Max P.O.V.
A/N The song is 'What I've Done' by Linkin Park, about all the bad things human did, if you watched the music video of it on YouTube.
"Bold italicized" is Max singing.
The Music Studio
For the past one week, I've been hearing bangs and cracks all over the place, and I supposed there was some construction going on. But nothing had prepared me for this.
"Hey Max! Wanna check out the new music studio?" Iggy said, picking up an acoustic guitar, which Angel 'bought' for him. I almost puked. "And how much did it cost?"
"Aw, Max, you're no fun. We got Angel to give us a teeny weensy discount," Iggy said, which in flock term meant that he got Angel to do it for free. I'll bet they threatened her by telling her they're going to kill Total, the mutt that we could have done without, but—wait, we?!
"Yeah, Max. We." Gazzy came out from the bedroom he shared with Iggy. Angel smiled at me sweetly. Oh. She read my mind.
"Come on, Max! Check out the studio I got the guys from the construction company to do!" Angel cried ecstatically. I sighed and gave in to her. Nudge followed us, bouncing alongside me, "Max, how cool do you think the studio will be? Angel wouldn't let me have a peek and neither did the guys. I want to be the first to see it, don't you wish the same too?"
"Nudge, no—," I began, but as usual got cut off by Nudge, "It's gonna be awesome, Angel told me so. Iggy and Gazzy kept their mouths shut about that. Can you believe it? If it were me—."
"You would be bursting to tell everybody," I finished the sentence for her. It's not hard to guess what she was about to say anyway. She never shuts up. If I ever told her something like 'we're planting pink undies in Fang's drawer' her mouth would start yakking away immediately and Fang would be on me in no time, I suppose Angel did a jolly good job by not telling Nudge anything at all.
Then I paused. "Where's Fang?" Iggy shrugged his shoulders and Gazzy pretended he heard nothing at all. Weird, what was going on in there?
Iggy pushed led us all outside and to a small wooden board in the middle of the grass. He pulled it open. Huh, so it was some kind of a trapdoor, eh?
There were stone steps leading down to a room which was brightly lit and had walls covered with some rough fabric. In a corner of the room was a piano. My breath caught in my throat. How did it get there in the first place? The trapdoor was hardly big enough to squeeze in two people side by side!
However, that was not what had stolen my breath. It was the person behind it. Right, Fang. There were some chairs piled against a wall of the room and Iggy drew one out to beside the piano and sat on it. Nudge, Gazzy, Angel and I followed.
I placed mine in front of the piano and kneeled on it, propping my hands on the piano. I looked down at black and white keys, then at the score sheet in front of Fang. He was studying it intently. I glanced at title of the song: What I've Done.
Well, I hoped the song contained killing Erasers, escaping from the School, and finishing off the whitecoats. "Hey, Max," Fang spoke up suddenly. "You think you can sing this song?"
Huh? Sing? Nudge, Gazzy and Angel were huddling together discussing about something over a sheet of paper, and Nudge appeared to be scribbling furiously. I stared at Fang blankly. Iggy thrust me a sheet of paper printed on both sides. "Lyrics," he said.
I had zero idea of how the song went. Iggy pulled out a digital MP3. Ooh! Where did he get that? Angel? "I think you ought to listen to the song first." He pressed the 'play' button. I got it first time round. And if you wanted to know, the song was sung by a guy. Did they think that I was so tomboyish that I sound like a boy?! Glancing at Iggy, Fang started out the first few notes. After a few seconds, Iggy, strummed the guitar. Then it turned into some duet.
"In this farewell
There's no blood
There's no alibi
Cause I've drawn regret
From the truth
Of a thousand lies
So let mercy come
And wash away
What I've done"
I guess it didn't sound as cool without the drums, the DJ and a male singer, but still. Hey, farewell? Was anyone of them leaving? Shaking my head to clear the thought, I launched into the chorus.
"I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done"
Hmm, what was there to cross out? My two percent avian side of me? Nah. Couldn't be. Why did they choose this song?
"Put to rest
What you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands
Of uncertainty
So let mercy come
And wash away
What I've done"
Put to rest what who thought of me? The Director? No way!
"I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done"
What am I supposed to let go of?
"For what I've done
I start again
And whatever pain may come
Today this ends
I'm forgiving what I've done"
Oh yeah? I'd like to see the whitecoats forgive themselves.
"What I've done"
Nearly the end…
"Forgiving what I've done"
Fang finished the last notes and looked at me straight in the eye, like he was boring into me to find answers and such. Iggy sensed something and ushered the kids out, grinning. I was sure I heard Nudge and Angel giggle. Gazzy was going, "What the hell is going on, Ig?"
"Max, forgive me for being so stupid?" I smiled at Fang nervously. What was he getting at? Fang took my hands in his, sending tingles up my body. I have a faint idea. What had he done? I thought I was the one who was in the wrong for running/flying away when he kis—
Speaking of kisses. Fang just locked our lips. I angled myself, trying to capture every corner of his whole lips. It was perfect, until Nudge budged in.
We broke apart hastily, looking down at our shoes as if they had suddenly bloomed flowers, faces as red as ever. Nudge got the hint and for once didn't open her mouth. She winked once at me and left the room.
"Er," Fang said, "That went well." He looked at me again and brought his hand up to my chin, tilting my head just a little, and then kissed me again. I wrapped my arms around him and brought him closer, grinning as I did so, feeling an unfamiliar jolt of sparks flying within me.
One small kiss turned into a whole make-out session, and that session ended when Iggy called out, "You guys done eating each other's faces yet?"
Fang pulled back sheepishly, and I smiled at him coyly. "Yeah, we're done," I said.
"Good, cos' Angel wants an ice-cream."
I looked at Fang and rolled my eyes. "Alright, coming," I called out.
"We'll have more fun tonight," Fang whispered into my ear. I blushed and scampered out of the room. (A/N: Let me get this straight, they are not doing it.)
-------------------------------------------------------
Third person P.O.V.
That night, Fang tuned up the radio a little with Max sound asleep at his side.
In this farewell
There's no blood
There's no alibi
Cause I've drawn regret
From the truth
Of a thousand lies
So let mercy come
And wash away
What I've done
He smiled to himself and stroked Max's hair.
I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
He could cross out all the time they wasted trying to deny their feelings for each other for the past years.
Put to rest
What you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands
Of uncertainty
So let mercy come
And wash away
What I've done
He hoped Max would forgive him for being so dense.
I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
He's going to let go of the time he wasted.
For what I've done
I start again
And whatever pain may come
Today this ends
I'm forgiving what I've done
Oh yeah? He'd like to see the whitecoats forgive themselves.
What I've done
He's done nothing in the past, he should have.
Forgiving what I've done
A/N Sorry if you had to re-read the song. It makes it more sentimental with Fang reflecting on it. :)