DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride.

Chapter Five – Deep Discussion

Max's POV

"Max?" Fang asked, staring at her with wide eyes.

She shivered.

"You're shirtless!" she squeaked unthinkingly.

He smirked and raised a brow at her. She swallowed.

"I think we need to talk," she explained as another shiver wracked her body.

Fang gathered the thin blanket covering the mattress and approached her. He swiftly draped the blanket across her shoulders to try and lend her some warmth. She gripped the offering with tight fists and followed as he led her to the only chair in the cave. He sat down on the mattress and stared at her, presumably waiting for her to speak.

She took a deep breath and waited for her shivering to subside. She took in his shirtless figure and gulped, wondering how exactly he'd gotten such a good figure. The last time she'd been in this cave, he'd been skinny with only a bit of definition to his muscles. Now, he had the type of body she'd always appreciated. He was lean with ropey muscles, but not skinny and not too buff. She licked her lips to try and distract herself.

Similarly, Fang seemed to be staring at her leg – the one that wasn't covered by the blanket. She peered down at herself and blushed when she realised that her dress had ridden up and she was showing quite a bit of skin. She quickly yanked the fabric down and averted her gaze from Fang's.

She swallowed and cleared her throat, preparing to speak.

"I wanted to ask you something about that time in the cave…" she finally said.

He quirked a brow at her: willing her to go on.

She quickly changed her mind. "Actually, I think I should ask you something else. Um…I know that you've made your ideas about our friendship clear, but… I was wondering if we could be friends again. I keep trying to picture myself as some perfect lady, but I can't picture myself in a world without you. Can't we at least be friends - or maybe acquaintances?"

He looked at her for a long time. She began to fidget in her seat before he finally decided to speak.

"I don't want to be your friend."

She gasped; feeling like a knife just pierced her through the heart. She hadn't actually believed that he wouldn't want to be her friend. "Oh…okay," she managed to say.

He studied her for another moment, and then sighed. "Max, I thought I made this clear two years ago. I don't want to be your friend. I want to be something more."

"Oh! Ooooohhhh."

He smirked and she felt her cheeks turn bright red. She wondered how much it had cost him to admit that out loud. She knew how much he hated sharing his emotions and feelings. It was like this place had given both of them the strength to be the people they wanted to be.

"Two years ago, you told me that we couldn't be together because of your parents. Is that still what you believe?" he asked after a moment of silence.

She blanched, not at all ready for that question.

"Two years ago I would've punched anyone –other than you, I suppose – that tried to make a move on me," she said with a self-depreciating smile.

He grinned, lighting up the cave. "I know. I liked that about you," he admitted. She wondered if he was feeling alright. He seemed to be saying a lot of things he wouldn't usually say.

"Well, my parents didn't. They sent me away to a private school that remade my whole personality for me. I don't even know where to start to even try and be anything like what I used to be. The things I've learnt…I can't just throw that behaviour away. I'll need it if I'm ever going to take over my father's company."

"You're actually going to take over the company?" Fang asked. She could read the surprise in his eyes. "I thought you would end up doing something more…free spirited, I suppose."

"Business is a challenge, that's why I like it. I want to show everyone that I can do it. I'm going to prove that I can be a good leader."

He smiled and she flinched in surprise. It wasn't a smirk and it wasn't a grin. He'd actually just smiled a real smile at her.

"I think you'd make a great leader. But how does being a lady tie in with that? I didn't think being polite would really give you the upper hand to being a business leader."

She froze, staring at him. She would have to be cunning, smart and ruthless to run a business. She would definitely not have to be a demure little flower that let men trample all over her. This realisation shouldn't have come as a shock to her. She should have figured this out a long time ago. But she'd never thought of it. Actually, she'd never been given the chance to think about it. Sure, she'd watched her father in action, but her mother would always monopolise her attention afterwards. Val had never believed that Max would take over her father's business.

"Oh. My. God."

Her eyes widened and she looked at Fang as the realisation crashed over her like a gigantic wave. She bit her bottom lip in thought and then said something she'd never considered before. "My mother has sabotaged me! She doesn't want me to take over the company! She's…she's instilled all these values into me that are the exact opposite of what I will need to succeed. Why would she do that?" Max gasped out.

Fang stood up and kneeled in front of her chair, placing a reassuring hand on her knee. "Max, she has manipulated you. She doesn't want to lose her only daughter to the same business she lost your father to. Think about it – you will be busy and independent. You won't need her anymore. I think she might just want you to stay her little girl forever. She's set you up to fail. Maybe she believes that your future husband should run the company. I'm not going to presume that I know what your mother is thinking, but it's obvious that she has done this on purpose."

"I can't believe I've been so blind!" Max cried.

Fang's hand on her knee was doing weird things to her insides. But she pushed those thoughts away as she tried to figure out what she was going to do for her future.

"Is your heart really set on running your father's businesses?" Fang asked.

She nodded.

"Then you'll just have to relearn how to be a leader," he said.

She studied him. "Will you teach me? Will you show me how to be a good leader?"

