I LIKE YOU, DO YOU LIKE ME? (MAXIMUM RIDE ARI ONESHOT)

SHIRLEY'S POV:

The sun warmed my somewhat pale skin, the grass was soft like peacock feathers, and on top of that, the person I liked most was with me; Ari.

Yes, it's strange to that from a seven-year-old girl, you'd think it's just a joke or perhaps she was pretending; but she wasn't, not at all.

"Shirley?" Ari asked a crimson tinge on his face.

"Yes, Ari," Shirley replied her face just as red.

"I really like you, do you like me?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course I do," I said.

Ari wrapped his arms around me, and we both started humming a calm tune. His hand intertwined with mine, and it made me feel loved and needed.

Too bad the Trigger of Hurt had to pull back…

"Ari, you don't mean that, do you?" My voice was pitiful; it cracked as tears formed in my eyes.

"I mean it Shirley, I'm going to turn into an Eraser," Ari said firmly.

"Ari, aren't you happy? Is what you have… not enough?"

"I have you, and I'm glad I do, but Dad's more concerned about Max, not me," he explained.

"You're only seven-years-old, and you want to turn into a monster." I croaked.

"Yes, I am, I have you, and that's just not enough."

His choice was clearly visible, but I still…

"You're going to give up everything, just for revenge?"

"Yes, I am, and good-bye," he said it as if I didn't matter to him anymore. "Don't you dare turn into an Eraser, Shirley," he walked away, without looking back…

"You can't stop me," I said to myself, running to his father; Jeb.

"Jeb, turn me into an Eraser," I said, without hesitation, not a speck of regret.

Jeb looked at me as if I was going mad, but I wasn't, Ari was, I was simply following him.

"Shirley, we can't turn you into an Eraser," he said.

"Why not, Ari is, and we're the same age!" I said defiantly.

That got to Jeb, he thought about it, then smiled, "Not an Eraser, but an avian-hybrid."

I had no clue as to what that was, but if I could get to Ari, I was prepared to give up all I had.

Soon I had been experimented on, and I was a remarkable success. My wings didn't look as if they were sewn into me, but as if I were born with them.

Shortly after, I was put into even more experiments, and began to discover that Jeb had lied through those teeth of his… He didn't turn me into this so I could get to Ari; he had done it so I could be a test subject!

Slowly, due to all the experiments, I had aged physically, now I looked as if I were twelve.

I wasn't at the School long after that, I had escaped with five others, and we soon became a flock.

We thought we were the only ones that were like this, but on a search for lunch, we found out we were wrong. There was another flock, and the Erasers were trying to take one of them. We got down there to help as soon as we could, but we were too late, and that's when I saw Ari again. We had glanced at each other, just for a brief moment, but that was all it took for me to cry out his name. Over and over again, but he didn't stop the madness, instead he only hesitated, and then moved on. We had many more heart-breaking encounters after that.

Even after the rescue of Angel, the one of the other flock that had been taken, Ari still wanted revenge, but not just against not just against Max, but against our flock leader, Karin, too. He must have thought that it was her fault that I was like this. Little did he know…

Now Ari had wings, pitifully sewn into his back. We had easily defeated him and the other Erasers.

After the Erasers had failed, yet again, on their mission, they were to be retired. Meaning, that they were to be killed, and that meant Ari was going to die…

I went through more suffering, but my prayers had been answered, Max and Ari had forgiven one another, and Ari was alive, not dead.

Karin said it was best for me to see him. Bless her soul, she made our trip to Utah wait, instead we spent our time looking for Ari, and soon, I found him again.

After a long tear-filled reunion, I was convinced that Ari and I wouldn't have to be apart again…

ARI'S POV:

At first, I thought it couldn't be real, but as soon as those arms embraced me, that was more than enough. Shirley still liked me, even as an Eraser, she still said that I was Ari, not some monster.

Max and Karin's flock are now resting in a cavern, and I had decided to stick with them.

Even after all this stuff happening, Shirley and I still were the same, and our feelings hadn't changed at all. We still did what we did when we were kids, no, normal, human, being in each other's arms, humming a tune. At times I had to try not to laugh when the others had stared at us enviously.

Saber actually tried what Shirley and I did on Karin, but Karin, being the way she is, had trouble understanding what Saber was doing. Iggy got mad, well, there was some sort of rivalry with those two, and they both liked Karin anyway. Saber would have had a bloody nose and black eyes if it weren't for Max stopping them. However, Iggy had managed a way to show his affections by flying with together, undisturbed and alone. (Yeah, I know, and he didn't blow up anything in the process…)

I want to talk about the present though, enough with the past, let's talk about the present.

"Ari, want to go out for a spin, I need to stretch my wings. They feel odd if I don't fly with them often," Shirley said.

That was true, but imagine that situation, but with someone with wings that were sewn into him. Still, time with Shirley sounded nice.

I gave a slight nod, jogged up toward the cliff, but didn't take off right away, instead I grabbed Shirley, holding her close, and the both of I took flight, Shirley in my arms.

"I really like you, Shirley, do you like me?" I asked.

"Of course I do," she said cheerfully.