Max awoke in an entirely new world. Well, it was the same world, but she had a new angle to view it from. Obviously, as a photographer, this was an immensely valuable feeling. As she blinked her eyes, the events from the night trickled in, providing a sense of disbelief and euphoria. Then she noticed Chloe tightly snuggled against her, the girl's brows angled sharply, giving her an adorably grumpy expression as she slept. It struck her how rare it was that she woke up before the punk and took the appropriate time to appreciate the slumbering girl.

Now this...this is everything I've ever wanted.

After watching for a few minutes, she carefully reached over her to retrieve her phone. She let out a tiny snort when she saw it was just past 1:30PM, not feeling a single ounce of regret for sleeping a large portion of the day away. Gently tossing the phone down by her feet, she slid back into a reclined position. Her eyes scanned along the ceiling as she remembered the cleansing feeling from the night before; the moment all of her pain and trauma purged from her body. Feeling a bit silly, she closed her eyes and mentally shouted into the void.

Are you there? Uh, evil...me?

It's not that she expected an answer. At least not something as direct as an 'oh hey, what's up?' but it doubled as a scavenge through her psyche. She searched for all the bits that made her feel badly, the latent anxiety biding its time to expand in her head. And she...didn't find any of it. Not a trace.

Beside her, Chloe began to stir, smacking her lips and releasing a sizable plop of drool onto Max's chest. The blue haired girl's eyes snapped open in alert, immediately focusing on Max.

"Good morn...well, good afternoon, baby," she said with a small chuckle. Chloe simply stared at her with wide eyes. Max assumed that she was experiencing the same drip feed of memories she herself had gone through when she first woke up. Chloe narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She flung her arm into the air, holding the blankets open as she looked down. When she saw that they were both naked, confirming her suspicions, she gasped.

"Ohhhhh my god," she squealed, a grin splitting from ear to ear. She clapped both hands over her face as she giggled excitedly. "Yes! Fucking yes!" She began to laugh harder as she cheered, kicking her feet and sending the blankets into a frenzy. "Woooo! Holy shit! Holy shit!" She sat up quickly, immediately rolling over on top of Max. "Oh my gosh," she whispered, her eyes giant and bright as she poked the girl's cheek over and over. "We did it! We fuckin' hella did it!"

"I don't think I've ever heard you say 'gosh' before," Max replied, giggling when Chloe nodded enthusiastically.

"Gosh, gosh, dang old goshin' gosher," she said, nuzzling into the brunette's chest. She began to laugh again. "Holy fuck, holy shit. Yes!" Max wasn't expecting such an animated reaction, but it did make her happy to see how excited she was. It had a certain innocence to it that reminded her of a child on Christmas morning.

She's so fucking cute.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't wake up with a sense of regret," Max chuckled. The punk lifted herself on her knees and shook her hips, raising her arms straight up into the air.

"I hella regret not bonin' for like a million more hours," she sang in a poorly improvised tune.

"Boning, huh?" Max asked with a cocked eyebrow. Chloe nodded once again, voicing an enthusiastic 'uh huh!' before falling back on top of Max. She snaked her arms beneath her, squeezing her in a hug.

"Holy shit, holy shit," she repeated. "Max, I love you so much."

"I love you!" The brunette gave several sweet kisses to the top of her head.

It became comfortably quiet as they lay together, the only noise coming from the occasional giggle of amazement from Chloe as she looked at Max. After some time soaking in the moment, she rolled off of Max and landed next to her.

"What time even is it?" Chloe asked, slinking down into the covers. "Is it dinner time!? Is it February!? I feel like I'm waking up out of a love coma!"

Love Coma is a great name for a hair metal band.

"Getting close to two," Max said.

"Ah! The day is young yet, Maxaroni! Did you have anything you needed to do or...?" The punk rolled onto her side.

"It's funny how my usual snarky answer of 'you' loses some of its punch. In hindsight, that's a really rough sacrifice," Max laughed, sliding her feet against the blue haired girl's legs.

"Nuh uh, see, now that's just something we can legitimately take care of during the day!" She winked. "So, is that a no, then? You're mine?"

"Such a stupid question," Max giggled, tracing light kisses along Chloe's neck. "What do you want to do today?"

"Well, actually..." She pouted, looking a bit ashamed. "Before we do anything we need to go to my house. I was in such a hurry last night, I didn't bring anything but my keys."

Oh yeah...I forgot about that. My poor baby.

"So you have keys, sweatpants and a..." Max scowled, blushing a little, "dirty shirt. That's it?"

