Summary: Max and Fang, caught in a forbidden romance. Something taboo in nature, and something that they can't help but defy. AU.


Chapter Twenty-One: Whats a Friday Night?

After eating dinner, I collapsed on my bed after another long tiring day of school.. the start of a row of an endless many. Luckily it was a Friday night though, so the weekend was to come.

Since Fang had started coming in in the middle of the night, I'd begun to stop spending my after-dinner time on my computer, IMing people. It seemed that I now had other things to do—e.g., waiting for Fang. He was a startling presence in my life, and replaced that time and moment in life in which I'd just lay around after dinner IMing people on my computer.

Its not that he was there or anything, to take up my time or anything, but it was just his presence—his pending, nonexistantly looming, presence—the fact that he'd be there, knowing that he'd be there, made me lie in bed sooner. It was a matter of waiting.

Fang came. Slid in next to me through the side of my sheets in the dark, spooning me on the impact.

The bottom of my heart fell as he snuggled in close against me and closed his eyes.

I could feel reverberations as a low hum noise released from the the bottom of his throat. He wrapped me tight around his arms and we fell asleep.

Or so.

His deep and steady breath, slightly tiredly sleepy sounding, was now low and groggy and sensual as he breathed deep into my skin and asked the question, "How was school today?"

It was an awkward moment (for me), because I didn't know how to respond—not while his face was so close digging into the nape of my neck, his arms sensually wrapped around my body, his breath, his voice, digging deep into my skin. How could I respond?

I took a deep swallow and a moment before I answered. Slowly, into the dark.

"It was fine," I whispered into the sky.

At the response, he rubbed himself up and down on the back of my neck, nuzzling in tiredly, sleepily.

"That's good.." he said, in a quiet yawn. He snuggled deeper in, his arms and hands beginning slow, smoothing, and relaxing circles around whatever part of my body they were on right now. He seemed sleepy.. but.. conversation?

In the middle of all this? I couldn't stand it.

But.. I sort of liked it. It put more sense into what he was doing now—it felt more realistic—it felt like he really existed as an entity outside of the seperate him at night and seperate him at home, in the house, in front of everyone else. Like they were one person, since he was talking to me.

So that was what had urged me to ask him another thing and continue the conversation—other than the fact that I couldn't go to sleep now, his arms rubbing circles around me, and his quiet groggy voice reverberating in my ear.

"How was yours?"

"Mmm.." he said lowly, "it was fine, too."

"Ah" I replied gently, into the air.

The last note rested between us, comfortably, in comfortable silence.

The air was thin, and it was soothing and relaxing, as he rested his arm over me and his back was hunched on his side to curve over me. His face was on my neck, and he liked it that way, and he hummed low into my ear as if he was saying a bazillion things that never needed to be said.

It was cool, it was sweet, it was relaxing.

So in his humming, I fell asleep.

Saturday, he got up early and left. Max sort of felt bad for him—having to get up early on a saturday morning, but it was worth it. Friday night's sleeping together was worth it.

Last night was probably the most restful sleep she'd ever had before, maybe it was cause of the silent, but full discussion they'd had the night before.

It was just.. calming, reassuring. His presence, and speech there, right there, below her neck.

She knew why he was tired on Friday—he'd gone to school and spent the entire day testing for his class placements—talk about tiresome. He had apparently been fed up with the testing by 2:00 and had tried to leave the room for a break and walk around.

Although class had been in session at that time, he had gotten away with walking around the empty hallways for a little bit before the Dean had dragged him back into the room to finish his testing. The Dean had apparently been completely fed up with his tiresome, laid-back attitude, that was reported to be both unserious and unsuitable for acting with a school authority figure. He had made the speech to Max's Mom right at the time she had come to pick him up, to which he had reportedly replied,

"Sorry, I really do apologize, but I don't even know what the heck you're supposed to be.. My old school didn't have a 'dean',"

Later when he came home, he had had a pissed off look on his face and mentioned to Max how bogus this "Dean" was cause they went to a freaking high school, not a damn university.

Max had raised her eyebrows and listened to him apprehensively. He was quite unaware of the impression he had made on her school otherwise, rather than that dean incident (which nobody knew about anyway).

