Her eyes snapped open, a sharp intake of breath charging her lungs. She was immediately overcome with the taste of blood and marijuana. She narrowed her eyes, sighing out a disgusting breath. She fidgeted, noticing that she was now in her bed, and more importantly, alone. She pouted.
She's gone? But...
Continuing to shift around, she felt something plasticky against her arm. Examining the object, she couldn't help but grin. It was a photo of her asleep with a blue nailed finger under her nose; a tiny, squiggle mustache was drawn on the finger. In the white space on the Polaroid, the words 'mm, yes quite' were written. As she sat up, she noticed there were several more sprinkled around. One by her feet; it was a picture of Chloe sticking her tongue out with her pirate hat on. The white space said 'i've come for dat booty!' One on her hip; a full body image of Chloe pointing at Max's mirror with an excited, open mouthed smile. The caption here read 'mirror mirror on the wall im the hella sexiest punk of all!' She excitedly got up from the bed to look at the ones sprawled across the floor.
Only Chloe could eat through my film and come out unscathed.
One of the photos had Max sleeping, the comment reading 'here we have the maxmius rex in her natural habitat,' the other was simply a picture of her guitar with the message 'play me!' written on it. Max chuckled, shaking her head. Then she noticed another one face down a bit further away. Curiously, she picked up the photo and immediately blushed. Chloe's face was mostly cropped out with only her thick, smirking lips peeking in from the top of the frame. The majority of the photo was a crystal clear shot of her shirtless chest, the bullet from her necklace nestled neatly in her cleavage. Max ran a finger over the photo, feeling her insides twist with want. She had never in her life felt real, surging hatred for an article of clothing, but in that moment Chloe's bra was really driving her mad. The caption in the white space said 'DARE YOU TO PUT THIS ONE ON YOUR WALL.'
She's going to kill me, oh god. She's going to make me combust with love. Maybe that's what spontaneous combustion is!
Gathering all of the photos, she sat on her bed, shuffling through them as her smile grew and grew. She snatched her phone from the dresser, hoping to see a message from her girlfriend. Chloe hadn't sent anything, but she had received a selfie of Kate lying in bed with a sleepy smile. The attached text read 'Ty SO much for convincing me to go tonight! I had so much fun!' She was even kind enough to include some kiss face and sleepy emojis. That made Max happy, at least.
Though...she was hanging with Victoria and company. Definitely have to find out more about that later.
Max tapped on Chloe's picture and began to type – 'Where are you? Wish you were here...' Before she could hit send, she heard something thud against her door and the sound of a heavy paper bag falling to the ground.
"Well fuck you too, McDonald's," a muffled voice came from behind the door. "You can run all you want but you're gonna end up in my belly." Max cracked a devious smile and hopped off of her bed.
This should be...well, Priceless.
The door swung open, Chloe holding the bag of food between her clamped lips while she carried a tray of coffee in one hand and a plastic bag in the other. The bag slipped from her mouth and crashed back onto the floor as she stared at Max, who was holding her shirt up, slowly wiggling her hips. A red shade bloomed on her cheeks as she clumsily searched for the door with her foot, slamming it once she finally found it.
"Morning!" Max greeted cheerily, letting her shirt fall back into place. The punk stared at her, speechless, before hatching an evil smirk of her own.
"So I guess you got my pictures," she said, setting the coffee in the nook of Max's dresser and dropping the plastic bag. The brunette couldn't help but smile at Chloe standing there in her pirate gear, only with a beanie instead of captain hat.
"Oh, pictures?" Max asked, playing it cool. Chloe laughed and bit her lip.
"Get over here," she commanded, pointing to the ground directly in front of her. The brunette slowly traipsed toward her, her hands behind her back innocently. Chloe huffed in impatience, taking the initiative to tackle the the smaller girl onto her bed. "How's it goin', sexy?" She asked, attacking Max's neck with soft kisses. Max wriggled beneath her, giggling from her tickles.
