"I don't know about this, Chloe." Max was tapping her fingers rapidly on her lap.

"I honestly don't see the problem," Chloe said while shuffling through her CDs. She picked one out and studied it, nodding to herself. She cracked open the case and finally turned her gaze to Max. "Seriously, what's the deal?"

"I mean, it just seems kinda soon doesn't it? I mean, in her eyes we've only been back with each other for a week. She doesn't know about all the crazy shit that connects us." She was surprisingly crazed, talking a mile a minute.

"Maxers," Chloe said, placing a hand on the small girl's shoulder. "It's still under two weeks, even with our time traveling." She turned to put the CD she picked out in her stereo, crouching as she fiddled with the buttons. Max looked on with a crooked brow.

"Okay, but still...I just don't know if it'll make any sense to her. I want..." Her voice dipped to an indiscernible volume. The music kicked in, some high energy punk noise tumbling itself into the air.

"Sorry, Mumbles, I didn't hear ya. What did you say?" Chloe slid a hand across Max's back. The brunette lazily clawed at Chloe's desk before fiddling with a piece of paper. "Hey you," Chloe's tone was one of worry. "What's going on in there?"

"I said..." Max's face grew red, her eyes streaking from side to side. "I want her to like me." Chloe burst into laughter.

"What!? Max, she loves you!" She shook her head, her eyebrow perked up.

"I mean as your girlfriend." Her skin continued to redden.

You are such a damn dork, Max.

"Look, dude." Chloe hopped onto the desk, slinging one leg around Max. She brought both hands to the girl's temples and began affectionately scrubbing through her hair. The new view didn't do much to help Max's embarrassment, as she now sat so her eye level was perfect with Chloe's chest. "You act like we didn't grow up together. It's not like it's totally random. We were hella inseparable for years! I don't think it looks like as much of a long shot as you think." She dipped down so she could kiss Max's head.

"I...guess?" Max involuntarily shifted her head around, receiving Chloe's touch. "But what if she's not cool with it? I can just hear her calling me a harlot or something."

"Harlot?!" Chloe laughed. "You need to chill, Max. Besides, don't let the the southern drawl fool you – Joyce is pretty chill with social issues." She watched Max with playful eyes.

"I don't know, I'm just terrified she's going to be against it." Now Max was chewing her bottom lip, her eyes darting to the side to escape the view of Chloe's chest. She sighed. "Does she know how you felt about Rachel?" Chloe squinted at her.

"Is that what this is about?" She rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Max. Yes, I had a thing for Rachel. No, she never returned those feelings." Max just 'hmm'd' to herself. "Stop that, come on." She rather forcefully pulled on Max's chin so their eyes could meet. She was clearly frustrated. "Don't hold that against me." Were those tears growing in her eyes? "Please? Seriously?"

Great job, you made her cry.

"I'm sorry. It's so not cool to talk about her like that." The guilt was easing its way into her temple. "It's just that...you know, everyone has these amazing stories about her and -"

"And remember the time Rachel and I reconnected after spending five years apart without a single word? And how we went through literal hell and back to be together because fuck the cosmic forces?" She slammed a hand down on the desk, not too hard, but enough to get her point across. "Max, I had a crush. I'm sure you've had many. But we're the ones here together. And I am so fucking in love with you." She let out something between a sigh and a growl and pointed to her watering eyes. The already small girl was shrinking by the second.

"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry." She leaned forward, pressing her face into Chloe's chest. "I love you too." She heard Chloe's voice hitch in a chuckle.

"Besides, you were my first crush anyway." She bent down, giving Max a wonderfully tiny kiss. The girl looked the punk over thoughtfully, then smiled.

"My first crush was Robbie Perkins."

"You are a goddamned brat." Chloe growled again, this time with playful energy. Then she put her hands behind her, arcing her back and sighing. "Feel any better about this?"

"Yeah, a little." Max admitted. "But still nervous. Why are you in such a rush to tell her? Since when do you tell Joyce anything?" She didn't mean for it to sound accusatory, but it might have anyway.

"Since she almost died because of me." It was a surprisingly candid answer. Max felt her stomach shift uncomfortably.

