Love, Pain, and Wings-Chapter 13

By MyNameIsCAB

With the warmth, I regained more strength. Fang had given me one of his black long sleeves button up shirts and my own pajama pants to wear. Somehow we had lost some of our extra clothing through a hole in one of the backpacks. Pulling my damp clothes off and drying off, I could hear Fang talking to the others.

"Yes, it's till here," he said, almost triumphantly. Fang must have been talking about his t-shirt. That same one he thought I forgot to pack when we were in Boston. Even from a closed door, I could hear that Fang's voice was becoming hoarse.

I buttoned Fang's shirt up and looked in the mirror. It was quite awkward with his shirt on, but it was warmer than what I had left to wear that hadn't fallen out. I used to remember when I was taller than Fang, but then he sprouted upward and I stayed put. Oh well.

Slowly, I turned the doorknob. My legs were still weak and I was moving so slow. Fang was pulling on his t-shirt. The others were already changed into other clothes that were clean. Tiredly, I sat on the bed.

"Okay, two per bed," Fang announced. Even though it had only probably been a week, Fang seemed to have changed. I guess he had been in charge of everyone.

"Max can have bed," Nudge said.

"Okay, but we can still fit one more person in it," I spoke up. Inside, I really hoped it would be Fang.

"Well, you can have that spot Fang." Angel must have read my thoughts. She smiled at me sheepishly. "Nudge, Gazzy, and I can squeeze onto the other bed. We're small enough. Sorry Iggy, but that leaves you with the couch."

"And it's an ugly green too," Iggy muttered as he touched the couch, but then a wide grin stretched across his face and then for a moment, we were all laughing. It felt like we were a family again.

I settled under the covers. Iggy was making up some story to tell Nudge and Angel with Gazzy. So far, they were only doing an okay job because Angel and Nudge kept adding things in, making the story more complicated than it needed to be. Fang had done the liberty of cleaning all the clothes in the bathroom. He was now hanging them up along the edge of the bathtub and the counter. A few were draped over chairs. Now he came to the bed and got in under the covers. His body against mine still made me feel warmer.

"You'd think their story would be too complicated to follow," he told me quietly. There was a little more emotion in his voice now, as if the past events had mellowed him out a little.

"I'm already lost," I whispered, leaning my head on his shoulder.

He slipped his arm around me, pulling me against him and whispered in my ear. "So am I."

(Fang)

Max fell asleep against him. His arm was still wrapped around her. He was exhausted too, but sleep hadn't found him yet. There was a small building pain where he had to restitch his wound and he still felt a little cold. Having Max next to him made things better of course, but he wished they could be alone.

Iggy and Gazzy's story went on for a while. Fang listened a little before he rested his head on Max's and drifted between consciousness and sleep. Then sleep did consume him and this time his sleep would be restful.

(Max)

I woke up the next morning, Fang still lying close to me. Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel were quietly playing a card game. Iggy was still on the couch asleep. I shifted in bed and Fang stirred a little, opened his eyes and they met mine. Almost instinctively, he put his arm around me like it was before I had fallen asleep.

It was so unlike Fang, or even unlike me, for us to want each other like this. But with Fang being gone and then me being gone, it was like being together was the best thing in the world. It made us see past our egos of trying to be strong. Sometimes it was just better to show a softer side, even if it was only to each other.

"We should probably call Mom today," he whispered to me.

"How long has it been?" I asked.

"A little over a week. She'll worry about all of us." Fang closed his eyes for a moment, his hand that wasn't around me was now over his wound.

"Are you okay, Fang?"

"Fine," he brushed it off.

Something told me he wasn't, but the last thing I wanted to do was argue with him. The way we were right now was the way I wish we could stay like forever and ever. We would all be happy and the world would be safe. That's what I wished the world could be. But eventually, Fang would go back to being Fang. I guess I would go back to being Max. We'd still share our connection, our love, secretly. All things between us that the rest of the flock had seen would be forgotten when we would have to go off saving the world again. Sooner or later, anyway.

That wasn't going to stop me from savoring moments like this. The thought of ever being apart was almost haunting. Fang nuzzled his mouth near my ear. "It's so good to have you back, Max."

"You too," I added back softly.

I think Fang was about to kiss me, but then Gazzy had jumped up, waving his cards in the air. "I WIN! I WIN!"

"That's not fair," Angel complained. "You cheated when you took that card."

Fang looked deeply into my eyes, and I caught a glimpse of that perfect world where he and I were together. He smiled, a way I'd never seen him smile before. A rare Fang smile. Then we broke apart and turned to Gazzy. "What are you playing?"

"A game we made up," Angel said.

"Oh," Fang replied.

"And Gazzy cheated," Angel chimed in.

"Nu-uh," Gazzy stuck his tongue out of her. They were brother and sister after all, so I guess it didn't bother me too much.

"Oh, please!" Angel sighed and dropped her cards on the bed. Then a thought of hers entered my head. And they're so stupid too.

I gave her a wry smile before swinging my feet over the side of the bed. Iggy stirred now, yawning and sitting up. "Are we going to go home soon?"

I knew that question was directed to me. He and Fang knew that the Voice should have said something by now. But the thing was, it hadn't since I was in that pool of freezing water.

"I don't know," I told Iggy. "Besides, we didn't actually get rid of the Itex director yet."

Max, Max, Max. Thinking ahead are we? Go home. The Voice suddenly popped up. Marian Janssen is gone from Canada. She's no threat currently. Go home.

The Voice was actually telling me to go home. I couldn't believe it. Then I turned to Fang. "We can go home whenever you think."

Fang raised an eyebrow. He wasn't expecting me to make that decision. After a moment, he answered. "Let's stay here for a few more days." His calm and unemotional mood was setting in again, but then he added with a hint of a small smile, "And we can get souvenirs for Ella."

That sounded like a plan. A very good plan, indeed.