Call It Fate, Call It Karma {Andreas Kisser X Max Cavalera}

Chapter 3

Almost a week later, Max had bought a new copy of Manic Street Preachers’ ‘Generation Terrorists’, since his old one got lost. He had the intention of going over to Andreas’ house to listen to it with him. Before he left for work, he was sitting at the kitchen table with his brother having coffee. Igor looked at him amusedly while faking sadness.
 
“Paulo and I are hanging out later today. You’d rather break down to James Dean Bradfield’s voice with your boyfriend instead of us?”
 
Max rolled his eyes. “Don’t call him my boyfriend.”
 
“But last night you said you two were both ‘off the market,’” Igor pointed out.
 
“Fine, you can call him that. It’s just such a… romantic word,” Max remarked, pursing his lips.
 
“That’s what I call Paulo, are you implying that I’m a sap?” Igor asked, crossing his arms.
 
Max smiled and said, “Yes, I am.” His expression then became more serious. “Not that its bad, its just- I don’t know. A part of me is still struggling to accept it.”
 
“Accept what?” Igor looked a little confused, taking a sip from his coffee mug.
 
Slightly hesitant, Max responded, “I guess the idea of a relationship with another guy still kinda scares me a little. I’m not sure what dad would’ve thought about it.”
 
“Max, it’s okay. Dad would’ve still loved you the same,” Igor said, trying to comfort his older brother. “I know he’d still love me regardless of me being bisexual. You’d be no different.”
 
Max thought about it for a second. “It just hurts to not know for sure because he’s not here, you know what I mean?”
 
Graziano, their father, had died when Max and Igor were still young children. It was something that greatly affected them to that day, but it especially took a toll on the elder Cavalera brother. He always worried about what their father would think of him, and whether or not he’d be proud of the son he had made. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Max realized he should probably leave for work.
 
“I’ve gotta get going. I’ll see you and mama later tonight,” he said, setting his mug down. He got up and headed towards the door.
 
“I’ll be around,” replied Igor, giving a wave as Max left.
 
Vania usually left the earliest, with Max heading out about an hour or two later. Igor tended to leave last, not really having steady working hours the same as his mother and brother. Though truthfully, Max had been arriving at the library quicker in the mornings because he was so excited at the possibility of Andreas there later in the day. After they had kissed for the first time, Max wasn’t sure how he had ever convinced himself that he didn’t have a crush. Maybe Igor was right, he thought. Maybe he was a sap.
 
Carol greeted him when he walked into the library, smiling at him. She seemed to notice that he was happier than usual.
 
“Something going on I should know about? You look like you’re doing particularly well,” she said, filing information into her computer.
 
“Just looking forward to this evening. I’m hanging out with my-” Max paused, suddenly unsure of himself. “Well, I guess he is my boyfriend.”
 
Carol nodded, straightening her glasses. “Is it that boy that keeps coming in? Kathy told me you two seemed to get along well. She guessed that you two liked each other a little more than you were letting on.”
 
“Fuck.” Max bit his lip, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Fine, she was right. I’ll admit I’m pretty into him.”
 
“Language, Massimiliano.” Carol used his full name when she was being stern. Max gave a lopsided smile and apologized.
 
“I know, I’m sorry. Do you know what time Kath’s coming in?” he asked. He knew Kathy would get a kick out of him telling her she was right.
 
“Probably around 10. You and I both know how she likes to sleep in.” Carol sounded unimpressed at the sentiment, but Max knew she was very close with her daughter. They kind of reminded him of how him and Igor were with their mother.
 
The clock stroke 10:30, and Kathy came in with two iced coffees. She handed one to Max, who rolled his eyes and scoffed. Nonetheless, he drank the beverage.
 
“I know you like your Starbucks like a suburban white girl,” she joked, lightly socking his shoulder.
 
“Fine, I’m a little basic. Did you have to rub that in by getting me pumpkin spice?” Max asked, scratching his neck as he sipped.
 
“You always whine that its limited edition, of course I did.” Kathy smirked, chugging her drink.
 
“Don’t drink that too fast Katherine, you’ll get a sugar rush,” said Carol. Kathy pouted at her mother’s warning.
 
“Mom, I haven’t gotten one of those since I was little.”
 
Carol took her glasses off to clean them and replied, “You damn kids, always growing up so fast. Did Max tell you he has a boyfriend now? I can’t believe it. I swear he was 15 and looking for a new job just a few months ago.”
 
Kathy had a gleam in her eye as she asked, “New guy you’ve been talking to that keeps coming in, right?”
 
Max figured he’d entertain her. “Yeah, his name is Andreas. He invited me over to his house a few days ago and we made out on his couch for like an hour.”
 
Kathy was grinning. “I knew he liked you!” she exclaimed.
 
