Max didn't even attempt to stifle her grin as she approached Chloe's truck, which was once again parked perfectly in a normal parking space. Her pace picked up, bringing her to gleeful skip to the passenger's side. Her smile vanished when she saw the truck was empty. Pressing her nose to the glass, she peeked inside.
"NINJA HUG!" Chloe screamed as she wrapped her arms around Max's waist and picked her up from behind, causing the brunette to shriek as she kicked at the air. Chloe squawked in laughter, twirling in circles.
"Jesus Christ, Chloe!" Max's cheeks grew red from embarrassment as she watched the Blackwell parking lot spin.
"Heh, you're so light, I could just carry you everywhere," the punk chuckled. She began to take grandiose steps, making cute grunts as she carried Max toward the back of the truck.
"Dude, put me down!" Max pleaded, secretly loving it.
"Never!" Chloe yelled back. In response, Max went limp, the back of her head bonking off Chloe's forehead. She suddenly became much more difficult to carry. "Hey, you can't do that lazy cat boneless thing! You little bitch, you always did this when we were kids." After a few more steps, her knees began to shake. Sighing dramatically, she set Max down. "Cheater," she mumbled.
"Uh huh, get good, noob," Max snarked, turning to finally face her Chloe. The blue haired girl stood tall, smiling warmly. She was beanie-less, and instead of her trademarked jacket and tank top, she wore a red sweater over a white dress shirt. She was still wearing her jeans, though it was a pair with no rips and of course she kept the boots. "Woah," Max said. "What's with the outfit?"
"Aw, you don't like it?" Chloe asked, frowning a bit. "I was going for sexy indie librarian."
"Oh, no!" Max cupped Chloe's cheek. "You look gorgeous! You nailed it, actually, I just didn't...were we supposed to dress up? I didn't know. You didn't tell me that!" Chloe began to laugh lightly, pulling Max's hand from her cheek and kissing it.
Here I am in hoodie and jeans as usual. Nice, Max.
"Relax, Re-Max. You already look adorable." She let out a goofy smile. "Also, this is kind of...a multipurpose ensemble," she said, waving her hand over her figure like a punk QVC model. "Remember how I told you I had something dumb to tell you?"
"Uh huh..." Max eyed her suspiciously.
"Welllll, I may or may not have gotten a job." Her eyes flashed with uncertainty, but she brought them back to 'happy mode.'
"Wait, what?!" Max's eyes grew wide as she clawed into Chloe's shoulders. "Are you fucking cereal!? Where?!" Chloe brought her hands to her shoulders, placing them on top of Max's.
"Uh...we're about to go there and eat?" She clenched her teeth, then narrowed her eyes. "Dude, I may have made a mistake here. I don't know if I can do the work thing."
"Oh shut up," Max giggled. "Wow, a waitress at the Two Whales?"
Holy shit! Chloe Price has a job!
"Yep! I'm surprised they're even giving me the chance, to be honest, but I think my mom used her massive pull to get me in there. I think she even used recent events as a negotiation tactic. So proud of her!" Chloe faked sniffling.
"This is...a twist I never saw coming," the brunette admitted.
"I like to keep things exciting," the punk said. "Get used to it, since you're mine now." She booped Max's nose.
"Right, right. The gold trophy thing." Max rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm proud of you though, Chlo. You'll do great." Max squinted and smiled. "So, you dressed up for an interview at a diner where all the employees already know you?"
"I...was nervous," Chloe said quietly, puffing out her bottom lip. Max understood this to be her 'go ahead.' She cupped Chloe's cheeks and brought their lips together, letting the kiss burn away their surroundings. The punk, as usual, wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist. As Max began to break away, Chloe pulled her back into it, using the surprise to stage a tongue attack. Max felt a hand trail down to her backside, squeezing firmly before she felt her back and head make contact with Chloe's truck. After a moment of passion, Chloe broke the kiss with a giant, devious grin on her face. Max's eyes fluttered open slowly.
"Woah," she breathed. "You taste...good?" She cringed at her own words. "I don't even know what that means, you always taste good. Just, something's different. There's no..." Chloe cut her off, kissing her temple, forehead, nose, cheeks.
