Lyswen: -This action will have consequences-! All your questions will be answered in time ;). I actually.. Feel almost overwhelmed. I never really realized the scope of this story and all the things I want to touch on until I started writing. This is gonna be a huge story. It makes me so happy that you have such high praise for this fic though, and I hope I don't disappoint with all that's to come :D!
Person of no interest: That was probably the only portion I didn't struggle writing with. I'm glad it came across that way, because that's all I could think when picturing it heh. As slow as I'm making this, my inner shipper is in a state of "Now kiss!" (Though I got that out of my system with my other fic.)
I've actually had this finished for a few days now, but wanted to hold off until I finished the finale. Here's something a bit more fluffy for those of us who need it.
CHAPTER TEN
The stuccoed ceiling offered no reprieve to the questions that bubbled about in her head. After spending the latter part of the evening bitching and killing time with Taylor, she couldn't stop herself from reflecting back on the time she spent with Max. She reached an arm under her bed, retrieving her stash of cigarettes. Lighting one, she let it hang in her mouth before taking a dissatisfied drag.
Why did I fall like that?
She flopped on to her side, crushing a pillow to her chest. There was something peculiar about it that wouldn't stop nagging at the back of her mind, and nor could she get over the deer incident.
Do I need to get my eyes checked again? Was I hallucinating?
She looked to the foot of her bed, wiggling her toes back at her in response. Everything appeared crisp as it should, maroon painted nails glinting back at her in the low light. She wrinkled her nose in frustration, taking another puff before feeling faintly sick. No, her footing was fine. A million theories blinked through her thoughts, though all were far-fetched works of fiction. The only theory that contained even a semblance of what she had witnessed was that she walked right through the rock into nothingness.
It was like I was…
"A ghost," she murmured, to nobody in particular. She would've laughed aloud at herself, but couldn't surmise the energy. Sure she was hung-over, but she knew for certain that she was placing her foot on something that wouldn't send her in to the free fall tumble that had occurred. She didn't make mistakes like that.
Unless I'm actually drunk.
Groaning, she couldn't help but remember the first time she had managed to topple the brunette over. It was weird to think Max would even bother being humane with her after that, especially with the rumor she had spread around to escape her own embarrassment.
A self serving bitch 'til the end.
Spending time around Max had proved to be a whole new ballpark of confusion. Those thoughts she tried to stifle more than others.
If I were in her position, I sure wouldn't want to be friends with me.
She tugged at a loose thread in the sleeve of Max's old sweater that she was given. The cozy knit had become her favorite thing to lounge in, by far comfier than anything else she owned. It was strange how things had unraveled with the brunette without any conscious direction. Despite her own behavior at the time, the memory it brought back made her crack a faint smile.
Maybe it was time she tried to give back a little. Just to ease her own guilt, of course.
/
Max could hardly even remember getting to her room last night. She had woken up in a heap of blankets, still dressed in her clothes from the day before. Her head was feeling a solid ten compared to yesterday's big fat zero, but she still couldn't shake the fear that lingered. It hadn't occurred to her that she really had no understanding of her power or its limits. She had asked Warren in chemistry earlier what his stance was on time travel, but all he could really offer were movie recommendations. Clearly more research was in order before she did any more heavy time winding.
"Hey,"
It was the same routine as yesterday, though the cryptic note was replaced with an early morning text instead. Victoria had approached her desk well after everyone else had disappeared, flashing her signature scowl that was famously feared among the halls of Blackwell.
"Oh, hi," She intoned back. As nice as it was that Victoria was being, well, nice to her, it was an unpredictable affair. It was probably better to err on the side of caution.
The blonde stood tall in front of her, arms folded across her chest as she stared her down. She averted her eyes after some consideration, raising a hand to look over her nails in indifference. Something about it seemed peculiar, a shot off from the usual confidence she boasted.
"So," She exhaled, breaking the hush that had uncomfortably settled in, "How are you feeling today?"
Max tilted her head, tapping a blue pen against her chin, "Well, pretty good, considering. Can't take any more pictures now though."
Victoria groaned, slapping her hand over her face, "Yes, I'm a horrible person, I get it."
"Admittance is the first step," So much for the cautious approach.
But to her surprise, Victoria cracked a sharp laugh instead of raising her hackles, "Well, as long as we're clear. Anyway, let's go over our photos from yesterday. I uploaded mine to my laptop already."
