"Max."
He grunted in displeasure, wrapping a bandage around his scraped knuckles.
"You got into another fight again."
"You always had a knack for the obvious."
"Alison is furious."
Max momentarily stopped what he was doing, sighing tiredly. "She's gonna bitch my ears off isn't she?"
"Rightfully so."
He shook his head sideways, the skin around the bridge of his nose twitching in annoyance and expectancy.
"When is she-"
"Three minutes, give or take."
He gasped and tore around the lair, his telekenisis out of control as clothes, shoes and other lay-abouts flew around, in attempt to clean his reclining quarters.
Phoebe smiled in amusement.
"She's already here."
Widened eyes, he looked up at her.
"How do you know?"
"Thunder-monitor." she returned simply.
"Shit."
He bumped his bed, in the process of tumbling down, he desperately tried to hold on to the table adjacent form his position - and regretted it.
"Dammit!"
He fell down and blew shallow freeze breath's to his hands in order to cool the stinging, glaring to the side when he heard the silent giggles from his twin.
"Help me!"
A fake tear was what she wiped away.
"Not on your life." she said, walking up his small staircase out of view, dread filling Max as to what he heard next from the hallway. "Oh, hey Alison."
"I heard the lengthy tongue lashing she gave you, and I have to say, the girl surely knows how to put a man in his place."
"Similar to the timeline of your single ass." he retorted, immediately wishing to take back his words when he noticed the sullen look her expression took to. "Pheebs-"
"That was uncalled for Max." she whispered, hastily trudging up the hallway stairs.
"Pheebs!" he tried, seeing her shove past random students in a successful effort of divorcing herself from his presence.
He inwardly chastised himself, knowing relationships or mentioning anything derivative about her love life was a sensitive case for her.
To add more to the salty predicament he got himself into, he saw Alison trudge towards him with a knowing expression that detailed her knowledge of the short scene which left him muttering.
"...God dammit."
An earful of 'you better apologize to your sister' and those of 'or else' had him walking through the empty hallways in search of his twin, leisurely so, considered he summed up lies about Phoebe's 'condition' which garnered him free pass from their sympathetic first period tutor to roam the school premises.
Whistling carelessly, he smirked and flipped the lined trashcans with his telekenisis, and loudly rammed his clenched hand against random lockers.
Ah, the throes of being a teenage rebel.
"Let me go!"
"Just hold on babe."
The distinct voices compelled Max to peer around the corner, to see that fucker Gideon callously advance in on Phoebe, who appeared appalled by his unwanted notion.
Not thinking twice, Max jumped into the fray with a leap sway of his fist that met Gideon's jaw, sending the raven haired tumbling to the hard, unforgiving floor.
"Max!"
He shifted his gaze to notice Phoebe send him a somewhat levelled look that varied between I'm glad you're here and I still don't forgive you.
Heh, if it isn't Thunderman." Gideon sneered, standing up to nurture his swelling red jaw side. "How's that MILF of a mother Barb doing?"
Was all he managed as he was victim to yet another of Max's physical onslaughts that had him slam into the horizontal line up of lockers.
Max trudged towards the slumped Gideon, cracking his bruising knuckles before a hand looped to hold on his arm, turning around to acknowledge a disapproving Phoebe.
"Max, that's enough."
He looked to protest but she glared.
"He isn't worth it." she said, still seeing the uphold of a defiant stare. "What would Alison think if she heard you got caught up into another fight again?"
"I could care less of what she thinks." he bit out, clenching his fist.
She took hold of that same fist, opened it and slid her fingers across his, intertwining their hands as she looked up at him.
"Then do it for me."
He wanted to teach the bastard a lesson, but the look his twin sent him managed to neutralize the build up of raw proverbial anger.
"Alright."
She smiled, glancing at his bruised knuckles. "We'll have to pay the school nurse a visit."
He shrugged, as they moved forward. "Its nothing, besides, we're halfway late for the first period."
