See? I'm being really good about giving you guys lots of chapters! Hope you are enjoying them! Maybe now all the death threats will stop. Hahaha.

So, let's pick up where we left off with Max and Fang, yeah?

Enjoy!

Nightwings93

Chapter Twenty-Three: Fang POV:

I hesitated and gripped the rubbing alcohol. Was she really letting me in? My head swam a little. This had to be a dream. I shook my head and walked into the bathroom. Max was sitting in the bathtub, the water reaching the small of her back. Her light brown hair cascaded down her back in soft waves. I resisted the urge to run my hands through it. Her snow-white wings were wrapped around the front of her body in a protective cocoon.

"Well hurry up," she snapped.

I looked at the corset in her back. It was puffy and red. The metal rings were tearing at her flesh. I could kill Ari. I will kill Ari. "Want me to undo the corset?" It couldn't be comfortable.

"That would be great. It is so uncomfortable," Max said gratefully.

I carefully untied the knot in the purple ribbon and started to unthread it. Max made a small hissing noise. "Sorry," I muttered.

"It's fine," Max replied through clenched teeth.

"It'll heal quickly," I promised as I pulled the thread through the last ring.

"I don't know. I mean, my lips-" Max stopped and cleared her throat. "I hope it heals fast," she amended quietly.

I had really screwed things up. She couldn't even say the word 'lips.'

I drenched a towel I had grabbed off of the bathroom counter in rubbing alcohol. "This'll sting," I muttered. Max nodded and I started dabbing her skin with the towel. Her body arched but she made no sound. "I'm not sure how to get the rings out," I apologized.

"That's okay," Max said. "It's just nice to have that ribbon untied. I can breathe normally again."

"Maybe Iggy can figure out a way to get the rings out," I suggested.

"Iggy?" Max asked in disbelief.

"He's good with his hands," I replied. My eyes started to follow the curvature of Max's back. I felt like I was being dared to look farther and farther down. I couldn't though. I looked up at the ceiling. I drenched several strips of gauze in disinfectant and plastered it to Max's back. Taking a fresh roll of bandaging, I started to wrap Max's torso. She begrudgingly loosened her wings so my arms could reach around her. Every time I came forward to wrap the bandage, my bare chest brushed against her back, my forearms raked across her ribs. My skin on hers. I felt a shiver run down my spine. I felt the same urge I had the night before when Max was sitting next to me in bed. The space between us was like agony. I needed to close the gap.

I moved away from Max and sat back on my heels, my heart pounding. "All done," I announced.

"Thanks," Max whispered.

"No problem." I stood and offered Max my hand. I looked up at the ceiling.

Max hesitated. I could feel the apprehension coming off of her in waves. Finally, keeping her wings securely wrapped around her body, she grabbed my hand. I started to pull her up when Max suddenly exclaimed, "Soap!"

I didn't understand what she meant until it was too late. Max slipped back and landed in the bathtub with a loud 'thump'- the water splashing all over the floor- and I toppled in after her. I instinctively let go of Max's hand and put my arms out to break my fall.

I looked down at Max. Her wings had unfurled. My hands were on either side of her head, my body looming over hers.

We stared at each other.

Iggy POV:

Nudge woke with a start. I could feel the violent shift in the bed; I could hear her breath whooshing out of her body. She was sitting up, alert. I could tell. I felt my eyelids open, even though it was pointless. I struggled into sitting position. It was too early for this. I was enjoying sleeping in a bed. It was much more comfortable than a cage.

"What's up, Nudgey?"I asked with a yawn.

"Max and Fang," Nudge replied quietly.

"At this hour?" I said feeling somewhat disgusted.

"What do you mean?" Nudge demanded.

"What do you mean?" I countered. She seriously couldn't be in the dark about this. We had definitely gotten really close before.

"They're finally starting to get along," Nudge snapped.

"As this hour?" I repeated.

"Not like that Iggy!" Nudge slapped my chest. "At least…" She giggled.

I swung my arm up and wrestled Nudge back in bed. "Come on, don't listen in on their private moments." I pulled Nudge closer. "We wouldn't want them listening in on ours."

Nudge sighed. "I'm rolling my eyes Ig." I felt her place her head in the crook of my shoulder. "I'm tired. We should go back to bed."

