Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warning: This is Max/Shred slash. Don't like, don't read.

A/N: Well~ 8D How is everybody doing? Okayokay! Don't murder me! I have a very, very, very good explanation to why I took 2 effin months to update this chapter. I'm in college now, so I'm busy. The end. Ahahaha-yeah, okay. uvu Anyways, pushing that aside, I want to formally apologise for making you guys wait for so long! I know you guys are awesome for waiting this long for this update, so for that, here it is! Also, this is the last chapter~! Yes, this story has officially ended! I hope it doesn't sound too rushed. I have finally completed this story and I hope you guys enjoy it~! I'll ramble more at the end of this chapter! 8D

Enjoy!

Chapter 7

It was weird. Alvin couldn't get rid of Max's words from his mind. The words, he had never seen it coming and now all of a sudden Max actually liked him—that way? Max had gone out right after, leaving Alvin to deduce a conclusion. The young scientist honestly didn't know what to do with this. He needed more time, he needed more convincing to actually agree to this.

Sure, he wanted Max the way Max wanted him but—for a relationship to take place?

What would happen if they realised they weren't better together like that?

Would their friendship suffer?

It would, certainly. Alvin sighed, wondering what to do with this.

Wait, of course he knew. The answer was obvious. It was as clear as day. He just didn't think this would happen. Max wanted to date him for real—the Max Asher—wanted to date Alvin Ackerman.

He took in a deep breath before he groaned out loud. He was confused inside. So, they were really dating? And Alvin had pushed him away. He felt like an idiot now, but more of, he felt insecure. He needed to know where he stood with Max—he needed to know if this was going to be real.

He wanted it to be real but the prospect of it was so scary that Alvin stopped thinking for a moment.

He needed help. He needed to talk to someone so he could get his thoughts ordered and straight. Alvin bit his inner cheek as he realised that there was only one person he could go and talk about this to. He mentally noted that today was one of the worst days of his life—no slash that, it was one of the most embarrassing and confusing days of his life.

With that, Alvin moved to the door. He just hoped she would be able to help instead of freaking out.

Alvin stood in front of her room as he counted down in his head. He was nervous inside and probably scared as well when he realised that he would be telling his sister of all people about his problem. There were so many possibilities on how she was going to react to this. One of them could be that she would rejoice and help him with his problems.

The other—not so much.

Alvin refused to believe that his sister would be anything less than supporting but then again, this was his sister, this was Abby. He knew all of her dark sides as well and he hoped this wouldn't trigger any of that. He took in a deep breath as he balled his fingers into a fist and knocked on the door. A muffled 'Come in!' from the other side had Alvin opening the door.

Abby was on her bed, reading something when Alvin had walked into her room. He closed the door behind him and looked at her. The youngest Ackerman licked his lips nervously as she looked up from her book. "Hey, Alvin," she said with a bright smile.

"Hey, Abby," Alvin said as he lingered at the door. She closed her book and placed it next to her when she saw the look of distress on her brother's face.

"So, why are you here?" she asked. Alvin shuffled on his feet a few times before he took in a deep breath. He looked at his sister in the eyes. He phrased the words in his head before running them a few times in his mind. He wanted to make sure he delivers the point to her and at the same time, it wouldn't be too much for her to register.

After a few seconds of silence, Alvin nodded. "I need your help with something."

Abby immediately sat up straighter, her eyes searched Alvin's face before a frown marked on her lips. "Sure, what is it?"

"It's about Max," Alvin said as he took a cautious step forward. For a minute, Abby went still before she seemed to get something and huffed out a breath, a smile stretching on her lips.

"Ah," she said. "Is it about this experimentation thing you guys have been up to?" Her words sounded suggestive, Alvin knew it did especially how her smile turned into a smirk at the corners. He just didn't know how it sounded suggestive and decided to push that thought away. That wasn't the point now.

"Yes," Alvin said before he furrowed his eyebrows. "And no."

