Ouroboros Chapter 50: Be Kind, Rewind, a life is strange fanfic

With a large amount of pep injected into her step, Max trotted down the stairs to the parking lot. Class did seem to drag a bit, but it was mostly offset by the shy, giggle filled air of Valentine's Day. She genuinely enjoyed looking around and seeing people happy together, though of course no one was a brighter example of that than Kate and Victoria. She'd still allow herself some pride in kinda, sorta, maybe having a substantial role in creating that. But now, school was over, and she'd not only have the day itself, but all weekend to spend with Chloe at 'their' house.

"Hey you!" Max greeted excitedly as she jerked open the door of the truck. With the momentum of the door's opening, a balloon flew directly into her face. She pulled it away from her and looked it over, smiling as she did so. It was pink and heart shaped, 'Happy Valentine's Day' written on it in an elegant font. When she looked back at Chloe, she found another balloon blocking her view. With a quiet snicker, she got into the truck and moved the peeked around the balloon. "I said, 'hey you!'"

"Hey," Chloe laughed, breaking what looked like a slightly angry expression. She smashed one of the balloons down and leaned toward Max for a kiss. "So, here's a thing I didn't realize before – balloons and driving are kind of a fucking nightmare." Her eyes darted to the side and she sucked air in through her teeth. "I actually had three when I got in the truck. Rolled the window down for a smoke and, uh..."

Oops! Happy Valentine's Day, sky!

"You don't even have a backseat, either," Max replied with a pitying smile.

"I do not," she said. "Fuckers were hitting me in the face the whole ride." She grabbed the strings and handed them to Max. "Pretend I got you a puppy and these are leashes." Max's head fell to the side and she gave a wry look.

"Sure." She held one of the balloons with both hands and stared at it. "I'll name this one Howard." Chloe's eyes narrowed as she pulled out of the parking space.

"What?" She shook her head before Max could answer. "Nevermind. And the other one?"

"It doesn't have a name. It's mysterious," Max said.

You will be a spy. Names are just baggage.

"Fair enough," Chloe chuckled. "Anyway, my point is now that you've become attached to them, don't let them fly out."

"Huh?" Max asked, turning to Chloe. The window was halfway rolled down with her finger on the button. She held the balloon near the window with her other hand.

"You're such a smartass. I'll remember this if you ever say you want a dog," Chloe laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Max put the window back up and relaxed in her seat. "So...I know we already said it this morning, but Happy Valentine's Day! Again!" Chloe reached to her side and gave an affectionate squeeze to Max's leg. "It's cool to not just be sadly eating candy and watching Titanic this year."

"Is that a thing you did?" Chloe asked, perking her eyebrow. Max felt her cheeks grown warm and she cleared her throat.

Yes.

"No, just a weird example that isn't at all based in real life," she said. "The point is, I'm excited to have someone to celebrate with!"

"Me too," Chloe said, "I got you some yummy chocolate."

"You spoil me." Max gently dribbled the balloon against the ceiling. "Hey, uh, you're really amazing."

"Oh yeah?" Chloe peered through the rear-view, then briefly glanced at Max. "I'm glad you think so. I try kind of hard. It's really exhausting."

"Heh, it's like a different kind of cardio," Max said.

"Clever," Chloe chuckled. "I think you're pretty amazing too, by the way."

"Aw," Max squeezed the balloon to her chest in a soft hug, "I'm glad we're compatible."

"I just don't see what that accomplishes," Max said, gesturing at the TV as the possessed girl dragged the box cutter through her tongue with a sinister look in her eyes. "It's kind of like, have you ever noticed how many ghosts in movies kill people and make it look like suicide? You're a ghost! Have fun with it, yanno? There's no like...ghost police." She sucked in a sharp breath when the girl, heavily bleeding from her mouth, kissed another character. "Oh god. Jesus. What? Why?" Her hand returned to Chloe's head, safely nestled in her lap, and continued stroking her hair.

That is not how you kiss. No.

"How do you know there aren't ghost police?" Chloe asked, keeping her sight on the screen.

