Chloe decided they should start heading back for Arcadia Bay. She reasoned that her mother was probably low-key worrying her head off. Max got the feeling there was more to it than that, but she looked forward to the thought of not driving for a few days. She'd probably spend the first two or three in bed, if Chloe would let her.
They noticed Warren and some of his friends coming out of a hotel that they passed, but opted not to stop and talk again. Chloe warned they might get too attached. The brunette found herself believing it, already a bit sad to watch her new friend fade into the distance.
"Where do you think we should stop tonight?" Chloe wondered, glancing at the road signs they passed to make sure they were still on the right track. Max hadn't really been asked something like that before. She had to consider it, and consult the map she'd acquired near the beginning of her trip.
"Um… Colorado is kind of close?" She suggested.
"Not that close. We can pass through tomorrow. The real question is: Texas or Oklahoma?" Chloe elaborated. Then her brows furrowed. "Um, you know what, never mind. Definitely Texas. You can pick the next one, promise."
Max wasn't sure what Oklahoma had done to deserve immediate dismissal, but she shrugged, nodding.
"We'll have tacos for dinner." Chloe added, grinning. "And I'm not talking about Taco Bell." She promised.
Max had no problem with Taco Bell, and Chloe continued to stop there despite her constant commentary on how terrible it was, so she must not have really had one either. Still, Max was up to try a new kind. The way Chloe said it implied they'd be better, too.
"Fuck, we should, like, get some cowboy hats and shit." Chloe snickered. "We'll be the lesbian version of Brokeback Mountain!"
"Where is Brokeback Mountain? Is it in Texas?" Max wondered, reaching to get the map out of the console again. Chloe laughed even harder.
"It's a movie, not a place." She managed, holding up her hand while she got herself under control to show that she planned on explaining further. It took her a while. "It's about two cowboys that fall in love on a job, but like, society was even shittier at the time, so they had to hide it and have wives they didn't want and shit."
Max frowned, thinking back on the old woman that had stopped them outside of a gas station. It already felt like a lifetime ago, and she couldn't even remember what state they'd been in. But she remembered the look on the lady's face, and how scared she'd been as they were walking away from her, as if the 70 year old might give chase.
"That sounds like a sad movie." She mumbled. Chloe glanced at her.
"Yeah, it is." She agreed, nodding. "I cried like a fucking baby at the end. That's how it was, though. That's how it still is, sometimes."
Max contemplated this, while Chloe forgot about it. She'd never really considered how other people would see their relationship; She'd never had one before, after all. But Chloe was making it sound awfully bleak. Could she get used to the scrutiny? She'd have to.
Texas happened, and then continued to happen for hours and hours. It didn't matter how blazed they got, time just wouldn't seem to pass. For once, Max wished she could fast-forward. True to Chloe's promise, they did stop for tacos, but not much else. It was just them, the truck, and mostly unextraordinary landscapes zipping by.
For this reason, she was incredibly happy when Chloe stopped at a hotel and went inside to see if they could get a room. Max stayed in the truck, tidying up the mess they'd made throughout the day. Chloe had a habit of just tossing empty wrappers about carelessly in her truck, and letting ashes accumulate on the console.
Max swept the ashes into her palm and dusted them out of the window, grimacing as her hands smeared grey. Without many other options, she wiped them on her pants and returned to gathering the garbage into a bag to toss into the can outside the hotel.
She'd just finished when Chloe emerged bearing the thumbs up.
"It took some convincing, but we're in. I don't think she liked my hair." She sneered, tousling a lock and scrutinizing it between her fingers briefly. Max grabbed the hand, and Chloe released her hold, lacing their fingers instead.
"I love it." Max promised, using her free hand to ruffle what strands poked out from the beanie. They were still soft from her last shower. Chloe's lips parted, and Max could hear her breathing for a few seconds. Then she leaned in for a kiss, pulling Max to her chest in the process.
"I love you." She mumbled, swaying them from side to side for several seconds before letting go with one last squeeze. "Come on, let's go in. I don't want to get caught making out in public in Texas."
Max helped her get their stuff from the truck and they filed in. The lady at the counter did shoot them a look as they passed, particularly at the ash smeared across Max's jeans, but she didn't say anything. It was sort of hard to take her seriously, anyway. Her hair was styled to look very voluminous, but the hairspray made it look dull and kinky. Max had only seen that sort of style as a joke on television.
