Disclaimer: Not mine

Notes: Takes place post series, but no real spoilers

--

He couldn't avoid it forever.

Although, to his credit, he had been doing a very good job at it so far: he spent his mornings practicing, his afternoons helping Don coach his kids, and his nights challenging anyone who'd take him on. It usually wasn't until well past midnight when he got home these days-- well past the point of any sane person calling him.

And it might have worked if he had remembered to unplug his stupid answering machine

Max Cooper gave said stupid answering machine a dirty look, wanting more than anything to chuck it out the window... but aside from possibly making him feel better for about five seconds, it wouldn't do him any good. He'd spent a week holed up at the bowling alley hoping to at least forget it. If that hadn't worked, he doubted taking his anger out on his answering machine wouldn't, either.

He tried to make his hand stop shaking as it hovered over the talk button. He had known that this would happen. He had known that this would happen the first time he had seen them together. Trying to pretend he hadn't wasn't going to change anything. At some point, he was going to have to deal with this. He owed it to him.

It didn't mean he had to be happy about it, though.

Max's open palm slammed against the talk button. Working quickly, he settled for a soda from the fridge and plopped down on the couch. He was pretty sure he didn't want to hear this standing up.

"Hey, Max! It's me." Max had never heard Danny sound that happy in his life. "I know, you're probably mad at me for not telling you right away, but I wanted to wait until you got the letter in the mail. Call me as soon as you can, okay? I know you already know, but I want to tell you the good news in person."

There was a pause as the first message stopped playing and the second began. "Max?" Danny still sounded happy, but there was a faint hint of worry in his tone mixed in with the warmth. "I think you might have missed my last call? Have you gotten my letter, at least?" Max ignored what was resting on his coffee table as he opened his can of soda. "I gotta go... but I'll call you again as soon as I'm off work, okay? Take care."

Danny must've kept his word, since his voice was on the next message. "Max?!" The worry had grown into near panic. "I-it's been nearly a week and I haven't heard anything from you. This is the longest we've ever gone without talking." Max heard a strangled sound come from the machine as he took a sip of his drink. "Please, Max... whatever it is, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Just please call me and tell me you're all rig--"

Hunh. Machine must've cut him off. Max stretched out on the couch, figuring that was the end of that particular torture... and then he heard Alyssa's voice.

"Hi, Max. Danny asked me to call you." Her voice was every bit as gentle and patient as he remembered. "He thinks you're mad at him. Max, I know that you... care for Danny, and I don't blame you for not wanting to talk to him. But Max, he's your friend first." He heard her sigh. "At least let him know you're still alive. I won't make you do anything else."

Max wasn't sure how long he sat there before he realized that Alyssa's message had been the last one. No more Danny or Alyssa; there was only silence to keep him company. Well, no more Alyssa at least.

He put down soda can and reached for the letter, pulling it out of the envelope. He'd already opened it a week ago...

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Daniel Delgado and Kendall Chrysanta...

He stuffed the invitation back in its envelope-- that was about as far as he could before he started feeling sick to his stomach. So instead of reading the date and what church they'd be wed in, he'd been pretending that it didn't exist, that he'd never been so stupid as to fall for someone already in love with someone else...

But it was time to stop pretending.

Max poured out what was left of his soda, rinsed the can, and tossed it in the recycling bin. Then he lumbered to his room and stripped down to his boxers before collapsing on his mattress.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would call Danny, tell him that not only did the postal service lose his invitation, his answering machine had been on the fritz for a week. He would also tell him that he was happy that he and Kendall were getting married, and that he was already counting the days when he got to see them finally kiss after being pronounced husband and wife. Danny would never know he'd spent a week sulking over something he knew he could never have in the first place.

Because he owed that to Danny too.

Notes: I made up Kendall's surname, because as far as I know, she never got one in canon. says it meas this: Shortened form of the word chrysanthemum, the name of a flowering plant, which means "golden flower" in Greek. I figured it was appropiate considering the character. Also, it's weird referring to Danny as 'Daniel'. 00 However, I'm figuring that's what he would use for a wedding invitation.