"With ghost handcuffs and ghost pepper spray?" Max smiled to herself. "Ghost chili pepper spray." She giggled, her hand automatically adding a playful flip through blue hair. "I guess they wouldn't have a death penalty debate. You can't kill a ghost. Well, I guess you can, but it depends on the source material?" She sighed, watching the on screen carnage. "This whole concept is flawed." Chloe turned her head to look up at Max and took a gentle chomp of the girl's thumb.

"I love when you talk all sexy like that," she teased.

Talk macabre to me.

"Hey," Max snorted, "you're the one who wanted to watch this on Valentine's Day. Is this like a...reboot or a remake?"

Or a...rebake?

"I'm not sure, actually. There aren't any chainsaw hands or laughing clocks." Chloe turned her attention back to the movie. "It's good so far though, I like it. Are you questioning my movie choice? ...would you rather watch Titanic?"

Oh, here we go.

"Okay, first of all," Max said, clapping her hand over Chloe's mouth, "you're a dick. Second of all, I'm not saying I don't like it. And third, Titanic wasn't the highest grossing movie of all time for over ten years for no reason." She felt a wet spray against her hand as Chloe laughed.

"What the fuck, are you secretly some crazy Titanic fangirl?" Chloe shook her head playfully in Max's lap. "No wonder you had to come out of the closet, there's no room in there for you with a skeleton that big." She let out a proud 'ha!' "It's like the door, not big enough for both of you."

"Oh, what-the-fuuuck-ever," Max said, pulling Chloe's hair in retaliation. In response, the girl let out a seductive purr. Max rolled her eyes. "You're the definition of impossible."

"Heh, I know," Chloe said with quiet triumph, "but you're kind of the definition of possible so at least our checkbook is balanced."

Never thought of it that way before...

"Huh..." She grew contemplative, her eyes aimed at the screen but unfocused. "Do you think ghosts have banks? A ghost economy?"

"Uh huh," Chloe answered, "you didn't hear about the ghost panic on ghost Wall Street? The BOO stock ghost plummeted into the ghost red and AHHH skyrocketed, it's total ghost mayhem."

"Wow, that's so stressful. No wonder they're always throwing shit," Max laughed. She cringed again at a display of gore in the movie. "Gross... Speaking of, did you have ideas for foods? I figured maybe getting takeout or delivery was a safer bet since restaurants are probably crowded."

"Yeah," Chloe replied, "even the Two Whales has a reservation, but I doubt it was necessary. Some old couple that met there back in the day, they spend every Valentine's there. Isn't that cute?"

Aww!

"It is cute. We should mark our territory somewhere so it can be ours forever." She shifted herself as best she could without disturbing Chloe.

"The lighthouse." Chloe didn't say it with any particular gusto, but what struck Max was how immediate and casual it was. There might as well have been a 'duh' attached. She supposed if there was going to be a place that belong to them, that probably was the best answer. She smiled, gently brushing her knuckles along the girl's cheek. "And yeah," Chloe said, "I got dinner figured out. It's a surprise."

Oh really now?

"A surprise, huh?" Max asked. "That sounds exciting and possibly romantic."

"You know me," Chloe said, pulling Max's arms around her snugly, "I'm all kinds of romantic and shit."

Max wiped the steam off the mirror, sighing in relief from the affects of the shower. As the cold air met the heat of her skin, a relaxing sting pulsed through her muscles and she stretched her neck to the side to alleviate lingering discomfort. She'd never noticed it before, but it was clear that just the act of sitting in school on less than ideal chairs actually had an impact on her body.

We should sue for damages.

She gave two exaggerated blinks in the mirror, then leaned in closer to analyze the reflection. Her hair really had gotten noticeably longer, clinging to the shoulders they couldn't reach just a few months ago. She touched the hoop in her nostril, pleased that none of the irrational fears involving a violent removal of said hoop had come to pass. Tilting her head, she smirked at the purple splotch just under her jaw. Her fingers pressed it gently, and the smallest, sweetest ache throbbed in her skin. She looked into her own eyes, then around them, noticing the beginning traces of dark circles. They weren't born of restless insomnia, but of late nights spent laughing with those she cared about. When combined, these changes did make her look quite different. But at the same time, she had never felt more like herself.

