Not sure it's possible to apologize enough times for the wait on this one. I do love this fic so much and I'm sorry for being away from it for so long! I hope once I finally finish this semester I will have more writing time. This is for everyone who has waited so long for this chapter and everyone who asked about it. I sincerely hope you will enjoy it!

Ten thousand thanks to my beta slr2moons, who kept working in spite of so many IRL hurdles, and helped me clean this up into a much better chapter in the end.

Max was not going to turn around. Kai was right there behind him, or at least that was what it felt like. Kai had been lurking somewhere near him all day, keeping so close during their run that Max could have elbowed him and taking him for a partner when Max tried to do his sit-ups so all he could think about was Kai's grip on his ankles and his looming face motivating him to keep going. Even when Max tried to focus on a solo activity, Kai came to tell him the others were moving on to practice battles and startled him into losing his grip on his resistance band so it sprang back and flew out of his hands.

They were still friends, even after Max had made his feelings known. At least, that was what Max hoped. Yesterday Kai had acted like he wanted space, but that had obviously changed. If he had finished thinking things over, Max wished he would just say what he had decided. He couldn't tell if Kai's stare landing on his back was angry or just intense.

Max knew if he did look back to check Kai's expression it would take several long, vulnerable seconds to drag himself away again.

While he didn't look, his mind kept running in one endless loop. 'Is he still watching me? He's going to touch me and it's going to seem like nothing except he's going to give me that look. I know he's still watching. Where is- No, don't look at Kai. Don't look, don't look, okay, you looked now stop staring. Focus, focus, focus, don't look, see you lost again because you looked. . .'

None of that was good for actually directing Draciel. The blade responded to the confusion in his heart by wobbling and curling all over the place. Once Tyson got a handle on this new pattern it didn't even come off as a defense tactic. It wasn't fair for him to feel so scattered! Max knew exactly what he wanted. He also knew he wasn't going to get it, but knowing should still count for something, right? What he didn't know was what Kai wanted, and he couldn't get that uncertainty off his mind.

Max thought, ever so brilliantly, that while the others decided to take a break before dinner he could have the practice space all to himself. Maybe if he could grab a little time alone and actually focus he could make up for his distraction earlier in the day.

Given how Kai had been watching him, he should have known that wouldn't happen. He was pretty sure Kai had been trying to get him alone like this all day. This was what he had been waiting for too, wasn't it?

Max turned to greet Kai, ready with what he hoped was a disarming grin. At least if he made a fool of himself now there was no one but Kai around to see.

"Hey, Kai! Did you want some extra practice time too? I'll challenge you if you help me get the targets set up again."

"Max," was all Kai said. He could put a lot of information into just a name, from a curt reprimand to a nudging prompt. Max recognized this tone, firm without scolding. He wasn't sure what Kai was asking for, except maybe his attention, and when didn't he have that?

Trying to settle his nerves, Max went back to collecting the targets he had knocked over, setting them upright just to have something to do with himself. He moved closer to the back wall, where several targets had rolled, while Kai followed.

"It'll be fun, right? Just the two of us."

When Max turned and went to step around Kai in search of more targets, Kai's hands suddenly shot out to hem him in. The sound of Kai's palms hitting the wall echoed in the quiet room.

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay?" Max glanced down at Kai's arms caging him against the wall. Obviously this was too important for him to keep dodging. "I'm listening."

Kai didn't say anything. He opened his mouth as if he meant to. He moved closer and bent his head as if getting ready to whisper a secret, but there was no sound. Max balled his hands into fists. Having Kai this close made him think of kissing, but he would not be making that mistake again. Oh no, absolutely not.

"Kai?" Max prompted. He was struggling not to be distracted by how close Kai was, and needed something else to focus on. "It's something you wanted to tell me alone, right?"

"Yes," Kai sighed against his face. His breath was warm and smelled of cinnamon and Max had to swallow a whimper because he could almost taste it but this was important and he had to focus.

"I don't know what it is, but sometimes I need you. I feel better when you're with me," Kai finally said, after what felt to Max like an eternity of trying so hard to be good and wait.

"Of course! I'll be there for you any time you need me! Because we'll always be friends, right?"

Max hadn't realized how tense he was until a warm wave of relief swept through him. He had been worried, even reminding himself they were friends and you don't break friendship that easily. He knew time and distance could be enough to separate people. He had been a little scared to think what would happen with Kai's temper in the equation.

"That's not what I meant." Kai's eyes slid away from his, and Max couldn't recapture his gaze even though he tilted his head trying to follow. "You said you like me."

"Yes. And I do. But it's okay. . ." Max meant to say, 'if you don't like me back,' but his heart was racing with happy-panicked thuds that made it difficult to get the words out. Because Kai was still so close, and his mind was going to all the worst places because of that.

Kai closed his eyes and settled even closer, bracing himself on his forearms now, hands balled into fists on either side of Max's head.

"I like you too."

Kai was too close for him to miss that dry whisper, definitely too close to take it any other way. Max was still, wondering if his brain had melted from Kai's body heat.

"Really?"

Kai didn't repeat himself, but his eyes opened a slit as he shifted to touch his mouth against Max's. It was so soft, glancing and uncertain as a breath, and for an instant Max thought he had somehow constructed the touch out of pure wishful thinking.

It had to be real. Kai was still so close and he'd said something that Max had never even imagined hearing, in that same confident way he would deliver an ultimatum. Max moved to meet him, closing the gap between their mouths again so that there would be no question.

Short, clumsy kisses spelled things out more clearly than words had. Their noses bumped as Kai kept kissing him, lips brushing and slipping with an awkward curiosity that Max couldn't even feel embarrassed over. Kai's mouth tasted of cinnamon candy. 'Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what Kai is made of,' popped into Max's head, and he burst out laughing before he could stop himself. He wanted to keep kissing Kai, but he couldn't stop giggling because he was so happy it made him giddy.