"Uh," Max took a moment to chew on her pen before deciding to push her luck, "Can we eat first? I was starving yesterday... I usually have a snack after class."
"Oh," Victoria shifted her weight to one heel with eyebrows raised, "Go ahead. I'll be waiting in my room."
Now that Max thought about it, she'd never even seen Victoria in the dining hall before. Let alone eating.
Maybe she's secretly a vampire. That's why she has to be so mean. A thousand years old with no moral code.
Victoria cleared her throat as Max started to spiral in her thoughts, forcing her to refocus her attention.
"You, don't you want to eat at all? Maybe that's why you fell yesterday. Low blood sugar."
"Well…" Her voice trailed off in consideration.
"You have your laptop with you anyway. I can multi-task."
She still didn't look very convinced as she narrowed her eyes skeptically, but ended up shrugging as some form of acceptance anyway, "Okay. But we're sitting in the back where less people can see us."
Typical.
Walking around campus with Victoria was such a strange affair. She always too far ahead or too far behind to actually converse with, which resulted in an uncomfortable silence as they marched on edge to their destination.
As they neared the dining hall, chatter overflowed from its doors out into the courtyard. A bustle of activity always clamored within as students took full advantage of the every-day all you can eat offerings. It was pretty common for the more diligent students to bring their entire workstations to work there all day whilst chugging back coffee and refilling trays until they got kicked out for closing. She looked over her shoulder as she placed a hand on the door. Victoria was stopped a few steps behind her, glued to her phone, and she couldn't help but wonder who she was texting.
Probably Nathan.
Upon opening the doors, the blonde strut right past her towards the back of the hall without even a passing glance at the food line.
Does she ever actually eat?
As she watched her walk away, it didn't strike her until then how thin her companion actually was. She could make out the bumps of her spine protruding against the fabric of her sweater, and her wrists were almost half the size of her own. A certain sense of fragility seemed to overtake her old concepts of Victoria as Max dissected her in her stride.
Maybe a zombie, not a vampire. Though zombies normally aren't beauty queens. Hmm.
"Maximus Prime!"
A voice rang in her ear, and a hand clamped down on her shoulder, causing her to jump. Warren beamed back at her with an overbearingly toothy grin. His enthusiasm always managed to have a blinding quality to it.
"J-Jeez, Warren! You scared me." She grabbed a large tray as she stepped forward in line, though it was more so to put a physical barrier between them than for food.
He stretched, getting in line behind her while completely oblivious to her discomfort, "Aw, man. Sorry about that, I didn't think you'd be so jumpy!"
"Can't you just um… Dial it back a little?"
"Hm," He scratched at his chin, "Nah! Not when my favorite chem buddy is involved."
She would kill to be able to just disappear right there and then. He continued to pester her with his usual ramblings as they progressed through the line, and it wasn't until they reached the end that she realized she had been filtering him out and nodding along aimlessly.
"So, you gonna come sit and hang out with me and Brooke?"
"A-Actually… I'm here with Victoria."
A boisterous laugh erupted from his chest, "Hah! Goooood one. C'mon, we're sitting over here."
He grabbed her by the arm to lead her off, but she sharply yanked away, earning a befuddled look. It was akin to that of a dog not getting it's treat.
Who's a good boy? Not you, apparently.
"No, seriously. I'm working on a photography project with her."
He made an exaggerated "o" motion with his mouth before grimacing, "Man, what'd you do to deserve that punishment?"
"Um, nothing, it's not that bad, I mean-"
"Say whaaaaat!?" He all but yelled, "You're not being brainwashed into being her new Vortex slave are you? Don't worry Max. Whatever spell she has you under, I'm here to save the day."
She cut a glance over to where Victoria sat, who shot them an acrid glare. Even in a crowded room, Warren still managed to be way too generous with his level of volume.
"No," She exhaled gruffly, "It's not like that, I-"
"Okay then," He swirled a finger aside his head in the age-old cuckoo sign. She really detested when he interrupted her. "Anyway, we should hang out this weekend. I'll text you later!"
Of course you will.
He trotted on over to Brooke, who shot her a look so foul it put Victoria's to shame.
Speaking of whom, an uncertain voice greeted her as she set down the tray and offered her a coffee, "What's this?"
