The next morning, a soft golden light seeped through Max's curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. Everything was still and quiet, save for the occasional creak of the house settling and the muffled laughter of the Thundermans downstairs.

Melanie was the first to wake up. She blinked sleepily, feeling the warmth of the blankets wrapped around her and the steady rise and fall of Max's chest beneath her cheek.

Huh.

It took her a second to process where she was, but when she did, a small smile tugged at her lips. She was curled up against Max, her head resting lightly against his shoulder, his arm still lazily draped around her waist.

She shifted slightly, adjusting herself so she could see his face. His hair was a complete mess—dark strands sticking out in different directions from sleep, some flopping over his forehead. His lips were slightly parted, and his breathing was slow and deep. He looked... peaceful.

Melanie chuckled to herself. Max Thunderman, the so-called villain, the so-called troublemaker, looking like an innocent angel in his sleep? Who would've thought?

Carefully, she reached out, her fingers finding their way into his hair.

Soft.

She started absentmindedly running her fingers through it, smoothing out some of the messy strands. Every now and then, she gave them a playful little tug, watching as they flopped back into place.

Max grumbled in his sleep, shifting slightly. "Mmm... s'not a toy..."

Melanie smirked. "Oh? Could've fooled me."*

Max let out a sleepy groan, burying his face deeper into the pillow. "It's too early for you to be annoying."*

"It's never too early to play with your hair, Maxie," Melanie teased, twirling a strand around her finger. "It's literally the softest thing in existence. You should be honored."*

Max cracked one eye open, shooting her a tired glare. "I should be honored?"

"Absolutely."*

Max sighed dramatically and turned onto his back, now fully awake but clearly unwilling to move. "If you're gonna mess with it, at least make yourself useful and fix it," he muttered, gesturing vaguely to his head. "I know it's a disaster right now."*

"You admit it!"* Melanie gasped in fake shock. "Wow. That's growth, Max."*

"Melanie," Max whined, dragging a hand down his face. "Do not start with me right now."*

Melanie giggled and went back to running her fingers through his hair, smoothing down the wild strands. "There. Now you look less like a disaster and more like a prince."*

"Mmm, yeah, okay, definitely too early for this," Max grumbled, but he didn't move away. If anything, he leaned into her touch a little.

Melanie smiled to herself. She knew he secretly loved it.

A knock suddenly came from the door, followed by Barb's voice. "Good morning, lovebirds! Hope you two slept well. Breakfast is ready, and you better hurry before Billy eats everything!"*

Melanie snorted. "I give it five minutes before we hear Hank wrestling him for the last pancake."*

"Three minutes," Max corrected, stretching his arms over his head before lazily pulling the covers over himself again. "And I'm not moving yet."*

Melanie arched an eyebrow. "So you get to be lazy, but I get in trouble for playing with your hair?"*

"Yep," Max said shamelessly, closing his eyes again. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep."*

"Oh, no, you don't."* Melanie yanked the blanket off him, making him groan. "Up and at 'em, Max. You promised Nora a snowball rematch, and I refuse to let you break her little heart."*

"Ugh. Fine. But you owe me for waking me up like this."*

"Owe you?" Melanie laughed. "I just graced you with a free hair treatment. I'd say we're even."*

Max groaned, but a small smirk tugged at his lips as he finally sat up, his hair still slightly tousled from her fingers. "Fine, fine. Let's go before Billy eats all the good stuff."*

Melanie grabbed his hand, tugging him toward the door. "Race you downstairs?"

"You do realize I have super speed, right?"

"Oh, please. I bet I could beat you even without powers."*

Max raised an eyebrow, his competitive side kicking in. "Oh, it's on now, Mel."*

Laughing, the two of them bolted down the stairs, dodging furniture and each other as they raced toward the kitchen—another perfect start to another perfect day.

☆☆

At Splatburger, Phoebe sat at a table, focused on her homework while the restaurant bustled around her. Fries rained down onto the plates through the hanging tubes, and just as she reached for one, Max swooped in, snatching it before she could grab it.

"Fry reception," Max said smugly before popping the fry into his mouth.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes. "Jerk kick." Without hesitation, she kicked him under the table.