The room was smaller than some that they'd stayed in, but it was on the top floor of the hotel, which Chloe was digging. After they unpacked a bit, Max found out why as she was led on a search for a door to the roof. They found it without too much trouble, and found a good place to lean up against a wall.
Chloe slung an arm over her and produced a blunt from her pocket. Max rolled her eyes, but didn't argue as Chloe lit it up and passed it over.
"I think, since you're becoming a bona fide stoner, we should make it a goal to smoke at least once in every state we pass." Chloe announced. Then she snickered. "God, I'm a school teacher's nightmare. I used to wear a D.A.R.E shirt while smoking with Rachel, just to be an ironic shit. I didn't pack it, though. Bummer."
Max didn't know what dare was, but she assumed it had something to do with drugs, if Chloe's ironic sense of humor was any sort of indication. The girl seemed to like doing anything she could to piss off as many people as possible. Max sort of liked the feeling of doing something she knew the scientists would never let her. And feeling like a real teenager. That was nice too.
Occasionally they would hear some footsteps from behind the door they'd come through, but no one bothered them. Long after the last of the ashes had fluttered away found them stargazing, the night air cool but not unbearable. Chloe rolled over to sling her arm over Max's ribs, holding her loosely.
Her breath was warm against the brunette's neck, and it was a nice reminder that Chloe was there while Max contemplated the vastness of the universe stretched before her. No matter how big the cosmos might be, Chloe was there on Earth with her, just as small and just as real.
"I think about weird things when we smoke." She laughed, tearing her eyes from the stars to look at Chloe instead. The girl was grinning.
"Yeah, that's normal." She assured, rubbing Max's nose tenderly with her own before craning her neck to steal a kiss.
"I really like kissing you." The brunette murmured, leaning in for another. Chloe didn't deny her, kissing her slowly, but endlessly. Every time Max thought she was pulling away it was only to drag in a quick breath before diving back in.
She was breathless, but unable to stop herself from clutching Chloe to her, a desperation rising that she didn't feel very often. Only ever around Chloe.
"Fuck-" Chloe sighed, crawling to hover over the other girl to better her angle. Max liked the weight above her, more than she thought she might. She pulled Chloe down more, the girl's elbows buckling till she was pretty much lying on top of her.
Chloe pressed her tongue between their lips, and Max didn't know what to think, but didn't really care anymore. Whatever Chloe was doing, it felt really nice all over.
Another set of footsteps in the hallway had them halting, though these, too, passed without disturbing them. Still, it had broken the bubble securing them in their own world, and Chloe rolled off and stood up. Max followed, her face flushing along with the shy smile she couldn't help as the other girl grabbed her hand and led them back inside.
As soon as the door was shut, Chloe got busy stripping out of most of her clothes. Max followed suit, knowing that to be a sign that they were calling it a night. When she turned around, Chloe was only in her underwear, and it made her swallow to see her chest out in the open. Chloe was really good at looking comfortable while bare to the world.
Her cheeks were sort of red, though, which belied her confidence. Her arms twitched just a bit, as if she had considered trying to cover up for just a split second. Max found her hand was already in her bag, fingers brushing the plastic of the camera.
She pulled it back out as she realized, shaking her head.
Instead of taking a picture, she drew closer to Chloe, twining her arms around the other girl's waist and letting her head rest in the valley between her breasts. She could hear the heart underneath fluttering like butterfly wings, confirming her suspicion that Chloe was more nervous than she let on.
Her fingers trailed up and down the expanse of Chloe's back, and the other girl ventured to pull at the hem of her shirt. She lifted her arms up in lieu of verbal permission, more interested in kissing Chloe's collarbones, for some reason.
In her distraction, she forgot to notice that she was just as naked as Chloe was, and hardly paid attention when Chloe's hands trailed up her stomach and over her chest, squeezing. It sent tingles down her spine, but she couldn't help but focus more on touching Chloe in return.
She was so soft, but also boney. Max sort of like that, though. It was different than her own body, which was sort of soft all over. And Chloe was so pale, even compared to Max who had literally lived underground for years. It was like she couldn't get enough of the feel.
Chloe let her hands fall to rest in the dip of the brunette's waist, pulling her lazily towards the bed until they both lost their balance and toppled over together. Max giggled, pulling Chloe to her again, like they were on the roof, looping her arms around the girl's neck and drawing her closer until their noses were touching.
