— Magma Boy/ Maximiliano —

Magma playing Cap's mask on stream:

It's a small gesture, one that almost no one notices, but for Cap, it means everything. Sometimes, when they're recording, Magma turns to him, gently runs a finger along the top edge of his mask, right where his eyebrows end, or slowly and carefully adjusts the back strap, as if afraid of breaking it or hurting him. She always does it while talking about something else, as if it were a reflex, without realizing it: "Yeah, so in the next game we're going to…"—she adjusts Cap's mask, her fingers accidentally brushing against his temple—"…go for the objective first, got it?" Cap freezes, feeling Magma's fingers so close to his face, and his eyes widen so much they almost pop out of their sockets. The chat always fills with comments like, "How sweet of Magma to fix Cap's mask," "They're so careful," and Magma just laughs and says, "It's just that this idiot always wears it crooked, someone has to help him." But Cap knows it's not true. He knows his mask was perfect. He knows Magma does it just to touch him, to be close, to have an excuse to brush against his skin even with the mask on. What Cap doesn't know is that Magma also feels that flutter in his stomach when he does it, that he likes to see Cap blush until his eyes are bright and wet, that he wonders why he likes it so much… but he never dares to delve deeper into that question, because he's afraid of the answer.

After finishing a long transmission:

When the cameras and microphones are off, when silence replaces the noise of games and laughter, that's when the most intimate moments happen. Both are tired, their voices a little hoarse from talking so much, and they sit side by side, in no hurry to leave. Magma always stretches, then puts an arm around Cap's shoulders and pulls him close, letting him rest his head on her shoulder. "You did well today, Kitty," she always says, her voice softer than usual. "I like recording with you. More than with anyone else." Cap closes his eyes, breathes in her scent—coffee, a touch of cologne, that smell that's uniquely Magma's—and wishes time would stop there forever. Sometimes, if Cap has taken off his mask, Magma runs her fingers over his tired eyelids, over the soft dark circles that appear after hours of recording, and murmurs, "You should sleep more. You look exhausted. Come on, I'll take you to bed." And he picks him up in his arms, like a child, carries him to the bedroom, gently lays him down, covers him well with the blanket, and sits beside him until he falls asleep. Once, Cap pretended to be asleep to see what Magma would do, and he felt her stroking his hair for minutes on end, whispering things so softly he could barely hear: "What an idiot you are... how important you've become to me... I don't know what I'd do if you left..." Cap had to bite his lip to keep from sobbing, from opening his eyes and hugging her tightly. And when Magma got up to leave, she gave him a soft kiss on his hair and left the room, unaware that Cap had heard everything, unaware that those words had given him a hope he didn't dare name.

If Cap mentions another person a lot in a video:

Magma notices it immediately. If Cap talks about a new friend or collaborator he gets along with really well in a vlog or stream, if he enthusiastically repeats their name over and over, saying things like "he's super funny," "I really like him," "I can't wait to film with him again," Magma's mood plummets in two seconds. He gets grumpy, answers in monosyllables, doesn't laugh at anything, and every time Cap mentions that person, Magma makes a sharp, cutting comment: "Wow, that's great. Looks like you don't need me for anything anymore, huh?", "I bet he's better than me at everything, right?", "Well, it's good that you have new friends, maybe that'll make you stop bothering me." Cap doesn't understand why he gets like this, thinks he's annoyed that Cap is making new friends, that he's possessive for no reason, and one day he mustered up the courage and asked him: "Why do you get like this when I talk about other people? Are you jealous or what?" Magma was silent for a second, his eyes wide, as if the question had hit him like a ton of bricks. Then he turned red—something very unusual for him—jumped up, and said in a louder voice than normal, "Jealous? Me? Of you? Don't be an idiot, Cap! It's just... it just annoys me that you're always talking about other people when we're recording. That's all. Nothing more." But his gaze betrayed him. There was nervousness, confusion, something he wouldn't even admit to himself. Cap stared at him, his heart pounding, and for the first time thought that maybe... maybe Magma wasn't so sure he saw him as just a friend, as he always claimed.

