DISCLAIMER: I do not own Mighty Med or any of its characters. I only own my original characters of Mara Short/Noctura and my original villain character, and their backstories.

Enjoy the story!

PRANKS FOR NOTHING

~Mara's POV~

"I can't believe I'm gone for a whole week with Glee Club, and you two play out 'Honey, I've Shrunk the Kids'!" I yelled as Oliver and I walked out of a patient's room. He just informed me what happened over the week I was away. Though, to be frank, I'm glad I missed what happened with "Sm'oliver" as I heard Horace liked to call him. I hate thinking of my adopted brother being as small as a tiny spider.

"In Kaz's defense, it was an accident," Oliver exclaimed with a nervous grin. I just gave him a look, knowing that everything with Kaz was an accident. But I just shrugged it off and dropped it once we found Kaz in the hallway heading to the Rec Room.

"Hey, guys, check it out. I'm totally going to prank Skylar," Kaz said, making me sigh in defeat. I knew exactly where this was going.

"And you didn't consult me?" Oliver asked. "I'm the expert on pranks."

"I can confirm that," I said with a raised hand. "I still remember that vicious, spider prank you pulled last Halloween."

"It wasn't that bad," Oliver said with a wave of his hand.

"I had spiders in my hair for weeks!" I yelled, getting a wince and a sorrowful grin in return. Yeah, they were fake, but it was still a terrible prank on my end.

"Anyway," He began again, changing the topic from me and my spider phobia, "what are you doing? Snakes in a can? Fake vomit? Fake vomit in a can?"

Kaz scoffed. "No, no," He said. "That's amateur stuff." I braced myself as I watched Skylar walk over to the Rec Room door...only to see a woman with long black hair and wearing an all-white dress jump out through the fake door, trying to scare Skylar. I jumped, but I expected something to happen. Kaz was laughing.

"Chinese Vengeance Ghost!" He exclaimed.

...

"Did anybody lose this nightmare lady? Because I think I found it!" Skylar called out, gesturing to the "ghost". I snorted in response as I gave Kaz a look.

"Guess it didn't land, hon," I said as I walked forward.

"Skylar, that's a prank," Kaz said as I leaned against the wall near the whole "prank".

"Oh," Skylar said. "Well, did anyone misplace this prank? Because I think I found it!" I giggled as the woman got dejected and walked off while Kaz and Oliver came over, explaining what a prank was.

"Skylar, a prank is when you trick someone funnily," Oliver said. "Like-like putting a whoopee cushion under their chair." Kaz started laughing as Oliver did, too, whereas I just sighed in response to this. "It's funny because it sounds like a fart."

"On my planet, we don't have time for nonsense like that," Skylar began, arms crossed. "Our goal is to help people, not make them look stupid."

"Yeah, well, you're on our planet now, and looking stupid's pretty popular," Kaz retorted, making me snort once again. "Pranks are literally the first thing we learn to laugh at. Starting with, peek-a-boo!" He did the whole peek-a-boo motion to Skylar, only to have her do a swing-kick toward his head in response. The boys jumped back before they got hit, while I just stayed put.

"Okay, so THAT you react to, but the Chinese Vengeance Ghost...NOTHING?!" Kaz yelled, making me hold back another snort as I tried to keep my laughter at bay.

"Sorry. On my planet," She began, doing the same motion that Kaz just did, "that is a marriage proposal."

"Then why'd you try to kick my head off?"

"That's how we say "no"." I giggled as I pushed myself off the wall and patted Kaz on the shoulder.

"Good luck with the pranks," I said before walking away...right as my superhero phone rang.

I raced down the alleyways as Noctura, jumping, leaping, and flying around to see if I could find the criminals I was called to handle, but so far none were showing up for me. It was strange. My phone did ring, meaning there was either a robbery going on or...

I stopped on top of the tallest building, looking around for a moment before I saw something on the ground...

...a snakehead with a crown was painted there.

That's when I realized it was a trap. I spun in every direction, hoping not to see anyone around...until I got blasted into a wall. I hit my back against it and toppled over onto my side. I grimaced and winced at the pain before looking up to see a woman, dressed in all black with a snake-inspired eye mask on her face, as well as a matching suit with a skirt. A small, black-gem tiara was also placed on her head.