"I brushed my teeth three times and used mouthwash twice!" She gleefully whispered. "Was kind of worried I was just going to taste like blood, to be honest." She laced her fingers with Max's. "Wanted to not taste and smell like cigarettes for you." Max blushed.
"You didn't have to do that...I don't mind, really. It's kind of...I dunno, gross smoke reminds me of you." Chloe smiled at her with her tongue between her teeth. "But I do appreciate the gesture, Chlo. Babe."
"Still," the punk said wrapping her arms around Max. The brunette carefully stepped onto the tops of Chloe's boots, giving herself a small boost in height so they were eye level. "I...just want to do things for you?" Chloe whispered, her breath washing over Max. Her wide, blue eyes were steadily locked with Max's. Millions of feelings and unsaid words floated in their irises. Feeling overwhelmed, and just so hopelessly in love, she attacked again, pressing her lips against Max's. A small clink was heard as their bullet necklaces lightly tapped together.
"Ow, ow!" Someone called, yanking the girls back to reality. Max stumbled off of Chloe's feet and backed into the truck, while the blue haired girl scanned her surroundings. She grinned when she saw Justin by the gym, waving enthusiastically. "Get a room you two!" He yelled.
"Fuck you, dude!" Chloe laughed as she held up a middle finger. Max shyly waved to him.
"I mean, if it's cool with Max," he called back, his voice stoned and slanted.
"Sorry, dork, you can't see it from there but I have a 'Property of Max Caulfield' tag." Max could hear a small laugh from Justin before he waved again and disappeared behind the gym. She turned to face Chloe.
"Stop making me fall harder in love with you!" She said, flustered. Chloe cackled maniacally.
"Are you kidding me? I can't fucking breathe without thinking about you. Deal with it, loser." She roughly tousled Max's hair, causing the brunette the pout. "At any rate, perhaps we should get to the diner. I'm hella starving." She opened the passenger door, holding her arm out invitingly. "Your chariot, my dear."
"Oh god," Max said, her cheeks forever inflamed. While Chloe pranced to the other side, Max nervously straightened her hair and breathed deeply.
Oh man, why am I so nervous all the sudden? It's just Chloe. Just the girl I'm incredibly in love with. Oh.
Chloe gave Max a loving smile as she turned on the truck. Blink-182's First Date came screeching through the speakers. Chloe's eyes widened.
"Oh, fuck, wait," she stammered, mindlessly knocking on the radio. "Wait, wait," she continued, her cheeks growing a deep red. She ejected the disc, which was immediately sucked back into the player and continued playing. "Uh, no..." she whispered to herself, her composure completely falling apart. Max watched on silently, desperately trying to hide the brewing grin. "Gaaahhh!" Chloe shrieked, pulling the disc out and flinging it out the window. She put both hands tightly on the wheel and inhaled, clearly out of breath and flustered. Her face was the most beautiful shade of scarlet.
"So, you were just like...preparing, then?" Max asked, a satisfactory smirk on her face. The blue haired girl whipped in her direction, her eyes wired and crazed.
"Don't." She pleaded frustratedly.
"But, Chloe..." Max began, her voice sincere and low. "I'm...hurt..." The punk's expression dipped and she began to move toward Max.
"What? What happened? What's wrong? Let me see..." She was clearly worried, which made Max feel a little bad about what would follow.
"It's just, I've been hit. Struck, even. By a smo-" Max's voice was stifled as Chloe flung herself on top of Max. The smaller girl pleaded in muffles against Chloe's sweater, but the punk was having none of it.
"You will pay for your pop song references, you little hipster trash," Chloe chided, pressing Max's face into her chest as she wrapped her arms around her. "I will suffocate you with boobs. You will die because of boobs. I hope you're happy." Max went still for a moment and the two became quiet. Finally, she felt Max nod against her chest and shrug, mumbling something that sounded like 'I am.'
I guess if I gotta go somehow.
"In the car, I just can't wait," Max sang as they entered the Two Whales. She could practically feel Chloe's eyes roll.
"I was just excited! Fucking, athletes listen to music before a game! It gets them pumped up!" She groaned. "You'll never let me live this down, will you?" In return, Max simply shrugged with a smile.
