A/n- We've got another story set in my Maximum Ride AU today! Bit of a double feature as well since this is also one of my bonus chapters for my rewrite of it over on Ao3. Same AU as that Max/Fang story from a while back where things worked out better than it did in canon and the older characters are all graduating high school soon.

The Commission Files- File #a1842 Picture Day

Characters: Iggy (Maximum Ride), Ella (Maximum Ride)

Based on: a commission by Aegis_Asu on Twitter/X

Iggy POV

"Is that makeup? I smell makeup?" I asked Ella as the sudden smell came to me in the lunch room. It was getting towards the end of the school year and it was picture day. Normally I didn't really care about such things, but this was senior year and Ella cared about having good final yearbook pictures, so I cared enough to let her pick out what I wore and make sure my face looked good.

"It is, but don't worry, I'm not going to put a lot of it on you." Ella assured me. "Just a bit of a touch up here and there, your skin is actually quite soft and healthy so it shouldn't take much."

"A long shot from when we first met I bet." I chuckled. "Did I have acne and pimples then, I'm not quite sure I remember too well."

"If anything the both of us were going through a bit of issues with our skin care." Ella teased me with a chuckle of her own.

"I guess eating enough food on a daily basis really does the trick." I joked, getting her to laugh a bit more.

"Perhaps." She noted. "Now hold still, I do this all the time for myself, but if you keep making me laugh you're going to end up looking like a clown or worse."

"Yeah, I could end up looking like Max." I joked some more, but after that I shut up and let Ella work on my face. A few moments later I felt a soft brush, almost like a large paintbrush, against my cheeks and I couldn't help but move a bit because it tickled with how sensitive my skin could be to feeling things like color and other stimuli. See, I learned a few things going to school, like that word.

"Iggy, hold still please." Ella urged me as I tried to hold it in.

"I'm trying, it tickles." I admitted with a small chuckle escaping my mouth. "You said it shouldn't take too long right?"

"I'm almost done, just a few more brushes." Ella noted. And thankfully she was right and she quickly moved the brush off my face before I shook my head too much or sneezed or something. "Perfect, you look even more handsome than usual."

"That's possible?" I teased her, getting another one of those lovely laughs I love to hear. "How does my hair look? I did manage to wash it last night."

"It looks nice, though you're going to have to take my word for it." Ella told me.

"Hey, to me your word is as good as gold, platinum even." I assured her with a warm smile.

"Iggy, if you're trying to get me to kiss you, you're doing a good job, but it'll have to wait until after we get our pictures done, I'm not wasting a good makeup job for it, at least not at this moment in time." Ella told me.

"Well, it was worth a shot." I shrugged with a cheeky grin. "How much longer do we have to wait?"

"Just about ten minutes or so." Ella replied, probably looking at one of the clocks in the area.

"Oh, just enough time to finish lunch then."

Ella POV

I always liked picture day at school, it was the one day that I felt comfortable showing off and wearing something nice, well at least until Max and the Flock came around and I started having a bit more confidence in myself. Either way this one was special because it was going to be the last one and I'd be able to look back on it whenever I wanted in my yearbook. And thinking about all the stuff that happened in this year in particular, it was one of the best years of my life so I'd be thinking of it fondly for years to come. Of course the main thing that made the whole year come together was finally getting together with Iggy and even though we had a rough patch or two, things were really good between us now and I wanted a snapshot of this wonderful time in our relationship, even if some time down the road we might drift apart.

"Tell me again, what you're wearing, I wasn't all awake this morning." Iggy asked as we stood in line to get our pictures taken.

"I'm wearing that purple dress with the thick black straps on my shoulders and under my chest along with some high socks and slight heels." I told him.

"Oh, I really like that outfit, I'm sure you look lovely in it." Iggy noted with a smile. If we were at home he'd probably start feeling around my outfit since he can feel colors, but since we were in public that probably wasn't the best idea.

"Hey, your outfit isn't half bad either." I told him. And it wasn't. He was wearing a long sleaved light-blue shirt with a pair of black jeans along with his checkerboard shoes. A very simple yet fashionable look if you asked me.

"Well of course it isn't, you picked it out for me." Iggy teased me, but before I could respond I was called up for my picture. It didn't take too long to take, just a few poses and I was good about staying still and smiling. Iggy on the other hand, well he tried his best. You see, he has issues with bright lights, which sounds weird for someone who is blind, but something with his body and powers just doesn't jive with camera flashes. Eventually, after about 15 tries, the photographer got a useable picture and Iggy walked over to me in a very dizzy state.

"Are you okay?" I asked him as I led him towards the bleachers since the pictures were being taken in the school gym.

