A one-shot written for an anon request on tumblr. Follow me on my blog there if you have any requests/prompts on LIS related things and I might write about them! Please leave a review for any comments, critiques, questions. I haven't written anything fanfic related in years so any and all feedback is appreciated.
Art Credit: Tumblr user cottaterra :)
A/N: Takes place around a year before William's death and Max's whole moving to Seattle thing.
Chloe really needed to get new boots. The soles were all run down, there were old mud stains and scuffs that had been there for who-knows-how long, and the zipper in the back only went up two third's of the way on a good day. But despite her mother's constant prodding- even offering to take her daughter shopping for new ones- she had refused to part ways with them. How could she? These were her adventure boots. Her pirate shoes. The pair she'd worn on all those backyard camping trips with Max, the two of them stargazing and making up funny constellation names all night. She had climbed stubborn trees with these boots, splashed around in post-thunderstorm puddles, made X's in the dirt with back of it's heel to mark buried treasure. They'd taken her through everything fun in her life these past few years, but really, none of the adventures would have been half as fun if Max hadn't been there with her. So it was her attachment to all the memories with her best friend, she thought, that made her so reluctant to get rid of them. It was sort of like a keepsake- a memento of their friendship that was ever-growing, but one she could have with her always. And she thought it was better than a necklace or a bracelet or whatever else her mom had suggested in replacement, because you can lose jewelry, but how can you forget to put on shoes? Point proven. Joyce: 0, Chloe: 1.
"Jesus, Chlo", Max called from some feet behind, clearly short-winded by all the uphill walking they'd been doing. She had stopped in her tracks and was bent over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. She continued, huffing between her words, "How fast...do you fucking...walk..."
Chloe turned around and let out a chuckle at her struggling friend before turning her back again, stepping over some old bricks and mulch to proceed further up the old abandoned path. There had once been what looked like a set of stone steps leading the way up, but over the years they had been misplaced and eroded into the forest floor. "Hurry up, Max!" she yelled eagerly, not looking behind, "We're gonna miss it!"
"Do you even know where we're going?"
"Yes, dummy, I do. Now move that skinny white ass!"
Max pretended to be annoyed. "Yeah, yeah…" she replied, biting down her smile.
It was September, the first week of the 8th grade. The weather had just begun to shift from the warm hug of summer air to the chilly but gentle breezes of autumn. The clouds hung around more than they usually did, which was a lot for Arcadia Bay, but the leaves hadn't begun changing colors quite yet. This evening the air was stagnant except for the occasional soft gust of wind that blew stray strands of Chloe's strawberry blonde hair in her face. She tucked a strand behind her ear and continued leading her friend up the steep path of the forest until the clusters of trees thinned out and gave way to a clearing.
"Yessss", Chloe spun around to grab Max by the hand, too eager to show her the view. "I told you it would be worth it. Do you like it?" She waited for a response. "Max? Yo?"
The short haired brunette opened her mouth in awe. "Woah", she exhaled, "It's perfect".
It hadn't looked like anyone had been there in awhile. In the distance to the right, the lighthouse stood above them, overlooking the sea. Wildflowers bloomed in random places, sticking out their petals in between the cracks of old cement blocks and other abandoned junk. A couple feet ahead the land jutted out like a ledge, and facing it lay the rest of the world, out there past the vastness of the ocean that seemed to stretch on endlessly. They had arrived just in time to witness the sun setting into the water, covering the sky in soft hues of red, gold, and pink. It was as if the sky were blushing. It was indeed, perfect. Or the closest to perfect of a view the two of them had ever seen. It was perfect and in this moment, it was theirs. It was theirs, and theirs only.
Walking around, they found themselves a wide boulder to sit on as they watched the sun set before their eyes.
"Told you it would be badass", said Chloe, nudging Max with her elbow, who giggled and nodded her head in silent agreement. "We're totally claiming this place," she stated as she pulled out a ruffled up map from her pocket, flattened it on her lap and marked down the new spot in red marker. "There," she said, pleased with herself, "That's a total of five territories discovered by Booty Hunters Max And Chloe. We've got a pretty good turf set up now. If enemy pirates attack us from the other end of the coast I'd say we're prepared enough to give them a good ass kicking."
"Oh my god, I told you I did NOT agree on that being our pirate squad name."
"Max, come on. You love it. And besides, pirates like booty, and I know you like the booty- I always catch you staring at mine-"
"OH MY GOD CHLOE SHUT UP AND ENJOY THE VIEW" Her freckled face had turned crimson, which only made Chloe laugh even harder.
"Okay, okay, sure...So you don't deny it, then-"
"CHLOE."
"Okay! Backing off…" A trail of laughter followed her voice, fading away with her sentence.
The silence between them was always comfortable. They could spend hours just laying down, barely saying a word. Chloe had never felt this way with anyone else. As time passed and the sun sunk lower and lower into the horizon, Max's body grew tired. She rested her head on the crook of Chloe's neck, which fit perfectly because of their height difference. Chloe instinctively pressed herself into her friend, her cheek against the top of the short girls head. As she breathed in calmly, taking in the comfort of the moment- a thought came to her head: Her hair smells like flowers…And another thought, too...
Here was the thing.
They'd been friends for years now. Their friendship went back to primary school, the first day of second grade. She remembered everything. She remembered wearing her dad's hockey jersey to school that day. It was so big it made it look like she wasn't wearing shorts underneath, not to mention the fact that it violated school uniform. She remembered the botched up haircut her mother had given her in the bathtub the day before (it was her first attempt), so that her hair was now short and sticking out funny at certain places. Her dad said it gave her character. That was also the same day they made a vow to never hand mom a pair of scissors again.