"Correct." She snickered. "My first official walk of shame! I'm gonna own it so hard!" She held a hand up for Max to high five.

"Nice," Max congratulated, slapping her hand. "Well, regardless, I'm not letting you go outside without some kind of protection. There's fucking snow on the ground!"

"I ain't even care though," she said, jutting out her jaw in an act of toughness.

"I do," Max scolded. "I don't want you to freeze. What am I going to do with you if turn into a punksicle?"

"The same thing you do with all popsicles, duh," Chloe replied, sitting up with a mischievous smile. Max rolled her eyes, internally cursing at how much of a softball that one was. Chloe got up from the bed and stretched, unleashing a tremendous yawn as she did so. Max's cheeks reddened as she surveyed the girl. "What's that look for?"

"It was dark last night," she said sheepishly. "I can, um, see you a lot better."

"Oh?" Chloe stretched again – this time for show. "And what's the verdict?"

"A lot better," the brunette mumbled, nibbling on her lip.

"My eyes are up here, Max," Chloe said, laughing at Max's gaze aimed much lower.

"So? Who cares?"

"Oh, so you're feelin' sassy today? Fine." She yanked the covers off of Max, pulling a sharp gasp from the girl as she automatically covered herself with her hands. "Dude, seriously?" The punk asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"Old anxieties die hard, I guess," Max chuckled as she slowly removed her hands. Chloe's face lost all note of emotion as she greedily gawked at the girl. Max could practically see the needle skipping in her head.

Okay, that is a pretty nice feeling.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ," Chloe finally exhaled, shaking her head in amazement. "Okay, I see what you mean about the lighting situation." She laughed, waving a hand at her neck. "Well, that backfired. I was trying to force you to get up but now I just want to get back in bed for round two."

"You're such a freaking dork," Max said, sitting up and shuffling to the edge of the bed. "But we should probably head to your place so we can figure out what to do with the rest of the day."

"I already know what I wanna do!" Chloe whined, hopping up and down in a fake tantrum.

Boy, that has a much different effect when you're not wearing any clothes.

"Sweetheart," Max said as she stood up, settling her hand against Chloe's cheek. The girl nestled into it, purring at the newest pet name. "I would love to. Seriously. But I actually am kind of sore." She snickered and turned around. "How's my back look, by the way?"

"Uhh," Chloe winced, sucking air through teeth, "like Freddy Kreuger gave you a shiatsu."

"Meh, I'll take it," she said with a shrug, gliding over to her dresser. "I'm sure I have an ugly red and green sweater in here if you're interested."

"I look like a fuckin' nightmare," Chloe snirked, twisting side to side as she looked in the mirror. She had pulled her too big for her, dark green sweatpants back on, though Max frantically insisted that the girl borrow a shirt rather than wear the one she came in. While she looked good in the light blue tee, her height advantage over Max was evident as a bit of her belly was exposed, not to mention the tightness of the shirt highlighting her lack of bra. She glanced down at her neon green socks and chuckled, wriggling her toes into the carpet.

"You're a freakin' giant!" Max laughed, prodding the girl in the stomach. She 'hmm'd' as she looked over her wardrobe. "Okay, you should take my heavy jacket. I can just wear a hoodie until we get to your place."

"Aw, so womantic," Chloe said as the smaller girl slipped the parka around her.

"Uh huh," she muttered sarcastically. She picked Chloe's beanie, which had been in Max's possession for a while now, off the desk and handed it to her. "Here, for the cold. And the...color scheme, I guess." The punk pulled it on and returned her gaze to the mirror, grinning when the jacket suffered the same issue as the shirt. "You look like a Final Fantasy character," she laughed.

"I really do," she said. "All I'm missing is an impractically large sword!" She stuck her tongue through her teeth as she smiled. "How rad would that be?"

"Babe, I get nervous watching you spread butter on toast. No anime weapons for you."

"Fair enough," she conceded with a pout. "Word on the street is they're renaming Murphy's Law to Chloe's Law."

"I actually started that petition," Max quipped as she dropped a pair of shoes in front of Chloe. "Uh, I guess just...cram your feet in there if they don't fit?" The girl did as she was told, cackling when her heels stuck out over the backs of the sneakers. Max tied her own shoes and hopped back up, pulling Chloe into a hug. "Alright, baby? You ready to head out?"

"Yesh!" She slung Max's overnight bag over her shoulder. Max watched her for a moment and shook her head with a warm smile. "What?"

