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“VKs got it.”
A slow, wicked smirk tugging at the corner of Max’s lips. A dark surge of satisfaction settled in his chest; he knew, without a single shadow of a doubt, that his best friend Hazel was going to obliterate that insufferable, pretty-boy prince Luis.
Before Max and his crew could enjoy the moment they were interrupted by a voice so high, so sharp that made his jaw clench instantly.
Pink stepped forward, her features twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated disgust as she glared at Max.
“Are you kidding me? You’re siding with them?”. She didn't just look at him; she looked through him, the way almost every Hero Kid did when they thought the teachers weren't watching. She gestured sharply toward him, her finger hovering like an accusation.
“With him?! He could be in on with his dad for we all know! Once a villain, always a villain. It’s in his blood. ”
The words shouldn't have stung. Max had heard variations of them ever since the Queen of Hearts let him and his father back to Wonderland.
Watch your pockets around the Hatter's boy. Don't look him in the eye. He's mad, just like the old man.
Yet, hearing it out loud in front of the whole group felt like a knife to his heart.
Red stepped in front of Pink, her posture defensive.
“Pink, drop it. He’s helping us. We don't have time for this.”
“Look, I may be the little sister here,” Pink snapped, her jaw tightening as she leveled a look at Red.
“But at least I’m brave enough to say what everyone’s thinking."
Before she could even open her mouth to reply, Pink lunged forward, deliberately clipping Red's shoulder with her own as she brushed past her and stormed off.
“Pink–wait, I just–” Red tried to call out, but the words completely died in her throat, leaving her suspended in a heavy silence. Before she could spiral, Chloe stepped in, gently placing a grounding hand on her shoulder. “Give her some space, Red. She’s still just a kid. She doesn't understand the pressure we're under.”
Must be nice, Max thought bitterly. To be allowed to be 'just a kid' when you mess up.
Taking advantage of the sudden quiet, Max didn't waste a single second. “I’m sorry, but I think that’s my cue to leave,” he murmured. Not bothering to wait for whatever remarks they were bound to hurl at him, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the dense, tangled depths of the Lumoria Tree.
And then came the whispers.
At first, Max tried to convince himself it was just the wind rustling through the hollowed-out bark of the ancient trees. But the forest had a way of amplifying a person's worst thoughts. The rustling shifted, molding into distinct, quiet voices that bounced around the inside of his skull.
“He’s just like his father...”
“A chip off the old block.”
“He’s the next villain of Auradon. Just wait. He’ll crack.”
Max rolled his eyes, his hands shoving deep into his pockets as he forced himself not to break his stride. He refused to let the forest see him run. “Go away, Chessy,” he called out into the empty air, his voice echoing slightly. “I know it’s you.”
With a low, mischievous chuckle that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, the shadows began to warp. A wide, crescent-moon grin filled with sharp, pearlescent teeth materialized first, floating lazily in the air. A moment later, the rest of Chessy, the daughter of the Cheshire Cat, materialized. She was draped horizontally across a massive, glowing purple mushroom, her striped tail flicking with lazy amusement.
“You are absolutely no fun, Maxie,” she pouted, resting her chin in her hands as she drifted slightly off the fungus. “I put real effort into the echo effect this time. Very dramatic. Very theatrical. Your father would have appreciated the commitment to the bit.”
“I’m not in the mood for your dumb remarks, Chessy,” Max growled. The mention of his father felt like a hot iron pressing into an open wound. He grabbed for his hat, his forearm forcefully clipping the cat. She burst into a cloud of purple smoke, completely vanishing but you couldn't get rid of a Cheshire so easily. A heartbeat later, she appears right back beside him.
“Oh, come on, Hatter. Don't be like that,” Chessy teased, her eyes glinting with mischief. “I’m just reminding you of your roots.
You’re letting these sparkly prince-and-princess types get under your skin. You used to have teeth.”
Max stopped dead in his tracks, his chest was heaving, his breathing ragged. He felt a horrible, prickly heat rising behind his eyes–a sudden, violent betrayal of his own body.
Tears.
Actual, genuine tears were threatening to spill over his lashes.
He furiously swiped at his eyes with the rough back of his sleeve, his motions angry and uncoordinated. He was humiliated. He was a VK, for malicious sake. He was supposed to be cold, calculating, armor-plated, and completely unbothered by the dramatic whims of pampered Hero Kids.
Yet here he was, breaking down in the middle of a neon jungle, suffocating under a weight he couldn't even name.
Chessy stopped, her floating form freezing as the teasing smirk finally vanished from her face. For the first time since they’d met, the Cheshire’s daughter actually looked unnerved.
"Whoa, Maxie," Chessy murmured, her voice dropping its usual sing-song cadence as she drifted a little closer, hovering just an inch off the ground. "That’s... not a very villainous look on you."