"Hello, Noctura," She said, making me stare at her in surprise.

"Who the heck are you?!" I yelled.

"They call me Queen Venom, part-snake...part-human," She smirked, holding up her hand to show extra long black nails, glowing with a green tint to them.

"So you're who those goons were talking about," I said, finally managing to stand up from the ground.

"That's right," She said.

"What do you want? I was warned that you were robbing someone!"

"Oh, I was...but I got bored with it," She twiddled her fingers in the air. "A nice sleep for them should help them forget, right?"

"You killed them?" I stared in surprise, saddened that I wasn't quick enough. How did I not hear or see someone getting robbed as I flew around?

"No...I just put them in a deep sleep," She said. "Tomorrow they'll wake up, not remembering me or anything I tried to do. They'll just think they had a good ending to their day." Her eyes narrowed to my own, taking a slow step toward me. "You, however...I plan to put you in a deep sleep, permanently."

"Why? I've done nothing to you!" I said, standing my ground...though my fear had to have been coming through.

"Oh, but you have," She said. "But you sadly don't remember." Her eyes had rings flashing through them, making me stare with a feeling of unconsciousness flowing through me. Though, I was still standing, still awake. And I could still see what was going on around me, though it was faint and fuzzy.

What was happening?

She got closer and I couldn't move. The only people on my mind were my adopted family...and Kaz.

...

Kaz...I wasn't leaving this world without telling him how I felt.

"No..." I said under my breath as she reached back, her nails growing more than before.

"Say goodbye, Noctura!" She went to strike me when everything cleared up. I shook my head of the drowsiness and backed up some before...

"NO!" I screamed, making a burst of dark energy blast her away and hit a pole. She toppled to the ground as I stared, breathing heavily.

"How? How'd you break free?!" She yelled as she looked up at me, a snarl on her face.

"I...I don't know," I said, clenching my fists. "But try that on me again and you won't like the ending."

"Oh, but I will," She smirked while standing up. "Because you won't have a reason to stop me next time."

"And why is that?"

"Did you not feel me in your mind?" I froze, eyes wide.

No...I couldn't feel her. I mean, yeah, something was going on up there. Something slithered around like a snake searching for its prey. But I couldn't place it until now.

She read my mind.

"This Kaz fellow...he seems pretty important to you," She said, her mouth upturned into a venomous smile. "And...was it Oliver?"

"You leave them alone!" I yelled.

"Oh, but you thought about them. So clearly...I can do whatever I want,"

"No..."

"You better protect them, dearie. Otherwise, they might not live to see the next sunrise," And with that, she shot a stream of green light at me, hitting me head-on and causing me to fall back to the ground. I looked up, my limbs weak from the impact, and saw that she had disappeared in a puff of what seemed to be green smoke.

"No...Kaz...Oliver..."

And then...nothing.

~Kaz's POV~

"Okay," I said as we were all standing in the Rec Room. (Well, Skylar was sitting. Oliver and I were standing.) We had decided to give Skylar a crash course in pulling pranks. Although, without Mara...it wasn't the same.

"As the world's foremost expert in practical jokes, I give you a crash course in the ABCs of Pranking," I said, gesturing to the whiteboard beside me.

"You spelled ABCs wrong," Oliver pointed out, making me look and see that I did indeed misspell ABCs.

"A crash course in the ACBs of Pranking," I corrected, keeping a smirk on my face.

"Let me do this," Oliver said, pushing me aside. "I've been pranking since before you were born."

"Oliver, you're three days older than me," I deadpanned.

"I know," He said. "I came out sideways just to mess with my mom. Now, key factors in making a good prank are: how it's done..."

"Who it's pulled on..." I added.

"And most importantly, how silly the person ends up looking," Oliver finished.

"Got it," Skylar exclaimed. "So the guy who cuts your hair, he was playing a prank on you?" I snorted at the remark as Oliver's smile fell.

"It looks better after a day or two," He said before patting his hair right as the door opened and Horace walked in.

"It's Horace. Perfect timing for an in-class demonstration," I said as I pulled out a whoopee cushion. "The classic whoopee cushion gag." I placed it under the cushion of a chair and stepped back, waiting for him to see us.

