Super Max?

A One-Shot by PatTraX based on Life is Strange

Max shot bolt upright in bed breathing heavily and desperately for air and even wiping sweat off her face ten times. It had been another restless night of nightmares. Or should it be another nightly trip to limbo. The memories of everything she experienced there, everything she saw and felt was so real it was as if she didn't know whether she was truly free from it or not. Did she ever leave?

Another uneventful day of school passed before it came to the final lesson of the day though it was a free period for Max Caulfield now. It had only been about a week since she had busted her photography teacher, Mark Jefferson for being a pervert who was kidnapping girls, drugging them and then tying them up for pictures of… horrible things.

She knew because she had been one of those girls but she could never tell the truth. No one would believe her and there was no way of bringing up the fact that she previously had the power to turn back time, let alone time travel to the past all together, in casual conversation. They would all think she was crazy.

Well, there was one person.

When Max returned to normal, after allowing her best friend, Chloe Price to be shot and killed by Nathan Prescott, it was the day of the girl's funeral. Of course, Max was sad, devastated even. She didn't want to but deep down, when Chloe was explaining that maybe her power stemmed from the first time she used it, that time back in the girl's bathroom where she quietly saved Chloe, or rather, the random girl who was trying to deal money with the richest kid in school, then maybe she had to go back and change that event. Maybe it was in Chloe being alive that allowed her to use her power. It was Chloe who kept Max grounded after all, the one keeping her sane and reminding her what reality was like. But she was gone of course.

No, Chloe couldn't help her anymore. As much as she wished things were different, Max could no longer travel back in time. She was of course lucky that people believed her about Mark and about what happened to Kate Marsh. While one thing wasn't right everything else fell into place.

But it's time to let go of the past Max she said to herself, quoting the words she had told Chloe during one of their last moments together.

Walking down the hall from her all but abandoned photography class room Max took a left and headed straight for the double doors, the full intention of going to her room and focusing her mind on homework for the rest of the day until she dropped enveloping her mind. But of course she couldn't do that.

"Hey Max!" Called a boy of sixteen from his place leaning against the wall of the school's main building.

Max turned towards said voice, not bothering with changing her face in anyway. "Hi, Warren." She said when he approached.

"How are you?" Warren asked. He had always been considerate especially of her. Protective was the word she'd use.

Max of course was touched every time. "I'm fine Warren." She said, a small smile working her way onto her face. "Just… A little…" She looked away, suddenly finding physical interest in her shoes and dropping the smile from her face.

Warren reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder, moving closer. "Max, you can tell me." He said.

Those words again. After the funeral Max had come back to the school the day after, down in the dumps as everyone had expected. But Warren was there to help her through the day and after it was over he had said those very words. And Max had responded in earnest.

She took what Warren had said before to heart. That moment in the dinner was the moment she was kicking herself for pushing Warren away all the time they had known each other. It was the moment where she finally figured out that maybe Warren was the only person she could have here in Arcadia Bay. Hell, the kid was insistent enough on wanting to have her stay.

So naturally, she told him everything. Everything she had seen. Everything about her powers, Kate, Mark, Nathan, and Chloe. Limbo or whatever it was called. About how she had won the Everyday Heroes' Contest but gave it up to save Arcadia Bay from the storm that was meant to hit last week. How the weather changed and that dead animals were showing up out of the blue like birds and whales. Even how absurd he found it and how drunk he was at the End of World Vortex Club party.

Max was just glad to be able to have it all off her chest but now she found that she had someone to confide in. Chloe may not be around anymore but at least she wasn't alone. She was glad it was Warren too.

"I know Warren." She said, trying her best to smile again. "But…"

Max Hesitated. Warren was younger than her by two years. Sure he didn't act sixteen but he was. If she told him about her nightmares would he laugh? "Max!?" Warren's raised voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "What's up?" He said once he saw that he had Max's attention once more.

"I…" Just go Max she took time to tell her self. "I've been having nightmares." Max finally blurted out.

Warren was shocked at first. "Of what?" He asked, an obvious struggle between shock and concern in his voice alone.

"Of Limbo." This was when Max broke eye contact with Warren, she hadn't even noticed they were keeping each other's gaze the whole time, and moved the lean against the wall as Warren was before her.

Max buried her face in her hands and let Warren to move closer to her. It's wasn't long before she felt his hand rest on her should in comfort. He was silent and Max was glad for that, she always preferred silence.

Max wasn't crying but she felt like it. "I... keep going back there… every night." She says, horror slipping into her voice.

