Merry Christmas guys! Or Merry Christmas for tomorrow for you who ain't from the southern hemisphere. Here's your gift: Fax! Yay for Fax!

Enjoy :) xx

Disclaimer: All characters, plots and familiar content are copyright of their respective owners and any reproduced content is only used for creative purposes.

New York, 1998

"So I have this Christmas work party, and I'm allowed to bring one person..." Max awkwardly trailed off unsure how to finish off her question. She didn't want to seem like she was asking Fang out, but at the same time he was the only person she could think of that wasn't her brother Iggy who she'd spend a whole night with at her boring work party. Plus, she was trying to avoid Dylan from her work who had made it his mission to ask her out.

Fang smirked and Max nearly groaned. "You're not asking me out, are you?"

Max threw her hands out in front of her quickly, and nearly knocked her glass of iced chocolate over. "No! Just as friends."

Fang ignored the pang of disappointment he felt and kept the smirk on his face. "Right."

"Just friends," Max stressed, though she didn't know who she was trying to convince. "There's this guy Dylan and he's so annoying and clingy—"

Fang's smirk turned into a shit eating grin. "And you want me to pose as your...boyfriend?"

"No. Yes. Well, kind of?" Max asked. She sighed and was unable to look Fang in the eye. God this is embarrassing, she thought to herself. "I just need you to save me from the people I work with."

Fang sighed, pretending to be annoyed. "Fine, I guess I can clear my schedule for this party."

Max glared at him and kicked him under the table. "You suck."

"I can change my mind anytime, you know," Fang reminded her, causing Max to groan loudly.

*.*.*.*.*

Fang whistled slowly, partly because he knew Max felt uncomfortable in such a feminine dress, and partly because...well, she was hot. "Festive."

Fang let his eyes travel up and down Max's figure, while she cursed to herself and tried to stuff her feet into a pair of heels. Her dress was figure-hugging and a deep green that suited her brown-blonde hair and showed a cheeky amount of cleavage.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to impress someone," Fang commented, grinning when Max gave him the finger. "It couldn't be...no, not me?"

"Shut up," Max growled. "Your wonderful friend Nudge was nice enough to take me shopping and act as my personal stylist."

Fang immediately translated that to: "Your friend Nudge dragged me by force to the shops and forced me to try on dresses until she was happy."

Bless Nudge, Fang thought to himself.

"You know," Max started, pausing to look Fang in the eye, "I really miss when you barely talked."

Fang smirked at her as he felt his phone buzz in the pocket of his black dress pants twice in succession. One text from Iggy and one from Nudge.

He opened Nudge's first: How do you like the dress? Was thinking of you when picking out her dress. Wait...that sounds kinda gross. You know what I mean. Make sure you finally make a move on her tonight or else my efforts are for nothing. Love ya xx.

Fang rolled his eyes and opened Iggy's next: Are you gonna kiss her tonight or wuss out? But no details, cause I'm bro and that's gross.

He decided to ignore both texts. His friends really sucked sometimes.

"Are we ready to go?" Max asked him, "I think the taxi is waiting outside."

Fang nodded and followed her out the door.

*.*.*.*.*

Max's Christmas party was held in a loud bar that made it very hard to have conversations. That was a plus because then Max pretended to not near Dylan, but was also bad because Dylan wanted to dance with her. He didn't seem to take Fang's presence as something to discourage him.

"Wow," Fang commented, taking a large gulp of beer. He had been taking advantage of the bar tab all night and was quickly feeling the effects of drinking so much so quickly. "He's persistent."

Max downed the rest of her beer and then ordered a scotch. "I need something stronger for this."

Fang chuckled and watched amused as Max downed that too. "Easy there."

Max narrowed her eyes. "You can't fool me, I know you're just as drunk."

Fang shrugged and finished his beer. His gaze slid over Max's shoulder and leaned towards her. Max felt her heart speed up as Fang stood much closer than he probably realised. His breath was warm against her ear.

"Your lover is on the move," he told her in a low voice.

"Dance with me," Max asked, trying to think of an escape route.

Fang snorted. "Fuck no, I don't dance."

Max tried to give him a pleading look. Fang just shook his head and tried not to laugh. "Sorry Max, that works on Nudge but you're Max. You don't do doe eyes well."

"Fuck you," Max grumbled.

"No," Fang told her, unable to help himself. "I think that's Dylan's job. At least he wishes."

Max glared at him. She grabbed his arm and yanked him towards the dance floor. "Just for that, you have to dance."

Fang stumbled to steady himself and crossed his arms. He raised his voice to be heard over the music, "Nope. I don't dance."

Max put her hands on her hips and glared at him. If doe eyes wouldn't work, then maybe she could bully him into dancing. "You just look stupid now."

He shrugged. "Not as stupid as I would if I was dancing."

She huffed. "You suck, you know that?"

Fang smirked. "As you remind me constantly."

Max tilted her head as she thought to herself. She braced herself for her next move, she'd either be successful or look completely stupid. She stepped towards Fang, trying to give him a coy look, her hands moving towards his hips.

Fang was suddenly unsure. He unconsciously took a step back. "Max, what are you doing?"

Max shrugged and slipped her fingers into his belt hoops. "Come on Fang, it's Christmas. Have fun, get loose."

Fang really tried to laugh at her and make fun of her terrible attempt to flirt with him. Except it wasn't terrible. And it was working. He gulped.

"Max," he tried. It only encouraged her to pull him closer to her. "Dylan is gone now, no need for this."

Max ignored the voice that was telling her that she was embarrassing herself and that this was Fang, her best friend. She had a sneaking suspicion that the alcohol was giving her this confidence.

Fang uncrossed his arms and they acted by their own accord when they moved to wrap around her and rest low on her back.

Max smiled slowly and started to swivel her hips in time to the music. Fang could no longer talk and followed her movements.

"See, not so hard," she told him in his ear.

They continued until they were pressed hotly against each other and Max leaned up to breath into Fang's ear, "Let's get a taxi."

*.*.*.*.*

Max groaned as she slowly turned onto her back and clutched her forehead. "Ow, sunlight."

"Ow, my head," Fang countered, his voice gravely with sleep and drinking what felt like half the bar last night.

They laid silently both facing the ceiling, Fang trying to pillow his head in his hands, while Max threw an arm over her eyes. Slowly last night came back to them as they both tried to gather their bearings.

"So," Max started, unsure of what to say next.

"So," Fang repeated, not able to function with a hangover and no coffee. "Coffee."

"Mmm," Max agreed, but made no move to get out of bed.

They were silent again, just content with lying in Max's bed and trying to ebb the pain in their heads and bodies.

"So you were trying to impress me after all," Fang said through a wide smile.

Max growled. "Fuck you."

"You already did," Fang smirked.

Read, review, and I really want a coffee now,

- FlowerChild22