He was quite unaware that everyone had heard about the new transfer student, and had seen him walking outside the school, and back into it, accompanied by an older parental-figure woman (not everyone knew who Max's mom was).

He was the hush-hush news of the week—even if it was so early on in the year. Although, people had only watched him from a distance, coming in with Max's mom, and leaving out. He had thoroughly spent the entirety of one day in a testing room.

Which could get on anyones nerves afterall, so Max sympathized at his need to get up and want to walk around a bit—from 9 to 3:30 in one small room taking test after test? Unbearable. And hard to imagine. She was surprised he had put up with it for so long. Apparently he had done the seventh test before trying to leave, but still had to come back to finish the 8th and last one.

His small presence though, was exaggerated by the school population, and excerbated by the fact that everyone knew he was in the Dean's room taking practice placing tests the entire day.

It didnt help that Iggy, who was as ostentatious and loud and obnoxious as ever, was bragging his name about in daily conversation everywhere. Max would stay quiet and shut up whenever he did—only submit a few small comments here and there—but everyone was twice as excited to meet him as Iggy had hyped him up.

"Aw, yeah, he's my best friend"

"Man, he's mad cool"

"Illest shit ever—he even fixed my Illinois comp Project in a blink a few weeks ago right before I sent it"

"He knows so much stuff, theres nothing—no one like him here"

"Plays sickk basketball—listens to sweeet music—bands you've never even heard of"

"And he's Max's half-brother"

Thats all she ever heard all that day on Friday; it made her roll her eyes during lunch, the way Iggy was hyping him up. People kept on asking questions about him to her after lunch that day. Initially she had been annoyed because of all the questions directed towards her (afterall, it was her half-brother). Iggy's arm had been casually slung around her neck as he had enthusiastically jumped up and down on the cafeteria seat animating his excitement as he told everyone about Fang. She had watched Iggy rant and blow him up around the lunch table, slightly annoyed and peeved, since it just made people ask her even more questions (since it was her half-brother afterall).

"Omg, is he your twin?" was the most common and frequent one that she had got all day. It really annoyed her to be fed so many questions in one singular day—especially on a subject matter topic that was so mundane and something that so terribly did not matter yet since he'd come to school and meet them all eventually anyway. So she was sort of annoyed having to answer so many questions about him, and he didn't even know.

Although honestly, her annoyance with the questions had pissed her off enough to be completely unhelpful in answering them anyway.

Though the most common one had been answered a bazillion times, only because she didn't want people to think Fang was her stupid long lost twin or something. They definitely were not twins—they didn't even look alike. He was way taller than her on one note, had a different, darker hair color, had a paler olive-toned complexion—not a sun golden like hers—apparently his mom had been middle-eastern or meditteranean or something—and also had a different eye color.

They did look sort of related though, if you looked carefully. The facial structure—they had the same forehead structure and upper-side of their jaws, so the resemblance was there. Basically the upper part of their faces were very similar and gave eachother the resemblances that looked like they were related, even though the lower half of their faces were completely different and their hair colors and color traits were completely off. You had to look very very carefully, but it was there.

But anyway, regardless, they could definitely not pull off the twins vibe—the resemblance was to a minimum and thought made Max shudder, and sorta kinda even grossed her out—sharing a womb with Fang—ew. Nothing personal though, but somehow.. it just felt kind of, sort of.. ew.

So she had agitatedly said, "He's my little brother. We've got a difference of 6 months between us." And were born from different mothers, she felt like saying, but decided to tastefully leave out. Her personal family matters did not need to seep out to the public, afterall.

Luckily, she didn't have to face the name question yet though.. she had explained the situation to Iggy, and he had taken care of it. People asking him why his name was Fang.. that would be awkward on his part.. and she wouldn't want to answer it either..

Revealing the disparities in your family to the public was never comfortable. What could she say? 'Oh, Jeb made it that way. It was originally just a nickname in his old school and something his friends called him all the time—but Jeb wanted to erase each and every remnant of his old life away from him, including his parents, so officially changed his name to 'Ride' and changed 'Nick' to 'Fang.' Great, huh? Now he's stuck with a stupid name.' and then theyd be like "Uhh.. why do you call your dad Jeb?"

Iggy had fixed that though; taken care of the sensitive situation, explained to everybody something or another that would avoid the actual situation and protect Fang from being asked that question a bazillion times on his first day. Nevertheless, Max had still been annoyed with his loud mouth that day. People had kept on coming up to her and asking her questions about Fang.

