Title: Photo Opportunity
Summary: Max gets a digital camera for his birthday from Kai and he cannot wait to use it! However, he never expected to capture a picture that would mean more to him than the camera itself…
Pairings: Miguel/Kai, Friendship between Kai and Max.
Warnings: Yaoi and fluff, and that's about it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters.

Hey there. It has been a while since I wrote an Oneshot, hasn't it? Too busy with all my multi-chaptered fics. Oh well. I hope you enjoy this Oneshot filled with fluffy goodness!

"Happy birthday, Max!"

A wide grin spreads across Max's face when his father greets him at the bottom of the stairs. Today is his birthday. He is seventeen today, but he does not feel a day over fifteen!

"Thanks dad," he says as he gives his old man a hug, a part of his heart aching when he realizes that his mother is going to miss his birthday yet again. He cannot even remember the last birthday he shared with both his parents. His father has always made an effort to be there for him on his day of birth, but his mother always seem too busy.

That or she has forgotten…again.

"You have a special guest, Max," Max's father says as he moves out of the way, revealing the figure of a certain dual haired enigma with ruby red eyes.

"Kai, you made it!" Max says as he immediately bounces his way over to the slightly older male and gives him a big hug. He thought Kai was in Spain for business and would not be able to make it for his birthday. "I'm so glad."

Max has developed a close bond with Kai in the last few years, seeing the enigma as a part of the family. Although now the owner of the BBA, Kai still manages to spend time with him, attending school functions and sporting events to give him moral support, or to just be there to give him good advice whenever Max is stuck with a problem.

Kai is a great older brother.

"Happy birthday, Max," Kai says with a rare sense of warmth, warmth he only uses when he's dealing with someone important to him, like Max, who he sees as his little brother. He gives the blonde a small smile, but it falters when he glances around the room. "Your mother isn't here?"

Max's smile falters as well, knowing that Kai and his mother don't exactly get along very well. "She couldn't make it…," he mutters.

Kai immediately feels a sense of irritation towards the woman and he frowns. If she wasn't Max's mother…

"I see…," he says, pressing his lips into a thin line. He's going to have to have a chat with her over the phone…again.

"It's ok, though," Max says, sounding like he is starting to accept that his mother cannot be there all the time. Whenever he is with Kai, he doesn't miss her as much. "You're here now, that's what matters."

"Max…"

"Hmm," Max smiles and gives a half chuckle before an expression of excitement appears on his face. "Oh, did you get me anything? Did ya, huh?"

Max's smile is contagious and Kai gives him a small smile of his own as he walks over to the couch and picks up a gift bag. "Here," he says as he hands the bag over to the increasingly hyper blonde. "I'm sure you'll be happy with it."

With his eyes lightening up like a kid in a candy store, Max cannot get his hands on his gift quick enough. "Wow, thanks Kai. Oh, I can't wait to see what it is," he opens the bag, pushing aside the crumbled packing paper to reveal two boxes of electronic goods. "It's a digital camera and printer! That's so cool! I've always wanted one."

Kai's eyes soften with a rare warmth at the happiness on Max's face. "Yes, I know."

"You're so awesome, Kai," Max exclaims, giving his praise to his captain and older brother figure. "Have I ever told you that I love you?"

Kai laughs quietly and gives Max a hug around his shoulders as the blonde bounces on the balls of his feet. "I love you too, little brother," he whispers into his ear, still a little uneasy at giving his affection and attention so freely, but when he's surrounded by people like Max, it's hard not to be more open. "I hope you have a great day."

"I'm sure I will!" Max laughs.

"Make sure you take lots of pictures for your mother, ok Max?" Max's father tells him as the two of them head outside, Max eager to get his camera out to take some great shots.

"Sure! See ya, dad!"

Stepping out into the street, Kai turns his attention towards Max, a look of interest on his face. "So, what are you going to do today?"

"There's a BBQ at the dojo," Max says as he places the camera carefully back into the gift bag Kai gave him. "You totally have to come."

"No party?" Kai asks as he tilts his head to the side in question and starts to walk in the direction of the infamous Granger's dojo.

"Naw," Max replies as he shakes his head. "Just a little get together with the others."

"A get together, huh?" A new voice cuts in.

Max jumps at the sound of the familiar voice and spins around, his gaze colliding with that of another set of blue eyes and he face breaks out into a grin. "Heya, Miguel!"

Miguel gives his fellow blonde a smile and a nod of the head, his eyes lingering of Kai for a moment before turning back to Max. "Hey there, happy birthday, Max."

"Sorry we couldn't get you a present," Claude says from behind Miguel, glancing over his shoulder. "But we weren't able to get anywhere near the shops for ages."

"Thanks! And that's ok," Max grins happily before a mild sense of confusion appears in his eyes. "Wait, how did you know it was my birthday?"

Immediately, Miguel's gaze flickers towards Kai and stays there for a few seconds before once again moving back to Max as he stands in silence. "I heard it through the grapevine."

"I'm sure Kenny would have sent emails to the others, right?" Kai adds, cutting in, to which Miguel nods his head in agreement, and Max could almost swear Miguel has a sense of gratitude in his eyes.