Max tried to contain his smile. “Yeah, yeah, Miss Mind Reader. I’m planning on going to his house to listen to some music tonight. Hope he likes Manic Street Preachers.”
 
“Did they ever find that Richey Edwards guy?” Carol asked curiously, perching her now pristine glasses back up on her face.
 
“No,” Max said, sadly remembering his disappearance. “He’s still missing.”
 
Everyone who knew about the Manic Street Preachers, whether they hated them or were fans, seemed to have an opinion on the fate of Richey Edwards. Max didn’t think he was dead like some of the papers had claimed, but he usually didn’t talk about it much unless he was high and on a rambling spree with Igor and sometimes Paulo, when he was over.
 
Later that day, Andreas had came into the library. Max noticed him and waved.
 
“Max! Hey, how have you been? I know we talked over the phone, but you I like seeing your pretty face,” Andreas said, eyeing Max for a reaction.
 
Blushing, Max stammered out, “Thanks. I uh, bought a new Manics record. Well, it’s not new, it came out 5 years ago, but I lost my old one. I was thinking of bringing it over later tonight and maybe giving it a listen with you, if you don’t mind.”
 
“You mean Manic Street Preachers? I like them. Yeah, sounds good to me.”
 
Max shifted on his feet, pursing his lips. He brushed his bangs out of his face and asked, “Is there anything you want me to help you find?”
 
“I just figured I’d come in to browse around, maybe check out some books in the music section. I’ve been thinking of digging my guitar out, it’s still in one of the boxes at my house somewhere. To be honest, I like coming in sometimes just to talk to you.”
 
Max beamed at the words, staring at Andreas with a flattered expression on his face. Then he registered the rest of what he had said.
 
“You play guitar? That’s awesome, I do too. Me, my brother, and his boyfriend actually started a band with our old friend who lived here before he moved.”
 
Andreas seemed curious to know more. “That’s really cool, what music do you play?”
 
“Metal. We like to cover Motorhead and Faith No More a lot.” Max took a moment to think. “We’ve been looking for a new lead guitarist since Jairo left. Maybe you can stop by over the weekend and play with us some?”
 
Andreas considered the idea. “That would be cool. I’ve always wanted to play in a band.”
 
“Guess it’s settled than. Hey, I’ve got to stock the shelf over there.” Max pointed at one of the tall bookshelves in the back. “I could use someone tall to give me a hand. Could you help me?”
 
Andreas smiled and said, “I think I can do that.”
 
While putting books up on the shelf, Andreas snuck up behind Max, pulling him off the floor and into the air.
 
“Hey, put me down!” he shrieked, flailing in Andreas’ grasp.
 
Carol gave them a cross look from her desk, as a signal to quiet down. Andreas looked over, mouthing a “sorry”. He set Max down back on his feet, snickering as Max turned around, cheeks tinged with color.
 
“Not funny,” Max muttered, trying to hide how secretly good it felt to be in Andreas’ arms.
 
“Won’t happen again, sir. My sincerest apologies,” said Andreas, still containing giggles. Max frowned, tapping his shoulder.
 
“I didn’t say you couldn’t pick me up. Just not while I’m working.” He gave a smile to affirm his words.
 
“Fair enough. You’re the boss, Maxaroni.”
 
Max gave a look of faux horror at Andreas’ usage of the dreaded nickname again. He turned around, thinking about the rest of Andreas’ words as they finished putting books up.
 
“You like someone in charge of you?” he asked, grinning as he anticipated Andreas’ response.
 
“Depends on what they’re in charge of. Maybe the back of a library isn’t the place to talk about this. I wouldn’t want Ms. Penelo to fire you due to overhearing us talk about- well, I think you know.”
 
Max nodded along at the mention of Carol until he realized what Andreas was getting at. “Oh!” His eyes widened as he tried to shoo thoughts of that away. He gave an awkward laugh, looking down at his stomach that seemed to stick out way too much at that time. “Yeah…”
 
Andreas ended up leaving after they finished setting books up in their proper places, admitting that his room was “messy” and needed cleaning before Max got to his house.
 
“I’m not always the cleanest person, so to speak. I hope you don’t mind a bit of clutter. My mama gets driven up the walls by it sometimes, but to be fair, most of our house is still pretty messy right now.”
 
“That’s okay with me. My brother and his boyfriend always leave food trash in our garage after smoking pot. As long as you don’t have roaches, it’s all good to me.” Max remembered the first time he had saw a roach in their garage while they were practicing. He had screamed bloody murder, causing everyone to laugh, much to his dismay. Paulo had ended up squishing it for him with one of Igor’s drumsticks. Even Jairo had cringed when he handed it back to Igor, then stamped in the remains of shell and roach guts. Max had given an awkward “thanks” and they continued playing.
 
