A/N: This is my first Maximum Ride fic. It is slightly AU, but not much. I tried to keep within the storyline. It is however, in the future. Max, Fang, Iggy, Dylan and Scarlet(my OC) are all 19. Nugde is 16, Gazzy is 13, and Angel is 11. I will, at some point, add more info on Scarlet. But not right now. I was just itching to post this. XD Anyway! I hope you enjoy this! Please review! :3
** Side Note: This fic is rated M for mature content that will be coming soon.
Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, although I do wish Iggy was mine.
"Iggy!" Scarlet called from their bedroom. "Come in here for a minute?" She twisted around in front of the floor length mirror, inspecting the outfit she had bought earlier that day. Max had taken her shopping, claiming that she needed new clothes to replace the torn and tattered collection she had. But Scarlet knew very well that Max just wanted her opinion on what would be a "cute" outfit for her date with Fang tonight.
"Iggy!" She called again, this time louder and a bit more childish.
"I'm coming, woman!" He called from the hallway. Iggy entered the room and came to Scarlet's side. Despite the fact that he was blind, Iggy easily stepped over every article of clothing strewn out across the carpeted floor. "What?" He asked while feeling around for Scarlet's hand. Once he found it, he held onto it, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Scarlet turned towards him, her brown eyes focused on his blue ones. "Do you like this outfit?"
"Hm. Let me see." He trailed his free hand over her body. He felt the different textures each fabric had. He noticed where the clothing clung to her body and where it didn't. He took note of the hem lines to get an idea of what it all looked like. That's how he always did it.
"So? Do you like it?" Scarlet asked again, hoping that he said yes.
Iggy offered a crooked smile, one he knew that would strike her breathless, before answering. "I love it." He bent his head and kissed her lightly.
"Yay! I'm super glad you do!" Scarlet exclaimed in excitement and did a little hop of joy. She swung her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She had to stand on her toes just to reach since he was so tall. "I bought it just for you." She said smiling.
"Did you now?" He leaned down closer to her, until his forehead rested against hers. "When did you get it?"
"Today. Max and I went shopping."
Iggy raised one strawberry blonde eyebrow. "Wait? You and Max? Shopping? Together? Since when do you two do anything together?"
"So many questions, my love. But I have only one answer. We hang out sometimes. We can get along."
"Then why can't you two be like that all the time?" He questioned.
"You know I try. But Max... she just doesn't trust me. I'm not a part of the Flock. And being part wolf, bird, and human... well... she sees me as a threat. And then there was that time when I dated Fang. She hated that. She gets so possessive when I'm around him."
"I know. I wish you two could get along all the time though. We all do. But especially Fang and I. We can only deal with so many girl fights at one time, you know."
"I know. I'm sorry. I don't mean to stress any of you out, especially not you. You already do so much for me."
"Because I love you." He smiled and cupped her face in his hands. "Now, why did you buy this outfit for me? I thought you said you dress for yourself and not anyone else."
"Yeah, I do. But I saw this and thought about how much you'd love to see me in it. Well... not see... but... um... feel? That sounds so dirty." She sighed.
Iggy laughed and kissed her. "I know what you mean."
"Good! Because I don't."
He laughed again. "What would you do without me?"
"Die?"
"Exactly!" He ran his hands down her shoulders, sides, and finally rested them on her hips. "Now how about we have some fun, huh?"
Before Scarlet could answer, Iggy swept her up in his arms. It didn't take much effort. She didn't have hollow bones like the others, but her lack of height allowed her to weigh almost the same as Max. He carried her over to their bed and set her down. Before she could get away, he straddled her. He pinned down her arms and gave her a wicked grin.
"What are you doing? We're not alone you know." She reminded him.
"I know." He lowered his head and kissed her exposed collar bone. He knew she loved to be kissed there. It always sent shivers down her spine and made her moan. And shiver and moan she did. Her fingers curled into fists, her back arched, and a soft moan left her lips.
"Iggy, stop. We can't do this now. And don't give me a hickey. Makeup doesn't cover them up and I don't want to explain what it is to Angel and Gazzy again. And Max will kill me!" While she said that, she tried to pull herself free, but as always, Iggy always had the advantage when he was on top of her.
"Max can't touch you. You're nineteen. You can do what you want. I can do what I want. She's not our mother." He murmured into the crook of her neck before kissing her again.
"Okay then, what about the younger kids? Angel and Gazzy don't know anything about what we do. Max doesn't want them to know, at least not yet. I don't want them to know."
He pulled back, looking into her eyes. "Have we ever gotten caught by them?"
"No, but it can always happen."
"But it won't. Trust me." He leaned back down, finding the sweet spot on her neck and kissing it, making her shiver with pleasure. He was persistent; she had to give him that.
"I do, but still. I don't want to do this now. It's too early and the kids are rowdy. They'll come looking for us to play with them." She sighed, ready to beg. "Iggy, please?"