"Not because of you, because -"

"It doesn't matter anymore, Max. The point is: She's here. I'm here. You're here! I want to be a better person than I have been. It's not often you get a second chance...or ten." She reached behind her and opened the window, then pulled a cigarette to her lips.

"Good...point," Max huffed as Chloe exhaled the first puff of smoke. "I appreciate the new, mature Chloe. It's weird, I could actually see you changing when you decided to sacrifice yourself. The tornado was like your chrysalis." Max's heart twitched reliving that moment. The blue butterfly image would float across her mind forever.

"I'm hella mature now, Max..." She used her low, sexy tone. "But!" A big smile grew on her face. "I may have just farted." Max gasped in disgust.

"Are you fucking cereal, Chloe?" The blue haired girl cackled in delight as Max removed herself from the desk chair, walking across the room and standing by the closet. She sighed. "Baby steps, I guess." Chloe smirked in response, shifting herself so she was facing the window.

Gross, raw and rough. That's my Chloe.

Max's eyes scanned the blue dresser that sat in the corner of the room. The glass snow doe took center stage with a flurry of pictures surrounding it. All those pictures Max had found in different nooks and crannies in the other timeline. She smiled at the ones of Chloe and William. Had she dug around for them when Max was still sleeping? Then something shiny caught her eye from the trashcan. She peered into it, seeing several condoms lying on top of the dirty bandage from the night before.

Her face grew hot, fast.

I guess she won't need them anymore.

"Hey," Chloe said, turning from her perch and dropping her cigarette in the ashtray. "Wanna watch a movie while we wait for The Maternal One to get home?"

"What? Huh?" Max whipped back from the trashcan. Chloe grinned.

"Nosy, nosy." She chided mockingly. "Figured I wouldn't need them anymore." She was being casual, mirroring Max's thoughts. "Unless you wanted to make balloon animals." Her smile grew bright. "Can you do that!? That'd be awesome."

"Sorry, no balloon animals." The brunette rolled her eyes. "And sorry about nosiness."

"Dude, we just spent an entire week solving mysteries. We're the queens of nosiness."

"That's true..." The heat in Max's face and stomach was rising. "Chloe, what..." She swallowed hard, clearly flustered. "What's sex like?"

Er...maybe rewind just this once. Fuck. I can't do that.

Chloe recoiled awkwardly. She puffed out her cheeks, then let the air escape. Max had wandered back over to her, a hand on her other arm.

"Ehh...well..." Chloe closed one eye, her face contorted in confusion. "It's...nice? I don't know, Max. The hell kind of question is that?" Max shrugged, her small sheepish frame bending in on itself.

"Just curious... I'm not exactly a veteran at romance stuff." She chewed her lip again, which by this point was getting rather raw.

"Veteran? You both insult and compliment me. So wait, how inexperienced are you?" Chloe was now cuddling up to Max, aware of how uncomfortable the girl was feeling.

"Uh, you were my first kiss." Her voice was almost nonexistent. Chloe couldn't help but smile.

"Good," she said. "You deserve someone who truly loves you to be your first everything." Then she chuckled. "Besides, I don't think my past experiences are what we should go by. Those blueprints have different parts." She slapped Max's butt, causing the brunette to squeal. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I'm in no hurry, are you?"

Define 'hurry.' You can be hard to resist.

But outwardly, Max shook her head.

"Good again! So, we should watch a movie. How about Planet of the Apes?" The blue haired girl raised a hand in the air for a high five, which Max bonked with her forehead.

"So funny." She gave Chloe a kiss on the cheek, then thought of Warren's flashdrive. "How about Scott Pilgrim? Perfect lighthearted film about winning a blue haired girl over." Chloe nodded in approval.

"That's my favorite documentary!"

The credits were rolling, but neither of them had paid attention for the last half hour or so. Max was basking in the the constant stream of kissing, her insides twisting with warmth and a coziness she'd never felt before. She kept sighing dreamily, the cushion of Chloe's bed perfectly mimicking cloud nine. The punk drifted a finger in circles on Max's arm, her gaze bursting with love.

"So how was your first big makeout session?" She spoke directly into the brunette's ear, her breath sweeping across her gently.

"Hella rad." She unleashed what may have been the biggest smile she could possibly muster. Chloe giggled at the word choice.