"Are you planning pranks?" Horace scolded. "This is a hospital, not a prank-planning place where pranks are pulled or planned. Please."

"Hey," I began, "Maybe you should sit down and tell us why we shouldn't pull pranks." Horace went to sit down in the chair, leaving Oliver and me to be giddy in hoping that he'd continue to sit down until...

"Wait! I came in here for a reason," Horace said, making us lose hope for a brief moment. "To sit down." He went to sit down again, but as luck would have it, he didn't. "But I don't have time. I'm a very busy man."

Well, that worked out.

"Anyway, remember what I said about no pranks," Horace said. "I'm trying to impress a very important superhero. Which reminds me...I need to make a note." He then sat in the other chair without the whoopee cushion and there was still a fart somehow.

"See Dr. Isaakson about flatulence problem," He said as he wrote that down.

I just sighed with disappointment before I heard the alarm go off in the ER. I looked at Oliver and we both ran out to help the injured hero the best we could. But the rules said we couldn't, because the moment we ran out...we saw Mara as Noctura, out cold on a gurney.

"Noctura!" I raced over to her side and grabbed her hand, holding it as I heard Oliver asking what happened.

"She had a fight with a supervillain and passed out," a nurse said, making me fear the worse.

Was she gone? Would I never get to tell her how I felt? Would we...?

"Kaz?" I looked into her eyes, seeing the silver orbs that they were and I smiled with relief.

"Oh, Thank God, you're okay," I sighed.

"I'm fine," She said, looking at the nurse from before. "Who found me?"

"I did," I looked to see Tecton walking up to her. "I'm glad to see you're alright. Be careful the next time you face off with that witch."

"I will. Thank you, so much," She said.

"Any time," He smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have my own bad guy to fight." And then he was off.

"Witch? What witch?" Oliver asked with wonder.

"I'll explain later," She said. "You two go check another patient. I'll be fine." She grinned at me, squeezing my hand in return. "Thanks for the worry."

I grinned back, squeezing her hand in return before heading off with Oliver. But something was nagging me about this. Something felt wrong. Who was this witch she faced off with? Who did that to her?

And more importantly...why did she look so concerned for us?

~Mara's POV~

"You're all set, Noctura," the nurse said. "You're free to catch up with your friends." I nodded, grinning at her.

"Thanks," I said, throwing my legs off the side of the gurney and sitting there, worry and fear creeping through my veins as anxiety arose in my chest. A heaviness echoed in my mind and my body was like stone. I couldn't find the momentum to move and go to Kaz and Oliver.

"Is everything okay, dear?" I looked at the nurse, seeing the look of wonder and concern in her eyes. They were hidden behind a black mask, but her blond curls fell over her shoulders like a waterfall.

"Yeah, everything's fine," I said, though I knew I was lying, my body knew I was lying. And if she knew anything about picking out a lie, she would see right through me. She cocked her head, eyes squinted as she pursed her lips. Yeah, she didn't buy it. I ended up sighing in defeat before looking at my hands.

"Her name is Queen Venom," I began, making the nurse sit next to me on the gurney. "She's apparently my villain and...I don't know. She says I did something to her long ago, but I'm only 15. I couldn't have hurt her when I was just a baby. Right?"

"I don't see how, sweetie," the nurse.

"But, she has her sights set on me anyway, and to top it off: she's after Kaz and Oliver," I continued, earning a soft gasp from the nurse beside me. "I don't know what to do."

The silence was deafening for a moment, as monitors beeped and wheelchairs moved about in the faint quiet of my mind. For a moment, I thought the nurse had gotten up and left, leaving me in my sorrow. But looking over, I saw the gears moving in her brain behind those silvery blue eyes. What was she thinking about?

And why did those eyes look familiar to me?

"I'm not sure," She said after a moment. "But, I know you're a superhero, and as such you're to keep some secrets."

"One of the things I hate about the job," I commented.

"But I say tell them," I gave her a look. "I say to tell your friends about Queen Venom and to say that they're in danger now because of her."

"But they'll just freak out even more!" I exclaimed. "Even Kaz who seems to hold the most worry for me."

"I understand that, dear, but sometimes we have to be honest with ourselves and others," the nurse said. "Tell me: would you live with yourself if something happened to them?" I looked at her, feeling the tears prick my eyes and ready to waterfall down my cheeks.

