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Maximus is in the Quiet Room, speaking with Black Bolt, when he gets up to meander a bit, leave the man to finish his invoices. "Ugh…why did I not bring Kaleb with me tonight? Now, when I need him the most…he's probably at home." By 'need the most', of course, he means…that he doesn't have anyone to talk to.
*
Kaleb made no noise on entrance but he never did, did he? That was the thing about control he loved havong command of the world around him but moreso? It was blissfully quiet so it didn't give him a headache. He was out of his dark slate and was in something… new? OH new suit came in. Dark jade green it was with slacks and matching fitted vest and tie, and the shirt two shades lighter with that slight sheen. He was let back by someone who knew to expect him and Kaleb jsut stalled at the doorframe, not leaning on it, but feet planted shoulder width like he owned the room. The voice came from all sides lke ambient suggestion rather than being directional from him. It made him smile just a bit. «"Well he is at home. He's just not at his apartment."» Even the mighty iron Kaleb Miller was capable of genuine sentiment from time to time.
*
God dammit, Kaleb Miller. The sound comes around him from /everywhere/, wrapping around him like a sonic hug, and he immediately perks, having to look about for the source. When he finds it, of course the source is just destroying a jade suit in a way that makes Max's features flush and his shoulders straighten more. He swallows. Poetry. Or he's going to call it poetry anyway. He closes those piercing eyes and quietly melts for a moment, before making an all-too-casual gesture for Kaleb to c'mere.
*
Kaleb stayed put for a moment and just enjoyed the reaction and decided, to himself, yes he will keep the jade. Okay now he walked over thereand slid a hand between coat and shirt leaning in to use actual words from himself that went not any further than Max's ear, "That's a hell of a good afternoon. And how is the most brilliant mind on the planet?" Yes, Max was due his own compliment after that, or to be fair, recognition. Compliments were platitudes and these were, as Kaleb put it, simply statements of fact. "Nice to see I'm missed."
*
Maximus leaned in towards Kaleb on instinct and walked a pair of fingers up his front, crossing the jade lapel. "This is newwww, and of course you are missed, in every..no, not every moment. Sometimes I forget the day, or the hour, or that I am in New York at all. but, you are missed when you are gone." When he notices he's gone, but that is just how he is! "This place just feels good to me. The air here, its better. Those purifiers are working, you should see the electric bill that Blackagar is trying to pay." He chuckles.
*
Kaleb never really asked things of Maximus like punctuality or situational awareness. Sometimes, well spontaniously it just wasn't his strong suit. Kaleb found not anger but raw amusement in that. "You know, I can't honestly say you're missing much. Literally nothing happened last Tuesday." There was ease though seeing Maximus at 'rest' or at least acclimated to this environment. "I still think we should work on making your apartment's air quality better. I won't necessarily be this good but better. I have…. " Hmmm words. Ugh. Words hard. "I ahve concerns? But as for the bill is there not some way to convert it out to reneweable energy like ummmm say adding an alternator of some nature that revivifies itself?"
*
Maximus exhales softly, then draws in a deep breath. "We should. Make the apartment better. And yes, renewable is excellent, but how to do it without unbalancing the whole of humanity. These are technologies that we have held secret."
*
Kaleb considered this. Security and he wa s living in hiding. Kaleb's head craned uuuuuup to the ceiling as he considered this architectural conundrum. Under the coat Kaleb left his arm around Maximus which is something he even was reserved doing in his own living room, but, there was a certain comfortableness the Inhumans touted adn that was reaonable lack of judements on most things Humans wasted their time with. Here? Max wasn't wrong. Here was pretty terrific. And the humans didn't even know they were- "Graffiti." Those bright blue eyes blinked at teh ceiling. His brain fell right into a streaming autopilot, "Like the panels for the Danger Room we actually disguise it visually so it doesn't at all look like what it is and if it matches the same shitty skyline nooooo one will care to even investigate."
*
Kaleb looked around with a fascination that let teh smile, pleased, reach his eyes. This was the sort of thing he found motes of joy and wonder in. The arranging of architecture, and finding buildings to shape teh world and find expression in was still his other passion and he loved this. "This turned out spectacular. And… thank you. I wouldn't presume. Assume sure but… protocols." Regardless of their inseparable proximity Kaleb always maintained a healthy awareness of being the guest in Inhuman places. "It… It feels good that this is coming together." One of the first good feelings he's had since the disaster at the MET. In truth, he needed to see somehting socially progressive; something beautiful in brick. Maybe Max was acutely aware of that.