Kai leaned in, pressing Max into the wall with the warm weight of his body. His arms stayed braced on either side of Max, holding him without actually hugging him.

Trying to calm his giggle-fit, Max wrapped arms around Kai's back. Even if Kai showed no signs of wanting to pull away, he wanted to hang on to Kai. He wanted to feel the solid weight of Kai's body and know this was really happening. Kai accepted the hug, but turned to hide his face against Max's hair.

"Kai?" Max was trying not to whine, really he was. He was also trying to ignore the exposed bit of Kai's neck, perfect skin marred by the last yellowish touch of a bruise, which was right in front of his face. He wouldn't kiss Kai's neck. He knew better than to kiss it, even if it was right there tempting him and he wanted to kiss something.

"It feels better already." Kai might have been talking to himself, but whatever it was at least it sounded good.

"Me too."

Max grinned at the confused frown Kai turned on him. This was a good thing, right?

"Hey, Max, are you in here?"

Max would not have liked to admit it, but he was pretty sure his squeak of surprise was audible. Kai sprang away from him at the sound of approaching footsteps. They both tried to look like they had been doing anything other than kissing, but Max was sure it was practically written on his face. His knees still felt so shaky he had to lean against the wall without Kai's weight holding him up.

At least when Kenny peered into the training area he didn't suddenly point and exclaim that he knew exactly what they had been up to.

"Tyson says it's your turn to make dinner."

"Okay," Max let out a breathless little laugh. "I forgot. I'll get right on that."

Kenny paused, adjusting the glasses that covered half of his face, and seemed to take a second look at Max. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel great!"

Max couldn't help looking over at Kai. His lowered eyelids and the precise emphasis of his frown might have served as a better warning if he hadn't just made Max too happy to even think of consequences. Max tried very hard to wrangle the dopey smile monopolizing his face into something that would promise Kai that he really, truly was on his best behavior.

"I just need a minute to finish up here."

"Okay, then," Kenny sounded skeptical, though not overly concerned. It was difficult to know exactly what he was thinking with his eyes completely hidden between his bangs and those oversized glasses, which was something that had never occurred to Max until just that instant. At least he didn't seem to a see a problem with leaving them alone again.

Kai gave him a little flash of a smile that made him almost giddy. All too quickly his expression became serious again. "I'm sure you understand this already, but I want to keep this private."

"Sure, I understand." Max patted Kai on the shoulder. He missed just how tense Kai was until a bit of that tension deflated.

"Thanks."

"I'll see you at dinner, okay?" Max chirped. And maybe after dinner, too, he hoped. Maybe with just the two of them. He scampered off to the kitchen, feeling as if nothing would be able to wipe the grin off his face for days.

They could wait a while before letting the others know. The idea that he had confessed to Kai and Kai had somehow accepted him was still fresh, almost raw. It went too deep to blurt out at the first breath. If he needed to adjust before he told anyone he could guess that would go double for Kai. Max wasn't in the habit of keeping big secrets from his friends, but he could definitely be subtle about it until Kai was ready.

Max began digging through the cupboards, humming to himself as he tried to decide on something quick and tasty to cook for everyone. He was too happy to care if today's practice had been a wash for him. He had gained something really precious. For anything else, there was always tomorrow to try again.

Ray wasn't even being sneaky when he passed off the cordless phone to be delivered to Max. The unspoken command that they fix whatever had made them act so weird around each other all day was loud and clear. Even though Kai had already fixed things as best he could, he didn't refuse to take the phone into the kitchen. He didn't mind being given the excuse.

It was frustrating to have been interrupted just because it was Max's turn to cook. Since Kai never kept track of the chore schedule beyond his own responsibilities he had expected to have a little more time, but even if he had known Max would be called away he wouldn't have wasted the opportunity.

He still wished Max could have switched with somebody. Ray was the usual target since he was unquestionably the best cook, but Kenny regularly traded with Tyson and Kai to keep them from living on instant food. Kai never had a problem with that arrangement. Kenny's cooking was healthy and filling, even if it was bland. He approached cooking with the same determination he focused on any task he decided needed doing. Kai thought Kenny should have been willing to trade chores with Max too. Kai couldn't remember any of their really bad meals being Max's fault, but he still assumed Max would be content to live off sandwiches and instant noodles if left to his own devices.

If Max was only heating up instant food that would still give them an extra moment to talk. At least, that was what Kai was thinking until he caught Max wearing an apron and humming happily to himself with a small collection of pots and pans set out on the stove.

Maybe it was too much to think of it as 'catching' Max just because it wasn't what he pictured. The apron in particular would never have occurred to him. It was a solid navy blue with thick straps and looked a little big on Max, going from his knees to most of the way up his chest.

He got to watch Max's face light up when he handed over the phone, in any case. Ordinarily he might have turned around and left once his errand was done, since Max was busy. For some reason the sight of Max's smile was encouraging him to stay.

"Hi Mom! I'm so glad you called!" Max enthused, and for some reason it nagged at Kai to see how cheerful Max was just getting a call from his mother.

"Um. . . yeah, I'm sorry about that. I just thought it would be more convenient if it was after work for you," Max paused, his smile turning slightly sheepish. "Sorry. I just thought since you're so busy. . . Uh-huh? Well, no. . . Okay, I won't."

Max was fiddling with things as he talked, fetching half an onion and starting to slice it with one shoulder hunched up to press the phone against his ear. It quickly started slipping and he had to drop the knife to catch it.

