Author's Note: I'M BACK! Sorry about the long wait between chapters, as I mentioned in the last chapter, I was in Thailand for a couple of weeks, and then when I got back, well, let's just say my work went hella sideways for a bit. Anyway, I have another chapter for you, if that wasn't obvious already. It's kind of a low key chapter, but I enjoyed writing it anyway.
DISCLAIMER: I have now found where DONTNOD's director lives. Efforts to engage him have been... frustrating. I may have employ "persuasion" methods in order to own the series.
Doctor Feelgood
Max entered her dorm room and dropped her bag, not caring that it thudded heavily on the floor. She shut the door with a swift snap, resting against it when it was fully closed. She covered her face with her hands and let out the aggravated sigh that had been collecting within her for a good few hours.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuurgghh."
Max slid down the door until she was seated on the floor with her back resting against the imitation lacquered wood. She brought her knees up to her chest and let her head fall back until it hit the door with a soft thud. There, she rested for a few blissful seconds of peace and quiet until, naturally, it was shattered well before its time, in Max's opinion.
"So. Bad day?" Said a voice.
Max almost jumped out of her skin at the unexpected voice, which of course belonged to Chloe Price. She whipped her head to the right, and saw her partner casually reclining on her bed, absently mindedly examining her blue nail polish.
"Chloe?! How the-"
"-Hella fuck did I get in?" Chloe finished. "Right through the window." She nodded towards the obviously open window. "Campus security ain't what it used to be, especially with my step-dad more occupied with the reconstruction and stuff than stalking college girls." She patted the empty spot next to her on the bed. "Wanna join me?"
Although she was tired almost beyond belief, Max managed a smile. "Always."
She clambered onto the bed and nestled into Chloe's waiting embrace. She felt a hand come to rest on the top of her head and lazily begin to stroke her hair, with the occasional pleasant scratch thrown in. A few quiet minutes passed like this, with Chloe scrolling through various feeds on her phone with one hand and playing with Max's hair with the other.
Max herself was content to lie curled up in the crook of Chloe's arm, with her eyes closed and happy to simply enjoy the comforting presence of her partner.
Chloe's presence was so comforting in fact, that Max had almost fallen asleep when Chloe put her phone away and lay down next to her, looping her other arm around Max's waist as she did so.
She stirred when she felt Chloe's nimble fingers creep under the hem of her shirt and trail along the skin just north of the waistband of her jeans, an obvious sign of affection that never failed to draw at least a small response from her.
"So." Chloe began nonchalantly. "What kind of bad day was it? Like, "I can't believe I have three periods left and all I wanna do is curl up in a ball",or; "I would gladly murder every single person in here with a straw?""
Max frowned, memories of her clusterfuck of a day tumbling through her mind. "More like "You fuckers have given me a migraine so right now I'm trying to set all of you on fire with my mind but it isn't working so I'm just gonna glare at you.""
Chloe hiked an eyebrow. "Wait, you actually glared at people? That's bad, right?"
Max bit her lip. "A little bit, I guess."
Chloe snuck in a small kiss just below her earlobe. "Wanna talk about it?" She said.
Max rolled onto her back and stared straight up at the ceiling. "I guess. I mean, it wasn't just one thing, it was a few little things that combined to form the fucking Voltron of annoying stuff."
"The "Voltron of annoying stuff"? You've been hanging around Warren too much."
Max's scowl deepened. "Ugh. Don't mention him. He's part of it."
The eyebrow ascended another centimetre. "You're pissed at Warren? What did he do? Do I have to punch him in the bathing suit area?" Chloe said.
The brunette shook her head. "No, nothing that bad. He was just a bit of an ass in science today. He got all high and mighty and stuff just because I forgot about some stupid chemical reaction that doesn't even matter."
"Well, you know him. Forgetting a science thing is probably like drawing a dick in a bible or something." Chloe said, grinning at her own simile.
Max killed that grin with a look. "I'm not done yet. Well, I'm done with him, but not with all the other shit from today. Like Victoria was a total bitch for no reason. She heavily implied you only like me because, according to her, you're secretly more into dudes because I'm apparently flat-chested enough to look like one."