"I'm great now," she said, tearing Chloe's beanie off of her head. "Hella fuckin' super wowsers great." She met the punk's lips with her own, pulling her tightly against her. It was the taste of Chloe's ashy coffee breath that made her recoil, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Ugh, I must taste horrible!" Embarrassed, she wrestled from beneath Chloe and skated over to her toothbrush. "I need to go brush my teeth," she said quickly, her expression flustered.
"If you want to, sure, but I just got us a bunch of noms and then you'd have that like, refractory period of toothpaste making things taste nasty. Besides," she stood up from the bed and scooped up her bowl, displaying it for Max proudly. "You haven't had a real wake 'n bake yet! That's kinda why I brought it." She wiggled an eyebrow.
Corruption on aisle 219!
"Fine," Max said sternly. "Only because my toothbrush is wet and that means you used it recently."
"Oh ho, yeah, lemme twist your arm there, Maxers." Chloe chuckled as she packed it. "It'll be fun!"
"Mhm." Max glanced around the room. "I mean, are we going to get caught? It's like nine in the morning, people are still here."
"Nah." The punk waved dismissively. "I mean, maybe, but nah."
"That's comforting," Max said, sitting next to her. She laughed. "Man, you're totally turning me into a pothead." Chloe leered at her, sticking her tongue out.
"I don't think last night really counts," she said dryly, stopping to survey Max's face. "How are you feeling?"
Bleh. BLEH. BLEEEEEH.
"Okay," she said quietly. "Was kind of hoping it was a dream but...never that easy, is it?" Chloe scoffed, nodding her head.
"These days, not even dreams are safe."
"You've had more?" Max asked, furrowing her brow. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Just two more," Chloe said, holding the bowl out to examine it. "I didn't tell you because...Christ, Max, I can't hurt you. I don't want to do anything that could trigger your shit." She looked at her. "Are you mad?"
"No." Her voice was hesitant. "Just...I dunno, I wish you didn't have to see any of it." She swallowed. "What were they?"
"Oooone sec," Chloe muffled, taking a hit. Max watched the embers glow and die. She handed it to the brunette. "Um, okay, so I had one last night actually. It was just...I dunno, nothing really crazy. Just you talking to Frank and Nathan at the Two Whales. I guess it was when we were trying to get his keys?" She exhaled a steady stream of smoke, giggling at the end. "Note to self, don't fuck with Frank's beans." Max sputtered out a scattered plume of milky smoke. The room fell silent.
"Uh, Chlo? The other one?" She asked nervously, tangling their feet together. The punk sighed, sliding her head sideways and cracking her neck.
"I dunno, it was just like a fragment. It was, uh...you and David in the Dark Room." She closed one eye, focusing the other on Max. "You told him what happened and he just..." Her voice faded away.
The Dark Room...
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Chloe." She laced their fingers together. The blue haired girl shrugged indifferently.
"I dunno. Just wish I was the one to do it." She scowled. "Is that fucked up? After everything, I still want to kill him? And I mean, in case you were wondering, I didn't...I mean, I didn't see anything else." Max didn't say anything, instead hurriedly reaching to snatch the bowl back. She took a deep drag and exhaled.
"This is crazy," she said in a small voice, zoning out.
"But..." Chloe smiled, sliding an arm around Max. "We're together. I know, like...I know I keep saying that, but it's pretty much my mantra. No matter how bad anything gets, we're together. That's amazing. I mean, yeah, we're totes fucked up. Serious damaged goods." Both girls laughed. "Crazy broken!" She shouted, her laughter growing. "But we've got each other, hey? I'll be your glue if you'll be mine."
"I think I can work that," Max said. "I do hope you're the edible kind, though." Max flashed a toothy grin. Chloe squawked in laughter, waving away smoke with her hand.
"That was the worst pickup line I have ever heard!"
"Oh, will you shut the fuck up and kiss me?" The brunette said, pulling Chloe's collar until their lips met.
"That's such bullshit, you literally cannot like Return more than Empire," Chloe said, raising her voice. "That's not true."