Kai took the knife and picked up where Max had left off. A sense of ingrained stubbornness said if Max could cook 'real food' then he could too.

"Thanks," Max told him, touching a hand to his shoulder. Kai froze for a second, because Max was touching him and what was he supposed to do next? "Here, let me get everything else out." Max said, paused, and then, "Oh, I was just talking to Kai. He's helping me make dinner."

Of course nothing would happen between them while Max was on the phone with his mother. Kai gave Max a curt nod of acknowledgment as he tried to focus on what he was doing, slicing the onion into neat, even pieces. His eyes were soon stinging with onion fumes. Max pointed for him to tip the onion into a pan and replaced it with garlic cloves. He tilted his mouth away from the phone long enough to guide Kai with the instruction to peel off the papery skin and chop them up as fine as he could.

Max kept up a stream of questions about what his mother was up to while he wandered around selecting ingredients one-handed. By the time Kai had finished with the garlic and scraped it into the pan Max had brought him a bell pepper to work on next. This time Max stayed next to him, pouring some oil into the pan with the garlic and onions and turning on the burner.

He was only half-listening to the cheerful patter of Max's voice until his tone went from bubbly to suddenly disappointed and almost wheedling. "Already? But. . . okay. Have a good day, Mom. I love you."

For a second there was a sadness in Max's expressive eyes, but he shook it off quickly enough. Kai realized the call couldn't have lasted more than five minutes, and in the back of his mind he felt annoyed for Max, who was so excited to have even the slightest contact from his mother.

"We can put the rest in now," Max told him, shifting to let Kai reach the pan. "Thanks for helping me." His tone was already flitting back to light and cheerful. It took Kai off guard, because it was such a small thing to sound happy about. Even if they had made up he didn't expect that after avoiding Max yesterday and taking most of today just to get him alone.

"It's nothing. I didn't know you could cook." Kai didn't know what else to say.

"Huh? Well, I can't cook like Ray or anything." Max waved off his unknown skill as if it was no big deal, which annoyed Kai even though he wasn't sure why. "I've taken turns cooking with my dad for years, especially when he was really busy with something for the shop. I could at least make dinner to help him out."

"Hm."

"I thought spaghetti would be tasty, and it's really easy to cook. Do you want to help me with the rest?" Max's smile certainly made it tempting. "You might want to grab an apron, too. Tomato sauce splatters everywhere."

Max pointed him toward a small closet by the door, where he found a handful of dark green and blue aprons. Kai grabbed one of the green ones automatically and glanced back at Max for just a second. Even though he had never thought about Max cooking, he found the idea fit easily with Max being so energetic and helpful. For some reason it made his heart ache, frustrated and almost jealous. His family rarely had the occasion to even eat together. Having someone to cook for was completely outside of Kai's experience, but of course it fit with Max. And it was yet another way that he didn't fit with Max.

Even if he didn't fit, Kai still wanted to steal a little time here. He pulled the apron on and returned to Max's side.

"When I was staying with my mom I would cook a lot too. She's a great cook but she doesn't like doing it most of the time," Max chattered on, not noticing that Kai did not want to hear about his family life right now. "Okay, let's get the next step ready."

With his guidance they measured out enough pasta for everyone and added it to the boiling water. They added canned tomatoes to the pan with a little pepper and herbs, and that was enough to transform the stinging smell of onions into the rich aroma of marinara sauce.

Kai thought that since Max wanted him to stay in the kitchen, now that he was off the phone with his mother, something was supposed to happen. He expected Max to try to kiss him, to touch him, anything. Not to just keep up his usual cheerful flow of conversation while Kai felt stiff and silent and unsure.

Over all of Kai's awkwardness, Max kept finding things to talk about. He wanted to know what Kai's favorite foods were, not believing it when Kai claimed not to have any. Max revealed that his specialty was basically making dinner out of whatever they had laying around with pasta or rice. He would just keep adding things until it smelled good. He told Kai this as if it was a great secret, that if it smelled good it would probably taste good, and then laughed at his own pretended seriousness.

Kai had to admit that the sauce definitely smelled good. Max even managed to make it look good when he swiped one finger over the spoon he was using and sucked it into his mouth to taste. Kai swallowed hard when Max smiled and offered him the spoon, but he didn't take a taste. He trusted that Max knew what he was doing. The smell alone made him hungry.

Cooking wasn't much of a distraction compared to being with Max. The whole process really was easy, or at least Max made it look easy. His pride at such a simple thing as making dinner welcomed Kai to share the victory. That in itself was a small miracle that was surely only possible for Max, because didn't pride only exist to cut off those below you?

When Max turned to pour their pasta into the colander, Kai took a moment to watch him with steam rising around him. Kai felt he had been hit all over again with the fact that he found Max beautiful. It wasn't just the surface cuteness of big blue eyes and freckles. It was his smile and the way his happiness radiated out like sunlight.

There was an unexpected pull inside him saying he wanted to touch Max right that minute. He reached out, but at the last second turned the gesture into grabbing plates and silverware to take out to the table. Because what was he going to do? Grab Max up in his arms? Max hadn't reached for him the whole time they were cooking, after all.

"Is everything okay?" Max asked when he stepped back into the kitchen.

"It's fine," Kai lied. There was nothing wrong with Max, after all. It was all him.

Max smiled and touched his arm, no more than the same sociable touch he might have given any of his friends, and let it slide.

Kai let the others take over the conversation at dinner, pretending not to notice their attempts to include him. Max's cooking was good, satisfying in a way that went beyond satiating his hunger, and Kai focused on enjoying it.

Max let him dwell on his thoughts through dinner, talking and laughing with Tyson and Ray the same way he would on any other day. If anything he was making less effort to pull Kai into the conversation than usual. It wasn't until Kai was alone preparing for bed that Max cornered him.

