Melanie stirred first, feeling the weight of Max's arm still around her. For a moment, she didn't want to move. The lair was quiet, comfortably warm, and despite everything, she felt safe.

Max shifted slightly, groaning into the couch cushion. His eyes barely cracked open, and when he realized they were still curled up together, he smirked sleepily.

"Morning, princess," he mumbled.

Melanie rolled her eyes, stretching but not moving away. "Don't call me that."

He yawned, smirking. "Oh, so you do prefer 'dark empress.'"

She lightly smacked his chest, making him chuckle. "I'd prefer coffee, actually. I've been craving Starbucks since last night, but I didn't want to wake you."

Max raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me you passed up an opportunity to mess with me for a Starbucks run?"

She huffed. "I must really like you or something."

Max grinned, sitting up. "Alright, then let's go."

Melanie blinked at him. "Wait, seriously? It's still early, and your mom will probably—"

"Which is why," he interrupted, already standing up and stretching, "we're sneaking out my way."

He nodded toward the window of his lair.

Melanie smirked, pushing the blanket off herself. "Sneaking out? I like the way you think."

She walked over, pulling her shoes on while Max ran a hand through his messy hair. Just as he was about to climb out first, he turned to her with a teasing look.

"So," he started casually, "have I gotten completely out of the nice zone yet? You know, so we can start dating?"

Melanie crossed her arms, pretending to think. "Mmm... just a little longer."

Max groaned dramatically, resting his head against the window frame. "You're torturing me, Mel."

She smirked. "Then stop being so obvious."

Before he could argue, she pushed him out the window. He landed on the ground with a huff, shooting her an unamused look.

Melanie gracefully climbed out after him, landing beside him. "Come on, loverboy. I want my coffee."

Max rolled his eyes but still grinned as they snuck off down the street together.

☆

The basement is cluttered with wires, blueprints, and half-finished gadgets. The soft hum of machinery is drowned out by loud whirring noises. At the center, Max is hunched over a control panel, tweaking his latest experiment—a sleek, homemade rocket. His eyes gleam with determination.

Across the room, Melanie and Phoebe sits at a table, surrounded by open textbooks, scratch paper, and a calculator. She chews on her pencil, trying to concentrate.

Melanie shouting over the noise. "Max!"

The whirring intensifies.

"Max, I'm trying to study!"

Max adjusting dials, distracted. "What?"

Phoebe exasperated. "We're trying to study!"

Max still distracted. "Hold on." Max enters, holding a sandwich. "What about pickles?"

Melanie & Phoebe screamed towards him. "No pickles!"

Max shrugs and takes a bite of his sandwich. "Max, you're making too much noise! We can't concentrate on my Math Bowl prep."

"The Math Bowl? Is that where you flush away any chance of having a social life?" Max chuckles.

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Says the guy who spends all his time alone in his lair."

"I'm too busy for friends." Max exclaimed.

Phoebe raising an eyebrow. "So our dance parties mean nothing to you?"

Max glances at her but quickly turns back to his rocket, avoiding the question. Max muttering. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to launch the Max-1 into the stratosphere."

"Well, our Math Bowl is more important!" Mel slammed her hands down.

"Rocket is."

"Math Bowl."

"Rocket."

"Math Bowl."

"Rocket!"

"Fine! Rocket!" Phoebe watches, amused, as Melanie realizes what she just said. "Wait—no! Ugh, you're impossible!"

Suddenly, a loud beep echoes through the room. Smoke rises from Max's rocket.

Max gasping, dramatic. "My baby!" He screamed. "What did you do? I wanted to push that button!"

Melanie smirked. "You still can. It just won't do anything."

Max glares at her while Phoebe bursts out laughing. The rocket fizzles out, and Melanie smirks, turning back to her notes.

Max sulks over his now-smoke-covered rocket, while Melanie and Phoebe return to their studies. The hum of the machines has quieted, but the tension between Phoebe and Melanie lingers.

Phoebe casually flipping a page, then glancing up at Melanie. "So... where were you last night?"

Melanie's grip tightens slightly on her pencil, but she keeps her expression neutral. "Huh?"

Phoebe explained. "Last night. When I woke up, you weren't in our room."

Max looks up slightly, intrigued, but stays quiet. "Oh. Uh—yeah, I just took a walk around."

Phoebe narrowing her eyes. "A walk? At, like, two in the morning?"

