Wonder Woman held the hand that Max had held, suppressing the blush that threatened to rise. She couldn't help but think that he had been acting… strange, so unlike the Max she knew that it almost didn't feel like him at all.
Over the past month, she had learned a lot about him. If it had been the Max she knew, he would have taken out Orm with a single, precise move,or pushed him just enough to make him give it his all, before finishing him with an overwhelming technique. She knew this well; she and the League had been on the receiving end more than a few times.
Nina's words, coupled with Max's unusual behavior, now made the family dinner he had invited her to feel less like a casual gathering and more like… a dinner date. Strangely, that made her look forward to it even more.
Her thoughts were broken when Nina landed beside her, a hand raised to her mouth.
"Strange… I could have sworn I sensed my brother's presence here," Nina muttered, noticing the faint tinge of pink on Wonder Woman's cheeks. A small grin spread across her lips.
"Oh? Was he?" she teased.
"What did he say?" Nina asked, skipping closer.
"He… invited me to a family dinner," Wonder Woman replied.
"Was that all?" Nina leaned in, eyebrows raised.
"Yes," Wonder Woman said firmly.
"Are you sure?" Nina pressed.
"Yes," Wonder Woman repeated, pushing Nina lightly away.
"You're lying. Your face says otherwise, but fine—I believe you," Nina said with a knowing smirk.
"Let's go regroup with the others," Wonder Woman said, turning toward the scene where Orm had fallen. She dug him out from the rubble and took off, flying toward the city.
Nina grinned as she watched her soar into the sky. "Now for the next step," she said, taking off after her.
"Hey, wait for me!" Nina shouted, but Wonder Woman didn't turn back. A small smile tugged at her lips as she thought of her.
She still couldn't believe someone like Nina could be Max's sister. The contrast between their personalities was staggering. At first, she had wanted to keep her distance, expecting the girl to be just as much of a headache as Max. But Nina had persisted, pestering and following her until Wonder Woman found herself tolerating and even enjoying her presence.
No matter what Nina said or did, Wonder Woman couldn't bring herself to get angry. She also seemed to know a lot about her. The only problem? Nina was always trying to get her closer to Max. Aside from that, she had come to genuinely enjoy her company.
-----------------------
After flying for a few minutes, Nina arrived home. She landed on the lawn, opened the door, and stepped inside, immediately greeted by the mouthwatering aroma of spices and curry. Curiosity piqued, she snuck toward the kitchen and peeked in, spotting Max along with two shadow clones, all wearing aprons and busily preparing dinner. A grin spread across her face.
She then walked toward Thena's room, where she found Thena and Terra conversing.
"Aunt Nina!" Thena shouted, running toward her and hugging her tightly.
Nina chuckled. "How was school today?" she asked.
"Nina got in trouble," Terra replied.
Thena glared at her. "Snitch!"
"What happened?" Nina asked, taking a seat on the bed.
"There's this girl with a cap for a forehead—Alicia. She threw a paper at me and thought she'd get away with it because we were in class," Thena explained.
"Oh? So you retaliated?" Nina asked.
"Ten times harder," Thena said proudly.
"That's my girl," Nina said, rubbing her head affectionately.
"And how was yours, Terra?" Nina asked.
"It was… meh," Terra shrugged.
"Aunt Nina, you've gotta help us. I can't take it—school is just boring!" Thena said, giving her most pitiful expression.
"I thought you were happy on the first day?" Nina asked.
"Everyone's happy on the first day. But now… I can't. School is straight-up torture," Thena replied.
"So… what do you want me to do? Help you skip school?" Nina asked.
"We don't want to go there anymore. You've gotta help us," Thena said.
"I don't know… Max can be pretty stubborn," Nina replied.
"Please! We'll do anything," Thena said eagerly.
"Anything, eh?" Nina said, scratching her chin.
"Anything," Thena and Terra said together.
"Well, I suppose I could try… if you help me with something," Nina said.
"What is it?" Thena asked.
"You'll have to keep it between us," Nina said.
"We promise," Thena replied. "How about you, Terra? Are you in?" Nina asked.
"Well, I don't mind school that much, but if there's a chance to skip it… then I'm in," Terra said.
"Okay then. Your dad loves Wonder Woman, but he doesn't know how to express his feelings to her," Nina said.
"He does?" Terra and Thena asked at the same time.
"Yes, he does. And your mom—Wonder Woman—does too. It's just that their personalities clash, which is why they argue so much. It's up to us to help them get together… but they mustn't know we're doing it. Help me achieve this, and I promise you won't have to go to school anymore after that," Nina said.
"So in the meantime… we'll still go to school?" Thena asked.
"Pretty much," Nina replied.
"I guess it's better than nothing," Terra said.
"Alright, what's the plan?" Thena asked eagerly.
"Your mom is coming over for dinner. She thinks it's a normal family dinner, and since it was your idea, you have to play the part. Eat quickly, then leave the table to them. Got it?" Nina instructed.
"Got it!" Thena and Terra said in unison.
"There's more," Nina added, leaning closer. "You have to convince Max and your mother to be nice to each other tonight. Make them promise that they'll start treating each other better from now on."
"I suppose I can do that," Thena said, determination in her voice.
"Okay, now go," Nina said, giving her an encouraging nod.
Thena took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and stepped out of the room, ready to face the challenge ahead.
Nina turned to Terra as soon as Thena left.
"Thena can be clueless at times," she said with a small smirk, "so it'll be up to you to read between the lines and make sure she doesn't end up third-wheeling."
"I see," Terra said, nodding with mild amusement.
---
Thena took a deep breath as she stepped into the kitchen. Her eyes immediately landed on Max, who was carefully stirring curry, two shadow clones flanking him as they chopped vegetables and set the table. The rich, spicy aroma made her stomach rumble, but she had a mission to complete.
"Hi, Dad!" Thena called out cheerfully, striding forward with a confident smile.
Max looked up from the pot, one eyebrow raised at her unusually chipper tone. "Hey, Thena. Everything okay?"
"Everything's great!" she replied brightly. "I just wanted to… you know… say thank you for cooking tonight. It smells amazing."
Max's lips twitched into a small smile. "Thanks,Glad you like it."
Thena took a careful step closer, her voice softening just a bit. "You know, Mom's going to be here soon… and, um… maybe tonight, could you be extra nice to her? For me?"
Max paused mid-stir, glancing at the clones before looking back at her. "Extra nice?" he repeated, sounding half-curious, half-wary.
"Yes, extra nice," Thena said earnestly. "I really don't like seeing you two argue. Every time you do, it hurts. If you hate Mom for some reason, I… I understand. But just for tonight, could you pretend you don't? So I can at least get a feel for what it's like—having a normal family. A loving mother and father."
Her voice cracked slightly at the end, and that was enough to make Max's expression soften. He sighed, setting the ladle down.
"It's not that I hate your mother," Max said quietly. "It's just… we disagree on a lot of things. We both find it hard to compromise most of the time. But…"he smiled faintly"I promise you I'll try my best to come to an understanding with her, without resorting to arguing."
Thena's eyes lit up. "You promise?"
"Promise," Max said, extending his pinky.
Thena grinned and hooked hers around his. "Deal"
End of Chapter.
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