"Hey, Kai?" Max didn't seem to know what to do with his hands, winding his fingers together so that Kai wanted to grab his hands just to make him stop. "So are we, y'know. . . Does this make you my boyfriend now?"

"If that's what you want me to be."

That must have been the right response because Max hugged him and planted one of those brash kisses right on his mouth before scampering off to bed.

That night Kai had difficulty falling asleep. In spite of having his mind clear from Max's presence, in spite of feeling pleasantly warm and full and sleepy, something in Kai's chest ached. He didn't know what to do with the endless mental slide show of Max, or how to blot out the memory of Max happily explaining how he had cooked for his parents when they were busy. Sometimes watching Max was like staring through the warmly-lit window into a scene where he knew he would never belong and a happiness he couldn't believe he would ever be able to touch.

Trying to get close to Max in the waking world didn't keep Kai from burning in his dreams. He thrashed his way up into consciousness, feeling wrong under his skin.

Maybe he screamed in his sleep and that was why his throat felt raw. Maybe the dryness in his mouth tricked him into thinking he tasted ashes. There had to be a thousand explanations for his gritty eyes and aching head. Kai couldn't think of an explanation for the feeling of pins and needles burning into his skin, so he stopped trying.

He took a shower to get rid of the prickling heat in his skin, and blamed the fact that he kept shaking on the cold water.

Before he could decide if he would wake Max, he found his now 'boyfriend' waiting for him to get out of the shower. Kai didn't know which of them moved first, only that in the next second Max was in his arms and hugging him so fiercely it chased away the lingering chill.

"My Kai sense was tingling," Max explained.

Kai wasn't going to question it. He shook off the dream, wanting to fill his senses with nothing but Max. He couldn't stop feeling that having Max on his side could cover up everything else that was wrong with him, at least for a little while.

Max had promised to keep his new relationship with Kai private. He was determined to keep that promise, but it would have been easier if he had a chance to snag a little private time with Kai.

The day after Kai answered his confession followed their normal routine, except to Max the training center suddenly felt far more crowded than usual. He hadn't been aware how much the team stuck together until he wanted a moment alone.

Even when Kai decided to go on one of his walks the entire team ended up outdoors. Max was entirely sympathetic about Tyson having cabin fever and was right there with him as far as flinging snow at each other as a cure, but there was a part of him that wanted to say, 'Can I have five minutes to go kiss my boyfriend?'

Max wanted to be sure he hadn't dreamed the whole thing. He had been able to hug Kai until he recovered from another nightmare and give him goodnight kisses, and now he could give Kai a grin and get a modest smile back and that was glorious, but he would have liked a minute together.

When Max went to at least get a goodnight kiss he found Kai had fallen asleep early. Max lingered for a moment, but he couldn't wake Kai up just to wish him sweet dreams. It had taken a while for Kai to get back to sleep the night before, so Max was glad that he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed as he went to bed himself.

Max wasn't aware of falling asleep, but he woke up hanging on to Draciel so hard that the beyblade's edge was digging into his palm. He relaxed his grip and lay Draciel on his pillow. It wasn't unusual to fall asleep holding his beyblade. Kenny had scolded him about it more than once, but he kept doing it. It made him feel close to his family, his team, and the bitbeast who was his irreplaceable partner, even if only one of those was technically true.

Flexing his fingers to work the cramped feeling out of them, Max toyed with the idea that Draciel had woken him up in the middle of the night for a reason. Normally he would have just rolled over and gone back to sleep. He didn't have a bad feeling, but he couldn't stop thinking of the fact that just yesterday Kai had told him, 'I need you.' And he hadn't even gotten to say goodnight earlier.

It wouldn't hurt to check. Max slipped out of his bed and crept to Kai's room to peek inside. His bed was empty, which immediately snapped Max the rest of the way awake. That wasn't right. If Kai was okay he should still be sound asleep, right?

At least he wasn't hard to find. A light was on in the common room, and he found Kai there, sitting on the couch with his head bowed slightly, listening silently to someone on the phone.

Max hesitated for a moment, since Kai had a reason to be up that didn't have anything to do with his nightmares. At the same time he couldn't look at Kai and then assume everything was all right. Even if he annoyed Kai a little, that was better than not being there if Kai needed him.

With that in mind, Max called Kai's name softly as he moved around the side of the couch. When Kai looked up at him he stopped where he was, waiting for a sign.

"It's okay," Kai told him. Or maybe he was talking to the person on the phone, with the way he bowed his head again as he said it. Max still moved to sit beside him on the couch, not quite touching him.

"It's okay if I'm here?" Max whispered, and Kai nodded.

"That's good." Kai said, although now Max was sure that was directed at the phone.

It had to be Wyatt again. Max knew Kai cared about Wyatt, even if he had seemed to be angry with him at first. Kai had fought to get revenge for the younger blader, and was still keeping up with how Wyatt was doing.

Max wondered how they had met. Was Wyatt a fan of Kai's, or had he challenged him to a match? Max was convinced that Wyatt must have looked up to Kai, and maybe he had been disillusioned. At lot of people approached Kai with an image that didn't match the reality. Now that he knew Kai, Max definitely preferred the reality, but he realized Kai could leave a pretty harsh first impression.

Whatever their first impression, now Wyatt was seeing the more caring side Kai showed his teammates. Of course Max was glad Wyatt had that bit of support with everything else going on, but at lot of the happiness warming him was because Kai was offering kindness to someone outside the team. It had been so difficult for Kai to form friendships when they first met. Seeing Kai choosing to bond with someone made Max incredibly happy.

Unfortunately, Kai didn't look happy at all.

