Christmas Morning

a/n: one-shot

disclaimer: so don't own Maximum Ride

"Alright there Max?" Fang asked squatting down next to me.

"What's it look like?" I snapped turning away from him so he wouldn't see my reddened eyes. I deliberately ignored him as I continued on my knees to wipe the marble floor free of the crap that was supposed to be Christmas dinner. The thing was this was the very first Christmas in a long time where the Flock had a decent roof over their heads, enough funds to cook us up something special for the holidays, and when we didn't have to sweat about being dissected like lab frogs. I was just thinking maybe I could give the younger kids a real Christmas with a tree, and eggnog, and all that feel good stuff. It didn't happen though because the food I tried to cook didn't taste or look anything like Rachel Ray's,and Iggy sent us all into a panic by setting the tree and all the gifts under it into flames. Now it was close to two am. Last time I checked Gasman, Nudge, Angel, and Total were fast up asleep in one bed nuzzled against Iggy, the biggest kid, just like puppies and like how we all got used to sleeping like. A wiped a stray tear from my cheek.

Fang sighed from behind, and took the rag from me. I wish he'd just leave me alone. He went and sat down in front of me. "You give yourself a hard time too much."

"I'm just frustrated 's all." I told him honestly, my voice quaking a little from holding the tears. Max would rather die than make anyone think she's a sissy. "I mean are we really this bad at being regular? Can't we have 5 minutes without drama?"

Fang nodded understandingly. "But look here Max, we're new at it. We're new at being normal and doing normal things. So we messed up one Christmas. Big deal. There'll be plenty of chances for us to get it right. El Capitan Maximum wouldn't let this get her down would she?"

I met his sincere dark, gold-tinted eyes, appreciatively. Usually Fang is so silent and detached from the group, I worry he might fly off and never come back , but whenever he speaks up you could always count on it to be deep, and then I'd be reassured he'd never even think about leaving us. I tussled his hair. "Thanks, I guess."

"Plus-"

"Yeah?"

He brought a long, small gift box from his pocket and handed it to me. Fang watched me open it. Inside was a silver knuckle plate with MAX engraved on it. I took it out, weighed it in my hand, and put it back again. It was heavy. "It's a Christmas present for tough girls." He said sheepishly. We weren't used to gift-giving.

"Oh." I said standing up.

"Something wrong?"

"Nothing it's just that what I got you is in the waste basket." I said thinking guiltily of the Boy Band CD I bought him as a mock gift probably reduced to cinders along all the others we agreed to replace the next day. "So I don't have anything to give you at all."

He stood up and smirked. I had to look up. He was so much taller than I was. "That's fine then. I can think of something."

Fang took me by the elbow, and put me the closest I'd ever been to him. His other hand took a lock of my limp, mousy brown hair and brushed it across his lips. I could smell his Fang-smell, this strange natural husky scent, that was only his. It sent me chills down my spine. I felt dizzy, and embarrassed. I dropped the gift box and it clattered noisily on the floor. A part of me wished he'd stop, and the other half wanted me to cling tighter to him. He leaned in and I whispered. "Bet you're hoping I'm going to let you kiss me, right?"

"A little." He admitted pressing his forehead on mine. We exchaned breath for awhile staying like that as he silently asked my permission if I'd let us be more than best friends and certainly more than brother and sister.

"You can if you want to."

"I want to then."

He hesitated twice, but finally angled in to kiss me. Fang's firm mouth, which I suspected was a little more than experienced than mine, pressed gently on my lips and then harder varying pressure. I had to put both my arms around his neck to keep myself from sliding onto the floor like multed butter. We kissed a couple of times before, but I was sure none of them was like what was happening. For the mean time, we weren't Max and Fang, two hybrid kids off to save the human race and put a stop to the white coats, we were just Max and Fang teenagers caught up in a moment. It seemed like a hundred years before Fang pulled away smirking. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and kissed me lightly one more time, before letting me go. "Don't look now, but I think the rest of the Flock came down to bust Santa."

I turned around red-faced and red-handed to face the four grinning faces huddled sneakily in the stairway.

"Hmf. About time." Iggy commented crossing his arms across his chest. He nudged Gasman who was beginning to look like a mini-Iggy since they spent too much time together.

"Knew it." He commented shaking his straw blonde head. "I'm posting it when Fang makes me a blog."

Nudge and Angel flew down the steps and began dancing in circles around Fang and me. "I knew it too. I read it in your thoughts!"

"Are you gonna get married now?"

"Will you wear a white dress for once, Max?"

"I'll be the auntie alright, Max!"

I looked warily at Fang who was grinning ear to ear, seemingly enjoying it. "You know this is all your fault."

He shrugged. "Merry Christmas!"

a/n: okay the truth folks is it was just recently I read (and enjoyed) Maximum Ride. it's the third book though I started on since I just won it in a library contest at school. it sure was nice though :) if there are inconsistencies i'm really sorry.