A Wonderful Caricature of Intimacy

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story.

Please read the author's notes at the end!

Max P.O.V~

The walk to school was, in simple terms, awkward. Fang didn't want to push the wheelchair, obviously, and so Iggy was forced to. And considering Fang was handcuffed to the handlebars, Iggy and Fang had a lot of... well... unwanted physical contact with each other.

"Will you stop brushing up against me, Fang?" Iggy spat out. I could feel him constantly shifting trying to avoid Fang as best as he could, but it wasn't very useful.

"Well, I'd stop brushing up against you if you stopped getting all up in my space," Fang retorted icily.

"Why don't you push the fecking wheelchair then."

"Fecking? What are you, British? Get your pompous ass out of here before I slug you!"

"That's hilarious coming from you! If you would just push the wheelchair, then just maybe I wouldn't have to walk to damn close to you!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Fang shoved Iggy out of the way and grabbed onto the handlebars shoving me roughly across the sidewalk. I could literally feel every single bump and crack the chair rolled over.

"Fang, could you at least try to be gentle! I know it goes against every single bone in your neanderthal like body but there is something called respect, and while I know I you would never give it to me, at least try not to destroy my chair," I said turning back to glare at him.

He just glared back but surprisingly complied.

Iggy was walking next to me now. I grabbed his hand as it swung and looked up at him. He smiled at me.

I could feel Fang rolling his eyes behind me and glaring into my back.

By the time we finally reached school, all three of us were royally pissed. Somewhere between Fang silently agreeing to push the chair with a little more decency and school, we had managed to get into another fight.

The mood was tense but it was only about to get worse.

Nudge and Angel were at the top of the stairs, most likely waiting for Iggy and I. Nudge noticed us pretty quickly and the initial shock of seeing Fang strolling along with us was noticeable, but it was nothing compared to Angel's irate face. Oops, I forgot, Angel didn't know what had happened yet.

"Iggy, we better get over there quickly before Angel blows her top," I said turning towards him.

Iggy took a break from glaring at Fang to see what I was talking about. "Oh fudgenuts, this is bad," he said when he finally noticed. Angel's face was turning a kind of splotchy red that usually only occurred when someone had slapped her about, oh 50-60 times. That, of course, had never happened because ain't nobody gonna touch my Angel. At least not when I was still around, and because Angel was a black belt in karate and tae kwon do. We all were.

Iggy turned to Fang, "If you are attached to your balls in any way, shape or form, I suggest you help Max up the stairs while I try to diffuse Angel for you." He shot me a look just to make sure I'd be okay in Fang's company before jogging off to calm the reddening Angel.

"So, how do you want to do this?" I asked.

Fang shrugged. So typical of him.

"Well, you have two options. Leave me down here and have Angel, Iggy, and I rearrange your anatomy or carry me up the stairs."

Fang actually looked somewhat pensive, probably deliberating which punishment was worse, having to touch me or having to be touched by me.

"I know how much you want to touch my anatomy Max, but I don't want it soiled by you," he replied snidely. Looks like he'd be carrying me up the stairs.

He let go of the wheelchair slowly, but regripped the handlebars moments later. He let it go again then grabbed on. He looked deep in thought as if contemplating the life's secrets. You know, what is happiness? What is the key to success? How many licks it takes to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop? 8,392 in case you really wanted to know.

"What are you doing? Worried you're not strong enough to carry me? I weigh a lot you know."

"You're fat, I know. I was actually deliberating on whether I carry you and the chair separately or together," he said without a hint of disgust.

Now here is where I feel extremely disappointed in myself. This was Fang. The rudest, most disrespectful man on the planet and here I was wanting him to carry me up the steps. And no, it was not because he was some hunky piece of man with obsidian eyes to die for. As much as I hated him, I really, really, really wanted to feel my legs again. I wanted to run and swim and jump and sprint and tumble. I wanted to roundhouse kick three guys in the ribs and slide down the steps, and if Fang was the key to getting me there, then I was going to suck it up and deal with it.

The question is, how do I get him to carry me without sounding like a complete tool.

"Maybe-" I started.

"I should probably carry you separately right? It makes more sense and it's less work for me since carrying you just by the handlebars is going be to impossible without better leverage. Besides, this way I won't get scratched by the wheelchair rods and metal thingies. That makes sense right? Of course, the wheelchair will be dragging behind, but who cares, I'm not the one sitting."

