The Chinese restaurant wasn't crowded at all, most of the tables unoccupied and customers coming in for take-out, quick and brief. So Max had settled in an out of the way corner, but still easy within sight of the door with how small the place was.
Pointlessly, he was looking at the menu. He knew it by heart, but it gave him something to do while he waited for Julian to arrive. It didn't take long, that familiar sense of a wolf nearby, the familiar feeling of Julian in particular. Not so familiar these days, but... well, that was always the case. Too much distance, most of the time, even when they were pack. He regretted letting that happen because he did have a choice, he just made the wrong one.
Looking up, the sight of a timid and nervous looking Julian was also familiar, Max recognising that it must've taken a lot for the kid to do this. He didn't know why, he could just see the signs. Similar, but different, to how he'd acted immediately after coming home, still struggling with civilian life. Still did, with how he dealt with authority and what he expected from authority. He wished he could know why Julian was so jumpy, but it'd felt too invasive to ask.
He did get up from his seat, reaching for Julian to take his hand and pull him into a hug if the kid let him. It was nice to see another wolf, always. Nice to see one that wasn't in the mess Max had managed to kick off in their old pack.
"Julian, hey!"