A/N This is my first fanfic, so I opted for a pairing that no one else came up with and that there's not enough of. Given the similarities between Nathan and Chloe, it's a wonder no one thought about them. So I'll be the first and I'll dub this pairing "Priscott".
Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange, Nickelback, Avril Lavigne, Infamous, or Sons of Anarchy. I wish I did. Trigger warnings include alcoholism, PTSD, and rape.
JULY 4TH, 2015
SEATTLE, WA
NATHAN'S POV
I didn't want anything to do with the Dark Room. Despite all the rumors, I only got involved when I got kidnapped by Mark Jefferson, the same night Rachel Amber died. What he made me do after made me sick. Drugging and kidnapping women my age for him to take pictures of them, what the hell? I damn near shot Chloe Price during my own damn suicide attempt. If it hadn't been for Max Caufield pulling the fire alarm, we'd both be dead. Almost a year passed, but the image of Rachel's corpse is still burning in my brain. When Caufield turned that piece of shit Jefferson in for Rachel's murder, I should have felt free, but Max couldn't undo what I did. I can't undo what I did. No one can.
The drugs I used helped take the edge off, silenced the voices in my head, which I had before that night but that night made worse, and helped me cope at first, but they made everything else worse later on. After kicking the shit I took to drinking. Go fucking figure. Kicked one addiction and got addicted to something else. Fuck! At this point, though, I really don't give a shit.
And that's where I am going now. O'malley's Irish Pub on 2nd Avenue. Greet Zeke, get a few drinks in me with my fake ID, enjoy my 4th of July, and forget about Rachel, Jefferson's creepy ass "innocence fetish" (seriously, do those word even belong in the same sentence?), hopefully get laid in the process. Now to just get through the door and take a seat at the bar and order a-
"You bastard! You fucking son of a BITCH!!!"
I should have chosen a different bar. Then I wouldn't be faced to face with the blue haired punk I almost shot in the bathroom. Didn't I tell her that I wasn't trying to kill her and it was a suicide attempt? Or did it slip her mind? She seems drunk off her ass right now.
"Leave him alone, Chloe! What happened wasn't his fault! You know this!"
Standing next to her and scolding her is a certain hipster with no fashion sense and a fondness for the word "wowzer". Seriously? What the fuck is a wowzer?
"I'm with Max on this one. They got the guy responsible. Mr. Jefferson is in jail. Get off his case."
And standing next to her is the nerdy guy I got into that fight with last year. What the fuck was in that cocaine I did? Doesn't matter. Thanks for having my back, guys.
I tell that blue bitch straight up, "Honestly, Price, can't I enjoy my 4th of July without hearing about the Dark Room? I just wanna forget about that shit! Leave me the fuck alone!"
Chloe seems pissed. "Why the fuck should I? You killed my girlfriend you FUCKING SCHIZO!!
Did she seriously pull out the schizophrenia card? Right back at you carpet muncher! "Go to hell you FUCKING ALCOHOLIC DYKE!!!" And after that outburst, I'm out the door. I'll find a new bar. Order a Jack Daniel's and get drunk.
I'm not even half a block away from the bar before I hear footsteps. I turn to see Maxine running towards me trying to get my attention.
"Nathan, wait! Stop!" I stop. She stops. She catches her breath and tells me, "I'm sorry about what Chloe said to you. I know she shouldn't have rubbed your schizophrenia in your face."
All my anger disappears and I feel guilty about calling Chloe a dyke. "Jesus Christ, Max. I didn't mean to call her a dyke like that but she pissed me off when she... I didn't ask for the voices in my head. I can't control it any more than she can control her own sexuality. I was born with schizophrenia and she was born gay"
Max seems to perk up a little bit. "She's bi, Nathan." When she sees the confusion on my face, she explains, "She had a bad boy phase before she met Rachel. Might be why she hates men now."
She giggles. I giggle. I say, "Maybe, Caufield. Them bad boys are bad news. Didn't know she was bi, though."
She giggles again, then the smile falls from her face. "That's not why I need to talk to you, Nathan. I need your help. Chloe's drinking problem is getting bad. She got kicked out of the bar downtown, so Warren and I came to try to convince her to get help."