Chloe peered back at her, her eyes shifting minutely from left to right as if she was reading a story in the grey-blue of Max's irises. It was strangely intimate, and it left the girl frozen in place, only able to stare back as if caught up in hypnosis.
Release came as Chloe closed her eyes to kiss, starting off slow again but working it back up as minutes passed. Her skin was cool to the touch where it was exposed to the air of the room, but warm where it pressed against Max's. Her breathing was bordering on panting, but Max found that she wasn't much different in that regard.
"Fuck, Max-" The girl breathed, voice raspy and kind of low. It made the brunette's stomach flutter, but deeper down than when they kissed and she got butterflies. Chloe had to pause, swallowing and licking her lips before she managed to finish speaking. "God, I wanna fuck you so bad." She whimpered.
Max blinked, hands halting where they'd been subconsciously dancing along the ridges of Chloe's spine. Chloe stopped moving too, sitting up a bit with her eyes wide.
"L-Like, sex?" The brunette blurted, regretting it immediately. Of course that's what Chloe meant! She didn't need to say it again. "Sorry, um, wow-" She stammered.
Chloe moved off of her, sitting up and hiding her face in her hands.
"No, shit, I didn't mean to say that out loud. I knew it would be weird, I just-"
Max frowned, zoning out as Chloe continued to ramble, focusing instead on how much she wanted to feel Chloe on top of her again, wanted to feel her hands all over again. She reached out without too much thought, grabbing Chloe's arm and cutting the other girl off mid-sentence by pulling her near.
"Okay." She said, voice low but sincere. Chloe didn't seem to understand, just staring for a moment before her brows furrowed.
"Okay? Okay what? Max, god, sometimes you just say shit out of the blue, and I-"
"Let's do it. Let's have sex." She clarified, Chloe's nervousness giving her a new sense of daring. She'd do anything for Chloe.
The girl in question seemed taken aback, maybe unprepared to hear something like that from Max. But it didn't take her long to react, cautiously returning to what she'd been doing, her fingers occasionally venturing past the bare skin and over the fabric of Max's underwear, fingertips grazing down her thigh before dancing back up to a nipple.
Max's body felt like it was thrumming all over, and every brush of Chloe's skin against hers made that place in her stomach ache. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was sort of like a pressure that she felt needed to be relieved. Maybe that's what Chloe was feeling?
Finally, after toying with the idea for what felt like much too long, Chloe's fingers hooked in the elastic of her waistband, dragging it down over her legs and throwing the panties over the edge of the bed. She did the same with her own before Max got a chance to feel awkward about showing more skin, and distracted her from it further by crushing their lips together.
Her body slowly settled against Max's, naturally readjusting until their hips slotted together comfortably, the rest of their skin meeting as they began to grasp at each other, as if they could never get close enough.
The smaller girl let her legs part, not really sure why but knowing that she wanted Chloe between them, and Chloe didn't hesitate to shift into the space. The longer they kissed, the closer Max wanted to be, until she was using her legs to hold Chloe against her, slung over her hips and crossed around her waist.
Sparing a moment to push some blue strands out of her face, the girl began to rock forward, a breathy noise escaping her as their skin slid together. Max found herself in a similar state soon thereafter, lips falling apart as a moan spilled out, the motion and the feeling of friction agitating the ache that she was starting to realize must be arousal.
"Holy shit-" Chloe panted, eyes shut as she took a moment to gather her wits. "I want you so bad."
She spoke into Max's ear, so close that she could feel her lips moving, and an involuntary whine escaped her throat. That seemed answer enough, though, for Chloe smiled against her neck.
"You want to, right? Really? You're not just doing this because I want to?" She asked softly, kissing a line down to her shoulder. Max scoffed, but it gave way to airy giggles.
"I want to. Really bad, I think." She confessed, squeezing Chloe with her legs. That seemed to make Chloe happy.
"Good." She grinned, nosing back up under the lobe of Max's ear. "I really love you." She added, lips darting to Max's to say it physically as well. "Let me know if you want to stop, or if you don't like something. It's not going to bother me. It's really important that you're honest with me, Max. Please."
The brunette nodded quickly, eager to get Chloe focused back on her body. But some part of her was pleased that Chloe had taken the time to make sure she felt safe. She must have known that Max was inexperienced, to some degree.
"Mmm-" She hummed, and Max felt the vibration in the bones of her chest. "What do you like, Max? Where do you want me to touch you?"