"Oh, okay," Max says slowly, noticing the odd looks Kai and Miguel are constantly sharing. He'll have to ask Kai about that later as a small part of him wonders if something is going on between them. "Do you guys want to come to the dojo as well?"

"Will there be food?" Aaron asks as he rubs his stomach, which seems to howl in hunger. "I'm starving!"

"It's a BBQ," Claude points out to his shorter teammate. "So there should be."

"You should come, Miguel," Kai says, turning his full attention to Miguel who casually makes his way to stand by his side.

"Loved to," Miguel replies softly as the two of them gaze at each other only to snap their heads away to glance off to the side with small signs of embarrassments on their faces. Max catches the small blush on Kai's cheeks and raises an eyebrow. That's interesting…

"But only if the birthday boy wants us to come," Miguel continues as he turns towards Max.

"Duh, of course!" Max says with a small laugh, showing no sign that he's feeling a little suspicious that there is something going on that he does not know about yet. "That's why I asked."

Miguel simply laughs. "Count us in, then."

"We should go now," Kai says, subconsciously focusing his attention to Miguel once more. "Don't want to be late or the food will disappear on us."

Miguel's face softens a little as he turns his attention to Kai as well. "You're right."

Max watches the two exchange words between themselves in silence and continues to do so when they begin trekking towards the dojo, Kai and Miguel side by side the entire way.

Hmm, there's something going on, all right. But what?

--

Despite not wanting a party, Max got one anyway, and he doesn't mind at all! He is having a great day so far.

Moreover, the best part is that Max just loves his digital camera. The thrill of taking as many pictures as he wants and deleting the ones that aren't very good fills his being with a sense of power. Kai really is so totally awesome for getting him such a cool gift. He so has to do something equally cool for Kai's birthday!

He has being taking pictures of just about everything, anything that moves he tries to get an action shot of it. His storage card that he got with the camera is already edging its way to the full mark. He has got a picture of everyone here at the dojo, well, almost everyone. Kai has managed to dodge each picture, claiming that he hates getting his picture taken.

Well, that sounds like a challenge to Max. He is going to get a picture of Kai, come hell or high water!

Hence the reason why he is sneaking his way around the dojo right now. It's late afternoon, nearing night. The light is slowly fading and if Max wants to take a picture of Kai in secret before it is too late, he needs to do it now.

Max peers around the side of the dojo, watching as his intending target leaves the room where the party has moved to, to step outside to stand near the Koi pond, away from prying eyes. He is alone and Max has the perfect view from his hiding spot. He lifts up his camera to get Kai into focus when the sound of a door opening and closing interrupts him. He glances up to see Miguel step out into the afternoon light, immediately making a beeline towards Kai.

A mild sense of fascination appears in Max's chest as he watches the two captains. Kai immediately notices Miguel walking towards and greets him with a tender smile, taking a step away from the Koi pond and towards Miguel. He then lifts up his arms, looking as if he wants a hug from the taller blonde.

As soon as he is able, Miguel wraps an arm around Kai's waist and pulls him against his body as the other rests on the back of Kai's head, his fingers entangling themselves through his hair. And Kai, for his part, wraps his arms tightly around Miguel's neck and rests his cheek on his shoulder, releasing a small sigh as he sinks against him, his eyes drifting close. He then nuzzles his cheek against Miguel's broad shoulder, sighing again when Miguel begins to rake his fingers through his hair.

With wide eyes and mouth hanging open, Max watches the scene unfold before him, surprise a dominant expression on his face. Kai and Miguel…are hugging? Soon, however, surprise gives way to hope. Are the two of them dating? Max sincerely hopes so! Kai needs someone like Miguel in his life, someone who can take care of him when he's too busy taking care of everyone else.

Sorting through his memories, Max tries to recall a possible sign that Kai has been secretly seeing someone and his mind immediately goes back to the trip Kai first took to Spain at the beginning of the year. And he has had several since. And each time he returned home, he looked brighter, almost glowing and subtly looked forward to his next trip back to the country.

Kai once told him the frequent trips was because he fell in love with the country, but it turns out that Kai fell in love with something else entirely. No wonder he was blushing at the time!

A bright smile appears on Max's face as he continues to watch from his hiding spot. He knows he should not be spying on Kai like this, but it is so rare seeing him so happy. Miguel is a very lucky guy and by the smile on his face and the way he is holding Kai so tightly right now tell Max that he knows just how lucky he is.

Slowly, the two of them pull back ever so slightly to gaze into each other's eyes, a light dusting a pink dancing across their cheeks. They whisper soft words to each other as they relish in the feel and presence of the other. They gaze into the other's eyes for a long and silent moment before Kai's eyelids fall shut and he tilts his head to the side, his hands slipping down from Miguel's neck to rest on his chest.

The hand that Miguel has in Kai's hair tenderly pulls Kai's head towards him as his own eyes slip close. Their lips brush together softly at first before Miguel closes the gap, pulling Kai into a loving kiss. Kai immediately curls his fingers around Miguel's shirt as he presses himself closer against him again, grateful to have Miguel's strong arm tight and secure around his waist.

