Work Text:
Max is busy in the kitchen when he hears the doorbell ring followed by a text that says “I’m here”.
Max: Just let yourself in :)
He hears the front door open then close followed with heavy footsteps moving closer to where he’s at.
“What exactly am I looking at here?”
When the younger man turns around to look at the older one, he finds him standing in the doorway of the kitchen. His head is tilted to one side having his arms crossed with an arched eyebrow. The expression on his face is intrigued, in a grumpy sort of way.
It takes Max a moment to realize what he was asking about. Grassy green eyes look from one side to the other remembering that most, if not all, of his tentaquills were up on their own holding items ranging from a whisk to a glass jar filled with seasonings. His cheeks blush a light shade of red as he lets out a flustered laugh. One of the quills that isn’t holding something gets tucked behind his ear and skinny shoulder. “That’s right, you haven’t seen these in action, have you?” It’s more of an outer thought than of a question directed at the other man.
“I have not.” Lord X responds anyway, uncrossing his burly arms and taking his usual sitting spot across from Max.
A hand rubs the back of his head. “Must have been in the zone because I try to keep my… tentaquills private.”
His own hand extends to Max. “May I?” He nods at one of the more normal looking quills.
“Oh? Uh, sure.” His smile is sheepish as a singular tentaquill lifts itself up placing its tip into the palm of the offered hand.
Fingers under the quill run along its underside methodically feeling the fuzziness of fur. Upon caressing the top side of the quill marked with magenta streaks he feels a smoothness where fur is lacking. The entire time the quill shudders to his careful touches. One of his blue ears twitches up and down when he could have sworn he heard a very faint purring.
“Why haven’t I seen these before?” Lord X’s blood red stare pierces through Max’s own grassy green.
It takes Max everything in his power not to become a cuddly purring clingy mess. He barely contained the damned purring as is! No one had ever held or touched his tentaquills so intimately. “I’m used to hiding them, almost like it’s second nature by this point…” He tears his gaze from the other when eyelids narrow at his remark. “Niku isn’t fond of them either, and it’s easier to keep them to myself instead of unnerving others…” Feeling a bit too vulnerable for his liking, the quill in Lord X’s grasp shrinks back to Max as he turns his back to him in hopes of hiding his sullen expression. He forces out a laugh, though is unable to mask the sadness in it. “Sorry, didn’t mean to get sad on you.” He musters up the best smile to don on. “Anyway, let me finish up what I’m doing here. Hope you’re looking to be a taste tester today.~”
As Max is trying to go back to whatever he’s prepping, his ears flop up and down when he’s certain he hears the popping of bone and stretching of flesh. Confusion appears on his face, and he halts his hands and tentaquills. His entire body lurches and all his fur stands up when this guttural sound fills his ears! Max doesn’t have time to recover from that ghastly noise when he feels something bony cups under his chin trying to turn his head behind him. Eyebrows shoot up while eyes widen and his mouth falls open in complete shock. What he was feeling under his chin was a bony finger attached to a skeletal hand that is attached to a skeletal arm that is coming out from inside Lord X’s mouth!
“It’s bothersome to have to hide parts of ourselves just to make others feel comfortable.*” It's odd how Lord X speaks so clearly despite having a whole ass arm coming out of his mouth! His words are comforting to Max, and he feels his sadness start to melt away.
Those tentaquills holding onto different items carefully place them down while his free ones are hesitant, but reach out to run along this strange skeletal hand. Ears pin back as he inspects the arm and hand with this intrigued expression. Lord X watches him intently the entire time gauging his reactions.
“Not fond of it, are you?” He asks matter-of-factually instead of feeling offended.
Hesitantly, Max holds the hand in his own. Fingers rub over and up and down it, getting a feel of it. His ears continue to stay turned back. A thoughtful frown is on his muzzle. His careful touches feel quite soothing to the other hedgehog. “I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it either.” They lock eyes when he looks up at the older man. “I’d say I’m not used to it.” The reassuring smiles he gives Lord X makes his tail sway.
Something about this moment with Lord X’s internal hand being held in several of Max’s tentaquills is comforting, almost oddly intimate…
“You know, Maj has banned my internal hand from anything that requires cooking/baking.” He wiggles his bony fingers around upon smirking. “Can’t imagine why?~”
The incredulous looks Max gives him is the one he’s wanting since he cackles the moment he sees it. “Food is supposed to be made with love, and if you’re going to try and help with that… ‘hand’ of yours, then you’re going to be wearing a glove on it! Because-” Max’s eyes narrow and his own tiny smirk appears on his lips. “-no glove no love.”
They both break out into a shared laugh.
The older man huffs out a sigh. “Well, if my internal hand has to wear a glove, then you’re… tentaquills need to wear something as well. Best to double on protection if we’re taking our cooking/baking lessons to the next level.” Max immediately blushing to that statement has him smirking all over again.
The younger man quickly recovers. “Wow, such a gentleman. Being safe is kinda hot.~” He winks at him.
The two settle back into their norm of inappropriate remarks and flirting and overall just enjoying each other’s company. Max all the while goes back to his tasks allowing his tentaquills to pick up where they left off. Occasionally, Lord X interferes with his internal hand eventually getting a wooden spoon playfully scaring it away.
All is as it should be with them.