"Don't worry about that," Kai reassured Wyatt. Max had been trying not to listen in, but something about the tone caught his attention.

There was a long pause and then, "I'll show you how much stronger I've gotten."

His body language didn't seem to fit. Kai was so proud of his strength, but right now his shoulders were bent and tense, as if there was an invisible weight pushing him down. Max watched through the rest of the conversation, now consisting mostly of 'yes' and 'no.'

"I'll call you again," Kai finally said, tilting his head down further. "You too. Take care of yourself."

He hung up the phone and lay it down beside him without moving from his position. Max propped his chin on his arm, studying the back of Kai's head. His hair was still mussed from sleep, so light and dark tangled together.

"Kai?" He finally offered when Kai didn't say anything to break the silence. "Is everything all right?"

Kai finally rose to put the phone back, putting distance between them before finally turning to Max.

"If it's just a false alarm, that's fine! If you were just up to talk to Wyatt," Max suggested, and he really did hope that was true, even if he didn't believe it. "I'm sorry. You're usually on the phone with him this time of day so we don't bother you, huh?"

"You're not bothering me," Kai told him, but the response was so slow Max wondered how tired he must be. Or was he upset after talking to Wyatt? Or he could be worried.

Max made his way closer. "So you're going to show him the results of your training?" he prompted, hopefully. In his world that had to be a good thing.

"I didn't want to talk to him about my training. He shouldn't have asked."

"Why?"

"It's something he can't do now."

Max lay one hand on Kai's arm. Kai didn't pull away, but he was like stone under Max's hand. The last time Max had tried to reassure Kai about this he probably just made things worse, but he couldn't just leave without trying to help.

"I know it's none of my business, but I think if he wants to talk about it–if he feels better talking about it–you don't have to feel bad."

Kai leaned into him. He didn't reach out to touch or put his arms around Max, just leaned against him, eyes closed.

Max gave him a one-armed hug, not completely sure if Kai would appreciate being hugged hard right now. He reached up to brush his fingers through Kai's hair in what he hoped would be a soothing gesture, lingering on the texture difference between hair rough from bleach and dye, or unstyled and soft.

"It's okay. It's good you talked to him. It's good you'll get to see him. It's okay. It's good you're doing something for him."

He didn't know how much attention Kai was actually paying to his words, but he did slowly relax as Max rubbed one hand up and down his back.

"You should go to bed," Kai finally said, when Max thought he had almost dozed off on his feet.

"Do you need anything? If you couldn't sleep-"

He trailed off as Kai's lips brushed his cheek. "You've already given me what I needed."

Max went to bed with his heart still pounding. It was important enough that Kai had accepted even a little bit of comfort. If he could be there when Kai needed him, Max was grateful to Draciel for waking him up in the middle of the night.

There was supposed to be something more between them now, an affection that had been confessed and confirmed. The only problem was that Kai didn't know exactly what this meant for himself and Max on a day-to-day basis.

In the two days since he had finally given his answer, Max had behaved as if they were friends. He inflicted his cheerful energy on Kai at every turn, trying to pull him into silly games and throwing bright smiles in his direction. All of that was familiar, even welcome. Even when Max was in his personal space during their training hours, it was nothing more intimate than the way he had reached out to Kai as a friend.

Even when Max had come to check on him last night he had been mindful of Kai's personal space. He had let Kai finish talking to Wyatt without asking for attention. He had held Kai and stroked his hair and soothed him with words, and it had felt so comfortable Kai was convinced it was no different from how Max had looked after him before.

Something must have changed. He had answered Max's confession, and that was supposed to change everything. Not being able to pinpoint a marked difference in Max's behavior towards him was setting him on edge.

At least Max seemed to be happy. Kai had no idea what he was doing, but this was supposed to be something close to what he needed and what Max wanted. Was that enough?

While he was distracted by his thoughts, Kai had lost count of how many times he had tried to read the same paragraph without taking in a single word. The fact that his novel had devolved from a serious historical fiction about the Crimean War into focusing on a romance between a wounded soldier and a nurse 'whose loving devotion surpassed Florence Nightingale,' was not helping in the slightest.

Kai adjusted his position, abandoning poise out of sheer sulkiness and letting himself slouch against the headboard. There was a danger of the book putting him to sleep at this point. Just as he was about to give up, he heard someone tap lightly at his doorframe. He wasn't surprised to find Max standing in his doorway with a hopeful smile.

"Hey, Kai?"

"I don't want to watch a monster movie," Kai said. He had already heard Tyson's excited encouragement for everyone to come because this was Dracula, come on it's a classic you have to watch it.

Was he expected to go watch the movie if Max wanted to? Kai knew that if he was Max's 'boyfriend' that included some promise of extra time and attention, but this was movie night with the whole team. Surely dating did not include bringing Tyson along?

"Okay," Max accepted with a smile. "I thought we could just hang out."

No movie. No one else pestering him. Just Max here with him for the evening. Kai liked the sound of that. "If you want."

"So, can I come in?"

"You need an invitation?" Kai asked, raising one eyebrow at Max hovering with his toes on the invisible line that separated the territory of Kai's room from the hall. He thought he had already given Max permission by accepting the offer.

Max laughed, stepped inside, and pulled the door closed behind him. He moved to sit on the edge of Kai's bed while Kai watched him without putting his book down.

Kai expected him to make the decisive move, but instead of pouncing, Max pulled Draciel out of his pocket and deftly disassembled the beyblade in his lap. With practiced care he began to clean each part with a soft cloth. Most likely he would be wiping away imaginary dust more than anything, but Kai had no room to tease him. He knew he was exactly the same with fussing over Dranzer.

The only difference from their normal downtime was that it was just the two of them. Kai thought he could get used to having Max here with him like this.

