23:45h.

Max lay prone on the mattress where Kenji had placed him, after dragging the makeshift bed from against the freezing wall towards the center of the floor. He had almost dropped off into needed rest when a violent yank on his disheveled hair, loosely bound into a queue disturbed his peaceful slumber and drove him from the dark abyss into flaming awareness. He yelped loudly in fear and pain, but not truly afraid, some level registering that is was Kenji and therefore nothing to fear. He sat upright, rubbing his eyes as Kenji settled onto the mattress beside him, delicately perched on the edge.

"Y'know, that is *not* a leash, Kenji. What's up?" Max protested, pouting cutely at his companion. Kenji replied with a glare, then began to artistically muss his hair, paying careful attention to the dark green tresses over his eyes. Max grumbled, picking at a brown stain on the floor beneath his socked feet.

The pale boy snorted, and shot a glance to the clouded sky ablaze. The dark orange puffs of vaporized acid and pollution seemed to burn more brightly, mocking him with their fires and falling ashes, a black flaky rain of carbonized poisons outside the window.

Max's head yanked around abruptly as a finger jabbed into his shoulder blade. His shoulders and hips followed, heading into a furious glare at the Asian student. Kenji blinked, having completed his grooming, and stared in confused blankness at the inferno building in Max's countenance.

"What the hell do you want? You pull me outta going to bed nice and happy, and by my hair, no less! Then you fix your damned hair as if nothing is up, you just happen to abduct me every day! What the hell!" Max screeched, insults burning his throat. He frowned after the words had leapt from his lips, unsure of why he was screaming at Kenji, or what Kenji had done to deserve it.

Kenji looked stricken, hurt pouring into his swirling and glistening with pain. Max looked down, still feeling the snapping of tinder within, partially exploded upon the other student. He felt flames brush his cheeks, a touch of ashen rain slicing at his flesh with awful pain, blown inside the broken window with tiny shards of glass accompanying. A tiny, inexplicable smile crossed his thin countenance at the injury, as if the ashy flail from the sky had given him his punishment for hurting Kenji.

"Sorry," Kenji whispered, his normally deep fluid voice reduced to a harsh burnt rasp. Max tried to sneer, to be angry still, but...it was Kenji. He couldn't stay mad at Kenji. He sulked for a minute, fiery temper flaring out, then exhaled, gathering Kenji under one arm.

"Aw, man, Kenji...shh, it's okay..." Max murmured, cursing himself with blazing disgust. Kenji sniffled and wiped at his face brusquely, one liquid finger flicking a burning tear away. The Asian boy looked up, then glared at Max. The slight boy's eyes widened, and he bit his lip, glancing away briefly.

"Damn it, Max...my mascara's running, isn't it?" Kenji pouted. Max sighed and relaxed, rolling his eyes and almost chuckling. Kenji shook his head, and blinked at his roommate. Max leaned back, a goofy grin on his face as he tucked his neck into his hands.

"So, what didja need to talk to me about?" The pale boy stared at the pollution burning off in the clouds. The flames reflected in his bright green eyes. Kenji's cobalt gaze hardened, a pool of sadness hidden in determination. The Asian youth's hands twisted together in a mockery of dancing, chill palms suddenly clammy and unwelcome.

"Max," Kenji began, his voice almost faltering, "what happened last night?" The quiet, solemn voice dispelled the insanely cheerful grin plastered across Max's face, fading it to a faint flickering shadow. Max brought the clownish mask up again and winked.

"Why Kenji, what are you talking about?" Kenji frowned in response, the scowled washing onto his face as if never having left. Max gulped at the seriousness in his eyes, the cool demand for a response. Max returned a short nervous chuckle, the flare of his anger not withstanding the tsunami building within Kenji's countenance. He smiled weakly, and Kenji arched an eyebrow coolly.

"Max, you went out, got plastered, then practically tried to shred your skin off while cleaning up. And this is not the first time you have done this either, gone and made yourself...bleed," Kenji shuddered, clutching Max's hands in his own suddenly. Max formed a chuckle within the recesses of his burning, taut throat, rough with desperation, and he pulled one hand away violently, scratching in excuse at the base of his neck.

"Umm...I was trying to kill myself with the washcloth?" Max offered softly. Kenji's glower remained, the dark tide of displeasure rolling across his face.

"Not funny, Max. Something's wrong," Kenji replied bitterly, his blue eyes narrowing to slits in his attempt to understand, his lips tightened, dark brows flowing down to shadow his face past the ubiquitous green hair delicately fashioned over his countenance. Max inhaled, panic exploding within his chest, and then he slumped, frowning as the grip on his palm crushed painfully.

"Damn you...Fine. I don't really even know. I'm sorry, Kenji, I don't even remember that much of last night, other than puking in the subway," Max frowned, more at himself than his companion, but evading as a dancing flame. Kenji stared at him, meeting his eyes with cold demand until Max cursed and pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry! I do remember some other stuff - like all I could think about was how filthy I was..." Max pouted, glancing away from the clouds to Kenji's face, which was washed over with morbid curiosity. "Don't give me that look, like I'm some damned case from Psych 101! I don't know where the thought came from, but it stuck, and that's probably why I did whatever I did," Max defended, shying from Kenji's speculative gaze.

Max swung away, sitting on the edge of the mattress, and glanced up at the darkening sky, the clouds lighting it up with burning ash and poison gases. He wondered absently what moron had lit the pollution on fire, so many years ago, that it never stopped burning and produced even more poison to the world that had already existed. It was so deadly, eventually, to live on the dying planet.

"You won't do it again, right?" Kenji asked hopefully, his face washed with earnest hope, almost deleting his age to a child's. Max nodded slowly, as if not even hearing.

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