Counting Toads 🐸

Navigation Post Last Updated: 7/29/2026

Requests are open! Please be aware it will take me some time to write them.

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Rules

I am new to writing so please give me some grace

I do not write smut

Only x reader fics

I write female readers as default, but I am open to writing for any gender (I cannot promise that it will be very good).

Requests may take awhile but I will try to get to all of them as long as they are appropriate.

Masterlist/ Who I Write For

“I don’t know what you are talking about” you deflect. 

“Come on Y/N, you know Max follows you around constantly” Red says. 

“It’s pathetic” Hazel deadpans. 

“I think it’s cute” Pink defends Max. 

“It’s sweet that Max likes you so much” Chloe joins in. 

“It’s not like that” you say. “Max is just very friendly.” 

“Wow you are in deep denial” Hazel laughs. “Max has never been that friendly with anyone.” 

“I…” you pause not knowing what to say. 

 “Do you like Max?” Pink asks sweetly. 

“Uh” you hesitate. “No” you finally respond, not wanting to admit your feelings. 

“That didn’t sound so sure,” Red says. 

“I just remembered I’ve got to go do something” you say quickly, getting up. 

“Wait Y/N, we don’t have to talk about this” Chloe says trying to comfort you. 

“No, it's good. I’m okay. I’ll see you all later” you say reassuring your friends before leaving. 

“$10 says she’s about to go see Max,” Hazel laughs. 

“I’ll take that deal” Red grins. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After that conversation with your friends, you need to take a walk to clear your head.  

Sure, you thought Max was cute, and you enjoyed talking to him, but that didn’t mean you liked him. Right? 

Before you could dwell on your thoughts further, you noticed Max and Felix in the courtyard talking to a group of girls. Deciding it was better to talk to Max than to spiral further, you began walking over. 

As you begin to get closer, you see Max standing awfully close to one of the girls. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as pretty as you before. I think you must be turning me mad” Max winks at the girl. 

Seeing Max flirt with her causes your heart to drop. You turn around and leave before you can witness anymore, but what you didn’t see was that while Max was flirting, Felix was also removing any jewelry the girls were wearing. 

Walking as fast as you can to get away from Max, you don’t even notice your friends as you pass by. You just want to get as far away from everything as you can.

“Y/N are you okay” Red calls out.

“We should follow her,” Pink says, worried about what could possibly be causing you such distress.

“What are we waiting for? Let's go,” Hazel responds. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You are walking as fast as your legs possibly can take you to the Enchanted Lake. It’s a long walk but the further away you get from Auradon Prep and Max Hatter the better. How could you have been so stupid to think he liked you back? 

Finally making it to the lake you can’t help but sing instead of pushing your emotions down any longer.  

“If there's a prize for rotten judgement, I guess I've already won that. No man is worth the aggravation. That's ancient history, been there, done that” you sing sadly. 

You had been too distracted to notice your friends arriving so when they start singing you are caught off guard. 

“Who'd you think you're kidding? He's the Earth and heaven to you.” Chloe sings. 

“Try to keep it hidden. Honey, we can see right through you” Hazel adds. 

“Girl, you can't conceal it. We know how you feel and who you're thinking of” Pink and Red sing moving closer to you. 

“No chance, no way I won't say it” you try to defend yourself. 

“You swoon, you sigh. Why deny it?” Hazel sings 

“It's too cliché. I won't say I'm in love” you move away from your friends. “I thought my heart had learned its lesson. It feels so good when you start out. My head is screaming, "Get a grip, girl!" Unless you're dying to cry your heart out” 

“You keep on denying who you are and how you're feeling. Baby, we're not buying. Hon, we saw you hit the ceiling” Pink, Chloe and Red move closer. 

“Face it like a grown-up when you gonna own up that you got, got, got it bad?” Hazel sings standing in front of you. 

“No chance, no way I won't say it” you turn away from her. 

“Give up, give in. Check the grin, you're in love” Red moves in front of you. 

“This scene won't play. I won't say I'm in love” you walk away.

“Read our lips, you're in love” Hazel tries again. 

“You're way off base I won't say it. Get off my case I won't say it” you sing loudly 

“Girl, don't be proud. It's okay, you're in love,” Pink sings, gently resting her hand on your shoulder. 

“Oh, at least out loud. I won't say I'm in love” you sigh.  

“What happened, Y/N’ Pink asks you, now that you have all finished singing. 

“I saw Max flirting with another girl. It just caught me really off guard” you respond. 

“I’m sorry, what” Hazel exclaims. “Max is hat over heels for you. He better have a really good explanation for this.” 

“I don’t know how he could. Him and Felix were surrounded by a group of girls and they were definitely enjoying it” you tell her. 

“I am going to knock some sense into those boys, don't you worry.” Hazel says before walking back towards Auradon Prep in search of Max and Felix. 

“I think we can all agree that I would not want to be those two right now” Red jokes trying to lighten the mood, causing you to let out a small laugh. 

“Hazel is scary when she’s mad” you say. 

“Let’s be honest, Hazel is scary all of the time,” Chloe laughs. 

“I know we have only been friends for a couple of weeks, but we really care about you, Y/N” Pink says. 

“Thank you, Pink. I really care about you all too” surprising everyone you pull Pink into a hug. 

“Are you ready to head back to Auradon Prep” Chloe asks you. 

“No, I think I need some more time to process everything that has happened today. You all should head back though” you tell her. 

“Are you sure? We don’t want to leave you out here alone,” Red replies. 

“No, I'm sure. I come out to the enchanted lake all the time to clear my head. I’ll be fine” you reassure your friends. 

“Okay, well come find us when you make it back to the school,” Red says. 

As your friends walk away you can’t help but sit down in front of the lake. How could you have been so wrong about Max?

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“I thought HKs were supposed to be cheerier” Max couldn’t help but say, surprised by your actions. 

“Yeah, and VKs don’t normally catch people. Yet here we are” you respond, beginning to walk away. 

Max, following after you intrigued, says “You didn’t give me your name. I think you could tell me, after all I did catch you.” 

“You also are the one who sent me tumbling.” You state plainly. “The names Y/N” you add, knowing he won’t leave you alone until you tell him. 

“Y/N, that’s a pretty name” Max grins at you. “I’m Max Hatter.” 

“I know” you reply back. 

“Is that why you are being so warm to me?” He asks sarcastically. 

“I’m this pleasant with everyone, Hatter. Most people don’t normally stick around this along” you deadpan. 

“Maybe I’m just special than” he winks. 

“Well, this is my class. It’s been a real slice, Hatter. I’ll see you around” you say with a mock salute and walk into your class leaving a stunned Max behind. 

What you didn’t know is that this definitely would not be your last time seeing Max. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max, intrigued by the way you stonewalled him during your first meeting, is determined to break through your walls. And when Max sets his mind to something, he does not give up easily. This has led to him subtly asking his friends who you are in an effort to find out more about you.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite Goddess” Max grins at you, now knowing who you are. 

“I’m not a goddess, Hatter. I’m a mortal just like you” you respond, having been enjoying the peace and quiet in the gardens before Max showed up.

“Could have fooled me, you’re even more beautiful than Aphrodite herself” he winks at you, sitting down next to you. 

“Wow, that must make you really popular with the ladies” you roll your eyes. 

“I’ve got my eyes only set on you” Max grins. 

“And why is that exactly” you question. 

“Because you're intriguing and don’t conform to what others want.” He replies honestly, surprising you with his response. 

“Ah so when I stop being interesting you will leave me alone” you reply, not letting him know how much his response affected you. 

“No of course not” Max defends himself.  

“You’ve got one question you can ask me. Go” you look at Max, curious about what he might ask. 

“What? Are you serious,” Max asks, surprised that you are opening up a little. 

“I am deadly serious. What a waste of a question” you smirk, getting up. 

“No, that wasn’t my question” Max groans. 

“Too bad. You asked me a question and I responded. I’ll see you around, lover boy” you say, gathering your stuff and walking away. 

Once again, you have left Max dumbfounded in your wake. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s not until the next day that Max finds you again, this time in the library. 

“Hello again beautiful” Max grins sitting down next to you interrupting the Grecian tragedy you were reading. 

“Hello Hatter. I see you haven’t given up yet” you respond, setting your book down. 

“Of course not. I told you I am going to get to know you better,” he replies. 

“Well what question do you want to ask me today? You better not waste it like yesterday” you smirk at him. 

“Where is your favorite place to go in Auradon?” Max asks. 

“The enchanted lake” you respond, confused why out of all of the questions he could have asked he chose that one. 

Noticing the confusion on your face, Max answers your silent question. “I have to know where I can find you, if you disappear on me. Can’t ask you another question if you're nowhere to be found," he jokes

“That is actually a good question” you can’t help but sound surprised. 

“No need to sound so surprised Y/N. You can ask me one too if you want” Max smiles. 

“What is one place in Auradon you will not go?” You ask. 

“My old home on the isle of the lost. I never want to return there.” Max answers honestly. “Why did you ask that question?” 

“So, I know where to avoid you, Hatter” you quietly laugh, surprising Max as he had never seen you laugh before. 

Instead of walking away this time, you turn your attention back to your book. Max realizing the progress that has occurred can’t help but smile. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next time Max finds you is when you are cloud watching on the outskirts of the tourney field. You find yourself here often admiring your grandfather, Zeus’s work, on days when there are no practices. 

“Well, if it isn’t the beautiful goddess, Y/N” Max greets, laying down beside you. 

“Hello Hatter” you say glancing over at him. “Have you come to ask another question?” 

“Of course,” Max grins. “What are you going to do after you leave Auradon Prep?” 

“I’m going to travel,” you say with certainty. “My father didn’t find himself until after he left home. I want to do the same. What about you?” 

“I hadn’t really thought of it before” Max answers truthfully. “Traveling sounds nice though” he continues looking over at you. 

Surprised at the look that Max is giving you, for once you are left speechless. 

