This is my first story in the fandom. But I plan to do a lot more, because there is clearly a lack of Max & Shred fanfics.

I apologize in advance for any mistakes. Feel free to point them out. I always like constructive criticism.

What's right in front of your eyes

Alvin Ackerman was the kind of guy, who fancied structure, peace and routine in his life. He had only one friend: Howie. All the people in his school didn't like him and ignored him, because he was a nerd and terrible when it came to sports. And then came Max into his life. He was the complete opposite of Alvin: athletic, popular, joking and not a genius. Max changed everything. He brought adventure into Alvin's life, he gave him a new name. And as time passed Max caused some new feelings in Alvin- or Shred as Max called him. At some point Shred was even convinced that it was love.

"Don't be silly! You are fourteen. You can't be in love! ", he muttered to himself.

He could accept that he was gay. Being gay was a normal thing, after all. But having a crush, or worse, on his roommate and completely straight bro? That was unthinkable! After a few weeks of getting flustered whenever Max hugged him or threw an arm around his shoulder, after weeks of feeling awkward being in the same room with Max, Shred decided to talk to someone. But he didn't know, who would give him the best advice. Talking to Max was not possible for obvious reasons. And Howie, even though she was smart and a great friend, knew about feelings and relationships probably as much as Shred did. He briefly considered talking to Mr. P, but he was a computer! That left his parents or his sister. After he thought about it, Shred knew what to do and a few minutes later he was standing in front of his sister's room.

"Abby can I talk to you for a moment? "

Max huffed annoyed when he fell again. He brushed the snow off and sighed. During the last few weeks he noticed how his bro became more and more distant towards him. And he didn't like that. Max feared that Shred didn't want to be his friend anymore. This made Max feel insecure. Shred was after all the first person, who wanted to be his friend, because of his personality and not because of his fame. Max didn't want to lose this friendship.

'And it's not like you would be able to resist his brown puppy eyes. ', Max thought.

He sighed again and decided that he fell enough for one day. Usually snowboarding helped him to clear his head, but today he felt too sad for that. A few minutes later, he was trudging through his new home wanting to have a hot shower and a tasty snack, before he would curl up in bed. He almost bumped into Shred, who came out of Abby's room.

"Bro are you okay? "

His head shot up.

"What? Uhm... Yes! Sure. I am fine. "

Shred looked more closely at his friend.

"What about you? You seem to be sad. "

"I'm okay. I just need a shower and something to eat. "

Shred smiled softly.

"Okay. Go ahead. I'll make you something, while you're showering. "

Max beamed at him and the other boy's heart fluttered.

"Thanks, dude. You are a great bro. "

While Shred went downstairs and prepared a huge pile of bacon sandwiches (he knew how big Max's appetite was), he thought about his conversation with Abby.

Flashback

"Abby can I talk to you for a moment? "

"Sure. Come in, Alvin. "

He sat down on her bed next to her.

"What's wrong? You seem to be bothered by something..."

"Can I ask you something? "

She nodded.

"Would it bother you if I am gay? "

Shred avoided to look at his sister fearing rejection. He was startled when she hugged him.

"Of course not. I don't care if you like guys or girls. But how do you know? "

Shred blushed and didn't look at his sister. She squealed:

"OMG! You have a crush! "

He blushed harder and mumbled:

"I didn't say that. "

"But you do! This is so exciting! Who is lucky guy? "

The boy mumbled something.

"Sorry? I didn't quite catch that? "

"Max. ", he repeated quietly.

Abby was stunned and didn't know what to say.

" I mean how can I like him? He is so different from me! Besides he is straight as an arrow! "

Now that the barrier was broken, Shred couldn't stop talking. After he let all of his suppressed emotions out, Abby hugged him again.

"Don't worry so much. You are far more important for Max than you think. "

He looked hopefully at her.

"Do you think he feels the same way? "

She shook her head.

"I dont know. What I know is that he cares about you. I don't know in what way though. "

"How do I get to know if he likes me back? "

His sister sighed.

"That is the dilemma everyone has to go through. But in your case, I think you should get to know his opinion about same-sex relationships first. "

"How do I do that? "

" You could bring it up in a conversation, like: Did you know they legalized same-sex marriage in another country? Alvin, you are a smart boy. I trust that you'll be able to do this. "

Flashback End

Shred just finished the last sandwich as Max came in. And Shred's heart stopped. Max looked as good as usual, but what caught his attention was Max's still wet hair. It was lying more flatly on his head and it shone, illuminated by the kitchen lights.

"You okay, bro? "

The genius realized that he was staring.

"Uh? Yeah, I'm fine. "

Max spotted the food.

"Awesome bro! You are the best! "

He grabbed the plate and moved towards the table. Shred looked after him, thinking:

'How am I supposed to bring the topic of homosexuality up? And what will I do when I don't like his answer? '

~Time Skip~

But he didn't need to worry. A few days later the two best friends went to the mall. Max wanted to look at some new snowboarding gear, while Shred needed some test tubes for his laboratory. Then they made a stop at the food court and sat down on one of the tables. On the table next to theirs sat a couple, two guys. They were obviously flirting, kissing and hugging, even feeding each other. They were a cute couple. At least that's what Shred thought.

