Okay, I'm so going to admit that this chapter is more or less useless, but I needed something to go in between 6 and 8, and we all know the 9 doesn't go there because 7 ate nine, so 7 goes where 9 originally would have been. *nods* That totally makes sense!

Disclaimer: If I owned Maximum Ride, Max would have a bad case Tourette's Syndrome around cute and fluffy creatures.

ENJOY!

Chapter 7: Compliment

By the time Prince had finished wrapping Ace in gauze she had gone loopy in the head. She had most clearly lost the most blood out of the trio. "You're really stupid, you know that?" Prince said and she only giggled, "You probably let them do this to you, you're such a masochist," Prince continued to scold and Ace still giggled hysterically.

Prince turned to the fire pit. He had pulled the hot poker out a while ago to cool enough to not brand Ace but just close the wound. He took the poker and choked up on the hold so he had all the control of the heated point. He turned back to Ace, sitting on the edge of the pit and propping her leg up in his lap, she winced as he turned her leg to look at the wound.

"This might hurt like hell," he said and just as Ace opened her mouth to probably say something absurd with a lot of vulgarities Prince pressed the hot poker to the open wound. Ace's eyes widened in agony and she released a sharp and ear piercing scream, cut off when she bit down on her wounded arm, tears streaming down her face as she stared at Prince.

Fang instinctively (and awkwardly) took her hand in his. She squeezed his hand so tightly he thought it might start breaking soon. "Don't you think that's enough time?" Fang asked through gritted teeth after a while. Prince pulled the poker away a moment and dabbed at the red and swollen seal. "Yep, that's good, hold her leg up for me," he said and Fang reached over and took her leg in his other hand, wincing as he bent over his own wound.

Prince stood and ran to the kitchen, tossing the poker in the sink and pulling a large icepack from the freezer. He turned and poured glass of water before returning with the two things. He sat back down and drank the water casually as he pressed the fresh icepack to the red seal, making Ace cringe and cry out. "Goddamn it, ever heard of gentle, Mr. Sadist?" Ace asked in a small and strangled voice, Prince grinned, "I don't know the meaning of the word."

Fang sighed at the two, half amused and half concerned. They were strange, right? It wasn't just him that was confused about the two… right? I mean, he enjoyed their company and what not, but some parts of their relationship were… troublesome.

Prince than turned to Fang who had been holding a great deal amount of pressure on his bullet wound. "How we doing?" he asked as he gingerly pulled away the gauze to peek at the wound, the bleeding had slowed a lot and it was gradually scabbing over. "Good," Prince smiled, looking up into Fang's eyes with a strange expression Fang didn't quite get. "You heal fast like we do," Prince noted, not pulling his eyes away. Naturally, Fang's own gaze was trapped in Prince's, unable to break free.

Fang felt a dramatic ping of despair as he wished to look away from Prince's dark eyes, but did he look away? Pft! No! Fang started to feel very, very small before Ace suddenly cut in. "God-fucking-damn it, this burns like hell! I want alcohol now!" she demanded and Prince stood, tearing his eyes from Fang's and Fang felt an odd pressure lift off his chest and he released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Prince chuckled, brushing his bangs out of his one snake eye and adjusting the hem of his tangle boxers. "I think we could all do with a good buzz right now, Merlot good?" Prince asked and Ace shrugged, "Just give me something!"

Prince looked to Fag for confirmation and Fang nodded, aftershocks not allowing him to speak or even make eye contact. God, did he feel pathetic. Prince strolled to the kitchen and started prepping some rather large wine glasses.

"So," Ace began, talking quietly to make it obvious that she was about to have a "private" conversation with Fang. "Have we scared you away yet?" she asked, smiling weakly but brightly, her spirits still not crushable. Fang pursed his lips as he thought on the question. "Not really," he said honestly and Ace laughed lightly, "You sure? You've seen for yourself that we're rather fucking combustible," he said with a sweet (although mangled by injuries) expression. Fang looked away from her and to the bright embers in the fire pit. "It could be worse," he guessed with a light shrug.

