heyhoeudoin

the first time max hatter met you was on the first day of school at auradon prep. he decided to explore the campus instead of getting lunch with his friends since he didn't feel like eating just yet. he managed to get all the way to where the enchanted lake was but he wasn't quite there. along the path built for said enchanted lake, he noticed that the path deviates into this man-made path going into the forest surrounding the said built path.

curiosity caught him and max ventured into the forest.

there, he saw you.

you laid on a blanket with this basket full of jars. there were jars on the blanket as well in one pile near it. surrounding you were piles of... leaves? plants? flowers? whatever they were, they seemed to be properly sectioned off separately.

max wasn't sure if you were asleep or just taking a break. but he wasn't going to risk being seen looking like some sort of creep.

...although maybe it's best to be seen so that you don't think of it like that.

an alarm ringed. the sound stirred you as you stretched your limbs then slowly sat up. letting out a yawn, you grabbed a pair of scissors then pulled out a bouquet of flowers from... somewhere (max didn't see where you pulled those out of). in one swoop, you cut the buds off the stems—the buds exploding onto your lap.

what the fuck —> max's exact thoughts in real-time.

he was so taken aback that he didn't realize he actually said these words out loud.

looking up, you made eye contact with him. "oh, you're not my cousin..." you monotonically commented then turned back to what you were doing.

this time, max looked taken aback. he walked forward while saying, "woah, woah, woah—you can't just say that i'm not your cousin then go back to... whatever the hex you're doing." he plopped down onto the blanket on the forest floor, taking a seat in front of you.

max invited himself and picked up one of the open jars next to him. "what even are these?" he asked as he raised the jar up to his eye level and peering into it.

you looked up for a split second then turned back to stuffing the buds into one of the jars and bluntly answered, "they're poison."

he dropped the jar he was holding out of shock. your reflexes kicked in and quickly caught the said jar before it crashed into the ground. "...you're lucky i caught that." your deadpanned eyes meeting his confused ones, then the contact went away as quick as it happened.

max didn't know what to understand from you. what kind of person collects poison? on school grounds also no less. it's... it's mad—! and that's already coming from the son of an actual madman (max internally rolled his eyes). he watched as you crumpled each petal into this paste-like powder inside of the jar.

who are you? he can't fathom not knowing who you are nor knowing what legacy you came from. you can't be a vk... he would've known—then again how would he have known even if you were a vk? it's not like he paid much attention to the other vks on the island. but he probably would've remembered someone pretty like you—he shook his head from the thought. an hk then? but... what you're wearing didn't look like something any hk would sensibly wear.

a strapless one piece swimsuit top paired with from what he can see to be a skort? just low enough so that the top of your hips were peeking out from the slit between the swimsuit and the skort. the swimsuit top looked scaly with leaf prints here and there while your skort was just plain black. vines swirled around your legs that came from the straps of the heels you have. long elegant gloves with the same swirling vines around it. your hair a bit wavy with red-orange highlights, obvious and seen from your dark hair.

....max hummed as he thought that you looked more like a vk if anything—poison ivy motif. that mole on your cheek.... who has a mole on their cheek? he wasn't sure if he knew any villain or hero who has moles on their face.

so his question still remained unanswered.

just who are you?

"...and why in the wicked isle are you even collecting poison for?" he managed to ask.

you let out a hum, not looking up at him. "because i want to?" a tilt of your head and the tone of your voice made it sound like that was supposed to be obvious.

max nodded his head at you. "uhuh," he responded sarcastically. "i totally should've known." a deadpan look on his face.

you glanced up at him then let out a chuckle at his face before looking back to another bouquet. at the sound of your chuckle, his face softens. max noticed how monotone you look and sound together with how literal you can get. it's a bit refreshing that you didn't look at him in fear because of who he is. actually, do you even know who he is?

"do you know who i am?" he asked straightforwardly.

you paused after cutting off another set of buds. this time you properly looked up and stared at him. "no," you answered honestly. "...do you know who i am?" your tone a bit soft.

"no," max gave you the same answer with a shook of his head.

"oh."

a comfortable silence envelops the two of you as you continued doing what you were doing while max stayed beside you, hanging out and scrolling through his phone.

as you were walking through the locker hall, you bumped into a familiar person. max caught you in a dip; his arm wrapped around your waist while his other hand caught your arm. you could feel his strong hold on your hip and wrist.

"..it's you," he lets out before pulling you back on your heels. "you good?"

you nodded your head. "thank you," you say.

he shook his head. "don't mention it."

felix lets out a whistle from behind max. "oho, who do we have here?" he says as he laid an arm on max's shoulder. his other hand shuffling a deck of cards—tarot cards.

on the other side of max stood hazel as she looked at you up and down. she then raised one brow like she had recognized you, but wasn't quite sure. "what a princely move there, max," she commented with an elbow nudge. "you pulling them hk moves now?"

max rolled his eyes at his friends. "can you shut up," he says (with affection).

hazel laughs as she lets out, "what?" then she walked towards you, circling you. "she's a fine lass. sweetheart, if you had bumped into me, i would've done more than swept you off your feet."

you shook your head. "no thanks. i'm already familiar with... max. i would've rather him than you."

hazel paused in front of your with an amused yet surprised look on her face before turning to max to laugh at him. "what the hex did you do to her?!" she lets out.