"You're just...too cute." She faced the door and rested her hand on the handle before throwing a devious glance over her shoulder. "Your tummy is cute. Wanna kiss it." The punk bared her teeth and lifted her shirt up even further, gyrating her hips sensually. Max rolled her eyes and opened the door, holding her arm out to insist Chloe goes first. The girl paraded by her proud as a peacock. Before Max could even begin to follow, she heard a familiar voice aimed at Chloe.

Are you...fucking forreal with me right now?

"Heya, Vicky!" Chloe greeted, beaming down at the blonde girl. Victoria's mouth hung slightly ajar as her eyes fidgeted across the punk's clothes. Grumbling under her breath, Max took her place next to Chloe and pulled her door shut behind her.

"Cool...outfit?" Victoria said, holding up a halfhearted thumbs up. She turned her attention to Max and greeted her as well. "Hi, Max."

"Hey Vic," Max said. "How's it going?"

"Meh," she offered with a shrug. "Just got back from the doctor's. Going to be able to stop wearing this thing soon." She shook her wrist at the brunette. Her head snapped in realization. "Oh shit, hey. Do you know anything about this new photography teacher? I was up all night trying to get the dirt and I'm pretty sure that shit is paved."

"I actually don't," Max admitted. "They haven't even given us a name yet, have they?"

"Nope," Victoria said. "Haven't given us a fucking clue." She sighed somberly. "I mean, I guess anything is an improvement, right?" At that, Max felt Chloe's fingers desperately wind between hers.

"I'd say," she responded quietly, remembering again what initially spurred her wonderful night. She forced on a smile. "But it'll be nice to actually take a class on the thing I came here for, you know?"

"Amen to that." Victoria turned to her door and scowled. "Speaking of, I'm trying to set up a submission to a magazine. I guess I'll swallow my self-doubt and get back to working on that. I'll catch you guys later?" Receiving a nod from Max, she turned and opened her door, taking a small step inside. "Oh, Chloe?" She asked over her shoulder.

"Yup?"

"Maybe bite down on a belt next time? You sounded like a fucking banshee." With one final, victorious smirk, she disappeared behind the door. Max's face immediately felt hot. She looked at Chloe who stared back with a big, open mouthed smile.

Oh god someone kill me. It had to be HER?!

"Holy shit," the punk sputtered as she began to laugh. "See that, Max? You did such a good job!" She playfully tousled the hair on the brunette's head.

"Literally the first person we see," she grumbled, dragging Chloe down the hall. The girl continued to laugh, which didn't do much for Max's embarrassment.

With a bit of spryness in their pace, they maneuvered across campus hand in hand until they reached Chloe's truck. To her relief, the path was mostly clear, and those that were out and about didn't stop the to start conversation. As she took her seat in the truck, Max let her skull bounce off the headrest as she sighed.

"We made it," she said.

"We did!" Chloe reached across Max and opened the glove compartment, revealing a smashed up pack of cigarettes. "Sweet, this is like change in the couch cushion! Except...instead of moneys, it's coping mechanisms and addiction." She shrugged, then plucked one out and placed it between her lips. "What..." She muffled as she rolled her thumb on the wheel of the lighter, conjuring a flame. "What are you so nervous about, anyway? You ashamed of me, Miss Caulfield?" She perked an eyebrow teasingly.

"What? No! I'm not ashamed! I guess I just don't feel like it needs to be front page news." She snickered as she waved her hands, simulating a splash screen. "Breaking news: neurotic girl finally gets laid! More at eleven!"

"I'd tune into that," Chloe laughed, exhaling a plume of smoke through the cracked window. She looked at Max and pouted. "Is so cold."

"It's not my fault you're built like Jack Skellington," she said, once again poking Chloe's exposed stomach. Her smile morphed into a frown. "That was really scary last night, babe. You were like, catatonic."

"I just...needed to be with you as fast as possible. I needed to make sure you were...I don't know, still there?" She shrugged and turned her attention to the ignition as she twisted the key, bringing the engine to a roar.

"I'm still sorry you had to see that," Max mumbled. "But I guess if it had to happen, I'm happy it went the way it did. Funny how that works, huh?"

Basically the title of my autobiography.

"Fucking hilarious," Chloe replied dryly, offering Max a smirk. She slid a disc into the stereo, waiting patiently as the song started. "Kay, wave bye bye to Blackhell, Maxy," she said as the truck reversed out of the parking space.

"Buh-bye Blackhell!" Max shouted, waving her hand frantically as she looked out the window.

Whistling, Chloe opened the door to her house and found herself face to face with David in uniform, presumably ready to leave for his shift at Blackwell. His face contorted into confusion as he looked her up and down. She stared up at him, a deer in the headlights. After a painstaking moment of silence, she released a low, dorky 'heh.'

