Hey guys, sorry for the slight delay. We will try our very best to keep to a weekly update schedule, but mine and Tyler's time is more limited now. One reason for that is hella exciting. Our fanfic 'Butterfly Wings' is being turned into a fanmade LIS sequel. Want to keep up with developments, volunteer or chat to some LIS nerds? Join the discord (shown below) and other links listed on its faq:

discord. gg /9peBgHN (since this site is weird about links, just remove spaces and fingers crossed it'll work. Otherwise, pm me or look on my AO3 profile - Nothing_You_Can_Prove)

Chapter Twenty-One: Blackwell Ninja

Max's POV - Earlier That Day

Unable to avoid my fate of skipping class, I let Rachel drag me into town. One day shouldn't make much difference and Kate would let me borrow her notes… but I still felt a little anxious about it. I'd never done this before, missed class to go out shopping. New experiences… like pretty much everything around the blonde.

We finally made it to a small store, Rachel picking out two dresses - one for me and one for her - and pulled me over to the changing rooms. To my surprise, she entered the same stall. Despite my anxious protests, she brushed me off and got undressed. Just a little nervous considering what had happened before when we were left alone this close, I bit my lip. It was hard to know where to look, in all honesty. Either way, she'd probably tease me about it.

As quickly as possible, I got changed into the dress she had chosen out for me, feeling hands at my back and a zipper done up. Rachel moved out of the way, putting her head over my shoulder.

"See, you look gorgeous," she reassured, sounding sincere.

"Pfft, if you say so…" I muttered, not sure what to think of seeing myself in a dress, "...but I guess it looks better than expected."

Hands wrapped around my waist, warm breath on my ear. "I do say so. The jocks won't be able to keep their hands off you, not that I'd let them get that close… and neither will I."

Before I knew what had happened, Rachel had trapped me against the mirror and her body. My arms were restrained, one by my own body and the other by her hand. I gasped, wondering just what she had planned.

Laughter reached my ear, making me swallow hard. "See what I mean. Practically impossible not to touch."

I had no words to say, speechless. How was I supposed to react to this? Sure, I'd expected comments, maybe her trying something but this was… much more aggressive than I had been expecting.

"What, nothing to say? Cute," she teased, that same tone she'd used at the swimming pool before, daring me to try and get the upper hand.

If I wanted, I could pull out my rewind but… what did I want to achieve by doing that? Did I want to stop this? Tease her back? Encourage her? Maybe it would take me letting nature run its course to find out. If I never tried things, how would I know what I wanted? Not like I had much experience when it came to this kind of thing, basically none. Before at Chloe's house had been different, I wasn't totally in control of what was going on thanks to a combination of weed and weird fast forward jolting. Right now, I was totally sober and able to rewind anything I didn't want to happen, or at least to let Rachel know had happened.

Biting my lip, I made a decision and rewound a few seconds. Whatever happened, I would at least humor her. "Is this really the right place or time for this? And, we don't want to ruin the dress…" My last few words held a hint of coyness, curious to see how the blonde would reply. She seemed like the type who appreciated making it into a mini-game.

"Shh, Max. Don't worry about it. We'll be totally fine… well, so long as you're quiet enough." She whispered, lips brushing against the back of my neck. "And I can do something about the dress, if it bothers you."

My heart began beating faster as I felt the zipper lowered, something soft and wet exploring my back. Teeth grazed against skin, making me bite the inside of my lip. I didn't want to draw any attention to us, not like this. Knowing we could get caught only helped to intensify the adrenaline rush. When she bit down on my shoulder, I couldn't help but let out a soft exhalation of breath. For now, I was fine with this.

"Enjoying yourself?" The hand not pinning mine to the wall started drawing circles and zigzags on my inner right thigh. When I didn't reply, too caught up in the moment, I felt something sharp press into my shoulder again, eliciting a moan. "I'll take that as a yes."

I felt her hand move up to my back again, fingers messing with my bra as her grip on my wrist loosened. "Don't move your hand."