Max sits up abruptly and says “I brought you something today, Y/N.” 

Sitting up as well you can’t help but ask “What is it?” 

Reaching next to him, Max pulls out a beautiful pink flower with red spots. “It’s a pink spotted tickler rose from Wonderland. I picked it out since it’s pretty just like you,” he smiles. 

“Thank you, Max” you say, carefully taking the rose and examining it. 

“You called me Max,” he exclaims. “I told you you’d warm up to me” he adds standing up. Before you can defend yourself, Max is walking away and calls out “I’ll see you around beautiful.” 

Watching Max walk away, you can’t help but smile. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all, you think to yourself, examining the rose he’d given you.

A/N - Hi everyone my taglist is currently CLOSED and at capacity.

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“Princess, are you asking what I think you’re asking?” Max smiles. 

“Yes, I’m asking you to meet my parents. They keep asking about you and I thought it would be a good time. Don’t let it go to your head though” you tease. 

“Too late. I already have the beautiful Y/N Fitzherbert as my girlfriend and now she wants me to meet her family. Of course, I’m going to get a bigger ego” Max teases back. 

“So, you want to come” you ask excitedly. 

“Of course I do! You're sure your parents don't mind that I’m the son of Maddox Hatter,” he asks. 

“I’m sure! I’ve already told them who your father is, and they don’t care. If anything, you should be more worried about my father trying to force you to teach him that coin trick you do. I told him about it once and he has tried to do it multiple times and let’s just say it hasn’t gone well” you laugh. 

“Well in that case it looks like I’m meeting your family this weekend” Max smiles. 

“I can’t wait to let them know! I’m so excited for you to meet them” you say, pulling Max into a kiss, forgetting about the nails you were painting. 

After you pull away, you realize that you have just destroyed all of your work on his nails.  

“Looks like I’m going to have to start over” you sigh. 

“Oh no more time with my beautiful girlfriend holding my hand whatever will I do” Max dramatically exclaims. 

“Wow it must be really tough for you, pretty boy” you laugh. 

“It is” Max responds, smiling at you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the weekend arrives, you are practically bouncing off the wall with excitement as you pack the last items in your suitcase. You know your family is going to love Max and if anything, you are worried about your dad stealing Max away most of the time. 

Once you finish packing, you make your way to the front of Auradon Prep, where you and Max are being picked up. You are surprised to find that Max has gotten there before you. 

“Well, aren't you here early” you say walking over to Max, giving him a quick kiss. 

“Couldn’t risk being late today” Max says confidently, though you can sense his nervousness. 

Taking Max’s hand, you reassure him “Don’t worry, they are going to love you.” 

“Easier said than done princess” he sighs. 

Before you can continue, the car that was sent for you is pulling up. As you and Max climb into the back you are surprised to find a stowaway in your seat. 

“Pascal! What are you doing here” you exclaim as he crawls onto your cupped hands turning yellow with excitement.

“I missed you too! It was only going to be another hour before I saw you, buddy. I’m glad you came though” you say excitedly. 

Noticing Pascal's attention turn to Max, you figure you should introduce them. “Max, this is Pascal. Pascal, this is my boyfriend Max. You better be nice to him.” 

“Uh, it’s nice to meet you Pascal” Max says, unprepared to be talking to a chameleon before arriving in Corona. 

Pascal, deciding to investigate Max, crawls into his hands. After hardcore intense eye contact that Max thought was impossible with a chameleon, Pascal starts to turn purple matching the shade of Max’s nails. 

“Aww, he likes you Max. Not going to lie the only two that I thought may be more cautious with you were Pascal and Maximus” you sigh in relief. 

“I thought you said your family is going to love me” Max questions you. 

“I did and they will! To be fair, Pascal and Maximus still don't fully trust my dad, so I thought it could go either way. Just don’t steal in front of Maximus and you have nothing to worry about” you smile at Max, easing his worries. 

“As long as you say so, Princess” Max replies. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the hour long car ride, Max and you have finally arrived in Corona. Max is surprised to see the car is stopping at the edge of the kingdom and not at the castle.

Noticing Max’s confusion, you say “We have to walk to the castle. The kingdom of Corona was built long before cars were invented, so the streets weren’t designed for them. Just leave your stuff in the car and it will get brought to the castle.” 

“Alright Princess” Max responds, a little worried about walking through the kingdom and people noticing him. 

Getting out of the car with Pascal on your shoulder, you walk over to Max and hold his hand. 

“You ready?” you ask him. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be” Max replies. 

Walking through Corona, Max finds himself surprised at how many people you casually wave to and greet. He wasn't expecting you to know so many citizens as he thought royalty rarely interacted with them. 

“Princess Y/N” , a little girl with ginger hair in pigtails, comes running towards you and hugs you. 

“Lily” you exclaim, hugging her back. 

“I missed you! I made you something since I knew you were coming back today” she says holding up a purple and yellow flower crown for you to wear. 

“I love it” you say, putting the crown on. 

“My mom said you were coming with your boyfriend, so I made him one too” Lily whispers loudly. 

“That’s so sweet! Do you want to meet him and give it to him yourself” you whisper loudly back, matching her energy as she nods her head. 

“Max this is Lily, she lives here in Corona. Her family used to love helping my mother with her hair. Lily, this is my boyfriend Max” you say introducing the two. 

“Hi Lily” Max waves at her. 

“I made this for you,” she shyly responds, holding out a matching flower crown which Max takes and puts over his hat. 

“For me? I love it. Thank you so much” he smiles at her, causing her to smile. 

“I love the flower crowns, but I think your mom is calling you though so you should probably get back to her” you say hugging the girl one last time before she runs off. 

Looking at Max, you grab a hold of his hand again, kiss his cheek and say “See I told you everyone was going to love you” 

“I guess you were right,” Max smiles brightly at you as you continue walking through the kingdom. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eventually you and Max make it to the castle. 

Before you go in you turn to Max with a serious look on your face and say “I need to tell you something very important before we go in.” 

“What is it?” Max responds clearly worried. 

“You look adorable in that crown,” you grin. 

“So do you” he laughs, realizing that is all you had to say. 

Suddenly the doors to the castle open and your mother is running over and pulling you into a hug. 

“Y/N your home! I’ve missed you so much!” Rapunzel exclaims. “And you must be Max! I’ve heard so much about you” she adds, pulling Max into the hug. Pascal takes the opportunity to hop onto your mother’s shoulders, he is definitely tired of listening to you and Max be all cute for so long.

“Woah slow down there Blondie, you’re going to suffocate them” Eugene laughs, walking over. 

“Sorry I was just so excited” your mom apologizes, releasing you both. 

“I’m Eugene” your dad says walking over to shake Max’s hand. “But you can call me Mr. Fitzherbert.” 

“Eugene” Rapunzel says, before Max has the chance to respond. 

“Relax, I'm just kidding” he laughs. “You can call me Eugene.” 

“It’s very nice to meet you both. I’ve heard a lot about you two,” Max says formally, trying to impress your parents. 

“Don’t worry about all that formality kid, if you want to impress us, you’ll teach me your coin trick” Eugene says, clasping Max’s shoulder. 

“Dad,” you exclaim. 

“What, I just want to know how he does it” your dad defends himself. 

“I can teach you. I don’t mind at all,” Max says. 

Hearing the sound of hooves getting closer, you look over to see your favorite noble steed. 

“Maximus!” You exclaim, running over to pet him. “Have they been treating you well while I was gone? My dad hasn’t been giving you a bad time” you ask, exaggerating his suffering. 

“Hey, I have done nothing wrong,” Eugene exclaims. 

“Sure dad” you reply. “Maximus, this is my boyfriend Max. You better be nice to him and I promise you’ll like him more than my dad since he has a cool name like you.” 

“I promise not to break any laws while I’m here” Max adds, putting his hands in the air, jokingly surrendering, causing Maximus to snort in approval. 

“Come on, you two must be hungry. I’ve been baking all morning waiting for you to arrive,” Rapunzel says, starting to walk to the dining hall with Pascal still on her shoulder. 

“And you can show me that trick over lunch”. Eugene laughs following her out of the room with Maximus. 

“See I told you everything would be just fine. Everyone has some sort of a past here” you say gently looking at Max. 

“You were right, princess, just like always,” Max laughs. 

“Well, we better follow them before my dad eats all of the pie” you add, before pulling Max in for a kiss.  

When you break away, he notices his hat has mysteriously ended up on your head, and he is now wearing your flower crown. 

“Did you really take my hat again, princess?” Max questions you. 

“No time to talk about that. Let’s get some food” you laugh, grabbing Max’s hand and pulling him ahead while avoiding the question. 

It was at that moment Max knew that everything was going to be fine as long as he had you. He also realized you were never going to stop stealing his hat.

A/N - Hi everyone my taglist is currently CLOSED and at capacity. If you are currently on my Tangled Thieves series Taglist please let me know if you want to be tagged for all of my fics. Going forward I am no longer going to be doing a series taglist since my standard taglist as gotten so large.

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“Yes, it is” Max responds, knowing this conversation won’t be ending anytime soon.  

“Why do you have her crown? I mean I know you took her out on your first date, but that’s her crown. Did you steal it” Felix questions.  

“No, I did not steal it,” Max sighs, frustrated. “She traded it for my hat. She wanted to keep it for a while, and she traded her crown for it without me knowing what it was.”  

“Please tell me she expects you to actually wear it around. Even the HKs don’t wear their formal crowns around,” Felix laughs.  

“I don’t know. I mean she can’t expect me to actually wear it. I wish she would have at least given me her satchel to carry it around in.” Max sighs once again, worried about disappointing you.  

“Well, I can say that if you leave that crown in our room that I’m stealing it, so you better keep it on you” Felix jokes in a way where Max can’t tell if he’s serious or not.  

“Felix, you have to be kidding me. You know I don’t have anything I can fit this crown in to carry with me. I’m lucky we don’t have classes tomorrow, so I can just hide in here, but Hazel will kill me if I ditch you guys tomorrow” Max says frustrated as he paces back and forth.  

