Fang hesitated slightly before rapping on the clean, freshly painted white door in front of him. He silently cursed his cowardice, thinking, I wasn't afraid when we fought off the Flyboys, or when we flew through the hurricane in Miami, or when I saved Max from that octopus, but when it comes to this…
He shook his head, enjoying the brief wisp of cool air whistle softly through his overlong black hair. He knew it wasn't as bond breaking as leaving gravity below and soaring through the azure sky, but it was enough for now.
For now, while Fang was stuck on the ground, his wings tucked into his black jacket, waiting for Dr. Martinez to answer the door, hoping Ella wasn't home. Basically, he was in the worst situation imaginable for himself. Fang hated fear, hated weakness, hated being stuck waiting to ask about-
The door opened. Fang's heart sped faster than normal. Well, "normal" as in "normal for a bird-kid's speeding fast heartbeat". Dr. Martinez – Max's mom – stood in the doorframe, looking better than when the flock had rescued her from Mr. Chu's underwater lair. Worry was written on her kindly face, and she asked, "Fang? What's wrong?"
Fang opened his mouth to explain, but nothing came out. He closed his mouth and tried to swallow. Then he took a deep breath, willing the words to form, when another voice broke in.
"Fang? What are you doing here? Is one of your flock hurt?" although the speaker's voice was croaky, it was definitely Ella speaking.
Fang tried not to grin at the words "your flock". He knew that it was Max's flock, and no one else's. But then he realized that since Ella was here, he'd have to share his news with her as well as Dr. Martinez. Crap. He grimaced, but tried to hide the look.
Dr. Martinez must have recognized the slightly pained glance into the room behind her. "Ella, maybe you could get Fang some juice or something."
"Juice would be great," Fang then found his voice.
"Come on in, Fang. Ella has a cold, so she's staying home from school," Dr. Martinez opened the door and gestured him in. Then she led him into the living room and sat down. Fang sat across from her, feeling a bit edgy about what he was about to ask. Dr. Martinez motioned for him to speak.
"I wanted to ask you a question. I know I'd usually would usually ask both you and Jeb, but since Max doesn't trust Jeb…" Fang swallowed. Dr. Martinez's face betrayed no emotion beside kindness. After taking a deep breath, Fang looked down at his feet and quietly mumbled, " I – I want to ask your permission… for me to… For Max and I… to marry."
Silence settled in the room. It was broken by a squeal from Ella, who set down the glass of orange juice and ran over to hug Fang. "I knew it!"
Fang glanced up from his shoes to see Dr. Martinez's reaction. Max's mother had tears glistening in her eyes, but she was grinning widely. "You have my permission, Fang," she nodded, and Ella squealed again.
Forty-five minutes and an entire conversation later, Fang was waving goodbye to Dr. Martinez and Ella and then launching himself into the clear bright sky. His buzzing excitement and anxiety died down as he swooped gracefully through the air. Gusts of warm air brushed through his feathers and he almost laughed at the freedom of flight.
Fang landed lightly on the roof of their safe house and padded down to the edge of the roof so he could drop off. He knocked on the door and waited for one of the flock to answer it. Angel answered and smiled sweetly at him. "She said yes," Angel didn't sound surprised.
Fang nodded, grinning at her. Where's Max? he wondered.
Angel read his mind and whispered, "She went out for a quick flight." Fang saw the mischievious gleam in her blue eyes and guessed that it had been by Angel's mind controlling that influenced Max's decision.
Angel smiled innocently. "Maybe…" she laughed.
"I'll deal with you later," Fang tweaked Angel's nose. "Right now, we need to get the flock, so we can be ready."
"'Kay," Angel bounded off towards the back of their safe house to call the others.
Fang followed and turned left into the first room. "Hey, Ig," he called. "Flock meeting."
"Alright, then. Be there in a little bit," Iggy looked up from the package that rested in his hands.
Fang glanced at the bundle, "What are you up to? Is that another bomb?!"
Iggy looked up at him, his unseeing eyes gleaming in the half-light. "Maybe," he looked back down, his untrimmed hair hanging in his eyes. His sensitive hands ran lightly over the duct-taped package. "Why? You going to tell Max?" He grinned slightly.
"No, I'm just getting you for the meeting." Fang rolled his eyes, then said, "I'm rolling my eyes, Ig."