Iggy sighed, defeated. He knew he wasn't going to win and he knew that making her upset wouldn't help either. "Fine," He rolled off of her to lie beside her, "Later then?"
"Later." She promised.
Just then, the bedroom door burst open. Angel's head popped in, her blonde curls swinging and bouncing around her face. "Iggy, can you make us some cupcakes?"
Nudge's head popped in above Angel's. "Yeah, please Iggy?"
"Of course, anything for my ladies," He smiled in their general direction.
Once they left, Scarlet turned to face Iggy. "Your ladies?" She raised an eyebrow, but he couldn't see that. So she made sure her tone was good enough to get the message across.
"You know what I mean! You're my one and only, you know that don't you?"
"Riiight." She rolled her eyes before laughing. "Go make us some damn cupcakes, kitchen boy!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
In the kitchen, Iggy quickly whipped up some red velvet cupcakes with fudge icing. Iggy was the Flock's cook. He could make anything. Last year Iggy made the most wonderful meal for Scarlet and himself on their fourth anniversary. Scarlet noted that his cooking got better every day and it amazed her that the blind boy could cook so well.
"These are amazing, Iggy!" Angel cheered. There was icing smeared on her lips with little red crumbs stuck to it.
"These are better than amazing! They're the best cupcakes in existence!" Nudge said while her mouth was full.
"Yep. My man can cook. I'll never go hungry so long as I have him. Right, babe?" Scarlet smiled at Iggy, who was busy cleaning up the mess he made.
"Right." He chuckled. "But you know, you've gotta learn to cook too. Just in case I can't use my arms for whatever reason."
"Aha." Scarlet said as she took a bite of her cupcake. "We'll see about that."
"Whoa. Nice outfit, Scarlet."
Scarlet's head turned around to see who had spoken. It was Gazzy. He had just flown in and was holding something in his hand, but Scarlet didn't know what.
"Thanks." She smiled at him. "What's that?" She pointed to the thing in Gazzy's hand.
"A flash bomb. I'm working on something ten times brighter than a normal flash bomb." He twisted the object around. "It works, but there are a few kinks I need to work out."
"Nice. Good luck with that." Scarlet took a drink form the tall glass of chocolate milk sitting before her, she absolutely refused to drink regular milk.
"Flash bomb?" Iggy's voice sounded intrigued.
"Yep. Wanna help?" Gazzy offered.
"You know I do." Iggy turned to Scarlet. "You don't mind, do you?"
"I can't tell you what to do, babe. Do what you want."
"Thanks, babe." He leaned over the island and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
After the boys left, it was just the three of them. Max and Fang were nowhere to be found and wouldn't turn up till later that night. Dylan, had left early that morning without leaving a note or even a clue to where he might be. And it worried Scarlet. She had grown close to the boy, seeing as how he wasn't part of the Flock in Max's mind just as much as Scarlet wasn't. She felt for him and while Max gave him the cold shoulder, she was willing to be his friend. And while Iggy did know how much Scarlet cared for Dylan and why, he couldn't help but feel at little jealous. But today, to spare her boyfriend's feelings, she kept quiet about Dylan's disappearance even though she desperately wanted to find him and make sure he was okay.
"I meant to say this earlier, but killer outfit, Scarlet." Nudge said. She was just as much of a fashionista as Scarlet was. "How did you put it all together?"
Scarlet was caught off guard by Nudge's question. Her mind was still focused on Dylan and whether or not he was alright. But then what Nudge had said registered in her brain and she caught herself. "Thanks. It was easy really. I saw these shorts and I just had to have them." Scarlet ran her hand over the fabric of the dark tan daisy dukes. They were belted with a studded belt that matched and had cargo pockets on the side. "Then I searched around for a tank top, since it's summer I wanted something light. And I found this white one. Then I saw this jacket sitting on the rack next to the tank tops." She played with the zipper on the jacket. It was a crop jacket with three-quarter sleeves that matched the daisy dukes in color and style. "And these boots I already had, I just never had an outfit to match them." They were dark tan, leather ankle boots with a buckle accent. "I went through my jewelry box to find all the accessories."
"Nicely done." Nudge commended her.
"Do you think you can take me shopping next time?" Angel asked.
"Of course." Scarlet smiled.
"Awesome! I wanna have clothes like you." Angel beamed.
Scarlet frowned. "Ah, well. You can't wear everything I wear. Not until you older, right Nudge?"
"She's right. Some things can't be worn by younger kids."
"Aw. Why not?" Angel's blue eyes seemed to dull a little.
"It's not considered appropriate for younger kids." Scarlet answered. "But just wait. You'll get to wear it all when you're older. You'll have more fun with it then, trust me. Cause then you'll have a better sense of fashion and you'll be able to mix and match it all."