"Sorry, it was just adorable and honestly it made me feel more comfortable. I was feeling a little out of my depth with how perfect you were being." She slid into their usual booth, Chloe squeezing in next to her. "Oh, no fucking way are we going to be that couple," Max said sternly. The punk flashed some serious puppy eyes, causing Max to sigh and scoot over a little more.
"Come on, it's kinda cool," Chloe argued. "You always see those couples and you squint your eyes at them and shake your first because it's too cutesy, but you do it because you want that. And now we have it!" She danced in her seat a little, trying to bounce her butt against Max's. "Let me have thissss," she hissed.
She's not wrong, I guess.
"Yes, dear," Max grumbled. Chloe clapped her hands excitedly. A waitress approached the two with a smirk on her face.
"Well hey there, little Price," she said. It was a familiar woman Max guessed was somewhere in Joyce's age bracket, though her hair was fully gray. "I hear you're going to be picking up some of Claudia's shifts. Is this true?"
"Hi, Janice. It's true, I start on Monday," she said, blushing somewhat. "I won't be as good as her of course but I kind of need that cash." She fiddled with the sugar packets.
"You'll do fine, hun. You're more than welcome to the family." She eyed Max suspiciously, a knowing smile on her face. "So this must be your girlfriend."
Oh dear. Joyce! You'd get along with Dana.
"I am," Max admitted, reaching her hand out for Janice to shake. "I actually remember you from when I was little," she said.
"Ah, before I turned into an old woman," she sighed. "Well, welcome back to Arcadia Bay. Sorry that we've gotten some bad publicity lately." She nodded toward Chloe. "How are you feeling, by the way?" Chloe's expression flickered annoyance, but she didn't hold it for long.
"I'm...okay, it's basically healed. Coulda been a lot worse," she said, frowning. Max could tell it was a conversation Chloe was probably tired of having. She was definitely the 'can we just move on from this?' kind of person when she wasn't the one holding the grudge. Thankfully, Janice seemed to pick up on this.
"Well, that's good. We can all put it behind us." She smiled, holding up two menus. "Now, the important bit...do you guys need to take a look at these or do you already know what you want?"
"I'd like to check it out," Max said. Chloe released a frustrated sigh before winking at Max. Janice handed them the menus and asked for their drink orders before scurrying away. The couple stared at each other, huge grins pasted on their faces. "Oh!" Max said, her voice dipping to a whisper. "So I told Warren that I could re-"
"Shhh." Chloe pressed her index finger on Max's lips. The brunette's brow furrowed. "No R-word until after dinner." She slowly removed her finger.
"R-word?" Max asked, confused.
"Yes, the R-word. I want to...just have one moment where we talk about normal stuff. Like, let's talk about life the past five years, get to know what we're into. I just think it'd be good for our sanity...good for mine, at least." She scrunched her lips to the side. "Is that okay with you?"
"Fine." Max smiled. "I won't say..." She leaned toward Chloe and whispered, "Rumpelstiltskin." The blue haired girl chuckled.
"You fucker!" She lightly slapped Max's shoulder. "I told you not to say it!" She huffed dramatically. "Date ruined. I'm out." She slowly began to get up before Max yanked her back into the seat, sprinkling kisses onto her cheeks.
"Easy, you two," Janice said, returning with their drinks. "You'll get everyone all hot an' bothered." She set them down, then rolled her eyes. "I'll come back for the order. You guys didn't even open the menu."
"I already know what I want!" Chloe shook her hands in the air. Janice narrowed her eyes at her, then looked at Max.
"Take your time, sweetie."
All diner waitresses say sweetie and hun. I wonder if it'll leak into Chloe's vocabulary.
After a few minutes of Max trying to desperately concentrate on the menu while Chloe repeatedly made loud fart sounds, the waitress returned.
"No thanks to this one," Max said, waving her hand at Chloe, "I've come to a decision. I want...a grilled cheese. With bacon!" She held the menu up for Janice to take.
"Are you cereal, Max?" Chloe purposely elongated 'cereal' to make it sound ridiculous. "Took you that long to decide on hot, buttered bread with cheese." She turned to the waitress. "I would like the usual, thanks." Janice simply shook her head and left.
"The USUAL?" Max laughed. "And you're giving me shit! How chivalrous." In return, the punk kissed her cheek.
