A strange lull followed. Max wanted to speak, to tell his father what Kyle meant to him. But Blake was a little irritating when it came to who Max was with, especially seeing as he'd never bothered to hide his disapproval of Luke.
Max could feel Kyle's eyes following him, watching him. Those bottomless brown eyes that were as inviting as clear shallow pools. Flecks of gold swam in and out of existence in those eyes. His golden-eyed wolf.
Blake sighed with a slight smile curling on his lips. "I know you two are together."
That made Max pause.
"I got here when you two were sleeping." Blake shrugged. "I'd planned on jumping you, but that probably wouldn't have gone down well with Kyle. With us being strangers and all."
Max grunted. "Well thank fuck." That earned a thwop up the backside of his head.
Kyle sniggered.
Blake switched to Portuguese. "What is he?"
"He's a wolf, no need for secrecy." Max assured.
"Ah, Thiago, lindinho," Blake whined, throwing his around Max, who refused to blush at the pet name. Sure, Kyle didn't know what it meant, but Max sure did.
"Thiago?" Kyle asked.
Blake snorted, ruffling Max's hair. "This one didn't tell you?"
Kyle shook his head.
"It's his first name." Blake answered. "Thiago Maximiliano Waters. His mother named him, but Max is what he's gone by ever since we moved to England when he was just little."
Max groaned.
"So how did Max end up in New York?"
"Just end my suffering." Max hissed.
Blake continued on as if he'd not said anything. "Well, we moved when Max was fifteen - to California, mind you. Max ended up with Luke," heavy amounts of distaste dripped from Blake's tone, "and then they moved to New York together when they were nineteen."
Yeah. Max had always known that his dad didn't much care for Luke. Didn't matter now though. All that mattered now was Blake's opinion of Kyle. Not that it would change anything, apart from how often Blake would be coming to visit.
Kyle nodded. "I can't say I'm fond of Luke, but without him Max wouldn't be here. So I'm a little grateful." He grunted. "Don't get me wrong, if he comes around here, blood will be spilt."
Max couldn't help the delighted shiver than Kyle's dark tone provoked. But Max wasn't going to mention that. To anyone.
Blake was silent for a moment. And pounced right back on top of Max. "Lindinho, I like this one! I hope you stay together for a long time."
"How bout forever." Max muttered.
That made Blake pause. "Forever? But you're a jaguar filho."
"Yeah," Max shrugged. "But I'm also half lion. So I think the lion part of me wanted something permanent. Anyway," he continued, taking Kyle's hand in his, "he's a wolf shifter. They mate for life apparently. I couldn't leave him if I wanted to."
Kyle growled quietly. "Don't make it sound bad. You could leave. But you'd hurt us both."
Blake snorted. "As long as you occasionally remember to give him his space, Max will be fine."
Those bottomless eyes met Max's own, both remembering the week that Kyle had assumed Max needed space. And if Kyle were anyone else, he would've been right. But he wasn't. And Max was already rejecting the idea of that ever happening again.
Nobody mentioned that to Blake, though.
"How long are you here?" Max asked instead.
Releasing his son, Blake got to his feet. "Only a couple of days. I'm meeting your sisters in Canada after this. Tea?" Max nodded.
Kyle didn't even need to ask the question out loud before Max was answering.
"I have four half-sisters." He said, watching as his father put on the kettle. "Three half-brothers, two step-moms and a step-dad. On my dad's side, that is." He added.
"Tea, Kyle?" Blake offered.
"Coffee, please." Kyle responded. "And your mom's side?"
"A half-brother and sister - twins." It was safe to say that Max had more than a few relatives.
It was mostly due to his father's polygamy, but thankfully lion shifters mated permanently, and Max wasn't likely to gain - or lose - step-parents at this point.
Growing up, it had been a little difficult. Blake split up with his mom soon after moving to England, and his half siblings arrived soon after. Being a jaguar shifter, Max had never really enjoyed being part of a pride of lions, but that just meant he'd quickly learned how to disappear without them noticing.
Not that it was a bad childhood. Having five parents instead of two meant he had a huge support system, and he'd always enjoyed his status as the oldest brother.
He was just too introverted to hang around all of them at once.
And with remembering all that, Max had to wonder how he'd make being part of a pack work. Kyle was a pack animal. Max was not. Sure, he could just sneak off every once in a while, but that time away from Kyle would be difficult. Probably. At this point it was just a theory. And, on hearing Kyle talk to his dad like they already knew each, Max wanted nothing more than to do his best work it out. To make his difficulties with big groups easier on Kyle.
"Why Canada?" Max asked. "There's nothing to do there in summer."
"Ah, well Kayla wants to explore Ontario, Hannah and Thea want the chance to spend my money, and Farrah is just along for the journey." Blake explained.
The 'a' endings weren't lost on Max... or Kyle, going by the amused expression he wore.
"Derrick might join us, but it really depends on if he can get away from work - Derrick is one of my mates," he tacked on for Kyle's benefit.
"Big family," Kyle chuckled.
Max groaned. "Yep."
"I feel you, Kitten." Kyle grinned. "I have my own share of uncles and cousins who live in close proximity. You'll most likely meet them at some point."
Silently, Max prayed that if he had to meet them, it would be one by one. If it was in a setting like festival at the beginning of June, there would be no choice but to run and hope he could escape the wolves that would come after him.
"Sure." Max managed.
Both Kyle and Blake laughed at his reluctance, but Max was mostly just glad that Kyle didn't seem offended by it. That he accepted that Max was a (mostly) solitary creature and the idea of large groups didn't appeal to him. And so he offered Kyle a small, weak smile to show his appreciation.
"So," Blake jumped in on the quiet moment, "got anything interesting in this town?"
Kyle cocked his head, thinking. "Not too interesting. In the next town over, there's a cinema, or paintballing. But if you really want to stay in Evergree' -" Max still wasn't sure if there an 'n' on the end of Evergree "- we could always go hang out at the lake. It's nice this time of year."
"How's your PTSD?" Blake asked.
"Paintballing is a no." Max answered. "And so are the majority of action movies."
"PTSD?" Kyle prompted.
Ah. Right. Max had yet to explain to Kyle about his inability to deal with fireworks or... most other mildly threatening situations.
"I'm a marine." Max shrugged, trying his best to play it off as if were nothing. "We get PTSD."
Kyle's eyes widened. "So... fighting the rouges?"
The mention of fighting had Blake's head whipping up to stare at Max.
"I urm..." Max's face flushed with shame. "I got a little dizzy. Almost fell out of a tree."
"But you were amazing." Kyle sounded more than a little confused.
With nod, Max stared at the table. "I always am. But it was just a little dizzy spell. I'm fine. No flash backs."
Blake growled. "Reckless child. You've only been back for six months and you're already putting yourself back in harms way. What happens if you start getting flashbacks, huh? Panic attacks? You're lethal, Thiago." He huffed angrily. "You'd not only hurt yourself, you could hurt the people around you."
And with that angry tirade over, Blake stood without warning to stride out of the house and pace the back garden.
Max's forehead dropped to coffee table. "Fuuuuuuck."