Maxwell had just finished with preparing lunch.

As a king or as a night,
I will reign, I will fight,
Until I shine in the night...!!
Why should I stay?!
Please take me away!
From the life I don't belong,
With might and with force,
I'm winning the war!
No fears,
Here is where I'm truly strong!

"Jake sent the club a suicide message before he went, but it had only reached me since the others had blocked him.  He said that he had always dreamed of making it big.  He dreamed of making people happy with his voice.  He had always wanted to step up on a stage and perform for those willing to hear what he had to say."

Why should I stay?!
Why should I stay?!
Please take me away.

Maxwell made an extra bowl of pork belly ramen for Sean and set the table.  "LUNCH IS READY!"  He called.
"Was that...Jake's voice...?" Mason asked in a soft and trembling voice when he came into the kitchen, tears streamed down his face.
"Yeah, it was." Maxwell answered with a smile that held many emotions that just couldn't be described.
"Though showing you these songs aren't the only reason why I'm here." Sean said, "I wanted to ask if you wanted to use these songs if you're planning on doing a funeral service for Jake. I also want to release them publicly on Spotify and YouTube so Jake could fulfill his dreams since I feel like I owe it to him for letting the club kick him out, but I also feel the need to ask you first.  Any profits made from his music will be transferred over to you if you let me do this."
Maxwell thought for a while about it, and he thought hard.  "Yes, we do plan to hold a service for him in a few days, and I don't think using his songs at the service would be any problem, but I'll have to consult the mortician about it just in case.  As for releasing his songs, you may release them publicly after the service...and I guess we could invite you to it since you don't seem to be as bad as the others..."
"...Thanks, Mr...?" Sean trailed off, waiting for Maxwell to answer.
"Maxwell, Jake's older brother. But don't feel the need to call me Mr. Maxwell, it makes me feel old when I'm only 20."
"Oh, okay."

"Ya know, you look a bit familiar," Thomas commented, "What's your name?"
"Sean. Sean Everett." Sean introduced himself.
"Everett...hadn't heard that surname in years...I wouldn't expect you to remember me since we've only met when your aunt introduced me to your family and when we got married. I'm Thomas Edwards, your uncle and stepdad to the Sterling's."
Well shit, now I feel even worse about what happened with Jake...  Sean thought at the realization that he and Jake were stepcousins in that case.
Fuck.  Now I'm technically related to someone who basically drove my little brother to suicide...God, this is a pill to swallow...!  Maxwell thought, unsure of how to feel about this discovery.

"Why...?"  Maxwell finally spoke out loud, a look of hurt on his face.  Making everyone at the table look at him in confusion.  "You seem like a genuinely nice person, Sean...yet you just...!  You just let your friends throw my brother out!  Did you guys even bother to even hear him out?!"  Maxwell's hazel brown eyes that were full of frustration, confusion, and sadness looked straight into Sean's black eyes.  Sean pursed his lips as he silently thought about how to answer his question.
"I...At the time, I was a bit too upset at him, and I wasn't sure of what the rest of the Music Club would think of me if I had taken Jake's side.  However, I did plan on confronting him, I swear I did!  But I wanted the confrontation to be as civil as possible, so I decided that I would take some time to process my emotions before meeting with him in private so I could listen to his side of what happened since I felt like we weren't given the full context of what actually went down.  I'm sorry I didn't talk to him earlier, I just-!"
"You needed time to yourself, and you made the decision to take that time so you could communicate things properly.  That just shows that you have decent emotional boundaries set and you're genuinely a good person." Maxwell sighed as his features softened, but it quickly turned into a frown, "But if you had to worry about what the rest of the Club thought of you, then that shows that they have likely pushed your boundaries at some point whether it was intentional or not, and you didn't assert yourself or communicate it to them which would make them think that they didn't do anything wrong to you.
"I'm not necessarily saying that they're bad people, especially considering how Jake had always spoken fondly of you and the rest of the Music Club, but they really need to respect other people's boundaries if what I said before is, indeed, the case, especially if they knew they were stepping all over you.  Asserting yourself and communicating your boundaries is one of the many keys to a healthy relationship, and if they can't respect your boundaries, even after you assert yourself, then they might not be the right people for you."  Maxwell interrupted.  As the stubborn, hardheaded person with mild trust issues he tended to be, he couldn't fully forgive Sean, but as an older stepcousin, he felt it necessary to give the soon-to-be highschool graduate some advice.  He couldn't ever tolerate it when people walked all over him and/or his family, and he had failed to successfully give Jake this piece of advice, so he hoped that he could get through to Sean.
Thankfully, Sean took it to heart.  "Thanks, Maxwell.  I think I needed it." "Perhaps so."

By then everyone was done eating and they went to put their plates and chopsticks in the sink.
"Well, thanks for letting me stay over," Sean said, "but I've done what I set out to do here, so it's about time I took my leave. As for Jake's funeral, depending on what date it will be, there shouldn't be a problem with me going."
"Alright. Do you have a way of transportation or...?" Maxwell trailed off, cuz like hell was he going to let his stepcousin walk home when the weather was about to go to shit.
"Yeah, I got a car." Sean answered, "It was somewhat pleasant meeting you guys, though I wish it could've been under much better circumstances."
"Feeling's mutual. Be safe, cuz Jake will have my head in the afterlife if I let something happen to you." Maxwell replied, bowing his head in a way to dismiss him.
Sean wasn't sure if he could laugh about the little joke Max made, so he just smiled awkwardly and waved as he walked out of the house.