Fuckin' busted for realz.

"I have an awesome explanation," she said, raising her index finger. He closed his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a small chuckle.

"I don't...I don't want to know. I really don't." He turned his gaze toward Max and smiled. "Hey, Max. How are you?"

Play it cool, Maxine.

"I'm wonderful," she said. It came out way tooauthentically, with a tone of dreaminess as she scrunched her shoulders innocently. Instant regret took her when she saw his reaction, something which could only be described as 'blech.' She felt her cheeks grow hot. "I mean...I had, I did...we..."

OH NO WHAT HATH YOU WROUGHT MAX?!

"Welp," Chloe said, rocking back on her heels, "this ain't awkward at all!" She rolled her eyes as she facepalmed. "Congrats, David. You're the second person to know!"

"I know nothing," he stuttered, pulling the bill of his hat down over his eyes. "I know nothing. Nothing has occurred. I have to..." He whipped around and snatched his keys off the hook. "I Blackwell to have go." He grimaced. "No, have to go to Blackwell. For work. So...yes. Alright, then." His cheeks were noticeably red, perhaps even competing against Max's. He shuffled passed them and stumbled for his car. "Okay. Have fun, girls." He came to a screeching halt and spun back around. "I'm not implying-"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Chloe screeched, doubling over in a fit of laughter. "Go to work, man!"

"Yes ma'am!" He replied, offering a proper salute. The punk's hysterics grew louder when he confusingly looked at his own hand, as if asking 'what the fuck was that?' She prodded Max into the house as David got in the car, slamming the door behind them before he was fully out of the driveway.

"Okay, that was all you," she mocked, skating into the kitchen with a devious grin. Flustered, Max followed, gripping at her elbow in embarrassment.

Why did this happen.

"I didn't mean to! I was just talking to him! You're the one who straight up admitted it!" She watched as Chloe rifled through the drawers below the microwave. "What are you looking for?"

"Trying to find a sharpie so I can write 'WE HAD SEX' on your forehead..." She glanced over her shoulder at the girl. "Cut out the middleman, you know?"

"You're such a bitch," Max snickered, releasing the tension in her shoulders. "You're totally loving this, aren't you?"

"Of course," she said, spinning back around and wrapping Max in a hug. "I mean, okay, I'll be fair. I obviously understand why you're embarrassed. But I don't feel that. I'm just happy and proud and in love! If you'd let me, I'd put up a fucking billboard!"

"Let's keep that in your back pocket," Max replied, nuzzling into the punk's chest. "Tuck it away for a rainy day, eh?" She laughed lightly. "But seriously, let's not just bring it up all willy-nilly, okay? Could you imagine Kate's reaction?"

"Okay, that one is fair," she admitted. "I'm not sure you give her enough credit, but no doubt she'd turn red as shit."

"I kind of just imagine her head flying off like in those old Airheads commercials," Max said. She slipped out of Chloe's grasp and wandered to the fridge, retrieving a bottle of water. "So," she narrowed her eyes as she unscrewed the cap, "we're here. What's the plan?"

"The plan is...I want to take a shower, first and foremost. I need the hot water so bad." She peeled the jacket off her shoulders and tucked it under her arm. "Cryostasis is not where I need it to be on a comfort scale."

"Ooh, yeah. That's a good plan. I should take one too and get all the stale sweat off me."

"You know..." Chloe began, her tone playful as she stalked toward her.

You think you're slick.

"When does Joyce get home?" Max asked, crossing her arms. Chloe slouched over and pouted.

"Such a buzzkill," she groaned.

Max was lying on Chloe's bed as she scrolled through her phone, shamelessly scouring social media to see what was going on in her peers' lives. As she did so, a text dropped down from the top of the screen.

Victoria: OKAY

Victoria: I sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I was just playing :c

Victoria: You're not pissed at me, right?

Holy shit, the sky is falling. Should I mess with her? ...nah.

Max: Of course not :*

Max: You made Chloe happy so by proxy you made me happy

Victoria: K good

Victoria: Now it's your turn to apologize for giving me a conscience

Max: Nah dawg nah

Victoria: finefck u then

Victoria: OH WAIT SORRY THATS ALREADY TAKEN CARE OF

"Rude," Max said with a chuckle. As she started to text back, Chloe burst through the door, roughly scrubbing a towel through her hair. Max's eyes scanned over the girl, focusing on the way the towel wrapped around her clung to her curves.

Oh dear god.