Again, I was at a loss for words, my window for teasing her slowly slipping away. Rachel had a lot of pride, if I could tap into that… Just as before, I took back the past couple of seconds now armed with a playful retort. "What, can't do it one-handed?"

That made her pause, hand returning to my wrist. "Oh, is that a challenge? I'll have you know, I'm quite skilled at this."

Now I had a foothold, I pressed harder. "I'll believe it when I see it."

It was strange, really. Without my power, I would never be able to do something like this. I'd have bolted long before now. No matter what, I would always be able to take control of the situation again if needed… but honestly, I didn't want to right now. Always being on edge, erasing mistakes and being relied on was tiring at times. For the first time since getting this power, maybe I just wanted to take a back seat, not think constantly. Just shut off and let someone else take responsibility.

"Well, technically you won't be seeing it from this position. Or much, for that matter," she pointed out smugly. "Not unless your powers include some weird vision I don't know about."

I managed a smile. "Guess I'm the only one who'll ever know that."

"I'll get you spilling all those secrets yet," she replied, getting to work on unhooking my bra. I felt the first hook go, a triumphant hmph by my ear. "See, what did I tell you? I have magic hands, not quite as literally as you. Just as good, I promise."

Sensing her ego inflating, I rewound again this time armed with a reply to the first half of her sentence. "Hmm… not bad. Not as quick as I was expecting. Maybe the second will be easier for you."

Her fingers stopped for a split second. "Oh, next time I am so making you do this. Although, you'll probably just cheat until you get it right." Hook number two nearly down, she took her time. "Wouldn't mind finding out either way."

It took a moment or two for my brain to come up with a plan, something that would be highly amusing. All I had to do was find a way. Without warning, I pushed back against her hard, making the blonde stumble back.

When she had regained her balance, she smirked. "Oooh, feisty. I can run with that."

"You'll have to wait to play, I'm afraid," I stated, closing the gap between us. "It's hardly fair I'm the only one being exposed like this."

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" Rachel chuckled, turning her back to me as she took off her own dress, slow and teasing. "Have to say, I wasn't expecting such forward requests, but can't complain."

Glancing back over her shoulder, she smirked and began undoing her bra without prompting. As far as she was concerned, I was playing right into her hands. Unfortunately for her, I had no intention of following through with this particular set of events. The second she threw her bra to the floor, I lunged for it and resumed my position on the wall, rewinding to when she had me pinned.

Unable to keep the grin off my face, I answered this time. "Maybe you don't have to wait. I can do one better. No hands."

A second or two later, I heard her chuckle. "Oh, well aren't you magic? Wish I'd seen how you did that."

Not wasting any time, she removed my bra and I felt her hands loop around to my chest. That coupled with the renewed wave of kissing and biting and my mind went totally blank.

"Not so many smart words now," she muttered, hands wandering.

Not wanting to push my luck on the rewind, I didn't use it again. I closed my eyes, body occasionally moving of its own accord at her touch. She did seem to know what she was doing. When I started wriggling too much, she completely shut me down for a few seconds. All too soon, I felt her pull away from me. No longer feeling her weight at my back, I felt very exposed. As quickly as possible, I covered up.

The temptation to take a peek at Rachel was too much… and she caught me. "Max, you don't have to be so sly about it. If you want to look, go for it."

Called out now, I did as she suggested. If this… whatever we had going on was going to work, I would have to get used to it eventually. Running away wouldn't help. When she was back in her normal clothes, the blonde took a glance at the price tag, pondering.

"Say, Max. I have an idea," she announced with a plotting grin. "How often do you think you'll wear that?"

Already worried about where this was headed, I shrugged. "Uh, honestly probably only once."

Nodding, she continued. "Just as I thought. How would you feel if I said there was a way we didn't have to pay for these?"

"I would be suspicious of how you suggest doing that…"

"We do a little time stuff, get these dresses out of here for the party," she explained, ready to press this suggestion.