It was Wednesday, and she was first in line for the water fountain when she came up with another ingenious idea of hers; after she took a sip, she would store some water in her mouth (her cheeks, precisely) so that she could drink it slowly as she waited at the back of the line for the rest of the class to finish their turn. That way I won't get thirsty while I wait! Hardcore, Chloe. Adding that to the books later. So she had gone and done just that.
She remembered standing there alone in line against the white cement wall, marveling at herself for being so innovative and began wondering why people didn't store food and snacks in their mouths like the squirrels in her backyard did when-
"Uhm, do you have water in your mouth?"
A petite girl almost a head shorter than her stood next to her in line, her dark brown hair perfectly cut to her shoulders with fringes to match. Her face was an abundance of freckles, trailing across the bridge of her nose, sprinkling their way over the rest of her body. She wore a light pink t-shirt with a picture of a butterfly on it. And there she was, staring at the tall dork in front of her with cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
It was an understatement to say Chloe was embarrassed. She swallowed back all the water in her mouth so she could reply, her face a bit red: "Uh. Nooo…"
The girl laughed. And she swears to god- to this very day, it was the prettiest sound she had ever heard. When she smiled, her eyes just did this thing that Chloe couldn't explain- all she knew is that it made her stomach feel like it was flying out of her belly. "You're funny", the girl said, suppressing the last of her giggles, "I like you."
It didn't hit her at first, what that feeling she experienced was. She was too young to understand, to put words to them. It took her years to figure out how to express what she felt in that first exchange with Max. It had come to her a few months back, as she was laying in bed staring at the wallpaper of her face on her phone. It's what made her realize that maybe what she felt, what she had been feeling for all these years, was more than friendship.
When she first met her, when she heard the sound of her laughter. A thought came to her head, a very specific one that stood out from everything else, and it was this:
I want to make her laugh for the rest of my life.
"You know, they call this something." Max spoke softly, breaking the silence.
"Huh?" Chloe snapped out of thought.
The girl sat upright and stretched her arms before leaning her shoulder back against Chloe's. "Yeah, I read it in a photography book," she said. "I think it's called 'The Golden Hour'".
She couldn't help but notice the way the warm sunlight filtered through her friends hair, making it look golden and beautiful, almost reddish in tint. It brought out the freckles on her cheeks and made her blue eyes darken. Made them look deep enough to swim in. She smiled at the thought. "That sounds about right," she replied, and then paused. "You're totally going to get into Blackwell next year."
"So are you!" They were facing eachother now. "Don't forget- the two of us are totally going to rule the school when we get in. First Blackwell, then the world, remember?" She winked, enticing Chloe to let out an airy laugh in response.
But something had been bothering her lately, something not even Max knew about yet. Just the day before, Chloe had overheard her friend's parent's discussing a possible move to Seattle. Nothing had been set in stone yet, which was probably why they hadn't told their daughter, but it made Chloe's heart sink nonetheless. How would she get by without Max? Without someone to watch her back? Have movie nights with? Where would she find someone that cared as much as Max did? It occurred to her that she didn't want anyone else to care for her, either. She just wanted her. So then how could she be leaving, and at such a shifting point in their lives? High School was just around the corner, and now her friend was possibly, maybe moving away from her. Everything was changing, she felt, and too fast. She didn't want to accept it, or even think about it.
She convinced herself that Max was definitely, definitely not going to move. No. She wouldn't let it happen. They'd have years upon years to themselves. Plenty of time to tell Max how she felt about her. Plenty of time...
"You know, I don't think I even want to go to Blackwell anymore."
"You don't?" Max asked, her pupils slightly dilated in surprise.
"Nah." She stared directly into the sleeping sun.
"Where do you wanna go then?"
A pause.
Chloe opened her mouth and said almost matter-of-factly, "I wanna build a boat."
"A boat?"
"Yeah, a boat." There was another pause before she continued, "I just- I think I'm getting tired of Arcadia Bay, it's kind of shithole of a town, anyways. I just feel like we're destined for something greater than, well, all of this...We're just. Maybe there's something better out there. I don't know."
"Hmm.."
"But see, if I built a boat, I could go exploring some more and see the rest of the world. Then I could figure out if this is where I'm supposed to be or not. If I belong somewhere else, or if my ass belongs in Arcadia. But I won't know until I leave, you know?..."
Max had a feeling this was about something greater than boats, but she knew not to pry. She stared at her best friend sympathetically, reaching for her hand. "I understand," she said.
Another pause. "...Would you come with me? Leave Blackwell and just, come with me?"
She could tell by the look in her eyes, and the tears that were beginning to form around it's edges, that her friend was asking for something much more. She held Chloe's hand in both of hers now, laying it in her lap.
"I'd go anywhere with you, Chloe."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Max looked at her with a comforting smile that was warm enough to melt snow, causing Chloe's chest to swell up with all the passion she felt for her best friend. She smiled back, and it was her this time that leaned her head on top of Max's, enjoying the blissful moment.
Yes, she loved her, and maybe things would stay the same, and maybe they wouldn't. Maybe she would confess her feelings for her tomorrow, or maybe she wouldn't. Maybe the world would blow up tomorrow. Maybe it wouldn't.
Right now, she was enjoying the perfect sunset with the perfect girl. And right now, that was all that mattered in the world.
If you read through all of that then I hope you enjoyed it! Have a nice day :)