MIKE HAD no way out—Christine was already halfway through painting his nails blue. Across from him, Dustin and Lucas were laughing, clearly entertained by her determination.

"And... done!" Christine announced with a triumphant grin, lifting Mike's hands for the other two to see.

Dustin and Lucas exchanged smirks before turning their attention to Mike's freshly painted nails.

"It's perfect," Lucas said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Mike rolled his eyes and tried to pull his hands away, but Christine smacked them back down. "Quit it! You'll mess them up, you idiot. Let them dry first!"

Marlene smirked as she picked up a few stray crumbs, her gaze drifting toward Alicia. The moment their eyes met, Alicia's widened in suspicion.

"Oh, don't even think about it!" she gasped.

Marlene let out a mischievous chuckle before flicking a tiny cookie crumb at her. Alicia stared at her, expression shifting into a did you seriously just do that? kind of look.

"Hey! No playing with your food, kiddos!" Robin called out teasingly.

Marlene stuck her tongue out at her before turning back to Alicia with a playful grin.

"Sorry, Mom!" Marlene called out, unable to stop herself from grinning.

She turned to Alicia, only to find her friend smiling at Robin, completely distracted.

Marlene waved a hand in front of Alicia's face, trying to snap her out of it. Alicia blinked, her eyes going wide as she refocused.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

She shot Robin one last glance before turning her attention back to Marlene. But Marlene had a feeling—she'd overheard Alicia and Steve talking once before. Maybe Alicia had a little thing for Robin.

Marlene kept chatting with Alicia, choosing to keep her theories to herself. Nearby, Max Mayfield and Haven Harrington sat close to Steve and Robin, who were deep in conversation about who knows what.

Max rubbed her eyes sleepily before resting her head on Haven's shoulder.

"Tired?" Haven asked softly.

Max gave a small nod, and Haven couldn't help but smile. No one knew about her crush on Max—no one except Max herself, who had yet to say anything about it.

What Haven didn't know was that Max already had a plan—a plan to ask her out.

As Haven glanced down, she gently brushed a strand of red hair from Max's face. Max looked up at her, smiling.

Haven felt heat rise to her cheeks. There was something lingering between them, a quiet tension neither of them dared to name just yet.

Max Mayfield often felt off, like something inside her never quite settled. She couldn't explain it, but when she was with Haven, that feeling faded, replaced by something steadier—something safe.

She didn't fully understand what was happening to her, but she knew one thing: Haven was her protector. And it wasn't about her superpowers—Max didn't care about that. She cared about her, about who she was beyond all of it.

Max loved Haven. She knew that much.

Meanwhile, Alicia shifted in her seat, an uneasy feeling creeping up her spine. It was strange, overwhelming.

"I'm gonna get some air," she murmured, pushing herself up.

Robin nodded, concern flickering across her face as she watched Alicia walk off. She didn't go far, just enough to be alone.

The moment she sat down, a deep breath shuddered out of her, and before she could stop it, tears spilled down her cheeks.

A gentle hand landed on her shoulder. Alicia flinched at first, but then she saw who it was and relaxed.

Robin sat beside her, silent but steady, letting Alicia lean into her.

She didn't ask questions, didn't try to force words out of her. Instead, she just held Alicia close, wrapping her in a hug—making sure she didn't have to feel alone.

What Alicia didn't realize was that, at this very moment, Max felt the same way too. And it wasn't just them—Brooklyn Moon also felt like her world was unraveling, piece by piece, day by day.

But right now, in Robin's arms, Alicia felt something she hadn't in a long time—comfort. Just being held by her made everything feel a little less heavy.

"You okay?" Robin asked softly.

Alicia nodded, glancing up at her before shifting positions, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Do you ever feel... different?" she murmured, hugging her legs.

Robin let out a deep sigh, nodding. "All the time, Ali."

Alicia smiled at the nickname. She remembered the first time Robin had called her that, how it had stuck. And secretly, she hoped Robin would be the only one to ever use it.

In that moment, Alicia and Max felt safe—wrapped in comfort, in the illusion that everything was okay.

But that peace wouldn't last.

Not after four chimes.

✧.* thank you for reading!! there might be some slow posts especially because pf school and the fact that there's other books i'm writing but i hoped you enjoyed!! ♡︎

tags: pr3ttyl1lly mahalovesmarvel seriouslaaay vxntage-pxetry zmbie_star bxrn-b00k vanaheim-wp