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C H R I S T M A S S P E C I A L II
THE STREETS WERE FILLED with people even though it was already 10 PM. After all, the night is still young, especially on Christmas eve. Everyone was having dinner with their family, while some were simply enjoying the night with their loved ones.
Max on the other hand was doing the opposite. Instead of feeling the Christmas spirit, he thought that his heart was going to pop any second, and this was because of a stupid decision he made just moments ago.
"Do you perhaps want to spend Christmas Eve at my place?" Max recalls him asking, almost making him hit his head on the steering wheel.
"What the heck is happening to me? I'm more nervous about this than the time I was asked to attend a meeting with world leaders." Max thought to himself before glancing at Gavriil who was quietly sitting beside him, minding his own business.
Max tries to calm himself down. This shouldn't be a big deal. It was just two friends hanging out like last time...
"Last time," Max whispers, and the image of him almost pressing his lips on Gavriil on their last friendly dinner instantly made him grunt in frustration.
"Are you okay?" Gavriil suddenly asks, unnecessarily making Max flinch. Max then looks back at Gavriil who was now staring at him with a confused expression.
"Leigh?" Gavriil calls out again, and Max finally takes a deep breath and calms himself down.
"I must have been making you feel uncomfortable. I'm just feeling a bit off right now since I drank a little with Marcus, but don't worry, I'm fine. It might not look like it, but I'm glad to be with you tonight."
Gavriil was caught off guard by what Max just said. He wasn't expecting him to say that, so he just nodded his head and shyly looked away, staring at the scenery in front of him like he wasn't bothered by this at all.
"You're not the only one who's nervous you know?" Gavriil suddenly asks, and that statement alone finally made Max lose all reason.
...
"Make yourself at home," Max says as he walks inside his house first, Gavriil following right behind him.
"It's been a while since I've been here," Gavriil says as he removes his coat and hat.
"Oh, that's right. Other than the time we went out to dinner, you probably visited when you were younger too, right?" Max asks back, and Gavriil nods his head as an answer.
"Let's go to the kitchen and look for something to eat. You must be hungry," Max then says, and the two walked their way to the kitchen.
"There really isn't anyone here huh?" Gavriil asks while walking. But even though no one was home, the mansion was still filled with Chirstmas decorations.
"Yeah, all the employees working here are all back at their families. Father insisted that we should at least have guards here, but I told him that it's going to be fine, especially since our house is hidden anyway," Max explains, and Gavriil just nodded his head in understanding.
When the two of them finally arrived at the kitchen, Max removes his coat and scarf before gesturing at the table so Gavriil could take a seat while he scavenges for food. The fridge was thankfully filled with dozens of frozen food that were all labeled.
"Chef Randy outdid himself," Max comments.
"Are you going to cook for me?" Gavriil then asks, making Max chuckle.
"As much as I would love to, I can't. I'm just going to microwave your food, if that's alright with you," Max says as he pulls a container out from the fridge. "Is beef bourguignon okay with you?" He then asks.
"That would be lovely, thank you."
Max nods his head and walks towards the microwave to defrost the meal. While waiting, Max decides to make mashed potatoes from scratch, so he takes a few potatoes from their cold storage and starts peeling them.
"You can cook?" Gavriil asks while waiting, and Max just shakes his head and says, "Honestly no, but I learned to peel potatoes thanks to Cj. This was during our suspension. I also learned a lot when we were helping at the kitchen so I'm able to at least cook something as simple as mashed potatoes now."
"You're still peeling it wrong though," Gavriil teases, making Max feel embarrassed.
"W-Well I didn't say I was good at it now did I?" Max immediately defends, which made Gavriil laugh. He then stood up from his seat, removed his gloves, and then washed his hand before grabbing a peeler to help Max.
"You don't have to. You're my guest after all," Max insists, but the vice president ignores him and takes a potato instead so he could start peeling one too.
"I cook for myself so I'm a bit of an expert," Gavriil says so Max wouldn't be too bothered by it.
Max thankfully doesn't say anything anymore, and the two start peeling the potatoes.
"My mom used to cook all the time," Max shares, making Gavriil look back at him. "She always told me that before you scold anyone for not doing their job right, you should be able to do the work yourself first. She was the perfect chairman, but I never got the chance to learn anything from her. Now look at me, I can't even peel potatoes right."
"Come on, not being able to peel potatoes doesn't make you less of a man," Gavriil manages to joke to lighten up the mood, which thankfully worked since Max ended up smiling because of it.
"I'm being serious here you know," Max says, and Gavriil laughed and continued peeling again.
"I'm sorry, please do continue."
Max playfully nudges Gavriil in irritation, but he continues anyway. "I don't remember much about my mother, but every time I do remember her, it's mostly the times when she was still in her prime. She was the perfect trophy wife in my memory. It only got tainted from all the stories I heard from other people."
"I would agree with you, but compared to her or your father, Mr. Denzel was always the friendlier one," Gavriil reveals, instantly making Max laugh out loud.