However, she lay in bed on Saturday night, in the arms of Fang, and decided to change her mind about Iggy's doings and over-exaggerations. At first it had annoyed her, because people had kept on asking her questions about her new half-brother's arrival at their school, but now she decided that it shouldn't bug her on all that large of a level much anymore.

She realized she knew Fang definitely won't have problems making friends or getting to know people now. People would practically be rushing towards Fang in curiosity, wanting to see what Iggy called his "Best friend" and "Wow, Max has got a half-brother? Where does that come from?" They'd want to ask him questions, and then he'd get to know people.

Yes, he'd have friends.

But according to Iggy's appraisals and the amount of talk and curiosity that was going about his presence recently, he was the illest shit to hit the John Browning California State high school yet. Too bad he didn't even know it—Fang Nick Ride was still busy sulking over the attitude the Dean had accused him of giving off. With not a clue how anticipated with curiosity his arrival is, or how much talk had been going around about him that day whilst he was stuck in that little room, testing.

Max went to sleep in satisfaction after she thought it over on Saturday night, deciding that it was well off that that Fang wouldn't have any trouble making friends the next week.

Fang hugged her close and tight against him.

She would have to say sorry to Iggy later, for the bad attitude, and thank him later, for what he did. Lying in the arms of Fang, she wondered what she should do to thank Iggy, but eventually just slowly drifted off to sleep.

On Sunday, they woke up late, the sunlight streaming into the room even through the silky curtains. She blinked a moment looking up, before she suddenly realized she was lying on very warm, steadily-rising-and-falling thing.

Still sleepy and quite groggy, she turned slowly to look down and see Fang's figure still lying there. Her hand propping herself up right below his pits, she looked down at his sleeping form, his chest rising and falling in steady breaths, before her face suddenly turned into shock.

Fang.. here..?

Oh no—what time was it?

Goddammit, he hadn't been able to get up..

God, her mom had seen them.

What the fuck

God, she was seriously on the verge of freaking out right now, her eyes wide eyed and she stared down at his sleeping form in disbelief.

"Fang.. Fang!" she whispered furiously, grabbing his chest and shaking him from her spot right beside him.

"... Max? What?" he groggily responded.

"Fang! How the freak could you forget to wake up?" Max was furious now, whispering, and just about getting ready to slap him, "What does she think?!!"

She was really ready to slap him now, but he had just gotten up to sit upright and suddenly grabbed her wrists before she could finally throw the offending strike.

"Relax" he commanded suddenly, in the tone of voice Max didn't like, because it made him sound more mature, wiser, and more knowledgable and in control than she was.

"What," she seethed out, her breath still low, afraid someone else in the house might hear her—them.

Fang had apparently suddenly sobered up and gotten his thoughts together. He held her wrists down and then let them go once he'd watched her chill out.

"Dr. Martinez got up extra early today, just when I was about to leave, so I waited for her, but she never checked your room, so after she left I locked your door so your sister or Jeb won't come in," he said in one breath, in that normal, annoying, monotonous voice of his.

My heart skipped a beat and stopped rushing. He saw the change in my facial expression, and then groaned lightly at being woken up so suddenly and awfully.

"They're not coming in anytime soon" he said, already falling back and his eyes already closed while his arms looked for places on my hips.

I let out a deep sigh.

Looking down at his schedule, Fang shut his locker after chucking a few certain books in there and familiarizing himself with it. He was still staring down at his schedule trying to make sense of it, when a guy suddenly formed right next him, leaning against the lockers right behind the door of his own.

"Hey, you're Fang, right?" the guy asked. He seemed good-natured, from the looks of his face. Fang looked at him curiously, and without a single change in facial expression he answered.

"Yeah."

Completely neutral, unenthusiastic.. even disinterested, if you wanted to interpret it a certain day. Nevertheless, the other guy who had initially approached him, was taken aback.

"Uh.. yeah.." the guy responded awkwardly before continuing slightly nervously, "So you're best buds with Iggy, aren't you?"

"I know him, if thats what you mean" Fang replied stoicly, but honestly if you'd ever ask him.