"Of course, I wouldn't," I said. "I love them. They're my family." There was some hurt in the nurse's eyes, but only for a moment as she continued with her pep talk.

"And would you want them to learn from the villain you're protecting them from, or from you, that they're in danger?" I took a breath, calming my nerves as I thought this through. She was right. I couldn't keep my friends in the dark about someone so dangerous as Queen Venom, especially with a venomous power that could kill them. I couldn't let them believe I was going to be alright when I didn't even believe that. I had to face the music...and tell them.

I looked at the nurse, smiling. "Thanks," I said, hopping off the gurney with her following afterward. "I'll tell them. It's the least I could do since I kept my powers from them for so long."

She nodded before her eyes turned white for a split second and then came back. "They're in the Rec Room."

"You can locate people?" I asked, surprised. I always thought the nurses here didn't have powers of any kind. This just proved me wrong.

"Yeah, it was a power I got after giving birth," She said in return. "Between you and me, I was a Normo at one point."

"Oh, cool! So, you're married?" I asked, seeing the hurt enter her face, though she tried to hide it well.

"I am. Though we have separated for a while," She said. "I just hope I can hold my husband and baby girl again someday."

"How old is she?" I asked, and she grinned.

"She turned 15 last October," She answered, making me smile.

"Oh, that's funny! Same here," I exclaimed before taking a breath. "Well, I best be off to my friends. See you around, Nurse..." I paused, looking at her name tag for a moment. "...Diaz? Huh? Didn't know that was a common last name." And then I was off.

~The Nurse's POV~

She had grown so much. I couldn't believe she became a superhero, unlike her father who became the head of this hospital. She was beautiful, like a rose on Valentine's Day, or a pearl that came straight from the clam.

She was becoming a woman.

I took a deep breath before hopping off the gurney and walking to the counter. I set the clipboard down as a heaviness entered my chest. Anxiety rose to my stomach as I thought of Queen Venom. She had it out for Mara, and I never knew why. I've always known she'd surface and show her snake face eventually.

But I don't think she realized that Mara wasn't ready for that.

Mara was a young girl, skilled in gymnastics and knew some fighting techniques. Though, most of them involved a dance move she learned online. Still, she was a trained individual, ready to take the reins that were the superhero lifestyle. But knowing who her villain was behind the threats and goons...that she wasn't ready for.

"Hey, girlie," I looked at the other nurse, with a similar black mask on her face as mine. She had caramel skin unlike mine and black hair in a French twist braid. Her brown eyes shined behind her mask as she stared at me with concern. "You okay?"

I grinned. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said. Just wish I could tell Mara the truth.

~Kaz's POV~

Back in the Rec Room, Oliver was showing Skylar a prank while I stood on the sidelines. He had walked up to Solar Flare and whispered in her ear.

"Hey, Solar Flare. Check this out, I'm gonna pretend to crack an egg on Skylar's head," Oliver said, making me roll my eyes as he walked over to Skylar and cracked an "imaginary" egg on her head.

"Why did you crack an egg on my head?!" She faked the surprise as she reached up and felt for an egg. "Oh! You just faked it!" I scoffed. "You should see what it feels like." She told Solar Flare who got ready as Oliver walked over and cracked a REAL egg on Solar Flare's head.

She ended up cooking the egg on her head as she set off her flames and stared at the laughing duo in front of her.

"Alright, alright! Not bad!" I said as I walked over to Oliver and Skylar, hearing the doors open afterward. "Now let the genius with a capital "J" show you how it's done."

"Capital "J"? Really?" Oliver deadpanned, making me think it over.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I began, "genius with a lowercase "J"." A snort came from behind me making me look to see Mara, still dressed as Noctura, standing there.

"I think you mean an uppercase "G", hon," She said, her lips upturned into a smile.

"Noctura," I walked up to her and hugged her, feeling the relief wash over me in a split second. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," She said, pulling away. "Just a bit dazed, but I'll manage. Now, you're doing pranks all day?"

"Don't worry about it," Oliver said with a wave of his hand. I could see Mara's eyes roll behind her mask, making me chuckle a bit.