"It's impossible!" Max held her arms out and cackled, waving her breakfast sandwich as she did so. "I do though! It's great. And the Ewoks are so cute!"
"Ewoks. EWOOOOOOKS!" The punk paced around the room, flailing. "You're supposed to have good taste, Little-Miss-Look-How-Hip-I-Am!" Max clutched her stomach, breathing through her hysterics.
"Seriously, it's good," Max offered through her chewing after collecting herself. "If only it had Jar Jar. Best written character." Chloe stopped and glared at her. "Kidding," she said, holding up her hands. Chloe snickered, dropping into a sitting position on the floor. She scooted over to the bed, resting her back against it. Max joined her, awkwardly sliding off of the mattress.
"Did you have like, plans today or anything?" Chloe asked, sipping from her coffee.
"My plans were going to be 'glom on to Chloe.'" Max said, wrapping both arms and a leg around the punk. "There, done!" She nuzzled into her chest. "Why, did you have plans?"
"Nope!" She beamed. "Just hang out with you. Smoke a little weed, kiss a little hottie. Maybe watch some movies, play some games." She shrugged. "I'm yours to mold," she said, her arched eyebrow offering some sort of innuendo. Max stared at her, a small smile building in her cheeks.
"I really, really love you," she said.
"And I love you," the punk responded, affectionately petting Max's hair.
"This is probably the best food I've ever had," Max said as she finished off her sandwich, feeling the filter of ditziness drape across her mind. She giggled, swiping a greasy thumb across Chloe's forehead. "Simba," she whispered. The blue haired girl scrunched her nose in disgust, wiping her head with the back of her hand.
"You're too fucking cute," she muttered, slipping from Max's grasp and flopping to the floor. "You got any tunes? It's hella quiet in here." She absentmindedly stroked the carpet with one hand, pointing at the guitar with the other. "Play dat," she demanded.
"Can't do it," Max mumbled, plucking a pillow from off the bed behind her and hugging it. "Too shy. I'm not good enough." She played with her phone for a moment, setting it down once the music began.
"Too shy? Al-Max-ander The Great, I think you've pretty much conquered that whole thing." Chloe lazily tried to sip her coffee, snickering when she made no progress because she refused to move her head. "I need like a Rube Goldberg silly straw," she quietly laughed, pushing the coffee away from her.
"I don't think I'm really over being shy," Max said, laughing at her girlfriend's A+ effort in laziness.
"Seems like it to me. Everything you did during invisible week...I dunno, remember? I even said 'you're not so chickenshit' anymore. Since we've been back, what's been your biggest goal?" She laughed lightly. "Aside from make outs, of course." Max just kind of stared at her. Chloe snorted. "Making friends! And you're good at it! You even went to a party last night. Parties are to shy people as garlic is to vampires."
"Hmmm." Max rested her chin on the pillow, squeezing it a few times. "That's crazy. All because of you. You brought it out of me," she mused.
"That I will take credit for," the punk said, putting more effort into her acquirement of coffee. "Oh, dude, I love this." She pointed at Max's phone as a new song came on. "Oh, noose..." she sang, closing her eyes, "tied myself in, tied myself too tight." Max closed her eyes too, letting the Modest Mouse track fill the room. She ran her fingers against the pillow rhythmically, taking in the complete serenity of the moment. It was something she learned she needed to cherish, given how quickly things could whip in the other direction.
"I wonder if mice are modest, though?" Chloe asked once the song ended. Max peeked one eye open.
"Some are," she said confidently. "Except for, um, Jeravus the Cheese-Lord. He's a total dick. Rules with an iron paw." The punk began to chuckle.
"Yeah, totally, that guy is an asshole. Did you see the 60 Minutes about his cheese cartel? I was completely appalled." Chloe slipped one of her feet under Max's leg. "He must be stopped," she said seriously.
