General disclaimer: Max Steel belongs to many companies, Kids' WB!, two different computer animation companies, and a whole mess-o corporate executives. This story is my personal work derived from my inner child getting hold of an uzi and obliterating my good side.
BY:
Maxy Steel
Max perched on the end of Rachel's desk, nervously looking around the room. Right after yet another mission, she'd told him to come into her office while she was writing up the report. Nothing odd about that, except...tomorrow was Valentine's Day. Something about that made him edgy. He looked down at his hands, to see them fidgeting even worse than he thought. Drumming on his knees, clasping and unclasping. In an attempt to settle them, the agent grabbed the nearest thing, Rachel's stapler, and held that. The blonde supervisor shot him a funny look, but went back to typing briskly at her computer. Can't the report just get itself written already? Geez, why am I so jumpy? the young man thought, absently beginning to toss the stapler back and forth between his hands. It made, he noticed, a dull thumping noise as it struck his palm. Behind him, Rachel sighed irritably. What is with him today? He's not normally this...edgy, she thought, watching him. Finally, the thud noise of the stapler landing back and forth in his hands started to really annoy her.
"Max. Put the stapler down," she voiced firmly. Max, already tense and on edge, responded rather uncharacteristically. Spinning around, he held the stapler a few inches above her head.
"You want the stapler? Come get the stapler," he teased. She rolled her eyes, but reached up. He pulled it up higher, and grinned. She shot him a raised eyebrow.
"Max, you're acting like a child," she told him calmly, in a condescending voice. And yet I don't seem to care...childish is actually rather appealing on him, she caught herself thinking. Max hopped off the desk. She's smiling. That's a good sign, isn't it? Why am I acting like this? he wondered to himself. Rachel raised her eyebrows at him.
"Catch me if you can," he challenged, then bolted from her office. Rachel stared at the place where he had been standing for a moment, then shrugged, got up, and tore out the door herself. Good thinking, Leeds. People are going to think you've lost your mind, she told herself, bolting down the hall, hot on Max's tail. Both of them rushed through the occasionally cramped halls, nearly running down several agents. There were several indignant cries from various people.
"Watch it!"
"Keep the chases in the field!" was the last comment Rachel heard before Max turned into one of the sparring rooms. She ducked in after him, and caught a perfect opportunity. He was close to the wall, and near the corner. Using a move she'd learned from the one-shot time Max had talked her into watching football, Rachel plowed into him, throwing both of them into the hard surface. There was a crunch, and Max winced slightly, out of worry of what that sound meant.
"Caught you," the female agent told him smugly, sitting back on her heels. Max looked at the stapler in his hand. It was crushed, to say the least. The roll of staples was scattered on the floor.
"Oh, man! I'm sorry," he sputtered. Rachel took the broken stapler, stood, and offered her hand. Max accepted it, and was on his feet in a moment.
"Don't worry about it, Max," she told him calmly, slipping by him, and out the sparring room door. Max raised his eyebrows, then leaned against the wall. What was that? What she mad? he wondered, then sighed. The female population was way too complicated to understand. Especially the member of the female population he was in love with.
Half an hour later found Max at a stationary store, staring in a kind of disturbed wonder at the tall, wide shelves of paper, pens, and more things that he had never imagined to be in a stationary store. Floral printed tape dispensers?! Now I have seen everything, he chuckled to himself, putting a box back on the shelf. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and whipped around, to be greeted by a small, perky looking salesgirl.
"Hi there! I was just seeing if you needed help finding anything?" she greeted chipperly. Max smiled in reply.
"Well, actually...this is kind of embarrassing to explain. I'm looking for something for a friend of mine. A very close friend," he stuttered. The girl chuckled.
"This friend wouldn't be female, would they?" she asked in a chiding voice. Max nodded, and she smiled in satisfaction. She studied the young man for a long moment before snapping her fingers, grabbing his wrist, and dragging him away towards another part of the store.
"I think this is the area you're looking for," she said with a smile. Max glanced around the area for a moment, then nodded. After a moment of searching, he picked up a small box.
"Do you guys do engravings?" he asked, turning to the girl. She smiled proudly.
"Just so long as whatever we're scraping will stay still long enough to get the job done," was the response, accentuated by her cheery smile. Max had to chuckle. The salesgirl began chattering about all the specials that they had going on around the rest of the store, while dragging him up to the front counter.
The next morning, Rachel arrived at the office, bright and early, as usual. The first thing she noticed was the package on her desk. Wrapped in bright red paper, and a white envelope resting atop it. She picked up the white square, opened it, and pulled out a card.
"From Max. To make up for yesterday," she read aloud, then chuckled to herself. She set the card aside, and picked up the box. Peeking inside, she saw a red bow, and a... and started to laugh. Only you, Max, would do something like this, she thought, closing the lid and setting it back on her desk. Her attention was quickly turned to what she should get for him as a "counter-measure." It didn't take too long to decide.
Several hours later, after she'd finished the morning paperwork, and had a spare hour, Rachel found herself in downtown Del Oro. The trip time was cut in half by means of the Hawk, and gave her a good half hour before she'd have to get back to base. Fortunately, there was only one place she needed to visit. Del Oro Metalsmiths.