“I bet your girlfriend would love it if you wore it though,” Felix says.  

“She would,” Max agrees. “This is tomorrow’s problem, so I’ll figure it out then.”  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max still has no clue what to do when he wakes up the next morning. Deciding that wearing the crown around is better than risking Felix stealing it, he walks out of his dorm.  

Max notices a couple of concerned looks from HKs as he passes by but chooses to ignore them. Instead of letting his embarrassment show, he walks through Auradon Prep wearing the crown proudly until he finds his friends are sitting outside.  

“I take it the date went well” Hazel laughs seeing the crown on his head.  

“OooOo” the Smee twins exclaim in unison, never having seen such an intricate crown before up close.  

“She traded her crown for my hat. I would have left the crown in the dorm, but Felix said he’d take it if I did,” Max explains.  

“I wanted to see if he’d actually wear it,” Felix grins.  

“Well at least we now know you make a pretty princess Max” Hazel snickers.  

“I think we should paint his nails to match the color of the gems in the crown” Felix joins in.  

Unbeknownst to the group, you had been walking over to them, wearing Max’s hat of course, leading you to overhear Felix’s statement.  

“Can I paint them?” You ask, causing the group to turn their attention to you as you sit down next to Max.  

“Hey there Y/N, I love the new look.” Hazel winks, speaking before Max has the chance to.  

“Yeah, you look great. I’m sure Max loves it too,” Felix adds.  

“Can you please stop hitting on my girlfriend for me?” Max sighs. “You look great today, Princess.”  

“So do you, pretty boy. I think my crown really suits you” you grin at Max.  

“Pretty boy that’s new” Max struggles to hide the heat rising to his cheeks.  

“It fits you” you state. “But I didn’t get an answer about whether or not I could paint your nails for you” you add, examining Max’s already painted nails.  

“Only if we can have matching ones” Max grins.  

“Deal” you respond excitedly.  

“Can we go back to teasing Max. You too are being too coupley. We need you on our side, Y/N” Hazel says.  

“Hey no, we don’t need to go back to doing that,” Max exclaims.  

“Come on pretty boy, you have to admit you look adorable in that crown. I think you should wear it more often” you say grabbing ahold of one of his hands.  

“Only for you princess” he winks.  

“I think I need a crown too,” Felix jokes. “Or maybe some jeweled tarot cards. And Hazel definitely needs a bejeweled hair hook.”  

“I think that a crown is reserved for boyfriend privileges” you laugh, mentally locking that info away for their birthdays. “But maybe if you come to Corona sometime, you never know. After all you would be royal guests.”  

“Royal guests. I like the sound of that,” Hazel says.  

Noticing she hasn’t had to tell the Smee twins to behave for a bit, Hazel looks around and notices the Smee twins have disappeared. Suddenly she sees them trying to climb a tree  

“Smees get down here now before you hurt yourself. Felix get up now, we are getting those two down.” Hazel exclaims, standing up and walking towards them.  

“We’ll be right back” Felix tells you both before running to help Hazel.  

“You know you’re going to have your hands full if you invite them to Corona,” Max says, looking at you. 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure it will be fine. Besides, I’ve got to bring you to Corona before I can bring them” you respond smiling.  

“You want me to meet your family?” Max asks, surprised.  

“Not right now but eventually yeah. If that’s alright.” You say, worried about how Max might respond.  

“I’d love that princess,” Max says, grinning before pulling you into a quick kiss.  

“I know I’ve said it before but I’m really glad I met you Max” you say gently.  

“I’m really glad I met you too, Y/N” Max responds.  

You can’t help but think to yourself how much your family is going to love Max when they meet him

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“Hello there princess, don’t you look wonderful tonight” Max tells you as he hands you the bouquet. 

“You don’t look too bad yourself Max” you respond. Examining the bouquet of purple and yellow flowers, you can’t help but notice they look awfully familiar. “Did you pick these yourself,” you ask him. 

“Of course I did. I’m sure Fairy Godmother won’t notice they are missing from the gardens” Max winks at you. “Besides, I had to get something for the beautiful princess,” he says, plucking a large yellow flower from the bouquet and tucking it behind your ear, causing you to blush. 

“So where are we off to tonight” you ask, setting the bouquet in a vase you kept by your bed, which was a gift from your parents. 

“That’s a surprise. Can’t give away all my tricks” Max laughs. 

“Well let’s get going then” you respond, stepping outside of your room and closing the door. Taking a hold of Max’s hand, you say, “Lead the way, Hatter.” 

“As you wish” he grins back, leading you down the hallway. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a couple of minutes walking hand and hand you and Max arrive at the rabbit hole that resides on the edge of Auradon prep. 

“After you princess” Max says. 

“Is our date in wonderland” you ask surprised. You had never been to wonderland before but have always wanted to. 

“I wanted to take you somewhere you hadn’t been before. Gotta, keep you interested in me somehow” Max smiles at you. 

“I was already interested in you, Max” you say before kissing his cheek. “But I think I’m gonna need this to help my descent down to Wonderland” you say, plucking the hat off Max’s head once again, putting it on yours, gently covering the flower still in your hair. “See you in Wonderland, Max” as you jump into the rabbit hole. 

“I’m really going to need to get Y/N her own hat” he grins to himself before following you into the rabbit hole. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After tumbling down the rabbit hole you find yourself in wonderland. Even as the sun is beginning to set, the colors are so vibrant and look nothing like anywhere you have ever seen. Seeing the bread and butterflies flying around you can’t help but reach out. 

“I’ll be taking the hat back now, Princess” Max says, stealing the hat back and putting it back on. “Enjoying the view? Cause I know I am,” he adds looking at you. 

“This is amazing” you turn looking at Max, seeing that his gaze is already looking at you. Feeling bold, you pulled him into a kiss. “Thank you for bringing me here Max” you say once you break apart. 

“If I knew I’d get a kiss for bringing you here, I would have done it a lot sooner” he smiles. “We had better get going though, can’t be late for the surprise. Maybe I’ll get another kiss when you see it,” Max adds, winking at you, while reaching out to hold your hand. 

You and Max walk hand in hand as he leads you through Wonderland. Max takes time to pause when he notices something new catches your eye, such as a talking flower, letting you explore. Eventually you find yourself standing in front of a glowing tree unlike anything you have ever seen before, which Max informs you is called a Lumoria Tree. 

As Max pulls you under the branches of the Lumoria tree he exclaims “Welcome to our date Y/N” 

In front of you, there is a picnic set up on giant mushrooms. There are a variety of different desserts, food, and of course tea. The set up must have taken an hour or two. 

“Max, you didn’t have to do all this for me” you say looking at him. “I really appreciate this, but it must have taken forever to set up." 

“Don’t worry, it didn’t take too long. I may have bribed the VKs with some food to help” He reassures you. You take the opportunity to pull Max into another kiss. “Yup definitely worth it” he grins 

Sitting down, you and Max begin to enjoy the picnic he set up.  

“You know I don’t know much about besides you're a princess that likes painting and stealing from poor innocent VKs” Max grins looking at you. 

“I don’t like stealing from poor innocent VKs, I like stealing from you there’s a difference” you tease. 

“Hmm” you ponder Max’s question. “Well, when I’m not at Auradon prep I spend most of my time with my family. My mom and I love to do different activities like puzzles, darts, and baking. My dad and I usually just cause mischief, so every day is different. Now that I think of it you too would probably really get along” you say smiling.

“Then there’s Pascal and Maximus who I play hide and seek through Corona with. My grandparents usually join my mom and I with whatever activities we are doing. And finally, there’s my uncles who aren’t technically my uncles, but they basically are, who all hang out at the snuggly duckling. They look kind of scary but they are really nice” you finally finish. 

“Wow, that's a lot of family. You seem really close with them,” Max replies, smiling softly at you. 

“What about you? I know you have your dad.” You ask. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” you add gently, while also reaching out to hold his hand. 

“No, it’s okay. My dad and I aren’t close. He wasn’t present much when I was younger, always obsessing over that stupid pocket watch. Now he’s locked up in Wonderland’s prison. I’ve known Hazel, Felix, and the Smee twins since we were just kids on the aisle. They are probably the closest thing I have to a family.” He sighs. 

“Well now you’ve got me too” you say, squeezing his hand. 

“Yeah, I guess I do,” Max smiles at you. 

“Besides stealing from pretty princesses, and hanging out with VKs there’s not really much else I do besides occasionally bothering some of the HKs for fun,” Max says.

“Sounds like we are going to need to find you some more hobbies” you reply, excited at the possibility of getting Max to try new things.

“That could be fun,” he grins at you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After you finish eating, it’s time to head back to Auradon Prep. As much as Max would love to stay out here all night, he didn’t want to get you in trouble. 

Walking back through Wonderland, hand and hand, you can’t help but say “I’m kinda glad you stole my bracelet.” 

“Oh really. You know what, I'm glad I stole it too,” Max laughs. 

“And now you’ve set yourself to have your stuff stolen all of the time. It’s all fair game now” you laugh. 

“Uh, no, everything is not fair game” Max says. 

“Nope it totally is. When you asked me out, you basically said, "Please steal anything of mine you want” you grin. 

“That is not how that happened, but if you are stealing from me then I get to steal from you” he grins. 

“Sounds fair to me” you grin back, surprising Max at the response. 

As you both reach the rabbit hole, Max instinctively puts both hands on his hat, knowing what you are about to do. 

Seeing this you exclaim “I was not going to steal your hat.” 

“Sure, you weren’t” Max sarcastically replies. 

“Well guess I’m going to have to hold onto the next best thing for traveling through a rabbit hole” you sigh, mentally preparing for your strike. 

“And what’s that,” Max asks, genuinely confused about what you could be talking about. 

“You” you exclaim, hugging Max and pulling the two of you into the rabbit hole. Max barely has a second to wrap his arms around you before you are falling. 

