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Luis dipped down, his arms flexing under the strain as he brought his face inches from Max’s. He paused for a lingering second, holding Max's gaze before leaning in to press a warm, tender kiss right to his lips. The kiss was slow and deliberate—a sweet distraction meant to steal Max's breath before Luis pushed himself back up to the top of his rep.
Lowering himself once more, Luis didn't hesitate this time. He captured Max’s mouth in another deep, breathless kiss, brushing his lips against Max's with a dark, satisfied hum that vibrated right through Max's chest. With sweat glistening on his collarbone, he pushed himself back up again.
On the third descent, Luis’s arms trembled just a fraction, but his smirk remained entirely confident. He lowered his weight until his chest nearly brushed Max’s, angling his head to steal another desperate kiss that left Max’s head spinning against the floor.
Hovering directly over Max, his dark eyes burning with an intense, possessive heat, Luis paused at the top of his push-up, his muscles tight and defined as he held himself steady above his partner.
Max lay beneath him, sprawled lazily on the floor, his heart hammering against his ribs—though he’d sooner die than admit how much the view was affecting him. A slow, mischievous smirk tugged at the corner of Max’s pink, kiss-swollen lips as he reached up to lightly tap Luis’s chin.
“Come on, pretty boy,” Max teased, his voice low as he locked eyes with him. “Just a few more.”
Luis froze mid-rep, hovering just inches above the Hatter, his dark eyes locking onto Max as his elbows began to tremble ever so slightly.
“Give me a second,” Madrigal grunted, his breath hitching as he tried to adjust his balance. “My grip's slipping.”
Max didn't waste a beat. Reaching up with both hands, he firmly squeezed Luis’s biceps, his fingers digging into the warm, strained muscle. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he scoffed playfully.
“Oh, wow,” he mocked, his voice dripping with playful sarcasm as he looked up into Luis's eyes. “So much for being strong.”
Luis’s eyes darkened instantly, that familiar, possessive spark flaring in his gaze at the challenge.
"Is that a challenge, querido?" Luis purred, his voice dropping an octave as he deliberately lowered his weight, bringing his chest flush against Max's. The sudden shift in momentum pinned Max under him, solid and unyielding.
Max’s playful smirk caught in his throat, a sharp gasp escaping his lips as Luis leaned in close enough for their noses to brush.
"Because I seem to recall carrying you, your hat, and half your inventions without breaking a sweat," Luis whispered, his lips skimming the shell of Max's ear, sending a sudden shiver straight down the Hatter’s spine. "If my grip is slipping, it’s only because you’re a very sweet distraction."
To prove his point, Luis didn't push back up. Instead, he shifted his weight just enough to frame Max entirely, trapping him against the floor with a slow, smug grin. He pressed one more deep kiss right over Max’s breathless lips, staying there until Max’s hands stopped squeezing his biceps in mockery and slid instinctively up around Luis's shoulders.
The two were far too busy eating each other's faces off to notice the sudden, crackling tear in reality behind them. The hum of a portal opening went completely ignored over the sound of breathless kisses and soft sighs.
Until a loud, squeaky voice shattered the quiet.
“Papa! Off!”
They tore themselves apart instantly, turning toward the sound just in time to see a frantic, small child charging straight at them. Before either of them could react, the little boy launched himself at Luis, his tiny fists thumping furiously against the taller man's back as he tried to shove him away.
“Get off! Get off my dad!” the kid squeaked frantically, kicking at Luis's legs with all his might.
Luis blinked, smoothly shifting his weight off Max and rolling onto his side. He reached out, effortlessly grabbing Max by the waist and pulling him safely behind his back.
“Um... hey there, little guy,” Madrigal lsaid, his voice laced with cautious curiosity. “Are you lost?”
The child appeared to be no more than five or six years old, but there was an uncanny, almost eerie familiarity to him. He had Luis’s rich, dark skin, but his facial features were pure Max—complete with a head of soft brown curls streaked with vibrant, magical purple.
“What? Papa, what are you talking about?” The boy frowned, pointing a chubby finger straight at his own chest. “It’s me,” he added, pausing just long enough to huff as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Maddison. Maddison Madrigal.”
“Maddison Madrigal,” Luis repeated smoothly, testing the name on his tongue. The initial surprise faded instantly, replaced by a slow, dangerously satisfied smirk. His dark eyes glinted with a heavy, possessive warmth as he looked from the boy to Max's crimson face.