Max manages to smother a joyous giggle of delight, preventing it from leaving his lips. He does not want to interrupt his big brother and his boyfriend from their special moment.

Silently, Max carefully lifts up his camera and steadies it. He watches the two through the view window, waiting for a special and tender moment to capture on camera. No, he doesn't plan to use this as blackmail. He would never dream of it. If the pairing at had been someone else, then probably yeah, it would be used for a small plan of blackmail, but not Kai and Miguel. No, this picture is for Kai. This picture will serve as a reminder of what love should be and why he deserves it.

Max cannot wait to show it to him. In private, of course.

He waits patiently for the right moment, a moment where it just radiates love from the both of them. Fortunately, he doesn't have to wait long. The whole moment between them just screams soulmates, and Max is spoilt for choice. He, however, chooses a moment where Kai is resting his head on Miguel's shoulder and Miguel is leaning down to gently press his lips against his in a lingering kiss, small hints of smiles both adorning their lips.

Snap. Perfect shot!

Smothering another giggle, Max back silently away from the embracing couple and takes the back way into the dojo, hugging the camera close to his chest, holding it like its made of China. He walks into the spare room where he has the digital photo printer set up and quickly prints of Kai's picture, constantly glancing over his shoulder for any spies. Kai would kill him if this picture gets in the wrong hands!

Max places the photo in his breast pocket of his jacket and moves to join the others in the main room, keeping the camera tightly in his grip. He doesn't want anyone to see the special picture, but he cannot bring himself to delete it.

The party, that wasn't meant to be a party, slowly starts to wind down and Max notices Kai finally making an appearance since he first stumbled across him outside, his cheeks aglow from warmth. And Miguel is looking just as happy. Max can only giggle to himself as his mind goes through all the possibilities Kai and Miguel got up to when he left.

Noticing that everyone else is currently busy and Miguel is speaking with Claude about something, Max decides it is time to have a little chat with Kai, as he is alone at the moment. To give him his own gift and to congratulate him.

"Kai," Max says as he bounds over to him, grabs him by the wrist and leads him outside again, into the night air. "The camera you got me was so totally awesome!"

Kai chuckles at Max's boundless energy. "So you've said."

Max nods and gives Kai a bright smile. "But I got one gift better than that."

"Hmm?" Kai hums, his head tilting to the side in confusion. No one else gave him a present tonight. What is he talking about?

Suddenly, Max's bright, cheery smile softens into a gentle warmth as he places his hand into his jacket pocket. "This," he says as he gives Kai his most prized photograph. "This is for you."

Kai's confusion soon gives way to surprise and embarrassment when he takes the picture. His eyes immediately widen as a dark blush races across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. "That's…" he stutters, a lost for words.

"I couldn't have asked for anything better," Max tells him softly.

Still blushing darkly, Kai snaps his attention to Max and manages to stutter out a reply. "Huh?"

Max chuckles softly for a moment before turning his warm gaze back to Kai, giving him a reassuring and understanding smile, a smile that tells Kai that he isn't upset that he kept his relationship a secret. Heck, if he had been in the same position as Kai, he would probably do the same. While same-sex relationships are steady becoming more mainstream, it is still taboo to some people. Better safe than sorry, right?

"You and Miguel have been dating for a while, haven't you?" Max asks, his smile growing a little larger at Kai's uncharacteristic stuttering.

"Er, well…"

"I thought so," Max says, taking Kai's answer as a solid yes. "After you got back from your trip to Spain, I noticed there was something different about you. You looked happy, and yet a little sad. Is that when you and Miguel got together?"

"...Yeah, it is," Kai says, finally gathering himself enough to make coherent answers. "Max, listen, I didn't…"

"The two of you are perfect for each other," Max says, cutting him off, his smile not once wavering. "And I get the feeling that the two of you will be together for a very long time." And he truly believes that.

Now, for that all-important question. Max already knows the answer to it; he just wants to hear Kai say it. "Does he make you happy?"

Kai looks down at the picture in his hand and a small, yet warm and loving smile appears on his lips, his blush lessening just a little. "Yes," he whispers softly, sincerely. "Very."

If Max was waiting for a sign that stops short of Kai proclaiming his love with Miguel in neon lights, Kai's answer and reaction was it. And it brings a huge smile to his face. "You know, just knowing that you are happy and well taken care of is the best gift I could ever receive."

A blush of embarrassment spreads across Kai's cheeks and he looks bashfully off to the side. "It doesn't bother you?" he asks after a moment.

But Max merely scoffs at the notion. "You're like a brother to me, Kai. Why should it bother me at all? It's nice to know that there is someone out there who has as much love as you do."

Kai makes a little sound of gratitude before lifting his arms and wrapping them around Max's neck in a hug. "Thanks Max."

Max wraps his arms around Kai's waist, enjoying the hug for a moment before pulling back and looking Kai straight in the eyes. "No problem," he says before his face brightens and he picks up another picture. "Oh, lookit! I managed to catch a picture of Gramps hitting himself on the head with his kendo stick!"

Ah, I love writing fics where Kai and Miguel are in a secret relationship and the others find out through either snooping or luck X3 They're my favorite.

Please review.