Landing back in Auradon, you realize that Max hasn’t let go of you yet. 

“Hi” you grin at him. 

“You proud of yourself for that” he can’t help but ask with a laugh. 

“Definitely” you smirk and before you can say anything else, Max has pulled you in for a kiss. 

Once you break apart, Max grabs your hand once again and with a smirk says, “Come on princess, let’s get going before we are late.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unfortunately, everything good must come to an end and you and Max finally arrive back at your dorm room. 

“Thank you for planning everything and walking me to my door Max. Who knew that you were such a gentleman” you grin. 

“I’ve got a couple tricks up my sleeve princess. Can’t let you know my next move,” he laughs. 

“Well speaking of the next moves. How about you let me borrow your hat again” you wink. 

“What is it with you and my hat? I’m starting to think that’s why you are with Y/N” Max dramatically clutching his chest. 

“Nope I’m just with you for your ridiculously good looks” you smirk back. “The hat is just a perk. What if I offer you a trade.” 

“A trade you say” Max can’t help but be intrigued. 

“I’ll be right back” you say before opening your dorm door and darting over to your bed. Reaching under the bed you grab your father’s satchel and rush back out to Max. “I will trade you whatever is in this satchel for your hat. That way you know I’ll give it back.” 

Max, itching to know what is inside, agrees with no hesitation. “You’ve got yourself a deal princess.” Max takes his hat off, putting it on you solidifying the deal. 

“And here is your new crown to wear.” You grin, pulling out your crown from the satchel and placing it on Max’s head. “Now don’t you look handsome” you say smiling. 

Before Max knows how to respond, you're pulling him in for one last kiss and saying “Good night, Max” before walking inside shutting your door. You wanted to leave no chance for Max to try to switch back. 

Taking the crown off his head to examine it. Smiling at himself, he realizes you must really trust him to lend him something so valuable. As Max walks back to his dorm crown in hand, he realizes he has no idea how he is going to explain to his friends why his hat is missing and all he has is your crown.

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“Maybe you should get him a hat with a little crown embroidered on it” Felix joins in. 

“Please tell me I don’t actually have to wear any of that” Max quietly asks you, trying to ignore his friends’ amusement at the situation. 

“No, I was just going to try to get you to wear the leather jacket that I love so much. There’s not really a dress code, but any excuse to see you in the jacket is a good one” you respond bashfully, no longer wanting to look him in the eye. 

“You could have just asked, Princess” Max smiles, fully enjoying your reaction, before placing a kiss on the top of your head. 

“I know. But I also knew you would enjoy me asking too much, just like you are now. Can’t have your head getting too big for your hat” you laugh. 

“If it did, you would just steal my hat” Max grins. 

“Oh, I totally would,” you grin back. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night at Beast Castle, Mal and Ben have finally returned home from two years of trying to form alliances with far away kingdoms. Originally the trip was only supposed to take at most a year, but some alliances were harder to form than others making the extension necessary. 

“Wow it’s good to be home,” Ben sighs in relief. 

“You can say that again. At least we convinced Arendelle to align with us. Can’t say I blame them for being more cautious after the last time they tried to make allies” Mal replies, exhausted from the trip. 

“I cannot wait to sleep in our own bed again and to see everyone tomorrow. My sister even wrote that she has a boyfriend. Can you believe that, little Y/N has a boyfriend,” Ben says, starting to get worked up, feeling bad he hasn’t seen you in so long. 

“Woah slow down there, Benny Boy. Let’s not start over thinking,” Mal says, trying to calm her husband. “Y/N understands why you’ve been gone so long. Let’s get some rest so you can be wide awake when you see her tomorrow. I’m sure she doesn’t want a zombie for a brother.” 

“You’re right. I want to make sure I have enough energy for tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep” Ben yawns out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After barely getting any sleep and your roommate Pink having to physically stop you from leaving to see your brother, it is finally time to head to Beast Castle. You leave your room practically running down the corridors to meet Max in front of your father’s statue. When you arrive at the statue, you are disappointed that he is nowhere to be seen. 

“Boo” Max says while grasping your shoulders causing you to gasp in surprise. 

“Max, you’re here” you exclaim, pulling him into a hug. Normally you would give Max a bad time for scaring you, but you are too excited to pretend to be upset. “And you’re wearing the jacket!” 

“Of course, I am. Couldn’t disappoint my favorite girl in all of Auradon” He grins at you. 

“Normally I’d question who your favorite girl outside of Auradon is, but the limo is here” you say as you grab Max’s hand, tugging him towards the limo. 

“Limo?” Max questions. 

“Yes, limo” you say, reaching the vehicle with a guard opening the door for you both. “Did you forget your dating royalty?” You wink at him. 

“No, but I just didn’t expect all of this” Max responds in disbelief. He had never been in a limo before. Being the son of Maddox Hatter didn’t really come with the perk of fancy transportation. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. The limo didn’t cross my mind as it's just how I normally get home” you tell him. 

“Don’t worry about it, princess. We better get inside so you can see your brother” Max reassures you. 

As both climb in and get comfortable in the limo you can’t help but glance over at Max. “You know what the best part about riding in a limo is” you say. 

“What is it?” Max responds. 

“Chocolate” you tell him with a smile, as you open the candy compartment. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a short ride, and multiple chocolate bars, you and Max had finally reached Beast Castle. Suddenly doubt starts to creep into your mind as you get out of the limo. What if Ben had changed in the two years since you had seen him and wasn’t excited to see you? 

“Hey Y/N, are you okay?” Max asks, noticing your worried expression. 

“It's just been so long since I’ve seen Ben. What if we don’t get along anymore” you tell him sadly. 

“Trust me that is not going to be the case. From what you’ve told me about your brother, I’m sure he’s just excited to see you as you are him,” Max reassures you.  

“I don’t know what I’d do with you out” you confess. “Are you ready?” You ask him, holding out your hand to hold his. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be” Max takes your hand as you both walk up towards the castle entrance. 

As the doors open to the castle, you can see Ben and Mal talking to your parents a few feet away. Ben, hearing the doors open, notices you immediately and takes off running towards you. 

“Y/N” Ben shouts, pulling you into a tight hug, while Max stands next to the two of you, taken aback by the King of Auradon’s actions. 

“Ben” you respond with the same enthusiasm. “I can’t believe you're finally home!” 

“I can’t believe how much you’ve grown since I left,” Ben exclaims. Noticing your boyfriend, Ben turns his attention to Max. “And you must be Y/N’s boyfriend,” Ben adds, looking at Max. 

“Yup, this is my boyfriend Max Hatter” you introduce Max to Ben. If Ben is at all surprised by Max’s last name, he doesn’t show it. 

“Nice to meet you Max” Ben tells him before pulling him into a hug, completely surprising Max. 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Ben. Your sister talks about you all the time,” Max says as Ben pulls away. 

“I’m sure only good things are right,” Ben responds, glancing over at you. 

“Only the best. No embarrassing stories whatsoever, especially ones about how your pjs are covered in little crowns” you grin back. 

“Did you say Hatter?” Your father interrupts. 

“Yes, Hatter. But Max is nothing like his father.” You sternly tell him as you move closer to Max, holding his hand. 

“I promise you, I am nothing like my father, and I have no intention of harming your daughter,” Max confesses to him. 

“We’ve already been through this once, dear. Let’s keep an open mind,” Belle calmly tells her husband. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have judged you so quickly. I’m just protective of my little girl,” Adam apologizes to Max, wanting to stay on his family’s good side. 

“It’s okay, sir. I know my last name causes people to worry,” Max replies gracefully, not wanting to leave a negative impression. 

“Well, it will be good to have another VK in the mix. These guys tend to get a little too sappy sometimes,” Mal says to Max, breaking the tension. 

“Hey we do not” you and Ben exclaim in unison. 

“Oh, you totally do,” Mal says, walking over to pull you into a hug. 

“I think I’ve got to agree with Mal on this one. You definitely get all sappy,” Max laughs. 

“Do you want to talk about sappy? Cause I can bring up how you acted on our first date” you threaten. 

“And I suddenly, a hundred percent support my beautiful girlfriend,” Max says, changing his tune. 

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you Max. I hope you are up for dinner and some games tonight. Prepare yourselves for these four to get very competitive. Last time we played charades, Mal almost turned into a dragon, and I swear I heard these three roar multiple times” Belle warns him with a smile. 

Max, surprised by the idea of you acting beastly, responds “Roar? I guess I’ll try to prepare myself.” 

“It wasn’t that bad!” You exclaim. 

“Well why don’t we continue this discussion over food” your mother suggests. 

“That sounds good to me, I’m starving,” your father responds. 

As you follow your parents, you grab a hold of Max’s hands and whisper “See, I told you they’d like you. And sorry about my dad, he gets a little protective.” 

“Don’t worry about it, princess. You're worth it,” he grins back at you. 

Unbeknownst to you, Mal and Ben caught this interaction between you and Max. 

“You know they remind me a lot of us,” Ben says, smiling at his wife. 

“They really do. I think your family must have a type. You all love finding the good in everyone,” Mal smiles back at him. 

“Can’t say I disagree when it brought me to you” Ben tells her. 

“Well Benny Boo, we can’t keep your family waiting,” Mal says, taking Ben’s hand as they set off to join the rest of you. 

It looks like you and Max had nothing to worry about after all.

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Sitting down on the empty spot next to Max, barely leaving any room in between you two, you ask “So how did you enjoy my book?”

Completely flustered and surprised by your sudden appearance, especially in front of his friends he responds “Uh.. yeah..I thought it was good.”

Spotting the book on the other side of him, you reach across Max taking it back from him instead of just asking for it back. He had been keeping the book on him at all times for when you found him, though he never imagined it going quiet like this.

Noticing her friend’s face deeply flush at your actions, Hazel can’t help but laugh. “So you must be the famous Princess we’ve been hearing about?”