"Does it bother you? You know, when two guys are together? Do you have something against it? "

Max looked with open confusion at his bro.

"No. Why should I? "

"I don't know. Some people do. "

"Not me. "

With that he simply continued to eat. After the food was gone, Max went to use the restroom. Shred shuddered at the thought of using a public restroom. While he was alone the two guys from the other table went to Shred. They were only a few years older, 17 or 18 years old.

"Hey. "

"Uh, h-hi? "

" I'm Dave. ", the blonde guy said.

" And I'm Kyle. ", his boyfriend added.

" Uh, h-hi? "

They laughed.

"Don't be nervous. We don't bite. ", Dave said.

" Not always. "

Kyle winked at Shred, who blushed.

"So we noticed that you seem to be new to this whole 'liking a guy' thing, so we thought we should talk to you. "

Shred frowned.

"What do you mean? "

"We saw how you looked at your friend. "

Shred blushed.

"I- I don't... We..."

They chuckled.

"Don't try to hide it. Even a blind man could see it. "

"S-See w-what? "

"That you are in love with your friend. "

"Uh... I..."

Kyle grabbed a napkin and scribbled down a cell phone number.

"Call us if you need advice. "

"There he is. " Dave pointed out.

Kyle touched my shoulders and whispered:

"Just pay attention to the way he looks at you. "

They left.

"What did they want? ", Max asked curiously.

" I'm not quite sure. "

"Did they flirt with you? "

He sounded scandalized. Shred glared at him.

"There are people, who are attracted to me! "

" I know, bro. I know..."

~Time Skip~

A few hours later they were sitting at the dining table and had dinner with their family. Abby was partly amused and partly annoyed. Every now and then Max would look up from his plate and at his best friend. He would stare longingly for a few moments, before he sighed and continued to eat. A little bit later Alvin would do the same.

'It's unbelievable how oblivious they are. How can they not see what's right in front of their eyes? ' , Abby thought.

She decided that she would help her little brother.

'I don't want to meddle with his love life, but a few subtle nudges won't harm them. '

~Time Skip~

"Hey Max! Could you go upstairs and get my books? "

Max looked confused at Abby, but then he shrugged and nodded. Abby grinned. She may or may not have snuck into the bathroom, while her brother showered and stole his clothes. And she may or may not know that everyone of Alvin's showers took the same time, which meant he would be finished by now and had to go only with a towel into his room. It wasn't very subtle, but Abby knew how the minds of teenage boys worked. She could hear a squeal from upstairs and a door that was closed loudly. A few moments later a flustered Max came into the room, his arms filled with her books.

"Thanks. What happened? ", she asked innocently.

" Oh-uh Alvin came out of the bathroom. "

"And? "

"And he wore less clothes than I expected. "

She nodded understandingly. Then she took a closer look at him.

"Your face is red and you look like you are hot. Are you ill? "

"W-what? N-No, I'm fine. "

"If you say so..."

~Time Skip~

On the next weekend, Abby grabbed Alvin and Max and they went to the mall again. Abby was walking behind the two boys as Max told his friend about this new videogame he wanted. Max looked really excited and Abby could see that her brother enjoyed that he had the undivided attention of his crush. But that would change soon. Because someone (no need to use names) posted on a fan website that Max Asher would be in that particular mall. And soon the first fangirls spotted Max and he was ambushed by a whole pack of fans. Of course he didn't want to disappoint them and so he talked to them, made photos and all the girls hung on his every word. Alvin tried to get his best friend's attention a few times, but he was brushed aside by one of the girls every time. And so he huffed angrily and hurried off. Abby went after him and Max noticed immediately too. After a few minutes he fought all the girls (and a few boys) off and ran after his best friend.

"Are you okay, bro? "

"I'm fine. ", Shred fumed.

" Look Shred, I didn't like that this happened too, but I couldn't just ignore them! I mean..."

"I'm fine Max!", the genius snapped.

Max looked hurt as his friend didn't pay attention to him. Instead he focused on the clothes in the shelves in front of him. The snowboarder sighed and went over to Abby.

"What's wrong with Alvin? I mean this happened before and he never had a problem with it! "

"Can't you think of an obvious reason for his demeanour? "

Max shook his head confused. Abby snorted and mumbled something that sounded like:

"Boys..."

She looked at Max.

"Don't worry. You'll figure it out. "

~Time Skip~

Alvin knocked at his sisters door with a sense of déjà vu.

"Alvin, what's up?"

"I don't think I can bear it anymore. This whole thing with feelings and crushes and butterflies is just too much. "

He was hugged by his sister.

"It's normal that you feel this way. This is your first crush and from what I see a rather intense one. "

"What should I do? "

"About your crush? Well, after some time it will go away on its own. "

"I don't want to wait! "

"Well then go out on dates with someone else. Spend more time with Howie. Tell your crush your feelings. "

"WHAT? Are you crazy? I can't do that! "

"You could. If your feelings are reciprocated then it is good. And if not then you'll know for sure and you will be able to move on. "

The genius sighed.