"Um… I just kinda grabbed a bit of everything since I don't know what you like. And coffee, because apparently that's all you run on."
That seemed to amuse her. She shot Max a playful look before taking a sip.
"Ah. Black, just like my soul," She ridiculed, before her tone turned sour, "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go sit with your boyfriend?"
Max outwardly cringed at the thought.
Do people think that? Does Warren think that?
"No offense, but I'd rather date Nathan than Warren."
Victoria made a show of frowning into her cup, "Nathan's not that bad."
Sure, bringing a gun to school and shooting people is totally acceptable behaviour. She had to bite her tongue to hold back her snarky response.
"What's with you and Nathan anyway? Aren't you a thing?"
Victoria nearly spluttered her coffee out all over her laptop, breaking in to a fit of coughs but still managing to shake her head.
"Hell no," She fared between gasps, "Nathan's like my brother."
Oh. That made a lot more sense. But it didn't help the unease she felt about Nathan at all. If anything, it made her feel more prone around Victoria.
"Say-"
"Before you ask, he's just been at home sick for the past few days."
It was kind of uncanny how she could read her like that. She didn't know if she should feel disturbed or relieved that she didn't have to try and weasel her way around the question. Max shrugged in response, jabbing a fry towards Victoria's laptop screen, "Are those all the shots you took the other day? They're pretty good."
/
Victoria pushed away the greasy morsel with distaste. The platter sat between them in front of her laptop, host to a curious array of cafeteria horrors. A bowl of soup, fries, half a sandwich, a slab of mystery meat lasagna, a pear, and some sort of salad all beckoned to the empty pit grumbling within her.
Her brow creased as she snipped back, "Of course they are. I'm not in this program for nothing."
Max caught her staring down the food, and pushed the tray a bit closer to her. "It's not going to kill you. More of the opposite really. Coffee alone won't run your body."
I wish it did.
She sighed, rolling her eyes before picking out the wilted looking salad as the most calorie-friendly option before pushing the tray back, "Whatever. Where are your pictures?"
It made her stomach do a weird little flip when Max flashed a smile at her, apparently satisfied with her making a selection. She rifled through a folder, pulling out several polaroids for them to pour over.
"These are all out of focus," She noticed immediately after a quick glimpse.
Max nodded, speaking around a mouthful of fries, "Yeah, can't help it." She waved around her splinted arm.
Ah yes. Another reason why you should hate me.
"But there's something really amazing about them," Victoria licked her lips in concentration as she intently inspected the photos, "These… blow mine out of the water."
She lined them up neatly on the table, ordered from her favorite to least favorite. Chewing on her lip, she let out a grumbled of annoyance, "I don't get it. Yours are underexposed, overexposed, there's no post-processing tune ups, they're shaky, and mine are perfect technique-wise. But yours still have something... better."
It was a tough blow to her ego admitting that, but she couldn't hide the truth of it. The evidence was laid clear in front of her. Max's photos just had a certain genius that hers lacked. Victoria furrowed her brow. She ground her jaw on her salad leaves at a gruelingly slow rate. It never dawned on her how hungry she always was until she actually started eating, and she had to force herself to eat as slow as possible lest she overextend. She already felt gross enough eating in front of other people.
Max hummed in thought at her side, "Hmmm. It's subjective, really."
Victoria caught her looking at her funny out of the corner of her eye, and turned her chair around to look straight at her.
"Subjective. Okay. So, how do you subjectively formulate your shots?"
Shrinking back, her companion swirled a fry around in her soup before taking a nibble. Gross.
"Uhhh," She plucked out the picture on the farthest left. It showcased Victoria standing atop the rocky mound gazing out across the water, looking rather forlorn.
"When I… Um, taking photographs for me is like," Max tugged at the neck of her t-shirt nervously, and it took Victoria a moment to remove her attention from her prominent collarbone.
"I look for little pieces of the world that I want to understand. It's less of looking for the perfect shots and more of looking for moments..."
She blushed under Victoria's scrutiny who gave her an encouraging but curt nod, "Go on."
"Moments that… I want to fit in to. Hah, well. I don't know. That's it really. I mean… I'm obviously not a social wizard. It's just a way for me to observe and be a part of the world too."
Did she really just say social wizard? Point taken.