For a few minutes he was able to return to reading, his mind calmed by Max's presence. Max hummed a few snatches of some tune Kai didn't recognize as he worked. The sound of Tyson's movie, too loud if he could hear it through the closed door, might have been worlds away from the peaceful moment Kai was inhabiting.

Kai was skimming, waiting for the story to move on to something more interesting, when his eyes caught on a bit of prose, '. . . kissed those beloved fingers, now as careworn as they had once been elegant, that had so tenderly tended him. . .'

In a moment of insanity Kai shifted just enough to peer around his book to where Max was sitting, back still turned safely toward him. He watched Max reach blindly for one part after another as he reassembled Draciel. Kai knew perfectly well that Max's fingers were blunt and round and marked with the usual callouses that came from obsessive use of ripcord and launcher.

Max must have suspected he was watching, because he decided to show off a little. He tossed Draciel with a little flick of his wrist and then tried to catch the spinning beyblade on one finger. He was able to keep Draciel spinning for several seconds before it wobbled and he had to catch it. A cute trick, but not very useful.

When Max looked over at him, Kai snapped his gaze back to his book, hoping that Max wouldn't notice. He knew he wouldn't have any such luck, even before Max crawled closer to peer at his book.

Kai kept himself composed. He knew Max's Russian wasn't anywhere near good enough to read over his shoulder, so he wouldn't know that there was a page of overwrought romance right in front of him. Kai pretended to keep reading without acknowledging Max's curious look.

Soon enough Max lost interest in his book and moved back to look at him over the top of it. When Kai resisted meeting those hopeful blue eyes Max lay down on him.

Kai looked down and found Max resting with one cheek on his chest, gazing up under his book with his eyes innocently wide. The smile he gave Kai was sweet and playful, and most definitely trouble.

"Kiss?" Max requested.

Kai lowered his book to cover Max's face.

Max braced his hands on Kai's chest and pushed himself up just enough to peek over the top of the book again. His eyes grabbed Kai's attention more than any of the words on the page. He knew Max was grinning, even if he couldn't see it.

"Do you want me to leave you alone with your book?"

Kai lay the book aside, since it was doing nothing as a shield. "No," he answered firmly. "Don't leave."

"So you want me to stay right here?" Max asked. He lay down on Kai's chest again, making a show of getting comfortable, and rubbed his cheek against Kai like an affectionate cat.

"I don't know what you want from me," Kai muttered in frustration.

"What do you mean?"

Kai sat up in one sharp motion, making Max sit back. "You wanted things to change, but then you act exactly the same. I don't know what you want me to do!"

A spark of irritation flashed in the back of his mind, unbidden. Kai tried to clamp down on it in anticipation of having it flare up out of control, but almost immediately it had been dampened by the feeling of Max's hand clasping his to steady him. He needed Max. He knew that. Why wouldn't Max tell him what he needed to do in return?

"You don't have to do anything special." Max paused, looking at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I mean, dating is basically just stuff like enjoying each other's company and making out, right? And I already really enjoy being with you so it's fine if things don't change much."

Kai wasn't sure he believed that assessment. No one acted like it was that easy. Finding a partner or breaking up were glorified as life-altering events, and maintaining a relationship was apparently difficult enough for advice on that subject to be ubiquitous. It had seemed like a monumental waste of energy for something that had never held any appeal, but he did care about Max's feelings. If Max wanted him for a boyfriend then he wanted to do it right.

Then again, if Max had decided not to make things complicated, Kai was going to be grateful and not call him on it. If Max just wanted to make out, that was easy enough to give him.

Kai twisted to grab at the pack of gum on his bedside table, only to hear a soft snicker from Max when he turned back with a piece in hand.

"Wait, so when you taste like cinnamon, it's on purpose?"

It had seemed like a natural step to take, but now Max was laughing at him. Even if Max's laugh was all joy and affection (Kai doubted Max could ever manage to mock someone with a laugh), it was still embarrassing.

"I never guessed you'd be such a thoughtful boyfriend!"

"Come here." Kai dropped the gum to catch Max's face in his hands. When he pulled on Max the playful blader came to him easily. There was no difficulty in pressing a kiss against Max's lips and distracting him from laughing.

When Kai released Max's mouth, intending to ask if that was what Max wanted, Max took over by nuzzling their noses playfully together and closing the gap with another kiss. At least that answered Kai's question.

Max's lips parted against his, introducing a hint of wetness that left Kai's stomach knotted so hard he felt as if he couldn't breathe. He carded his fingers through Max's hair while Max wrapped him in a hug.

Kissing Max, kissing anyone, was an activity Kai never would have expected to enjoy. With anyone else it looked and sounded disgusting, but then he kissed Max and there was nothing wrong with it. More importantly, it was a perfect excuse to have Max close to him.

There was only one thing Kai wanted more. Trailing off by brushing his lips down Max's chin, Kai pulled his new boyfriend closer, pressing his face into Max's shoulder.

Touching still felt unfamiliar and uncertain, but this–clasping Max tightly in his arms so that he could feel the other boy warm and solid against him–was something he didn't want to stop. Once he was over the hurdle of actually getting Max into his arms, he didn't want to let go again.

"Is this okay?" Kai wanted to know. He only wanted to have Max safe in his arms like this. Had he paid enough in kisses to hold Max this way? Would Max dislike being hugged so tightly? They were so close he was in Kai's lap, after all.

"This is fine," Max reassured him with a little laugh. "I like this."

Max really was good to him. He was allowed to keep holding Max as little by little they shifted into a more comfortable position. Even while Max was restlessly affectionate, nuzzling his face into Kai's chest and alternating between rubbing his back and playing with his hair, he made no indication of wanting to leave Kai's arms.

