android!Max and driver!Daniel my (vaguely) beloved:
“She’s helping me,” Max answers petting the Alexa on the countertop. Daniel can’t help but grin at him in bemusement.
“It’s nice to see cousins getting along.”
Max scrunches his nose up at him, huffing in amusement as he turns back to the pan. “I could see you struggling to come up with that joke.”
“Hey, give me a break. It’s still early.”
Max hums. Daniel watches him lift the scrambled eggs from the pan and slide them onto the plate—his plate, he realizes all at once. He’s making breakfast for him—everything looks perfectly cooked. "Are you all charged up again?”
Max turns back to him, dropping the pan into the sink and wiping his hand across the dish towel before hooking it back over the oven door, grinning.
“All charged up and ready to go!” Max does a little shadow-box, like Daniel does sometimes to warm up before a race. He lands little hits to his arm and chest, laughing. Daniel thinks for a minute how much he loves the sound of it. Then, suddenly—
Max drops his hands, stepping closer into Daniel’s space, not laughing anymore but his eyes are still crinkling. “Why did you do that last night?”
He watches as Max’s eyes turn a little apprehensive, they go a little hazy, like when he’s trying to calculate the best course of action. He tilts his head to one side, regarding him curiously.
“That thing—that thing you did. I don’t know the word. Before I switched off you did—you went like this—“ Daniel stands stock-still as Max reaches up with both hands to cup his jaw and bring his face down closer. It feels like all the air’s push out of his lungs as Max leans forward and presses his lips against the center of Daniel’s forehead.
It’s brief. Just a peck. But Daniel stands there dumbstruck for an embarrassingly long time. Max pulls back, taking him in with wary eyes, “what is it? Did I do it wrong?”
“No, it’s—“ Daniel pulls back, Max’s hands are still for a moment, just floating in the air holding onto nothing, before he drops them back down too. Daniel tries to clear his throat, heart hammering in his chest; loud enough that Max has to hear it.
"It’s not—You did it right. And that’s what I did. I just—it’s a kiss.” Daniel watches as Max’s eyes spark, his little robot brain squirreling away the new word. Categorizing. Committing it to memory. “I gave you a kiss.”
Max rocks forward a little, bouncing up on the balls of his feet and back down. His eyes are so big, and so bright. “Where is it?”
“You gave it to me, but where is it now?” Max blinks up at him, trying to understand. His eyes dart over Daniel shoulder to the bedroom door.
Daniel can’t help the fondness that blooms in his chest. He huffs out a laugh, trying to be normal about this. “No, you don’t get to keep it—“
“—Oh.” Max looks down at his feet quickly. He sounds disappointed.
“Just— I’ll show you again after breakfast okay? Just lemme eat first.” Daniel bargains, sliding past him to the plate of cooling eggs.
“Okay,” Max nods, smiling brightly again. He follows Daniel to the table and sits down with him, about to just— watch him eat apparently.
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