"Huh?" Abby asked slightly confused. "Well, which is it? Yes or no?"

"It's," Alvin started before he licked his lips and sighed out frustrated. "Complicated."

Abby seemed to have gotten the message and patted the empty space next to her. "Come here and talk to me." Alvin hesitated a minute before he decided that he really needed her help on this and walked towards the empty space. Once he sat down, he took in a deep breath and rubbed his face before he adjusted his glasses. "What's wrong?"

"I—I," Alvin began. "You're right, Abby. There was—feelings involved."

Abby had a triumphed smile on her face but it was quickly gone when she saw how miserably confused Alvin was. "But what's wrong?"

The youngest Ackerman didn't tell her the story just yet. He mulled the thought of telling everything to his sister a few times in his head before he finally looked at her. "I told him to stop. I told him that we shouldn't be doing this anymore and Abby, he agreed. He agreed and he suddenly stopped—being all Max on me. And I realised before this that I like him, Abby, I—I like him—that way," Alvin said as he felt his cheeks reddening.

Before Abby could react to the news, Alvin started to ramble again. "But I didn't think he would like me back and I can't stay as just an experiment so I told him we should stop doing this experimentation and he agreed to it. But like I said, he stopped being Max on me and I got—got—worried. But then I saw him on a date with this girl, Jocelyn, and I felt—odd. I didn't like it and we got into a small fight a few hours ago and suddenly he told me he liked me, like how I like him and he wanted to date me for real. Abby, what should I do?"

His sister's face was frozen in mid-shock to relief. He bit his inner cheek once more, unsure of what to say as the silence between them started ringing loudly. After a while, she finally took in a deep breath and blinked. "Okay," she said and Alvin had to look away in fear that she wouldn't understand.

He jolted in surprised when he felt a hand landing on his shoulder. "Ah," Abby said. "I see."

"What?" Alvin asked as he dared himself to look at her. She simply sighed and shook her head before she looked at the youngest Ackerman, a smile playing on her lips. Alvin felt relief wash in him at the sight. "Abby?"

"Alvin, my advice to you is that—if you really like him, and he really likes you, then just get together. I don't see the problem."

"You don't see the problem?" Alvin asked indecorously. "There's a hundred and one reasons why this is something I shouldn't agree to, Abby!"

"And yet, you're here asking for my advice," she retorted, shutting her brother up. Alvin took in a deep breath before he nodded defeated. "Look, Alvin, this is your—first—what? Crush? No, your first crush was with a girl. Your first love? Could it be—"

"Abby," Alvin stopped her as he felt his cheeks reddening.

Abby stopped but the smile was still on her face. "Like I said, just try out. Alvin, you and Max have been best bros so far. This is just another step in your friendship. Sure, it's scary at first but you'll be fine."

"And if something goes wrong somewhere?"

Abby simply shook her head. "If you're so fearful, why are you even a scientist? If you're scared of the risks, how have you been building your inventions? This is just another hurdle. It's up to you whether you want to go up or—slink low and slid away."

Alvin looked away from his sister as he let the words to drown and diffuse into his mind. He knew that his sister had a point. She always did. And she was right, there were so many risks in everything they do and if he stayed around being scared, there wouldn't be much done about now. He took in a deep breath as he glanced at his sister and nodded.

Being together with Max was realistically scary.

This was his first time ever being with someone like this. He didn't want to gamble something that wasn't a hundred percent guarantee favourable to his party.

But judging from how his sister looked, he doubted that that was how love was supposed to work. "Okay," he told her.

"Great!"

But he still needed more time to think about this.

The truth was, Alvin didn't know what to say to Max once he saw the snowboarder in their room. Alvin had to steel in every string of courage to stop himself from running away once his eyes met with the brown-hazel ones. Max was reading through something and it was the first, Alvin thought, he saw Max actually reading something while he wasn't here.

He wasn't ready to give his answer yet though.