"wow, that's a first," felix lets out next with a cross of his arms. he then walked over to your side to ask, "do you not see the resemblance he has with his father?"

you raised a brow at his question, but before you could answer, max placed a hand on hazel's and felix's shoulder. "okay!" he exclaimed. "enough! let's go. we got a class to catch." then started pushing them away from you. the two of them started laughing at his embarrassment.

as he passed by you, you turned back to him. "max," you called.

the three of them paused as max turned back to you. "what?"

with a stretched hand, you called, "give it back."

felix and hazel looked at each other as max looked a bit impressed. "give what back?" he says with a smirk.

wordlessly, you pulled out a jagged wallet with you other hand. "let's do a trade then." a similar smirk forms on your face.

"no hexing way!" hazel lets out in surprise while felix lets out a low whistle. "she done you good, max!" she then points at you. "you and i need to hang out—i don't care if you're an hk. you're wicked in my book."

max groans as he took out your own wallet from his back pocket and places it on your open palm as he swipes back his own wallet. "i'll see you some time," he whispered out to you.

you watched him walk away.

"so what's your deal with her?" hazel asked immediately after departing with you. the group stopped in the hallway inside the building by the wall.

max shrugged. "i don't know what you want from me," he says. "i just met her... like a few weeks back. i caught her in her business and i just... we ended up just hanging out then."

hazel slightly reeled her head back as she stared at him with squinted eyes. "the hex do you mean "cause her in her business"?" her fists on her hips.

"wait—!" max palmed his face. "i mean, she was collecting some herbs or plants or flowers or stuff out in the forest in the enchanted lake. and i somehow found her."

"was this when you ditched us from lunch?" felix asked to which max nodded at. "so then y'all just... there in the forest alone?" max nodded again. "... do you know who she is?" felix pointed a finger towards the direction where they bumped into you.

max shook his head. "she looked really vk—i mean, you guys saw what she's wearing! but i don't remember a vk like her, so i just defaulted to maybe she's an hk that i don't know."

"an hk you don't know?" hazel repeated. "max, she's a madrigal."

felix nodded. "y/n madrigal, daughter of... isabela? the one with the flowers," he added.

it felt like max's head just exploded right there.

felix shook his head at hazel. "no, who cares if he didn't know—i mean, we all saw what she was wearing!" he repeated. "i wanna know if she knew who you were."

max shook his head. "no, she said she didn't know who i was—i literally asked her—and then she asked me if i knew who she was... i said no, duh. and then.... and then i don't know?! something changed after that and we were just... comfy.... in silence. it wasn't even awkward! we just hang around for a few hours together with silence and some talking here and there." he blinked a few times. "we never actually asked for each other's names."

"max, i don't think i ever saw you this down bad before," felix mentioned.

hazel nods her head at that. "yeah, no, you're wickedly down bad."

max blushed at his ears. "what! no, no, no, no," he denied. "this is just the first time someone ever... not been afraid of me because of my father!"

felix and hazel looked at each other before turning back to max.

"right, right," hazel says.

"whatever you say, bud," felix says.

"guys!" max exclaimed.

you watched as the trio go inside, heading for whatever class they have next. that was then luis drops by next to you. "are you good, prima?" he asked.

you turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "yes?" you answered, confused.

"no, 'cause you bumped into... them of all people," he told you with a slight glare towards the direction where they left.

you tilted your head at him. "luis... prejudice, really?" you stated at him. "there's a reason why the borders are down for the vks... it's because they're not like their parents—!" at this point, you tried to walk away from him.

luis winced at your harsh words as he catches up to you and stops you once again. "but he's a hatter! maddox is one of the most feared villains! and that's his son, max. and he's friends with a hook and a facilier." he sighs. "look, i'm just trying to protect mi familia."

"look, it's the madrigals!" someone squealed from the side as a small crowd eventually forms.

luis was quick to act—a smile on his face as he flaunts off his muscles. you rolled your eyes at him before forcefully shoving your way out of the crowd. he saw and immediately caught you by the wrist. "sorry about my prima here guys! she's a bit in a bad mood right now," he apologized on your behalf. "we'll hang out next time?"

the crowd then slowly dispersed.

you sighed in relief. you then turned to luis with a glare. "you of all people should know just how much i hate our family name," you stated firmly. "why am i given this pressure of morals and comparisons all because i was bestowed the title of an hk."

luis stayed silent. his brows furrowed at your statement.

"i know you agree with me to a certain degree, luis," you tell him. "you don't have to do the things i've done to rebel. you just have to not fall for the stereotypes of others and act on it. i bet they're nice—i know max is—and you'd know it too if you try to befriend them."

you turned on your heel and stomped off.

max managed to find you once again, this time, at the greenhouse which was located in one of the corners of auradon prep. a rather isolated area due to the magical plants it posses and the size of the greenhouse. a fairly big building that feels like the size of a cottage, albeit a bit bigger.

it was by chance that max stumbled upon it. he just felt like walking around and he managed to see the spacious area. the greenhouse was surrounded by a garden—smaller compared to the one behind the school.

there you were, inside the greenhouse watering some plants. max watched you from the entrance. after a few more seconds, he then decided to wordlessly look around. he wasn't sure if you knew he was here, but decided not to announce his presence.

he appreciated how organized the area was. each section was categorized into certain kinds of plants and then each plant was also named. he didn't know much about botany but this system made it easy to know which is which and under what.

max stared at the section with just a bunch of leaves. none of it was labelled—he looked for one. was it a new section? maybe since it didn't have any labels at all even a hanging sign above the section wasn't there. he crouched down to look at the said leaves. he slowly reached out to touch—

"don't touch that."

he froze mid-air as he turned to the sound of your voice.