When Max had arrived at Andreas’ house after grabbing his copy of Generation Terrorists from his bedroom, he noticed two cars were in the driveway. He figured that Andreas’ parents were probably home.
 
When he knocked, a woman answered the door. She had her dark hair tied into a low ponytail and was wearing an oversized tie-dye sweatshirt.
 
“You must be Max. I’m Bojena, Andreas’ mother.” She held her hand out for Max to shake. Max took it and squeezed tightly, feeling a little nervous. He noticed her accent was Slavic.
 
“Henry, Andreas’ boyfriend is here. Sorry Max, I should probably tell you where he is. He’s up in his room looking for his record player.”
 
Bojena led Max inside, inviting him to sit down at their kitchen table with Andreas’ father. She opened the refrigerator door and asked, “Is there anything you’d like? We have lots of food and drinks.”
 
“Just a Mountain Dew, if you have one,” Max said meekly. Andreas’ father was in an AC/DC t-shirt, tapping his boot clad foot against the table leg.
 
“You seem a little nervous. Is everything okay?” Henry asked, genuine kindness in his eyes. Max gave a somewhat forced smile upon hearing his also foreign accent.
 
“I’m fine, I just wasn’t expecting you guys to be here.”
 
“Don’t worry, we won’t bother you two. We know how you young people need your privacy. We’ve got to head back to the shop in a few minutes, anyways.”
 
Max, trying to calm his nerves, decided to inquire about where Andreas’ parents were from. He they definitely weren’t from Brazil. “Say, I gather you’re both from Europe, somewhere?”
 
“Yes, we are,” said Bojena, handing Max a can of Mountain Dew. “I’m from Slovenia, and Henry is from Germany. Andreas was born in Sao Paulo, though. We were both biologists before we opened our vape store here.”
 
Max thought Andreas’ parents seemed quite interesting. “That’s cool. Did you study a particular type of animal?” he asked, slowly starting to relax.
 
“We especially studied the giant river otters,” answered Henry. “Though Bojena also likes the freshwater dolphins.”
 
“Found it! It was in one of the boxes in my closet. Is Max here yet-” Andreas had turned the corner to see Max sitting at the table. “Oh, I guess you are. Hey.” He smiled, giving Max an affectionate pat on the shoulder as he sat down in the chair next to him.
 
“Henry was just talking about how we landed ourselves in Brazil,” said Bojena, grabbing an apple out of the refrigerator and sitting down to eat it. “We’ll get going after I finish this. I know you kids probably want us old people out of your hair.” She grinned at them and took a bite.
 
“I see where Andreas gets his lovely smile from,” complimented Max, sipping his soda.
 
“Oh, you’re too sweet,” Bojena replied, looking pleased.
 
Henry coughed, and said, “I must say, I didn’t think Max was a very common name here in Latin America. Is it short for anything or do your parents perhaps have German or Roman roots?”
 
“My father was Italian, my full name’s actually Massimiliano. I also have a brother who’s a year younger than I am named Igor. Before anyone asks, my father’s dead.” Max fidgeted from discomfort, and also because the energy from the Mountain Dew was starting to kick into his system.
 
“Sorry to hear,” Bojena said, gnawing at the core of her apple. “You’re a very polite young man, I’m sure he’d be proud of you.”
 
Max smiled sadly and responded, “I’d hope so. I really try.”
 
He was comforted by Andreas returning his hand to his shoulder, giving his back muscle a gentle squish. His tension loosened, and suddenly he felt a lot better.
 
“Thank you,” he whispered, just loud enough for Andreas to hear him.
 
A few minutes later, Bojena and Henry said their goodbyes and headed back out, leaving Andreas and Max to their own devices.
 
“You ever try magic mushrooms?” Andreas asked with a bit of a gleam in his eye. Max shook his head.
 
“No, I haven’t. What are they like?”
 
“Fucking incredible. I looked in the mirror and thought I grew elf ears one time, it was awesome.” Andreas laughed, and with that Max was convinced of what to ask next.
 
“You got any?”
 
Looking eager, Andreas said, “You’re asking the right questions. Yeah, I got some left. You wanna come up to my room and eat some with me?”
 
Max already knew what his answer would be. Giving a cheeky grin, he replied, “Sure. Let’s get fucked up. I’ve got the CD, we can scream along to Traci Lord’s parts in Little Baby Nothing together.”
 
They were up in Andreas’ bedroom, feeling the effect of the mushrooms start to take place. Loves Sweet Exile had come on, and Max was drumming out the beat by smacking his hands on his knees.
 
“Rain down alienation, leave this country, leave this country!” He sang, rather off-tune. It was one of his favorite lines of any song, due to the conflicts Brazil had with its government. He always appreciated how applicable Richey Edwards’ penmanship could be to his life situation.
 