He turned away from the face of the guy, to stare up at the classroom doors and look at the numbers on top of them. He had had a first period free today—the only day of the week he had one—and Iggy and Max and Ella had already gone to their classes, so he was left with the suggestion that he a) find his locker and then b) try to figure out how the room numbering worked in the school. He got started on the second task.

It was pretty empty now anyway. Most kids didn't have first period frees unless they were seniors, and if they did, they would just rather sleep in and come to school on time for second period. He wondered why this kid was here.

"Whoo—cold" he replied to Fang, "So, what do you do for fun?"

Fang turned back to look at him and wondered why this guy was so interested in him. He measured out his reply before answering.

"Nothing, yet" he replied.

Fang's resolute, uninterested, small answers were taking the kid aback and he nodded skeptically at Fang. Fang ignored his perception of his personality—if he couldn't deal with his attitude, he wasn't worth his time. Afterall, no one asked him to come up and talk to him.

The guy paused a bit, wondering why the Fang-kid was getting to be so hard to get along with, and why he was so hyped up if he was so hard to get along with. But then he gave up and followed him as Fang walked around the student-filled classrooms, glancing at the numbers at the top of doors while glancing down at his schedule here and there.

"So, when'd you first meet Max?" he started conversationally. Afterall, it was a pretty insulated suburb, and as far as he knew, Max didn't have a half or step-family anywhere. Fang's appearance was something new.

Fang mulled the question over in his head, but rather than answering it, his curiosity overwhelmed him.

"What'd she say about me?"

Finally, the kid thought, a sound from him.

"Oh, nothing much really. Iggy was doing all the talking. She was just sort of sitting there looking annoyed," he responded.

"Oh. I see," Fang went back to his observing the classroom door numbers.

A silence passed between them before the other kid spoke up again.

"So, what's it like, being Max's brother?" he asked, desperate to bring something up conversationally.

Fang turned from his schedule and stopped walking around the classroom door hallways. He turned back and faced the guy. Something in his glare was resolute.

"Max is not my sister," he echoed dangerously, before walking away.

"What?" the guy asked confusedly to no one in particular, watching Fang's back walk away from him, "Then what was everyone saying yesterday?" He scratched his head confusedly, staring after the new kid, who he definitely couldn't make heads nor tails out of.

Fang curved around a hallway before walking through, looking up at the top of the room number only to see that there wasn't one there. He stared at it blankly, confusedly, for a second, wondering where he was. He stood there for a second, staring at it confusedly, before reaching up and scratching his head. It was almost time for second period anyway.. in which he had a writing class.

"Hey!" A girl sounded out from behind him. He turned back to stare at her.

She was a very pretty african american girl with a sweet voice. Her smile was wide and the apples of her cheeks jut out when she did so, flushed a rosey dark-plum color. She was definitely pretty, her dress very flatteringly so on her small thin and lithe body, with a colorful two-strapped jansport backpack and a curve-hugging pair of jeans. Her top was nice and light and flowy on top of it, a silky babydoll type of thing.

"Hi," he replied, not knowing what the girl's name was.

"Thats the library," she said to him, smiling, "and I'm Nudge!"

He smiled goodnaturedly in thanks, before he brought his right hand out for a handshake

"I'm—"

"Fang—yeah, I know!" Nudge smiled prettily and began to gush. Fang felt slightly confused, but nodded slowly agreeably, just deciding to go unsuredly with the flow. Afterall, the name Nudge did feel familiar, but he just couldn't quite place it.

"Oh, everyone knows about you, Iggy's been telling everyone about you" she continued, happily smiling, "I've been waiting to meet you since last summer too!! I'm so excited I can finally see you now!"

Fang appreciated the enthusiasm this girl gave him, but was still slightly confused. He wouldnt put it past Iggy to tell everyone about him—but was Iggy really that popular that everyone in the school would know about him already? It sort of creeped him out.

"You're sort of cute, ooh Max never told me that. You're her half-brother, aren't you? Besides the part about you being cute, she told me basically all—" the comment irked Fang and he cut her off.

"No. I'm not," he said, before turning around and walking away from her, "and she's not my sister," he replied darkly.

Author's Note:

Ooh. Angst. Whats going to happen when Max finds out Fang is refusing to call her his sister? The entire beginning part is fanservice btw, lol. Thank me.

And review!! :D