"See?" Maddison crossed his arms over his chest, his little jaw set in a stubborn pout that was entirely Max. "I told you it was me. Why were you laying on top of Dad like that anyway? You were crushing him!"
“Um, yeah... yeah, we were just—um—” Max stammered, his face practically burning up. Panicking, he slapped a hand against Luis’s chest, giving him a firm shove while flashing him a wide-eyed, frantic look that screamed Help me out here!
“What's the matter, querido?” Luis purred, capturing Max’s hand before he could pull it back and pressing a slow, lingering kiss to his knuckles. “Surprised to find out our future holds such... fruitful results?”
“Don't say 'fruitful'!” Max hissed, his face flushing an even deeper, furious shade of crimson as he tried—and failed—to yank his hand free. “And stop looking so pleased with yourself!”
Maddison stomped a tiny boot on the ground, placing his hands on his hips and glaring up at Luis with complete, unadulterated judgment. “Papa! Stop flaking out and answer him! Why were you on top of Dad?!”
Luis smoothly shifted, using his hold on Max’s wrist to pull the sputtering hatter flush against his side, wrapping a heavy, possessive arm around Max's waist to lock him in place.
"I was simply demonstrating my strength, little one," Luis replied calmly, his dark eyes gleaming with a triumphant light as he looked down at their son. "And as you can see, your dad enjoys the demonstration very much."
“I do not!” Max squawked, his voice cracking horribly. He slammed his free hand over his face, hiding his burning cheeks behind his fingers. “I'm dreaming. This is a dream. I ate bad cheese before bed and now I'm having a fever dream.”
“Okay, buddy... weird question, but who are your parents?” Max asked, peeking out from behind his fingers and pressing a hand against his forehead as if trying to contain an accelerating headache.
“You guys, no duh,” the boy replied, rolling his eyes with a heavy sigh.
“How is this even possible?” Max paused, his wide, bewildered eyes locking onto the young boy. “We’re both guys—we literally can’t have kids!”
Maddison crossed his little arms, huffing impatiently. “Dad, you literally made a potion! Aunt Hazel said you spent weeks brewing it with that glowing purple flower from the deep woods! You made it so you could carry me, and then you made Papa carry you everywhere for nine months because your back hurt!”
“I... what?” Max squeaked, his voice cracking violently as his face flushed a brilliant crimson. “I—I made a potion?! Nine months?!”
Luis’s dark eyes flashed with an intensely possessive glow. A slow, deeply satisfied smile stretched across his lips as he tightened his arm around Max’s waist, trapping the spiraling hatter flush against his chest.
“You made a potion... just to carry my child?” Luis purred softly, his voice a low, velvet rumble right against Max’s burning ear. “How delightfully eager of you, querido.”
“I didn't—I haven't—stop looking at me like that!” Max gasped, slamming both hands against Luis’s chest to push him away, though Luis didn't budge an inch.
“Nine months of pampering you, taking care of your every whim while you carried our son?” Luis whispered, his thumb tracing a slow, deliberate line over Max’s hip. “Sounds like absolute paradise to me.”
“Not just me!” Maddison chimed in proudly. “I’m the oldest! I’ve got three little brothers and sisters, and two of them are twins!”
That was the breaking point. Max’s eyes rolled back, his brain short-circuiting entirely as his knees went weak and he flopped backward, completely out cold against the floor.
Just then, the dorm room door kicked open with a loud, violent BANG, slamming hard against the wall.
"Max, I swear to gods, if you borrowed my silver hook without—"
Hazel cut herself off mid-sentence, her boots grinding to a sharp halt on the floorboards. Her chest hitches as her sharp, amber eyes swept over the ridiculous scene before her: Max slumped unconscious against the carpet looking like a boiled lobster, Luis sitting casually beside him with an impossibly smug grin, and a tiny, purple-streaked child standing proudly in the middle of the room.
"What..." Hazel started, her gaze darting frantically between the kid's face, the boy's purple hair, and Max’s unmoving form. She pointed a trembling, accusatory finger at Maddison. "What in the seven seas is going on here? Why does that tiny human have your face, Madrigal, and Max’s obnoxious hair?!"
"Aunt Hazel!" Maddison chirped, waving a tiny hand with a bright grin. "Papa was showing Dad how strong he is, and then Dad freaked out because he made the potion to have me and my three siblings!"
Hazel’s jaw dropped so low it nearly hit the floor. Her hand flew to the hilt of her hook, her eyes snapping from the kid straight to Luis. The temperature in the room instantly plunged below zero.
