Life is Strange

Chloe's Favourite Test

There had been many tests throughout her life, Chloe thought. Some had been easy to overcome, like school science tests. Others had threatened to overwhelm her to the point that, if other people hadn't come into her life when they did, she might not even be in the world. Either her own grief-induced stupidity or someone else's greed-induced stupidity had threatened her life multiple times. But when she needed her, Rachel Amber had burst into her life. Chloe had thought at the time that someone had been looking down on her, thought 'That idiot needs a guardian angel!' and sent her. To this day, she still believed it to a degree.

But then her angel fell. Rachel Amber vanished without a trace. That was one of the worst moments of Chloe's life, and there had been a fair few. She'd been seeing their future together. That vision had vanished along with her. And when one door closes, a window opens. Or something like that. Just as her life had been about to be cut short yet again, who should burst back into her life but Maxine Caulfield. She'd emerged from the depths of Blackhell and drag her up from the depths of her own depression. She'd allowed Chloe to see a point in living again. Not many people are lucky enough to get a guardian angel. To get two was unheard of. She'd never considered herself lucky before. That had all changed when Max had come back into her life.

Since then, she felt she'd been nothing but lucky. Lucky that Max hadn't run out on her again, lucky that Max's powers had developed out of nowhere and had been able to save her more times than she could count in the space of one week and lucky that Max returned her feelings of boundless love enough to spare her life in exchange for sacrificing the entire town. Max's parents had taken the two newly-homeless teens in and given them a roof over their head before stepping back and letting the relationship between the two flourish. And for all of that, Chloe once again considered herself lucky.

There had been tests even in her life with Max too, though. Random company drug tests at work, to be precise. That had cost her more than a few opportunities as she'd gone along. But they'd pushed through it. They'd taken some steps as a couple in the last few years that Chloe never envisioned taking in her entire lifetime. Such was where she was at the moment: taking the biggest step she and Max had ever taken together. It had all started one special day: Max's birthday. Chloe had taken her up to the lighthouse for the golden hour and, while Max had her back turned and was taking the shots she wanted, Chloe dropped to one knee and pulled out the ring box from her back pocket. The proposal had been easy enough. It was like she'd said it before but couldn't remember where, when or how. Max had graciously accepted, and so they'd found themselves in the back room of a registry office. Neither of them had wanted a major ceremony and wanted the overall affair to be simple and all about them so that they could spend more time enjoying their lives together and less time worrying about how they got there. And they were certainly doing that in that moment.

"Well..." Max said breathlessly as she rolled onto her back and Chloe looped an arm under her to pull her close again. "I have to say this has to be the riskiest thing we've ever done."

"You... You know you loved it." Chloe gasped as she leaned over and planted a kiss on Max's lips before sitting up and looking for where Max had thrown her pants. She'd dressed up real nice for the day as well, even going as far as to get a proper shirt and tie ensemble and actually iron her pants for it.

"Never said I didn't." Max said as she wriggled her wrists to slacken off Chloe's tie where it had been wrapped tightly around them. "But I thought consummating the wedding night was supposed to be done after the wedding and certainly not in the office you plan to be getting married in!"

"It will be." Chloe replied, grinning evilly. "This was just the warm up. I got you a bit of a wedding present for tonight that I can't wait to try out." She said it so casually that it visibly took Max a second to even process it. When she did, her face went ashen.

"I'm equal parts nervous and excited." Chloe's grin only widened at her confession.

"Lean towards excited." Chloe finally located her pants and started re-dressing, pulling a can of body spray from the pocket of her discarded blazer and spraying both herself and the room liberally. With that, she grabbed her bra before slipping it back on more like shrugging on a tank top and beginning to button up her shirt. In a few seconds, she'd made it look like she definitely hadn't been pleasuring her fiancée to the point of nearly breaking her brain. And she could see that it was scaring Max that she was calling this a warm up. "Well?" She looked expectantly at Max who was still lying on the table they'd just been doing unspeakable things on together and breathing heavily in a puddle of sweat. "Get dressed! We're getting married today! We have an appointment! And Tanesha doesn't tolerate latecomers!" Sighing heavily, Max hauled herself up and began to hunt for her own clothes. As she did, Chloe felt her heart speed up. It was finally happening.