I know what this is about Max. You seriously think that I give a fuck about her? She put a gun in my face when I backed up your story about the Storm that destroyed Arcadia Bay! Had you not already unloaded the gun with your time powers, I'd be dead! "Look, Max. After she tried to kill me at Two Whales, she's dead to me. Fuck her! Take your dorky boyfriend and get on with your lives! Let her drink herself to death. I really don't care."
What I said seemed to upset her. "You haven't changed a bit, Prescott! You continue shut everyone out and live in the past at the expense of your own life, and for what?" She looks down at her feet. "You and Chloe have that in common." She looks into my eyes, tears forming in hers. "God help you both."
She turns and goes back to the bar, either to get Warren back home or try to convince the alcoholic to get clean, I dont know or care.
How dare she compare me to the blue haired drunk! How FUCKING dare she! We are not the same. I'm better than her and I will prove it to them both.
DECEMBER 30TH, 2015
NATHAN'S POV
"Hello, I'm Nathan Prescott and I'm an alcoholic"
Around the room I hear "Hello Nathan."
I'm looking around the room and I see people like me who fucked up their lives and want to make things right. So many people with so many stories. Freddy has two beautiful daughters, but his addiction drove him to start touching them inappropriately. I doubt he can ever forgive himself. Ellie is a lesbian with a beautiful wife and a 15 year old son, but her addiction led her to abandon her family when her son was 5. I doubt he can ever forgive her. And me? I got blood on my hands, all because of him and his sick obsession with barely legal schoolgirls. I know I can never forgive him.
The meetings were beneficial for getting clean and getting over the shit that happened at Blackwell, including that damn Storm. I feel pride in my work and the fact that the people in this room are improving their lives too. But as I'm looking around the room, I start to feel guilt. I don't see her face at these meetings, and the last time I saw her, Max and Warren were failing to save her. I start to remember what Mr. McGrath told me when I first started meetings with AA.
"Why are you here, Nathan?" He asks me. "What are your reasons for getting clean?"
I straight up tell him, "To prove to that fucking bitch that I'm better than her." I see concern in the bike courier's eyes.
"Listen to me, Nathan. I am glad you're here to get sober, but make sure you're doing it for all the right reasons."
After the meeting I asked him if he would like to get something to eat. Next thing I know we're at Taco Bell with his girlfriend, Trish, and her sister Amy.
"Cole," I say to him. "I've been thinking about what you said when I first started meetings, and I found my true reason for getting clean. So I could do right by other people for once, starting with that girl I had that fight with last July."
Cole and Trish exchanged a look, and she asks him, "You think he's ready to be a sponsor, Cole?"
My sponsor looks at me and says, "I think you're ready to be a sponsor, Nathan!"
Are you serious? Holy shit, man! Now to finish this Quesorito and track down Chloe. I should start by finding out where Max and Warren are shacked up. If anyone I know knows where in this rainy ass city she is, it's them. I tell them goodnight and give Amy a hug, then I begin my journey to save the life I almost ended.
DECEMBER 31ST, 2015
MAX'S POV
I'm in my apartment marathoning this FXX show Sons of Anarchy, with my nerdy Boo Bear in my arms. I had doubts about the show at first, but eventually I got into the story. The characters were memorable, the acting was good, the action scenes were well choreographed, and main character Jax is...just...WOWZER HE'S SUPER HOT!!!
Commercial break commences and Warren asks me, "I'm going to make myself a Hot Pocket, you want me to fix you one?"
Marathoning takes it outta you and I'm kinda hungry, so I say, "Yes please. Thank you so much, Boo Bear."
After he goes into the kitchen, I'm alone in my thoughts. I start thinking about Chloe and Nathan. I haven't seen or heard anything from either of them since the 4th of July, and the last time I saw them, they were in horrible shape. They both would laugh their asses off if you told them, but they are more alike than they'd like to think.
I never met Nathan without his "mask", but without the problems he had to endure through his life, he might have been actually pretty nice, especially for a Prescott. But between his abusive rich dad, his schizophrenia and what the Dark Room put him through, it's no surprise that he started using cocaine or tried to kill himself. When I turned in Mr. Jefferson, I decided not to mention Nathan's involvement in Rachel's murder. I wanted to cut him a break, and I didn't want to see him institutionalized because of something he had no control of. Hell, Nathan confirming my account of the Storm saved everyone in town.