"Sorry I took so long," she said. "I had to defrost." She sat down next to Max and finished drying her hair, tossing the towel onto the floor. The brunette stared up at her with big eyes. "What?" Chloe asked sweetly, reaching to brush some hair out of Max's face.

"I'm just really happy that this," she waved a hand over Chloe's body, "can be the norm now. That there's no like...wall between us anymore." She shrugged. "I guess that was more my fault, but you know what I mean."

"It wasn't your fault," the punk reprimanded. "Please don't feel that way. For me?" Max nodded slowly as Chloe lay down next to her. "That's my girl. Nothing between us to keep us apart anymore." She pecked Max on the cheek before smiling. "Nothing between us, especially..." She sat back up and unhooked the knot of the towel, letting it pool around her hips on the bed. "Especially no fucking towels, yo!"

"Yum," Max said, resting her hand on Chloe's thigh. She let out a small gasp. "Dude, holy shit, I just realized we can just...do that whenever we want now!"

EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT NOW!

"Whenever we want, eh?" She flashed a smirk before sighing. "I don't know, man. That's a slippery slope. Only a matter of time before we're in handcuffs because the playground isn't an 'appropriate place for cunnilingus.'" She used air quotes on the last part. "Fuckin' lame rules."

"Oh my gosh!" Max laughed. "The jungle gym though!" She fluttered her lashes as her hand crept toward Chloe's inner thigh.

"I still think you should've joined me in the shower," Chloe purred, lightly brushing the backs of her fingers against Max's cheek.

"Yeah, I think I mighta fucked that all kinds of up," she giggled.

"It was fun," she said, her voice low. "Was all soapy and slippery. Lots of steam, too. And I..." There was the sound of a door closing downstairs. Chloe's eyes went wide. "And I think Joyce could go without seeing us like this!" She laughed as she lightly smacked Max's shoulder. "Go take your shower so I can get dressed and meet her downstairs!"

"Woah, what the hell happened to getting a billboard!?" Max cackled as she sprang from the bed, picking up a pile of clothes.

"Dude, it's my mom," Chloe snipped.

"Fine, whatever," Max pouted, hurrying to the bedroom door. "If I had known you'd be this way, I wouldn't have texted my parents while you were in the shower." She opened the door, but turned back around. "I thought we were celebrating, I included them in the mass text." Chloe scowled.

"Don't even joke!" She waved her hands. "I just got them back! They can't hate me yet!"

After her shower, Max and Chloe spent some time watching television with Joyce. Luckily, Max was able to keep a straight face, though she was surprised at how much effort it actually took. Even before her shower, she could see something different in the mirror. No matter what expression she made, be it sad, angry or silly, she could still see an overall shade of happiness. Suddenly the term afterglow made sense.

They walked through the aisles of the drug store, flirting openly and giggling in their pursuit of more hair dye for Chloe.

"So much Christmas stuff." Max picked up a small, stuffed reindeer and held it out to Chloe. "Halloween is best, but I do love this time of year too."

"I like it a lot more now," Chloe said, throwing an arm around Max. "Christmas has been so shitty the past five years, dude. Luckily, this year Santa came in October!" She pulled Max against her tightly and kissed her cheek.

"Which reminds me," Max set the stuffed animal back on the shelf, "what do you want for Christmas?"

"I don't need anything else," the punk replied. She held her hands up in defense when Max pouted. "Seriously, I'm totally good. I have everything I want."

"Well, that sucks and is a bad answer and you smell," Max shot back. "Come on, give me something to work with."

"I do not smell..." Chloe grumbled as she pulled the girl by the wrist into hair product aisle. "I'm being serious. Every second you're with me is honestly a gift." She came to an abrupt stop and scrunched her nose, summoning a sound of disgust from her throat. "Ew, that was so over the top."

"You're the cheesiest," Max said, stifling her laughter. "I cannot believe how much of a stealth romantic you are."

"All your fault," she said. She took a few more steps and turned toward the hair dye. "Let's see...I guess I should probably just grab a few. Save future me some headaches."

"There's so many colors, wow," the brunette said.

It's like an emo rainbow. Is that an oxymoron?

"Sure are. Which one are you going to pick?" Chloe smirked at the girl, casually tossing one of the boxes up and down in her hand. Max snorted.

"Yeah, there you go. That'll be your Christmas present," she said dryly. She heard a sharp intake of breath and turned to see Chloe grinning, her eyes shimmering in the closest thing Max had ever seen to real life anime. "Son of a bitch..." She slapped a hand against her face.

"Oh relax, you killjoy," Chloe snickered. "I'm only teasing. It'd be cute as fuck, but I also love you the way you are. Your hair is beautiful."