"True," Ace nodded, letting her eyes close a moment before Prince returned, balancing a tray of alcohol on one hand. "Mademoiselle, monsieur," Prince said as he passed down the drinks with his other hand. Fang took his carefully in both hands, whiffing the noxious concoction of fruit and alcohol before taking a large gulp of it, immediately feeling lightness in his head.

Prince had set the tray down on the edge of the fire pit and started drinking from his own glass. "So, Fang…" he began thoughtfully, "I was wondering how often you're attacked—on a daily basis, I mean," he said as he stared down into his glass.

Ace looked at Fang in agreement with the question, "Yeah, we're not usually attack twice in one day, four times in a week is the norm." Fang frowned, "I… don't really keep track. It really depends on where I am, I guess…"

"I see…" Prince said. Prince and Ace glanced at each other before returning their gazes to Fang. Fang had the awfully familiar feeling of being scrutinized and couldn't stop himself when he snapped, "What the hell is up? You think I brought the trouble here?"

"Whoa, whoa, dude, calm the fuck down," Ace said, grunting painfully as she adjusted her recline, "we were just asking, it's not like we're going to kick you out or some shit."

But you'll happily shoot Prince if trouble follows him to you? Fang thought, unusually flustered. Fang sighed heavily and drank more before Prince asked, "So why exactly are you being chased?"

"Last I check I'm just on the list of for extermination, I don't know anything passed that, usually the Erasers are around for my… um, girlfriend Max," there's that awkward feeling of mentioning relationship status around Prince again. "What's makes her so important?" Ace asked a little bitterly, "Um… she's kind of a road block to a bunch of companies and what not," Fang said, drinking more. "How?" Prince pressed on, "She's been told she has to save the world from something, and is embracing that challenge—"

Fang was cut off by Ace's obnoxious laughter. "Save the world? Oh, fuck me running! That's the best thing I've heard yet!" she writhed in pain and amusement, "What the hell is she saving the world from?" she asked through a thin smile. Fang actually shrugged, "We don't really know, it was assumed it was School related but things just keep getting more and more complex."

Ace's giggling dropped a little, "So, she has to save the world from some unknown bullshit? If I had to save the world I'd fuckin' like to know what I'm doing," she said, her laughter fully faded but she still grinned. Fang shrugged again, "You have no idea how much trouble her mission has caused though,"

"Like?" Prince asked. Fang pursed his lips again, thinking back on how not too long ago his heart had failed on him and he died. And the sad part is that in that one moment before everything faded he was… content, he knew he didn't have to deal with all this shit anymore. He would never be able to admit that to Max; she'd lose her mind if she knew Fang was much happier dead. "Um…" Fang said awkwardly and Ace leaned forward to listen.

Fang swallowed hard, "I, uh… kind of died not too long ago because of this shit," he said, the honestly rolling off his tongue awkwardly. "Died?" Prince asked, his brows furrowing at the statement. "How?"

"Remember how I mentioned Dylan?" Fang asked and the two nodded, "Well… he has a father—or something—who drabbles in experimentation. He managed to capture me, and to be honest? I don't remember well what happened, but I remember this crushing sensation before everything faded,"

"How'd you come back?" Ace asked curiously and Fang saw Prince's fists ball up. "Max stabbed me in the heart with an adrenaline needle,"

"Like in the movies?" Ace said, a small smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth as she stared down at Fang's still bare chest, as if she could find a hole where the needle had been. Prince suddenly leaned over and refilled Fang's glass, a dark shadow covering his face. "Are you okay?" Fang asked with blameless curiosity. Prince shrugged, "I'm beginning to dislike this Dylan bloke even more," he said honestly.

Fang blinked, remembering hearing the word "bloke" in some British comedy. Fang sipped his drink, "He's not very likeable," Fang agreed as he sat back with a bit of a buzz. One glass was all it really took for him. That lightweight-ness was more or less good in Fang's mind, he always thought it was odd though, you'd think with his metabolism it would take a little more than a large glass.

There was this strange moment of silence following that Fang disliked as much as Dylan. Usually Fang was normally so quiet, but it felt odd to be so closed around these two. They were talkative, but not like the Flock, the kids typically had rather innocent conversations, but these two… they did and talked about things Fang was very happy to watch and listen to.