When her father had died and Max's family had moved to Seattle literally from the funeral, Chloe had felt that a part of her had been missing that she'd desperately needed back. That was mainly because that was exactly what had been happening. Joyce had thought it was her dad. David had hoped it was her dad so that he could fill the void. But no. It was true that she'd had a good relationship with her dad and desperately wished it hadn't all ended so suddenly and in such an unfulfilling way. But she'd had a dad. She didn't need a new one. Hers had been irreplaceable. There was no getting him back so it had been pointless trying. But what she'd been needing was Max. The person she was missing that she knew was alive. The girl who fell out of contact once moving to Seattle. The girl she'd loved ever since she was old enough to have an understanding of the topic. Rachel had come along and Chloe had been desperate enough to try and fill the Max-shaped hole in her heart with her rather than giving her a place of her own in her life. If anything, that was what she blamed for them drifting apart. Rachel was good at reading people. She must have sensed that and decided- quite rightly- that it was unhealthy. But Max was back now and had quite easily fallen back into the space she'd left behind. And neither of them planned on being apart again.

Eventually, Max re-dressed and Chloe took her by the hand as they went to leave the room. Just as she was about to put a hand on the doorknob, Max stopped her with a chaste kiss on the lips. She then circled around so she was standing in front of the taller girl and pulled her closer. It was an oddly specific motion and it piqued Chloe's curiosity.

"I have to ask..." Max looked up into Chloe's eyes. "You're reckless, but not usually this reckless. How did you know we weren't going to get caught in here? Did you pay someone off?" At that, Chloe burst out laughing.

"Hell no!" She pulled Max in and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "You know me, Max. I'm crazy not stupid. I noticed one of their meeting room cameras was down and then taped the lock. They had no reason to check it or suspect that someone else was in here and I know we wouldn't be caught since they're blind in here. I guess you don't get to live with a porno-moustache-toting version of Rambo without something rubbing off." This time it was Max's turn to laugh.

"Okay, nice one." She stepped back, letting Chloe open the door a crack and peek out. Seeing that the coast was clear, she went and opened the door fully. With a sweeping gesture, she beckoned Max out into the hall as the brunette's cheeks flamed in embarrassment.

"Huh. I guess you really are my blushing bride now." Chloe muttered, earning a swat on the arm from Max.

"Shut up!" she giggled as Chloe watched her try to cool down and get rid of the redness in her face. "I swear to god you are impossible!"

"Eh, you love me really." Chloe shrugged as she pushed the door open and they headed into the hallway. Even as they walked, she and Max tried to eliminate the post-coital energy that surrounded them like a set of glowing angel wings and would appear twice as obvious to anyone who so much as looked at them. That was a point proven all too quickly as they arrived at the desk they were supposed to have gone straight to in the first place.

"Hello, can I help?" A woman with flaming scarlet hair looked up at them before doing a double-take. "Chloe Price, I'm assuming? And that would make this your fiancée Max?"

"That's us." Chloe nodded as Max's cheeks started burning again. She knew the shorter girl was thinking about what they'd just been up to in the back room. It was just the natural thing to be thinking about in that moment. So was she. She was just better at keeping a poker face on it. "I take it you're Tanesha, then?"

"Yes, it was great talking to you on the phone." Tanesha smiled as she reached behind the desk and pulled out a stack of papers. "Now, you two having declared your intentions to marry are looking to hereby make a declaration of lifelong commitment and partnership to each other. I understand you both prepared vows to read out?" Max and Chloe nodded. Chloe reached into the top pocket of her shirt while Max reached into the neckline of the dress she was wearing. Both of them pulled out folded pieces of paper and turned to each other as they opened them out, each holding their paper in one hand while joining their free hands together. They'd had a bit of a back-and-forth as to who should read first, each of them wanting to hear the other's speech before reading their own. But in the end they'd tossed a coin for it. Max had proven herself suspiciously good a coin tosses, winning all three of the tosses on their best of three game and so Chloe was forced to read first. She decided to just go for it. If it sounded goofy, it sounded goofy.