When they are at conventions or events together:

These are the days when the dynamic between them becomes more intense, more public, and also more confusing for Cap. Thousands of fans surround them, shouting their names, asking for photos, and Magma becomes a human shield for Cap: always one step ahead, clearing a path for him through the crowd, putting an arm around his waist to keep him close, telling him "stay close to me, don't move an inch" with an unwavering seriousness. When they take photos with fans, Magma always pulls Cap close, pressing him against her side, sometimes placing her hand on his hip or lower waist, in a gesture that seems almost possessive, resulting in every photo showing them pressed together as if they were more than just friends. Once, a fan asked them at a panel discussion, "Have you ever felt anything more than friendship for each other?" The audience roared with excitement, Cap turned bright red and didn't know what to say, staring at his hands behind his mask, trembling. Then Magma laughed, put an arm around Cap's shoulders, and pulled him close, looking at the audience with a calm smile: "Cap is my favorite person in the whole world. I love him so much, more than I can explain. And if he wanted something more… well, never say never, right?" The place erupted in cheers. Cap felt like he was going to faint from excitement. He thought that finally… finally Magma was going to say it. But then, when the panel was over and they were alone in the dressing room, Magma gave him a gentle punch on the arm and said, laughing, "See? I left them wondering, wasn't it? They believed it all, huh?" And Cap felt like the world was crashing down around him. It had only been a joke. It had only been to entertain the fans. Nothing more.

The night Cap almost confessed everything:

It happened after a mutual friend's birthday party. They'd both had a few drinks, not too many, but enough to loosen their nerves a bit, to make their tongues flow more freely. They were sitting on the porch, alone, looking at the stars, and Cap had taken off his mask a while ago. Magma was glancing at him, thinking how beautiful he looked with the moonlight illuminating his face, and Cap, for his part, felt his heart pounding in his chest, that he couldn't keep this secret another day. He turned to Magma, looked him straight in the eyes, and said in a trembling but firm voice, "I have to tell you something. Something I've been keeping to myself for a long time, and I don't dare to..." He stopped, swallowed, and saw Magma become serious, turn to listen to him attentively. "I... I love you. Not as a friend. I love you in a different way. I like you, Magma. I've liked you since the first time we met. Every hug from you, every word, every gesture... makes me feel things I shouldn't feel for my best friend. And I know you only see me as a brother, and that this is going to ruin everything, but I can't keep it to myself anymore, I'm dying inside..." He fell silent, his eyes filled with tears, waiting for rejection, waiting for Magma to get up and leave. But Magma didn't move. He stood still, staring at him with wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. And then, very slowly, he reached out, wiped away a tear that had escaped down his cheek, and said in a strange, hoarse, and confused voice: "Cap... I... I didn't know. I never... thought you..." He stopped, searched for words, and before he could finish whatever it was he was going to say, there was a noise inside the house; someone called them by name. Magma jumped to his feet, as if the sound had jolted him from a trance, and said faster than usual, "Better... better talk about this."

When Cap gets sad and doesn't say why:

Cap is sensitive; he gets depressed easily when he reads hurtful comments or when he feels his content isn't good enough, and when that happens, he withdraws: he talks less, he doesn't laugh at Magma's jokes, his eyes look dull even behind the mask. Magma notices it before anyone else. He's not one to ask a thousand times, "What's wrong?"; he prefers to act. Without saying a word, he approaches, sits next to him, puts an arm around his waist, and pulls him close, not caring if there are cameras or other people around. He lets him rest his head on his shoulder, slowly strokes his hair, and speaks softly, just for him: "It's over now, idiot. What other people say doesn't matter. Your content is the best, you do it with passion, and I know it. I can see it." When they're alone and Cap takes off his mask, Magma gently wipes away his tears with his thumb, with a tenderness no one would believe such a rough, direct man is capable of, and says, "Cry if you want. I'll stay here. I'm not judging you, I'm not telling you to stop being sensitive. I like you just the way you are." Cap closes his eyes, clutches his shirt, and wishes he could say, "I like you, I like you so much my chest hurts," but he can only manage a sobbing "thank you." And Magma, unaware of the weight of those words Cap keeps silent, gives him a soft kiss on the forehead and says, "That's what friends are for, right?"