"My sentiments exactly. My wonderful superpower is telling me it's only 6:07."

"Max and Fang sure are lively," Nudge muttered.

"At this hour!?" I shook my head.

Max POV:

My whole body was shaking. My heart was threatening to pound out of my chest. I was trapped. Totally trapped. He could see everything. My wings were pinned behind me so I couldn't cover up. He's just staring down at me and I'm just staring up at him. Every inch of me is screaming "MOVE MOVE MOVE" but I'm frozen in place. No matter how much my body shakes, I can't actually move.

I desperately looked at Fang to see if he would take pity on me and move. His eyes were clam and locked with mine. His cheeks, however, were ever so slightly pink. Every water droplet on his chest shone like crystal.

Fang cleared his throat. "So…don't freak out."

Oh, no of course not. Normally a naked girl with an extremely attractive half-naked boy on top of her does not freak out. She simply waits patiently-maybe contemplates the meaning of life or what color she wants to paint her nails-while the bozo on top decides whether or not he's going to move. "Are you going to get off me?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"I think we should talk," Fang replied.

"NOW!?" If my arms weren't pinned to my sides, I would have slapped him.

Fang shrugged to the best of his ability. "Seems as good a time as any other." I glared at him. As good a time as any other? He couldn't be serious. "I think we should discuss last night."

"We slept," I snapped as my heart banged crazily in my chest.

"No, I mean the kiss," Fang replied calmly. How was he not freaking out right now? I wanted to punch him.

"What about it?" I could feel my cheeks turning even redder than they already were. My whole face probably looked like a tomato. "I'm sorry that was inflicted on you. It couldn't have been pleasant."

Fang's eyes widened slightly. "What are you talking about? It's wasn't unpleasant." I looked past Fang at the ceiling. He was just being nice. He couldn't mean it. "I was the one who kissed you," Fang reminded me.

"Right, and you regret it and you're trying to tell me not to mention it to anyone. Don't worry Fang. No one has to know and it'll never happen again. Now, will you get off me.?" I looked up expectantly at Fang.

Fang's jaw was set in hard line and his face had turned a dark red color. "Damnit, Max!" Fang yelled. He slapped his hand down next to my head. Water splashed over both of us. I flinched slightly. "You're not listening to what I have to say!"

"I'm all ears," I whispered. I hadn't meant to make him mad.

"I never said I regretted it. I don't regret kissing you. I just wanted to tell you why I did it and make sure you were okay with it." Fang inhaled sharply.

"I'm not sure I want to know why you did it," I said in a hushed voice.

Fang's face went blank. "Do you dislike me that much?"

"What? No…I just…"

"Then will you shut up and listen?" Fang demanded. I nodded, dreading what he was to say. If he asked me if I could care about him that way, I'm not sure the answer would be 'yes.' It wasn't that I didn't like him or didn't care for him…in fact, I think it's safe to say I'm already in love with him…but I don't think I could bear another heart-break if something were to happen. I took a fortifying breath and looked at Fang expectantly. "Okay. Look, I kissed you because I wanted to. I did it because…because I really like you. I care a lot about you. And I wanted to know if you, maybe, felt the same." Fang looked hopeful.

My chest started to ache. "Fang…I…I," I looked up at Fang. I could see the little silver flecks that were in his dark, swirling eyes. "Yes…I do…care about you, that is."

"Yeah?" Fang's head started to get closer to mine.

"But…"

Fang drew back. "But?"

"We can't do anything about it." I said assertively.

"Why not?" Fang's voice was gruff.

"Because…" I faltered. I didn't know how to say it. "What if something happens?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't…I don't think I'd be able to handle it if something happened to you…after what happened to my parents, I don't think…" I stopped. I felt absurd. I was bearing my soul to Fang, basically telling him I love him, and I was completely naked, in a bathtub. I shook my head. "Never mind, it's stupid."

Fang gripped my arms. "It's not stupid. Listen, I can't promise nothing is going to happen. Our situation is…not the most stable. We're not in the clear until things with Ari are taken care of. But, Max, I'd rather be with you and have the most amazing experience, even if it's short, than not have anything with you at all."

"Fang…it could go so wrong."

"Yeah, it could," Fang agreed. "But, I can't not do anything about the way I feel about you."

