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DOWNRIGHT CRAZY
max hatter | white queen’s descendant!reader | gn!reader |
wc. 3k | fluff - slight angst
a/n | thank you so much for your kindness and love towards my series it means so much! hope you guys like a longer chapter!
ps i think i wrote in chapter one his eyes were brown but after looking at insta pics i found out they are in fact hazel so ignore my continuity issue lol
taglist | @belladonna6-6-6 | @diobolicaldinosaur | @sempi-leah321 | @lulunix15 | @infinitelysacredwhirlwind | @rinisfruity14 | @napbatata | @jojo-i-think |
divider by @/pixopix
"Will you let me show you Auradon?"
Staring at Max's outstretched hand, you know it would be better not to take it.
Your mother could be anywhere within eyeshot and absolutely lose her head if she witnessed you in flight. She already sees anything you do as unregal and would revoke your admission to Auradon Prep with the wave of her fan.
You'd be risking everything if you dared go along with this...
Your gaze drifts toward the painted teacup on your desk.
There is a world of brightness out there, just within your reach. A world filled with so many different shades of life. Will you really pass up the opportunity?
Your fists clench at your sides.
"Will we be gone long?"
The question draws a smirk across Max's lips as he steps a little closer.
"The walls won't even notice you left."
The reassurance is more of a joke than anything, but his eyes tell a different story.
Just like before, when he'd been running from your aunt's guards with leaves tangled in his hair.
His eyes still carry the sincerity of a boy. A promise behind them that makes your heart waver just a little.
You nod once before placing your hand in his. Max's smile stretches from ear to ear.
"You won't regret it," the Hatter promises.
He digs through his pocket and pulls out another handful of pixie dust.
With a gentle blow, the golden sparkles scatter around you, clinging to your clothes.
You'd expected to start floating immediately, but your feet remain firmly planted on the ground.
Before you can ask why, Max beats you to it.
"Do you trust me?"
A laugh escapes you before you can stop it. It's a ridiculous question.
"You robbed me the day we met."
Max groans dramatically.
"You're really going to keep bringing that up?"
You simply nod.
Max rolls his eyes.
When they meet yours again, the teasing is gone.
His gaze is steady. Serious.
As though he's about to tell you something he's been carrying for a very long time.
"Do you trust me?" he asks again.
He steps backward until he's standing on the windowsill.
Truthfully, you don't. You've known him for less than a day. Just because you were raised behind palace walls doesn't mean you're naïve. Trust isn't something you hand over on a whim.
Your silence tells him everything.
Max draws in a slow breath.
"Close your eyes."
You raise a brow at the sudden request and Max scuffs.
“Humor me.”
With a sigh, you listen. You can trust him enough to do this at least
"You see..." he says, taking up your other hand. "Pixie dust only works under two very specific rules."
His fingers tighten around yours.
"Faith..." He gently guides you forward. "...and trust."
You nod, listening.
"Faith that this dust will lift you off the ground."
A small smile creeps onto his face.
"You've already seen me do it – so you know it works."
That much you can believe. Without magic, a fall from this height would be fatal.
You begin to feel a faint tingling spread across your skin.
"The second part..." you can almost feel him smiling, "...is trust."
"No peaking." He teases, leading you forward.
The breeze brushes gently against your face. You’ve gotten closer to the window.
"You have to trust yourself to carry your own weight."
One of his hands slips away. You feel it again at your ankle. He gently lifts your foot onto the windowsill.
"Trust the magic to keep you afloat."
A pause.
"And..." his voice softens, "...trust in me to catch you."
Now you're standing on the windowsill.
The midday breeze feels wonderfully cool against your skin, a welcome contrast to the warmth of the summer sun.
It does nothing to calm the frantic beating of your heart.
One step. Your thoughts race. One more step and you'll—
You hesitate.
Every instinct tells you to retreat to solid ground. Max's gentle hold steadies you before you can.
"So..." His voice is completely serious now. "Your Majesty."
He lets go of your hands.
"Do you trust me?"
Birdsong drifts through the air below, mingling with the chatter of students walking across the courtyard.