"So, Mad Max, let's talk." She shifted slightly in the booth so she had a better view of her girlfriend, forcefully trying to move it away from her. "Not the best seating arrangement for conversation," she admitted.
"What do you want to talk about?" The brunette asked, taking a sip of her soda.
"Well, what are you into? What'd you do for the last five years? You kind of know about my shit but what about you?" Chloe chuckled, somewhat embarrassed. "We're kind of reverse dating, this is weird. But...neat?"
"But neat," Max agreed. "Um...I dunno, it's kind of a loaded question. I guess for the most part I just...kind of kept to myself." She frowned. "Really nothing exciting. I didn't really have any friends, just a few, so I sort of submerged myself in internet culture and media. And photography, of course."
Oh, that's right. I forgot that I'm a fucking loser.
"That's the TLDR, I want the details, babygirl," the blue haired girl smirked. Max began to feel frustrated.
"No, that's...that's pretty much it. I mean, I did stuff with my parents. We went sightseeing and went to sporting events, but they've always been pretty busy with work. I had these two friends, Fernando and Kristen. They were weird and quiet like me, but I was bad at hanging out with them..." She sighed. "I didn't really try to make many friends. I was too scared of losing them like I lost you." This admission clearly caught Chloe off guard. She snuggled in closer to Max. "I was kind of a loser," she said sheepishly.
"You weren't and aren't a loser, Max," Chloe whispered, bringing their hands together under the table. "So, what? You were introverted. At least you didn't end up like me. In trouble constantly, doing dumb shit just to get a point across. A dull point, might I add." She kissed Max's temple. "You are not a loser. You are thoughtful, kind, insanely talented...you have all the qualities I wish I had."
"That's funny, I feel the same about you," Max said, struggling to smile through her insecurities.
"Well, opposites attract and all that shit," Chloe added, propping her feet up on the seat across from them. "So, social stuff aside, what were you interested in?"
"Well..." Max began, brightening up a little. "I guess I just became a huge nerd. Marathoning TV shows, playing video games, reading comics, tumblr..."
"Oh man, that's great," Chloe laughed. "Please tell me you had a tumblr with very serious opinions!" She grinned, rubbing Max's leg.
"Nah, I didn't post much myself...but now that you mention it, I do recall this really cool xanga a friend of mine once had..."
"Mm...okay! Nevermind! Let's move on..." Chloe grew flushed in her cheeks.
What was it again? xxpricepiratedragonslayerxx?
"Fine, fine," Max snickered. "I also got heavy into video games. I had a World of Warcraft addiction for a while...it got pretty bad."
"Ha! What a nerd!" Chloe's hand slowly moved to Max's inner thigh. "My nerd, though," she purred. "I've never played, but it seems cool." Max's brain struggled between focusing on what was going on beneath the table and whatever it was Chloe was saying.
"Yeah, it was...cool...and, I, uh...kind of got into speedrunning games for a little bit but was never...any..." Her face felt like she was staring directly at the sun.
"I kind of fell out of gaming," Chloe said, pouting, her hand slowly moving on Max's thigh. "I fell out of any cool stuff, really. I used to be such an anime nerd."
How is she doing this while staying so cool? What is this witchcraft?!
"We could...watch some later, if you're interested..." Max mustered, barely in control of what was leaving her mouth.
"I would love that!" The punk exclaimed, her hand falling still. "This is what I want! You get me back into normal, cool shit and I can...show you how to have fun in other ways." She smirked, sending Max's stomach careening off a cliff. Such a dangerous smirk. Her hand crept closer upward.
Other ways...right...
"Other ways?" Max asked, swallowing hard. Before Chloe could answer, Janice returned with their food.
"Alright girls, here's your food. Holler if you need anything else, okay?" Chloe nodded and she was gone to another table. The punk removed her hand from Max's leg, excitedly swatting the edge of the table.
Oh, cool, so we're just going to let that go, then.
"The usual," Chloe said, smiling at her plate. It was a rather large burger fixed with all kinds of toppings with several mozzarella sticks instead of fries. Chloe picked one up and crunched into it, her cheeks puffing out in the most cartoonish of expressions. Her eyes remained on Max, as if she was expecting something.
"Dude," the brunette said, pointing at Chloe's food. "That is your usual?"
