I'll Be Your Superhero

Be mine, my Valentine?

Chapter 14

After all the craziness of the past few months (Chloe being born, Christmas rolling around, me getting my cape, Ronan being back home) it was nice to know that Valentine's Day was coming up and I would get to spend all of it with Max.

At least I hope so. He's been...distant, lately, and I assume it's because he's been talking to Dark Mayhem. And as much as I want him to follow his dream, I want to be included in that aspect of his life- his hopes, his dreams.

Maybe I am, and maybe I'm overthinking this too much. I probably am, but what can I say? I'm worried that he's distancing himself from me so he won't "hurt" me when Dark Mayhem employs him.

I sighed and closed my school locker, only to face Max.

"Evil morning, Ms. Wonder. How are you?" Max smiled brightly, waiting for a reply.

"I'm doing quite wickedly today, Mr. Thunderman. How are you?" I grinned back at him.

"I'm doing quite wickedly myself, thank you. Would you mind if I walked you to class?" Max asked.

I smiled at his thoughtfulness. "I would love it if you would walk me to class.

He held out his arm to me and I took it as we walked the halls of school to get to class.

Yeah, that's basically how Max's and I's mornings have been since I've gotten my cape. Sometimes I think he's trying to pull out the evil in me, though he doesn't know my plan just yet. I've been waiting to surprise him on Valentine's Day as a gift to him.

We walked to math where we separated at our desks. I spent the day thinking about how I would tell him and when exactly I would. I decided that it would be during lunch and I'd do it through a card.

Instead of using the time in class to do my homework, I instead used it to create the card I was going to give to Max. I know what you're thinking: "What're you putting on the card?!"

Well, for now, that's a secret to anyone but me.

I completed the letter before decorating the card, all of which I finished just before the bell rings. Three more periods and then I can give it to him.

The minutes and classes ticked by very slowly, in an agonizing rate. By the time the lunch bell rang, I felt that I was never going to make it through the minutes leading up to the gift.

With the card shaped as a heart, Max would never expect what was going to be in the middle.

I knew I softened up on him over the course of the year, ever since I moved to Hiddenville. But, in my defense, I have good reasoning as to why.

Strutting up to our usual table, I walked over to Max from behind him and placed the card on the table before covering his eyes.

I smirked as I leaned into his ears, "Who's my wicked King?"

Max, I could tell, smirked and said, "I am, my dark Empress."

I chuckled against his ear and removed my hands from over his eyes, moving them down his shoulders and to his triceps. I held on to his arms and rested my chin on his shoulder. "Happy Valentine's Day, my love. Read the card."

Max seemed almost too giddy for it to be true. I smirked as I watched him read the card, waiting for a reaction. I pulled away from him enough to stand up straight as he read it, just before the card fell from his hands and he turned in his seat to gape at me.

"Are you serious?" he asked as I saw the card drift to the floor.

I smirked, "Completely, one hundred percent serious."

Max jumped up and wrapped me in a tight hug. "I knew you weren't gone for good," he whispered in my ear.

I smirked, "I'll never be gone for good. I'm still a devil child just like you. We're in this together, Max."

He squeezed me once again before pulling away enough to look at me. "Have I ever told you how much I love you? Because I seriously love you. A lot."

I chuckled and looked up at him through my eyelashes. "I love you a lot too, Max."

Max grinned from ear to ear and decided to hug me again. He wrapped me in his arms once more before letting go and reaching down to pick up the card. We sat and ate lunch together, holding hands.

-----

Sitting on Max's bed in his lair, Max and I held hands as he looked over the card I gave him yet again.

Turning the card in his hands, he spoke, "I'm still having trouble believing that you want to infiltrate the Superhero league from the inside and want me to take credit for your plan."

I smirked and squeezed his hand a little bit. "It's not that hard, Maxy. The Superhero League needs some new leaders, and better yet, needs some adjustments overall too. I think it's best if I remain as my superhero self and you remain as your ever-changing self while I work the system and get myself to a higher power of respect in the league. In theory, this could take months, years even. But if I work my hardest, it can be done in a few weeks. I want you to take credit for this for Dark Mayhem because once you get on his good side and into the Villain League's ranks, we can take over both leagues. With Dark Mayhem's help,  of course."

Max was nodding along the whole time as I explained. "Okay, so you really want to go through with this?"

I smirked, "Why do you think I've been so good lately, Max?"

He looked nervous, biting his lip like he does when he's not sure what to say. "I thought it was you being honest with yourself."

This took me back by surprise.

Sure, I know that I did a 180 after my cape ceremony. I know that I let his words get to my head, that I would always be his Dark Empress,  but what else could I do? Just ignore the stirring pit that those words created in my stomach?

No. I listened to those words and what I thought my heart was telling me.

I took deep and calming breaths as I looked inside myself. It wasn't my heart telling me to create this plan, it was my head. It was the part of me that wanted to still be the little girl in the black cape and dark mask, running around the classroom with the little boy in a similar outfit, a large W printed across my chest and a large T printed across his.

I took yet another deep breath and looked into Max's eyes, trying to find the piece of me that I lost. "Fix me, please," I spoke softly to him and gripped his hands tightly with mine.

Max quirked a smirk. "Gladly, my Dark Empress."

He released his own hands from my grasp and took my face, cupping my cheeks, before lowering his lips to mine and kissing me. I wrapped my arms around him, my hands resting on the back of his neck to pull him even closer to me as I kissed him back.

I'd have to say it was one of the best kisses we've ever shared.

When we each pulled away, he rubbed his thumb over my cheekbone. "Don't force yourself to be something you're not, just to please me or anyone else."

I smiled sadly and kept my eyes on him, "You got it, boss."

He smirked and kissed my forehead before wrapping me in another hug. "I love you, Mackenzie Wonder. I love all of you."

I smiled and hugged him back. "I love you as well, Maximus Thunderman. I love you as well."

And for the rest of the evening, we stayed in that position on his bed until it was time to eat.