When Max finally had to go get ready for bed, he left Kai with a whispered 'goodnight' bracketed with kisses.

Kai took out Dranzer and cleaned his own blade as meticulously as Max had, feeling blissfully calm. He even dared to think that things could get better. He had navigated a completely unknown gauntlet and somehow come out the other end better than he had started, because he had Max on his side. Even his dreams were a haze of warmth and nonsense and the impression of Max's smile, with the dark shape of his nightmare pushed to the very edges of his mind.

Max thought he could get used to having normal days with the team, followed by a little time with Kai. He had given up movie night last night to snuggle with Kai, and it seemed like their evening date had not just been fun, but had even helped Kai sleep. With that in mind, Max thought he had come up with the perfect plan.

Creeping unseen into Kai's room made him feel delightfully sneaky. At least, it did until Kai spoke without looking up from his book.

"Max, what are you doing?"

"Um," Max managed, feeling sheepish as he straightened out of his sneaking crouch. "Well. . ."

Kai actually lifted his attention from the book to give Max a look, not irritated but still clearly expecting an answer.

Max closed the door behind him before stepping up to where Kai was sitting cross-legged on the bed. He knew logically that successfully ninjaing his way into Kai's bed wouldn't make this conversation any easier, but he had still wanted to try.

"You've been having that nightmare almost every night, right? But then when we talk you go back to sleep and it's all okay again, so I thought that maybe if you went to sleep in a better frame of mind in the first place it might help." Max burst out all in one breath. He knew Kai didn't like talking about whatever was bothering him, and he wanted to get his whole plan out before Kai could cut him off.

To Max's surprise, Kai didn't kick him out or try to deny being that badly troubled by nightmares. Instead, Max could have sworn he saw a shade of a smile on Kai's face.

"So what do you think you're going to do about it?" he challenged.

That was exactly the question Max had hoped to answer. He bent down, rested both hands on Kai's knees, and kissed him on the mouth. Soft and careful for the first touch, Max took his time to be sure he wasn't misreading Kai. As Kai kissed him back he tried to deepen the kiss, breathing hard through his nose as he resisted having to pull away.

"What makes you think this will help?" Kai wanted to know once his mouth was free again.

"Don't you like it?" Max struggled to keep the dejected whine out of his voice. He could have kept kissing Kai for hours.

Kai sighed and pulled until Max sat down heavily next to him on the bed.

"I didn't say I don't like it." Kai lifted one hand as he spoke, hesitating so that Max wondered if his face was going to be pushed away, then traced a finger down Max's jaw. Max shivered with pleasure at the touch. "I'm just questioning how you expect to affect my dreams."

"I thought," Max swallowed hard as Kai's finger trailed over his Adam's apple and down to the dip below his throat. Kai had to know how distracting he was being. "Maybe it's like a bad habit now. You're keeping it too fresh in your mind. So. . . we'll make a new habit."

"Hm. . ."

Kai must have agreed, because he seemed to be going along with Max's little experiment. His finger traced Max's collarbone through his thin pajama top before creeping up and over his shoulder. The light one-finger touch transitioned to a firm grip on Max's shoulder, which Kai used to pull Max closer until he really had no choice but to land in Kai's lap. One strong arm snaked around Max's waist to catch him, the other continued creeping across his back to pull him into a firm embrace.

Caught in Kai's arms, Max wiggled closer, his body humming in anticipation of what Kai might do next. Except this seemed to be all Kai wanted to do. His hands had stopped their wandering as he held Max tightly against him.

Max laughed quietly. His plan had been to distract Kai with lots of passionate kisses, but apparently this was what Kai preferred. Usually if Kai touched someone it was for a very good reason, like tackling Max out of the way before he could be hit by a security door, or tending to his hands before frostbite could set in. Max never could have guessed he would have Kai simply holding him like this. He felt like he was becoming Kai's security blanket.

"I also looked up some cures for insomnia. You know, things like avoid caffeine and drink warm milk and keep your room dark and cool. Or you could get a relaxing back rub from someone who loves you," he suggested.

"Max." Kai's deadpan tone made Max grin.

"I'm serious. That was on a bunch of sites. I would volunteer just to help you out, you know."

Kai didn't dignify that with a response, but pulled him a closer and turned his face against Max's hair.

Max let his cheek come to rest on Kai's shoulder, and felt Kai move with him. Still keeping his face hidden, Max guessed as he snuggled against Kai.

Kai jerked back as far as he could without actually letting go of Max, and Max belatedly realized that he had bumped Kai's neck with his nose. It probably wouldn't have even happened, but Kai's pajamas didn't cover his neck.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to." Max lifted his head, trying to angle himself so that he wouldn't accidentally touch Kai's neck.

"It doesn't matter."

Kai was tense now, but he certainly didn't seem to be in any hurry to let Max go. Max lay his head against Kai's shoulder once again, relieved that Kai still wanted to cuddle.

They drifted into a few minutes of silence, during which he could feel Kai slowly relaxing against him, but absolutely not relenting in his hold.

"Is it a problem? With it being that sensitive, I mean," Max finally asked. "Do you think maybe if you got used to being touched, it wouldn't be so bad? I mean, since you're always covering up there's no chance to de-sensitize yourself." If Kai–who had played the part of the anti-social ice prince for so long–turned out to like hugging so much then Max was convinced he could secretly like almost anything.

Kai was quiet for so long that Max didn't think he was going to get an answer. Maybe it was a silly thing to ask, but hadn't Kai let him tend to that bruise before? Kai trusted him at least that much.

"Is that what you want?" Kai finally asked. Max had kind of expected him to be angry if he bothered to answer after such a long silence, but there was no sharpness in his voice. It came out so faint that Max almost missed it, even when Kai was practically speaking against his ear.