"You want to steal them? Rach, come on..." This was the kind of behavior I had wanted to avoid using my power to encourage.

"It's not stealing, it's borrowing," she insisted. "I wasn't going to suggest keeping them. We take them now and return them after the party. No harm, no foul."

Still not convinced, I held firm. "I don't know, Rachel. That's definitely a crime."

Sighing, she crossed her arms. "Max, it's only a crime if we get caught. And we won't. Besides, they'll get it back after we're done. We have better uses for our money than wasting it on a dress you might never wear again. Like, photo stuff. Or new strings for your guitar. Books, DVDs, music, whatever you want."

She clearly wasn't going to let this go easily. I glanced between the dress and Rachel, debating. On the one hand, it did seem silly to pay out for something I'd only wear once. And if we were going to return them… but did that actually make the act of taking it in the first place justified? Probably not. It was still stealing, however temporary.

Noticing my hesitation, she shuffled closer and kissed me, running her fingers through my hair. "Please, Max. Just this once."

It was hard to focus on maintaining my argument while she was doing that and she damn well knew it. "Fine, only this once," I conceded reluctantly, hoping that might pacify her for the time being.

She gave me a huge hug, practically lifting me off the floor. "I seriously owe you one, Max. Thank you." Handing over the dress, she pulled me out of the changing rooms.

This would definitely need a rewind… Ignoring everything going on around me, I stuffed the dresses into my bag and strode out of the store like I wasn't doing anything wrong. When I heard voices behind me - no doubt there were some kind of cameras - I glanced back to see Rachel fending off the cashier. Sighing, I put everything in reverse and watched Rachel emerged from the changing room, a little confused when I was no longer following behind her. She gave a smile to the girl she had previously been manhandling, almost skipping out into the street.

"So, got them?" she asked, to which I simply nodded. "You are seriously the best. C'mon, back to Blackwell so we can get ready."

Still shaking a little, I followed her back to the bus stop and we hitched a ride to Blackwell. The whole way it felt like I was being watched, that everyone knew what I'd done. It made me feel a little uncomfortable… and, although I didn't want to admit it, kinda on a high.

We got all the way back to Rachel's room, home and dry. Once inside, I let out a huge sigh of relief. "Holy shit… that was terrifying…"

"I told you it'd be fine," she said calmly. "And tomorrow, they'll find them left in the changing stalls. Just overlooked. Now we have…" Taking a quick glance at her phone, she did some mental calculations. "More than enough time to prep for the party."

"Very specific," I replied with a flicker of sarcasm.

"I could give you the time, but such big number might hurt that brain of yours," she countered mockingly, sticking out her tongue playfully. "Now since we're already skipping class, want to go do something fun? We have time to kill."

Not sure I could withstand much more Rachel brand excitement, I sighed. "I dunno, I think I've had all the fun I can take for today…"

Waggling her finger, she interjected. "Nope, wrong answer."

"You do want me to be standing for tonight, right?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Hmm… I wonder," she added with a suggestive smirk. "C'mon, we won't do anything too adventurous."

Shaking my head slightly, I stashed the dresses in Rachel's closet for the time being, following her back outside. Once again, we took the bus but didn't stop in town. We walked for some time and just when I was about to ask where we were actually going, something came into view.

"Nearly there now," she called back, grabbing my hand and pulling me along.

We were met by a wall of rusted cars and other junk, uneven paths carved out in the debris. "You took me… to a junkyard?"

"What, this place too good for Princess Max?" she teased, rolling her eyes. "There was something I wanted to show you here, but if you're gonna be like that…"

Unable to help myself, I pressed for more detail. "What did you want to show me?"

"Oh, so now you're interested? Well…" Without warning, Rachel sprinted off ahead not even waiting to see if I was following. "You'll have to find me. And no rewind cheating!"

Wondering what she was up to, I began my search. As tempting as it was to rewind and catch her before she ran off, that might make her mad. Slowly, I made my way around the edge of the junkyard to the left, checking my corners in case she tried to pounce on me.