He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself rather than me, but I was more focused on something else.

"Fang, did you just say 'thingies'?" I looked at him in shock. "Who are you and what have you done with the Fang that is too cool for words like thingies, and touching me for that matter?"

Whoops, probably should not have said the last thing in case he changes his mine, but... whoops.

"Oh, shut up. Thingies is a perfectly acceptable word. Everybody uses it."

Ignoring the second part of my statement - thank heavens - Fang scooped me out of the wheelchair, one arm supporting my back and one arm under my legs bridal style.

"Hey, is that Fang?"

"Is that Max?"

"Is he carrying her?"

"I thought they hated each other?"

"What happened between them?"

Ah crap. I forgot school had more than just 5 people, but frankly, right now, I really couldn't give a flying shit.

My body was on fire, and my legs felt warmer under my knees where his hands were. I could feel his heat through my jeans as it seeped into my body. I moaned with relief that I was finally able to feel something, anything other than that same numbness which lingered day in and day out.

Fang, mistaking my moan for a groan, snapped at me. "Shut up. You think you're embarrassed. I'm the one that has to fucking touch you. I will never be able to live this down." He said it quietly, whisper yelling it into my ear, and that didn't help me one bit. I moaned again when the tingles swept through my feet.

I was going to kill myself.

How was this possible? I'd already accepted that Fang was the only one with this effect on my legs, but why and how? What was so special about him that no one else had? I asked myself for probably the millionth time.

Maybe my body was protesting his presence, but there was no way I hated him that much I would have a physical reaction to his skin. Was that even possible? And even if it was, why would my reaction be so... hopeful.

The wheelchair cluttered behind us noisily as everyone around stopped to stare at the scene we were making.

That's right. Get your stares in now because there was no way in hell I was letting this happen again.

When we reached the top, Angel's red face stared Fang down but it was admittedly calmer than before. She looked at me gently before shooting a deadly glare at Fang.

"If you think of hurting Max in any way, shape, or form, not only will she kick your ass in a wheelchair, but you will have all three of us to contend with. Gazzy too. And don't for a second think you'll get away without scars. I'm sure Iggy threatened your balls, but I'm threatening your entire manhood. I will have you on your knees begging me for forgiveness and pleading to let me go until you are merely a shadow of the arrogant prick you are today. Do you understand?" She punctuated slowly and carefully. Iggy and Nudge came up behind her and flanked her sides supporting her words.

Despite her size, most people were correct in assuming she would follow through on her promise of bodily and mental harm and backed off carefully. If they didn't back off, they at least had the decency to look terrified.

Fang did neither. Instead he looked at Angel steadily and responded with a calm, "Okay."

Angel was shocked at his unwavering gaze and heady response, but made no moves to rile him up further. Instead she glanced slowly between him and me, her eyes landing on his hands on my body. She seemed as uncomfortable with the position as I was and clearly noticed my lack of a struggle. For a freshman, she was pretty perceptive.

Fang was no less perceptive for his part. He seemed to notice Angel's uncomfortable gaze. And probably for the 8937410th time that day, he shocked me. Without a word, he brought the wheelchair up from his crooked positioning on the steps and put me back down gently.

I sat in shock as grabbed the handles and pushed me through the heavy double doors leading into school. I turned back to look at Iggy, Nudge, and Angel. They were looking at each other with confused expressions before running after Fang and I.

This was way too fast.

First, there was the breakfast incident where his contempt and dislike was clearly displayed, and now here he is agreeing to essentially being castrated by Angel without any retorts and carrying me up the school steps. And all this within the span of an hour. There was no way Fang was going to be this polite after years of hatred towards me and my friends. We spent the four years of high competing physically and verbally trading barbed comments and blows.

There was definitely something else going on here. The exaggerated intimacy Fang was displaying and the false sense of security he was clearly trying to lull us into was not normal, and it didn't help that I was super affected with shocks and tingles every time he touched me that I wasn't able to think clearly!

There was something going on.

A wonderful caricature of intimacy and I was going to get to the bottom of it.

Author's Note:

I FINISHED COLLEGE APPS AND FIRST SEMESTER SENIOR YEAR AND NOW I'M FREE! And extremely sorry for the late update, but I promised I would work on it, and I did. It only took a lot longer than expected.

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Nehaloonie