"Three..." the pirate whispered, her voice dangerously quiet, vibrating with pure, unadulterated fury. "Three more?"
"Two were twins," Luis added helpfully, his dark eyes glowing with intoxicating, unbothered pride. He didn't even try to hide his smug smirk as he casually rested a protective hand on the sleeping hatter beside him. "An absolute blessing, wouldn't you say, Aunt?"
"I am going to end you," Hazel snarled, pulling her blade an inch out of its sheath with a lethal, metallic click. "I am going to slice you into tiny, bite-sized pieces, Madrigal, and feed you to the local sea monsters! Four?! Do you have any idea what four mini-Maxes will do to my sanity?!"
"Aunt Hazel, no! Don't cut Papa!" Maddison protested, stomping his little boot and stepping defensively between Hazel's hook and Luis. "Dad needs Papa to carry him when his back hurts! And Papa makes the best hot chocolate when Dad is crying because of the twins!"
Hazel froze mid-lunge, staring down at the kid in utter horror. "He... he cries because of the twins?! Oh, that's it! You've ruined my best friend!"
Grounding out a furious roar, Hazel raised her hook—only for Maddison to casually reach into his coat, pull out a tiny, glowing silver pocket watch, and press the top button.
Click.
A brilliant, shimmering rift ripped open right in the middle of the dorm room, crackling with soft purple sparks and sending a gust of wind blowing right into Hazel’s face.
"What in the cursed tides—?!" Hazel yelped, stumbling back and covering her eyes as the magic flared.
"Maddison!" a deep, familiar voice echoed from the other side of the portal. It was unmistakably an older Luis's voice, sounding slightly tired but intensely affectionate. "There you are! Your father is waking up from his nap, and if he realizes you went through the time rift again, he's going to ban me from the workshop for a month!"
Maddison giggled, turning toward the portal. "Coming, Papa! I found young Dad! He fainted on the floor!"
"He what—? Maddison, get back here this instant!" older Luis called out, sounding mildly panicked.
Before Hazel could reach out to grab the child, the little boy darted toward the tear in reality. He stopped right at the threshold, looking back at young Luis with a bright, mischievous grin.
"Bye, Papa! Don't forget to buy Dad those sweet buns tomorrow! He likes the cinnamon ones best when he's stressed!"
With a soft pop, the portal snapped shut, erasing the light and leaving the room in a stunned, heavy calm.
Hazel stood frozen mid-stride, her hookhalf-drawn, staring blankly at the empty space where her future nephew had just been standing. She blinked once. Twice. She slowly turned her head to glare at Luis, her eyes narrowing into murderous slits.
"If you ever..." Hazel began, her voice dripping with pure venom, "...put my besfriend through four pregnancies, I will personally hunt you across every single timeline in existence."
"Noted," Luis purred smoothly, completely unfazed by her threat. He casually leaned down, gathering the unconscious, deeply blushing Max up into his arms, bridal-style. He held the hatter close against his chest, resting his chin lightly on top of Max’s messy brown hair. "I'll be sure to keep him comfortable."
Hazel rubbed her temples aggressively, groaning in sheer defeat. "I hate both of you so much. I'm going to go drink an entire cask of cider and pretend this never happened."
She turned on her heel, marching toward the door, but stopped at the frame to throw one last glare over her shoulder. "And if he isn't awake in twenty minutes, I'm throwing a bucket of ice water on both of you!"
With a loud, dramatic slam, the dorm door clicked shut behind her.
As the room fell quiet, Max let out a soft, miserable moan, his eyelashes fluttering as he slowly blinked his eyes open. He looked up, immediately meeting Luis’s dark, possessive gaze hovering inches above him.
"Is... is Hazel gone?" Max mumbled weakly, his cheeks immediately flushing crimson again as he realized he was cradled securely in Luis's arms. "Is the kid gone?"
"He’s back home safely," Luis murmured, his thumb gently tracing the warm curve of Max’s cheek. The dark, possessive glow in his eyes hadn't faded one bit; if anything, it had settled into a deep, unshakable promise. "Though he did leave us with some very... valuable information."
Max buried his face directly into the crook of Luis’s neck with a muffled groan. "I am never making that potion. I am locking my workshop. I am never letting you touch me again."
Luis chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated straight through Max’s chest. He tightened his hold, pressing a long, sweet kiss to the crown of Max’s head.
"You can try, mi amor," Luis whispered against his hair, his smile smug, warm, and entirely victorious. "But the future seems to have very clear plans for us."