Disclaimer: I don't own Iggy, Ella or the rest of Max's flock, despite how badly I've mangled them. They belong to James Patterson! C:
Iggy blinked, though it didn't do much; for a moment, he had forgotten about his blindness. Despite the darkness that enwrapped his world, he knew he was sitting on something soft, something warm almost. He was covered with a soft material. A blanket? Huh. Didn't he fall asleep on the ragged ground of a cave? Oh well. He was going to take what he got, knowing that anything good would almost always be short-lived.
"GET UP GUYS! IT'S BREAKFAST TIME!" A familiar voice called from somewhere to his left. It was muffled, telling him that a wall –and a door- probably separated them. A door probably meant they were in a house, but geez, he should've figured that out by now.
Iggy got up, feeling around him with his sensitive fingers, luckily not bumping into anything. Perhaps this sudden evasiveness to solid furniture was because their placement was so familiar. This is… Dr. Martinez's house. He realized this just as he felt the door open, it's hinges creaking and the whole room shuddering as a result.
"Iggy! Hurry up and get your ass down to the kitchen right now!" Max screamed at him, though he detected amusement buried under the impatience and anger. He held up his hands.
"Alright, I'm coming. But geez, Max. I'm blind. Give me a break!" Iggy complained, though his voice was light with teasing as well. It was easy to just step back into the life they had left on hold when they went to meet Fang and his flock. Come to think of it, why were they still here? Did they come back already?
"Iggy! Seriously, if you don't start moving, I'm going to kick your ass from here to the middle of next week!" Max threatened, her voice getting further and further away. Iggy smiled. Yep, that was Max alright.
He walked down the steps and turned towards the kitchen and the unmistakable smell of smoked bacon. The rest of the flock was already there, digging into their meals like ravished wolves. They had higher metabolisms so they could eat a lot while still staying thin. Iggy sat down beside Ella, Max's half-sister, and offered her a tentative smile.
They had been 'dating' for the past year and a half and so far, it was probably the best thing that had happened to Iggy, besides the whole watching-Itex-go-down-in-flames thing. That was just sheer awesome. Ella was like Max in so many ways, and also different in others. They certainly had the same outgoing attitude, though Ella knew when to be polite and when to speak her mind. Max, on the other hand, hadn't even begun to learn the self-control necessary to make such decisions.
Iggy felt someone hold his hand and give a slight squeeze. Ella. She must've noticed his squeezed her hand slightly and returned her smile, telling her that he was fine, then dug into his breakfast.
"Alright guys, you know what day it is today?" Max asked, her voice pitched with anticipation and excitement. Iggy raised his head and diverted his attention from the bacon in front of him. What was she talking about?
Nudge squealed, obviously in on this, and even Gazzy snickered. "It's Christmas! And you know what that means? Presents! Oh, like, I made this wish list of stuff I wanted from those magazines that Fang gave me for my birthday." She paused, "Oh, I should've showed you guys, now that we're getting presents anyways." She continued talking in the way that only Nudge could and Iggy felt the corners of his mouth pull up into a small smile. It was nice having things back to normal.
Wait, presents? What was Christmas anyways? Was it like a birthday? Why did everyone but him know of this? His pale blue eyes widened in dismay and confusion as he looked in the direction of Ella. She felt his sightless gaze on her and threw him a smile despite him not being able to see it.
"Iggy, just wait till you see my present to you!" She sounded excited. Iggy grew worried. So this was like a birthday. Present exchange. He remembered making cake for everyone back at their house in Colorado, celebrating their short-lived peace. That had been his present and it had taken him all day to prepare. For sure, he didn't have time right now.
As they moved into the living room, Angel managed to move her way up beside Iggy, taking hold of his hand and giving it a small squeeze. Don't worry, Iggy. She thought to him. Damn, she had been reading his thoughts. Angel, you have to help me, he thought, desperation leaking into his thoughts. He knew he was desperate when he started asking an seven year old for relationship advice. Angel giggled at the thought. Just give her something special, something memorable! Iggy could almost hear the 'duh' that trailed in her thoughts as she consoled him in that wise Angel voice she was so good at.
Iggy sighed. All throughout the present exchange, he continued thinking about this, only partly paying attention to the presents he received. The others didn't seem fazed by his lack of presents to give. He got a few rolled up pieces of paper from Gazzy, who discreetly informed him that they were blueprints to the new bomb he wanted to build, a cookbook from Nudge and Angel, and a personalized notebook filled with everything Ella-related from Max. Personally, Iggy didn't know how he was expected to 'read' these books, but the girls obviously thought that he could use his sensitive touch and limited vision to see the colors on white and read.
After that, everyone went their own ways, Nudge and Angel retreating to their rooms to play with the makeup set Nudge had gotten from Max and Gazzy heading outside to fly around. Ella remained in the room with Iggy and had scooted quite a bit closer to him. On a subconscious level, he was acutely aware of the distance between them, causing his face to flush slightly.
At last, Ella stood up, pulling Iggy up with her. The sound of wrinkling paper told Iggy that Ella had taken out a piece of folded paper. He cocked his head curiously as she cleared her throat. To Iggy, Ella seemed slightly nervous. She normally wasn't the type to wait until they were alone to be together.
Merry Christmas! I know that this is probably the first time you've celebrated it, so I really wanted to make this special for you. I thought a lot about what to get you, and to be honest? I still haven't. Actually, mom helped me think of this one.
Ella paused, and then threw her arms around Iggy, who was a good head taller than her.
I love you. More than I've loved anyone at my school, but not more than Max. But don't worry, I love you a lot too. Maybe you don't consider this a proper gift, and… I can get you something else if you wanted, but I really wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you being here. Merry Christmas!
Ella drew in a breath but remained silent. Iggy smiled at that and cupped her heated cheeks with both his hands. From the sound of her heart beating and the warmth of her face, he guessed that she was probably blushing.
Finally, after a moment of silence, Ella spoke again. "Iggy? D-did you think it was okay? For a present, I mean?" Her voice was hesitant, tentative, worried.
His own heart was speeding, and not just in that normal bird-kid way either. "I love you too, Ella." He leaned down and kissed her, all that love and passion that built up pouring into that kiss. Iggy wanted to much to tell her how much he loved her and how, despite everything that's gone wrong with his life, he never regretted this choice, he never regretted meeting her. He realized that the only possible thing that he could do for Ella was to stay with her and stay alive. Not just for his sake, but for her sake as well. And that, was what he resolved to do. To give her his present all year round.
When they finally pulled back, Iggy pulled her back down onto the couch and kept his arm around her waist. "Merry Christmas, Ella," he said, knowing that his world wasn't surrounded completely in darkness. He had something stable in his life, something that'll never change despite what happens to him or his family.
Her.
Of course, that was when he woke up and felt the cold mountain air whipping his face. They were at the cave, with Fang and his flock. Iggy groaned.
Author's Note: Merry Christmas guys! Or rather, Merry Boxing day guys! I know, I forgot to upload it yesterday! C: Mostly just Eggy fluff. x3
What dd you guys think? Was it okay for a one-shot? Review and tell me please! C:
