Catch and Release
Chapter 8
"Cow. Moo. Moo. Cow. Moo. M-"
"Shhh, Carter." Fang leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees in his customary position. "I'm watching TV."
"Moo." She was pushing a toy truck around the living room, Evan crawling after her. "Moo."
Fang sighed a little bit, still staring at the television. "Behave."
"Am!" Carter sent him a look over her shoulder before going back to pushing her car. "Am."
Currently, Fang was stuck babysitting Carter and Evan over at Dr. Martinez's. He was fighting sleep again, but that was nothing new.
"Hi."
Suddenly, Carter was back in front of Fang, watching him.
"Hi."
"Owl." She quickly climbed into his lap. "Hi. Moo."
"Moo." Fang settled her down before looking around to find Evan. Now without his plucky leader, Evan was left sitting on the floor, staring at them. "Uh, come, uh, here, Evan."
Evan slowly crawled over and Fang bent down to pick him up also. Of course, Carter was having none of that. She let's Evan come into her Granny's home, shares her toys sometimes, and even lets him sleep in her old crib. How does he repay her? By taking her Owl? Oh heck no!
"No!" Carter tried to push Evan off Fang's other thigh. "No, Owl. No!"
"Stop it, Carter." Fang frowned at her, moving so that Evan was supported against him. That's all he needed was for Carter to hurt Nudge's son. That would be the fight to end all fights. "I mean it. I can hold Evan too."
"No, Evan!" She pushed his face, making the younger baby begin to whine. Fang finally moved to drop her on the ground, not wanting Evan to get injured. "Owl!"
"You sit down there," Fang told her, shifting Evan to hold him closer. "You're bad. We don't hit each other. You guys are friends. Don't hurt your friends, Carter, or you'll lose them and be alone forever."
"Hate Owl!" She kicked his leg before running back, thinking that he was going to grab her. When he didn't, she just sat down in the middle of the floor and threw a huge tantrum, screaming her lungs out. Turning up the television, Fang just ignored her. It works with Max, why not her?
Evan leaned back against Fang's chest, closing his eyes. Fang had never really had any interaction between Evan, at least not the kind he had with Carter. Sure, he had met Evan first, but Carter was Max's child, which meant she meant more. Although, right now, Carter was being a butt and Fang's namesake was being a little angel.
"You okay?" Fang bounced Evan gently, not wanting to disturb the baby. "You're fine. I have you…Evan Fang. You're named after me. Did you know that? Huh?"
Evan began to snore.
"I know. It's very…shocking to find something out like that. It's because your mother looks up to me so much. She loves me." Fang cleared his throat. "But don't worry. I'm not…Nudge is…I'm with Carter's mom. Kind of. I will be. Again. Soon. We're…supposed to be together, Carter's mommy and I. We're…soul mates." He cleared his throat again. "Just…thought you should…know. About us. So you won't be shocked or anything." Lucky for Fang, he was distracted from anymore bizarre speeches as he began to look around for Carter, having taken notice of her silence.
"Carter?" Fang stood up, sitting Evan down on the blanket on the floor. "Carter? You get out here right now. I've told you about running off."
"No!" He turned, having heard her voice from the hall closet. "Owl mean! Owl no good. Owl bad. Owl 'n' Evan bad!"
"Come here." Fang rushed to get into the hall closet and get her out. She bit at him, but Fang just carried her back to the living room, depositing her in a corner. "You do not bite, you don't run off, and you don't yell at me. Understand?"
"No!" She kicked his shin again. "No, Owl!"
"Sit there." Fang was about done with her. "And shut up, Carter. God."
"Nah!" She spit at him. "No!"
Fang turned to walk away and she jumped at his leg, now trying to scratch him. She was really going to test his no spanking thing, wasn't she?
"Sit down." Fang turned and grabbed her again, forcing her down. "I mean it."
His tone made her begin to bawl again, her tears running down her red face, snot dripping. Grimacing, Fang quickly hurried back to the couch, not wanting her to touch him when she was all nasty like that.
"Owl,' she cried out about ten minutes later. "Owl."
"What? Are you ready to tell Evan and me sorry?"
"Yes. Yes, Owl," she whined.
"Then say it."
"Sowy."
"Sorry?"
"Sowy." She crawled on her hands and knees over to Evan, who was now blowing spit bubbles. She reached out and poked his tummy, making the baby sputter. "Sowy."
"Come here." Fang picked her up before grabbing a tissue from the box on the coffee table. "Let me clean up your face. You threw a fit, huh?"
"Sowy."
"It's okay." Fang wiped down her face, staring down at her with a sot gaze. "I forgive you, Carter. No biting though, okay? If we're gonna all be friends, the three of us, we're gonna have to start treating each other well. Okay?"
She nodded, cuddling against him. "Owl."
"We're gonna be close, Carter and that means that you're gonna have to learn to listen better. Not to mention, you're gonna have to stop getting jealous. I like Evan. He's my friend too, okay?"
"Me?"
"You're my friend too." He patted her dark hair. She could be more than that. She could be his child. He kept telling Max that that would change nothing, but he wasn't so sure it wouldn't change everything. "Okay?"
"Owl." She patted his face before jumping down to the ground, now headed over to her stuffed animals, all signs of her previous meltdown gone. "Evan."
The little boy made a noise, continuing to dribble. Fang settled into the couch, figuring the worse was over. Well, that is until lunch. Then he knew he'd be in some trouble, as he was never fond of making food. That being said, he knew that he would have to get used to it, if he and Max were ever going to live by themselves. Well, by themselves with Carter. The joy. For now though, it was only ten in the morning and he still had time to relax.
Fang had somewhat drifted off when his cell rang. He did a quick check of the kids and found them safe. Nodding his head, he answered the phone.
"Hi, Fang!"
Why did she have to be so loud?
He just grunted.
"Sorry. Are you at work?"
"No."
"Oh. Good. I just wanted to tell you that I was thinking about you today."
"Mmmm." Fang moved to lay down.
"What are you doing right now?"
"Babysitting."
"Oh, Carter?"
No, Angel, Sebastian.
"Yeah. And Evan."
"Oh, how much fun. I don't get to spend a lot of time with them."
Duh. She's in New York. What did she expect?
"Mmmm."
"I bet you do. Don't you? You're so lucky. Baby's are a lot of fun."
"Mmmm."
"And Carter is cool too. Of course, I haven't seen her in awhile. Whenever Nudge and I talk, she says that she's bad."
She is. Very bad. Fang glanced over at her to find that she was now attempting to scale the coffee table. Reaching out, he grabbed the back of her shirt and forced her back down, shaking his head no. Giggling, Carter mimicked him before rushing back over to her toys.
"She can be."
"Do you two get along?"
"Yes."
"I knew you would."
"What do you mean?"
"I just meant that you would do anything to get in good with Max, right? Even if it meant getting close to Carter."
"I haven't even been here that long."
"Long enough."
Fang just sighed before thinking of something. "Hey, Angel?"
"Yes?" She sang, making Fang roll his eyes.
"Do you think it's wrong that I'm not staying with Max?"
"No. You're just staying at Valencia's house, right?"
"That's Dr. Martinez to you, Angel."
"I'm an adult now, I can call other adults by their first names."
"No, you can't. It sounds disrespectful."
She groaned. "Anyways, go on, Fang. You're staying there, right?"
"No. Max doesn't know, but I'm staying with Ella."
Silence.
"Why can't you stay with Max then?"
"I don't want to rush into anything."
"So…you're staying with her sister? And she doesn't know? That's gonna look pretty shady. Especially considering you haven't had sex in so long. Well, as far as we-"
"What is wrong with you today? Huh?" Fang frowned even though she couldn't see it.
"Fang, I'm not a little kid-"
"I don't care if you're five or fifty. Being in New York has made you too bold." Fang shook his head and when Carter saw it, she began to copy him again. "Either that or it's just being too far away from everybody. You're coming back home, Angel."
She snorted. "You really have lost it, haven't you? Fang, you can't make me do anything I don't want to. I have a life here now. I have a job, I pay my own rent, and I have friends. I'm not going back to that dinky old town so you can keep an eye on me and everyone else can rope me into babysitting for them constantly. And I'm not staying with Valencia or going to her stupid church every Sunday. I'm an adult now. You need to learn to accept it."
Fang hung up on her. Little brat. When had Angel become so a brat? Then again, when wasn't she a little brat?
"Owl?" Carter was at his feet again, taking in his upset attitude. "Sad?"
Taking a deep breath, Fang reached down and poked her side gently, something he used to do with Max when they were little. As expected, Carter shot up, giggling loudly. Evan looked over them with a curious expression on their face, ceasing his drooling.
"Sad?" Fang finally lifted her up, putting her in his lap. "How could I be sad when my best friends are right here? Huh? I can't be."
Carter giggled, leaning against him. "Owl. Moo."
"You wanna know something, Carter? Huh? An owl actually makes a sound too."
"Wha'?" She put her fingers in her mouth, something Fang noticed she did when she was interested or learning something new. Man, he'd hate to be there when she learned how to spell. There'd be spit everywhere.
"Hoo." Fang smiled when she made a face at the noise. "You can say that, huh?"
"Hoo! Hoo! Moo!"
"Yeah, they do sound alike, don't they, baby?"
"Baby." She patted his chest. "Baby."
Fang laughed despite himself. "That's what you are to me. A baby."
Snuggling into him, she whispered, "Hoo, Owl."
"Look, it's Evan." The baby boy was at Fang's feet again, watching him. Reaching down, Fang tried one more time to hold both kids. This time, Carter was still reveling in the fact that she learned what owls sound like, so she didn't even really notice. Fang just smiled at Evan.
"You wanna sit here with us too, huh, Evan? You wanna play with us too." Fang opened his wings slightly, exciting Carter.
"Owl. Evan. Owl."
"You're so smart." Fang hugged her to him slightly. "You know that?"
Evan began to whine, so Fang put him back down, but then he realized he was upset for a different reason. Oh God. Fang might have missed the diaper phase with Carter, but he was in the thick of it with Evan.
Everyone's heard of the saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scored.' Well, Fang finally understood the meaning.
"So you're sleeping with my sister?"
There he was, trying to relax on Ella's couch after a long day of babysitting and work, when Max just storms in. Dr. Martinez had been the one he had seen earlier, as when she got home, she took the kids and told him he could go. He hadn't seen Max since. Now, here she was, angry and upset.
"Huh?" What was up with these women? It was one thing to have a key to each other's places, but it was a complete other to come in unannounced.
"You heard me."
"How…What?"
"Fang," he heard Ella call from somewhere. "That better not be the TV."
"Why? You can't screw him while it's on?"
That got Ella into the living room pretty fast. Fang was still just sitting there on the couch, dazed and sleepy. The two half-sisters standing next to each other was giving Fang vertigo.
"Ugh." He laid back down on the couch. "I'm not."
"Not what? What's going on?" Ella asked, frowning at Max. Apparently, however, she wasn't mad about her just barging into her house. That would be Fang's main complaint if he had a place. "Max, what's wrong?"
"Angel called me. Apparently you two are going on."
"What?" Ella looked to Fang, but he just shook his head. Why had he ever confided in Angel? Damn it. When he saw her, it would be all over. "We're not…ew."
Oh, thanks, Ella. Although…Fang wasn't that fond off her either. She was definitely the uglier of the sisters. Not ugly, really. If Max wasn't part of the equation and Fang was one of those guys, he'd bang her…yeah…no need to bring that up now. The point was, Max was far more appealing to Fang.
"Oh, whatever. Like he's just staying here for no reason. If you don't want to be with me, Fang-"
"I do!" He finally got up. "Max, I've never even thought about Ella like that."
"Then why are you here, huh? Huh? How could you, Ella, Fang? You guys are sick."
"Angel is just mad at me, that's all. We got into a fight over the phone and…" He sighed. "Max, you know how I…"
"I know how you what, huh? I know how you lied to me."
"I did not. I never said I wasn't staying here." He came closer to her. "Max, I-"
"Then why didn't you tell me, huh?" She looked to Ella. "Huh?"
"I did, I thought. I told Mom. I didn't know that Fang was a little boy and needed someone to track his every movement."
Fang shifted, his hoodie making him feel extremely hot. It felt like the scars that ran the length of his arms were on fire, which was funny because they had felt enormously cold when they were cuts and he was trying to die.
"I didn't know that my sister was trying to screw my boyfriend."
"He's not even your boyfriend! Right? Right? He's not even your friend most of the time. God, he hasn't even been here a month and you guys have already fought more than we ever have. Trust me, I don't want him. I don't even think he's good enough for you!"
Why did they always have to yell? It seemed like every interaction Fang had with the girls, they ended up yelling.
"I-I can't be here. I can't…I have to go." Fang pushed passed Max. "I can't…be here right now."
"Fang, don't you just walk away."
He ignored Max, heading out of the house. Why did they have to make everything so hard? Fang loved Max. He did. But she was starting to get under his skin.
"I don't know if I can let you in, Fang. I don't want to be accused of being a slut."
Fang just stared at Nudge for a moment before turning to walk away.
"It was a joke." She reached out and grabbed his arm. "You really don't know much about Ella, do you?"
"Wha?"
"Come in." She pulled him along. "God, Fang. You're so dumb."
"Angel's the one who-"
"Why did you even tell Angel anything?"
"I thought…I don't know. I didn't know what a little..."
"Bitch she is?"
"Nudge."
"She is. I don't even get along with her these days. The only one who does is Max and that's because she kissing Max's ass constantly."
Fang sighed. "Can I…Can I stay here until I have to leave for work?"
"Sure! We can talk."
"I don't think-"
"Sit down, sit down." She led him over to the couch. "Evan's in bed, so keep your voice down."
Between the two of them, Fang doubted he would be the one to wake up the baby. Still, he just nodded, taking a seat on the couch.
"Okay, first things first. Ella slept with Dylan."
"What?"
"While we were missing, which she says doesn't couch, but whatever. Then, of course, she's been with Iggy."
"Of course," Fang mumbled, frowning.
"Then, this one time, she totally slept with my boyfriend. He admitted it, but she still denies it."
Blinking, Fang asked, "What does this have to do with me?"
"If Ella will sleep with my boyfriend, why wouldn't she sleep with Max's?"
"I'm not…Besides, Max should know that I…"
"You're a guy, Fang. Two beers and a massage later, you're in Ella's bed."
"Is that what happened to your boyfriend?"
"We're not talking about me right now," Nudge snapped, still standing in front of him.
"But-"
"Max is insanely insecure. After everything that happened-"
"Don't talk about it."
"Fang-"
"Don't."
"I just mean that she's…afraid. She just wants you two to work out, that's all."
"I didn't sleep with Ella."
"I know that, you know that, heck, even Ella knows that, but Max? She doesn't know that."
"I'm not going to apologize for something that I didn't do."
"No one's asking you to. Just…don't hurt Max, okay, Fang? We've all gone through a lot, especially her. I love you, but we're all very protective over her. Don't fuck this up."
With that, Nudge turned and headed towards the kitchen. "Anyways, I feel like a cake. You want cake? I got that one that Dr. Martinez and Carter made the other day."
Shaking his head, Fang laid down on the couch. "Sure. Why not?"
"What are you doing here?"
Fang shook a bottle in Max's face. "Bubble bath."
"…What? We're not-"
"For Carter." He smiled at her. "Is she here?"
Max still blocked the doorway. "I don't want to see you right now. And why did you-"
"You told me that day that she likes bubble bath. And I know she likes Tigger." Fang showed off the bottle, which was shaped like the orange tiger. It had been about three days and he had been busy. He had work, doctor appointments, and therapy to worry about. He felt like it was good to give Max some time anyway. "Don't worry though. I got you something too."
"You-"
"Here." Fang picked up the bag at his feet. "Cookies."
"Fang-"
"Your mom helped me make them. I was off today anyways and I know you are, so…so yeah." He held them out. "You don't have to let me in. Just take them, please. You know you want them."
She just stared at him for a moment. "Shouldn't you be out looking for an apartment?"
"That's just the thing. I have one now."
"What?"
"Yeah. Your mom had to cosign for me though." He shifted slightly. Can I, uh, come in?"
Max still didn't move. "Did you sleep with Ella?"
"You're the only person I've ever been with. Ever."
"Did you?"
"No. I did not sleep with Ella."
Finally, she relented and took a step back. "Come in."
"Where's Carter?" Fang asked, taking note of her silence. Carter was never silent.
"Napping." Max took the bubble bath container and left to go put it in the bathroom. While she was gone, Fang ran a quick check of the area before setting the cookies down on the coffee table.
"Why are you here, Fang? If you didn't do anything wrong then what? Why did you bring me cookies?"
"Because, Max, it's not about me. This is about you." He began to rub his wrists. "I don't want you mad at me. I want to be close again. I didn't know all that stuff about Ella."
"What stuff?"
"Nudge said-"
"Nudge thinks everyone's slept with her boyfriends if that's what you're talking about." Reaching out, Max grasped Fang's hand, steadying it. "And stop that."
Fang looked down at her tiny hand, getting goose bumps from being touched by her. When he looked back up at her face, she was staring at him with unblinking eyes.
"Why do you do that anyways?"
"I-I don't know."
"Don't get nervous." Max pulled his hand away from his wrist before pulling his jacket sleeve down, not even sneaking a peek at his scars. "It's okay. I believe you."
"Really?"
She shrugged. "I guess…I…Why did you leave Mom's?"
"Because I was still mad at you and I figured you'd be over there a lot."
"I'm sorry. For yelling. Yelling scares you, doesn't it?"
"No, it just…I don't want…" He looked off, flinching when Max raised her hand and laid it on his cheek. "Don't, Max."
"What?" She stroked him with her thumb. "It's okay, Fang. You can talk to me."
"I don't…don't you want your cookies?"
She glanced over at the table. "Yeah. Are you hungry?"
He shook his head. "Your mom said that if she was going to cosign, I had to start eating according to that diet thing from my doctor. She wants me to put on weight the right way."
"Mom's good at, well, mothering." Max retracted her hand before sitting down on the couch.
"So are you." Fang hesitated before sitting down next to her, closer than they ever had before. "I'm sorry, Max, that you thought…I should have told you, I guess."
"Let's not talk about that anymore. Carter should wake up in an hour." Max blushed and Fang looked away. "I just meant that when she gets up, she's gonna only let us talk with her or about her. If we're gonna spend time together, we have to now."
Fang glanced at her. "We should plan."
"Plan what?"
"Alone time."
"What?"
Fang cleared his throat. "Together. Alone time together."
"Fang, are you-"
"Yes."
"How do you know what I was going to say?" She smiled at him.
"You were gonna ask if I was gonna ask…and I am."
"When can you?"
"I work graveyard shifts, so I'm free whenever." He stretched slightly. "So, yes?"
"Fang, you're gonna have to actually ask me."
He groaned. "Max-"
"It makes it more special."
"You're such a high school kid."
"Fang."
Closing his eyes, he asked, "Do you want to, uh-"
"No stuttering."
"You're so-"
"It's part of the rules."