"Mhm!" She popped in the other half of the mozzarella stick. "It's the best and they don't charge me extra for the mozz sticks anymore," she said with her mouth full.
"Jesus," Max laughed. "How are you not crazy fat?" Chloe slowed her chewing, her eyes pointing upward in thought. Finally, she shrugged and smiled, lifting up her sweater and shirt a little so Max could see.
"I dunno, I think I have a pretty rockin' bod, too." In response, Max pried her eyes away and took a deliberate bite of her sandwich.
The two continued their meals, chatting casually about some of the things they were into. Chloe talked about her art interests and how she felt guilty for abandoning them. They talked about music, with Max listing off countless indie bands for Chloe to roll her eyes at. They talked movies, television, photography, celebrities. They reminisced about Mario Kart and how much Chloe used to troll Max.
"Oh, I got a good one. Or two, really. R and P," Chloe said after giggling about the previous story. "Thoughts?"
"R and P? Like roleplay?" Max gave her a sarcastic look. The punk chuckled, rubbing her thumb over the back of Max's hand.
"No, but I would love to return to that topic later." She winked at Max again, inciting a blush. "I mean religion and politics. The big no-no's for conversation! Care to share?" She asked in a singsong voice. "Or would you rather not?"
"Mmn, I don't know...I don't really have super strong opinions about either. Sometimes I pretend to myself that I do, but it's not like I do all the research necessary. I guess just...weed is pretty cool, racism is bad, people should be able to marry who they want..."
"Damn right, Maxipad! Why we gotta go somewhere else to get married?" Max briefly choked on her soda, spitting a small amount of it back into the glass. "Woah, didn't know people actually did that," Chloe said, seeming somewhat impressed.
"Married, huh?" Max asked, turning as much as she could in her seat.
"I'm sorry," the punk said, holding up their interlocked hands, "are you under the impression that we won't be getting married? Dude, you're fucking high if you think I'm not putting a ring on that."
Wowser, married...is that an unofficial proposal?
"Just haven't...thought about it," Max said, giving Chloe a small kiss.
"Pretty much all I can think about," the blue haired girl responded. "So, what about religion?" She let the question linger, a huge smile blooming on her face. Max looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "Okay, that one's kind of a gimme, what with everything that we've been through. Who the fuck knows, right?"
"No R-word," Max reminded. Chloe held up her hands innocently.
"I think I'm about done," Chloe said, eying her empty plate.
"Yeah, I'd say so." Max poked Chloe's stomach, which was of course firm and made her feel things. "I'm good too! How much is the check?"
"Nope!" Chloe flailed her hands around. "I got this one. Dating!" Max giggled, feeling so warm in her chest. It couldn't have been too much money, but just the idea that she had someone doting on her like Chloe had been the past few days made her feel so good. After Chloe had paid and tipped Janice, the two linked fingers together and left. As soon as they crossed the threshold of the door, Chloe pulled Max into a hug. Their cheeks pressed together and the punk rocked them side to side slowly. "I love you, Max," the punk whispered.
"I love you too," Max said, kissing Chloe's ear.
"Okay, alright," the blue haired girl said, straightening up. "The ban is lifted...tell me what Warren had to say about everything on the ride home."
The drive to Chloe's house was filled with less lighthearted discussion. Max told her about her conversation with Warren and how telling him about everything actually physically affected him. She brought up the idea that she and Chloe 'broke' her powers and there was still some unseen consequences lingering. She merely listened, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove. Max did make sure to thank Chloe on Warren's behalf for Brooke asking him out. That made her chuckle, at least. It seemed that Chloe wanted to mention something herself, but never quite got around to doing it.
"Ello, ello!" Chloe greeted in an awful accent as she opened the door to her home. Joyce and David sat at the dining room table eating their own dinner. Max shook her head and added in her own 'hello.'
"Well hey, girls, how was the big date?" Joyce asked, chewing with a smile. David didn't look up from his meal.
"It was awesome! We got married! And we're moving to the Netherlands. I'll miss you guys," Chloe blabbed as she maneuvered through the kitchen. Joyce rolled her eyes while David quietly chuckled. "Hey, so I don't know if this is a weird question buuut is Max allowed to stay the night now that you know we're a thing?"
Hey! You didn't even ask if I wanted to! I mean...of course I do but...hmph, fine.