So, he quietly manoeuvred to his bed and sat down at the edge. He looked around, hoping that he would look busy. What he didn't think was going to happen was Max actually letting him have his space. He was sure that somewhere along the night, Max was going to ask him about his answer, about his decision.

But he didn't.

So, Alvin didn't say anything.

They didn't speak that night.

Alvin remained quiet as the days went by. He kept on mulling on the thought about being with Max. He didn't want to make the wrong decision and ruin their already confused and twisted friendship, so he tried his best not to say anything that would warrant any hope in Max.

But the youngest Ackerman certainly was slightly taken aback at how cool Max was taking this. It was as if he never asked Alvin to think about them. It was as if he never confessed. However, it also meant that Max didn't speak to him.

Alvin fidgeted in his seat as he stared at the notebook in front of him. The teacher was teaching in front of the classroom and yet he couldn't focus on the teacher. He was more focused on the fact that Max didn't ask about his answer. Could it mean that Max probably was just kidding when he said he liked Alvin that way?

That thought didn't make Alvin feel good inside.

If that was the case, he felt stupid.

The youngest Ackerman rubbed the thought off immediately. It didn't sound like Max to act that way. When he was serious about something, Alvin knew that he was serious. That day? He was serious. The young scientist didn't know what to do though honestly. He didn't dare to go up to Max and ask him about the reason he was acting like this.

It could be that the reason Max was acting so reserved could be well nothing to do with him. But something in Alvin's mind disagreed with that reasoning. His gut told him that Max was deliberately ignoring him. He fidgeted in his seat once more as the time ticked on slowly.

Did Max really like him then?

Abby's words had been running in his head for the past few days and Alvin was getting slowly convinced that maybe this wouldn't be a bad idea. But Max's abrupt change in his way of treating Alvin had the youngest Ackerman thinking twice about his decision. Should he even go for it now that Max was ignoring him?

Alvin took in a deep breath and decided that he would wait a bit longer to see what Max would do.

The youngest Ackerman walked down the hallways with his mind preoccupied with Max. He didn't know what to do with this problem. He turned to the corner and continued walking to his locker. Once he reached the metallic door, he turned the knob around and opened the door.

He sighed as he placed the books inside. His heart throbbed gently in his chest when he remembered how hopeful and scared Max looked when he confessed to him. It somehow lighted hope in his own heart at the thought that he wasn't alone feeling this way for the other. After so much mulling, after so much silence, he realised that he didn't like Max being away from him.

He closed the locker door once he took the books he needed and adjusted his glasses. Just then, he heard a group of people laughing, passing by Alvin's locker. The youngest Ackerman looked at the crowd and froze when he saw who was at the centre of attention. Max simply continued on talking to his group as he walked past Alvin.

The young scientist took a step back at the sudden stab feeling in his heart. Max once again ignored him and walked away. That rarely happened and now that Alvin was seeing it eye-to-eye with the problem, he felt like Max really was avoiding him.

What did he do wrong?

Alvin simply shook his head as he gathered his things and walked away.

Dinner was exceptionally awkward to say the least. The family was eating their meal like they usually would at this time of the day but the crackling atmosphere stopped from any natural conversation occurring. Max was sitting next to Alvin as per usual and the snowboarder was talking about his day with that goofy grin like he always did as well. But there was something amiss and Alvin knew what it was.

Diane simply looked at her son before she glanced at Max. Abby simply played with her food, occasionally shooting weird looks at the young scientist. Llyod? He simply didn't want to get involved in whatever this was. Alvin didn't feel hungry. His appetite diminished when he realised Max might really want to stop being his friend.

"And then there's this girl, she's hot I tell you," Max said as he continued on talking about his snowboarding and—girls. Alvin gripped the fork tight and stared at the food with little interest. His ears were ringing from the words and he knew that the bubbling feeling in his chest was actually now known as jealousy.

Before Max could continue anymore about this 'third-time mountain babe', Alvin had slammed the fork harshly on the table, silencing Max. "Mom, I would like to be excused."