“Oh I didn’t know you talked about me so much Max” you glance at him smirking, causing his face to turn a deeper shade of red. “Hopefully all good things I’m sure.” 

“We didn’t expect an HK to be so good at stealing. Are you sure you’re Rapunzel’s daughter?” Felix questions jokingly.

“I definitely am. Most people forget my father used to be a thief though. I’ve picked up a few tricks from him” you say grinning.

“Max are you okay you seem like you are burning up” you ask with mock confusion, as you bring your hand up to touch his face.

“No, no I’m perfectly fine” Max struggles to get out and just as he is finally starting to regain his confidence, he feels his hat being plucked off his head.

“I really do like your hat, Max.” You say putting it on. “I’ve missed it since you took it back.” The rest of the VKs begin to snicker at you, messing with their friend.

“You should definitely join us more often Y/N” Hazel declares. “And if you ever get bored of Max I’m always here” she adds with a laugh.

“I’d love to join you all more!” You say excited. Laying your head on Max’s shoulder, while also wrapping your left arm around his right one, you glance up at him. “Would that be okay with you, Max”

“Yeah of course” He says a little too quickly.

Happy with the effect you have had on Max you decide that you should probably give him a break. 

Getting up from your spot next to Max you tell the VKs “Well I better get going since I have class soon.” Receiving a chorus of disagreement from your new friends.

“I should probably give this back to you Max.”  You say putting it back on him. You place a quick kiss to his cheek, quickly grab your book, and as you walk away you call out “I’ll see you around Hatter.” And for once you don’t take anything deciding the ball is now in Max’s court.

“Wow you’re even more down bad for her than I thought” Felix laughs at Max.

“What was I supposed to do? I didn’t expect her to show up and do all that” Max exclaims, frustrated at himself.

“I guess it’s true what they say about Flynn Ryder having been a flirt because that girl just got you good” Hazel joins in with the Smees making faces behind her.

“She didn’t even take anything this time,” Max sighs.

“Well if you really like Y/N I think it’s time you properly asked her out” Felix tells him seriously. “These games between you are fun and all, but at some point they’re going to get repetitive.

“Next time I see her I’ll ask her out” Max says determinedly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that same night you find yourself once again in the same art classroom where Max found you the first time. After days of painting, you had finally realized what your brush was creating. In front of you was a portrait of Max grinning while wearing his hat.

Max makes his way to the art classroom hoping to find you. Seeing you inside, he decides to take a subtle approach, silently opening the door and making his way inside unnoticed by you. You’re so focused on your art that you don’t notice Max until he speaks up from beside you.

“So am I your muse now, princess” Max grins at you, causing you to jump not realizing he was there. Max's confidence has returned in full force now that it's just the two of you.

“And if I said you were? What would you say” you respond looking at him questioningly.

“I’d be flattered. But come on, you clearly are obsessed with me, always stealing my things “ he smirks at you.

“Says the one who’s here with no good reason. I didn’t take anything of yours this time” you smile at him.

“Who says I don’t have a good reason to be here, Princess?” Max responds. “Maybe I just wanted to see you and your pretty face.”

“I highly doubt that’s the only reason you’re here” you state.

“What if I said you stole my heart?” Max dramatically clutches his chest.

“I’d say you have to do a little better than that” you laugh at him.

“Hmm” Max ponders out loud. “If you agreed to go out with me I’m sure you could steal my hat occasionally”

“Now that sounds like a much better offer” you say, taking his hat off his head and putting it on yours.

“So I’ll take that as a yes, Princess” Max asks smiling.

“It’s a yes” your grin back at him.

“I’m going to need one thing for you though to make it fair.” Max explains

“And what is that?” you question.

“This” Max says, pulling you into a kiss while you wear his hat.

You’d never been so happy to have something stolen

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Seeing Max distracted, you act quickly, slinking your hand into his right jacket pocket. Your fingers are quick to find the cool metal of a silver pocket watch. Knowing that this is your opportunity to stay one step ahead of Max, you take the watch and stuff it into your own pocket. 

Trying to get you away from Hazel before she can say anything else to embarrass him, Max looks over at you and says “I’ll see you around Y/N.”  

He begins walking over to Hazel, disappointed that he had to cut the conversation short and not having the opportunity to take something of yours. Max, unaware of what you have done, believes he no longer has an excuse to talk to you. 

With the two of them gone, you take the chance to examine the pocket watch. It’s a nice silver watch with a top hat design on the outside as well as his initials engraved. “Well, he's definitely coming back for this” you smile to yourself, knowing that you have guaranteed another interaction with Max. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again, it takes Max hours to notice the theft that has occurred. 

“You know,” For an HK, Y/N is pretty cool. We wouldn’t mind if you wanted to hang out with her more” Felix brings up as he and Max hang out in their shared dorm. 

“Can you please let this go?” Max sighs. He likes you but doesn’t want to give his friends anymore ammunition to mess with him about. 

“I’m just saying if you really don’t like her like that, Hazel or I would be more than happy to be with her. I won’t make a move on her if you like her, but I’d be quick before Hazel swoops her up if you do,” Felix laughs. 

“Fine. I like her. You happy now” Max admits, preferring to give his friends this information, then to listen to them hit on you. 

“Yup, very happy and completely unsurprised. You're not as subtle as you think you are Max” Felix replies grinning. 

“It’s not like I have an excuse to talk to her anymore. I didn’t get the chance to take anything of hers cause Hazel interrupted us” Max sighs. 

“You sure you still have your wallet this time” Felix questions trying to help his friend. 

“Nope I checked my pocket as soon as I left” Max tells him, disappointed. “And my pocket watch is still in my other pocket” he continues, reaching into his right pocket to show Felix. Finding nothing, he exclaims “It’s gone! The pocket watch is gone!” 

“Looks like you’ve got your in with Y/N. She must really like you or you’re really just an easy target” Felix smiles, happy for his friend. 

“I’m finding her first thing in the morning” Max declares. “I don’t know what I’m going to do when I find her, but that’s tomorrow’s problem.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, you wake up bright and early, making your way to the garden. While you had hidden before when you took Max’s hat, you wanted to see him again sooner rather than later. The garden is the perfect spot since it is so quiet and there is no one around to interrupt you. Taking advantage of the peace and quiet, you begin to read as you wait hopefully for Max’s arrival. 

A half an hour later Max makes his way to the garden after having a premonition that is where he should start his search. Upon seeing you he exclaims “I think you took something of mine again, Princess.” 

“I look at it more as borrowing your things” you grin at him while putting your book down and standing up. 

“We have to stop meeting like this. What will the others think” Max grins back at you, making his way towards you. 

“They’d think you’d just have a knack for losing things. Afterall would believe that a princess would steal from you” you answer back. 

“I’m going to need my watch back now,” Max says, extending his hand out, awaiting his watch. 

“And why would I do that?” You respond. 

“Because you wouldn’t want to be responsible for making a poor VK late to class because he can’t tell time without his watch” he grins at you. 

“I guess I wouldn’t want that” you smile and hand the watch back to Max. 

“Oh, and one more thing, Princess,” Max says as he moves closer. 

“What” you say, suddenly distracted by how close he is to you. 

“I’m going to need this too,” Max says before pulling you in for a kiss. 

When you both break away you can’t help but notice the blush on Max’s face and can only assume yours looks the same. 

“I’ll see you around Y/N” Max winks at you and starts walking away. 

You're caught off guard from the sudden change in behavior, when he suddenly calls out from the edge of the garden. 

“Oh, by the way. Thank you for the book, Y/N” Max claims lifting up the book you had been reading before he got there. Max takes off running with your book, leaving alone in the garden before you can respond. 

As you stand alone, you can’t help but wonder what you have gotten yourself into. All you know is that next time you see Max, you’re going to have to step up your game. 

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“Yeah, well just..'uh...don’t let it happen again” Max stammers out with his cheeks tinted with a light pink that was not there before. 

“Well, I will see you around Max. I better get to class since I don't want to be late” you say with a smile before turning away and setting off towards your class. As you walk away, you can’t help the grin on your face as you wonder how long it will take for him to notice his wallet is gone. 

Max, completely dumbfounded by the entire interaction, stands unmoving, and watches you walk away. Realizing what he is doing, he snaps himself out of it and heads to his class. 

“Crazy HKs” Max mutters under his breath. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It would not be until after the final class ends that Max would realize that his wallet is missing. Max is currently sitting in the garden talking with the other VKs. 

“You should have seen the look on his face after the reading I gave him” Felix laughs as he recounts his earlier tarot reading with one of the HKs that morning. 

“Sounds like a blast” Hazel barely responds, as she is more focused on trying to get the Smees to stop climbing the nearby tree before they hurt themselves. 

“I had the strangest interaction with who I think is Rapunzel's daughter. I never caught her name.” Max says to the group now that Felix is done with his story. 

“I think it’s Y/N” Felix responds, having met you in his Auradon's history class. 

After learning your name Max couldn’t help but notice how much it suited you.

“Well, she crashed into me this morning, causing her to fall down. When I helped her up, I saw that she had a nice bracelet so I snatched it. Then out of nowhere she hugged me before running off” Max tells his friends, still confused by the experience. 

“Hugged you? Oh, I wish I could have seen that” Hazel laughs at Max after having successfully distracted the Smees with snacks. “Did she notice the missing bracelet?” 

“No, she didn’t. It looks expensive though” Max shares as he reaches into his coat pocket to show his friends the bracelet. While he is able to find the bracelet, his pocket is noticeably emptier. Realizing what has happened, Max exclaims “My wallet is gone! I think the princess snatched my wallet!” 

Hazel and the other VKs finding the situation hilarious start crying out with laughter. The image of a princess taking Max’s wallet is too ridiculous not to laugh at. 

“The princess took your wallet, and you didn’t even notice. No wonder she hugged you out of nowhere” Hazel continues to laugh while drying a fake tear from her eye with her hook. 