Joyce nodded mindlessly before freezing and looking at David. Hearing the silence in the room, he looked up and realized the three ladies were staring at him.
Does David know about us? Does he want to burn us at the stake? Maybe HE thinks I'm a harlot.
"Uh, what?" He asked, his chewing slow. "Oh, is it okay? Yeah, I don't care. Just go easy on the loud music." He casually returned to his meal. Chloe threw Max a 'what the fuuuuck' look while Joyce shrugged happily.
"Janice was our server tonight," Chloe said, slinging an arm around her mother. "She says I am 'welcome to the Two Whales family' so naturally I barfed." She chuckled, with Joyce shaking her head. Max hung out by the head of the table opposite David, watching him be the opposite of what she knew. His paranoia senses apparently were tingling as he glanced up at her before turning to Chloe.
"Hey, I just wanted to say that, uh...I'm really proud of you for going out and getting a job. I'm going to take full credit from our little chat earlier." He grunted in satisfaction.
Little chat earlier? So he and Chloe must have already talked about us...
"Proud of me!?" Chloe faked a squeal, clasping her hands together. "Can I get that in writing? Hold on a sec, I want to find a sharpie."
"Don't be an ass," he teased. Then, without warning, he sobbed. He quickly brought his hand to his eyes and wiped, his face turning red behind it. Chloe shot Max a confused look, with the brunette returning it. Joyce, seemingly knowing what this was all about, simply reached across the table and clasped his hand. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "It's just so nice to see you happy."
Oh, David...
Chloe stood still, her face growing pale. The words clearly had struck a blow. Max knew that feeling very well; the constant need to restructure your perception of things. Time travel had that effect on people. Apparently even after their 'discussion' today, Chloe still had some set in stone ideas of David. The punk took a step toward him and threw her arms around him. Joyce seemed the most shocked of all, but it faded into a somber smile.
"Two in one day, don't get used to it," the blue haired girl snipped as David returned the hug.
"Years of rebellion squandered!" Chloe stomped around her room. "This is all your fault." She pointed at Max. "You and your time traveling and fixing things. I had built up a perfectly good anti-David fortress, thank you very much."
"I've never seen someone try so hard to be annoyed," Max teased. Chloe sat on the edge of her bed, giggling.
"Yeah, it's not really working, is it?" She sighed. "I totally forgot to tell you about earlier. He and I actually bonded. It was terrible!" She feigned a shiver. "Basically, he's totally cool with us trying to swallow each others tongues."
"Jesus, Chloe, could you make it sound any worse?" Max winced.
"Oh absolutely, just give me a minute." She gained an impish smile. "Or rather, I could show and not tell, if that's your thing." The playful look in her eyes sparked a fire in Max.
Oh, fuck this.
She stormed over to Chloe, placed both hands on her shoulders and straddled her. The punk was caught off guard, almost falling backward before catching herself by gripping Max's waist. The brunette dove in, crashing their lips together and raking her hands through blue hair. Chloe moaned, letting her hands dip under Max's hoodie and shirt as she dug in lightly with her nails. Max backed off briefly, flinging her hoodie off and onto the floor. She attacked, pressing her teeth lightly into Chloe's neck, bringing forth another small moan.
"You've been driving me crazy all fucking night," Max rasped into her ear. "Time for some payback, Carmilla." She kissed Chloe's neck softly at first before returning to gentle nibbling, which eventually grew into biting. The punk shook beneath her, her nails digging harder into Max's lower back.
"Fuck, Max," Chloe groaned. The sound of her name in that tone made her ravenous. One of her hands gripped Chloe's collar, pulling her mouth against Max's as her other hand pressed against the girl's lower back. Max gently slid her tongue through Chloe's lips, all the while loving the feel of her nails on her back. She began to suck on her lip, biting down on it harder than she had meant.
"Hehe, ow," Chloe giggled, pulling away from Max. Her face grew incredibly hot.
"I'm sorry!" She panicked, grabbing Chloe's head to investigate her lips. "Jesus, I'm sorry, I'm such an idiot."
Great job, Max. You suck at this. And not in the good way.
