Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride
Chapter Four: Fang
I wake up in a bed. I can't remember the last time I slept in a bed. Then everything comes crashing back to me.
I groan.
"Max? How are you feeling?" Fang's dark eyes enter my field of vision.
Unbelievably, I start to laugh. I stop quickly though, when my ribs protest.
"What's so funny?" Fang demands.
"I'm not afraid of you anymore."
"Oh really?" he asks, his voice amused.
"I know that you aren't going to hurt me."
"You know no such thing, angel," Fang states, his voice flat.
I reach up and cup his face. A part of me can't believe I'm touching him, but the other part knows that what I'm doing is right. This is right.
I wrap my hand around the back of his neck and slowly pull him down towards me. He shifts so that his whole body is hovering over me. I'm too weak to pull him all the way down, so I do my best to lean up towards him.
Then I kiss him.
His lips are surprisingly soft. He seems surprised, but doesn't pull away.
Slowly, hesitantly, his mouth opens to mine. He starts to kiss me in earnest. Our lips are melded together and he tastes like what I imagine chocolate would taste like. I love the feel of his mouth on mine. I love his smell and his taste and his lips and his eyes and his hair and his skin and his strength.
He presses his body against mine and I gasp, half in pleasure and half in pain.
As soon as the sound escapes my mouth I want to take it back. Because Fang remembers that I am injured and immediately pulls away. His body isn't against mine anymore. I feel the loss more than the absence of pain.
My first kiss. It is everything I imagined.
"Ar-are you feeling okay?" I've never heard his voice falter before.
"I think so," I murmur, watching his mouth as he speaks.
He hands me a glass. I sniff it. I think it's whisky. I down it all in one go. The burn hurts on the way down, but I feel better after having it.
"You've been badly bruised, but luckily nothing was broken. It's a miracle that a rib didn't puncture a lung."
"Do I have to go back to the cell?" I ask, my voice suddenly tiny.
"No. You're going to stay here with me, where I can keep an eye on you."
"You don't have to do that," I say. "I don't want to inconvenience you."
He laughs. He has a nice laugh. I want to bottle it.
"You have been an inconvenience since the moment I saw you step into that cage."
I try to roll over to look at him, but my body screams in pain. Fire races through my lungs.
"Don't move," he cautions, suddenly filled with concern. He leans over me, making sure I am comfortable.
"It hurts so much," I say, barely able to speak. The fire slowly subsides, but never quite disappears. I know I won't be trying to move again anytime soon.
"I think Lissa might have lead in her boots," I mumble.
"Is that the girl who did this to you?" Fang asks, moving a piece of hair off my face. I squeeze my eyes shut in pain.
"I'll kill her," Fang grumbles, standing abruptly.
"No, don't worry about it. I'll eventually fight her in the cage. She won't stand a chance."
Fang reluctantly kneels back down beside me. I stare at his face. How does someone as handsome as him end up working for the Director? I shake my head at the silly thought. Looks have nothing to do with it.
"She said that I'm a whore, just trying to get my freedom by sleeping around," I say into the quiet. I know he probably already knows this, but I have to explain. "She said that maybe if she killed me, they'd finally start to win. Do you think that makes me a murderer?"
"Shhh, of course not."
"And I kissed you. It was the first thing I did when I woke up. Maybe I am a whore." I can feel tears building behind my eyes.
"Max, you are not a whore. You are not a murderer. You are a survivor."
I feel a bit better after his words.
Fang hands me another glass of alcohol and I quickly throw it back. The fire isn't so bad now. He hands me one more glass and I take it, knowing that it will help me sleep.
"Fang," I murmur, reaching my hand across the bed towards him.
"Mmm?"
Our hands intertwine on the sheets.
"I've never been kissed before. Was I good?"
Everything around me is getting hazy. I hardly know what I'm saying anymore.
He chuckles and leans over me. I feel his lips against my forehead and sigh.
"The best."
I feel myself smile.
"Go to sleep," he whispers. After a moment's hesitation, his lips press gently against mine. I go to sleep thinking of him.
x
x
x
I sleep for two days, on and off. Sometimes Fang is with me, other times there are guards stationed at the door. The thought of escaping makes my head hurt.
After a while, I start to think straight again. The pain has faded to a dull ache and I can sit up and move around. I reckon another day or two and I'll be able to fight again. The thought doesn't cheer me up.
