Fix You (Thundermans) [Discontinued For The Foreseeable Future]

Chapter Eleven

Eventually, their parents put their foot down. And all hell broke loose.

_=+=_

After two weeks of Max doing the same thing over and over again, Barb resorted to difficult tactics. She set up an alarm system, aka Nora, who would sit in the living room until she heard Max leaving. Then, she'd zap his shoes until he went back to bed. The process eventually took a drain on Nora, and Max's grades started to drop in school. For the meantime, Phoebe was just sent the work she missed via Billy, and would return when Max gave up.

It didn't look like he was giving up any time soon. Every night, he'd do the exact same thing, allowing his feet to be cooked like a steak on a grill. But that plan wouldn't work forever. Little zaps of electricity could end up ruining his feet, and then what would happen? No Phoebe, that's what.

Eventually, Max came up with a new plan: not do anything. He'd act as if life was completely the same for him, like nothing was bothering him. As if everything that had happened over the past few weeks never happened.

Max decided to start his plan early one morning. He walked up the stairs into the living room, and sat down on the couch. Both of his parents were sitting on the love seat, sipping their choice of coffee; black and a home-made cappuccino. Their eyes immediately flicked over to his lithe form.

"Morning, family," Max greeted, sitting on the couch next to Nora, who was watching Spongebob Squarepants on the TV. They all looked at him strangely, confused as to why he woke up at eleven - instead of the now usual three - and why he was being so cheerful.

"Good morning, Max. What's got you sleeping in this morning?" Barbara asked, narrowing her eyes at Max's suspicious behavior.

"It's just a beautiful day to be alive!" Max explained with faux excitement, squeezing his mom in a hug. Barb did a double-take, then seemed to believe him, smiling and hugging him back. She looked over to Hank.

Maybe sending Phoebe away is finally working! they both unintentionally thought simultaneously.

Maybe Phoebe can come back now! thought Nora. She had been secretly missing the female twin, and silently wished for her return whenever she thought about her.

Billy, on the other hand, remained clueless.

-=+=-

After a full week of Max acting like he didn't even notice Phoebe was gone, Hank and Barb decided to bring Phoebe back into the house. After all, if Max was "cured," then Phoebe must be too!

As soon as Phoebe arrived at the Hiddenville house, she was attacked with embraces. Nora raced to her as soon as she opened the door, and immediately jumped into her arms. Phoebe struggled to hold her weight - she was almost ten, after all. She hugged the petite fourth grader, and smiled as she saw her parents and Billy make their way toward her. Both Barb and Hank enveloped her in an embrace after Phoebe placed Nora back on the ground.

Placing her chin on her mother's shoulder, Phoebe looked over to Max, who was leaning against the door frame to the kitchen, arms crossed across his chest as he stared at her calmly. She averted her eyes as she pulled away from her parents and promptly walked over to her twin once the hugging session was over. She walked over to him and softly hugged him, placing her arms around his back.

Max tried to act coy, he really did, but he couldn't resist the smile that appeared on his face when Phoebe embraced him, her torso against his. He resisted the urge to pick her up and spin her around, knowing that his family would be appalled at the sight. Max settled for a simple, but hopefully not suspicious, kiss on the cheek, a promise for a real kiss later on in the night.

The Thunderman family immediately set out to create a "welcome home" dinner for her. They ended up making almost a full buffet, displaying salad ingredients, mashed potatoes and gravy, fruits and vegetables, and a few different chicken-type foods. Hank took at least one of each food; Barb took a salad and some vegetables; Nora grabbed some Doritos from the pantry; Billy ate three chicken legs along with some mashed potatoes; Phoebe ate a salad, fruit, and chicken; and Max ate chicken, vegetables, and stole a few of Nora's Doritos.

All-in-all, the family was stuffed after eating their dinner. Billy, Nora, and Hank immediately and simultaneously went to their rooms, having had the most food out of the family of six. Barb retired shortly after, claiming that she wanted to make sure that Hank wasn't off eating more food, as she had seen him stop at the kitchen counter for a moment before going upstairs.

"And then there were two," Max stated, a smirk appearing on his face. Phoebe rolled her eyes, standing up to clear the table, which was still overflowing with empty plates, glasses, and silverware. She ended up having to do four trips, filling up the empty dishwasher with both dishes and the tupperware that was used to display the various food choices.

Max watched in earnest, patiently waiting for her to finish. He was secretly hoping to do some "catching up," (making out), but was highly doubting that outcome, considering Phoebe's behavior toward him. Before she went to Maggie's house, she was always sharing secret looks with him, trying to hide her blush. But today, there was none of that. She acted just like how she would before they became a couple, (could they even call it that?) as if she really was "cured."

Was she? It was an outcome that Max hadn't even considered. What would he do if that was what had happened? He assumed that he'd have to go back to how he was before...

But was that even an option? Phoebe wouldn't be happy at all if he resorted to old tactics. She'd most likely act sisterly toward him, reassuring him that these weren't real feelings, that he was just sick, and that he could be cured.

Max made his decision then and there. He stood up, made his excuse to Phoebe, and left the room.