"all of those leaves are poisonous to the touch. i was just about to pick up the labels i printed over at the library," you told him as you stood next to him. "it's a good thing you found this place before i left."

max sighed in both relief and annoyance as he stood up. "wouldn't it be better to have the labels ready first and then plant them?" he asked.

you shrugged turning to the sectioned leaves. "i was excited," you honestly told him. "besides, fairy godmother said no one really drops by here and is only weekly maintained, so i called dibs and it's technically my territory now."

he hummed. "you..." he stuttered. "you know who i am now, huh?"

you turned to him with a raised brow. "...and you know who i am also," you mentioned.

silence engulfed the two of you. a silence that felt one of you had to disturb it, but the hesitation was evident. words hung on the tip of the lip, but nothing comes out.

max swirled in his anxiousness. in his head, you were already afraid of him. in his head, it's over. in his head... in his head, he actually wanted to get close to you. letting out a sigh, he walked towards the door of the greenhouse, carefully swerving around you, and not bumping his shoulder into yours.

he didn't dare look back.

you dumped books into your locker as you were done with classes for the day. lost in your thoughts, you didn't notice someone closing your locker door for you. a loud bang gets your out of your thoughts.

turning to one hazel hook, leaning against the lockers. you raised a brow at her and said, "hello, hazel."

"what did you do to max?" she asked straightforwardly with a glare on her face.

taken aback, you didn't respond in time.

"he's been sulking for months!" she exclaimed. "and i've thought about it"—her hook pointing at you—"and i've concluded that the only person who could be sulking at is you."

you opened your mouth, but nothing comes out. "i..." you stammered. "i don't know what to tell you. he..." your eyes flickered.

"well, maybe i can give an old facilier special," felix spoke up from behind you.

three cards floated from his hands. a mist of green surrounded the cards. the first card flipped over showing a reversed major arcana, the hermit.

"she's lonely, hazel. whatever happened between the two of them, she's also suffering."

the next card showed a reversed five of pentacles.

"and she's regrets it wholeheartedly. regret what though? not talking? not interacting? not stopping him when he walked away that day?"

the final card flipped over showing a four of wands.

"and so, there's only one thing left to do." felix moved the last card up to your face, emphasizing it. "you either take back the words you couldn't say or live in your grief forever."

he closed his fists, making the card in front of you disappear.

hazel stared at felix with a deadpan. "you faciliers and your pazazz," she says with a roll of her eyes. "but you know what, it worked." she turned to you.

your face looked as if you were a kicked puppy.

hazel looked amused as she wrapped an arm around your shoulder. "awe, sweetheart, i can't help but pity you too if you looked like that," she says.

"okay, enough bullying the youngin," says felix to which hazel rolled her eyes at as she lets go of you. "max is a total avoidant—he's gonna shut down or even run away the moment his mind overthinks. he doesn't like being compared to his dad and his mind runs in circles, then..."

hazel sighs at felix's explanation. "yeah, he's just gonna assume the person already hates or is afraid of him because of his name," she added.

"and i know you're exactly like him," felix added with a confident smirk and a snap of his fingers.

"is this about what luis said when we finally got him and max to be civil?" hazel asked to which felix nodded.

"your cousin told us—announced, really—that you think max is nice," he says. "and that you're the reason why he's being open-minded with being buddy buddy with us vks.

"in other words, you're exactly like max"—he stared at you like he figured everything out—"you act vk and look vk. we saw evidence of this from when you stole back max's wallet when he tried to steal yours."

hazel raised a finger. "which was wicked by the way," she commented. "where'd you learn how to do that?" felix hit her shoulder to which she stared at him with a stink eye. "what? valid question by the way."

"anyways, you two need to have a good proper talk," felix then concluded.

hazel then started moving you towards inside the building. "c'mon, let's get you some good food to cheer up with."

"and maybe talk about a plan to get you and max to bump into each other again," added felix to which hazel nods at.

"right, of course, that too."

the three of you head towards the cafeteria.

max laid on his bed in his dorm that he shared with felix. the said facilier was currently in class while hazel was off with the smees getting lunch—he didn't want to do anything plus he didn't have class, so here he was. there was nothing in his head but silence and regret. a sense of shame in him too. a part of him wanted to see you, but you know who he is now so what's the point.

he sighed out loud once again.

"you know, that sounds really like a lovesick sigh."

"yup, it really does and i wonder for who—?"

"what the hat?!" max jumped from his bed and turned to see both red and pink in his dorm room, standing by his bed. red chuckled at his reaction while pink let out a giggle. "what are you guys doing here?" he then asked as he sat up on his bed.

"hazel won't stop complaining to chloe and by association, us, about you sulking," red announced as pink nodded her head.

"yeah and hazel slipped that it was about y/n madrigal," pink added.

red turned to pink with a shocked look on her face. "woah, what's with y/n?" she asked.

pink turned to red this time. "you didn't know?" she lets out. "hazel and felix mentioned that they have something going on."

