Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Max woke up to the dark. He blinked a couple of times —his head’s pounding making it hard to tell whether it was actually dark or his vision just hadn’t kicked in yet— but nope he was just staring up at the dark. 

Breathe. He didn’t know he was in any danger yet, sure he was in a stale-smelling room with no idea how he got — the plane. That he remembered, now. He’d been traveling to Europe to buy some weapon parts, a two-day trip. He was supposed to be back in time for Mimsey’s first day at her new school, but the plane had gone down. No civilian casualties, since he was the one flying the plane and had crashed it purposely into a cornfield when the plane’s wings decided to just come off, but now he didn’t know where he was and he had to guess the people who had brought him here hadn’t brought them for tea and cookies. 

He didn’t seem to be bound, so he started to sit up only to hit his head. He stared back up into the darkness, his heart rate speeding up, as he reached out around him, finding walls everywhere: He wasn’t in a room. He was in what felt like a coffin. He needed to get out. 

First, he tried telekinesis but something was blocking the top of the coffin. He could try to melt it, but if there was dirt and not air, if he was buried… that might be worse than staying in here. On the other hand, if he stayed here, wherever here was, then he’d die here, instead. Suffocate, with the chances of anyone finding his body, let alone him in any recoverable state, low. 

If he died here, then Mimsey would be at his house with only an evil supervillain bunny for company. He’d spent his teenage years like that; it’d fucked him up. He couldn’t leave the kid to that, vulnerable to the Villain and Hero Leagues, so damn it: he’d have to at least try.

He took in as much breath as he could, knowing he’d expend at least some to melt the wood, or maybe it would catch on fire and consume the limited amount of oxygen. Either way, air was needed, and he doubted there was much oxygen left in the little box.

Max pushed himself into the corner of the coffin, so any fire or hot liquid would be as far away from his face as possible and aimed his heat breath at the top of the coffin. It didn’t take too long for the wood to catch on fire, so now Max was trapped in a burning coffin. Great.

Whatever oxygen had been left was gone quickly. Max could see the fire dying out as quickly as it started smothered by the lack of oxygen but there was at least a hole now. It wasn’t big enough that he could fit through, but the wood around it was weakened enough from the flames that Max figured his plan would still work. It had to. 

He lunged out with his telekinesis to block dirt from filling up the coffin as he maneuvered his head to look through the hole. All he could see was dirt but his lungs were burning and he didn’t have much of a choice, so he propped himself on one wrist and let the dirt fall. At the same time, he forced as much of his power as he could down, attempting to propel himself through the ground.

It felt like hitting a wall. Max broke through the burnt wood, and he was pretty sure a rock hit his shoulder on the way up, but when he regained his bearings he was out. He hadn’t even been buried that deep. Maybe it had been a time constraint. Maybe they didn’t expect him to ever wake up. But he was out, on a cliffside overlooking Metroburg, the city glowing despite the late hour. He was out and he was free and he was alive. 

And he could’ve died. Max sat on the ground, exhausted. He could’ve died. It was far from the first time that had happened but before the only person he was leaving behind was Colosso. Colosso could handle himself. Mimsey, though, as capable as she was, he couldn’t leave her alone. He couldn’t. The Villain League would come after her. He couldn’t leave her to deal with them on her own.

He brushed hands with death too often to assume he wouldn’t leave this world unexpectedly; he needed a backup plan. Whoever had taken him had taken his phone, so he started the long trek towards Metroburg. 

He arrived at Phoebe and Link’s apartment just as the first traces of light were appearing in the sky. It was a god-awful hour to show up at anyone’s door, but this was important, so he knocked. Then knocked again, a little harder, a little more desperate. Someone else needed to know about Mimsey. Someone needed to be there for her if he couldn’t -- someone who wasn’t a villain turned bunny.

The door was wrenched open by one of Link’s long arms, he was standing across the room having just stumbled out of bed. “Max?” He blinked taking in the dirt-covered man. “What the hell happened?”

“Plane crash,” Max said. “And I got buried, it’s a long story—”

“Max?” Phoebe rubbed her eyes. “What’re you doing here?”

“I want to introduce you to somebody."

“Now?”

“Yes.”

Max tried to start explaining in the car while also going as fast as he possibly could without getting pulled over in the superhero-infested city. “Do you remember when I killed Dark Mayhem?” 

Phoebe and Link exchanged glances. “Yes? That’s kind of hard to forget Max.”

“Well, he had a kid.” 

“Yeah, Miss Mayhem,” Link said. “She was in Hong Kong for a little bit.” 

“Yeah, her.”

“What about her?” Phoebe asked. 

Max paused. How did you tell someone you’d adopted the kid of the man you’d murdered? Or at least that you’d like to? Mimsey hadn’t seemed opposed to the idea when they were enrolling her in school. Max had always been impulsive, but this wasn’t that. This was seeing who he’d been and knowing what he’d needed. He’d needed someone, and so did she. “I… I have someone I need you to meet.” He pulled into his driveway.

Mimsey was pacing the living room when he opened the door. “He’ll be back so— Max!” 

