Chapter Text
Max is in the middle of writing an email when his assistant calls. Max doesn't like how the light from the window reflects on his computer screen and thinks about moving his table again. His office is way too big for him to have problems like this. The tall leafy plant in the corner seems to be thriving, even though he has never watered it. His assistant probably deserves a raise.
“You have the Australian Ambassador on line two, sir.”
He subconsciously sighs and rubs his right ear, a habit he has never gotten rid of. “Thank you, Kristy. I have a package to send as well; please come pick it up.” He changes the line.
“Your excellency?” he sneers, picking up the pain au chocolate Kristy left for him on the table this morning.
“Why don't I have a direct line to your office?”
Daniel's voice is distorted through the phone. Max can hear cars honking in the background. Kristy opens the door to his office, picking up the green Ladurée bag from the corner of his table. She eyes the post-it note he stuck on the top, Daniel scribbled in his neat handwriting. She doesn't react, just picks it up and closes the door quietly. Definitely deserves a raise.
“Only the king has one.”
Daniel snorts, like Max is being funny just by being rude. “Pick up your phone next time, okay? Even though I quite like making small talk with your assistant.”
Max doesn't react. He can feel a headache growing behind his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see how the number of his emails in the red circle grows on the computer screen.
“What's this I hear about you having lunch with the Hungarians on Thursday?”
Daniel gets right to the point and Max hums. He doesn't question how Daniel found out about that. On a bad day, he still manages to charm his way to confidential information regarding state security.
“Take me with youu,” Dan sing-songs.
“Nee,” he replies. Daniel is well acquainted with the word. Either way, Max opens his diary and flips the pages quietly until he reaches Thursday. He opens the drawer with his stationery and pulls out the small honey badger-shaped sticker. Sticks it to the slot right next to the 'La Rotonde with HU'. It was Daniel who bought him the stickers after noisily going through his diary. He did not like the way +D looked in the time slots. It just looks like you have a dick appointment.
The negotiations begin with Daniel clicking his tongue. He mainly does it because he knows it drives Max insane.
“Come on, baby. I'll take you to Monaco if you do.”
Max takes another bite of the pastry, reclining in his chair. “Snorting coke on a yacht was cute back when I was twenty.”
Daniel doesn't back off, unaffected. “What are you eating?”
“Pain au choc.”
“From Mozart?”
Max looks at the tissue covered by the crumbs, Mozart engraved on it in golden fond. “Yeah, I guess.”
Daniel makes a silly gasping noise. “How could you?”
Paris has more bakeries than residents, yet Daniel is weirdly obsessed with the one on the same street as the Dutch embassy.
Before he can respond, there is a knock on his door. One of the interns come in without waiting for him to invite them in. “Your excellency-” she starts and he holds up his pointer finger to interrupt her, pointing to the phone in his other hand. He subtly looks at his Rolex while doing so, wondering what she could possibly want at 9 am. She nods but doesn't exit the room.
“I have to hang up now, schatje.”
“No, no- listen. We can even hold hands at the dinner, watch them have an aneurysm about it.”
Max chuckles, shaking his head even though Daniel can't see. “Yeah, not good enough. I spent weeks persuading them to meet me.” As I know you did too. Did not really work, huh? he wants to add but doesn't want to look like an asshole in front of the intern who is still watching him with her big green eyes. His and Daniel's diplomatic styles are so different he learned a long time ago it's futile to compare them.
“I'm having dinner with Amanda in two weeks.”
The number of unread emails reaches two hundred on Max's computer. “Getting warmer but no can do. You know how annoying I find the ENA graduates.”
Dan himself has done his post-grad at ENA. He hears Daniel swear and he doesn't know if the reason is him or just the general despair of trying to walk down the street in Paris. “'kay, have a nice-”
“Wait! Drinks with Håkan!” Max is silent for a second, that's how Daniel knows he lucked out. Sweden is hot shit right now.
“Make him bring the assistant, not his wife.”
Everyone knows that the only opinion that matters to the Swedish ambassador is the one of his secretary. Daniel doesn't answer immediately, but Max knows him well enough to know he's smiling.
“That goes without saying, Maxy.”
Max, despite his best efforts, smiles. “Lovely. See you tonight.”
“Rinaldi's at nine! Don't be late!” Daniel says before hanging up, even though it's usually him who is late for their little rendez-vous.
He straightens up, raising his chin the intern's way. She has been watching him like a hawk this whole time. “Husband checking in on you?”
She looks scared of him and not for the first time, he wonders what kind of stories about him are told to the newcomers. He doesn't have the heart to berate her for breaking the protocol.
“Yes. He doesn't want me to forget about him. Of course, I do not want him to worry.” he says. His mother tongue tastes sweet in his mouth.