Title: Flight 69 Down: A Tale of Mighty Hardships and Woe in the Face of Teenage Love (Aw, screw it. Just make out already!)
A/N Number the I: Yes, that is an extremely long title. I don't care. Just deal with it, okay? I mean, I just couldn't resist. 'Flight 69 Down'? How classic is that!!
Author: Beefcake the Mightly, AKA Bub'les, AKA Sarah
Disclaimer: Lawyers won't let me own Fang. (Or Max.) The bastards.
A/N Number the II (Haha, I switched it up there, didn't I, with those Roman Numerals?? Oh, ho!): Okay, so, you're gonna get some major Fax action here. This is at school before Anne Walker turns evil and all that jazz. Max didn't have the talk thing after her date with Sam… or maybe they did… I don't remember what happened there… But oh well. Either way, Max and Sam have kind of a thing, but they aren't dating. Max is (obviously) trying to make Fang/Nick jealous. School has just let out for the day, and Max and Sam are in the courtyard at the school entrance. It's third person omniscient.
oh, okay, I guess I didn't have another author's note. Oh well. You all understand, right? Right. Duh.
--
Max was in the school courtyard, talking to Sam. He was a cute one, but nowhere near as smexy (© by Bubbles and Bub'les™. No one else may use this word. Ha.) as Fang. But would – or could – she tell either of them this? No. Especially Fang, because he would either laugh at her or admit his own feelings, and promptly take her to bed. Although the latter would be preferable, either of them would be entirely uncomfortable, not to mention the fact that he would probably just laugh in her face.
Either way, Angel had told Max that Fang hated that she "dated" (it was a loose term) Sam, and if "dating" Sam was what got Fang to show his feelings, then by god she would "date" Sam until there wasn't any Sam left to be dated. And judging by her track record, that would end up coming sooner than she thought.
Fortunately this was not necessary, for Fang had just come out of the entrance to the school, and was searching for her.
Quickly Max pulled Sam into a hug and leaned in for a kiss. Eager as always, Sam responded, and Max watched as Fang finally spotted her. Max focused on looking at Sam, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Fang furiously walk over.
When he was only a few steps away, she finally stepped away from Sam, much to his protest.
"Oh, hi Nick!" She put on an innocent expression, slightly ruined by the fact that she was barely holding back a smug grin, while that little tilt of her head couldn't be suppressed. "What's up?"
"I need to talk to you. Now. In private." He said, not bothering to mask his anger, which just went to show how enraged he really was.
"I'm sure whatever you have to say you can say in front of Sam."
"Max."
"Fine." Max rolled her eyes and turned back to Sam. "I'll be back in a minute." Then Max grudgingly followed Fang to a grove of trees.
--
"What was all that about?!" Fang cried as soon as they reached the closure, gesturing wildly.
"All what?" There was no way Max was going to make this any easier on him. If Fang had any feelings for her then he had better damn well tell her now.
She herself had accepted her …um… okay, fine, love for Fang; it was kind of hard to fight something that didn't exist. (This something being an adoration of said Angel of Darkness.) But she was not about to declare herself. That was Fang's job. Max had already done her part. She could date other people and still like Fang – it's called multitasking. But could Fang do that? Not so much.
Because of this, Max had an advantage. And Max always used her advantages.
"You know what, Max!" Fang had finished his gesturing and had now reverted into his normal F.A.N.G. (Freakishly Abnormal Not-gonna-give-anything-away-Glare) look, with the occasional spasm. But Max, knowing Fang so well, could tell that he was only retreating into himself for defense, not giving up. Apparently Fang never gave up. Yeah, right.
Max looked him straight in the eyes. "No, Fang, I don't." He gave her a withering look right back, and a battle of the wills ensued. After all, they were both the leaders for a reason.
Max personally wished that he would kiss her. And then they could get together for hot, hate sex. I mean, come on! It's not that difficult! Just jump me, man! You're stronger than me! Max bit her lip, trying to tone down her horny thoughts, hoping Angel wouldn't hear.
See, really, he had all the control here. He could jump her bones easy. But, no, he was going to be difficult about it.
Trying to provoke him, Max did her "Maximum Stance".
She saw his eyes tighten a bit, and then he responded.
But definitely not in the way she wanted.
His face shut down completely. His mouth was no longer taunt, his eyes were calm, his stance completely relaxed. And completely emotionless.
"I can do this all day, you know." She told him loftily.
Knowing it enraged her, he said nothing.
Max got to thinking. If these simple nothings (literally) made her so uptight, she wondered how Fang would feel if his own 'power' were used against him.
Really, it was the obvious idea.
They likely would have been out there all night, staring at each other, if Max had not decided, as usual, to play her advantages.
