#max hatter

“Where are we?” Chloe asks, looking around at the colorful but oddly large scenery. 

“Am I still asleep?” Robbie asks. 

“It can’t be. I’d never dream of myself this small.” Luis remarks. 

“My gosh, I’m even cuter tiny!” Pink squeals, not at all phased by the new development. Noticing the giant butterfly she calls out “Oh, hi, Tabitha.” 

“It’s huge!” Felix cries out, looking at Tabitha. “We’re toast. Literally!” 

“Smees, go climb that flower to get a better look.” Hazel orders the twins. 

“Aye-aye!” They answer following her orders. As squirmy moves closer to the plant, the flower smashes a giant teacup trying to attack him. 

“Okay. I’ve got an aggressively hot tip.” Robbie exclaims. “We stay on the board.” 

“Hey, leave my brother alone.” Squeaky says getting ready to attack the flower but accidentally setting off the board instead. 

As the board begins to light up, and soldiers begin to appear from the dark magic, the group can’t help but shuffle back in fear. 

“Uh-oh. Looks like you’re trapped.” Chessy begins to speak. Noticing the group is looking around confused, she adds “Over here. You’re all pawns in Maddox’s game now” as her face appears on the time clock. 

“Mom” you say, confused. 

“Hello Y/N, long time no see. Looks like you’ve chosen the wrong side” Chessy grins maliciously. “It’s simple. If you ever wanna get off this board, you need to capture the king, unless you’re captured first. Make your move. Tick-ity tock-ity.” 

“Oh, and one more” Chessy adds before disappearing. “If Y/N uses her powers to leave the board you all lose. Maddox doesn't appreciate when people cheat.” 

“Hey, everyone, he’s challenging us to a game of chess. Line up on the squares.” Chloe announces, taking charge. “Come on. Okay, there, there. Red, you go over there.” 

“Now, chess is all about strategy.” Chloe explains. “The classic first move is pawn to E4. So, Robbie, you go to that one.” 

“All right.” Robbie says, moving forward. For a second it looks as though this move has worked before he is launched off the board. “It’s not E4.” Robbie calls out as he flies through the air. 

“My dude!” Felix calls out for his new friend. 

“Could you be any more naive?” Hazel asks Chloe. “You think Maddox would ever set up a simple game? Get your head out of your tiara, Princess.” 

“Okay, it’s just the first move.” Chloe responds, shaken up. 

“Hey there is no reason to talk to each other like this” You exclaim, getting angry.  

“Come on, Chloe.” Red begins. “She’s right. We can’t think so straightforward.” 

“Just let me try again.” Chloe asks. 

“Chloe, No” Red states. “If we’re gonna defeat Maddox, we gotta think like a villain.” 

“Yeah.” Luis agrees. 

“Oh, they listen when she says it.” Hazel says to herself, rolling her eyes. 

“Listen up to me, team. I know how this goes” Red begins to sing. “There’s no referees. No control. Stay on your toes.” 

“Fake them out. Never let them see which way you gonna go” She demonstrates using Hazel. “That’s the way you win this thing. Win this thing.” 

“Think fast Counterattack. Push ’em up against the wall” Red shows how to attack. 

“Step back” Chloe adds. 

 “Don’t overreact” Hazel glares at Chloe. 

“I’m ready to risk it all” Pink breaks them up. 

“That’s the way you win this thing. Win this thing” Red sings as everyone moves to their position. “Let’s show them who wants it more.” 

As you and your friends begin to dance across the board, you are able to pick the soldiers off one by one. Unfortunately, as everyone is starting to figure out what to do, both Felix and Squirmy Smee are removed from the board. As if that is not difficult enough, the board begins to change, and the King is lifted high in the air out of your reach. 

One by one, Luis, Pink, Squeaky, and Max are captured by the soldiers. Before you can make your next attack, Red is pulling you and Chloe to the flower as if she has a plan. 

“The flower” Red calls out and shoves you and Chloe in front of it. 

While Hazel grabs Chloe out of the way as the flower tries to eat you both, you are left to save yourself. Transforming into your cat form, you jump out of the way. Red wins the game by using the flower to knock off the king, but you are frozen in place, taking in what just happened. All you can do is watch your friends celebrate, as you realize if you had been one second slower you would have been done for. 

As Pink calls Red over to check something out, Max makes his way over to you. 

“Y/N are you okay” Max asks softly, looking down at your cat form. 

“My best friend just used me as live bait and no one tried to save me. Of course, Chloe gets pulled out of the way, but I almost died” You reply frustrated, not even caring about still being in your cat form. 

“Hey come here,” Max says, lifting you up. “I’m really sorry. If I could have, I would have rescued you.” 

“Thank you, Max,” you say, looking up at him. “Can I stay with you? I don’t really want to talk to them right now.” 

“Sure, thing Kitten” Max responds, causing you to climb up his arm, and perch on his shoulder. 

“Who’s hungry?” Red calls out holding a piece of a giant cookie, gaining everyone’s attention. “Take a piece and it should make us grow back to normal size” 

Max takes enough for you both seeing as you currently have paws. 

“For you Kitten” Max offers. 

“Thank you” you softly reply, still upset but thankful for Max. 

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

As everyone returns to their normal size, Pink can’t help but cheer. 

“Thank you, Alice.” She puts some of the leftover cookie in her purse. “For the others, for when we find them.” 

“Come on, guys. We’ve got a long way to go to get to Maddox’s cottage.” Red says, trying to get the group to focus. 