Melanie forcing a laugh. "Yeah! You know, couldn't sleep. Figured some fresh air would help."

Phoebe tilts her head, studying Melanie. "You're a terrible liar."

Melanie gasped. "Excuse me?"

Phoebe smirked. "Your voice gets all high-pitched when you're lying."

Melanie gasped. "It does not!"

Max muttering, smirking. "It totally does."

Melanie shoots him a glare before turning back to Phoebe, keeping her cool. "I swear I just took a walk. That's it."

She turns back to her notes, hoping Phoebe will drop it. But Phoebe crosses her arms, still eyeing her suspiciously. "So... you weren't, say, with someone?"

Melanie stiffens but quickly shakes her head. "Nope. Just me. Alone. Walking."

Phoebe asked. "Mhm. And you definitely didn't fall asleep somewhere else?"

Melanie forcing a chuckle. "Nope! Slept fine. In my bed. Like always."

Max smirking, under his breath. "Again—terrible liar." Melanie kicks Max under the table. He lets out a muffled grunt but doesn't react otherwise.

Phoebe explained. "Interesting. Because I could've sworn when I checked your bed this morning, it didn't look slept in."

Melanie quickly. "Must've been a really neat sleep."

Phoebe shrugged. "Or... you weren't there at all."

Melanie focuses intensely on her Math Bowl notes, pretending to be invested in a random equation. "Look, do we really have to do this right now? Some of us actually care about academics."

Phoebe grinning knowingly. "Some of us also care about the fact that you've been acting weird all day."

"I have not!"

"Oh, you have. And I know when something is up. So, tell me, Mel—who were you really with?" Phoebe smirked, turning towards the girl.

Melanie's heart pounds. She knows she can't tell Phoebe the truth. If she did, Phoebe would immediately assume she and Max were dating—and then she'd never hear the end of the "I told you so" speech. The very thought makes her stomach twist. "Phoebe, seriously. There's nothing to tell. I just took a walk, couldn't sleep, and that's it. End of story."

Phoebe studies her for a moment longer, then sighs, leaning back in her chair. "Fine. But if I do find out you were with someone, I will start rambling."

Melanie flatly. "Noted."

Max finally speaks up, smirking. He leans into her ear and whispers, "So, just to clarify—you're not dating me?"

Melanie deadpan. "I would rather enter the Math Bowl with you as my partner."

Max mock offended. "Wow. That was cold."

Phoebe laughing, shaking her head. "Alright, alright. We'll drop it... for now."

Melanie exhales quietly, relieved. But as Phoebe turns back to her studies, she can't shake the feeling that this won't be the last time the topic comes up.

☆

The kitchen is buzzing with activity. Phoebe and Melanie sit at the table, textbooks open, notebooks sprawled out between them as they cram for the Math Bowl. Barb moves around the kitchen, fixing breakfast while Max leans against the counter, scrolling through his phone, completely uninterested in the world of numbers.

Phoebe without looking up, focused on her notes. "Just toast for me, Mom. I have to study for the Math Bowl."

Barb placing a plate on the table. "What is it with you and the Math Bowl?"

Phoebe scribbling a formula. "This kind of stuff will help me get into Hero University. And since I can't show off my superpowers here, might as well show off my brainpower."

Max rolling his eyes, smirking. "Why? So you can get a sticker that says, "I'm a mathlete"?"

Melanie without looking up. "Beats "I'm a duh-lympian."

Max scoffs, narrowing his eyes at her. Melanie meets his gaze briefly with a smirk before turning back to her notes. "Say what you want, I'm still smarter at math than you are."

Phoebe raising an eyebrow, amused. "Oh, really?"

Melanie grinning, flipping a page. "That's a bold claim for someone who thought the Pythagorean Theorem was a Greek philosopher."

Max offended. "That was one time! And I was joking."

Phoebe grinning. "Sure you were."

Just then, Hank enters, carrying his morning coffee, looking half-awake. Phoebe sees the perfect opportunity. "Dad, who's smarter at math, me or Max?"

Max crossing his arms. "Yeah, right. Parents never answer questions like that."

Barb and Hank at the same time, without hesitation. "Phoebe is."

Max jaw dropping. "What?!"

Hank shrugging. "She's in honors math and gets A's."

Barb agrees, shrugging. "And you get... the other letters."

Melanie tries (and fails) to stifle a laugh.

Max mentions. "Well, at Villain University, they don't care about grades."