*
.~{:--------------:}~.
*
Maximus smiled slyly as he walked through the secret lair, more exploratory, rather than going somewhere. "Of course it feels good. And someday…once alliances have been forged, you," he points at Kaleb, then himself, "and I, will be like a glorious King and King of an array of powered people. It will be amazing." He lifts his chin, and his steel blue eyes twinkle. Could be he's mostly teasing, but he does like to dream big.
*
Kaleb neither was up for bursting Max's bubble with logistics, nor entertaining it too seriously. The twinkle in Max's eye though, that lift of chin in pride and pride in him? That subtle elevation was where the compliment hid. Kaleb's smile grew with a wry amusement, "You are bent on seeing me enter politics and get a job." He sighed "You're going to be the grey hair of me yet, but, they will be incredibly distinguished looking." He rolled the thought around in his head and complimented, "It has an impressive ring to it. Still, this place is amazing. I'd say if anyone doubted your follow through they're eating their hat now."
*
Maximus paced closer to Kaleb and reached out his hand to touch the side of the younger man's cheek. "YOu are so brilliant…and so passionate for your kind, that I have little doubt that even if you try to stay away, you will be /something/ for them, sooner or later." He arches his brows to try to force Kaleb to deny it, with all the confidence that he can't.
*
Kaleb was for the world not a touchy-feely person by nature, but it didn't mean it didn't catch the breath in his chest when Maximus reached for him every damn time. More so Maximus wasn't wrong. And Max knew he knew that. This was as much pride and affection as it was a dare. Kaleb, in his canny manner, split the difference and agreed, "We will do amazing things for our people together. I don't doubt that at all." He paused and hmmmed and hawed abotu it. "I dunno if we need a King though but it will be what it will be. Right now I just want last week to go very… away. This? This is a great start." He cindiered teh totality of Max's idea for the new world order, long term edition , and took a step closer to herm arching both eyebrows. One hand pulled from his pocket ot slide along the side of MAximus' waist under his coat, as that were enough emphasis for a public space to putthe weight on his words he wanted. "If you're there they can call me whatever they want." That was his stipulation.
*
Maximus bows his head in agreement and waits, patiently, while Kaleb thinks the whole thing over. "oh….they will probably call it something like…Voice of the Future, or…something ridiculously un-King-like, but /we'll know/ that its /basically/…/King/." Then he chuckles and clamps his hand around Kaleb's exposed wrist and leans in to kiss the side of his neck, briefly. "Now, I can get rooms here, if I choose, of course." I keep pondering how unusual we are. We do not really have a home together. We…" he squints his eyes, "are just home wherever we are."
*
Kaleb pulled up an amused grin. Sometimes he was in an emotional place where that came easy and one of those places was consistantly Max. The sentiment was not lost but it was bewildering.. His nose wrinkled slightly, "Yeaaaaah I can't imagine either of us doing anything being" Ooooh that was distracting. His fingers tightened at Max's side under the coat. There was a notable pause before finishing that thought, "usual." His eyes caught Max's, blue, bright, sharp and honed with a thousand thoughts all building worlds beyond worlds with things not even completed yet from fortification and construct to the society of his own design keeping Kaleb in the middle of it with him. He didn't have to spell it out, though … he did. Kaleb pressed a kiss to his lips. He wanted that. That vision, this now, and Max. His… Max. "They don't get to take our home from us. Dirt maybe. Maybe even our buildings. But not this. THoooough… I do want to see the rest of it. What I can. The floor plan has me super jazzed, I won't even try to fake otherwise."
*
Maximus lifts his hand and suddenly turns from Kaleb, sort of dragging him along. "All done by this brilliant architect, I believe you know him. He's the /best/ of the Miller twins, you see." Max chirps in his manic tone, "And over /here/ is my brother's room…who has been nothing but delightful. He's like a new man. And note…the filtration system. YOu are breathing air the same quality as the snow-capped mountain tops of the himalayan mountains." His hand gestures to the now 3-dimensional features that Kaleb helped with. Like seeing a newborn baby for the first time!