"Do you want to go out with me, Max?" Fang looked at her. "Do you? This is the only way I'm asking, so don't make up anymore dumb rules about-"
"Yes." She smiled at him. "We can go out. You can take me to dinner."
"Oh, am I getting that honor?"
He got an elbow for that.
"And stay away from Ella."
"Can do." Glancing behind them, Fang noticed that Carter's bedroom door was shaking. Frowning, he got up and went over to it. When he opened it, he found her on the other side, having been pushing against the door in a vain attempt to open it.
"Owl!" She held her arms above her head and Fang didn't even stop to think about ignoring her. Instead, he bent down and picked her up, bouncing her in his arms. "Hoo."
"Hoo."
"That's you who started that?" Max asked as he carried her over to the couch. "she's been hooting for freaking ever."
"It's what owls do." Fang sighed as Carter moved to peek into his shirt. "Stop it, Carter."
"Hi," she whispered to his wings. Max made a face before reaching to grab the cookies on the table.
"Here, baby, Fang and Granny made us cookies. You want some?"
"Yes!" She moved to sit on Fang's thigh. "Owl."
"What?" He shifted his arm to wrap around her, not wanting her to get wiggly and fall over.
"Cookie?"
"I'm not hungry. You eat one." He reached into the bag as Max opened it, pulling one out. "Here."
She cuddled against Fang as she ate her cookie, wrapping his unzipped jacket around her. "Owl."
"I've got you." He glanced at Max, who was watching them. She smiled at him. "I've got you, Carter."
She giggled, spewing crumbs all over him. Leaning back, Fang shifted his other arm to lay along the back of the couch. It could be argued that his arm was around Max, but it could also be argued that he was just trying to get comfortable. When she didn't pull away, Fang took that as a good sign and left his arm there.
"Mo'?"
"Can she have another, Max?"
"Not yet. After lunch, okay?"
"No!" Carter tried to snatch at the bag, but Fang grabbed her tightly. "No, Owl!"
"No to you, Carter." He frowned down at her. "You don't try to take things from your mom, alright? That's bad. No."
She gnashed her few teeth at him before jumping off his lap. Rolling her eyes, Max told Carter that if she threw a fit, she would be in trouble. So Carter just went over to her toys and sat down, her back to them.
"Stability," Fang mumbled, but Max heard him. Sighing, she leaned into his arm slightly.
"Stability."
"This is my place."
It was about two hours later and they had shifted to Fang's apartment, stopping to get takeout on the way. Of course, Carter also had to bring some of her toys with her. Max had objected at first, but Fang quickly silenced her, saying that he wanted Carter to feel comfortable at his place. After all, if he ever got that DNA thing passed Max, this very well might be her second home. Not that he told that to Max. He'd have to spring that on her another time.
"Lockheed." Carter ran around the unfurnished apartment before going over to the sleeping bag Dr. Martinez gave him to use and putting the dragon down. Then she looked to Fang, who held her other toys. Setting the stuff down next to her, he then turned to Max.
"I know all I have are pillows and a sleeping bag, but-"
"It's fine. It's just fast food." She drug one of the pillows away from the sleeping bag before sitting down on it. "Hope you don't mind my butt on your pillow."
"Trust me, I don't," he whispered.
"What?"
"I said its fine." Fang grabbed the other pillow and pulled it next to hers. "What's yours is mine, right?"
"Not yet, silly." She sat down the fast food bags. "Come here, Carter. Get your food."
She crawled on her feet and hands over to him. "Moo. Cow."
"Come here," Max beckoned her. "Come eat your food, baby."
"Baby. Owl. Hoo." Carter stopped in front of them. "Owl?"
"What?"
"Nest?"
"Yeah, this is my nest." He handed her a burger and fries. "There you go."
Fang gave Max her food too before standing up and checking the apartment for any intruders. He was busy checking his closet when he felt a presence behind him.
"Two bedrooms?"