Hey. You look happy.

"I smelllll cooking," Max shouted joyfully as she came down the steps. "What sort of trouble are you getting into down here?"

"Don't look in the kitchen, just come to the table!" Chloe responded. With a shrug, Max did as she was told. She stopped in her tracks once the table was visible.

"Oh...wow, Chlo," she said, the awe taking center stage in her voice.

"So, yeah, I figured," Chloe lit the last candle on the table, "we should be gross stereotypes and have a candlelit dinner." She pulled a chair out and gestured for Max to sit. She skated into the kitchen, returning quickly with two wine glasses. "Get all cozy and romantic, ya dig?"

I dig so hard.

"I'd be lying if I said this wasn't some deep-seated desire of mine, yeah," Max giggled, running her hands over the tablecloth Chloe had broken out for the occasion. Chloe bit the wrapping from the tip of the wine bottle and spat it onto the floor. "So fancy! And you're cooking!"

"Yeah, yanno," Chloe snirked, "figured I'd really rock those socks of yours off." Her arms dropped to her sides and she cocked her head with a knowing smile. "It's...it's just grilled cheese. Don't get too excited."

"Aw, we used to subsist on only grilled cheeses when we were kids!" Max clasped her hands over her heart. "Look at you!"

"Heh, look at me," Chloe chuckled, waving a hand over herself. "I mean, I thought I'd pick something that was pretty hard to fuck up."

And still very delicious.

"It's cute, stop doing your modest, embarrassed thing. Which..." Max furrowed her brow, "is also cute. So, hey, you do you, boo." She held her glass out and let Chloe fill it. "Wine and grilled cheese."

"Yeah, it's a great combo. I've been taking classes as a sommelier." Chloe poured a glass for herself, then disappeared into the kitchen. "The trick is, if you're drunk enough, everything pairs well with wine," she called. "Especially more wine!"

"That sounds like one of those clickbait ads. Doctors hate him..." Max laughed. She focused on one of the flames of a candle and took note of its subtle swaying. "You know, Dana had actually given me an idea for a candle situation too but it involves less eating." She thought for a moment, then quickly added, "I guess that's debatable."

"Oh, I heard all about Dana's bubble bath daydreams," Chloe said, returning to the table with two plates. "I like the way she thinks, to be honest." She set the plate down in front of Max, then took her own seat.

"Aw, Chloe," Max said, staring at her sandwich. "You're...you're so cute that it's infuriating." She held up half of it. "You cut the crust off."

I used to whine so much about that because I didn't want curly hair...

"Actually," Chloe smiled, but there was a hint of red in her cheeks visible in the candlelight, "I did that without even thinking about it. I was pretty much done before I even realized it. Just...I guess I remembered that's how you preferred it, so I automatically did it. Like a robot!"

"That's...really, really sweet," Max said. A sad feeling twirled around inside her.

She cared...so much. I still can't believe I left her hanging for five years.

"Sweet as it may be," Chloe replied, not noticing Max's reaction, "a lot of that bread was crust so if you need another to fill you up, let me know and I'll make one."

"Thanks, Chloe," Max said, hoping it would suffice in place of all the things she couldn't put into words. She took a bite and slowly looked around the house. Because the lights had been turned off in favor of candles, areas that escaped the the flame's illumination became blank canvases. She could imagine the color of the walls and what sorts of things she and Chloe would choose to decorate them with. Doorways holding nothing but blackness might have a small, but respectable library or a studio for photography on the other side. The options ranged from grandiose to humble, but they were options all the same. And it was nice to be given the chance to have any at all.

"You cool?" Chloe asked, wearing a slightly concerned expression. "Did I...did I actually fuck it up?"

A memory grew vibrant in Max's mind. It was of them at 'their' spot, the lighthouse, right after they returned from the past. Chloe's eyes were wide and she seemed to be struggling between elation and panic.

"Oh shit, I could have fucked everything up way worse! Goddamn butterfly wings…"

"No," Max said, shaking her head and smiling as if holding a secret while reaching for her glass, "no, babe. It's perfect."

