A/N: Hey guys! This is my original story! I own nothing but the plot! I hope you like this!

This story takes place a bit after Allison broke up with Max.


"MAX!", Phoebe called one last time. She clenched her fists as she grimaced. This is the ninth time he'd ditched training.

All right. If her going down to his lair is what it took, then that's what she'd do. There is no way the team can make the Z-Force if someone doesn't start training.

She stomped down the stairs, her arms flying. She stopped when she reached the foot of his bed.

Phoebe leaned forward so her face was inches from his face. Aww, he looks so peaceful...I haven't seen him have any expression other than an anguished, annoyed, or blank one since Allison left him for the earth.

She paused for a moment, contemplating her choice, before she smirked and shifted so her mouth was near his ear. It's gotta be done. He can't keep skipping training and missions.

"MAXIMUS OCTAVIUS THUNDERMAN, GET UP!"

Max's eyes flashed opened to reveal a pair of chocolate brown eyes and he woke up with a start. "P-Phoebe!", he exclaimed recognizing the shade of brown and the high pitched voice.

"M-Max?", she mimicked him in a mocking tone.

"What a great way to wake up in the morning. Hearing your voice.", he said sarcastically.

Actually he liked her voice, but a piece of him died every time he heard it...scared it might be the last time.

She smiled for a second before her eyes flashed and her face grew more stern as she leaned back.

"Get up. This is the ninth time you missed training. We'll never get to Z-Force if you keep slacking off."

"Um...we can go on patrol later. I'm really tired. Let's uh...do this later", Max mumbled as he turned around so his face was buried into his pillow.

"MAX!", Phoebe complained.

"This is why I told you we should have blasted her into space years ago!", a voice said from under the covers.

"Colosso what are you doing in my bed?", Max asked confused.

"It's just so much cozier in here than in my cage with Teddy. And you don't mind, do you Maxie?"

"Uh..Yes. I kind of do!"

Phoebe face-palmed. "This is so weird. Would you please set restrictions with your bunny?"

"Just get out, Phoebe." Max said.

"No! You are coming to this training session whether you like it or not!"

"Fine, Let me change."

Phoebe relented and walked up the stairs. As soon as she got up she heard the doors shutting.

"Thundertanium strikes again! Pheebs, you gotta stop falling for the same thing over and over and over again. It's getting kind of boring.", Phoebe heard Max tease.

She grumbled. That was the end of her conversation with Max for the day. At least that was the pattern. She'd wake him up. He'd trick her and stay in his lair all day.

It was seriously getting so annoying.


The next day, Phoebe just sat on the couch and lied back. It was now the tenth day Max had ditched her, and honestly she didn't have the energy to walk down the stairs and yell at him.

"Phoebe, you're taking us to Splatburger.", Billy said as he dumped himself on the couch beside her older sister.

"I am? I thought Max was supposed to take you. You guys made plans like weeks ago. Something about...kicking Ms. Wong's butt?"

"It was a cooking competition. Max was supposed to win it so we could make faces at Ms. Wong. But, apparently Max ''forgot''. You have to win the contest for us." Nora explained

"Guys, I'm a baker. Cooking is Max's thing. I'm sure if you reminded him, he'll take you.", Phoebe reasoned.

"But, if you haven't noticed, he doesn't have time for anyone anymore. He's clearly avoiding us.", Nora replied.

"You better believe it, baby!", Chloe whined cutely. She sure did look up to her older brothers and one of them was disappointing her very much.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Guys, don't be ridiculous. Max is not avoiding us."

"Really? He hasn't left his lair in more than a week!", Nora said.

"Well...maybe he's busy?"

"With what?", Billy asked.

"Mom literally gives him food through his slide. He can't be so busy he can't come upstairs to eat dinner."

Phoebe frowned. "Okay...so maybe he's avoiding us. I think he's still upset over...Alison.".

"Well, he better cheer up soon! It's been a while since she dumped him."

"What if we cheer him up?", Chloe suggested.

"You know, that's a good idea, Chloe!", Nora said.

"Well, what would cheer him up?"