Diane didn't ask why. She simply bit her bottom lip in worry before she glanced at Max. Alvin didn't wait for a reply either. He simply stood up and stalked his way up the stairs, heading to his bedroom. Once he was inside, he closed the door tight and leaned against it. His heart was racing wildly against his chest and the jealousy that was blubbering inside was becoming slightly acidic.

He walked to his bed before he proceeded to sit down at the edge. To be honest, he didn't expect the snowboarder to behave this way. He thought he was being given space to think about this life-changing decision but instead, it felt as if Max wanted to get rid of Alvin and move on—preferably to that 'third-time mountain babe', whatever that meant.

The youngest Ackerman felt horrendous at the thought that he was being fooled. Maybe Max hadn't meant what he said after all. Maybe he thought Alvin was innocent enough to fall for that. Alvin didn't like that idea very much as he took out his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He really wanted to hate Max now. He bitterly laughed at the thought. As if that was possible since he apparently had more than friendly feelings for the snowboarder. Just then, the door opened and Alvin knew pretty much who it was without having to look at him.

He wasn't in the mood to look at the snowboarder in the face, so he got up and wore his glasses before he tried to push past Max and get to the door. However, before he could move past the snowboarder, Max had circled his fingers around the youngest Ackerman's right wrist and halted him. "Shred."

Alvin simply tried to tug the wrist away. This was the first time in a while since Max had even spoken to him. "Shred—"

"Let me go, Max or I will hurt you," Alvin threatened as he glared at the fingers gripping his wrist. Seconds of silence filled in as the anger started to bubble in Alvin. Why was Max behaving this way? Max finally let Alvin go but the snowboarder tried to stop the young scientist from leaving.

"Shred, listen," he started. Alvin looked up at the snowboarder, a frown marking his face.

"I don't think so, Max," he sneered. Max looked genuinely hurt at the words but that fuelled the anger in the younger boy even more. He didn't even have the right to look hurt when Alvin was the one getting ignored all this while. Then, the anger burned down to hurt and the young scientist looked away. "What do you want?"

"Shred, dude, come on," Max said as he took a step forward. "What's wrong?"

Alvin immediately looked back at the snowboarder and glared. "What's wrong?" he asked, his lips thinned along the way. "Did you seriously ask me that, Max?"

"Shred?"

"You ignored me, Max!" Alvin finally exclaimed, hurt washed in his tone as he took a step back. "You ignored me! What was that all about, Max?"

The snowboarder looked once again genuinely confused. He furrowed his eyebrows as he took another step forward. "I don't know what you're talking about, Shred," he said. "I wasn't ignoring you!"

"Yes, you were!" Alvin said as his eyes widened in disbelief. "What's wrong with you? You were ignoring me, Max. You didn't speak to me ever since that day! Just say it, Max, you didn't mean it," Alvin spit out bitterly as he frowned deeper. His heart was aching even more now. To think he thought Max meant it. "Just admit that you were just joking about what you said that day."

Max took another step forward, this time, all playfulness was gone from his eyes. "Shred, that's stupid," he said. "What day are we talking about here?"

Alvin felt his mind screeching at halt at the words. Did Max seriously ask him that? He felt his cheeks reddening when he recalled the exact words the snowboarder used to confess his feelings for him. Now he was asking Alvin what day it was? "Max," he sneered. "Don't act dumb."

"I'm not!" Max said as he blinked. And then, realisation seemed to have dawned in him when he shaped his mouth into an 'O'. "Oh," he said shortly. "Oh, Shred, that."

Alvin looked away. He didn't want to stand in the same room as Max at the moment. "Shred," Max said and his voice sounded soft as if he was trying to soothe him. "Shred, look at me. Shred."

The young scientist stubbornly looked away. "Leave me alone, Max," he said as he turned around and tried to walk away. However, before he could take another step back, Max once again wrapped his fingers around Alvin's right wrist and tugged him around. The force of the tug was quite big, causing the younger boy to stumble on his foot.