Magma being possessive without realizing it:

There are things Magma does out of habit, without a second thought, that drive Cap crazy with love and pain at the same time. For example: she always takes Cap's hand away when he's about to pay for something, saying, "I'll pay, let's not argue," as if it were an obligation; she always walks on the side of the sidewalk closest to the street, to protect him from cars; she always checks his jacket before he goes out to make sure it's buttoned up properly, saying, "Don't catch a cold, or you'll complain and I'll have to take care of you"; she always saves him his favorite part of his food, without him even asking; she always answers his messages instantly, no matter the time, and if Cap doesn't reply within half an hour, she calls him until he answers, worried sick. The most intense thing is when they're with other people: Magma always has his hand, arm, or shoulder, as if she's afraid he'll get lost, as if she has to mark her territory without anyone asking her to. Once, a friend asked them why they were always so inseparable, and Magma answered without hesitation, "Because he's my Cap. I have to take care of him, who else will?" Cap felt his heart swell with hope… until Magma added, laughing, "He's like my little brother, you know? I couldn't let anything happen to him." And just like that, hope vanished from his chest again, like smoke slipping through his fingers.

If Cap goes out alone without telling Magma:

Magma treats it almost like an unwritten rule: "Wherever you go, let me know." And if Cap forgets—if he goes for a walk, runs an errand, or visits a friend and doesn't text him—when he returns, he finds Magma standing in the doorway, phone in hand, eyes dark, a chilling mixture of fury and fear on his face. He doesn't yell, but his voice is so low and strained that Cap prefers he shouts: "Do you have any idea how many times I called? That I spent the last hour thinking something had happened to you? What the hell is wrong with you for not letting me know, you damn idiot?" Then, before Cap can apologize, Magma pulls him into a hug so tight he can barely breathe, presses his head to his chest, and whispers into his hair, his voice breaking: "Don't ever do that again. Please. Don't scare me like that. I can't... I can't lose you." Cap freezes, eyes wide, feeling Magma's rapid heartbeat against his ear, and thinks, "Does she really love me? Is it possible?"... But when Magma pulls away, she runs a hand over her face as if ashamed of having shown so much emotion, and says in a more normal tone, trying to hide it: "So... you're my best friend, right? I'd worry about any of the guys just the same." And Cap knows it's a lie. He knows Magma wouldn't wait at the door for anyone else, wouldn't hug anyone else with that kind of desperation. But he says nothing. He just nods, apologizes again, and keeps his truth to himself.

When they talk about relationships or couples:

These are the conversations Cap finds most difficult. Sometimes, while chatting about silly things or life in general, the topic comes up: "Would you like a girlfriend?" "Have you ever been in love?" Magma always responds indifferently, shrugging his shoulders: "I don't know, I haven't found anyone worthwhile. I prefer being alone, being with you guys, recording." And then he asks Cap, looking him straight in the eyes: "And you, Kitty? Is there anyone you like?" Cap blushes to the roots of his hair, gets nervous, stutters, looks everywhere but at him: "N-no… well… I don't know… there is someone… but I don't think they like me." Then Magma leans closer, lifts Cap's chin with a finger to force him to look at him, and says with an intensity that leaves him breathless: "What do you mean they wouldn't like you? You're amazing. Anyone who doesn't like you is an idiot. If that person doesn't realize how lucky they'd be with you… they don't deserve a second of your time." Cap stares at him, his heart pounding in his chest, and is about to say, "It's you. You're the idiot who doesn't realize it," but Magma lets go of his chin, leans back, and says, laughing, "Well, you'll see. Someday someone good will come along for you. And if they hurt you... you know I'll make sure they get what's coming to them, okay? Like the older friend I am." And Cap smiles bitterly, nods, and thinks that the person hurting him is himself, without even realizing it, with every single one of those words.

