It was picture time and Max hated it. Pictures meant he had to take a bath, and wear dress-up clothes and get his hair brushed and sit still.
Max couldn't sit still. There was a lot he needed to do, right now. He needed to clap his hands, and sing, and run, and touch noses with Mama, and shout and bite Floof and wiggle and take his shoes off. That was all really important.
So he fussed. Luckily Dada fussed too, so they could fuss together. Dada didn't like sitting still either; Max could tell. Dada would sigh and roll his eyes and look at the Jarvis in the ceiling and say things under his breaths.
The only one who liked pictures was Mama. Max thought it was because she was pretty and could sit still and like it. Mama made the best pictures, and Dada liked them. Max knew because there were lots of pictures of Mama at Work and in the Workshop too. She would hide some of them, but Dada always put up more.
"These will be for the press release, Tony, so I really need you two to be good," Mama said.
Max hoped they would show their wings. He loved their wings. Mama had pretty wings that smelled like they were good to eat. She only showed them late at night.
Dada's wings were shiny and looked like sharp shadows. Max liked Arc and wings.
He wanted Arc and wings too.
"So when does the photographer get here? I've got stuff to do," Dada said. Max agreed; he had stuff to do too. He looked on the floor for something to pick up and taste.
"They should have been here. You two stay put; I'm going to check with the studio," Mama said, and she pointed a finger at them, so Max knew she was serious.
Serious Mama was serious, so Max pointed back at her.
After she left, Dada set Max on the floor and Max looked under the sofa. There was a tribble there, and he crawled to go get it. The tribble rolled towards him, sounding sad. Max picked it up and almost put it in his mouth when he felt Dada's hand on his foot.
"Outta there. We have to stay clean or Mom's going to skin us, pal."
Max giggled when Dada slid him out. He threw the tribble and Dada caught it. "Nice try, Shorty, but I've got cat-like reflexes."
The tribble squeaked, and Max sat up as Dada looked at the tribble.
"Ohh, renegade. We've got a runner, Max. Let's see what's going on."
Max pulled himself up to a stand using Dada's pant leg and watched as Dada took the fur off the tribble and examined it.
This was Work, and Max liked it. He wanted to look at the tribble too, and pulled on Dada's pants until Dada bent down and showed it to him. "There's a little loose piece of metal jammed in it. Must have picked up something from the floor. Let's pull it out and see if that helps."
"Aga!" Max agreed. He watched as Dada very carefully pulled something out of the naked tribble and put the piece in his pocket, then blew on the naked tribble.
It cooed and Max clapped. Daddy was really good at Fix!
"Thank you," Dada said, and did a little bow. "Let's put the pants back on our friend here--"
Max giggled; he knew all about noodie, yep. Once the tribble was fuzzy again, Max grabbed for it and squished it close.
It purred.
Mama came back and she looked mad. "They're caught behind a big pileup on the freeway; they won't be here for another hour, so I cancelled. This is so frustrating because you two look so good right now, and I know that's not going to last."
"Oh thanks" Dada said, but Max knew he was laughing inside because he was smiling at Mama. "Let's just get Jarvis to take a few candid pictures, and we can choose from one of those, okay?"
And Mama smiled again.
They tickled him, and Max got the giggles. It was fun when Mama or Dada tickled him, but when they both did it, he loved it the most and laughed and laughed and laughed. They were on the big soft puff on the big bed in Mama and Dada's room, and Max was making a Grrr face at Dada, who was making a Grrr face back at him while Mama watched.
Mama scooped him up and kissed his whole face, and Max liked that too. He pretended to bite her chin, but he didn't because he knew it was bad to bite people.
Biting was just for food.
And Floof.
And tribbles.
And interesting stuff from the floor.
Then Dada put his arms around Mama and squished Max right in the middle, and Max laughed really hard He laughed so hard he tooted—just a little squeaky one-- and that made Mama and Dada start laughing too.
"Gas-propelled baby!" Dada said and picked Max up. "Good thing we're not near any open flames."
"Do NOT give him any ideas, Tony!" Mama said. "Bad enough that he's already into tools—ohhhhhhhhh . . . ."
Now Mama sounded scared, and Max looked at her, worried. Dada looked at her too. "What?"
"Tony, his back!" she said, and Max wiggled.
"What do you . . . oh God."
Now Dada sounded serious, and Max whimpered. He didn't like it when Mama and Dada were scared, and he wiggled more. Mama was taking his shirt off now, and that felt better. Then she was touching him.
Sort of.
On his back, but not on it, and Max turned to look.
"He's not supposed to get these yet! OhmyGod!"
Max could feel a cry coming. Mama was scared, and Dada was scared and it made him feel bad. He started to huff, but Mama took him and hugged him, kissing his head. "Oh Max, sweetie," she said in a sad little voice.
He cried.