"Not if you don't want to. I just thought if it would help. . ." It would be a lie to say he didn't want to. He wanted to kiss Kai's neck, and it was a hundred times more tempting knowing that was a sensitive spot, but not if Kai hated it. He didn't want to make Kai uncomfortable or annoy him.

Kai considered this for a minute, his hand rubbing up and down Max's back. He finally answered with short nod. That was all Max needed.

Max touched his lips to Kai's neck, just under his jaw, in a soft kiss. He clung to Kai's shoulders with both hands as he pressed deliberate kisses down the line of Kai's neck to his shoulder. With each one he savored the feeling of Kai's skin warm beneath his lips, lingering long enough to feel Kai take a deep breath in and exhale.

When he peeked up he found Kai had his eyes shut tightly. With every kiss he half expected to be ordered to stop or even pushed off the bed the minute Kai had enough, but Kai kept holding on to him. Instead of a complaint, Kai let out a low groan that Max could feel vibrating in his chest. Max hadn't known Kai could make a noise like that, let alone that it would be that hot. He started to suck at the base of Kai's neck in an attempt to get him to make that sound again.

Kai pried Max's mouth from his neck with a wet, disappointed sound.

Max paused, wiggled against Kai's chest when he didn't get a reprimand or even pushed out of Kai's lap, and somehow got his cheek up to rest against Kai's other shoulder, looking up at him hopefully.

"Just a few more," Kai allowed, taking in Max's hopeful look before turning his eyes away.

Max repeated the line of kisses down the other side of Kai's neck, punctuating it by playfully poking the tip of his tongue at the dip of Kai's collarbone. The action prompted a low grunt and Kai's grip tightened for just a second.

When he moved to nuzzle at Kai's throat, he heard Kai suck in a sharp breath through his teeth. "That's enough," he hissed.

Max bent down to head-butt lightly at Kai's chest instead, trying to calm the tension he could feel building.

"So maybe it's okay if you know it's coming?" Max suggested. "Just a little at a time?"

Kai didn't respond, but gave him a little squeeze that Max guessed meant, 'Shut up.' It was definitely preferable to Kai wanting him to leave.

Even though he knew better, Max couldn't help asking, "Is it easier because it's me? Is that why you can tolerate it a little?" He wanted so much for Kai to want him, even knowing it was selfish to fish for hints. Kai was holding him, and that should be more than enough proof he was special to Kai.

Kai squeezed him again, but he actually answered the question, "It's like you suggested with my habits: replacing a bad memory with a good one."

"A bad memory?"

At least Max knew to listen when the silence said Kai didn't want to talk about it.

Max moved up, passing over Kai's sensitive neck to give him a light peck on the cheek. "I'll be here for you," he whispered, because he wasn't nearly so confident in his ability to say it with silence.

Kai didn't answer in words, but that was okay. Max didn't expect it. He was happy enough to let Kai hold him until he completely lost track of time.

Max was nuzzling his face sleepily into Kai's shoulder when he felt Kai's grip finally loosen, and he was eased back out of Kai's embrace.

"You should get to bed," Kai told him, his low voice coming out strangely gentle.

"But I wanted to stay here in case you needed me," Max protested. "That's the point, right? I want to be sure you're okay."

Kai didn't argue, studying Max in a thoughtful silence that made him squirm in embarrassment. Maybe he had a little bit of an ulterior motive in wanting to be near Kai, but he honestly thought he could help.

"I won't bug you while you're sleeping or anything, I promise! I just want to be here for you."

"Max-"

"I'll sleep on the floor if you want me to!"

"Max." Kai's fingers laid over his mouth made Max stop bargaining, widening his eyes pitifully at Kai instead. "Go get your pillow."

That was all he needed to say. Max gleefully kissed the fingers covering his mouth before he bounded up and hurried to do as Kai asked.

Max secured his place in Kai's bed, respecting the invisible line that marked Kai's personal space. It was a test of his willpower when he'd just been pressed against Kai. Even though he was sleepy he wanted to roll over and give Kai kisses. Still, if that was what he had to do to be on hand if Kai needed him, or wanted him, Max had the willpower to keep his hands to himself.

Watching through nearly shut eyes, Max couldn't help smiling at the back of Kai's head. He was happy just to see Kai laying relaxed next to him. He almost wanted to lie there awake just to enjoy the fact of being with Kai.

Max felt like he only closed his eyes for a moment, but the next thing he knew there was a hand on his shoulder shaking him awake. His first instinct was to groan and try to hide his face in the pillow, before he remembered where he was.

Thinking Kai needed him, Max snapped awake. He was absolutely ready to help with Kai's night terrors. That was what he was here for.

Except Kai didn't look the way he normally did after a bad night. There was a faint smile in his eyes, and Max belatedly realized it was already morning.

"Did I miss it?" How could he have slept through Kai needing him?

"Nothing to miss."

Joy bubbled up inside of Max until he completely forgot about Kai's personal space and threw himself on Kai in an enthusiastic hug.

By the time he could stop and think that maybe Kai didn't want to start the day by being pounced on, Kai's arm had looped around him in return. When he looked up he found Kai studying him, his eyebrows drawn together in a thoughtful frown. He definitely wasn't angry.

"You'll need to go back before anyone else wakes up."

Of course Kai wanted to keep his troubles private. Rather than being disappointed at Kai not letting him stay, Max instead found himself feeling stupidly proud that this was a secret he was sharing with Kai.

"It worked, right?" Max chirped. "So, tonight?"

Kai nodded, and Max hopped out of bed with a light heart. Only a few days, and things were already better than Max had ever dared to hope. All because Kai somehow loved him back.