If Cap gets sick or hurt:

When Cap is sick, Magma transforms into a completely different person: he stops being the rough joker and becomes an obsessive, almost overprotective caregiver who won't let Cap do anything for himself. If he has a fever, Magma stays by his side all night, changes the wet cloths on his forehead, gives him his medicine at the exact time, and makes his favorite food even though he's not a good cook. If he gets hurt—he once twisted his ankle playing soccer—Magma carries him in his arms as if he weighed nothing, refuses to let him walk a single step, tells him, "You're so clumsy, you can't even walk without falling," while bandaging his ankle with astonishing gentleness, and doesn't leave him alone even to go to the bathroom. The most powerful moment is when Cap, with a high fever and half-delirious, grabbed his shirt and whispered, "Don't go. Please, stay with me. I like you so much... so much it hurts." Magma froze, his heart pounding in his chest, unsure how to respond, unsure if he'd meant it or if it was just the fever. He gently stroked Cap's hair, kissed his forehead, and murmured, "I'm not leaving. I'm staying here. Forever." The next morning, when Cap woke up feeling better, Magma didn't mention anything about what he'd said. He acted as usual, telling him he was a jerk for worrying him, and Cap couldn't tell if it had been a dream or if he'd actually heard him. He dared to ask, timidly, and Magma shrugged: "You were delirious from the fever, you didn't say anything important. Just nonsense." And Cap believed it was true. He never knew that Magma had spent the entire night awake, thinking about those words, feeling a strange warmth in his chest that he couldn't quite name.

If someone flirts with Cap in front of Magma:

This is the situation that brings out the worst—and most intense—in Magma. It doesn't matter if it's a joke, a fan, or a collaborator who just wants to be friendly: as soon as someone says something to Cap like "you have such beautiful eyes," "I love your voice," or dares to blurt out "you look amazing even with that mask," Magma changes in an instant. His body stiffens, his gaze darkens, and he approaches so slowly it's frightening, until he's standing right behind Cap, his large hands firmly on his shoulders. He says nothing at first: he just stares at the other person with such a cold and threatening expression that the other person almost always laughs nervously and changes the subject. If they don't, Magma speaks, in that deep, slow voice he uses when he's truly annoyed: "Hey, did you hear yourself? Are you talking to my Cap like that?" The way he says "my Cap" makes Cap's legs melt, makes him forget to breathe. Then Magma squeezes his shoulders slightly, leans in until his warm breath brushes against Cap's ear—out of microphone range—and whispers, "Don't answer him. Don't even give him the time of day. You're mine, remember?" Cap can only nod, trembling, unaware that for Magma these words stem from a possessive instinct he doesn't understand, that they aren't a declaration of love… just the need to have his favorite person all to himself, without sharing them with anyone.

During the streams together:

On camera, the dynamic is the one everyone knows and loves: Magma teases Cap constantly, plays mean pranks on him, calls him "shorty," "kitten," "cute idiot," and Cap pretends to get angry, huffs, tells him to leave him alone, but his eyes—always visible above the mask—shine with happiness. What no one sees is what happens off-screen: Magma's legs brush against Cap's under the table all the time, never separating; sometimes, when Cap is engrossed in a game, Magma runs a hand along the back of his neck or gently squeezes his shoulder, minimal gestures that no one else notices but that make Cap's heart race; when Cap gets nervous and stutters, Magma gives him a gentle nudge and a knowing look that only he understands, as if to say, "I'm here, don't worry." Once, during a scary stream, Cap got so frightened that he jumped and grabbed Magma's arm tightly, digging his fingers into her shirt. Magma didn't laugh, didn't tease him: she simply put her arm around his shoulders, pulled him close until Cap's head was almost resting on her chest, and said calmly to the entire chat, "Don't worry, I'll take care of him. Nothing's going to happen to anyone while I'm here." The chat exploded with excited messages, Cap blushed so much he felt his mask getting hot… and then, when the stream ended, Magma said, laughing, "You're such a scaredy-cat, what a scene you put me through," as if that hug hadn't meant the world to Cap.