Max didn't like crying because it hurt his everything. He cried when things hurt, or when he was mad; sometimes when he was tired, but right now he was scared, and all he wanted was Mama.
Dada was rubbing his shoulders and saying Soothie Love, and that felt better too, but Max was still scared.
"Fortingall's. I'll get some."
Mama was carrying him to the bathroom. "And a towel. Come on Sweetie, let's dry them off."
Max stood on the counter and looked. His eyes were red, and his face was wet. He had the after-cry hiccups.
And he had wings!
He smiled, big. (hic)
Yes!
Mama was drying them off and it felt nice. He reached to touch them on the mirror. The Other Max moved too, (hic) and for a minute Max frowned.
Then he looked over his shoulder and that was right, because his wings were there. Max wanted to touch them, but it was hard because (hic) he kept turning around and they would not be closer.
Mama was trying not to laugh. "It's okay, Max. I can't really touch mine either. See? You have Dragonfly, like Daddy. But amber and brown colors, like me."
Then Dada came back and put lotion on, and that felt a lot better. The hiccups went away, and Max settled up against Mama, closing his eyes.
Mama and Dada were talking, and Max heard them be worried in their voices, but proud too. Max was going to sleep, all warm and comfortable on Mama.
"They've retracted, but I don't know for how long. We need to call Mab, Tony. I know you don't like her--"
"—But she'll know what to do, yeah. I should have seen this coming, Pepper, I *should* have. The kid's precocious and ahead of the curve on so much—"
"Shhhh, Tony, stop," Max heard Mama say, and then he fell asleep.
*** *** ***
The Big Man was there at the Beach Place, and Max liked that. The Big Man was a lot of fun. He told Max stories and let him climb on the motorcycle and called him 'Princeling' which was funny.
Max knew about Prince. He was the one who hit the dragon before making Beauty girl get up from Nap. Max wanted to hit dragons. That would be fun.
"Do my eyes deceive me, or have you Sprouted, Princeling Max? Damn—that's a hell of a surprise. Bet Daddy defecated some serious building material at that. Let's have a look, shall we?" Big Man rumbled.
Max let Big Man pick him up and look at his wings.
"Amber Dragonfly; rare. They look good on you, Prince PeeWee. Muy macho," Big Man rumbled.
Max patted the Big Man's chin and wondered if he had wings.
"Yep," Big Man assured him, and opened them up.
Max yelled because they were big and shiny with lots of sparkly colors. Big Man waved them and made some of the sand fly up, then closed his wings. "Wings are a secret, Max. We only show wings to family."
Max nodded. He waved his wings a little bit and laughed because it tickled.
"Nice. You'll be airborne pretty quick. Wings before your first birthday—the last person that happened to . . . was . . .*me,*" Big Man said slowly, smiling.
It was a little scary when the Big Man smiled.
Then, the Big Man showed him how to throw kisses, and after a while, Max could hit everything, even the Pengraff babies.
It was fun, even if he didn't know what 'apprentice' meant.
*** *** ***
The three photos appeared in three of the top tabloids, gifted on the promise that a percent of the issue sales would be donated to the March of Dimes. Instead of posed and formal portraits, the trio of shots were dynamic, cheerful and surprisingly sweet, generating a wave of support among the general public.
Max between his parents, laughing.
Max and his father, pretending to growl at each other.
Max and his mother, playing peek-a-boo.
Max liked looking at his picture. He smacked it and laughed because it didn't hurt. He was sitting in Mab's lap, and Mab laughed too.
"Now, now, Maximillian, let us be gentle! You are a princeling, and a very good boy too, you are!" Mab told him and hugged him.
Max wiggled; Mab was taking away the pictures and he pouted.
Then Mab put her hands on his cheeks and made him look at her. Max wasn't sure if he liked that, but when she smiled, he smiled.
"You have wings, sweetheart. That is a good thing, yes?"
Max nodded. He loved his wings. He could make them move very fast now, and even go Up.
"But wings are only for family. Yes?"
Max nodded. Wings were only for family.
"Good. That's a very good boy, Max. Wings are good and pretty and only for family. Would you like a cookie?"
Yes. Max would.
He took the cookie that showed up in Mab's hand and began to eat it while she talked to Mama and Dada. It was a good cookie, and tasted like tater tots and chocolate.
"He'll be fine, although you may want skip using the ceiling fans for a few months," Mab said. "And open windows."
"You're saying my kid's going to fly?" Dada was growling.
"Of course he is, Anthony. Be sensible! Simply keep Max in snug shirts most of the time, and supervise him well on all other occasions. You're good parents and doing a fine job. I'm not at all worried," Mab said. "In fact, his early Sprouting could be a sign of great things to come."
Max looked up at Mama and Dada and then blew them a kiss.
Just like Big Man taught him.
They looked at each other, and Max finished the cookie while Mama and Dada kissed.
Mab looked happy.
Max hoped she had another cookie.