You take one slow, steady breath.
Your mind screams that this is absurd.
That any sensible royal would climb back inside and close the window without another thought.
...
You were never particularly sensible.
Before courage has the chance to leave you…you take the final step.
Your breath catches, eyes squeezed shut. You brace for the worst.
But…
Nothing happens.
A few heartbeats later, you cautiously open your eyes.
Max is grinning so brightly you almost forget to breathe.
"You're flying!"
The realization settles over you in slow, disbelieving waves.
"I..." You look back toward the open window.
"I am flying."
Your eyes drift to the glittering dust clinging to your sleeves. Then your hands. Then the endless sky around you.
"I'm fly—"
Your gaze slips downward.
"...Ah!"
No one had ever warned you about the first rule of flying: don’t – ever – look down.
The ground stretches impossibly far beneath your feet. The world tilts. Your stomach lurches. Your eyes slam shut again.
"Wait—"
You barely catch Max's voice before your body suddenly shoots upward.
Fast. Far too fast.
The wind roars in your ears as panic seizes your entire body. You curl into yourself instinctively. The higher you rise, the stronger the pressure around you feels.
You don't know what to do. You think you’re going to die.
"Max!"
Your voice is almost swallowed by the rushing wind.
"I'm right here!" Even through the rushing wind, you hear him.
Just enough, you risk opening one eye searching for him.
Max follows after your ascent, slowly catching up to your rising form. The world below grows smaller and smaller, and you curl further into yourself.
"How do I stop this?" you shout at the top of your lungs.
"Stop thinking about the ground!"
Easier said than done.
"Pixie magic responds to you, remember? Faith and trust!" Max calls back, sounding just as worried as you feel.
You try to remember what he'd told you.
Faith – faith that the dust would lift you off the ground.
Now that you're hundreds of feet in the air – and still counting – you have more than enough faith.
Trust – trust in the magic to keep you afloat and…
Trust in me to catch you.
Your eyes snap open, meeting the determined gaze of the boy below you. Max stretches out his arms toward you and gives a single reassuring nod.
"Do you trust me, Your Majesty?"
The same question.
Every time he's asked it, it's carried a different meaning.
Now, your life depends on the answer.
You draw one slow breath, forcing yourself to focus on anything besides the dizzying drop below.
You choose to focus on Max.
The small mole on his right cheek. The curve of his jaw. The warm hazel of his eyes.
His skin looks impossibly soft.
Before you realize it, you find yourself wondering what it would feel like beneath your fingertips.
The thought is enough.
Your attention slips away from the ground entirely.
The magic responds at once. You stop rising.
For one terrifying second, your body hangs suspended in the air.
Then gravity takes over..
It's the same thing all over again: your stomach lurches, the wind rushes past your ears.
Then, strong arms wrap securely around you.
The fall never comes. Instead, you're met with warmth.
"I've got you."
Max pulls you a little closer.
"I've got you."
This second time, the words sound more like he's reassuring himself than you.
Still you're grateful to hear them.
Neither of you move.
Max simply holds you there, suspended among the clouds while both of your racing hearts gradually begin to settle.
It takes several long moments before you find the courage to open your eyes. It takes even longer before you're willing to step back.
When you finally do, the sight steals your breath away.
The clouds part around you as sunlight pours across the kingdom. From this height, everything stretches endlessly beneath you.
It's breathtaking.
Your hand remains gripping Max’s vest, just in case the magic gets away from you again.
Thankfully, you hover without any trouble this time.
"Now that the fun is over..."
Max offers an awkward smile. You answer him with an icy glare. He immediately lifts his free hand.
"Sorry." A sheepish laugh escapes him. "I'll guide you this time."
He smiles.
"And much slower."
-
Max proves true to his word.
After dusting you with another pinch of pixie dust, he links his arm through yours and gently leads you through the skies above Auradon.
From a comfortable height, he shows you everything.
The lively shopping district, bustling cafés, the kingdom's coastline outlooking the Isle of the Lost.
Even the Enchanted Forest.