"Oh, maybe?" Chloe read over the 'guide' labeling which chocolates contained which fillings. She and Max were lying side by side on the bed, propped on their elbows with the box of chocolates in front of them. "No, that one was an oval, right? I think it's molasses."

Dang, I was wrong.

"It's good either way," Max replied, inspecting one of the flatter pieces with her finger. She took a deep breath. "So, I know we didn't really talk about it beforehand like we did with Christmas, but I did uh...get you something." Chloe laughed through her nose as she chewed.

"Okay, cool, I got you something too," she said. She pressed her hands into the mattress, then threw herself backwards onto her knees. "I didn't wrap it, though. Sorry."

"Oh, that's okay!" Max rolled onto her side and looked up at the girl. "Man, I'm glad I did figure something out. That would've been awkward."

I would be waking up in a cold sweat thinking about it for the next sixty years.

"Eh, not really," Chloe said. She slid off the bed and wandered over to the desk. "I wouldn't have been mad or anything." She pulled one of the drawers open and removed a small stack of paper, dropping it on the desk. "Glad you didn't look in here, it was very badly hidden." Max could only see the back of her, but she seemed to be cradling something.

"I'm not as nosy as you think I am," Max protested with a snicker. There was a sarcastic, drawn out 'mhm' from Chloe and then the girl started to jerk her arms around violently. "Woah, are you okay? What's going on?"

"Yep, I'm fine!" Chloe replied, spinning around and extending her hands. She was holding a mason jar upside down, the contents inside scattered around in a flurry.

Huh? What is it?

Max sat up and moved closer to her, unsure of what she was looking at. After a moment, the tempest in the jar calmed down and the sparkling debris drifted to the bottom. Max leaned closer and saw what looked to be two plastic trees rooted in place. When it cleared up further, she saw two figurines that seemed feminine in nature. They weren't overly detailed, but she could at least tell one had brown hair and the other had...sharply contrasted blue hair, almost as if it had been painted on. Max gasped.

Oh my god.

"Chloe," she said, reaching her hands out and gingerly placing them on either side of the jar, "is this...did you make your own snow globe? With us in it?"

"Yeah!" Chloe beamed at her. "It's us and then I put some little evergreen trees in too so you could tell it was here." She nodded to encourage Max to take it. "I painted my hair on with nail polish. Figured, if it fades then that's pretty true to life."

No way, this is incredible!

"Oh...my god?" Max brought it close to her face. "This is amazing! It's so cute!" She shook it carefully, watching in awe as the glittery bits flew around the figures.

"I always wanted to make one," Chloe said casually, "and I thought it was kind of like that first day back together."

"By the lighthouse..." Max looked at the two girls in the jar and smiled, reliving the scene in her mind. "I told you about my powers and you called me high."

Still a fair response.

"It's the, uh, best I can do," Chloe said, looking somewhat unsure.

"What do you mean? It's great, Chlo," Max replied. Chloe shook her head.

"No, I mean, it's the best I can do to be like you." She pointed at the snow globe. "It's...kind of like a picture. Taking a moment and capturing it in time forever. I suck with cameras, but..."

"Chloe," Max said, setting the jar down and standing up to face her. She placed a palm against the girl's cheek. "You did great. You...you caught the moment. Perfectly." With a subtle lean forward, she had their lips pressed together. "I love you."

"Love you too, Max," Chloe responded, her voice breathy and carrying that rare shyness. Max smushed her face against Chloe's chest and squeezed her, then let out a deep sigh.

"Okay, I'm going to go get yours, alright?" She tried to not look as nervous as she was beginning to feel. "Just, uh, get comfy in bed and I'll be right back." Chloe arched a curious eyebrow, then nodded.

Max trotted downstairs and into the garage, the waves of nerves cresting larger as she moved. With unsteady hands, she moved her makeshift cover of David's belongings out of the way and stared at her 'present' for Chloe, trying her hardest not to second guess herself. She gave herself a small, reassuring nod.

Am I really going to do this? Yes. Yes you are, Max.

"Hey..." Max said, peeking her head around Chloe's door. She was lying on the bed, her upper body supported by a pile of pillows. When she saw Max, her eyes went wide.