"Yeah." He glanced behind him as Max shut the door slightly, though not all the way so that they could hear Carter if she needed them. Fang was very attentive to that, if only because he hadn't searched the whole place yet. "For…you guys."
"Oh." Max looked around the empty room. "We'll have to get you a bed soon."
"Yeah."
"And a couch."
"I know."
"I can help-"
"Max, you have a kid. You can't be throwing money at me."
She shook her head as he turned to face her. "I at least have to buy you a duck, right?"
"What?"
"Remember? Carter thought you needed a rubber ducky. For the bathroom."
"Oh. Yeah. That." Fang shook his head. "I guess I'll have to get one, huh?"
"Yeah, you will." Watching him for a moment, Max said, "You know, it's kind of hot. Carter probably won't notice your arms-"
"I don't…I always wear my jacket, okay?"
Max nodded slightly, swallowing. "Whatever makes you feel more comfy, Fang."
"Comfy?" He stared at her. "You spend too much time with Carter."
"Don't I know it?" She reached out and pocked his arm. "She's been whining about seeing you for three days."
"I've been busy."
"Get out there and see her. She's missed you."
"I have to check."
"Then check. Hurry though." Max turned and walked back out. "Your foods getting cold."
"It's a salad. It's supposed to be cold," he muttered.
"And Fang, if you want to cheat on this diet, I'll gladly share one of my burgers."
Fang just sighed as Max left him alone to finish his search for imaginary monsters. She felt bad for him, but knew that feeling, that feeling of always having to look over your shoulder, try to find what's not there. He was still new, still adjusting. Besides, his fear was kind of cute, in a hugely perverse way. Still, Max couldn't help it. Seeing him flustered and afraid was just…Sigh.
"Owl?"
He ignored Carter as he headed into, possibly, her future bedroom. After that and the bathroom were examined, Fang went back to them, sitting down next to Max.
"All clear?"
He ignored Max, instead focusing on his salad. "I hate this."
"You sure you don't want a burger?"
"I'm sure." He took a bite of the salad. "I have to eat healthy meals constantly or something. I get fruit in an hour."
"Yummy."
"I get an apple."
"Your favorite." Max smiled at him a little bit.
"Then, for dinner, I get meat. I was gonna eat a bunch off hotdogs."
"Fun."
"Mmmhmm."
Max turned to her daughter. "Carter, what do you want to do after you finish eating? Huh?"
"Lockheed!" She giggled, eating a French fry. "Owl."
"You wanna play with Owl?"
"Yes." She nodded. "Owl nest."
Fang sighed slightly. "Yeah. My nest."
After lunch, Carter insisted that they all played with her toys, so Fang just sat there, being the holder of unused stuffed animals until it was their turn to be played with. Max went along with the play very well, even having different voices for each stuffed animal. It was interesting to Fang, how willing Max was to go along with her daughter. Then again, Fang heard that you'd do anything for your kids. Even pretend to be something you're not. Like a stuffed animal. Or strong. Whatever.
After that was all done, Carter began to get sleepy, so Fang let her sleep in his sleeping bag, her stuffed animals tucked in there with her. They had to turn out the lights, but Max and Fang could see pretty well in the dark anyways, so that was fine.
"Where are we going out to eat?"
"When is a better question," Fang challenged.
"You said you're free whenever, right? So what about tomorrow? You up for that?"
He was up for anything. Fang nodded slightly. "Sure. Can someone watch Carter for us?"
"Lord if they can't, Nudge will. She thinks it's just criminal that I've been mad at you these past few days."
"I do too. I miss you, ya know." Fang looked off. "I mean, I did miss you, while I was away. Now I want to spend as much time together as we can."
"And we will. We're gonna get used to being together again, Fang. You know that, right? It's not going to keep being this hard." She reached out and patted his shoulder. The old Fang would have kissed her head or touched her back. Instead, this Fang just stared stoically at her. "We'll be okay, Fang. Just give it time."
Glancing over at Carter, all snug in her sleeping bag, he nodded slightly. "Time. Right."