"I feel like I have a hangover." Iggy admitted. "But I should be fine in a little bit, just let me sit here for a few moments and it should pass."

"You should have seen the face the photographer had trying to get a good picture." I teased him and he chuckled back so I knew things would be alright.

"Well I think since I did such a good job in not causing complete chaos I should get that kiss you were talking about earlier." He teased me back, moving a bit closer to me, making me blush a little in response.

"Hmm, I don't know, you might have to sweeten the deal just a bit." I teased some more. "Maybe we can go get some ice cream after school?"

"I think that can be arraigned." Iggy smiled warmly at me.

"Then you have yourself a deal." I smiled back before moving in to kiss him. But right before our lips touched someone interrupted us, which unfortunately was something we were very used to.

"Ella, Iggy, I'm glad I could find you before you went back to class!" It was one of our friends Mark and he had his camera with him.

"What's up Mark?" Iggy asked, trying not to sound irritated, which he did his best.

"Well, you two know that Lyn and I are on the yearbook team and you two got voted as 'Cutest Couple' by pretty much everyone so we need you two to take a special picture so we can put it in the yearbook."

"We got 'Cutest Couple'?" I asked slightly surprised. "You think it would be Max and Fang or something because they are actually getting married soon."

"It might have been, but they got 'Couple Most Likely to Change the World' for obvious reasons." Mark explained. "And since we didn't want to have people win multiple spots, they couldn't get voted for again."

"Sounds a bit contrived, but I'll take it." Iggy replied with a grin. "So what type of picture were you wanting Mark?"

"Well, I know you hate camera flashes, so I figured we could go outside with the natural lighting so you don't have to deal with that." Mark answered. "That and, well, I kinda want a picture with your wings out as well."

"Yeah, that figures, gotta sell those yearbooks am I right?" Iggy asked sarcastically.

"Hey, if it was up to me I wouldn't care, but Lyn and I got outvoted, truly." Mark explained.

"He looks like he's telling the truth." I told Iggy.

"Yeah, you're a good guy Mark, I know you wouldn't want to go out of your way to exploit me." I assured him. "But I get it, so let's do this."

Iggy POV

So Mark led Ella and I outside to where he wanted to take the picture for the yearbook. Thankfully it wasn't too hot or windy so our hair and outfits wouldn't get messed up. Eventually we got to a good spot and we turned to Mark for instructions.

"So I was thinking you two could be in a pose where Iggy is standing behind you Ella with his arms wrapped around you. Like right above your chest but below your neck." He started. "And then you would have your hands up holding onto Iggy's front arm. And since you'd both be so close and Iggy is tall enough he would rest his head slightly on yours Ella."

"And then you'd want Iggy to wrap his wings around us for effect or something of the like?" Ella asked.

"Exactly." Mark replied. "You two think you can do that?"

"Yeah, we've taken a few pictures like that before." I noted. So Ella and I got into the position he asked us to get in and I couldn't help but get a bit of a feel of Ella's outfit since it was just us three out here. "I was right, that outfit is really nice."

"Iggy! You're gonna make me blush!" Ella responded cutely.

"Isn't that kind of the point?" I teased her. "This is a picture for 'Cutest Couple' after all."

"Blushing would be nice." Mark chimed in.

"Well then, how should I get you to blush then?" Ella asked me.

"I'm already blushing because I have the most beautiful girl in the world in my arms." I replied softly. "And I don't even need to be able to see to know that." Of course I couldn't tell if that worked, but I did hear Mark start to take some pictures so that told me it was good enough.

"Yeah! These will be perfect! Thanks you two." Mark said after he was done. It was quick and simple, and much more fun than the regular photo I got. "Well, I'm off to edit these for the yearbook, see you two later." And with that he ran off back into the building, leaving Ella and I alone again.

"So where were we?" Ella teased as she rotated around in my grasp so she was facing me.

"I think I just convinced you to kiss me by bribing you with some ice cream?" I played along. "I'm not quite sure though."

"Well, maybe this will jog your memory." Ella replied before reaching up and kissing me on the lips. My hands moved from her back up to her face so I could feel just how pretty her skin looked as we kissed. I don't think I'll ever get tired of moments like this, and if I do I'd probably be dead. Or mind controlled. That's a thing that's happened before you know.

"I think that did the trick." I smiled at Ella once she pulled back, though I was still cupping her cheeks in my hands. "What kind of ice cream were you thinking about getting?"

"Mint chocolate chip! The green kind." Ella answered happily.

"Ooh, my favorite." I replied back. "Well, let's get back inside before Max thinks something happened and get this day over with so we can go get that ice cream."

"It's a date." Ella said before kissing my cheek.

"Man, I'm getting good at this date planning thing."