"woah, woah, woah"—max held both his palms up at the two hearts—"there's nothing going on with y/n and i. we just hanged out a few times."

red then turned back to max with a raised brow. "you? hanging out with another hk?" she pointed out. "it took you a wicked long time to get comfy with luis."

"well~" pink spoke up. "luis did kept provoking max so i'd say that's on him." she gave a tight nervous smile.

max pointed at pink with an "exactly" look on his face. red shrugged, agreeing with the argument.

"okay, besides the point," red says. "my point is: you didn't become this anxious loser around her that had to act every second—and don't deny it. hazel and felix told me everything." she crossed her arms on her chest.

max groaned at being exposed by his two friends. "okay, look!" he exclaimed. "she didn't know who i was when we first met."

pink squealed. "awe max! that's like all you ever wanted," she commented.

red let out a hum. her brows furrowed like she was connecting some dots. "did you know who she was?" she asked.

"no..."

"i see," she replied. "i see that you're an idiot."

"what?!" max exclaimed in aghast as he stood up from his bed. "what'd i do?!"

"y/n's exactly like you, you know?" she emphasized. "she doesn't want to be known by her family name; she wants to be known for who she is. you're being a huge hypocrite for not even hearing her out." red jabbed a finger on max's chest.

"max," pink called out nicely. she signaled red to move a bit to the side with a touch of her shoulder and stood in front of max. "i have no right to say this as an hk myself and i can truly never know what you've been through due to your father's status, but i think you need to hear it anyways.

"there's a reason why king ben and queen mal brought down the barriers—and it's for us! the future of auradon, the next generation. yes, your title as a vk and my title as an hk will always stay, but we can write our own destiny now!"

pink then gave a glance at red. "red literally chose to be both a vk and an hk," she added.

"yeah, because i act too much like a vk—said fairy godmother."

"i don't even know how you turned out like that overnight. we grew up with the same mother!"

"...that's what you think."

"what?"

"nothin'"

pink turned back to max. "anyways, max, you two should talk."

max turned his head away and said, "yeah, maybe."

you slid off the skort you wore with a sigh of relief. though you'd much rather only wear the one piece swimsuit you have, your mama threatened to burn it down if you didn't wear at least bottoms paired with it. sighing, you slid off the gloves you wore—

"pink! i know you took my—"

the loud slam of the door hitting against your dorm room walls echoed in the room. your eyes made contact with max's eyes as the two of you froze at the situation. at the sight of max, that talk you had with hazel and felix lingered in your mind even though it's been a few weeks since then.

"i'm so sorry," max immediately blurts out at the sight of you in just oyur swimsuit.

you shook your head. "no worries. i'm still clothe. you're looking for something? you can come inside," you tell him with no malice.

max awkwardly closed the door behind him. he made sure to stay as far as away from you as possible. "so, uh," he stammered as he looked everywhere but you. "pink took this... formula that i've been working on for a while and i really need to update it before i forget."

as he talked, you took off the tights you wore as well. "i don't think i've seen something like that around here," you say. "i haven't seen pink since this morning, actually." standing up, you placed the tights into the basket next to your closet and pointed at pink's desk on the other side of the room. "you can look through pink's stuff."

max nodded his head. "yup, uhuh, i'll... i'll go do that," he stammered you watched as he walked over, sat on the chair, and rummaged through pink's things.

staring at his back, you felt a bit... mischievous. a shy smile formed on your face as you silently walked towards his back. the sound of things clanking together and shuffling was the only thing heard in the room. you slammed your hands onto his shoulders in a quick flick.

max jumped out of his seat from the second of your touch and turned to you with wide eyes as one of his hands laid on his chest. "holy hex, y/n, you scared the absolute hat outta me!" he exclaimed.

you stepped away from the chair as it fell to the floor. you laughed with your arms over your stomach. the laughter then falls from the sight of the uncomfortable tone on his face. the light mood that once surrounded the two of you turned awkward.

"i don't hate you, max," you told him honestly. "why can't we be friends again?"

max picked up the fallen chair and put it aside. he then turned to stare at you with this longing in his eyes but his eyes also held sadness. "i don't hate you, y/n. i could never hate you," he tells you honestly. "aren't you afraid? ...of what others think?" he whispered with a soft tone.

you stepped closer towards him as he stepped closer to you as well. "who cares about them, max." your voice wavered. "the only thing that matters is what we think."

a sense of hope lights up inside of you.

"do you really not care?" he asked once again. a hand slowly raising almost like he wanted to reach out to you. "that you'll be... with me?"

your hand shot to his own, holding his fingers between your own. "i never once cared."

