A/n: Post-canon, ending choice should be obvious. Submitted for the LJ community beattheblackdog's Weekly Challenge. The prompt was "Pitch." May come back to this idea in the future for a longer fic.
Chloe's wings are those of the Brewer's blackbird, an Oregon native just like her.
(They learned that the night Chloe's flesh peeled off her back and freed fully-formed wings. After a few minutes of screaming and grabbing towels and cleaning up blood, Max sat down to find info. Knowledge was the only thing she could bring to this situation.
They stayed up all night Googling and didn't learn anything other than the species of bird. No answers as to how this was possible; why Chloe'd healed almost as fast as she'd split open; and no advice on what to do next.
Max made Chloe swear she wouldn't make any impulsive confessions to anyone else, and promised she'd find a way to help her. But help her do what? Hide in sweaters and scarves and cowls for the rest of her life and hope nobody ever hugged or bumped into her?
Later, Max wrote in her journal: "Is this the worst road trip ever, or the best? How do I describe this to anyone? 'This week, our car broke down three times and my girlfriend grew wings! Having so much fun, wish you were here!' Life is...baffling.")
When Chloe spreads her wings, they span from fingertip-to-fingertip and gleam black, blue, purple, and green in the sunlight. Only here on the edge of an isolated sea cliff can she let them out. There's no wind right now but Chloe's still looking out over the water, eyes wide.
"You think I could just...jump? Like a baby bird learns to fly?" She spreads her arms and flexes her hands like they're wingtips. She inhales through her nose and holds the breath in her chest.
"Please don't," Max says. She can picture her plummeting into the ocean and she's not sure she can rewind in time to save her. Again.
Chloe's arms fall back to her sides and she sighs. She frowns at Max. "Uh, duh, I wasn't going to." She turns and considers the drop one more time. "Not from this height, anyway. But someday I'm gonna do it. What's the point of having 'em if you never try and use 'em?"
Max nods. "Someday."