"Relax, sexy," the blue haired girl whispered. "I'm kinda into that." Max was relieved but still embarrassed. She began to climb off of Chloe before the girl's hands held her still. "Where you goin'?" She asked innocently, falling backwards and dragging Max with her. The brunette 'hmph'd' stubbornly. Chloe stared up at Max, who was laying on top of her with big uncertain doe eyes. "That was pretty hot," she said casually. "What brought that on? Not that I'm complaining..."
"You," Max sighed, sliding off of Chloe so she was more next to her. "You just do this look and you have this smile and...the thing at the diner with the leg..." Max watched as Chloe's lip was already thickening from her bite. It just made her want it more.
"Thing with the leg?" Chloe asked. "Hm, I don't recall." Max growled in frustration before burying her face in the sheets. Chloe snickered, turning on her side and draping an arm around Max. "It's called teasing, dumbo, and it's very fun." She sat up. "Which reminds me, I need to apply my daily dose of Neosporin." She stood up from the bed and tugged her sweater off. Upon hearing the cloth hit the bed, Max peeked one eye open. The punk stood, facing away from her, slowly unbuttoning the dress shirt. The brunette sat up, rubbing at one of her eyes. Chloe briefly glanced behind her, snickering when she noticed Max's attention.
"You know..." she said, letting the shirt cascade from her shoulders and hit the floor. "You've been getting a lot of free shows lately."
"What?" Max scoffed, a smile emerging on her face. "You've seen me in my bra too! The pool, remember?"
"Did I? I can't seem to recall..." She turned around, beaming. Max's eyes slowly trailed down from her face to her chest. "You like the necklace?" Chloe asked, threading her fingers under the string and lifting it so the bullet swayed gently. "You should get one," she suggested.
"I should," Max sassed as she grabbed the bullet hanging from her neck and pulled open her collar, dropping it down inside. She smirked at Chloe.
"Tell you what, Maxers..." Chloe drifted over to the door and locked it. "I dare you to let me see your necklace."
"You just saw it, dummy," the brunette responded. She quietly gasped. "Oh." Chloe strutted toward her slowly, a panther on a prowl. Now she straddled Max, her bra and the bare skin around it grazing against her nose. She leaned down to her ear, breathing slowly. The sensation made Max's mind scatter.
"I double dare you."
This is stupid...we've seen each other in our underwear plenty of times. Why does this feel so different?
Biting her lip and trying as best she could to ignore what was directly in her face, she leaned back and held her breath. Slowly, she pulled at her shirt, lifting it over her head and losing it behind her. The silence seemed maddening as Chloe stared into her eyes, a barely-there smile on her open lips. Max began to feel extremely self conscious.
"Theeeree it is," Chloe cooed, backing off of Max's lap and kissing the bullet, the fringe of her lips just barely touching Max's chest. Max clamped her eyes shut, as if that would hide her body. Chloe kissed again, this time without the separation of the bullet. And again. Her teeth slowly grazed over the edge of Max's bra, hooking onto it and pulling slightly.
What has my life become? Five years ago this would have been insane...two weeks ago it would have been insane. But this...this feels so perfect.
Max's eyes opened when the sensation of Chloe's lips stopped. The punk stood in front of her, bent down so they were eye level. Max began to feel embarrassed. Had she been making a stupid face?
"You're so hot," Chloe said, biting her lip. Max stared in awe before finally laughing.
"Shut up!" She flailed weakly at Chloe, who caught her hand and fit their fingers together. She pulled Max to her feet.
"Make me," she challenged. Without hesitation, she kissed her, their skin warm against each others. Chloe slid one finger down Max's chest and stomach, latching onto a belt loop in her jeans. She tugged, pulling Max against Chloe's body harder. Max broke away, out of breath, and did her best Chloe mischievous smile.
Fine. Two can play this game.
"I dare you to..."
"Chloe!" Joyce called from downstairs. "Can you come here for a minute?" Max recoiled in panic, immediately diving onto the bed behind her to put her shirt back on. The punk chuckled and shook her head.
"Yeah, one sec!" She called back as she unlocked the door. She slipped a t-shirt on. "What a cockblock," she muttered, opening the door. She turned to Max for a moment before leaving and stuck her tongue out.
