Phoebe kicked her shoes off. So far the dynamics of their team, was to put in light terms; stable.
For the past few weeks, he kept focused, not once questioning her leadership. She wasn't sure she liked this appropiate yet strange behaviour, but she'd relish the pros it brought because it made life helluva easier for her.
She turned to face him, recognising his disoriented, exhausted figure given their recent bust which included gangs, death defying runs, scuffles and such.
"You did well today rookie."
He scoffed. But she noticed the small upward twitch of his lips even though momentarily. "I'm gonna go for a shower."
She rose a hand to cover her nose. "Yeah, you do that."
He sent her a dirty look before tiredly trudging for his lair to discard of his superhero getup.
xXx
She maintained his stare across her, finding it odd when he just fiddled with his fork, stabbing countless, diminutive holes into the meat on his plate.
He has been acting strange, and something was bothering him, she could tell. When his eyes rose, she quickly let her head drop, swiftly avoiding his gaze.
She heard the unceremonious scrape of wood against concrete, and his voice over layed with exhaustion.
"I'm going to bed."
xXx
"If you don't back off, I'm gonna slice her pretty little throat open and paint this alley red with her blood!" the man yelled, dragging the dagger across her Adam's apple, drawing a bit of blood to assert his threat. "I said back off!"
Max took two steps back. Her face was etched with worry, noticeable from afar. His eyes bounced back to the villain.
"Now, hands where I can see them!" the villain ordered, "Try anything funny and her blood is on your hands!"
He adhered, slowly raising his hands, sensing a strong urge to caress his throbbing temples. But he relented, clenching his jaw to regard the man holding her across him.
"Good," the villain tilted his head beside him, still maintaining his weapon on her throat including eye contact with the blue garbed hero a few steps in front.
Max watched Phoebe's face contort in disgust when a tongue slithered across her cheek, acknowledging the smug heinous smirk sent his way.
"You know, this one is a real piece of art this one. I could picture myself all hands-on and getting naughty, doing unimaginable things to her body…" the villain verbally ventured with self perceived pleasure. "...doing her."
Max thought; heat breath; obviously not. Freeze breath; they were a considerable distance away, it wouldn't reach in time. Telekinesis; no, given the only option will be to either flick him backwards in which he could use his backward momentum to his advantage and grip his weapon in reverse, slicing her throat, including the opposing directions, left and right.
He broke out of his musings to see the look of fear Phoebe's vainly tried to suppress. She looked so vulnerable, and it sickened him to no ends knowing there was nothing he could do but watch.
She moaned in displeasure when the villain cupped one of her breasts and roughly squeezed it. She kept her eyes closed, not possessing the courage to look at her twin, too embarrassed to do anything but keep still and bear through it lest she risk the cutthroat from ending her life.
What Max saw didn't sit well with him. It frustrated him. It utterly angered him. He had to do something, anything.
"Let her go." he said.
"Boy, unless you want me to kill your partner I suggest you sit or if you prefer stand back and enjoy the show." The villain went back to his ministrations of Phoebe's chest, completely ignorant of a fuming Max Thunderman.
"Let her go."
"I already said no. Now shut up!"
He step closer, heatedly glaring at the older man.
"H-Hey, stay back, or I'll kill her. I swear!"
His temples flared. Everything was a blur that it took a moment for him to recompose himself.
But he did hear the bloodcurdling scream piercing through the alley.
The suspended shock induced by fear.
And the blood, splashed accross her face.
xXx
"Max."
He didn't bother turning to face the person who invited herself next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Take your hand off of me."
The hand did leave his shoulder. "There was nothing you could have done."
"Stop reading my mind."
"You nearly snapped my neck the last time I read your thoughts. I think I learnt my lesson." Maya recalled softly. He never liked her to begin with, that she could tell. Ever since they met, she could feel this constricted anger, perfectly concealed by this careless, indifferent demeanor. "How are you holding up?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"You don't wanna talk about it, or is it just me you don't want to talk about it with?"
He clenched his jaw, and she took it as a sign to shut her mouth.
"How is she doing?"
"She only suffered minor shock from what...happened, but not extreme enough to traumatize her." she replied solemnly. "But she's worried about you."
He couldn't say anything. Simply due to the clear vividness of red splattered on his twin's hero custume that painted some unwanted scenarios in his head.
"About what-"
"A simple manifestation of a new ability."
"A new power?"
"Yes, the ability to compress and distort air particles. Its derived from your mind, like a psychic for example."
"Explains why my head hurt." he murmured.
"Its based on emotion. Like when you anger, you concentrate all that negativity on a specific target and just like that, the magic happens."
Max sighed, silently. Maya could see the visible twitch of his fingers, compelling her to slowly take his hand in hers, inwardly relieved he didn't overly seem bothered by the action.