"oh."

i feel the pacing was quite fast, especially between luis and red specifically. i think it's because of how many "plot points" the directors/writers had to cover. i mean they could've just done a 2hr movie, but okay

i don't know if i missed something but i feel red "ignoring/betraying" chloe felt a bit off because of everything the two went through from the previous movie. though it does line up with her selfishness, but i feel that "trait" of hers was diluted by the end of rise of red so, to me, that whole plot point semi didn't make sense.

i get the idea that since red's an hk now, it felt off to her so she's trying to act more of a vk so that the other vks would be like "red's honorary vk" kinda thing. speaking of, in the "did you hear about them song," we can see red switching from vk to hk side when dancing because she's technically both.

anyways!

i hate the whole excuse of "you can't just do things straightforwardly" whenever the gang comes across a wonderland problem BECAUSE THE THING IS, THEY'RE IN WONDERLAND. topsy-turvy, all things wonder, all things madness—it should've been a given to just say "because we're in wonderland" and not some bullsht for the sake of building up to the plot point.

i feel the setting of wonderland was both used and underused.

next point,

i like maddox here. i really do, but his backstory for this timeline? ....it's like they don't know their own disney characters. "time travel. it's why everyone thinks he's mad." —> what????? he's SUPPOSED to be mad. he's the son of the MAD HATTER. not because of some hoax that he saw when he was a student???? that's so weird???

chassy? i love chassy. great cheshire cat character. that cat was the most wonderlandian character in that entire movie (next to pink). it's great, truly.

speaking of pink, i love her. she's so maddeline hatter (ever after high) core. i wish we saw more of her and red's bond instead of red and luis together. another character i wish we saw more of is felix. HE COULD'VE BEEN SO GREAT. his powers are so versatile and i don't know why he was written out so much. I WOULD ALSO like to add that at the end of the movie with the ending song, felix did cameron boyce's signature move which is the jump into a half split and and then stand right back up. that little bit made me go awe.

and, this might be a hot take, but i think the smee twins and robbie hood was useless characters. they did not need to be there if all they're gonna be is fodder and comic background characters. i mean, i guess the smee twins was for the purpose of hazel HOOK, so i guess that's fine.

HAZEL HOOK. hazel hook. best character in the movie. she had the funniest lines. the actress is so goddamn fine. she's the greatest. best fit in the whole movie too. i love her dynamic with the smee twins—it's like she became the babysitters for those two and it's so funny.

chloe...... chloe....... you know what, valid. i'd semi react like that too if my best friend just threw me to that monster plant. but then you become semi unvalid after folding to max that quick with that bracelet like?? girl, calm down, why'd you accept the bracelet so fast?? i mean, i understand that she's mad and emotions are on a high—and so she's acting on impulse, but still. it was so "ugh c'mon girl *rolls eye*" moment. also, her "evil" look genuinely looks like audrey's queen of mean look but blue. do these people have no other concept of "evil looks"???

red hearts. to pull back what i already mentioned above, her character arc was semi all over the place. though i like the direction of her having this identity crisis, i feel her actions in showing that identity crisis is a bit much, especially with chloe. i don't know if it's because they wanted an "evil chloe," but still. it would have been nice to use this plot point and combining it with luis as her love interest.

in other words, luis could've been there to serve as the anchor of "being an hk isn't all too bad." HOWEVER, luis also felt very......... nepotism?

AND BEFORE anyone says about "but they're all nepo babies"—no they ain't. nepotism is to take advantage of status in order to get PRIVILEGES—you can't get privileges from a NEGATIVE status/background.

okay well, i think nepotism was the wrong word here. but what i mean is.... shallow? i think, to me, luis's character didn't feel refined. he felt shallow at best and was just there for the sake of pairing up with red. also felt like he was the "simpleton" to the "overthinker" (which is red). or something along those lines. he didn't feel naive, but he also just felt clueless as a character overall.

anyways

luis felt so ego in a way, but not the same way as hazel. luis is like honing on that hk status while hazel was only confident in her skills that she got from being a vk.

...or maybe i'm biased, but whatever.

luis could've been that anchor for red as an hk and then shows or shares to red how an hk really is. i say this specifically because i think red has this stereotype of what hks are because, she was a vk and technically, her first encounter with an hk is chloe (which she isn't a good example of).

about max...... i have nothing to say. this is not the bias talking, like genuinely, but he felt the most solid character. he had a motive, he had personality, he had a clear diction as well—he was solid. he felt like the next uma character, but, obviously, a bit less—nothing can beat uma.

ALTHOUGH, near the ending, i can't believe he just simply extinguished his anger that fast and easy. it was such a whiplash moment like—max, you're supposed to be mad, not just go "okay whatever, i'm beat, back to being the good guy" or some sht like that. at that point, it's movie pacing fault.

i also wish that he and red had more scenes and talks together—not because i ship them, but because of the fact they're both wonderlandians. as mentioned, red technically knew max from the old timeline but they never really interacted. so why didn't they? especially since red and maddox were friends in that timeline. was max afraid of red? their dynamic could've been explored as this two sides of the same coin. two people who had their fates exchanged after time traveling.

okay next segment,

the songs.....

perfect princes is great. good opening. nothing much to say. i was also super obsessed with the vks' part in the song and it's how i got obsessed with max and slowly hazel the more i watched it.

mad (maddox hatter ver.) is pretty good too actually. i really like how maddox sounds while singing this song—he genuinely sounds mad and there's this playful tone in some of his lines.

did you hear about them. FUNNY SONG. i was taken aback at the latin(?) pop, but man it fits hazel and luis so badly. this song is so cheesy but man it's kinda catchy and funny. i find it funny how they both started lying worse and worse as the song went on. i mean, not to say they're lying, but to me they do sound like they're lying—if they aren't then good on them, i guess. the harmonies between the rest of the vks and hks are amazing also—it fits together nicely.