Cut to me gluing a quarter on the ground of the Rec Room, chuckling as I could just hear Mara's head shaking. I stood up straight afterward as the doors opened and a tall superhero walked in. Skylar had turned around to see who it was, with Oliver not so far behind that.

"It's The Great Defender!" He exclaimed, making the superhero look at him. "Big Fan! I love your power to create a defense shield and make powers rebound off you!"

"Huh, wish I had that," Mara mumbled to me, making me snort a chuckle.

"I'm really good at rebounding," The Great Defender said. "But there's something off on my "Freeze Throws"." He made a giant ice ball and tried to toss it into the wastebasket, only to miss it by an inch, or more.

...

I'm not good with math, okay?

"I can only make like, five out of ten!" The Great Defender continued.

"Hey," I started the prank, making Mara look at me behind her mask. I know she didn't want me doing this, but...I wasn't good at listening most of the time. "What's that?" I gestured to the glued-down quarter before grabbing Mara and moving us out of the way.

"Ohh! It's my lucky day!" The Great Defender said as he walked over and bent down, trying to get the quarter unstuck until he pulled the big junk of flooring up with the quarter. Skylar and I were laughing while Mara immediately walked up to him.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, thanks," He said.

"Hey, does anyone know where the "Caution No Floor" sign is?!" I asked, jokingly before watching as a janitor walked over with the exact sign I asked for, only to make me laugh harder.

"Oh, would you grow up!?" Mara yelled, making me jump in surprise and my laughter calm down. "Ever since we met, you've been an immature 5-year-old who gets your kicks on other people's problems! And I've had it! I'm so busy being a superhero now that I can't keep my eyes on you! So if you want to pull pranks and be 5 your whole life, be my guest! I'll focus on my new career!"

And then she left, storming out of the room with a push of the doors. I watched her leave, staring in surprise as fear entered my chest. Did I take this lifestyle too far? Did I just lose any chance I had to ask her out someday?

Did I just blow our friendship?

"Whoa," Skylar said. "I don't ever want to be on her bad side."

"She's just stressed," I said, trying to play this cool. "I'll talk to her when I can."

~Mara's POV~

I couldn't believe Kaz would be so inconsiderate and immature! And here I was worried about him getting killed by Queen Venom! I'm now more worried about Oliver than Kaz. He at least knows when to be serious and when to be the jokester that he was. He at least had maturity.

But...as I walked to my locker, the memories of Kaz giving me the bat-shaped earrings and showing me concern as I became Noctura played through my head like an old song on repeat. A loved song, to be precise.

I opened my locker, ready to change back into my civilian look when I noticed the photo of me with Kaz and Oliver right after defeating Megahertz on our first day. It was hanging on the inside of the locker, seen as a precious moment for us all.

But mainly for me.

I showed off my powers that day. I decided to be a superhero that day. It was a special day for me, the birth of Noctura. And one that showed me Kaz truly cared and loved me. Even if it was platonic love, I knew he loved me.

"I can't throw that away," I sighed, closing my locker and getting ready to rush back to make up with him (maybe finally reveal my feelings) when my phone rang.

My superhero phone.

I quickly got it out and looked at the message, seeing that a robbery was going down at the local bank. How many robberies do superheroes stop?!

I took a breath, looking at the photo once more before kissing my fingertips and touching it. I then quickly closed the door after tossing my phone back inside and raced to stop this robbery.

Kaz would have to wait.

~Kaz's POV~

My mind was too focused on Mara's words after she left, and after The Great Defender gave us a stern talking to. But I didn't hear most of the conversation, for I couldn't get Mara's face out of my mind. Her silver eyes were full of anger and agony, as well as stress and anxiety. And her lips quivered with each word, fear coming out with them.

Why was she so afraid?

"Great prank, Kaz. Now we have to wash The Great Defender's suit," Oliver said, his voice monotoned. "Wait, do you wash indestructibles in cold or warm?"

"I'll look at the tag," Skylar said, looking down before her face widened in shock. "Whoa! He's an X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X...small?"

"He's the shortest person on his planet," I said. "He gets teased all the time." We soon placed the suit in the washer and closed the door as I looked up and paused.