Max however wrapped his free arm around the young scientist's waist and held him from falling down, dragging their bodies close. Alvin immediately realised what was going on and turned red, his heart beat started to increase and panic was taking over. "M—Max!" he exclaimed as he looked at the snowboarder.

The snowboarder simply smiled at him and the intensity of the smile had Alvin staring at him a bit. What was going on? The grip around his waist tightened as Max took in a breath. He looked at the young scientist in the eyes. "Shred, you got it all wrong."

"Wrong?" Alvin once again bit out, the frustration instantly replacing the soft thump in his chest. "Wrong? Max! Don't act dumb. Don't make me angrier too."

Max simply shook his head. "Shred, bro, I would never hurt you."

"You did," Alvin retorted. Max went still before he sighed out loud. "Besides, you didn't mean it, did you? You were just saying it for fun, didn't you, Max?"

Max shook his head. "Shred, no," he said as he frowned. "I never joke about my feelings, man."

Alvin glared at him. "Then why did you ignore me, Max? You told me you liked me that way and then you ignored me! Now, you're talking to me because you're forced to. I bet mom told you to see what had me upset!"

"Shred!" Max exclaimed, clearly starting to get agitated. "I never lied about my feelings, man." He took another step, this time, Alvin was flushed close to Max. The youngest Ackerman's mind started to go blank at the close proximity and his cheeks turned rosy once more. His heart beat was also having a field day. It seemed like he liked this feeling, this feeling of being this close with the taller boy.

"Well, you lied," Alvin bit back, ignoring the flutter in his stomach as he looked at Max in the eyes. "You—you ignored me. You didn't talk to me—I was—I thought," Alvin stopped as he felt the hurt clouding his mind. He looked away. "I thought you didn't feel the same way as me, I didn't know what to think."

Silence echoed in between them before he felt Max rubbing his right wrist. Before Alvin could comprehend at what was happening, he felt Max's fingers grazing against his gently and finally intertwining them. Alvin looked down to their hands before he looked back up at Max. He felt his breath hitch in his throat when he realised how close their faces were from each other.

"M—Max?" The anger slowly lessened and it turned into something like hope when he realised how clear and—happy—Max's eyes were.

"Shred," he said and his voice was soft and slow. "Did you really mean it? You—you feel the same way?"

Alvin then realised what he had said and almost stuttered out in panic. Oh no, Max knew about his real feelings! "I—" Alvin started but he couldn't deny it. Something in him finally heaved in relief at being able to let Max know about his feelings. No more hiding, no more secret wishes. It was out there, laid on the table. Alvin nodded at the end, unable to exactly say the words.

Max grinned widely, for the first time since this all started. Their interlinked fingers tightened and Alvin had to tell him to breathe. "But—Max—you ignored—"

"I was giving you space to think," Max said as his grin simmered down into a sheepish smile. "I—I thought you needed some time to think, you know? So I stayed away, tried to keep my cool and all." Alvin frowned at the words.

"Max—"

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Shred," Max continued, cutting him off. "I don't want to hurt you. I just didn't want to—you know—pressure you."

Alvin took a few seconds to realise what Max was trying to say before his eyes widened. The anger, the disappointment, the jealousy—it all disappeared leaving something like clarity in his heart. "You were giving me space to think?" Alvin asked and Max simply nodded. The youngest Ackerman noticed the soft blotches of red on the snowboarder's cheeks and realised that he was telling the truth.

It was Max's way saying he didn't want to pressure Alvin?

Something about that situation grabbed his heart and tickled it. "But, what about that mountain babe?" Alvin asked as his voice quietened at the end. Max simply chuckled before he took his hand away from Alvin's waist and placed them on his face. His fingers traced down to his chin before nudging the boy to look at him.

"Dude," Max said with a wide grin. "You're the only one I see."

