Fiction Anything To Zipper- Kiss

Series Title: Anything To Zipper

Chapter Title: Kiss

Author: Restive Nature

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel. This show belongs to Fox and Cameron/ Eglee. No infringement is intended and this fiction is for reading pleasure only.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Dark Angel

Type: romance

Pairing: Max/ Alec

Summary: My favorite kind of kiss? Well...

Spoilers/ Time line: Mid season two. Nothing specific.

Feedback: Always welcome.

Distribution: Ask first, please.

Kiss

“And that, ladies and gentleman,” Sketchy finished with a flourish, his arms outstretched as he finished his tale, “was the best kiss I ever got!”

The others gathered around the table, all being Sketchy's co-workers as well as friends from the Jam Pony grind, scoffed and snickered at his tale. Instead of winning the accolades he'd been looking for, he looked disturbed, as if he couldn't understand what the problem was.

“What?” he demanded. Several times, he demanded it, in fact. Finally, his friend and wing man, Alec McDowell took pity on him, clapping one hand on his shoulder.

“Dude,” Alec chuckled, tilting his head to regard Sketch right in the eye. “You were in sixth grade.”

“Yeah,” Sketchy nodded. “And she was in eighth.”

“Yeah, man, I doubt she knew exactly what she was doing,” Alec grinned, trying to be kind. Original Cindy, the actual perpetrator of the current discussion, wasn't as giving or forgiving.

“Pretty damn sure the boy still don't know what he doin',” she scoffed. She and her room mate Max Guevara exchanged not exactly knowing glances. It wasn't like Sketch hadn't tried with both of them when they had first come to work at the bike messenger service. But they had shot him down quickly and often enough that friendship had been able to evolve between them to a certain degree.

“But she had boobs!” Sketch whined. “Huge ones!”

“Didja touch 'em?” Alec asked, matter of factly and that exchange earned Sketchy a slap upside the back of his head, from Cindy, while Alec received one from Max. Though hers was more of a slug to his shoulder. He just absorbed it with his usual aplomb and a slight scowl at the female in question. “It's a valid question,” he protested, before either female could complain with words. “It would up my respect of the encounter. Because according to Sketch, he snuck into the dance with some older friends and during a blackout dance, managed to snag an eighth grader who had just broken up with her boyfriend. Looking for revenge for the guy mackin' on another chick. So a little extra naughty has my attention.”

“You're right,” Max decided suddenly and resting her chin on the heel of her hand, looked to Sketch. “Was there illicit gropage?”

“Ah...” Sketch hedged, glancing around at the group whose undivided attention he now held again. And then his head dropped to hang slightly. “No. No gropage. Just the kiss.”

“Well then that has merit too,” Max shrugged one shoulder and then reached for her glass. “Because you helped the girl boost her own ego. But I don't think that helps qualify for best kiss ever. I'd say, best kiss for making someone else feel better.”

“Mercy kiss,” Cindy agreed. She grinned at Sketch, even as she threw Alec a wink. “Ya did good Sketch. Now if only you'd stayed that way.”

Realizing that they were trying to make him feel better, Sketch let go of his disappointment and laughed as well. “All right, so I'm sure you're all dying to top that.”

Cindy, who'd already taken her turn, because she'd just dropped in from a date that had been interrupted by a family emergency for her girl. They'd been in the middle of a hot and heavy session when the call had come in that her grandfather had been taken to the hospital. Family was important, so Cindy had encouraged Lana to go and that they'd see one another soon. When she had been teasing Max about pushing her fairly straight laced roommate into getting a tongue ring like Lana's, the reason why had come up.

“Oh well,” Alec smirked, “not sure I can separate all the-!”

“Cut the crap Alec,” Max snorted. “You've just kissed so many girls that you can't even remember them all.”

“Well I-!” he began again, not quite refuting her statement.

“And some of them bein' such skanky ho's,” Cindy added with a look of distaste on her face, “I doubt they knew what they was doin'.”

“Granted,” Alec nodded, “that some of the girls I may or-!”

“Please no sexcapades,” Max grunted, holding her hands up in protest. “Don't need to hear those details. Just kisses are the topic tonight.”

“As I was saying!” Alec interrupted loudly and the paused while the two females quieted their protests and eyed him sulkily for interrupting their little back and forth. “I was going to say that the best kiss of my life was when I was younger too. And like Sketch's it wasn't anything too amazing.”

“So then why would you count it as the best kiss ever?” Cindy demanded suddenly and Alec shook his head.

“It wasn't,” he agreed, “for others. But for me personally. It was just...”

“What was so special about it?” Max asked softly. And just like that, in two seconds flat Alec once again had girls eating out of the palm of his hand. He took a slow sip of his drink and while he did, gave Max a strange look. She didn't seem to notice. With a sigh, he finally began to relate, trying to couch his story in terms that the others could understand.

“I don't know,” he sighed, relaxed enough that it seemed possible that he might be able to share something other than his normal facade. “We were young, neither of us experienced and we both knew it. Kissing her,” his face took on a slightly dreamy smile, while his eyes were tense and still Max missed it. “Kissing that girl, was the best because there were no expectations. You know? We just wanted to be close to each other and it was still something pretty new. It was...” he seemed to be searching for a word, but it was Cindy that supplied it.

“Precious?” she offered quietly, her eyes kind. Alec gave her a grateful glance that he didn't have to say it. He nodded briefly and dropped his eyes back down to the table.