"Hey, this machine has a "Super-Spin" dial," I gestured to the dial. "We should be done in no time." I turned it a few times, making the machine spin with a blue light forming inside. Before we knew it, it started moving everything out of the way before we got pinned to the wall by an unseen force from the dryer.

I winced at the pain. I guess that's what I deserved.

"What have you guys done?!" The Great Defender asked as he raced in. "The power of the Super-Spin Cycle is connected to the Earth's Core! Everyone knows that!"

"Why aren't you affected?" Skylar asked.

"I got a lot of traction! Have you seen the size of my feet?" I gave him a look for a moment before I just shook it off.

"Okay, what's gonna happen?" I asked, trying to be serious at this moment. I had to be for Mara.

"We're all doomed!" The Great Defender yelled, making us all scream. This was it. I wasn't going to be able to prove that I could be serious. I wasn't going to be able to show Mara that I can have a serious mind at times. I wasn't going to be able to tell her how I felt about her. I wasn't...

"HA! I pranked ya back, Kaz!" The Great Defender yelled, making me stare as we all stopped screaming and he was laughing. "The "Super-Spin Cycle" doesn't do this. I did."

"What do you mean?!" Skylar asked, just as confused as I was.

"I spun the earth on my finger, like this," He then started spinning a basketball on the top of his finger. "But bigger...cause it's the earth."

"That is...AWESOME!" I exclaimed before Oliver had to bring down the mood.

"But...the hyper-rotation will rip the earth apart!" He said.

"Not as awesome!" I exclaimed again.

"Don't worry," The Great Defender began, "I'll just spin the earth in the opposite direction." He then went to use his powers to spin the earth the other way, but... "Oh, no - my powers. The-they're not working. That's why I'm here in the hospital."

"If you can't fix it, what'll happen?" Skylar asked. She seemed to have all the good questions right now.

"The planet will spin into the sun, destroying the earth and everything on it," He answered, making me stare in worry. "That's what you get for pranking me, Kaz! This is all...your...fault."

Skylar and Oliver looked at me, their eyes squinted in disappointment and anger. I've never liked the feeling that gave me. Disgust, anger, sadness. My heart ached at those feelings. And it ached to know that Mara was right.

I'm immature.

"Well, the good news is there won't be any school tomorrow," I said. "Or ever."

No one laughed. No one commented. All they did was just stay mute. Their anger was fully known throughout the air of the space.

"I can't believe this," I said. "The world's gonna end. And I just got these new jeans!" I was hoping for laughter but got none in return. And my thoughts kept going to Mara as I said this, most likely proving her right again.

The first thing I'm going to do when I see her again is to tell her the truth, I thought. And that I'm sorry.

At that moment, Horace came staggering in. "What's going on?!" He asked.

"Why don't you tell him, Kaz?!" Oliver exclaimed.

"The truth is," I began as I forced my arm forward and pointed to The Great Defender. "He did it!" My arm then crashed back to the wall, hitting it and making me yell in pain. "The Great Defender made the earth spin faster. Now we can't get it to stop."

"They pranked me first!" The Great Defender said. "They got my suit all dirty. The only other uniform they have for me to wear is this." He then opened his hospital gown and showed what looked like a Rockets basketball jersey with the number 12 on it.

And then he walked out.

"I warned you, kids, about pulling pranks!" Horace yelled, looking at us.

"Why did you have to prank The Great Defender, Kaz!?" Oliver whined. "Why couldn't you just admit that I'm better at pranks than you, that I'm the "Governor of Giggles"!?"

"Governor of Giggles?" I asked, deadpanning the whole thing.

"Should I have gone with "Sultan of Silliness"? The City Councilman of Comedy?" He asked, making me lean the back of my head on the wall.

"Are you finished?!" Skylar asked.

"No," Oliver declared before continuing. "The Warlord of Wackiness? Okay, now I'm finished." I rolled my eyes.

"Horace, there's gotta be something that we can do," Skylar said, with worry clear in her voice.

"Well," Horace began, grunting as he forced his hand up. "I can activate the hospital's motion stabilizer." He pressed a button and we all fell to the floor, except for Horace. "But the earth is still hurtling toward the sun. Which means we'll be experiencing unbearable heat and geysers of steam." Just then, a geyser of steam sprayed at us.