"Cold…" her voice almost seemed to echo, hard to pinpoint. I moved over to the right-hand side, walking up a slope leading up to a rusty boat. "Warmer…"

Her voice sounded more central now. There was a small gray brick building by the train tracks, worth investigating. Cautiously, I stuck my head in and scanned the area. She didn't seem to be in there, unless there was some trap door I didn't know about. When I went to back up, I hit into something.

Swiveling around, I saw her grinning. "Now you're smoking. Go ahead, this is what I wanted to show you." She motioned to inside the building.

Stepping inside, I got a better look at the interior. Someone had really gone to town with the graffiti and decorations. Walking past me, Rachel sat down on the rickety makeshift bench and patted the space beside her. I took her up on the offer, getting pulled in closer when she put her arm around my shoulder.

"No need to sit so far away, Max," she chuckled, keeping a firm grip on me.

"So, um, why did you want to show me this?" I questioned, not sure why we were here yet.

"I guess because it means a lot to me… and Chloe. This was…" she frowned slightly, correcting herself, "...is our safe haven. No dickheads allowed. Well, only certified dickheads anyways. Nobody's perfect."

While that might be true, people could pretend otherwise. "I think you do a pretty good job at acting it."

"Around people who need to think I am, yes," Rachel agreed, finally letting me go to lean forward. "You know, Chloe wasn't one of those people."

Realizing that I still didn't know all that much about her and Chloe, I tried to get more details out of her. "How did you guys meet? I assume through Blackwell."

Before she replied, I saw an expression I'd never seen from Rachel, something much softer and vulnerable. "We knew of each other, yes. We didn't start getting friendly until after meeting at a concert several years back now. Funny how one chance encounter can change everything, huh? We were both going through some shit. Despite a few... obstacles, mostly our pride and stubbornness, I guess we ended up sticking together."

"So, um… we're you guys…? You know…" I stuttered, not even sure if I would get a proper answer out of her this time. Not like I had before.

"Were we... what?" she repeated, a stifled smile on her lips.

Realizing that I would just have to come out and say it, I bit the bullet. "Just friends?"

"Why, getting jealous?" she teased, expression suddenly turning distant. "Well, when you find Chloe, you can ask her yourself."

That conversation would not end well. Oh, hey Chloe. Were you and Rachel a thing, by any chance? If so, we might still have something in common after five years apart… maybe that was something I should've seriously considered before now.

We stayed at the junkyard hideout for some time, Rachel challenging me to a game of darts which I may or may not have cheated a little at. She called me out, claiming she would get her own back eventually. After she got bored of losing, we wandered around and she insisted I take some pictures. It wasn't very often I worked with people for my photography, more interested in nature shots and yes, selfies as my guilty pleasure, but taking shots of Rachel made me feel like a real photographer, not just some nerd with a camera. And she was a natural, no surprises there.

Eventually, she snatched my camera from me and made me do some posing. It was embarrassing at first, but I kinda got into it the longer I did it. Rachel offered nothing but encouragement and tips where needed.

"See, you're a natural," she smirked, searching through the photos. "Some of these are definitely going up on my wall."

When she handed them over to me, I shuffled through. Normally, I looked terrible in photos but somehow Rachel had managed to inject some life into them. "Not bad. You could give me a run for my money."

"Maybe we'll have to do another photoshoot some time," she added, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Anyway, we'd best head back now. Got to make sure we're ready on time."

Checking the time and agreeing, we headed back to Blackwell. After a quick shower and way more time than I was used to getting ready, we were ready to head out. Rachel had practically forced me to let her do my makeup and it'd turned out great. Still subtle but better for party time. Just went to show what someone could achieve if they knew what they were doing.

When we had about fifteen minutes to go, Rachel held out her arm for me, smiling. "Shall we?"

Grinning back, I looped my arm in hers and we headed towards Blackwell's pool. Despite feeling a little nervous, I was kind of excited for tonight. With Rachel there, I knew it would be… interesting. Just how much, I would have to wait and see.