Winter had slowly fallen down on the world, the crowds of people laughing and smiling, enjoying much of their first day of December. However, a certain Hiwatari did not feel that same joy as he retched for the better part of the day, his sweater clinging to his body from sweat.
His still flat stomach tightened, sending off another retch before the blader had enough. His back leaned against the tub, hand firmly pressed to the womb carrying the near three month experiment. A deep part of him cursed his still alive Grandfather, who by now had probably forgot about him until the thing was ready to be born.
A sigh left cracked lips, pushing himself up to wash his face and rid the bile. A slight knock at the door alerted Kai that he was not alone anymore. With narrowed eyes, he walked downstairs, looking through the peephole to find a tuff of blond hair before opening the door.
Kai had noticed something was amiss when Max's smile didn't fully reach his ears, the smallest tinge of sadness dimming it. Baby blue eyes looked to Kai's feet, never once meeting. It was only safe to say that the blond looked worse for wear than usual.
With silent huff of concern, the older male stepped aside, watching the blond walk in like a kicked puppy. With tea and sugar cookies soon placed in front of them, Kai waited for Max to make the first move, an uncomfortable silence looming over them.
The sound of Kai's teacup being moved broke the uncomfortableness, taking a light sip before placing it back down. Crimson eyes looked to the younger blader before glancing off to his Christmas tree, lights shining bright as it was the only thing currently giving the room it's light.
"Do you mind I spend break with you?"
The request snapped Kai from his thoughts, looking back to Mizuhara with raised brows. It seemed odd that Max would ask him this, given that he had last heard that his mother was coming to town. "Why are you asking me this? Weren't you going to be with your parents?"
The look Max gave was anything but happy, hands fiddling with the jacket wrapped around his lithe form. "That's the problem… Mom couldn't make it this year. She was caught up in last minute work but she's going to try and come in a few weeks. And my Dad is too busy with orders that I haven't had much time to spend with him..."
A sigh. "And the team is spending it with their own families and I know that you have the child and Voltaire to deal with… But I didn't know who else to go to…. Being alone for Christmas sucks, Kai…."
A blank stare met Max as the Hiwatari ran over his thoughts, lips pressed tightly together. Arms crossed over his stomach, crimson eyes closing. "You can stay for as long as you want, Mizuhara. Just as long as you don't make a mess."
He should have expected that Max would launch towards him in a hug, being mindful of the child. Kai's body stiffened, hand hovering over Max's back as if he didn't know what to do with them. The younger soon let go, sitting on his knees in front of his team captain.
"Can I see the baby?"
Hues widened as arms unwillingly went to his womb, wrapping around them to protect the being from delusional danger. Upon see the sad look the blader's eyes, Kai sighed, unwrapping his arms and lifting his shirt.
Even if there wasn't anything noticeable, Max's face lit up with joy, warm hands gently touching his stomach while Kai leaned his head back, forcing himself to relax and let Max do what he wanted. Feeling warm hands pull away, he cracked one eye open to find the Mizuhara resting his head on the older's knee.
With a roll of his eyes, he pulled the blanket off the couch, placing it over Max as he reached for a book. Picking up where he had left off, he let the tired blond drift off to sleep. Ignoring the fact that his hand ran through Max's hair or that the blond's hand clung to Kai's shirt, over the area where the child rested.