Hello! I'm just on an updating roll! I guess that procrastination for ya, really should be doing Aircrafts revision...but lift and drag can wait.
Thank you FluffyBunnies for pointing out the change in POV for Toothpick! This isn't a new chapter, just a repost to change it :)
26. Marriage – lilly
"The legal or religious ceremony that formalises the decision of two people to live as a married couple, including the accompanying social festivities."
"Marriage," Max said the word, hearing the word roll off her tongue awkwardly.
Fang raised an eyebrow staring at the brunette/blonde. Max ignored him and repeated the word. "Marriage."
Fang still said nothing, unsure of where his girlfriend was going with the current thought. Max finally met his eyes, sipping a little champagne. They were the only ones on their table, Nudge and Ella had been asked to dance with two of John's nephews, Gazzy had disappeared to see if he could sneak some of the wedding cake, Angel and Total were on the dance floor, and Iggy had disappeared somewhere with one of Ella's cousins.
Fang watched Max, waiting for her to continue.
The twenty-two year old sighed, kicking off her heels and nestling her feet in Fang's lap. One of Fang's hands started to stroke her foot, and she sighed contently.
"Mum looks so happy," Max closed her eyes. "So does John."
Fang slid his gaze from Max's face to watch the older couple swaying slowly on the dance floor despite the upbeat song. After years of "taking it slow", the couple finally decided to make it official. "Yeah, they do."
"Do you ever think about marriage?" Max asked. Fang paused on the middle of his ministrations to look at his girlfriend.
He shrugged, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Not really."
Max opened one eye and looked at Fang. "Do you ever think of getting married one day?"
She expected to shrug it off and say something like, "I dunno" or "Maybe", but his answer surprised her.
"I'd like to," he answered absentmindedly, looking away from the couple to look at Max. His caressing began again and Max opened both eyes to look at him. She was no longer nervous about their relationship, having eight years to adjust to the initial instinct to run from her feelings, but planning her mother's wedding had her thinking of marriage.
Max wasn't sure what to say next. Fang looked at her. "Don't you?"
Max swallowed. She knew she wanted to marry Fang. She knew she wanted to marry him for a while now, ever since rescuing her mum from Mr Cho. But were they still too young? They'd been together for almost ten years, and she was enjoying the freedom of not having to deal with three kids and two others. Everyone was pretty much already old enough to take care of themselves, Angel, the youngest, now the same age as they were on the run. "Yes…but…"
Fang held her gaze. "We don't have to do it now."
His words brought her back from her thoughts, and she stopped bitting her lip. Fang put her feet down, and reached for her hands. Max gripped his hands tightly.
"There's no rush."
She smiled immediately at his words, releasing the breath she held. Fang always had a knack of knowing how to calm her.
27. Skipping – Don'tDissTheSonic
"To move in a light, springy manner by bounding forward with alternate hops on each foot."
Fang fidgeted uncomfortably as he waited for Angel's dance class to be finished. Never in his life did he ever think he'd within a ten mile radius of a dance studio, but here he was standing in one, watching a group of twelve years olds prancing around in pink and purple leotards.
Fang no problem with Angel wanting to start ballet lessons, in fact, he thought it was a great idea, giving her the same opportunities as normal girls her age. But now that he was standing in the dance studio, surrounded by twenty or so squealing twelve year old girls, and slightly unnerving thirty and forty something year old women eyeing him in the corner, he was beginning to question why he so easily agreed to it.
"Hurry up Ange," he muttered under his breath. He cursed Max in his head for making him do this. He was on his way home from work, and Max had to stay home and watch the rest of Flock while her mum was out of town on business and so asked Fang to pick Angel up from her dance class.
Upon hearing his thoughts, Angel looked up and grinned at Fang, waving her hand enthusiastically at him. He felt the tug of a smile on his lips, and allowed the corner of his mouth to tilt up in reply. He sneaked a look at the mums waiting for their daughters, and saw a few smiles in his direction.
He quickly averted his gaze, not wanting to encourage any communication from any of the mothers. To his relief Angel skipped towards him, her bag over her shoulder and a few curls falling out of the neat bun Nudge had fixed for her.
"Let's go," he muttered. He grabbed her bag, and slung the pink atrocity over his own shoulder. Iggy would have a field day if he somehow gained his vision and saw Fang.
Angel skipped alongside him, telling him about her main role in the recital – which, she assured him, had been earned not given through mind-powers – and something about tutus. Fang nodded, just listening, but Angel didn't mind.
Once they arrived home, Angel ran to the kitchen to relay everything she had told Fang to the others. Fang could hear Nudge and Max's encouraging voices, Gazzy's grunts, and Iggy putting a word in every so often.
Fang joined the others and plunked himself onto a barstool at the counter where Max was washing some greens for a salad – the only task Iggy trusted her in the kitchen with – who smiled at him appreciatively.
Fang looked up and glared at his girlfriend. "I hate you."
Max laughed lightly and kissed his forehead before returning to her task. "Thank you for that."
"That was hell," Fang groaned, grabbing a tomato and began to slice it.
