December 25 2014, Thursday
7:34 PM

After they heard their mother's voice getting closer, they instinctively got separated as fast as they could, and once Barb entered the room to tell them dinner was ready, the twins were some feet away from each other, pretending they were just curiously watching their gift boxes. In just a few seconds, a strange tension was growing inside of the room, a tension that Barb did not seem to perceive yet.

"I see you just gave your twin gift, right?"Barb asks, as she looks at them resting against the door frame. She was so happy for them that she encouragingly says: "Oh my wittle twinsies! I love seeing you so close!"

After that, she joyful woman turns around and walks back to finish serving dinner. But as soon as she gets out of there, the innocent comment their mother said provoked an involuntary laugh on Max and Phoebe. They used to get a little embarrassed every time she talk to them like babies, considering they were 16. But it wasn't so annoying.

At that moment, they could hear Barb saying at the distance:

"Don't take so long or dinner will get cold!" Barb yells from the hallway.

"We're coming, mom!" Max replies, rising up his voice.

The tension between them seemed to have disappeared, but they didn't take so much to be staring at each other again, just like they did some time ago, and worst, without even saying a single word.

In circumstances like this, Max would have said a stupid comment, or he would just ignore her by walking up to the kitchen for dinner, but not this time. Phoebe's nerves were getting back, and looking at her twin directly at his dark brown eyes, less than 3 feets away from her, weren't really helping. She could almost see her own reflection on them.

She was a little anxious by now, and couldn't understand why he was so calmed; he even gave her a smile while they keep looking at each other. She was beginning to think something weird has been happening to him. No matter how much he could've changed recently, there's no way he could be so nice to her, at least not since they were kids. All this thoughts were flying through her mind but suddenly, he breaks the silence:

"We should go up there. We can talk about this later Pheebs." Max states and smiles at the end. She didn't remember when he gave her a smile like that. But the special way he was staring at her, almost let her breathless.

"Y... yeah... sure." She hardly tries to say.

Right after, they went to the stairs in order to leave his room, but as Phoebe walks on them, she couldn't help but pay attention to his lair. Due to the confusing moments they had since she got down there, she hasn't realized that there were more Christmas decorations than the ones she brought yesterday. She thought that he must have been setting up everything else, thanks to his sudden spirit of Christmas, so she downplayed importance to it, and continued walking next to him.

But before she could get out, Phoebe noticed something was missing, or rather, someone was missing. She looked everywhere but she couldn't find Max's best friend:

"Where is Colosso?" She thought, and then she stops behind Max.

He was now opening his door, but before taking a step out, he turns to face her and stood aside to let her walk first, indicating the path to her with his arm extended.

"Ladies first." He says without stop looking at her chocolate-brown eyes.

"Uhmm... thanks." The teenager says, astonished by his kind attention.

She couldn't remember the last time she saw Max being this kind to her, she didn't imagined he could do this, not even in her best dreams. But before she could realize, his kindness made her feel like one of those girls from the romantic movies she loved to watch every weekend. But more than anything, he made her feel special.

"I could definitely get used to this." Phoebe thought as she walks out of the lair, all smiley.

7:38 PM

They walk to the living room together, and they could see everyone's at the table now, while Barb finishes serving dinner, so they rush to get there. They passed by the statue they use to hide the family picture from the visitors, and for some reason, Phoebe looked at it and something captured her attention immediately.

The picture seemed to be an updated version, it was similar to the old one but the only difference was that she and her twin were using their own cape from the Hero League, just like their parents. Everyone was smiling to the camera, including Max. Phoebe was thinking about it, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't find any explanation for it, so she decided to ask someone who must be as confused as her; Max.

She was about to do it but, since everyone was ready for dinner; she came to the conclusion that she had to wait.

8:02 PM

At the table, there were only two available places, so Max and Phoebe seated right there, together. She wasn't feeling bad next to him, actually, she was feeling so comfortable with him, because they usually take separated seats at the table, but this time, she finally felt they were getting along, just like they used to, when they were kids.

During dinner, everyone looked so happy sharing all these family moments, and for a second, Phoebe completely forgot about the weird details she saw on the family picture. Everyone loved eating Barb's turkey, it was a pre-cooked turkey but, it didn't prevent Hank from taking 3 more rations.