"Not that easy, though. The government like...on the low hired Tom, that cat from that old snuff cartoon? Not even he could catch him." She blinked and burst into laughter, causing the punk to join in. "Are we fucking stupid? I feel like I am and you definitely sound like it. I've been petting a pillow for five minutes."
"Cannabis!" Chloe managed to cheer through her laughter. After they both calmed down, she wiped away some tears – finally the good kind – and shimmied around until her head was in Max's lap. She nuzzled into the girl's leg, gently kissing it. "See, this is so fun," she said quietly, "just being with you, being idiots. Reminds me of when we were kids."
"I recall only you being the idiot," Max teased. The music from her phone faded out momentarily, signaling a text message. "Heh, look at this cat picture Warren just sent me." She held the phone so Chloe could see.
"Ha! Look at that guy, sittin' there with fur and a tail. What a cutie." She yawned, quickly rubbing her face against Max's leg in an attempt to wake herself up.
"I wonder how his date went," the brunette wondered aloud. "He and Brooke are a cute couple but she is like, the saltiest chick I've ever met."
"Aw, worried about War-War?" The punk prodded. She lightly smacked Max's leg. "Tell him to come over, I kinda need to hear how smooth he definitely wasn't." Max chuckled.
"Sure, that sounds fun," she said, tapping on her phone.
"Oooh, but tell him to bring movies! And...and chips! Lots of chips. Something to snack on."
"The munchies struggle is real," Max admitted with a smile. In response, Chloe made exaggerated chomps into her leg, complete with an 'om nom nom' sound. "Alright, I invited him. He's got like, a literal fuck-ton of movies. Steals 'em all online."
"Aha! So it shall be three pirates instead of two! We'll have to haze him, of course. Swab the poop deck, clean the cannonballs, take the parrot for a walk..." She got to her knees and waddled over to the window where her bowl sat. "Maaaaybe a little more smokus-pocus before he gets here?" She asked, waggling her eyebrows.
"I would like one marijuanas, please!" Max said, raising her hand enthusiastically.
"Whoooooo is it?" Chloe shouted in response to the timid knock on the door.
"Uh, Warren?" Said the muted voice.
"What's the password!?" Max yelled, trying to keep her laughter in. She heard a long sigh.
"I brought snacks," he said dryly. Chloe's eyes bulged as she clapped excitedly.
"Correct!" She exclaimed. "Warren Graham, come on down!"
The door opened, Warren standing there with his arms full of different colored snack bags. He took one step into the room and cringed, whipping around to close it quickly.
"Are you guys getting baked in here?" He asked in a panicked tone.
"I can neither confirm or deny these accusations," Max said, hanging off her bed upside down. Somewhere in the madness, she had acquired and put on Chloe's beanie. She reached out to Warren, opening and closing her hands in a 'gimme' gesture. He handed her a bag of chips.
"Hella yes, though!" Chloe added, catching a smaller bag he had thrown to her.
"That's kinda risky isn't it? I mean..." He tried to conjure a disapproving tone, but laughed when he saw Max tear into the bag. "Okay, fine, I guess you guys do deserve to unwind rather than, yanno, rewind." He sat on the couch and looked between the two girls, both still in their costumes from the night before. "Jeez, you guys look...rough." He chuckled quietly. "No offense."
"Stop, drop, shut 'em down, open up shop," Chloe mumble-chanted as she shoved chips into her mouth.
"How was date?" Max asked through her chewing. His eyes lit up.
She better have been nice to him! He's like a little brother...ehhh, probably don't tell him that.
"Oh, it was so awesome! I fucking love that movie, man," he said, beaming. The girls slowly looked at each other.
"Mm," Max hesitated. "Like, the Brooke part is really what I was going for."
"Oh, she was really cool. She liked it too." He furrowed his brow, confused at their lack of reaction. The girls exchanged another look, with Chloe huffing.
"Dude, didja get your dick wet or not? Tell us the details!" The punk sat on the floor, wobbling her feet side to side.