"Oh my god, are you like...really doing a sexy thing? Get comfortable on the bed?! Woooah!" Chloe sat forward with a feral excitement. Max was so taken aback, she physically recoiled and bumped her head on the door frame.

"Ow!" She gripped the door and narrowed her eyes. "Sexy thing? What are you talking about?"

"Er..." Chloe glanced to the side, then shrunk. "I thought like...I don't know, you said to get comfortable and I guess it kind of seems like you might be wearing something special? That's...that happens in movies."

Oh what.

"Oh. No...I'm...I'm still wearing the same clothes." The awkward breeze didn't do much for her nerves. "Is that what you would have wanted? I didn't...I didn't do that."

"No, no!" Chloe waved her hands. "I mean, yes, but it's not like...it wasn't on my Amazon wishlist. I'm dumb, I swear literally whatever is going on is rad and I love it!" Max sighed in humorous defeat, then pulled the door open all the way.

"Man, if I had kno-" she began to say, but was interrupted as Chloe's eyes nearly burst from her head at what she saw.

"NO FUCKING WAY!" she screamed, scrambling forward and off the bed. She jumped just in front of Max and clutched her head excitedly. "Oh my god, oh my god!" Her reaction was more than enough to drown out the anxiety that had been building.

Okay, she's excited. That's...that's good.

"You, um, have said for a while now that you wanted me to play for you," Max said, raising her guitar higher into the air. "I've been practicing."

"Max, oh my god, yes! Yes!" Chloe squealed, bouncing around in circles in pure ecstasy. "Hell yes! I'm so fucking excited!" She pounced at Max and took her into a passionate kiss. When it broke, she waved her arms and screamed again.

"Alright, I feel like I do need to tell you to keep your expectations...reasonable," Max giggled.

"Fuck that!" Chloe yelled, taking one step backward before leaping onto her bed. She retreated back to the pile of pillows and pointed. "Play!"

"Bossy," Max said, trying to pout but unable to hide the beautiful grin Chloe's reaction had conjured. "Okay..." She took a seat on the side of the bed and pulled the guitar into her lap. "I learned three songs to play you. Well, I already knew one of them but I've been practicing it."

"Holy shit, I get a whole set!?" Chloe leaned back and flailed her feet. "This is hella cool!"

"Alright, calm down," Max chuckled. Chloe nodded and pulled her knees to her chest, her eyes absolutely on fire as she watched Max. "The first one is the one I already knew, I told you a long time ago I'd play it for you..." She wasn't surprised nor offended that it didn't seem like Chloe could remember which one she was talking about. She fixed one of the glow in the dark picks between her fingers and took a deep breath.

It only took three notes before she heard Chloe gasp, but rather than looking at her right away, she tried to maintain focus. This was made harder by the accompanied movement on the bed, presumably from Chloe thrashing as she realized. The song still reminded her of the smell of chlorine, which was never an association she had expected to come across. But then, it reminded her of quite a few things: the morning sunlight, the sleepy view of Chloe's ceiling, unexpected dares... And that feeling of being very, very confused. She had no idea what that floating, warm sensation was that throttled through her entire body when the word 'kiss' entered the room. She did now, though.

"I know that it is freezing, but I think we have to walk..."

As she played the last note on Lua, she finally looked at Chloe. The blue haired girl stared back at her, her eyes glistening with emotion. She tried to speak, but her voice bubbled and broke in her throat.

"That bad, huh?" Max asked with a knowing smirk.

I mean, I had to.

"Max," Chloe said, shaking her head. "It was so...you're so good! So pretty. And that was when we first kissed..."

"Uh huh." Max nodded. "I did tell you I'd play it for you someday." She flicked her wrist around to loosen it. "The next two might have more mistakes. Sorry."

"Okay." Chloe's voice was quiet, as if being cautious. She cleared her throat and pulled one of the pillows against her chest.

"So...this one kind of took more work to try and get it to fit my voice, it might be a little..." Max chuckled. "I have to stop hedging my bets. Okay, I'm just gonna do it."