"I'll be right there. Just hold on," Iggy rolled his blind eyes in Fang's direction.
"So, Iggy, you'll be cooking, Nudge, decorations and the tux, Gazzy, you'll distract Max… just think up something, and Angel, you and I will go get everything that we need." Fang glanced around the room at the members of the flock, savoring their expressions. Iggy looked determined, Nudge was wrestling a smile off her face, Gazzy had a wide-eyed grin on his face, and Angel was nodding.
The only member of the flock who protested was Total. "And what about me?"
Fang struggled not to roll his eyes. "You can help distract Max or something, Total."
Total nodded. "So when do you ask her?"
Fang thought. "Tomorrow night?" The flock nodded. "Okay, then. Let's get to work."
The next night, Fang waited anxiously in the dining room for Max and Gazzy to get back from "finding Total". He nervously adjusted the bowtie on his tux, and Nudge scolded, "Hey, you're messing it up!" Her small hands straightened the tie for him. "Just leave it alone. She'll be here soon."
As Nudge spoke, the door opened. Max walked in behind Gazzy, who was walking Total on a leash. When Max saw the decorations, pink streamers and glitter, she got a wary look on her face and asked, "Who had the party?"
Angel immediately appeared at her elbow. "You," she smiled, guiding her into the dining room.
Max didn't immediately see Fang standing in the shadows on the other side of the table. Her eyes widened when he stepped towards her. He smiled lopsidedly and pulled out a chair for her. She sat down slowly, her eyes on Fang.
"What's all this about?" her voice was quiet and measured.
Fang silently sat down beside her. "I wanted to have dinner," he whispered.
And just like that, the rest of the flock came into the dining room, bearing plates of their favorite foods: salmon with saffron, breadsticks, and for dessert, mini cheesecakes with chocolate sauce.
Max and Fang tucked in as the others melted into the shadows. "So what else did you want to say?" Max asked as they ate.
Fang glanced up at her, her face framed by blonde highlighted hair, staring at him. He took a deep breath and said, "I know this is… sudden, but I just wanted to-"
"MAX!" Gazzy burst into the dining room, terror in his blue eyes. Max sprang up immediately. "M-GEEKS!"
"Where?" Max's hands curled into fists.
"Outside the window!" Gazzy yelled. At the same instant, the window of the dining room was kicked in.
When the glass settled, Fang saw M-Geeks crawling through the ragged hole in the window. "Go! Get out of here!" he yelled at Max and the Gasman, readying himself for a fight.
"No! I'll stay and fight!" Max yelled back. Fang didn't dare argue with her, with her jaw clenched in determination and her fists up. He just nodded and prepared to fight, then felt a pang of resentment against these stupid metal blocks for interrupting him at this time. He and Max attacked together, their fists moving in unison. M-Geek after M-Geek fell as they kicked and punched, neither noticing the other flock members falling in step behind them.
"Are you going to tell me what you were going to say?" Max shouted over the noise.
Fang pulled both fists back and shoved them into an M-Geek's metal stomach. "You're that anxious?" he smirked.
"I can't believe you. If you don't tell me now, I probably will never know, so tell me!" Max glared at an M-Geek and kicked his chest in.
"I wanted to ask you a question," Fang shouted.
"What?"
Fang stopped fighting and spun towards Max. He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the outskirts of the battle. Her eyes were wild with bloodlust, but when she saw Fang's anxiously excited expression, it died in her eyes. He held her by her shoulders and looked into the deep brown depths. "Will you marry me, Max?"
Max opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. "You don't have to answer now, but I just wanted to ask," Fang's heartbeat sped up again.
Max glanced towards the dining room, where the battle was beginning to die down. When she looked back up to Fang, her eyes were wet with tears and she was trembling slightly. She took a deep breath and whispered, "Yes. Yes, Fang, I will." She smiled.
Fang smiled at her and reached into the pocket of his now bloody tux to pull out a small velvet box. He opened it and took out a diamond-encrusted ring and put it gently on her left hand ring finger. He looked back up at her face and leaned down towards her, but he felt a small hand on his shoulder. Angel's face smiled at him. She said yes, he thought towards her, and she grinned and hugged them both.
So as the sun set through the hole in the window, shining on the hugging flock, Fang reflected on the most eventful day in his life.