The girl in question came up short, fingers pressed into Chloe's skin as an anchor. She didn't know what to say, because she didn't know. The other girl seemed to notice.
"Don't be embarrassed. How do you touch yourself?" She tried, as if different wording might help. Obviously she didn't realize exactly how inexperienced the brunette was.
"I-I don't." Max admitted, biting her lip. Chloe seemed incredulous. "Not much, anyway. I just, I was always being watched in the bunker, and some of the people that monitored me would make fun of me if I would try anything. One time they even laughed at me over the speaker in my room. I never really… Never really had the privacy."
"…And you haven't since you escaped?" Chloe inquired, sitting back. Max felt her cheeks get warm, and she couldn't really keep looking at Chloe.
"I met you just a few days after. But I have tried a couple times…" She professed, screwing her eyes shut. "In the shower. I don't know if I did it right though…"
The other girl didn't seem as scandalized as Max expected, which was comforting but surprising. She seemed a bit relieved, even.
"That's normal, dude. Don't let those creeps make you feel weird about it. And, uh… I won't judge you. You don't have to hide it. Er, I mean, I can help, now, if you want. But I wouldn't mind if you, you know…" She trailed, a red tinge seeping into her cheeks too. Max was too embarrassed to respond, and kept her eyes shut.
Chloe seemed sort of unsure after that, hesitant to continue, but she chanced a kiss, and Max didn't spare a thought before reciprocating. Anything to escape the new awkwardness. Chloe glanced to check how she was doing, and Max gave her a look that managed to get her back in gear.
"Fuck, well, just… Talk to me. We'll figure it out together, I guess. We've got time."
Max nodded, running her fingers through Chloe's hair, letting her nails graze at her scalp. She felt Chloe react under the touch, she must have gotten a chill. It made her move a bit faster, hand sliding along Max's stomach and causing her to tremble before going lower, ghosting the pads of her fingers over the sensitive bundle of nerves that Max had only barely explored.
It made the muscles in her legs tense, a shock of sensitivity shooting through her hips and up the line of her back. She always reacted this way, and it sort of scared her. The feeling was so intense that it sort of made her lose control over herself.
But Chloe seemed to focus on it, her fingers applying pressure and trying different patterns. Max's toes curled, noises spilling from her lips unchecked, and she couldn't even work out how to tell Chloe how she felt. Couldn't she see that it was making Max behave strangely?
"Oh, Chloe-" She managed, shuddering as her hips rocked against Chloe's hand, seeking more of the feeling without even knowing it. A prickling feeling behind her eyelids told her she was crying, but she didn't feel sad.
"Does it feel good?" Chloe asked, leaning over so she could speak quietly, for only Max. She kissed at the tears, catching them before they could make trails down the smaller girl's cheeks.
"I-I don't know." Was the reply, and it was the truth. The brunette felt herself on the brink of something, but the feeling sort of scared her, embarrassed her. She could feel pressure building in her abdomen, but she didn't know what would happen if it was released. Chloe was bringing her close to that, though.
"Do you feel like you're about to fall apart? Like you're about to just explode into stars?" The girl asked, breath on Max's ear and her words, in a way the smaller girl couldn't explain, incredibly romantic.
"Yes!" She decided. That was exactly how she felt. Her back was curving off of the mattress, stretching at an angle that should have been uncomfortable. She was too lost in the feeling of Chloe's fingers though, and getting more of it. At the same time, however, she also wanted to pull away. Her body couldn't decide. It was maddening, and some part of her wanted it to be over so she could just collapse.
It was much different than anything she'd done in the shower while Chloe smoked in the other room. Clumsy and ignorant weren't very conducive attributes for self-exploration. She appreciated Chloe's confidence and persistence.
"Chloe, something's happening." She gasped, fingers tangling in the sheets. "I feel… I don't know. But I-I don't know if I should-"
Chloe didn't stop, but she did wriggle up to press their lips together. Max couldn't really kiss back, so she just sort of moaned into the taller girl's mouth. That seemed fine by her, though, for she didn't stop or complain.
Max assumed that meant that she should just let it happen, and gave herself over to what her body wanted to do. She let it move without fighting, trusting that Chloe would tell her if she was doing something wrong.
The feeling grew and washed over her till her legs trembled with effort. And, all at once, Chloe moved her fingers in a certain way and Max felt herself finally stumble over the edge, mouth open and eyes shut tight. She could feel multiple muscles spasming throughout her body before she crumpled completely, a relaxation taking over and turning her to mush.
