The potato chips crunched in his mouth and disappeared down his throat. He grabbed another hand full and stuffed it down. Actually, it was too early to eat chips, but he didn’t get much sleep last night, so it didn’t matter. The TV was on with the volume turned up loud. It was loud enough to drown out all noises, but sometimes not loud enough for the ones that he wanted to hear. Max was tuned out, not really listening or watching the TV. He was trying not to focus on anything, but it was difficult even with the TV on so loud. It was the sudden feeling of a hand on his shoulder that brought him back to reality. He looked up to see Michael, who didn’t look so rested himself. Max pressed on the negative button of the volume control to lower the sound when Michael nodded his head toward the TV.

Michael walked around the worn couch, which at the moment was Max’s bed, and took a seat on the empty end. They both sat there watching TV in silence. Only the sounds of Saturday morning cartoons and crunching chips echoed in the eeriness of the apartment. The stillness in the room mounted as the clock ticked the seconds away.

“Sorry man-” Michael blurted out, cutting the silence in half.

“It’s ok.” Max continued to look at the TV as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Both of them continued to sit and watch cartoons in silence, unable to look at each other. Michael stole glances at Max from the corners of his eyes, but was unable to read Max as he stared in front of him. Finally, Michael got up to make some coffee; the quiet was putting him on edge. Michael handed a cup filled with black liquid to Max and Max took it without saying a word. Usually Michael liked to have his coffee with a bit cream or milk, but he ran out of both, so it was just plain black coffee. He never added sugar to the coffee since sugar ruins the taste of a fine cup of joe. Both Max and Michael sat there in silence as they watched Saturday morning cartoons, only the sounds of sipping and cartoon antics could be heard.

The squeak of rusty hinges made both heads turn to look as Maria opened Michael’s bedroom door. She stopped mid-step, surprised to see the two heads looking at her. She gave them both a gentle smile and started to walk towards the kitchen to find something for breakfast. Max quickly adverted his eyes, trying to find something more interesting than Michael’s Metallica T-shirt on her.

“Morning, Max,” greeted Maria in a groggy voice. She ran her fingers through Michael’s hair as she passed him.

“Morning… Maria-,” Max replied as casually as possible, trying not to notice how slowly she was walking, as if she were in pain. He turned back to the TV, intensely watching it.

“Michael-” Maria said almost breathlessly, “Where’s the milk?” She peered through the opening of the kitchen, looking at the two sitting in silence. She raised a questioning eyebrow at Michael, who just shrugged his shoulders.

“We’re out-”

“Not a good thing.” Maria closed the refrigerator door and started to walk towards the bedroom. “Well, I hope the shower does the trick then.” Maria walked over to Michael and bent down to give him a lingering kiss. “Maybe you can help, Spaceboy-,” she whispered in his mouth before nipping it with her teeth. She slowly walked away. The room once more fell silent as Maria closed the door behind her.

Licking his lips, Michael’s tongue tasted blood from the bruise Maria just gave him. Michael groaned as he willed himself to stay put and not follow his instinct to join Maria in the shower. Raising his cup to take another swig of coffee, he noticed that it was now empty. He never finishes coffee that fast. Unable to decide what to do next, Michael scratched his eyebrow as he spoke, “Like another cup?”

“You guys have never been that loud-” Max stated without looking away from the TV.

Michael was speechless. It never occurred to him that Max would ask that question, well any question for that matter. “Well... Yeah... sorry, we, we- didn’t know you were here,” Michael stammered as he tried to explain to Max.

“Yeah- I left a few times and came back. The Chevelle gets uncomfortable after a few days.” Max took quick glances at Michael, not missing the marks on his neck and arms.

“Yeah, I forgot to thank you for vacating these last few days. Didn’t know it was going to last this long.”

Max covered his mouth and coughed nervously. “So is this like make-up sex?”

“Ahmmm- no not really. Well, she… well we- both are just kinda- Yeah, you know.”

“Well, I know that the whole alien sex thing, feels- ahmm- good, but I was kinda tired after it.” Max quickly stood up as he scratched the back of his head. “-I mean, how were you able to, you know, constantly do it?”

Michael looked at Max and contemplated for a bit. This was personal information, but it looked as if Max was really curious. “Well, it’s kinda hard not to when she's got you tied to the bed,” Michael said casually. He didn’t noticed Max’s expression of astonishment. Michael continued as if Max wasn’t there at all, “I mean just looking at those lips and knowing they can suck the living daylights out of ya-”

“You know, there is such a thing as too much information,” Max interrupted before Michael said anymore.

“Oh sorry man,” Michael apologized as he tried to suppress a gloating grin.

“Ok, I can understand that, but last night you two- ahemm… were really loud, more so than before, and it seemed like you were hitting her.”

“Do you really want to know? Because it falls into the realm of way too much information.”

Max thought about it for a moment. He was really curious. There were a few times last night he wanted to barge in on the two, just to save Maria. But knew better. “Yeah-”

“How can I put this? Ahmmmm- she was being bad, and she was getting her- ahmmm- punishment.”

Max was floored. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Michael, who was over 6 feet, was punishing poor tiny petite Maria? He swallowed hard before he asked, “and she is ok with that?”

