Story Note: The POV changes between Max and Chloe constantly and haphazardly. This is, for the most part, done on purpose. Obvious spoilers for the entire series, so read at your own risk if you haven't finished Chapter Five.

Disclaimer: I do not own Life is Strange or any of its characters. I make no profit from anything in this story, and its purpose is for entertainment only.

Escape
by. xxBurningxx

So why don't you come away,
with me, my love.
We'll do what it takes,
I'll keep you safe.

Why don't you stay by me,
and when the time comes
we'll escape.

Oh, come away with me, we'll escape.

It was the sun that lured her away from the sweet lull of unconsciousness. Slowly, Max blinked her eyes open and squinted at the harsh light, bringing a hand up to block the imposing brightness. A few moments passed before reality returned to the forefront of her mind like oil drifting along the surface of water.

Two days. It had been two days since she sacrificed her whole life, all her friends, everyone for Chloe Price. She kept waiting for that reality to sink in and overwhelm her with guilt. It was like walking on eggshells waiting for the realization that she'd killed an entire town for the life of one girl to hit her. She was so terrified that the shame and guilt would aim its gun at her and shatter everything she'd worked for.

But two days had passed and she still felt like she'd made the right decision. Maybe it was post-traumatic stress or something, but every time her brain drifted to the thought of everyone left behind in Arcadia Bay...her brain just replied, but you have Chloe now. Everything is okay.

In fact, Max felt perfectly content with where she was at the moment, despite the kink in her neck that would surely make itself known later. Admittedly, it was a bit of an odd sleeping position. Her head was resting on Chloe's lap and they had fallen asleep in the blue-haired girl's truck because they didn't have a place to stay but they'd been exhausted from driving all day.

Max shifted slightly so she could look up at the other girl. The scene was strangely picture-esque, Chloe's hair cast against her cheek, the sun hitting and reflecting off her eyelashes, how peaceful and immortal she looked as she slept, the slightly silly way her head was resting against the seat belt that was still clicked in. Max felt a surge of adoration and something else she couldn't quite name rise in her chest.

It felt right. Fuck destiny, or fate, or whatever the fuck that wanted to come between the two of them. They'd proven enough times by now that they could handle it. She was probably going to Hell, if such a place existed. She was still haunted by her memories of Jefferson tying her up, by everyone she'd watched die (including Chloe), the choices she'd made and the things she'd seen...but the girl above her seemed to make it all worth it, despite how selfish and terrible that was fact was.

Almost as though she sensed Max's gaze on her, Chloe opened her eyes and blinked when she saw the other girl staring at her. A lazy little smile spread on her face that made Max's stomach flutter. "Hey, you."

"Hey," Max replied sitting up. Sure enough, her neck cried in protest, stiff from the odd position. She stretched her arms and legs as much as she could in the confinements of the passenger seat before asking, "How'd you sleep?"

"As well as one can expect in the drivers' seat of a truck."

"We should try to find a hotel soon so we can sleep in an actual bed."

"Hell yeah, except we don't exactly have a shit-ton of funds. Between gas and food these past few days, I'm not sure how we're gonna make it to your parent's house."

Max was quiet for a long time after that, feeling herself slip into a trance as Chloe went on about something. Eventually the other girl started snapping her fingers in Max's face. "Hello? Earth to Max? Feel free to respond whenever."

When Max snapped out of it and looked at her though, but something about her expression must have brought Chloe down to the ground immediately. "Max?" she asked quietly, resting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Max looked her directly in the eyes and just asked, in a somewhat broken tone, "Is this okay? Is it really okay that you're here but an entire town isn't because of it? Is it okay that I don't even feel bad?"

Chloe couldn't respond. She didn't know how to.

So Max kept going on. "It's just, I couldn't lose you again. I couldn't stand it. I've watched you d-die so many times now..." Max tried to hold back her tears, tried to hold back the surge of emotions. She really did. But her voice started cracking and she felt as though the dam that was her brain had cracked and everything was flooding through now. "A-and then...that was the second time you've asked me to kill you. I just—I couldn't fucking do it. I murdered a whole town because I was s-selfish and I wanted—no I needed—you in my life and I don't feel bad about it. I just..."

"Hey," Chloe responded softly, pulling Max over and tucking the girl into her side. Chloe's right hand idly rubbed Max's arm as her tears began to fall. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to say, but Chloe had never been good at comforting people and it was all the blue-haired girl's mind could offer. "You don't know that everyone died. I'm sure...I'm sure that there are survivors."

"B-b-but I know more than enough people are dead because of me! And the worst part is the fact that I can't even find it in myself to care!" Max brought her gaze up to Chloe's face. "I just care about you and the fact that you're a-alive."

That line made Chloe's heart both shatter and warm up at the same time. The expression on her best friend's face was so broken and helpless that it made Chloe wish she had superpowers of her own. Ones that could allow her to take the person in front of her away to some alternate reality created just for them and only them. A place where they could escape everything and just be happy without a care in the world. Where they could just lounge around in bed all morning and afternoon long and not worry about shit.

But she couldn't do that. All she could do was hold Max as close as she could and pray to whatever greater power existed—because at this point she was pretty sure something was there—that things would be okay. She whispered little blurbs that she hoped were comforting into her friend's ear as she wept. It was a while before Max's shaking form stilled and her tears began to slow.

Eventually Max looked up at Chloe, unsure of what to say.

"Feeling better now?"

"Not...not really. Everything is fucked. But I'm glad you're here."

"Me too." And it was when Chloe grinned at her in that sweet and beautiful and amazing and genuine way that Max realized how all the little puzzle pieces her brain had presented to her clicked together. It made so much sense in that moment that she found it difficult to breath, like her lungs had suddenly decided that they'd forgotten how to work. It was so glaringly obvious.