"It couldn't have been that bad, you just had to pick her up," Max rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
Fang gave her a grave look. "You weren't receiving the same looks from the mums."
Max snorted. "You love it, just admit it."
Fang shook his head. "I'm at least ten years younger!"
Iggy immediately stopped cooking. "Are you talking about cougars?"
Max smacked the back of Iggy's head, while Fang rolled his eyes.
"Don't even think about it Iggy," Max warned.
Iggy grinned mischievously. "If you don't mind, I can pick Angel up from ballet from now on."
28. Vomit – Alex Sumreck
"To eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth; regurgitate; throw up."
"I'm going to be…sick!" Nudge managed to spit out before she ran to the bathroom. Max immediately followed after the younger girl.
Fang slapped the back of Iggy's head. Iggy flinched. "Ow, what did I do?"
Angel looked slightly green as she stared at Iggy's mess. Fang looked her concerned, making sure she wasn't going to start puking the entire contents of her stomach onto the living room floor. She stepped closer to Fang and hid her face into his side, trying to get the image out of her mind. Fang kept a hand on her hair and glared at Iggy.
"What the hell are you thinking Iggy?" Max asked him, walking back into the room. "How was anything to do with vomit a good idea?"
Iggy could feel the wrath of both Max and Fang's glare, and he shrunk a little. "Sorry Ange."
"What about me!" Gazzy cried. "I'm the one covered in puke!"
Max looked sympathetically at eight-years-old boy. "Gaz, take off your clothing and come with me."
Gazzy did as she said, dumping his clothes onto the living room floor and made his way into Max's arms in his underwear. Max rubbed his back comfortingly and led him to the bathroom.
"Honestly Iggy," Fang sighed, still holding Angel against him.
"I didn't mean for it go off inside," he defended, "I was supposed to launch it outside!"
Max returned, smelling slightly of vomit, but it didn't bother her. She was furious with Iggy.
"At what point did you think it was a good idea to make a vomit bomb?" Max had her hands on her hips and her voice was laced with venom, and Fang knew she was just getting started.
He pulled Angel into his arms and lead her upstairs to her room. Beneath them Max was yelling at Iggy¸ and Fang sighed. Iggy just didn't know when to quit.
29. Toothpick – Fangismine
"A small pointed piece of wood, plastic, etc., for removing substances, especially food particles, from between the teeth."
"Ow, ow, ow!" Max heard Gazzy's loud voice reverberate from the kitchen to the living room where she was reading peacefully.
"Max! Fang! Help! Iggy! Anyone!" Gazzy called desperately, and Max rushed immediately to his aid, seeing Fang staring at the blonde boy clutching his mouth. Nudge stood over him, her arms crossed and not looking sorry at all.
"Nudge," Fang started carefully, "what did you do?"
Nudge huffed and stuck her head up stubbornly. Fang sighed. She was becoming more like Max, which was slightly worrying. "Nothing."
Gazzy shook his head and pointed at her. "She jammed a toothpick in my teeth. It hurts!"
Max immediately rushed to Gazzy, holding his head gently and inspecting the damage. It was wedged between two of his bottom teeth. She tugged it gently and Gazzy hissed in pain.
"Ow!" He cried,a nd Max apologised. She whipped her head up to look sternly at Nudge.
Nudge matched her gaze. "He farted in my face! And plus, you attack Fang and Iggy all the time."
Fang snorted quietly under his breath and Max glared at him. Fang smirked at her.
"She does have a point." He was still smirking that frustrating and incredibly sexy smirk to her irritation. "This is all you."
She huffed heavily and ignored both Nudge and Fang, leaving him to deal with her, and focused on getting the toothpick out of Gazzy's teeth.
30. Scream – Kaleigh
"To utter a loud, sharp, piercing cry."
Scream. It was the only word to describe what Max was feeling. Maybe it was because it was the only thing that was coming out her mouth, but she couldn't hear herself over the pain in her mind. Her brain. She wasn't sure what was causing it, if it was a psychological thing, or physical. She wasn't sure how much power The Voice had over her mind or body, but she was sure it was the reason it was causing this pain.
It was like someone had screamed into her ear, constantly and loudly, but there wasn't a sound to it, rather the feeling of a scream echoing throughout her mind. She clutched at her head, her fingers twisting into her hair, yanking at the roots, trying to distract herself from the pain inside her mind. Her fingernails dug into her scalp, enough to leave dents, but she couldn't feel it. All she felt was screaming.
She didn't register the warm hand on her back from Angel, and the assuring words in her ear from Nudge. She didn't register the strong arms of Fang wrapped around her, or Gazzy and Iggy's hands on her shoulders. All she felt was the screaming in her mind.
Eventually her voice gave out, turning raspy, and then disappearing completely, but the screaming in her mind still continued.
Stop, please. Just make it stop. These thoughts continued around her head, pleading over and over again to stop. Anything, I'll do anything to make it stop. Anything. Just stop the screaming.
And voila! Another five words for my lovely readers!
Read, review, and I have to pee, but I really don't want to get out of bed,
- FlowerChild22