Chloe's expression darkened. "Well, that's a shitty thing to say. Sounds like she was in full Bitchtoria mode."
She laced her fingers with Max's. "Though (and I can't believe I'm saying this and not going over to her room right now to kick her ass), you should just ignore her. Literally none of what she said is true."
"Besides." She said, running a hand up and over Max's shirt until it rested on her chest. "You know I love the girls here. And it wouldn't even matter if you did look like a dude. I'd still be into you, because you're you. Hell, you could literally have a massive cock and I'd still love you."
Max burst out laughing. "That's kinda weird, but I appreciate the sentiment." She looked down at her crotch, considering. "So what you're really saying is… I should get us a strap-on."
Chloe wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Well I'm not saying no." She flirted.
Max threw a wink her way, before failing to stifle a yawn. She began to stretch, but recoiled when a sharp pain tore itself through the muscles just under her left shoulder blade. "Ow! Motherfucking son of a fuck. That hurt." She complained bitterly.
"Oh shit, you okay, Max?" Chloe's voice was filled with nothing but concern for her partner.
Max grimaced. "Yeah. That was the final thing from today. Some stupid skater kid bailed right when I was walking by. I literally had to dive out of the way, and I'm pretty sure I pulled something that wasn't meant to be pulled."
Chloe sat up, supporting herself on her hands. "So you have a migraine, Warren was unknowingly a dick to you about science shit, Victoria insulted you and you've pulled a muscle because kids can't skate for shit."
It was a statement more than a question, but Max replied anyway. "Yeah, that about sums it up."
Chloe's expression grew determined. She shifted on the bed until she was sat cross-legged against the wall by the head. "Alright, c'mere. I'm gonna make you feel better." She patted her lap.
Max managed a small smile. "I'm flattered, Chlo, but I'm not really in the mood right now."
The punk girl rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean like that, gutter brain. I'm gonna give you a head rub and, lucky you, one of my world-famous back massages." She flexed her long fingers. "Oh shut up." She said at the incredulous look Max was giving her. She placed Max's pillow on her lap and patted it, beckoning her girlfriend to come and lie down once more.
Max did, shifting herself over so that her head lay on the pillow, looking up at Chloe.
"Close your eyes." Chloe commanded.
"Aye aye, captain."
Her girlfriend gave her a pointed look.
"Less backtalk, or no head rub for you."
Max shrugged and closed her eyes. She felt Chloe lean over, and a small, upside down kiss was placed on her lips. Chloe drew back, and she felt her fingers wind their way into her hair and grip her scalp with a firm but not unpleasant pressure.
She started slow, drawing small circles on the top of Max's head with her thumbs, while letting her fingers travel up and down the scalp. She noticed Max wasn't responding much, and on a hunch increased the pressure. She was rewarded with a hum of contentment, as Max's features relaxed, the frustration the day had provided slowly dissipating.
Chloe switched technique, letting her nails drag down the side of Max's head. Max relaxed even further, letting out a pleasurable sigh as she enjoyed the attention. This pattern continued for a few minutes; Chloe alternating between long scratches and circular patterns around Max's scalp.
Eventually, she shifted again, letting her hands move over to Max's forehead. There, she drew her fingers horizontally across the smooth skin, applying pressure as she did so. Every few strokes, Chloe would alternate the horizontal lines with vertical strokes from her thumbs, pushing the skin down and back up.
Max let out a pleasurable "Mmm." At the sensation.
Chloe smirked slightly. "Enjoying yourself?"
Max opened one eye lazily and smiled up at her girlfriend. "Definitely." She murmured.
Chloe's smirk grew a little wider. "Good. Now flip over, we haven't gotten to the best bit yet."
Max obeyed and moved off of Chloe's lap. She came to rest on her stomach with her head resting sideways over crossed hands; the classic massage position. She felt the mattress sink a little as Chloe moved to kneel next to her.
"You're kneeling next to me? I thought you'd be all up for straddling my hips. You usually are." She ended with a wink.
Chloe shook her head. "Nah, that shit's actually hella bad for your back. The real pros sit next to you, like this."