"Well, it's not like my meaturduckbalizza but, it works." Hank said, after he made a short pause, and right after he kept eating.

Everyone was laughing after hearing his funny comment, but when Max extended his arm to take more water, he accidentally rubbed his hand with Phoebe's, making her stop her laugh instantly, which gave her the chills, even with the cute white sweater she was using right now.

Thanks to this fortuite touch with her twin, Phoebe remembered what she wanted to ask him about the family picture so, in an attempt for ending with the dinner, she begins to eat a little faster. No one seemed to realize about this, except for Max, who was looking out the corner of his eyes, not knowing what to say.

8:14 PM

Soon after, Phoebe's attempts worked, now his dish was completely empty. Finally, she will be able to find out what happened with the old picture, so without further ado, she stood up.

"Thanks mom. Everything was delicious." Phoebe says as she takes her dish from the table.

"Yeah, delicious as always." Max suddenly agrees with her, and later he stood up and repeated his sister's actions.

"Thank you Max, Phoebe." Barb replies very pleased with her children's comments.

Phoebe turns to face him really fast, and the second they found with each other's eyes, he gives her a smile and Phoebe smiles him back, with all her sweetness. Nobody noticed this. Right after, the teenager went to the dishwasher.

"What a coincidence, right Pheebs? We finished eating at the same time, like when we were kids." He says to his sister as they put everything in the dishwasher.

"Yeah uhm... well... Max I wanted to talk to you, it's important." She says in a serious tone of voice, as they walk through the living room together.

"Funny, me too but... you first." He replies.

"Okay. Do you know what happened with the..." She tried to ask him but she couldn't end her question, because all of a sudden, an awkward sound came out of her mouth.

*hiccup*

"What?" Max asked.

"No, listen... *hiccup*" Phoebe tries to say, but it happened again.

"What was that?" He asks, involuntary laughing.

"No Max, I'm serious! *hiccup*" She replies a little annoyed.

"Oh... Do it again, that's a cute sound! Again! Again!" Max said, trying to bother her.

"You're such a... *hiccup* ...moron Max!" She hardly tries to say. She couldn't stop it.

Unfortunately for her, she provoked herself the hiccups after eating faster during dinner, and now she could barely talk to Max. In the other hand, he was joking about it, and every time the awkward but cute sound came back after several seconds, he laughs of it.

"You know what Max...? Forget it." She firmly says and after that, she turns around and walks to the stairs.

All of a sudden, the old Max Thunderman seems to get back and Phoebe didn't like this, so she prefer to ask him about the picture later, and in the meantime, walking up to her room and wait until the hiccups has gone. She wasn't mad at him, she just wanted to keep this kind and gentle Max. The one who gets along with his sister.

December 26 2014, Friday
2:48 AM

More than 6 hours had passed since Phoebe went to her room very quickly. Around 10 PM, Barb went to ask her if she wanted to play Monopoly with them but she found her sleeping, so she let her rest. Later, she went to Max's lair but he was sleeping too, so she got back to the living room to play with Hank, Billy and Nora. This time, every one of them won at least one time, because without Max or Phoebe taking over all the properties, the game last longer for the family.

Phoebe's hiccups disappear about 15 minutes later, but since she lay down on her bed just to see if she could get rid of it faster, she ended up sleeping there, and she wasn't able to solve her doubts about the picture. She couldn't even change her clothes.

Now, almost at 3 AM she was there, in the middle of her bed with a blanket she unconsciously used to cover herself, and with the moon's light entering through her window, lighting up her face very softly. She looked so peaceful that anyone who sees her right now would try to make as little noise as possible, trying not to wake her up.

Unexpectedly, a slightly sound of a door opening was heard, and right after it was closed again, without making any noise. Some moments later, Phoebe's bed starts pressing with the weight of an unknown person. She wasn't aware of this, until she hears a soft voice that was calling her:

"Wakey, wakey sunshine... Pheebs?"

She took some time to realize that the voice she was listening was real, so she slowly opens her eyes, and once she could finally see in the dark room, she saw Max was seated at her left, and he seemed to have the same smile he had when he gave the present to her. Obviously she wasn't expecting to see him in her room, not to mention in the middle of the night. Maybe it was just her imagination but she thought she heard Max calling her 'sunshine' but... she must be dreaming.

