Chapter Text
Ariel walked over to his closet and pulled out an oversized shirt. They tossed it to Max, hoping at the very least he knew how to catch it. They pulled a pair of sweats out of their dresser and chucked it to Max as well.
Max struggled to button the shirt, he had them cross-buttoned. Upon seeing this, Ariel laughed and walked over to help.
"Make sure you do them in order, either from top to bottom or bottom to top. It helps you make sure you don't button the wrong one."
They reached out and did the first button for Max, hoping it'd get the hint, which it did.
"Thanks," Max said as it continued to button the shirt.
"The sweats should be easy enough, though they might be a bit big on your hips. I'll help you tie them tighter if they are."
Max stood up and held his sweatpants out in front of himself.
"Which is the front and which is the back?"
"The side with the strings is the front."
Max nodded and put them on as he'd remembered Ariel doing so. He did well enough, despite almost tripping over the legs a few times. The legs were way too long for him, so they bunched up around his ankles. Not that he cared, though.
Ariel walked over and reached out to the strings.
"I'll tug these until they're snug, but you let me know if you'd prefer them a bit looser."
Max gave a small nod of acknowledgment as Ariel tightened the strings. He tied it in a bow and dropped it. He reached up and patted Max on the shoulder, smiling down at him.
"It's weird, I don't like... touching things," They mumbled.
"I get it, but we can't have you walking around naked."
"You used to do it!"
"Yeah, because I was living alone. Only be naked when you're in a closed room with nobody else, not only for modesty's sake but because you're... a little different than others."
Max laughed and nodded. It reached out to hug Ariel, to which they looked at it curiously.
"It's thanks for you doing all of this for me. I was fine with how it was."
He reached out and hugged Max with a soft chuckle.
"It's nicer to have you here with me."