"Oh Max." Warren offered, rubbing Max's shoulder. "I… can't imagine what that must be like." He said.

Max was constantly touched at the moments when Warren tried to imagine how he'd feel in her position. But she didn't blame him when he couldn't. Warren was a science nerd, her power was anything but. In fact, Max preferred it when Warren didn't try to level with her. She confided in him for his realness and the constant thoughts of what had happened to her in the past didn't let her be real too often in a matter of making sense.

"It's horrible Warren. Trust me." She replied with a shaky voice. She'd be giving away to sobbing soon.

"I do Max." he said, moving ever so slightly closer to her.

Then Max surprised both of them by grabbing onto Warren's jacket collar with both hands and squeezing her face into his chest. Max gripped tighter and while Warren stiffened at first he eventually wrapped his arms tight around Max's shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

The first thought that popped into her head was how warm he was. Then she noted how his shirt was probably getting wet from the tears she let go of. So she started moving back but Warren held onto her, keeping her in his embrace.

"It's okay Max." He said gently, rubbing Max's back as her sobs came and shook both their bodies.

They stood there for a while, wrapped in each other's warmth, oblivious to the onlookers as they passed by them. Max wasn't sure when but at some point Warren had started rocking back and forth, shifting his weight from his left foot to his right and then back to the left again. It felt nice, very nice.

And then Max remembered something. It had happened in the dinner during the storm. When she had finally reunited with Warren. And she had…

Max had finally calmed and was comfortable in the rocking. She felt like she could sleep but there was something she had to do.

"Warren." Max whispered, her voice muffled in said boy's chest.

Max didn't think he had heard her at first but then she realised he had given a low hum in acknowledgment. "I need to tell you something." She said, as she moved her head back from Warren's chest and looked up into his brown eyes.

"What is it?" Warren said, all the emotions of a concerned friend in his voice. He started backing off a little too but Max raised her hands to his shoulders and held him in place, his hands returning to her back, their eyes locked.

"I have been through a lot and there's so much I still have to tell you. So many small details I have failed to mention." Max could feel her face heating up. Luckily Warren's face was already red as he was hugging his biggest love interest. "And there are even a few details I skipped over when telling you about being in the dinner during the storm."

Max fell silent for a moment, feeling the sudden urge to look away from Warren's eyes. "Go on." He urged gently, keeping his gaze and forcing her to keep it as well.

"I just…" She wasn't too sure what to say but she knew where she wanted to go. "I don't want you to think I'm doing this because I need that kind of pity but I'm doing because I've done it before." She said, her voice raising and starting to feel slightly panicked.

"What are yo-…?" Warren was cut off as Max's lips collided with his.

It felt just like it had in the dinner: clumsy, dry and stiff. But she enjoyed it anyway. After a moment of simple still lip contact she moved away. Her arms had wrapped themselves around Warren's neck and his hands had pulled her tighter as well. This was something she didn't want to lose anytime soon.

Warren's face was something you could laugh at if it was out of context. His eyes were wide, his lips parted. But eventually she couldn't help but let a smirk pass onto her lips at his words. "We… kissed before…?" He managed to ask.

Max giggled airily. "Yes. But you don't remember."

Warren relaxed and returned the smirk. "Well… Can I have one to remember?"

She giggled again, her smile growing. And the two came in for another kiss.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there. She wasn't sure how they ended up sitting on the steps in front of her school, still kissing. And she wasn't sure what would happen next. But she also wasn't sure about how Chloe would feel. Sure it had originally been Chloe who had gotten ideas of being with Warren like this into her head but... Max had kissed Chloe too. But then, Chloe loved Rachel more. And that wasn't a bad thing.

Max's nightmares didn't end but they became less frequent. Every time she had one she was told to reach straight for her phone and call her boyfriend. But to her, Warren was more than that.

To Max, Warren was the only real thing to her as she continued her life in the world that would have been if she hadn't been 'Super Max'. The world that will never be her reality. But it was nonetheless.

Let go of the past. And she did. With Warren.

(Note)

Thank you for reading. I wrote this the day after I finished the game's finale episode. It was a good game but I'm gonna go a play it again just see what other choices I could make. I'm going to be very thorough. Also keep in mind that this is based on my ending of the game. Life is Strange is a game based on player choice so no two runs are the same. If this doesn't line up with your ending then maybe play it again and try new things. I'm sure some of you can figure what happened in my run through though.

In any case, thank you again.

See you later!