"I'm so torn, I love being right. But I hate being hot," Horace said.

"Kaz, we need to think," Oliver said. "If only Skylar still had her to reverse time."

"Or her power to control celestial bodies," I added.

"Or her power to alter gravity."

"I get it! I used to be really cool!" Skylar yelled as another geyser sprayed us.

"Wait," Horace began, "there is one way to save us. Mighty Med has a small, two-person rocket. You boys could pilot that rocket into space and use its deflector shield to nudge the earth back into orbit!"

"Why us? Aren't there any superheroes who could do it?" Oliver asked.

"No," Horace said. "The rocket's controls require mindless, repetitive motion that you two have mastered wasting your lives playing video games!"

"Well, I am the Viceroy of Video Games," Oliver said, making me growl.

"Please, stop! I am begging you!" I yelled before another geyser hit us. "Okay, Horace! Count us in!"

"Good! But before we launch you into space," Horace began, "there's one very important thing I need to tell you."

"What is it?" I asked

"Those jeans are not doing you any favors," He said, making me glare at him.

~Mara's POV~

I rotated my arm to crack it after the fight I just faced at the bank. Thankfully, this time it wasn't Queen Venom's goons ruining everything again. But still, they were tough.

As I walked up to the counter, a geyser of steam shot up from the ground, making me jump in surprise. I looked at Nurse Diaz, earning a shrug before she went on with her day. I looked around for a moment before noticing Solar Flare and walked up to her.

"Hey, Solar Flare," She looked at me and smiled. "What's going on with the geysers of steam?"

"Oh," She started to giggle, making me stare at her for a moment. "You might want to wait around to find out."

I nodded and headed over to the Rec Room. I'm sure Kaz would be in there and I'd be able to talk to him then.

~Kaz's POV~

Back in the Rec Room, we were dressed in space suits, ready to head up to space to save the world.

"The launch pad is beneath the Training Deck," Horace said, gesturing to the stage in the back of the room.

...

That's what it's called?!

"We'll lower you into the capsule. Oh, one small detail..." Horace said, looking at us. "The impact of the deflector shields will destroy the rocket, so you'll need to eject yourselves into space. How many days can Normos survive without oxygen?"

"Zero!" Oliver yelled.

"Forget it! There's no way we're doing that!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, I understand! No problem!" Horace said, sounding like a disappointed parent or teacher. "The world and everyone on it can get destroyed, but we all really enjoyed your little prank day!"

"Kaz, we have to do it," Oliver said, making me sigh in defeat.

"Right," I said. "We're the only hope to save the world."

"Wait! Don't send them!" Skylar said, rushing in. "It really should be me going up there!"

"Wow, that is so like you. Sacrificing yourself to save us," Oliver said, touched.

"The truth is, I really don't trust you guys to do it right," She said, making me nod in understanding.

"You can't go. They're already suited up and we're out of time," Horace exclaimed. "Move out, boys!"

"Hey, O-Oliver," I said, pulling him aside. "Before we go, I have a confession," He stared, patiently. "You are better at pranks than I am. You are the Governor of Giggles." He grinned. "But you're also the Nincompoop of Nicknames."

"Thanks," He said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Tuna Kaz-erolle." I stared at him. "Wow, I am really bad at nicknames." I scoffed. "And listen, these are our last few moments alive, I'm glad I'm spending them with you."

"Me, too, man," I said. "You're the best friend I could ever have." I took in the moment, feeling my heartbeat in my chest. "I love you."

"Love you, too, buddy," Oliver said as he pulled me into a hug. My chest tightened as anxiety rose through my chest. If only I had a chance to find Mara before this moment. If only I wasn't afraid to tell her the truth, because then maybe, just maybe, we'd be together right now.

I've lost my chance.

Eventually, we felt Horace give us both a hug. "And I love you both," He said. "For letting me witness such a hilariously sappy moment!" And he started to laugh, making Oliver and I pull away and look at him. The lights around me turned back to blue, making me stare in confusion.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Psych! The earth's not speeding toward the sun! It was all fake!" Horace yelled. "There's no rocket, there's no positronic reactor, there's no launch pad under here!" He gestured to the Training Deck. "There's a graveyard."