“Hey, kid! What’re you doing up? You've got school in--” Max glanced at the calendar on the fridge. "I missed it. I'm sorry. Did you go? Did you like it? Was it good?"

Max didn't know what he expected. Maybe anger for missing such an important day. He didn't expect her to launch herself at him.  Max stumbled back a bit under the force of her hug. 

“I thought—”

“I’m okay,” he assured her. "See? All good."

She pulled back to look him up and down. “What the hell happened to you?” 

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“Max? You going to introduce us?” Phoebe raised an eyebrow.

“Right, Phoebe, Link, this is Mimsey Mayhem. Mimsey this is my sister Phoebe and her boyfriend Link.”

There was a tense moment of silence as the two heroes looked the girl up and down, recognizing the fact that Miss Mayhem was standing in front of them. Then Link stuck out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, formally.”

“You too.”

“Miss Mayhem’s kind of my… protege?” Max offered. “I guess I didn’t want to be the only one who knew she was here.”

“I know!” Dr. Colosso offered. 

“You’re a bunny. You don’t count,” Max said. 

"Hey! I got her to school today, thank you very much."

"I got myself to school." Mimsey swallowed hard. "I hoped you'd get back while I was gone." 

"I'm here now." Max knew the feeling of not being able to find someone. Needing to do something other than wait. "And you have to tell me all about it." 

"I will."

"Still waiting for that thanks," Colosso said.

"Yes, thank you for getting Mimsey to school." Max shared a look with Mimsey. She looked tired, but okay.

“Well, now there are more people who know about you."  Link met Max’s eyes and gave a nod. He knew what Max was really asking.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us she was here sooner,” Phoebe gave a tight smile. “We’ve left this poor girl with just you and Dr. Colosso for company.”

Mimsey barely laughed, but Max grinned. The kid had others now. She wasn’t ever going to be alone. 

Chapter Text

Max left Phoebe, Link, and Mimsey to their own devices once they begin to settle into friendly enough conversation. He was covered in grave dirt and wanted it off.

He came back down to find Link covering a half-asleep Mimsey with a blanket as Phoebe watched. 

“Colosso said she hadn’t slept,” Link said, pulling her blanket down to cover her feet.

“C’mon kid, sleep’s important,” Max chided softly, brushing her hair out of her face.

“Hypocrite.” The effect was hampered by her closed eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

“Do you guys want breakfast?” Link asked. “I can go get something. Or make something if Max keeps his kitchen stocked”

Max glanced at the clock, 7:09. “Didn’t realize it was that late, or early. And I keep my kitchen plenty well-stocked thank you. I wasn’t about to leave her here with an empty fridge.”

Link grinned. “Alright, I’ll whip something up then.”

This left Max, Phoebe, and a sleeping Mimsey. They sat in silence for a while. “What is it, Phoebe?” 

“I didn’t say anything.” 

“You’re thinking it.”

“Look, I’m not saying that if something were to happen to you, our door wouldn’t be open to the kid, okay? That’s not what I’m saying.”

Max waited for her to continue.

“But are you sure this is a good idea? You killed her father. It feels like she should harbor more resentment. This could be a trap.”

“I thought about that, Phoebe, but I don’t think it is.” He’d scoured the files he could get from the Villain League after she’d shown up. He couldn’t find any sign that they had sent her here on purpose. 

“You might be too close to this, Max. I mean a kid who doesn’t want to follow in their family’s footsteps? Sound familiar?”

“That’s why she came to me, Phoebe. I’m someone who could understand at least a bit of what she’s been through.”

“She’s also someone who could get past your defenses because she reminds you of you.”

“What do you want me to do, Phoebe?”

“I want you to be careful. You’ve got a target on you, Max, and you don’t know what people are willing to do to eliminate you.” 

“I’m not going to turn her away.”

“I’m not asking you to Max, alright, I’m asking you to be careful. Maybe not leave her alone with free rein of your house, and maybe lock your door.” 

“She’s not a threat, Phoebe. I know her.”

“No, you don’t, Max. You see you in her, and that’s a vulnerability.”

Max opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted by Mimsey thrashing in her sleep. “No, please.” 

“Hey, hey, hey.” Max rushed to her side. “Wake up, kid. It’s just a nightmare, c’mon.” She bolted upright at his touch, and he backed into Phoebe, who had stood up. “Hey, kid, it’s just me. You’re safe.  You’re at the house. You’re not there.” 

Miss Mayhem zeroed in on Max and reached towards him; he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her. “You’re okay, kid. You’re safe.”

“I thought I was back there.”

“I know. You’re not. I’m not going to let them get to you. You’re safe.”

She gasped at his shirt and felt his heartbeat. “I’m safe.”

“Yeah, kid, you’re safe.” Max met Phoebe’s eyes over Mimsey’s head. She nodded in surrender. Maybe she was still worried about Max’s safety, but after that, no one could doubt that Mimsey was endlessly better off with Max than she was with the Villain League, and as long as she wanted to stay with him, Max would die before anyone made her leave.