"Shut up," he choked out, the words tasting like acid. He turned his back on her, staring blindly into the glowing, twisted roots of the Lumoria Tree. He hated the forest. He hated Pink. He hated the whispers that seemed to echo louder now, bouncing around inside his own skull. His father had taken the Queen. His father was mad. What if the madness wasn't a choice? What if it was waiting for him, too?
He’s just like his father…
“Max, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, I was just teasing–” But before she could finish trying to piece together the cracked pieces of the younger boy's composure, the heavy, rhythmic thud of approaching footsteps cut through the dense forest brush.
Chessy glanced toward the sound, her eyes widening slightly. With a quick, sympathetic look at Max, she dissolved into a silent puff of smoke, leaving him to face whoever it was alone.
Max couldn't even bring himself to lift his head. He kept his eyes locked on the hat resting in his lap, not giving a single damn about who was walking up to him.
“Hey, is this seat taken?”
Max froze. God damn it. He knew that voice-that effortlessly charming tone. It was the exact voice he always found himself looking forward to, no matter how hard he tried to deny it to himself, no matter how many times he told himself that a VK and a HK had no business occupying the same thought process.
Max finally looked up, his gaze landing on Luis Madrigal.
The curly brunette was hovering right there, looking down at him with a picture-perfect smile that made Max's ears pink.
He felt a sudden, fierce spike of heat hit the tips of his ears, turning them a violent pink. He quickly looked away, staring back down at his hat, his fingers digging into the fabric. "What do you want, Madrigal? Come to tell me I'm a security risk too?"
Luis didn’t wait for an invitation. With the easy, unbothered grace that Max secretly found entirely breathtaking, he dropped down onto the mossy root right next to him.
Max’s heart did a sudden, violent flip as Luis leaned in close, his picture-perfect smile softening into something genuine, his dark eyes scanning Max’s face with a concern that made Max desperately want to look away before his expression gave him away.
“So,” Luis said softly, breaking the silence as he gently nudged Max's shoulder with his own. “Do you want to talk about it? Or should I just do my best to distract you with terrible royal gossip?”
Max let out a short, breathy laugh that sounded more like a sigh. He shrugged carelessly, though his entire body was rigid. “Pink doesn't trust me,” he murmured, keeping his eyes glued to his lap. “It's kind of a common theme in my life. VK arrives, HK expects a knife in the back. And honestly? My father captured her mom, so... I guess it's even. I can't really blame her for seeing the monster in the mirror.”
Luis didn’t say anything right away. Instead, he leaned back slightly, his dark eyes never leaving Max’s face. The quiet between them wasn't the heavy, suffocating kind Max had felt earlier; it felt surprisingly safe, shielded by the thick head of the mushroom.
"Yeah, well," Luis said, his voice dropping an octave. "Pink is missing out. And she doesn't speak for everyone." He slid a little closer, closing the small distance between them until Max could feel the heat radiating from him.
"I get it, Hatter. Trust me, I–um, when your entire family history is filled with legends and expectations, it’s pretty much a blessing and a curse all wrapped up together. Everyone looks at you and sees the crown, or the tower, or the madness. They never just see you."
Max’s heart hammered against his ribs. He kept his eyes glued to the brim of the hat in his hands, terrified that if he looked up, Luis would see the exact shade of crimson his ears had turned.
“Well, for my entire life, everyone has told me the complete opposite, so–”
Before Max could finish the bitter thought, Luis placed a hand gently over his, offering a quiet, grounding comfort to the shorter boy.
“You do that a lot, you know,” Luis said softly, squeezing his hand. “You never give yourself enough credit.”
Max looked down, his eyes locking onto where Luis’s hand rested protectively over his. In an instant, the constant, judgmental murmurs of the Auradon kids faded to absolute silence, leaving nothing but the heavy pounding of his heart.
“Credit for what?” Max muttered, his throat tight. He instinctively tried to slip his hand back, but Luis caught him, his grip firming just enough to calm him down. He wasn't forcing him, he was just silently asking him not to pull away.
"For being good," Luis said, his tone completely earnest.
"For taking the brunt of everyone's expectations, carrying all that garbage from the Isle, and still choosing to be a decent person.
You put so much energy into pretending you’re the villain, Max. You wear the smirk, you make the jokes... but your defenses are falling. And I like what’s behind them ."
Max finally risked looking up, his gaze cutting through the shadow of his hat brim to meet Luis’s. The hero kid was staring back at him with a raw intensity that made Max’s stomach do a violent, dizzying flip.
"Max, you are nothing like your dad," Luis said, his voice steady and fiercely certain. "You're your own person."
He didn't move his hand. Instead, he leaned in just a fraction closer, his gaze dropping briefly to Max’s mouth before snapping back to his eyes.
The air between them turned electric, stealing the air right out of Max’s lungs. Sitting flush against Luis, he was acutely aware of how perfectly they fit together. Max’s pulse raced at a dizzying speed, a dangerous, beautiful heat blooming in his chest that he could no longer deny as hatred. He loved this. He loved him.