Alvin felt his heart skip a beat at the words. He immediately reddened once more at the affection playing in Max's eyes. "M—Max," he started but the snowboarder simply grinned wider. "That's—gross."

Max laughed at that before he shrugged. "Relax, bro," Max said as his fingers then softly caressed Alvin's cheeks. "I mean it. I like you, okay? Do you like me back?"

Alvin opened his mouth to retort at the blunt words. But he couldn't when he saw how hopeful Max was. "Yes, Max," Alvin said as he gave out a shy smile. Suddenly, he felt as if he was this new person in front of Max. So introvert and shy, he didn't know he even had this side of him. Well, he knew he was shy but never like this. "I—I like you too."

Max nodded and slowly, he leaned down, lessening their distance once more as their intertwined fingers bumped together. Alvin felt his breath hitching once more at the close proximity and wondered what Max was about to do. "Ma—Max?" he questioned though it came out almost like a whisper.

"Shred," Max started, his eyes were now trailing Alvin's lips. The young scientist felt cautious as he was frozen to the ground. "I want to kiss you."

Once the words were out, Alvin went deadly still. He didn't breathe, his eyes were wide in shock and his mind went blank. "W—what?"

"I want to kiss you," Max repeated as his hot breath touched and lingered against his own lips. Alvin momentarily closed his eyes tight and tried to think about it. But he didn't know what to think. He never kissed anybody in his life before!

"Max, I—I haven't—"

"I know," Max said gently as he continued to caress Alvin's cheeks. "Can I—can I be your first?"

Alvin opened his eyes to stare at those warm hopeful brown ones. He was nervous. He felt the panic washing away and it was replaced with nervousness. He gulped before he licked his lips. Max's eyes once again drawn back to his lips and Alvin knew now that he might be—slightly interested on how it would feel like to kiss him.

He pondered on it a few seconds before he nodded. "Okay."

Max looked at Alvin in the eyes before a gently smile broke out from his lips. "I'll be gentle, okay?" he said as he leaned in a bit closer. Alvin simply nodded as he felt those fingers finally shaped and placed against his jaw and cheek. Then, Alvin closed his eyes when he felt Max's lips grazing against his.

The sudden trail of electricity-like feeling down his spine had Alvin squeezing his eyes tight. Max simply huffed out a breath against his lips causing another shiver down his body. After that, Max finally kissed him, his lips fully against Alvin's. The pure intensity of just slotting their mouths like that had Alvin weak in his knees in a matter of seconds.

He didn't expect this from just a kiss!

Max kissed him slowly, taking his time to mash their lips up well and before Alvin could stop himself, he was gingerly pushing against to lips as well, kissing Max back. His left hand which was rigidly next to him subconsciously reached out to Max's shoulder before he placed them there.

Their kiss wasn't deep or passionate. It was a simple kiss for beginners and Max slowly broke their kiss apart, licking his own lips as he grinned widely at Alvin. The young scientist simply opened his eyes and blinked. He felt his face heating up from the kiss and his whole body felt weak.

He didn't know this was possible.

"That was," Alvin started but he didn't know how to finish. He had given his first kiss to Max. He felt the shyness taking over him immediately as he looked away to the ground. Max simply nudged his face to meet his eyes again.

"Perfect," Max finished his sentence. "Thanks, bro."

"Whatever," Alvin huffed out though he felt—different now. As if everything he feared off left his mind. He felt—free.

"Are we together now? For reals?" Max asked as Alvin looked through Max's eyes, searching for the answer.

"I—I guess," Alvin said.

"Really?" Max taunted. Alvin knew that he wanted to hear the words from his own mouth. So, he took in a deep breath. He guessed he really wanted this. He wanted to be with Max this way. It felt so right all of a sudden and the silence between them had him craving for the snowboarder even more now.

"Yes, Max," Alvin said as he gave the snowboarder a smile despite his rosy cheeks. "We're dating."