"I'm going to be such a good bad influence on you!" She attacked, pressing kisses along Max's neck – a sensation she now knew she was in love with. Max moaned quietly. The sound of a door closing downstairs brought the couple back to the present. "Oh, mom must be home. You ready for this?" She clutched Max's hand, which returned the pressure.

"I guess so." The truth was, she wasn't, but she did find some peace in Joyce being the first to know.

Time to do or die, Max.

The two reached the bottom of the steps to see Joyce flop on the couch, sliding off her shoes and nestling deep into the cushions.

"Hey madre," Chloe called, walking into the living room. Max followed behind her, her head retreating a bit into her neck as her shoulders hunched.

"Well hey girls," Joyce's voice was tired but kept up that maternal charm. "Crazy day at the diner. Probably the busiest it's been in a few months." She rubbed the stress out of her left foot.

"Make that bank though, right?" Chloe asked as she took a seat next to her mother. Max carefully perched on the arm of the couch.

"It was a pretty good day for tips," Joyce admitted. "Believe it or not, the best came from that Frank. That poor man basically sobbed into his beans for a half hour then left." Max and Chloe shot each other a look. Then Joyce reclined her head and closed her eyes. "What sort of trouble did you two get into today?"

"Well...actually..." Chloe began to speak. Joyce turned to her with a knowing look.

"That sounds like your guilty tone." She looked to Max, he was turning a lovely shade of red. "What? What is it?"

"Mom, I just wanted to tell you...we've all been through a lot this week, yeah?" Chloe was looking for words. Joyce nodded.

Kinda thought you planned this out, you devil.

"But seeing Max again, you know, we hit it off like those five years never happened." This made Joyce smile. "And we've been talking and she...well, she was there with me in the hospital." Chloe tried to go along with what she knew of the week. "We kinda fell for each other." Chloe sighed that sentence. "We're dating." That one came out calm and cool. Joyce's face definitely registered shock. Max recoiled.

HARLOT. I'M A HARLOT.

"Oh my..." Joyce said after a few moments. Chloe turned to face Max and wriggled their fingers together. The punk's grin threatened to split her head in half. Joyce's shock morphed into a quiet, thoughtful look before she smiled too. "Now that," she said, pointing to Chloe's face, "is a smile I haven't seen in a very, very long time." She noticed Max was shielding herself with her hands. "Max, are you hiding from me? Come on, sweetie." The girl peeked out and smiled nervously.

"She totally thought you'd kill her or something," Chloe said nonchalantly. This pried a laugh from Joyce.

"I won't say it's not surprising, but in a way, it does make complete sense." She reached over Chloe to grasp Max's hand. "Hell, I'm not one for art but I would think this qualifies as symmetry. You show up just as Chloe needs you the most." Now Max was crying happy tears.

"We wanted you to be the first to know," Max said, her voice bubbly with emotion.

"I'm honored." She squeezed Max's hand, then let it go. The brunette sighed loudly, letting out all of the stale breath she'd been holding. "It really just makes more and more sense the more I think about it," Joyce pondered aloud. Chloe wrapped her mom in a hug, then snickered briefly.

"And for Max's benefit, do you mind that we're both gals?" She shot a snarky glance at the hipster.

"What!? Well, I didn't know about all that!" Joyce started off strong, but began laughing halfway through the sentence. "Chloe, I don't care who you're with as long as you're truly happy." She nodded to Max. "It's just a surprise benefit that that person is like my second daughter."

"You are...so...cool..." Max said in awe, the tears still rolling.

You know, eventually, I'll be able to hold a conversation without crying.

"Back atcha," Joyce fired.

"Alright, alright," Chloe flung her hands about wildly. "Did you two dip into my meds?" Max whacked Chloe on the head, lightly, but enough to sting.

"Oh I think I'm going to enjoy this," Joyce smiled, letting her head rest on the cushion again.

They sat in the truck outside of Blackwell, lost in each others' eyes.

"Babe."

"Cutie."

"Baby."

"Sugar."

"Sexypants McOrgasmmaker!"

"Chloe!"

"Mmn, that one has a lot of mileage." Chloe laughed in her unhinged way. Max shook her head, snuggling up to the punk. She squinted her eyes at Blackwell.

