Chapter Text
Max drummed his hands on the top of his hat impatiently as he waits for the ruling that would determine what his life would be.
To see his father as the troubled man he truly was and see that he gets the help he deserved or not. He really didn’t want to think about the ‘not’.
“Max Hatter,” a soft but authoritative voice spoke out, shocking Max out of his brooding thoughts, “we’re ready for you.”
He looked up to meet the kind, wary eyes of the fairy godmother and felt every bone in his body tense. Although she didn’t look quite like it, the fairy godmother was a terrifying woman especially if you happened to get on her bad side(which more often than not he would find himself on). Ever since his father started on a new villain spree, all he had was acting out. No one would look at him with, although apprehensive, quiet admiration anymore. He was one of the smartest kids in his grade, but of course that had to be taken away from him too.
Max nodded at her and followed her into the throne room, avoiding eye contact with the woman who happened to be residing on that throne.
“Max, it’s wonderful to see you again,” the queen said softly before launching into the matter on hand,“I believe your father deep down is a good man. That is why he will be given a room in the castle and allowed to work for the throne, hopefully this time making inventions that will help rather than hinder Wonderland. He’ll be well cared for, given a good salary, and,” she paused hesitantly, “will be seen by the best psychiatrists and therapists we can find. I want to see my old friend back to normal. I hope you may understand that Max.”
Max for once in years felt like he could breathe again.
“Thank you, I-”
“I’m afraid there is another… condition that has to be adhered to,” the Queen turned to the Fairy Godmother and gestured to her, “Fay, would you like to take over?”
“Yes, I will,” Fay said chipperly, “when you go back to Aurodan you will be assigned a student guardian to make sure you stay on the right path! They’ll be with you for a majority of the way, and your current rooming assignment will automatically be corrected to reflect this on your return to Aurodan.”
Max recoiled, his mouth agape, “ you think I’m going to go crazy like he did.”
“No! Of course not,” the Queen blurted out. “Well, we’re just taking precautions,Max.”
“I can’t believe this. The one time I thought I proved myself,that I showed I wasn’t him. I’m not like him,” he shouts, “I don’t have to be tiptoed around and watched over just because my father went insane. I’m not him!”
“Max, it isn’t like we don’t believe you,” Fay piped in, “it’s not like your father thought he would end up like that at your age. It just snuck up on everyone. We just need to take extra precautions with you.”
“I can’t believe this,” he whispered.
He looked down at the ground considering his next words carefully, “what if I say no?”
A deep frown formed on the headmistress's face, and Max could feel his stomach sink even deeper.
“Then we will have to rescind your invitation to Auradan Prep.” she said.
Max whipped his head over to the throne and the monarch who sat so proudly on it, “and you agree with this?”
The queen's brow furrowed, the pain on her face much more complicated than this simple moment. It spanned decades upon decades, and was full of deep and conflicting sorrow.
“Max,” she said, getting out of the throne and walking over to him. She put her hands on his shoulder, and he couldn’t help but sink into her warm touch.
“I regret so deeply what happened to your father. I should have seen the signs, and I regret it still to this very day. I shouldn’t have sent you two to the Isle. I should have gotten him help then and there, and I am so sorry you had to go through it. I know you can never forgive me for what happened, but I hope you will just try this out. Not for me but for him.”
Max bit his lip, looking into her eyes, and then looking back at the fairy godmother before coming to a consensus.
“You promise he’ll be okay?”
“Cross my heart, my dear.”
✧˖°── .✦────☼༺⏲༻☾────✦.── °˖✧
After a long and silent drive back to Wonderland with the princesses(he had zero idea how he was so unlucky), they were finally back to Auradon Prep.
Even though they hadn’t been gone for very long, it felt like it had been a decade since they stepped foot on the castle grounds. One thing hadn’t changed though.
“Dude, isn’t that him?”
“Yeah man, his dad kidnapped the Queen of Hearts, went insane and is in jail now.”
“About time. In my opinion some of those villains should still be locked up on the Isle.”
He was about to say something before he felt a hand firmly grasp his arm.
“Don’t listen to them,” Red whispered, “You’re better than them.”
Max wretched his arm away and scoffed, “I know that.”
“Max, do you need help finding your new dorm room!” Pink said, bouncing in front of him.
“Uh, no I don’t.”
“Do you need help moving your stuff out of your old one?”
“No, they’ve already moved everything out.”
“Well, do you want anything to eat I think I have something in my ba-”
“I’m good, Pink. I just want to be left alone right now please,” he said. He felt bad for cutting her off. She had done nothing wrong,but he still couldn’t help feeling resentment towards her. She, of course, had the childhood he was supposed to have. Anyone would have been jealous of that.
The walk to his new room after he had shaken Pink off of his trail was silent at the very least. They hadn’t told him who his new roommate(or guard dog, to be more precise) would be, but he was a bit excited. Maybe it would be someone he had never met before. Maybe someone who lived under a rock for their entire life and had no idea who he or his father was.
Max knocked at the door which quickly swung open.
“Hi! I’m Luis Madrigal,and-,” the tan, sadly familiar, boy shut up after seeing Max. He seemed dumbfounded.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Luis said.
“Let me guess, you didn’t know it would be me?” Max said, pushing past him into his room and placing his bag on his bed before flopping onto the mattress.
“Yeah,” Luis said walking to his bed on the other side of the room, “I was just told it was a new program they were starting for students in fragile mental states.”
Max cackled at that fact. They weren’t very sly, it had seemed about how they thought he would be crazy.
“I’m just like my dad right, Madrigal? I’m sure I need you to make sure I don’t go mad.”
Luis pursed his lips, Max couldn’t help himself from staring at them. Or the way his shirt showed off his muscles. Or the way his hair looked like it would change his life if he got to touch it. Or-
Max was so screwed.
“I’m sorry, Max.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
Max laughed.
“I mean it. You’re not like your father, Max.”
“Sucking up will not help, Madrigal. You’re going to have to do more than that to keep me from going insane,” he said before falling onto the bed.
Technically, though, he wasn’t in fact lying. There was something he could do to stop Max from going insane in this room with him. He could simply not exist. That was about all Max could think of that would help. Every second in this room was just a reminder of what couldn’t be. Luis wasn’t gay. Luis was dating Red. Luis could never feel the same way which made him torturous to even be around.
There wasn’t much he could do about that though.