Victoria gave Max an inquiring look asking for permission before grabbing the photo she had selected. She leaned back in her chair, taking a long moment to drink it in. It was too bright and blurred, though funnily enough her expression was crisp. She didn't realize how sad she had looked.
"I was thinking of my dad," She said suddenly without the intention to, "He took me to the same place to take some shots when I was younger. His are way better than mine, of course."
"Your dad?"
"You don't know? Auguste Chase. Owner and founder of the Chase space?"
Max looked absolutely flabbergasted. For someone who seemed to always be poking her nose in everybody's business, she was sure out of the know. Victoria expected the typical onslaught of questions about him, but they never came. Nor did the sudden reverence.
"May I?" Max hovered a hand over the mouse before Victoria nodded solemnly. The brunette scrolled through the picture feed on her digital workstation, stopping to laugh as they landed on the picture that was taken of her.
"Wow, now I know why you all call me an astronaut."
"Yeah, you looked extra spacey yesterday."
"It's a good shot though, better than the landscapes," She continued her scrolling through some of Victoria's past shoots, and she let it slide without complaint.
"Wow. All of your portraits are amazing. You have a good eye, very Richard Avedon-esque."
Victoria swore she could've died happily right then and there. Avedon was one of her photography heroes; to have her work comparative to his was the highest of praise she could receive. As much as she played up her confidence, she could never even begin to pretend to be that confident in her work.
She scoffed, turning her head to hide the heat that flared across her cheeks. "You're just saying that to get on my good side."
"No, really. These are great, no, amazing. I don't get why you have to bring everyone else down when you're so talented."
Yeah, because that sure gets me far.
Pulling a fry from the pile and examining it over as if some kind of alien specie, she managed a frown. She gave it a dunk in Max's soup before taking a bite. It was surprisingly not terrible.
"Like I said when we first met, the best man wins. I don't gain anything by wasting time making 'friends'."
"But… it doesn't hurt either. Then you can help each other."
In a perfect world, maybe.
Snapping her laptop shut, she stood, remembering something she had surmised earlier.
"Let's go," Upon seeing Max's look of bewilderment she added, "I have something for you."
/
A strange sense of déja vu washed over her as she stepped inside Victoria's room. It was so incredibly reminiscent of the room at her parents, yet so shockingly dissimilar at the same time. The common theme that seemed to jump at her was order, and hand in hand with that came the quiet restraint. Though there was more to look at that could be considered expression, Max had the feeling that Victoria only let show what she wanted people to see. There was something too cold and premeditated to it that she couldn't shake.
"Just give me a minute, take a seat," Victoria grumbled as she rummaged through her desk drawers.
And this is where she pulls the gun on me. Surprise, your 'something' is a bullet Maxine! Mwuahaha...
Max nearly laughed aloud at her own thoughts, having to bite her cheeks and instead busying herself with further investigating the contents of Victoria's room. A familiar looking booklet sat atop a dresser, and she found herself leafing through it before she could reason against herself.
Wow, she's a total Jefferson groupie. As good as he was, not everyone could say they went out of their way to buy his books. She replaced it back in its resting spot, only to catch a glimpse of a shelf tucked away underneath the one above. A scarf draped over it, concealing it well to those who didn't give it a second glance. Not to super detective Max Caulfield though.
Who hides a shelf? That's kind of contradictory to its purpose.
Turning her back to check, Victoria was still preoccupied at her desk, rifling through a bag and muttering to herself. The fabric peeled back with minimal effort, and hidden beneath lay a vast collection of colorful figurines.
"No way," She breathed, unable to withhold her disbelief.
Almost dropping whatever she was working on, Victoria whipped around and scrambled over to her, making haste to yank the scarf back down, "What the fuck Maxine? I said sit down, not snoop around!"
Max raised her hands in defeat, staggering backwards. If looks could kill, then Victoria would definitely be a dojo master in its art. It was the death glare to end all death glares. She took back what she thought about Brooke's glowering earlier.
Breaking in to a nervous sweat, she managed to sputter, "I-I can't help it! But… Was that… A glow in the dark Yoko Littnerr?"
Among Madoka, Sailor moon, Motoko, and I swear I saw Revy…
Eyes narrowed again at her, and she then realized she had missed the initial queue to shut up about it, "Never speak of this."
"But-"
A finger jabbed towards her face as a snarl ripped across Victoria's, "I swear to god Caulfield. If you tell anyone, you're gonna regret ever stepping foot in Blackwell."