Fang watched as Ace snatched up the entire wine bottle and started to chug it down, not allowing any to spill out the corner of her mouth. Prince chuckled, "Don't go crazy, Ace, there's still the rest of the day to deal with,"

"Fuck you, I need this," Ace grinned, taking only the moment of communication to pull away from the drink. Fang smiled at the two before looking up at Prince who sat down on right side. Prince pulled at the gauze of Fang's wound to peek at it again. He smiled down at it, "Yep, you're good, just don't break the scab and you should heal fine." Fang returned the smile as Prince leaned against him lightly, their shoulders connecting.

It wasn't until Fang remembered Ace was there when he let his smile slip. Shit. If he went red he's chucking this couch off the terrace! Fang swallowed hard and occupied himself with his alcohol to even attempt in ignoring Ace stare at him through the glass of the bottle. She belched, "You're awfully pretty, you know that?" she asked through partially glazed eyes; she had completely emptied the originally full bottle of its wine. Fang gave her a wearied look, "I believe you said that earlier, when you had threatened to shoot Prince,"

"But I meant it," she went on, "you have a lovely face and a real nice ass, and your hips are almost as feminine as Prince's, I dig a guy with nice hips." Fang wasn't entirely sure how drunk she had become, last night she drank like a sailor and seemed very functional, she might be playing him right now.

Prince laughed, "Feminine? Since when were my hips 'feminine'?"

"Have you looked in a mirror?" both Fang and Ace asked as they looked up at him. Fang choked on his own tongue. Shit, now he's on the same page as Ace, there was no way that was a good thing. Prince laughed again, "Oh great, Ace! You turned him against me!" Prince winked at Fang and the younger boy couldn't stop himself from going red in the face.

"N-no, I was just—" Fang was cut off by Ace's hysterical laughter, "Holy shit! You have a bitch face!" Ace squealed, crawling over to Fang; her face inches from his bright red one. "Oh, my god! That's so fucking cute! Prince, do that again!" she said, her alcoholic breath falling upon Fang's face.

"What, this?" Prince asked, leaning in and brushing Fang's neck with his lips. Fang tensed, feeling the intense burn in his cheeks. WHAT THE HELL IS PRINCE DOING IN FRONT OF ACE? Fang was screaming in his mind. Ace cackled, "Oh, hot damn! Fang, you're fucking adorable!" she continued to squeal as Prince nipped at his neck.

Fang couldn't breathe. He felt enough embarrassment being alone with Prince, but with Ace watching? Fang has successfully become miserable. "I am suddenly very jealous of that girlfriend of yours," Ace grinned, "You have the cutest bitch face I've ever seen!"

Fang was sinking into the couch, hunkering down in sheer humiliation, huffing sadly and Prince chuckled darkly. Ace cooed at Fang's pathetic form and pinched his cheek rather lovingly. "I could watch this all day,"

"Hell if I'm doing this all day!" Fang said as he shoved Prince and Ace away from him, grunting as pain tore through his side. "Goddamn it…" he growled, gripping said side. Prince immediately swooped in, his hand replacing Fang's, applying gentle but need pressure to the wound, "I told you to be careful," he smiled sweetly and Fang folded his arms over his chest, feeling an odd mixture of inner heat and an outer chill. Stir around him. Ace chuckled, wincing as she adjusted the way she sat. "Someone is a little feisty, no?" she snickered and Fang just glared straight ahead as Prince retreated his wound. "Fuck you guys…"

"Love you too," Prince laughed and Fang saw Ace raise a fine and questioning red brow, she said nothing though, and that's what unnerved Fang.

Sora: You're right, it's useless Hiro-sama.

Hiroko: *Sarcasm* Gee, thanks Sora, glad we're on the same page here. -_-*

Sora: No prob' babycakes! No prob'! :D

Hiroko: How much candy do I need to give you for you to be mature for a day?

Sora: A lot, but at that point I'd be on a sugar-rush and your attempts would have been in vain.

Hiroko: What about sugar-coma?

Sora: You're thinking about Panda-chan now, you're sister can't handle the sweets!

Hiroko: Tch, it'd still be nice for you to pass out for a while... R&R PEOPLE!