Barb rolled her eyes. "Well, we do."

Hank explained. "Tomorrow is report card day. And if your grades aren't better, we're taking away your doomsday devices."

Barb pointed. "Which we probably should've done a couple years ago."

Max blinks, processing this new reality. Meanwhile, Phoebe and Melanie exchange satisfied looks. Melanie mock sympathy. "Good luck getting your grades up in a day."

Phoebe smiled. "And good luck with the couch."

"What cou—ouch!" He yelps as Hank playfully shoves him toward the living room. Melanie and Phoebe chuckle, returning to their work.

Barb asked. "I'll take them to school. Can you drive Billy and Nora?"

Hank nodded. "No problem. I'm all over it. Got it."

He takes a long sip of his coffee, looking like he absolutely does not got it. The scene fades out as Phoebe and Melanie shake their heads, diving back into their studying.

The car is rolling down the street, Barb at the wheel, while Phoebe, Melanie, and Max are in the backseat. Phoebe and Melanie are still deep in conversation about the Math Bowl, flipping through their notes as the car bumps along. Max, on the other hand, sits slouched with his arms crossed, clearly uninterested but listening.

Phoebe glancing up from her notes. "Okay, so if we get a geometry question, you take the lead. I'll handle probability."

Melanie nodding, flipping a page. "Right, and if there's a logic problem, we just let the other team suffer because those take forever."

Phoebe grinning. "Exactly."

Max mocking. "Wow. Riveting conversation. You two must be the life of every party."

Melanie without looking up. "Oh, sorry, Max. Did you want to talk about your latest evil scheme?"

Max smirking. "I was planning to, but now I'm just dying to hear more about equations."

Melanie grinning, feigning innocence. "Well, since you asked..." Max groans as Melanie and Phoebe laugh. But then Melanie, enjoying herself a little too much, adds something that Max can't let slide. "Look, some of us actually have futures that don't involve a basement and a lab coat."

Max without missing a beat. "Oh yeah? And what's your future? Math competitions and aggressively correcting people's percentages at restaurants?"

Melanie mock offense. "I do not correct people aggressively."

Max hummed. "Mmm, tell that to the waiter last week when you insisted his tip calculation was off."

"It was off."

Max nodded. "Right, because nothing says fun like, "Actually, 15% of 42.75 is 6.41, not 6.40." Phoebe snorts, shaking her head, while Melanie glares at Max. Max turning to Barb, smirking. "Mom, serious question—why wasn't her sample applied?"

Barb sighs, clearly not paying attention. "Same reason as Phoebe. I just stopped listening after a while."

Melanie smugly, leaning back. "So basically, I'm perfect."

Max rolling his eyes, muttering. "Yeah, sure. Perfectly obnoxious."

Phoebe, however, notices something. She side-eyes Max, catching the way he reacts just a little too much whenever Melanie speaks. Her curiosity is piqued. Phoebe grinning slyly. "Y'know, Max... for someone who claims not to care, you seem pretty invested in Melanie's life."

Max immediately defensive. "What? No, I'm not."

Phoebe raising an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Because if you weren't, you wouldn't constantly have something to say about her."

Melanie leaning in, smirking. "Yeah, Max. You do seem a little obsessed."

Max scoffing. "Please. If anything, you're obsessed with me."

Melanie mock gasp, hand to chest. "Wow, you caught me. My whole life revolves around waiting for your next snarky comment."

Max grinning, leaning back smugly. "That's what I thought."

Phoebe not buying it, still watching him closely. "Uh-huh. Sure."

Max keeps his smirk, but deep down, he knows Phoebe's getting way too close to the truth. So he does what he does best—lies. "Look, I'm just messing with her because it's fun. That's it. End of story."

Phoebe narrows her eyes, not quite convinced, but lets it slide. Melanie, however, knows the truth. Because just before they left for school, back in the kitchen, Max had leaned in close—just enough to send a shiver down her spine—and whispered in her ear.

Max leans in, his voice low, teasing yet... something else lingering underneath. Max whispering, "You talk too much, y'know that?"

Melanie heart pounding, whispering back. "And yet, you're always listening."

Max smirks, pulling back before she can say anything else. The moment is quick, subtle—but it says everything.

Melanie shakes her head, hiding a small smile as she stares out the window. Yeah, Max could pretend all he wanted. But she knew the truth. And so did he.