"If you like me so much, why have you closed off your mind?" I demanded.

"I didn't want to freak you out. I didn't want you to figure out how I felt until I could tell you myself," Fang answered.

"Oh." I looked up at the ceiling. "I sort of miss hearing your voice in my head."

Fang smirked. So, you want to give this a shot?

Yes. My heart hitched.

Fang smiled. Like, a real, full-blown smile. I'd never seen him smile like that before. Everything in the room seemed to light up his smile and my whole body felt warmer. Fang's head dipped forward, his hair falling over his eyes. One of his hands curled behind my neck and brought my face to his. Our lips touched lightly at first, it felt like being electrocuted softly. I reached up and tangled my hands in his hair and pulled him closer. Fang's other hand trailed down my body, sending little shockwaves through me. His hand gripped my hip. My body arched towards his. I could feel the metal rings in my back stinging…but I didn't care, my whole body was on fire anyway.

Fang nipped lightly at my ear then started trailing kisses down my neck. His lips lingered on my collar bone. I could feel him sucking lightly on my skin. My breath escaped from my mouth. I felt my cheeks heat up. I hadn't meant to make a sound like that. I felt Fang's deep rumbling chuckle vibrate on my skin as he moved farther down my body.

A loud knock sounded on the bedroom door. Fang sprang off of me and I sat up, covering myself with my wings. We stared at each other. Both of us had been pulled out of the haze we had been wrapped up in. What had we been doing? What were we about to do?

"Max? Fang?" Nudge's voice called from the other side of our bedroom door.

Stay here. Fang ordered as he got out of the tub. His pajama pants were soaking wet. He grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and discretely shucked off his pants. Winking at me, he walked out of the bathroom.

I could hear the door creak as he opened it. "Yeah?" his deep voice asked. My body tingled.

"You and Max up?" Nudge asked. There was something odd about her tone.

"Max is still sleeping. I was just about the shower," Fang lied. He must have only opened the door a crack so Nudge wouldn't be able to see that I wasn't in the bed.

"Well, the rest of us are up. You guys should come down. Iggy is about to make breakfast. I think he's managed to find a way to whip up pancakes." I could hear the smile in Nudge's voice.

"Sure, we'll be down soon." Fang answered.

"Hurry. Gazzy seems pretty hungry."

"Hey, Nudge, about me yelling at you last night-"

"Yeah, I know," Nudge cut in. "Don't worry about it, okay?" The floorboard squeaked. Nudge must have started to walk away.

I got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around my body. I was glad to cover up; especially since I didn't have to see the stark white bandages that were covering my corset rings. I ran my hands through my damp hair. I was still shaking. My blood was screaming with the leftovers of the euphoria Fang and I had been living in for a few short moments.

What else would we have done if Nudge hadn't come?

Fang came back in the bathroom. His eyes briefly looked me over. He looked almost disappointed. "Breakfast?"

"Yeah. I'm starving."

Fang nodded and moved out of the way so I could walk into the bedroom. I grabbed my jeans from where I had hung them. Miraculously, they were dry. I checked Fang's pair. He wasn't so lucky. I looked over at him.

Acting completely un-phased, Fang opened one of the drawers in the dresser and pulled out a pair a of black cargo pants. He slipped them on. They fit perfectly.

"Guess I'm the same size as him now," he muttered.

Turning away from Fang, I changed rapidly. I pulled on a simple grey shirt and my jeans. Nudge had had the brilliant thought to cut slits in the backs of our shirts so our wings wouldn't get cramped.

I looked back at Fang. He had put on a wife-beater. I wasn't sure what to say to him. I wasn't sure how this was supposed to work. I felt extremely embarrassed. He had seen me without clothes on. Part of me wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Maybe we'd just ruined the easy friendship we had. Things could just end up being really awkward.

Fang held out his hand to me. "Ready?"

I hesitated. We couldn't hold hands in front of the others. "Yeah," I replied as I took his hand. We would have to stop holding hands before we got in the kitchen. My resolve faltered once Fang's strong, calloused fingers closed around mine. Electrical currents coursed through my body. Everything tingled as it remembered how those hands had touched me: gently but with urgency and desire. I never wanted to let go.

Okay. Hope you guys liked this last chapter. Moving right along to the next!

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Nightwings93