"Are you serious? The old man? The friendlier one? That father?" Max asks in disbelief. "I don't even remember seeing him laugh or..." Max suddenly stops talking when he realized something. All his memories of his father were the opposite of his mother's. Towards him, he was always filled with anger and hatred, but recently, he's been more understanding. Is this because his memories are slowly coming back?
"Leigh?" Gavriil calls out when he noticed that Max suddenly dazed off.
Max blinks and looks back at Gavriil. "I-It's nothing. Let's finish this so we could start cooking," he says instead, and Gavriil just nods his head and did what he was told. After a while, the two finished cooking, and Gavriil started eating the simple dinner that Max was able to prepare for him. It wasn't much, but Gavriil enjoyed it till the last bite.
"This was the best meal I ever tasted," Gavriil says as he was now washing the dishes that he insisted to wash after fighting over it with Max earlier.
"Even better than the fast food that we had last time?" Max jokingly asks as he approaches him.
"Even better."
Max laughs and leans on the counter while looking at Gavriil with a smile on his face. When Gavriil was finished, he wipes his hands and looks back at Max. "What shall we do now?" he asks him.
Max thinks about it for a while, and when he finally had an idea of what they could do to kill time, he runs to one of the cupboards and takes a glass of wine that was hidden behind the spices. "Looks like Étienne still hasn't changed his hiding spot," Max says before showing it to Gavriil. "My father locked the cellar before he left so let's just have this."
"I thought you already drank one with your brother?" Gavriil asks with his right eyebrow raised, but Max just shrugs it off as he hands Gavriil the bottle so he could grab two wine glasses.
"Let's go," Max says as he heads out of the kitchen, Gavriil immediately following behind him.
"Where are you taking me this time?" Gavriil asks next, but Max doesn't say anything and just leads him up the stairs. When they reached a room, Max heads inside first. Gavriil still didn't know where Max was taking him, but when he saw the inside of the room, he immediately stopped.
"This is your bedroom," Gavriil points out, making Max chuckle.
"I can see that," Max casually says before sitting on his bed and putting the wine glass on the side table.
"May I...come in?" Gavriil then asks, making Max laugh this time.
"Yes, of course. Please come in."
Gavriil clears his throat and heads inside the room before closing the door behind him. He then walks towards Max and places the wine bottle on the side table as well. Max moves in the middle of the bed and sits with his legs crossed. He then pats the space in front of him, so Gavriil didn't complain and did what he was told so the two of them could face each other.
"This feels like a slumber party," Gavriil comments as Max takes their glass to pour wine in them.
"I wouldn't know. I haven't had one before," Max then says, making his childhood friend nod his head because he hasn't experienced something like that too.
Max hands Gavriil his wine, and the two clink their glass together before taking a sip.
"I'm sorry if your visit is a bit boring. I'm not used to having a guest. I didn't really have any friends to hang out with here," Max honestly says.
"Well, then I'm honored to be the first one."
Max smiles and puts his wine glass back on the table. "By the way, I wasn't able to ask earlier but...do you celebrate Christmas alone? Don't you head back to your home country to visit your family?"
Gavriil, who was expecting to hear such a question, takes another sip of his wine before answering, "Even if I go back home, nothing will change. As their only son, I want to make them proud, but I just—" Gavriil stops midway. It was obvious that he couldn't continue any longer.
"You don't have to answer," Max assures him, and Gavriil nods his head and puts his wine glass aside too.
"You know, I don't like staying at home during Christmas Eve. I get reminded of the times when my mother and I would wait in the dining room for hours. The food in front of us slowly getting colder, but still, he never came. Christmas has left nothing but bitter memories," Max confesses. He didn't know why he told Gavriil about it; it's probably because he wanted to make him feel better, or because he just felt comfortable with him.
"Then I hope I could be able to change that," Gavriil tells him.
"I'm looking forward to it."
The two didn't say anything anymore as the room slowly gets consumed by their silence. Max wanted to say something, but when he saw that Gavriil was staring at him with such an intense gaze, he immediately looked down. But as he looked down, he noticed the bruises that were actually on Gavriil's finger.
"What happened to you?" Max asks with a panicked voice, grabbing Gavriil's hand and checking it. "You were wearing gloves earlier so I didn't notice. Did you get hurt?"
Gavriil wasn't answering the question, so Max looks back at him with a worried expression, but when Max saw the sad look on Gavriil's face, Max slowly lets go of him.
"Gav?" He calls out.
Gavriil takes a deep breath and looks down at his own hands. Without looking at Max, he says, "Leigh, if by any chance, I'm not the person that you think I am, will you run away?"
The question was out of the blue that Max couldn't process it in an instant, but though he was unsure, Max could tell that it was a very serious question that Gavriil desperately needed an answer to.
"Why? Are you someone that will end up hurting me?" Max genuinely asks, making Gavriil lift his head to look back at him.
"Never..." He answers, almost like a whisper.
Max doesn't say anything and grabs hold of Gavriil's bruised hand again. Gavriil didn't know what Max was doing, but then Max lifts his hand close to his lips and suddenly kisses it. The contact instantly made Gavriil gulp.