"Max, I spoke with Phoebe, and she doesn't fear or hate you."
She read his mind again, but he'd let it slide this time.
"She said you've been acting strange for the past few weeks. And its been worrying her but she chose not to pry."
"Nothing is wrong with me, I'm just tired from all the missions." he stated firmly. "Are my parents still talking to her?"
"No, they left minutes ago."
He wordlessly stood up, reclaiming his hand as he ventured toward the room down the hall.
xXx
Max killed for the first time. Even though he tried shrugging it off, Phoebe could still identify traces of guilt and somewhat fear considered ending someone's life was something big, for a teenager nonetheless.
No one would peg him as a murderer yet she saw the look on his face. The bloodlust that radiated off of him was foreboding. She did feel it. And it wasn't pleasant.
But as cold as he was that moment, he was still her brother, her twin, and she wouldn't want it any other way.
"They're still gonna run some tests, see if I'm a hundred percent okay." she informed, annoyed since the Hero League kept on insisting she remain in medical bay for a few more hours. "Will you be aright?"
"Fine."
"Don't say that to make me feel better Max. I was there, I can see the look in your eyes. You're not fine."
He responded with a light shrug, turning to leave only for her to tug on his hand, opening her arms wide open, persuading him to lean in for a quick hug.
Maya stepped into the room to see Max retract from Phoebe, watching him step around her without a word.
Upon seeing her friend, Phoebe saddened. "Something is bothering him. I'm worried but he won't tell me anything."
The redhead telepath moved to pull a chair by Phoebe's bedside, sitting down with a resolute prolific expression. "I think I know what's bothering him..but it all depends on how you take it."
xXx
The BrainMelt 3000.
One of his greatest inventions, capable of altering a person's memories. Max held the gadget in his hands, pondering on what he was about to do.
He knew it was the only answer to his problem. That constant plaque that wouldn't go away. So he figured if he could by any chance rid himself of that plaque, this was the only way he knew how.
Without thinking further, he quickly connected the two green conducting wires as the gadget animatedly flashed in function.
He hesitantly lifted it over his head, by mere seconds it was on his head. But before the machine could perform its deed…
"Max!"
He was taken aback when the gadget was suddenly launched off of his head to turn into a righteously furious Phoebe who rose her hand to slap him across the face - hard.
"Idiot!"
He nursed his stinging cheek, regarding her with a glare of his own which demanded an explanation.
"What did I do?"
"Maya…" Phoebe bit out, catching her breath. "...told me about what's been bothering you. Why you've been acting strange lately. She told me everything!"
Max still maintained his glare. "What are you talking about?"
"You know what I'm talking about!" she nearly yelled, contently reminding herself the family was upstairs and would probably hear her.
"I still-"
She harshly grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him to the secluded corner of his lair, all the while sending him an intense angry look.
"I was the one that sent her to talk to you!" she whispered harshly.
His eyes opened wider, putting two and two together on a whim. "She distracted me from barring my thoughts when she-"
Phoebe's glare softened when he looked to the side. "Look, I know its not normal-"
"Normal doesn't even start to explain it Phoebe!"
"But its not worth losing some of your memories either!" she returned.
"You don't understand!" He clenched his jaw, summing up enough courage to meet her eyes. "I don't want to feel this way! It feels, negating!"
Phoebe watched him breathe hoarsely, not finding fault with his reaction and why he kept it all a secret in the first place. He didn't say anything, she didn't say anything, but she took both his hands in hers.
"Why didn't you come to me?"
He suddenly glared.
"Try and picture yourself in my shoes and ask yourself that question."
His retort was on point, but she didn't want him to feel as if their relationship merely stood on a pedestal to remain on enforced entailment either.
"But wiping your memories isn't the answer Max." she furthered softly, calmly.
"If not, then what is? Because I've tried every possible way I can but it doesn't go away. And I can only suppress it for so long before it gets weird, before it causes me to act weird." he said in agitation. "You saw what happened today! You nearly got killed and I went ballistic and blew that villain's head apart!"
She pulled his head into the nook of her neck. "I know, but you saved my life."
"For all the wrong reasons."
She sighed, "But you're not alone, you have me."
"This is not normal Phoebe."
"I hear you, but you don't see me acting weird, do you?"
It took a moment for him to actually rehearse and replay her words, before he tensed in her arms, feeling unprecedented goosebumps form on skin.
"Phoebe, don't tell me…"
"Yes," she affirmed, "I might have, developed feelings for you too."
He forlornly released a covert breath, easing himself in her hold, managing to subjucate the fearful tension that his body was forced to pertain for weeks now.
"What are we going to do?"
"I don't know. But we'll figure it out," Her fingers dearly clutched the fabric of his shirt, tightening her hold against him, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Together."