His eyebrows raised in surprise before he quickly wiped all emotion from his face. "I can try and help you. But I think this is something you'll have to learn on your own."

"But will you point me in the right direction?" she asked, feeling flustered and more emotional than she had in a long time.

"I can try," he finally said.

"I'm not going to let my mother dictate my life. I'm going to take charge. I'll talk to my parents later, but I might need your help with Lissa."

"Lissa?"

"She's going to start trying to control me very soon. I don't particularly want to be Queen Bee or whatever you want to call it. But I figure this is a good chance to practise the skills I may need in the future. Plus, she brought this on herself. If she thinks she can win, she's sorely mistaken."

Fang laughed and her heart filled with an unknown emotion. "It sounds like war. I don't know how much help I'll be," he admitted.

She grinned. "But Fang, you're a vital player."

He frowned. "What?"

"Don't you know?" she asked bitterly. "Lissa wants you as a boyfriend. Something about how she wants you as her trophy. I'm not even going to try and understand her twisted girl mind."

Fang was silent for a moment, studying her. "Why are you so upset?"

She swallowed convulsively. "Well, I was going to ask you a question about two years ago…"

"Shoot."

"Well, um…was that the first time – I mean, were you with…" She couldn't finish.

"Was that the first time I'd done that with someone?" he asked for her.

She nodded.

"Max, I'd never done that with a girl before you," he said, looking into her eyes.

"Okay," she said.

"Why? What's going on?" he asked.

"I just heard a rumour, is all."

He was silent.

"This girl told me that you don't date and that you only…um…sleep with girls that don't want any attachments."

He shrugged. "I'm not a virgin, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh, um, okay," she said, feeling like she was back-pedalling on her mission to be a leader. She tensed her muscles and straightened her spine. She was changing, as of now.

"It seems like a pretty low thing to do, if you ask me," she said bravely.

"Well, I have needs, okay? I wasn't going to wait around for you," he said in a voice she couldn't recognise.

"So, what: you didn't get lucky with me so you decided to find the next available girl?" she spat.

He shrugged, not looking at her.

"You're lying!" she accused.

"Max, you made it clear you didn't want to be with me. And no, I didn't go looking for some girl to fuck. But when the opportunity presented itself, I wasn't really going to refuse."

"You're a real bastard, you know that?" Max yelled, standing up and breaking any contact with Fang. She walked across the cave, fuming.

"What? It's not like you're still a virgin!" he yelled.

She turned to him in disbelief. He was losing control of himself, she could see. She wondered how often Fang had unravelled before and guessed it had only been twice – both times in front of her. Her expression cooled when she saw the emotions flashing across his face.

"I am a virgin, actually," she said very quietly.

His expression shattered at her words. She would give anything to know what he was thinking just then, but knew it was impossible. Fang's mind was impenetrable. She only got glimpses of it through his dark eyes.

Fang bowed his head and hid his face from her. She watched him, forcing herself to be indifferent.

"I don't believe in mindless sex," she said after a long time.

Fang made a strangled sound and she felt her heart constrict. She'd never seen him like this. It was scaring her.

"I'm glad I didn't give my virginity to you two years ago," she lied. "I didn't know that you only thought of sex as meaningless. I thought maybe it would have been special with you. Obviously, I was wrong."

"Max," he said as he stood up and walked over to her. He'd managed to get himself together, she noticed. She marvelled at how quickly he'd slid his shield into place. "Sex will always be meaningful with you. I have no doubt that when you do make love; it'll be just that – making love. Any man would be lucky to be with you." He placed his palm against her face and peered deep into her eyes.

Slowly, he leant forward and placed a chaste kiss against her lips. Quickly, the kiss escalated as Fang wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his body. She gasped and succumbed to his fervent kisses, wondering how she'd lasted so long without them. Her hands travelled his defined chest and then she finally came to her senses.

Was he just saying those things to get in her pants? With the new information she'd just found out about him, she couldn't trust him with anything to do with sex. She pushed him away from her, lamenting the loss of his warmth and his passion. Then, she slapped him.

He moved his jaw, testing it, and finally looked at her.

"I'm not going to be another notch on your belt, Fang. That job can be left to Julia. She's the one who wants uncomplicated sex."

He stayed silent, watching her closely.

"Our relationship is going to be strictly business. You're going to help me be the girl I used to be. If you want something reasonable in return, then you can let me know. Otherwise, I'll see you at school."

With that, she dropped the blanket that was still wrapped around her and left Fang, still shirtless; in the exact same spot he'd left her two years ago.

"Max, wait!" he called out after her. She stopped and waited.

"Why did you leave?"

"Val caught me when I came home. She could tell just by looking at me that I'd been with you. My lips were still swollen, after all. She made me tell her everything. That's when she decided that it was too much of a risk for me to stay anywhere near you. So we moved. I'm really sorry that I didn't say goodbye, but I guess you had already said goodbye to me."

She didn't wait to hear his reply. Instead, she kept walking without looking back once. She didn't even notice when the rain soaked her through yet again.

A/N: What's the most uncomfortable conversation you've ever had?