"So weird to walk back in there." She rested her head on Chloe's shoulder.

"I don't even know why we rushed to get you back before curfew, you've been giving me gaga eyes for forty-five minutes. You're totally late now." Chloe's voice was flat and playful.

"Are you serious?" Max jumped in her seat, pulling her phone out of her pocket to see the time. "Dammit. And you knew!" Chloe slid her tongue along Max's ear, causing the girl to shut up.

"I knew." She snickered. "Sorry, sorry. I just don't want to let you out of my sight!" She was joking, but Max could hear the sincerity. She squeezed the brunette. "Okay, okay. You get in there and get some sleep. I'll pick you up in the morning for Rachel's service, alright?" She stroked Max's hair.

"Alright," Max said, half-whining. "Text me when you get home."

"Will do." Chloe kissed her nose, then her lips. "Love you."

"Love you too..." Max's toothy grin broke through. "Baby." She miraculously got out of the truck, despite her desire tethering her to the blue haired girl. Chloe kissed her own palm, then tipped her hand at the window and blew. Max began to return the gesture, but the punk was already starting the car and cranking the music up. She pulled away and Max watched her go, feeling a beautiful sadness she was ecstatic to experience.

Alright, alright, Bill. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Max's head was too full of happiness to consider being stealthy at all. She hummed to herself, her feet briskly carrying her to her dorm. She froze when she saw a figure walking near the door with a flashlight. She briefly considered hiding when the light blinded her.

"Hey! What are...oh, Max." She recognized David's voice and immediately became less tense.

Never thought his voice would be comforting. Though the flashlight thing is...shiver.

"Sorry! I lost track of time. Chloe, Joyce and I were watching a movie and -" David held his hand up, cutting her off.

"Max, it's okay. Try not to make a habit out of it but I'm not going to go crazy on you just because you're late." He shifted his feet. "I'm so lucky you were there for Chloe when she..." He sighed. "I'm just happy you were there to call for me. And thank you for being with her in the hospital." He shuffled to the door and opened it for her.

"Thanks so much, David," she said as she ducked inside. He simply nodded, then walked away. She wondered how he would react to the news of her and Chloe. He didn't exactly seem like the kind of guy who had he most open of minds, but he had surprised her before. On more than one occasion.

She walked down the hall of her dorms, the silence leaking under her skin. The Nightmare flooded her mind. She breathed slowly and evenly, trying to stave off the anxiety she felt brewing. She wasn't pleased with the thought that she might actually have a bit of PTSD on her hands.

Post-Traumatic Stress of events that never officially happened. That's a new one. Can't go to a doctor for that.

She reached her door and searched for her keys. A quiet noise reached Max's ears, and she stopped to study it. It took her a second to realize it was a violin, playing low and steady. She turned and eyed Kate's door, a smile blooming on her face. She considered knocking, but decided not to. It was late and Kate was probably in the zone.

I'm so happy to hear you play again.

Finally returning to her task, she opened the door. Before stepping into her room, she spotted the plaque next to the door. It was a drawing of her and Kate in Kate's style. They were drinking tea. Max felt her eyes wash over, but willed the tears away.

No more fucking crying. At least for tonight. Tomorrow...will be a different story.

She stepped into her room, slipping out of her hoodie and stripping down to her underwear. She immediately climbed into bed, pulling blankets up to her chin.

Turns out makeouts are tiring.

She scanned her room slowly, reveling in the fact that it was so damn normal. She saw her journal sitting on her desk.

Oh hey, buddy. I'll start writing in you again soon. Promise.

She closed her eyes, sinking into the happiness. Then her phone buzzed.

Chloe: ey hippie, im home.

Chloe: u there sexy?

Max smiled to herself and began to text back. Sleep could wait a little longer, right? Eventually, after a long back and forth, Max drifted to sleep, her phone in her hand and a smile on her face.

That night, she didn't have any nightmares.

A/N: And now I have like six cavities from writing this.

So, some real talk - Is the cutesy stuff too over the top? On one hand, it's something I enjoy a lot in Pricefield-y junk. On the other, I'm so not used to writing it and I can't tell if it comes off awkward or straight up ridiculous. I'm curious to know how others feel!

Next chapter should be up soonish...might be a sad one. Thanks so much for reading!