She gestured vaguely at Max's back. "Plus I'm gonna need your shirt off for this."
"Kinky." Max teased.
"Shut up. Shirt off."
Max pouted, but reached down and, after a few seconds of wriggling, threw her shirt onto the floor. She shivered, noticing the temperature in the room wasn't exactly ideal, even with the heating doing its best against the cold February evenings. Chloe, of course, noticed.
"Don't worry, I'll warm you up." She said, nonchalantly unclipping Max's bra in order to have full access to her back.
The brunette somehow managed to resist the temptation of making a joke out of the blatant double entendre, and simply lay silent, waiting for Chloe to begin. She heard the telltale sound of what could only be hands being rubbed vigorously together, and seconds later said hands and their accompanying, glorious warmth made contact with her upper shoulders.
As soon as Chloe's deft digits began to knead the tense muscles of her back, Max practically melted. A low, throaty groan made its way out of her throat as Chloe continued her ministrations, her thumbs digging into the sore muscle firmly, but not uncomfortably.
Chloe continued in this way, loosening the muscle around Max's shoulder blades enough for her to treat the affected area. As soon as she hit the damaged muscle though, Max let out a hiss of pain.
She immediately stopped and pulled her hands away. "Shit, you okay Max?"
Max grimaced a little. "Yeah, it was just kinda unexpected. Keep going though, I'm good."
Her girlfriend swallowed, feeling a little tentative. "If you're sure." Though a few seconds later, her hands returned to Max's back.
This time, Max only flinched a little, and then relaxed into the gentle pressure Chloe was applying. The pain in her muscles gradually faded under Chloe's efforts, replaced with the pleasant stretch only a good massage could bring.
"Oh fuck…" Max moaned, as her partner hit a particularly sensitive spot. Chloe grinned, and redoubled the pressure she was applying. Max was practically mewling at this point, having been turned to putty in Chloe's skillful hands. The mewling turned back into low groans when Chloe began pummeling her lower back with light fists. Her hands beat out a pattern on the smooth skin, moving up and down Max's back every half minute or so, though she was careful to avoid the spine.
"Damn, Chlo… you're a regular Doctor Feelgood…" Max mumbled.
Chloe just grinned to herself, and pummeled harder.
After another minute or two, Chloe was satisfied Max's pained muscles had been adequately soothed, and replaced the pummeling with caressing and light scratching. Her hands glided up and down the smooth skin, drawing Max into a near-sedate state of relaxation.
Her breathing and heart rate slowed to a decidedly languid pace and, soon enough, Max Caulfield was lulled into a state of blissful sleep, expertly guided with surgeon-like precision by Chloe.
Chloe was also so caught up in her task that she failed to detect Max had fallen asleep, until the woman under her started snoring. Chloe smiled and gently slipped a pillow under Max's head, taking care wipe away the line of drool that had already formed. Then, unable to resist how adorable the sight was, she snapped a photo of Max's sleeping face with her phone.
"Sshh, you saw nothing." She whispered to Max's teddy bear The Captain, who just happened to be perched up against the photo wall. She settled down next to Max, careful not to disturb her girlfriend's sleep. Not that that would have been possible: Max's snoring had steadily increased in volume until it blotted out every other sound in the immediate vicinity.
She plugged her earphones in and loaded up her Amanda Palmer playlist, closing her eyes as the opening chords of Coin Operated Boy trickled into her ears. She was lucky, she thought, to have moments like these, as close to perfection as they could possibly be.
Author's Note: Is it obvious I like writing about physical affection? Because I really, really do. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I have no idea when the next one will be out, I have a few ideas, but haven't picked which one I want to write yet. And as ever, please let me know what you thought, feedback is both valued and appreciated.
Fun fact: this chapter was mostly written on an overnight sleeper (or rather lack of sleep, hence the writing) train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. I don't want to come across as boastful, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only person on the planet to have done that. It's... kinda nice, having a unique thing, y'know?
So, I wanna know: what's the most unusual place you've written fanfiction? Please tell me in the comments :) and until next time, as always, peace out.