"What about a sausage? That always cheers me up!", Billy said excitedly, pulling a sausage out of who-knows-where and chomped on it.

"Max isn't you Billy."

The others were lost in thought as they pondered on what would cheer up Max.

"I got it! A party! With us, his creepy band friends and...us!", Nora exclaimed excitedly.

Phoebe nodded. "Yeah...That might work...".

"Great! Let's get ready.", Billy said as he finished his sausage.

"This is going to be the best party, baby!".

Phoebe smiled, beside herself at her sister's funny quirk.


Phoebe stepped back to admire her streamer work. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Curious, she picked it up and glanced at the caller ID.

"A face time request? From...Link!", Phoebe smiled excitedly. She and Link may not be together anymore, but that didn't mean she was over him.

She'd tried dating, but no matter what she did everything came back to Link. Every time he called her, she would feel a rush as the butterflies in her stomach soared.

She hit the answer button and watched anxiously as Link's light brown hair came into view.

"Hey, Phoebe...", she heard his voice say. She knew something was different when she heard his voice say her name.

Her eyebrows furrowed together, but her excited tone stood out when she greeted her ex.

"So..Phoebe, this is kind of awkward...um...You know how we broke up because I left for Hong Kong?"

Phoebe frowned. Of course she remembered, how could she not? Her hands were clenched. "Yeah..."

"Phoebe, I want to thank you so much for helping me become a superhero. I'm forever in your debt. But...us..it's just...look, Phoebe...I've moved on. I found this girl...Catherine...and I really like her. A lot. And...I just wanted to check in with you before..We'll always be friends, I promise. It'l just be a little different.", he mumbled.

Phoebe blinked to hold back tears. What the hell was she supposed to say, No don't date her, I'm still in love with you!

She saw the sparkle in his eyes when he said her name. He had a sparkle in his eyes when he spoke to her. But it was different. She saw that as clear as day.

Phoebe opened her mouth, struggling to form words. He was going to leave her.

"Phoebe? Are you done in the living room?", she heard Nora call

Her sister's voice jarred her to reality.

No matter what she said, it wouldn't make a difference. And she wasn't going to make him feel guilty.

She forced a smile on her face. It wasn't all fake. She was happy for him...really. But that didn't cancel out her hurt.

"Listen, Link...I've got to go. I'm needed. Go for it...with Catherine. I can tell you really like her. Like you said, we'll always be friends."

Phoebe auto-piloted her goodbyes and only when she ended the call and slid her phone down her pocket, she allowed herself a few tears.

10

She glanced at the banner that she had hung across the door. You've gotta get back to work. For Max. He needs you.

She wiped the tears off her face and stood up.

"Yeah...I'm finished...What do you need, Nora?"


When Max Thunderman walked into the living room, he wasn't expecting to see his family, and friends jumping up at him.

All across the room, there were streamers from the ceiling, a huge banner hung from the door and glitter everywhere.

"What's going on here?", he asked to no one in particular.

"It's for you, broseph! Your siblings here planned this entire thing out.", Oyster told him.

Max felt the uneasy feeling of anger rising within him. He was not in the mood to celebrate. Not now, and probably not ever.

"Why?", he asked harshly. He felt his twin's warm eyes look at him with concern. He avoided them.

"To cheer you up! After All-y-son you seemed upset. So we threw you a party!", Chloe said, missing his harsh tone.

Max felt the anger in him reach its blwing point as she said her name.

"Well, maybe I don't want to be cheered up? Have you thought about that? Huh? Maybe you should stop worrying about me and worry about yourself!", he stormed to where his slide was as he heard his parent's unison voices.

"Maximus Octavius Thunderman, apologize to your sister! What has gotten into you?"

He slid down the slide, ignoring the other's shocked faces.


"Chloe? Don't worry, Max isn't himself right now, okay?", Phoebe tried consoling her baby sister.

"He hates me!", Chloe cried. She was attached to her siblings.

"No, he doesn't. He's just...", Billy tried.

"A...butt head?", Nora finished for him.

"What's wrong with Broseph?", Oyster asked, his hands intertwined with Cherry's.