As with the last song, it wasn't long before Chloe gave a reaction. This time, it took shape as an emotional 'Jesus' and quivering lip. She buried her face into the pillow, making sure to keep her eyes peeking out over the top to watch Max. They used to love the song when they were younger and it was one of the first examples where they felt more 'refined' in their musical taste. It was 'cool' music. But as with all things, its message and sentimental value had inflated over the years. Things were cyclical, starting off with one meaning only to reappear later carrying so much more.

"My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me. So won't you kill me, so I die happy?"

"I only messed up once," Max said proudly, grinning at Chloe. In response, the girl roughly rubbed her eyes with a growl.

"I didn't even notice," she said with a light laughter. "It was amazing." She gave another wipe across her eyes. "Okay, I'm not crying anymore. I fucking refuse."

"I didn't mean to make you cry," Max replied with an amused expression.

I totally did.

"Yeah, sure," Chloe scoffed. "I should have known this would happen whenever I finally did see you play. Like it wouldn't be some sweet shit that highlights our fucking crazy lives. I whiffed on that so hard."

"You definitely did," Max shot back, straightening her posture in boastfulness. "Alright, and then this one is, uh...I know William really liked it..." Chloe glared at her and audibly swallowed. "My dad does too, I think it was one of their bonding interests. But it's...it's pretty us." She set the pick on the first string and then looked back at Chloe. "Also hard to play, I don't know if it's just me or...what but it took me a while."

She began to play and slipped within a few notes, striking the wrong chord.

Dammit.

"Bear with me..." she said.

She started again and gracefully coerced the tune from the instrument. She glanced at Chloe and, instead of tears, she found her nodding with a smile, a look that seemed to say 'yes, totally.' Max smiled back, then focused on her playing. She might actually credit William and her father for instilling the seed that would later become love for the folk, singer-songwriter genre. Artists like Don McLean and Gordon Lightfoot weren't an uncommon presence in their households. This one, though, she felt spellbound by the first time she'd heard it since everything happened. Again, it just meant something more than when she listened to it as a child. A tale of time and its fleeting nature. Choosing how you want to spend that time. She wouldn't deny it gave her inspiration. It was certainly a relevant topic, and her new snow globe only highlighted its poignancy.

"But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do, once you find them. I've looked around enough to know, you're the one I want to go through time with."

"That one's so tricky," Max muttered as she finished. Chloe fell forward onto her hands and knees and crawled closer to her, reaching up to touch her cheek.

"You're beautiful," she said, her voice stuck in a whisper. She bared her teeth in a big smile. "God, you're so fucking beautiful. I love you." She snickered mischievously. "This basically has the same effect of the whole sexy surprise thing, you just killed two birds with one stone." She pulled herself closer and kissed Max's ear. "I don't even know what to do with you anymore, you've squeezed every reaction out of me." She kissed again and her hand trailed up Max's side.

"Wait," Max said. Chloe recoiled with a look of surprise, unsure if she'd done something wrong. "No," she laughed, stroking the back of Chloe's hand. "You're fine, I'm not saying wait because of that. It's just, um..." Suddenly, all of the nervousness from before resurfaced, bouncing around inside of her chaotically.

Ah, shit.

"What is it?" Chloe asked, still uncertain.

"Well, at most shows, there's always an encore, right?" Max bit her lip and looked down at her guitar, patting it for comfort.

"Yeah..." Chloe's voice lilted into excitement. "But you said you learned three songs. You can, um," she blushed unapologetically, "you can play them all night, honestly." Max looked away, smiling despite her nerves.

"Dork," she mumbled. "I didn't exactly, I guess...learn this last song?" She turned back to Chloe who was attentively confused. "I kind of...made it." Chloe squinted and a long second passed before she gasped.

"Wait, you..." Chloe pointed at the guitar, "you wrote me a song?"

"I hope so," Max said with a nervous giggle. "I hope it sounds like a song."

"You. Wrote. Me. A. Song?" Chloe repeated.

"Yeah," she replied simply.

"Wow." Chloe put a hand against her chest and her eyes started darting around. "My heart's beating so fast..." Max found it unfortunate that the amazed reaction didn't cover up her anxiety as it had done earlier. She had no idea what she must have done or what face she must have made, but Chloe reached out and placed her other hand against Max's heartbeat. "You're nervous, huh?"