Later that night, Gazzy and Iggy had returned from their experimenting. Dylan still wasn't back. The girls were sitting at the dining room table, going through Nudge and Scarlet's collection of fashion magazines. They had spent the afternoon teaching Angel about all fashion history. Gazzy stumbled and tripped on a soccer ball. He flailed his arms around before gripping the side of the kitchen island.
"Whoa. You okay there, buddy?" Scarlet looked up from a magazine.
"Yeah. Just a little blind. That flash bomb was bright." He said while feeling around for a chair. He pulled one out and eased himself in to it.
Scarlet laughed. "Obviously it was. Just chill for a bit. You'll be okay."
"Scar, help me with dinner, please?" Iggy called from the kitchen.
"Sure thing." She got up but before leaving she turned to Nudge and Angel. "Keep teaching her. She's doing great."
"Grab a few tomatoes from the fridge and dice them up." Iggy told her as soon as she entered the kitchen. Scarlet didn't go to the fridge; instead she headed straight for Iggy. She looked over into the dining room, the others weren't paying attention. Good. Scarlet snaked her arms around Iggy's waist and pressed herself close to him.
"How did the experimenting go?" She asked, stalling from cooking.
"It went well. It was the only time I was glad I was blind. That bomb was bright. I felt the white of the light all over my body. Gazzy didn't even see how wide of a radius it has." He turned around and pulled her close. "What did you do while I was gone?"
"Nudge and I gave Angel a history lesson on fashion. She wants me to take her shopping. Says she wants clothes like mine"
"You did tell her she can't wear most of what you have, right?" Iggy raised one eyebrow.
"Of course I did. Max would tear me apart if little Angel dressed like me."
"Yeah, she would. She already thinks you're a bad influence on everyone."
"Yeah, but whatever. That's her problem. She needs to deal."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." He smiled down at her. "Now, stop stalling and help me with dinner."
"Damn it!" She muttered. "You always know when I'm stalling."
"Of course I do. You're terrible at it." He laughed.
"I am, aren't I?" She looked up at him. "I'll get to work as soon as you give me some love."
"Fine," He leaned down and titled his head. His lips were soft against hers and his tongue parted her lips. Scarlet pushed herself closer to him and she felt his arms wrap around her tighter. When Iggy pulled away, they were breathless. "Now," He said through gasps. "Get to work."
A weak laugh left Scarlet's lips. "Yes, sir."
"Chili!" Gazzy's eyes were bright with joy.
"Oh no! Why'd you make chili!" Nudge exclaimed. "Don't let him have any!" Nudge grabbed Gazzy's bowl before he could take a spoonful.
"Hey!" Gazzy protested and reached out to take the bowl from her, but Scarlet had already taken it from Nudge and set it back on the table before Gazzy.
"Leave him alone, Nudge. All the windows are open and we can dash out if he blows." Scarlet assured the dark skinned bird kid.
Sitting down next to Iggy, Scarlet said, "Eat up, kids! We made tons of it!" Scarlet said before blowing on her spoonful of hot chili. It was spicy and had chunks of tomatoes in it just how she liked it.
"When are Max and Fang coming home?" Nudge asked. She was twirling her spoon around in her bowl of chili.
"And Dylan?" Angel asked. "He just left without saying anything."
Scarlet looked up from her bowl. Nudge's eyes were hidden by her long lashes and her head was hung low. Scarlet looked around, taking in the sad looks on each of their faces. Even Iggy seemed to look a little upset. And at mention of Dylan, Scarlet couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain grasp at her chest.
"I don't know. But they'll be back. I know they will." She offered a reassuring smile to the Flock.
"I hope you're right." Angel's voice a little annoyed. "You know, Scar. If it were up to me, I'd rather have you and Iggy leading the Flock."
Scarlet stared at the blonde headed little girl. "And what makes you say that?" Wasn't it Angel who wanted to lead the Flock on her own at one point? Why did she want Iggy and Scarlet to do it now?
Angel looked up, her blue eyes focused on Scarlet. "Well, you and Iggy are always around when we need you. Max and Fang aren't. They're always running off together. You and Iggy take care of us. They don't."
Everyone was staring at Angel now. Scarlet couldn't believe what she had just said. Iggy turned to Scarlet. He had a concerned look on his face and Scarlet knew why. What if Angel said this to Max and Fang? Iggy and she would be in a lot of trouble. Max would murder Scarlet for sure. One thing Max really hated was being challenged for her leadership.
"Angel, we can't all get what we want. And if you want Iggy and me to lead the Flock, well then, I'm afraid we can't do that. We can't push Max and Fang aside like that." Scarlet told her. And it was all true. They couldn't just make themselves the leaders.
"I know." Angel said. "But we'd be better off with you two leading us."
No one said another word after that. Nothing was said of Dylan, which made Scarlet think that they didn't even care. But then she caught herself and realized that what Angel has said probably had them all thinking about what would happen if Iggy and herself were the leaders of the Flock.