Fang opens the door and I see him dismiss the guards. He sits on the edge of the bed, watching me.
"Why haven't they made me fight yet?" I ask. I don't really think the Director cares if I'm at full health or not. None of us are ever at full health.
"I told them no."
"Really?"
He nods and slides into the bed with me. Now we are face to face and I can see every fine detail of him.
What is it that you do for the Director, exactly?" I can't help but ask.
Fang doesn't meet my eyes. I bite my lip, waiting.
"The dirty work, usually."
I reach up and trace my fingertips along his jaw. His stubble is prickly. Our eyes meet. Then I move my hand and place it over his heart. It beats steadily, reassuring me.
"How old are you?" I blush. It seems like such a silly question.
"Twenty-three."
"I'm eighteen," I tell him.
He smiles, but doesn't say a word. I wonder what he's thinking.
"Am I the only prisoner you've ever trained to fight before?"
"Yes."
"Why?" I ask, fiddling with the collar of his shirt.
"Because you're a good natural fighter, but you wouldn't stand a chance next to someone like me."
"What has that got to do with anything?"
"You're strong, Max. You're a winner. Soon, the Director will put you through to the second game, and then the third. I want you to be ready. I want you to live."
"…There's more than the cage?"
"It's called the Game of Three. First you fight in the cage. Once the Director is satisfied that you will always win, he will move you through to the labyrinth. The crowds go crazy for the labyrinth. They get to watch as you face numerous dangers. The labyrinth is rare to witness."
I swallow. "What's the third game?"
"A fight to the death. Against…me."
I suck in a breath and search his gaze.
"You?"
"Yes."
"Obviously no one has ever won before," I say.
We are both silent for a while.
"Why don't you just let me escape, instead of training me to fight you? I could fly."
"There are guards everywhere. They will shoot you down. They might not be particularly smart, but they are fast," Fang says. "And trust me, they have precautions against the Winged. As soon as the alarm is raised, it will be extremely hard to escape."
"So what, you're just going to kill me? Because I will never win against you, no matter how much you train me." There are tears on my face. "I could never kill you," I whisper.
Fang cups my face in his warm calloused hands. "No, Max, no! I won't ever hurt you. I'll think of something to save us both. We'll escape this place, together. But I have to do something first. I can't just leave without doing it."
"Why me?" I'm sobbing now. I hate myself for showing weakness, but I am too overwhelmed to stop. "Why am I special? I'm just a skinny brat with wings. Why are you helping me?"
"No, Max. You're special. You are fierce. A force of nature. You fight, you survive and you don't back down. You burn with passion. You are so full of life that sometimes I think that if I look at you for too long I will be blinded. I should be asking you why you are here, with me," he says.
"You are strong," I whisper. "You're calm. You are everything I wish I could be. I'd rather die than live in a world without you."
He pulls me to him. Our lips meet and part. His taste fills my mouth. His tongue meets mine. I am lost in his kiss. I never thought that I would feel so strongly about any man. He is my strength. He is my protector. I feel as if he is everything.
He pulls away, and I know he is afraid of hurting me. He slowly lifts up my shirt and reveals the side of my ribs. The bruise isn't as bad as it used to be. The dark purple has lightened and the edges have turned yellow. His eye catches mine before he leans down and gently kisses the bruised skin.
I shiver.
"Does this hurt?" he asks. His cool breath blows across my skin and goosebumps appear.
I'm having trouble speaking so I just shake my head.
He continues to kiss my bruised skin, his lips butterfly soft. Then I feel his lips press against the soft underside of my breast. I suck in a breath and now my heartbeat is frantic.
I can feel him smile against my skin.
"It's not fair," I say. I wonder if he can hear me over the sound of my heartbeat.
"What's not fair?" he asks as he leans towards me and places a soft kiss against my lips.
"The effect you have on me."
His grin has the same effect as a million suns.
"That's hardly my fault," he replies, kissing along my jaw.
My hand skims his ribs and moves around to his back. I intend to pull him in for another kiss when I pause.
This is the first time I've touched his back, I realise. And there's something not right.
"What is that?" I ask with dawning comprehension.
He pulls away from me, no longer playful. His eyes are serious as they gaze into mine.
"There's a reason I didn't turn you in, Max."
Then he pulls his shirt off over his head and spreads his wings.
Black as midnight wings.
A/N: Please review. I really appreciate them.