Phoebe stood up. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."


"I should put the Thundertanium walls before Phoebe comes down here.", Max muttered to himself as he hit a button.

He turned as he heard the doors shut. He was surprised when he heard a voice behind him. "You missed."

He didn't have to turn around to know who she was.

Max rolled his eyes. "Get out Phoebe."

"Look at me."

Max didn't turn.

"I said look at me".

Hi grudgingly turned and his brown eyes met hers.

"You made out baby sister cry.", her voice said in a mixture of anger and concern. "I'm not leaving until you explain why."

Phoebe saw a glimmer of guilt pass through his eyes.

"Leave me alone, Phoebe."

"No way. Not until you explain. She's not the only one you've hurt lately."

He looked at her.

"You've been avoiding us. It hurts. So explain why you've avoiding us."

Max didn't respond so Phoebe continued. "Is it Alison? Why can't you move on?"

"You don't get it.", Max said coldly.

"So tell me and I'll listen."

"Will you leave then?"

"If that's what you want."

Of course he wanted that. But it was also his worst fear.

"Alison was like...the first person to understand me. She liked me...for me. She actually liked me. She was just...just someone I thought I could always depend on."

Max continued. " It was just like being evil. They were both a part of me. And then things changed, I was good now. But, she was still there. I thought she always would be. And then, suddenly she just left. She left me. It was like I wasn't good enough. Like...I wasn't worth it."

"Max..."

"You don't understand because its never happened to you. You've never really liked any of the guys you've dated. At least not in the way I liked Alison. Well, except Link. But even then, you guys broke up because you couldn't be together. You still liked each other. You still do. It wasn't like he chose someone or something else over you."

Max noticed the immediate change in her posture when he mentioned her ex's name. He glanced up at her and saw liquid in her eyes that she was trying to cover up.

"What's wrong? What did I say?"

"N-Nothing. This is about you.", she said trying to keep her voice steady. She was determined to keep this conversation on Max. If he had been anyone else, he wouldn't have noticed anything wrong. But he wasn't anyone else.

Others may not have noticed the shimmer of hurt in her eyes, but he did.

"I didn't agree with those rules."

"Well, that's too bad."

"Well, I'm not going to talk until you spill"

He waited for her to respond. His eyes glazed over with concern as his sister took a seat beside him on his bed.

"Pheebs..."

"It's just...you're not the only one who's been dumped by someone you care about."

"What happened?"

"Link...he uh called a couple of hours ago. He told me he was in love with someone else."

"Was it the earth?", Max tried to joke. He smiled as her lips turned upward despite the mood.

"No, it was not the earth."

They sat in silence for a few seconds before Phoebe spoke up once again.

"Max, what's really bothering you?"

"I just told you."

"That's only half of it."

Max reflexively curled and unfurled his fingers. "I'm...I'm afraid."

"Afraid?", Phoebe asked.

"I thought Alison liked me. I thought Alison would always be there. I was wrong. What if everyone I have left...just abandoned me as well. Mom, Dad, Chloe, Nora, Billy, my friends...you. What if you all left me. We've gotten so much closer in the past few months. With Z-Force training and whatever. Each day, I care more about you guys. If you all left, I don't think I could take it."

"Is that why you snapped at Chloe? You wanted to stay away from us...so you don't care more." Phoebe reasoned. After seeing his hesitant nod she continued.

"Max...I'm...We're never going to leave you...Ever. I know Alison might have left, but no offence, we have stronger bonds. And they can't be broken. We need you just as much as you need us. I promise, we'll always be there together."

Max allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder and he instinctively draped his arm over her shoulder. He rested his head on top of hers.

"Am I going to have to explain all of this to the rest upstairs?"

"Nah, it'll be our secret."

"You know you're the worst at keeping secrets."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be with you every step."

"You won't leave me?"

"I'll stick so close to you, you'll beg me to leave you alone.", she stated with a smile.

He returned it. That would never happen. He'd always secretly be glad for her company. "Thunder-twin swear?".

"Forever."

And they sat for who-knows-how-long.