The two girls sat nestled in Chloe's bed, her laptop sitting at their feet. They had spent the last two hours watching an anime, taking breaks between episodes for kissing opportunities. Because of this, they had barely made a dent in the show's catalog. Max wouldn't have objected to actually making out during the show, but to her happiness, the punk seemed to be pretty engrossed and didn't want to miss any details.
Chloe had fully changed into her pajamas, but not before making a show of taking her bra off from under her shirt. She had little cotton shorts on, nearly identical to the pair she had let Max borrow. The brunette had wondered if they were going to resume their dangerous game of truth-or-dare-minus-truth, but it seemed the moment had passed and she guessed that Chloe secretly relished the sense of longing she had injected into Max.
It's like a roller coaster that keeps going up.
"This is pretty rad," Chloe said, yawning as another episode ended.
"I'm glad you like it, it's one of my favorites," Max yawned in return. "Yawns are dumb, stop giving me yawns."
"Already gave you my cooties," The blue haired girl said. "By the by, did you see David looking at your neck? Shit was hella funny."
"What!? No, I didn't see that!" She huffed. "I didn't even get you back. So unfair." She pouted as she surveyed Chloe's bruise-less neck.
"There'll be plenty of time for that, grasshopper." Chloe slid down until she was flat on her back. She pulled her shirt up a little and scratched at her ribs. "This thing is itchy, man."
"That's the Price you have to pay," Max teased, laughing when Chloe rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you literally took one for the team. Team Pirates!"
"And I'd do it again and again to get where we are," the punk said, her tone serious. Max gently touched the band-aid on Chloe's ribs, freshly applied after Joyce shut down their body party.
"Does it still hurt?" She asked.
"Mmn, sometimes. It's weird, sometimes it really hurts if you graze it the wrong way, other times it's like there's nothing there." Chloe made pop noises with her mouth.
Max held her hand on Chloe's ribs, suddenly overcome with the sensation she had felt when she arrived back in the bathroom. The notion that she could have lost Chloe for good made her heart break. She positioned herself so she was next to the blue haired girl and rested her head on her chest.
But that's not what happened...We made it. Leave it to Chloe to wing it and fix everything. What did you want, Southern Time God? Just Chloe to be shot? I guess I'll never understand... Who would have thought a bullet hole would save a town from a storm and give me the love of my life?
"Hole to another universe..." Max whispered absentmindedly, slowly stroking the punk's ribs. Chloe wriggled one foot from under the covers and tapped the space bar, pausing the show.
"What, baby?" She asked, her voice tired.
"Nothin'," Max chuckled quietly. "Just thinking."
"That's dangerous," she snarked back, giving Max ample time to move her hand as she rolled to her side. The two lay there, eyes forever locked together. Chloe slowly reached toward Max and brushed some hair out of her face. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Hope you don't get sick of hearing that." The punk wore a serene smile. "Gonna say it all the time forever."
"I think I can handle it," Max joked back. "It gives me strength. But not in a sappy way, in a...feasting on souls kind of way."
"Good, soul feasting is my fetish." The blue haired girl scooted closer so their noses were touching. "Hey," she whispered, her voice sounding uncertain. "Is this...is this how life is going to be now? With us, just like this?"
The question caught Max off guard for several reasons. One, it just seemed like a given, so...duh. Two, Chloe's insecurities were clearly leaking out, despite her best efforts to keep them locked up. She had done such a good job the past few days of making everything seem as normal as possible for Max and being the strong one that Max had almost forgotten what kind of hell Chloe had lived in for the past five years. After everything, she was still scared Max would vanish on her.
"Chlo..." Max wrapped her in a hug, kissing her cheek as she did so. "I am never leaving you. This is how life is going to be now. With you and me together."
"Good...I love you..." Chloe said, her words slurring as she fell asleep.
A/N: This was very fun to write! I think I could have gone on for about 50k more words, but the story must move on. This was pretty cathartic since I've been really bummed that Gravity Falls is officially over - felt good to have a chapter where nothing too sad gets brought up in detail. Just...floof. Floof as far as the eye can see!
So we're actually going to experience a time skip for the next chapter - just a small one, a few days! The rest of the story will likely follow that format, since for some reason I decided to take 12 chapters to actually 'set up' this structure.
Hope you guys enjoyed this one! Thanks again for reading and reviewing! You guys rock socks like no joke.