New Heights

The wind rushed through the park, rustling the dry leaves on the trees and tousling the hair of the citizens of Copper Canyon. The grass was never quite green, but the park was a welcome break from the monotony of the buildings that surrounded it. A blonde teenager sat on the bench with her friend.

"Dude, I can't believe you got a picture with Max Steel!" the teenage boy exclaimed. The girl laughed, "Yeah, he was really cool about it." The boy adjusted the green beanie on his head, causing his wild hair to splay over his face and obstruct his vision. He seemed not to notice, and continued talking, "You think he'd take a picture with me too?"

Sydney shrugged, "You won't know until you ask." Her eyes darted down to the picture that was still pulled up on her phone. Her arm was wrapped around Max Steel's waist, which was unremarkable in and of itself.

Sydney was an affectionate person, and she didn't have any issues invading other people's personal space most of the time. The thing that really caught her attention was the way the superhero's arm was casually draped across her shoulders.

She'd looked up Max Steel's tagged photos that night, and realized that in none of the other photos did he throw an arm around the person he took a picture with. He leaned in close to them, but his arms were always politely by his side. She chalked it up to that battle with Elementor, but there was a nagging suspicion in the back of her mind that it was more than that.

"Hey Kirby, what do you think Max Steel is like when he's not saving the day?" Sydney asked thoughtfully. The boy shrugged, "I dunno. He's probably a dork. Anyone who comes up with one-liners like that has gotta be pretty awkward in real life." Sydney giggled, "Maybe. He's a good hero though."

The rhythmic sound of feet pounding the pavement caught their attention, and they turned to see Max McGrath bounding toward them. He looked a bit winded as he skidded to a less-than-graceful stop in front of them.

"Sorry guys, I got a little held up. My dad wanted me to…inspect the fridge…for leaks!" Sydney bit back her laughter, and instead shot him a radiant smile.

"It's okay, Max. We were just talking about Max Steel while we waited," she stated as she scooted over to allow him room on the bench. He took a seat, and the wooden planks of the park bench groaned in protest of the addition of more weight.

The wind tousled his hair, and Sydney sighed as she realized that it would be inappropriate to run her fingers through it, especially with Kirby sitting beside her.

She threaded her fingers together in her lap as she gazed out at the children playing on the monkey bars. A little girl slipped off and landed in the dirt, giggling about her own mishap. "So, uh, what were you guys saying about Max Steel?" the new arrival asked conversationally.

Kirby laughed, "We were wondering what he's like when he's not superhero-ing." The blonde snickered, "Kirby thinks he's dorky in real life." Max suddenly looked personally offended, "What! Why would you guys think that?" Sydney raised her hands defensively, "That's just Kirby's theory."

Max gazed at her thoughtfully, "What do you think?" As she regarded the weight of the look he was giving her, she realized that he seemed to place a lot of importance on her answer. Why would Max care what she thought of Max Steel? Sydney smiled pensively, "I think he's probably really handsome and funny."

His electric blue eyes widened, and Sydney felt a measure of satisfaction at his reaction to her words. Perhaps he was jealous; she wondered if Max liked her enough to feel that way. He certainly acted like he might be romantically interested, but still hadn't officially asked her out.

Perhaps Max was reacting that way because of some other reason, a small voice in the back of her mind considered. He suddenly seemed to realize that his face had moved of its own accord, and tried to school it back into an expression of neutrality.

"What do you think he's like, Max?" Kirby asked helpfully. "O-Oh. I think he's probably just a normal guy," Max contributed with a nervous grin.

"Like you?" Kirby asked with a barking laugh. Instead of laughing the way Sydney expected, Max froze up. His eyes were blown wide, and he remained so unmoving that she questioned whether or not he was still breathing.

Her question was answered when he finally took a sharp breath and forced out a chuckle. The smile plastered on his face was obviously false, and that nagging suspicion was back again as she watched Max prattle on about the school project he hadn't finished yet.

Would it really be such a stretch for Max McGrath to be Max Steel? When she really thought about it, it felt right, somehow. She stared into the captivating blue of his eyes, and suddenly she could only see brilliant blue of Max Steel's transformative energy.

"Sydney?"

She was brought back to reality when Max called her name, jarring her from a contemplative stupor.

"Sydney, are you okay?" he asked, concern reflecting back at her in those stunning turquoise eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just…lost in thought," she replied truthfully. He smiled gently, and she belatedly realized that his hand was resting on top of hers. His touch was warm and sincere; she missed it when he pulled away.

As Kirby launched into a conversation about which gross combinations of foods were the best for a midnight snack, Sydney watched her friend Max with a new level of fascination.

Every movement, every facial expression, every kindhearted glance in her direction took on a new meaning as she reconciled herself with the truth. Max, the boy who had captured her heart, was the superhero who had captured the hearts of the citizens of Copper Canyon.

The swings in the park squeaked as the children pumped their legs to reach new heights, imagining that they could take off and fly, and Sydney wondered if Max Steel felt the same way about flying as the children did.

She saw caught the wistful expression on her friend's face as he, too, watched the kids play, and realized that he probably did.


A/N: Well, there it is. Partial reveal is finally here!