"C'mon…" - Max, ever the peacekeeper tries his best to calm down the two feuding boys, or at least, Kai. Because he knows if it comes down to it, even with being trained down on his grandfather's dojo, Tyson doesn't stand a chance. Ever the smiling boy, Max, white teeth shining under the lights of the party, arms extended as if to reach for a hug, his rosey cheeks as a cherub, ready to try and split them apart. Even if he's shorter than both of them, and the mere bulk of Tyson's weight could snap his short frame in two, but he had to try. - "C'mon now, boys, this is a party, please refrain from this kind of behavior!"

If any of them heard him, they did not care to show it...Max's voice was ignored as daggers figuratively flew from the eyes of both Kai and Tyson as they faced one another, ready to brawl, duel, or fight.

This was not good.

Max threw a pleading look at the adults in the room, wondering if they'd be able to stop the obvious carnage that would happen if these two started brawling, the winner might look obvious, and to Max, it'd look like Kai would win, what with the tough training regime and being used to pain, but Tyson was determined and could take a lot of hits when he got determined to do something, so before he went down he'd totally ruin not only his skin, bleeding all over, but also his clothes, and the party.

But the adults were unaware of the whole thing, too engrossed in the drinks and the talks about whatever gossip was circling around. - Max had to be honest, he was approaching 17 but yet he still didn't care for most "adult" conversations. - This was troubling.

"And I!" - Kai's russian accent thickened under the stress or when he was over anxious or annoyed, which was often the case when Tyson came up to him with ridiculous notions. - "Said no, Tyson!" - Max had gotten used to that thicker accent when he was stressed out, but he still struggled to understand it sometimes. The gist of the situation was simple, Tyson wanted something from Kai, Kai wanted nothing to do with it. And Tyson, like a petulant child, or a spoiled brat, was damn near jumping on him, murder as that might be.

It seemed nobody else had noticed the discussion out of his group of friends, Tyson Granger was pleading with Kai, more like being a hard person to deal with, Kai was doing his best not to punch his gut out, with the self control techniques he was learning, Ray was of course, courting one or two beautiful women somewhere else in the building, and chief, or Kenny, was off doing whatever, whichever thing, sitting down on his computer.

Surprisingly carrying an early 2000's laptop had provided Kenny with arm and leg strength, those things were heavy! So he was no longer the scrawny, awkward, glasses wearing kid, from days past, nowadays he was, well….kind of buff. Not as strong as Kai by any meaning of the word, but maybe enough to split them up.

If only he could find him! Tyson and Kai were at each other's throats and Kenny or "Chief" (though none of them had called them that in a long time), wasn't anywhere near the food and drinks section where this fight had started. Max couldn't help himself but give out a mean spirited laughter. Tyson would be tyson of course this would be where this whole thing would start.

But still he guessed Kenny didn't want to leave his precious eletronics near water or wine, or any other kind of drinks. So he had to be far away from it...but where…? As if on cue a single thought came to Max.

"The steps! Of course!"

As most people had arrived at the fancy building and the food was carried too by elevator, to the 91st floor by it, the steps, for anyone who wanted to be out of breath, were there in case of emergency. But it was also a place where Max knew Kenny would likely be. After all, he was, in fact, trying to protect his eletronics.

Running towards that place, and opening the door he couldn't help but start shouting.

"Chief!" - For old time's sake. - "Tyson and Kai are about to kill each other, you have to stop them! We have got to do something, or else, something bad will happen"

Kenny looked back and noticed Max behind him and quickly closed down 11 tabs with one stroke of the key.

"The things he makes me search"- Dizzy said but Max was too worried to care about the kinds of freaky stuff Kenny was into. He just wanted to stop his two friends from getting hurt.

"Calm down" - Kenny's voice had grown with his body, and he now had a deep sounding voice, a voice that suited his body builder like body (at least in his arms and legs, his chest was devoid of pecks). - "What is the problem?" - He gently put down the computer much to Dizzy's protest, the computer not liking the feel of the cold marble floor.

"Kai and Tyson are arguing over some dumb stuff, I don't know what, and I think they'll lunge at one another! You have got to put yourself in the middle of them!" - Max was frantically moving his arms up and down, trying to convey the necessity! Then he remembered the advice that chief had given him and he took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "...I mean, please?"

Kenny laughed, and dizzy's digitized voice laughed along with it. Max was confused for a second, until Kenny explained something.

"Love….love isn't objective, ever hear the phrase, the more you hate me, the more I love you?"

Max was puzzled, he looked around, his bright orbs looking around to make sure he wasn't being pranked…

"Yeah but...you don't understand they're going to kill themse…."

"Calm down….they won't kill, maim or even destroy one another, they're head over heels for one another!"

Max looked even more confused by now, what was Kenny even talking about, head over heels? Last he saw of them they were ready to maim one another, and now Kenny was talking about love?

"I caught them groping and fighting for dominance and kissing after one of our tournaments last year...let's just say it's not only in the in the ring, that Kai dominates."

Max mind exploded right at that moment.

"Holy…" - And he said a very Un-Max like thing to say, but still.

"That means they're in an abusive relationship!"

Kenny shook his head.

"It's just show really, like they have to pretend not to be in a relationship, and that they can't stand each other, and what better way to do that than to fight in every public event?"

"Yeah.,,show…"

"Doubt it? Don't forget, a Blader isn't just an athlete, they're also a persona, an entertainer…"

Things all started to make sense for Max…

"Thanks...now I wonder two things….first how it all began, second, what were you watching in yoru computer to close all tabs…"

Kenny nearly dropped his hands and petrified himself, so out of breath he stood, as he composed himself, he replied.

"First question, don't know, don't care, second question...do you really want to know?"

Max thought it over…

"Guess not."

:


Later

A hand roamed over the navel of a particularly chubby boy as Kai tickled it, Kai had never been given much to this displays of affections, but Tyson brought them in him.

"Do you think anyone suspects?"

"Tyson blew out air into the air pushing some of his own hair forward.

"Nah! With your acting? Only if they caught us, but that'd be way too convenient!"

….

The end