"Ow!" Max yelped, rubbing his shin. Annoyed, he turned his attention to the ketchup dispenser, pressing the button. Nothing happened. He tried again. Still nothing. He glanced toward the kitchen, spotting Jay Jay emerging with a tray.

"Hey, Jay Jay, why isn't the ketchup button working?" Max asked, now thoroughly irritated.

Jay Jay sighed. "Ketchup is offline. Table eight had a Splatastrophe."

Max turned his head just in time to see a group of customers at table eight, completely drenched in ketchup, looking horrified. Smirking, he decided to take matters into his own hands. His eyes locked onto a ketchup bottle sitting on a nearby table, and with a flick of his fingers, he used his telekinesis to pull it toward him.

Before the bottle could reach him, Phoebe swatted it down with her own powers and shot him a warning look. "Max! What are you doing? You can't use your powers to get ketchup. People will see you!" She got up, ready to grab the bottle herself.

Max leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "You are such a scaredy-cat. And a chicken. You're a chicken-cat."

Phoebe rolled her eyes but sat back down. "Hey, I'm not scared, okay? I eat food from mystery tubes."

Max smirked. "Then use your powers, chicken-cat." He started imitating a chicken, flapping his arms and clucking before adding in a meow.

Fed up, Phoebe huffed and used her telekinesis to bring the ketchup bottle over to their table. She smirked at him. "Ha. Who's the chicken-cat now?"

Max didn't answer right away. Instead, he nodded toward something behind her. "Why don't you ask the guy who just saw you using your powers?"

Phoebe's stomach dropped. She slowly turned around and met the wide-eyed stare of a boy sitting a few tables away. He looked utterly stunned.

"What do I do?! What do I do?!" she whispered in a panic.

Max shrugged. "Fix it."

Phoebe groaned, sinking under the table. "I know. I'll just live under here forever. Send money and clothes."

Max rolled his eyes and grabbed her wrist, tugging her back up. "No, don't. Go over there and make him unsee it."

Sighing in defeat, Phoebe smoothed her hair and walked over, putting on her best smile. "Hey! Did you see my little magic trick there? I've got a million of them!" She quickly demonstrated a clumsy version of the thumb-separation trick.

The boy grinned. "That's cool. Hey, can you do this?" He stretched his right hand's thumb with his left, extending it way farther than any normal human could.

Phoebe's jaw nearly dropped. "No, I cannot."

He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "My name's Link. I have superpowers, like you." To prove it, he stretched his arm across the table and grabbed a chair without moving his body.

Phoebe, caught completely off guard, stumbled back and nearly fell.

Max, who had been watching from his seat, sauntered over and grabbed the ketchup bottle. "Way to fix things, Phoebe." He casually squeezed a generous amount onto Link's fries before snatching one and popping it into his mouth.

Before Phoebe could respond, someone plopped into the seat next to Max.

"Okay, what did I miss?" Melanie asked, looking between them.

Max grinned, leaning into her. "Phoebe just outed herself as a superhero, and now we've got a stretchy new friend."

Melanie raised an eyebrow. "Huh. So, business as usual, then?"

"Pretty much," Max confirmed, tossing another fry into his mouth.

Melanie blinked, looking between Link and Phoebe, her eyes wide with surprise. "Wait, hold on—you're telling me there's another super-powered teenager just casually hanging out at Splatburger?"

Max leaned back in his seat, smirking. "Yep. And this one stretches like a rubber band."

Melanie shot him a look. "Max, this is huge! We don't just meet other superheroes every day!" She turned back to Link, narrowing her eyes slightly. "How do we know you're not some kind of villain spying on us?"

Link raised his hands in surrender. "I promise, I'm not a villain. I just moved here, and when I saw you use your powers—" he gestured toward Phoebe, who looked like she wanted to disappear— "I thought maybe I wasn't alone."

Melanie frowned, still processing. "So you have super strength? Super speed? What else can you do?"

Link chuckled, stretching his arm across the table and plucking a fry from Max's plate. "I can stretch everything. Arms, legs, fingers, even my neck." To demonstrate, he elongated his neck slightly before letting it snap back into place.

Melanie's eyes widened. "Okay, that's both impressive and extremely freaky."

Max scoffed. "Please. I've seen weirder. You should've seen Phoebe when she got stuck in turbo mode—she looked like a blur with bad hair."

