He screwed up. That was the best way to sum it up.

The green hawk had done foolish things before-some of them being completely stupid-but tonight just proved to be his biggest blunder yet-one that he might never be able to fix. The eighteen year old hawk sat in complete silence as he stared blankly at the painted ceiling. He always believed that he could get out of trouble when it came to dealing with her. After all, she did consider him as a little brother for a long time and she would follow his leadership, despite how childish he acted from time-to-time; and even though she would hit him with that ratchet of hers, the green hawk could tell that she did it out of love. As the years went by(four years, to be precise) something unexpectedly happened: something that wasn't there was suddenly there. Well, technically, they thought something was there. After the consequences of their one night stand, celebrating the male bird's path into adulthood, they truly believed that they could make it last...

But now, it looks as though that will never happen.

While the purple swallow did the responsible thing and make the right decisions, he did the complete opposite. This would lead them into verbal quarrels, meaningless threats, and moments, in which they go into their rooms, lock their doors and wait for the bitterness to dissolve. They would have their ups' and downs' like any other couple but there was one key difference. While one grew up, the other stayed a kid. Being forced into a predicament like that can take its toll on someone who's not ready to fully grow up. Deciding the best way to relieve himself of his stress, he and his albatross companion made their way to a place where they could party.

Did they drink a bit? Did they chat with the other male Aves? Did they flirt (mildly) with the ladies? Yes, they did, but it was all in fun; the green hawk was simply trying to relive those experiences but it all came to an end with one strong whack to the skull from a familiar metal ratchet and passing out. When he regained consciousness, he saw the back of his attacker and all of his fury came pouring out. When he was finish and demanded an explanation he saw a pair of irises that radiated with anger, sadness, and self-regret.

"I hate you." she rasped.

Those three words were powerful enough to bring the legendary wind master himself to his knees. To see that expression scorched onto her face made him realize how irresponsible he's been. Not to just her, but to their unborn offspring. A piece of him was nursing inside her and here he was, acting like a total bastard, and not being there to help either her or their egg. He was lower than low-lower than dirt, lower than sand or even worms. He was a failure. After all the things she's done for him, after all the times she's been loyal to her, he couldn't do the same? It wouldn't surprise him if she left now. If she wanted to leave here and never return or find another band of rogues to work for that was fine with him; she deserved better. Still, if that were the case, why did he have a sudden urge to rush to her side and comfort her? To be by her side and tell her that everything would be all right? The bird thought and thought until the answer came to him, and once it did, he left the couch that he slept on and ran to the room of the purple swallow.

She made a mistake. That was the best way to sum it up.

Bitter tears slipped from under her eyes as she stared blankly at her wall. She always considered herself as the smart one of the group and over time that statement became a fact. She was the one who put her heart and soul into making their extreme gears when no one else did. She was the one who had to fix them when they were nearly smashed into pieces. And she was the one who watched over them for the past four plus years to make sure they wouldn't end up dead. She was the one who did all of that-HER! Where did it get her? Nothing! The only thing that shows her accomplishments are the extreme gears she builds, the fixed-races they've won, and the mistake that was growing inside of her.

The swallow's hand felt its way for her now swollen abdomen. When she realized what was happening to her, her mind went blank: she felt scared, anxious, uneasy, and without an idea. She was suppose to be responsible than the other two, and yet, she allowed herself to become intoxicated in alcohol that led her into this situation; to make it worse, it was with her leader- the very hawk she considered unable to lead, let alone, care for a child. She tried to train him and show him the error of his ways, but he would either ignore her (as he usually would) or make things worse. He simply had no idea how much she was enduring.

She was suffering psychically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and he did nothing to make it any better, and to see him at a party, flirting with other girls-it finally broke her. She finally had enough and took out all of her frustration on him in the form of a ratchet. After dragging his unconscious body back home, she told him how she felt and locked herself in her room since.

What reason did she have to stay? It was obvious that he wouldn't be there for her, so there wasn't any reason for staying. It was clear what she would do: she would leave him and this life of hers behind. He didn't need her anymore and she didn't need him. They would be better off separated. Once she got a grip of herself, she would go to him and tell it to his face. She was done. Still, why did part of her feel strange about doing this? The purple swallow knew that the bird had some good qualities and he wasn't always that hard to talk to. Part of her grew to respect him as a leader and eventually as a lover. Even after all the things he's done to her, why did she feel connected to him?

The door to her room opened and standing outside it was the green hawk she had considered him as her kid brother. He walked toward her at a slow pace and knelt before her. Before he could place his fingers on her shoulders, she jerked it away in a vicious manner.

"Don't you dare touch me, Jet Hawk!" she growled.

The green hawk became startled at the purple swallow's sudden mood change. Even if she wouldn't look at him, he could tell that her eyes were full of rage, but were also filled with sorrow. He didn't know what to do at the time except speak his mind while he could.

"I'm sorry, Wave."

"No, you aren't" she said bitterly.

"If you need me," Jet pressed on. "I'll be waiting right here."

"Whatever..." Wave whispered miserably.

At this point, there was no reason to believe his words; as far as she was concerned he was full of it. If he wasn't there for her all this time, why would he show up this time, around? After what felt like hours, Wave decided to confirm her belief that he wasn't there, but was surprised to see that the green bird was resting peacefully beside her bed with his head on the desk. All this time the swallow truly believed that the hawk cared about nobody but himself, but after seeing him napping next to her, despite how she felt about him, proved to her that he really did love her-that there may be a bright side through this entire mess.

She felt touched knowing that he was not entirely selfish. As he slept she brought him into her bed and kissed him lightly on the tip of his head.

"Thank you, Jet." Wave whispered lovingly into his ears.

As the couple slept peacefully beside each other, it was clear as to why they felt strange while together. They both had their faults but at the same time, they had their good points. It didn't matter that one was more responsible than the other and the other was as irresponsible as ever.

All that mattered was that they both were there for each other and that, alone, was the best way to sum it up.