Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, Ari, ect. Characters and settings your recognize are not mine.
Summary: Ari-centric. "Ari needed a hug real bad. But he would have liked it better if Jeb had hugged him, and not me."
A/N: Nyah! This is my fix Max Ride fanfic! Ari's a really difficult character to write, at least I think. Read and review? Opinions are always nice.
Hugs
"Where are you going, Daddy?" a young Ari asked. He was three years old and his father had just freed the six bird-kids.
"I'm going with them, Ari," Jeb responded. Ari clutched the hem of Jeb's white coat.
"I want to go with you!" Ari insisted. But Jeb pulled away.
"No, son. You stay here," Jeb said coldly. Ari nodded sadly and watched as Jeb walked away.
He punched a tree. It did nothing to soothe his nerves.
"Why?" the now seven year old, Eraserfied Ari, complete with patchwork wings grafted between his shoulder blades, yelled. "Why, Dad? Why don't you love me? Why, why, why!" He punched the tree again, harder. Again. Again. Harder and harder, until his rough knuckles streamed blood and the tree's bark splintered and fell to the ground. A rustle in the bushes caught his attention. His eyes snapped onto the movement. The littlest mutant, the one that was called Angel, crawled out of hiding and just stared at him. Ari snarled.
"I'm not scared of you," Angel told him matter-of-factly. She narrowed her eyes slightly, as if in concentration. "You won't hurt me."
"I won't hurt you," he repeated agreeably. Angel smiled.
"I know you're lonely, Ari," Angel said. Ari flinched uncharacteristically at the trueness of the words "But Jeb loves you. Really, he does. He just doesn't show it 'cause Max is supposed to be saving the world, and he's kinda worried about her."
The Eraser stared at her in disbelief. She returned his gaze calmly, like the stoic six-year-old she was. Ari shook off his stupor and snarled again, feral, like he had practiced in the mirror. But he wouldn't hurt her. He didn't know why – but he wouldn't. Just scare her a bit.
"He doesn't love me! He never loved me. He loves Max, and all you freaky little mutants!" Ari half-shouted, half-sobbed. Angel sighed sadly and did something Ari never expected. She gave him a hug, just like that. Wrapped her tiny little arms around his middle and hugged him tight. Ari stood there, shocked. Angel stepped away neatly and looked at him again.
"Jeb loves you, Ari. I know he does. Max knows he does. Jeb loves you, Ari. Just think about it." And Angel vanished, as quickly as she had come. Ari slumped against the battered tree and stared at his feet in thought.
Did Jeb love him? No, he loved Max. But it would be nice… if he could have trusted the mutant's word…
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"Explain to me why you did that?" Max frowned at Angel. Angel smiled sweetly and took Max's hand.
"Ari needed a hug real bad," she said simply, as if that explained everything. "But he would have liked it better if Jeb had hugged him, and not me." Max decided that she would never understand six year old logic.
"Whatever."