"Max Caulfield, my best friend, the not-so-secret love of my life... I have been dreaming of this day ever since I was old enough to understand the concept of love. The day you moved to Seattle may have broken my heart, but when you came back I was needlessly cruel. None of it was your fault. You proved to me over and over again since then that you were back with a vengeance and were determined for us to stay by each others' sides. You told me that I was your number one priority. I always considered you as such too. Because of that, I saw the best opportunity to renew the promise I made to you up on that cliff. I vow to always be with you. Forever. I will never leave you and I will always be by your side. I will forever be your partner in crime as long as you're my partner in time." Chloe expected laughter. She expected Max to say something offhanded or to at least say something at all, but when she folded the paper and looked over at Max, she saw the other girl fighting back tears and gripping her hand like a life raft in a storm. As appropriate as that was, it also made her nervous as hell. Did that mean Max had hated it?

"Chloe... That was beautiful!" Chloe instantly felt the pressure ease off her chest. Well, she didn't hate it. That was good. Chloe pulled her in and held her close as she let the floodgates open. It took a very long time for Max to compose herself enough that she could even begin to read what she'd written.

"Chlo-" She had to pause to clear her throat as it formed a lump and strangled the voice out of her temporarily. "Sorry."

"Hey, it's cool." Chloe assured her gently. "Just take your time." Max nodded, lifting the paper again and beginning to read.

"Chloe Price... When we were kids, I weirdly felt there was a part of me missing. I couldn't put my finger on it. I just felt like there was something that was held back from us. The concept of being in love with my best friend was something that felt off limits. Or at least, that's what I told myself. In reality, I was scared of what would happen if you didn't return my feelings or a relationship didn't work out. For the longest time, I never said anything. For the longest time, I was a coward. And it was only when our lives were flipped upside down and I was carted off to Seattle three days later that I realised what it was. It was you, Chloe. The thing I always needed to make my life truly complete is you. As glad as I am that we were able to get back together, I'm even more overjoyed that it's led to us standing here today making this commitment to each other. For that reason, I vow that I will never leave you again, do everything I can to ensure our life together is long and peaceful and- most importantly- that the love we share will transcend us and last until the end of time." Chloe had been trying to keep it together. She'd honestly tried. But it was hopeless. Tears were rolling down her face and while her expression remained stoic she knew the instant she tried to speak she would just break down into a hopeless mess. Instead, she reached forward and pulled Max in as their lips collided and Max's arms wrapped around the back of her head to pull her in closer.

"Um, you weren't actually supposed to do that until after you signed the documents." Tanesha pointed out, letting out a sigh as Chloe noticed her wiping tears from her eyes as she reached for a box of tissues under the counter like it was a panic button. For her personally, holding on to Max was enough. They stayed joined at the lips until they knew they could trust themselves to speak. Only then did they carefully release each other.

"Sorry, what was that about documents?" Chloe asked as Max burst out laughing while Tanesha checked her watch.

"Ten minutes? Damn! That's impressive! Either of you girls ever consider a career in the Navy SEALS? They're looking for people who are good at holding their breath." At that, Max and Chloe burst out laughing. They were still holding each other close and Chloe revelled in the warmth of Max's touch.

"Yeah, I'm a pacifist." Max told her.

"I don't take orders too well." Chloe shrugged. "No, seriously. There's a military-grade step-douche back in what's left of Arcadia Bay who can attest to that."

"Ah, fair enough." Tanesha nodded, pushing a sheet of paper towards each of them. "Well, I wish you two every happiness together. Only one thing left to do: just sign here and it's all legal." Max and Chloe wasted no time in grabbing a pen each. Their names were on the bottom of the papers in seconds and a grin spread across Tanesha's face. "Congratulations. And as moot as it is now, you may now kiss the bride." Max instantly turned around on Chloe, almost jumping into her arms as their mouths smashed together. "You'll be getting the official certificate sent to your home address within seven da-" Tanesha's voice dropped away as she realised it was pointless to continue. Chloe had basically picked Max up at this point and was walking out of the building with her.