Because in that moment, Maxine Caulfield realized how terribly head-over-heels she was for Chloe Price. She realized that she wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice a million towns and cities if it meant that the blue-haired punk would be alive and by her side. And having that sudden reality—one that was very much true—at the forefront of her mind was both a blessing and a curse. A weight off her shoulders while also one too heavy to bare.

So it wasn't exactly surprising in retrospect that the words just tumbled from her mouth because the weight of that knowledge was like an anvil that demanded to sink to the ocean floor. "Chloe, I—" she hesitated for only one second because her breath hitched, before the words were out in the air, floating in front of her face. "Chloe, I'm ridiculously in love with you."

If it were even possible, Chloe's grin grew even wider in response before she looked down. When she looked back up, her expression had softened significantly, but she couldn't seem to completely erase the smile that she figured was permanently stained on her lips now. "God, Max. I don't think I'll ever be able to express how hella grateful I am to you. A thousand words couldn't even begin to—" she topped mid-sentence and laughed. "Geeze, look at this shit. I'm getting all sappy."

Max did a sort of half-giggle before pulling back some to properly look Chloe in the eyes. "I love you," she repeated. "So, so, so much. I never want to see you die again. Never. I don't know if I can handle it."

This time Max's expression really did smash Chloe's heart to little pieces, and every fiber in her being commanded her to remove that look from her face. So she slipped her hand around the back of Max's neck and tugged her forward until their faces were mere inches apart.

"I'm really not got enough for you. I don't know why you put up with my shit."

"Stop that," Max replied softly, closing her eyes with a sigh as she rested her forehead against Chloe's. "You're my everything now. We've come this far and I'm not going to give you up."

"Thank you, Max. For everything. For sticking with me till the end."

Max was the one who brought their lips together because she couldn't resist the feelings crawling around in her gut anymore. The kiss was fleeting; it was a delicate little thing that slowly transformed into something deeper. Something that ran so deep it likely touched the very core of both their souls.

Chloe tried her best to convey all the emotions that were rumbling in her chest with that kiss. She poured everything into it. All the words she couldn't even attempt to express out loud we infused into the it as their lips molded together as though the universe had created them for each other. Somewhere in the back of her head, not even consciously because she was so focused on Max, she thought about how fucked up that was. Of course the universe would design them so that they were meant to be together, only to try its best to make sure they were apart.

They parted for breath after a few moments. "I love you too, Max," Chloe whispered against her lips. "More than you'll ever know."

"I know," Max said as she exhaled and stuffed her face in the other girl's neck. They stayed like that for a while, just holding each other close as the sun crept higher and higher in the sky before them. It was nice just basking in the presence of one another. The feeling was inexplicably peaceful and nice, something that was much appreciated after the week they'd just had.

It was almost ten minutes before Max finally pulled away, looking out the window and at the building in front of them. They'd parked around the back of a gas station, which was pretty sketchy as it was. It would be time for them to hit the road again soon. They needed to get to Seattle, and Max still wasn't sure what she was supposed to tell her parents. Her heart sank as she tried to think of something that wouldn't have immediately sending her to a mental ward.

Sensing where her train of thought was going, Chloe placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey you, come back here." She pulled Max back to her and smashed their lips together, and this time there was something a bit more frantic about the way they kissed.

Max snaked a hand into Chloe's hair, intertwining her fingers in the locks of blue as she deepened the kiss. At some point she felt Chloe's tongue lick at her bottom lip, and something instinctual inside her made her open her mouth for her. Their tongues collided as they explored each other's mouths. Her stomach was doing flips in a way it'd never done before when Chloe broke away and moved down to her neck, nipping and sucking on the tender skin there. "God," she whispered after a moment, pulling the blue-haired girl back up to kiss her again.

In the back of her mind she noted how dilated Chloe's pupils were and she lazily wondered if hers looked like that too.

It was when Max noticed her own hands playing the hem of Chloe's shirt that her mind snapped back to reality. Blinking a few times, she gently pushed the other girl back, staring into her perfect crystalline blue eyes. Max felt even more heat rise to her cheeks.

Then it seemed like Chloe noticed their position too—at some point she'd pushed Max down on her back in the car seat—because a flash of fear flickered across her face. It was brief but Max didn't miss it. "Sorry," Chloe mumbled sheepishly, looking away as she sat up.

"Hey," Max replied as she pulled herself up as well. She used a hand to pull Chloe towards her so that they were looking at each other. "It's fine, I'm just not..." She made a vague gesture with her other hand, trying to find the right words. "It's not the right time," she finally said before pulling her in for another soft kiss.

Chloe gave a little smile as she nodded her understanding.

Not long after that, they hopped out of the car and walked around to the front of the gas station. "Come on, Max-a-million, let's get some breakfast," Chloe called. She made air quotes with her fingers around the last word and Max chuckled.

Before they entered the little store, Max grabbed Chloe's hand and intertwined their fingers. They shared a glance, and in it held all the things that they could not articulate out loud.

We're going to get through this.

Damn straight we are.

And in that moment, insignificant as it might have been, everything was okay.

Author's Note: So...when I first finished LiS, it took me almost twenty minutes to realize that all I wanted to write was some cute fluff, and thus this is what my brain has spit out. This isn't exactly what I had in mind, but hey. It is what it is. I'm a fucking sap, fight me. Ahaha I'm just kidding. I hope that you enjoyed this story, and comments are appreciated.

I might be writing some AU stuff in the future for these two, so stick around for that.