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Max's fingers freeze from the cold, the snow settling around his fingers. He doesn't know why he's here, in fucking Switzerland of all places. On a stupid mountain in the stupid cold. He hates the cold. He hates the winter. He doesn't know why he's here at all.
Especially not when he sees Martin and Lando are in Australia with Daniel. On Daniel's farm. In the warmth of the Australian summer sun and Daniel’s presence.
Max isn't quick to get jealous, despite what people may think, but this hurts to look at. His friends are with Daniel. Daniel who has always been inexplicably special and important to Max. Max is on some stupid mountain in the cold. His fingers are freezing. He's miserable.
He has to go.
He can't stand another minute of this cold. He tells Kelly. She tells him that if he leaves their relationship is over. Max leaves anyway. He books a flight to Australia. He doesn't care that he has all the wrong clothes. He doesn't know if Daniel will even want to see him. He'll figure it all out once he gets there. It'll be fine or not. Max doesn’t particularly care right now. He's leaving the cold.
His fingers slowly thaw on the plane. Max is flying commercial but no one recognizes him. They probably don't expect to see him here. They assume he's happy on some mountain skiing in the cold with his girlfriend. Except he wasn't happy, he remembered how much he hates the cold and skiing, and she's not his girlfriend anymore.
Max finally arrives in Perth. It's hot as hell. He buys shorts and a t-shirt at the airport and changes in some dingy bathroom. He wonders if he should call Daniel or even Lando or Martin. He's got several angry texts from Kelly and some concerned ones from his family. He ignores those. He calls Daniel.
“Hey mate,” Daniel says, “Couldn't sleep? It's the middle of the night in your part of the world isn't it?”
“Well, uh, I sorta flew to Perth?” Max says.
“Oh wow,” Daniel says. “Uh. I have a lot of questions. I'm not going to ask them all now. Except… how angry is Kelly with you right now? Or did you drag her along?”
“She's super pissed I think,” Max says, “And still in Switzerland, I assume. She, uh, she said she'd break up with me if I left and then I did.”
He thinks it should bother him more, breaking up with a long term girlfriend. Daniel seems surprised about how relaxed Max is about it, too. Max is just happy to be out of the cold.
“Are you still at the airport?” Daniel asks. “We'll come pick you up. Lando and Martin are at the farm but I assume you know that.”
“I am at the airport. I saw the pictures while I was skiing and it made me remember I hate the cold,” Max says.
“You're incredible,” Daniel says. Max can't tell if he means it as a good thing or a bad thing.
Anyway, Daniel, Lando and Martin pick Max up a little while later. They all greet him with hugs. Max lets himself linger when Daniel touches him. No one seems particularly mournful about the end of Max’s relationship. Max realized that probably says enough.
The more hours that separate Max from Kelly, the more his heart thaws too. He's been telling himself that what they had was good. That it was okay. He didn't allow himself to think about what he was missing. The parts of himself he sacrificed.
“Oh shit, Kelly's calling me now,” Lando says. “Do I pick up?”
“Uh, I don't know? Maybe?” Max says. He looks at Daniel.
“Pick it up,” Daniel says. “Tell her we're looking after Max.”
Lando picks up his phone. Kelly talks a million miles an hour. She's really really angry. Max doesn’t blame her for that. It was shitty, the way he ended things. He just really had to get out of the cold.
“Please breathe for a second Kelly,” Lando says. “Yes, Max is in Perth with me, Martin and Daniel. Yes, Daniel. He, like, lives here.”
She demands that Lando passes the phone to Max.
She immediately starts yelling again when Max takes the phone from Lando. Max winces. The other guys cringe.
“Look, I'm really sorry. To you and to P. I just. I had to do this,” Max says. “I'm sorry but I don't think we can work this out anymore. I just… I'll get my belongings from the apartment and the cats when I'm back from Perth. You can keep the apartment and whatever else. I just can't be with you anymore. Sorry.”
He hangs up and hands the phone back to Lando.
“That's certainly a way to start the new year,” Martin says from behind the steering wheel.
“Yeah, fuck,” Max says, running a hand through his hair.
Daniel smiles at Max from the passenger seat. Max smiles back at him.
“I'm proud of you, Maxy,” Daniel says. “I remember how she went on and on about your amazing holiday plans when we flew to the Honda Thanks Day and all I could think was… that doesn't sound like something Max enjoys. It's like she was curating your life in a way that didn't suit you and I think you've had enough of that in life.”
That's exactly it, Max thinks. She was lovely but she was making him live a life that didn't suit him.
“I tried so hard,” Max says, “Because everyone expects me to be this guy with the beautiful girlfriend and it's just. It's not me. I can't be.”
Max looks at Daniel again. And it hits him all at once. Why he can't make it work, even with a woman who seemed his perfect match on paper. Why Daniel is so damn special and important to Max. Max is gay. He is in love with Daniel. He probably has been since the day they met. Oh fuck. He can't believe he didn't realize until now. It's so obvious in hindsight.
“You okay Max?” Daniel asks worriedly.
Lando eyes him with concern too.
“Yes, all fine,” Max says in a squeaky voice. “Just maybe realized that I'm gay?”
He is freaking out just a little bit.
“Pull over,” Daniel tells Martin.
Martin does. Daniel gets out of the car and gets Max out too. Then he hugs Max really tightly.
“It's okay, you're okay,” Daniel says in a gentle voice.
Max buries his face in Daniel's neck. He wonders if he's taking advantage of Daniel's kindness, hugging him like this now that he knows he's in love with Daniel. But they've always hugged like this. So it's probably okay.
“What made you realize?” Daniel whispers, carefully stroking Max’s back.
Max swallows. “Looking at you. Realizing how special you are to me. I can't believe it took me this many years to see,” he admits.
Daniel pulls back a little and looks into Max’s eyes. “You mean that?” he asks.
He looks… hopeful? That makes Max feel brave.
“I do,” Max says. “I think I've liked you from the very start, I just didn't know what it meant yet.”
Daniel kisses Max. It's great. So great. Max feels a spark he has never felt before. He feels like everything is finally right. He won't ever feel cold in Daniel’s arms.