“Let me guess, more walking.” Hazel rolls her eyes but follows Red’s lead. 

“Hang in there, Mom. Here we come.” Pink exclaims following after her sister. 

Squeaky noticing you on Max’s shoulder gets super excited. “Cat!” He exclaims and begins to pet you. 

“Hey knock it off, that's Y/N” Max tries to swat him away, feeling oddly protective over you. 

“It's fine Max. His brother is who knows where and he clearly means no harm” you reassure him, before Squeaky picks you up to carry you. 

“Do you think the others are okay?” Max asks Hazel, hoping Squirmy comes back soon to distract Squeaky. 

“Don’t worry. They always land on their feet.” Hazel responds. “Are you asking because you care or because you want your cat back?” 

“She’s not my cat” Max huffs back, but continues glaring daggers at the back of Squeaky's head as he pets you up ahead. 

“Sure. Let’s continue in self denial and force our friends deal with it” Hazel mocks before going to join you and Squeaky.  

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

Meanwhile, back near the chessboard and still tiny, Squirmy crashes into the flower that Felix and Robbie are sitting on. 

“Hey, guys.” Squirmy greets. 

“Not again!” Felix yells out, tired of this bad luck. 

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

“Okay, we gotta hustle.” Red tells the group, as night begins to set in. “Max, lead us to your dad’s workshop.” 

“Okay, follow me.” Max responds. 

“Smee, stop messing around with the cat back there.” Hazel calls out seeing Squeaky has stopped walking. 

“Smee!” Squeaky joyously calls out, as he runs with you in his arms back to the group. 

“The chess board set us too far back.” Max decides, glancing up at the sky. “I don’t think we’ll make it to the Oraculum tonight.” 

 “I know a place.” Pink interjects and takes over leading the group. 

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

After a couple more minutes of walking, the group finds themselves standing in front of a small cottage with a white rabbit statue outside. Opening the door, Pink leads the group inside. 

“It’s so cute!” Pink exclaims seeing the inside of the cottage. 

“Oh, wow.” Red says looking around. “White Rabbit likes his self-portraits.” 

“Off for a very important date. Be back next spring.” Luis reads a letter sitting on the table out loud. 

“Everyone knows that the White Rabbit winters out of Wonderland.” Pink laughs. 

“Which equals breaking and entering and stealing all his food? We’re corrupting all the Hearts now.” Hazel grins. “This one’s a squatter.” 

“I want my cat back?” Max tells Squeaky. 

“Excuse me, your cat.” You ask, leaping out of Squeaky's arms and transforming back into a human.  

“You know what I mean” Max deflects. “Can I talk to you for a second outside.” 

“Alright” you respond, following him outside. “What’s up?” 

“I’m going to go find my dad’s Oraculum tonight and I wanted to warn you before I just disappear.” Max states. 

“I’m coming with you then” you respond with no hesitation. 

“No” Max responds firmly. “I need you to stay here kitten.” 

“Too bad” you mockingly grin. 

“Y/N please listen to me” Max sighs seriously. “I need you to keep an eye out on Hazel and Squeaky. We both know that the HKs will have no problem leaving them if something happens while I’m gone. Please just keep them and yourself safe.” 

“Alright” you say softly. “Just be careful” you add, surprising Max and pulling him into a tight hug. As you pull away, you can’t help but joke to break the sweet moment. “If something happens, I will kill you.” 

“I know Kitten,” Max laughs. “Let’s head back inside and I’ll tell Hazel what I’m doing as well before I sneak off.” 

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

As you both walk back inside, you decide to join Pink and Squeaky, still frustrated with how Chloe and Red have been treating you on this trip, while Max goes to find Hazel. 

“I’m gonna head to my dad’s cottage.” Max tells her. 

“Now? Alone?” Hazel questions him. 

“If we all go and something happens, they’ll assume I led them into a trap.” Max explains. “But if I come back with the Oraculum, they’ll know that…” 

“Yeah, I get it, that you’re on their side and all that junk.” Hazel stops him. “Okay, I’ll cover for you.” 

“And Hazel” Max adds before leaving. “Please watch out for Y/N. I know that you don’t like her much, but you’ve seen how Red’s been treating her.” 

Cutting him off Hazel says “Fine I’ll pet sit your girlfriend too just get going before they see” 

As Max slips out he just hopes that he can find the Oraculum but what he doesn’t know that is that is not all he’s going to find.

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

All Max Hatter Fics Taglist-

@emminomm  @eimear143647  @savagelysevereassassin @kristend512  @worthilyironplanet

@415malia  @cassofheartsss  @lunarwisteria  @ahhhhhhh83  @darknessofhell666-blog-blog

@lizzishereee @ch3rrib0mbz @winne-not-your-boo  @exxpl0si0n  @fromsaltandsea 

@fluffy-dog8  @jamieexistss  @badassturtle13 @marywantsttobattle @deadgirlsrunning 

@aprettysadgirlinlove  @kara2708  @mirandablue1  @emelia07 @yazissupercool 

@spicyscoutcurse @hollowskz  @milkyd0e  @moonangelmins  @lainlovelain

@diobolicaldinosaur  @pjolover6767  @anoukformula1  @adv3rs1ty  @leviathans-fish 

@zanoei  @blossom-axolotl  @jojo-i-think @ryusha-rose @polkad0ts777

@carelyy @xxmaddixx  @bonnielover2010 @heavenlyyangelll @glitched-out-dusk