You Plus Me Equals - Chapter 21

Because as it turned out Max had been right. It was so much fun. Leo was learning Max made him a braver sort of person. He was becoming more willing to get out of the bubble he had created around himself.

He found that not only did he really like Max, he really loved who he became when he was with Max. He loved the freedom to let go that Max provided him.

And he slowly felt the strings that had tied him into his tiny corner loosening. He knew the more time he spent with Max the more they would slip down, until they finally were so loose they fell off. Then he could open up and just stop worrying what others thought.

‘What people thought about his personality, about his likes and dislikes… Or what they thought about who he chose to love.’ Because really none of that mattered. It mattered what he felt. And he felt like this was right.

He glanced at Max from under his eyelashes and smiled.

Max had pulled them here into the prize carts and stalls with various foods, games, and booths. He had brought him into the area about ten minutes ago for a ring tossing game. He held onto the small bear Max had won almost immediately for him. Before he had run back promising to get something bigger.

‘Honestly, he was already so happy with this one. It was more than enough.’ But Max looked like he was having fun. So he stood back and watched as Max smiled and tossed away.

“YES!” Max cried out happily. Leo cheered.

“Yeah! Good job Max.”

The worker grabbed the bigger toy and handed it to Max with a smile. Max walked over and grinned before holding out this giant fluffy puppy toy.

Leo flushed, but took it with a nod. “Thanks, Max.”

“You, look so pretty in pink, Leo”

Leo looked down at what he was wearing. ‘He was pretty sure he hadn’t put on any pink today, he really hadn’t?’ He looked at the stuffed animals. The white bear had a blue bow and the puppy was brown, ‘So where was the pink?’

“But, Max”

“Yes?” Max said, he was standing so close Leo could feel his warm breath on his cool skin

“I’m not wearing any pink though?” Leo said, confused, he looked up at Max shyly from through his lashes Max was so close now that he could kiss him if he only moved his mouth an inch or two forward.

“Sure, your cheeks look so pretty in that shade, I want to see it all the time,” Max whispered into his ear, his warm breath causing shivers to jump down Leo’s entire body, large goose bumps formed everywhere as his breath tickled his earlobe.

“Max!!” Leo said, shocked. The flush spread throughout his body and Max watched it spread with rabid satisfaction. Max smiled happily at Leo’s reaction.

“Oh, see now, you are pretty everywhere,” Max said and peeked down the little opening in Leo’s shirt. Leo looked down too, and saw that the redness went all the way down his chest.

Max stepped back a huge mischievous grin on his face. He walked backwards towards the stand his hands folded behind his back.

‘Max was a snack. And one he was decidedly becoming mesmerized with.’

“Leo if I win you one more stuffy will you grant me one wish. Any wish?” Max asked happily.

Leo smiled and thought about it. “If it’s something I can do for Max… Okay.”

“But you have to win the big one. The hard one, the one from up there.” Leo pointed at the Humongous white polar bear that rested at the very top. The one that was almost unattainable.

Max rolled up the sleeves of his light blue sweater and pulled up his dark navy jeans.

“Just wait, Leo, It’s gonna be yours.” He said confidently. Then turned and handed the workers, some money.

An hour later Leo had two more bears, a cat, and a dinosaur toy, but still no giant polar bear. The light was almost gone and the sun was setting.

Leo was worried that Max would catch a cold if he stayed there.

Actually, he was worried Max would play all night.

But Max had clearly figured something out recently because now every time he threw the ring he won something. He had won some bracelets, a few pieces of candy which Leo had given away. But now the game workers were watching him nervously. And Leo felt even more nervous than they did.

He couldn’t shake this feeling like whatever Max had figured out wasn’t making the workers very happy.

One of the workers looked at Max after he won another dinosaur. “Your boyfriend looks like he is tired and maybe a little cold. You should go inside now, it looks like his arms are full anyway.”

Leo stifled a laugh. Max was looking super adorable.

The worker eyed Max suspiciously, but the girl worker beside him handed him a ring shyly and pat the guy’s arm.

“Fine one more try.”

“You have been trying for an hour for that polar bear and have been playing for two. It’s not like one more try will make a difference.” He handed Max one more ring and then walked away, a smug look on his face. The girl just shook her head and gave Leo a small wave and winked.

Max turned around and smiled, then walked over.

“Do you believe I am lucky enough?” Max asked him seriously. A twinkle in his eye. He winked at Leo.

“Yes, I believe you are very lucky,” Leo said with a smile.

Max chuckled lightly, then turned back and jogged over to the stand. He leaned forward and Leo held his breath…

The ring flew through the air and landed with a hard clunk, it spun around the bottleneck with force and fell down heavily. The bottle, rocked back and forth with the force and then slowly became unbalanced. It fell forward causing all the bottles around him to fall exactly like a domino effect, and once the loud banging of the bottles had fallen Leo came over to look. The ring sat precariously leaning on the different colored bottle that was worth the most points.

‘Max had won the bear for him!’ Leo smiled. Max turned to look at him with a huge grin on his face.

“YES!”

“See!… I told you I only needed one more.” Said ecstatically.

Leo turned to look at the worker and his smile dropped off his face. The big man was back, but the girl was gone. It didn’t look like they were going to be saved now.

“Max,”

“Uh,”

“Max.” He tugged lightly on Max’s sleeve. And glanced back repeatedly at the worker who had no come close to them, his arms folded angrily his face about to burst.

Max turned around and stared at the bigger guy.

“YOU ROTTEN LITTLE SHITS! YOU CHEATED!!!” The big guy yelled.