dancing with the enemy. LOVE IT. i love the dance. the direction of the song is great also. dare i say, it's the most descendant song in the movie next to perfect princess and mad (pink, red, chloe ver.).

for once in my life. hmmmmmmm. it's kinda eh. it's super cheesy and feels sudden. i did already express how i felt about luis and red arc so, not that much of a surprise. the dance between the two is kinda nice.

the girl i used to be. highkey i skipped this, so i can't say much else. i got impatient at this point of the movie.

heartless. honestly, it could've been a great song. i don't know how chloe mispronounced heartless, but whatever.... also this song sounds really familar.... not in the instrumental wise, but in a progression of song/lyric wise. i find it funny how max resorted to flirting with chloe for the sake of the bracelet, only for chloe to immediately fold with no pressure whatsoever.

who i am. it's okay. solid red song. solid character arc song about finding themself. i wish pink was in the song more and then the song would become this sibling bond type of song.

go live it. fun song. nothing much to say.

CHLOE, RED, AND PINK'S VERSION OF MAD. best song. i love how the girls sang it. i'm utterly addicted to this song and i wish it was a lot longer.

true to your heart. liamani is a great singer. nothing much to say. not my kind of song, but i can admit it's got good vocals.

THAT'S IT :)))

the first time max hatter met you was when he was skipping orientation of the first day. it was really by chance he saw you crouched down onto the grass field of the garden, humming. he paused behind the pillar at the sight before moving a bit closer to see you from a different angle.

you were cutting the buds of flowers, leaving the stem all on its own.

it was mad.

he watched as you stuffed petals down into a glass jar. that was when he noticed you had several jars with you inside of a basket. max's face contorted into confusion and judgement yet... you looked to be in your element. who are you? who's your parents?

your head snapped to where he was and he jumped at the sudden movement.

"oh? you're not my cousin."

is all you said before turning back to what you were doing.

max was intrigued and... allured. he approached you and plopped himself on the spot to your right. "the fuck are you doing this for?" he asked, bluntly, as he picked up one of the open jars in front of him.

you let out a hum. "they're poison," you bluntly answered back.

max immediately dropped the jar he was holding. you quickly caught it before it hits the ground. "hey! be careful with those! i've been here for a while."

all he can do is stare at you like you're insane. that was when he got a good look at you and... nothing. he can't figure out who you are. he doesn't even know if you're a VK or an HK. that mole on your cheek... who else had a mole on their cheek? he turned to look at what your wearing.

a strapless one piece swimsuit top paired with from what he can see to be a skort? just low enough so that your sides were peeking out from the top. the swimsuit top looked scaly with leaf prints here and there while your skort was just plain black. vines swirled around your legs that came from the straps of the heels you have. long elegant gloves with the same swirling vines around it. your hair a bit wavy with red-orange highlights, obvious and seen from your black hair.

you... you actually look like a vk to him. you got that whole poison ivy motif.

but he would've remembered someone like you from the isle. someone pretty—whatever. then you're not a vk. simple as that.

he stood up. "what kind of person collects poison?" he commented in a mumble before walking away.

you watch him walk away.

the next time max meets you was when you accidentally bump into him in the hallway of lockers. his arm wrapped around your waist, holding you up before you could fall onto the floor.

"oho, max, who do we have here?" felix teased from behind him.

hazel let out a low whistle. "you're a fine lass, sweetheart. why couldn't you have bumped into anyone else, huh?" she quipped as she lay an arm on max's shoulder.

max was quick to let you go once you're stable on your heels. "can you guys just shut up?" he quipped as he shrugged off hazel's arm.

"thanks... max," you say.

he rolled his eyes. "great, the princess knows my name now."

your eyes turn dark as you tuck your chin lower towards your chest. a prominent glare on your face now. "i'm no princess." your tone stern. "you really have no manners there, hatter."

and he watches you walk away, ignoring the sounds his friends were making.

it was by chance the next time you see max hatter.

you were on your way to the greenhouse—a place you spent most of your time in ever since the first day of school. you knew he was here by chance. most people stumbled across the greenhouse, but then thought nothing of it before leaving. you watched as he tour guided himself across the plants. it felt peaceful. almost.

"don't touch that," you called as you walked over to him. he froze with a hand raised, about to touch one of the plants you grew yourself.

he turned to you like a deer caught in headlights. "it's you..." he lets out, quickly recognizing who you are. he pulled his hand back. "i know who you are now."

you raised a brow at him. "and do share what you know, max hatter?"

"well, i know that you're y/n madrigal, daughter of isabela madrigal," he says. "i should've known—with the plants and stuff. you might not be a princess, but you're still an hk."

your face turned dark. a familiar sight to max. "hk, vk—fuckin' whatever." you scoffed while the sound of a swear word made max raise his brow at you, amused. "just cause i'm a madrigal, doesn't mean shit. can't i do whatever i want without that name hovering over me like a bag of weights?"

you then let out a hum. "anyways, stop calling me a princess or an hk—those titles should've been blurred by now. it's been years since the borders went down." you turned away from him to tend to your plants.

max stayed silent. watching you tend to your plants from the beach at the back of the greenhouse.

you weren't surprised to see him in your greenhouse again, but you weren't expecting for him to just be... there. just sitting on the bench.