"Max! What are you doing here?" She asks with a low voice, as she sits on her bed, astonished after seeing her brother this close to her.

"I... I just felt you were mad at me because of the hiccups so... you know me, I don't like to fight with you so... I came here to apologize." Max explained, a little nervous.

And then, Phoebe extended her arm to light up the lamp she had on her night table, and her room was covered with a soft light, but it was enough to completely see her brother. Now she was looking directly to his eyes, all thoughtful, and trying to assimilate the words he was saying.

"You... came here to apologize? But you never do that. Is this one of your pranks?" She asked him, trying to talk as low as she could.

"One of my pranks? Uhmm... Pheebs, you've been acting weird since this morning. Are you okay?" Max asked her, without getting her question.

"I'm acting weird? You celebrated Christmas with us, you dressed as an elf, you made figgy pudding, you played Monopoly with the family and you gave me this beautiful gift." She says while pointing the pendant on her neck. "And I'm weird?" She continued saying, in an attempt of finding an answer to his strange behavior.

"But I always do that Pheebs. Are... are you sure you're okay baby?" Max replies, as he puts his right hand on her forehead, as if he wanted to know if she had fever.

But she could barely feel his hand on her forehead, because with the last word she heard coming out of his lips, she felt her heart skipped a beat, her skin was completely chill and her chocolate-brown eyes were wide open, she was in shock. He was waiting for her answer but Phoebe didn't say anything. She simply couldn't.

"Honey, are you feeling good?" Max asks her again, taking his hand from her forehead to her cheek, and she could know that the words she thought he said before weren't just her imagination.

"What did you call me?" Phoebe said, once she could get rid of her shock, rising up her voice too.

"I know, I know we promised we would take things slow but... I can't help it Pheebs." Max explained.

"What? I don't get it Max. What are you talking about?" She asks him, not knowing what he meant.

"I'm talking about... us." Max answers, taking her hand very slowly.

Phoebe's heartbeats were getting faster with every second, her cheeks were getting a slightly red color, and when she felt the contact of his hands against hers, she could barely blink. She couldn't understand what he meant when he said 'us'.

Suddenly, Phoebe took her distance and stood up on the other side of her bed. Her mind was still trying to understand what was happening, but she was still in shock. From her position she could take a better look of him, he was dressed with the clothes he used to sleep with, sweat pants, t-shirt, slippers. He probably came from his room. She kept looking at her brother as she walks to the middle of her room. He kept seated on her bed.

"Us? What do you mean with... us?" She asks very worried.

Then, Max stood up from the bed and got close to her.

"I'm talking about... our relationship Pheebs. Today is our anniversary, since the day we made a promise back in Metroburg. We will be together no matter what. Remember?" Max explained, with a serious voice.

Phoebe did not understand any of his words. She didn't know what he was talking about; obviously she would remember if she had a secret relationship with her own brother, so she stood just right there, with her eyes on the floor, motionless. Suddenly, Max walks to her and slowly takes her hands, taking her out of her thoughts, and finding his dark brown eyes in the process. He was directly looking at her eyes.

"Max?" She says, with a lower voice

"Phoebe..." He softly mutters, as he wrapped his arms around her waist, getting closer and closer.

"Max..." She answers after putting both of her hands on his chest. She was nervously trying to stop him.

Now their faces were just some inches away from each other, and Max could barely feel her sister's heartbeats against his chest. None of them could stop looking at each other, and now Phoebe was looking at his brother's lips, she never thought she would be this close, and she couldn't believe the situation she was being dragged in.

"Max... this is so wrong." She tried to tell him but she could hardly speak. "They're gonna hear us." She slowly kept saying.

"I don't care Phoebe. I love you." Max told her, as he got closer to her face.

In the blink of an eye, their lips were pressing against each other's in a warm kiss. At first, their contact was very shy and their kiss looked very sweet, but when Max took his left hand all the way to the back of her neck, little by little their tongues were passionately pressing. Phoebe's hands had stopped pushing on his chest to put him away, now they were around his neck in an attempt for bringing him closer to her, but also, intensifying their kiss with every second they spent together.

