Beach Trip: A Fax One-Shot

"Guys, let's go somewhere," I suggested to my flock. We were lounging around in our house in the Colorado mountains, becoming increasingly bored with each second. I was about to punch a hole through the wall just for something to do.

"Oh God, yes," Nudge said. "I was about to say something. I mean, we've been sitting here for hours with nothing to do, and I am so bored."

"Where should we go?" Angel asked.

"I was thinking the beach," I replied, and my flock cheered happily. Even Fang cracked a smile. I stood up from the couch and nodded. "Well that settles it. Go get your swimsuits guys, and let's go!"

Five minutes later, we were flying towards Malibu. I never got over the feeling of how absolutely amazing it was to fly. All you non-mutants sure are missing out. Those of you who've had dreams about flying? Let me tell you, it's so much better than you probably pictured it.

I closed my eyes and lifted my face to the sun, smiling as the wind whipped my hair behind me and ruffled my feathers. I could smell the salty sea air already. We were less than five minutes away.

"Touch down over there, guys!" I ordered, pointing to a large, empty stretch of beach. It seemed mostly empty today. There were only like, six people on the entire beach, and they looked like they were packing up to leave, anyway.

We landed on the sand without being noticed, thankfully. As soon as we landed, Nudge stripped off her t-shirt and shorts, revealing her bathing suit underneath. She ran to the water and jumped right in. I smiled and stretched out on the sand, kicking off my flip-flops. I wore my only bathing suit underneath a white tank top and a pair of cutoff jean shorts. Nudge had picked out the bathing suit for me, against my wishes. It was a white string bikini with large stripes of neon green. I took off my tank top so that I was just in my bikini top and shorts.

Fang sat down next to me, wearing black swim trunks and a black t-shirt.

"How's it hangin'?" I asked, trying to make casual conversation. One side of his mouth quirked up in a half-smile.

"Pretty loose," he said, and I grinned. "It was a good idea, coming to the beach. The kids are happy."

"So am I," I replied. "I just needed to get out of that house."

I laid on my stomach in the sand, letting my wings out so that the sun beat down on them. It felt so incredibly good to relax like this.

Fang assumed the same position, letting out his wings so that his black one overlapped with my brown-and-white one.

"What's on your mind?" he asked. "You seem distracted."

I turned my face so that my cheek was resting on my arms and that I was facing him.

"Lots of stuff," I admitted. "The flock. Jeb. My mom and Ella. Our next mission. When we're going to be attacked next, and where, and by who."

I was careful not to mention that he was also on my mind, too. I'd been thinking about Fang a lot these past few days. Things between us were so confusing, and I didn't know what to do. I also wasn't completely sure how I felt about him, and it was driving me insane.

But of course, I would never tell him that.

"We'll be fine," Fang said. "We always are."

"It never lasts," I reminded him. "We're never safe for too long. People just can't seem to leave us alone."

"I keep telling you we should just run away from it all."

I sighed.

"I know you do, and I think we should too, but I just. . .can't."

"Why not?" he asked. "Let's go somewhere where no one will ever be able to find us. A secluded island that doesn't even show up on the maps."

"That would be nice," I said. "If only we could, Fang."

He looked like he was about to say something, but we were interrupted by Angel.

"Max! Look at this!" she shouted, running up to us with a shell in her hands. "It's so pretty!"

She showed it to me, and I took it carefully, examining the beautiful shell. It was white, streaked with red, and it was perfectly cut, almost as if it had been manufactured. It was so smooth.

"It's beautiful, sweetie," I said. "Really neat."

"You can have it," Angel said. "I saw it and I thought of you because it's so pretty, just like you are."

I smiled and blushed.

"Thank you, Angel. It's perfect. I love it."

She smiled happily and ran off to play in the water again. I watched her submerge, her blond curls disappearing beneath the waves, and I didn't worry when she would come back up again. I knew she would be okay, with her ability to breathe underwater.

I placed the shell beside me and turned to look at Fang again. He was staring at me with deep intensity, and I got a tingly feeling from the top of my scalp to the tip of my toes. Butterflies formed in my stomach, making me feel nervous.

How come it was only Fang who could make me feel that way?

"What?" I asked, a little uncomfortably.

He shook his head and smiled, looking away from me at the horizon line.

"What?" I demanded, getting a little annoyed. I hated it when he did that.

"You don't believe it," he said.

"Believe what?"

"That you're pretty. You don't think it's true."

Embarrassed, I turned my gaze away from him.

"So what if I don't?"

"You should," he whispered, sounding closer to me than I'd expected. I turned my face and almost jumped back. He was right next to me, his face inches from mine.

"And why should I?" I asked, my voice weak from the close distance between me and Fang. His dark obsidian eyes were sparkling.

"Because you are pretty, Max. You're beautiful. You just don't realize it because no one's ever told you, and no one's ever done anything to convince you."

"Oh," was all I was able to say. He was leaning closer to me, and I was getting more nervous with each second. "Um, what are you doing?"

"Convincing you," he whispered, and then our lips met. His were so soft, and they tasted like cinnamon. Even though my head was screaming at me to freak out and run away, my heart was telling me to stay where I was and enjoy it.

So I did. I leaned in and angled my head this way and that, deepening the kiss. His arms ran up and down my back, scratching between my wings, and I shivered pleasantly. Oh God, it felt so good to kiss him. I never wanted to stop.

When he pulled away, his eyes were sparkling.

"Are you convinced yet?" he asked. I smiled.

"Not quite yet," I replied. He bent down and placed his lips against my neck. I reached up to twine my fingers in his hair, holding him against me.

"How about now?" he murmured, still softly kissing my neck. He was sending shivers up and down my spine. God, it felt so good.

"Nope," I whispered, and he moved to kiss the underside of my jaw. My breathing was ragged and heavy, and so was his.

"Now?"

"Almost," I said.

He leaned in close to whisper in my ear, running his hands down my bare stomach. I clutched his t-shirt tightly, biting my lip to hold back a moan.

"What about now?" he whispered, his lips on my ear, and I shivered again. He kept running his hands over my stomach, and the butterflies went crazy.

"You're nearly there," I whispered back. He trailed his lips across my cheek until he touched them, ever so softly, to my own. It was quick, soft, and passionate, and I hungered for more.

He held my face in his hands, and I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him closer to me.

"I think I'm convinced now," I said, and he smiled. It made me practically melt at his feet.

"Good," he said, and he kissed me again. This kiss was like the first, only better. His tongue flitted across mine, and he gently bit my lower lip.

Suddenly, Iggy yelled at us, and we broke apart, blushing and breathing heavily.

"Hey! What are you guys doing over there? Come swim with us!"

Fang smiled and stood up. He reached out a hand, and I took it with a smile on my face. Together, we raced to the water's edge and jumped in, not even bothering to take a breath. With our gills, we could easily breathe underwater, like Angel.

I'm not sure if an underwater kiss is even possible, but somehow, we managed it. And it was the most amazing feeling in the entire world, even better than flying, to have Fang's lips against mine.