"Hey!" Phoebe snapped.

Melanie ignored them, her mind still racing. "Wait—so if you're a superhero, does that mean you have a secret identity? A team? Are there more of you? Do your parents know? How did you get your powers?"

Link chuckled nervously. "Uh... one question at a time?"

Melanie huffed, crossing her arms. "I just really need to know how many powered people are out there. Because if we're all just running into each other at burger joints, that's kinda concerning."

Max shrugged. "Eh, maybe there are more of us out there. Maybe there's a whole underground society of superheroes we don't even know about." He grinned. "Or maybe we're just magnets for chaos."

Melanie sighed, rubbing her temples. "Great. More questions, less answers."

Phoebe, finally recovering from her earlier panic, shook her head. "Okay, well, we can't just talk about this out in the open. We need to take this somewhere private before we get caught."

Max stood up, grabbing a handful of fries. "Fine, but I'm bringing snacks."

Melanie groaned. "Of course you are."

With that, the four of them headed out, Melanie still throwing questions at Link as Max and Phoebe exchanged looks, knowing this was just the beginning of another chaotic adventure.

As Max dug through his clothes, trying to find the perfect meet-the-ultimate-supervillain outfit, Melanie sat cross-legged on his bed, watching him with an amused smirk.

"You do realize you're acting like you're meeting a celebrity, right?" she teased, leaning back on her elbows. "I mean, it's Evilman. The guy literally tried to bury the city under a glacier."

Max scoffed, tossing a black leather jacket over his shoulder. "And? That just proves his dedication to the whole villain aesthetic. The guy's a legend, Mel." He turned, holding up a cape. "Too much?"

Melanie raised a brow. "You're gonna wear a cape to impress him?"

"Duh. Capes command respect."

Dr. Colosso hopped onto the table, shaking his little bunny head. "Nah, capes are a rookie move. You ever seen a bunny in a cape? No, because they're a liability in battle."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Okay, Max, but back to the actual problem—Phoebe just found out her crush is the son of your dad's biggest enemy. She's spiraling, and instead of being a good brother, you're out here plotting how to inherit a villain's snow fortress."

Max glanced up from where he was dramatically swooshing the cape in front of the mirror. "First of all, that snow fortress is a lair. And second, Phoebe's gonna be fine. She always freaks out before doing something big, and then—bam!—it works out."

Melanie folded her arms. "And what if it doesn't? What if Link finds out who you guys are and it turns into a real problem?"

Max waved a dismissive hand. "Psh. We'll handle it."

Melanie sighed, shaking her head. "You know, for a genius, sometimes you're so dumb." She hopped off the bed and walked over to grab his arm. "Look, I don't care about some frozen lair. Just promise me you're not gonna let Phoebe get hurt."

Max glanced at her, reading the concern in her expression. His smirk faded a little. "Alright, alright. I promise I'll keep an eye on her. But if she ends up dating him, I'm meeting Evilman."

Melanie sighed but smiled. "Fine. But no capes."

Max grumbled, tossing the cape aside. "You're really killing my vibe, you know that?"

Melanie smirked, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "That's what girlfriends are for."

Dr. Colosso groaned. "Ugh, gag me with a carrot. I'm outta here." He hopped off the table, disappearing into his little villainous bunny hideout.

Melanie giggled before turning back to Max. "Now, c'mon. Let's go see if your sister is still having a meltdown."

Max sighed, grabbing his jacket. "Fine. But if Evilman does show up, I'm taking notes."

With a shake of her head, Melanie laced her fingers through his and led him out of the lair. Chaos was inevitable, but at least they'd handle it together.

As Max dug through his closet, tossing shirts, jackets, and a few questionable costume pieces onto the floor, Melanie sat on the edge of his bed, watching with an amused expression.

"Max, does it really matter what you wear?" she asked, leaning back on her elbows.

Max turned, holding up two nearly identical black shirts. "Of course it matters! First impressions are everything in the villain world. I have to look effortlessly cool but also like I mean business."

Melanie smirked. "Max, you always look effortlessly cool. Just pick something and stop overthinking it."

Max blinked at her, momentarily thrown off. "Wait... did you just say I always look cool?"

Melanie rolled her eyes, but a small smile played on her lips. "Don't let it go to your head."