"Just think about it. "

He nodded.

"Okay. I'll think about it. "

When Alvin stepped into his room he saw Max sitting on his bed looking as if he was feeling down.

"What's wrong? "

"Do you trust me? "

"Yes. Why?"

"Then why didn't you tell me that you have a crush? I thought we are bros! Bros are sharing this kind of things!"

Alvin didn't know what to say, but after a few moments Max realised something:

"You have a crush on a boy! That's the reason you asked me about my opinion on gays! "

"I-I don't... I'm not... I mean I-"

Max hugged Alvin, whose heart stopped beating for a moment.

"I don't care, bro. It's cool with me that you like guys. You can talk to me about these things. You are still the same Shred. "

The genius smiled.

"Thanks. "

Max smiled back, but something still seemed off with him. To Alvin, it seemed like his friend was disappointed by something. But he didn't dare to ask.

~Time Skip~

Over the next few weeks Alvin decided to come out to the rest of his family too. His parents reacted the same way Max did: They assured him that they would love and support him no matter what. Howie's reaction was... Interesting. At first she stared at Alvin with wide eyes and then she squealed loudly, which made Alvin flinch.

"OMG this is so exciting! I have my own gay best friend! "

Needless to say, Alvin was shocked and speechless. And when he told her about his crush, she nearly fainted because of her joy.

"You two would be so adorable! "

~Time Skip ~

A few weeks later Abby was about to explode.

"I can't believe how thick they are! I mean I did everything to make them see what's right in front of their eyes! I mean I made Max walk into a room, while Alvin has no shirt on. I made Alvin jealous with some of Max's fans! I made them spend more and more time in small spaces with each other! I don't know why it's not working! "

Abby paced back and forth in her room venting to Howie.

"I think all those things helped, but they are boys. And a lot of boys are stupid when it comes to feelings. "

"What do you suggest then? "

"We need to put them into a situation where they can't deny or ignore their feelings. "

"How do we do that?"

"Firstly, we need the one of them, who would do the first step more likely than the other. "

They looked at each other and said simultaneously:

"Max. "

"Good. Now what's the plan? "

~Time Skip~

A few days later Howie did something unusual: she came through the front door. And she was not alone. She brought the best friend of her sister with her. He was 16 years old, really attractive and most importanly an actor. What nobody knew of course, except for Howie and Abby, who opened the door. She grinned at the visitors. Then she turned around and yelled:

"ALVIN! YOU HAVE A VISITOR! "

She led the visitors into the living room, while her brother and Max came downstairs.

"Oh, Alvin there you are. I want you to meet a good friend of mine. This is James. "

"Uh, hi. "

"Hey, Alvin right? "

He nodded.

"Howie told me so many good things about you. "

The actor grabbed Alvin's arm and they went into the kitchen. Alvin looked confused and nervous, while the other boy looked really interested into Alvin.

"What's going on here? ", Max asked confused.

The girls shrugged.

" Matchmaking. "

"What do you mean? "

"We thought that Alvin should meet some nice guys. And the best friend of Howie's sister is conveniently gay, too. "

"And so I told James a bit about Alvin and he wanted to meet him. "

The girl looked dreamily at the James.

"Alvin is lucky. James is so good looking. "

"Do you really think Alvin will appreciate it? He doesn't seem to be too interested in relationships if you ask me. "

"Oh, I don't know. They seem to like each other. ", Abby said lightly.

And she was right, Max decided. Alvin looked more relaxed, smiled and talked as enthusiastically with James as he did with him.

" Hey Shred! Wanna play videogames? "

Alvin shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. Go ahead. "

But Max didn't do such a thing. He flopped down onto the couch and glared pouting at the two guys. He even growled quietly,when James kissed Alvin's cheek. The genius blushed.

When James left, he was brought to the door by Alvin.

"I hope we can meet again. ", James said.

But then Max appeared behind Alvin and growled at James:

" Surely not. "

Then he slammed the door into James's face.

"Max! You can't be so rude! He's a nice guy!"

"I don't care!"

"What's gotten into you? "

Max sighed and rubbed with a hand over his face.

"I'm sorry. It's just... I didn't like seeing you with him. "

"Why? What's wrong with him? "

"Nothing. It's just... I... I-I... You. "

Max struggled to find the right words, but he didn't find them. And so he gave up. Instead of talking, he leaned forward and kissed his friend softly. The genius didn't respond for a few seconds, because he was frozen with shock. But then he kissed tentatively back. At first he felt clumsily and insecure. It's not like that he had much experience with kissing. But he quickly gained more confidence. As they kissed gently, they didn't hear the cheering and cooing of Abby and Howie. After a minute or two they broke apart. Max grinned goofily and Alvin grinned back, pushing his glasses back onto his nose.

"I've liked you for some time now. ", Max said.

The genius smiled softly.

"Same here. Why did we take so long to figure it out? "

Abby's quiet snort was heard.

"Dunno. Sometimes we don't see what's right in front of our eyes. "

What do you think? I hope you like it. Please review.