“It's not funny guys!” Max responds distressed. “I thought she was just overly nice like some of the other HKs. Now I’m going to have to go find her to get it back”. Max stands up getting ready to go search for Y/N. 

“Good luck with that” Felix tells his friend while still laughing. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Across campus, you are happily painting away in the art classroom. Technically no students are supposed to be in here, but after you had picked the lock multiple times, Fairy Godmother got tired of trying to stop you since you weren’t doing anything besides paint. Unsure of what to paint today, you dipped your paintbrush into some purple paint before bringing it up to the canvas. Your brush glides across the canvas, and while you were unsure of what you were painting, you knew it would come to you soon. 

As Max passed by the art classroom in search of you, he heard movement coming from inside the classroom. This stood out to him as there were normally no teachers left in the classroom at this hour. Moving closer to investigate, he sees you inside the classroom painting. 

Opening the door quickly Max exclaims “You took my wallet!” 

Surprised by his sudden appearance you drop your paint brush, which thankfully misses the canvas. “You made me drop my brush” you huff out sadly. 

“You took my wallet earlier” Max repeats again, not caring about having startled you. 

“And you took my bracelet” You respond unimpressed, picking up your dropped brush. 

“If you knew I took your bracelet, why didn’t you say anything?” Max questions. 

“Where’s the fun in that? I wanted to see how long it would take you to notice” you laugh, pulling out Max’s wallet from your bag. 

“I don’t think stealing wallets is very princessy behavior” Max can’t help but grin at you, intrigued by your behavior. 

“Well, my dad used to be a thief, and you were just asking for it when you took my bracelet.” You smile at him. “I’ll trade you your wallet back for my bracelet.” 

“Hmm” Max hums. “Or I could keep your bracelet, and you give me my wallet back.” He smirks at you. 

“Ha. Very funny Max” You respond sarcastically. “How about I keep your wallet and steal my bracelet back when you least expect it, leaving you with nothing.” 

“Fine, your bracelet for my wallet” Max concedes, taking your bracelet out of his pocket. 

You and Max trade back your items keeping a close eye on each other to make sure neither of you takes something from the other.  

“It was a pleasure doing business with you Max” you tell him as you begin to pack your stuff up getting ready to leave the classroom as it was getting late. 

“I never knew a princess could have such sticky fingers” Max says with a smile. 

“Well, there’s a lot you don’t know about me” you smile back at him before walking up to Max, reaching up to cradle his face, and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Stepping back from him, you add with a wink “I’ll see you around Hatter”. 

Before Max knew it, you were out the door before he even had the chance to respond. It was only when he heard your laughter down the hallway, did he realize that his hat was missing.

Breathless and rosy cheeked Max knew that would not be the last time he saw you.

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“So, are you saying that you’re only with me because of my purple hair and my name? That’s heartless Y/N. You wound me” he claims while dramatically clutching his chest with the hand not currently holding yours. 

“Hey, I've got to break that princess stereotype somehow. Can’t let you think I’m 100% a goody two shoes” you say while laughing. Remembering your friends you ask Max more solemnly, “Do you think that our friends will come around to us?” 

After letting out a soft sigh he responds “They’ll have to. I’m not going to stop being with you just because of my friends' prejudices. They came around to the other HKs, and they’ll come around to you too, hopefully”. 

“I hope so. I’m sure it was a bit of a shock. I think my friends will come around to you too, if they already haven't. If anything, Pink will be more upset with me about not telling her about us even being friends than about me actually dating you.” You tell him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eventually you and Max make it back to Auradon Prep. Curfew is only a few minutes away and while you would love to spend all night talking to Max, you don't want to risk causing any more trouble, after all you are still an HK at heart.

“Well princess, I think this is where we part ways. Oh, parting is such sweet sorrow,” Max dramatically proclaims. 

“Look at that. Have you been reading Shakespeare without me Max” you grin. 

“What can I say, your love of books may have rubbed off on me” he grins back. “Goodnight, Y/N” he says while leaning down to kiss the back of your hand that was holding his before he lets it go and begins to move away from you. 

“How chivalrous of you Max” you say before quickly reaching out and pulling him back towards you to give him a soft kiss. “But I’m dating a VK, not a prince, so you’re gonna have to do better than a kiss on my hand” you smirk at him. 

“Oh well guess I have to live up to the VK name then” Max responds before pulling you back in to kiss you again. 

“See that was much better. Good night, Max” you say as you start walking towards your dorm. 

“Good night, Y/N” Max says back as he watches you walk away. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The VKs and HKs make it back to Auradon Prep a couple of minutes behind you and Max. They spent the entire walk back in silence, not wanting to admit how awful they felt about what they had done. Chloe is the first one to break the silence and to say what everyone is thinking. 

“We are going to have to figure out a way to make it up to our friends,” declares Chloe. 

“And how would you suggest we do that” responds Hazel, lacking her normal bite. Upsetting Max earlier had really shaken her up. 

“Well Pink and Felix share a dorm with Y/N and Max so we should probably start there. The two of you will apologize to them tonight and assess the situation” Chloe starts. “Tomorrow we can regroup and all apologize to them all together. Hazel, you should also apologize to Y/N without Max around to show them you really mean it. I bet that would make them both happy” she finishes. 

“You think so,” Hazel asks, unsure of the idea about having to apologize to you without Max around. 

“Yes. Nothing works better than a heartfelt apology that doesn’t feel performative. If you talk to her in private and you mean it, I’m sure it can’t hurt anything. But you have to actually mean it, Hazel” Chloe emphasizes. "You can’t just say a quick sorry and expect everything to be better.” 

“I’ll try. Apologizing isn’t really in a pirate's nature, but I’ll do my best.” Hazel responds. 

“We have to make sure that our friends can forgive us!” Pink exclaims. “I just hope Y/N can forgive me. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my best friend.” 

“She’ll forgive you, Pink, don’t worry” Red comforts her sister. 

“You two have been friends for years. You are practically family and a familia always sticks together.” Luis adds on. 

“I don’t know if I can get Max to talk but I’ll try. He’s never been the most talkative guy when he’s upset,” Felix says. 

“Well now that we’ve got a plan let’s get back to our rooms before curfew kicks in. We can all meet back up together at lunch and apologize to them together. We just have to hope that this plan works.” Chloe says. 

A chorus of agreements come from the HKs and VKs before everyone sets off to their own rooms. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In Y/N and Pink’s Room ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You lay flopped on your bed in disbelief. You are actually dating Max Hatter and have now kissed him multiple times. If you went back to this morning and told your past self about this, she would 100% think this is a lie. Today would have been perfect if it wasn’t for Hazel’s comments and your friends' reactions. At the same time, you can’t help but wonder if Max would have ever told you if they all hadn’t shown up. You just hope that Hazel and everyone can accept you and Max together because you don't want to see Max upset. 

Suddenly Pink barges into the room causing you to sit up abruptly. Seeing you on your bed, Pink runs over to you and pulls you into a tight hug. 

“Oh Y/N, I am so sorry for today. Please don’t be mad at me. I can’t lose you, you're my best friend!” Pink professes. 

“Pink you’re not gonna lose me. It’s okay. We are still friends” you assure her tightly hugging her back. After knowing Pink for so many years, you know she would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. 

“I shouldn’t have assumed you were dating Max. I just got so excited since you would be so good together. But I’m also happy you aren’t together.” Realizing what she just said she quickly rephrases her previous statement. “Oh hearts that came out wrong. I mean I support you in whatever you want and just because I think you would be cute together doesn’t mean you have to agree” 

“Pink, it’s okay. I totally understand. I should have told you that I was friends with Max in the first place instead of hiding it” you reassure her. “I actually have something I should probably tell you” you say letting go of Pink so you can look at her. “I’m actually dating Max now.” 

Pink’s eyes go wide as the realization hits her. “You are! That is so exciting! But I thought he said you were just friends when we all showed up,” Pink says, now confused. 

“He wasn’t lying, we weren’t together when you all showed up. After he pulled me away, we got to talking more about us and he confessed to me. I just wish everyone was as accepting as you Pink” you finish sadly. 

“Oh that’s wonderful! I am so happy for you Y/N and I'm sure everyone will come around. Hazel felt really bad after you both left and I think she wants to apologize to you, and so does everyone else.” Pink says. 

“That would be wonderful! I’d love to put everything behind us for Max. Maybe we could even be friends” you say, full of hope. “Hopefully tomorrow will be an even better day!” 

“Well let’s go to sleep so we can find out” exclaims Pink as she hops off from your bed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile in Max and Felix’s dorm room~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max is pacing back and forth in the room as he gets ready to go to bed. He can’t believe that he kissed you let alone that you would want to date him. He thought he was lucky just being your friend and now he gets to be your boyfriend. 

Felix enters the room, seeing Max and lets out a sigh.  

“I’m sorry about everything today man. I had no idea you’d actually be out there with Y/N” Felix says. 

“What does it matter if I was with Y/N or not? Is it that surprising that she would want to hang out with me” Max mutters back, not even looking at Felix. 

“No, that's not what I meant. I just mean two months ago you were joining us in giving the princess a bad time and now you are friends with her. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It just caught all of us off guard, especially Hazel” Felix responds. 

“Yeah, well you all are going to have to get over it. I can’t have you all treating my girlfriend like that.” Max says, finally glancing over to Felix. 

“Girlfriend? I thought you said you weren’t…never mind. I’m happy for you,” Felix tells Max. “The others will come around, don’t worry. Hazel already feels bad for how she reacted.” 

“Yeah, well, I’m not the one Hazel needs to apologize to. She needs to apologize to Y/N,” Max says, fully turning to face Felix. 

“She will. Just give her some time. You know she’s never been great at apologizing. Everything will work out,” Felix reassures him. 

“Well, I hope it does,” Max says, turning away from Felix, effectively ending the conversation and climbing into his bed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next morning, in the courtyard~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pink and Y/N are walking to breakfast when they spot Hazel and the Smees walking towards them. Hazel, having been warned by Felix earlier that you were actually dating Max, knew she had to apologize sooner rather than later.  