“What do you think?” Michael smiled smugly. “Don’t let that face and size fool ya- it’s all her. I’m sure you and Liz have done some fun stuff. I know you two haven’t done the deed yet, but you've done stuff right?”

“What do you mean by stuff exactly?”

“You know, stuff. Unless you want me to get graphic.” Michael looked at Max hard. Max was being serious; he didn’t understand what Michael was talking about. “You’re not going to tell me that you and Liz were ready to have sex in my apartment two years ago and you haven’t done anything since then?”

“Of course we have. I’m just not sure what stuff you are talking about.”

“Well besides the usual hand, finger, blow, eating, you have to throw in some kink to make it fun.” Michael looked at Max again, waiting for a nod of understanding before he continued, but nothing. “What? Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t tell me you haven’t?”

“Well, we haven’t gotten that far.”

“Oh…”

“I mean, you know, Liz doesn’t think we should before we get married. And I respect her wishes.”

“Well, that’s a ball buster, if I ever heard of one.”

“I am going to marry her.”

“I know you are, we all know you two are. But nothing at all?”

“No- of course we do stuff. Don’t look at me like that. It’s personal-”

“And I didn’t open up to you? C’mon man. I might be able to help you out.”

“What can YOU do?”

“Hey, I have Maria in my corner.”

“You’re not going to mention this to Maria are you?” Max asked, a little embarrassed.

“You don’t think she knew something was up? Plus, she is more helpful than you think. We can get Maria to work on Liz-” Michael said with a howl of laughter.

“I don’t want Liz to do something she doesn’t want to do.”

“I’m not saying that is what Maria is going to do. Just saying Maria might be able to chip a few cracks. She is good at that you know.”

“So she is able to open up opportunities?”

“It’s a possibility.” Michael grinned broadly at Max as he saw him swallow hard.

“Nothing.” Max said in a low whisper as he turned his head down.

“What?”

“I said NOTHING-” Max looked up at Michael angrily, but softened when he saw the questioning expression on Michael’s face. “We haven’t done anything.”

“Nothing? But you just said that you’ve done stuff-”

“We have, but it was tame compared to you and Maria.”

“I didn’t mean for you to compare yourself to us. We’re a little, you know, on the-. Well, if you don’t want to give me specifics then what base?”

“Second.”

“Well that’s not bad, at least she’s giving you a hand job.”

“Well not really… It’s, it’s more like rubbing.”

“What the fu-”

“Well, she likes to tease and rub her body all over mine… and get me-”

“Stop, stop- I can’t take this. You're putting images in my head of Liz Parker giving you blue balls and I just don’t want that- Stop- Ok, if she is not doing anything for you, are you at least trying to initiate it?”

“Like what?”

“Damn man, do I have to spell it out to you?” Michael looked over to Max and felt sorry for the guy and his clueless face. Max had sex before, that Michael knew, but he wasn’t sure if Max had done anything else. “Well, when I’m in the mood, I start with kissing her in her favorite spots. Then some major groping and you know to get her in the mood. Well, she has a thing for my tongue, so I do this little thing she likes-” Michael looked over at Max to see if Max was getting what he was saying without him having to say it, but Max’s face was stoic, so Michael continued, “what I’m trying say is Maria purrs when I go down on her. And she ready to do some major damage afterwards.”

“Oh.” Max sat there in silence for a bit, thinking, before he continued, “she, she won’t let me do that.”

“What?” Michael choked out.

“She just thinks it’s dirty and won’t let me down there…”

“Well, I wouldn’t go down there with those granny panties-” Michael stated casually, not noticing the glare from Max. “Like last night. I woke up around 3 in the morning to find out that both of my hands were tied to the bed post as Maria was walking around in this baby blue lacy thong and high heels- Oh, too much information?” Michael watched as Max nodded in agreement. “Sorry…”

The room fell silent once again with the humming of the TV in the background. Max and Michael were lost in thought, thinking about what had just been shared. Michael’s head shot up when he heard the siren’s call. “Be right back,” he told Max before he entered his bedroom.

Max sat there with his elbows on these knees in silence, contemplating on what Michael told him. He loved Liz and was willing to wait if she wanted to, but he was a green-blooded teenager with some major hormones. And hearing what Michael and Maria did together made him envious of their relationship, envious of Michael. He never thought he'd ever see the day when that would happen, but here he was without a home, without a job and a girlfriend too afraid of an intimate relationship. Liz hadn’t forgiven him about Tess yet. As much as he tried, Liz still had her reservations. Max looked up when he heard his name called. He saw Michael’s head peaking out from behind his bedroom door.

“Max- Sorry we can’t continue our little bonding session. But Maria needs me right now.”

“Again? Now?”

“Hah- Yeah-” With that Michael closed the door and left Max alone on the couch.

Max bolted off the couch and ran towards the door as soon as he heard Maria giggling and creaking from the bed. He leaned his head back on the closed door, trying to ignore the noise that came from within. Max hoped that Michael was right, that Maria might help out his situation. Letting out a loud sigh, Max finally got his keys from his pocket and started walking towards the parking lot. He needed to get going and find his own place soon; he was getting blue balls just being in the same apartment with them.