"Thanks for that!" Chloe called back over her shoulder as she decided to double down and full-on carry Max bridal style. With their future secured together, they headed out to Chloe's truck. It wasn't as glamorous as a proper wedding car, but for both of them it would more than do. Chloe opened the door and Max jumped in as the taller girl headed around to get into the driver's seat. Once they were both buckled in, Chloe set off at a blistering pace. The traffic on the streets of Seattle was mercifully light that day, so very few people had their day ruined by Chloe's desperate driving. Max was gripping the seat hard enough to turn her knuckles white, but they both knew what Chloe was doing. Their apartment wasn't far and she wanted to get back and get the party started as soon as possible. Little did she know that Max had prepared a bit of a surprise for the day.

They pulled in outside their apartment complex and practically jumped out of Chloe's truck. Once inside, Chloe grabbed their door key and jammed it into the lock. As the door opened, she instantly saw Chloe go on the alert. Their light was off. They never left it off when they were out. They always turned it off when they were in during the day and left it on at night or when they were out due to how shady the area was. But here it was with the living room pitch black. And what was worse, they could hear faint noises from within. Without pausing, Chloe strode in, reaching up to the bookshelf in the short hallway that led to their living room and sliding something from between two books.

"Freeze, motherfuckers!" she screamed, bursting in as Max heard the hammer click back on the revolver in her hands.

"Chloe, no!" Max yelled, darting in and grabbing the gun to force it downwards as people started to emerge from where they were hiding. There were a mix of adults and kids, most of the adults with their hands clamped over the kids' ears after Chloe's outburst.

"I don't think she likes surprise parties!" one of the kids muttered as Max turned the light on and revealed the 'Congratulations!' banner hung from the ceiling and the balloons that were all around the apartment.

"Oh..." Chloe muttered as she lowered the revolver and Max pried it from her fingers before going over and putting it back where the taller girl had got it from.

"Okay, I guess I should have told her." Max muttered under her breath before turning back to their guests. "Sorry about that, guys. I forgot how jumpy she gets." As she spoke, they both saw everyone instantly relax. Whether that was from the gun being tucked away or from the fact that Chloe had realised there was no threat and wasn't about to potentially reach for a backup weapon neither of them knew for certain. All Chloe knew was that this looked like their party and it seemed like they were missing it.

"Well..." They both looked over to see Max's mother stepping out from her hiding place just beside the bookcase that had shielded her from view of the doorway. "A little more excitement than we planned for and the kids that are here are now probably mentally scarred for life. I think that's as good a time as any to open the buffet." Everyone else promptly cheered at the news, especially the kids- most of who had just seen a real gun for the first time and now needed a serious sugar hit to get over it. Everyone nodded, muttering in agreement as they all gravitated towards the kitchen table which had been thoroughly decked out with home made food. In fact, food made by Max's mother. If there was one thing Chloe had learned from her time staying with Max, it was that Vanessa's food had always been great when they'd had sleepovers and had only got better since they'd been apart. And she'd completely decked the table. Pasta, pies, pizzas, dry grilled chicken in garlic sauce, giant donuts, assorted muffins and apple turnovers with cinnamon. Max reached up and tapped Chloe on the shoulder. Only then did the bluenette realise she'd been drooling for a good thirty seconds and quickly wiped it off on her shirt sleeve before anyone saw.

"How long have you been planning all this?" she asked, offering a half-glare that was betrayed by the smile on her face.

"What day is it today?" Max asked in response.

"Tuesday." Chloe shrugged.

"Yeah, about three months now." Max confessed as Chloe's eyes widened in disbelief. "You know when you proposed to me and then we decided that we wanted to move up to Seattle for the wedding because their registry office is decent and doesn't take over a year just to acquire paperwork? Well I started making calls right after that." Max's grin only widened as Chloe's own expression bloomed into full-blown disbelief.

"And here I thought you had a shitty poker face!" she remarked as she pulled Max in and began rubbing her knuckles against the top of the taller girl's head.

"Ah! No!" Max screamed, laughing as she tried to pull away. She knew what that was revenge for. The mention of poker had reminded Chloe that the last time they'd played she'd used her rewind to take her for over forty dollars. Just then, Chloe was distracted as her phone pinged in her pocket. She pulled it out and checked it, seeing a message on Facebook.