Chloe's hands drew patterns across her skin, but she wasn't even aware for a while, too lost to feel anything for a moment. But when sensation did come back, it was with a vengeance, and she shook with hypersensitivity as Chloe teased her skin with feathery touches.
"That was-" She began, trying to find the word. Several crossed her mind, but they were all things that would ruin the atmosphere they'd created. Things that would make Chloe laugh. That wouldn't be bad, but she liked the connection they had at the moment. "I've never felt like that before." She settled for.
A smile found Chloe's lips, and she shifted so that they could lie like they did in the truck. She called it spooning. Max loved it.
"Good, though?" Her companion inquired, squeezing her hip affectionately.
"Yeah." She agreed, sighing with a new sort of content.
"Good." Chloe mumbled. The tip of her nose grazed the shell of Max's ear, and it made the brunette smile for some reason.
"Should I do that for you too, now?" She asked, sucking in a breath as she rolled over in Chloe's arms with some effort. Her body felt as tired as it had when she'd sprinted away from the bunker with Nathan. It felt strange to make the comparison, to remember how much had changed. But when she looked up through her lashes, Chloe was smiling too, wide and crooked, and she forgot how to think again.
"Only if you want to. I can do it myself if you're too nervous. Or if you're tired." Chloe replied, one of her hands already dragging down her ribs, over the bone of her hip, and between her legs. Max swallowed.
"C-Can I watch you?" She asked, her mouth so dry that her tongue stuck to the roof when she tried to speak. Chloe grinned, and her heart hammered in her chest.
"You already are." The other girl pointed out, her hips rolling slowly, lazily. Max was lost in it. She didn't know if she could have looked away even if Chloe wanted her to.
She was obviously familiar with her own body, and she worked herself up much quicker. Within minutes her hips were stuttering and she was gasping softly with the effort. She looked stunning, her eyes not quite open or shut and her hair falling in her face messily from dragging her fingers through it over and over with her free hand.
Unable to help herself anymore, Max's hands found purchase on Chloe's chest, and her mouth pressed into the soft skin under the girl's jaw. She seemed surprised, but not unpleasantly so. Her noises got a bit breathier, and even a bit louder. It was obvious when she drew near her own climax, and her fingers tangled in Max's hair, pulling her down and holding on as she stretched her legs out as straight as they would go, toes curling and mouth open but silent.
When she finally relaxed, she pulled in a wavering breath, almost like she'd just been crying really hard. Her arm went limp but remained hooked over Max's shoulder, and the brunette snuggled down against Chloe's collar. She pressed kisses there, lavishing her lover's skin with attention until Chloe had calmed down enough to wrap her up for sleep.
It was a foreign feeling, sleeping without any clothes on. But the sheets felt sort of nice, and Chloe's skin was pleasantly warm for once. Max thought she might like to get used to it. Was that what being in love with someone was like?
She was starting to see why people wrote so many songs about it.
A/N: Sex is always kind of awkward for me to write? Like, I can sit here with a straight face and read the straight up filthiest shit on the internet with every member of my extended family in the room. But as soon as I try to write it? I dunno, part of my problem seems to be that I just don't like vulgarity in general, and it winds up being hard for me to write about physicality in general. There are only so many flowery words for vagina.
My hang-ups aside, sorry for the wait. As you all might have surmised, I'm dealing with some hella writer's block. I've been struggling with the chapter I'm working on for literally a couple months, now. But I think I might have started to pull out of it. I'm trying to, anyway. I know you're all likely tired of excuses, but I do try. And I appreciate the patience you all have while waiting for updates.
Back to this chapter; I won't have too many nsfw scenes in this story. But it's a part of their relationship, and, let's be real, I'm a thirsty brat. Call it self-indulgence if you want.
On that note, I've also indulged another favorite of mine: Transgender Chloe. It's been up a while now, but I've got a Pricefield oneshot out. It's called 'On the Way,' if you're interested in reading it. It also has some nsfw content, if that's your jive. I'm a little proud of it, maybe.
And now I'm back to struggling through each paragraph and watching children's cartoons. (I realized recently that that's pretty much all I watch, at this point? Steven Universe, and recently Voltron. Guess I really am a child at heart.) Thanks for waiting, and for coming back if you did. I appreciate all of the feedback and the understanding, and just know that I am trying. I'm nothing if not determined! Keep well, all 3
KuroRiya
九六りや