Just a little Maximum Ride one-shot. Sweet, fluffy—full of Fax!

I stared at myself in the mirror, sighing. I would never be pretty. Nor have red hair.

Nudge and Angel plopped down besides me. "You are pretty, Max," Angel earnestly said.

"And you don't need red hair to make Fang like you," Nudge added.

I didn't bother asking how they knew. I just continued on staring at my reflection.

"You just need...hmm..." Nudge thoughtfully mused.

"You just need to freshen up a little bit!" Angel finished for her.

"Yeah," Nudge agreed. "Okay. First take a shower. Then come out, and we'll do something with you then.

Knowing that this would never end if I disagreed, I sighed again, grabbed some clothes out of my drawer, and headed to the bathroom.

* * *

Unfortunately, someone was there. "Hey," Fang said, grinning easily and blocking the entrance to the bathroom.

"Hey. Now move it. I need to take a shower."

"Didn't you just last night?"

"Can't a girl take a shower whenever she feels like it?" I demanded, feeling impatient.

"You're not most girls, Max," he pointed out.

I rolled my eyes. "So I had a change of heart. Big whoop. Move it!"

"I demand payment," Fang obnoxiously said.

"And I demand, that if you don't move your blasé butt right now, I'm gonna kick it into next week!"

Fang laughed. "Really."

I knew a way to get to him. "Fine, then. No lip-locking of any sorts for a week."

Fang raised his eyebrows. "You know you can't resist me."

"Oh yes I can."

"No you can't."

"Yes I can."

"Nope."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Screw this!" I yelled and barged past him, slammed the bathroom door shut, and locked it. And then stepped into the hot water, sighing in despair.

* * *

I emerged thirty minutes later. Nudge was waiting impatiently. "Good, you're done. First, I'm going to blow-dry your hair."

"Huh?"

The next hour was spent with Nudge drying my hair, combing it, and slathering all sorts of different ointments into it. "Okay," she said decisively. "Now I'm going to style it."

Before I could say, "No thanks!" she had a pair of scissors out and was chopping away.

I admit it—she did a pretty darn good job, well, better than when I just took my pocketknife and hacked away at it when it got in my eyes.

Iggy walked in and froze. "Whoa. Someone's getting a 'do?" he asked.

"That would be me, Iggy," I sighed.

He snickered. "Never thought I'd see the day."

I rolled my eyes. "I just rolled my eyes, Iggy. Feel my hair. It's like, purple now."

Iggy came over and felt my hair. "Wow. Deep-conditioning treatment much?"

"Shut up, Iggy, or I'll give you a buzz cut!" Nudge threatened, and Iggy darted off.

Next came Gazzy, who was carrying something smoking in his hands. "Max!" he laughed. "Hold on a sec. Lemme go grab my camera—"

"GAZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZY!"

He ran off cackling.

"Almost done, Max," Nudge said soothingly. "I just need to...Angel?!"

"Sorry, Max," Angel said with angelic sweetness. "I just wanted to see how it was going. You look great. Did you know your hair is purple?"

I groaned inwardly.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Nudge was done. "Whoohoo!" she cheered, exhausted. "You look fab, Max."

She had straightened my hair, combed it, used lots of different ointments and sprays on it, and cut it. Now it hung off my shoulders like a curtain of brown silk. I felt amazing.

"Oops, forgot this one lock here—" Nudge pulled out her scissors again and just as she cut in Fang burst in.

I instantly knew something was wrong when Nudge shrieked and drew in a compulsive breath. "Max..." Nudge gasped.

I grabbed my mirror and used it to look at the back of my head. I swallowed a lump that had formed in my throat. My hair, once even, was now cut jaggedly, like a dog (coughcoughTotalcoughcough) had gnawed on it. In other words, Nudge's hard work all for nothing.

I held back tears and bit my lip. Nudge quickly packed up her supplies and left. I heard Fang padding closer to me and felt his hand on my back. I slapped him away.

"Max, what did you do to your hair?" he said with a hint of amusement. "Or, more appropriately, what did it ever do to you?"

I burst into tears for real this time. "Max!" he exclaimed, facing me. "What's wrong?"

"I...I go to all...this effort trying to...please you...because you like...red hair...and...it turned out...all for...nothing!" I cried.

Fang chuckled quietly, which only made me cry worse. "Max," he whispered gently into my ear, his arms wrapping securely around me. "Did you think I love you because of your hair?"

I shrugged. I realized how stupid I had been.

"Max," Fang breathed. "I love you. And nothing will change that. Even a bad haircut."

"Even if I screw up big-time?" I sniffled.

"You're not perfect," Fang said reassuringly. "And that's the reason I love you."

And then his lips were on mine, and I found myself thinking, That's the reason I love you too.

If I say so myself, the ending was pretty sweet! R&R! =D