"You think?" She asked, combing two fingers through her locks. "It's getting a bit longer. Do you think I should cut it?"

"Baby." The punk leaned down so their eyes were level. "I think you should do whatever you want. You deserve that. No matter what you do, I'll still think you're gorgeous. You could go totally Sinead if you want." She smiled as she twirled a finger through her own hair. "I mean, I've been thinking of letting mine go. Just to see, you know? Maybe it's because I've been listening to the weird Beatles stuff lately, but I kind of dig the idea of letting it get long."

"Weird Beatles stuff is best stuff," Max giggled. "I like the one where I have a silver hammer!"

"Oh man," Chloe chuckled, crushing the gap between them as she pressed their bodies together. "You know it gets me so hot when you talk about caving in people's skulls." Max laughed and nuzzled into the girl's chest, squirming happily in the immediate warmth she provided. She heard Chloe release a quiet laugh of her own before calling out to someone behind Max. "Hey fuckface, how's it going?" Max pulled away and followed the punk's gaze to find Frank standing between the aisles with an armful of candy. He seemed to be recovering from a startle and was now trying to reclaim the pace of his breathing.

Wow, he looks good. Like he's taking care of himself a bit better.

"Why do you always scare me!?" He shouted. Once he had collected himself, he strolled down the aisle toward them. To her surprise, he greeted Max first. "Hi Max, how are you?"

"Oh, hello Chloe! How lovely it is to see you!" The punk said with mock enthusiasm, crossing her arms as she rolled her eyes.

"I see you all the time, you brat," he replied. "Besides, I wanted to make sure you weren't keeping her hostage or something crazy." He squinted at Chloe and leaned down to the brunette's ear. "Hey," he whispered, "if she's holding you against your will, blink twice."

"Har har," Chloe said. Max quickly looked at her, then back at Frank before giving him two exaggerated blinks. "Oh no fuckin' way!" She laughed, hugging Max from behind. "You tryin' to mutiny, ya little trash monster?" Max widened her eyes and mouthed 'help me' to Frank. In response, he burst into laughter.

"I like her sense of humor," he said to Chloe.

"Yeah..." She narrowed her eyes. "It's losing its charm a little bit." Max spun around in her arms.

"You're such a liar," she giggled, darting up to kiss the punk on her cheek. "And a hella bad one at that."

"Aw Christ, now you've got her saying it," he groaned before allowing himself a chuckle. Chloe beamed at him.

"Yeah dude! Just part of my plan to hit the Hella Singularity. It's gonna happen," she said. "All you can do is prepare for the inevitable. Stock up on canned beans while you can." Frank simply scrunched his nose disapprovingly. Then he noticed Max eying the bag of candy in his arms.

Aw, I want some candy too. Gonna go find some.

"I'm not just here to only buy candy," he said, knocking her out of her thought process. "But I mean, hypothetically, even if I was, I have a very good excuse."

"Oh?" Max snickered. "What's that?"

"I'm a grown ass adult and I'm allowed," he snipped back, turning his nose up at her. "I'm going to the liquor store next. You gonna judge me for that too?" He did a good job of actually sounding upset, but his smile betrayed him.

"Huh, interesting..." Chloe said, releasing her grip on Max and taking a step to be next to Frank. "You're going to the place across the street?" She slung an arm over his shoulder.

"That's what I just said, yeah..." He sighed and hung his head when he realized her tactic. "What do you want?" Chloe began to giggle giddily as she pulled a wad of cash out of her pocket.

She's so cute. Look at her with money and responsibilities that she offsets by convincing a friend to buy us alcohol so we can underage drink! I'm so proud!

"Six pack of Hop Lava, a bottle of Moscato for the beautiful lady," she said, gesturing to Max, "and I'll put in some extra for you to grab something. Since I'm such a good person!" She cocked her head in thought as she fiddled with the bills in her hands. She glanced at Max and smiled. "You know what? Get a cheapish bottle of champagne for me too, please?"

"Got something to celebrate?" Frank snarked as she counted the money out in his palm.

"It'd be easier to tell you what's not worth celebrating." She said with a smirk. "There, that should be enough. We'll wait for you by the RV?"

"Yes master," he sighed, tucking the money in his back pocket. "You're lucky we're friends."

"The jury's still out," she teased.

"Now this is classy," Max said as Chloe poured the champagne into her red solo cup.

"Hey," she said, now tilting the bottle into her own cup, "I do the best with what I got." The two sat on Chloe's bed, their legs crossed beneath them. The punk finished pouring and held the cup in the air. Max did the same with a lopsided smile.