"This was all a prank?" Oliver asked, shocked as I felt anger tightening my chest for a moment.

"Yep," Skylar said. "Now that's how you pull a practical joke."

"You were in on this?" Oliver asked.

"No!" She said, making me stare. I may have been stupid sometimes, but I knew better than to let my guard down. "It was all my idea!" I scoffed. "And the student has become...the master."

"But I don't understand," Oliver began, "what about all the heat and the quaking and the centripetal force?"

"The Great Defender was in on the whole thing," Horace said. "He wasn't spinning the earth on his finger. That would be ridiculous! He was only spinning the hospital on his finger."

"Like this," The Great Defender said as he walked in, holding the basketball in his hand before spinning it on the tip of his finger. "But only bigger, 'cause it's a hospital."

"And Solar Flare created the heat surge," Skylar said as Solar Flare walked in, creating flames in the palms of her hands.

"I feel so stupid," I said, feeling like such a fool to believe any of this was real.

"Don't," The Great Defender said. "The danger was fake, but your bravery was real. I commend you both."

"Me, too," I looked at the door, seeing Mara standing there in her Noctura look still. "I'm proud of you, Kaz." I smiled with the feeling that I finally did something right. Maybe we could make amends...and maybe I'll finally tell her the truth about my crush.

"I don't," Horace said, making me look at him as I could hear Mara saying "Come on, Horace!" behind me. "You should have seen your faces!" He said, starting to mock us and imitate crying. Skylar was following suit by waving her face to make "fake" tears from falling.

Wow...and I was willing to save this man?!

"We don't have to stand here and take this," Oliver said.

"No, we don't," I repeated, walking off with Oliver before feeling a hand on the back of my suit. I was pulled back with Oliver and looked to see that it was Mara keeping us from falling through the hole in the floor.

"Who moved the Caution No Floor sign!?" She yelled, turning to the group as I followed, seeing The Great Defender snap out of disappointment.

~Mara's POV~

I walked into the hospital the next day, seeing Oliver sitting at the counter with a clipboard and Kaz...was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Oliver," I said, getting his attention and making him nod a hey back. "Where's Kaz?"

"Rec Room," He said plainly, though I could see his mouth upturned into a smirk. "You might want to go talk to him."

I nodded, setting my bag on the ground and walking to the Rec Room. I waved to Skylar along the way before placing my hand on the doorknob and taking a breath.

What if I ruined our friendship? What if this was another prank? Knowing Kaz, he hardly ever learned his lessons. But, he usually managed to remember them and go with whatever he learned cautiously. So, perhaps if this was a prank, it wouldn't be as bad as the one on The Great Defender.

So, I opened the door and stopped when I saw Kaz holding out a red rose to me. I grinned, taking it and giving it a quick sniff.

"Thanks," I said.

"I'm sorry for how I was the other day," He said. "You were right, I can be immature at times. And I can take things too far. But I promise I'll do my best to be a better friend and to be more aware of your feelings. If we can still be friends."

"Oh, Kaz, of course. Apology accepted," I sighed. "And I'm sorry for snapping yesterday. I was just, under a lot of stress." I looked into his eyes, seeing his concern return. "I met my villain the other day."

"What?! Really?!" He asked as he led me to the couch and sat me down. He sat next to me.

"Yeah," I took a deep breath, keeping my emotions at bay as the thought of telling him could be a mistake. Anxiety pressured my chest, making me feel like if I told him, he'd be in more danger. I couldn't have that either. But, after keeping my powers a secret from him and Oliver for so long, I had to tell them. I couldn't keep secrets anymore. I couldn't hold back.

So, the choice was obvious.

"She goes by Queen Venom," I began, making him listen closely as I placed the rose on my lap. "And...she knows about you and Oliver."

Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. Lost interest for a while. And I know I use that excuse, but it's the truth.

But I hope you liked this chapter. It was a fun one to write because we met Queen Venom. Now, I do want to say I've been thinking of taking Mara and placing her into an original story, but I don't know because everyone who reads this story will get confused I think. But if you think she should have her own, original story, with a different love interest and friends and everything, then let me know. I'll do my best to continue that idea.

Anyway, thanks for reading, God bless, stay safe, and remember: don't just write a story, paint a picture.

Ciao!