Fang wanted her to be serious. Well, that just flew out the window faster than Nudge's mouth.
Smoothly, she slid out of the 'Maximum Stance' and into 'Irritating Carcass Ferret' also known as 'Fang Stance'. Max had, obviously, nicknamed it.
The she stared at him, hard, until he blinked.
She stuck out her tongue. "Ha! I win! You lose!" and she bounced away, bubbly on her toes.
A speedy glance back showed her Fang's slightly outraged face.
When would he get it? When would he just go for it?
Though she promised she'd go back, she almost skipped, deceptively happy, far around Sam.
She was tired of pretending he was Fang.
--
Fang's POV:
What was her problem? She had gone to talk to him. In fact, he had insisted on it. And then what? No talking.
Okay, it was partly his fault. Alright, alright, it was mostly his fault. But really now. Somehow this wasn't where he wanted to go with this. He usually won the staring contests because Max was so impatient, but she had changed her strategy today. Damn her.
What was she doing now? She had moved her stance. It made her look almost like… him?
Fang blinked in surprise. Oh, shit.
"Ha! I win! You lose!" Where did that come from? Fang watched her skip away, for once his annoyance showing on his face.
Why couldn't she be serious? She couldn't just talk to him? She had to stare him down? Well, it's your own fault you didn't talk. Aw, shut up, you stupid voice in my head, Fang thought as he walked through the forest in the opposite direction of Max, who was heading back to the school, no doubt meeting back up with Sam. You just couldn't take your eyes off her long enough to string together an intelligent sentence. Not true! He was glaring at her, not perving. Why can t you just admit you like her? Because I don't! I don't like her! God, she's just so … beautiful? Intelligent? Strong? Fang found himself agreeing. Sexy? – No! He couldn't be thinking of Max like that! It'd be incest. She was a part of his family. His sister. Yes, a sister is exactly what you think of Max as. Of course! Well, wasn't it?
Finally Fang reached a deserted clearing, and stretched out his wings. Ah, to fly. Peaceful, uncomplicated, all instinct. You know what else just takes instinct? Shut up.
He took a running start, and jumped in the air, making wide strokes with his dark wings. Then he shot through the sky, feeling and thinking nothing but the wind and the sky. Nothing about school, no worries, no anger. And especially nothing. about. Max.
--
Max's POV:
Well, that went fairly well. Fang was pissed and Sam needed to be broken up with. Things were going great!
No, seriously. Not going quite as she expected, but still doing pretty well, considering.
Max walked quickly through the diminishing crowd outside the school.
She paused at the school gates and sighed. She couldn't just leave Sam there, hut she didn't want to have to face him.
So Maximum Ride could face hundreds of evil, mutated, flying robots, but she couldn't face one hormonal teenage boy? No, she would talk to him.
Max spun on her heel and marched quickly over towards where Sam was waiting. She glanced up and noticed a dark figure streaking away. Fang? Probably. Dammit, it was his entire fault that she was doing this. Max looked back down and concentrated on plastering a smile on her face. She failed.
Finally she reached Sam. Unfortunately she hadn't managed to put on a better expression, so her face was formed into a kind of sad, slightly peeved frown.
Sam, as well, had a particularly melancholy look about him. He looked at her.
"You're going to break up with me, aren't you?" He said. Max started in surprise. Had he been …there wasn't actually any way that he could have known. So how did he, then?
"Um, what do you mean?"
"I mean, you were gone for over twenty minutes, so either you were leaving without me or coming back to dump me."
"Well that's silly."
"So, you aren't dumping me.?" He still looked a little hopeful.
"Well, no, I still am. Sorry."
"Oh, okay." Sam began to walk dejectedly towards the school gate.
"I really am sorry!" She called after him, wincing.
Sigh. Oh well. It was for the best, this way.
Ha-ha, right. But she was still a coward.
--
Fang was flying through the clear sky when something zipped past him, causing him to pause in the air. Squinting, he saw that it had been Max at superspeed. Fang weighed his options for a moment, and then took off after her. It's not like he had anything to lose.
--
Max glanced back behind her and sighed. Fang was following her, of course.
Time to face the music.
A/N: Alright, so, I forgot to add at the beginning, thanks muchos latsas to Niobe, AKA PolkaDotFeathers, who added some key parts in there and is my cheering section all over the place. GO you, darling!!
Um, review, okay? Angel eyes (Yeah, you know the ones I'm talking about. The ones you can't resist? That's them, alright.)
IGGY RADNESS POINTS TO REVIEWERES, BONUS POINTS FOR REVIEWS LONGER THAN A PARAGRAPH AND FOR THE FIRST REVIEWER!!
Lovies,
Bub'les