Chloe lost her father, less than a month later she lost me, and more than a year ago, she found out that her search for her ex girlfriend was in vain. I feel like her wanting me to sacrifice her for Arcadia Bay was all because she blamed Nathan for her death and wanted him to get locked up in an asylum. And wanted to be with Rachel again. She even tried to kill him in retaliation after he took up for us trying to get everybody out of the Bay. My captain might be just as crazy as he is.
I'm afraid for both of them. Joyce and David haven't had any contact with Chloe either. And Nathan's family is full of assholes who don't care about him. I just hope at least one of them got help.
I hear a knock on the door. Whyyy? I was super comfortable where I was laying down. I reluctantly get up and answer the door. As I open the door to meet...wait, JAX? From Sons of Anarchy? No, it's not him. Marathoning, right? Wowzer!
Warren comes back into the living room with the super yummy Hot Pockets and I hear, "Hot Pockets are ready Max time to see what Gemma and Clay are...What the? Nathan? You look...different."
Different doesn't do him justice. His hair has gone from being kept neat to looking more like Jax's hair (I don't look so stupid now, huh?). He's wearing a black Nickelback shirt and dark blue jeans. The way I see it, he looks more like some cross between a redneck and a skater boi than a Prescott.
He smiles at Warren and says, "Like what you see? At my AA meetings one of the things that we worked on was how I worried too damn much about my appearance. Besides, Nickelback isn't a bad band by any means. They are actually my favorite, and everyone's reasons for hating them is either concontradictory or irrelevant."
"I like Nickelback."
"See dude, Max gets it."
Did I hear it right? AA meetings? Good to know he's gotten himself help. "You look better Nathan. I'm glad you got clean"
He smiles at me and says, "Thanks, Sad Face. Listen, I'm looking for Chloe. I've not seen her at the meetings and I decided to try to help her."
Oh shit. I knew it was all to good to be true. I was going to ask if he knew anything about her. "Um...I was going to ask you about her actually. I stopped talking to her the day after you and her fought."
I see disappointment on his face. "Damn it! I should try calling Victoria. Her and the church girl Kate hooked up, and Kate was friends with Chloe."
He goes into the kitchen to call Rich Bitch. It's hard to believe her and Kate are together now. Warren and I made bets on how long they would last, but when they're relationship made it past both our bets we realized that they could actually work.
Suddenly I hear my phone go off. I get it out of my pocket and the caller ID comes up as (dun dun duuuuhhhh!) Chloe. What's she want after 6 months? Please be two for two, please be two for two.
I answer the phone and I hear, "Hey Max, it's Chloe. Listen I need your help with something. I ordered some drinks to celebrate the New Year and apparently their the most expensive drinks and if I walk out I'm gonna lose my parole so I need you to let me borrow $100."
"Borrow" $100. It couldn't be two for two. I've spent these past few months worrying about my childhood friend, and the one time in 6 fucking months she contacts anyone it's to pay for her booze? What the fuck?
"What the fuck, Chloe? You know what, fuck it! I'll come get you the money. Honestly I wanted to find you anyway, I want you to to meet someone."
"You know what, Max, whatever. I'm at O'malley's Irish Pub."
I hang up the phone and look around to find Nathan enter the living room.
"Great reception, guys, I'm impressed. Anyway, no luck with Kate. Apparently they let Chloe crash with them for a week and then Chloe put Victoria in the hospital for no reason so Kate kicked her out of the apartment and called the cops. Not on speaking terms right now."
Explains why she's on parole. "Don't worry, Nathan. I know where to find her. Let's go."
CHLOE'S POV
This fat prick's nose is so huge. It's like the fucking size of Mars, man. Jesus fucking Christ.
"Zeke, your nose is so fucking massive. Holy Shit! Hey can you get me a jagerbaum?"
The fat man looks at me with this look that says 'Hey, man. Fuck you.' "How are you gonna pay for it when you can't afford the last few drinks you had? I got half a mind to put you in touch with my boy working with AA. If only Cole wasn't working with that boy."
Right. Those drinks. Fuck! "You'll get your money Dunbar!" Max where the fuck are you?
All of a sudden see this girl standing next to me and she tells me, "I'm here Chloe. And for the record, you look terrible."