Max laughed heartily and happily at the words, already glowing bright. Alvin hadn't really noticed that. But now that he did, Alvin felt like he was stuck again in this bright world of colours that Max had painted. "I really do like you," Alvin finally said, blurting out the words. But he—didn't regret them. Max just seemed to glow brighter at that.

"I really like you too," Max said. "I really do and I—I'll be good to you."

Alvin didn't know how to respond to that as he looked at his hand which was still on Max's shoulder. He slowly curled the fingers around the shirt and tugged it under his fingertips. He felt—happy. Something warm finally took over him and all the anxiety left him. "Me too," Alvin said and Max laughed once more.

Nudging his chin one more time, Alvin looked at Max. Then, the snowboarder leaned in and gently blew against his lips, causing Alvin to close his eyes. "One more time?"

Alvin didn't have time to respond to that as Max's lips descended on his. This time, his mind went completely blank and for the first time in his life—he liked it.

Yeah, okay. He could do this.

Alvin kissed him back once more, even though he was still inexperienced. He would learn along the way he presumed as the shirt was bawled under his fingers and the other hand intertwined tight with Max's fingers. Yeah, he would get used to this.

He really liked Max and he knew now, Max liked him back.

Max was smiling into the kiss as Alvin hummed out, accidentally speaking out what was on his mind.

"Dude," Max finally broke the kiss as he huffed out. "Stop thinking."

Alvin snapped his eyes wide and stared at the snowboarder. "W—what? I wasn't—"

"Too much talking."

Then, he kissed Alvin again. This time, he really couldn't think.

Max, you idiot, Alvin scolded gently in his mind as his eyes closed again once more and the world was turning blank behind him. I like you too.

Epilogue

3 Months Later…

"Max," Alvin sighed as he grabbed the X-ray sunglasses from his grip. "I told you, this aren't—"

"But they're so cool!" Max exclaimed as he stood next to Alvin and looked down at what he was working with. "When can I try them on, man?"

"Max!" Alvin said irritated as he ripped off the goggles from his eyes. He placed his things on the table and glared at the snowboarder from the corner of his eyes. "I am trying to work."

Max simply pouted as he ran his fingers through his shaggy hair. "Come on, Shred. You've been at this for half a day! When will it be 'our' time?"

"Max," Alvin hissed out, his cheeks reddening at the implications. Even if it had been three months since then, Alvin still felt fairly new to all of this. Max was just too blunt for his own taste. The snowboarder simply sighed as Alvin looked back at his table and started recalculating everything.

After a few minutes of silence, Alvin finally got back into his zone, forgetting that Max was ever there. Just as he was about to tweak the wire, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and clutched him against Max's chest tight. Alvin immediately tried to struggle out from the grip, only to realise it was futile at the end.

"Max! What are you doing?" Alvin demanded as he adjusted his glasses and tried to keep his blush in check. His heart was thundering against his chest and his mind was growing blank. Max simply sighed and laid his head on Alvin's right shoulder.

"Continue on, man," Max said. "I'll just hold you like this."

"Max," Alvin threatened.

"Shred," he said back. Though, Alvin didn't really have venom in his tone or actions as he tried to struggle away once more. "Come on, Shred. Please?"

Finally, Alvin gave up and sighed. Fine, whatever, Alvin muttered in his mind as he licked his lips and went back to his work. However, it was pointless trying to focus on his work when he had Max breathing down his neck—literally. The warmth against his back was also comfortable and he suddenly found himself much less interested in his work. He finally slammed his things on the desk and turned around in Max's arms.

"Hey," Max said with a grin when he realised the young scientist wasn't going to work anymore.

"What do you want, Max?" Alvin asked as he crossed his arms against his chest.

Max simply shrugged. "You."

Alvin's mind froze at the words before he sputtered out unintelligible words as a response. "What? Max—you can't just—"

Max simply grinned wide before he took a step forward and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist tighter, dragging him close to the snowboarder until they were flushed at every angle. His face was now inches away from Alvin's and the young scientist knew what he was trying to do. He didn't protest though because secretly, he had begun to enjoy kissing Max. He got better along the way and somehow, it was relaxing to kiss him.