"What!? It was just the first date! I wouldn't..." He grew red and nervously scratched through his hair. "I'm not really like that," he said, trying to hide his blush.
"What a gentleman," Chloe scoffed, lifting the bag to her lips so she could consume every last crumb. Max glared at her. "That was...actually supposed to sound more genuine," she argued with her mouth full.
"Well, I'm glad you guys had a good time," Max said, adjusting the beanie. "And thank you for the snacks. You guys going to go out again?"
"I think so..." He relaxed into the couch. "That drive-in is actually no joke, you guys should go sometime. It's got like, those old fashioned personal speakers? Really retro."
"Oh my god, we should double date!" Max patted her knees excitedly. "Probably after we do something with Dana, though. She called double date dibs..." She trailed off, her eyes glazing over. "Double date dibs. Double...date dibs? That's like an ice cream isn't it?" Chloe and Warren burst into laughter.
"Maybe?" He offered, shaking his head gracefully when Chloe held out the bowl to him. "But anyways, yeah, my date went fine thank you very much." He picked up the pirate hat next to him and studied it. "How was the party? Did Kate handle everything okay?"
"It was fun," Max cheered. "And she did great! Though she slipped away from us and started hanging with Victoria. Hmph. Like we're not cool enough." She fake pouted, then giggled.
"Yeah, what was that about anyway?" Chloe asked.
"Wait, wait..." Warren interrupted. "Victoria...like, Victoria Chase? What?"
"Mhm, we're friends with her now," the brunette said, reaching for another bag.
"We are? What!? How did that happen?" He asked, an appalled look on his face. "The fuck did I miss?"
"Not a whole lot, really..." Max said. She then sighed, setting the bag away from her. "Okay, actually, something did happen." He noticed Chloe look away, a somber expression growing.
Buzzkill mode: Activated!
"What? Like...time stuff?" He fidgeted with his sleeve, and Max could tell he was bracing himself.
"Time stuff," she nodded. "We were on our way back and we ran into Samuel and...you know how he has that 'the squirrels tell me secrets' thing?" Warren bobbed his head. "Well, apparently they told him to thank me for stopping the storm." Chloe came and sat next to her, pulling her into a hug. "How is that possible, dude? I mean, for a variety of reasons, but how could he or...they know?"
Warren brought a hand to his head, massaging his temple with his thumb. Max hid her face in Chloe's shoulder, the punk taking the moment to make eye contact with Warren and nod. She slowly brought a finger to her nose and ran it down her lip, mouthing the word 'nosebleed.'
"Buhh...well, okay, so when you told me your story one of the things that really stuck out to me was the um, two moons?" He was frantically searching for something concrete as Chloe smiled appreciatively. "I've been doing a lot of 'research,'" he used air quotes, "on what would happen if timelines or realities clashed together." He sighed, letting his head bonk off the wall behind him. "Which of course just means I read a bunch of college essays from theoretical physics majors." He grimaced. "Man, I am seriously no help here."
"You're doing great, Nerdboy," Chloe said warmly as she rubbed Max's back. "We don't expect you to actually know. This is more like...a writer's pitch. Toss some stories around, have some coffee breaks, talk shit about the newest episode of Days of Our Lives at the water cooler..." She shrugged with a smirk. "Can't believe that bitch wrecked Carlos' wedding! At any rate, any and all ideas welcome at this point. Just want to figure out how to make my babygirl's nose stop bleeding..." Max looked up from Chloe's shoulder, flashing her a loving smile.
Been a lot of 'baby' lately and I can't say I hate it.
"I know, I know," he said, sinking in the couch. "I just feel bad. I can't believe you guys trust me with this." He snickered briefly. "Which is still crazy, by the way."
"Crazy's our thing," Max interjected, with Chloe giving her a 'good girl!' look.
"What the fuck squirrels though," Warren pouted, bringing a hand under his chin. "I just thought Samuel was off...not like, cognizant of multiple universes. Or the squirrels, at any rate. So he can talk to animals?" His jaw hung open as he squinted at Max. "Dude, Arcadia Bay is seriously whacked out. I kind of expect a bald dude in a wheelchair to roll in any second and whisk you away."