"What are we cheers-ing?" She asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. Chloe let out a feathery giggle.

"Us, of course. More specifically, us...doing the thing." She waggled her brows. "You know, we did the thing. The thing, Max!" She waved her hand about manically, her index finger pointed at her crotch.

"I got it, you weirdo!" She laughed, playfully swiping at Chloe's shoulder. "Then say the toast or whatever."

"My pleasure," she said in a dainty voice. She touched her fingers to her throat as she cleared it dramatically, prompting an eye roll from the brunette. "A toast to us!" She declared. "To our love, to our friendship. To just...fucking being with each other and breathing air and holy shit. Also I just realized I don't know how to make a toast? But still!" She paused for a moment, watching Max with excited eyes. The girl smiled and swirled her hand in the air, insinuating a 'get it over with.' Chloe grinned at her. "And a special shout out to making love and me finally getting to see that sweet, sweet Max bod in all its uncovered glory." Ignoring Max's blush, she happily bopped the cups together and took a swig.

"About what I expected," Max snickered, blowing a kiss before drinking from her cup.

"I just love these so flippin' much, oh my gawwwwd," Max growled tipsily, tracing her fingers around Chloe's nipple piercings. The punk sat straddled on top of her, shaking her hips side to side, eliciting a small creaking noise from the bed. She took a sip from her cup and then carefully placed it against Max's lips, tilting it to allow the girl a sip of her own.

"I love that you love 'em," she replied, her cheeks rosy with her buzz. "I love how you love all up on 'em too. Fuckin' meow." She exhaled a laugh as she used her free hand to swish through Max's hair. She pouted and looped a finger inside of Max's collar. "The fuck is this still on for?"

"Hey, you're the one who started disrobing," Max giggled, scratching gently at the denim of Chloe's jeans. She stopped and leaned around the punk, looking at the door. "We have to be super, duper, uber quiet if we don't want to wake up your parents."

"That's hella lame though!" Chloe huffed, rocking her hips forward and spilling some of her wine onto the bed. "Dangit, I do that every time."

"Literally every time," Max agreed, somewhat impressed. "Maybe for Christmas we can get them noise canceling sleepy headphones. That's a thing, right?" She pursed her lips in thought as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"Prolly definitely on the internet. You can buy anything on the internet." Chloe nodded with a serious expression, casually tossing Max's shirt over her shoulder.

"I don't know that that's true," Max said. "Can you buy the souls of the damned?" She reached behind her and unhooked her bra, which was swiftly swiped away by the blue haired girl and on the floor.

"Yeah, it was like an Amazon special two weeks ago. Did you not order yours?" She leaned down and pressed her lips against Max's neck.

"No, fuck," the brunette said, her voice fluctuating with a petite moan. "I didn't get the memo. Now how am I supposed to complete the soul stealing spell for my camera?"

"Mmn, I-unno," Chloe mumbled against her skin. Max took the cup out of Chloe's hand, which immediately darted toward her breast, her fingers kneading softly. She took a sip as her eyes fluttered in delight.

"Okay so..." Her breathing grew heavier as the punk's massage grew rougher. "I bet you can't buy like...unicorn hair." She felt a snicker bounce off her collarbone. Chloe sat up straight, goofily smiling.

"This is the weirdest foreplay conversation, babe."

But you love it. This is our thing. This is us.

"So you can't buy unicorn hair," she said accusingly.

"You can, Max," she argued. "It's on the deep web with all the other illegal shit like phoenix feathers and childlike wonder."

"There's gotta be something you can't buy on the internet!" She waved the cup around. Chloe sighed and buried her face in her palm with a chuckle.

"This is the hill you're going to die on? Fine," she said, climbing off of Max and standing up from the bed. "There is one thing, but it's pretty crazy. I'm not sure you can handle this level of information."

"Try me," the brunette taunted. Chloe pried the cup from Max's hand and finished it off, coolly tossing it in the...general vicinity of her trash can. The punk turned around and took a few steps, and Max could see she was fidgeting with something. She whipped around with a predatory look in her eyes as her jeans fell around her ankles. She stepped out of them, flicking her foot behind her so they slid across the floor.

"Give you a hint," she said with a silky voice, tracing one hand up to her breast while the other dipped under the waist of her panties. "I'm currently pointing at it with my right hand." A few months ago, this would have completely annihilated Max's ability to speak. But Chloe had been grooming her and last night had only strengthened her ability to fight back. She knew how to play dirty. She scooted to the edge of the bed and planted her feet on the floor.

You have no power here, muahahaha. Except for when you do...whatever, man.