“I’m sorry,” Hazel says rather bluntly. 

“Yeah, we are very sorry” add the Smee twins in unison. 

“Sorry for what” you respond with arms crossed, untrusting of their motives even though you want to be able to put the past aside. 

“For what I said yesterday and everything before that. I judged you too soon and I shouldn’t have done that. Clearly you’re more than a perfect princess if Max is interested in you.” Hazels says honestly. 

“Thank you, that's really nice to hear. I hope we can be friends for Max’s sake. I really do like him, and I want you to know that I’m not going to hurt” you tell her sincerely knowing that it took a lot for Hazel to admit that. 

“You better not or you’ll get the hook” Hazel says miming slicing your neck with her hook and you honestly can’t tell if she is joking or not. From what you know about Hazel, you’re going to assume she is not. 

“I won’t. I did always think your hook was cool. Much cooler than your brother Harry’s” you say while laughing at the last part. 

“You clearly have great taste then.” Hazel responds while laughing. 

“Truce” you say as you reach your hand out to shake her hand. 

“Truce” Hazel responds while shaking your hand. 

“Now that’s settled, let’s talk about something more important. Breakfast! I’m starving! Let’s go” you exclaim. 

“Now that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard from an HK” Hazel laughs, linking her arm with yours.

“Food!” the Smees exclaim in unison. 

The two of you set off with Pink and the Smees in tow. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time lunch had hit, you and Hazel had fully put the past aside, becoming fast friends and having spent most of the morning together. Neither of you had any idea that you actually shared multiple classes together. Sadly, you still had not seen Max all day, so you were hoping you’d finally get to see him at lunch. 

Spotting Max near the picnic tables, you run toward him and call out “Max!” Once you reach him, you quickly embrace him, pressing a kiss to his cheek, not caring about who witnessed this act of affection. “Hi,” you greet excitedly. 

“Hello to you too, Y/N” Max replies, embracing you back with a tint of pink on his cheeks due to the kiss on the cheek you gave him. 

“Are you blushing Max? I didn’t know I had such an effect on you” you smirk at him as you let go of the embrace. 

“Of course, I’m not” he denies while his cheeks flush even more. “Were you just with Hazel?” Max deflects trying to switch the topic after noticing Hazel walking over to join the rest of the VKs and AKs who were sitting at a nearby table, telling them about the events of this morning. 

“Yeah, I was! She apologized this morning and we realized we actually have a lot in common” you excitedly tell him. 

“That’s great!” Max responds matching your enthusiasm. “I didn’t think she would.” 

“She was genuinely sorry for what she had done. Enough of that though. Let’s go join our friends” you exclaim, grabbing Max’s hand, pulling him along with you over to the lunch table. 

“Y/N, Max, we are so sorry for how yesterday” Red tells you both having been the first to notice you to make your way to the table. 

A chorus of agreement follows from the rest of your friends. 

“It’s okay. We know you were just worried and trying to protect us” you say gently with a smile. 

“But don’t let it happen again” Max adds more sternly. 

“Don’t worry, it won’t happen again. Unless she hurts you, of course,” Hazel says. 

“Or he hurts her,” Luis says, looking over at Hazel. 

“Don’t get me started again on who would win a fight between us Luis. We both know how that would go,” Hazel responds to him. 

“We all know Hazel will win,” Chloe says while laughing. 

“Hey, we don’t know that” Luis defends himself. 

“Oh, we totally know she would win” you laugh as you and Max sit down joining your friends. 

“See they get it,” Hazel says triumphantly. 

As the conversation continues on you look over at Max and whisper “I’m really glad this worked out.” 

“Me too,” Max responds. “I’m so lucky.” 

“Nope. I’m definitely the lucky one here” you argue back. 

“I am definitely the one in the right here, Princess” Max says and before you can respond, he pulls you in for a kiss ignoring the sounds of disgust coming from the Smee twins and the excited gasp from Pink. 

“That seems like an unfair way to win an argument” you say, smiling at Max. 

“Like you said last night, you’re dating a VK. Guess you’re just going to have to get used to it,” Max smirks at you. 

“Guess I will” you respond before pulling Max in for another kiss. 

Maybe the world would one day see you both as more than just extensions of your parents but as long as you had Max, you knew you were going to be fine.

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Afraid of the sudden noise and not realizing it was just their friends, Max pulled you in closer to him in an effort to protect you. This ultimately led to your friends finding you in a position that did not have the essence of platonic friendship written all over it.   

“Oh my hearts, Y/N, you are dating Max! I thought the twins were just making it up” squealed Pink. “Why didn’t you tell me?”   

Hazel interrupts leaving no time for you to respond to Pink “You are actually dating this princess! You have to be kidding me Max! All she is going to do is hurt you when you don’t fit into her perfect fairytale standard!”  

The VKs and HKs kept asking more and more questions while talking over each other, making it difficult to hear a single thing any of them were trying to say to you. Trying to answer anyone was impossible because the second either of you tried to speak there was someone interrupting you. Finally, Max had enough of his friend's stupidity.   

“Enough” shouts Max. “Let me speak for a moment please” he says while standing up and lending you a hand to help you up as well. “We are not dating, but even if we were, it is none of your business. You are just proving my point of why I did not want to tell you about us being friends in the first place. You are all severely overreacting.”   

You spot the opportunity to join in and add “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all where I was going, especially you, Pink, but I just needed to get away from everything for a while. I never intended to run into Max, but I am really glad I did” you say, glancing at Max with a smile.   

“What does a Perfect Princess have to escape from? Do you not have enough dresses or did your shoes get a little muddy today, princess” Hazel says, mocking you.   

“Okay that is it! You cannot talk to her that way. You are one of my best friends, but she does not deserve this. Y/N is one of the kindest people I have ever met, and I am lucky to know her. We are leaving.” Max sternly responds to Hazel as he grabs your bag in one hand, flinging the bag over his shoulder, while also taking your hand in the other.   

Before you could even process everything that had just transpired, Max was pulling you away from your friends leaving no time for them to respond, leaving the group in shock at his sudden outburst, especially Hazel.    

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a couple of minutes of walking in silence, you can no longer take it.   

“Max” you say. A couple of seconds pass.   

“Max” you say a little louder hoping to grab his attention.    

Max, too lost in his thoughts, does not respond.   

Finally, you suddenly come to a halt, which causes Max to be pulled back towards you as he had never let go of your hand, not that you had minded.   

“Hey Max, look at me for a second” you say as you gently take your hand from his grasp so that you can take his face in your hand to get him to look at you. “Are you okay? I know that was a lot back there.”   

“No, of course I’m not okay,” he responds rather aggressively. Realizing his unwarranted anger towards you, he continues on but more gently “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. It’s just that I knew everyone would react like this if they found out we are friends. I mean Hazel has been my best friend since we were kids and even she doesn’t think we should be talking.”   

“What does it matter what everyone thinks about us? I know you are a good person Max, and just because your father is a villain does not make you one.” You say with certainty as you move the hand that was holding his face to hold to take his hand in yours.   

“I don't know what I would do without you princess.” Max responds to you and for once the word princess doesn’t feel like an insult. “How you always know what to say to make me feel better is beyond me. Are you okay, though? I know Hazel hit a sore spot back there.”   

“I’ll be okay as long as I have you Max.” You smile back at him.   

With the way you are looking at him, Max suddenly gets a burst of hope. “Forgive me if I’m wrong but I think our feelings might be intertwined. I am tired of being afraid of what others think of me” he proclaims taking both of your hands in his.   

“Max, are you saying what I think you’re saying” you question him in disbelief.   

“I like you a lot Y/N, and I know that I am just a son of a villain but when I’m with you, I feel like I’m more than that. You make it feel like I can take on the world,” he passionately responds.   

