Carrots

Alright, so of course I come crawling back to the fanfiction community with a pathetic story as ways of seeking forgiveness. I'm still trying to get that book published, but I can't totally abandon you guys...I miss you all too much. Besides, I just had a conversation with a friend, and the topic of orange carrots came up, and that--like most of the events in my life--developed into an idea for a fluffy story. The pairing is Max/Kai, one of my favourites, which sadly not too many people seem to ship nowadays. I came back to edit this because I used "full-force" twice in a one thousand word story, which is lame, plus I wrote it differently both times, which is even lamer. Beg pardon. Please leave your thoughts, and note that this was just meant to be a light and fluffy story, nothing more, so enjoy!

"You know what I just realized?"

Kai grunted in response, flipping through a page of his book. He was sprawled out over the couch, holding himself so that the light from the lamp fell directly onto the page he was reading. There wasn't a glare, but at the same time, he could decipher each word perfectly, in spite of the fact that the room was quite dark. He couldn't help but be oddly pleased by this arrangement.

"Carrots are orange."

There was a long silence, and then Kai gave an exasperated sigh.

"No, okay, that sounds stupid." Max laughed, coming into the living room. "It's just…they are, you know? Did you ever really think of it?"

Kai looked up at Max, who was standing in the doorway and holding a freshly-washed carrot in his right hand. In spite of the fact that he shot the boy a dirty look and shook his head, in reality, he couldn't help but be more than a little bit interested in the sight before him. Max's eyes were shining with a maddeningly adorable gleam, a sure indication he was on the verge of a great discovery, and his bottom lip was moist. Kai found himself focusing on just what he would like to do with that pink piece of sweet flesh, but Max was too busy talking to notice.

"Stuff that's common sense, that you've known so long that you practically don't even need to think about it…you forget about when you're older, y'know?" he continued, staring at the carrot intently. "Like now, I'm thinking about how many calories it's got, if it's good for me, how to cook it so it tastes alright. I forget the fact that it's orange." He looked up at Kai and shot him a bright smile, cocking his head to the side. "Weird, huh?"

"Yeah, whatever," he grumbled, sinking lower into the couch. "Go make your salad."

Max giggled, coming to stand next to Kai instead of following orders. "Whatcha reading?"

"A book," he offered dryly.

Max rolled his eyes. "Wow, thanks Kai, never could've figured that one out." He leaned forward and placed his hands on his knees, mouthing the words silently as he read them. Kai glared, though the effect was lessened when the undeniable smell of Max suddenly hit him full-force.

"Do you mind?" he snapped, pulling the book away from the innocently seductive boy next to him.

"Kai, you're going to ruin your eyes!" Max gasped, ignoring him as per usual. "Here, let me turn on the light."

"Max, that's really not necessary, I can see just—"

"There!" Max announced, hitting a switch and smiling as the overhead light came on.

"—fine."

"There you go, Kai, now you won't have to squint!"

"Yeah, thanks," he said. "Can I get back to my reading now?"

"Oh, right," Max whispered, cringing. "Sorry for bothering you." He crept back into the kitchen, and before he could help himself, Kai smirked. The kid was cute, he had to admit.

Of course, Kai only managed to get past four or five sentences before Max poked his head back into the living room. True to form, he grinned and said, "You know what else I noticed? Kangaroos, you never even think of it, but—"

His face fell as Kai closed his book, set it on his lap, and crossed his arms.

"Sorry, sorry!" he whimpered. "I forgot! You know I can't shut up!"

"Go on with what you were saying."

"No, no, I'm sorry! I swear I'll be good!"

"Max," Kai growled, "just finish what you were saying."

"Um…" Max hesitated, but upon seeing the murderous look on Kai's face, quickly said, "It's just, they carry their babies in pouches. I used to know that when I was a kid, but now that I'm older, I never really think about it."

He waited for Kai's verdict, and almost gave a sigh of relief when he nodded. "True. Though why you even think of things like that is beyond me."

"Isn't it weird, though?" he demanded, confidence fully restored. He bounced over to the couch and sat down on the end opposite of Kai, ignoring his protests as he was forced to bring his knees up to his chest before they were squashed. "Like, you get so busy with life that you just sort of stop noticing those little facts!"

"You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you're completely, absolutely, one hundred percent crazy."

Without missing a beat, Max smirked and crawled onto Kai's lap. He braced himself by holding onto Kai's legs, and he whispered into his ear so softly that Kai almost missed it. "Crazy for you," he purred.

"Oh, Max, that's just stupid." Kai frowned and went to go push him away, but Max began to plant soft kisses all along his neck. The hint of wetness and warmth was sudden and overwhelming, and Max's sharp scent returned. Kai groaned and moved his head so that their lips made contact, and Max smiled as he kissed back. Their tongues leisurely slipped together as they hungrily tasted one another, need rising rapidly in both of them. As he pulled away, Kai brought a hand up and ran it through Max's hair, the left side of his mouth quirking up.

"You're cute."

"I know."

He pulled him in for another kiss, thanking whatever deity was up there for giving him Max. Somehow, in spite of his obvious insanity, he was perfect in his own way.