A/N: Phew. Monday has been conquered. Let's celebrate, shall we?
So this is an AU kinda thing for my Max Ride OTP. (No, I don't mean Fax.) So just imagine this: Nevermore never happened. Max actually managed to stay with Fang and save the world. Unfortunately, there were casualties…including Angel. Her death caused a lot of inter-flock problems, ultimately driving Dylan away. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge and Gazzy stayed together as the Flock, and are now living with Dr. M for the time being. Good that?
Enjoy the story! And please leave a review. I love to hear what you think.
Just do it, Nudge. It's not that hard.
Nudge bit her lip, looking at the doorknob with an amount of anxiety uncalled for by such a simple action. Her hand was already hovering above, but it cast no shadow in the darkened hallway. There was no reason to be so afraid- or at least that's what Nudge attempted to tell herself. She knew what opening the door meant. It was a symbol of finality, of permanence. It meant no going back. With that thought in mind, Nudge dropped her hand to the cool metal and pushed downward.
The door creaked only slightly in the nighttime quiet. Nudge stepped in with equal stillness. She stood for a moment, wings ruffling uncomfortably, as her eyes adjusted. Then she softly whispered, "Iggy?"
The boy in question stirred from unconsciousness, automatically responding to his name. He opened his eyes, blinking rapidly, as he tried to simultaneously wake up and place the voice.
"Nudge?" he mumbled, propping himself up on an elbow. His hair stuck up in the back, his eyes unfocused and directionless. "Whatcha doing in here?"
"I, um, couldn't sleep," Nudge said in a small voice. "Nightmare." She cast her eyes to the floor, trying to ignore the niggling thought of 'liar'.
He didn't seem to notice. "Mm. C'mere." Iggy held a hand out in invitation, and Nudge padded across the floor to his bed. She curled up next to him, snuggling surely into the covers. His arm draped around her shoulders and she leaned into him.
"You wanna talk about it?"
"No." Iggy nodded, still facing the door. Nudge focused on aligning her breaths with his, listening to the rapid thumthumthum of Iggy's heart through his ribcage. She had heard that if you breathed at the same time as someone else, your heartbeats synced. Two hearts beating as one. It was a nice thought. She ruffled her feathers as she yawned. "Iggy?"
"Mm-hm," he replied sleepily.
"Thanks," Nudge told him, her own voice thick, but not with sleep. Iggy was already half-asleep again, past noticing the difference, and he couldn't see the earnestness and melancholy that filled her features.
"Always," he replied, and Nudge almost choked. Instead she closed her eyes and pressed further into his side. They fell asleep with laced limbs and matching heartbeats.
Nudge woke two hours later. She pried herself gently from Iggy's arms, doing her best not to wake him. She stood silently, and, after a moment of hesitation, leaned back down to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. She tried not to look back as she crawled through the open window and flew off into the night.
It was the hardest thing she had ever done.