*
Kaleb was used to the dragging. It was less being towed and more 'I'm moved with a feeling and I want to share it with you' than 'you are required to go'. Seeing all of this in the plaster was worth all of the long talks over a couple days apart where Max would tell him 'nonono it's a surprise and it's not done yet!' and Kaleb rebutting 'Yes but I'm hungry, I want dinner, and you need to eat and I want you there' until Max or Kaleb or both got their way. Yeah, he nodded, worth the payoff.
"Yeah it's slightly dizzying honestly, but I like there's all of the benefits, but it's warmer." There was that. He really liked the view from the mountain though. What was it with sonics and mountains!? Well for Kaleb they were a novelty he got when he went to Switzerland. Like candy at Easter. He squeezed Max's hand, to keep him grounded, keep him present, but not take from teh pure energy of the now. That shit was easy to get lost in. "This is… amazing. Honestly? If you take up a room here too it might be better on your health overall. As much as you can take a car to teh chest and bitch about that person's inability to drive properly or yeild before a King?" oh yes, Kaleb knew Max well enough to know how that dressing down was apt to go, "reprieve back here might be good while you retrofit your apartment." Now there was a secondary golden idea.
*
"Do you think the apartment could handle it? I am not sure. Well, it /could/, I suppose, though I do…" Max has to pause and lean against Kaleb, to just take a breath and slow himself down so he can get out a coherant thought amidst the flurry in his mind. "I have trouble building the same thing twice." Max squints one eye and then stares at Kaleb. "But…you already have it thought out…don't you? I can tell that look…" His grip on the wrist loosened so that his fingers could play against Kaleb's palm with clear and calm affection. His rock.
*
Kaleb walked and followed. When Max started runnign into his own words trying to explain that he couldn't just replicate something… because half the time he didn't even remember building it from fugue states? Eh, the Mutant didn't make him say it. He smiled slowly, oh, clever him! when Max called him out on that. Yes, in fact he had an idea. "THey have units for commercial buildings that do this and have a three way filteration system. You wouldn't have to rebuild this one but… see about retrofitting the other model for similar not same purpose. But… I have ideas. I'm just no engineer." He let Max lean against him and honestly? Welcomed it more that he could do something productive, constructive for him. That Max was at peace for it. Kaleb dearly wanted to get away from thatt feeling of raw rage last week where he nearly lost himself to destroying 'fleshlings'. Small acts of compassion carry loudly sometimes. He kissed Max's cheek and said quietly wihout blowing sunshine up his ass for no reason, "This came together brilliantly. You did an amazing job, Max. I'm proud of you and…. you're helping your people survive with quality of life."
*
"What happened…you mentioned…a bad week. I know, I was distracted. Tell me. Next time…I swear…I will be there. I should be. I keep missing your trials." There's definite regret in Max's expression, a real pang of it…that things happen, but only when he's away, or distracted, or on a mountain top.
*
Kaleb took a deep breath and hugged Max leaving his chin on Max's shoulder. He didn't even know how much time had passed or not, and that didn't matter. The need to be there to do something? To not make Kaleb have a moment alone? That's what read to him. The rest seemed almost irrelevant that anything happened at all, though he assured, "I meant the MET. You… were there and likly kpet me from being tackled by the FBI." Which is ironic since Max was hte one they were hastling.
*
Maximus ahhhs with understanding, "Oh yes, that. You know…I'm not sure why I did not immediately assume that was the incident you were speaking of. That /was/ a tragic event…for a lot of reasons. Some being that you did look so very handsome and I was looking forrward to getting you drunk." He teases, trying to help sooth by making a jest out of it.
*
Kaleb sighed and wrestled with that in his head. His chin still left on Max's shoulder he actually bothered to use his face to speak which made him murmur a bit musing, "Hmmmm I dunno. COuld. I like being with you sober though? I like remembering these as the moments of clarity in my life. And, not that it's ever been an issue, never really was keeon on risking not just being in… total control of myself incase I hurt someone. I'll tell you what, the MET?" He took a deep breath and admitted the sour taste in his mouth, "Almost did. You… kept me from that either deliberately or not. I wanted them to suffer so… much… but int eh end it'd hurt you, get me arrested, and set my people back decades. Not… my finest hour."