A/N: To people that complain that there isn't enough chat in this story: Yes, I know. But bear with me. These past ten chapters have taken place over the space of roughly three days. And since RedConverse and GetOutWindow only really talk to each other once a day, there's only so much that can be fit in.
Apologies for lateness.
The Machine
Fang sat down on his swivel chair, allowing himself to spin in two and a half circles. He stopped turning as the chair faced his bathroom door.
Right now, Max was changing in his bathroom.
... That was definitely a sentence he'd never think would become a reality.
He swiveled away so that his back was facing the door, trying to force the image of Max peeling a sticky shirt off her out of his mind. Water was running. Was she wearing his batman top now or was she still focused on cleaning her own shirt first before getting changed?
Fang swiveled in his chair again, this time ending up facing his study desk. He ran a hand through his wet hair, hating the way the water felt as it ran down his back and made his shirt stick down.
He rested his head against the wood and sighed.
May-Alex Ride was incredibly annoying, with the way she teased and how she invaded his personal space, with her soft touch tracing his scars and urgh.
The water stopped running.
So maybe I spent a little extra time washing my shirt than I should have. I couldn't help but look around his bathroom, to be honest. The little things jumped out at me; the fact that he used a kiwi shampoo that sat in the corner of the shower, the checkered curtains and the white towel that hung over the shower door.
I stared at the mirror, looking into my own relfection, wondering how long Fang had spent staring into this same glass. Probably an obscenely long time.
I shut the water off (my shirt now smelled of coconut, according to one of Fang's soap containers) and shrugged on Fang's Batman shirt. It hung ridiculously loosely on me, but I guess it was better than going without a shirt. Maybe some people would disagree, but whatever. Modesty and all that.
I opened the bathroom door and saw Fang slowly turning to and fro in his swivel chair, looking bored. He looked at up me and ran a hand through his hair, flecking his shirt with water. Why did he keep touching his hair, as if he was making sure that it was still there? It wasn't as if it would disappear if he didn't constantly check on it.
"Let's go put that in the dryer," Fang said. "Wouldn't want there to be any evidence of this, now do we?"
So that's what we did.
Whiiiirrr.
I was sitting on the drying machine, enjoying the warmth tickling at my legs. Their machine was located in the garage, making it the coldest place in the house, temperature-wise. Since I didn't bring a warm hoodie or jumper so I just ignored the chilled air that was grabbing my arms.
"Are you cold, Ride?" Fang asked after a moment of silence.
Hmph.
I shook my head.
"Then I'd love to know why there are goosebumps on your arms." He was leaning against the bricked wall with his arms crossed. His jeans had a few specks of the Coke on it, barely visible against the dark fabric.
"Fine," I admitted. "Your garage is freezing,"
"Do you want a hoodie? There should be one of mine over there," he indicated to the laundry basket that sat a few feet from the machines. It was was all black clothing. How shocking. Where is the rainbow underwear and the secret pink tank tops?
I shook my head. "I'm fine, really."
Why were we being so polite? This was downright creepy.
Fang walked over to where I was sitting. "Scooch up," he said as he lifted himself onto the platform.
I moved to the side as Fang sat down. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked.
"We're sitting on a drying machine. It's not a lifetime commitment."
"But what if it breaks?"
Fang shrugged. "It probably won't; this thing is pretty tough."
"Fine, but I won't cop the blame though if it does break."
Fang shrugged. "It's fine, Ride. Worst comes to worst I'll just say that I ended up making out with a girl on top the machine and things got a bit wild, I'll leave out your name completely."
"Oh wow, thanks," I said, sarcasm dripping off my voice. "It's great to know that you'll be honest about it."
"Well, do you want to make that a true story or not?"
I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "I'd rather make out with a squid, thank you very much."
"You hurt my feelings, Ride." He replied coolly, sounding very unoffended. "Should I blame this sudden swing to bestiality... But that wouldn't quite explain everything, seeing that I can be quite the animal when I want to be."
What an asshole. The comment barely flustered me, though. Fang's getting too typical these days.
"Point A, Novia," I said. "I definitely do not have an ounce of bestiality in me, and Point B, I think when most people meet you they swing over to asexuality just because you're such a poor example of the human race."
I relaxed a bit as I said that. We weren't doing our weird polite thing any more. This was conversation I could handle; it was just Fang and I grating our wits together. This was far better than the awkward bathroom conversation and anything that remotely discussed my feelings. This was easy, natural and safe.
"And are you asexual, Ride?"
"No, I know some redeeming people that overrides your general failure that brings shame to humankind."
Fang sighed dramatically and muttered something about 'denial being the first step in both mourning the dead and the beginning of a relationship' at a tone that was definitely meant for my ears.
The dryer's soft whirring slowly died down and silence crept into the room, finding its way through the cracks in the walls and from under the storage boxes.
I jumped off the machine. My side that Fang had been touching was cool. Part of me was temped t get back on and and stay warm, but I squashed that feeling a second after I felt it.
"The stuff's done," I said.
Fang's eyes widened. "Are you sure!" he asked in surprise. "How could I not have noticed that?" he slid off the dryer too, opening the door of the machine. My legs were hit with a blast of warm air.
"Yeah," I said. "You should really learn how to be more observant. Next time you're not paying attention someone could sneak up and kidnap you and take you California or something."