They kissed like there was no tomorrow, their lips were moving in such harmony that they could barely feel their own breaths. It was so satisfying for both of them. It was Phoebe's first kiss, and she was having it with her own twin brother. Her other half.

At that very moment, everything around them disappeared, there were only both of them in the middle of an empty room. None of them was able to think about anything else but themselves, and they didn't seemed they want this kiss to end. They were enjoying of this warm contact between their lips, especially Phoebe.

In the middle of their passion, Phoebe was able to separate of his lips, just to tell him:

"I love you Max..."

"I love you too, with all my heart..."

Suddenly, everything was covered with brilliant white light. Phoebe couldn't see anything; she didn't understand what was happening. Soon, she was all alone in an empty space. There was nothing around her. She didn't know how much time has passed, but everything around her was still in white. Right after that, everything was covered with a dense darkness, and Phoebe was having a strange feeling that kept her in a constant worry.

December 25 2014, Thursday
07:12 AM

She slowly opens her eyes and the first thing she watches is the ceiling of her room. She takes her hand to her heart just to feel the same heart beating that she felt before. And finally, she understands what was happening, everything was just a dream. Phoebe was still in shock, not believing what she just saw. Everything seemed so real for her; she couldn't accept that everything she experienced in the last 24 hours was just fictional.

It was everything she saw... Max, the snow, the figgy pudding, the Monopoly, the presents, her pendant, the kiss... everything was just a dream. At first, she suspected it but she never thought that this innocent dream would end up in an incestuous kiss with her twin. Just a minute has passed since she woke up, and she was already missing the reality that made her so happy. She slowly turns to her left and with her right hand, she tries to find the pendant that Max gave her, but there was nothing around her neck. A sad expression was drawn on her face.

She would be fooling herself if she deny that she wasn't thinking about Max right now. And as she hardly tries to remember every detail with her eyes closed, she slowly takes two of her fingers up to her lips, as if she was trying to remember the last part of her dream. But there were no lips to kiss her. As the hours pass, she will forget this dream more and more, just like any other dream, and she knew it very well.

But all of a sudden, she heard some noises at the distance. She seated on her bed, she put more attention to these sounds and she could hear something that sounded like jingle bells. Her heart was beating faster now.

She stood up from her bed really quick, put on her green boots and walks out of her room to find out where this jingle bells were coming from. When she got out of there, she sees Hank and Barb walking out of their room. She was supposing all the noise has wake them up, and they're confused just like her.

"What is this? Who's making all those noises?" She asks Barb, unknown of the situation.

"I have no idea." She replies, a little worried.

"Let's see." Hank adds, taking Barb's hand.

They keep walking through the hallway and this time, Phoebe follows them very quickly, with an awkward expression. Everything seemed so familiar for her, it was just like it happened in her dream. Soon after, she looked behind her and saw Billy and Nora walking out of their rooms to join them.

After that, she continued walking between Hank and Barb, and she finally arrives to the stairs. And as she walks down, she got shocked with what she saw there.

"Get down here sleepyheads! It's Christmas!" Max exclaims with encouragement.

Max Thunderman was next to the Christmas tree, dressed with a green suit and shaking some jingle bells as hard as he could.

"Why is Max dressed like that?" Hank asks them, a little scared for whatever his son was planning.

"I don't know." Phoebe replies, astonished with what was seeing.

"Merry Christmas my beautiful family!" He says to everyone, non stop smiling.

After watching everyone's reactions, Phoebe had realized that things were not happening like they did in her dream, this time it was reality, and even if she still thinks it was weird for Max being this way in front of them, now she was sure that things will not be like she remembers. She saw the family picture out the corner of her eyes, and it was just like always. Everything seems normal.

"Why is Max acting like that?" Barb asks them, as confused as her husband.

"I still don't know." Phoebe answers, nonstop looking at her brother.

And as she walks to the couch, Phoebe was trying to convince herself, that it wasn't just a dream, and somewhere, maybe in a parallel universe, they were still sharing that forgiven kiss, without worrying about anything. Of course, this dream would be a secret that nobody had to know.

"Maybe in another life." Phoebe thought, feeling disappointed.

The End