Here, the trees provide enough cover for the two of you to fly much lower without fear of being seen. Max guides you gently over a winding river, one hand resting lightly at your waist while your reflection glides across the water below.
Curiosity wins.
You reach down, letting your fingertips skim the cool surface. Ripples spread beneath you.
It's all so… magical.
Eventually, the pixie dust begins to wear off.
Max gently guides both of you back to solid ground beside a quiet lake.
The moment your feet touch the earth, everything feels strangely light. As though your body still expects to be floating. Before Max has even finished landing, you throw your arms around him.
"Whoa."
Only then do you realize what you've done.
Heat rushes through your body.
You quickly step back, smoothing out your clothes before offering him a small, embarrassed bow.
"Thank you." You search for the proper words. "That was..."
"Fun?" Max offers with a grin.
You smile.
"Yes."
It was fun. More fun than you've had in years.
Perhaps the first time you've ever truly had fun. Albeit exhilarating, heart-racing kind.
"Oh, that was nothing," Max says excitedly.
"Just wait until you meet Felix. He throws these incredible shadow parties.You'll understand when you see one." He's practically vibrating with excitement.
You try listening but something else has stolen your attention.
The forest.
Everything around you is alive with color. The flowers, the trees, the vines climbing over ancient stones.
Nothing has been painted over into perfection.
Everything simply..is.
Raw and unfiltered in its overgrowth and unique shape. Exactly as it was meant to be.
Max notices your expression. Then something dawns on him.
"Wait..." His eyes widen. "Have you ever actually been outside your castle?"
You meet his sympathetic gaze.
"No."
You lower your eyes.
"My mother believed everything I could ever need existed within the White Hedge Garden."
You kneel among the wildflowers, gently brushing your fingertips across their petals.
"Whenever I asked to leave..." You smile sadly. "...I was told it wasn't proper."
"Eventually I… I stopped asking."
Max quietly kneels beside you. He plucks a small daisy from the grass. Gently, he tips your chin upward.
You meet his eyes.
Without a word, he tucks the flower behind your ear.
"I'm glad I was the one who got to give you your first taste of freedom."
His hand lingers against your cheek.
Just for a second too long.
The realization suddenly hits him.
"Oh."
He quickly pulls his hand away. A blush blooms across his cheeks. You instinctively reach up, fingertips brushing against the little flower tucked behind your ear.
As though it were something precious.
Max clears his throat.
"So..."
An awkward laugh slips out.
"Where to now?"
You pause to think.
The sun still hangs high enough that you shouldn't be missed yet. You try to rack your brain for all the things you missed out on.
A familiar birdsong echoes through the trees.
Your head snaps toward the sound.
No… it couldn't be.
"Tuna!"
Max blinks.
"...what?"
A tiny songbird darts toward you at an alarming speed, circling excitedly around your head.
"Not what — who. This is Tuna," you explain with a smile. "My friend from Wonderland."
Max watches the bird with open fascination.
"How did you get here?" You ask your feathered friend.
Tuna answers with an urgent string of chirps.
You frown.
"Wait..." You hold up a hand. "Slow down."
You concentrate carefully, trying to piece together what he's saying.
"You can talk to animals?" Max asks, sounding genuinely amazed.
"Yes."
You don't look away from Tuna.
"One moment, Hatter."
The bird chirps again and again.
Your expression changes instantly. The color drains from your face.
Max notices immediately.
"What did he say?"
You swallow hard.
"My mother is on her way to my room. The animals are trying to help, but I don't know if we'll make it back before—"
Max's eyes widen.
He doesn't wait for you to finish.
Quickly, he dusts himself with another handful of pixie dust before scooping you into his arms.
"I told you I'd get you back in time..." His determined smile returns. "...and I will. I know a shortcut!"
You barely have time to protest before he adjusts his grip.
"Close your eyes and hold on tight."
A mischievous grin spreads across his face.
"This is going to be a fast ride."
You wrap your arms tightly around his shoulders.
"Ready?"
Before you can answer, the two of you launch forward. The sudden burst of speed steals the breath from your lungs. Instinctively, you cling to him even tighter.
