Disclaimer: Do I have to? Fine. Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson who is probably making millions as I type this, and the song "Iris" belongs to the Goo Goo Dolls.

When Everything's Made to be Broken

And I'd give up forever to touch you

'Cause I know that you feel me somehow

Fang gave me his special smile, and I couldn't help but smile in return. It had been going on like this for days. Something had changed between us, but neither one of us knew what that was. He walked over to me and pushed something into my hands. I smiled, and stared into his dark eyes.

"Max? Max, can you hear me?"

"Huh?" Had he said something?

"I told you, it's your turn to do the laundry," he said, confused. I heard Iggy and the Gasman laughing at the other side of the campsite. I ran toward the small brook near our camp before anyone could see the blush that was creeping up my face.

I had been washing our clothes for about five minutes without soap because you know, like, having soap would be, oh I don't know, a luxury, when I heard light footsteps behind me.

"Fang forgot to hand you Nudge's and my clothes," Angel said as she smiled sweetly at me. "Oh, and Max, don't worry. He feels the same."

I just stared as she hummed to herself and began to help me. Total trotted up and laid out on a warm rock exactly like a regular dog would have done. Except for the fact that he told me to stop blocking his sun. Yeah, I don't think regular dogs do that.

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

And I don't want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight

I woke silently when Iggy tapped my shoulder. He then picked his way over all the sleeping bodies and laid down next to Gazzy. I rolled my eyes—a pointless gesture—and leaned against a tree.

I felt the hairs on the back of my next rise. I jumped when I heard a voice to my left ask me, "Want to fly?"

"Now? I'm on watch," I muttered, trying not to wake the others.

"Nudge is old enough now." I wondered why Fang wanted to go so badly. I decided that it was in my best interests to find out.

In response, I nudged Nudge gently with my foot. I was so proud when she sat up straight and looked at me with alert eyes. We had come a long way from our days in Colorado.

"Do you mind taking my watch, sweetie? Fang and I are going flying," I asked gently. She opened her mouth, but I raised my eyebrow, and her slew of questions went unasked.

She nodded, and Fang and I took off into the night sky.

It was so clear up there. Not a star in the sky. I smiled and did a small loop-the-loop. Fang laughed and imitated my move. We then got into an aerial stunts battle. Jeb taught us the game a long time ago. It's kind of like horse, but you have to spell feather instead.

Fang finally surrendered with F-E-A-T-H. Of course I only had F-E-A. We flew in silence for a few minutes. It was so peaceful. Fang felt like….home. I could just be myself.

"Are you ready to go back now?" I asked, well aware of the fact that the sun was about to rise.

"No, this is too perfect, but I suppose we have to, don't we?" His words surprised me, and when I turned my head to look at him, I saw that he was serious. What could that mean?

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

The whole flock was awake when we got back. Crap. Just what I need. More questions.

"So…what did you and Fang do last night?" Iggy asked casually. It took me a moment, but I finally understood what he was hinting at. My whole face flushed a deep, tomato red.

"Okay, everyone laugh at my expense. Go ahead. Have your fun," I said sarcastically. Of course, everyone except for Fang began to crack up. He simply raised an eyebrow.

The next few days proceeded normally, or as normal as our lives as mutant bird kids could be. We were attacked by flyboys and Angel manipulated Gazzy into dancing the Macarena. That was….special. Trust me when I say that she got a very severe talking to about that one. Once I stopped laughing.

Fang and I got to know each other better than ever. We found excuses for spending more time alone together. Most of the time we didn't even talk. We were just together. We showed each other what we would never let the flock see. I showed him my vulnerability, and he showed me his emotion. If he was angry or upset or happy or excited, I saw. It was amazing.

I never wanted it to end.

A/N: I really liked this. "Iris" is one of my favorite songs, so writing this was really fun. I hope you guys like it. Review please. If you guys liked it, I'll continue.