He watched, entirely transfixed, as Luis’s gaze tracked down to his mouth before snapping back up to lock onto his eyes with raw, undeniable longing. The sheer weight of that look made Max’s defenses completely melt away. Surrendering to the feeling, Max squeezed Luis’s hand, anchoring himself to the only person who made him feel safe.
Cutting through the stillness between them, Luis said softly,
“Max, have you always had those little golden flecks in your eyes?”
"Luis..." He whispered, his eyes wide and completely exposed under the shadow of his hat.
Luis tilted his head just to be a bit closer, letting the tips of their noses almost brush. He didn't force the kiss, choosing instead to give Max the space to decide, his dark eyes brimming with a soft, protective affection that made Max want to cry.
"I mean it, Max," Luis promised softly, his breath fanning across Max's flushed cheeks. "I'm right here. I'm yours, if you'll have me."
But before Max could close the final gap, a sharp, sudden rustle broke the quiet of the canopy above.
High up in the neon leaves, a checkered tail flicked violently through the foliage. A low, frantic whisper hissed down from the branches, shattering the romantic haze like ice water.
“No, no, no, do not let him in. No, he will ruin you! Don't let your feelings get you, Hatter.”
Max stiffened, his eyes widening as Chessy’s warning echoed in his ears. Every old instinct, every lesson of survival from the Isle screamed at him that she was right. Hero kids do not belong with VKs. They use them, then they throw them back on the Isle.
A thick knot of emotion tightened in Max's throat, leaving him completely breathless as he stared into Luis's eyes. For a VK who prided himself on always having a sharp, cutting comeback ready, he was entirely unraveled by the sheer honesty in Luis's promise.
He looked at Luis’s steady hand, felt the warmth of his chest, and made a choice. He was tired of being afraid. He was going to ignore the voice in the trees.
Unable to bear the beautiful, adoring weight of Madrigal’s gaze for another second without completely coming apart, Max let his eyes flutter shut. He didn't retreat. Instead, he leaned forward closing the agonizing space until his lips pressed softly against Luis’s.
The kiss was hesitant at first-a quiet, trembling question from a boy who had spent his whole life believing he didn't deserve anything good, waiting for the rejection to hit. But the moment their lips fully met, the tension holding Max together simply melted away.
Luis let out a soft, breathy sigh against Max's mouth, a sound of pure relief. He leaned heavily into the contact, his free hand leaving the mossy root to slide up, gently cupping Max’s jaw. His thumb traced the burning, sensitive skin of Max's cheekbone, holding him as if he were something fragile.
Max exhaled a shaky breath into the kiss, his fingers tightening desperately around Luis's hand, completely anchored by a sweet, consuming warmth that made the cold whispers of the forest vanish into nothingness.
When they finally pulled apart, the silence of the grove returned, but it was altered now, thick with a quiet comfort. Max tried to catch his breath, his heart still thumping wildly against his ribs.
“Well, well,” Max smirked, though his voice was entirely lacking its usual bite. He shifted his hand, his fingers tightening to playfully squeeze Luis’s bicep. “Didn't realize you were such a good kisser, Madrigal. Auradon Prep must teach some useful skills after all.”
“Shut up,” Luis murmured, rolling his eyes with a brilliant, breathless grin.
Before Max could protest, Luis reached down, snatched the hat from Max’s lap, and playfully popped it back onto his head. He reached out and tilted the brim forward just enough to block Max's view, hiding the deep crimson blush that was still spreading across the VK's cheeks. “Can't have you going around without this. What’s a hatter without his hat?”
“Okay, handsome,” Max purred, his confidence rushing back in a flirty wave.
Reaching out, he grabbed the silk edge of Luis’s royal blue ascot, using the fabric to tug the hero kid right back down into another breathless, lingering kiss. Max poured everything into it–the fear, the relief, the months of pretending he didn't care.
Luis melted into it for a beautiful, long second before reluctantly breaking away, a breathless, frustrated laugh escaping him as he kept his hands resting on Max's waist. “As much as I want to keep doing this... we really need to get back to the others before they think we both got eaten.”
Max blinked, the sudden, jarring reminder of the real world, his father hitting him like a physical weight. The bubble had popped. “Oh. Yeah. Right. Reality calls.”
“Hey,” Luis said softly, his expression turning incredibly tender. He stood up, shaking the moss from his pants, and offered a hand down to Max.
He flashed a wicked, teasing wink. “Once we stop your father and fix this mess, you and I can have all the fun we want. I promise.”
Smiling, Max reached up and took his hand. Luis gripped him firmly, hauling Max to his feet with ease. Instead of letting go once Max was balanced, Luis shifted his grip, locking their fingers firmly together.
Max looked down at their intertwined hands, then up at the path leading back to the camp. The whispers of the forest were still there, faint and distant, but they didn't sound so loud anymore.
Maybe this won't be so bad after all.