"Not without a fight," Chloe laughed, raising her fist. "We could take him, right Warren?"
"Before or after he telepathically lobotomizes us?"
"Mmn, I would definitely prefer before but I guess beggars and choosers, all that." Chloe placed a kiss in Max's hair. "How are you feeling?" She asked her.
"I'm stoned," she said, swaying her head back and forth. "I don't know, it's over for now. I guess at some point I'll try and ask Samuel about it..."
"Maybe let me do that," Warren interrupted. "We should probably at least try to avoid upsetting you. Lest we awaken some other kind of superpower."
Good...point. I need to relax. Maybe it was a freak coincidence after all.
"I agree with the Graham-Cracker," Chloe said, hopping off the bed. "If we're going to dig into this, I think he and I should be the ones to do it. Unless like, what are the chances of you being able to shoot money out of your eyes? That would be pretty cool."
"Can I control it or is it like a Cyclops situation?" Max asked, making goggles with her hands. Chloe 'hmm'd', mimicking the gesture.
"Or like, do you shoot paper bills or coins? Or what if it's not even that, you could totally monkey's paw the whole deal. What if all you can shoot are Chuck. E Cheese tokens?" Now Warren was also holding his hands up.
Chloe, still with her hands to her face, walked over to Max's desk and hooked her foot on the chair. She dragged it to the middle of the room, before moving one hand away so she could pick up Max's laptop.
"Did you bring any flicks?" She asked, setting it down on the chair so it was facing Warren. "Superhero ones, to be exact? I'm feeling superhero-y." She scooped Max off the bed, ignoring the small girl's protests, and placed her on the couch next to Warren. She slumped next to her.
"I have a few," he said, digging his flash drive out of his pocket. "Wait, do we want like...good ones or bad ones?"
"Oh, bad. Definitely bad. I'm talking like, Daredevil or-"
"Steel!" Max exclaimed, interrupting Chloe. "My dad loves that movie for some reason and now I kind of unironically love it too."
"I thought you weren't allowed to like things unironically," Chloe chided, poking Max's side and eliciting a laugh from Warren.
"I actually do have that," he said, clicking through the flash. The punk's eyes widened when she saw how much content was on it.
"Wow, you weren't kidding, Max. This thing is pretty much nerd mecca. If I buy another drive can you copy all of this stuff for me?" She gave Warren puppy eyes as if he would protest.
"Sure," he said, starting the movie. "I'm all about sharing the geekery."
"Oh awesome, Brooke wants to hang out," Warren said, tucking his phone away as the credits rolled. Max was now fast asleep, purring peacefully, not lasting more than a half hour into the movie. She lay with her head in Chloe's lap, a small puddle of drool ebbing from her lips, while one of her legs was strewn across Warren's lap. He recoiled, not for the first time. "Dude, her feet reek," he laughed quietly.
"Some people are into that," Chloe teased playfully.
"Not me," he said. "I mean, not that it's weird or wrong if you're into the foot thing. Just not my bag."
"I'm into the Max thing," she laughed. She sighed, slowly running her fingers through the sleeping girl's hair. "Hey, thank you for hanging with us regarding the whole...all that shit. For even believing her."
"Pretty hard to ignore it when it physically hurts you," he said quietly. Chloe whipped in his direction, looking uncomfortable.
"Hurts you?" She asked. "It...wait, she said you got this weird feeling when she told you things, but she didn't say it hurt."
"I didn't tell her," he said, frowning. "She already seemed way too stressed. But we agreed she shouldn't tell anyone else." Chloe thought for a moment, closing her eyes.
"Man, remember when life was just...simple?" She heard him release a quiet laugh. "Doesn't last long, does it?"
"It does not," he agreed. "I don't even know how you guys are being so strong."