"That's your left," she said, pointing to the hand that was sweeping up and down the punk's abdomen. Chloe nodded impishly. "Well," Max sighed, slinking her shoulders. "I can't tell what you're pointing at with the other one. There's some kind of cloth blocking my view." She pounced up from the bed, closing the distance instantly and rested her hand against Chloe's slowly twitching wrist. "So, I'm gonna have to check it out for myself. That cool with you?" She asked, not waiting for an answer as her hand slid beneath the fabric.

Oh my god, I love this. I hope she does too. I hope I'm doing okay. I h...she's crushing my head!

"Holy fuck," Chloe gasped, out of breath and sweating as she lay on the bed. She spasmed as Max kissed her inner thigh, giving her a small tickle. The brunette raised herself on her hands and crawled to be next to Chloe, flopping down beside her.

Evaluation time.

"How'd I do?" She asked, stroking the punk's arm. There was a tint of inward embarrassment as she moved her tongue around her mouth, savoring Chloe's taste as she watched the girl's chest heave.

"I think I blue screened," Chloe huffed. She began to chuckle. "Holy shit, how are you so good at that? You're not secretly rewinding on me for practice are you?"

"Yeah, figured I'd break my very serious vow of never doing it again for that," she replied dryly, punctuated with a giggle.

But if there WAS a fun reason to break my vow, that'd definitely be it.

"Fantastic call, I approve one hundred percent!" She rolled onto her side, exhaling slowly one final time as her breathing evened out. Max snorted and stuck her tongue out. Chloe quickly reached toward her, snagging her tongue between her index and thumb. The brunette's brow crinkled in disapproval as she mumbled what kind of sounded like 'what are you doing?' "Can I borrow this when you're in class?"

"You're such a dork," Max laughed, pulling her head away and freeing her tongue.

"I mean, okay, but that wasn't a no," the punk responded, snuggling closer and slipping her leg across Max's waist. She closed her eyes and burrowed her face into the crook of Max's neck. There was something about this kind of position that Max adored. Though she was often the one clinging onto Chloe when they cuddled, this role reversal filled her with a sense of protection. That is, that she was the one providing the protection and comfort. Not to mention how cute it was whenever Chloe took the more stereotypically 'vulnerable' position in their relationship. It just showed how both of them were changing – mixing and melding to compliment each other perfectly when needed.

"Fine, you can have," she whispered in a faraway voice, her focus still on the comfort she felt from Chloe's body. Without much thought, her hand draped over the side of the bed and searched for her phone. Once she had found it – and struggled with actually picking it up – she brought it just above her face and took a picture, lighting up the room with a flash.

"It's weird seeing you take a picture without using your camera," Chloe mused quietly. "Can I see?" She shifted herself just a bit so she could get a better view when Max tilted the screen toward her. "Heh, look." She poked the image where her face was. "So weird, man."

"What is?"

"It's almost like I barely recognize that girl. So peaceful. Look at that zen little smile. So bad for my image, dude." She chuckled as she found Max's other hand and interlocked their fingers. "I like it."

"Me too, baby," Max said. She flicked back to the home menu, the big clock in the center of the screen catching her attention. It read 12:14AM. She smiled and felt an immense warmth burn in her heart.

You surprised me last month, but I got you now.

"Hey..." She set her phone down beside her and rolled onto her side, locking eyes with the punk. "Happy two months." Chloe's eyes grew wide and starry.

"Two months?" She asked in a whisper.

"Uh huh." Max kissed the blue haired girl on the temple. "I love you, Chloe."

"I love you too..." She seemed to be contemplating the weight of the anniversary, her eyes skittering side to side. Finally, she scrunched her nose and pouted. "Dang, I shoulda bought two bottles of champagne then."

"Well, there's always next month," Max chuckled. She touched their noses together and smiled brightly.

"And all the ones after that," Chloe said quietly, tilting her head until their lips met in a soft, sweet kiss.

A/N: Also known as the chapter where Chloe gets to celebrate nonstop because hey, she deserves it!

Good lord, this chapter was being SO sassy with me. Had a lot of trouble getting any words out. Bleh, no fun. So, sorry for the weird long gap in updates! And thank you for the kind words on the last chapter!

SO just a heads up for you guys. I have two more updates coming out (1 text, 1 normal) and then I'm going to take a teensy vacation from the story. I'm thinking about a month, though it could be a bit shorter or longer depending on my mood. Just want to get some time away and make sure I don't burn myself out!

Anyway, the next update should be pretty soon! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and thank you again for all your comments and reviews and love!

P.S. Not sorry for the bad pun in the title.