"I'll take a look at it when we get home, no complaints." she said with firm tonality.
"Fine." he returned in defeat, relishing the warm smile she sent him, meaning they were on good terms again, before a grin nearly split his face in half. "Now you'll have to explain your constipated morning cramps to our teacher."
She frowned. "...What?"
Max winced as she pulled the white bandage around his knuckles with a stretched force, but smiled when his nose whiffled the faint smell of lavender from her hair.
She looked up from her knelt position. "You're surely taking the pain well."
"High pain tolerance." he said simply.
Shaking her head, Phoebe softly pat his bandaged hand. "There, all done."
She made to stand, but he held her hand which made her questioningly relent movement to inquisitively acknowledge him with risen eyebrows.
"About what I said earlier...I'm sorry." he apologised, seeing recognition flash across her face. "I know how sensitive you are about your...you know."
She nodded silently, an acceptant northern smile sent his way. "Apology accepted."
He smirked, before gaining a thoughtful expression. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Uh-huh."
"You're a sixteen highschool year old girl and you haven't even considered dating. What's up with that?"
She recollected her bearings and pursed her lips. "I guess I haven't considered being in a relationship yet, but a side of me wishes to find Mr Right first you know, someone who'll love me for me, powers and reputation aside."
Max nodded, her reason alone was self explanatory, considered many wouldn't pass up the chance to go out with Thundergirl.
"I guess I understand."
"No you don't." she said, ignoring the illicit thought of how cute he looked with a perfectly risen eyebrow. "I want a lasting relationship built on solid foundations Max."
"In other words, it means we're looking at the chances of you growing grey without getting laid or kissed for that matter." he quipped, amused when her face turned scarlet.
"I kissed a boy once!" she defended hastily.
"Oh really? Who?"
"Um...Brendan Royce."
"Right, the guy who lived across the street in Metroburg, who's green eyes you couldn't stand because it made him look creepy and villainy, that's the guy you kissed?" he asked knowingly.
She sputtered, trying to maim up another lie before relenting and deflated. "You're right, I haven't kissed a boy yet." she revealed.
He looked down at her, holding her chin to analyze her fractional reaction pattern, trying to contemplate whether to negotiate a sultry deal with his adrenaline and acute deceptive mind.
"Do you want to rectify that?"
She looked shocked. "W-What?"
"Kiss me." he said simply.
Her disbelief look lingered, before shaking her head in refusal. "What? No! You're my brother! Its wrong!"
"Well, I'm a boy first, a damn good looking one for that, then I'm your brother. Adjust to that order and ignore the familial aspect of it all." he justified bashfully.
"But, but, what about Alison?"
"She isn't here, its only me and you," he paused. "..and the opportunity subtly leaving your clutches if you don't press your lips against mine as in the next five seconds." he said, brazing his manipulative skills to work when he intently peered into her eyes.
Phoebe questioned, and questioned.
But the proximity of their faces - and the fact that he looked so good up close won her over as she leaned in and captured his lips.
Trembling hands dancing to palm his facial cheeks as she felt him waste no time to slither his tongue into her mouth.
It oddly felt normal at first, despite the weird set up.
Until it became extremely pleasant.
They kept sucking face for about two minutes, slowly drifting apart to reclaim air into their lungs.
She struggled adjusting to the fact she just kissed her brother, as her eyelids failed to keep abroad, still pertaining her view to his soft lips, before moving to initiate another palatable lip lock.
Momentarily perturbed, Max deepened the kiss with a mighty nudge to the back of her head, hoisting her entire person onto him as the sudden scathing pain scabs from his bandaged hand did nothing to nullify the odd familiarity, pleasure of the kiss and the luscious taste of her lips.
It didn't dawn to them that everything around was suddenly forgotten on their love stricken daunt.
Including the Thunder-monitor with the incessant beeping of Alert! Alert! Alison approaching!
Or the opening of the front door.
Concluding with the silent surprised gasp...