When Cap takes off his mask behind the scenes:

Very few people have ever seen Captain Cat's full face, and Magma is one of them—the only one, in fact, who sees it almost daily. When they finish a broadcast, when they're alone in the hotel room or the recording studio, Cap first shyly touches the edges of his mask, as if silently asking permission, and then slowly removes it, revealing his pale face, his cheeks that blush easily, his lips slightly bitten by nerves. The first time he did it in front of Magma, Magma remained silent for a few seconds, his eyes wide, and then said in an unusually soft voice, "Damn, Kitty… you're even cuter without that thing." Since then, Magma has developed a habit that drives Cap crazy: when they're alone, she runs her thumb along Cap's cheek or the corner of his lips, as if trying to etch every feature into her memory, and says things like, "You have a scar here I never noticed," or "You turn bright red when I say something nice to you, you know?" Cap closes his eyes, lets her do it, wishes those touches would never end… and then Magma laughs, ruffles Cap's hair, and says, "I'm so lucky to be your friend and get to see this, huh?" And Cap smiles sadly, nods, and puts his mask back on to hide the pain that's showing in his eyes.

If Cap does something Magma doesn't like:

If Cap decides to stay late recording alone, if he accepts a collaboration with someone Magma can't stand, or if he forgets to let him know before changing his plans, Magma's attitude changes completely. He becomes silent, cold, with that heavy gaze that fixes on Cap until his hands tremble. He doesn't yell at him, he never does; worse: he ignores him for hours, answers with monosyllables, and looks at him askance as if he'd committed the worst kind of betrayal. Once, Cap agreed to play a game with another streamer without asking him, and when they arrived at the house to record, Magma stood in the doorway, arms crossed, and didn't speak to him until Cap timidly approached, still wearing his mask, and asked him what was wrong. Then Magma gently but firmly took his arm, led him to a separate room, and said in a voice heavy with an intensity that left him breathless, "You don't do anything without telling me. Nothing. I don't like you going off with people I don't know, who don't know what you're like, who don't look out for you like I do." Cap swallowed hard, felt his heart leap in his chest, and was about to ask, "Why do you care so much?" when Magma released his arm, sighed, and added more softly, "You're my best friend, idiot. I don't want anything to happen to you." And with those three words, Cap felt a piece of his soul break, again.

Jealous magma:

Whenever someone else gets too close to Cap—whether it's a collaborator on a stream, a fan who dares to touch his arm at a convention, or even a mutual friend who laughs too loudly at his jokes—Magma tenses up immediately. His jaw clenches, his voice deepens and becomes huskier, and without realizing it, he positions himself between them, like a tall, hot, six-foot-tall wall blocking any gaze that isn't his own. He doesn't understand why his chest burns, why he feels like growling like an animal when he sees Cap's eyes—those large, expressive eyes peeking out from behind his black mask—light up for someone who isn't him. He just acts: he throws an arm around Cap's shoulders with controlled force, pulls him to his side until Cap's smaller body is pressed against his, and delivers a dry joke in a tone that brooks no argument: "Hey, don't steal my partner, I need him to record, okay?" Cap blushes to his ears, feels Magma's heat seeping through his clothes, and believes, for a fleeting second, that this possessive gesture is something more than friendship… until Magma gently taps him on the back and says, laughing, "See, Kitty? I always protect you from the annoying ones," as if it were nothing, unaware that she has given him a hope that she will later unintentionally shatter.