Chapter One: What the heck?

It's way too early for life to be this painful. I'm pretty sure there's a law someplace, somewhere the explicitly restricts the amount of pain a person under the legal age of adulthood can receive before six A.M.

Well maybe not, but there should.

Well I suppose besides being attacked in the middle of the night by giant flying robots of death, flying in the freezing cold until our muscles almost literally froze solid, and then listening for the last hour to Gasman drone on about some electronic trinket that we will inevitably blow up that for some reason I just can't muster the energy to care about, it wasn't that bad.

Still if Fang doesn't shut up about "battle plans" soon, I'm going to kill him. It's actually a serious possibility. I'm fairly smart, I'm sure I can come up with something convincing-looking.

"Iggy have you heard a single word I've said?" Fang asked.

Torture. Drowning. Maybe poison or something equally untraceable.

"Um… yes?" I answer, trying to make it sound fairly convincing.

I can practically feel Fang roll his eyes.

Suddenly likely the torture plan the best.

"Anyway, now that somebody is paying attention," Max swoops down from her post about ten feet up in the sky. What is this, pick on the blind pyro genius day? "I have something to add." Max finishes. Fang inhales as she moves, so I know she's pulled up next to him. A small sigh escapes his lips as her smell, peaches and cinnamon, hits him. The sigh, untraceable to even most avian ears, gives away his longing, the depth of feeling he has for her.

I feel like vomiting.

Fang really isn't one to talk about irritating things, with him all lovey-dovey over our fearless leader.

What sort of irritating things has he been talking about you ask?

Well, they largely revolve around (completely unfounded) claims that I cannot stay alone around Nudge for more the five seconds without (a) stuttering hopelessly like a retarded five year old (b) developing an acute relationship with the floor (c) turning tail and running like a useless coward.

He's totally grabbing at straws though. Because I am not a coward. I do not trip or stutter. I am cool, calm and collected at all times. Most importantly, I do NOT like Nudge.

Do not. Do not. Do not. Do N-O-T NOT!!!

Do so.

I ever avoid her or am upset by her presence in any situation in any way.

Whatever you say Mr. Denial.

Fang doesn't know what he's talking about.

Sure he doesn't.

Besides she's… Nudge! Of course I don't like her.

She's loving, witty, and understands and accepts us for what we are without a second thought. I don't think she even registers consciously that we're blind. If you aren't madly in love with her yet you're insane.

I'm sorry; I don't remember asking for your opinion? When did that occur?

What, no response? Good. Shut up.

Besides, I'm dating Ella. E-L-L-A. Ella Martinez. The gorgeous and lushly beautiful Martinez.

You can't see. How do you know she's even fairly pretty?

Um… I just do okay!

Oh okay, it's not like you've imagined a pretend girlfriend in the image of Ella so you can get your mind away from one-true-love-Nudge or anything.

She's not my true love! I don't love her! In fact, I barely even like her!

Sure.

I don't!

She's not even that fun to talk to.

She's hilarious, perfect.

She's just another girl, like Max or Angel. My sister.

Sister. Sister. Sister.

Whatever, oh look! Speaking of sisters…

Angel and Nudge join our little pow-wow, having raced each other to a tree and back or something. I'd been arguing with Fang when they left and hadn't really noticed why.

Max is droning on still about something or other that I don't care about.

She's still droning when Nudge swoops down underneath Fang and Max to fly next to me, disturbing air about her.

She's still droning when Nudge flaps her wings hard to pull up a bit, higher than me but lower then Gasman.

She's even still droning when the metallic-smelling object in her hand breaks with an audible snap.

In fact the sound is so audible, so obvious I almost miss the whispers. The three words that chill me to the bone, even though they were whispered so low even she probably hasn't realized they came out. So low no one but me with my super-super-hearing catch.

"Crap, stupid Iggy."

Suddenly, Max's droning becomes much less annoying. In fact, I'm not sure Max and the others actually exist or were just figments of my mind for the last dozen year. I'm not sure, and I don't care.

She makes some witty joke about not knowing her own strength and shoves the metal shards in her pocket. I'm zeroed in on her voice, because just then she was thinking about me. Which means she cares right? She's noticing me, although apparently I've done something to tick her off. What could it be? I have to fix what's bothering her right now.

Yeah that's not a sign of LOVE or anything. You're obviously just brotherly concerned.

Ignoring that.

A sharp hiss echoes through the air and I realize it's Nudge.

I'm half-way to her before I realize she just spilled hot chocolate on herself. Angel brought a thermos of it up with us. Nudge is fine. Though still annoyed with me. Why? What did I do?

So wrapped up in my own little world I barely notice when we land.

Notice when Fang grabs my arm and yanks me back away from the others. Notice when he begins to tease me in a low whisper about "rushing to Nudge's aid".

I snark, I retort, I generally banter back. Though I'm obviously unnerved. That has nothing to do with nudge though. Nothing at-

"Oh yeah? Prove it."

I freeze. "What are we, eight? Since when did I need to disprove your ridiculous theory in order to get some peace and quiet?"

Ridiculous my-

"Fine. Keep living in your denial-land. At least I had the guts to do something about my situation; I went after what I wanted. I was a man. But I suppose a coward like you couldn't understand that. After all you can't even talk to Nudge."

WHAT?!

"Fine." I say.

Fang's step picks up; I can feel his face lifting hopefully with his posture. "Fine, what?"

"Fine, I'll talk to her, But only to get you off my back. Not because I have any feelings toward her whatsoever."

Fan doesn't say anything, but I can picture the smirk just fine as I stalk off into the woods in the direction I heard Nudge heading five minutes ago.

AN: Just to let you all know, this is a companion piece to my other Niggy fic, The Meaning of Denial. They can be read in either order, but like Meaning more than Definition so far.

I know Fang's a little OCC, but I'm thinking that around Max he's strong and silent and that's all we see, but what if he had a normal guy side that liked to abuse his same-age guy friend. I think this is totally a possible development in his character since we only ever see him from Max's pov and he's in love with her, so he's going to be strong for her and put on an impressive face and stuff. That, plus I needed a "mettling old granny" character for this fic. Angel got the job in Meaning, so now it's Fang's turn.

Anyway, I'm not sure I like this fic at all. Iggy's not really my thing, I don't write from his pov… well ever. Except the occasional drabble. If he's really OCC please tell me. I'm trying to keep in character while still fleshing him out into something I can deal with. I don't want a puffy, romantic Iggy nor a woe-is-me-I-am-blind Iggy. Iggy's a little whiney, a little silly, a lot annoying at times and a lot sarcastic and a bit sexist even. I imagine him egotistical and immature and rather self-absorbed.

Anyway, I don't usually ask for reviews. In fact I don't think I ever have and this is my 20th fic! (Random happy dance; I've posted twenty fics! YAY! I have no life!). But I'm really nervous about whether or not Iggy appears OCC. If you've read Meaning, I REALLY want to know if you think he's funny at all or whether I'm fighting a losing battle trying to be amusing through extensive sarcasm.

Byez for now!-S.S.