The wind rushes loudly past your ears.
You can feel every sharp turn and sudden dive as Max weaves through the trees. Somewhere below, startled voices cry out.
"Sorry!"
"Coming through!"
"So sorry!"
Max throws apology after apology over his shoulder, though it's obvious his only real concern is getting you back safely.
Thankfully, he wasn't exaggerating.
The trip is over almost as quickly as it began.
Within moments, your dormitory window comes into view.
Max slows just enough for you to carefully climb through the opening.
Your feet barely touch the floor before—
The doorknob turns.
Not a moment too late.
You quickly shut the window then whirl toward your desk, hurriedly shoving the painted teacup into a drawer before smoothing your clothes and forcing yourself back into proper posture.
Your breathing steadies. Your gaze lowers.
The door opens.
You bow deep.
The White Queen enters without a word.
Her sharp eyes slowly sweep across every corner of your room, just as they always did back home. Her fingertips trail across your dresser. She inspects the material of the curtains with a click of her tongue. She grabs a pillow from the bed and frowns.
Every detail disgusts her.
"It isn't quite as grand as I'd hoped for a private suite..." She pauses. "...but it will suffice."
Then…
…she looks directly at you.
"What is this?"
Before you can react, she's already crossing the room.
Her heels click sharply against the floor. Each step echoes in the silence. She stops directly in front of you.
Her hand rises.
You instinctively flinch.
Instead of striking you, she plucks the daisy from behind your ear.
Your heart sinks.
She studies the flower for only a moment.
Then without a word, she slowly closes her hand around it.
The petals crumple within her fist.
When she opens her hand again...
...the once-bright flower falls to the floor in pale, white lifeless pieces.
You keep your expression carefully neutral.
Although ridiculous, you fight the urge to mourn the flower.
"Let's not allow the common folk to rub off on us too much, my dearest."
Her smile is gentle. Her hand rests briefly against your cheek.
Cold. Controlled.
Nothing like what Max's touch. You block the thought away and force yourself to nod.
"Of course, Mother."
Her smile widens.
"Do remember to visit sooner rather than later, I'll be off." Without another glance, she turns and leaves.
The door closes behind her.
Only then do you finally breathe. At last, you can relax—
There is a pecking at your window.
You whirl around and see Max and Tuna hovering outside. Quickly you move to open the window.
"Is she gone?"
Max cautiously peeks his head back inside.
"What are you doing?" Your voice to a frantic whisper.
"You cannot be here right now!"
"I know, I know."
He scratches the back of his neck with an awkward laugh.
"I just wanted to ask..." His smile returns. "...if you'd like to hang out tomorrow."
You stare at him.
Unbelievable.
Completely reckless.
...
Adorable.
"Yes!" You glance nervously toward the door.
"Yes, but go before someone sees you or worse my mother!"
Max pumps his fist triumphantly.
"Yes!"
Without thinking, he performs a backflip in midair.
You can't help smiling.
"Great! We'll meet by the fountain tomorrow morning!"
You nod. Max opens his mouth to say something else.
A familiar voice calls from below.
"Hatter!"
Both of you look down.
The Fairy Godmother stands in the courtyard with her hands firmly planted on her hips.
"You know recreational flying isn't allowed on school grounds! You'd better get your bippity behind down here, or you'll be spending your very first week in detention, mister!"
Max groans dramatically. The sound echoes across the courtyard.
Laughter immediately breaks out among the nearby students. You can't stop yourself from laughing too.
Max tips his hat toward your window.
"Until tomorrow..."
He smiles.
"...Your Majesty."
Then he swoops back toward the ground before anyone notices you watching.
You quickly step away from the window.
Less than twenty-four hours after stepping through the rabbit hole, and you're already testing the limits of everything you've ever known.
You sink slowly onto the edge of your bed.
The adventure. The flight. The forest. The daisy.
Through it all, one person remains at the forefront of your thoughts.
Max Hatter.
He really is one crazy boy.
You smile to yourself staring up at the white ceiling, thinking about his last words.
Until tomorrow.
part iv.