"I want it to be good," she said weakly, still smiling.

"It will be," Chloe assured. She moved in closer again and kissed Max on the cheek. "It'll be the best. I'll, uh..." she pointed her thumb over her shoulder, "I'll get back in the audience seat."

Well, I'm glad you didn't say 'you don't have to' because I'm not sure I'd turn that down...sigh.

"Okay," Max said, steadying her breathing as best she could, "it's pretty cheesy. On...on purpose, okay? I'm gonna...I'm gonna start." Chloe grinned and gave her two thumbs up.

She took another deep breath and began, releasing a jaunty, whimsical tune into the air. She kept her eyes mostly on Chloe this time, having practiced this one more than all of the others combined. Perhaps as a show of encouragement, Chloe began to sway and bob her shoulders to the music.

"It's gettin' kinda silly how much you hog up the frame
You hold my lens for ransom like I have a say where I aim
But the truth is I would pay so you'd never leave my sight
I don't care how much it costs, I promise the Price is right"

As she finished the last line, she summoned up enough flair to wink at Chloe, who gave a shocked, open mouthed, 'I cannot believe you' smile in return. Keeping with the pace, she slid into the next verse.

"'Cause I'm taking heavy fire from all those looks that you shoot me
You think that you're a pirate captain, but I'm the one gettin' booty
Guess I can't ever say I'm broke when it's your hand I'm holdin'
Because when I'm with you, every hour is golden"

She was pleased to receive the appropriate reaction at the mention of booty, and just as pleased to see the underlying sparks in Chloe's eyes become more feverish with each word. She dropped the tempo a little and started the chorus, stumbling while delivering the first line.

"But...I'm sorry that I wasted those years
Time's like Houdini, it just disappears
But I swear I'll spend the rest of mine
Being your permanent Valentine
There's a piece of me that can only be yours
A kiss during a week no one else remembers"

There was a little frustration about losing her footing as she sang, but it was also something she'd been expecting to happen with the more serious lyrics. It was why she ultimately decided not to include one section just a few days ago. She hid her annoyance and smiled at Chloe, who was now clearly treading water in a desperate attempt to avoid crying again. Skillfully, she yanked the pace back into a more bouncy sound.

"It's true that I adore all of your witty jokes and your quips
But they're not even my favorite thing that you do with your lips
Drives me crazy to the point where I think you're the one that's the otter
I'm the shark that wants a taste and there is blood in the water"

She snorted as she finished the last line and chomped in Chloe's direction. Chloe merely sat still, her mouth restricted into a tight O shape. She finally smiled and waved a hand at her neck, causing Max to laugh. She shook the giggles off and continued.

"I know I couldn't ask for a better partner in crime
No prison cell can hold us, not even the handcuffs of time
And if it's lookin' kind of cloudy, it's okay, we have an umbrella
On a scale of one to ten, I guess I'd say my love for you's 'hella'"

Chloe gave a 'fuck yeah' little fist pump at that and Max nodded in agreement. She had written this verse in an attempt at making the scrapped section sound happier, which was a move she was glad to have made. She strummed the guitar and took an extra pass to simply look at Chloe, taking in all of those small features that culminated into something so beautiful. Her mind strayed on her, wandering into the busy road of memories that showed all they had gone through to get here. She couldn't believe she'd almost lost Chloe forever. But, it wouldn't have been forever...right? She wouldn't stop trying. She'd do it again and again to try and achieve this very moment. But just the thought of her being gone...

"But I'm sorry I..."

She stopped playing.

"Max?" Chloe sat forward.

Max stared down at the guitar in her lap, rocking it just enough so the strings would touch her fingertips one second and recede the next. She lost herself in that rhythm of being able to feel them and then...not. One moment, her skin was pulling in all of the information of touch through her nerves and the next, she had nothing. It was gone. A teardrop fell onto the guitar.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Chloe asked, brushing Max's hair out of the way to try and see her face. Max sniffled and shook her head, still not looking up. She repositioned the guitar and set her fingers hard against the strings so that they dug through her callouses. She clenched her teeth and began to strum.