"I'm not," she said, her voice constricting. "Dude, I'm fucking not. I'm trying so, so hard for her, but nothing makes sense anymore. Nothing but her makes sense." She looked at him, a small tear trickling from her eye. He thought for a moment, fidgeting nervously.
"Does anything else have to?" He asked. She closed her eyes, resting her head against the wall.
"No." Her voice was leaden. "But it'd be easier. When I'm with her, everything's fine. But when I'm not, I just worry constantly. What if she gets a nosebleed and I'm not there? I have to keep her safe." She looked down at Max, her lip trembling as she touched her cheek. "She means everything to me."
"You're doing a...dude, perfect job doesn't even do it justice. With what you're actually having to deal with, you're pretty much nailing it."
"I hope so," she said. "I really hope so."
"Chloe?" Max whispered as her eyes fluttered open.
"Hey sleepyhead," the punk said, kneeling by the couch and gently brushing her cheek with her knuckles. "Have a nice nap?"
"I don't even remember falling asleep." Max shivered, sitting up. "Where's Warren?"
"Brooke wanted to hang out with him so he bailed a little while ago. Dude is totally pussy whipped." She grinned, pulling herself up onto the couch next to Max.
"Like you aren't?" The brunette asked with a smirk. She rubbed at one of her eyes.
"Touche, touche." Chloe was holding the small stack of Polaroids she had taken earlier. She flashed the risque one in front of Max, dangling it right to left like a pendulum. "You never did critique my shots," she pouted.
"Uh, an A?" Max giggled, batting her lashes as she scooted closer to Chloe.
"A!? Well, they're more like B's but..." She chuckled when Max lightly smacked her shoulder.
"Did you like the movie?" Max asked, taking a small nip at Chloe's ear.
"It was awful, I loved it," she responded. Shuffling through the photos, she stopped at the one of Max sleeping. "You know, I love this one." She turned to the brunette. "So beautiful."
"Oh stop," Max said, "but it is actually a pretty good shot. Like, technique wise."
"Yeah," Chloe laughed. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to take a good picture when your subject is just totally zonked out. It really makes up for..." Her face turned ashen. She looked at Max, her eyes wired and confused, her brows knitting together. "Fuck," she spat, bringing a hand to her mouth.
"Chloe?" Max felt uneasy. "What's wrong?"
"Fuck, fuck!" Chloe cried as she sprang from the couch. "Did I really just say that? Did..." She looked at Max. "Did I seriously just fucking say that? Oh my god..." She began to pace, tearing her fingers through her hair violently. She clenched a fist tightly, drawing her arm back and thrusting it toward her temple. The realization hit Max just as Chloe's hand ricocheted off of her head.
Oh Christ, no, no...
"Chloe!" Max shrieked, leaping from the couch and catching her wrist, preventing another strike. "Chloe, what are you doing? Don't hurt yourself!" She was already crying, digging her nails into the punk's flesh. "I know you didn't mean it like that! I know that! It's okay! It was a mistake!"
"That is not an acceptable excuse, Max," she said, the words slipping through her clenched teeth. "I can't believe I would even – after all of this, after everything, I'm still a fucking idiot." She tore her arm out of Max's clutch and stomped over to the plastic bag she had returned with in the morning. She frantically pulled out yet another pack of tissues, fumbling with it as she tore it open. "Stupid bitch, you're so..." she muttered to herself under her breath.
"Chloe! My nose isn't bleeding! I'm okay!" Max screamed.
Is she even hearing me!?
"Well, I'm sure it'll start any fuckin' second because of my fuckin' mouth," she growled. Seeing Max stand there, one hand stretched across her body, clasping at her elbow, tears insulating her eyes... "Fuck!" Chloe cried again, flopping onto the bed. She clawed into her eyes, finally releasing a few vicious sobs.
"Chlo..." Max said quietly as she approached the girl, her arm stretched out for her.
"Is that what he did to you?!" She asked, her voice fracturing. She was crying very hard, her face bursting with scarlet. The brunette remained quiet, but stopped advancing. "MAX!" She yelled, clawing into her arms. "Please, answer me!"