Max didn't have to ask as Alvin rolled his eyes behind his glasses. Max's right hand left his waist before he reached the glasses. "I don't think we need this," he said as he took them away from Alvin's face and placed it on the table behind them. The youngest Ackerman wanted to protest when the clear image of Max's face became blurry. "Just relax. I'm here."

"I am relax, Max," he responded dryly. "I don't see why my glasses—"

"I want to really feel your lips without poking my eyes," Max chuckled out. Alvin simply rolled his eyes once more at the stupidity of the logic even though he didn't get his glasses back. He gingerly placed his hands on Max's shoulders and sighed.

"Whatever," Alvin said but Max was already grinning. Before long, Max had finally leaned down and kissed him, his lips this time was much deeper on his own lips and Alvin shivered slightly at the intensity of it all.

Even after three months, he never got used to this.

He could hear Max's feelings behind his actions and Alvin kissed him back, closing his eyes tight. He tried to convey his feelings, reciprocating them along the way as he could.

I like you was what Max was trying to say. There was a time when Max actually said he adored him. I adore you.

Alvin felt his mind going blank as he poured out his own feelings into the mess.

I like you too.

It wasn't so bad being with the snowboarder, he assumed. He was right at giving this a chance.

As they broke apart breathing in air, Max chuckled under his breath. "You're real cute, Shred."

His cheeks reddened at the compliment as he opened his eyes and tried to adjust to the blurry images. Licking his lips, Alvin retorted, "I'm not."

"You are," Max said as he squeezed the smaller boy's waist. "You're my cutie though."

Alvin didn't know how to respond to that as well. He realised soon that Max was definitely a sweet talker. He knew how to sweet talk into making Alvin blush more than enough times a day and this was one of it. He simply looked away from Max and felt his face and ears turning red.

"See?"

"Max," he warned. "Stop it."

"What?" Max asked almost innocently.

"Give me back my glasses, I have work to do," Alvin said as Max remained quiet for a second before he dragged Alvin close to him once more.

"Nah, I want to kiss you some more," Max said with a playful tone.

"Max!"

"Come on, Shred," Max said as he leaned in once more. Alvin's hands on Max's shoulder however tried to push him away. "Shred."

"Max—"

But the lips were on him again, kissing him deep. One of the hands on his waist travelled to the back of the young scientist's head and held him there as Max continued to kiss him. The young scientist simply closed his eyes and kissed him back, the pushing he did turned into pulling as he tried to get close to Max.

Well, he guessed his inventions could wait.

As he gingerly took his right hand off from Max's shoulder to touch his hair, Alvin thought this wasn't a bad way to spend the rest of the day. He ran his fingers through the soft hair and almost hummed at the feeling of his hair under his fingertips.

Yeah, Alvin thought as he realised that this started all because of an experiment. It was worth it.

For what it was worth, Alvin felt like he did a good decision on accepting to conduct the experiment. He never thought that this day was ever going to cross their paths but here they were.

And Alvin, he wasn't scared anymore. No, he wasn't. He was—glad.

He was—happy.

And from the way Max was glowing these days, he could confidently say Max was happy too. The gentle squeeze on his waist confirmed his thoughts and it acted as a warning, to ask him to stop thinking. Alvin simply decided to obey that thought.

For now, he liked thinking nothing but feeling Max's lips on his.

Yes, he could do that.

The End

A/N: Well, the end indeed! It was fun writing this pairing~ Though there were many times I found myself blanking. Ohwells, I hope I did well for this chapter. I hope it didn't sound too rushed and I hope you guys liked it! I'm sorry once again for the late update! But yeah. Ahahaha, thank you all for supporting me this far, for encouraging me to write, for all the favs, follows, reviews and reads! I love you all~! Okay then, well, that's all and until next time! -Krystal