- Some place else -

One, two, three. Stop. Left. One, two, three, four, five. Half way up…

Beep.

"Ah, you're awake. Perfect." Came the gruff voice he'd become so accustomed to over the past months.

"How is she?" was the first thing out of his mouth. He was in no mood to be polite.

The man chuckled, "Doing well, it will take a few days for her to return to full health and I should be able to hold off the attacks until then."

He felt a pang in his chest as he was told this. She got hurt. She's getting better, don't panic. He thought to himself and murmured "Good."

Lost in his thoughts he didn't pay attention to whatever else the man had to say so instead he turned on his heel and worked his way back to the bed.

How long had it been since he'd seen them? Two Months? Possibly more, he didn't know. He rubbed his sightless eyes, anger bubbling inside of him. He'd been cooped up inside this room the entire time unable to get out but as each day passed his senses grew more and more accustomed to the lack of sight and he knew someone brought in his food three times a day so he just had to find out how they got in then would get out and he would help them, daily updates just weren't enough. He needed to be beside them, fighting with them. Protecting them.

– Washington –

"It's a stupid idea." Max grumbled sitting down on the couch and frowning.

"No it's not," Fang chuckled watching her from the opposite side of the room. It had been a week since Max had been shot and she was still recovering whether from the shot or the wings he didn't know.

"Yes, it really is." She insisted, wrapping a blanket around herself.

"Max." Fang sighed tugging the blanket away but she refused to let it go.

"I'm cold." She complained and held on tighter.

Fang shook his head, "It's boiling outside, now give me the blanket before you get sick." He ordered and she glared.

"Never." She snapped clutching the blanket so tight her knuckles turned white.

"Max." He warned holding his hand out and giving her a no-nonsense look.

"No." She said simply.

"Right then, I'll just go get Nudge…"
"Fine!" She whined throwing off the blanket and sulking. "I don't like you." She grumbled.

Fang smirked, "You will when you don't get sick." He sat down on the couch beside her and watched her squirm and scratch at the bandages wrapped around her middle. It was Nudge's idea, with Max unable to pull her wings back into her body and since it hurt to use them she had suggested they use bandages to keep them in, it would have been rather hard to get an apartment in Washington with a girl with wings.

"Too tight?" he asked and she shook her head continuing to claw at the bandages.

"Burning." She winced as she pulled off her shirt.

Turning her back towards him he unclipped the hook they'd attacked at the back and helped her unravel herself. Before letting the bandage fall she stood up to give her wings room when they unravelled and Fang took a step back to give her room.

Max's P.O.V.

I hated the bloody things, they were always hurting which I could live with. What I couldn't stand was the itching. And trust me the itching had been happening a lot more than the hurting so when they started to burn…well I was just a little surprised. I let Fang get the bandage off and could hear the soft thwump as they opened, brushing the walls of the room.

I felt Fang's fingers ghost across the feathers (It was still hard to think of them as my wings) and when he put just a little bit of pressure where they connected my back I wanted to deck him.

He very wisely stopped pressing but then proceeded to run his fingers along the tops of them. Now I would have told him to back off and stop touching them but I couldn't really do that now could I? After all I had my own obsession when it came to his wings.

"You need to start moving them or they'll go stiff." He instructed and I did as I was told.

I ignored the sore muscles and stretched them as far as I could and then brought them close to my body and repeated this a few times.

He nodded pleased with this before disappearing into the kitchen and returning a few minutes later with a steaming cup of something-or-other.

He offered it to me and I scrunched up my nose at the smell. Yuck, rotten eggs. "I swear it will help." He sighed.

I grudgingly took the nasty stuff and drank it as quickly as I could. "What the hell is that?"

He just laughed at me which I didn't appreciate. I glared at him and he walked around to press in the same place he had before. I tensed, ready for the shot of pain that should ring up my spine but it never came. I really hated it when he got so smug.
"Don't let your ego inflate too much." I snapped easily pulling my wings up to my back and tugging on my shirt again.

"A simple thank you would be good." He whispered right by my ear and I yelped.
"Don't do that!" I hissed angrily.

"It's too much fun." He said with a shrug, "Are you ready to try out my idea yet?"

"No, I told you. I'm not going to do it. No way in hell. I refuse."

He just looked at me in a mischievous way and before I could blink he had grabbed me around the waist and was pulling me in the direction of the window. "FANG!" I screeched kicking at him in a lame attempt to get him to let me go. I didn't want to hurt him but if he –

"I'm going to kill you!" I yelled when I heard his wings snap open and then we were over the balcony we'd made sure to get for Fang. I sank my nails into his hands and I felt him grip me tighter. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt my entire body tense, including my wings which I had completely forgotten about in my panic.

They pushed back on Fang and I guess it must have been a little unexpected because his arms slipped from around my waist and then I was plummeting to the ground. I don't know what made me do it but one second I'm watching the pavement come ever closer the next my wings have opened and I'm gliding forward.

I'm flying. And with that realisation surprise filled me and whatever instinct had made my wings open fizzled out. Just in time Fang grabbed a hold of my and I could feel him shaking.

"You need to stop doing that." He said unevenly in my ear.

I shut my eyes again, the sinking feeling in my gut making bile rise in my throat.

Next thing I knew we were safely back on the balcony but neither Fang nor I let go.

"You know, if this keep's happening it's going to be virtually impossible to get you into the sky." He chuckled breathlessly.

"Not. Funny." I whispered.

Ten minutes later and we were still standing there, Fang holding me and my hands over his and guess what? I really didn't want him to let go. Yeah, cue horrible embarrassment. Then he started rubbing those small circles on my stomach and I will admit that I felt like a pile of goo.

"Hey Max?" he sighed.

"Yeah?" I hummed tilting my head to look at him.

Right, reviews were bad last chapter. I had over 170 visitors yet I only got 9 reviews. Wow, you're generosity astounds me.

So I have come up with something, I have left it here for a specific reason; If I get lotz of reviews I promise they will kiss. If not…well I'm sure you get the idea.

It is totally up to you.

Thanks,

REVIEWS=LUV
LUV=INSPIRATION

INSPIRTION=UPDATES

(And a faxy kiss)

Fangrules