"Hey there," a voice greeted the blonde N-tek agent the moment she stepped into the store. Rachel replied with a smile and nod, then began browsing among the assorted metal-based items. After much consideration, she selected one of the wares, and turned back to the counter. The cashier, a young man about the same age as Josh, smiled at her.
"Do you do engravings?" Rachel asked, setting her purchase on the counter. It clanged against the glass countertop.
"Yes, Ma'am. Just write what you want engraved on this card," he replied, pushing an index card and a pen at the female agent. She didn't hesitate. She'd done that enough during the morning, while trying to decide what she'd have etched into whatever she would purchase.
"Thank you," she said a moment later, handing the card back to the young man. He took it, and glanced at what she'd written.
"Steel? Very original," he chuckled, grabbing the parcel off the counter, and heading into the back with it. A few minutes later, he was back, holding a gift-wrapped package. Rachel took it, and was on her way back to N-tek a moment later.
It was late afternoon when Josh arrived back home. He was tired, and forgot that he was in "Max Mode." Sleep sounded very good right about then. Having to fend off a dozen armed guards, and stop that nuclear reactor at the same time wasn't the kind of way he'd been hoping to spend Valentine's Day.
"Good night, world. I'll see you tomorrow," he mumbled to himself, collapsing on his couch. He was asleep in a moment. Just minutes before a car pulled up outside his house. The doorbell rang, but the exhausted agent didn't move to go attend to it. The shrill ring repeated it's command, but all he did was mumble incoherently. For almost a minute, there was no sound. Then a key turned in the lock, and the door opened. Rachel entered the beach house to find Max stretched out on the couch, sound asleep. She smiled, shutting the door behind her, and stepping over to the piece of furniture. Gingerly, she moved his legs so that she could sit down, then settled in the free space. She observed him while he dozed, and felt a pang of sympathy. She'd read the report, and knew how badly he'd been beaten around during the day. There were the beginnings of a black eye around his left eye, and on his right cheek.
Almost an hour later, Max woke, feeling considerably refreshed. He yawned, and shook his head, trying to clear it back in the real world.
"Have a nice nap, Mr. Steel?" a voice asked beside him. Sitting up, Max was considerably surprised to see Rachel sitting on the couch beside him. Yawning, he put one hand behind his head, rubbing the tense muscles.
"Yeah. Have you been here long?" he responded, swinging his legs to the floor and scooting closer to her. He noticed, with a slight pang of amused embarrassment, that the gift he'd given her was sitting on her lap. She caught him looking, and glanced down at it as well. She picked it up, handling it delicately.
"I like it. Very...appropriate," she said absently, fingers tracing the engraved markings in the plastic shell. Max chuckled to himself.
"I figured you might need a new one," he offered.
"True. A stapler is a rather unusual Valentine's Day gift. Clever," she commented in return, setting the gift back where it had been before. It was then that Max realized that there was also a red and silver wrapped package on her lap as well. It was this package she picked up next, toying with it as she had the stapler.
"Hey, I'm a rather unusual guy," the male agent joked. Rachel nodded, and handed him the wrapped parcel. He took it with a questioning look.
"I figured I should return the favor," she explained, as he opened it. The box contained a small folded note card, nothing more. Taking it from the box, Max unfolded it.
" 'Happy Valentine's Day,' " he read aloud, then chuckled. Rachel moved over on the couch until her thigh was just barely touching his. He raised an eyebrow at her. She opened her hand, and a sturdy-looking chain fell from her hand. She unclasped it, and then reached around either side of his head, fastening the clasp around his neck.
"Same to you, Mr. Steel," she said in his ear, kissed him on the corner of his mouth, and got up. She smiled at his surprised expression, and was out the door a moment later. The second she'd left, Max seemed to come out of his trance. He reached to his neck, trying to figure out what she'd given him by sense of touch. He almost laughed when he figured out that it was a metal heart about the side of his thumb. Furthermore, there was some sort of engraving on both sides of the pendant. Intrigued, he reached behind his head, undid the clasp, and removed the necklace. Simple in design, the heart was steel through and through, painted red on one side. He looked at the side facing up. "Steel."
"Ha-ha, Rachel," he muttered to himself, turning it over. "Leeds." His eye widened, and his brain froze, seeing the word. Was she serious? It was a sign. It had to be. In the very least, he hoped it was a sign. His head and heart were in the clouds.
Aww...how sweet! Yeah, I'm sure you're all thinking that. Probably, you're wondering what possessed me to write a Valentine's Day story based on a stapler. Blame the demon-angel, she's the one who planted the images in my head. Or maybe you want to hug her for her brilliance. She says she'll be at Cafe Cafe tomorrow evening around seven, if anyone's interested. Don't worry, she's just joking. Or maybe I'm joking. Or maybe I need to shut up. Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I've probably ruined the mood the story set up with this little note. Well, it's not such a little note anymore. Ah, oh well. Catch ya later! Luv ya all!
-Maxy Steel