“James is shorter than I am, but God I’d let him do things to me. I’d ride him like a cowboy rides a horse,” he said, giggling at his remark. He looked down at his hands. “Is it just me or do my fingers look like hot dogs?”
 
Andreas started to cackle. “I feel like I’m flying. Ah, fuck it.” He jumped on Max, causing him to squeak. “Had to land.”
 
“Get off of me, dammit!” Max shifted his hips up, trying to release himself from Andreas’ weight. He knew he made a mistake when their groins touched.
 
Andreas was staring at him like he had just done the most insane thing possible. “Max,” he said, voice quiet.
 
Hearing his name said like that sent a jolt through Max’s body. He realized all too late that he was popping a boner.
 
“Oh God,” he said, eyes wide with fear. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-”
 
Andreas leaned in, shutting him up with a kiss. Not sure what to do, Max gave in, relishing the taste of Andreas’ lips and how nice they felt against his own.
 
“It’s okay. Do you want me to do something about it? If not, that’s fine too. It’s just an offer, no pressure to take it.”
 
Max’s breathing was getting increasingly more ragged. “Fuck, yeah, I want you too. Please?”
 
That was how Max found himself lying at the foot of the bed with Andreas’ hand in his jeans while Stay Beautiful blasted from the CD player on the dresser beside them.
 
Max gasped as he felt Andreas’ hold his cock, squirming in desperation to feel the pressure of his grip. He threw his head back in frustration.
 
“Take them off, fucker,” he whined, bucking his hips.
 
Andreas pressed another soft kiss to his lips, and Max could feel his wild grin against them. “Fine,” he said after pulling away. “I’ll indulge you, but only because I think you’re kinda hot. That stays between you and me, though.” He laughed at his own joking musings. Max was not impressed, being too turned on to participate in humor.
 
“If my pants aren’t around my knees in 5 seconds, I will give you hell,” Max said, staring up at Andreas with intensity and impatience.
 
“Fine, you’re so bitchy when you’re horny,” Andreas said, causing Max to whine further.
 
“Am not!” He quickly was shut up by Andreas dragging his jeans and boxers down, feeling the slight chill of the air hit his now exposed skin. His cock twitched in anticipation as Andreas gripped him once again, starting to jerk him off properly.
 
“That feels- uh- really good,” he moaned as he felt pre-come releasing from his tip. He could feel Andreas starting to get hard against his thigh.
 
“Yeah? I have an idea. Hold still.” Andreas shuffled his own jeans down to his knees, grasping their cocks and holding them together. Max groaned, eyes rolling back in his head as he felt the friction of their lengths together.
 
“You’re so pretty like this,” breathed Andreas, speeding up the movement of his hand. Max shivered up into his touch, savoring the moment between them.
 
“Mm-hmm. You feel- um-” He averted his eyes from Andreas, a little embarrassed by what he was going to say. “You feel really big.”
 
Andreas pressed his lips together, nodding as he stroked them, both of them now leaking from arousal. “Yeah? You like that?”
 
“I do.” Max nodded back, although more frantically.
 
It was the brief but startling thought of Andreas inside of him that ended up sending Max over the edge. He started to shake as he climaxed, thrusting his hips up into sweet release.
 
“Yeah, that’s it. Good boy, I’m close too.” Andreas kissed him as he came, feeling Max react to his words with a shudder.
 
They lay still for a while, coming down from the highs of the shrooms and their orgasms. The guitar riff to Condemned to Rock and Roll blared, and Max gave an amused sigh.
 
“God, I never saw the Manics as sexy music, but you know what? It works.”
 
“I always liked the breakdown in this song. Reminds me of Rocket Queen,” Andreas remarked, getting up and pulling his shirt off.
 
“What? Oh- oh shit, we got jizz on our shirts.” Max looked worried, Andreas simply shrugging as he zipped his fly back up.
 
“I’ll wash them before my parents get back. Not like they’d care anyways, they’re fine with me having a sex life as long as they don’t have to be involved in it too.”
 
Max discarded his own shirt off his body, handing it to Andreas. “Thanks,” he said, feeling a little awkward.
 
“No problem. I’ll throw them in for us.” He gave Max a quick peck on the cheek and got up, heading to the laundry room. Max assembled himself back together, zipping his own jeans up and following him.
 
“Still want me to come over to play guitar with you and your brother? I think it’s packed away in my closet somewhere, I’ll find it for us,” Andreas said after tossing their shirts in the washing machine.
 
“Yeah. Saturday sound good?” Max asked, leaning against the wall.
 
“Fine with me. You want some fresh air? It’s a little stuffy in here.”
 
With that, they went outside on Andreas’ back porch to sit down on their outdoor couch under the gazebo. They watched the beginnings of dusk together, Andreas tucking Max into him and snaking an arm around his shoulder. They were quiet, content in the company of each other as the sky darkened, stars starting to light up the sky in place of the sun.