"Then I won't run away," he then answers, his face red.
Gavriil almost sighed in relief, but then he reaches out to touch Max's right cheek before asking another question. "And if I do end up hurting you?" he asks.
Max stares deeply at Gavriil's eyes. With no hint of hesitation, he answers, "Then I'll have to kill you, and you of all people should know that this isn't just a threat but a promise, and I know you're not foolish enough to betray me...Gavriil." Max says, and at that moment, Gavriil didn't feel any fear; he felt complete admiration. This was a man he was willing to serve and follow, and being in his presence brought chills down his spine.
"What should I do?" Gavriil suddenly asks. "Even after twelve years..." As his hand continues to hold onto Max's soft cheek, Gavriil finally says, "My feelings for you have not changed."
Max's heart explodes in an instant after hearing such a simple phrase. But despite all that, he couldn't say a single thing.
"Is it alright if we continue what we left off last time?" Gavriil then asks him, making Max's chest beat even faster.
Max was moments away from nodding his head, but he immediately snaps back to his senses. Reality falls on him as he pushes Gavriil's hand away. "We can't," he answers, surprising the boy sitting in front of him.
"We...can't?"
Max gulps and stands from the bed, walking towards the window to his balcony. "I...I don't remember Gav. I don't remember the feelings I had for you. You say twelve years yet I—" Max bites his lower lip, trying his best not to shed a tear because of complete frustration.
He doesn't understand where all these emotions are coming from. It's probably because of the wine he's been drinking since earlier, or because of Gavriil, but one thing is for certain, Max didn't like what he was feeling.
"Leigh, you don't have to feel responsible about answering my feelings. It's not the reason why I told you about them," Gavriil says as he stands from the bed to approach Max.
But just before he could take a step closer, Max immediately faces him and asks, "You say that your feelings for me haven't changed. Then are you in love with the me now or the me that you've known when we were younger?"
Gavriil was confused by the question, but he was certain of an answer. "I am in love with you. The you before, the you now, and the you that will grow in the future. You don't have to remember the feelings you had for me in the past, but if you are so uncertain then let me ask you—"
Gavriil pauses and takes a step closer to Max. When he was finally just inches away from him, Gavriil stares at Max's eyes and seriously asks him, "The me now...are you in love with him too?"
The question made Max clench his fist in frustration; frustrated by the fact that he knew the answer to that question the moment he heard it.
"What should I do? I'm so broken Gav. I'm so fucking scared," Max answers instead, a tear now falling from his eyes. These were emotions that Max has kept inside for a long time. These were feelings that he was too afraid to show because he had to act tough, and it was a facade that Gavriil was too familiar with.
"Then let me stay beside you. Let me be of use to you. I'll help you put back the broken pieces, little by little, until you're tired of me," Gavriil tells him as he wipes Max's tears away.
"I've said this to you before and you answered me as if you remembered every last word," Gavriil then says. Max didn't know what he was talking about, but when Gavriil said the words, he instantly knew what he meant.
"Take my hand and don't let go..."
When Max heard it, more tears instantly fall from his eyes as he whispers back, "And I'll walk with you forever."
Gavriil grabs Max and hugs him tightly as Max buried his face on his chest, his familiar scent comforting him in an instant. When they pulled away from each other, Gavriil looks down at him and teases, "Such a crybaby..."
Max rolls his eyes in annoyance, but then, at the right moment, he grabs Gavriil and pulls him close, pressing his lips on his as if this was the only time he'll be able to do it.
Gavriil was surprised for only a second, but he eventually relaxes and kisses Max back. It was an innocent kiss, a kiss not meant to feed one's pleasure and desire, nor to overpower the other. It was a kiss that spoke thousands of unspoken words, and it was beautiful.
When the two finally pulled away from each other, Max immediately hides his face in Gavriil's chest again.
"What happened to we can't?" Gavriil teases as he starts brushing Max's hair with his fingers.
"Only when we're alone," Max answers, his voice muffled.
Gavriil chuckles and nods his head in understanding. "Alright. Only when we're alone."
The two continue embracing each other, enjoying each other's company. But just in time, Gavriil's watch suddenly starts beeping. Gavriil looks at it and sees that it was already midnight. "I've already said it earlier but...Merry Christmas, Leigh," he greets, and Max looks up to face him again.
"Is that something you say right after a kiss?" Max asks, and Gavriil just laughed and hugged him again.
"Merry Christmas," Max greets back eventually, and Gavriil smiles and kisses Max on the forehead this time. Snow continues to fall outside the window. There might not be a mistletoe above them, but for the two, it was perfect regardless.
- END -
And this was the very late Christmas special! I hope you guys enjoyed these very short moments that aren't always so heavy. After a hundred chapters, you sometimes just want to feel good inside, you know?
Anyway, winter break is finally over for Max and a new school term awaits. New characters, new brotherhoods, and new thrills are coming your way so I hope you guys are ready! Thank you!