Max smirked, tossing one of the shirts aside. "Too late." He shrugged into the remaining one and turned back to the mirror. "Okay, hair—messy but controlled, like I just walked out of an explosion."

Melanie raised a brow. "Max, your hair always looks like that."

He turned, pointing at her. "Exactly. That's why it works."

She laughed, shaking her head as he ran a hand through his hair to perfect the "controlled chaos" look. "You're ridiculous."

Max shot her a grin. "Ridiculously awesome, you mean."

Melanie sighed, standing up and crossing her arms. "Look, I still don't think Evilman should be coming over. This is not a good idea."

Max groaned. "Oh, come on, Mel. It's a great idea. Think about it—two of the most powerful supervillains under one roof. It's like destiny."

Melanie gave him a deadpan look. "Or a disaster."

Max waved a dismissive hand. "Same thing."

She sighed, stepping closer and placing her hands on his shoulders. "Max, I get that you wanna impress this guy, but your dad literally forbade anything to do with him. What if he finds out?"

Max smirked. "Then I'll cross that bridge when I blow it up."

Melanie groaned, resting her forehead against his chest in exasperation. "Why am I in love with such an idiot?"

Max grinned, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Because this idiot is devilishly handsome, endlessly charming, and very fun at parties."

Melanie rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "You're lucky I like you."

Max tilted her chin up with his fingers. "I know." He leaned in and kissed her softly before pulling back with a smirk. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an evil empire to build."

Melanie sighed, watching as he grabbed his jacket and strode toward the lair's exit. "Just... be careful, okay?"

Max shot her a wink. "Always."

Melanie shook her head with a small laugh as he disappeared up the stairs. She had a feeling this meeting was going to be anything but smooth sailing.

As all of this unfolded, Melanie stood off to the side, watching in horror as the entire situation spiraled into chaos. She had been hoping for a somewhat normal evening, but no—Max was scheming, Phoebe was panicking, Hank was pantsless, and now, Evilman's son was standing in their house holding a ketchup bottle like it was a bouquet of flowers.

Melanie sighed, rubbing her temples. This is my life.

When Link nervously stammered over his name, Melanie cringed, fighting the overwhelming secondhand embarrassment. Then Hank walked in without pants, and she visibly winced. She loved Max, but sometimes she seriously questioned why she was voluntarily part of this family's insanity.

Max, meanwhile, was thriving in the chaos, grinning as he nudged Link toward Hank. "Come on, dude, tell my dad a little more about yourself. Maybe about your father?"

Melanie elbowed Max. "Stop it," she muttered under her breath. "You're so obvious."

Max just smirked. "What? I'm just making conversation."

Melanie folded her arms, watching as Hank loomed over Link, who looked like he might pass out at any second.

Link laughed nervously. "Uh, yes sir, my dad is, um... very protective. Wants to know where I am at all times, you know how it is! Haha..."

Melanie almost groaned out loud. Oh, he just made it worse.

Hank nodded approvingly. "Smart man. A father's job is to protect his kids."

Melanie bit her lip to keep from blurting out, Yeah, but I'm pretty sure Evilman's version of "protect" is slightly different from yours.

Then, of course, Max pressed the emergency GPS button. Melanie's eyes widened, and she grabbed his wrist. "Max. Tell me you did not just do that."

Max grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "What? It's just a little insurance policy."

Melanie groaned. "This is not going to end well."

Meanwhile, Phoebe was still trying to play damage control, giving Link two enthusiastic thumbs-ups. "You're doing great!"

Melanie sighed, shaking her head. "No, he's really not."

Max just smirked and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Oh, come on, Mel. This is fun."

Melanie shot him a look. "Max, you literally just summoned Evilman. Do you really think that's a good idea?"

Max's grin widened. "Nope. But it's gonna be hilarious."

Melanie groaned. "I'm dating a disaster."

Max winked. "Yeah, but I'm your disaster."

Melanie sighed again, already bracing herself for the absolute mess that was about to unfold.

As the chaos settled—for now—Melanie pulled Phoebe aside, away from Max's scheming and Link's nervous wreck of an existence. They stood near the staircase, just out of earshot of the others. Phoebe was still forcing a smile, but Melanie could see right through