"A kiss destined to drown the Earth
With all the rain that you are worth
Come hell or high water from the shore
I'll keep you safe and close to me
Break every...goddamn reality
I...I won't let them take you anymore"

She was crying honestly now, biting off some of the words angrily.

"I j-just got you back, p-please don't leave me
What kind of superhero would I be
If I c-can't even save what matters most?
Send me all your darkest weather
I...swear we'll get through this together
I...I won't let you become a ghost"

She could feel Chloe's hands on her and hear sniffling that wasn't just her own. She sobbed once, laughed, then shrugged her shoulders as she switched the pacing back to as it was before.

As soon as she'd finished pronouncing the last word, she stopped playing and pushed the guitar onto the floor, twisting herself sideways and dragging Chloe into the sheets. Their teeth crashed clumsily as Max's hands tore through Chloe's hair, gripping it and pulling in desperation. The taste of salt hit her tongue and she felt Chloe's hands at her sides, clawing into the fabric of her clothing. She threw herself upright and tugged off her shirt, then fell right back onto Chloe.

"Max," Chloe said, breathless between kisses, "I love you." Max quickly snapped at her throat, grazing her teeth across the goose bumped skin. She sat back up and rolled off of her.

"I love you too," she said, equally out of breath. She grabbed the collar of Chloe's shirt and yanked on it. "I love you."

"Wow." Chloe stared at the ceiling, her chest heaving as she calmed down.

"Wow," Max agreed, fitting herself against the girl comfortably. "That ended up being way more intense than I anticipated." She let out a breathy laugh as she traced her finger along Chloe's stomach. "I wasn't going to do that one part and...I wasn't supposed to start crying."

0 for 2.

"Double fail," Chloe quietly teased. "That was amazing, Max." Max propped her chin on Chloe's chest and looked at her.

"Which...part?" she asked.

"Well, all of it," Chloe chuckled. "But...the song. I can't believe you wrote that for me. You're actually a rockstar."

"You liked it, then?" Max pursed her lips together as if she didn't know the answer.

"I loved it more than I can possibly say," Chloe said, wrapping her arms around her. "It was perfect." She thought for a moment. "What's it called?"

Huh?

"What?" Max asked.

"My song. What's the title?" She smiled when Max's eyes grew bigger.

"I didn't...give it one," she admitted. "You can name it. It's yours, after all."

"Oooh, that's exciting!" Chloe 'hmm'd' as her eyes wandered slowly around the room. "Okay, do you remember when we used to rent VHS tapes?"

"Uh...yeah?" Max's brow crinkled. "They're all closed now."

RIP Blockbuster.

"Well...yeah, but remember how you used to have to rewind the tapes before you took them back?" Chloe held out her hand. "They'd say 'be kind, rewind' on them. I...I like that." Max smiled and dragged herself up to kiss Chloe's cheek.

"Be Kind, Rewind," she mused. "I like that too."

A/N: Finally all of those 'hey, remember Max plays guitar?' references pay off!

FIFTY CHAPTERS! That's insane, right? It feels insane. I'm pretty pleased that V-Day landed perfectly on 50, seems fitting. The whole 'Max plays Chloe a song for Valentine's Day' thing is one of those ideas I've had since waaaay back at the very beginning, so it's cool to mark another one of those off the list. Slowly, but surely, we're making our way through it. To be honest, I have no idea how the inclusion of an 'original' song even reads in a story like this. I tried to chop it up with reactions so that it wasn't just a wall of lyrics and a 'neat' reaction at the end of it, but I wouldn't be totally surprised if it fell flat. I can actually HEAR how it's "supposed" to sound at this point, but who knows.

The three songs Max plays before Be Kind, Rewind are Lua by Bright Eyes, Hands Down by Dashboard Confessional and Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce!

Also! Before the Storm Ep. 1 came out! Have you guys checked it out? I was pretty apprehensive going into it, but I adored it! Very, very happy to love it as much as I do and I can't wait for the next episode.

Anywho, I think that's about all I have for you. I'm amazed that we're at fifty chapters and I wanted to say (as always, again,) thank you so much for sticking around for them. Hope you guys enjoyed it and I'll swing back around soon with 51!