Moving Forward

Mates and Marines (28)

They wouldn't be taking any action tonight, or even tomorrow. Making a move now would simply be rash, and so with nothing else to do, Max took the time reaffirm his bonds. It was a common cat thing, he knew, to demand attention and then disappear, but it was too ingrained into his personality to change at this point.

So here he was with his Marines, playing poker in a living room they'd somehow claimed as their base of operations. Max knew that if he looked through any of the adjoining rooms, he'd find bunk beds, military packs, and a bathroom or two. He wouldn't sleep with his team, not when his mate was around, but he also knew that if he wanted to, the bunk above Duke's would be free.

Lola's black straight fringe obscured her blue eyes, but Max could feel them watching him, just as he could see Manny's pale green ones following him, her dark blonde hair right up in a severe ponytail. Bates and Dime sat themselves off to the side, not playing for different reasons. Bates would slaughter the group if he was allowed to join, and Dime was far too easy to bait, but got pissy when he lost. Duke, a good three inches taller than Max with a shit-eating grin and eyes sharp enough to pin an ant, was currently in the lead, but Max was sure the guy was counting cards. Prick.

"So," Parish started, "this Kyle River guy."

Max glanced at him, then back to his cards, poker face not moving an inch. "What about him?"

"He basically went insane when we found out you'd been nabbed." Lola giggled. Her Scottish accent gave her a deceptively cute appearance.

Manny hummed, a smile threatening to curl her lips. "He destroyed a room."

"You together?" Whitey asked, getting straight to the point.

Max nodded. "He's my mate."

"Mate?" Bates asked, his clinical curiosity kicking in.

"M-A-T-E." Max sighed, throwing down his crappy cards. "Mate."

Duke chuckled, raking in his winnings.

"So... you're fucking?" Dime's baritone input.

That was straightforward enough to force a reluctant blush to Max's face. "Do you have to say it like that?"

"Paws," Manny admonished, "you can't get shy on us now."

"Luke was perfectly happy to talk about your sex life." Duke informed him.

Ugh. Luke. Max rolled his eyes. "Yeah well, apparently Luke was a lot less private with what went on in his bed."

"I'm confused," Whitey cut in, "Mate like he's your friend, or mate like animal terms wifey?"

Max smiled and reclined in the sofa. "Mate like he's my one and only."

"Wow," Duke drawled, "you never called Luke that."

"Good thing, too." The snarl was an accident, but Max's team was used to it by now.

Bates leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his knees. "You take mates?"

It was then that the door flew open. Unfortunately, in a room full of twitchy Marines, that led to at least four guns being trained on the intruder, one on his feet, and the rest reaching for guns. Max, however, knew Kyle was coming before he'd even heard the footsteps outside the door.

And for a second, Kyle faltered, the fire that had been written on his face suddenly dampened in seeing weapons trained on him, and more ammo strewn across the table. A questioning look thrown at Max only answered in a shrug. They were Marines with very little money, what else were they supposed to wager?

"Max..." Kyle growled, "Did I just hear someone say you have another mate?"

Max knew that most of his team were looking at him with worry, but Max couldn't help it. He smiled.

"And what if you did?"

The question had the complete opposite effect of what Max had thought would happened. Life seemed to seep out of Kyle with alarming speed. His skin paled, his face dropped, and his shoulders sagged.

"Oh."

"Paws?" Duke prompted.

Max flew out of his chair to go to his mate, gently butting Kyle's chin with his head and wrapping his arms around the man with probably too much strength. "I was kidding, I was kidding. Please calm down. You're my only. You know that. You know that, I'm sorry, I was joking."

Kyle blinked, growled, and his voice darkened. "I better be."

That was what Max had been expecting in the first place. And now Max knew that he shouldn't joke like that with Kyle. Luke might've been more welcoming of it, but Kyle wasn't Luke. He was nothing like Luke. And Max wouldn't treat him as if he was.

"That was mean, Paws." Lola lilted.

Duke nodded his agreement, but Bates simply seemed to be watching with scientific interest.

Parish seemed a little dazed. "I don't think I've ever heard Paws say so much at once." Dime opened his mouth, but Parish cut in. "Missions don't count."

Dime closed his mouth.

"It's weird seeing you with a man taller than yourself." Manny noted, but Kyle responded with a slight growl. "Yeah, Yeah, grr to you, too Mr Snarly."

Max snorted.

"You're a good-looking couple, though," Lola confirmed.

Max waited, shifted on his feet. Duke sighed.

"Whatever, bro, go. You know we'll be here." Duke nodded, sending his signature shit-eating grin over his shoulder. "Leave your ammo, though."

"Watch yourself, Duke," Max snapped.

"Yes, sir," the salut was lazy, both men knowing that Max wasn't serious.

Max returned the lazy salute, left his ammo on the makeshift poker table, and led Kyle out of the room.

"Your team seems... interesting."

Max chuckled, the observation right on the mark. "Yeah, they get weirder."

As they walked, Max let Kyle do most of the talking. He'd missed his mate, and was enjoying listening to Kyle ramble about things that weren't important. About how Max's house still had cushions strewn about on the floor, and that Fin was trying to find ways out of going to school. That Carter might've found his mate in a sweet she-wolf the next town over. About change in the seasons and the new scents and colours the autumn brought with it.

Max hummed. "You seem... relaxed."

That cut Kyle off from whatever he'd been saying. "Relaxed? I mean, yeah I guess I am now. The three weeks you were gone, I was... so out of control. So angry. Nobody knew what happened to you, or where you were. Your truck was still in front of your house, and there were no signs of a struggle anywhere." He sighed, wearing the heavy exhaustion on his shoulders in a way he wouldn't have before. "I guess I was so wound up that finally seeing you brought me back to myself."

Max smiled. "You've come out of your shell."

"How do you mean?"

"No more fake smiles, you're showing your emotions. You almost keeled over with that horrible joke I gave you earlier." Max gripped Kyle's hand tight. "I wouldn't have seen that before."

Kyle nodded slowly. "No, you wouldn't." He agreed.

"And not once have you run your hand through your hair." Max chuckled.

Kyle pinched Max's side, eliciting a surprised yelp. "Oh, ticklish, Thiago?"

Max blushed. "Yeah, but I don't like it." He said. "Thiago?"

Kyle nodded, smiling as he brought Max flush to his side once again. "I like it."

"Nobody calls me Thiago except my parents. All five of them." Max muttered.

"I can stop if you want." Kyle amended. "I don't have to call you Thiago."

"S'fine." Max murmured, blushing all over again.