Should...should I...?
Max slowly raised her hand, the knot in her stomach tightening. She swallowed, her pulse rapidly increasing.
If I just...before she said it and change the subject...
"Please don't," Chloe whimpered, suctioning her knees into her chest. "Please don't leave me." Her misty eyes focused on the girl's hand. It was too vulnerable. Too sad. Max's heart shattered in her chest. "I can't, I just...please don't leave me..."Max's hand drooped lazily to her side. Chloe nodded, working her bottom lip with her teeth. "And I assume that's a yes," she said.
"Chloe," Max said quietly, sitting next to her. "You...I know you didn't mean it like that. It's okay. I'm not mad...I'm not even sad...and no nosebleed. Please don't beat yourself up over this." She wrapped her arms around her, pressing her forehead into Chloe's cheek. "I love you. I love you, Chloe. What happened to me was bad...but it was -"
"My fault," Chloe said bitterly.
She can't...really believe that. Can she?
"No, god no, it wasn't your fault at all. Things just happen! One event leads to the next in a completely random and chaotic way. You know that. It wasn't your fault." She grabbed Chloe's cheeks, turning her head so she could see into her eyes. "A lot of fucked up shit happened that week, Chloe. And...and, I know it's hard but I am so madly in love with you and..." Her face contorted in pain as she cried. "You cannot blame yourself. I won't let you." She pressed their lips together violently, the momentum sending Chloe onto her back.
She felt hands slide into her shirt, nails digging into her back as they were dragged back down to the waist of her pants. She pulled Chloe's tongue into her mouth, not minding the salty taste of their tears. The grip around her waist grew tighter. She wound her fingers through blue hair and tugged.
"I love you," she said, her voice sounding more like air than language.
"I love you so much," Chloe whispered, kissing her between each word, tears still rolling. Moving one hand from Max's waist, she pressed it into her cheek, restricting the girl's kisses. "Slow down," she said with a smile, her eyes cracked and glassy. Max was confused at her hesitation, but relented, opting to rest her head on Chloe's chest. "I'm sorry..." she said.
"Don't be. For anything," Max said quietly. "Ever," she added with a quiet chuckle, swiping the tip of her nose along Chloe's jaw.
"I didn't mean to have a meltdown," the blue haired girl said, her voice squeaking with emotion. "I just should have been there. I should have protected you."
"You're here now..." Max felt dizzied with mixed emotions, feeling something drain from her. Something heavy leaving through her veins. "It's funny..." she said.
It feels...better...
"What is?" The punk asked.
"You know how in RPGs, like...when you go to save your game, they ask you 'overwrite saved data?'"
"Yeees?" Chloe said, confusion in her tone.
"I think, I don't know...ever since then, I've been taking less photos. It felt...like, kind of ruined. I only have a few since we've been back." She moved her cheek in a circle against Chloe's collarbone.
"I noticed," Chloe admitted.
"But I think you taking those earlier, it overwrote that part of it. Like it proved that photography wasn't the enemy. Does that make sense? I dunno. It's still, well, bad. It still hurts my head to think about. But that aspect – like being really hesitant to take photos? I think I'm over that now."
"Overwrite saved data..." The taller girl mused. She smiled, bringing her arms around Max. It fell silent, with Max tracing a finger along Chloe's tattoo. "Well, hmph," Chloe sounded off abruptly.
"What?" Max asked as she noticed Chloe pouting. "What's wrong?" The punk sighed.
"I just think I deserve an A+ then."
A/N: Ello ello
So this one got pretty bleak for a bit. Wasn't even my intent but it just kind of happened as I wrote. The opportunity to show Chloe's 'be tough for Max' facade slip was all too great to pass up. The next one will definitely be much more lighthearted, fear not. And I hope that, despite how all over the place this chapter was, it at least comes off as somewhat coherent!
Thank you guys again for all your continued support! It makes me really happy in times where that might be rare. Love you all~