"why are you here again?" you asked, standing in front of him with a hand on your hip.

he looked up at you with a smirk. his eyes slowly trailing up. "is it wrong for me to be here?" he then says.

you shiver, feeling naked from his sight. "no," you simply said as you turn away and tend to your daily tasks.

all while sneaking glances at the black haired teen who kept his eyes at you.

it wasn't max's plan to walk into your dorm—he didn't even know you were rooming with pink!

"pink! where is my—" he bursts into the door and sees you in just your swimsuit top. "i'm so sorry," he immediately blurts out.

you weren't bothered by his eyes lingering on you. "calm fuckin' down, i'm still wearing clothes, you virgin."

"i am not—!"

you waved a dismissive hand at him. "yeah, yeah, sure. anyways, pink won't be back 'till later. what do you need?"

max, noticing you weren't bothered, decided to close the door behind him and plopped himself onto the nearest chair. "pink stole another one of my— woah."

you followed his eyes to where your bookshelf full of jars were and let out a chuckle. you walked over to it and essentially showed it off. "you like it? my proudest collection. i even use some of these to make medicines."

he smirks, leaning back onto the chair with an arm on the arm rest. "oh, i like it very much."

you shivered. "anyways." you walk over to where he sat. "is this the thing you're talking about?" you grabbed the console looking thing from the desk behind him and waved it front of his face.

"yup!" he exclaimed and snatched it from your hands without breaking eye contact. "thanks for the show, y/n~"

he took your raised hand and placed a kiss on top of it, then left the dorm.

max was a witness to you painting the cover of your locker. an act that mostly VKs did so it was a bit of a surprise that you did it. "care to share your inspiration?" he asked, leaning against the locker next to yours.

"well, i felt that mine looked a bit bland and i heard that when mal went to auradon, she also painted hers," you explained to him. "i also know that you and your friends did the same. i would've just added a pot with a poisonous flower attached to my locker, but fairygodmother would've had my head taken to principal uma if i did that."

"so paint job it is?"

"yup!" you exclaimed at him with a grin.

max just stayed by your side as you finished your locker spray, listening to your ramblings with a familiar smirk on his face.

"so some rumors have been circulating that you and max have been seen mingling in the greenhouse," luis started as he dropped right beside you.

you rolled your eyes as you closed your locker and started walking with him following beside you. "i don't know what the rumors say, but that's all on max. i don't even know why he hangs around my greenhouse. i swear even if i change the time i visit, he always finds out." you shook your head.

"you ever thought that he got a... crush on you?"

you pause in your steps and turned to look at him with furrowed brows. "what?" you let out.

luis shrugs at you. "i mean, it makes sense. he's going out of his way to find you. don't you think that's a bit... something?" he prodded at you with his questions.

"he's right you know."

you turned to your other side to see red and chloe with you now. "max is just the type to hang around with the people he likes," red says with a teasing grin. "he must really like you if he's just going out of his way to find you alone."

"well, i'll say this though," chloe spoke up with a meek smile. "i did sort confess to him a few months back and he did say that he likes someone else."

red and luis turn to chloe with a confused face.

"woah, chloe, when the hell did this happen?" red asked.

"and when did you like max?" luis added.

chloe shook her head. "it was all a while back. i just thought i liked him, but then i was wrong." her face turned a bit flushed. "it wasn't him i liked."

red raised a brow at her. "were talking about this later." then she turned back to you. "but anyways, you heard her. chloe says max likes someone else. and who else has he been hanging around with other than you."

you hummed, turning away to look at the field. "i do like him," you casually announced. the three teens stayed silent. "guess you all will just have to wait what happens next." you turned back to them with a smile.

"you never told me that you're with y/n madrigal!"

pink bursts into max's and felix's dorm, making the two teens jump from the suddenness of her appearance. max was just on his bed, scrolling on his phone while felix was trying to find something to watch on the tv mounted on their wall.

"god, pink, are you trying to break our door off?" felix quipped as he turned the tv off, already knowing what's going to happen.

"rumors been spreading that you and y/n have been seen rather intimately together lately~" pink teased as paced around the room. "why didn't you ever tell me that you two are together? i mean, when did this even started? how is she like? what do you like about her?"

her tangent was cut when hazel went inside the dorm room as well. "she's a fine lass. really fine," she emphasized. "can't believe you pulled someone like her, max. she's way outta your league." she cackled as she plopped herself onto felix's bed.

"remember how pink he was when he caught her?" felix then added as the two start laughing at max.

max, at this point, moved closer to the edge of his bed. "first of all, pink, i'm not dating y/n—"

pink turned to him in aghast. "what do you mean you're not dating her?!" she exclaimed as she walked over and started shaking him. "are you kidding me?! isn't obvious she's into you? you need to ask her out!"

"can you fucking stop shaking me!" max exclaimed as he clawed himself out of pink's hands. "jeez, okay, second of all, we don't know that."

hazel, felix, and, pink looked at him in a deadpan.

max shrugs. "look, i know i'm charming and all that"—hazel rolls her eyes—"but even i know not to assume shit like that from another person. it's easy to say that hazel got the hots for chloe and vice versa, ("hey!" hazel exclaimed while pink turn to her with pursed lips, holding back her laughter and felix turned to point at her and laughed) but it's a different thing if i assume that y/n got the hots for me too."

felix turns back to max. "wait, "too"?" he pointed out. he slowly turned his head to hazel with an "oop" face and the two started laughing once again.