'Hi Chloe, I remembered what day it is! So happy for you, girl! Do me proud tonight! ;) Love from Izzy and me.' Chloe felt a smile spreading across her face involuntarily. She reached up to rub her eyes and was shocked to see her hand come away wet.

"God dammit, Steph." Her voice was barely a mutter but Max still caught it.

"What's that?" she asked, catching sight of her. "Babe, you're crying!"

"Fuck you, no I'm not!" Chloe protested, swiping the tears away with more force and prayed they had enough sense not to show themselves again. She shook it off and went to raid their table that had been turned into a mini banquet spread with a view to a lot of stress eating. Max tailed on behind her as she explained. "One of my friends from Blackwell, Steph... I think I mentioned her?"

"You might have." Max nodded. "Was that her?"

"Yeah, she wanted to say congratulations." Chloe told her as she wrapped an arm around Max and pulled the smaller brunette in for a chaste kiss. As she pulled back, she was captivated by Max's eyes. The ocean blue of them that stood out so brightly to draw her in like some form of hypnosis. "So... You invited everyone round here and set this all up without telling me, huh? You know, I've been through a lot of tests in my time, Max. In some ways, I guess you could say you were one of them. But you were always my favourite one. Like a riddle that only I ever got the chance or had the ability to figure out." That was when she realised that Max had begun blushing profusely and that everyone else had stopped partying and was staring at them with looks of adoration. Seeing her discomfort, Chloe thought fast. "Uh... Yeah... Well guys, I hope you're all enjoying yourselves. Please feel free to continue partying and by all means put on some music. Loud music. No, seriously. I want that third floor above us to hear it and I want at least six noise complaints by tomorrow morning. Any less and it's a crappy party and we can't have that on our wedding day!" Her words were met with a scattering of laughter from the guests. Some of them looked ready to party. Others were clearly wondering if she was going somewhere with this. And the simple answer was yes. "Of course, since this is a party, it just wouldn't be the same without party games. With that in mind, Max and I are going to get the ball rolling by heading to our room and playing a few back-to-back rounds of Seven Minutes of Heaven. Excuse us." Before Max could react, Chloe had picked her up bridal style again and was carrying her towards the bedroom amid everyone's laughter. Max reached out obligingly as they neared the bedroom door and opened it to let them through. Chloe followed suit by kicking it shut behind them before setting Max down and pulling her tie off, flinging it off to some random corner of the room to vanish into the ether of cardboard boxes and unpacked clothes.

"So..." Max pulled her jacket off and quickly strung her dream catcher necklace over the bed post to avoid it getting broken or strangling her. "When do I get to try out this present?" Chloe loved the cute eagerness of her tone, but she also knew there were limits to how far they could take this with kids around.

"Well if they're staying then it'll probably have to be tomorrow since it makes so much noise that they'll easily hear." She let out a frustrated sigh. "Shame. I was looking forward to that." Max let out her own groan of frustration and flopped backwards onto the bed.

"I guess I shot myself in the foot there." As she went to sit up again, Chloe was on her in an instant. She suddenly found that their lips were fused together again as she felt Chloe's hands gliding up her back. They spread out as Max felt her arms lift up and her t-shirt suddenly go up and over her head. The drop in temperature hit her instantly as she got to work unbuttoning Chloe's shirt. Again. Chloe shrugged it off and practically tackled Max onto the bed again, moving downward to unbutton her jeans.

"Yes you did, honey." She grinned up at Max and the two of them kissed briefly before Chloe resumed her task. "But that's okay. Sometimes life happens. That's just another test." As she spoke, Max let out a gasp as Chloe's fingers glided gently back up her leg. "And out of all of them, keeping you happy is still my favourite."

End!

Author's Note: So I noticed as I was writing this story that it sort of intersects several different stories I've written. With that in mind, I was wondering if you guys wanted to see more fanfics where Max and Chloe are married and meeting up with friends as they enjoy their lives together. If that's something you'd be interested in let me know.