“Oh Max, I feel the same way when I'm with you,” and before you can question what you are about to do, you remove both of your hands from his, grabbing him by his jacket, pulling him towards you, passionately kissing him.    

~~~~~~~~~At the same time, deeper in the Enchanted Forest~~~~~~~~~

“I think we really messed up,” Red says to the group. “We shouldn’t have come on that strong”   

“I didn’t know that Max felt that way,” Hazel responds. “Maybe I was wrong about Y/N”.   

“We need to go find our friends!” declares Pink. “But first let's figure out how to get back to Auradon Prep”.  

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hi Chloe, have you seen Y/N anywhere? I went to talk to her after our Magical History class and she was already gone. It was like she was out the door as soon as the clock struck four,” says Pink worriedly. It was so unlike you to disappear right after class. Pink and you normally would head back to your shared dorm room to talk about the events of the day and drop off your bags before going to meet up with the other HKs.  

“Oh, hey Pink, no I haven’t seen her today. Now that you mention it, I don’t think I have seen her since our Virtue and Values class two days ago. I thought she had been with you,” Chloe replies. While she had noticed that you had not been around much lately, she figured if anything you had been secluded in your dorm room studying so Pink would have seen you.  

“Do you think she is okay? She is rarely in our room, and the VKs have been making more mean comments to her lately. I know they have always bothered her, but she’s always been able to brush them off. Oh, I am such a bad friend for not noticing sooner,” Pink says rapidly as she begins to spiral with thoughts of why you could be so distant all of a sudden.  

“Hey don’t say that, Pink! You are the most thoughtful person that I know. You can’t blame yourself for not noticing. What matters most is that we notice now. We should go find Y/N and check on her!” Chloe exclaims with determination. “Do you have any other ideas where she could be?”  

“Hmm” Pink wonders aloud. “I know she loves to find a quiet place to read alone when she is sad or stressed out. But I have never been able to figure out where she goes to despite asking her like a million times.”  

“Maybe Red or Luis would know. One of our friends has to have some idea where she could have gone.” Chole says.  

“That’s a great idea! Let's go find them!” Pink exclaims as the two girls set off to find their friends.  

Meanwhile, across campus the VKs are having a similar conversation about their friend Max.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Where has Max run off to now! I swear that Hatter keeps disappearing constantly. What could possibly be so important that he keeps sneaking off for?” Hazel angrily shouts.  

“Maybe he has a secret girlfriend he’s going to go see,” Felix shrugs. Suddenly he feels the sharp smack of Hazel’s hand to the back of his.  

“That has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Max having a girlfriend is laughable enough, but why would he be hiding her from us? We are delightful!” Hazel responds as she paces back and forth in place.  

“Maybe his girlfriend is an HK” Squeaky Smee says. “Or maybe she is a princess! Imagine Max with a princess as a girlfriend” Squirmy Smee adds on while laughing.  

“There is no way that Max is dating an HK let alone a princess! Whatever he is hiding, we better find out what it is soon. You all know I do not like it when you keep secrets from me,” Hazel declares aggressively.  

“But you keep secrets from us all the time. Just last week you stole a stash of tea cakes and didn’t tell any of us,” Felix tells Hazel.  

“Yeah, well, it's fine when I do it. That does not mean that you all get to keep secrets. Let’s focus on the more important things at hand. If I was Max and did not want to be found, where would I go?” Hazel ponders out loud.  

“Maybe his dorm room!”   

“What about the tourney field”  

“I’d go to the enchanted forest” The boys respond all at the same time.  

“Stop talking all at once. I can barely make out what you all are trying to say. I did hear the enchanted forest though, so let's start there." After no one makes and effort to move Hazel states "Well, what are you all waiting for? Get up, let's go,” as she begins walking towards the enchanted forest.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the VKs make it to the edge of the Enchanted Forest, they are surprised to see the four HKs having an animated discussion. Pink looks like she is on the verge of tears. Chloe and Red are trying their best to comfort a distressed Pink. All the while Luis is trying to help but is letting the girls do their thing to comfort her because he has no idea what to say.  

“What are you all freaking out about?” Hazel interrupts. “Please do not tell me that your mothers have been captured again. While the last trip was fun, I’ve got a reputation to uphold which I can’t do if I am rescuing people all of the time.” 

“Y/N is missing and we can’t find her anywhere!” Pink cries out.  

“I wouldn’t worry about it. I am sure your perfect princess of a friend is fine. She’s probably visiting her castle or whatever you princess do in your free time,” Hazel says unphased  

“No, she’s not okay! Y/N is probably sick and tired of all your comments about her. I don’t get why you all pick on her so much! I mean you're mostly nice to us now, and the three of us are also princesses. What is your problem with my friend!” Pink shouts, surprising everyone as no one had ever heard her yell like that before, not even Red.  

“It’s nothing personal. I mean come on; she is the princess of all of Auradon. That takes princess-ing to a whole other level. You HKs proved yourselves when we saved Wonderland, but that does not mean that we are all buddy buddy with every HK in Auradon,” Hazel responds.  

“Maybe she’s Max’s secret girlfriend” Squeaky whispers Squirmy.  

“Wait Y/N is dating Max?” Red says, confused as she overhears Squeaky.  

“No of course not! Max doesn’t have a secret girlfriend. These fools just think he has one because he’s been disappearing lately without telling us why,” Hazel answers.  

“Maybe that’s also where Y/N has been going! Oh, they would make such a cute couple!” Pink excitedly exclaims.  

“No, they are not dating! I am sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation. Why are we just standing here! Let’s go find them before you get any more ridiculous ideas.” Hazel says as she begins to walk off into the forest.  

“Well, I guess the more of us there are to look for them, the better,” Red declares. “Let’s get going to find our friends,”  

Together, the HKs and VKs set off into the enchanted forest to find their two missing friends.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deep in the forest Max and you are completely unaware of the worry you have caused your friends. Together you both sit with your backs against the same tree where you first met with your head on Max’s shoulder while he reads to you. One might even mistake you for a couple if they saw you now, but unfortunately for everyone, both you and Max are just too afraid to admit your feelings to yourselves or to each other. 

As Max finishes reading, he pauses at the end of the chapter and turns to you and goes “You know I actually made you something.” He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a necklace with a rose made from a sparkling red gem. “It sparkles just like you. I made it in the workshop. It should protect you against harmful magic,” he says earnestly.  

“Oh Max, it's beautiful!” You say, looking at the necklace. “I don’t know what to say.”  

“Consider it as a gift for giving me a second chance. I figured that with everything that has happened in the last couple of years with our friends and your family, having some extra protection can never hurt. It felt good being able to make something for a good reason” Max replies looking into your eyes.  

“You’re a good guy Max. I mean it when I say you are nothing like your father. I am really glad I have gotten to know the real you” you say honestly.  

“I am really glad I got to know the real you too. Not just the Perfect Princess of Auradon” Max smiles back at you.  

Max helps you to put on the necklace as you both sit in a comfortable silence. For once you both feel as if you don’t have to hide who you truly are.   

Little did you both know that the peaceful bubble you had created together was about to pop.  

There is this expectation amongst the HKs that you will always stick together, especially when it comes to interacting with the VKs. It’s like no one remembers that Ben is married to Mal and that your sister in law is literally the daughter of two of the most notorious villains to ever exist. And even when you do talk to VKs, they are always quick to remind you that you are just a “Perfect Princess with a perfect life”. This is especially true for Max Hatter. For someone who wanted people to look past his heritage, he has always been quick to remind you of yours. 

The pressure from those around you is what led to you seeking an escape from the expectations in Auradon. At least once a week you disappear into the enchanted forest for a couple of hours with a good book in search of peace and quiet. Your friends know you regularly disappear but despite the best efforts of Pink and Chloe, no one has ever figured out where you wander off to. At least that is the case until one afternoon when a certain Hatter finds you reading alone at your favorite tree. 

Max Hatter, despite having helped save Wonderland from his dad, is still dealing with the looming shadow of his father’s past. While some of the HKs trust him now, the majority still do not. At times it feels like he is just one wrong move away from losing everyone’s trust. Everyday Max hears the whispers from the HKs when he passes by.  

“He’s just like his father.”  

“I bet he’s waiting to break his dad out of jail.” 

“He’s acting good to get all of us to trust him just so he can trick us.” 

After a particularly rough afternoon of dealing with these comments, Max sets off into Enchanted Forest. As he walks deeper into the forest, he grows lost in his own thoughts. Max begins to think of the life he could have had if he was an HK, the life that was taken from him. While he knows that he can’t change what Red and Chloe have done, and has ultimately forgiven them, it does not stop his mind from occasionally wondering what might have been.  

Would he still feel like an outcast?  

Would he constantly feel like he has to prove himself to everyone?  

Maybe he would have more friends, particularly you, Y/N Beast. 

You had been one of the first HKs Max had met when the barrier came down. With your brother Ben, the two of you offered to show the new VKs around Auradon and help them adjust to life outside of The Isle of the Lost. Despite your best efforts to become friends with Max, he pushed you away out of fear of what the other VKs would think. He could not risk becoming an outcast amongst the VKs for being too friendly with an HK. Still wanting to be around you though, Max had resorted to teasing you for being a “goody two shoes” or his favorite saying “Auradon’s Perfect Princess”.  

What Max would soon come to know is that years of teasing were about to push you over the edge. 

Max was broken out of his train of thoughts by a faint humming sound coming from deeper in the forest. Curious about where the sound was coming from he silently creeps forward and discovers you reading. Humming while reading is a habit you have grown to do when you are truly engrossed in a book. You are so engrossed in the book that you do not even notice that you are no longer alone. Max stands in disbelief at the sight of Auradon’s Perfect Princess sitting in the most unsophisticated way reading in the dirt.  

“Well look at that, if it isn’t Auradon’s most Perfect Princess” says Max with his signature smirk. Surprised by Max’s sudden appearance, you drop your book, losing your page and the silence you have grown to cherish. Annoyed by the interruption, you ask with frustration “What are you doing here Max?” Taken aback by your unusually aggressive tone, he replies quickly with such honesty that it surprises you both. “I needed some space away from everyone else”. “I know that feeling,” you say with an understanding laced in your voice. Max, in an effort to keep up his VK facade after his slip up earlier sarcastically responds “And what does a princess know about needing space from everyone? Is it that hard having so many people want your attention Princess.”  

Having enough of his attitude you abruptly stand from your spot against the tree and with anger apparent in your voice you exclaim “I am done trying to be nice to you. Every day I try to show you kindness and all I am met with is belittling comments. Forgive me for trying to get to know you. All I will ever be to you, and everyone else is just another princess. Who cares what I want anyways”. “I didn’t know you felt that way,” Max states. “Well, no one ever cares to ask what I want,” you reply sadly.   

After a couple of moments of silence Max finally says “I’m sorry. I never thought of it that way. I mean you’re perfect and you always seem like you’re radiating happiness. I never thought that anything could bring you down.” With a sigh you quietly respond back “Just because I am princess does not mean I do not have feelings and I am definitely not perfect.” “I see that now. I mean, look at you; you’re covered in dirt. I think the HKs would flip if they saw you like this,” Max says, grinning. “I didn’t even notice,” you respond, smiling back at him. 

Gathering up your courage you ask him, “Why were you trying to get away from everyone?” “I was just tired of hearing everyone compare me to my father. No matter what I do, I will always be Max Hatter. Just another hatter who is a clock tick away from being a crazy villain. I will never be just Max,” he exclaims with a sigh. In an effort to extend an olive branch you say “Well just Max, have you ever read King Arthur?” “No, I haven’t,” Max replies. “Well it is one of my mom’s favorites. I was thinking about restarting the book since someone surprised me and caused me to lose my place” you say with a joking smile. “Do you want to join me?” You ask him as you sit back down against the tree leaving just enough room for Max to join you. “I suppose I can,” Max responds as he sits down beside you.  

As you begin to read the book aloud to Max, it almost feels as though there is something there that wasn’t there before.