“That's a thought,” Sketch mused, watching his friend and then turning to allow the others a glance. “What exactly goes into the best ever kiss? I mean, for me, it was the unexpected thrill of conquest. For Alec, obviously an innocence or freshness. What about you girls?”

“I don't know,” Cindy mused for a moment, cupping her cheek in her palm as she leaned her elbow on the table. “Those are good ideas. But I think my favorite kiss is...” she paused for a moment as she mulled the thought over. “That first, long and slow sensuous kiss ya lovah give you, when you know that things are finally gonna happen, but you take ya time, just cause it feel so good.”

There were enthusiastic nods all around as she described it. She sat back with a happy sigh.

“I like that,” Sketch grinned. “But, having been in a committed relationship-!” he began and both girls snorted. He shook his head. “Hey, Nat and I were together for a long time.”

“Yeah, you were,” Max sighed. “Til you screwed it up, screwin' around on her.”

“True,” Sketch nodded, hanging his head slightly again. “But so not the point at the moment.” Max nodded and waved her hand for him to go on. “Anyway, what I was tryin' to say, was that being in the relationship, there is something really great about knowing your partner. Having a kiss to look forward to. Because you know someone loves you and they just want to express it all the time. Getting to that person and they kiss you or you kiss them and it feels like... like, so familiar and comforting, like you've come home, where every thing's safe and nothing can bother you, because that kiss, that person is all that matters.”

“Ah Sketch,” Max sighed, her eyes suspiciously moist. “That's actually really sweet.” The others again murmured their agreement.

“But still,” Alec interrupted the continued cooing from the girls, holding up one finger, “you'd think that in the midst of those, there are the spontaneous kisses that are just a huge surprise, that you were never expecting. But it makes you happy for no reason because it was a pure moment of affection that was just for you.”

“Oh yeah,” Cindy nodded. “I like dem too.”

“The ones I get on the cheek are special too,” Sketch admitted in a moment of candidness. “Because you get them from friends too, not just your lover.” Max chuckled, remembering a few times where she had expressed such affection to the male. She pressed her palm to her lips and then held it before her, the age old pantomime of blowing a kiss. Sketch laughed and then pretended to catch the kiss, pressing his hand to his cheek before moving it to his heart. “Love you too Max.”

“So what about you Maxie,” Alec stressed, turning to the girl in question. “We've all weighed in.”

Max took a moment, her lips pursed before she spoke. “I think all those kisses are nice. But for me, the perfect kiss would kinda be all those parts. You know, where every kiss from the person you love feels like it's the first time, but at the same time, comforting. Like this person is your friend and lover, someone who'll have your back no matter what the dealio is. Someone you can count on. But who still don't mind bein' adventurous.” She laughed at herself for a moment. “Maybe I'm just dreamin'.”

“No, no,” Cindy shook her head. “I don't think so Boo. I think y'all got it right. Kissin' is great, but the persons doin' the kissin' is more important. When you wit' the right person, you get all dat and everythin' else just fall away.”

“Yeah,” Max sighed quietly and then leaned back in her chair. “Too bad I've never had that perfect kiss. Oh well, something to look forward too, right?” The others were quiet as they watched her start gathering up her items. “And on that note, I'm gonna get going, since I promised a friend I'd swing by before it got too late. Catch ya tomorrow.”

Cindy and Sketch offered their farewells and Alec belatedly added his, even as his mind was reeling. There had been something in her tone and attitude, so relaxed on the surface, but there was something deeper going on there. He was wondering what the hell she was trying to say that she hadn't said. Had she been talking about Logan? Granted, they hadn't been able to be physical, at all, since Manticore had implanted that virus in her system. But surely before... she had admitted that much. And she hadn't shared this all important longed for kiss with the man behind Eyes Only.

Did that mean she was open to looking for it with someone else?

Alec's eyes snapped wide, his body stilling. Glancing at the other two still left at the table, he babbled out some excuse as well and draining the last of his Scotch, a little Dutch courage, he rose from his seat and hurried after Max. He caught up to her as she was straddling her Ninja. She glanced up when she heard him exit the building and he was caught for a moment by her innocent expression.

“Max?” he called across the small expanse.

“Yeah?” she asked right back, waiting a moment before starting up the engine. Alec swiftly approached, bolstering himself not to lose the nerve this time. He couldn't back down with the gauntlet she had thrown.

“Just wanted to tell you something,” he murmured when he was finally close enough. Her eyebrows drew together and she lifted her head once he was right beside her.

“What's that?” she asked amicably. Alec waited just the most infinitesimal moment until her face was at the perfect angle and moved in. But Max, swift little transgenic that she was, ducked back, her hand moving to his chest. Alec felt a sudden, horrible sinking in his stomach as Max chuckled. “The other thing about that perfect kiss Alec? You can't force it.”

“You can't? He asked softly, hesitantly, wondering if he had just screwed things beyond repair.

Max shook her head. “I'm sure if you think about it you'll see why.”

Alec opened his mouth to respond, but there really wasn't anything he could say to refute that, of course. And so Max continued.

“If it's meant to be, it'll happen,” she smirked up at him. “In the right time, the right place, the right person. The perfect moment. And honestly, I don't think you're there yet.” The sinking feeling just got worse. “But I'm looking forward to being there when you are.” And with that parting taunt, because he could feel it in his gut that that was what it was, she turned the key, gunned the engine and pulled away.

He watched her lithe form as she took the next corner and zoomed away in the night. “You're gonna find Maxie girl,” he grinned to himself, “I make my own moments.”

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