☆

The hallway is buzzing with students rushing to class. Phoebe and Melanie stand by their lockers, books in hand, preparing to head to their next class together. Max is lingering nearby, looking suspiciously casual as he eyes a teacher's desk where a stack of report cards sits unattended.

Melanie noticing Max's smirk. "You're up to something."

Phoebe sighing. "He's always up to something."

Max mock offense. "Wow, zero faith in me. Maybe I just enjoy standing here, taking in the fine atmosphere of public education."

"Uh-huh. And I'm the Queen of England."

Phoebe eyeing him suspiciously. "You're trying to get a look at your report card before Mom and Dad see it, aren't you?"

Max grinning. "What? Me? Never."

Just then, Melanie, appears, crossing her arms as she glares at Max. He freezes mid-step, caught red-handed. "Let me guess. You want a sneak peek at your report card before your parents see it."

Max shrugging, playing it cool. "I mean, want is a strong word."

Sarah deadpan, yelling from inside. "No dice."

Melanie grinning as she leans against her locker. "That went well."

Max grumbling. "I don't need commentary, thanks."

"Now, get to class."

Max mock thoughtful. "Hm. I could do that... or—"

Melanie raising an eyebrow. "What are you waiting for? A ruler-smack on the butt?"

Max grimacing. "Pretty sure that's illegal now."

Melanie muttering. "Apparently."

Melanie stifles a laugh as Max starts walking off. But before he does, he turns back with a mischievous grin. "Hey, by the way, "Berman" comes before "McDougal" in the alphabet."

Sarah frowning. "I was alphabetizing before—" She suddenly freezes, eyes widening in horror as she realizes her mistake. "Holy duck sauce!"

Frantically, she reshuffles the folders, clearly thrown off. Max smirks triumphantly as Phoebe shakes her head, unimpressed.

Melanie grinning, nudging Phoebe. "Admit it. That was at least a little impressive."

Phoebe sighing, walking off with her books. "I'm not admitting anything."

As Sarah mutters to herself about coffee and bad decisions, Max walks off smugly, leaving behind total chaos—just the way he likes it.

The cafeteria is packed with students chatting and eating. Melanie and Max sit together at their usual table, trays of food in front of them. Max is unusually relaxed, leaning back in his chair, smirking as if he owns the place. Melanie, however, is eyeing him suspiciously as she picks at her food.

Melanie narrowing her eyes, taking a sip of her drink. "So... are you actually not worried about your grades, or are you just pretending not to be?"

Max grinning, taking a dramatic bite of his sandwich. "Worried? Me? Please. I can't wait for my parents to see my report card. They're gonna be so proud of how much progress I've made."

Melanie leaning in, skeptical. "That's funny, because I'm pretty sure you didn't do a single assignment."

Max shrugging innocently. "Details, details."

Melanie crossing her arms. "Let me guess. You did all your missing work last minute and somehow forced me into helping you."

Max pointing at her with his fork. "And I appreciate you for that."

Melanie sighing, shaking her head. "You're kind of turning over a new leaf... in a Max sort of way."

Max smirking, setting his tray aside. "Well, if we're already making progress, maybe we should try, you know... doing more couple things."

Melanie raising an eyebrow, teasing. "Oh? You want to do couple things?"

Max acting nonchalant, but definitely nervous. "Just to, you know, make sure that when we do get together, it won't be awkward."

Melanie studies him for a second, then slowly reaches out and takes his hand under the table. Melanie softly, with a small smile. "Just to see how natural it is?"

Max grinning, lacing his fingers with hers. "Exactly."

But before Melanie can respond, she spots Phoebe and Cherry heading their way. Max notices too—and immediately yanks his hand away like he just touched a hot stove. Phoebe frowning. "Why do you look so happy about getting your grades back?"

Cherry nodding. "Yeah, aren't your grades, like... absolutely terrible?"

Phoebe suspicious. "You haven't even opened your report card yet, have you?"

Max leaning back, playing it cool. "Pshh, I don't need to. I already know I crushed it."

Melanie watching him carefully, knowing something is up but not pushing it—yet.

Phoebe and Cherry exchange looks, clearly not convinced, but before they can interrogate him further, the bell rings. "Welp, time to get to class. Try not to fail before next semester, Max." Phoebe and Cherry grab their trays and head off, leaving Melanie and Max alone again.

Melanie exhaling, suddenly looking worried as she pokes at her food. "I hope my grades are