DeceptiKids

Quiet (Max Backstory)

TW: Car crash, implied PTSD and ableism, viewer discretion is adviced

Max sat in the back of the car, his new hearing aid resting on his lap. Doctor Monuega, his favorite, had given it to him before they'd headed up north. Normally he would've listened to the doctors advice and kept the hearing aid in but his parents had started arguing from the minute they'd gotten into the car. Max could see his mother throwing her arms around wildly, whilst his father was clearly yelling. Max looked out the window, seeing the sprawling landscape of Inverness. Max smiled, it really was beautiful, just like halmeoni had told him. Max rested his forehead against the window, falling asleep.

When he woke up it was raining - his aid had fallen on the floor, meaning he couldn't hear it. Max didn't know where they were now but it was still pretty, dark forest on either side of the car. Max looked up at his parents - his mother had gone from wild to silently furious whilst his father was still yelling. Max rolled his eyes, pulling out a colouring book and some crayons from his backpack. It was one his cousin Min Joon had given him before his mother and auntie had gotten into a big fight which meant he couldn't see them or halmeoni anymore. It had a bunch of pictures of cats for him to colour in. Min Joon had a cat, Max wanted one but his mother would always roll her eyes and tell him he wasn't normal like Min Joon, which meant he wasn't prepared for a cat.

Max flipped to his last page, it was a tabby with a brace on her leg. Max had already coloured in her fur and collar so he moved on to colouring the leg brace and the many flowers jutting out of it. Max wished he could cover his hearing aid in flowers, but Doctor Monuega said that was a bad idea.

Max felt a hand on his arm, he jumped. He looked up to see his father, he was saying something to him. Max tried reading his lips, but he wasn't very good at that yet. His father repeated himself. His mother snapped something and pulled him back to the front, and they started arguing again in earnest.

Max was glad he hadn't put his hearing aid back in to hear the rain.

The boy just went back to colouring, ignoring the world around him.

"He's deaf, Soo." Albert tried to calm his wife, only to be interrupted by her.

"He's not broken. He's just hard of hearing." She crossed her arms, "We can fix it."

"You're right, he's not broken. We don't need to fix him."

Soo Jin huffed, "...It must be from your side of the family. My side are completely healthy."

"Your mother and sister are both suffering from dementia, your sister is not even 40!"

Soo Jin looked furious, "Fuck you, Al. You don't ever get to speak about-"

"I'll stop when you stop talking about our boy like he's some kind of freak of nature!" Al rubbed his face - one hand remaining at the wheel, "You heard Doctor Monugea, a trip like this could be good for him."

"He doesn't even have the fucking thing in, Al!" Soo Jin hissed, "He's never going to get better because he doesn't try! Look at him, he's off in his own little world like your sister. We should've had the doctors check if he was r-"

Albert's eyes lit up with rage, turning to Soo Jin and shoving a finger in her face, "Don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare call her that."

Neither Albert or Soo Jin saw the other car till it was far too late. Albert heard the horn honk and on instinct spun the wheels away from the other car, causing them to violently crash into a ditch. Soo Jin's body was halfway out the windscreen. Albert had been impaled by several branches.

Their son, Max, was curled up on the back seat. He was holding his head, the ringing in his ears so loud he began clawing at them, attempting to remove an invisible hearing aid. The couple from the car they almost hit had called the police, the husband crawled down the ditch and smashed the window opposite Max in order to get him out, the entire time his wife was calling for him to stop and wait for the ambulance.

Max looked up, he could see red everywhere. The air was thick and suffocating. His sobs were garbled and painful. At the other side their was the unfamiliar man, arms outstretched and a soft yet worried expression painted across his face. He was speaking, probably encouraging him to come closer. Max just wanted to get out of the car, so he crawled across the seats and into the man's arms. Max knew he shouldn't trust strangers, but his head was spinning and he just wanted to breathe again.

Once the man had him in his arms, he pulled Max out the car making sure to use on hand to keep the boy's head firmly against his shoulder. Max felt like a bubble had popped, the ringing stopped and he could breathe again. He was taking shaky breaths as another unfamiliar person - a woman - brushed his hair out his face. He felt it stick their a little which made him feel gross. The woman was speaking to him, she looked like she had a nice voice, and was probably saying very nice things to him.

When Max felt the dizzying sensation of the vehicon (AB-239 - they had a scar under their mask which you could barely see) transforming he finally opened his eyes. Above him stood Soundwave, Laserbeak out of her dock and perched on his shoulder. The mech held out his hand and Max jumped onto his long, spider-like fingers. The boy waved goodbye to AB-239 as Soundwave placed him on his other shoulder, and the vehicon responded in kind before scuttling off to perform his duties.

Laserbeak whirred, flying over to press her face against his. Max shrugged off her worrying, giving her a scritch on her shoulder panelling. Max was glad he didn't have to go back to the orphanage now, even if it did mean he only got to feed his cats once a week. He'd tried foster families before, but everyone considered him 'too difficult'. But Soundwave was different - he didn't care that Max didn't like to speak, or that he couldn't do math very well. Soundwave made sure Max was safe and cared for.

Max grinned. If Soundwave talked, he probably would have a nice voice too.

Soundwave ran a finger across his forehead, tilting his head. Max shook the hand off.

'What?' He signed, catching Soundwave's strange behaviour.

Soundwave just stared down at him, and Max stared back at the blank, featureless face. Eventually, Soundwave accepted he was fine, but still occasionally made sure to give Max a gentle pat. On Soundwave's shoulder Max swung his legs back and forth, watching bits of code fly across the screen so fast it was incomprehensible.

He would tell Soundwave, one day. But not today.