Being on Victoria's bad side was the last thing she wanted. Especially with the possibility of Nathan being involved considering their closeness.
"I-I won't, promise," She gulped, nodding vigorously.
Nobody would believe me anyways.
Victoria's demeanor immediately shifted, shoulders dropping a couple of inches as she walked back over to the desk and beckoned Max over. She turned around slowly, looking almost torn in her own actions.
Is Victoria Chase getting all shy on me? What dimension did I skip in to?
"Because I broke yours," She said it so quietly that Max had to lean in to hear her.
A sleek looking black camera was handed over to her, and all she could manage in response was to blink dumbly back at her. It took her a bit of processing before she grasped what she meant.
"Wh-What?! Victoria, there's no way I can take this. This is probably worth more than everything I-!"
"Please," She cut in brusquely, "Just take it. It's the old model and I don't use it anyways. I have more cameras than I need."
"I…"
Oh Dog, It was a nice camera. She remembered seeing reviews for it online when it was released a few years ago. Fastest autofocus in its class, self-cleaning, incredible ISO range, continuous shooting at over 12 frames per second…
Drool.
She turned it over in her hands a few times to examine it better, unable to find words in her mesmerized state.
"Um," Victoria held out a bag over towards her as well, "It has a prime les on it right now, but there's another one and a nice zoom as well that I threw in with it. Oh, and an extra battery and a charger."
"I don't know how I can ever pay you back," The whole situation seemed ridiculous. If Max wound back in time and told herself a week ago that Victoria was going to give her a top of the line camera, she would think herself insane. Especially for talking to her future self, mind you.
"You don't."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, whatever, it's not a big deal," She waved a hand to dismiss her before she could protest further, "This is just so I don't feel guilty anymore."
"So you do have a conscience."
Victoria rolled her eyes, but Max didn't miss the amused smirk that glided across her face in a fleeting moment.
Unable to refrain herself, she popped off the lens cover and turned it on. A bright LCD display flashed to life, though it was all Greek to Max. She took a peek through the viewfinder at Victoria, who stood stiffly in front of her, arms folded over her chest and eyes cast to the floor.
"I have no idea what half these buttons do," She muttered in realization before she could take a shot.
"Here,"
Victoria was suddenly at her side, soft hands overtop of hers as she steered her own amongst the controls, "This ones a custom function. I have it set to manually change ISO."
For someone so outwardly cold, her movements were all warmth and had a certain gentleness to them. They stood in close proximity as she guided her through, and Max found that the temperature started to shift, making the room feel ten degrees too hot.
"This dial changes your aperture settings, and this one-"
"Victoria," Max blurted, causing the other girl to flinch.
Gold-flecked green eyes blinked down at her expectantly, only causing the feeling to intensify.
"I… Um. I think it'd be easier for me to look up the user manual online."
Victoria took an eager step back, realizing for herself the limited space in which they shared.
She gave her a quick nod, "Yeah, um, right."
Neither of them looked at each other after that, finding the wood paneling far more interesting instead. Max could see Victoria's arms hanging limp at her sides with hands folded together in a fidgeting jumble. It was weird to see someone she pictured so uptight and controlled all the time to lose her words and look... vulnerable.
A nagging thought called back to her.
"Hey,"
Victoria perked up.
"How did you um… The other day, in class when I was kind of, you know, freaking out, how did you know what to do?"
She shrugged it off casually, "Just some prior experience."
Your vagueness is astounding. She got the feeling that Victoria wouldn't care to share though, and she didn't dare push her buttons any further after the shelf discovery.
"Oh. Well, thanks again for that… And the camera now too."
She shrugged dismissively, but Max continued, "You're not as bad as everyone says. Sorry about Warren earlier."
Jarring laughter erupted, a throaty and callous staccato beat, "I'm used to it. As if I give a shit about what Warren thinks."
Max couldn't help but concur with that sentiment.
The atmosphere relaxed after that, and the two of them settled in to writing up a plan for their project. They surprisingly worked well together. Victoria was a stern and organized leader, and Max flowed well with her guidance that for the most part kept her in line. That was easier than usual being under Victoria's vigilant watch, but it was inevitable that her mind would still wander sometimes.
I think you do though… I think you care way too much about what others think.