Fang ignored my comment, pulling out my shirt and handing it to me. My hands clasped around it, enjoying the warm material. "Thanks," I said.
Fang shrugged. "It's just a shirt, not gold."
"Sorry for being polite, Captain Sarcasm."
Fang wrinkled his nose. "Captain Sarcasm? Isn't that old saying Captain Obvious or something?"
"Technicalities," I replied and tried to change the subject. "I'm going to get changed again, and then I probably should get going."
Something flickered in Fang's eyes. "Yeah, you probably should. You need a lift, right?"
I nodded. "That would be great, thanks."
Crap, we're back to this weird-ass polite thing again.
Fang's convertible's roof was rolled down, but the breeze didn't bother me that much. It was warmer than his garage, which was a blessing I didn't let slide.
I settled back on my seat, enjoying the last warm rays of the sun as it hit my skin. The whole town was bathed in the golden light and I couldn't help but notice the long shadows it cast.
"Do you actually know where to go?" I asked.
Fang shot me a look. "How stupid do you think I am?" it was true, I'd given him directions just before we got into the car.
"Do you want me to answer that?" I asked.
"Is your answer going to be sarcastic, spiteful or otherwise generally hurtful and insulting?"
"You know me too well, Novia."
The corner of his mouth twitched. "Of course I do. It's one of my many fantastic traits."
I leaned back in my seat, putting my feet on the otherwise immaculate dashboard. He eyed my shoes cautiously.
"Don't get your nits everywhere, I just had this thing cleaned."
"My heart bleeds," I responded coolly, adjusting my one leg to add emphasis. "It's not like this car is worth much anyways." Which was a total lie; although this car was not by far one of the most expensive seen at school, although it was one of the best looked after. The inside was also a testament to Fang's love for it.
His knuckles tightened slightly on the wheel. "Don't diss the car."
Realising I'd gone a bit too far, I retracted my feet from the dashboard. It only left a slightly imprint on the smooth black.
"Better?" I asked.
He nodded. "A bit. Although things will only properly shape up once you're gone."
Ouch. "Wow, I feel so appreciated now,"
He shrugged. "I do what I can."
I didn't respond, but instead looked out the window. We were roughly five minutes away from my house.
The conversation died down after as we both just watched the world outside go by. The silence was more comfortable than forced. We probably reached our maximum quota of insults for the day. I loved the feeling of the wind whirling through my hair, sucking my breath out of my lungs by force rather than choice.
It was stupid, but I did pretend for a few moments that I could fly.
And it felt good.
But all too soon, the car slowed down as it rolled into my street and eventually pulled to a stop. I looked at my house for a few moments, wondering why I didn't want to see it .
"We're here, Ride. Just in case you didn't notice."
I shot him a Death Stare and opened my car door, slinging my school bag over my shoulder.
"Do you want me to walk you to the door?" Fang asked, a faint mocking grin splayed over his lips.
"What is this, a bad date?" I asked. "I think I'll manage to not get eaten by a wild boar between here and the porch."
"I'm was just being polite. But if I'm too embarrassing to meet your parents, that's fine."
"Of course you are!"
Fang smirked. "Good evening, Ride."
"Later, Fang."
I walked away from the car and opened the house up for myself. Only when I heard his car drive off, my bag was in my bedroom, and I was in the kitchen I realised what I'd said.
I groaned, leaning my head on the counter.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. If he dares even think we're now on first name basis I might just have to rip out his brain and play basketball with it so that he forgets that I ever called him Fang.
Fang sat down on his bed. It was a weird afternoon, to say the least. And one that he would have trouble forgetting for a while. His mind automatically replayed the best parts – the small moments when Max had let her guard down, even the tiniest bit. Those precious seconds when she forgot that she was supposed to be hostile and rude and to him felt far too intimate to him.
And there were other good parts of the afternoon – the few minutes her had her pinned down and he could feel her warmth... and not to mention that great feeling when her hips pressed against his thigh.
Yes, Fang was hopelessly horny guy. But he could ignore his hormones.
Especially since Max had a boyfriend. Was that jealousy he felt stirring? He pushed it down firmly, trying to forget it.
And should he start calling her Max now? She called him Fang at the end of the day, but girls were confusing and weird, and he guessed that this was just some test to make him so confused his brains just might fall out.
Fang sighed and stood up, deciding to take a shower. He probably enjoyed showers far too much than any sane man should. After all, men shouldn't enjoy warm massaging water and getting clean. They were supposed to yell and flaunt their man stink.
Once he was in the shower and watching the last remains of Coke that had stuck to his back and stomach whirl down into the drain, taking the last few physical reminders of the day with it.
He sighed and dipped his head under the spray of water and started working his Kiwi shampoo in.
Eventually he stepped out of the cubicle and dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist. He walked into his bedroom and saw his Batman shirt, thrown over his swivel chair. He picked it up and without even thinking, pulled it over his head, pretending he wasn't creepy at all.
A/N: What's your favourite thing about fanfiction?
This week's rec is a bit different. I am suggesting that you all go check out the Maximum Writing Awards forum, where you can nominate your favourite stories in categories like Best Fax Oneshot or Best Multichapter in Progress, amongst many others. It's still a small group, but let's spread the word about good fics, yeah? GO NOMINATE NOW.