"Max, look at the size of this guy's nose, it's the fucking size of Jupiter"
She ignores me and talks to Zeke. "Look, here's the money she owes you, I'm sorry about her."
Zeke seems to be getting redder and finally tells her, "I honestly don't care about the money, just get her out of here, young lady. Please. I got my hands full with the New Year as it is."
Oh now you don't want the money. Dick. "Happy New Year to you too, Fat Ass!"
"CHLOE!!!" Who'd that come from? I look next to her and see this blond redneck skater boi who looks pissed. What is it, 'Gang Up on Chloe Elizabeth Price Day'? Fuck! "Your friends and family are worried sick about you, asshole! Kate is still pissed at you for breaking Victoria's arm! My bestie by the by! And the only FUCKING time you contact anyone is when you can't afford your beer?! Honestly, do you think your being funny?!"
Rich Bitch is your 'bestie'? Holy Shit! Now the redneck skater boi's name is clear to me. "Fuck off, PRICKSCOTT!"
"What the hell did you say?"
"I said 'Fuck-off-Prick-Scott'." Wait a minute. Nathan Prickscott is the guy Max wanted me to meet? What the fuck, Max? "Why the hell did you bring him, Max? You know what he did to Rachel! You know he tried to FUCKING KILL ME!!!"
"HOW MANY TIMES!!! I WASN'T TRYING TO KILL YOU!!! I WALKED INTO THE WRONG BATHROOM AND I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE THERE!!!" Bullshit! "I was trying to kill myself, and we established that when the Storm hit Arcadia! By the way, you tried to kill me too, so now your a fucking hypocrite!"
"SHUT UP!!! BOTH OF YOU, JUST SHUT UP!!! Chloe, we're leaving the bar, and you're gonna either get clean or lose me forever."
Max. Sweet, stupid little girl. "I already lost you, Max. After all we've been through together you chose to be with that nerd over me."
"Chloe, we already discussed this. I'm not into girls. I'm not a lesbian. So..."
"Wait!" Stay out of this, douchebag! "Is that was this is all about? The straight girl who got away? You know how many gay people have an unattainable crush on a straight person? I don't see any of them damn near drinking themselves to death over said straight person! Hell, your bi! You can hook up with anyone you feel like! You yourself could fuck a man!!!"
I did that for a while. Learned my lesson from that. Guys suck. "You for instance? Don't make me laugh!"
I was hoping to hurt his pride and see him squirm, but immediately he tells me "I myself got rejected a couple times! It's life! And I'm don't act like a kid getting his toy taken away!"
"No, you just drug them and rape their unconscious bodies just like you did Rachel."
He's twitching now. That struck a cord with him. She was your friend, asshole, and you killed her in cold blood! Chloe 1, Douchebag 0. "I DIDN'T DRUG RACHEL THAT NIGHT OR RAPE HER!!! SHE KIDNAPPED ME!!! SHE WAS THE ONE WORKING FOR JEFFERSHIT, I WAS JUST THE REPLACEMENT AFTER I PUT HER IN THE GROUND!!! WHY?? BECAUSE SHE TRIED TO KILL ME!!! I DIDN'T RAPE ANYONE JEFFERSON HAD ME KIDNAP FOR HIS SICK FETISH, SO DON'T FUCKING GO THERE!!! THEY FOUND HER FUCKING DIARY IN THE DARK ROOM!!! YOU READ IT YOURSELF AND YOU STILL DON'T GET IT!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!"
"LIAR!!! RACHEL WASN'T LIKE THAT!!! YOU WROTE THOSE PAGES TO GET OFF THE HOOK, I KNOW YOU DID!!! AND THEN YOU AND HIM BURIED HER IN THE JUNKYARD!!!"
He's laughing now. Why is he laughing? "I alone put her in the ground. After the shit she did for him willingly, and the fact that she was more than happy to kill me because I 'knew too much', I didn't think at the time she deserved a proper burial."
Max decided to speak up. "Maybe you should listen to him, Chloe. Hear his side of the story and get the facts straight before making judgment. You were never in the Dark Room. I was. And just like Nathan, I was expendable to Mark because I 'knew too much'. You were my best friend since the sandbox. I don't want you to continue holding a grudge over something that isn't true, and at the expense of your own life."