"you should totally confess, max!" pink squealed, jumping around.

max waved a dismissive hand as he stood up. "we'll see," is all he says before leaving the dorm.

"he's going to see y/n," felix informed. "it's always around this time that he leaves and not come back 'till hours later."

hazel and pink smiled at each other at the information.

felix looked at the two of them. "oh," he lets out. "guess we're following him." then stood up.

"your powers aren't your plants?" max asked as he lined up his hand with yours, comparing sizes.

you and max sat the edge of the gazebo at the enchanted lake, facing said lake. the area becoming more accessible after a few years of construction and rebuilding. it was near auradon prep enough that it become a popular spot—in the daytime.

you shook your head. "no." your eyes trail the two palms placed together. you can feel the warmth coming from his hand. "i study plants, i study botany. it's not hard to end up studying it since mi mama keeps sprouting all sorts of plants out of nowhere and fun facts."

feeling bold, max clasps his hand around yours in such a casual manner which catches you off guard. you could feel a thump in your chest. "so what is your... power? gift?" he then asks.

you smiled at him. "are you aware that your friends followed you here?"

he nodded his head and stared at you with wide eyes. "what? no, i didn't know! wait, how did you know?" his brow furrowed. "is that how you knew i was watching you? on the day we... technically met?"

you nodded your head with a chuckle. "i sense people and through that, i can understand that person's capabilities." you then let out a hum. "think of it like knowing the stats of everyone."

"do you want me to shoo them away?" he asks. your hands still conjoined with one another.

you shook your head. "no, well, yes! i just... i want to give them a show."

you stood up and went to the basket that was on the nearby table to search for a certain jar. max followed behind you, placing a hand on your waist. "and what are you looking for?" he asked.

"you'll see," is all you say.

picking up a certain jar, you took out the contents of it, placed it back inside the basket, and then walked back to where you two sat. you threw the ball of green into the lake. "you wore what i told you to wear under that?" you then asked,

max looked down at his pajamas, or well, his comfy clothes after school hours which is just a t-shirt and pajama pants. "yes?" then realization sets. "wait is this why?"

you let out a laugh as you removed the oversized hoodie you were wearing, revealing one of your many one piece swimsuits, and dropping it onto the floor. you gave max no time to react as you instantly dived into the lake.

"y/n!"

max quickly took off his pajama pants, showing that he was wearing swimming trunks underneath, and his shirt which showed a swim top. that was when you floated back to the surface of the lake, on top of a gigantic water lily.

"max, get on!" you called out to him with your hand stretched out towards him.

max smiled warmly at the sight of your wet soaked hair. "you're a lot more adventurous and... cheeky," he says with a smirk on his face.

"i'm told i'm exactly like mi mama," you tell him. "so come on and jump already. i know you want to~ it's perfectly stable."

max shrugs. "alright if you say so."

and he jumps.

underwater, he's met with you shoving something into his mouth and, magically, he can breathe. putting a finger on your mouth, you signaled at him and he nodded.

"uh, guys, they've been underwater for quite a while," luis spoke up from behind the trees and bushes.

"look they're rising back up again," chloe pointed out as ripples and bubbles broke out on the surface of the lake. but all that appeared was the gigantic water lily that you brought out. "or not..."

"okay wait! someone who can swim, go!" red immediately called.

"for fuck's sake," muttered hazel as she took off her robes while running down towards the lake.

"wait, wait, me too—" luis mentioned as he took off his shirt while following behind hayley.

pink and felix looked over to a flustered chloe and red with a teasing grin.

"well, lucky you two, getting fan service," felix commented with a chuckle.

red hit him on his shoulder. "shut up already and let's go." she then follows suit. the rest starts walking towards the lake as well.

you stood in front of the group of wet teens with max sitting on the chair next to the table. "so? what did we learn?" you asked with a smile on your face.

after hazel and luis jumped into the lake; and red, chloe, felix, and pink followed behind and stood near the lake, you and max managed to push all four of them into the lake.

after you had given max the waterbloom cap to use to breathe through the mouth, you and max took a bit of detour underwater. the two of you took a longer route to circle back to where the gazebo is, unseen by the group.

"oh? no answer? i'll give one for ya"—you bent down towards them—"no ruinin' date night."

pink visibly shot up. "does this mean you two are actually together?" she asked, bravely.

you hummed and looked back at max to see him smirking at you. he then also gave you a small shrug. you turned back to pink and answered, "i think that's up to us and not any of you."

"yeah, that's fair," says red. "but can you please let us go. i'm hella freezing and i want to go to sleep."

you watched as the group slowly left the area. you and max were pretty dry already at this point, except the damped hair. at this point, max also gathered up the dry clothes and placed it on the table. "did they leave?" he asks.

"yes, they're gone," you say.

then silence surrounds the two of you.

you turned to max sitting on the chair. he stared back at you like a deer in headlights. you walked up to him and planted both your hands on his knees, bending down on him and staring right into his eyes.

"say, you like me, i like you—let's get together?" you meekly asked. the nerves hitting you just as you ended your sentence.

max starts laughing at you, making you turn a bit pink.

"don't laugh at me!" you exclaimed, but he continues to laugh you.

as his laughter dies down, he took hold of one of your hands and brought it up to his lips. "yes, let's be together."