You...You're taking his side over mine? "What the hell? You know what, Prescott. I will gladly hear your fabricated story about my sweet Rachel being Jefferson's perverted apprentice."
He looks at me and says, "Fine lets get out of this bar first and I'll tell you what happened that night."
FLASHBACK
NATHAN'S POV
I was in my room after the Vortex Club party ended listening to the new Nickelback album I got. "No Fixed Address". It was a pretty good album, but my favorite has gotta be "All the Right Reasons". The song "Savin' Me" was their best song, "How You Remind Me" be damned.
I heard a knock on my door and went to answer it. It was Rachel. She had this look in her eyes that seemed off. I didn't think much of it at first, but had I known what she was coming for, and the results of the visit, I'd have kicked her out.
She came up to me and she tells me, "Hey, Nathan. That was the BEST PARTY EVAH!!! Hey thanks for being cool with me bringing my girlfriend."
Yep, she was referring to you. You should remember. Unless the Jack Daniel's killed your memory. I told her, "No problem, Rach. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Besides we really hit it off when we were talking about our favorite bands. Did you know Chad Kroeger is married to Avril Lavigne?"
She told me, "Yes. Her and Chad even sung this duet on her self titled album last year. It's called 'Let Me Go'. It's a beautiful song, you should check it out!"
I say to her, "Wait, you knew? Well I didn't."
She giggled at that. Then she took her shoes off and asked me if I wanted a footjob.
That right there was a no. I enjoy sex as much as the next guy, and I like trying new things, but I respect boundaries. Rachel has a girlfriend. Rachel's off limits. And I tell her, "What the hell? We were talking about your girlfriend and now you want to fuck me?"
She looked at me with this bad girl look and tells me, "Come on, Nathan. We're both kids. Why not just experiment a little."
Chloe: Bullshit! Rachel would never do that! At least make the bullshit believable when you tell it, asshole!
Max: You've been wrong before, Chloe. We found the love letters between Rachel and Frank. That alone is proof he's not lying.
What can I say, Rachel was a slut. Honestly I feel like she saw how well we were hitting it off an-and was jealous or some shit. Probably trying to make me look bad so you wouldn't leave her for me all the while she was doing the same to you with the drug dealer. Honestly though, that's far from the worst thing that happened that night.
I was livid when she said that. Despite my reputation for hooking up with multiple women, I still believe in loyalty, so I told her, "Fuck you, Rachel! You're girlfriend is a good girl, but you'll only know that when she's gone."
She got confused and asked me, "What the hell do you mean by that? Nathan? NATHAN?"
As I'm getting off my bed I tell her, "You'll see. Enjoy 'Sister Sin'" The look on her face showed me she didn't take long to figure it out. I intended to tell you about it. I figured you deserved better. And I'd've took it apon myself to get you a new girlfriend.
Then again you were bi and she figured you'd end up hooking up with me after.
Chloe: Honestly I don't blame her. I'd've probably rocked your world that night if I wasn't already with Rachel. Hell, maybe I'd give you a footjob.
I know, right. We really hit it off that night. Wait a sec, did you two have a foot fetish or something?
Chloe: She did before, I still do.
Max: Eeeewwww! Super gross, Chloe!
Damn. Anyway, Rachel was pissed. I haven't reached the door yet and I feel her jump on my back and put a rag on my face.
As I was breathing in the chloroform, I heard her screaming, telling me I brought this on myself. And as I was passing out, the last thing I heard was the final chorus of "Sister Sin".
I lay beside you every night and dread the day you might be gone
She said in case you haven't noticed that
Played second fiddle to the bottle for a little too long
And I ain't about to anymore
A/N That's my first chapter, I hope you liked it. I decided that for my first fanfic I wanted to do something to really stand out. Something no one else on the Life is Strange fandom did yet. Nathan's mostly paired with Max, Warren(why?) or Victoria. On one occasion he was paired with a schizophrenic OC who turned out to be Rachel's twin. And Chloe is only paired with girls. Honestly, she seems like the type who had a bad boy phase and decided men were pigs. Why, bad boys? Why
Next chapter will cover what truly happened in the Dark Room that night and if Nathan is successful in his mission or not.
Endure and survive
SavingCain